Some people call the Fire Horse year a fever dream and this describes so well the movement between Pisces and Aries. When Saturn and Neptune finally met up more permanently in Aries, we were still finishing the Pisces cycle. The Pisces New Moon, while announcing the new cycle was still releasing the old cycle. The harsh reality (Saturn) of the Pisces delusional dreams were still sinking in, the cognitive dissonance of a collective psychosis. The old narratives were starting to break down. We could no longer ignore the reality of the material world pounding on our door.
The initial slow awakening and then an abrupt and rude awakening - not isolated to but certainly illustrated in the slow and then sudden fracturing of the MAGA movement - as Trump defiantly requested his jeweled crown before it was earned, smashing most of his campaign promises, snubbing his nose at those people who dared call him out. The most egregious of these were the release of the Epstein files and the final straw, the recent strikes on Iran. It wasn’t simply Trump’s followers either. Many of us felt betrayed by our leaders and institutions across the board. Especially the ones who have so easily acquiesced, who’ve kept silent, who’ve gone out of their way to prop up a broken and increasingly corrupt system. Those who have the power and do not use it for the greater good, but instead find ways to keep profiting from it.
Richard Tarnas speaks to this fever dream in relation to the Saturn-Neptune conjunctions. Saturn-Neptune periods bring about such a heightened sense of disillusionment and loss of faith, of discontent and disenchantment, that there is a strong sense in these periods of the "empowerment that can emerge from confronting an illusion, shedding a faith that is no longer viable, waking as if from a dream, lucidly recognizing the consensus madness, demystifying the received version of reality.”
Just as the illusions and mythology of America were played out and dispelled during the years following the Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Libra in the 50’s: testing our leadership in the areas of justice and equality, the white picket fence mirage of the perfect family, women’s roles in society; we are now experiencing the early days of disillusionment from the opposite side of the wheel: testing our leadership in the areas of personal sovereignty, the mythology of the "American Dream" and the role of immigrants in that mythology, the defenders and policemen of the free world, and men’s roles in society.
Our Collective Immune System
You could describe this as our collective immune system breaking down even further, since we have just experienced the opening sextile of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction that announced the arrival of COVID. The physical virus has seemingly evolved into a mind virus that is now attacking itself, thinking it is eradicating some external threat. Fear co-opting our waking reality, unhinged behavior from our country’s leaders, and general chaos has put us into 24-7 crisis survival mode. And we haven’t even gotten to the midterms yet.
An astrologer recently posted a warning about a propaganda push that is coming to target people psychographically for the upcoming midterms. The next Scorpio Full Moon’s theme suggests as much, and while I often think we have all become more wise about this, I think we have to continue to be mindful of all of the hooks that are out there. While we all need to take active steps to make this world a better place, we also need to disconnect from this psychological warfare as often as we can. Or we will simply feed into this virus.
I know for me, it is very challenging to keep up my immunity, to remember to disconnect, to not get pulled into the narratives that seek to co-opt my mind. Our focus is really our freedom so practicing things like mental hygiene is as important as physical exercise and healthy eating. Don’t overlook this in your own life.
If we allow ourselves to get overwhelmed by the constant drama, how can we respond to the very real threats once they arrive? Will we be too sick, too broken down to even put up a fight? Will we optimize for solutions that will further embed the virus into the ecosystem? Like other addictions, will we begin to beg for that which is making us sick? Will we become further entrapped so we can never hope to find our way out?
Or will we, like the 60’s, empower ourselves to reject an inequitable system, to fight for something better, something that embraces a healthy reciprocal ecosystem instead of the current predatory systems that are leading to our death and destruction?
The Strategic Collapse
When we are amidst an awakening period, when we experience large scale instability and power vacuums, political and social unrest, there is an attempt to exert control via a collapse narrative. This is when predatory behavior becomes more pronounced; those who seek power take advantage of the anxiety that naturally surfaces in others to exert their control. As chaos ensues, many people who feel hopelessly locked into a system can easily give up more control, especially if they think someone else can give them peace, security, and certainty.
Narcissists in particular destabilize and disempower so they can take advantage of our psychology. As social beings who look to others for approval, narcissists often play one side against the other, doing whatever it takes to gain the upper hand. Once you are vulnerable, they swoop in and offer you a solution, protection, so they can take more and more control over your life.
Trump’s recent post about destroying a civilization shows exactly what he wants his followers to feel, and walks them through the process of mirroring him. It is the cycle of abuse employed by every violent domestic abuser—and every dictator: shock them; confuse them; “save” them; lock them in; and weaponize them. - Jim Stewartson
Engineering the End Times
The real mind fuck to the current end times narrative is that it actively seeks the one world government model that all the previous end-timers warned against. It is the same power over, power under model. The concept of engineering a cycle purposefully to force a confrontation with the end times is the ultimate delusion. It’s like the cycle has fully ripened, fallen off the tree, and started to become grotesque in its decomposition. It has now become a self-fulfilling prophecy, rather than a cycle we are meant to transcend. This is exactly what they mean when they talk about being stuck on the dharma wheel. Most are ignorant, but there are those who purposely use these cycles for their own ends.
I imagine it being similar to those who learn the art of magic for nefarious purposes rather than as a path toward unification and enlightenment. For example, Thiel’s whole strategy amounts to leaning into these cyclic delusions, flipping the narrative on its head to make use of the cycle for his own monopolistic power. Seeing this narrative play out in such extreme ways on the world stage is its own type of exorcism, which is symbolic of the Neptune-Uranus cycle that began around the time of the Iraq War. We are also experiencing the opening sextile of that cycle.
Ironically, Jesus offered himself as a collective sacrifice to end these cycles of conflict, and instead his death merely perpetuated the cycles, only now in His Name. Neptune in Aries and Pluto in Aquarius is a cyclic period that incites rebellion against old power structures which have created severe imbalances in the collective.
It’s religiously fervent because that’s how the energy is often channeled, especially when it’s against dictatorships or old religious structures that no longer serve the people. Belief systems, ideologies, delusions… people easily grasp onto these ideas to make the cost of the rebellion worth it. Everyone is looking for the “promised land” where they can be free and live an unencumbered life. People need ways to channel their frustration with the current reality and Neptune seduces with its mirage of a “promised land” just up ahead. But it can simply direct us into a new trap instead.
People completely miss the point that that “promised land” is a freedom one can choose at any moment. It’s not something you can find externally. It’s not something “out there”. It’s certainly not going to be found killing other people.
Everyone is confused. Nobody can understand what America actually is today. It seems governed by some kind of mad emperor who keeps saying whatever comes to his mind, something we haven’t witnessed since Caligula or Nero. The one thing the Europeans have understood is that we are dealing with a bully. You can give him everything he wants, you can pretend you don’t hear his insults, but he will keep trying to bully us, and so at a certain point we must stop him. - Carlo Calenda, an Italian Senator
I recently presented an astrological view of the origins of the Antichrist for OPA. Nero was the first emperor to be labeled the Antichrist. When Nero persecuted the Christians after The Great Roman Fire, Pluto was in Aquarius and Neptune was in Aries. You can see the similarities between Nero and Trump not only in the historical record, but also in their astrological charts. Some people point toward this time as the beginning of the fall of Rome. We are witnessing a similar self-destruction in the West right now. A divided house always falls.
The New Moon in Aries
The New Moon in Aries arrives the weekend before the 15-day ceasefire with Iran is set to expire, and 2 days before the late Ali Khamenei’s birthday which features a triple conjunction of Mars, Saturn, and Mercury at 7° Aries.
The New Moon in gate 3, Difficulty at the Beginning, opposes Netanyahu’s Sun in Libra in gate 50, The Cauldron. It’s in sextile relationship to the New Moon Eclipse in Aquarius, so there will be developments and opportunities that will further impact current supply chains. The opportunities that I see in this crisis is that it may force everyone to seek quicker technological advancements of renewable energy resources that will curb our addiction to oil. I wish this silver lining didn't have to come at the cost of so many innocent lives.
This New Moon in the Venus decan of Aries on one hand speaks to a moment of ease in an arduous time, a celebratory milestone on a much longer and harder road, a “temporary refuge” or “safe haven.” But the other symbols in the chart tell a different story. It does not describe a peace agreement, which is already appearing shaky. The morning after the ceasefire which was supposed to include Lebanon, Israel reigned 100 bombs on Lebanon in 10 minutes and Iran complained that the US was already violating its agreement. The horrific rhetoric and bombs continue today.
We have two outer planets conjunct the angles of this New Moon chart located in Washington DC: Pluto is tightly conjunct the Midheaven, symbolic of the very serious threats of annihilation coming from our President. As a comparison, Pluto was more loosely conjunct the Midheaven during the Sagittarius Full Moon chart last June. Ten days after that Full Moon, we launched a surprise bunker bomb attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Uranus, at the final degree of Taurus, is also loosely conjunct the Ascendent, descriptive of the unpredictability and disruptive influence of our national identity and confusion around our values on the world’s stage. You see Venus is also in Taurus rising in this chart and heading toward a conjunction with Uranus.
Mars, symbolizing the "God of War", is strong in its own sign, ruling both the New Moon and the 12th house of "Spies and Hidden Enemies" and the 7th house of "Allies and Open Enemies". Mars, sitting in the 11th house of the "Legislature & Friends-of-the-Nation", is separating from a sextile to Pluto and applying to a conjunction with Saturn. Saturn rules the 10th house of the Presidency. Saturn in gate 17, line 5 describes an over confidence, someone closed to other points-of-view. On the 19th, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn will all be in this gate and line, more prominently demonstrating an impasse from all sides.
The New Moon in the 12th house rules a feral Jupiter in the 3rd house of "The Media and Neighboring Nations". It’s feral because it’s not making any connections to other planets in the chart. This manifests as a lone-wolf type of energy, causing tension amongst team members. Jupiter, often symbolizing the elite, rules the 8th house of financial agreements with other countries, and the 11th house of friends of the nation and the legislature.
In Washington DC, it falls on the 2/4 Cross of Laws. Ra says about this cross:
This Cross describes how one's purpose in life is to affect the whole community of humanity. That's their purpose. As a matter of fact, they're more likely to suffer from the law than anyone else. They'll get punished by the law because they're the ones who will push that button. And yet without them, we would have no order. We would truly have only chaos and survival of the fittest. We would live in a world that is still as cruel as the animal world before us. All these people who think the animal world is nice, it‟s just dog-eat-dog.
Venus will conjunct Uranus one final time in Taurus, on April 23 before Uranus enters Gemini on the 25th. It falls on the opening square to the New Moon in Taurus that happened in July of 2025, creating another t-square with Pluto. Will Trump fire another woman in his administration?
He fired Kristin Noem when Venus was at the last degree of Pisces, creating a conjunction with Saturn and Neptune and separating from a sextile with Uranus.
He fired Bondi the day before the Venus square Pluto transit. Her Mars-Jupiter opposition fell on the MC/IC when we first started to hear the news.
I have my eye on Tulsi Gabbard because she will experience a last hit to her Uranus opposition on April 16th, mere hours before this New Moon. She has been a wild card in the administration because of her intense opposition to the Iran war. During the Venus-Uranus conjunction, her Uranus straddles the Ascendent and the t-square aspects her Nodes.
Then again, I have looked at a few charts that have interesting aspects during this time. For example, this conjunction happens days before Melania’s birthday and the Venus-Uranus conjunction is within 1° orb of her natal Venus. She recently made an abrupt and strange announcement about her relationship with Epstein and calling for his Victims to be brought before congress.
Be Mindful During This Time
It’s going to be another intense month with the upcoming triple conjunction of Mars, Saturn, and Mercury in Aries. This conjunction tends to produce frustration and anger in people, so be mindful about what's going on around you. Remove yourself from conflict as tempers will be high, channel the energy into productive projects, get lots of physical exercise, and disconnect when needed.
Whatever you do, don't get embroiled in the online outrage prompts. Fuel whatever anger that comes up into something productive. This energy is really powerful if you can manage to use the energy for slow concentrated work. There's no sense in spreading outrage for the sake of spreading it. If it doesn't move you to productive action, remove yourself and find something that does. And when you find yourself stuck, switch centers. If you are in too much in your mind, get into your body and vice versa. Find time to enjoy and appreciate the natural world. It’s still here and it beckons our attention, feeding our soul with its life energy. This is simply a new cycle and we can still thrive in it and help others thrive in it if we channel the energy well.
Watch the video version of this newsletter here:
New Moon in Aries Video