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Aries New Moon: The Law of Diminishing Returns

By April Elliott Kent

Over coffee, I asked Jonny his plans for the day. He detailed a quest for some particular hot peppers he needed for a new chili powder recipe, followed by warfare with the gophers that have taken over our back yard.

Hot peppers and war? I’m just writing about Aries today; he’s living it.

I have to marvel at these gophers. The soil in our area is expansive clay, and it’s almost literally as hard as rock. When we had our foundations repaired, it took a team of grown men with very serious tools about three weeks to excavate the soil under the front portion of our house. And I’ve seen gophers; they’re not that impressive.

I suppose what they must have going for them is some freakish amalgam of ferocity and determination – all of which makes the gopher a sort of totem animal for this Aries New Moon, which is square Saturn, Pluto, and the Moon’s South Node in Capricorn.  Aries symbolizes the rising sap of nascent Spring, the exhilarating energy of a toddler at play, the bloodthirsty instincts of the cheetah; Saturn brings determination, and Pluto the command of the underworld. Our friend the pocket gopher combines them all. But today, my friends, he has met his South Node Waterloo: a homeowner with a grudge.

I wonder sometimes about the law of diminishing returns. Is the gopher really getting enough sustenance from our backyard to make all that hard work (and possible cranial injury) worthwhile? Wouldn’t it be easier to simply move on to a lawn with a couple of feet of friendlier, imported topsoil and more rewarding to find one with a delicious garden?

Of course, I’ve told myself the same thing in the roughly thirty years I’ve spent building a career as an astrologer. I spent probably two decades burrowing through the inhospitable soil of the hardest job I’ve ever had until, finally, the soil began to loosen up. Perhaps, somewhere, an omniscient observer has been watching me for years, puzzled by my tenacity. Maybe an astro-astute co-god pulls out my birth chart from time to time, points to Mars trine Saturn, and says, “Well, she does love a challenge.”

For all I know, that’s what’s really motivating these gophers: they love a challenge. There are few terrains more challenging than our backyard, with its dead grapefruit tree, nasty soil, and profusion of weeds. I will give them credit: it took time and effort, but they have fully conquered the territory.

But tenacity and hard work don’t guarantee success. The New Moon in conflict with realistic Saturn and Pluto also insists that we navigate that fine line between perseverance and futility. And the Moon’s South Node, which encourages us to let go of safety nets that are actually preventing us from realizing our full potential, is asking us to let go of what simply isn’t working for us.

I’m reminded of a client who had toiled away for decades in the inhospitable soil of his own small business. He started out well, but had found it increasingly difficult to flourish in an industry that is itself slowly dying. Instead of growing, his business was actually losing ground, and the writing of the zeitgeist was on the wall. Yet, he wouldn’t give up. Now in his mid-sixties, his financial circumstances and increasingly his health were becoming perilous, and it felt too late to change direction.

Sometimes, we have to be able to accept that we’re not going to succeed at something. Some soil is so compacted that not even our most ferocious drive and engaged spirit can burrow through it. This is not the message an astrologer likes to deliver during Aries season, in the exuberant Northern Hemisphere Spring; the returning Sun and new life all around make it seem impossible that we should fail when our hearts and spirits are so filled with life force.

But we can fail. It happens all the time. Read the story of any successful person and you’ll hear a litany of failures that preceded the success. We mustn’t give up too soon, but we have to learn to recognize when something isn’t working, so we can redirect all that brash enthusiasm toward a more promising enterprise.

At this New Moon, which is trine Jupiter in Sagittarius, big dreams are puffing up like my sourdough starter on a warm, humid day. New directions are beckoning. So take stock of where you may be burrowing in inhospitable soil, and consider whether it’s time to move to a new backyard, where your dreams can aerate the soil and help you move in a happier, more fulfilling direction.

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About April Elliott Kent

April Elliott Kent is the author of Astrological Transits (Fair Winds Press), The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology (Alpha/Penguin), and Star Guide to Weddings (Llewellyn). She has contributed articles to The Mountain Astrologer and Dell Horoscope magazines and Llewellyn's Moon Sign, Sun Sign, and Sabbat annuals. April is member of ISAR, NCGR, and OPA and is a past President of the San Diego Astrological Society. Her weekly Big Sky Astrology Podcast can be found on iTunes and wherever you listen to podcasts. Read more of April's articles at BigSkyAstrology.com

Comments

  1. Michele says

    Apr 3, 2019 at 8:18 pm

    My keyboard chose “tomorrow “ but I meant “to get”.

    Reply
  2. Michele says

    Apr 3, 2019 at 8:17 pm

    Amen to that! Great analogies and examples April! I am glad your tenacity has bared fruit at least.

    I am in a holding pattern and waiting until Tomorrow get directions to jump but It sure don’t want to.

    The last example made me feel so sad for that man. I hope he can survive if not thrive, through what he’s tried so hard to make work. And being elderly and not in good health-just adds to the pressure he must feel. I don’t know him but send prayers.

    Reply

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The Moon is in its
Balsamic Phase

in the
Sign of Taurus


Today's Lunar Aspects:

  • Moon sextile Neptune, 7:49am  May 29 2022
  • Moon square Saturn, 7:51am  May 29 2022
  • Moon conjunct Mercury, 11:15am  May 29 2022
  • Moon trine Pluto, 2:10pm  May 29 2022

Venus is currently
The Morning Star

in the sign of Taurus


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m  Conjunction:  Like peas in a pod, planets in conjunction tend to come from the same place. They act together, but it’s also hard to tell them apart. This aspect can increase talent, focus, and intensity (“two are better than one”). Or one planet can disappear as the other dominates. Their connection feels so natural, it’s easy to think everyone blends these planetary energies just as you do—but mostly, they don’t!.

p  Sextile:  Planets in sextile are compatible, though without any fireworks. This aspect doesn’t demand your attention. It quietly presents an opportunity. You can join these archetypal forces. Donna Cunningham has called this the “Oh, that!” aspect, because that’s generally what her clients say when she describes their benefits.  To get the most from sextiles you need to actively work them.

q  Square:  Squares are wild and wonderful—but difficult too. The power struggle between these planets was likely defined in your youth, when they were impossibly challenging. People are usually aware of their squares. They force the issues that make you to grow. And that’s their gift. They ensure you learn your lessons. When you rise to the occasion, they bless you with energy, action, and success.

r  Trine:  Michael Munkasey has dubbed this the “goddess aspect” because it’s so lovely. Identifying talents you may have perfected in a previous life, trines can bring you joy. There’s a nice flow of energy between planets in trine. They support and reinforce each another. But without any struggle, you might take them for granted—neither using nor developing their gifts. An unattended trine can sometimes trick you into negative behaviors.

t  Inconjunct/Quincunx:  Your quincunx planets are innately incompatible. Bringing them into harmonious expression requires constant adjustments. This can be stressful, also motivating. You’ve got to keep changing your process, opinions or attitude—which promotes highly creative solutions.

u  Opposition:  They say opposites attract—and planets in opposition are never far from each other, though they’re constantly bickering. You may be triggered into awareness of this aspect by other people who seem to resist or undermine you.  An opposition can make you feel uncertain, insecure, or discontent, until you can accept and see yourself in both energies. Typically people find it easier to identify with one side and project the other onto unsuspecting others in the outer world.

First House: Personality, physical body, beginnings. Includes the Ascendant and rules physical appearance, the image you project to others, your general outlook on life, how you start things; may describe your role in your family system, often guides your first impression of immediate environment.

Second House: Money and personal finances, sense of self-worth and basic values, personal possessions, talents.

Third House: Communication, thoughts, language skills like writing and speaking, early schooling, siblings and neighbors, short trips, coming and going around town.

Fourth House: Your home, psychological foundations and roots, family, parents, domestic life, instinctive behavior, ancestry, your connection with the past, sense of security, domestic life, real estate. conditions at the end of life.

Fifth House: Children, creativity, romance; pleasure, entertainment, self-expression; all forms of “play”, speculation, gambling, and attitude towards taking risks; hobbies, attitude towards romance, lovers as opposed to partners, attitude towards having fun.

Sixth House: Work and job (as opposed to career), daily life, attitude towards service and coworkers, helpfulness, pets, attitude towards routine and organization, how you refine and perfect your skills.

Seventh House: Partnerships, one-to-one relationships, marriage, the first marriage, the “significant other”, business partnerships, competitors, open enemies, lawyers, mediators, counselors, contracts, negotiations, agreements. clients/the public.

Eighth House: Transformations and crisis, your ability to meet and rebound from crisis and change, sexuality; sex, death and rebirth, rituals and personal growth, your partner’s resources, addictions, psychology, other people’s money, taxes, divorce/alimony, inheritance.

Ninth House: Attitude toward expanding horizons, religious beliefs and personal philosophy, higher education, long-distance travel, morals, foreign languages and cultures, personal truths, publishing, commerce, advertising, your sense of adventure.

Tenth House: Career and profession, your contribution to society, social status, public reputation, material success, how you carve out a public identity for yourself; attitude toward authority figures, parents, caregivers, bosses, governments, attitude towards responsibility, desire for achievement.

Eleventh House: Friends, groups, organizations; hopes, wishes, aspirations, personal goals; your philanthropic attitude, concern for the collective, humanity; like tenth, can bring recognition and honors for fulfilling hopes and dreams.

Twelfth House: What’s hidden beneath the surface, karmic dustbin, limiting childhood/past-life messages, self-undoing, hidden enemies, hidden weaknesses, dreams, secret affairs, lost items, hospitals and prisons, hidden strengths, spiritual studies and soul growth.

A  Sun: Our vitality and magnetism; self-identity, ego.
Roles: The Self, the Hero, the Performer, the King.

B  Moon: Intuition, emotion, nurture.
Roles: The Mother, the High Priestess, the Child.

C  Mercury: Mind; physical dexterity and mental agility.
Roles: The Thinker, the Communicator, the Student, the Trickster, the Merchant, the Thief.

D  Venus: Our capacity for pleasure, receptivity, creativity, and social connection. Also indicates our relationships, self esteem, and financial abundance.
Roles: The Lover, the Seductress, the Artist.

E  Mars: Desire, initiative, anger.
Roles: The Protector, the Athlete, the Warrior.

F  Jupiter: Luck, opportunity, expansion, higher learning, religion.
Roles: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Traveler, the Monk, the Professor.

G  Saturn: Hard work, commitment, focus, inadequacy, leadership, suffering, loss.
Roles: The Task Master, the Grim Reaper, the Wise Old Man, the Builder, the Cynic, the Boss.

H  Uranus: Change, breakthroughs, upsets, discoveries.
Roles: The Revolutionary, the Humanitarian, the Visionary, the Snob.

I  Neptune: Imagination, spirituality, idealism, addictions, deception, compassion.
Roles: The Artist, the Romantic, the Guru, the Addict, the Martyr, the Victim.

J  Pluto: Transformation, power, psychological dynamics, helplessness.
Roles: The Terrorist, the Detective, the Psychotherapist, the Dictator, shady people.

a  Aries: Pioneering, competitive, selfish, impatient, courageous, reckless, independent, dynamic, domineering, “Me first!”

b  Taurus: Patient, stable, lazy, dependable, practical, sensual, stubborn, artistic, possessive, greedy, gentle, loyal.

c  Gemini: Intelligent, curious, adaptable, quick-witted, restless, clever, scatterbrained, lacking follow-through.

d  Cancer: Nourishing, intuitive, protective, moody, sensitive, maternal, domestic, childish, cautious, creative.

e  Leo: Proud, dignified, vain, expressive, romantic, generous, childish, overbearing, self-assured, creative.

f  Virgo: Perfection-seeking, practical, methodical, petty, critical, studious, discriminating, cautious, never satisfied.

g  Libra: Charming, sociable, peace-loving, refined, diplomatic, artistic, indecisive, apathetic, easily deterred.

h  Scorpio: Passionate, secretive, penetrating, resourceful, suspicious, manipulative, jealous, sarcastic, intolerant, determined, aware.

i  Sagittarius: Freedom-loving, philosophical, optimistic, enthusiastic, careless, impatient, talkative, a know-it-all, broadminded, athletic, honest.

j  Capricorn: Serious, responsible, practical, hardworking, stubborn, brooding, inhibited, status-conscious, domineering, unforgiving.

k  Aquarius: Progressive, individualistic, unpredictable, cold, intellectual, artistic, eccentric, shy, impersonal, scientific.

l  Pisces: Compassionate, intuitive, ungrounded, romantic, impractical, self-sacrificing, seductive, musical, artistic.