By Amanda Painter

If you’re feeling a little on edge this week, you won’t be surprised that astrological events are offering a picture of why that might be. Topping the list are Mercury moving through its ‘storm’ phase prior to stationing direct on Sunday; the Aries New Moon Sunday night; and Chiron in the last degree of Pisces (it enters Aries two days later, on April 17).

Faux fire in Grand Cayman; photo by Amanda Painter.

Although New Moons generally are not considered ‘edgy’ astrology, this one is special, as the Sun and Moon make their conjunction nestled between the disruptive, chaotic influences of Uranus and Eris.

With a waning Moon often indicating a sense of lower personal energy, it would not be surprising if you’re feeling a little less able to deal with the onslaughts of modern life in the digital age right now. That said, there’s still intriguing potential in the current astrology. For one thing, hopefully this Mercury retrograde phase through Aries has offered you a fruitful review of certain decisions, actions, desires and ways of seeing yourself (what you think of as your identity).

Recognizing those openings for insight sometimes asks for a higher level of awareness than what we’re able to muster, however — especially if one is in the thick of a communication crisis, car breakdown, financial mess or other stressful, complex situation. That’s okay. Hindsight is often when we’re able to get some perspective, not when we’re in the middle of things (though sometimes that happens, and it can save a lot of angst).

Along those lines, the moment when Mercury stations direct can come with a curious revelation — as in, the truth about something coming out, or previously unknown information emerging. The exact time for the station direct is 5:21 am EDT on April 15 (9:21 UTC); but even if you’re not awake at that moment, it’s worthwhile to stay extra observant the night before and then throughout the day on Sunday. Happening as it does in Aries, you might keep particular watch for anything to do with identity, desire, assertiveness and aggression, or something you’ve wanted to start.

Then, almost sixteen hours later, the Aries New Moon is exact at 9:57 pm EDT Sunday night (1:57 UTC Monday morning). As mentioned, this is really a four-way conjunction of the Moon, the Sun, Uranus and Eris.

One possible way this could manifest is through a new way of expressing yourself in relation to current social trends — such as choosing to use social media differently. Yet, New Moons tend to be a more inward-looking phenomenon; you might instead notice how your sense of yourself has shifted in relation to what’s going on around you. Is there any part of yourself that you feel has been pushed into the background?

Either way, from now through the beginning of next week, you may encounter some surprises — or you might be the one surprising others — thanks to the presence of Uranus (and Eris, in its own way). If you feel a strong urge to release yourself from certain routines (and go with it), you’re more likely to be the one raising eyebrows. I suspect that the more in tune you are with your own inner shifts and growth, the less this will feel or look like rebellion for its own sake, and the less likely you’ll be to encounter pushback from others.

The tricky thing might be if you’re deeply wedded to your habits; that’s when encounters with Uranus can show up more as annoying upsets to your plans. Also, notice if you’re feeling especially jittery, which is a signal to avoid really dangerous activities — or, if that’s unavoidable, to stay very attentive to unexpected factors that might require quick adjustments on your part.

Mercury stationing direct combined with this unique Aries New Moon definitely call for keeping your antennae up, and for being ready to go with what’s different. Together, they also present an unusual opportunity to move forward creatively. Although I’m not going to analyze the Sabian symbols for the degrees of Mercury direct and the New Moon, I’d like to offer them here as food for thought and inspiration (the Sabian symbols are a set of channeled symbols for each zodiac degree; I’m using the version interpreted by Dane Rudhyar):

Mercury direct (5 Aries): “A triangle with wings.”
Keynotes: “The capacity for self-transcending,” and “A new dimension is being envisioned mobilizing creative endeavors.”

Aries New Moon (27 Aries): “Through imagination a lost opportunity is regained.”
Keynotes: “Revision of attitude and inner revaluation,” and “What counts is the development of undaunted faith in the pursuit of one’s ideals.”

With Chiron entering Aries just two days after these events, on April 17, we’ll be getting a whole new level of focus on themes like these — along with all the rest of what Aries represents in our culture, and in ourselves. Much of that will likely not be pretty; collectively we have some rather warped ideas around identity, ‘self’, sex and desire, assertiveness, war and other forms of violence.

With the magnifying glass of Chiron applied, we’ll see even more clearly what needs to be changed, healed and learned from in these areas over the next several years. I think that with the imagination, creativity and inner review offered by Mercury and the New Moon this weekend, you can position yourself well for this next leg of the journey.

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