Tonight, we enter the Last Quarter phase with the Moon in mid Capricorn. This is a solid, stable Moon, which is just as well, because there’s up in the air.
By the time we reach the Last Quarter, Mercury will have stationed retrograde in late Aries. Mercury is stationing as I write. Mercury entered their pre-shadow March 18, will station direct April 25, and leave the post-shadow May 13.
During this retrograde, we’re invited to consider how we perceive, process, and communicate.
Mercury in Aries is direct, clear, and energized. Mercury in Aries can also be brash, impulsive, and combative. In the weeks ahead, we might be more irritable, restless, and pushy than usual. Or it might feel as if others are bring those Aries characteristics to us. However it shows up, we’ll probably meet Aries-style Mercury in ways that are less than ideal.
The value built into retrograde experiences lies in our capacity to reflect, revise, and rework.
Mars rules this Mercury retrograde, because it’s happening in Aries. Yet Mars is currently in Pisces moving to conjunct Saturn. This conjunction won’t be exact until April 10, but is already affecting us.
Mars–Saturn interactions can feel a lot like a retrograde. Mars wants to leap ahead; Saturn says no. Saturn wants a detailed and comprehensive plan; Mars gets impatient. They’re not good together.
The fact that Mars and Saturn are in Pisces adds fogginess and confusion.
Venus and Neptune are also in Pisces and moving into conjunction. The Venus–Neptune conjunction is exact April 3, within the Last Quarter. These two planets invite us into a world of creative inspiration, dreams, and spiritual insights. They also create an atmosphere of open-ended acceptance.
Meanwhile, the Capricorn Moon squares the Sun in Aries, a pairing that echoes the Mars–Saturn push-pull. The Sun, very close to the North Node, is ready to set the world on fire with longing and ambition. The Moon takes a page from Saturn’s book and wants to review what commitments are needed to make all this happen.
Of course, we’re also between eclipses, floating through a sea of strange energies. It’s not the optimal time to be goal-driven. We’re in a time of oracles.
When the sky offers us the same message in different ways, we pay attention. Mercury retrograde in Aries, Mars conjunct Saturn, and a Cap Moon squaring an Aries Sun all point to a time in which we want to move fast, but can’t.
Instead of getting angry, arguing, or shoving through obstacles, the better options will be to slow down, accept setbacks with grace, and reflect on why and how we got triggered.
The Moon in the middle of Capricorn is all about doing the work, but doing it carefully, deliberately, and completely. We can leverage that Saturnian dedication by applying it to our own self care during these weeks
How can we maximize our ability to navigate these times? We first find a still place.
