Insights by Kerstin Hern of The Mirrored Lantern / Original art for J. Southern Studio by Spirited Animals
Welcome to spring and the full swing of Aries season! This April is the ultimate fresh start energy, as it ushers in the cosmic new year and two new moons flanking the month: the new Aries moon on 3/31 or 4/1 (depending on location) and the new Taurus moon on April 30th. The Aries new moon resets a fresh lunar cycle, new month, and the zodiacal new year… It’s the “me!” sign that is the 1st house—the core nucleus house—from which we start our journeys around the zodiac wheel, traversing different areas of our lives from house to house.
Our full Libra moon: full = release/forgiveness + Libra = relationships + moon = emotions is squaring Pluto, adding some tough love to this lunation but for your own good… Squares cause some important friction to bring your attention to where some shifts and/or growth need to happen. Pluto is all about power, death/rebirth, and “cleaning house” to rid of energetic gunk. A full moon in Libra is an opportune time to clean your 7th house out. Ask yourself what intimate relationships or open enemies need some attention or a conversation? What’s the power dynamic there? Who needs to be let go?
The Taurus new moon closes out this month along with a solar eclipse, catalyzing change and growth, especially around Taurus’ earthly themes of money/wealth, love/relationships, and all forms of worth and value. Check your personal natal chart for any planets within 2 degrees of 10 degrees Taurus or Scorpio… If so, you’ll receive some extra benevolent energy around this eclipse. Stay tuned for more on this lunation with the May blog.
One major transit to note up top here is the exact Jupiter/Neptune conjunction which is a BIG DEAL, because there will not be another one of these until March 2035. Jupiter (expansion, higher learning, social energy) conjunct Neptune (spirituality, creativity, compassion) = more connection and human evolution socially, artistically, and spiritually. Just stay grounded to ensure healthy boundaries remain in place to keep deception and fawning at bay. Practicing any meaningful form of meditation around this transit is likely to create internal shift/blockage removal, connect you more to Source, and/or fuel healing.
I suggest doing a Road Opener candle spell during either or both lunations!
Notable Transits:
April 2: Sun conjunct Chiron + Mercury (childhood/past wounds get lit up and activated but for the purpose of awareness, healing, and insights + connection with others)
SYNOPSIS: The new moon in Aries packs a punch as a Grand Initiator into a new cycle that is infused with potent healing energy from its conjunction with Chiron and Mercury in Aries. This is huge for receiving and giving communications around major healing cycles, where you will see and believe that your pain has not been in vain. There is a portal of clarity in seeking answers, communicating feelings and insights for the purpose of progress and transformation, and getting resets in and around our mental space (especially doing upper chakra clearing!).
We each have Chiron stories that can often be initiations into uncovering hidden strengths, self-healing, and our ability to heal others. The house Chiron occupies in your natal chart is often the area in life where you had some early wounding, and from that wounding you gain the nectar of wisdom. This often influences your soul path and sacred work in this incarnation as your career or how you are in service to others. Whether or not you get “new” info to help process pain, everyone will have access to the wells of your inner strength to keep you going on your journeys!
This new moon can also feel like a celestial B12 shot with a burst of energy. Aries is a cardinal sign, representing initiator energy in the 1st house, and they love being first in line and running the show, which is energizing and inspiring (so long as you don’t get bossy). Aries folks are trailblazers that can rally a crew, getting everyone excited about whatever project, idea, or goal they are enthusiastic about. Channel that physical and mental jolt of energy in your own personal work and world, especially around your selfhood, personality, and even appearance to make changes or updates that give you more confidence and attune to your self-expression. Use this motivational Mars energy to update or edit how you want to be seen and heard in the world as the identity that feels the most “you.” Speaking of Mars, any work you are focusing on around anger, aggression, sex, and/or motivation and drive will also be blessed.
The Mercury/Chiron collaboration this new moon makes me think of Narrative Therapy, and how one can rewrite old narratives that do not serve or fit them any longer… To any LBGTQIA2S+ folks who are in the process of or about to transition, are reworking wardrobe/hair/makeup, and/or are coming out to family/friends, this is a beautiful cosmic signature to do so! I send you the highest vibrations of Aries energy and power, and allllll the love, in your journeys and self-expressions! Also with this cosmic energy and using the wisdom from past hurts, you can now understand yourself (and likely others) better—even the painful parts, and erase your story as a victim and rewrite your story as a participant/survivor/victor. Narrative Therapy work around this lunation for my other psychology witches is very powerful!
A few core tenets of Narrative Therapy to help with your lunar magick:
THEMES & SYMBOLS: personal rebirth, zodiacal new year, clean slate, childhood healing, speaking your needs, updated intentions/goals, “me first”, speaking your truth, self-awareness, leadership, getting what you want, core energy, physical stamina, heightened energy, creativity, assertiveness, independence, initiation, physical body, appearance, Phoenix, Mars, Chiron, Mercury, fire, iron, spear, torch, horn, Ram, hawk, falcon, thistle, honeysuckle, Tiger lily, ruby gem, red, scarlet, yellow, purple
YOUR NEW MOON LUNATION HOUSE:
Find your sun or rising sign below to see what area of your life will be most impacted by this new moon:
RITUAL + ALTAR INSPIRATIONS
Deities: goddesses Biarg or Berkana, Ares, Eris, Shiva, Mars, Athena
NEW MOON PETITION
Write your intentions as specifically as possible on a small piece of paper, in the present tense, as if they are already happening or already happened. Fold it 3 times toward you, symbolizing bringing energy to you, and place on your altar under your crystals. You may also place your petition under your Fire Element Candle or chime candle before you light it. This is a fire moon, so safely ignite your petition and burn it down in your cauldron or other fire-safe dish.
SUGGESTED MANTRA
“On this new moon, I welcome in the cosmic new year with optimism and confidence. I am ready for a new life cycle to begin as I bring awareness to information my past wounds want me to know while also setting my intentions to grow more fully into my ever-evolving higher and true Self. I am confident, I am putting myself first, and I am initiating a new incredible life chapter NOW. May I be energized, assertive, and creative in all my pursuits. I claim all my blessings, healing, and guidance! So mote it be.”
NEW MOON MEDICINE
Aries rules the head, teeth, tongue, arteries. Use tea tree oil in your shampoo to stimulate your scalp and clear your crown chakra. Do mantra meditations where you get your tongue moving through words, move your body, make art, sing, dance—get your vitality activated! These activities are also part of narrative therapy because they help you connect to and express yourself.
SYNOPSIS: This full moon will square Pluto and be in a loose conjunction to Eris (Mars’ sister, the asteroid goddess of sacred anger and vigilante justice), bringing power/powerlessness to the surface… Try not to turn away from the hard confrontations and convos, they’ll just get bigger if you do, guaranteed. Pluto may be giving extra tough love, but it’s for the purpose of transformation into your best self. Be the Dr. Pimple Popper in any of your relationships that are ready to explode. That tension is painful, and if not tended to with intention and care, can leave a scar. On a lighter note, Libra is “breath of fresh air” energy, where you can feel more inclined to find space to pause and restore your energy before, during, and after any important confrontations and conversations.
Mercury, Venus, and Uranus will create some harmony in the skies shortly after the full moon… Specifically, Mercury and Uranus will be conjunct in Taurus, both sextiling Venus, opening up unexpected insights, revealing information, and surprising conversations but not in a “bad” way per se, due to the Venus sextile, which smooths out the edges and weaves some love language into these conversations. Having these important conversations a day or two after the full moon will likely cushion the blow if it’s a heavy convo from your end. Likewise, expect unexpected texts and reach-outs around this time. Globally, this could also include some unexpected information to surface. But don’t get too comfy, because there’s a “clashing of egos” energy just after this harmonious meet-up on the 18th, with the Sun in Aries squaring Pluto in Capricorn. Maintain your individuality, knowing that you may be feeling controlled or even manipulated by others. It’s a power struggle test, so don’t engage in lower vibrational behaviors if you can help it.
THEMES & SYMBOLS: releasing toxic relationships, detoxing in general, redefine existing relationships, Pink Moon, relationships, romance, sharing, identifying power struggles, fawning, self-pity, little white lies, self-sacrifice, confrontations, grudges, finding strength in solitude, finding solace in others, seeking harmony, balance, diplomacy, social justice, personal justice, activism, beauty, luxury, art, balance scales, claw, wolf, crow, bronze sword, rose, sapphire, Venus, aster, bluebells, copper, pastel green, pastel pink, indigo
YOUR FULL MOON LUNATION HOUSE
Find your sun or rising sign below to see what area of your life will be most impacted by this full moon:
RITUAL + ALTAR INSPIRATIONS
FULL MOON PETITION
For this air moon, write out your full moon releases, anyone you send forgiveness to, and speak them all aloud facing east (air element direction), light it on fire and place in cauldron to safely burn, and finally blow the ashes into the wind away from your home.
SUGGESTED MANTRA
“On this full moon, I invite Luna to shed light on all relationships that need to be detoxed, redefined, or released. I now acknowledge where I have given my power away through fawning. I invoke my inner strength to courageously confront myself and others to recalibrate my relationships into a harmonious balance. I release grudges in order to make light-filled space that I hold for more joyful and higher vibrational energy. I call my power back from all directions, claiming all my power now! So mote it be.”
FULL MOON MEDICINE
Libra rules the skin, kidneys, endocrine system, veins, and lower back/bum. Drink lots of water and green tea to flush kidneys and be mindful of booze and sugar. Stretch your back by doing the legs-up-the-wall pose, cat-cow, sphinx or cobra, or other lower back yoga poses. Do a cleansing bath or shower with salts and herbs to cleanse your auric field and skin while improving your circulation with a scrub.
SYNOPSIS: The Taurus new moon (aka The Black Moon) closes out this month along with our first eclipse of the year—a solar eclipse, catalyzing change and growth, especially around Taurus’ earthly themes of money/wealth, love/relationships, and all forms of worth and value. This is the second Taurus eclipse in the cycle, continuing a story started last November… Check your personal natal chart for any planets within 2 degrees of 10 degrees Taurus or Scorpio… If so, you’ll receive some extra benevolent energy around this eclipse. Mars will be sextiling this lunation, which is also sitting very close to Uranus, so major movement and transformation around all Venusian themes are possible, with the extra oomph and synergy from the solar eclipse.
The North Node is in Taurus, underlining the collective’s soul path in improving, nourishing, and rebuilding our earth and resources. Individually, it focuses on improving, nourishing, and rebuilding our personal standards and spaces (including our bodies/health), our self-worth, how we are valued and value others, how we earn and use money, and also how we vibrate with beauty. Expect any imbalances to surface (check your Tarotscopes, I think they are VERY connected to this moon!), so that you can confront and move whatever is between you and Venusian abundance and growth. Remember that new moons are good for introspection, rest, and shadow work, but welcome in the solar energy that provides growth alongside the fire of Mars and electricity of Uranus!
Overall, this lunation and eclipse are encouraging you to ask yourself who and what make you feel safe and secure? What is your relationship to money? How do you define yourself with possessions? Do they make you happy? Sit with these Qs over the next 6 months and within that time frame, think about making any necessary changing and claiming new opportunities as they come in around empowering your worth, both financially and emotionally.
THEMES & SYMBOLS: money, money, money, financial security, stability, financial and personal growth, material and Venusian luck and blessings, new paths, fresh opportunities, relationship growth, patience, self-worth, the body, substance, resources, personal value, awakening, false senses of security, Venus deity and planet, love, peace, grounding, stubbornness, practicality, sensuality, luxury, aesthetic changes, all things exquisite, roses, poppies, the bull, the beaver, the bear, pink, pastel colors, periwinkle, violet
YOUR FULL MOON LUNATION HOUSE
Find your sun or rising sign below to see what area of your life will be most impacted by this full moon:
RITUAL + ALTAR INSPIRATIONS
NEW MOON PETITION
Write your intentions as specifically as possible on a small piece of paper, in the present tense, as if they are already happening or already happened. Fold it 3 times toward you, symbolizing bringing energy to you, and place on your altar under your crystals. You may also place your petition under your Earth Element Candle or chime candle before you light it. This is an earth moon, so place your petition in a healthy plant or bury it outside near healthy plants.
SUGGESTED MANTRA
“On this new moon and solar eclipse, I welcome in transformational change in and around my physical body and home. I invoke luck and blessings around my finances, my self-worth, and my sense of security. I am open to new opportunities and insights around all Taurus and Venusian matters, and employ patience as I decide what is best for me as these opportunities come in. I am a beautiful body and soul that easily attracts and manifests peace, stability, security, wealth, and love in all of its forms. I claim all the growth of this new moon and solar eclipse! So mote it be.”
NEW MOON MEDICINE
Taurus rules the neck, vocal cords, throat, thyroid gland. Practice chanting solo or with a loved one to clear and charge your throat chakra, speak your intentions aloud daily for 3+ days, drink peppermint tea for abundance and clarity, chamomile tea for peace and prosperity, and eat foods with basil or mint to nourish your body with these Taurus new moon herbs. Do plow pose or fish pose to stimulate and circulate blood to thyroid gland.
Wishing you all an energizing, initiatory, and abundant New Moons and an empowering + balancing Full Moon in April!
Kerstin from The Mirrored Lantern has practiced right hand path magick and tarot for over 29 years and has been a lover and learner of astrology for just as long… She is currently in graduate school for Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Spiritual & Depth Psychology. Follow her on instagram @themirroredlantern for witch tips, weekly tarot, occulture, and depth psych tidbits!
Ahhh- the enchanting realm of May Day! A time when flowers bloom in riotous colors, the air vibrates with flickers of summer, ancient traditions stir beneath the surface of the earth, and the promise of new beginnings pulsates around us. From April 28 through May 5, we stand on the threshold between spring's awakening and summer's embrace, Beltane, the spirited celebration also known as May Day. Let us embark on a journey through time to uncover the ancient origins and cultural tapestry of Beltane, from the blazing bonfires of the Celts to the floral splendor of English Flora Day, this magical time of year has a beautifully rich history and diverse multitude of ancient traditions.
