Lunar First Quarter in Aries

Luna (the Moon) is still in her waxing first quarter as she enters Aries today, and she is nearing her “bends” (as Ashmad so eloquently translates Ptolemy), and is therefore more prone to erratic, creative behaviour. In short, Luna is full of vim and vigour.

This is good news for Venus, who could really use a good stiff tonic after her long march in Scorpio. Luna gives Venus the pep-talk she most desperately needs, and Venus flowers into her radiant, beautiful self in Sagittarius under Jupiter’s favour.

Luna’s next encounter is with Saturn, who enjoys his exalted status in Libra. Luna is intent on creating a brave new world, and Saturn is keen to keep her new world within the bounds of established forms of beauty and order. They have quite an argument, but the fallout is not terrible, Sol (the Sun) sides with Saturn (with considerable concession to Luna) on this round, and Luna moves on, a little ruffled, but undaunted in her optimism.

Next, Luna checks off with Sol, making sure there are no hard feelings over the Capricorn eclipse, and Luna changes her mood from “sowing seeds” to “bearing fruit”. Still in Aries, this means “more, faster, and better”… the pressure for results is on for the coming week.

Exalted Mars is next in Luna’s errands, but exulted though he may be, Mars is currently pressed into service for Sol, so Luna simply cries “more, faster, better” in his ears, and marvels at how well Mars performs when he is constrained by limits and pressed into service.

Mercury is now recovered from his recent retrograde and making his third pass over the late degrees of Sagittarius, gleaning as much information as he can from this transit (and all the gossip about the Lunar eclipse just before Yule), and passing as much information on as he can. Demand for information increases as Luna cries "more faster better" in his ears, and leaves Aries, heading for her beloved Taurus.

Luna’s mantra has been “plant, sow, prepare” since the Capricorn eclipse, and her demand from Sol has been for long-term planning and greater foresight. On January 10, she enters Aries, where “plant-sow, prepare” becomes the pep-talk that inspires great action. Her encounter with Venus happens late that day (wee small hours of the 11th for Australia). Her encounter with Saturn happens later again on the 11th (early 12th in parts East). She makes her first quarter with Sol early on January 12 (very late in Australia), where she takes up her “more faster better” mantra, which she whispers in Mars’ ear later that day (early 13th in parts East). She catches Mercury in the very last degree of Sagittarius just before she slips into Taurus, late on the 12th in the US, wee smalls of the 13th at Greenwich, and well into the morning in Australia.