Did you note your dreams upon waking? The Moon met up with visionary Neptune at 6:12AM ET, the first of a flurry of contacts the Moon will make to other planets as it travels through soulful Pisces. If you have a planet or point halfway to two-thirds of the way through Pisces, Virgo, Gemini and Sagittarius, you may be feeling especially  buoyed (upside) or overextended (downside) by a face-off between the Pisces Sun and Jupiter at 5:57AM ET. Actress Camryn Manheim has a birthday today. So does Lester Holt, Mickey Dolenz and Aidan Quinn. I wonder how they are feeling.

A block or an opportunity to push through a block arrives around 4:29PM ET, courtesy of a challenge to the Moon by Saturn. Depth of perspective and emotion may color it, as the Moon connects with Pluto at 5:55PM ET. Next up is a face-off between the Moon and Jupiter, suggesting an echo of whatever expansive/over-extended rush you may have received this morning.  Finally, at 8:54PM ET, we’ll have the Sun and the Moon meet up at 19 degrees of Pisces — a.k.a. the New Moon in Pisces — which will then go void until 2:40PM ET on WEDNESDAY.

This New Moon is a Super Moon. It is also, as you must have heard by now, a total solar eclipse. “Super Moon” is a term coined by astrologer Richard Nolle back in 1979. Here is a helpful  article he wrote, which should clear up any misunderstandings you may have about Super Moons. FYI, Nolle argues that Super Moons seem to coincide with weird, wild weather in the days before and after a Super Moon. Here’s an example of weird, wild weather on its way to Texas right now. In New York tomorrow, forecasters predict it will be 73 degrees. That’s insane. This Super Moon/Eclipse is so weird and wild that it will start on Wednesday and end on Tuesday — and here’s why.

OK, so New Moon, Super Moon and a total Solar Eclipse. What about the “eclipse” part?

A Solar Eclipse can act like a bottleneck of energy. Light flowing from the Sun is temporarily interrupted by the Moon, focusing attention on that interrupted point. Wherever that point falls in your horoscope, something new — and possibly fragile — may enter the picture and grow over the next several months. And here I would be thinking of Michael, the kindhearted policeman in the storybook Make Way for Ducklings, who stopped the flow of traffic on Beacon Street so Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their brood of eight could safely make their way to the Boston Public Garden. Here is Officer Michael, playing the role of the Moon in a total solar eclipse. Got that?

So when does the bottleneck of energy release, you may be wondering. Good question. We can expect a release of energy (reflected by an event) when another planet makes contact with the degree of the eclipse. Conjunctions are the most potent, but I’d argue that squares and oppositions also make an impact. Here’s an example: in September there was an eclipse that made contact with my Mercury (communication, mindset) and my Ascendant (personal projection, health). My Mercury happens to be in my Third House (communication) and it rules my Sixth House (health, among other things). A couple of months later, when transiting Mars hit the degree of that eclipse (4 Libra), I lost my voice for four days (until my brilliant acupuncturist restored it in less than an hour). See how an issue symbolized by Mercury in the horoscope became a focal point after it was eclipsed? Clear?

This eclipse falls almost exactly opposite the eclipse we experienced on September 13th, at 20 degrees of Virgo. If your horoscope was affected by that event, you are likely to be affected by the one happening today.  Order an Astro-Basics Report if you want to know what degrees all of your planets and angles are at, so you can see where eclipses and other celestial events fall in your horoscope.

Now let’s talk about what patterns we see in the horoscope for this New Moon. First, we see a lot of Water — Sun, Moon, Mercury, Neptune, South Node and Chiron — all in Pisces. Pisces keywords include empathy, ideals, endings, spirits of all kinds,  suffering, at-one-ment, victimization, refugees and other displaced persons our society tends to hide under the nearest rug (or hospital or prison or religious institution or subconscious). The emphasis on Water suggests a flood — literally and figuratively, e.g., a flood of emotion. Today it was reported that scientists expect heavier and harder rainfall in the near-term future.

Mercury and Neptune are together in Pisces, suggesting a need for a visionary mindset, for better or for worse. A faith in something ideal — but is it sublime or delusional? You choose — and others will, too. Action on that rose-colored vision is suggested by Mars in fiery Sagittarius adding its own blend of high-flying zeal and pixie-dust, as it makes contact with Mercury and Neptune. With the South Node and Chiron so close to the Sun and Moon, see the potential for issues involving healing a wound, unrequited love, the lowest common denominator and destruction. Certainly we see the potential for a sense of anguish or extraordinary effort in the face of a threat or loss to be prominent, suggested by a measurement between Saturn and Pluto with the Aries Point.

We also see Jupiter retrograde in earthy Virgo, opposing the Sun-Moon-Chiron and South Node. Jupiter in Virgo needs to expand on the slightest detail, perhaps missing the Bigger Picture. It might not be able to see the forest for the trees. Jupiter being retrograde suggests that whatever it seeks to expand now, it may change its mind about by the time it turns direct on May 3rd. Jupiter is also about to square Saturn in righteously opinionated Sagittarius, amplifying the usual “righteous” quality of any challenge between Jupiter and Saturn.  When these two make contact, we expect a need for a sense of purpose in ambition and reward. Jupiter is also about to trine Pluto in Capricorn, suggesting an easy access to power and resources.  Hmm. I can’t remember where I read this, but another astrologer noted the potential for “throwing the baby out with the bath water” in reference to Jupiter in Virgo so strongly engaged in this eclipse. That’s excellent advice. If anyone knows who wrote that, please let me know so I can give them credit.

The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon at 19 Pisces is “a master instructing his pupil”. Let’s see what Sabian Symbol guru Blain Bovee has to say about that:

The flow of inspiration from a deep and powerful source calls for a mastery of energies, of knowledge, and a skilled ability to transmit that knowledge. The challenge is to channel knowledge through fresh minds in a way so as to not overwhelm, but at the same time not to underwhelm:  overdominating instruction works as poorly as watered-down instruction….if one is never one’s own master, there is danger of being swept away by the strong current of someone else’s take on things.

I added those italics — musing that perhaps those words might suggest the bottom-line challenge for this potent New Moon/Eclipse. Are you strong enough to “stand in your truth” without compromise, no matter which way the madding crowd is going? Suze Orman loves to tell her audience to stand in their truth. Here’s a fascinating interview in which she talks about how she applied that mantra in her own life.

So go ahead, light a candle, make a list and set your intentions for the next 30 days.  In crafting your vision, be willing to release what no longer serves. Around March 15th, on the First Quarter Moon, we can expect a challenge to those goals, with appropriate adjustments made. At the time of the Full Moon on the 23rd, we can expect illumination on the success or failure of our goals for the cycle. If we succeeded, we can consciously release our success into our reality; if we failed, we let go of whatever did not work. After the Third Quarter Moon on March 31st, we can review our achievements, tie up loose ends and get ready to begin another New Moon on  April 7th.

And now, the news.

It is interesting to note that this eclipse falls exactly opposite Joe Biden’s  Midheaven, focusing energy on his home/family/foundation and his public status/career. Transiting Jupiter will trigger this eclipse in the Vice President’s horoscope around July 10th. In Rupert Murdoch’s horoscope, the eclipse falls almost exactly on his 21 Pisces Sun. Transits in his horoscope suggest a recent daring action and upheaval in his life, to be followed by a rose-colored or bewildering experience in his home/family/core foundation concerns. Mr. Murdoch married Jerry Hall on Friday. Alas, no time for the ceremony was reported.

Elsewhere, I am fascinated to see that Kato Kaelin was born on March 9th, 1959 — on a New Moon!  Sun at 19 degrees Pisces; Moon at 20 degrees Pisces — so his horoscope is hit strongly by today’s eclipse. Not only that, but his Midheaven is at 17 degrees Capricorn, which is where transiting Pluto is right now. Transiting Pluto is also supercharging his Venus, which rules Kaelin’s Taurus Ascendant.  We’d expect this to be reflected with increased prominence in his life, which would include the TV series about the O.J. Simpson murder trial that is currently airing on FX.  It will be interesting to see what else develops in the aftermath of this eclipse.

Pluto (and Uranus) are also active in O.J. Simpson’s horoscope, supercharging his 16 degree Cancer Sun for the past couple of years. We also see a truckload of other measurements suggesting intensity of mindset and a raised public profile. No surprise there, right?  He may be in prison, but millions are glued to a TV series about him. It’s interesting that last week — a few days after transiting Mars squared his Leo Ascendant — a knife allegedly found buried on the grounds of his former home was turned over to the police. It’s being tested for DNA evidence, though some sources say it is doubtful the knife is related to the case. Time will tell, along with a few more upcoming provocative hits from Mars in Simpson’s horoscope.  Meanwhile,  the NY Daily News published Kato Kaelin’s thoughts on this twist.

In other news, we wouldn’t be in the dark of the lunar cycle if we didn’t see at least one headline reporting an “under-the-radar” event, e.g., “FBI Quietly Changes Its Privacy Rules for Accessing NSA Data on Americans”.  Finally, reflecting the pixie-dust potential of Mercury and Mars with Neptune this week, you can indulge in J.K. Rowling’s new essay series on “The History of Magic in North America”. She’s going to publish a new installment every day for the next five days.

Remember that tomorrow the Moon will be void until 2:40PM ET. Then it races into Aries, seeking to lead and inspire with great gusto, as it trines Mars at 4:51PM ET. Plant your visionary New Moon seeds!

Thank you for reading this forecast and telling the rest of the Free World. To find out what’s going on in your horoscope, I invite you to schedule a personal consultation.