STRINGS OF APOLLO
ASTROLOGY

This year’s Aries Full Moon is on October 6 (CST) at 14 Aries and is powerfully supported by its ruler, Mars, deeply at home in the still waters of Scorpio. This is the first lunation since the Sun entered the symbolic dark half of the year at the September equinox. So what can we expect with a very strong Aries Full Moon hosted by Mars in its domicile of Scorpio, and Mercury in the first degree of Scorpio squaring Pluto?

The last half of September is a dense period of shifting signs and strong aspects punctuated by a new moon solar eclipse at the final degree of Summer/Winter — a time when the Light is balancing, teetering for a few days, then pulls us like a sail across the waters.

Saturn moves back into Pisces today for one more visit to wrap up what began March 2023. From now until February 2026, you have another opportunity to stop ignoring changes that need to be made in order to prepare you for Saturn’s stay in Aries until April 2028.

There are some powerful transits between the Virgo New Moon on August 23 and the Pisces Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse on September 7 2025. But I want to talk about something a little more subtle, but has powerful potential to aid in the healing, ending, purging, and letting go energies of the upcoming lunar eclipse. So, this isn’t going to be a typical eclipse delineation or forecast.

Square aspects usually coincide with decisions or outcomes because the angle can signify the arrival of situations where we, or someone else, is motivated to act and move things forward. On August 22, about 4 hours before the Virgo New Moon, Venus at 26 Cancer squares Chiron retrograde at 26 Aries.

Metanoia is a Greek term with various meanings in different contexts across theology, psychology, and philosophy. But I’m using it in its most literal translation: a change of mind. Not changing your mind as in changing your order at a restaurant or deciding to not go to the party. It’s closer to the idea of changing the psyche itself — how it operates subjectively, a conversion of sorts, or rebirth of perspective that ripples into the future with the power to change yo

There’s obvious tension in the air the days ramping up to the Aquarius Full Moon on August 9 2025. Some serious Venus/Mars/Saturn stories are unfolding, perhaps culminating this week. On August 6, Mars enters Libra, Temple of Venus and sign of Saturn’s exaltation. After Mars leaves Virgo, there is nothing in Earth until the Virgo New Moon on August 23. The Sun, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune are in Fire signs. The Moon, Mars, Uranus and Pluto are in Air.

Venus and the Moon get along very well, so when Venus enters Cancer we can expect matters of desire, love, value, and relating to become imbued with Cancerian and lunar qualities.

On July 24 the Moon conjoins the Sun at 2 Leo exactly opposite Pluto at 2 Aquarius, activating all of the outer planets. A significant new beginning in the Leo part of our charts is here.

The Capricorn full moon this year highlights the mysterious and intricate dance between Saturn, Neptune and their new host, Mars, who they’re slowly becoming acquainted with. When these two outer planets finally and perfectly conjoin in Aries in February 2026, the Temple of Mars will be Saturn’s home until 2028 and Neptune’s until 2039.

Today, July 4 2025, flooding of the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas started around 4 a.m. according to news reports. This is about an hour and half drive from where I live. Many areas are devastated, and expecting more torrential rain, but the most tragic circumstances so far happened at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp.

The image above is one of my favorites imaginings of Hermes/Mercury. It doesn't seem to convey any Venusian theme at first look, but it does link Mercury to the archetypes of Magician and Psychopomp, guide of souls.

Hecate is a goddess much older than the Olympians. She aided Zeus in overthrowing his father, Cronus, and the Titans. Perhaps because she protected the birth of his new reign, even Zeus honored her. Goddess of crossroads, journeys, transitions — of the liminal space between death and life — Hecate holds power and guardianship over the darkest time of night: the hours right before dawn, the Sun’s emergence from the Underworld.

Mars is the god of war, and Virgo offers Mars a quiet, orderly war room behind the scenes to work out strategies, outlines and skillfully map out new projects and next steps. Mars is eager to move into new territory and Virgo will be providing this new territory from June 17 until August 6, 2025.

Jupiter is the ruler of this lunation, and though exalted, we mustn't forget Jupiter is a storm god and isn't all balloons and blessings. . .

Jupiter enters Cancer on June 9. This is one of the most anticipated ingresses of 2025. Jupiter hasn’t been in Cancer since Summer 2014, and this time around promises to be a much more abundant round than last time. . .

The first third of 2025 was a very liminal time that is still unfolding. . .

The New Moon on May 26, 2025 at 10:02 p.m. CST takes place at 6 degrees of Gemini conjunct Mercury . . .