This New Moon in Aries occurred yesterday, April 3 at 10:32 am EDT (10:32 pm GMT) at 13 degrees. New moons signify a new cycle, new beginnings, and rebirth. This new moon will highlight the Aries qualities of confidence and independence. Being that there are a number of planets in Aries (Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus, along with the Sun and the Moon), the Aries energy will be intense and lingering. The fiery energy of Aries could push us to start something new with this New Moon, something that will push us outside of our personal comfort zones when it comes to being assertive and confident. You may find yourself taking a new class, starting a new hobby, or creating a sassy new

Jodi Livon, author of The Happy Medium, joined Kare11 News at 4 yesterday to share some tips for spiritual spring cleaning. Some tips she provided for cleaning away negative thoughts as we clear away the dust and dirt of the winter months included: Put on comfy clothes. Put on soft comforting music. Open your windows. Run the water and allow your mind to empty and the water to wash your mind clean. Get a handful of toothpicks; as you move through your home, sweeping or vacuuming or cleaning a drawer, be aware of your thoughts. When a negative thought pops up, grab a toothpick, release the thought as your roll the toothpick between your fingers and then toss the toothpick

Run for cover! (Really, just kidding.) Mercury has turned retrograde today at 25 degrees Aries, and will remain retrograde until April 23, when it again turns direct. Since Mercury is so slow-moving, the effects of this retrograde period could potentially be felt for a few weeks afterward (until the end of April). I’ve stated many times before that Mercury retrograde is truly not to be feared. While periods of Mercury retrograde are not ideal times to begin new ventures (and you should be extra careful with details of communication, travel, and finances), they are still powerful times of “re:” renewal, reflection, redoing, recovery, etc. This is a time to use the powerful

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Ember Grant, author of Magical Candle Crafting. As a Neo-Pagan, I’m often asked about gods and goddess. Do I worship a pantheon? If so, which one? This is a tricky question. Basically, I feel that the universe and our natural world represent the divine power, and this is what I honor. But in order to bring deity to a personal level, I really do need to ask myself what I believe about the gods and goddess of my ancestors, or the ones currently worshiped today. Well, I know what I don’t think about deity. I don’t think there’s one singular ominous being of a particular gender, belonging to one specific religion, floating above us,