Here are the Moon charts for March/April:

• March 26th: New Moon at 06° Pisces 30′
• A new Moon/U.S.natal comparison chart
• April 9th: Full Moon at 20° Virgo 40′
• A full Moon/U.S.natal comparison chart
• A page with background information.

This third Moon cycle closely follows the Spring equinox and could be said to initiate the season. Here we find the new Moon at 6° Aries and the full Moon balanced against the Sun on the Aries-Libra axis at about 20°.

Follow up:

The new Moon is not so happy in Aries, a cardinal fire sign. Cardinal signs initiate activity and generally indicate energetic, quick-moving people and events. The fire element represents spirit. The sign Aries indicates new beginnings and often carries the feeling stepping off into the unknown.

The Sun-Moon combination are in close aspect to Mercury and Venus and all of them together form a stellium. Venus in conjunction with any planet or light softens its affects and adds grace and charm. However... Venus turned retrograde on the 7th of March at 15° Aries, suggesting that she's out of synch with the others and her graces may be muted or introverted.

The ruler of Aries -- Mars -- is positioned 30° away in Pisces, forming a semi-sextile. A semi-sextile is a weak aspect and slightly good. According to Michael Meyer (A Handbook for the Humanistic Astrologer), its keynote is emergence, which fits well with a new Moon and the beginning of Spring. If the aspect in waxing (the distance from an exact aspect is diminishing), "emergence of a center of conscious awareness" (M. Meyer) is indicated. This is true of Venus and Mars. Note that the aspect is waxing because Venus is retrograde. For the remaining members of this happy band of travelers -- Mars, Mercury, Sun, Moon -- the aspect is waning, indicating "emergence of new forms". These new forms could be anything from budding plants and new lambs to commencing summer construction projects to stimulus activities. Spring is sprung...

Pluto, positioned in Capricorn and now retrograde, is square this happy band of travelers, hammering and nailing away at plans for organizing the work needed to meet obligations. There is still turmoil over maintaining old, rigid structures vs. building new and better ones.

In the U.S. chart this happy band is posited in the 5th house, part of a T-square containing natal Venus and Jupiter in Cancer in the 8th house and transiting Pluto in the 3rd house. Looking at it from a personal viewpoint, I see elements of shared resources and day-to-day communications and emotional issues mixed and expressed in 11th house matters:

Plans for action. Cooperation. Groups. Larger goals. Hopes and wishes. Impersonal drives to realize personal ideals. Friends. Planning. Improving the community. Humanity and humanitarianism. (Matrix Software)

Looking at this T-Square from the viewpoint of mundane astrology, I see education issues, the Senate, and the public mood combined with media influences and economics issues, especially demand, to influence the nation's aims, desires, purposes, projects, and alliances.

Now in Libra, the Moon comes round to a more conciliatory approach. Libra is ruled by Venus and its keynotes are compromise, seeking balance, being people-oriented, warm-hearted, kind. Because Venus is still retrograde, her influence is weak or introverted, so attempts to introduce balance may half-hearted or met with too much opposition to be effective.

Jupiter quietly enters into this picture by being sextile the Sun, trine the Moon and part of a YOD that has Saturn as the focal point. Mars is still semi-sextile the Sun and quincunx (150&deg the Moon, where it indicates clarification is either needed or required.

In the U.S. chart there are the following aspects:

• Transiting Mars has moved to just inside the 5th house and conjunct its cusp, where it is square natal Mars in the 8th house.
• The transiting full Moon in 12th house is conjunct natal Juno. With transiting Mars in Pisces, and the Moon now in the 12th, 12th house issues dominate this full Moon event and a look at this house's characteristics is warranted:

  The difference between ideas and reality. Ideas and resolve come up against the static of the status-quo. The beginning of day-to-day reality. Limits and confinement. Hidden faults. Dues and karma. Attitude, psychology, acceptance, sacrifice, and forbearance. Overcoming old ideas. Finding ways to get the new idea across. Letting go of ideas or buckling down to the way things are: facing a choice in how to cross into the realm of experience from the realm of ideas. (Matrix Software)

• Focused YOD: Transiting Jupiter conjunct natal Moon (4th house); transiting Sun conjunct natal Chiron (6th house); transiting Saturn (10th house) opposite transiting Mars (5th house); Sun sextile Jupiter, both quincunx Saturn (the pointer). This aspect speaks of people or groups with "unusual, spiritual destinies" (Matrix Software). This particular YOD balances on a Pisces-Virgo axis (Saturn-Mars) and contains elements of service and self-sacrifice (Sun-Chiron in the 6th) favorably combined with home and family (Moon-Jupiter in the 4th), all pointed toward career and responsibility (Saturn in the 10th).