New Moon in Aries * Phoenix Rising

STAR 🌟 NOTES: April 17, 2026

Dear star friends, bonjour,

Welcome to the amazing, life-force-boosting power of this New Moon in Aries, exact just before 8 am EDT on April 17. For a couple of days leading up to this lunation, an incredibly rare eight planets roared through the fire sign of Aries. Allow yourself to feel this rush of raw, primal fire energy moving through you. Thank you so much for joining me today. Let's explore what all of this means for our rising collective vibration — ascending together, like a Phoenix.

The historic Artemis II mission around the Moon was breathtaking in every way - from the stunning photographs of the Moon and Earth to the pioneering of a bold new chapter in space exploration. It is a beautiful metaphor for humanity rising to new heights and uncharted vistas of consciousness. Pure Aries symbolism.

Aries Archetypes & Core Themes.

The Hero, the Leader, the Pioneer, the Warrior : these are the soul archetypes alive in all of us right now, calling us toward courage, confidence, sovereignty, and independence, and when fully aligned, toward divine will. This lunation is a powerful invitation to become the Hero and Leader of our own life, to update and upgrade our sense of identity. We are rising in awareness and vibration because we have been shedding so much heavy energy from old burdens and responsibilities. We are also rising because of the extraordinary concentration of Fire and Air signs in the sky — lighter in nature than Earth and Water energies. Not better in any way, just lighter. Feel that for a moment, and let your body and cells stretch and expand with a new sense of freedom.

The outer world is very loud right now, and that is precisely why tending to your inner world is so important.

The Planetary Picture.

Neptune, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn form one powerful stellium in close conjunction. A few cosmic degrees further along, we find Eris, Chiron, the Sun, and the Moon beautifully gathered together. Neptune's presence weaves intuition, compassion, and a feeling of oneness through the entire configuration.

As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries embodies the sacred principle of selfhood: "I am." At its heart, this New Moon is a radical self-love infusion — a four-week invitation to cultivate self-love, self-care, self-respect, and self-presence in everything we do. These are the four pillars of self-love as beautifully taught by Shelley Young at trinityesoterics.com.

Phoenix Rising: Fire Magic.

Springtime in the northern hemisphere is pure rebirth — a rekindling of our inner fire, a radical renaissance of the soul. New growth, new experiences, and new goals that make your heart sing with joy and passion for life are all available to us now. Feel your personal power expanding, just like the flowers, plants, and tree buds bursting with new life all around us. We are also living in the Year of the Fire Horse for the first time since 1966, bringing a collective surge of confidence, optimism, and expansive growth.

Movement is life! Now is the time for bold, inspired action. Lean into the slipstream of this new energy, Say yes to something different, walk, run, cycle, and explore new paths that open fresh neural pathways in your brain. Like hot lava flowing with unstoppable purpose, let yourself move. As Anaïs Nin so eloquently wrote: "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Saturn conjunct Neptune in the first degree of Aries marks the beginning of a new architecture of light for Earth. We are building world peace from the inside out, planting and nurturing seeds of inner peace in the very roots of our psyche and body awareness. This cultivates a more resilient nervous system — one that adapts to stress more gracefully and bounces back with greater ease. The path of the sacred Warrior also means standing up for the vulnerable, protecting people, animals, and ecosystems, and anchoring higher consciousness everywhere we go. As my favourite astrologer Pam Gregory reminds us: "Intention and consciousness change reality."

In his April Energy Update, Lee Harris speaks of purging collective grief and pain, and emphasizes the importance of self-love practices so that we are not consumed by the passing of the old world. This is about embodying new light, and allowing yourself to be your real, natural, authentic self — no matter what is happening externally. It means releasing the habit of people-pleasing or staying silent just to belong. It also means peacefully accepting that some people may not resonate with the real you, and knowing in your heart that this is perfectly okay.

Sun conjunct Chiron & Eris.

This powerful conjunction is a profound invitation to heal and release victim consciousness. Chiron has been in Aries since 2018, marking a long and meaningful cycle of healing a core wound in our identity and vitality. We have the right to exist and to live a beautiful, fulfilling life. We are worthy. It is safe to take up space in the world — and it is our destiny to share our true self with it. Something precious would be missing if we didn’t.

Eris, fierce goddess of truth, justice, and inclusion, amplifies the call to live and speak authentically. Allow any anger, sadness, or grief that surfaces to rise and flow through you without resistance, because these emotions often arrive just before a major life shift. As astrobutterfly.com beautifully expresses it: "Sun conjunct Chiron is the compelling drive to take our individual essence and merge it with something greater — the alchemical process of turning latent potential into a gift."

Surrendering to the New.

More and more people are experiencing profound spiritual awakening to multidimensionality - a deep understanding that many realities, worlds, and timelines can coexist simultaneously. This expanding awareness can feel intense or disorienting at times, and it is important to remember that disorientation is a completely natural part of the evolutionary process. We may be sifting through many memories of the past, composting them lovingly to create something entirely new. Trust the process, and trust yourself.

Increased intuition and telepathic sensitivity are blossoming as part of this collective awakening. These gifts are not reserved for a special or gifted few — we are all beautifully built for this. Let's normalize it together.

Finally, this New Moon connects powerfully with the South Node in Virgo and the North Node in Pisces, activating a deep evolutionary impulse to weave a new thread in our personal and collective soul journey. We are being invited to surrender to the unknown with trust and faith, and to move forward on our path with greater clarity, discernment, ease, flow, and rhythm.

Arise, dear star friends. The Phoenix is already in flight. 🔥

If you feel a soul nudge to explore the sacred map of your own birth chart during this powerful time of renewal, I warmly invite you to book a personal reading with me. I offer gentle, empowering, and co-creative astrological consultations designed to help you navigate these extraordinary energies with greater clarity, confidence, and grace. All offerings are available at richardmaletteastrology.com.

If you enjoy these Star Notes and wish to support my work, I warmly invite you to join my Patreon community — for the price of a lovely coffee per month, you will receive everything I create. Your support means the world to me. 💜

Peace and New Moon blessigs,

Richard ♈️ 🌅

Email: richard.malette8@gmail.com

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