The Dark of the Moon is considered an especially mysterious, fruitful, and flexible time of "molding" the creative experiences that will come forth in the weeks immediately ahead. It is said that wishes made as the last sliver of the Moon's light fades on the left, and affirmed through the Dark of the Moon period until the first sliver of new light appears again on the right, have special support -- special empowerment -- to come true. Affirming them again at the moment of the New Moon itself gives extra push to their nourishment and initiative.

The Dark of the Moon is time of legendary power for such creation. The Dark of the Moon is always best used to rest, recuperate, become quiet, invite calm and serenity into your world, and spend some time in personal reflection looking back over your life and personal history -- as far as you want to go into the past -- and playing with new intentions, new desires, new directions. It's a time to stay "at home" -- both physically and psychologically -- and tend to your private world and its circumstances.

Create the conditions that will replenish your spirit ... and indulge them fully, whether this means meditation, reading, contemplation, cleaning, clearing away emotional and psychological debris that hinders you, listening to music, writing in your personal journal, talking quietly with intimate, trusted associates, listening to the whispered words of your deepest intuitions, working on personal healing therapies and rituals ... or some combination of all these things.

Play with ideas and think of things you might like to create over the next several weeks, realizing this is a time to brainstorm, daydream, and fantasize, not a time to take action. All things begin in mind. Everything in the world originated in the nebulous intellectual energy of an idea, a dream, a desire. To work with the especially potent energy available during the Dark of the Moon, plan for some serious personal down-time every month starting about 2 1/2 days before each New Moon ... and lasting for 1 - 1 1/2 days after ... and focus your inner work, thoughts, and attention on the matters I just described.

This automatic "natural" 4 day vacation can help bring fabulous results -- emotionally, psychologically, physically, spiritually and even financially to your life. It's easy to find information about the New Moon every month ... by searching online, certainly, but many calendars (and certainly all astrological calendars!!) have this information clearly marked in the appropriate day / date box. The Dark of the Moon days that surround the New Moon's arrival each month are the time to set new intentions and plans into motion in your life ... in the realm of thought where all creation happens.

You can learn lots more about working with Moon energy on our website ... and get plenty of Moon energy information and tactics delivered right to your inbox by joining our Premium Members website. However you choose to do it, learning to work in flow with the natural progression of energy marked by the phases of the Moon could be one of the most productive things you do for your life and your success ... ever!! And one of the easiest to use.

The Sun symbolizes your basic personality. The Zodiac sign it is in describes the "essential qualities" of your character. This sign is also the easiest one to find. You probably already know it. It's what you mean when you tell someone "I'm an Aries," or "I'm a Capricorn," or "I'm a Pisces."

Astrologers consider that your Sun sign describes your core personality... and many will say it is the most important sign you have, although that's not entirely correct. The Moon sign and the Ascendant sign are just as important -- although they are impossible to accurately determine unless an astrologer actually casts your horoscope and looks at the information it contains.

The Sun when well-supported brings willpower, pride, the desire for personal glory, and the drive to "shine" in the eyes of the world. It prompts actions that have impact and the show you are important. The focus is on being recognized ... for all the things you are. A well-supported Sun in a horoscope has other planets that form helpful angles with its position. These angles are known as aspects, and the benevolent ones -- the conjunctions, sextiles, and trines -- show planets aligned with the Sun's interests in ways that are sympathetic, cooperative, supportive, or working from a foundation of similar values.

Planets that form conjunctions, sextiles, or trines with The Sun bring their qualities and strengths, skills, abilities, and interests to support those of the Sun in the way it expresses itself, the work it performs, and the results it produces. The Sun, of course, reciprocates with this "partner planet," lending vitality, charisma, and confidence to what it represents in a person's character ... and the agenda it has set out to perform.

If The Sun in your Natal Chart has planets that form conjunctions, sextiles, or trines to support it... your personality has added "ego strength." Your character has help expressing itself well, and your natural talents have ready-made channels for development and areas of life where they can display themselves well.

The Sun when stressed is an energy that degrades into an atmosphere or character that is arrogant, vain, egotistical, self-centered, petty, and pompous. The recognition you seek is hindered somehow... and you feel slighted, discounted, mistreated, insulted. (And you respond to that just as one might expect! Badly.)

Planets that form squares or oppositions with The Sun apply their qualities and strengths, skills, abilities, and interests in ways that interfere with, hinder, irritate, or otherwise stress the Sun and its ability to express itself, do the work it wants to do, achieve its ambitions, or gain the results it desires.

If The Sun in your Natal Chart has planets that form squares or oppositions with it, your personality feels hindered, limited, divided, "torn in different directions," forced to time-share your resources, or in some cases chronically blocked and frustrated ... unable to express yourself well, impeded in gaining your desires, unable to achieve your ambitions easily -- if at all, and deprived -- or at least delayed -- in gathering the respect and authority that marks you as "someone important" in the family, social, and business circles where you want others to value you and your contributions.

These descriptions hold true whether the helping or hindering planet is also contained in the Natal Chart (and therefore is constantly in its positive or negative position relative to The Sun) or whether it is transiting in the sky (and therefore is only temporarily involved in the expressions of The Sun, for better or worse.)

The horoscope is divided into twelve different sections called houses ... which represent the twelve major divisions of life interest and experience. The house in your Natal Chart which contains the Sun shows the area of life and the kind of concerns where you want attention -- and where you pay a lot of attention, where you want to be noticed, where you want to be considered essential and influential. It is the most important area of life to you. It's where you want to be proud of yourself and what you do. It describes what makes you feel alive ... and what you consider your real reason for living.

Information based on your Sun sign alone is "better than nothing," but it is also seriously incomplete. Forecasts based on your Sun sign will tell you what is happening with regard to your ego, your self-image, and your personal development out in the world. But that's not all you are ... not by a long shot.