Aries New Moon: Why This Is the Most Powerful Time to Treasure Map w/ Tracy Cook

Amanda: All right, my friends, we are in for a treat today. This has now become an annual event at Astrology Hub, and it's an annual event that was inspired by Tracy Cook, an astrologer who approached me now five years ago and said, “Hey, I have this treasure mapping thing that I've been doing for, at that point, it was like 25 years at every Aries New Moon, and essentially it's an astrologically timed vision board, and so I'd love to bring it to your community if you're interested.”

And it just sounded so cool and so fun to have something that we can do every year as a community that is astrologically timed, that is around bringing our visions into form at the perfect time of the year to do that. So we said yes. This was five years ago and we have done this ritual every single year since then.

And some of the stories that we've received from our community are so miraculous and just so fun that we have just kept doing it every year. And it's funny because we start hearing from community members early, like, “Are we doing treasure mapping this year? And when is treasure mapping this year? I didn't see it on the calendar yet.”

So, here we have Tracy Cook to talk to us about the unique elements of the astrology this year. So what is happening with the Aries New Moon this year? How is it unique? How can we use that information when we do sit down to create our treasure maps to be as aligned as possible with the energies in the sky?

Introducing Treasure Maps & Tracy Cook

Amanda: Tracy, first of all, welcome. I'm so happy that you're here.

Tracy: Oh, Amanda, thank you. That was such a nice intro and it just warms my heart that the community Astrology Hub has embraced treasure mapping and has run with it. It just, I think it's fabulous and I think we're all on time because of it.

Amanda: Well, and this is your 30-year anniversary of doing this, right?

Tracy: Ah, I'm so excited. I never, when it started 30 years ago in April of 1996, I never thought I'd be here, ever. But it's been a wonderful journey and I was really, I'm so thrilled about Astrology Hub in the mix on this.

Amanda: Yes, we are too. But can you give a brief overview of what treasure mapping is from your perspective?

Tracy: For sure. So, I learned about treasure mapping from Buzz Meyers, who was one of my teacher astrologers. And that year, every month I would get Buzz's workshops and they were all about the eight phases of the lunar month. My friend Margaret had turned me on to Buzz and he was out of Virginia Beach later, but earlier out of Cleveland or Euclid, Ohio.

So I would get his monthly tapes, his recordings, and they came on little cassettes, which I still love thinking about. And I got the one for 1996, Aries New Moon. And in it, Buzz said, “We're all gonna make treasure maps because Aries launches the entire Zodiac.” That's the lunar year. Not to be confused with the Chinese lunar year, but the traditional astrology Zodiac begins with the Aries New Moon.

What was going on in 1996 was we were having the Aries eclipses. So I think this is what motivated Buzz 'cause we were really learning our Aries, really getting our Aries on. And so what happened is I got with two of my closest friends and I said, “We're gonna do this thing Buzz is talking about.” I brought the tape over to my friend Margaret's house and my friend Anne was there. We walked up the street, we got magazines, and we made our maps and it was just fabulous.

It was just the three of us together doing it and pulling out images and saying, “Hey, does anybody want this car?” You know, just that kind of fun camaraderie that happens with map building. And what Buzz said is that when you do it on the Aries New Moon, you will start seeing results; you'll start seeing green shoots by the Cancer New Moon three months later. I must tell you, my friend Margaret, her results started showing up within days. She ended up meeting a man that she would later marry. She put this really high-end car on her map. She goes, “I don't even know why I'm putting this, but it's so cute.” And she put it on there—and she got it. I'm still to this day shocked how she got that car. I said, “Wow, this is really crazy good.”

Amanda: Tracy, thank you for bringing this to us five years ago, for continuing to show up for us and offering your perspective, your voice, and your stories. You've just totally been interwoven into a community element at Astrology Hub. It's super special. And now it's kicking off these seasonal gatherings where we come together at the solstices and equinoxes and harness the energy of that time. So let's talk about the astrology of right now. I'm dying to know.

The Astrology of the Aries New Moon

Amanda: To me, looking at the chart, what's so significant? Obviously we have Neptune that hasn't been in Aries since the 1860s. Well, it's in Aries now. We're gonna do that for the next 15 or 20 years. In the chart, we have Neptune, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Chiron—which I wanna take a moment on—and the Sun and the Moon. All in Aries. That's a lot of Aries. Now, I will say that I am super excited by this Aries New Moon chart. It's probably my favorite in the last 30 years.

Tracy: Whoa.

Amanda: I really do feel that. And the reason why I feel it is mostly because of the outer planets. So what we have going on in this chart is Mars conjunct Mercury, Mars conjunct Saturn, Mars conjunct Neptune. Mars sextile Pluto. Mercury conjunct Saturn, Mercury conjunct Neptune, Mercury sextile Pluto. Venus conjunct Uranus. Saturn conjunct Neptune, Saturn sextile Pluto, Uranus sextile Neptune, Uranus trine Pluto, Neptune sextile Pluto.

That is an extraordinary amount of aspects on this Aries New Moon chart. And a lot of them are the outer planets, which set the landscape of where we all are. I mean, I had a friend of mine who's been really cleaning her house. She said, “I don't know why I am saying this, 'cause I have no intention of moving, but I'm cleaning my house as if I'm gonna sell it.” She has no goal to move, but she might be feeling something. With Neptune in Aries, we have to honor when we're feeling an independent thought or self-agency guiding us.

So we have all of those talking to each other. And then Chiron. Chiron brings up the places where we've been hurt, where things didn't work, where maybe we stopped ourselves from wanting something again. So this New Moon is not asking, “What do you want?” It's asking, “Are you willing to want it again?” Because this is Aries, the answer doesn't come through analysis; it comes through courage.

Now you layer that on: we have Mars, the ruling planet for Aries, being very active. Mars with Saturn says, “Commit to something real.” Mars with Neptune says, “Trust your instinct even if it doesn't fully make sense.” And Mars sextile Pluto says, “You can make a change that actually sticks.” This is not a scattered energy. This is focused, intentional, forward-moving energy.

Mercury is right there too. Your thoughts and your affirmations matter, especially with Chiron in the mix, because what you say to yourself can either keep you in an old story or move you forward into a new one. I think the affirmations are doubly important as we enter the Uranus in Gemini cycle, which is getting the rust off our brain. This year, Uranus moves into Gemini where it's gonna be for another nine years or so.

Then speaking of that, Venus is in an applying conjunction to Uranus. This brings surprise, a shift in values, and something unexpected showing up on your map. You may choose something that feels different than what you would've chosen before. That's not random; that's evolution. And even though there is very little in this chart, that North Node in Pisces is still there. Quiet but present. So while this is an Aries-driven map, there is still a thread of “trust where you are being guided.”

Chiron in Aries

Amanda: Do you see how this feels? This is different. I love the emphasis on what you said about Chiron—having the courage to want something again.

Tracy: Chiron brings up the places where we've been hurt, where things didn't work. So maybe we stopped ourselves from wanting something again. This New Moon is asking, “Are you willing to want it again?” And because this is Aries, the answer doesn't come through analysis. It comes through courage.

Amanda: Ooh, courage. The heart, right? Aries is the guy that says, “Hey, let's all do this. I'm starting everything.”

Speaker: Hey friends, if this conversation is stirring something within you, we have a free community event called the Aries Equinox Challenge. It's designed to help you ignite the vision you are holding for this next phase and to harness the energies. Just go to astrologyhub.com/ariesequinox. It's free and you are invited!

Amanda: This is interesting because even Colette Baron-Reed was talking about how she wanted to be in the music industry forever. She would make these vision boards and put herself in the music industry. Then she got to a point where she realized she didn't want to be a part of that industry. But what was happening the entire time she had the music industry on her treasure map is that, over on the side, she was doing these readings and making Oracle decks. Now she's huge in that, and she found herself on a stage with her music playing, but doing the oracle stuff—which was never part of her original plan.

So what I'm hearing is that there might be a desire that has always been in you. Maybe you thought it was gonna look a certain way because you were limited by what you thought was possible at the time. Maybe that desire is still alive in you, but in a different way or for different reasons. Maybe originally she wanted to be famous, and then it became about being of service.

I'm hearing that there's this reorientation around why we want what we want. I can even say that about writing my book. For so long my head was down just writing, and then when it was almost time to release it, I went, “Oh wait. People are actually going to read this. I don't know if I want anyone to read this.” It had been such a private experience that the thought of being exposed brought up a ton of fear. My Sun and Venus are in Capricorn in the 12th house, so being that exposed felt scary. On the podcast, I highlight my guests, but the book is about me.

But now I've come around to it with a different sense of why I'm doing it. It isn't to be seen; it is truly something my soul knows I need to share. I've had to let go of the “reason.” I just know I need to share it.

I love what you're saying, Tracy, about how unique this astrology is. We've had eclipses around the Aries New Moon for three years now. Eclipses make things wonky; they are like a warp in the material of time. It's not as “clean” of a manifestation energy. However, I have a friend who made her most profound map ever during the Taurus/Scorpio eclipses.

We have to remember that all of this interacts with our personal charts. You listen to yourself about timing and what feels right. Sometimes even when we study our charts, we don't always know.

Tracy: Yes, we don't always know. And Saturn is the timing planet, and it is still in conjunction with Neptune. I think all of us are going to learn about the importance of timing in this new year being born on April 17th.

Tracy & Amanda's Treasure Map Stories

Amanda: So I made my map this year and it's pretty simple—a dozen images and some affirmations. But the most interesting thing is the empty space—specifically, what is NOT on my map.

In 2022, 2023, and 2024, I had a section for creativity where I had something called “Rancho Land.”

Tracy: And Rancho Land is a book that I have been wanting to write forever. It's set in Los Angeles in three different time periods. I know a lot about LA history, and this has been in my brain for so long. I am a person who knows how to get things done, yet I had Rancho Land on there for three years during the Aries eclipses and I got nowhere. I didn't get it done. I poked around and did some research, but I didn't finish it. How can I have something on my map three years in a row and not get it done?

Amanda: Hmm.

Tracy: So this year I said, “I'm not putting it on.” It was a conscious effort. I don't want to see it. Maybe I felt like people who try for years to get pregnant, then give up, and then six months later they get pregnant out of nowhere.

I did my map and many things were successful. I put something for money, and by the time we got to the Libra New Moon, my husband and I received some unexpected money. I also put traveling on my map. I didn't travel “all year,” but in the summer, I was going to all these historical sites in LA for research. It felt like a vacation because I was with tourists. I also put Antelope Canyon on my map, and just last week my husband and I finally went there.

But back to the eclipse and Rancho Land. There was something inside me that needed healing that I wasn't aware of. I have a background in TV writing—I wrote for Letterman and Leno. I was the first woman to write on the Tonight Show. But when I got married and had a kid, that just became “background” from a previous lifetime. It was in my “debris field.”

I didn't figure it out until September when the outer planets were in retrograde. Disney/ABC told Jimmy Kimmel they were taking him off the air. I’m a big First Amendment person, so I walked up to the theater with a sign that said “Get off the couch for the First Amendment.” I hadn't showered, I had no makeup on, but because my sign didn't have any swear words, the media took tons of photos of me.

The next day, Disney said, “We want you back.” So Jimmy came back. That Tuesday, I’m driving and a friend texts me, “Oh my God, I’m watching Jimmy Kimmel and you are in the cold open!” There I was holding the sign. And I just started getting emotional. I said, “That's a healing I didn't even know I needed.”

Rancho Land is my work, my story, my characters. The stuff I did for Leno and Letterman was for them. I hadn't really put myself out there in a real way that would be identified as “mine.” That needed to heal. It needed to NOT be on my map so the universe could conspire to get me there.

On the Capricorn New Moon, I told my world on Facebook, “I'm working on something called Rancho Land.” I put it out there so everyone could see it. I came out of the shadows. That was the last little bit of the “shadow” work from the eclipses for me. Now I'm all about it. My goal is to get the first draft done by the Cancer New Moon.

Amanda: Tracy, this is crazy. I didn't do my map last year.

Amanda's Book Treasure Map Story

Amanda: The year before that, I had the image of a book I wanted to write. I didn't have a name for it, just a generic picture of a book. I didn't make any progress that year. But even though I didn't do a map last year, that seed was planted. I wrote the first draft that summer. I thought it would be published within the year, but it's taking longer. It's totally done now, though.

By not creating a map last year, I feel like I allowed it to breathe and follow its own timing. Whenever I try to force something before it's ready, the feedback is comically hilarious—everything conspires for it not to happen. Those eclipses brought up all the things we needed in order to really be ready.

I’m a very visual person. I once did a “treasure of needs” box. One year, I put a photo of myself in the center of a map and decided to see what came to me. The creative sector has been crazy magical. I look back at what I wrote and see what manifested. My older son even put ice cream and Pokemon on the map, and within a week, his grandmother took him for ice cream and his other grandmother found a bunch of Pokemon toys at a garage sale.

I also found a mentoring link I felt compelled to click. I ended up winning a bid for a mentor who told me I need to be a teacher and create a legacy. Now, we are in line for a $75,000 grant for an educational program. It really is magic. It works in a completely more magical way than you ever thought.

The Importance of Mantras & Affirmations

Amanda: So Tracy, you mentioned that mantras and affirmations are really important. You always emphasize using “I AM” statements. Not “I want to be healthy,” but “I am healthy.” You're saying this year, more than ever, those carry weight.

Tracy: For sure. You write them from the perspective that they are already in existence. If someone is in a crap job, it can be hard to say “I love my career.” So you can use a bridge: “I am happy and grateful that I have a career I love.” That helps get you there. You don't want affirmations in the future tense. With Uranus in Gemini, we are getting new information from the universe—so don't use old language skills. Use new language.

The Bagua Structure

Amanda: Now, the Bagua. We are including a Bagua map in the download kit for the challenge.

Tracy: My friend Anne was big on Feng Shui. She suggested using the Bagua to lay out the map so you aren't just focused on one thing, like just career or just love. The Bagua covers all different energies: work, relationships, spirit, travel, etc. By doing this, you're honoring all parts of the human condition.

Amanda: Some people use the 12 houses of the Zodiac, but that can be overwhelming. The Bagua has nine squares. Nine feels a lot more manageable than twelve.

Tracy's Advice for This Year

Amanda: Tracy, what would you advise us as we sit down to create our maps this year?

Tracy: I would be very open to the fact that your map may not look like anything you've done before. Inspiration may come in weird ways because of Uranus. Trust the process.

Amanda: And in terms of timing, the window is the entire waxing moon. The New Moon starts on April 17th, and the Full Moon is May 1st. You want your map done before May 1st.

Tracy: A lot of people will get them done right away because of all that Aries energy.

Amanda: What about doing it on the New Moon versus a few days after?

Tracy: The key is you don't want to do anything before the New Moon. Don't even cut out images yet. I tend to start a couple of days after the New Moon. For some people, this is like Christmas. They've been waiting all year and they power right through it.

Amanda: I've been hesitant to put anything into solid form yet because things are changing so fast.

Tracy: I advise waiting until you get there. One person put bees and butterflies on her map and didn't know why. Her son ended up getting her a beehive, and her garden was filled with butterflies. That is the universe saying, “I'm always hearing you.” Another person put Baccarat crystal on her map just because she liked the “earth element” of the glass. Someone ended up giving her a set of those glasses.

Amanda: Every year we talk about whether we are manifesting or just tuning into what is already created.

Tracy: It’s both. The universe and I are conspiring together.

Amanda: If you want to join the challenge, it’s not too late. Challenge one is clearing space. Challenge two is activating the body and life force energy. Challenge three is the “compost board” to release and alchemize the past. Challenge four is nervous system regulation so you can create from a place of possibilities rather than fear.

All of this is free. Tracy, you inspired this whole thing five years ago.

Tracy: I feel like a wise old grandmother! And a quick shout out to Rick Levine. I was at a meeting with him and I quoted Albert Einstein saying, “No two things can occupy the same space.” Rick came up to me and said, “Actually, it wasn't Einstein. It was Wolfgang Pauli in 1925.” Only Rick would know that!

Amanda: He is a walking encyclopedia.

Tracy, this has been such a joy. We’ll check in with everyone at the June solstice. People often ask about the difference between the Aries Equinox and the Aries New Moon. The Equinox is the Sun; the New Moon is the Moon. We manifest with the Moon because the Moon rules matter.

Thank you for being a part of our community and for making astrology a part of your life. We'll catch you on the next episode.