NEW MOON – 4 Degrees Aries, 24 March 2020 (09h28 GMT)
The astrological year begins with a New Moon in courageous and pioneering Aries, signifying a time of brave new starts. This positive and hopeful energy should feel noticeably different to the muted, somewhat downbeat, quite overwhelming mood that governed Pisces season – one that turned out to be particularly confusing and challenging, care of Mercury retrograde.
Occurring just a few days after the March Equinox, this particular soli-lunar event will also have a strong Saturn signature, care of a sextile to the Aries Moon that happens right before New Moon. Having recently ingressed into Aquarius, Saturn will be emphasising social boundaries (social distancing anyone?) civic obligations and self-restraint.
The proximity of the luminaries to Chiron & Black Moon Lilith also mark this particular two-week period out as being a moment when we can choose to heal some very old fear-based patterns arround scarcity, competition and survival – if we can bring ourselves to go deeper with our spiritual practices and do a little introspection whilst in self-isolation
Watch my extended video forecast for more details on this, as well as an exclusive look at astrology and how to harness the healing powers of the planets for optimum wellbeing and vitality, based on the work of the Renaissance astrologer and physician, Marsilio Ficino . (See below)
SIGN
The 2020 Equinox New Moon takes place in action-oriented and go-getting Aries. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries is all about fresh starts and new beginnings. This is an action-oriented, dynamic cardinal fire sign that loves nothing better than to be moving and shaking. See this as your cue to get new projects off the ground and focus on birthing new emotional and physical cycles in your life.
Cardinal Fire
The cardinal quality of this sign provides leadership, initiative and a desire for progress. Fire signs are the movers and shakers of the zodiac, and as the only cardinal fire sign, Aries is definitely chief amongst them. Although this can mean plenty of confidence, drive, motivation and focus, it can also lead to aggression and competitiveness. As a result, selfishness, thoughtlessness and a ‘me first’ attitude can often characterise those times when you have a strong Aries influence around. And of course, this is the sort of thing that authorities are actively trying to discourage right now: think loo paper wars, supermarket dashes to snap up all the supplies etc Just something to bear in mind, especially given how active Chiron and Black Moon Lilith will be during this particular waxing moon phase.
Aries Themes
In general, the New Moon in Aries is likely to trigger in us some of the following themes:
- Boost to physical energy, vitality and sex drive
- Increased courage, bravery and self-confidence to take risks
- Increased focus, drive and willpower to achieve goals and overcome challenges
- Ability to be self-directing and self-sufficient – not needing the approval of others before going for it
- Confisence in one’s abilities and choices
- A penchant for action, adventure, progress, making things happen and taking risks
- Pioneering or solo activities – not being afraid to go it alone
- A desire for more emotional independence and control over your life
- A willingness to try new things and not being afraid to break new ground
SABIAN SYMBOL
The April New Moon takes place in the 5th degree of Aries. The Sabian symbol for this is:
A Triangle with Wings
This image reminds me of a riddle-like phrase ‘I have three eyes: two to look and one to see’. Certainly, the idea of a ‘third eye’ (i.e. the pineal gland/sixth chakra) which to ‘see’ divine/spiritual things, forms part of many esoetric and mystical traditions. In addition to the Hindu tradition, a third eye for ‘second sight’ was also attributed to Greek philosophers like Plato by Renaissance scholars such as Marsilio Ficino. Given all the confusion, panic and fear currently happening in the outside world, this is a really good time to work on developing your own internal GPS to help you navigate through without falling victim to the misinformation being spread through the collective/herd mind via fake news and sensationalist reporting on social media platforms.
Lynda Hill has her own take on the wings mentioned here which is rather lovely:
‘A White Triangle’ with ‘Golden Wings’ is a spiritually uplifting image. It is hard to know exactly what the clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler saw when she received this image, but it could be that she saw the vision of a moth—the White Triangle Tortrix which has gold colored wings. The Symbol it implies the possibility of being able to raise yourself above the ordinary, using your natural gifts to find a new perspective into what’s going on. What’s needed is an uplifted view to expand your scope of awareness.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Personally, I think that the luna moth (above) is a much closer fit to this Sabian Symbol – and very in keeping with the fact that we are talking about lunar cycles. And, of course, there is the fact that the alchemical symbol for the element of fire is a triangle – again, fitting given that this is an Aries New Moon. This is the element most associated with spiritual aspirations and passions – flames leap upwards towards heavens – again, we see an emphasis on spirituality as a means of transcending current suffering and overcoming worldy stresses and problems. Advice that spritual leaders such as Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra are also espousing right now. We are at a very crucial moment in human history and it is vital that we all begin to tune into our inner wisdom in order to ‘see’ beyond 3D circumstances to grasp the bigger picture/the spiritual lesson that lies behind appearances if we are to avoid falling prey to despair, fear and panic.
Body Wisdom
Traditionally, the Moon is concerned with all these types of processes. As ruler of the sub-lunary sphere, the Moon was thought to preside over all life processes in nature, as well as our more embodied selves. That is why she is thought to rule things like knee jerk habits and ingrained routines, from our eating preferences to domestic routines to fight or flight.
Aries is also ruled by Mars, which is associated with life force, physical strength and vital energy more than any other planet. So it is interesting that the Aries New Moon combines the sign and planets that would probably resonate best with the Sabian association of brownies with this degree. I would venture to suggest that this Full Moon offers us opportunities to become more in tune with the wisdom of our own bodies, as well as that which exists all around us in nature – and, it would seem, perhaps also the deus (or deva!) in the machine!
The Sabian Oracle also offers us the following suggestions for how to consider the hidden significance of this particular zodiacal degree:
Keywords: Inspiration and zeal. Feeling elevated and inspired through spiritual or creative agencies. Flying to a greater perspective. Taking off. Purity of thought and expression. Angelic forms. Creative imagination. Self-transcendence. Finding new dimensions of experience. Illusions of sight. Visions. Untethered imaginations. Ascension. Ascended beings. Moths. Butterflies. Flying Machines.
The Caution: Not noticing your own down-to-earth needs or the needs of those around you. Losing the plot. Escapism. Forgetting about the requirements and desires of the body. Being ungrounded. The space cadet. Things that aren’t based in reality.
ASPECTS
Me vs We: Seeing the Bigger Social Picture
The Aries New Moon will make a sextile to karmic lord and school of hard knocks Saturn just prior to the New Moon. See this as a much-needed check on the tendency to overdo things. It’s worth remembering that Saturn will have just ingressed into Aquarius, so it may be worth watching my video on this important transit to understand the social dimension that this adds to proceedings over the next two weeks.
A Chance to Heal Old Wounds & Ancestral Patterns
The Sun and Moon will also be making a conjunction with Chiron and Black Moon Lilith, both in Aries. These two planets have been prominent since late Jauary 2020 and are helping us to heal old ancestral patterns and emotional blindspots, both individually and collectively, relating to fear and scarcity thinking. I discuss this aspect in the March New Moon video extended forecast but if you want a recap of how these particular energies have been playing out, both in relationships and in terms of self-sabotage during Pisces season, then do go back and check out my video forecasts from that time.
