20 October at 15:55pm BST at 27 degrees Aries
THEMES
This New Moon emphasises the two faces of Mars, as both the planet associated with Eros, the archetype of male desire, as well as Mars as am emblem of male fertility and new growth; and Mars as the soldier, killer and competitor (ala gladiator) – the strife of which Empedocles spoke, which shares aspects with Thanatos, the archetype of death and destruction – themes that were ater taken on by Pluto after it was discovered. The urge to seed or preserve life vs the killer instinct within men, desire vs death from a male perspective, you could say…
We are also being challenged to see beyond the literal to the notion of Eros as a spiritual driving force – a catalyst for inner transformation – something Carl Jung became fascinated by around the time of his own initiation, or journey into the depths, as he later called it. This is where we begin to understand the language of many schools of initiation, in which sex becomes a metaphor for esoteric rites and rituals, of potent creativity, and of the initiate striving towards reunion with it’s celestial counterpart – the soul.
SABIAN SYMBOL
It’s interesting that physical prowess – another very Martian quality – is emphasised by the Sabian symbol for this lunar phase. Given that we are due to experience a Mars-Pluto square around the time of this New Moon, it seems apt that this particular degree is focusedon what happens when someone doesn’t measure up to the expectations of what an alpha male should be, whether physique-wise or in terms of sporting ability.
KEY ASPECTS: MARS SQUARE PLUTO
It may also point to wider shifts in the collective consciousness, a move away from toxic masculinity and an aggressive, ‘survival of the fittest,’ ‘might is right’ attitude towards nature, economics and perhaps even diplomacy, towards something more collective and cooperative.
In the old paradigm, rooted in the brutal fantasies of the industrial revolution, machines triumphed over nature and outclassed the output of human workforces, and science dominated the environment. Notions that are essentially extensions of the Enlightenment Project, as William Blake so clearly foresaw and vociferously critiqued. Ideas echoed in the ‘human-as-hardware’ notions and transhumanism shared amongst many tech moguls in Silicon Valley, as a way to gain a competitive advantage, or even cheat death.
LUNAR FACE
As I explain in my video (see below), the current shifts we see in socio-economic terms, driven by the latest iteration of the industrial revolution, in the form of advanced AI and machine-learning algorithms, the focus may well become ‘Well, if I could potentially be replaced by a machine, what are my core competencies?’ By getting clear on what we are profiecient at, and how these skills and abilities could not be relaced by a machine, we arm ourselves with the inner assurance and confidence needed to weather the storm of change looming on the horizon.
Part of this process may involve a collective shedding of the tenets of eveolutionary biology, with its roots in scarcity theory and the notion of Mars-like competition, towards something more akin to eco-systems, as Andrea Weber argues.
CHEAT SHEET
Look for your rising sign in this chart to see where the New Moon is likely to land for you, providing a major opportunity to introduce some radical changes into your life.
