February brings the New Moon in Aquarius, the Fixed Air sign associated with clear thinking, long term planning, incisive insights, and strong views. With Aquarius, we clarify what we think and why we think it. We commit to principles, concepts, ideas. Aquarius is cool and sharp. No warm fuzzies: Say what you think; mean what you say.
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Aquarius is about community. Ruler of the 11th House, this sign governs networks, organizations, acquaintances, and modern technology. This is where we’re asked to consider wider implications. Is our idea good for the community, not just for ourselves? Who wins; who loses; and how much do we care? This is the seventh generation principle that formed part of the Laws of the Iroquois Confederacy, laws that influenced the US Constitution, the commitment to consider the impact of each decision we make on the next seven generations to come.
In our ongoing journey with Pluto and Uranus, we’ve been put through the wringer and pushed to the wall. At the Full Moon in Leo, we maybe got a glimmer of where our heart wants to go. At this New Moon, arriving on Monday, February 8 at 9:39 am (EST), we are invited to plant seeds for the ideas that will get us there.
You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’ George Bernard Shaw, quoted by Robert Kennedy
New Moons are times for making wishes, setting intentions, and planting seeds. We invite the cooperation of the cosmos in helping us reach the goals we set. On Monday, our wishes might be for clear sight, incisive thought, and inclusive perspectives. (For more on how to do this, see my New Moon wishes page.) It’s time to clear away cobwebs and figure out what we actually think.
Of course, ideas don’t come out of nowhere. The patterns surrounding this New Moon offer hints on what might influence us.
The tightest aspects to the New Moon are from Venus in Capricorn and Chiron in Pisces. The New Moon falls at 19 Aquarius, and Venus and Chiron are also at 19 in their signs, 30 degrees away, one on each side. Venus in pragmatic Capricon says, get your head out of the clouds. Make sure your key ideas are practical, grounded, and workable. There is elegance in what is functional and spare. Chiron in mystical Pisces says, let’s not only be in our heads. Consider the heart and soul of your concepts.
The pushiest aspect to the New Moon is a challenging square from Mars in Scorpio. This square could point to hidden anger that could become explosive, possibly if you try to lay down the law for everyone around you. A more valuable way to work with this Mars square is to consider the Shadow. Every idea, every plan, every concept has its shadow side. What is missing from your thoughts and plans? What hidden agendas are not being acknowledged? Who’s gaining an advantage at the expense of someone else? In planting seeds for the future, we cannot forget the Shadow without being haunted by its traps. Look now. Make adjustments. New Moons are dark times. Invite the dark in, and learn.
The Nodes of the Moon are part of this Moon’s pattern too, both the South Node of the past and North Node of the future. We’re in a time of transformation, being remade for a world coming into being. Chiron the Wounded Healer is close to the South Node, which shares its semisextile: May the seeds of our new thoughts bring forward the best of the past and heal its mistakes. Jupiter the Great Expander is close to the North Node, both forming an awkward inconjunct to the New Moon: This reinforces the seventh generation principle, reminding us in a no-nonsense way that what we do now will reverberate through our own life and the lives of others.
Venus is flanked by Pluto and Mercury, all three in Capricorn. Again, this is not about pie-in-the-sky cloud castles. We need plans and concepts that are pragmatic. Stuff needs to work.
Does all this sound hard-edged? A little cold? Aquarius can be beautiful in a clean cut, Art Deco way, but not often cuddly or comforting. These are difficult times, and there’s a lot at stake. And yet, we just celebrated Imbolc, the ancient Celtic festival that marks the turning toward Spring. It’s most definitely still winter. Across the northern temperate zones, the soil is still cold and the trees bare. More snow is coming, probably more ice. Still, we feel the shift. Days are getting longer. Buds are swelling on the branches. In this quiescent, yin time, we feel the first stirrings of yang movement and growth.
Feeling that beginning spurt of energy, let’s toss in the monkey wrench: We haven’t talked yet about the ruler of this New Moon, the ruler of Aquarius, who is Uranus, the revolutionary trickster. Revolutions often begin with heady, compelling ideas that grab you by the throat and won’t let go. At this New Moon, Uranus asks, what’s your key concept? What’s your slogan, your motto, your tagline? Now, turn it upside down, inside out, and see how it looks. Uranus wants us to be who we truly are at our core, and will do anything, no matter how crazy, to get us there.
Amping up the crazy trickster energy is the fact that this New Moon begins the Chinese New Year, and this is the Year of the Monkey. Not just any Monkey, but the extra-energetic and tricksterish Fire Monkey. Huge numbers of people across the globe will celebrate the beginning of a new lunar year with parades, fireworks, and ways to bring in good luck. Setting our best intentions can become part of the celebration. To see what this Year of the Monkey might hold for you, check here.
As always, check your birth chart to see where 19 degrees of Aquarius falls. This House will feel the influence of this New Moon, as it always feels Aquarius energy. Check what the New Moon touches in your chart: Anything in and around 19 degrees. The Air signs Libra and Gemini will feel the positive flow of energy represented by trines. The Fixed signs Scorpio, Leo, and Taurus, will present challenging squares or oppositions. Knowing how your chart is affected can help fine tune your wishes and intentions.
To focus in with Aquarius’ own laser intensity, this New Moon is about point of view. Influenced by our past, our life experience, our choices, and our self understanding, we hold beliefs that set the stage for what we can see and what we miss, how we interpret what life brings to us. We are invited (ok, Uranus is pushy, we are pushed) to look clearly at what we think, and take the first steps to cleansing the doors of perception so we can see truly.
If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern. William Blake
Note: The prism images are original artworks. For information on the artists and more of their work, see these Deviant Art accounts: Joshua Cairós (Prism of Knowledge) and Aydan (Prism)