New Moon in Aries & Equinox: We Have Ignition

On Monday, March 27, the New Moon in Aries arrives. One glance at the chart confirms what we already feel: Things have shifted. The focus in Pisces we’ve floated through for the last weeks has clearly and decidedly moved. The New Moon is exact just before 11 am EDT. In that moment, something vital within us is reborn.

This year’s Aries New Moon falls one week after the Equinox, the moment the Sun ends his journey through the zodiacal year and steps into Aries for his rebirth. I am writing this on the morning of the Equinox, which arrived about 6:30 am EDT. The two charts are very similar. The key difference between them is the position of the Moon who, on the morning of the Equinox is very, very close to Saturn. A week later, at the New Moon, she will of course be even closer to the Sun.

In each place, the Moon highlights the Fire we feel now. After a long time at sea, we have ignition.

There is nothing wrong with floating in a Piscean ocean. It can be confusing, might feel aimless, but there are insights, creative directions, and spiritual depths there we can find nowhere else. At some point, though, the wheel turns. Energy that has been diffuse will coalesce into a point. A focus emerges, a direction, a spark. A way forward begins to show itself. This is where we are now.

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This year’s Equinox highlights the transition we are moving through. The Moon and Saturn are very tightly conjunct, just five minutes apart. From that place, they reach out to every other significant point.

Keep in mind that when we’re looking at the Sun and Moon, the luminaries, we cast a wide net: Anything within ten degrees of either one is considered in aspect. Since the Moon and Saturn are definitely conjunct, Saturn, the hard-working taskmaster, becomes part of the Moon’s impact.

The Moon and Saturn together create a depressed mood. There is a seriousness to these two we can’t deny. Yet both are in optimistic Sagittarius and the chart overall emphasizes the bright energy of Fire.

The question they ask is, are we ready? Are we ready to stop floating and start paddling? Are we ready to transform the respite of Piscean contemplation into concrete Aries action? If we’ve been feeling lost in a fog, are we ready to get off our butts and use the skills we have to figure out what to do?

The Moon and Saturn square Chiron the wounded healer in Pisces. No one is denying there are real challenges here. No one is saying we haven’t been hurt. The Moon–Saturn square says, it’s time to take the next steps to release the pain, integrate the learning, and heal. Moon–Saturn doesn’t promise an easy transition, even in Sagittarius. They are saying it’s time.

Moon–Saturn also create an out-of-sign square to the Aries Sun. The connection is Fire to Fire, but the message is the same: This ain’t no party. This ain’t no disco. This ain’t no foolin’ around. It’s time for focused action.

What kind of action? Moon–Saturn is trining the Uranus–Eris conjunction in late Aries. All those messages we’ve been getting about how we need to walk our talk, live our truth, be bold, take who we really are and bring it––that’s the action. The trine is naturally accompanied by a sextile to Jupiter in Libra (still opposing Uranus and Eris). This adds to the push.

It’s worth noting that the Equinox happens as the Moon leans into her Last Quarter. This is a time of release in every lunar cycle, emphasized in this one as the Sun transitions into a new astrological year.

We turn to the New Moon chart and it looks familiar. There is Saturn, alone now, but still in late Aries. Without the Moon, he is too far away for any aspects except the square to Chiron, but Saturn delivered his message at the Equinox: Get working!

But a New Moon, even one is Aries, is not a time for outward action. Now we are planting seeds. We are crafting wishes and intentions. Does this mean we’re not on fire? Not at all. Remember what a seed is: A concentrated bundle of energy designed to give birth to a new plant. It might be a small Spring wildflower. It might be giant sequoia. Either way, the energy to start that process is packed into every seed.

At this New Moon, we are invited to plant the seeds of our own rebirth. Who will we be for the next phase of our lives? What bold actions are we ready to take? Where are we compelled to stand up and say, this is who I am?

Venus, continuing her retrograde in Aries, can help answer these questions. Walking backward, she is reviewing all of our relationships, our creative impulses and projects, and our values. This is indeed a time of review. Emotions are very present now, everything from rage through irritation to quiet satisfaction and wild joy. We are offered this time to experience that range, reflect on which aspects of our lives evoke which responses, and not take action on what we learn. We wait, for now, and gather insights.

It’s time to check your birth chart. Find 0 Aries, which is called the Aries Point. Do this by looking around the outer rim of your chart to find the symbol for Aries. It is most likely on a cusp of one your Houses, the line that marks one House from another. Unless the cusp is at 0 Aries, your Aries Point will be behind that Aries cusp, tucked inside the Pisces House. Your Aries Point is the place where new things come into your chart and your life.

My chart has 19 Aries on my 9th House of journeys. This means my Aries Point is actually in my 8th House of transformation. This is no surprise to me. Your Aries Point is where the Equinox happened in your birth chart. That is where your “call to action” is taking place.

Now find 7 Aries, the position of the New Moon. It could be in the same House or it could be in the one next to it. In my chart, with 19 Aries on the cusp of the 9th House, the New Moon at 7 will also fall in my 8th House. I am being asked to plant seeds of transformation. Offering more emphasis to this (already clear) message, this New Moon is conjunct my natal Eris, opposing my Sun, and squaring my Nodes and Mars. *gulp*

Finding your Aries Point and the location of this Aries New Moon will help you pinpoint which seeds you may want to plant and where they might take root in your life. Remember that while we may feel pushed, what we do and how we do it are up to us. Our lives are formed by our choices. For me, the value of astrology lies in its ability to offer guidance. The patterns give me signposts for where I can work with (rather than against) the prevailing energies. But the choice, the specifics, the actions taken are always mine. This too is an Aries message!

I will use the time between the Equinox and the New Moon to make a plan of action. Life is confusing these days. Maybe it’s always been this way but it feels now as if everything is up in the air. I am realizing I can’t let that sense of confusion take over. I need to chart my course, set my goals, make and carry out plans even as the world seems a much more uncertain place. When the New Moon arrives, I hope to be ready with well-crafted seeds. I will tuck them into the soil of my life, care for them as they grow, and watch in wonder when they take off.