Tomorrow we greet the New Moon in Pisces, the last New Moon of this astrological year. This is a very Piscean New Moon, with Sun and Moon at 12 Pisces conjunct Jupiter at 14, and moving to conjunct Neptune at 22.
Jupiter is the ancient ruler of Pisces and Neptune the modern ruler, so this New Moon is infused with deep magics and visionary power.
We sometimes might think of Pisces as the home of sparkly fairies and plenty of woo. This New Moon bring us something more akin to being summoned to the hall of the Elven King, or meeting the Queen of all Elfhame on the shore of a turbulent sea. There is darkness here as well as light, and all the shades between. This Piscean world is beautiful and not entirely safe.
The next two nights, tonight before the New Moon is exact and tomorrow night, will be strong nights for dreaming. If you work with your dreams, have a notebook ready for those middle-of-the-night scribbles. Set dream intentions, if you wish. Cleanse and prepare your space. And also be open to what comes. With this New Moon, trying to predict or control specifics will not be useful.
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As strong as Pisces is, this New Moon is not only about the sign of misty confusion and enticing fantasies. There are two other strong groupings that deserve attention.
Venus, Mars, and Pluto are together at the end of Capricorn, moving ever closer to their exact conjunctions. With 24 hours of the New Moon, first Mars and then Venus reach their individual meetings with the Lord of Alchemical Change but for our purposes, they are all three conjunct right now.
This is a very different energy than the lovely flow of the Pisces group. Here we have a window into the hard realities of our current world.
Mars, exalted in Capricorn, wants dominance, control, and the ability to call the shots. He’s prepared to work very hard to get those things. In this sign of cardinal Earth, Mars is dedicated and tenacious. Once committed to a goal, he will not give up.
Venus has less strength in Capricorn than Mars. She also sees a more complex world than Mars does. There are multiple actors, many stakeholders.
Isn’t it better to work together toward shared goals? “Winner takes all” is not really a win. Venus sees connections and how they are created and maintained. Shared goals, yes. Shared values as well. And, importantly, shared resources. Always follow the money. Working together creates practical solutions.
Pluto’s down in the basement where he usually hangs out checking foundations. In the tumult of action and the swirls of spin, what’s really going on? Is it workable? Is it sound? Pluto does not seek to destroy, but when our deepest, most hidden structures are not in fact working well, Pluto’s presence can signal the onset of seismic shifts.
It’s easy to link this Capricorn group to current events. Where do we need Mars’ strength and endurance? Where do we need Venusian diplomacy? Can we broker a workable solution to our serious problems before the walls start crumbling around us?
Between Pisces and Capricorn, we find Mercury conjunct Saturn in Aquarius. Again, a different energy than the other two.
Here we have a disciplined and logical mind. Clear-eyed perceptions. The capacity to craft long term plans that aim to benefit not just individuals but communities as well.
Tucked between the powerful groups on either side, perhaps we can activate Mercury and Saturn to help us make sense of it all. Surely these two can help us clear the underbrush and figure out what needs to happen.
The difficulty is that Mercury and Saturn can’t really see either Pisces or Capricorn. In traditional astrology, planets in adjacent signs are said to be “averse,” which comes from the Latin aversus, which means to turn away from. There is not a clear connection here.
I believe I can offer one way to connect these three important groups.
When I look at the New Moon chart and think about the energies, I see the Chariot card in the tarot. The Chariot is one of the major arcana, the “big” cards, numbered VII. Images for the Chariot feature a strong figure driving a chariot drawn by two equally strong animals.
The Rider Waite Smith deck features a king in a chariot drawn by sphinxes. Other decks might show a chariot drawn by horses, griffons, or dragons. My favorite reading deck, the Druidcraft, shows the warrior chief Boudicca careening forward, steering two powerful steeds.
Imagine Mercury–Saturn as the charioteer, attempting to hold the reins of Pisces and Capricorn, steering them forward toward a shared goal.
The brief meaning for this card is control, mastery, and triumph, which sounds kind of like the Capricorn side. Getting to the mastery level with the Chariot, though, calls for careful management and wise control over divergent forces.
Notice how the animals pulling the chariot are not looking at each other. Usually, one is black and one white, showing us clearly these two are not the same. These are different aspects of our character, different parts of our psyche.
A Jungian perspective on this card might say, we can only attain self mastery when we learn to integrate the conscious and subconscious parts of our souls. The conscious Ego and the denied Shadow. Or perhaps the Anima and Animus. Logic and emotion. Manifest reality and the Imaginal.
Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Neptune in Pisces offer hope, optimism, and a buoyant sense that the dark clouds will dissipate. There is trust here in the good, in creative play, in beautiful dreams.
Mars, Venus, and Pluto in Capricorn remind us of what is, our current circumstances, both personally and worldwide. Here we are called to work, to grit our teeth and keep going, to be determined and steadfast and committed to succeed.
How can we possibly balance these two?
And didn’t I say that Mercury–Saturn couldn’t even see the other signs? How can we drive a chariot we cannot see?
If you look at anyone riding or driving strong horses, what you see is not the cool, calculated logic of the mind. To drive a chariot forward without tipping the whole thing over, we need our bodies. We need to feel the balance under our feet, in our legs and arms. We need to pay attention to the body language of the horses as well, and the detailed information that comes into our hands through the reins.
Mercury can do this, but not if we stay in our logical minds. This is a whole body New Moon. To feel its message, we want to be fully present and receptive. Sometimes the only way to be in control is to surrender. Sometimes we need to trust forces larger than we are to get us through.
Now, the vibe of the New Moon itself is full-on Pisces. There is all of the good feeling, hope for the future, a belief in better times ahead that Jupiter, Neptune, and the luminaries can bring.
If you come to this New Moon exhausted, feeling you’re beyond the limits of what you can manage, perhaps ill or recovering, then you are invited to luxuriate in the oceanic comforts of Pisces. Breathe in the magic. Ride the waves of inspiration. That’s plenty.
And if you have things you are ready to be doing, goals you have to meet, work that must be done, consider the image of the Chariot. Pisces on one side. Capricorn on the other. And we in the middle, fully present, all senses awake and attuned, figuring out how to balance what needs to be integrated. We look for those moments when control can only be attained through surrender.
Title adapted from Thanuj Mathew
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Basement adapted from Pawel Czerwinski : https://unsplash.com/photos/SKrKs3g7keU
Sunrise adapted from Brett Belcher
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