PISCES NEW MOON - Saturday 1 March 2014

Exact at 8am GMT, 3am EST!

This is a very well supported New Moon in the midst of an unprecedented amount of planetary shifts this week! Four planets are due to either turn retrograde or direct, one after the other, and the differing energies could pull us in all sorts of different directions! As Mercury turns direct both Mars and Saturn go retrograde, while later in the week Jupiter turns direct after being retrograde since the 7^th of November. When planets get ready to go direct or turn retrograde they stand still for a while, and as they do their energy is much stronger than usual. As such, this will not be a simple, straightforward New Moon. Nevertheless, this is still a time of endings and beginnings as we leave whatever isn’t serving us behind in the dark of the Moon, letting go and then forming a new set of intentions based on our deepest desires and wishes for ourselves. Whatever we think or feel at this time sows the seeds that will grow over the course of the month until they come into full bloom with the Full Moon. This particular New Moon invites us to be still and listen to the quiet voice within, inviting its guidance and inspiration. Pisces season is upon us and it is definitely time to rest and turn inwards, preparing us for Aries season when we “spring into action!”

The Sun and Moon are forming their monthly union in Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac. I am reminded of the yoga pose, Savasana (Corpse Pose) where you lie on your back in complete surrender and stillness before rolling over and being born anew. This is where we are in the yearly cycle. Pisces asks us to surrender to spirit; to trust our intuition and let go of control, allowing ourselves to be guided by unseen forces. Pisces defies logic and dissolves boundaries, asking us, ever so gently, to let go of our doubts, fears, guilt, anger and any old conditioning and patterns that might usually define us and replace them with love and tenderness. It is time to really let go and breathe a huge sigh of relief as we do so! Pisces represents unconditional love and is the spirit of selflessness, compassion and true empathy. She reminds us that we are not separate, but are all from the same melting pot. What happens to one happens to all. During this New Moon it is important to pay attention to our dreams as they may have important messages for us. Music, dancing, creative writing or artwork, energy work, meditation and going for walks in nature are all wonderful ways to tap into source and gain some understanding of what our higher self is trying to tell us. It is time to rest, relax and switch off our logical, rational minds and be open to our heart wisdom. Pisces has the magical ability to make dreams come reality through the power of the imagination, and this New Moon is the perfect time to harness that power!

Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is sitting on one side of the Sun and Moon and Neptune is on the other side. This brings the potential for some amazing insight into where we are wounded and what we might still need to heal in our lives. It is quite likely that we will be more open than usual to impressions, messages from the universe and the thoughts and feelings of other people. Our compassion, intuition and connection to others will be greatly heightened as Neptune dissolves the ego and alongside it dispels the illusion of any boundaries that separate us. This really is a time to be kind to both ourselves and our fellow man and woman.

In the meantime Jupiter, who is very strong because he is sitting still waiting to turn direct, is forming a very supportive aspect to the Sun and Moon, giving us the gift of faith and bestowing a sense of optimism and humour upon the whole picture. It is important not to take everything too seriously and jolly Jupiter is good at reminding us of that! His involvement in this Moon gives us the opportunity to really grow and move forward on an emotional level and he makes us aware that all that happens to us brings a potential for growth beyond previous limitation.  He also asks us to drop any pretence and allow ourselves to show how we really feel. It is time to lose the masks. He reminds us that anything is possible and helps us to see the bigger picture as we think about what we might want for ourselves in the month ahead.

Pluto in Capricorn is also supporting this Moon, helping us to dig deep inside our souls and find what matters most to us. He wants us to stand in our power with integrity and will root around in our unconscious until he finds what stops us from doing just that. He adds soul power and the gift of emotional transformation to the overall picture of this Moon.

Venus and Mars are gearing up to have another cosmic confrontation as they form the second square to each other, the last bout having occurred during the Cancer Full Moon on the 16^th of January. We may be revisiting something that happened then. This could bring out hidden tensions in our relationships, possibly causing arguments but also allowing us to clear the air.  When the cosmic lovers challenge each other in the heavens it could ignite our passions and cause considerable sexual tension, whether we are single or in a relationship. It could also be really good for putting a fire in our bellies when it comes to creative or artistic pursuits! Any frustration, tension or anger that has been suppressed within our relationships could come bubbling to the surface so that it can be talked about and hopefully resolved. Just remember that Mercury could still be making communication a bit wobbly! The battle could also be internal, as the feminine within us (Venus) may be at odds with our assertive, masculine self. We may feel a bit of a push/pull between wanting to forge forward (Mars) and sit back and wait to see what might come our way (Venus). This aspect will be exact on Monday 3^rd March, so the energy will be building over the weekend.

Mercury is finally turning direct a few hours before the Full Moon and his energy will be at its strongest during this time, so watch out for another bout of confusion, miscommunication and travel delays!  Combined with the Pisces New Moon we could find ourselves quite spaced out and dreamy this weekend! As Mercury starts moving forward again we now have a chance to look back on what has come to light during the retrograde period. What insights have we gained through looking back? What have we had to revisit for a second time in order to gain more clarity?  What has come up from our past to be examined? He is now working his way back towards his third square with Saturn, the first of which was on 24/25 January, the second of which was at the beginning of last week (18/19 Feb) and this one will be exact on March 11^th. This makes communication quite challenging and stilted and could send us into a bit of a dark head space. Whatever we were dealing with for the first two passes could come up again one last time and hopefully this time we will have more understanding and be able to find resolution.

There is so much happening during this Moon! Just as Mercury turns direct, Mars goes retrograde! On the 2^nd of March Mars starts moving backwards and as he does so we could experience some Martian energy such as anger, frustration or impatience coming up. Mars is in peace loving Libra, however, so it is unlikely to make us overly aggressive or direct because Libra is far too diplomatic, peaceful and concerned about what other people might think! Mars will be retrograde until May, so this is a time to take a step backwards and conserve energy rather than jumping forward with plans. Mars is assertive, active energy and gives us the desire and motivation to get things done, but while he is retrograde that energy turns inward. We could see this as preparation time while we get ready for whatever lies ahead of us in May when Mars turns direct. Then it will be full steam ahead and we will really be able to move forward with our plans. First Venus, then Mercury, now Mars have been retrograde, one after the other, which gives a feeling that parts of our lives are currently on hold. All will be revealed in the fullness of time, but for now we have to be patient and continue to do the inner work that will help us move forward in the outer world soon enough. Mars is retrograde in Libra, the planet of relationships and “other”. As such we may feel called to reassess our relationships and clear the air somewhat. What has happened since December that might need revisiting? What needs to change? Basically, Mars will bring his direct, honest approach to the realm of our relationships and allow us to cut through the crap!

Saturn is also turning retrograde, on Monday the 3^rd of March, causing yet another shift of energy!  As he does so we may be forced to face our fears and could experience a good dose of reality, whether we like it or not! Saturn is the teacher; the strict parent who challenges us to confront ourselves and become the best that we can be. While he is going backwards we will be asked to think about our commitments and responsibilities and decide whether they feel confining and limiting or whether they are helping us to grow. This period of time is ideal for confronting our shadows and seeing where we hold ourselves back through fear and old, outworn emotional patterns. Whatever we find during this process may not be pretty, but once we have brought the shadows out into the light they lose their power over us. We all have shadows, but it is far better to be aware of them rather than them ruling  our lives unconsciously.

On the one hand we have a very well supported Pisces New Moon asking us to rest, surrender, turn in and listen to our inner voice. Unconditional love, empathy and compassion is the theme of the Pisces season. Imagine that we are floating around in the cosmic womb, preparing to be born anew! On the other hand we have a lot of planetary shifts that could pull us in all sorts of different directions over the course of this week, such as the mental confusion of Mercury, the angry frustration of Mars and Saturn forcing us to face our fears, shadows and vulnerabilities. All the while, Jupiter is shining his light of faith and optimism onto the whole picture, reminding us to have a sense of humour about the whole thing. Pisces wants us to go with the flow and to be absolutely present; not focusing on the past and what has already passed away, not worrying or fantasising about the future, but right here, right now, aware, alert, listening. When we do this we are given some very subtle messages and cues that guide us along our path. This is the time of year to nurture our inner spirit and listen to our dreams, and if that means sleeping a bit more than usual, then so be it!  This is the end of a cycle and it is important to be good to ourselves right now so that when Aries season comes around we are ready for action. Until then we must let go of any need to control the outcome and simply go with the flow of the river, trusting that everything is unfolding exactly as it should.

Much love

Amy

xoxo