AQUARIUS NEW MOON - 27 / 28 January 2017

Exact at 12.07am GMT, 27 January, exact at 7.07pm EST.

This is the first New Moon of 2017 and marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Rooster. The Year of the Fire Monkey was a challenging and unpredictable year for many and 2016 was also a number 9 year in numerology which symbolises a time of endings and a clearing out. 2017 is a number 1 year, which symbolises a fresh start and new beginnings, and what better way to start than with the colourful and eccentric Fire Rooster! This is a Yin Fire Rooster year, which may well rouse us all into humanitarian action in a quite yin, or feminine way. We have already got a taste of the potential of this year with the Women’s marches last weekend, which were well organised, very well attended and, above all, peaceful.  The Rooster calls for us to get organised and join together in a heartfelt, enthusiastic way through collaboration and group effort. The Yin energy definitely gives this year a feminine quality and urges us to listen to our intuition, and follow our hearts. It also calls for great honesty in our relationships. The Rooster heralds the dawn of a new day and calls for us to “wake up” and recognise what needs to change and transform in our lives. She will also help us to pull up our sleeves and actually do something about it!

The Sun and Moon are forming their monthly union in rebellious, humanitarian and eccentric Aquarius. We are coming out of Capricorn season and the Cancer Full Moon symbolised a time of big shifts and changes, especially when it came to our emotional patterns and habits. Aquarius is a reaction to Capricorn. Capricorn likes structure and following the rules, and symbolises parental and societal conditioning. It is the sign of “shoulds” and “should nots”. Aquarius says “Who says we “should” do anything? What do you WANT to do?” Aquarius breaks all of the rules and dares to think outside of the box, even if this sets him apart from the mainstream somewhat. He doesn’t subscribe to what other people think or do. He thinks for himself, even if it gets him in trouble or shocks people. This is the sign that has the power to release us from the chains of parental conditioning and help us break free from anything in our past that binds us. We have the opportunity to move past anything that is blocking us from our true selves. It is so easy to be slave to old habits, patterns and ways of relating, and Aquarius helps us break out of our ruts and stifling routines. He allows us to take a step back to look at things from the bird’s eye perspective so that we can experience breakthroughs and “aha!” moments as we recognise where we are stuck and what needs to change.

Aquarius is the visionary, who can see a better way for a brighter future.  As such, our intentions during this Moon should reflect our core truth, rather than what we think we should be. What do we truly want for ourselves? What is our vision for a better life for us and the world? How can we use our unique gifts and talents to make a difference? Aquarius reminds us that we are all part of this world and have a unique part to play. Interestingly enough, Aquarius rules the World Wide Web, which does connect people in a powerful way and makes this world we live in far more of a global village than ever before. It brings the potential for important messages and information to spread like wildfire, in ways that would have been unfathomable before we had the internet. Obviously it also has its darker side and shadow, but its capacity to connect people from all parts of the global and all walks of life is definitely a reflection of the Aquarian ideal of brother/sisterhood, liberty and equality. Aquarius reminds us that we are not all isolated human beings and urges us to participate and give something back to the community we live in.

The New Moon is sitting smack, bang in the middle of a challenging square aspect between Venus and Saturn. Venus is in Pisces at the moment, helping us to see the best in our loved ones and relate to their true spirit or essence; their divinity. This is the combination of unconditional love and can bring a certain sweetness and willingness to give to others.  However, this may also mean that we are somewhat blind-sided by their more human, wounded side, and this is where Saturn comes in. Saturn will peel back the layers of illusion in no uncertain terms, making us all too aware of our lovers’ flaws and where our relationships themselves are lacking or falling short somehow. He shines the harsh light of reality onto the way we relate to ourselves and to our loved ones, but the good news is that his energy also helps us to put in whatever work is necessary to improve our relationships. It is also possible that our beliefs about relationships could be challenged during this time, as we are forced to look at them from a different perspective.

Venus is also sitting next to Chiron, the Wounded Healer, so it is quite possible that our old wounds could be triggered so that we can become more aware how they are running the show and sabotaging our relationships.  It is important to be willing to take responsibility for our own wounds and vulnerabilities rather than reacting defensively or blaming the other person for “making” us feel the way we do. It is our old baggage, so we must own it; it’s just that some way that the other person acts may tend to hit upon our tender, wounded areas and makes us react. We should see this as a gift, because we have a chance to see it, recognise it and clear it, even though what we see might not be very pretty! Overall, this combination of Saturn, Chiron, Venus and the Aquarian Moon can help us to see ourselves and our relationships with clarity and compassion and make some tremendous shifts out of old, outworn beliefs and patterns. We should be able bring our wounds and vulnerabilities out into the open so that whatever is blocking us can be cleared without blame or shame.

Uranus, the ruler of the Aquarian Moon, is still forming a dynamic cardinal T-square with Jupiter and Pluto. This combination of energy can bring about amazing growth and change. Jupiter in Libra helps us to form mutually beneficial, growth-oriented relationships and believes in fairness and justice. Add that to the powerful combination of Uranus and Pluto, who together have the capacity to break down the structure of our lives so that something new can take its place, and we have an amazing recipe for the peaceful protests that we experienced this weekend! People joining together in peace and harmony (Jupiter in Libra) to fight for the truth and personal rights (Uranus in Aries) against the powers that be (Pluto in Capricorn)! This T-square brings the potential for revolution and transformation on both a personal and collective level. It brings the potential for powerful transformation and transcending limitation if we are willing to be honest about what needs to change and willing to try a radically different approach. It makes sense, right? If the old way simply isn’t working, then we have to come up with something we haven’t tried before. This may involve stepping out of the comfort zone somewhat, but what is the alternative?

The Sabian symbols for Saturn, Uranus and Pluto at the moment are very interesting and revealing, given the current social climate. Uranus, at 21° Aries, is: ”A pugilist enters the ring.” Dane Rudyar describes it as ”the release and glorification of social aggressiveness….. an eagerness for social fame and social power…. man’s deeply rooted feeling of admiration and envy for whoever can generate OVERWHELMING POWER.” Pluto’s symbol, at 18° Capricorn, is: “The Union Jack flag flies from a British warship”. Rudyar speaks of “a realisation of the ambivalence of POLITICAL POWER, its value and its dangers”. Saturn’s symbol, at 25°Sagittarius, is: “A chubby boy on a hobby-horse.” Dane says of this symbol: “The anticipatory enjoyment of powers one can only as yet dream of utilising.” These symbols are all very evocative! These slower moving planets tend to represent the current climate, or the theme of the times.

The symbol for the New Moon itself, which represents the potential for the month ahead, is 9° Aquarius: “A flag is seen turning into an eagle.” The flag is symbolic of a nation or country’s spirit, while the eagle is the physical manifestation of spirit or of an ideal. This symbol speaks of plans and dreams taking shape in reality and being given living substance and wings; acting out a vision; soaring power. This is an interesting symbol to interpret, because on the one hand it could be seen as the leader of a country (the flag) “soaring” to power and making their visions come true, while on the other hand the flag could represent whole nations of people standing up for their beliefs and ideals. The eagle encourages us to take on our power and walk our talk. It shows the potential for transformation and ascension and for making our dreams into reality. It is time to let our dreams take flight.

This Moon certainly holds the potential for change, growth and expansion! It would seem that what needs to change will become glaringly obvious and it is up to us how we handle what comes up. We can either resist and defend, blame and shame, or we can come together in the spirit of finding a solution and taking responsibility for the part we have played in the current dilemma. A problem shared is a problem halved! We have a chance for some amazing shifts to take place during this time, both personally and collectively. The two are always so closely linked anyway, as our individual lives are so often a reflection of the energy of the times; a microcosm of the collective macrocosm, so to speak.  As above, so below. As within, so without! Aquarius knows this all too well! If we are willing to be honest with ourselves and others about what simply isn’t working, and also admit our vulnerabilities, recognise our wounds and soft spots and have a sincere wish to do the necessary work to move through whatever comes up, then this New Moon can really help us release ourselves from some age old chains and shackles! It’s up to us if we are willing to step out of our safe, secure way of doing things and try something new on for size! This is the gift of Aquarius.

Much Love

Amy

xoxo

Picture:  Mural at Tsogyelgar