the new moon in aries kicks off a firey, creative and passionate new lunar cycle on wednesday april 10th at 2:35pm PDT. new moons are times to initiate and plant new seeds. energetically they resonate with the sign of aries- and with this new moon in the sign of aries to boot we have a lot of dynamic/warrior/mars energy present this week!
this new moon is definitely fascinating, exciting and potentially explosive. with the warrior and will sign our desires and needs seem to be paramount. aries is a very in-the-moment sign who is at best present and honest, and at worst selfish and impulsive. what WE want and need can feel so pressing that it is hard to understand where others are coming from. we’d be well advised to temper this fire so that it can be used creatively, rather than destructively.
this new moon is conjunct the ruler of the lunation- mars who is in his home sign of aries. the new moon is also conjunct venus in aries. venus and mars are the Divine Lovers and when they align the creative and romantic energy is off the charts! yet mischanneled it can get aggressive, conflictual and overly yang. venus is not comfortable in aries as it is the sign of her opposite. venus typically wants to surrender, receive and keep the peace, while mars in aries wants to conquer, act and fight for what he believes is right! learning how to balance ME with WE is key right now- yet with so much aries it can be really, really hard to find that balance.
the only other aspect to this new moon is a semisquare to neptune in pisces- which pits the yang/masculine/desire energy of aries against the yin/feminine/passive energy of pisces. aries is the alpha sign while pisces is the omega sign. aries wants to create and birth something, while pisces wants to release, surrender, let go and return to whence we came from. at best the neptune energy can make this new moon mystical and creative, but the shadow side can be deception, confusion, delusion, addiction and victimization. we need to be aware of our motives to take action or deal with things in our lives- we also need to be aware of our motives to not take action and/or sweep things under the carpet. a very aries person could think he/she is dealing with something head on while in fact he/she is being aggressive and mean. a very pisces person could think he/she is surrendering to the Divine and allowing the Universe to guide him or her when in fact he/she is being passive and playing the victim- afraid to speak up or take action in his or her life. we need to check in on our motivations and intentions- as the neptune energy of this lunation can make our underlying motives nebulous and not what they seem.
there are a few other notable factors in this new moon chart. one is the fact that there are two yods, or finger of God aspects, formed in the new moon chart. one is between saturn, pluto and jupiter and the other is between jupiter, uranus and saturn. they are both separating aspects as jupiter is picking up speed and moving on into the later degrees of gemini, but the fact that they both show up in the chart is significant. the first yod pits the depth energy and intensity of saturn in scorpio and pluto in capricorn against the light, airy, breezy jupiter in gemini. deep stuff is coming to Light and we cannot ignore it! the tendency will either be to wallow in the crap coming up and feel overwhelmed OR it will be to deny and only see the positive side of things. both of these ways of dealing is missing the point. we need to find a balance of seeing the shadow and owning it with embracing the Light and the possibilities. the jupiter/uranus yod that points to saturn pits the expansive/freedom-loving/independent energy of jupiter and uranus against the grounded, disciplined, steady and stable energy of saturn. the impetus for breaking free from the chains of the past is HUGE right now. yet we need to beware of throwing the baby out with the bath water. we have commitments, obligations and karma to deal with. we cannot just back out of things, and yet if we hold on too much to the past we will be missing the major opportunities for shift and change that are present right now. both of these yods are reminding us of the opposing energies present and what we need to do to balance them. this is no easy feat but it’s worth the hard work it takes to get there.
lastly, a dominant aspect in the new moon chart is the square between saturn and juno. this is a long-term transit that lasts all year long. the first square is exact this saturday on 4/13, the second one will be 8/26 and the last one will be 11/29. this is a powerful aspect as it brings up karmic limitations and testing in relationships, commitments and contractual arrangements of all kinds. it is a time where the rubber meets the road in relationships and the ones that are strong enough to withstand the storms will make it out the other side stronger and more committed, while the ones that are not will break under the intensity and stress of the saturn/juno square. getting clear on relationships, our needs and desires and what our non-negotiables are is key. with the aries new moon we are supported in focusing on ourselves and our needs- and what we need to do to meet our own needs so we are not looking for others to ‘complete us’. that romantic notion, however sweet, is actually really unhealthy. as long as you are looking for someone else to live your unlived potential you are not becoming whole unto yourself. this kind of relationship dynamic keeps both parties stuck in roles where change or growth is not supported. the coming year is a time of getting real in relationships- with others, but most importantly with ourselves. pay attention to what is up for you in partnership and relationships of all kinds this week as it will give you insight into what tests are likely to come.
the best use of this firey new moon energy is to focus on the area that is being activated in your natal chart (read the weekly horoscopes for more info- read for sun AND rising sign) and then take the steps necessary to create something and/or take bold and courageous action in your life. just watch out for bowling others over as so much aries in the sky is usually thinking about me, me, me. learning to be Self-centered rather than self-centered is where it is at ;) (Self is the Higher Self, self is the ego self)
happy new moon…
~divine harmony