January 21, 2023 at 2:54 pm Central—The lunations that have threaded the sky this past month tell a story. December’s New Moon in Capricorn began to herald change, the kind of change that has us yearning for new experiences to plug into and build from. Some of us might have felt the tides turning—that we were being carried towards something new. But things were moving slowly. There was no momentum to carry us. There was just an internal spark that was newly lit.
The last Full Moon in Cancer the beginning of this month reminded us that we belong to something. Perhaps we reunited with family or people who feel like kin. There was a sense of being home or the poignant reminder that we were so far from it. Yet, even alone, we can belong to ourselves, finding nourishment in what we’re rooted in. And as Cardinal signs often do, these Capricorn-Cancer lunations quickened in us an appraisal on our current circumstances and an urge to respond to them.
And now, a New Moon in Aquarius this Saturday. How does this one play out? With Mars and Mercury now direct and Uranus stationing direct on Sunday, we can begin to take constructive action towards the shifts we’ve desired, even if we may not know where these initial wanderings will lead.
Signatures
Yesterday’s Sun-Pluto conjunction seeds this lunation with a soul-searching intensity of wanting to reclaim one’s power. In Aquarius, we cultivate these seeds with cool-headed conversations, the kind where utilitarian logic prevails and being curious about the other’s point of view.
The New Moon joins a spirited Jupiter in Aries by sextile. This beautiful alignment fosters optimistic forward thinking. Jupiter connects us to meaning and purpose. What fulfills you? Step in that direction, this New Moon signals.
Mars in Gemini plays a role too with a wide harmonious trine. We can feel there’s a gentle wind on our backs now, allowing us to get the ball rolling on whatever steps we’ve been procrastinating on. This friendly conversation between the New Moon, Jupiter and Mars reads proactive all over it. If we don’t like where we’re at, what we’re doing and with whom we’re doing it with: now’s the time to speak your truth so that the future you is grateful to the action you’re beginning now.
There’s more! The ruler of this New Moon in Aquarius is Saturn. He’s co-present (in the same sign) and one degree away from Venus, the ruler of the first decan of Aquarius. What does that mean? Saturn is a long term planner using the tools of responsibility, boundary-setting and commitment so that we can build a foundation that supports us through time. In conjunction with Venus, we’re looking at the commitments, fault-lines and reality around our finances, relationships and our own sense of self worth. Putting it all together: it’s as if there’s a change we’ve known we’ve needed to make for sometime now, but for whatever reason the timing wasn’t right. We just weren’t ready. But now, it’s become a question of integrity.
Along these lines, Austin Coppock calls the first decan of Aquarius the Mark of the Exile. He explains that we often find natives with planets here that step outside the known to make it on their own. They believe that they can do better. There’s a sense of bravery and of industry. Coppock gives the classic story of leaving one’s hometown for the opportunities and freedoms of another city. When you combine this line of thinking with the tarot card that corresponds to this part of the sky—The Five of Swords—there’s a stepping away from what we’ve built because of an underlying belief there’s a better option elsewhere. The man in the Five of Swords cuts his losses and moves on. In a very Saturnian way, he’s creating boundaries around his energy, time and mental bandwidth.
Given the positive alignments in the New Moon chart, this lunation powerfully encourages us to begin movement towards our goals. If we’re feeling the magnetic pull of investing ourselves in something while boundaring our bandwidth around other things, now’s the time to do it. We shouldn’t let other people’s support or lack of it define our self worth. Sure, it’s reassuring to have reinforcement. But ultimately—in this decan at least—our power is self-generated.
I made “Bear in the City” in Midjourney.