New Moon in Aries

Aries New Moon, 12 April 2021

So Welcome New Beginnings! Aries is the sign that ‘in theory begins the energetic cycle around the zodiacal wheel. But it doesn’t matter how often its been reinvented, a wheel in my book is still gonna be round! Which means that everything is a progression with no real endings or beginnings… or rather that in the ‘real world’ endings are beginnings and vice versa. Its only the imaginary world of human deconstructive comprehension and separation consciousness that it is construed otherwise. The Aries New Moon is Cardinal Fire – the initiating spark! Fire element is tranformative and rules our spiritual intelligence. Think phoenix. So this is a time to focus on that fire – in all its ways - being forged by it, burned by it, challenged by it, hollowed out or asked to give your all. This is a time when much energy available for transformation, whether that is a project or a personal goal you can feel that charge of full speed ahead. But I wasn’t just getting on a soapbox earlier, there is always a destructive element that is part of the picture here. That is the nature of the beast. If we don’t work that side of the duality consciously it will manifest unconsciously. This is the energy of “I am!” Aries is ruled by Mars. So if we think in terms of planetary polarities: Venus attracts, Mars repels; Venus is the lover, Mars is the fighter. So we have here warrior energy with Aries. Mars rules “Geburah”, the 5^th Sephora on the Tree of Life, in Hebrew it means strength or might. This warrior energy of Aries is abundantly available to us this New Moon and again warrior energy in all its forms, from the Berserker to the Samurai. It is force of will. Which is a very easy thing to use unconsciously, especially when you are riding the momentum of transformative fire. When working with Aries, I always like to recall something the Dali Lama said: “The world is drunk on anger.” That world that he is referring to is very much a result of unconscious use of Aries energy. The thing to remember with Aries is that there is going to be a lot of juice in the system, there is going to be a fire, a rocket, a KAPOW!, Part of activating that high warrior energy means taking responsibility to direct that fire in healthy ways. Make sure you have an outlet….but better yet, use this fire to purify and challenge yourself. Take whatever you are working with to the next level. Take bold action toward something that is really meaningful for you. Stick your neck out and Dare. Stand tall and unrelenting in the face of your own fears. This is definitely a time to fight battles, but make sure that what you are fighting is a worthy opponent. The questions to ask are not only which fight is the most honorable one, but how to fight it in such a way that it brings honor to everyone. I am thinking here of how most historians agree that a large part of why Hitler was able to spread as he did was due to the extreme punitive measures placed upon Germany after WWI. Had a top priority been honor for both sides of the table, I suspect that things could have gone quite differently farther down the track. Venus and Mercury join the line-up in Aries for this New Moon so there is an added element of communication and relatedness. This is a very beautiful time to speak your truth. Do so knowing that passions will be similarly inflamed – across the board for everyone. If inattentive and leaving ego in the driver’s seat, there is a lot of potential to be hurtful and rash, as well as biting off more than we can chew. Aries is an energy that takes up space and you have to give this energy space, don’t engage it when feeling cornered. Don’t paint people into a corner. That is a lose-lose situation. Remember Honor. Aries needs a lot of room because it is learning to be aware of itself through conflict and edges, challenges and extremities. Don’t take that fact personally. Think of it like gravity, we don’t take gravity personally. So if you are getting bumped into as people around you are finding their edges too, remember where and how you really want to direct that fire. Yes, for sure stand your ground and take up space – that is your right, but honestly, there is room enough for all of us if we keep honor as the guiding star.

Aries naturally rules the 1^st house of ‘self’. So this energy is what is required to discover what that actually is. What is self-hood? Learning about boundaries – where you stop and something else begins. This is most readily learned through challenges. Think of the tiny seed in the soil in spring, cracking open, sticking its fragile little neck out farther and farther through heavy dark earth. What is needed to transform from seed to sprout? Courage; and courage, requires the presence of fear. Pause and think about what that means. The element of fire/transformation ruling the house of the self means personal challenge, growth opportunities through effort and facing the unknown. These are the highest expressions we can harness at this time.

Both space and movement are key for this energy. Think of fire, it is very active, doesn’t ever ‘rest’. Aries is similar, it wants physical expression, so use your body, find your edges. At the very least exercise or have yourself a dance party, get that body moving and the juices flowing and release your own fire. Have a good sweat – get those toxins out. These things are really helpful when trying to work the high expression of the energy. Think pressure cooker… it needs a steam valve to release regularly. That is part of the process. If you have a project that needs a push, now is the time to PUSH. Push hard – give it your all. If you are trying to work up the courage to leap – LEAP! Just go for it. Ask yourself: “when you die, are you going to regret failing or not having even tried more?” Don’t just pick any challenge – choose one that has heart for you. Put your skin in the game. Give yourself a challenge to create something that will give you sense of pride of self; something that will bestow honor to you. If you need a redirect in your life, now is the time. This energy has the force and momentum to totally turn everything in a completely new direction if need be. So if you need to make a hard turn, do it now. With Mars currently in Gemini, we can put a more specific spin on our focus by remembering that we will have our greatest breakthroughs with challenges at this time if we employ both curiosity and willingness to consider all angles. Transformation is never purely a question of brute force, but also requires possibility to be opened; thus inspiration is needed. So YES, be the Warrior, don’t knee-jerk, but stay open and connected – again this will be easier to do if your heart is fully engaged. This is not a time for easy. Challenge yourself by stepping fully into what is truly most meaningful to you.

This New Moon wants interaction and it wants transformation, so while the emphasis is on personal growth, this energy needs other people to access that potential. So, have some edgy conversations, stay in high warrior mode, but really challenge yourself. Take off your personae and be naked. Be vulnerable. There are so many divisive topics these days and it seems avoiding them or driving the wedge ever deeper, to be the paths most chosen when it comes to learning about these edges, but what this energy is asking of us, is to take the road less traveled – how to knit the divide? Dare to get in side of it and reach out both your hands, not as fists, but open, curious, attentive and willing.

High Aries intentions? Hold the idea of transformation by fire in your mind. Step into the flames. What can I allowed to be burned away at this time? Can I look upon the fire as a Gift and step accordingly by rising to the challenge and realizing that I have more capacity and more resilience than I had believed. There is that beautiful Rumi has some great poems about fear. Search “Rumi + Fear” and find some line to stick on your mirror. Here are two of my faves:

“Fear, it’s the smallest room in the house.

I’d like to see you in better accommodations.”

or

“Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down the dulcimer. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

Practices along these lines are to pay very close attention to your own fear. Really notice who is in the driver’s seat. Notice when you react and dig down and see what is at the root. If its fear. Go there and be witness. This is the time to take responsibility. You don’t have to do anything but own and witness what is there, the rest will come of its own accord at this time. The warrior energy in all of us rises in defense of the weak. There is honor in feeling your fear. And remember that fear sometimes looks like a very busy person with a million things to do, or a neat and orderly list with boxes to tick as much as it can look like a bully. Whichever form it finds you. Be honorable and own it for what it is, really feel it; feel your own edges. And then decide what is the path of honor and lean into your own inner warrior. If fear seems to remote for you then work with the other side of the coin – anger. Notice your tension, your frustration, notice your word choice or what things draw you in. Pay attention and go there, open and curious and again see what is at the root.

Rituals… usually I don’t have much trouble coming up with lots of ideas on the ritual sides of things, but Aries energy is really about “doing” and in a manifest way, rather than in a symbolic way. So this one tends to slide away from me when I try to grab hold of it. So I invite you to explore this as it speaks to you. Hold the energies in your heart and follow your own nose. That too is Aries. Write to me and let me know about what arises for you on this front. I’d love to hear some of your Aries rituals. If you are really stumped but want to try to work with this energy. My go to is to work with rage. Ritual is a safe and super transformative way to work with rage. Have a fire (of course) and symbolically burn some bridges. If there is something that you want out of your life, spend time creating an effigy of it and torch the damn thing! Make noise and scream loudly in defiance as it burns. I mean it, really get that shit out of your system. One caution I would advise is that energy is energy, like all the rest of our pollution, the earth still has to carry whatever we throw “away”. This is not to say keep the trash in your system, but know that if you just unleash it, the unconscious results can be the same. So whenever I work with rage, I make a salt circle, working clockwise to create your circle. Salt grounds energy and acts as a container. Say a little prayer as you make your circle – you don’t have to use a lot, just a sprinkle, we are working symbolically after all – ask that the energy you release be used for growth and healing transformation. Your trash is another’s treasure and the earth always knows how to best direct it. So begin (and end) your ceremony, by properly preparing your space and taking responsibility for yourself and your own energy. When your ritual is completed you can open your circle with a repetition of your prayer and a request to release it. Or you can ‘sweep up’ your circle moving counter clockwise and take the leavings to moving water (water balances fire) or dig a hole and bury it (earth dampens fire) – be sure to give thanks and again say a little prayer that it be used in healing ways.