New Moon in Aries: Rebirth

Celebrate the New!

New Moon at 20' 40" Aries
April 10, 2013 5:35 am EDT

At this point, we should all be used to really concentrated energies, right?

Well, maybe it's not really something we can acclimate to, especially when the nature of the energy shifts so dramatically.

Wednesday's New Moon in Aries offers such a strong jolt of fiery libido, passionate life force, joie de vivre, intoxicating invulnerability, and, it must be said, anger, we are none of us likely to miss it. Take a peek at the chart. Notice that Sun, Moon, Eris (the goddess of discord, Ares' sister), Mars and Venus are all together within three degrees of each other.

This New Moon jabs the reset button in ... I was going to list some of the areas of life involved, but honestly, since this is the first sign, the beginning, the place where we race through the door, step off the cliff, and leap without looking for any nets, it's really everything.

If you're in a place where you want another life, this is the New Moon to wish for that. If you're in a place where you love the life you have, this is the New Moon to say Yes! in a big way and realize we're all made new every day anyway. It's a yes/and kind of thing.

Definitely look to see where this New Moon affects your birth chart. I've written two posts recently that can help, so if you haven't done this before, check here and here. Knowing where this New Moon is touching can help fine tune your wishes and intentions, and let you know where fiery energy might show up.

That said, this truly is a New Moon for beginnings of all kinds, in all arenas. Some things I'm thinking about:

The Sabian symbol for this New Moon is the fighter stepping into the ring. I don't work with Sabian symbols regularly, but this one is tough to ignore, especially since I just finished Brené Brown's Daring Greatly.

Brown drew the title of her book, a personal motto, from a speech Teddy Roosevelt gave in Paris in 1910. The key image is that of the man in the ring, bloodied, sometimes falling, who willingly enters again and again. Roosevelt dismisses the critics on the sidelines, who might applaud but often sneer, and gives the credit and glory to the one who steps in to achieve her personal best.

The idea that our lives are most meaningful, most connected, most loving, and most joyful when we are actually in the ring, ready to engage, ready to fail, ready to be the fool, is a perfect reflection of this New Moon.

Another thing: Aries is criticized for being self-seeking, ignoring the needs and wants of others. Is this New Moon going to turn us into a bunch of raging narcissists?

I am also deep into something called the Self Acceptance Project, a free, 12-week series of video (or audio as you prefer) interviews all focused on what it takes to stop beating ourselves up. Participants include counselors, psychologists, physicians, researchers, and spiritual teachers. The perspectives vary, making it interesting to note where agreement emerges.

It turns out it's tough to experience true empathy, accept love, or feel calm and centered if we're routinely talking to ourselves in a vicious undertone. And it turns out we all do it, unless we've already done some deep work around this.

by David Lazar in Eyes of a Child

Aries energy is really great for radical self acceptance. You've probably seen this viral video of Jessica as a kid, which is total Aries energy. It feels great in a child, but cringe-worthy or just impossible as an adult––ok, I'll own that, it feels that way to me, maybe you're farther along toward embracing your inner Aries.

So, this is a fabulous New Moon for self love. Not the entitlement, I'm-better-than-you kind. The healthy kind. The kind that says, I am a child of the universe, I am worthy of love and acceptance, I have much to offer, watch me roll up my sleeves and dig into life.

Now, the presence of anger at this New Moon cannot be ignored. Mars and Eris are conjunct the New Moon, and Mars rules Aries. In this arena, I offer Karla McLaren, who calls anger the Honorable Sentry.

McLaren sees all emotions, especially the difficult ones we often repress, ignore, or beat ourselves up about (see above), as healthy messengers with important jobs to do. Anger is about boundary maintenance, letting us know when something or someone is crossing the line. Working with anger in positive ways brings us to a place where we can calmly and compassionately stand our ground.

Step one is becoming aware of when we're angry and what we're angry about, which can be surprisingly difficult to tease out, especially if it's an emotion we don't allow in. This New Moon offers an excellent opportunity to take a good, clear look at anger in our lives. What's it doing? When's it doing it? Is that working for us? If not, what can we do about it?

Last but not least, this New Moon is about passion. Tremendous generative, creative energy will flow at this New Moon. This fire can enliven anything and everything we do. This is a time to connect with our courageous compassion, our great heart. You'll know best where new energy is needed in your life. Light the torch of this New Moon!