New moon in Aries: the courage to be with what is
Words: Emma Vidgen // @emma_vee
On 24 March (AEST) at 8:29pm we welcome a new moon Aries, initiating the opportunity to hit reset on what has been a very strange, at times scary, month. It coincides with Saturn moving out of Capricorn (where it’s been since December 2017) and into Aquarius where it will stay until July, challenging us to consider, “How can we build a better world?”. This new moon is ruled by Mars (the planet of aggression) who also happens to be hanging out with Pluto (the planet of transformation and fear) and also squares the nodes, draining our energy and stirring up our deepest insecurities. Yikes!
I won’t lie, it’s not nothing! It feels scary because…it is! You don’t need me to tell you we are living in scary times, and the astrology doesn’t suggest things are about to get easier for a little while. But the medicine in this new moon is really in tapping the strength and immediacy of Aries energy. Aries is about courage, something we all need right now, but it’s also a very present sign. Much of the anxiety right now stems from our minds racing ahead to what could happen in the future. But Aries energy is a timely reminder to simply be here and now.
Unfortunately the present is uncomfortable – deeply uncomfortable. Our lives have been turned upside down. We are isolated from our friends and family, worried about our parents and grandparents and frightened for our livelihoods. We feel overwhelmed by uncertainty; angry at our leaders (Mars) and confused by so many mixed messages (hello Mercury in Pisces, co-present with Neptune in Pisces). It is testing our resilience (Saturn), and forcing us to face our own mortality (Pluto). No wonder being present is a tough sell right now.
Still, this lunation is asking us to do just that, to find the courage to be with what is alive for us right now. Frustration. Confusion. Uncertainty. Fear. When we allow ourselves to be present with what is, to shine a torch into the darkest recesses of our mind and name what is there, then the shadows begin to feel more manageable; if you’re lucky they may even dissipate.
New moons are often used for setting intentions, but this new moon, I invite you to simply carve out time to tap into how you’re feeling and draw on the strength of Aries energy to be with whatever comes up. Are you afraid? Are you angry? Name it, describe how it feels in your body. If it were a song, what would it be? If it were a flavour, what would it be? if you’re the journalling type, write it all down. Once you’ve taken the time to acknowledge what’s alive for you in this moment, reach out to someone and tell them how you feel. Because there is no greater strength than sharing your vulnerability with another human.