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AQUARIUS NEW MOON / CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE RABBIT - 21 January 2023

1/18/2023

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Picture
Exact at 8.53pm UK time (GMT)
 
This is no ordinary New Moon, as it is also a Supermoon, which means that it will have a bigger impact on us, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It also heralds the beginning of the Yin Water Rabbit, which could feel like a welcome relief after the Yang Water Tiger year! We may feel the need to slow down and get some rest this year. Yin Water is softer and more flowing, and the Rabbit is known for being gentle, sensitive, tender, elegant and refined. That being said, Rabbits can sometimes be a bit fearful of predators, so while we are encouraged to be creative this year, we could feel a little stuck at times, as we struggle to find the courage to put plans into action. However, Rabbits do intuitively know how to get ahead in the world and can be quite quick and alert.
 
This does feel like a very potent and energised New Moon, and Aquarius asks us to contemplate our hopes, dreams and visions for a better future, setting positive intentions that come from our heart. The Aquarius part of us truly believes in community in the truest sense of the word, and genuinely wants to make this world a better place for everyone. An Aquarian Motto could be “All for one and one for all!” Aquarius is also the part of us that questions the rules and is willing and able to stand up to authority if needs be. As such, Aquarius season, which begins with the New Moon, can bring the activist, rebel and revolutionary out in us, bringing the potential for more uprisings, marches, protests and revolutions.
 
There is an unpredictable, electrical energy to Aquarius, which is quite a contrast to the more cautious, realistic, disciplined and responsible energy of Capricorn season. Aquarius is the part of us that is a good friend and likes to gather in groups with like-minded people. Our relationship with our friends is slightly more detached, less intimate than with our lovers and family members, and so we are able to see each other more clearly, giving our objective feedback when our friends are in need of advice or support. The closer we get to someone, the harder it is to be objective! Aquarius is a friendly yet slightly cool and aloof kind of energy – friendly but not too familiar.
 
This could be a good Moon for taking a step back from whatever we are going through and seeing things from a different perspective, which could help bring some insight, understanding and clarity. Indeed, we could experience some kind of shift that brings much needed change, setting us back on the right path. Aquarius and its planetary ruler, Uranus, are the kind of energy that shakes things up somewhat, dusting off the cobwebs and helping us get out of whatever safe, secure but stagnant rut we may have inadvertently fallen into. Change can be a scary thing to contemplate, so we tend to put it off until things have become so intolerable that we have no choice in the matter. This could be a very good Moon to instigate healthy and positive change, rather than waiting for something to come along and force it on us.
 
Luckily, we have Mars and Jupiter forming supportive and helpful aspects to the Sun and Moon, which could really help us to find the courage we need to either take a stand or initiate change. Jupiter in Aries is such brave and enthusiastic energy, helping us to feel the fear and do it anyway! Jupiter is the planet of growth and expansion, while Aries is the pioneer and brave warrior, so this Moon could help us to have the courage, confidence, faith and motivation to move past obstacles, rolling any boulders out of our way with ease! Jupiter will be exactly sextile the Sun in the early hours of Wednesday 25 January, so the energy will be building in strength during this Moon.
 
Mars in Gemini is also forming a helpful trine aspect to the Sun and Moon, although it is not as strong because it won’t be exactly trine the Sun until 30 January. However, it is still significant and could help us to make decisions and to have the courage to act on whatever we decide. Gemini is the sign of the mind and communication, so Mars can help us to say what needs to be said and to confront some thorny or challenging material. Mars helps us to not waver once we have decided upon a course of action. As Mars approaches the trine with the Sun in the next week or so, we could feel a much-needed boost of courage, motivation and energy.
 
Interestingly enough, there is a supportive trine aspect between Uranus and Mercury that is starting to build during this Moon, which is also exact on 30 January. This could help us to think outside of the box and see things from a different perspective. It can open our minds to new information and help us to come up with ingenious solutions to anything we may be facing. It can help us to change our minds, bringing new insight, epiphanies and even an “aha” moment or two! Mercury is now direct, having been retrograde for three weeks, and Uranus turns direct on 23 January, so there is a forward moving energy around, especially as all the planets will now be direct!
 
Anyone with personal planets or angles around 14/15° of a sign will be feeling the liberating, exciting, changing energy of Uranus most acutely, especially those in the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Those with planets and angles around 1° of a sign, especially the fixed signs, will feel the full impact of this Aquarius Moon.
 
Pluto and the Sun are joining forces in Capricorn on Wednesday 18 January, a couple of days before the New Moon.  Anyone with personal planets or angles around 28° of a sign, especially the cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn could feel this powerful, transforming and potentially empowering energy the strongest. Power and transformation are the theme here, as well as potentially having to face something we would rather not have to deal with. Pluto will still be very close to the Sun and Moon during this New Moon, although they will have moved into Aquarius, while Pluto remains at 28° Capricorn.  
 
The Sabian Symbol for this Moon, at 2° Aquarius, is a powerful one indeed – “The unexpected thunderstorm”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The need to develop the inner security which will enable us to meet unexpected crisis. The symbol itself – “An unexpected thunderstorm” – could be given a very positive meaning in an arid environment, but the emphasis on “unexpected” tends to accent the sudden dangerous character of the event. Such a thunderstorm in a region of dry hills can cause a devastating flood. At any rate, it refers to an event for which one is not prepared – a menace to men’s works. This scene stresses the fact that nature may reduce to impermanence the seemingly most permanent endeavours and constructive activities of men. Under a downpour of rain, adobe brick can return to mud. All human institutions and their achievements can be washed away, even in their day of great glory. “Dust you were, dust you must become.” This is NATURE’S CHALLENGE.”
 
Indeed, Aquarius does bring the potential for sudden shocks and surprises that bring change. And Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, is currently in Taurus, a sign that represents the natural world, the economy and our safety and security in a physical and financial sense. As such, we could receive some surprises in this area of our lives. However, Aquarius and Uranus also call for us to come up with solutions and can be very innovative. Sometimes we need a bit of a shock to jolt us out of apathy and stagnation. This Moon does seem to be providing us with the faith, courage and motivation to initiate change, to stand up for what we believe in and to take a step towards creating the kind of world we would be happy living in. It’s up to us to make the most of it.
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Picture: Rabbit in a Lightning Storm – Daniel Eskridge
 


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CANCER FULL MOON - 6 January 2023

1/4/2023

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Picture
Exact at 23.07 UK time (GMT)
 
This is the first Full Moon of the calendar year, and the Moon is very much at home in her own sign of Cancer. We are invited to really feel our feelings and allow our emotions to come out, especially if we have been trying to keep them under control or suppressing them. Full Moons tend to bring our emotions out anyway, as whatever has been bubbling away beneath the surface demands release. “Better out than in” could be Cancer’s motto!
 
Cancer is the sign of the family, our childhood, our emotional patterns, our roots, and sense of belonging. As such, this is a good Moon to tend to this aspect of our lives, spending time with family or people who feel like family, as well as contemplating our childhoods and the effect they have had on us as adults. The Moon is sitting directly opposite the Sun and retrograde Mercury in Capricorn, so we could well find ourselves looking back into the past and reflecting on days gone by. Sometimes the past holds clues that can help us in the present day, whether through our own reflection or possibly by asking family members about things that happened when we were too young to remember.
 
Many of our emotional patterns have a very simple origin, which could be a decision we made when we were little in order to stay safe, or a “message” we received during childhood, either overtly or covertly, or something that happened to us. With Mercury currently retrograde this is the perfect Moon to look back, not to mention that the Cancer part of us likes to look back at the past, sometimes with considerable nostalgia. This Moon could heighten our emotions and bring our inner child into the foreground, possibly through an irrational outburst or an old, inappropriate coping mechanism, or possibly by helping us to feel our emotions and allow our vulnerable side to show itself.
 
The Capricorn part of us may prefer to keep our emotions under control and show a stiff upper lip, but the Cancer part of us knows that sometimes it shows great strength and courage to show our vulnerability and let our loved ones know how we actually feel. Of course, the Cancer part of us can also feel insecure and needy at times, in which case it is helpful to use a bit of Capricorn’s capacity to parent ourselves and to take responsibility for our actions and reactions. Cancer relates to our family and childhood, while Capricorn relates to our parental and societal conditioning, so the focus of this Full Moon could definitely highlight the past and how it has shaped us.
 
The two greatest influences on this Moon are Uranus and Chiron the Wounded Healer. Uranus is forming helpful, supporting aspects to the Sun, Moon and Mercury, bringing the potential for change and shifting out of old, outworn patterns that no longer serve us. This is very helpful energy to have around, as it clears out the cobwebs and can bring about realisations, insights and epiphanies that can bring amazing breakthroughs. Uranus is also the planet of long-term memory, and so we could find ourselves remembering aspects of our past that could be very revealing and profoundly liberating. Uranus can bring curve balls and surprises that help to jolt us into greater awareness and set us on the right path.
 
Anyone with personal planets or angles around 15° of a sign, especially the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, will currently be feeling the exciting, enlivening, liberating and awakening energy of Uranus the most acutely. Uranus certainly does have the potential to help us to blast through blocks and shake off old conditioning, that’s for sure!
 
Chiron the Wounded Healer will be forming a more dynamic, challenging square aspect to the Sun, Moon and Mercury, although it will probably play out a bit earlier because the square with the Sun is exact on 2 January. However, it will still be part of the energetic build up to this Moon. Chiron in Aries could bring up some sensitivity and potentially trigger old wounds that may not have completely healed over. We could find that our hurt child reacts defensively, or we could find that some open, candid honesty is helpful for healing issues that have been festering from the past. Aries does like to bring any thorny issues out into the open for them to be aired, so we could find that we have the courage to face things that we might usually shy away from.
 
Anyone with personal planets or angles around 12° of a sign, especially the Cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, will feel the energy of Chiron the most acutely, which could be somewhat painful on the one hand but incredibly healing on the other.
 
Neptune is also forming a wide, supportive trine aspect to the Moon, which provides a soft, gentle, compassionate, loving energy to this Moon which can help us to remember that we are all not so different from each other, when it comes down to it. Neptune can help us to connect to one another in a way that can dissolve any egos, walls and barriers, revealing our true spirit and essence.
 
Venus and Mars are forming a harmonious aspect to one another during this Moon, which could be very helpful for our relationships and could also ignite our passion and enthusiasm. Venus has recently moved into Aquarius, which is quite a detached but friendly place for the planet of relationships to be. It could help us to take a step back and be more objective within our relationships. Aquarius is friendly but not too familiar! We could find ourselves being able to undo some old patterns and relate to others in a different way that feels more authentic and truer to who we really are. The Venus/Mars trine will be exact on 9 January.
 
The Sabian symbol for this Moon, at 17° Cancer, is: “The unfoldment of multilevel potentialities issuing from an original germ”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The life urge to actualise one’s birth potential. What is pictured here is simply the process of germination. As it unfolds from the sundered seed the plant pierces the crust of the soil and reaches up toward the light. Germination is the crucifixion of the seed. The seed becomes the germ, just as the Tibetan student meditating silently and peacefully on the Mandala is followed by the Christian Crusader - and, at a materialistic level of productivity, by the engineer-technologist intent upon transforming the globe for the greatest possible enjoyment of the greatest possible number of human beings. Action polarises meditation. The keyword is GROWTH”.
 
We all started as a seed! This Moon could certainly bring up some material around our childhood, our upbringing, our family and the conditioning we received growing up. We are all born with so much potential, and then life shapes and moulds us into the person we have become. It all depends on how we were tended to as seedlings! Our original, unique spark is always there, but other influences and experiences also have a big impact on our patterns and tendencies. With Retrograde Mercury so prevalent during this Moon, it is quite likely that we are going to have conversations that hark back to the past or messages that are important for us to hear that take us back over old ground. This could be an emotional Moon, but as Cancer would attest, it is always good to get in touch with our feelings!
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Painting : “Seed” by Michelle Pier
 

1 Comment

    Amy Bird

    I love writing about the Moon and the effect it has on us all, both collectively and personally. We all look at the same Moon and feel her energy, albeit in different ways. It reminds us that we are not alone and there is something very comforting about that!

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