11:05 am PST, 2/11/2021

  9:05 pm UTC 2/11/2021

New Moon in Aquarius

At this New Moon in Aquarius, we have seven planetary bodies all in the same sign. Sun and Moon, Athena, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. This unusual configuration places an extraordinary emphasis upon the archetypal symbology of Aquarius. This is so amazingly timely for what is going on planet-wide, especially since at the Winter Solstice Jupiter and Saturn conjoined in the beginning degree of that sign, an occurrence which has never happened in the last 5000 years, and which many believe is a strong significator of the paradigm shift we are in the throes of.

What does Aquarius symbolize? First of all it’s an air sign, even though Aquarius is the water bearer, its symbology represents the kinds of ideas and principles (air) which are the very things that will quench our thirst for a way of life that rises above the suffering of our materialistic ways of life. Building upon these principles, revering them as our basic guiding truths upon which to govern ourselves, and enacting them will bring a much more peaceful and orderly way of life, planetwide.

The water that Aquarius bears for us, which quenches our thirst, is the water of truth. In this mid-paradigm shift we’re in, “truth” has become a falsehood, and falsehoods have become some people’s reality. But what Aquarius represents is the truth that surpasses all understanding, all falsehoods. It goes beyond our usual cognitive level of reasoning. In other words, though it is an air sign, there is an element of transcendence, going to a “higher” level of awareness, a spiritual understanding, that is about discovering a deep trusting awareness of what unites us all, as human beings.

For example, Aquarian wisdom says we cannot achieve peace through hatred. Trump and his followers are steeped in hatred, denigration and lies, looking for evil in every corner, and where it’s not found, it’s fabricated. There is a kind of power in hatred, it riles us up, makes us shout and jump up and down, and triggers the amygdala to “fight like hell”. Attacking and denouncing have been the tactics of the power-trips of demagogues since forever. But there are certain immutable higher laws which govern human behavior, which Aquarius concerns itself with. One is “what goes around, comes around”. If we sow hatred, then we will reap it. As hard as it is to be compassionate toward those who show us hatred and animosity, we cannot have any resolution if we join their hatred and reflect it back toward them.

Thus we are at a crossroads. Aquarius’s ruling planet in modern times is Uranus, which governs invention and innovation. This is no longer about business as usual. The world has changed around us, and it is incumbent upon us to integrate those changes, and make “change” the byword of our newly emerging world. This goes for each of us personally as well as globally. We are getting new eyes to look at the world with, and the old ones are no longer relevant, try as we might to force them to be. We must innovate and invent new ways of getting along together on Spaceship Earth, and caring for its delicate ecosystem. This Moon cycle will bring changes in these areas.

As humanity in many countries around the globe takes to the streets to protest tyranny, we are in the midst of challenging the validity of the old paradigm. This is reflected in this chart, as the ruling planet of Aquarius, Uranus, is in Taurus, a fixed Earth sign, giving us a strong emphasis upon the need to repair our natural world and our relationship to basic human rights, the sharing of our resources. Mars, the activator, is also in Taurus, and is forming a 90˚ angle (called a square) to most all of the planets in Aquarius. Squares challenge us to use the energy wisely, to not act out and over-react. You may find many people (and/or yourself) over-reacting during this time as the tensions build. Having been denied our protest for so long, we react out of suppressed rage. Tyranny from governments (the US included, during Trump) to suppress protests adds to the problems. Mars in trine to Pluto suggests that wise action is available, but we must make the effort to access the wisdom of our actions. Pluto’s power in this case can give us the needed insight if it is coupled with Mar’s sextile (60˚ aspect) to Neptune, our connection to our higher self.

Plus, in the mix of Aquarian planets, there is a near-exact conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, the two “benefics” of astrology. Thought of as “expansive love,” this conjunction is in the sign of Aquarius, meaning it may not be necessarily warm and fuzzy; their emphasis is more upon urging us to embrace the power of humanitarian love, to practice reaching out toward others, knowing that when we gather together, great things can be accomplished. This conjunction strongly boosts the energy of this New Moon cycle to connect to our higher power, however we imagine it.

Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus are at 90˚ angles to each other, exact 2/17. They will square two more times in 2021, in June and December. This reflects an important theme: the breakdown (Uranus) of existing structures (Saturn) in our world. Remember, Uranus brings breakdown in order to instigate fresh and new approaches to how we organize (Saturn) our world. Often these disruptions create the need to deepen our understanding of what’s happening around us, affirming that these disruptions in our lives are part of the process of shifting.

Aquarius represents our higher wisdom, our wiser self, which is built in to every human. Our culture and conditioning may have drummed it out of us, but the still small voice within remains there. This is a favorable time to access whatever connects you to this part of yourself: meditation, singing, dancing, making art, reading inspirational books, talking with friends, and above all, connecting with the natural world. Children, animals/pets, as well as plants and trees reflect to us the loving and profoundly magical nature of the Life Force within everything. This Moon cycle is giving us a reflection that the timing is now to establish new habits that allow us to connect with our inner wisdom on a daily basis, to inject inspiration and understanding into our lives during a most challenging time in our history. And since Aquarius represents groups of people, we may gain significant insight when we reach out to others however we can to share our stories and insights.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Martin Luther King