New Moon in Aquarius

New Moon in Aquarius, Saturday 21st January at 8.53 PM

“You may think I’m small, but I have a universe inside my mind.” Yoko Ono. Artist, Activist and Aquarian

A new moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle. This initial phase is often called the dark moon as it is invisible to us on earth. The lack of moonlight in the sky means it is the best time to see other celestial objects, such as planets and meteor showers. Deep sky objects like star clusters, nebulae and galaxies also become more visible to us. The absence of lunar light here is revelatory, allowing us to see deeper and, energetically speaking, it is an opportunity to go deeper.

This new moon in Aquarius is the second new moon after winter solstice and marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year in East Asia. In China, this means a shift from the Water Tiger to the Water Rabbit; a shift from yang to yin. The rabbit represents a gentler, more heart-centred energy. It is characterised by intuition and compassion. It is also highly creativity, fertile and lucky. Rabbits, like the new moon, represent new beginnings and potent possibility. This new moon is at 1º Aquarius, which, in numerology, also represents newness, movement and all the possibilities that await us.

Aquarius is a fixed air sign. It is defined less by emotion and more by intellect, ideas and insight. “The modality of a sign tells us what its job is,” Chani Nicholas, author of You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance. As a fixed air sign Aquarius “articulates (air) its well-developed ideas in a self-assured (fixed) way.” Aquarius is represented by the Water Bearer, pouring forth the waters of wisdom. Aquarius knows. And it wants to share what it knows.

Combined with the initiatory vibe of the new moon, this knowledge washes in the new. It is a time for new information and perspectives on ourselves. Ruled by Uranus – planet of breakthroughs and revolution – Aquarius is not only intellectual, it is also visionary. There is a limitless quality to the sign of the Water Bearer; a quality that enables us to see beyond our self-construction and old patterning. Pluto (the transformer) is conjunct the sun and moon, which supports these deep insights into our psychological, cognitive, emotional and energetic structures.

Aquarian energy is complex. It is both structure (its traditional ruler was Saturn, which is the planet of structure) and beyond structure. It is the collective and the unique, eccentric, authentic self. It represents a relationship of duality where one state may lead us to experience the other. The astrologer Sarah Vrba talks about “the relationship between rebellion and routine” in relation to this new moon in Aquarius, which illustrates this interrelatedness beautifully. To paraphrase, Sarah says that, if we overidentify with rebellion, it can become a form of routine and that, if we find the right routine, it might just become the very thing that liberates us in the way we thought rebellion might, if we have come to attached to it as a way of defining what we do. If we identify with being rebellious, we may have an issue with the concept of discipline. However, taking up a daily practice may be the thing that truly liberates us.

“Smile in the mirror,” Yoko Ono said.” Do that every morning and you’ll see a big difference in your life.”

Questions for this new moon are:

How does rebellion show up in your life?

How does routine show up in your life?

What is your relationship to discipline?

This new moon is a potent opportunity to explore ourselves as we are now. To see beyond the old containers and habits. To let go of the iron grip of self and dissolve for a moment into the collective. To move beyond to move forward. This forward motion is also planetary: all planets (when Uranus goes direct the day after this moon) will be direct until Mercury goes retrograde on April 21st. During this time, things may move quickly and we could experience surges of acceleration in our lives.

Black Moon Lillith is in perfect opposition to this new moon in Aquarius. Lillith in Leo may highlight areas of repressed self-expression. This aspect wants us to look at any areas of our lives where we hide, or shut down, our creativity and self-expression. Lillith represents a primal form of sexuality, so this inquiry may want us to put the spotlight on our sexual expression too.

How to work with the energy of this new moon in Aquarius? This moon is one of self-inquiry and exploration without shame (Aquarius doesn’t care what anyone thinks), so the questions around rebellion and routine are a great place to start. The focus is on insight without too much emotion. You may just want to ruminate on the questions, or journal about them. There is an added power in making your words manifest. And, because of Aquarian duality, this is also an ideal moment to dive into collective connections or make new ones. To immerse ourselves in humanity. Happy lunar new year!

Image credit: Nate Rayfield

Extract from: You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani Nicholas (HarperOne, 2020) p.24

Sarah Vrba quote from her YouTube video: Aquarius New Moon

Lynsey Allett19 January 2023