This month of March is crowded with portals. 18 of them to be precise, and this NM is one
of the portals. In the spirit of this martial month of March we also have a big crowding in the sign
of Aries. As a point of inspiration, as I was contemplating this chart I noticed that the glyph of
Chiron, the centaur in the middle of Aries, contains the rune kenaz, the rune of channelled fire,
healing and regeneration. The complex meaning of this rune seems to clarify and bring together the whole chart, which points us to channel our fire with a balance of determination and receptivity. In it the masculine polarity of Fire is counter-balanced by its connection to Freyja, a nordic goddess of great beauty and sensuality, similar to the better known Venus.
All this emphasis on the Fire element might distract us from noticing that practically all activity in the chart is happening in the Western hemisphere, which is the direction linked to the Water
element. This chart's main characteristic is this tension between these elements. This new Moon
also gives us the tools for the resolution of this tension; as we need to avoid both boiling water and an extinguished fire. In fact, while Mars is overseeing the whole of the chart – his focus made laser-sharp by a conjunction with the Midheaven (MC), and Aries is bristling with activity – we have Neptune in his watery and ethereal kingdom, acting as the scout planet. Neptune rules a
feminine kingdom, and the guidance he provides as scout planet is the transformation of the egoic hyper-masculine drive of Aries/Mars. Looking at the chart you will see that Mars is in square aspect to Neptune, the new Moon, and Mercury! The Martian connection to Mercury is made very strong by Mars' presence in Gemini.
The effort we put into defending our personal (s)hell and protecting our mind from its own truth
requires energy. The invitation of the new Moon is to put that energy to better use. In some circles this is called impeccability.
The Sun, Moon and Ascendant are considered by some astrologers to be a sort of personal trinity. Together they form a triangle-graph in relation to which everything that can be understood within us, astrologically speaking, can be plotted. This new Moon offers us a unique opportunity; both Sun and Moon are “switched off”, and opposed to the Ascendant. There is a chance to experience our mask, our persona, the glue of our ego-shell, with relative clarity (isolated from the Sun and Moon). What makes this more interesting is that the Ascendant of this new Moon falls in Libra, the sign of interpersonal relationships! So this is where the revelations about our mask are more likely to happen. This new Moon offers a new clarity about how we lie to the world around us. Behind that lie we can find the truth of our fears, of why we must lie. The conjunction with Ceres offers us a good clue. She is the goddess of fertility, humility and dedication to others.
On the other side, in fact, we have the feminine new Moon, conjunct to the Descendant. This point, always opposite the Ascendant, refers to our relationships, why we pull this or that kind of person, and what we are looking for in others. In the spirit of contraries characteristic of this new Moon, it falls in Aries (connected to the Ascendant), representing a state of consciousness which exists 'before' we become aware of the 'other'. The sextile aspect of Neptune and the NM to Pluto indicates the huge potential present in allowing the Water element to guide us through this war-zone. As Osho puts it, the river will always take you to the Ocean. Don't fight it.
Finally, there is a dynamic which is perfectly consistent with the mood of the chart in the complex relations between Mars, Venus and Saturn. Both Mars and Venus are in harmonious aspect to Saturn. The beautiful detail is that Saturn's trine with Mars “breaks the rules”, as it forms a trine
between Air and Water (Gemini and Pisces). Again the theme of integration of masculine and feminine polarities recurs. In the mind there is going to be a war. Mars is uncomfortable in Gemini, especially when the MC demands of it more concentration and goal-fixation. It is very important to
keep anger and hard-headedness under observation, as much could be lost if we don't. Saturn features as a huge help in this scenario as it shows Mars how to be receptive to the lessons of Water.
Saturn, the teacher of difficult lessons is acting from his recent entry in Pisces. The great teacher is also in sextile to Venus, which means that in allowing the lessons of Water to saturate our warring brain we are going to open our lives to beauty, pleasure, and relationship. As Pluto enters Aquarius in a few days' time, deep change is in the air... or in the water. Let's welcome it.
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