A New Moon is occurring on Friday, January 24th at 4 degrees and 22 minutes of Aquarius. New Moons are times of new beginnings, of intention setting, and of envisioning what it is you most dearly want and desire for yourself. Aquarius season is the time of year when the Sun is dim - it’s the middle of winter and although the sunlight is growing with each day, it is still dark and the days are short. In Leo, the sign opposite of Aquarius, the Sun is in full power, stretching long and bright in the skies, nourishing all of nature. The Sun in our charts represents you, your will, and the essence of who you are. Leo, the sign that is ruled by the Sun, is similarly all about you and who you are. Leo is concerned with self-expression, performance, and being seen and acknowledged as important and unique. Aquarius, on the other hand, is about us; we. It is the sign where the Sun has the least amount of strength and thus, is the least concerned about himself as an individual. Rather, Aquarius is concerned with the collective and the needs of the group. Communal living and sharing with others is Aquarius’s domain, as is his concern with the needs of the people, on a societal level. This includes not just basic human needs such as shelter, food, and water, but higher needs; the need to be truly free from any and all attachments.
Aquarius is ruled by the planet Saturn. Saturn also rules over Capricorn. If we think of Saturn as the walls that surround a city in ancient times and Capricorn as what is within the walls - the rules, regulations, authority figures in place, the hierarchy one must crawl through to get anywhere, etc. then Aquarius is that which is outside of the walls - foreign concepts, new ways of being, radical ideas, different rules, revolution, revelation. Aquarius stands for that which is possible to bring within the walls which could be considered unusual or “different”, often in the name of social progress. Oftentimes, this sense of looking to what’s beyond the horizon can give Aquarius a sense of being an outsider or of not belonging. Capricorn is the reverence for what is already established through ancient wisdom while Aquarius is the reformer, looking at the establishment with a critical eye and seeing what can be done away with and what new concept can be brought in. It is often said that Aquarius is the sign of authenticity because of its radical approach to all things. But, since Aquarius is still a Saturn-ruled sign, authenticity is demanded through more of an ethical lense as opposed to a need to be seen as unique or different.
Therefore, authenticity in your intentions with this New Moon is also demanded. What is it that you truly desire? What is it that will truly serve you in order to serve the collective? Remember, Aquarius isn’t about how to make you special, seen, or important. It’s about how to be in service to the group; how to make the world more fair and just by creating new and improved social structures. At the same time, this New Moon wants you to think outside of the box. What vision do you have for yourself that is a little bit radical? What would be a revolutionary intention for your life or at least for this month? How can we become clear to ourselves of who we really are while maintaining a sense of connection with others - without feeling isolated or as though we don’t belong? As you set your intentions for this New Moon, meditate upon these questions. Happy New Moon!
