The New Moon in AQUARIUS will grace the sky on February 9th reaching peak illumination at 5:59pm EST.
This blog post covers all you need to know about the New Moon in Aquarius along with a simple eco-somatic ritual for you to explore.
In this blog post you will find:
Introduction: Moon 101
The sun and moon are in a cyclical relationship as they weave through the seasons of the zodiac. This celestial dance provides us with an intuitive road map to explore our own inner/outer journey as we too make our way through the ebb and flow of nature's seasons and come into new and ever-changing dimensions of our lives.
While the sun is ruler of the day and influences our "outer" expression in the world, it is to no surprise that as ruler of the tides and queen of the night the moon is also ruler of our emotions and "inner" felt experience. Our emotions have long been associated with representations of water and the sea: fluid, ever-changing, ebbing and flowing. As the moon pulls at the tides, we also experience this influencing force on our emotions, desires, shadow realms, fears/worries, psyche, and dreams.
Self-knowledge arises through a process of uncovering hidden layers of self through revelation and integration. This process is mirrored in the ebb and flow of the moon which is why it's something we learn to observe and track. As the light of the moon waxes, more of what lies hidden becomes revealed - our deeper motivations, mechanisms, and feelings. As the light of the moon wanes, we are given time to integrate these new learnings and discoveries.
This New Moon falls within the sign of Aquarius. Keep reading to learn how you can use this moon portal to explore new dimensions of self seeking expression in the world.
New Moon Energy
Since the moon is the closest "planet" to Earth, this satellite zips around the zodiac very quickly, completing its round in less than a month. Actually, the entire trip takes 29.53 days, to be exact, and is measured from one “New Moon” to the next. We call this a lunation or lunar cycle.
So, this New Moon in Aquarius marks the beginning of another lunar cycle. During a New Moon, the moon is sitting between the Earth and the Sun, hence the Sun is shining on the side of the moon we never see. Both the Moon and Sun are in the same Zodiac sign during a New Moon forming a conjunction, which means that the influencing energies are united and enhance the other. In this case, both the Sun and Moon are conjunct in the sign of Aquarius.
You can think of the New Moon phase as the point of beginning again or returning to the conception stage of the lunar cycle. The darkness of the new moon represents fertile ground. New moon energy is a time for introspection, heightened intuition, surrendering to the unknown, releasing what no longer serves you, opening to magic and conjuring visions. At this time, you can plant your dream seeds or set intentions by consciously focusing on the "feeling' of your hearts' desires.
Aquarius Insights
SYMBOL: THE WATER BEARER // symbolically and eternally giving life and spiritual food to the world. The water from the vessel washes away the past.
PLANETARY RULER: URANUS // the planet associated with enlightenment and ingenuity; represents the spark of intuition that spurs invention.
ELEMENT: AIR // element of thought & mind.
HOUSE: 11th HOUSE // rules friendship, groups, aspirations, our sense of true inner purpose, belonging to the collective.
MODALITY: FIXED // seeks out stability; can be committed, focused and resilient.Symbol: Water Bearer
Two weeks ago the Leo Full Moon was emphasizing the unique role and power you have to shape change. True power comes from within and is rooted in the kind of love that liberates us from external trappings and false illusions of power. Finding the courage to step into your fire, into your voice, into your creative power is an act of liberation that demonstrates the necessity of your being here and that playing small isn't an option. We each must come into our power and in doing so, find pride and joy in existing.
The energetics of this New Moon in Aquarius grows out of this courage and is informed by our journey through Nature's Arc of Change. We just passed the cross-quarter threshold of Imbolc (late winter or early spring depending on where you are) which indicates a time of inner stirring and new dimensions of self awakening. Seeds germinating beneath the soil are breaking free from the confines of their external shells, sending tiny shoots into the depths to grow strong roots. Thus, this Aquarius New Moon is all about BREAKING FREE from outer shells: labels, roles, identities, habits and anything that attempts to limit, confine and contain your expanding sense of self.
Worldmaking is a creative act that begins with ourselves! Life under capitalism locks us into exhausting patterns of self-centeredness rooted in individualism, consumerism and transactionalism which only serve to deplete and isolate us from the riches of collective intelligence. How much of your life are you consuming versus creating? Creativity demands that we challenge the status quo with new ideas and shake up the past-dominated present with a taste of future possibilities. A restlessness grows. How might you reclaim your multidimensionality? How might you weave together emerging curiosities, spiritual gifts, skills, talents, and connections as a creative love offering to the world?
What you need to know about Aquarius
THE FIXED CROSS
AQUARIUS - LEO AXIS
TAURUS - SCORPIO AXIS
Stability, directed choice, immovable intent of soul, direction
This Fixed Cross (highlight in green) is one of the three zodiacal crosses. The Fixed Cross represents the conscious development of awareness and the growth process.
"Fixed signs are still and inward, drawing energy to themselves rather than thrusting outward. They correspond elementally to water and geometrically to the in-drawing circle." - Vicki Noble, Motherpeace
Aquarius is the fixed air sign (circled in the diagram); opposing it is the fixed fire sign of Leo. Together they create one axis of the Fixed Cross. Air and Fire (masculine) always create an axis and Water and Earth (feminine) create the other axis. There are three crosses that make up the zodiac wheel. Each cross contains each of the four elements. In this case the fixed signs are represented by: Aquarius (Air), Leo (Fire), Taurus (Earth), Scorpio (Water).
ELEMENT: AIR
AIR: MIND
LIBRA, AQUARIUS, GEMINI
Air is the element of the mind. It is related to perception, the intellect, study, communication, music, harmony, inspiration and sound.
"Ideas come from somewhere unseen, and drift in and out of our minds like the wind. Air is also the breath of life. Each day we wake with new breath within us, we have the ability to experience the wonders of life. When someone is a 'breath of fresh air' they bring new perspectives and a renewed sense of life to our reality, not unlike the qualities of air." - Kayla White
Air signs feel at home in the imaginal realms of thought, poetry, philosophy and the arts like music and song. They thrive in the pursuit of humanitarian efforts and hold big visions for the collective. They are often called to contributing their voice to change as communication is often a strength and find enjoyment in articulating concepts and new ideas.
RULING PLANET: URANUS
Qualities: electricity, society, chaos, change, vibration, originality, nonconformism, deviation, revolution, superior mind, research, genius, wear, liberation, invention, technology, investigation, renovation, eccentricity
Uranus is one of the "modern" planets, together with Neptune and Pluto (although pluto is no longer considered a planet). This expression refers to planets that were unknown in antiquity, at a time when it was not possible to glimpse them with the naked eye.
Uranus is often dubbed the "Frozen Giant" because 80% of it is made up of frozen methane, water, and ammonia. It has 27 moons and very faint rings compared to other gas giants.
CONSTELLATION
Aquarius the Water Bearer is a constellation of the zodiac that contains mostly dim stars. You can see it best on a fall evening in the Northern Hemisphere or a spring evening in the Southern Hemisphere.
Aquarius lies in a region of the sky sometimes called the Sea. This part of the sky looks dark and deep, but of course there are stars here, as there are everywhere. The stars in this part of the sky tend to be faint. In western sky lore, early stargazers associated the star patterns here with water in a celestial sea.
Aquarius the Water Bearer is usually portrayed as a man pouring a stream of water into the mouth of the Southern Fish.”
Ritual Elements
Aquarius New Moon Ritual
What You'll Need
1. Elements for your altar. Drawing on the Aquarius Ritual Elements above, consider what you might want to bring to your altar. Start simple. There is absolutely no need to go out and "buy" altar items. This is something that we encourage you to unlearn. Everything we need is within us and can be found around us. A simple candle will do, or a yellow flower for example.
2. Candle & lighter for the eco-somatic practice
3. Journal & something to write with for the journaling portion.
Important Considerations & Prep
1. RIGHT RELATIONSHIP: being in right relationship with your spiritual practice means approaching each aspect with humility, curiosity and reverence. This includes checking yourself on the nature of how you relate to "objects" as things and the process itself.
For example, if you feel called to stones as part of your ritual, consider WHY first. Then contemplate the impact of whatever action comes next. For example, instead of mindlessly purchasing cheap precious stones from somewhere like amazon (which have more than likely been harmfully mined/extracted and then shipped across the world as part of the consumer machine that's destroying our planet), perhaps part of your spiritual practice is to resist such a prompting and instead take the time to go for a mindful walk in your backyard, or a nearby stream and see if the right stone presents itself to you.
2. CLEANSE & PURIFY YOUR SPACE: Cleansing, also known as purification, is the practice of clearing out and releasing negative energy from your space, as well as energy that’s just old, stale, stagnant, or no longer serving you. Here are a few different methods:
Physical cleaning: dusting, vacuuming, opening windows for fresh air
Salt: a common element used for purification and protection in many different cultures. To use, simply sprinkle salt along doorways and windowsills to protect them from negative energy entering or just keep a small bowl of salt on your altar or nearby surface.
Smoke cleansing: light incense or burn a bundle of dried herbs such as rosemary, cedar, or mugwort. Choose plants that you have grown yourself or that grow abundantly wild nearby, plants that you have ancestral tied to or just those that have been grown and harvested ethically.
NOTE: If you do not have meaningful/authentic relationships to Indigenous culture and customs, "smudging" with white sage cultural appropriation and is dishonoring to Indigenous nations across Turtle island. It is important to understand that smudging is not just about burning sage to purify the negative energy from your space but is a sacred ritual that is culturally specific to tribes such as the Lakota Sioux, Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Navajo. If you have been gifted sage by an Indigenous friend, use to your discretion in how to engage with this medicine. This sacred plant is being abused, exploited and mass-harvested for commercial and consumer use which perpetuates the violence of white supremacy and settler colonialism. Take some time to locate yourself within a settler-colonial context interwoven with the land you currently occupy. Check out Native Land to learn the name and more about the territories you occupy.
3. CLEANSE & PURIFY YOUR BODY-MIND
Take a shower our bath; visualize any negative energy that has accumulated in your auric field to be washed away as the water goes down the drain.
Meditate, center and take some time to ground in stillness and embodied presence.
Write or speak your intentions for your ritual out loud
4. BE MINDFUL & STRIVE FOR INTEGRITY ALWAYS.
Altar Creation
Creating an altar is optional. Altar tending is a beautiful practice, especially if you have a designated area in your home that you can tend to over the course of each moon and seasonal cycle.
Tending to an altar is an intentional practice that supports your exploration of nature spirituality and carries the potential to deepen your relationship to the energetic archetypes of the unfolding seasonal & moon cycles.
To set up your altar, simply play with any number of the ritual elements offered above in the chart by using symbols, colors, precious gemstones, symbolism, etc.
There is no right or wrong way to go about creating, tending or being with your altar, however we do not condone cultural appropriation or theft of any kind.
Eco-Somatic Practice: Collective Orienting
For this eco-somatic practice we will be drawing upon the element of AIR since this new moon falls within the sign of AQUARIUS.
ABOUT THE PRACTICE: The element of air is associated to realms of movement, mind, communication and sound. As an element it is invisible, but its reality can be felt within an all around us whether thats in every breath we take or the breeze against our skin. This practice explores our how we move through space and interact with / relate to other forms of life. It supports our ability to sense ourself as part of a collective moving and breathing body.
For this practice, I invite you to find a place outside whether that's in your back yard or even among people. It's a practice that you can take anywhere because it's all about noticing yourself in relationship to the movement of others.
MATERIALS: no materials needed.
STEPS:
Before you begin the practice find a place to stand or sit where you can turn your gaze inward to the felt sense. Sense your feet on the ground and the connection you have with earth and gravity.
Now sense the crown of your head as it reaches toward the sky, lengthening the spine.
Now sense these two polarities. Allow your muscles to relax into as you sense the strength and dignity of the spine.
From here, bring your awareness to the ebb and flow of the breath, allowing it to be soft like gentle waves lapping against your inner short.
When you feel a sense of inner connection, begin to open your eyes and orient to the space around you. Notice the quality of the landscape as a whole. Is there stillness or movement? Is it bright or dark? Is it lively or somber? Is it quiet or loud? Are there human people, tree people, stone people? Who's there?
Now hone in on a few particular elements or people. Again, notice the movement, pace, quality. Sense all of these things while noticing what it stirs in you. How does your breath respond to the environment? What do you notice in your chest or belly? What does this place or landscape evoke in you?
Find the anchor of connection at your feet and the ebb and flow of the breath. Now allow your awareness to be wide and peripheral as you sense into the collective space as one body. Your awareness, movement and participation is an element within this collective unfolding. How are you inspired to contribute and shape this story through sound, gesture, movement. Explore this in real time.
What do you notice about the relationship between your inner self and outer self?
Journaling
What came up for you during the eco-somatic practice? Take some time to reflect on anything you'd like to hold onto.
You might also feel called to answering any or all of the following:
What are you being called to bring into the world?
What areas of your life are still caught up in the old? Where are you still conforming?
What is something you're curious about?
Where is your edge? How can you lean into that edge? What can a healthy risk look like for you?
Finish the following sentences:
A habits of thought or behavior that I am releasing is....
A new practice that I would like to incorporate into my routine is...
Something that I am letting go of is...
Something I am welcoming in is...
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