The New Moon + solar eclipse in ARIES will grace the sky on April 8th reaching peak illumination at 2:21pm EST.
Explore the transformative power of the Aries New Moon + solar eclipse with astral insights and a simple eco-somatic ritual. Embrace new beginnings and creative adaptability.
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 Aries two weeks before the Sun shifts into the sign of Taurus. 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
The New Moon in Aries marks the beginning of a new lunar cycle. The previous Aries New Moon cycle ends and yet another Aries New Moon cycle begins. 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.
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 Scorpio.
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.
Eclipse Season
Eclipses are an alignment of the Sun, Moon, Earth and lunar nodes that occur periodically as these celestial bodies dance around each other in orbit. Eclipse season happens twice every year with a solar and lunar eclipse happening back to back. Four to six eclipses can take place every year and each one takes place during a new and full Moon phase.
Eclipses occur when the Moon reaches its upper and lower thresholds of its tilted elliptical orbit. These boundaries are the lunar nodes. The lunar nodes are not tangible objects but mathematical points in space where the Moon’s orbit intersects the Sun’s apparent path. When the Moon reaches these thresholds, it forms a perfect alignment with the Sun and Earth. It is here that a new Moon becomes a solar eclipse and a full Moon a lunar eclipse.
Despite the quality of this video, it does a good job of describing how eclipses are related to the North and South Nodes.
Eclipse season supports us through any final shedding that needs to happen. The power of lunar energy is supercharged by eclipses and this is a time to embrace endings. If there are changes that need to be made in your life, eclipse season will set those in motion. Eclipses bring things to the surface and clear them away to make room for something new to emerge.
While a lunar eclipse reveals energies that help us complete a journey or shift our course in some way, a solar eclipse opens the portal for new beginnings as it can spur monumental events in your life through disruption or a tremendous change of path.
Aries Insights
SYMBOL: RAM // reflects the evolutionary will to survive; the power to penetrate and overcome by asserting strength in creative ways to achieve a breakthrough. Associated with the Shepherd.
PLANETARY RULER: MARS // Roman god of agriculture, protector of ancient civilization, planet of energy, action, instinct, and desire.
ELEMENT: FIRE // element of energy, transformation, death/rebirth.
HOUSE: 1st HOUSE // The House of Self rules initiation, identity formation and the realization of one's ultimate potential.
MODALITY: CARDINAL // represents initiation, taking action, and translating formless into form.
We now find ourselves on the other side of the Spring Equinox as we continue our journey through Nature's Arc of Change . It is a time for putting dreams into action guided by our values-based longings. The theme of this Aries New Moon is all about CREATIVE ADAPTABILITY.
Two weeks ago the Libra New Moon + lunar eclipse was inviting you to tune your gaze inward, to pay attention to what gets stirred up when you're engaging with people you have (or are forming) attachments with, and to bring compassionate curiosity to any pattern of thought and behavior that wants your attention. Your relationships are an opportunity for you to experience yourself—your own consciousness. You were invited to think about relationship as a co-creative process; a place to express your unique essence.
This Aries New Moon sets in motion a new lunar cycle which means we have the power of new beginnings behind us. Aries is innately creative, an irrepressible kind of ‘oomph!’ that pushes the daisy out of the ground. In nature, when it encounters an obstacle like a rock, it grows around the rock, and eventually finds its way to open up to the Sun as a flower. Notice where in you're life you are experiencing an obstacle or a challenge. Pay attention to how you
Aries is calling us toward creative adaptation, mobilization, enlivening the body, and taking new actions on behalf of life. Spring’s inspiration reminds us that after death and decay comes new life. A bud bursting forth mirrors our own will to live and the beauty we are capable of creating. When our hearts break open, nature reveals her innate design: that any obstacle in our path is honing us to our brilliance.
We each are called to breathe new life into the world, to tell the stories that will move and inspire others to join in the creative act of worldmaking. The Aries ram, by its fire, masculinity, strength and instinctive reactions, symbolizes the procreative forces which arouse humankind and the world at large in the springtime of life to ensure that the cycle of life continues on its way again. You are called to trust in this power of being, in your own existential courage, even after and in the face of setbacks. Approaching the world with a sense of wonder at the creative possibilities will set you free.
What you need to know about Aries
THE CARDINAL CROSS
ARIES - LIBRA AXIS
CAPRICORN-CANCER AXIS
Initiatory energy, pushing forward, beginnings, equinoxes and solstices
Cardinal signs align with the seasonal cross points of light and dark. Aries aligns with Spring Equinox, Cancer with Summer Solstice, Libra with Fall Equinox and Capricorn with Winter solstice. The Cardinal Cross is considered a most important set of axis lines. It's the first sign of each element where things begin.
"Cardinal signs are the initiating aspects of whichever element they represent. Like fire, they reach out and make direct contact with reality. They know where they are going. Geometrically, they correspond to straight line." - Vicki Noble, Motherpeace
Aries is the cardinal fire sign (circled in the diagram), opposing it is the cardinal air sign of Libra which creates one axis of the Cardinal Cross. The two feminine elements (Water and Earth) always create an axis and the two masculine elements (Air and Fire) create the other axis. Each cross contains each of the four elements. In this case the cardinal signs are represented by: Capricorn (Earth), Cancer (Water), Aries (Fire), Libra (Air).
ELEMENT: FIRE
FIRE: ENERGY & PASSION
SAGITTARIUS, LEO, ARIES
Fire is the element of transformation, death and rebirth, destruction and creation, purification, passion and life force energy.
"Fire is also associated with light, as it often serves as a beacon in the darkness. Fire only exists in the destruction of other materials; therefore it is known as both a creator and destroyer. We often use phrases such as the ‘spark of an idea’ or the ‘flame of desire’, because fire is connected to the vitality of our life force. And when that flame is ignited within us, it gives us fuel to move forward." - Kayla White
Fire signs feel at home in the creative zone of action and initiation as well as the realm of community leadership. They are highly adaptive and flexible in social environments that require team work and problem solving. As strong visionaries they are natural leaders and inspire others toward action.
RULING PLANET: MARS
Qualities: assertive, directed, forthright, adventurous
Mars is the planet of energy, action, and desire. Mars is the push that gets us out of bed in the morning, our drive and desire nature, and our active energy. Our sexual desires come under the rule of Mars. With Mars, there is no contemplation before action. The drive associated with Mars differs from that of the Sun in that it is self-assertion rather than the assertion of the will; it is raw energy rather than creative energy.
CONSTELLATION
Aries the Ram is a constellation of the zodiac, which means that it lies on the ecliptic, or path of the sun and planets through our sky. Currently, Uranies lies within the constellation’s borders.
According to EarthSky:
The best time to behold the Mighty Ram is when the Earth is on the other side of the sun from the constellation. November and December are especially good months for viewing Aries the Ram in all his starlit majesty, for this constellation shines above the eastern horizon at nightfall and stays out for most of the night. Aries culminates – reaches its highest point in the sky – at about 10 p.m. local time (the time in all time zones) in late November, 8 p.m. local time in late December and 6 p.m. local time in late January. Aries is not a particularly prominent constellation, so a dark country sky absent of moonlight is most desirable for viewing the Ram at its finest. (Source)
Ritual Elements
Aries New Moon Ritual
What You'll Need
1. Elements for your altar. Drawing on the Aries 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: Dance of the Inner Flame
For this eco-somatic we will be drawing on the element of FIRE since Aries is a fire sign. To amplify grounded connection, perform this part of the ritual outside, under the open sky (if it's not too windy) or next to a window.
MATERIALS: match or lighter, and candle (preferably one that is visible like a tea light).
STEPS:
Begin by finding a comfortable sitting posture that allows you to gaze into the flame without straining your body or neck in any way. Allow your face muscles to soften as you gaze into the candle flame in silence.
As you gaze into the flame, allow your breath to be natural as you inhale and exhale, noticing the rise and fall of your breath as the candle flame gently moves in accordance with the atmosphere. Notice how you move with your breath simultaneously.
Then bring your gaze to the base of the candle where the wick meets the flame. Take a moment to contemplate the relationship that fire has with earth and the ground. Then begin to sense the grounding contact you're making with the earth. Allow yourself to sense the stability that earth provides and your relationship to gravity as you gaze at the base of the flame.
Now allow your gaze to penetrate the heart of the flame where it is most dense. As you do this, sense the source of your own inner light within your heart space. Take a moment to contemplate light as the source of life, the sun and your own heart. Breathe into your heart as you do.
Notice the way the flame moves and dances as it interacts with the surrounding atmosphere. Tune into the beating of your heart, the subtle pulse of blood pumping through your veins, and the vibration of life force energy flowing through all your inner channels. Ride the waves of your inner flame.
Speak to your inner flame and ask this part of you for clarity and wisdom pertaining to a question your holding. Notice any sensations, feelings or images arise. Stay with and follow whatever inner experience or impulse emerges. Be like the movement of the flame. Responsive and adaptive to what arises. Here are sample questions you might wish to ask:
What do I need to integrate into my life to keep the inner flame burning bright?
Where am I resisting change? What fears might be there?
How can I further align what inspires me with the path I'm walking?
When you feel complete with flame gazing, allow your gaze to shift to the darkness of night or close your eyes to sense and be with the movement of your own inner flame. Simply breath and be here for as long as you desire. Thank your inner flame's wisdom.
Journaling
What came up for you during the eco-somatic practice? Take some time to reflect on anything you'd like to hold onto.
Here are some prompts for further reflection:
What are my longings? What is life calling me toward?
How can I create space to acknowledge any tensions I'm holding onto?
Where am I resisting change? What fears might be there?
How can I soothe and nurture what feels most vulnerable?
How can I further align what inspires me with the path I'm walking?
You may also feel called to finishing 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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