Aquarius New Moon 'Scope
by Dana Gerhardt

Walk into a room after there’s been an argument or heavy sobbing; maybe a depressed person has spent time there. You’ll feel it. The energy will be thick, charged, and uncomfortable. To disperse it, you can clap your hands. You can ring bells. You can burn sage. Or you can spray a fine scented mist in the air. Such things work. I mention them now because that’s the best action for this New Moon. Aquarius is THE cycle to raise your energy. In fact that’s the mandate: This is the month to become unstuck. No sign has a greater connection to the future than Aquarius. It’s the sign of progress, innovation and breakthroughs. But first you’ve got to clear out all the musty, droopy, angry, wimpy, static energy of the recent past. Know that your inner genius is ready for a little revolution. Never mind what’s been holding you back. If you’re not living the life you want, Listen. What has your spirit been longing to do?

The Aquarius New Moon chart’s main aspect is auspicious: Jupiter in Libra trines Sun, Moon, Mercury and Neptune in Aquarius. Jupiter represents growth, good luck, expansion, and opportunity. The trine suggests an easy access to these happy potentials. But here’s the problem: Trines won’t make you do anything. Squares will slam doors in your face, oppositions will call you out. Difficult aspects force you to rise to the occasion. But with trines, nobody minds if you decide to stay at home, order a pepperoni pizza, watch Court TV, and paint your toenails. Great forward leaps are favored this month. But they aren’t guaranteed.

That’s where the clapping, bells, sage, and watery mist come in. Aquarius is The Water Bearer, which is a heavenly metaphor suggesting this is the cycle to come clean. In diverse cultures throughout the ages, this is the lunar month when rituals of purification are most frequently performed. The Romans did it. The Mesopotamians did it. At Candelmas and Imbolc, pagans do it today. Likewise in the East, temples are white-washed and given a thorough cleansing this month. Rituals are performed to drive away evil spirits. Offerings are made to please the local deities. In Tibet, the Aquarius New Moon is actually New Year’s Day (called "Losar"). It begins a special month dedicated to spiritual practice, when the power of one’s offerings and prayers are multiplied 100,000 times. If your own spiritual practice has lapsed, this is an especially auspicious time to take it up again. Spiritual practice is the most effective way to cleanse and purify your mind.

The inner and outer spaces mirror each other. If your work has been uninspired, rearrange your office and throw out old papers. If family relationships are not as harmonious as you like, give your home a top-to-bottom cleaning. A simple ritual for this New Moon is to become a your own Water-bearing Angel. Fill an atomizer or spray bottle with energetically charged water. Charge the water by placing a crystal in it for at least 24 hours (before that, clean the crystal by soaking it in a bowl of salt or under the sun’s rays). If you’re familiar with Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work, you know that writing positive intentions on the water bottle ("grace," "radiance," "fertility," "passion," or "peace") will further charge the water molecules. Dip a sprig of pine in the water to double its energetic potency. Pine is purifying--it smells clean too! On the day of the New Moon, visit all the rooms in your house and mist them with your ritual water. You should notice the difference instantly! Enjoy the newly charged air. Wait happily for your new inspirations to come pouring in.

What should you grow this cycle?

Look to the house of your birth chart where the New Moon falls: here’s your personal seed bed. This is the place you usually "do Aquarius." Every year at this time, you engage subtly or wholeheartedly in a purification ritual. A cleansing in this house can energize your whole year. This house is where you’re used to shaking up your status quo—and during this New Moon cycle, you have a unique opportunity here… but you must tune in. Listen for the stray thoughts that get you really excited. It may be your inner revolutionary handing you the manifesto you need. (If you’d like to explore this is greater depth, you may enjoy my seasonal/new moon workshop, Twelve Moons.)

© 2005 Dana Gerhardt,
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