The Studied Illusion of the Aquarius New Moon

The important New Moon that comes along late on Saturday evening is a rather strong one, and sets into prominence two very different signs, Aquarius and Pisces. This is because just as the New Moon lights up the last decant of Aquarius, taking place as it does in the 22nd degree of that sign, there is a strong line-up of four planets in the early part of Pisces, consisting of thoughtful Mercury, action-oriented Mars and Chiron the Wounded Healer, all within 2 degrees. All three are in turn within orb of conjunction with Neptune, the ruler of Pisces and Lord of Illusion.

There is thus an extra zing to the energy of this configuration regarding thinking, action and illusion. And with Chiron involved there is also thrown in the pain of thought or the pain of lost illusion. Pisces is not only about illusion of course but also partakes of an otherworldly numinousity representing that which is beyond the physical plane of earthly existence; which can be confusing to earth-bound mentality. The Pisces-Neptune archetype also translates to a higher ideal and a sense of spiritual realization, transcending the simple and limited rational perspective of ordinary thought, which then - by a process of figure and ground reversal - is seen as the illusion.

Within the frame of our earthly existence, we build our castles and plan our work from a particular point of view that is ours, either individually or collectively as part of the larger conceptualizations of the surrounding society. In point of fact we get along in this world by a set of illusions, a dream within a dream, and we can sometimes step back and examine the assumptions upon which we have founded our ongoing enterprise. This New Moon provides such an opening.

The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon supports this idea. It is "A rug placed on the floor of a nursery to allow the children comfort and warmth." This can be taken to refer to the comfort of the idealized and illusive mental structures by which we live, or as well the necessity of underlying concepts to frame our activity in the most positive way.

Saturn is also an important factor in this New Moon energy, being powerfully aligned with Pluto, in square to Venus and trine to Mercury, Mars and Chiron. Saturn represents limitations and the very solid and necessary structure of our lives that nevertheless must sometime alter to accommodate new vision.

As we move through this New Moon time, we must weigh our options, and make certain of our fundamental choices, or be as certain as we can, and then go ahead. We can meditate on our beliefs, including our doubts and worries, that limit our upward progress. And we can take the positive attitude that we will adjust our conceptual framework as need be, rather than relying on the past to predict our present tense activities, or our future.