New Moon 4th February 2019

Do you live your life or does life live you? Hear the bugle call.

Already we are at the second month of 2019, a New Moon at 9.04p.m. in the UK on February 4th, and a time to set new intentions.

The Sun and the Moon at the New Moon of 4th February 2019, are wearing whacky, unconventional Aquarian clothes and Doc Martin boots. However, six planets and the South Node in this chart are under the governance of Saturn who much prefers the sober business suit! So, already we can see that we have two different stories going on.

So first a quick overview of the backdrop. In the last Full Moon article I spoke of Endings and Beginnings. A New Moon is always a beginning and we still have two more Full Moons to come, each at zero degrees of their sign (beginnings), and then one at 29 degrees, the very end of a sign (endings). This is quite unusual – but then we are in unusual times. Zero and 29 are known as critical degrees, which means they are very significant and carry with them their own potency in terms of beginnings and endings. We also have Uranus at almost 29 degrees of Aries, preparing to fully enter Taurus for the next seven years or so, whilst Chiron, the maverick and the wounded healer, sits at 29 degrees of Pisces, preparing to enter Aries (more Endings and Beginnings). All planets, however, are in forward motion – nothing is retrograde – so there is an energy of ‘doing’ and of getting down to business. Saturn and Pluto are now in a close enough aspect to be sitting with each other (a conjunction), as they prepare to begin a new cycle and meet exactly in January 2020. Right now, as they get to the end of their current cyclical dance, they signify fractures, the breaking down that occurs before a new beginning, the revelation of things that are corrupt or broken and the emergence of realism and a new order – so more endings and beginnings.

With Sun, Moon and Mercury all in Aquarius we are being asked to not only walk to a different drumbeat but also talk a different drumbeat too. However, Mercury as planet of the mind and communication is pretty close to the Sun and is in danger of getting his fingers burned – so he perhaps feels he can’t quite say all he wants. Having said this though there is the potential for flashes of inspiration and brilliance and when we get these we must listen and hang on to them. How many of us think we are walking a different path to the norm but, whilst we want to talk the walk, we can’t always get the words out. And in this day and age of collective entitlement is it any wonder that we fear being shouted down and publicly annihilated by the pervasiveness and anonymity of social media (Jupiter square Neptune, both in their own signs)?

Aquarius is a fixed, masculine air sign and is the signature of identifying as part of a group, the humanitarian, the one who considers everyone whatever their beliefs, creed, race, gender, tribe. Saturn, governor of Aquarius, is very much at home in his own sign of Capricorn and, as such, feels it is his job to set the rules – in fact, there is a huge sense of inflexibility in this chart. And whilst Aquarius seeks reform and rebellion, he can also be extremely inflexible, very aloof and detached, and pursue his ideal for reformation with such zeal that he forgets the group and denies the viability of all other arguments, considering he is right and everyone else has it wrong. We can see this totally in the UK with Brexit, as we have a pantomime of different views in Parliament, each shouting down the other, and in America as their Government has effectively closed its doors, government workers are not being paid and all because of a very Saturn symbol – a wall. These are just two examples where each side stubbornly digs in for ideological principles but without any real humanity towards the common man.

And astrologically we can see all of this reflected in the New Moon chart. In plain language we have Mars, the God of War, Eris, Goddess of Strife and Uranus, planet of shock, revolution and liberation standing together on one side. I don’t think you have to be an astrologer to see the issue with this line up!!! Now, they are clashing with Saturn, planet of Time, responsibility, rules, boundaries, sitting with Pluto, God of the Underworld (as I said earlier Saturn and Pluto are at the end of their current cycle). The South Node also here in the mix suggests that we either have to let go of something from the past or learn from the past. This conflicting aspect signifies the discord and the disharmony, which can be seen all over the world pulling situations and people apart as the dysfunctions are revealed and we enter a critical time of crisis and conflict. And it is this energy that is propelling us forward to the changing times we are heading towards in the 2020s. At this New Moon it wouldn’t be surprising to see a rise in violent events with all this hot-headed energy.

So, let’s go a bit deeper into the energy and more importantly the coping strategies we can adopt that will not only align with universal positive energies but also help us to get through this disruptive period with minimum pain.

And here I’m going to dive into the archetypal principles that mythology shows us. Mars and Eris are brother and sister. Homer describes Eris as at first being small and insignificant but whose wrath is relentless and holding a delight in the tumult of war and increasing the moaning of men. She had an insatiable desire for bloodshed, whilst her brother Mars loves a good fight and wielding of the sword. But we are also told that Eris has two sides to her nature. One is the hateful, bloodthirsty side whilst the other merely wants to provoke the thoughtless and the lazy to consider their situation in life and to get up and fight or work for what is important. Eris was an activist, a radical feminist and dished out her own version of poetic justice. We can see her actions within the #metoo and the feminist movements. Mars or Ares meanwhile was the Olympian god of war, battle lust, courage and civil order.

The final one in the trio of Aries planets is Uranus, the primordial god of the sky, representing archetypal energies of the expression of the universal mind. Now whilst his energy is wild, shocking and unpredictable he is co-governor of the sign of Aquarius alongside Saturn and as such represents the thinking side of Aquarius. By embracing reform and revolution he seeks to enlighten man and free him from the boundaries and shackles of Saturnian energy to embrace the new, the unusual and the unconventional, coupled with keen intelligence and a humanitarian attitude. To do this he needs the freedom to roam, which is why, under his area of governance, Aquarians can sometimes perhaps appear detached and aloof.

Close to home we can see this Mars/Uranus unrestrained energy in the form of the yellow vests or ‘gilets jaunes’ movement which spread in Europe, and particularly in Paris, protesting at rising fuel costs and what was viewed as social oppression. We can also in a different way see it in the spread of Artificial Intelligence, which will free man from the drudgery of routine and repetitive jobs, but will also bring job losses for those who can least afford it. Long term, of course, this may all be for the good but in the current cash-strapped environment of the UK it’s hard to see how some people will not suffer.

Saturn or Kronos was the King of the Titans and the God of Time. He castrated and deposed his father Uranus and swallowed each of his children for fear that they might overthrow him. But it is said he ruled over a ‘most prosperous government and settlement’, and that his people had ‘everything in abundance’. It is said that he did this with a setting of rules and responsible order and justice so that his people were both free and content. He is said to have ruled over a Golden Age and ‘caused all men who were his subjects to change from a rude way of living to civilized life’. Pluto or Hades, was the God of the Dead and the Underworld. However, he was also the god of the hidden wealth of the earth because it is here that the seeds are nourished and where we find precious metals such as gold and silver. So deep down within us Pluto guards the realm of not only the hurts and pains we bury, but also the hidden treasures of buried knowledge and talents which can become our greatest treasures if only we took the Time (Saturn) to allow them to be brought up into the light and be discovered.

So this aspect of Mars, Eris and Uranus versus Saturn, Pluto and the South Node can actually be a point where, if we give ourselves that Time to search deep within ourselves to where our true talents are held, we can use their huge fighting dynamics of Mars, Eris and Uranus to release these talents for our own personal awakening and liberation. Mars right now is strong in his own time so he has the power to cut through everything to get right to the point. I see it as a bugle call, trying to jolt us and wake us up so that we dig deep for those talents that we possess but do not yet use – it is precisely these gifts we are going to need. But if we are truly going to grow we also have to be prepared to call ourselves out on everything – our successes as well as our sh*t !!

In late 2020 Jupiter joins up with Saturn and Pluto to form a rare alignment of these three planets in Capricorn. Now the last time we had this alignment was in 411AD, the time of the Fall of Rome, and 1146, the time of the Crusades. Whilst today’s culture is radically different from those historical times, the energy is the same – both eras were significant times and I believe that we are heading for a key point in time. In 2020 we also have the lunar nodes in the line up which suggests a fated or karmic quality to this period – perhaps saying have you really not learned the lessons of history? If we just take Saturn and Pluto, as we have now, then the last time that these two guys were together in Capricorn was when Martin Luther challenged the status quo in 1517 -20, spearheading the Reformation within the Church – this was a big deal because the Church was the politics of the day. The Fall of Rome was characterised by a destruction of a mode of life marked by indulgence, decadence and greed. Anyone see any similarities here to our current times of collective entitlement, destruction of global resources to satisfy greed and a ‘me first’ attitude? And the Crusades – Christianity versus Islam! Say no more! I am just highlighting these dates because I think you can get a feel for the fact that these are uncommon times, but also illustrating how history repeats itself in a slightly different way with similar energies within a different cultural backdrop. Saturn represents religion with rules – religions such as Christianity and Islam, but as I mentioned in the last article we have Jupiter still in close aspect with Neptune, which speaks of a more spiritual form of belief – one that can be accessed through contemplation, meditation or yoga.

Now also in 2020 we begin another new cycle – this time a roughly 250 year cycle and this is represented by Jupiter and Saturn. We are coming to the end of the current cycle which began in the 1850’s with the Industrial Revolution, a point of huge change in socio economic culture. It is highly likely we are about to enter another Industrial Revolution – one of Artificial Intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, space colonization and perhaps wider issues to do with genetic variation. I don’t want to confuse matters too much by going into too much detail on this – I am merely highlighting the significance of the changing times we are in.
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Saturn Pluto represents a cutting back in order to survive, as well as exposure of cover-ups, things that have been buried or issues where perhaps we have been either misled or just chosen to turn a blind eye. Now I am not supporting Trump at all but to a certain extent we have a President here who is very passionate about his own country and making it great. He has made no secret that he breaks a tradition of Presidents he considers to have been controlled by what he considers to the Deep State, which I am guessing is something on the lines of the Dark Web, which operates underneath the normal Web in the same way that Pluto operates in the Underworld. Now we see a lot of accusatory comments against him, and, had we believed the propaganda in the media, a vote for Trump was a wasted vote because he had no chance of getting across the finishing line. And yet he won against all the odds. Pluto also represents the ‘elite’ and generally when we have news that is confusing it is very often a case of ‘follow the money’ for clues to the truth.

We can also see the energy of cutting back in order to survive in our UK high streets. With more and more people shopping online, fuelled by the rise in Artificial Intelligence, the shop is fast becoming an expensive luxury.

We are at the end of a Saturn/Pluto cycle which began in 1982 with the birth of the internet, the second Cold War, and with some of the countries in Europe about to embark on the Schengen Agreement, facilitating free borders. We have now moved from the birthing of the internet to rapidly expanding Artificial Intelligence which is only possible because of the internet, we have new conflicts with Russia and the conflict over borders in Europe continues. Saturn/Pluto speaks of a restriction and/or a redistribution of power, the emergence of realism and a new order whilst the square to Mars, Eris and Uranus symbolises the political battles as each faction considers itself to be right. But, both Aquarius and Uranus seek authenticity and the truth.

Most importantly, how do we cope and what strategies should be we adopt? If Saturn and Pluto together represent a reality check and a paring back, then it is important to consider and perhaps plan for the future, to get your ducks in a row so to speak. If there are areas that you can realistically cut back then do so. But most of all be proactive and not a reactive bystander to life, being buffeted around by the unexpected. Live your life rather than let life live you. We shouldn’t be surprised if as the planets conjoin there isn’t some kind of X or Black Swan event.

As I said in the last article, with Jupiter and Neptune in aspect, find your spiritual consciousness because this will help to counteract the harsh realities and the difficulty in knowing who and what to believe. By calming the mind and using meditation, yoga or whatever your spiritual practice might be you can find your personal place of calm and solace which will enable you to access that higher level of expression that Uranus and Aquarius represent and enable you to have the time (Saturn) to receive those flashes of intuition and intuitive thoughts (Mercury in Aquarius square Uranus and Jupiter square to Neptune). By being proactive and at the same time realistic you can create change in your life, and you stand a chance of your dreams becoming the new reality (Saturn sextile Neptune). If you find the harsher, more disruptive energy of fight and revenge entering your own life, rather than allowing It to go inwards, use it positively and direct it into some kind of exercise – gym, running, walking, yoga – whatever type of exercise floats your boat.

Aquarius is the group or the community, so find your tribe of like-minded people. Try not to be with those who deplete your energy but rather instead spend time with those who inspire you and raise your levels of thought. And try to be authentic and feel that your thoughts and views are worthwhile and that you have a right to your own opinions and beliefs. Have the courage to persevere (Saturn) but be kind within your tribe and to those less fortunate. Don’t be afraid to walk to your own personal drumbeat and allow the drive for awakening (Mars strong in his own sign, Eris, Uranus) to allow you to consider what talents and treasures you have buried deep within (Saturn, Pluto, South Node) which can allow you to have a new start.

Hear the bugle call. Raise your consciousness and expand your mind to new levels where you can think outside the box and truly talk the walk of the different drumbeat (Jupiter square Neptune, Sun, Moon, Mercury in Aquarius).

Be real. Be authentic. Be compassionate.