New Moon in Aquarius: The Awakened Heart
Cultivate the illuminated source of discernment in decision-making, that true point of awareness that can heal division within and without.
At the first of February, we welcome the New Moon in the fixed air sign of Aquarius, the Water Bearer. We also welcome the Lunar New Year of the Black Water Tiger, which gives me a thrill just thinking of that proud, courageous cat coming into our psyches this year. As well, we have Candlemas, or Imbolc – the midwinter moment which gives us our first rays of hope that new life, spring, is around the corner. All of this comes shining through with the revolutionary, individuating tone of Uranian-ruled Aquarius.
It’s a complex time energetically. Aquarius wants to thrust forward and evolve our personal and community and global lives. Yet, the strong Saturnian influence of this lunation – planet of time and karma tightly conjunct Aquarius Moon and Sun – gives us more than pause; it gives constriction. We want to move ahead, but other forces are holding us back, holding us down, down, down in the underground to dig deeper for a bit longer. Isn’t it so?
So, what are we still doing down there in the earthy depths, with Pluto the transformer, Mercury the mind, Venus the heart, and Mars the action principle, all sitting at the roundtable of the Underworld in Capricorn? Our collective consciousness is being squished and pushed to plunge deeper than ever to find out what we’re made of – or more accurately, what we are becoming as a human, a planet, a species. Is our trajectory connected to the ancient wisdom of earth mother, the nourishment offered by old-as-the-hills Capricorn? Are we paying attention to the land, to the ground beneath our feet, the tailbone, the root chakra?
Or, are we attempting to bypass and blast high into space, taking flight unheeded through the crown chakra and beyond, thrusting into the idea of progress and the future? Science fiction is all fine and dandy, in principle – living in a virtual metaverse or a space bubble fed by soylent green, all for the sake of convenience, distraction, consumption; however, Saturn in Aquarius at his New Moon best says, Not so fast, buster. We must remember to embody spirit in a sustainable manner. We have got to pay respect to matter, to mother; to the organism, the life force that you are – which is not only the mind, the mental faculty; it includes the body, the soul, and the heart.
The Saturn conjunct New Moon constriction alongside our Capricorn crew asks us to examine the healing of the incredible divide we are experiencing on planet Earth. This division shows up across the board – personally and politically, economically and environmentally, and so on. The past two years have been draining, even if we’ve also found ample silver linings along the way.
People have asked me, why do I need so much rest? Am I just lazy? (My Beloved and I have even found a new acronym: W.A.I.S.T. – Why Am I So Tired? – that still makes us giggle.)
Many have had to admit: the adrenals are shot, even if we’ve been doing our darndest to take good care of ourselves; even without a stressful job, or having to juggle work and home life, kids’ schooling, economic uncertainty and – let’s face it – the complete and total unknown. Sitting on tenterhooks for so long has taken its toll – waiting for that elusive sense of “normal” to return.
Looking at what’s here from an evolutionary astrology point of view, it’s clear that this metamorphosis from the caterpillar to the butterfly is not over yet – not even close. It’s a meltdown, after all. A long slow death of the patriarchy, which is what this massive Pluto in Capricorn convergence is really about.
We are experiencing the death of a false power system that has kept our consciousness, our bodies, and our spirits disconnected and to some degree enslaved for millennia. Pluto leaves Capricorn in March of 2023, but I don’t think that is going to be the real end of the story. It may not completely balance out in our lifetime, but we’re headed in the right direction which includes the bottoming out. It’s going to take a bit more time, so take really good care of yourself and remember, we are all in this together. It’s a lot of work to go through this process consciously and this is what you’re here for – to experience this consciously – or you wouldn’t be reading this.
It might seem like it will all end through a change in political regime or an injection; or checking out into Metaverse virtual reality or an ayahuasca ceremony; or a simple ride off into the sunset. But, it’s not going to be that easy methinks. It won’t be a simple switchover; the power struggles are terrifically tenacious. For us personally awakening, this is hard and deep work. It is the deep shadow healing, the inner work of awakening and aware-ing, so settle in for the long-haul, slow-show of EVOLUTION.
“Do the Right Thing”
The constructs of society, the superego, and the collective unconscious shadow,like to show up to dictate our actions and say, “You must be responsible.” Responsible to whom? Responsible to family, school, nation, world? This sounds all cool and groovy, yes, yet how does one know what the truly responsible approach is?
“Do the Right Thing,” we hear. Nothing can make a person feel more confused or inhibited than operating from moral shoulds and ought-tos, than when trying to “do the right thing” without tapping in first to the ground, to one’s True Nature. “Do the right thing” is a concept that can be used to coerce, control, abuse; it can even be vampiric. For example, when are cultural or societal expectations pushing us to rescue a toxic family member, even when it is harmful to us? Or consume mainstream narratives that we know aren’t healthy or true for us as individuals? Or to overwork or be self-sacrificing to the point of overriding our nervous systems, leaving us more susceptible to all sorts of chronic illnesses or fatigue? Or when we stay in a job or industry that is killing our soul for the sake of “financial security” or “retirement”?
To uncover the true and real responsibility, we must first Awaken the Heart – not the romantic heart, though that is always a delight and a blessed pointer to the true Union of self with Source. We are called to connect to our spiritual heart, which comes online when we are grounded, rooted and centered.
Ride your horse along the edge of the sword.
Hide yourself in the middle of the flames.
Blossoms of the fruit tree will bloom in the fire.
The sun rises in the evening.
~ from Zen and the Birds of Appetite, Thomas Merton
The Awakening of the Spiritual Heart
The awakened heart becomes the enlightened source of discernment in decision making, that true point of awareness. The heart chakra, the anahata, unites the body with the mind, the lower chakras with the higher ones. It must be allowed to speak, to flow. It is interesting that the heart chakra is affiliated with the element of air, the same as the sign of Aquarius. Air wants to share with us, to communicate, to give us illumined messages, inspired direction.
Over the next two months, Venus and Mars are traveling tightly together, which can offer us a lot of healing if we are conscious. Communication between the masculine-yang and feminine-yin parts of ourselves can be tremendously creative, engaged, and enriching now. The receptive parts of life, symbolized by the yoni, inform and nourish the active principle, symbolized by the lingam. The Mars-martial forces can protect and serve the Venusian vision, nested in the heart. Here we have a union that can ignite together as Love.
The awakening spiritual heart may come online with a palpable ache. It may need to weep. The awakening spiritual heart may feel heavy, depressed, sad. Allow it. It’s speaking to you, telling you the truth.
If they arise, cry your tears. Feel the sadness of separation from other, the sadness of division on our planet. Understand that this is mirroring our collective disconnection from Source.
A few tips to assist the awakening of the spiritual heart:
A journal prompt to help you hear the heart: “If I had all the money in the world… if I could go anywhere and do anything I wanted, where would I go? How would I be spending my time, and with whom or what?” Play with this prompt; remove all perceived barriers and let the heart speak.
Rose oil, rose water, rose quartz, and straight up roses offer wonderful vibrations to support and open the awakening heart.
Learn to love again with any of the following: a pet, a plant, a garden; a tree, a rock, a creek; a home; a lover; self-massage with your favorite oil; soak in a bath and light some candles.
When joy arises, celebrate and relish it! Let the heart leap with abandon! Joy will emerge with the awakened heart. We simply don’t want to bypass and jump too quickly into Cultivating Joy, lest we miss the miracle, the messages of awareness.
Remember, True Love is unconditional. It is conscious awareness, total acceptance of What Is, and firmly seated in the Self, as the Self.
The awakened heart is tender, sensitive, and very discerning. It knows what it needs, what it wants. And heeding that, my friends, is taking real responsibility, rooted in Love.
Deep stuff! Thank you again and again...