New Moon in Aries
New moon in aries 01.04.22 - 7.24 am
New Moon in Aries, Friday April 1st at 7.24 am (BST)
A new moon always marks the start of the lunar cycle, and is a time of new beginnings. Traditionally, it is a time to plant literal and metaphorical seeds. A fertile period for manifestation and for setting intentions; a time to dream into existence the life we want. A new moon in Aries, however, takes this inception energy and supercharges it to the max. Aries, as the boldest first sign (the beginning) of the zodiac, is all about this energy of initiation and creativity. Its energy is primal; a Big Bang energy. The Big Bang theory states that the universe came into being from a single, unimaginably hot (Aries is fire), dense point – that is, a singularity – more than 13 billion years ago. This is the original initiation. And it didn't occur in an already existing space because it initiated the expansion – and cooling – of space itself. THIS is Aries energy.
Aries is “I am". To fully understand the notion of being, Aries energy invites us to ask “who am I?” and “what do I truly want?” This energy is naturally anti-authoritarian – Aries displays fierce independence for the societal construct of how things are done – so allows us to look beyond the curated, performative versions of ourselves that we often present to the world. Who we think we should be. This new moon in Aries is inviting us to connect to the parts of ourselves that we may feel embarrassed or shame about. To acknowledge and embrace them.
A way into thinking about these hidden parts of ourselves is to think about the concept of “guilty pleasure”; something that gives us pleasure but, because of the way we think other people perceive it, becomes something that we outwardly denigrate, feel embarrassed – and even shame – about. Essentially, we know we’re not ‘supposed’ to like it and that liking it says something ultimately negative about us. So, take the “guilty” out of “pleasure”. What does it look like when we do that for ourselves? When we deregulate self-censorship. When we open up about our mistakes, desires, fears and secrets?
The astrologer Sarah Vrba puts it like this: “What would happen if we allowed ourselves to embrace the aspects of ourselves that we feel are the most deeply flawed, or are the things that are holding us back, or the things that we must hide from everybody around us?”
A study from 2016 looked at the theory that shame evolved as a defence against being devalued by others. “By hypothesis, shame is a neurocomputational program”; one that has evolved to protect us and our standing within a system. Aries energy is not concerned with societal systems, though. It doesn’t care about them. It doesn’t recognise them. Aries energy is about being and a purity of being but also about becoming (think Big Bang theory again). It is about passion. And it has a lot to teach us about the healing power of embarrassment and the transmutation of shame.
What if these feelings are really showing us where we can grow, rather than self-censor? What if these big feelings are an indicator of what really matters to us most? This is why this new moon is such a powerful moment to get extremely honest about what the unabridged version of ourselves looks like. Of who we actually are. This new moon is also conjunct Chiron: the wounded healer. In astrology, Chiron represents our core, and most painful, wounds. It also represents our ability to heal ourselves; to turn our pain into growth.
These deep wounds often correspond to the things we feel embarrassment or shame about and can be traced back to childhood. This could be some kind of trauma or rejection; something that we have learnt to conceal. Recognising these wounds – naming them – is a profoundly healing act in itself. This new moon is all about facing ourselves in radical honesty. About realising that our pain and shame can be bridges to extremely powerful healing.
In all this, let’s not forget that this new moon is also conjunct Mercury. Mercurial energy is supremely energising, playful and quick. Mercury is about communication and connection. Although there is a lot of self in this new moon, this conjunction supports interaction with others; it supports taking pleasure in cerebral encounters and creative expression.
So, on this new moon, connect to the primal force of creation. What does a life free from any shackles of ‘supposed to’ look like? You could sit quietly and visualise this, journal it or walk in nature and imagine what it looks and feels like. And if you feel drawn to, you may want to connect, communicate and nurture those parts of yourself that are hidden; you may want to bring them out into the light. It doesn’t have to be heavy. It can be fun to share your quirks and bask in the closeness of connection that stepping into the light can bring.