New Moon in Aries - March 24, 2020

Earlier this morning on Tuesday, March 24th (2:28am PDT and 5:28 am EDT) the Moon began a new cycle in the fiery and passionate sign of Aries. The sign that thirsts for life, is full of energy, and is here to become a warrior. Her greatest strength is her determination. She’s tenacious, she’s bold, she’s daring, and when she’s told “no,” she only hears “find another way.” Some might say she has a flair for finding crisis or maybe we could say that it naturally finds her. Either way, there’s a good chance that if you stumble across her path while she’s caught in her shadow, you might feel the need to defend yourself. Does that sound a bit intense? Well, newsflash: she is. 

So what does this mean for this New Moon?

This New Moon occurs in the mix of what some might call the most intense planetary configurations that we’ve encountered in quite some time. I have no doubt that you feel this and I’m sure we’d all agree that it’s playing out across the world’s stage in front of our eyes. The two big hitters, Saturn, the planet associated with authority, limitations, restrictions, and lessons and Pluto, the planet associated with death and rebirth, transformation, and regeneration first aligned back in January. On March 21st Saturn entered into Aquarius, the sign that is associated with breakthroughs, dismantling, individuation, freedom, outside of the box thinking, humanity, and also isolation, disassociation and the exile. Saturn will stay in Aquarius giving us a preview of what’s to come until it returns back to Capricorn on July 1st for several months and then it will move back into Aquarius on December 21st where it will stay for the next 2 + years. Also keep in mind that Pluto will stay closely linked to Saturn until the end of 2021. 

So what about the Aries energy? In the northern hemisphere, when we speak of the Sun moving into Aries, we talk about spring and all the things related to this season: new life, flowers blooming, all things bright and colorful, sunshine and warmth, an awakening of what’s been dormant, a time to be outside, and an overall sense of vitality. But here we are, confined to our homes with many of us in quarantine, hidden from each other out of protection for humankind. It’s certainly the right thing to do and while I’m sure we’d all like to experience the gifts that come with spring, it seems Pluto and Saturn have different plans. They’re asking us to stay in “winter” and hibernate a little longer. Not only that, but Mars is the ruler of Aries and where do we find it? Yep, you guessed it - all cozied up next to Saturn and Pluto. With these three aligned it comes as no surprise that panic and fear are turned up on high. But you know what else can get turned up- our passion to create and regenerate while our world appears to be falling apart. 

This alignment is forcing us to look at how we have outgrown our systems. We are witnessing firsthand the breakdown of what can no longer hold us and yet our systems are familiar and they are what have stabilized us and given order to our world. To outgrow something is painful and uncomfortable. I want to stress that while this shift is necessary, none of this is easy, and before we can jump ahead to the finish line to see the changes that will come, we first have to endure the destruction. I repeat. This is not easy. We must not dismiss the pain and suffering that many of us are facing in very real ways from health to finances and beyond. 

The truth is we’re all being asked to face death so that we might deeply understand what we value most in this life. I know that might sound intense and make many of you want to stick your head in the ground. I get it, I do. But in times like these, the best thing we can do is find different ways to express our emotions without taking people hostage (taking our anger and fear out on another). Talking with a friend helps. Exercise and movement help. Sometimes curling up under a blanket helps too, or sitting your butt on the floor and taking some soothing breaths can also remove some fear, or maybe you need to spend some time watching videos of adorable animals on facebook or youtube to find some relief. I tend to find that creativity is our greatest ally when emotions are running strong. Also keep in mind that it’s easy to feed the panic until it becomes a monster much bigger than the actual problem, so do your best to find balance and try to stay present without spinning into confusion and amplifying the fear. I know, I know, easier said than done. Maybe the best way we can embrace this New Moon in Aries is to think about what we want to create, and then figure out how we can move our creations into the greater community. 

I’d also like to add that Chiron, the comet associated with the wounded healer, is hanging out really closely to this New Moon and it also happens to be making a challenging aspect to the Moon’s nodes. With it in Aries, you might feel more frustrated than usual or you might feel an inability to act or maybe you feel paralyzed with fear. If we can flip the script and try to see our wounds as something to tend to both personally and collectively, we might be able to transform our wound into an act of healing. Aries wants us to find ways to face this heaviness by creating our own path individually and collectively even when everything feels like it’s closing in. Do your best to find your courage, feel what you need to feel, and if you start to feel paralyzed, try to remember that there is a larger purpose that will become more revealed with time. 

Part of the process is to see things as they are and right now we are in an uncomfortable shift that is changing our world as we’ve come to know it. While, I promise there is an end to all this madness, we must not deny ourselves the ability to grieve.

So allow this New Moon in Aries to remind you to find your strength, to inspire you to create something new, to give you the courage to move through grief, to help you believe that you can push through this isolating time, and that you’ll find new ways to offer your gifts to those around you near and far. 

As always, please feel free to reach out for a personalized reading. I’ve also decided that during this time of upheaval, I’m offering 45-60 min readings for $85 to see what is most needed for you at this time. Please reach out to me for more details at joey.paynter@gmail.com or you can view my other offerings on my site at joeypaynter.com

>>>play on<<<

[*Note* The ABOVE contains a personification of the sign Aries. The sign is not gendered and the SHE could just as easily be used as HE.]