by Lady Deane
February 8th, New Moon in Aquarius
19 Degrees Aquarius: “A Forest Fire Finally Quenched.”
Is it wrong, do you think, that the first image that came to my mind while pondering this particular degree was a Calendar of Male Fire Fighters? Ladies? Who’s with me? OK, fine, then. I’ll just go back to talking astrology (party poopers).
Sounds like a Rain Dance to me. Well, we’ve all heard the expression “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” and now this may be true on many levels. In addition to increased sexual attraction (and/or plain old tension) between people, there is also the element of fanning a spark into a flame. Igniting your passions and desires for what you do in life, and reviving goals you may have previously thought long dead are favored at this time. You may be “all fired up” with excitement for a specific idea. And you may surprise yourself by making quick work of a project that you initially thought would take much longer to finish.
An image of burning the fields comes to my mind now also, as in clearing out last year’s crop to make way for this year’s. Our goals may benefit from a new vision and a clean slate. Fire consumes much in its wake, but on the plus side it renews the soil and it does leave a blank canvass for us to fill. There is also great hope in the notion that the fire has been “quenched” or put out. So, after much struggle you may end up feeling victorious that your efforts to “put out fires,” either at work or in your personal life, were successful. On the negative side, some of you may feel just plain exhausted or “burnt out” now after a prolonged battle against the flames. If your health has been failing, that is one sure sign to rest up and renew your energy. Or ask yourself if exhaustion has left you vulnerable to opportunistic illnesses.
Of course, it’s always possible to have a literal expression for these degrees as well. We may hear of actual fires occurring this month in many different forms. Fire prevention efforts and fire safety education may be prominent in the news or important to your local community in some way.
February’s new moon has the additional complication of the conjunction between Venus and Pluto in Capricorn; which occurred just a few days prior to the new moon, but is still within orb now. This turns an interesting Rain Dance into a smoldering Tango. And it will have people thinking deeply about the very nature of love, bringing with it elements of walking through fire. This is symbolized in mythology by Innana’s (Venus) journey to see her sister (the Queen of Hades) and her descent into the underworld (Pluto), where her “shadow” side or false self had to die before she could be reborn anew. What parts of yourself do you need to release now? And just who would you walk through fire for? Many of us are going through the process now of purifying the very notion of what we perceive love to be. Very deep stuff. Pluto burns away all that is not love from Venus and leaves only the truth. The result is a pure and powerful love—perhaps even a higher expression of love than we have known before—both personal and universal.
And, finally, this new moon is extra special because it is also the start of the Chinese New Year. The Chinese celebrate their new year on the 2nd new moon after the Winter Solstice—which this year happens to fall on February 8th. And each new year is ruled by an animal totem from the Chinese Zodiac. The year 2016 is ruled by the Red Fire Monkey, which brings a lot of excitement and high energy into our lives. Red Fire Monkey years are ones that call us to action. In February we begin to pick up the pace and get very busy. They say that during the Year of the Monkey we get a lot done. And while the Monkey is well known for being energetic, he is also a clever fellow—witty, sociable and even a trickster at times. As with the agile, fast-moving monkey, many of us will be honing our multi-tasking skills as we accomplish more and more of our goals.
Whatever the month brings you, remember to keep on dancing. See you next month!
A WORD ABOUT THE ENERGY OF NEW MOONS:
A new moon occurs when the Sun and Moon form a conjunction in the sky, and come together in the same sign of the zodiac. This occurs approximately once per month (about every 28-29 days).
This is a time of new beginnings, and represents a special opportunity each month to begin again and get a fresh perspective on things. The power of the new moon is purely instinctual and people tend to go with their intuition. At the dark of the new moon there is little light yet for illumination, so people must use senses other than their sight. Yet this special time holds all possibilities within it, so we have the ability once a month to set a new course for ourselves. For 2 weeks afterwards the moon will be slowly waxing or increasing in light. Then, at the full moon, the light is once again bright and things become fully illuminated. But before we can “see” with our eyes, we have to activate our “sight” in hopes and dreams. Set your intentions at the new moon and then chart your progress at the full moon.
The sign and the degree of each New Moon represents the theme for that 28 day period and signals a time of “resetting” our collective emotional clock. Although, these themes also play out individually in our personal lives. If you know your own natal chart, you can make each month’s reading even more personal by seeing where the new moon impacts your individual horoscope. And if you don’t know your chart, guess who would be just delighted to help you with that? Call me, we’ll talk.