New Moon Solar Eclipse of Compassionate Activism

Sunday’s New Moon Solar Eclipse in Pisces will bring with it another surge of energetic intensity, especially because it follows the Lunar Eclipse in Leo from 16 days prior, which stirred and activated the collective ethers in profound and palpable ways. Eclipses have a tendency to amplify and unearth shadow material, and this Eclipse Season is no exception, as we move to release that which no longer serves us, and to fortify that which is in alignment. The New Moon is always a good time to choose new seeds of intention and get clear on what is wanting to be born from us in the new lunar cycle, and this is doubly so when it is also an eclipse, as the heightened energy sets the stage for the next six months or so. There is a cascade of Piscean Neptune energy in this New Moon configuration, asking us to expand ourselves beyond the boundaries of the personal, and tune into the vast ocean of Universal Love that carries us all. Pisces asks us to have greater compassion for ourselves and others in the wide scope of our human experiences. It also asks us to loosen our grasp on having a sense of egocentric control, and surrender gently into the unknown, the Great Mystery. It is important to note that surrender, in this context, is not a passive experience, nor is it giving up and waving the white flag in humiliation. This is a Spiritual Surrender, which requires tremendous strength and conviction to consciously, actively lay down our agendas, attachments, and sense of control to give ourselves over to the wisdom of the divine.

The active nature of this configuration is indicated by a heavy hitting stellium (series of planets) in Aries. Uranus and Eris are in conjunction, and have been for some time, and now are joined by the ruling planet of Aries, Mars. This combination of energies is quite intense, so that we might want to be extra cautious, guarding against accidents. In a more positive or conscious manifestation, this could look like more of the revolution and collective activism we have been seeing in so many ways: folks filling town halls, going live on Facebook, even marching in the streets, to stand up and speak out about their most cherished value, ethics, and beliefs. These energies could also support us in stepping away from feeling victimized by circumstance or other people, and stepping UP to take personal responsibility for our own piece of the puzzle, transmuting outrage into personal empowerment, and taking action in ways that support our particular vision for the evolution of humanity. In a more painful or unconscious manifestation, these energies could spell chaos, untoward events, extreme reactivity, poorly conducted anger, or burn out.

Tuning into the other major piece of this potent configuration, namely Jupiter in Libra in very close opposition to the stellium in Aries, can be helpful in balancing and finding resource. We now have many opportunities and ample energetic support in consciously choosing how we perceive and experience our lives. Jupiter acts to expand views and presents more alternatives and a sense of higher learning in order for new stories to emerge, while Libra also has the gift of seeing many angles on any given situation. We are being asked to expand and re-configure the ways that we connect and are in relationship to others. This may be priming us for the upcoming Venus retrograde, which also activates the Aries - Pisces cusp. Her retrograde journey begins on March 4th, and mythologically represents a feminine rite of passage through the underworld, encountering death, only to to emerge again reborn. Some of the main themes in the month to come include inward reflection, re-evaluating realms of relationships, self-love/worth, and the material realm.

The Sabian Symbol for this powerful New Moon eclipse is, as usual, instructive. This is, for the Sun and Moon in the ninth degree of Pisces, “A jockey,” which reminds us that we must ride the energies of life to where they take us, combining intention with animal spirit and the wisdom of the body. Marc Edmund Jones references “eagerness for life,” and “the struggles and competitions of everyday experience.” There are, he insists, “harsh penalties for any failure to drive the capabilities of the self to the limit.” In any situation in which we find ourselves, it is true that, when we fully rise to the occasion, we succeed in at least being possessed of the satisfaction that we have given it our best shot. And in the end that is all that we can ever really ask of ourselves.