The One & The Many - January 27th- February 10th, 2017 - Astrology for the Aquarius New Moon
Aquarius is a sign for strategy. It is a sign for big picture thinking, logical decisions, and forward-moving theory. Aquarius acknowledges feelings but doesn’t get lost in them, it understands that the motivations of many can be harnessed for momentum, and feelings are fuel for the fire. Aquarius is the sign of innovation, invention, and ideating. It is the one who dares think outside the box, and it is collective movement in response to provocation.
We are now in the beginning of the Aquarian Age. In some ways the idealism and utopias are not so far away. But in order to see them, we first have to see through Aquarius’ other manifestations: the digital, the synthetic, the simulacra, and the group mind. Every time you enter The Internet you enter Aquarius. Every time you share news with one click, ‘like’, post, and mindlessly scan blinking screens you are ingesting Aquarius. Remember that astrology is not a moral language. It makes no promises to manifest the "best" of anything. That's up to us. If we want the Aquarian Utopia we have to recognize the power of our tools.
Digital technologies have completely transformed our landscapes in not very much time. You are now only a click away from the rest of the world. Not yet all of us, but many of us are living in the etheric plane more often than we touch down on Earth. This advancement has been so fast – faster than most of us realize because our memories are short, and attention spans are getting shorter. But just a second ago we had to use pen and paper to send a note. Just a minute ago our eyes didn’t even know what blue light was. Just one breath before this one our connections were personal.
We are living in a time when information overload is real. Suddenly we are confronted with the lives and realities of others whom we will most likely never meet, yet we are asked to care, petition, donate, act, and pay attention. Boundaries and borders are fading and will continue to fade in the new world, though the boundaries and borders of our minds are another story.
This is a time to use your discernment and your discipline. Choose to ingest what will feed your intelligence and happiness. Form habits that remember your body. Remember relationships beyond Facebook and reach out to them. Hold hands, appreciate similarities and differences. Remember your senses. Look up at the sky. In this transition the biggest danger is forgetting what we already know. That is our humanness, our connection to one another and the material which makes us.
At this Aquarius new moon we see the ramifications of propaganda and crowd control. We see a reality TV star who has taken control of the most powerful, and the most heavily armed nation on Earth. We see a populace splintered by in-fighting, confusion, and delusion. This is the darkside of Aquarius. This is detachment from feeling. This is attachment to synthetics. This is unthinking compliance. This is assimilation of difference and homogenization of diversity.
Aquarius’ strength is to bust open the norms: to be different, to be other, to be strange. Aquarius’ brilliance is to understand the strength of feeling as a motivator, yet refuse reactivity. Aquarius’ answers are in efficient systems that function by bringing individuated parts together, by recognizing the unique qualities which in turn create a vibrant whole.
This is a time for our manifesto. This is a time to create our own systems. Stop fighting with those who share your basic values. Use conflict to strengthen your bonds and appreciate your perspectives. Do not succumb to group fear, paranoia, or herd mentality.
Your horoscope affirmations for these next two weeks are calls to action. Consider what activism arises from your innate talent and instinct, and consider how to affirm your individuality as an offering to collective evolution. This is a time to be yourself and to see how you uniquely serve the function of our revolution.
To learn more about the astrology of this new moon and coming two weeks, listen to the podcast.
I offer bi-monthly guided meditations to serve the astrological energy of the new and full moons. Since Aquarius rules the multitude and the many, this week’s meditation focuses on creating inclusivity. Listen here.
"Without shying away from the complicated socio-political histories relevant to the world, Kehinde Wiley’s figurative paintings and sculptures “quote historical sources and position young black men within the field of power.” His heroic paintings evoke a modern style instilling a unique and contemporary manner, awakening complex issues that many would prefer remain mute."
Are you interested in participating in community through shared dialogue, peer support, and a task-based approach to embodying ethics and creativity? Check out Doing Theory, an experimental, online learning community and expanded network of artists, activists, and seekers of a better, more equitable future. This year our topic is Learning To Love More. We are exploring the contemporary ethics of nonviolence through collaborative learning, personal practices and direct actions.
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These horoscopes are written partially as affirmations. Affirmative thinking and speaking are a form of magic that works through magnetism. If your horoscope affirmation resonates with you, print it out and place it somewhere visible for the next two weeks. Repeat it to yourself often and notice how the magic works. I suggest reading horoscopes for both your sun and rising signs. If you’re interested in a more personalized approach to your astrology you can schedule a reading here.
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ARIES
The name of the game right now for all of us is Learning To Appreciate Difference. I nominate you for team captain. Here are the reasons why: 1.) The revolution of our unity will only come with the revolution of empowered individuality. You more than most understand the necessity of owning yourself. You know that to be a strong individual takes courage, compassion and consideration. You know that self-empowerment gives others permission to celebrate themselves too. 2.) You are a master at appreciating the gifts of other-ness. Especially this year, your curiosity for difference is acting as a magnet and beacon for people and places that push the boundaries of familiar. 3.) You know that we are all students and teachers. In regards to #2, you have the ability to see your own possibility in others and to reflect back to them that which you appreciate. You know that we teach one another through our own learning, and that our learning is our becoming.
The only word of caution I want to give you is that within all of this you are, at this time, also extremely psychically sensitive. You are currently honing in on the ability you have to sense beyond what is spoken and feel through the barriers of perceived separateness. This is crucial for all the qualities listed above. But it also leaves a vulnerability and openness in your aura that isn’t always what you want. The antidote to picking up psychic cooties is to practice connecting to whatever God(dess), spirits, or divinity you understand. Whatever gives you a sense of spiritual meaning or faith is key to keeping yourself whole in a world full of many shattered psyches. Knowing the strength of your connection to something greater is knowing that you can sustain the emotional work it takes to be as open as you want to be.
Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “The more freedom I find in myself, the more freedom I support for others.”
TAURUS
This is a moment to appreciate your capacity for building. This is a moment to celebrate your powers of manifestation. This is a moment to appreciate those who support and sustain you, but it’s also a moment to remember that you don’t owe anyone anything. This is a moment to feel good about working hard, to enjoy attending to the details, and to be content with putting one foot in front of the other. This is a moment to give less fucks about what anyone else thinks, and to completely let go of trying to control the future. Focus on the task at hand and see all the progress you have ever made. This is a moment to recognize the power of time and change, and to trust that timing can organize itself.
It may be that a career shift or new interpretation of old work is coming now. You want to have a bigger picture and broader vision. You are not content with the same old strides you used to take. See if you can appreciate the constriction. See if you can allow for the fortification that happens as old elements fall away and weaknesses become strengths. Anything that gets exposed right now is ultimately for your benefit, even if currently it feels raw and crazy.
Remember that the future is, as of yet, unwritten. The fears and hopes of our communities will become tomorrow’s structures. The brilliance you have to offer is the example of continuing to show up with your best foot forward. It may not always feel that way, but the truth is that our best efforts are rarely pretty, and finished products don’t show the work that went into them. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I author my own work. I take credit for my learning. I appreciate my passion. I respect my process.”
GEMINI
This is the time to be an adult in your relationships, which means accepting the hard work for the ones you know are real, and letting go of the ones that keep you bound to obligations which have outgrown their usefulness. This is a time to be honest about what you need and want, and see that your honesty is an act of compassion to the future, even if it feels terrifying in the present.
The very real sensations of destabilization that keep may have kept you tied to structures you are better off letting go of are the sensations that hold your freedom. If they feel overwhelming, turn them into art. If you’re scared of losing connection, reach out without expectation. You are being revolutionized right now, so please don’t resist. The more you hold to the old, the more the world will try and shake you free. You will be happier choosing liberation. Freely moving towards the unknown means that nothing needs to force you to let go.
Regardless of your role or responsibilities, this is a time to appreciate the ways in which you are a perpetual student. Regardless of your competence, it’s a good time to practice beginner’s mind. Regardless of your goals, it’s a perfect moment to welcome change.
Love people with an open heart. Hold your possessions with an open hand. Invite all the information with an open mind. Trust that the priority will present itself, and practice being present with your intuition so that you can hear it when the right opportunities call. You are not supposed to know right now. But you are supposed to find ways to expand in the unknowing. Your creativity is one possibility. Sex and/or explorations of intimacy that break through barriers of your own fear is another. Other options include any possibilities which present you with immediate sensations of difference. Any kind of stark contrast to what is familiar is something to find pleasure in. Enjoy yourself. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I see the pattern in chaos. I am grounded in my own desire. I trust my instincts and have no need for a plan.”
CANCER
To be born in your sign, irrespective of your body or life choices, is to know something about the nature of archetypal, feminine, maternal care. You could call it Goddess, or Source, or you could call it the power of limitless love, compassionate understanding, and faith in the future. She is the power of gentle guidance as well as firm discipline. She is unafraid to protect what She loves and She stands fierce against forces who corrupt or destroy the goodness She nurtures. She knows Her body in all bodies. She knows Her heart in all hearts.
This is a time when your actions and choices can serve Her. Feel Her around and listen to what She is asking for. If you choose: Commit to the daily discipline of resistance. Resist the mass numbing and anesthetizing of people – through sanctioned addictions that fade rightful sadness and anger at the state of disconnection and disharmony between our bodies, each other, and the earth. Choose instead to be sober and awake. Resist corporate powers of distraction by remembering simple connection, and remind the rest of us. Choose to be curious and present. Resist the propaganda of shame and self-hatred by choosing to love your body, to love the bodies of others, and to love love between bodies.
The present power of your leadership is to serve your communities with unapologetic intimacy, the tenderness of your heart, and unwavering generosity. Recognize that empathy, connection, and tenderness are more powerful and more valuable than aggression. Trust in the power of your heart. Trust in the power of your vision. Trust that you know how to care, how to heal, how to be an ally, and how to fight when ferocity is what’s called for. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I can care for others without losing myself. I can feel feelings without being overtaken. I am clear in my priorities. I am clear in my boundaries.”
LEO
This new moon brings a new idea to your partnerships. The part of your chart that’s being activated has to do with relationships of equality. This includes your life partners, business partners, close friends, and “open enemies.” Open enemies is a concept to be aware of currently. The wisdom of this term points to the ways your close relationships, as loving as they might be, can also rile you up and trigger your responses to fight. How you engage with the pokes and prods of relating can either burn you out or make you stronger, and this has everything to do with where your priorities lie.
If your priorities can dwell in your creative vision, generative ideating, and inspired activity you will be fine. If your priorities are to take everything that presents itself in your life and turn it into your art, you will be great. If your priorities are to turn every argument, insecurity, and doubt into a moment for learning and increased self-awareness, this is the point. If your priorities point you towards faith and a greater sense of spiritual satisfaction, then you know you are on the right path.
Do not be confused by the instincts that fighting inspires. This is not about you being separate from anything or taking sides. This is about everything reflecting you to yourself. This is about you resolving conflict through creativity and vision.
This year and the coming years you will grow the most by letting it all touch your heart; by refusing to refuse any other being from your care, while also ferociously resisting assimilation to any kind of group amnesia or delusion. Your spiritual path and sense of purpose has been calling you for the past few years with increasing volume and now you are coming to the realization that it’s not about finding the right form for your prayer, but actually about expanding your prayers to fit every form. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I see the world around me as a reflection of my own energy. There is nothing better or worse than what is in my heart.”
VIRGO
There comes a moment in any process when it’s time to stop considering the options and settle on one decision. This is the time when even if it brings grief, it’s also a relief to let some doors close. You know it because your body feels lighter and your mind feels clearer. It may not be exactly joyful, and in fact it’s usually quite sobering, but the end result is more capacity for joy that is sustainable, mature, and balanced.
Discerning what is or is not worth your attention is what this new moon is about for you. Deciding where you want to invest your vision and hopes means that you need to get real about what looks good on you and stop messing around with the maybes. Remember that in commitment freedom can be found. Also remember that commitment to freedom in your spirit is nothing that can be taken from you, and is only something you give away with consent. The commitments you want are the ones that instinctually feel freeing to your heart and spirit. They may wear the clothes of tedium, but don’t confuse the immediate for the long-term. Only you know what your end game is, and the moves you’re making are steps in that direction, so be honest with yourself about what will ultimately serve you best, and then trust your own honesty.
This year and the coming years will ask you to serve through steadfast commitment to your own process. They will ask you to keep working on all the details and they will deliver the big picture if you can just let it keep flowing. Throughout all of this is the yearning for something from another. It will come and go. Try to not identify with it. Try to let your longing feed your purpose. Get perspective as often as possible and contextualize the sensations that others deliver within the broader picture of your end-game priorities. What you have to give is needed. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I know which distractions serve my purpose and which do not. I easily balance my work with play. I am so steady in my roots that I sway with pleasure.”
LIBRA
The ability to articulate tactfully is rarely innate. Graceful language and effective communication is something to honor, to hold with great respect, and to always keep as a guiding star. No matter how well you earn your accolades, arrogance is never an attractive sound. Neither is confusion, doubt, or insecurity. The balance between humility and confidence is a constant practice. It is dedication to the beginner’s mind, and willingness to absolutely love and cherish all of your creations without ever thinking that any of them are all you have to offer.
How you are learning to articulate now is expanded and diverse. Not just language or images, not just gesture or sensation. It is everything. The patterns that present across relationships – projects, chores, your intimacy, and your learning are all the same. Please don’t get preoccupied with whether or not you are being creative, or creative enough. Don’t worry if what you are doing seems dry in the moment, or you are unsure of your competence. The pressure you are feeling to form structures (words, concepts, conversations) around ideas is exactly what is important to feel right now. Let go of trying so hard and the moment of frustration becomes the moment of creation.
I hope that you’re finding your relationships are pushing you to expand your vocabulary. I hope that they feel just the right amount of uncomfortable and exciting. I hope that they don’t let you slip into complacency or too much predictability, while at the same time I hope they continue to support you to love yourself completely and reach more and more comfort with who you are. The final note to you is to say that right now you can drown in the details but you can also heal in them. If you focus on the spiritual satisfaction of your daily life rather than feelings of fear or loss, you will find comfort through recognizing that no matter what the external stresses are, there is always the option to see divinity. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I trust the integrity of my expression and I allow room for development and growth. I trust that all my relations have my best intent in their hearts.”
SCORPIO
Freeing ourselves from the chains of our conditioning is a lifelong intention. No matter what you come from it is certain that you come from bias. It is a humbling and expansive path to choose to see yourself, and it requires a willingness to suspend certainty far past the limits of comfort. It also requires patience. We don’t come from a culture that values feeling lost or confused, but it would do you good right now to regard all the things you don’t know yet as allies rather than adversaries. This means that you have to look back at your path so far and decide to trust the choices you have made. If you can honor the challenges you’ve faced as sacrament, then you can decide how to devote yourself to your life going forward.
In the next two years, the work you’ve been doing in the subterranean realms will start to come to the surface more steadily. If you can continue to extend yourself graciously into the unknown you’ll find that your hopes give way to results. Trust the signals of awakening in your day-to-day life. Pay attention to the moments you feel free. The more you focus on the feeling of that sensation, the more prevalent it will become and more you will notice that same sensation in your accounts and assets. Another way to say that is, the more you focus on feelings of prosperity and joy, the more you will notice reasons to feel prosperous and joyful.
Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I am free from the limits of narrow-thinking. Where I am in this moment offers everything I have asked for. I am unburdened by the past and now I am unwavering in my commitment to the present. I make the choices that lead my life.”
SAGITTARIUS
Self-definition becomes self-expression. Creativity is the result of productive questioning and leads to clarity. Congratulations! Your efforts to actualize are now manifesting through your heart AND your head. Since fall of 2014 the struggle to self-determine has been pressing. If you have been listening to that call then now you should be experiencing some kind of surge in creativity and greater awareness of what you are here uniquely to do. The sensations may vary and could feel like explosions sometimes. Try to point your determination in the direction of more freedom from your own anxiety.
Don’t worry if many of the more practical materials have yet to arrive. Now that you have the essence that underlies them, the answers will begin to form. Continue to ask for guidance and help so that the work you do and the efforts you make to produce are serving the greatest possible good. It is through trusting the quality of your own intent that you can be sure you’re doing quality work. When self-doubt is nagging treat yourself like a friend – look objectively at the pitfalls and promises and think about your inner advice as the voice of compassionate reason. Remember what you want for those you love and don’t be afraid to want the same for yourself.
The coming week is a good time to honor your ancestors. Make an altar or some kind of service for them. Appreciate what was good, forgive all failings that you can. Refuse to take anyone else’s suffering as your own, but offer your own spiritual growth as celebration for their efforts. Be grateful. You are processing something about house and home right now that needs to discharge some feelings. There may be significant grief. Don’t worry. The more you can release the feelings that aren’t yours, the less you will attract them in as repetition.
Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I tell myself the story of my becoming. I choose which details to focus on. I am a master of balancing moments of comedy and drama.”
CAPRICORN
The question of values is often a conflict between tradition and innovation, past and future, known and unknown. It’s important to know that where you stand is directly related to where you sit… It’s also important to know that you can move. What you come from and what has conditioned you will always be a part of your biography, but it will only be the end of the story if you accept the limits of your past.
Daring to question the future means that you have to let go of certainty. You have to let go of values and ideas of what’s valuable. You have to resist holding on to what you used to think you wanted, or what your family has wanted for you. Daring to question the future means that you put yourself in a position of vulnerability and optimism. It means that you don’t only hope for something different, but that you refuse to accept the same old shit.
Daring to question the future while you also question your values is precious. Don’t let this moment go by without proper acknowledgement. This kind of break in routine is when integration happens – it’s when you understand what you’ve been training for and realize that that you want to play a different game altogether with the same skills. This is a moment to savor and appreciate to your fullest ability. Notice that what used to seem impossible is now possible and probable. Notice when you feel a sense of competency where you used to feel dread. Notice the ways in which you feel confident destabilizing what you used to cling to. Notice how your priorities have shifted from proving something to maintaining pride.
The more you let your mental boundaries dissolve in favor of conceptual freedom, the better. The more you soften the boundaries of your perceptions and allow others to permeate your worldview, the better. Re-articulating yourself and your story will serve you well right now when you remember that the best stories always have plot twists and unexpected surprises. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I define my own values and I trust the value of my own intention.”
AQUARIUS
The lens through which you view the world is becoming more prismatic. As an Aquarian your natural objectivity is getting expanded and refined. Places where you may before have only noticed sameness now have a distinct edge around their difference and an increased magnificence in their essence. Your views expand as rapidly as your vocabulary for them does. In turn, your expectations of others as well as for the future itself shifts from merely multi-dimensional into a radical infinitude of possibility. You can teach us all right now how to celebrate difference rather than fear it. You can teach us all right now to see the larger patterns in the whole of all the moving pieces.
You may have recently been caught up worrying about what other people want, or trapped in the artist’s bind of audience appreciation. Remember that while it’s true that we share wealth amongst ourselves, it’s also true that no one else can generate what you can. The payoff for devoting yourself to what you deem valuable is that you will never wonder if you’ve sold out, or resent those who benefit from your labor. If you have enough right now than see it. Practice faith and contentment. This time of your life offers a spiritual path around finance. Your worries and fears will only magnify themselves, as will your joy. Practice loving money as an energy that can bring people together rather than apart.
As you learn to appreciate your unique insight even more, a future path will materialize. As you gain more confidence in your strangeness you will find liberation. Letting go of worries about what anyone else thinks and appreciating that everyone’s view is slightly different allows you to remember that nothing is personal. Even so, watch for the ways that your personal growth is reflected in the community, and see that nothing is separate. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I manifest my essence. I respect and attend to my true worth.”
PISCES
You currently have more access and insight into the unconscious/hidden worlds than usual. The next two weeks are a good time to practice lucid dreaming. In order to practice this technique start in your waking hours. Whenever you see signs, objects or people that catch your attention ask yourself, “Am I dreaming?” Don’t just say the words, consider the question. Cultivate the curiosity and present-moment awareness that’s required to look more deeply at material forms and see that they’re temporary, therefore their significance is up for interpretation.
Adopting this practice is training for time you spend in the dreamworld. There you’ll find that your waking habits also exist. Even if the context is implausible in this reality, you’ll have built the memory muscle of noticing attention and asking if it’s a dream. To ask inside the dream is to wake up within the experience of dreaming. From there you will begin to gain more agency and choice as to where your dreams take you.
One of many possible reasons this practice could be beneficial for you now has to do with the not-so-dreamy aspects of your work and finances. The ways you bring in wealth are changing and need to change. The ways you have been working are getting pressed into a new form that is still probably a mystery. If you’ve spent a long time doing the same thing(s) it can be hard to see what alternatives are in plain sight. The magic of dreams is that they show you the things you miss while being attentive to “reality.” They show you the possibility of flying and lead you to doors that open with magic keys. Your new moon affirmation-to-action is, “I am given clear signs and guidance from the higher knowing. I easily flow with the direction my life wants to go.”