We have come to this Sunday’s final new moon of the astrological year. It will be exact at 1:00 AM in California, 03:00 hours in Mexico City, or 10:00 hours in Santander. This is a seed full of symbolism for the entire lunation cycle, which I will do my best to unpack, with enough potentialities to work on our remaining issues before the spring equinox.
For the second lunation in a row we have all planets moving in the direct (counterclockwise) direction. Thus, their energies are being manifested in reality, which could feel like a cacophony of experiences. And that will continue through March, given that Mercury will be the first planet to go retrograde on April 2nd, followed by Pluto on April 29th.
Note how all the planets (energies) are concentrated in a 110⁰ area, with most of them (seven) in either Aquarius or Pisces, in other words, ruled by either Uranus or Neptune, planets focused on elevating our collective level of consciousness. They will enhance the transcendental nature of Pisces, which will serve as background for the upcoming lunation.
Sextile Mercury–Pluto
Starting with the “highest” planet in the chart, that is, the one closest to the winter solstice, we find Pluto at Aquarius 1°27′ forming a sextile (60°) with Mercury at Aries 0°24′. The sextile unites the planets’ energies seeking production. It’s a very powerful aspect obtained from dividing the circle by six, it combines the separating principle of the number two with the fullness of three. Unlike the trine, which requires to be ignited somehow, the sextile is an energetic aspect. This is why the planet with two sextiles in a Minor Grand Trine is in the driver’s seat.
But I digress, Mercury is also in an out-of-sign conjunction with Neptune that was exact this morning at Pisces 27⁰01’—I write this on March 8th. This is a writers aspect, anything requiring mental inspiration will be benefited from this conjunction. At the time of the new moon, Mercury is energized by Pluto while standing on the first degree of the zodiac. I see this as a month of communication at a higher level, remember the Sabian symbol for Aries 1⁰, a woman emerging from the sea with a seal wrapped around her: new consciousness emerging from the old paradigms, with the weight of the past trying to return her. The seed has this type of poetic communication in potentiality.
Square Mars–Uranus
At Aquarius 20⁰11′, Mars is the next planet from Pluto and its most salient aspect is the square it forms with Uranus at Taurus 19⁰53′, just a few hours after it will be exact tomorrow, March 9th, at 16:55 hours in Mexico City. The 90⁰ degree square is the aspect obtained when dividing the circle by four, which is the number of making something concrete, thus the emphasis on using the planet’s energies for construction.
However, the angle represents a moment of crisis in their relationship, a highly energetic moment demanding attention. And this is between two Yang planets with energies that may turn violent in a flash. In a square, the signs share their energy modality, in this case both Aquarius and Taurus are fixed signs that concentrate and liberate power, but one works with equinoctial power and the other with solstitial. Misunderstandings are quite common in all squares but those between fixed signs have a good dose of stubbornness. I hope we have a quiet weekend.
At a personal level, we may channel these energies to do something concrete perhaps related to new ideas or technology for our possessions, our food, our garden, all Taurus’ symbols. These are ideas to keep in mind when doing the intention for this new moon.
Venus Peregrine
The energy of a planet is available all through its orbit but it is focused where the actual celestial body is at a particular time, symbolized by the spiritual blend of the sign and especially the degree with which it forms a conjunction. Such energy is available to form relationships (aspects) with other planets. When a planet doesn’t have an “important” relationship, symbolized by the conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition aspects, then it is said to be peregrine. The focused energy is made available to the planet’s entire orbit and serve as background.
This is the case with Venus at Aquarius 28°06′ who only has a semi-sextile (30°) with Neptune, considered a “minor” aspect. The Sabian symbol for Aquarius 29° is a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, symbolizing the new consciousness we can attain by simply making structural changes to our everyday living, and the types of relationships we enter. Its keyword is metamorphosis. And this is energy available in all areas of our life this upcoming lunation. What an opportunity to end the year on a positive note!
José Millán ventured that perhaps the recent Venus–Mars–Pluto triple conjunction made us question for whom we really feel love. Venus in Aquarius will always question the relationships, they must have if not newness at least freshness to survive; this degree just makes it more poignant.
Conjunction Chiron–North Node
Before coming back later to the four planets in Pisces that make this lunation very special, I will skip to two important conjunctions: one between Chiron and the North Node in Aries, and the other between Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus.
The Nodal axis was called the dragon in antiquity, where the North Node (Aries 15°44′) referred to its mouth and the South Node to its tail. When a planet is conjunct to the North Node, it is the “dish of the day” regarding life experiences we must assimilate for our evolutionary growth. At Aries 17°43′, Chiron is such a dish these days and we have talked about how Chiron symbolizes a deep wound in our psyche, initially unconscious and provoking deep hurt and insecurities but offering an opportunity for healing and growth.
The conjunction will continue to bring experiences so we can to see and feel the collective hurt, hopefully heal it, and begin to transcend it. Since it happens in Aries, all such experiences will likely be related to the right of existence, of being exactly who we are.
Conjunction Jupiter–Uranus
Meanwhile, the 14-year cycle Jupiter–Uranus is finally coming to an end. At Taurus 12°59′, Jupiter has finally caught up with Uranus and forms a loose (7°) conjunction with it. The conjunction won’t be exact until April 20th but its effects will be felt between now and the end of May. I spoke about this conjunction in the preview for 2024 and I will be updating its significance in future articles.
The cycle is one of societal innovation. Jupiter enhances every planet (or angle) with which it comes in contact, so all the archetypes belonging to Uranus will be amplified. Its main purpose is to point the way toward the center of the galaxy and away from the sun which symbolizes our center of consciousness (the Ego). The first thing Uranus shows us is the futility of the ego structures, what Jung called the ego complex, built by Saturn in our mind.
Nearing the end of the cycle, it is a good time to gain awareness of how we worked with old structures living within ourselves since late 2010, when they had their last conjunction. Time to reflect on what feels crystalized in ourselves, so we can begin a new cycle in April.
Midpoint of Saturn and Neptune
The archetypes of two astrological elements act in unison when they are within a certain tolerance, called the orb, of an exact (0°) conjunction. Such harmonious cooperation doesn’t just “go away” when the distance between them exceeds the orb, instead it stays present at their midpoint. Like its name indicates, a midpoint is equidistant between two zodiacal longitudes. Take, for example, Venus at Aries 1° and Mars at Gemini 1°, their closest midpoint would be found by taking the average of the two, which is Taurus 1°. Its opposite point, Scorpio 1°, is also a midpoint, but let’s keep things less confusing for now and only consider the point that is midway between the two planets measured over their shortest arc.
When midpoints are energized “somehow”, they present characteristics similar to a conjunction. In the chart, we find Saturn at Pisces 11°03′ and Neptune at Pisces 27°05′, so their closest midpoint is at Pisces 19°04′ (just add the coordinates and divide by two), which is just 1°13′ from the Sun–Moon conjunction at Pisces 20°17′, which energizes in a big way. When working with midpoints, use a tight orb of 1°30’–2°00′ maximum.
Planets represent focused energy, and Saturn is structuring, concreting energy, even in Pisces, the sign that diffuses all energy. Neptune’s energy is about relating at a higher octave than Venus, one based on compassion and universal love, sharing a common consciousness. Their 36-year cycle gives structure to our highest dreams (or nightmares), making them somehow “concrete”. The next cycle won’t properly start until the actual conjunction, on February 20, 2026—at Aries 0°45′! However, they will remain within orb for practically all of 2025, even moving retrograde and changing signs.
Due to the conjunction of Sun and Moon with their midpoint, this lunation will serve as preview for the upcoming cycle. Perhaps you can get an idea of what to expect by looking back to the last time they were conjunct, which was November 13th, 1989. That period may bring to mind events or changes in your life related to making your personal dreams come true. In my case, that day was my 34th birthday which began a year when I divorced from an abusive wife, moved across country, gained custody of my sons, and began to work on making the Internet dream, and many of my own, come true.
On the world scene, the (in)famous Berlin Wall came down four days earlier, on November 9th, enabling the next cycle to begin structuring and making concrete the dreams of a democratic world. A few months later, the Soviet Union collapsed. All of this with Pluto transiting through its sign, Scorpio, and just past its September 5th perihelion, when it was closest to the sun and well within the orbit of Neptune. Alas, in typical Plutonian fashion, the cycle destroyed the old order but hasn’t been the success we naïvely expected. It is time to extract as much wisdom as we can and try again, this time with the new consciousness (Aries 1°) of universal love and compassion to end the Age of Pisces.
New Moon Conjunction
As mentioned earlier, the new-moon conjunction of Sun and Moon falls at Pisces 20°17′. Pisces is a complex sign in its apparent simplicity. Being at the end of the zodiac, it represents the entire cycle, the past. More accurately, it represents our attitude toward the past, do we long for the good-old days, or do we learn from them and look forward to the future?
All endings have the humus of the glorious past and the seed of the uncertain tomorrow, Pisces must use the humus to feed the seed that will germinate in Aries. Every year, the Pisces new moon heralds a lunation with a new opportunity to let go of all the old. We must open our minds to the new, by accepting the new consciousness available nowadays. Catch yourself realizing that you feel true compassion, not pity, for another human being, or an animal. But the new can only enter after the old is only in the memories and in the lessons of the past. To let go, to expect the new, that is the message of this lunation. The next new moon is the much anticipated one that will come with a total eclipse. The new will come with a bang, not a whimper, now is the time to let go of the old.
With so much energy from Neptune, this is likely to be a lunation full of premonitions, intuition, meaningful dreams. Mercury may help you keep track of what you sense by keeping a journal. Being at the midpoint of Saturn and Neptune, the Sun–Moon seed has energies that will allow us to dissolve old structures but also give form to new dreams so as to make them concrete.
Sabian Symbol
The symbol for Pisces 21° has the peculiar image: “Under the watchful and kind eye of a Chinese servant, a girl fondles a little white lamb”, expanded as a growth in consciousness in its earliest tactile awareness of the wonders of unsophisticated living. Its key phrase is: White Hope.
There are multiple symbols embedded in the image. Rudhyar begins by pointing out that, according to the occult tradition, the Chinese race is an extension of the humanity (or “Root Race”) preceding ours, which explains the stress upon the biological factors of family and ancestry. The Chinese servant is thus the past at the service of a new evolution, the girl. This is most fitting when viewed in the context of what we saw in the preceding section. Presumably, the white lamb is Aries, the sign of all beginnings at the spring equinox. The new evolution is thus starting during the latest phases (degrees) of Pisces. At this moment it is just an ideal, a “white loveliness”, writes Rudhyar, that the girl senses from the wool’s softness and animal warmth.
Wrapping Up…
There is not much else to say, or that we haven’t said countless times, regarding the chaos around us, so I will spare you the obvious. Our energy is best spent co-creating within our community a world based on the new consciousness’ values.
Electromagnetically, we are being bombarded by solar radiation like nobody’s business, emissions that are reflecting in the Earth’s core and intensifying the ley lines that crisscross the world as energy channels. According to Rory Duff, a geologist who has done a lot of research and wrote a book on the subject, they are not only intensifying but widening and vibrating at different frequencies. He predicts that by this year’s winter solstice, they will be so wide as to practically touch everywhere, resembling more an all-around energy “fog” than in channels. By then, he says, the various vibrations will likely have harmonized.
Try to meditate on your intention for the new moon no later than tomorrow night. I have put forward the major potentialities for this lunation but feel free to add your own ideas. Remember the Gift of the Spirit for Pisces and have courage to let go of attachments that only keep you living in the past, with mental structures based on old and obsolete paradigms. No sign can have more courage than Pisces who remains strong amid all around destruction.
Always Love. 🌹🙏💖
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