Expect to hear a lot about the sign Aquarius in the upcoming year. Why?
On March 23, 2023 (3/23/23 for you numbers people), Pluto will leave Capricorn and dip its toes briefly in Aquarius for the first time since the 18th century. While Pluto doesn’t officially enter Capricorn until January 21, 2024, we will definitely be feeling the shift this year, especially as we get closer to spring. Pluto is a generational force that stays between 15 and 30 years in each sign. Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008, offering (forcing?) the current reckoning of our foundations and ideologies.
So why am I mentioning it now?
Because any significant Aquarium theme reveals a precursor of potential, and this New Moon in Aquarius offers some initial insight. It behooves us to get really familiar with Aquarius- the gifts and the challenges -because we will spend some significant time in its classroom.
Aquarius is represented by the “water bearer,” literally bringing new life to parched throats. Aquarius is an air sign, not a water sign, regardless of the name. Some astrologers upgrade this element to be “the electricity of new ideas .” This is why Aquarius symbolizes science, technology, innovation, authenticity, and rebelliousness. New ideas and innovations are the catalysts to rumble with the stasis of the status quo. Electricity brings the light of genius and radically new thinking.
The last time Pluto was in Aquarius (from 1778-1798), we saw some shades of this. In America, the Revolutionary War was fought. The constitution was ratified. Hawaii was ‘discovered’ by Captain Cook. The Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment, along with the French revolution, occurred. Mary Wollstonecraft’s The Vindication of the Rights of Women was published. You get the idea.
Now revolutions can be liberating and endearing. Some might argue necessary. They can also be horrifically unjust and deadly. Because electricity becomes dangerous when it is ungrounded. Aquarius is dysfunctional when it begins to believe any means justifies a chosen end. Righteousness becomes riotous and violent when it denies the liberty of another. Tribes and groups become deadly when they become toxically dogmatic and self-serving in their beliefs. Ideology becomes dangerous when it stops questioning itself or is woven with selfishness. Truth ceases to be truth without scientific rigor.
This New Moon in Aquarius asks us to look at this force in our lives because we will need to call upon it soon. And we best make sure we have it right. No doubt we have some opportunities to practice as Pluto joins this New Moon from the Capricorn side, offering moments of correction.
So, as we begin the journey into this new energy, let us remember a few Aquarian tips.
Think like a scientist. This means observe and be curious rather than fall into the familiar comfort of traditional ideology. Remember, opinions and assumptions are not the same as facts, even when we really want them to be. Science defines an opinion as a hypothesis that must be proven through a rigorous scientific process and replicated. Aquarius reminds us that rationality and reason are their own forms of intuition. So, dare to disagree with your own arguments and assumptions. Question. Allow new information in. Be responsive, not reactive. Expect new discoveries, innovations, and technologies that challenge what we think we know.
Get technical. Reality is what is in front of us. What is. Which may not be what we want it to be. Look for the reality checks, consequences, and truth bombs in your life. Repeated patterns, forced stops, and fated redirections will be especially important. What could be better? What have you been avoiding? Those are the questions we are being asked to live.
Be uncertain. We tend to stay wedded to our ideologies because it takes effort to challenge them (requiring actual research), it threatens our identity to let go of embedded assumptions (cognitive dissonance is a real thing), and it makes the world unpredictable and more complicated (which can be scary to parts of us). Uncertainty, though, IS reality. Life IS complex. Allowing that fact creates space for the growth, change and evolution required. There is no changing in your comfort zone.
Don’t fall into the ‘do your own research’ trap. You are not meant to know everything about everything. It is impossible. You likely are an expert on two, maybe three things. Social media has confused this point for us by giving expert status to non-experts. Thus, while you can’t be an expert on everything, you can get skilled at discerning who the real experts are. For more on that discernment, check out this Forbes article that describes how to spot a real expert- or not. Because research is not google or YouTube videos. It is too easy to allow confirmation or disability bias, and algorithms do the leading. Actual research is immensely tedious, taking time, study, and systematic experimentation and research via multiple academic sources. Additionally, solid research is the commitment to evolving our beliefs, not affirming them. With the air of new discoveries possible, it will be essential to pick your experts wisely.
Be humble. The word humble has Latin roots, meaning “from the Earth.” Humility is not selling ourselves short but being honest about who we are- flaws and skills. Humility keeps us from letting our confidence silence any questioning. It keeps us rethinking. In the words of blogger Tim Urban, “arrogance is ignorance plus conviction. While humility is a permeable filter that absorbs life experience and converts it into knowledge and wisdom, arrogance is a rubber shield that life experience simply bounces off.”
Have faith. Aquarius reminds us that the current possible was once considered impossible. It reminds us to hold fast to the knowledge that there is more to the story we are living. More chances of redemption. More opportunities to show up better. More innovations are on the horizon. More choice points of opportunity.
Become a love rebel. Aquarius summons the love rebels. The ones that make good trouble by standing for accurate definitions of honor, integrity, freedom, and equality -not selfish ones. This is why Aquarius is so concentrated on technical truth and inspired vision. Because conspiracies don’t just happen on the outside. Our habitual mind is full of unchecked and outdated spells of collusion. In some way, your life is calling you to seek what is beyond those familiar horizons and do the hard inner work so you can be a clear channel when standing up for the highest principles in both our inner and outer worlds.
It fits the Sabian Symbol for this degree is “An unexpected thunderstorm,” reminding us of both the inevitability and humility of change. We certainly can try to control or anticipate our reality but forces bigger and beyond our control are in charge. Next time you feel extra convinced of your authority, try stopping a thunderstorm. Denial, spin, fantasy thinking, and bypassing cannot control the reality of the weather. This is not to frighten us, but to remind us to deal with the real. Because while genius and innovation stem from the challenges of setbacks, we find solutions only when we can accept the reality of the problem itself.
So get ready to get real. Thunder is rumbling in the distance, and clouds are stacking up. Though some revolution is predicted, the nature of it depends solely on our choices and how we decide to channel that force. The goal, of course, is a revolution toward the innovation of collective connection rather than distance, a revolution that brings us closer together rather than more polarized.
If the last few years have taught us anything, and I hope they have, it is that we need to weather the storms together. Gone are the days of selfish idealism. They are impossibly unsustainable. The good news is when we join forces for the common good amazing things can occur. The challenge is, of course, as a people, nation, or world, it’s a radically new way of thinking. Because Aquarius reminds us that our individuality is meant to add value to the whole, and our freedom an extension of the rightness of all.
“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”
~Albert Camus
~This New Moon occurs at 1° Aquarius
~Want to know what this time is revealing for you? Contact me, for more information.
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