A Pisces New Moon of Grace in Action

The Pisces New Moon of Saturday, March 13th, taking place at 23 + degrees of the sign, is aligned once more with both Eris in Aries and with Pluto in Capricorn, indicating that the cosmic agenda has not in any way let up, of ongoing structural transformation. This refers to the society at large, and to all of us as individuals within that matrix. Neptune also plays an important part of this New Moon, which takes place a mere 2 ½ degrees away from his overwhelming luminosity, in the same sign of Pisces, which he additionally rules. While Neptune is not often entirely recognized as a change agent, he is so, and we therefore remain in the midst of continued transformation, not only as reflected by the strong Pluto position, but also in that of Neptune, thus a double whammy of metamorphosis.

We must also recognize the dissimilarity in the actions of these two distinctly different powerhouse planets, because Neptune is the numinous significator of a far softer and more spiritually inclined transformation, one perhaps best described as grace in action. With Venus right there as well, within one degree of a perfect conjunction with Neptune, there are implications for our relationships. These might be subject to a spiritual renewal, or idealization, or perhaps over-idealization, even Neptunian confusion, as the thirty days of this lunation cycle winds down. It is of course also important to remember that the universe is on our side, always, its beneficence running through everything that we say and do, in spite of all seeming evidence to the contrary.

In addition to the presence of Pluto and Neptune in this New Moon, the effects of which will last for us well beyond this current month, through the entire upcoming thirty-day period of the lunar month, we have also to consider other factors. For one, there is the powerful symbolism of Saturn and Uranus, in close square in this configuration, their alignment still separated from exact by less than 2 degrees. This indicates the progressive forces that exist within us all, and as evidenced by recent events within the zeitgeist, especially noticeable in this country of the U.S. as the pendulum shifts back leftwards from its recent far right extreme. Also in our individual lives, we are feeling the urge to go beyond previous limitations, and are subject to the pushback that comes along with that. This is the fear of going too far, too fast, and it can be a legitimate sense of justified caution, and sometimes unreasonable distress at leaving the safety of some well-worn rut that we are comfortable in, that might however actually be ripe for readjustment.

And also, what of the effects of the Pluto- Eris square, augmented by the forming opposition of Eris and the new Nature planet, Haumea? This opposition is still a bit wide, but it is important to note that the midpoint of Eris and Haumea entirely coincides with the Pluto placement, being in partile conjunction within less than 1/6 of a degree, as Pluto also slows down, leading toward his upcoming April retrograde station. Powerful Eris lets us know that we have to dig deep, to our most fundamental values, and to our most authentic sense of self, acting upon these principles to the exclusion of all else. This is if we want to embrace our true life mission, that which we came into this incarnation to fulfil. And – really – who does not want to embrace the implicit joy of living out our best and highest intentions for ourselves, moving forward? As master esoteric astrologer Alan Oken reminds us, it is “the only game in town,” or at least the only one worth playing.

Finally, in these current astrological skies, there is Chiron- Makemake, in partile opposition, at 7 + degrees of Aries and Libra, bolstered by the recent Full Moon of late February, and also by the one at the end of the March month, taking place on the 28th. Uranus also contributes, from very near the 7-degree mark of Taurus, making a quincunx to Makemake. With Chiron involved, as the Wounded Healer archetype of inner wounding, and of healing from it, this opposition is in large part about the current climate change crisis, and the recognition that it might be later than we think to begin the recovery operation that needs to happen, if we are to survive. This ultimately, and painfully, involves ending the fossil fuel dominance over energy production, world-wide.

We recall that Makemake, new member of the KBO planets beyond Pluto, officially named as such by the IAU in 2006, has to do with “profound connection to Nature,” just as Haumea does, and with a decidedly activist slant. Along with specifically Earth issues, this seems to apply as well to our lives in general and for our societal mandate to defend the weakest among us. It is indeed the time of doing rather than just talking about it, as politicians and environmentalists alike confirm. In addition to the recent U.S. congressional action to relieve poverty, and the economic disaster that has been wrought by the pandemic, we saw, in recent weeks, the biggest push for executive action to fight climate change that there ever has been. We are likely to see more of that in coming days, perhaps especially so with the current appointment on the part of the Biden administration, of a new and progressively proactive chief of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon degree might add another significant perspective. It is, for the 24th degree (23 +) of Pisces the fascinating emblem of “An inhabited island,” which in the context of the currently burgeoning environmental movement may remind us of the fragility of this “island Earth” that we jointly inhabit. Marc Edmund Jones, who caused these symbols to be created nearly one hundred years ago, long before the current crisis was known, references, “the self-adequacy of experience … and of (one’s) gift for the organization of one’s own private world,” as well as “complete independence (in order to) develop adequate resources … capitalizing on (our) potentials.” Indeed, this symbol is very relevant to our current situation in which we must both participate in the social sphere around us, and also strive to identify our own unique contribution – plus independently and courageously proceeding to act upon it. Jones was himself possessed of strong Eris, as his commentary frequently reveals. May we exploit our hidden talents, and may we thoroughly proceed with each of our individual initiatives, as though these have global societal significance, and with a fervor so great that it might seem as though our very collective lives depend upon our actions; as indeed they do.