Cathy Pagano The Cosmic Story Newsletters
Aquarius New Moon 2011
February 2 & 3, 2011
Candlemas/ Imbolc
"So light a candle to symbolize the light
you want to bring into the world this year,
listen inside for the Silence
where all things are birthed,
and let Spirit bring you a vision
of what archetypal energy
you are ready to embody this year."
Saleena: Consider taking a journey to the Regulus Sun-Star Portal
to meet with and receive your
piece of "light" from the Golden Star Beings.
"This week we celebrate not only the
New Moon in Aquarius on February 3rd,
but also Chinese New Year on
February 4th – the Year of the Rabbit."
People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious, virtuous, reserved, and refined. It’s easy to admire and trust Rabbit people. And to top it off, they are often financially lucky. So even if you’re not a Rabbit, this year try to emulate them and allow their refined talent and great luck into your life.
We’ve also arrived at another turn of the Wheel of the Year, the midway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. The Celts called it Imbolc, the Christians Candlemas, and the Irish celebrate it as St. Brighid’s Day.
This holy day is a fire festival, and a celebration of the lengthening days and the earliest signs of spring. Celebrations center around hearth fires, special foods, divination, and storytelling. Imbolc is also traditionally a time of weather prognostication and the old Irish tradition of watching to see if serpents came from their winter dens is a precursor to our modern Groundhog Day.
Fire and purification are attributes of St. Brigit, who was the Gaelic goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.
So light a candle to symbolize the light
you want to bring into the world this year,
listen inside for the Silence
where all things are birthed,
and let Spirit bring you a vision
of what archetypal energy
you are ready to embody this year.
Just as we look for the returning light,
we also look for inspiration and vision
for this turn of our life’s journey.
Each year at this time, we can
dedicate ourselves to a larger vision,
for we are here not only to serve ourselves,
but also to serve Life.
Since Imbolc is sacred to poets,
it is a good time to
invoke the Muses
and clear and bless
our own ‘inner’ springs of creativity
so we can open to the
voice of the Creative Imagination.
(St. Brighid’s Day is especially sacred
to Bards/storytellers.
Tune into my new BlogTalk Radio show “The Bard’s Grove” starting Friday night February 5th, where my co-host Rick and I will tell ancient archetypal stories to spark the Imagination and inspire you throughout the year.)
Once again, the Cosmic Story is aligning
with the Wheel of the Year,
with this Aquarius New Moon
occurring on Imbolc,
just as the full Moon lunar eclipse
occurred on Winter Solstice.
Imbolc, as a cross-quarter holiday, occurs at or near the 15* of the fixed sign Aquarius. The 15th degree of any power sign (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) is a power gate – the fixed nature of the signs concentrate the energy into the 15th degree, opening a vortex for manifestation. This new Moon stands one degree away, energizing the gateway even more than usual.
The New Moon
The New Moon occurs at 14* Aquarius on Wednesday February 2, 2011 at 9:31pm EST/6:31pm PST and Thursday February 3rd at 2:31am GMT.
The Sabian Symbol for both the Sun and Moon at 14* Aquarius is: A train entering a tunnel.
“[Humanity] must be inspired by a vision of what is possible for [them] to achieve; [they have] to organize a schedule of necessary activities if the work is to be done in terms of successive moves, each requiring a specialized type of skill and strength; [they have] to find a propitious time for beginning the work. The end result is an acceleration of the evolutionary process, whether at the psychobiological level or at the social level.” The keyword is PENETRATION – the ability to short-cut the process of natural evolution by the exercise of will, mental skill and physical self-discipline. (Dane Rudhyar: An Astrological Mandala)
This symbol is a call for
greater discipline and focus,
because we do have to
short-cut the process of transformation now,
for the issues that face the world
concerning the environment,
the fair distribution of wealth
and the right of every person to
life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness
must be address
in the very near future.
The youth of the Middle East,
the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the jobless
– the voiceless ones –
are beginning to find their voice
and will prevail over the
old power structures
whose foundations are rotten.
We have the power and the resources
to do this fairly and peacefully,
but we have to have the political will.
Otherwise, it can break down into violence.
But first, before we begin the
process of real social transformation,
each of us has to step into the future
and begin to live it now.
We can only change people’s ideas
about life by our example.
So first look within to
change your own behaviors,
desires and vision.
Aquarius is concerned with the collective consciousness and where we are headed – the future. It is a fixed air sign, drawing our focus to ideals and the Divine Mind, helping us think outside the box for new possibilities.
The Water Bearer is pouring out the waters of the Collective Unconscious, offering us a new connection to the archetypal energies that make us human.
Neptune and Chiron have been moving through Aquarius for a while now, dissolving boundaries, releasing old ways of thinking, uniting us emotionally as well as technologically.
Our tribe is now the
whole world.
In the old stories, the hero or heroine would be called to go in search of healing for the tribe, and after many adventures and dangers untold, return to the tribe with the gift they discovered. Aquarius calls us to this Journey of Life. We are called to heal the Wasteland that we talked about last month. In the story Maidens of the Wells, the land was laid waste through the greed of the powerful as well as through a masculine attitude that felt it didn’t need the healing powers of the feminine. So first we must reclaim our feminine consciousness, our intuitive imagination, which will guide us on our journey.
This call to adventure also comes to us from Jupiter’s entrance into Aries on January 22nd. Jupiter activates the need to expand our perception of ourselves and our identities.
With Uranus’ entrance into Aries on March 11th, we might find ourselves meeting an ancient archetype in our dreams, in our waking life, in the exchanges we have with those we love. Don’t be afraid to follow the call. This is the adventure we’ve all be waiting for!
Other New Moon Aspects:
The asteroid Ceres is conjunct this new Moon, bringing a more earthy, nurturing undertone to the cold Aquarius mind. This Goddess wants to nurture our individuality and give us the self-confidence to contribute our uniqueness to the world, at the same time as we respect other people’s uniqueness and ideas. Ceres in Aquarius gives us the inspiration to develop self-discipline and inner control so we can become responsible enough to deserve our freedom.
Mars is also conjunct this new Moon, adding his dynamic drive and courage to our venture. Mars adds determination to the brilliance of the Mind, assuring us that what we seek we shall find.
Neptune and Chiron are moving through the last few degrees of Aquarius and will enter Pisces for a while in late Spring. They bring a breadth of vision and healing to our collective consciousness and add a quality of compassion and imagination to our vision of the future.
Saturn retrograde in Libra trines this new Moon, bringing a deeper sense of fairness into play in all our relationships. Hopefully, we will think before we say or do anything. Perhaps we will even learn the fine art of diplomacy.
The South Node in Cancer urges us to get over our childish emotional dependency,
while the Capricorn North Node calls us to service.
Vesta, the asteroid that inspires dedication in us, is conjunct the North Node.
We are called to inspired service as Pluto continues to expose the inconsistencies, the double-standards and the power-struggles of our patriarchal society. Pallas Athena’s creative intelligence is turned to social justice and creating new and improved social structures.
Mercury is at the end of Capricorn, formulating a coherent strategy that understands what is and or not working. It goes into Aquarius on February 3rd, opening the Mind to the archetypal energies that will help with the re-structuring.
Venus is in the last degrees of Sagittarius, connecting us to universal law as well as our own truth. The Goddess of Love, Beauty and Wisdom goes into Capricorn after squaring Uranus in Pisces on February 3-4, reminding us that Love needs freedom to survive. Hopefully we will see the value of this lesson as we embrace our new identities in work and in the world.
Juno in Virgo, the asteroid concerned with equality in relationships is still opposing both Uranus and Jupiter in Aries and squaring Venus.
As we discover our new identities,
the Goddess calls us to
understand this truth –
true balance comes from the right blending
of masculine and feminine consciousness,
Logos and Eros,
left-brain and right-brain.
As with all new Moons,
take the time to meditate on
what new energies you’d like to
work with this month.
Plant the seeds in your psyche
and watch what blossoms
in two weeks at the full Moon.
Don't forget to tune into our new Internet radio show, The Bard's Grove, every Friday evening at 10pm EST/7pm PST on BlogTalk Radio.
Until then,
Bright Blessings on us all.
Cathy
