Aries New Moon and Mars opposite Chiron

Here is Eric’s podcast about the Aries New Moon.

Today is the Aries New Moon, at 10:37 am EDT. It’s the first New Moon of the new astrological year, and coming two days after the Vernal Equinox, it’s occurring in the third degree of Aries – essentially an Aries Point New Moon. One of the most striking features of this astrological ‘restart button’ is just how much Aries energy is in the sky right now. No fewer than seven major (and well-known minor) bodies are in this cardinal fire sign: retrograde Mercury, the Sun, the Moon, Uranus, Vesta Eris and Ceres. This much activity in Aries brings that sign’s ruler into the forefront of this New Moon: Mars – a planet whose retrograde we have given much attention to.

Rather astonishingly, Mars is exactly opposite Chiron in Pisces for this New Moon. We’ve been discussing the inner-healing theme of Mars retrograde in Virgo for a couple months now, and Chiron is famous for its healing imperative when it makes aspects and transits. But Mars is known as the god of war; and Chiron was born of a race of half-beast warriors. So how do we integrate the notions of warrior/war and healing? Let’s take a cue from Dale O’Brien:

The mythic story of Chiron, including his legendary geographic region, implies the shape-shifter shaman of indigenous people. Indigenous warriors are quite different from conventional warriors. Mars-Chiron aspects remind us of the potential wisdom of such an approach. Imagine primal man bringing down animals much larger than one’s self. Similarly, in tale after tale of Chiron-trained heroes, the hero warrior faces overwhelming potentially bullying opposition, yet triumphs. He does so, obviously, by not meeting force with force, but by avoiding direct (suicidal) contact. … There are warrior ways of behavior beyond either being bully or bullied.

Think about that a moment: there are ways to meet an ‘opponent’, especially one who is stronger or larger or intimidating, rather than full-on with force. One must be smarter, cleverer, more creative. Does that remind you of anything you’ve ever dealt with in yourself? Such as, some sort of fear or ego defense or shadow material or other inner resistance that ever loomed large and blocked you from what you wanted – and what was actually best for you? A well-known life coach named Barbara Sher often says that since what we want most to do in this life often comes with some sort of ‘risk’, our primitive brains, the part whose instincts are to keep us safe, react to the excitement, fear and adrenaline rush of the prospect of taking a chance on what we want. And our primitive brains shut us down with a fear response – keeping us ‘safe’ from what we desire most to do.

Barbara recommends exactly what Dale suggests: that when facing such a strong ‘foe’, one cannot attack it head-on. Instead, we must get very creative in finding ways around that resistance. This is where Chiron in Pisces comes in. Chiron the healer has at its fingertips now the full range of Pisces energy: art, music, sex, drugs, spiritual contact – all sorts of creative tools. Mars has only a couple more weeks to go in its backwards, inner journey, and for this last leg – as we approach the core of whatever material we are trying to heal in our desire – it will be travelling with Chiron’s Piscean tools.

So it sounds like right now the key to working with whatever issue you’re trying to heal is to take a slightly circumspect approach – perhaps something creative, subliminal, ‘softer’ or coming from a new angle. Instead of facing off against it, poking it in the chest and shouting, “I have to change this!” we slide up next to it, give it some space to be with us, feel it out, listen to it, make art out of it. Maybe then we can get close enough to work with it, take steps beyond it, heal it or – using some Pisces mutability –envision it differently enough that we morph it into something new.

This contact is occurring with a New Moon – one of the most dependable ‘seeding moments’ we get each month – and in fact, the first one of the year. Mars and Chiron will oppose each other again after Mars stations direct, and then we may find ourselves expressing outwardly the inner exploration occurring now. By that time, Mercury will have stationed direct, too.

Oh yes – Mercury! Normally, without all this Mars-Chiron action, retrograde Mercury exactly on the Aries Point for the Aries New Moon two degrees away would have gotten a little more ink in this piece. But it dovetails into the moment perfectly: Mercury rules Virgo, where Mars is. Mercury is also taking us inside ourselves and asking us to listen closely. It’s reiterating the message, asking if you’re able to utilize your creative power. Do you own your mind? Do you even influence it, and what do you do with the information it’s sending you? If you’ve been triggering all manner of inner resistance with your desires, how can your work with or around those false messages?

We’re in a moment, emphasized by the politics of the personal swirling around us right now, when it seems we have to do a lot of ‘fighting against’. But there’s something to be said for simply ‘standing for’ – and a lot to be said for careful listening and creative approaches right now.