New Moon in Aries — April 06, 2008, 03:55 UT
By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis
The first New Moon of the new astrological year is a great time for new beginnings.
The New Moon in Aries tightly opposes the asteroid Astraea in Libra, indicating that we need to meet our conscience face to face and weigh our actions on the scales of justice. In mythology, Astraea was a personification of justice. She was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age. As mankind became wicked, she was the last to stay on Earth. Zeus then placed her amongst the stars as the constellation Virgo. The scales of justice she carried became the constellation of Libra.
Venus is in the last degree of Pisces about to enter the Aries Point — a point which is the intersection of personal responsibility and collective movement — within a couple of hours after the New Moon. Venus squares the now retrograding Pluto in early Capricorn.
The Sun and Moon form a sesquisquare aspect to Saturn. Icarus, an asteroid from the Apollo group, opposes Saturn. At its perihelion Icarus gets closer to the Sun than Mercury. It is named after Icarus of Greek mythology, who flew too close to the Sun. Astrologically Icarus can represent a desire to break free, or take a risk, so the current opposition to Saturn in the Mercury-ruled Virgo may increase willingness to break some customary behavioral or mental patterns. Mythological Icarus flew high, so asteroid Icarus can also point to matters where we possibly want to have a broad perspective.
The Moon and Mars are occupying one another’s signs. They are in mutual reception which means that they can, in a way, switch places or roles, thus leaving them bound with a kind of shared role or obligation. Mars is in conjunction with asteroid Apollo, the namesake of the earlier mentioned Apollo asteroids. Apollo’s orbital period is 1.8 years. Its rotation period is slightly over three hours and the speed is slowly but steadily increasing because of the solar radiation from Apollo’s surface, amounting to one extra rotation cycle in just 40 years.
In mythology Apollo is a Sun god. He represents harmony, order and reason, while Dionysus, god of wine, represents ecstasy and disorder. The Greeks considered the two gods like brothers, and while Apollo spent his winter months in Hyperborea, a mythical land in the distant north, he left the oracle at Delphi to Dionysus in the meanwhile. Apollo was said to return at the beginning of spring.
Astrologically asteroid Apollo is a light-bringer in other ways than the Sun, the centre of our solar system. It may represent something of the inner quality or talent of seeing the light where others might not see it, in the strangest of places if you look for it right. Martha Lang-Wescott has proposed that it may symbolize provocation or going against the odds. It can be very useful in allowing one to tackle situations where the odds of success are small.
In Aries we find also Mercury and Pallas Athene. Pallas, one of the first asteroids, is about protection, strategy, law and government. Pallas Athene was a warrior goddess and the goddess of wisdom.
Asteroid Photographica in the first degree of Libra is in connection with the Aries Point and Pluto. Photographica deals with visual imagery, often literally with all things photographic. We saw a startling symbol of these aspects last week in the photo taken from the Icarus perspective showing the massive ice shelf in Antarctica on the verge of breaking up due to global warming.
Climate change is now officially a human rights issue, as the UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution on the subject, recognizing that the world’s poor are particularly vulnerable. The human rights of millions of people may be threatened. The council describes climate change as a “global problem that requires a global solution.”
The Oort cloud object Sedna at 20+ degrees Taurus is currently receiving several aspects. She forms a Grand Trine in Earth with Jupiter in Capricorn and Logos in Virgo. Sedna squares Chiron in Aquarius, sextiles Uranus in Pisces and semisextiles Eris in Aries.
Sedna was discovered in 2003 and named in honor of the Inuit goddess of the sea. Sedna is something very unusual in our solar system with her extremely long orbital period of more than 10,000 years. Interesting that it was conjunct Chiron in early Taurus at the time of Chiron’s discovery, and as such can be counted as part of the “rainbow bridge” reality that Chiron represents.
Sedna reminds us about the warming of the climate. Astrologer Karen Hamaker-Zondag has noted that Sedna wants to be known. She gives us subtle warnings. If we don’t pay attention to her, we may have to deal with her strength.
Asteroid Karma at 20+ degrees Gemini makes a quincunx to Jupiter, trines Chiron, squares Uranus and Logos, sextiles Eris and semisextiles Sedna. Karma is a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1953 by Finnish astronomer Liisi Oterma. If talking spiritually “karma” is the law of cause and effect under which every action we take has consequences. Also the lack of action, or lack of awareness where we should have it, counts. The concept of “wyrd” in the Northern tradition corresponds roughly to the principle of karma. Wyrd is a concept according to which past actions continually affect and condition the future. The web of wyrd is not fixed, it is flexible, and by conscious intervention we can affect the outcome.
On March 29 cities all over the world went dark for 60 minutes to mark Earth Hour, a worldwide campaign to highlight the waste of electricity and the threat of climate change. “What’s amazing is that it’s transcending political boundaries — it really seems to have resonated with anybody and everybody,” said Andy Ridley, Executive Director of Earth Hour.
Small gestures and decisions can make a big difference. With the assistance of the light of Apollo we can go against the odds.