New Moon = New Vibe
The New Moon in Astrology is an innate reboot cue. It’s the time of the month that not only favors initiation and start overs: it’s when you’re in the mood for them.
The contemplation phase over, you emerge revitalized and with a clear strategy. The New Moon is in a different zodiac sign every month*, giving each of these lunar revamps a different tone or theme.
Broadly, New Moons in Fire signs (Aries, Leo + Sagittarius) back flamboyant moves. Audacity is like your oxygen and whatever you’re doing, you bring the momentum. They’re fantastic for revving up your leadership mojo.
Earth sign New Moons (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) are an optimal time to consolidate. They’re fortifying and they feel substantial. Start something sensual, grounding, or potentially super-prosperous at this time.
New Moons in Air signs (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius) start with a fresh line of thinking or sudden breezy detachment from leaden thinking. They work wonderfully for beginning intellectual or writing projects and expansive dialogues.
Water sign (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) New Moons are highly spiritualized. They’re the lunar phenom most likely to be clandestine. You regenerate but tell nobody. Or it’s too magic to share. They’re fabulous for beginning healing journeys or psychic development. You can view the signs and exact degree of the New Moons on the Moon Calendar here.
To really feel the power of these energizing reset moons, notice what point in your natal birth chart they’re near. For example, a New Moon near your natal Venus often coincides with a romantic or beauty renaissance. Mars-boosted New Moons green-light confrontations or conquests you’d usually try to skirt around. You wouldn’t schedule an event that demands diplomacy for this moment but your first day back at the gym? Absolutely.
The Daily Horoscopes, calculated from your personal birth chart, display the aspects, exact time (and my interpretation) of the Moon to your Sun, Moon (this is called the Lunar Return), Mercury, Venus, and Mars. When those are New Moons, they’re super-charged. Read on for the more metaphysical dimensions of these lunar phenoms.
The Witchy New Moon
The New Moon can be in the same zodiac sign twice in a row. If it is in the early degrees of the sign, the next New Moon will be in the same sign. Eg: A New Moon at 1° Aquarius could be followed by one at 28° Aquarius. Additionally, there can be two New Moons in a calendar month. For example, a New Moon in Capricorn on January 2 could be followed by a New Moon in Aquarius on January 30.
If this sounds confusing, remember this: the calendar is a construct. In the pre-patriarchal era, the Moon cycle – 28 days or four weeks – was the month. One of the reasons “13” is reviled by certain religions is because there are often 13 Moon cycles in a calendar year – 13 x 28 = 364. And, in the 52 weeks it takes the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun, our year, the Moon makes exactly 13 orbits.
The Esoteric New Moon
Like many profound beginnings, the New Moon is imperceptible to the outside observer. It lacks the visual drama of the high-beam “wow, have you seen the Moon tonight (?)” Full Moon. In fact, it’s invisible because it occurs so close to the Sun.
This time of the month could more correctly be called the Full Sun. The Moon is most potent when it is Full, which always occurs two weeks after the New Moon. New Moon strength comes from the Sun and Moon being exactly conjunct. Mirroring them, we’re more inclined to merge identity and psyche.
The inner sanctuary of our Moon self is aligned with our outward goals or desires. The atmosphere feels more conducive to Flow and it is – but more importantly, we’re conducting energy – realizations, pleasure, risk, money, time, appetites and ambition – more smoothly.
Memory & Wisdom Reunited
The New Moon rises with the Sun, an emergence that comes from the reunion of memory and wisdom. A few days later, the familiar Crescent Moon is visible in the morning. As a daytime Moon, Luna can seem incongruous in bright blue skies. We catch her as a sliver of silver drifting through fluffy clouds, outshone yet shimmering like the recall of a beautiful dream in daylight.
Many cultures have loved the Moon and there are far too many Moon deities to list here but the Goddesses include Selene, Artemis, Hine-Uri, Diana, Luna and Chang-Xi. The latter has the particularly poetic title “Mother of Moons.” There are also Moon Gods: Khonsu, Soma, Bahloo and Pah.
The Ancient Babylonian Moon God was called Sin and it is easy to imagine how his detractors gradually devolved the word into today’s ‘bad thing’ definition.
The Calendar Is A Construct
The Sun & Moon Are The True Measure. The politics of calendars demanded that this perfectly logical and natural sequence be altered, lest it allocate too much power to women and their deities. So, even though it is not as numerologically or astronomically satisfying, we have the “Thirty days hath September, April, June and November…” system.
Leap years, months with 30 days or 31 days and even the allegedly unlucky (not really) Friday 13 are all linked to a patriarchal attempt to diminish the influence of natural cycles and anything deemed overly empowering of the female. Most menstruation periods align with the lunar cycle, not calendar dates. ‘Menses’ means month in Latin. The word “Moon” means ‘month’ in multiple languages, contemporary and ancient.
Unlike calendars, which can be changed with a new dynasty or a religious outbreak, the Moon has always kept time flawlessly. Run the numbers and see for yourself.
LOVE this. I grew up actively following the lunar calendar and to this date, make cross continental travel plans back home according to moon cycles. It just comes more naturally to me.
I think more than just reviling the feminine, the patriarchy actively strove to break our contact with the natural world, so we would agree to bend, shape, destroy and utilise it for a very masculine urge to make/transform things (which is different from the creationist urge of the feminine). If one revers the woods, the rivers, the earth and the stars, how would one agree to harm them in the quest of materialism!
Yes! Right down to demonizing the number 13 – as there are 13 Moons in a solar year – and Fridays, the day of Venus…