The Moon will begin a new phase with the Sun at nearly the last degree of Pisces on the evening of March 18 at 6:21 p.m. Pacific. Soon after, on March 20, the Sun will enter Aries, marking the Vernal Equinox and the start of a new astrological year.
Astrologies—and there are many across geography and cultures—are studies of the cycles of time. The heavens are reflected in earthly affairs. Every year, the Pisces New Moon speaks to both endings and beginnings, as Pisces is the last of the 12 zodiacal signs, and a New Moon initiates a 29.5-day lunar cycle.
This year’s Pisces New Moon is unusual in that the Sun and Moon will conjoin very soon before the lights will move on to the first degree of the first sign. This is called the 0 degree Aries point. March 20 is celebrated in the northern hemisphere as the start of spring, in the south as the start of autumn. It is also the pagan holy day of Ostara, the Persian New Year Nowruz, and it is observed by other cultures as well.
Pisces is our mutable (changeable) water sign. Its glyph is a pair of crescents facing opposite directions, held together by a horizontal bar. The duality of coming and going is unified by the stability of the horizon, the plane where earth and sky appear to meet.
Pisces, the constellation, was named for an ancient-world myth. In the Greek version, the goddess Aphrodite and her son Eros were being chased by a monster. They fled to a river where, in one version of the story, they were rescued by two fish; in another version, they shape-shifted and disguised themselves as fish. Either way, Aphrodite and Eros changed and stuck together, and were thereby saved from disaster.
The qualities of Pisces include tendencies toward the blurring of boundaries, expansiveness, escape, martyrdom, rescuing/being rescued, and the union of opposites. Something of oneself must be transformed, for the sake of oneself and others. There are noticeable parallels between the Piscean myth and Christian mythology of sacrifice and resurrection.
Pisces’ ruling planet is Jupiter, a force of expansion. The intentions one seeds at this Pisces New Moon might revolve around expanding (Jupiter) one’s horizons by offering something to the earth and to a renewed spiritual practice. At the New Moon, Mercury (thinking) is in one of its retrograde phases, in Pisces. Planet Mars (assertive action) is in Pisces as well, conjoined with the Moon’s future-oriented North Node. This abundance of Piscean placements might have some people feeling confused or overwhelmed, though skillful contemplation may, equally likely, yield a sense of awe, as the astrological year comes to a close.
The lights and all of the planets are in continuous motion. The Moon moves quickly, and will enter Aries later in the day on March 18, followed by the Sun’s ingress into Aries early on March 20. The zodiacal wheel of 360 degrees is divided into 30-degree segments, from the first degree called 0 to the last degree, 29. When a planet changes signs, it is said to be at the 0 degree. The 0 degree of the first zodiacal sign is the 0 Aries point.
Aries is of the fire element and of the cardinal, forward-motion mode. That’s why in mundane astrology, the study of world events, astrologers forecast trends and events for the year ahead by interpreting planetary placements in a chart set for when the Sun enters the 0 degree of Aries.
The 0 Aries point is the first of the first. Its quality is like that of every newborn creature that takes its first independent breath. March 20 is an optimal time to rejoice in the pure, unmarred potential of Life, as it renews itself again and again.
To Life! L’Chaim!
Blessings for the Pisces New Moon and the Aries ingress!
~ Sara
Sara R. Diamond, an astrologer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a life-long student and practitioner in several esoteric paths. Her style of astrology combines modern-psychological astrology with insights from traditional astrology. Sara is also an estate planning attorney. In addition, she has published four books on right-wing movements in the United States and earned her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. You are invited to contact Sara via her website at www.SaraDiamondAstrology.com.
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