New Moon at 12 degrees Aquarius.

 You may already be feeling the weightiness of Tuesday’s New Moon in Aquarius. This frosty, intellectual Moon is hosted by Saturn, traditional ruler of Aquarius, (who is also busy in Capricorn as the Great Bone Mother, rejigging the cornerstones of our institutions).  

Here in his fixed Air Temple, Saturn is Lord of Time and Space, testing boundaries and limits.

  With this NM there’s an added sprinkle of Saturnian sobriety, possibly accompanied by a sense of isolation and fatigue as Our Lady of Fortune makes a conjunction with Saturn.

 Aquarius in its more positive expression offers us the impulse to go beyond the known, and return carrying the life-bringing waters of inspiration and knowledge. This Aquarius wants to share these gifts with the collective, and offer innovative ideas for old, tired ways of doing things. So this NM is asking us how are we stuck? What are we stubbornly holding onto that may no longer work? But also, how we are held in turn? Are we supported or distracted?

 Dark Moons are always best for resting and resetting, but this Moon is doubling down on that impulse, inviting us to embrace solitude and contemplation in order to access inspiration.

Withdrawal and retreat from the staccato narrative of the meta-tok and doom-scroll can help us not only deeply rest, but also access one of our most powerful and crucial human gifts for problem solving: our imaginations.

 What is the true meaning of connectedness? Can we connect to the earth and to one another in embodied ways? In the storm of images and square windows into other worlds, can we ground ourselves and make eye contact with another human being? Or are our nervous systems so frazzled we struggle with meeting one another in the flesh? I invite you to lean into the loneliness – for it too shall pass, (and by Thursday the Moon will meet Jupiter in a lusciously soft Pisces).

 So close to Saturn, this DM may have us feeling tired and jangled, even a little melancholy and dismayed. A feeling of things not working any more. It can be a sign that our nervous systems need a little support.

As an astrologer and herbalist, I find herbs to be powerful allies when working with planetary energies.

This is an ideal time to work with Aquarian herbs that support the nervous system (Aquarius rules the nervous and circulatory systems).

Milky oats are beautifully nourishing, so too skullcap, passionflower and other relaxant nervines. For mind expansion and memory support, gotu kola is a an incredibly powerful Aquarian herb.

 I’m going to accept my own invitation to sign off for the DM period and gift myself an evening of candlelight and no tech. I’ll detox and cleanse with charcoal soap in a bath using my homemade DM salts, sip tea with milky oats and chamomile, and hug my loved ones (including the big ol’ oak tree in my garden). See you on the other side, dear souls.