“New Moon over the Atlantic” by Mark Daffey from art.com

The New Moon on February 17 links the Sun and the Moon in Aquarius, the sign of idealism, innovation and revolution. Aquarius is the radical, the inventor – it seeks to change the status quo and provides vision for change. There is an electrical quality to Aquarius that can be unsettling for those of us who are more earth-bound, but if we let go to our attachment to the Way Things Are, the Aquarian process can be exhilarating.

The New Moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle and is therefore a good time for beginnings of all kinds. In the Islamic calendar the New Moon is determined as the exact time when the first crescent of the moon is actually seen, but the astrological New Moon is considered the conjunction of the Sun and Moon. The conscious Self and the instinctual Moon conjoin and there is a new focus and new direction.

This New Moon is exactly sextile to Pluto, a harmonious interaction that facilitates transformation and new beginnings (Pluto) and a letting go of anything that keeps us from being our authentic selves (Aquarius). This is the one of a series of New Moons in the last degrees of a sign, symbolizing a new beginning that arises from completion of the past. The addition of Pluto to the mix, with its ability to remove from our path anything that no longer serves us, shows that we are at the end of this cycle of beginnings that are endings and ready to move into the future with renewed clarity.

There is also an exact square of Jupiter to the Moon’s nodes, suggesting that the urge for expansion and the search for meaning (Jupiter) conflicts now with the natural evolutionary process (the lunar nodes). The challenging transits of Jupiter can bring over-expansion and over-confidence, and these qualities can keep us from our path if we’re not careful now. Jupiter is still within range of its square to Uranus, a rather eccentric and even reckless dynamic that will remain in effect for much of the year. Jupiter expands the desire of Uranus for change, and because Uranus rules Aquarius, this Aquarian New Moon resonates with the same vibration and will be deeply affected by the Jupiter/Uranus combination.

Change is what is called for now – letting go of any shackles that hold us back and stepping boldly into the future. Uranus, and the Aquarian influence which is its partner, is the awakener; it shakes us out of our deep sleep and opens our eyes to a new day. The entire world is alive with new possibilities now but we should not forget the beauty of moderation.