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March 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment

The Ides of March New Moon
March 15, 2010

by Johnny Mirehiel

Beware the Ides of March!
~ Julius Caesar, Act I, Sc ii

It was Shakespeare who coined the soothsayer’s infamous words of warning to Caesar on the fateful day of his assassination, more than two millennia ago. They may also apply to us too, now, with a slight twist:

Be Aware, this Ides of March!

I am reminded of another famous Shakespearian reference to astrology, when, later in scene ii, Cassius comments to fellow conspirator, Brutus:

“Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves”

I might submit that, for we mere mortals at this Ides of March, the choice lies not within the stars, but within ourselves, that we may be masters of our fates.

Here is the astrological picture of the Southland’s stars this Ides of March:

No, we are not about to meet a tragic end, a la old Julie. However, what this Pisces New Moon does portend for us Southlanders is a significant moment of choice. To understand why, let’s begin with the symbol for Pisces. It is a representation of two fish swimming in different directions, connected by a starry strand. In most contemporary representations of the symbol the fish are depicted as swimming in different but parallel directions, many showing the connecting strand extending between either the fishes’ tails or, in some images, even their mouths.

Actually, the constellation shows that the fish are swimming perpendicularly to each other; one headed north, the other west at a 90° angle to each other. The starry strand which winds through the empty space between them comes together at a symbolic “knot’ marking the fork in the direction ofthe two fish.(see below) This New Moon presents us with a lunar cycle during which we may make a choice between which of these two Piscean wakes we wish to swim in.

The Pisces Stellium

The chart shows a cluster of five planets in the 8th house of our Southland’s chart. In addition to The Sun and Moon, at 25°, we find Uranus and Mercury at 26° in an ultra tight partile conjunction
to each other while also conjunct to the New Moon, and trailed by Jupiter at 13°, all in Pisces. Such an alignment is called a stellium. This particular gathering in Pisces at a New Moon suggests a concentration of much thought directed inwardly towards the center of our God consciousness.
In the 8th house, naturally governed by Scorpio (and Mars), our attention is directed to the deepest levels of Self, the purpose of which is to be able to clearly see those elements which we must discard so that we might
move, unencumbered, in either direction suggested by the Piscean fish.

A Tail of Two Fish

So who are these two fish swimming under the same sign and why are they so different in orientation and temperament? Well, in terms of their orientation, we might suppose that the two fish have entirely different objectives. The west swimming one, being at the end of the Zodiacal belt, swims towards the first degree of Aries in an attempt to complete that circle. In so doing, he closes on the ceaseless rounds of incarnation that the zodiac itself suggests.

His counterpart, the northerly swimming one, seems to be heading up, away and out of the wheel. This directional notation fits nicely with the seemingly other worldly association of Pisces. In this case, it suggests that the way to escape the Karmic round of interminable lives is to swim away from it, to steer clear of worldly concerns or towards the higher realms to which the Christ figure, so often associated with Pisces, beckons us.

Two Rulers, Two Faces

As you may know, Pisces is ruled by two planets: Jupiter, its ancient lord, and Neptune, its modern ruler. As a matter of fact, astrologer David McCann has referred to them as a “duet.” Perhaps a quick look at some
of the things that these rulers represent can more clearly illustrate my point.

One of the three modern planets which are considered “impersonal” or generational planets, Neptune was discovered in 1846. Astrologers have since come to associate it with the seas, idealism and compassion, religions, spirituality and mysticism, the mass media, creativity in art and music, extreme sensitivity, fantasy and imagination, or in other words, just about anything that’s hard to pin down.

But there is another side to this (sea) blue planet. Yes, it represents the seas, but ask any sailor and he will tell you that the sea can be a cruel mistress as the source of violent storms, typhoons and tsunamis (can you say, “Spanish Armada?”). Hospitals, prisons, and mental institutions, also under Neptune’s governorship, are hardly the happiest of places, nor are illusion, confusion, deception, alcoholism, drug addiction and escapism desirable conditions.

Jupiter, like Neptune, also has a twofold nature. This “king of the Gods” is most often depicted in astrological literature as the “Greater Benefic.” According to Rob Hand it is “…the planet that most signifies success and achievement, good luck and every conceivable benefit that life can offer…and has always been considered as the sign of positive results in every endeavor.” Indeed, the astrological literature is chock-a-block with praise for Jupiter’s beneficial effects.

However, while I am usually in agreement with the estimable Mr. Hand, I have personal experience of the other side of this energy. The very week that Jupiter was transiting conjunct to my Moon, my father died. While it was not terribly impactful for me (he and I had been estranged for quite a number of years), it did have a rather deleterious effect on my mother, (astrologically, the Moon) who suffered through an extended nervous breakdown as a result. Believe me, there was nothing beneficial about that. And remember too, that Jupiter is the god associated with the liberal use of lightening and thunderbolts.

The point here is that there are really two Piscean paths, the darker, destructive one associated with the westward swimming fish, and the lighter, more beneficial qualities connected to the one headed north. Because of the powerful effect of the five planet gathering in Pisces at the New Moon, this lunar cycle highlights the divergence in these paths.

Jupiter in Oriental Appearance

As a result of Jupiter’s inclusion in the stellium, he projects his influence on the moment in more than one way. In the first place, he is empowered by being in the sign of his rulership. To be in the sign of its rulership makes any planet feel at home. In feeling thus at ease, planets tend to express themselves without restraint. This can be for the good, or not.

According to the late Robert C. Jansky, the oriental planet, the one that rises across the eastern horizon (the astrological Ascendant) just before the Sun, gives a valuable clue as to what often motivates the subject of the chart to take some action. Michael R Meyer says it shows the practical channel through which solar will and vitality is expressed. In this chart the planet that would reach the Ascendant just before the Sun is Jupiter.

Jupiter expects us to face the situation optimistically and to take things as they come, with a philosophical frame of mind. He also gives us a certain “scope” of vision, generosity, keen judgment and a capacity for constructive self-awareness. This idea would be a perfect compliment to any naturally inward turning New Moon. In the moment of this lunar cycle Jupiter is fully capable of swimming down to the depths of our collective consciousness (Pisces) to find the substance of the needed awareness to focus on the inner path to enlightenment (the 8th house). Or it can produce an excess of its Jovian urge to expand, show his famous wrath or wield his famous lightening bolts.

Mars Awakens

Mars assumes an important role at this New Moon for several reasons. According to Wikipedia, first-century Hellenistic astrologer, Dorotheus of Sidon, considered Triplicity rulership the most powerful and demonstrable of the several essential dignities of a planet. Mars is the Triplicity ruler of the Water sign of Pisces. This is a rather technical way to say that Mars, now in Leo, an agreeable Fire sign, will be an important planet in shaping the fate suggested in this chart. After being restrained in retrograde for almost three months, he is now direct and raring for action. As usual, he will muscle his way into the conversation about how this lunar cycle will play out.

Secondly, in the chart for the Valentine New Moon we can see that Mars was running retrograde in Leo. According to Rob Tillett, Mars in Leo is usually fearless, independent, generous and honest in any dealings with others. Now that he is direct, we might expect a return to his usual fearless independence, especially as he sits so strongly in the first house of our Southland chart. This is important as it will give us a month in which we will see agitation towards one or the other of the two opposing paths offered by the Pisces New Moon. And Mars, the traditional ruler of the 8th house, is sure to urge us on to act on our choice, whichever it is.

Finally, although the software that I use to erect my charts, Solar Fire Gold, calls the planetary pattern found in this one “unclassified,” I see it differently. My friend, and contributor to my old Harmonic Concordance web site, John Townley, says, “[n]ot all charts fit easily into just one pattern.” Such is the case here. For me, the pattern is one that we have seen in several of the past New Moon charts called the Locomotive. In this case, Mars assumes a prominent role as the lead (first to the Ascendant) planet. Motivated, sometimes to the point of being overbearing, Mars is once again the leading planet in this pattern. We know that Mars is an aggressive, “can do” planet who wants action. This will be especially true for this chart in as much as he has just turned Direct on the 11th. Although not fully himself (he is still in a shadow period until mid-May), he has enough renewed energy to press the issue.

Saturn is STILL square to Pluto

And will be until Mid-June. Astrologer Jim Shawvan reminds us that during this period:

“…this combination is about as close as it comes to…a confrontation in the real world. Conflict of wills, and conflict of our human will with the nature of reality, take center stage. Don’t block the road – that bulldozer won’t slow down just because you’re in the way. This aspect is happening in the earliest degrees of Cardinal signs, which some astrologers call ‘the World Axis’ – and that means some of the huge changes coming up will be highly visible and will affect millions or even billions of people.”

The question raised by Jim here, for me at least, is just how the clash of these powerful forces will become “highly visible.”

The Mercury/Uranus Connection

Many of us like to think of ourselves as working on the path towards what I loosely refer to as “enlightenment.” One of the more significant characteristics of this enlightenment is our capacity to receive, interpret and translate the “broadcasts” of the Greater Consciousness that stands behind all of Creation. Astrologically, to a large extent, this is the function of the interplay between Mercury and Uranus.

Mercury is traditionally associated with all forms of communication, analysis and perceptual understanding in the mundane sphere. When functioning at its best it is stimulating, candid, open, and a clear voice of the expressive and creative flow of ideas. Astrologer Robert Wilkinson refers to its androgynous energy, as “…the Magician who knows the hidden forces in Nature and matter.”

Uranus, which is commonly known as the higher octave planet of Mercury, stands as an apt partner for their “communication” at this New Moon. While Mercury represents the creative flow of ideation in the mundane sphere, Uranus represents those same functions on the higher mind levels. All of which is to say, as “octave planets,” that Mercury operates on the personal, physical and third dimensional plane while Uranus operates on a more universal, metaphysical, and higher dimensional level in matters of social and intellectual exchange.

Robert Pelletier’s classic, Planets in Aspect, describes the Mercury/Uranus conjunction as being “…bright, articulate, curious, intuitive…mentally courageous…[and] futuristic in attitude.” Being positioned in the exact same degree in this chart, Mercury, which really has little power of his own to make things happen, is ideally suited to fulfilling his role as the “hollow tube” through which the intuitive, courageous and futuristic “broadcasts of the Greater Consciousness” of Uranus can come to the surface of our awareness and so have an affect on the mundane affairs of the world.

Uranus is making a rapid departure from Pisces and will be into Aries before we know it, before the end of May as a matter of fact, only to return via a final Piscean retrograde to this exact degree (26° Pisces) on November 8th (the seventh anniversary of the Harmonic Concordance, BTW) where it will be stationary until January 2, 2011. In other words, Uranus will give us one final and rather long lasting opportunity to tune into his Piscean message of the transcendence and surrender of the self to the collective consciousness of the all.

A Most Relevant Sabian Symbol

If this one doesn’t draw your attention, nothing will. Our Aussie mate, Lynda Hill, has it as:

A New Moon Reveals THAT IT’S TIME FOR PEOPLE
TO GO AHEAD WITH THEIR DIFFERENT PROJECTS.

And Dane Rudhyar adds this as the “keynote” for the degree:

A keen appreciation of the value of individualized responses to any challenge of life.

Among Lynda’s keywords are: “people splitting up and splitting off” and “the beginning of a new age.”

Did anyone say something about two fish?

The New Moon and You

Once again, might I suggest that you place this very powerful New Moon chart on your own to see how it might play out and affect your experience. If you need a copy of your chart, may I direct you to our friends at the Astrolabe website who produce free and easily accessible charts.

And finally, for a quick reference to the area of your life which may be impacted by the eclipse, let me direct you attention to Annie Heese and Adam Banks’ tidy summary of the New Moon in the houses at Café Astrology.

Johnny Mirehiel is a 40-year student of spiritual, metaphysical and astrological ideas. Internationally known as the discoverer of the astrological chart of the Harmonic Concordance, he is a member of the San Diego chapter of NCGR and he has been accredited by The International College of Astrology as both an astrological practitioner and teacher. He now plies his trade in the high desert of Southern California.

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