New Moon in Aquarius 2023: The Pilgrim & the Crowd
“Aquarius,” The Book of Hours
The first New Moon of 2023, the New Moon in Aquarius, arrives tomorrow, January 21st, in the sign of the water-bearer. The New Moon will clock in at 1° Aquarius at 12:53pm PST, bringing us our monthly invitation to sow fresh seeds for the future.
Understanding Aquarius & Its Symbolism
Aquarius is symbolized by a man carrying a jar of water that overflows the bounds of its vessel, offering a quenching deluge to his fellow constellations. There’s little agreement as to the story behind this sign and who this water-bearer actually is. Some sources identify him as Ganymede, the cup-bearer of the gods whose sole job was to keep Zeus company and dole out ambrosia on Mt. Olympus. Other sources name the water-bearer as the mythic Deucalion, who saved himself and his wife from a great flood. The constellation is also known as the “Demon of the Nile,” thought to influence the tides of that famous river.*
Saint James the Greater, Gil de Siloe Spanish, 1489–93
On a recent trip to the Met Cloisters, I saw a statue of St. James dressed as a pilgrim, and was struck by the wall text, which noted that in the Medieval era, pilgrims were depicted as carrying jugs of water, a necessary resource for their travels.
Struck by the image of the solitary, wandering man holding a water vessel, an immediate connection between the concept of the “pilgrim” and Aquarius presented itself to my imagination.
The pilgrim is someone who travels great distances around the world in search of sacred sites, sacred places of God. The pilgrim is always changing locations, so has no local community per se, but is part of a collective group of fellow seekers, people who are also in pursuit of the highest form of consciousness—a connection to God. To survive pilgrimages, one must become familiar with all corners of the earth, and come to know humanity, in all its great differences and universalities. The pilgrim is also one who’s sacred mission, or sacred vision, compels them to operate outside of the community at large. I also see this as an expression of the Aquarian archetype, its natives usually inspired by ideas that are beyond the status quo, searching for something that will uplift, empower, expand, and liberate collective consciousness.
Aquarius & Leo: Fixed Signs & Their Resources
Aquarius stands opposite to the sign Leo, the proud lion who advocates for flamboyant self-expression, creative vision, and powerful individuality. Aquarius blends into the crowd, the anonymous traveler, while Leo’s golden mane allows them to stand out. The varied mythic identities of the Aquarius constellation, and this archetype of the pilgrim seem to suggest that Aquarius blend into and eventually becomes a crowd unto himself, offering us a series of faces blurred together, evoking the power of the group, as opposed to the singular person.
Aquarius, Jacob de Gheyn
The water that Aquarius pours out lavishly has a sacred purpose. This sign uniquely understands that even though humanity may differ in terms of its values, its goals, its beliefs, as human beings, we’re all linked by the need for essential resources, like water, like community, like progress. An an air sign Aquarius is also here to remind us of the importance of communication, ideas, the transmission of information—all themes which will soon be highlighted even more, when Pluto enters Aquarius in March.
Understanding the New Moon in Aquarius
New Moons occur in a moment of lunar dark, when the light of the Moon is totally hidden, when the Sun and Moon meet at a particular degree of the zodiac, giving one another a quick kiss on the cheek, as they make a wish for the future. Planting seeds around the themes of community, communication, and striving for higher social ideals may serve us well on this Aquarius New Moon. As always, this New Moon answers to the Full Moon that will occur in Leo season in six months time. Intentions set now may find their answer, or their moment of fruition, later this summer.
Looking to the chart of this New Moon, we see that the Sun and Moon get together at 1° Aquarius, striking a strong sextile to Jupiter, which suggests the supportive, expansive qualities of this lunation. The New Moon also trines Mars, freshly stationed direct, symbolizing our ability to take inspired action at this time.
The lunation itself is answering to Saturn, the ruler of Aquarius, who is finishing up his two and a half year trip through the sign of the water-bearer. I like that Saturn is cozied up to Venus right now, they’ll make their conjunction on January 22nd. That the ruler of the New Moon is conjunct Venus suggests that new endeavors around love, art, beauty, creativity (Venus) and making solid plans (Saturn) to support and uplift the Venusian can yield powerful results right now.
How will you honor this lunation? Look to the house that is governed by Aquarius in your own chart for more insight into the themes that are most relevant for you right now. Most importantly, take this opportunity to slow down and ask yourself, what is most vital to my life right now, what draws me towards a sense of aligned community, what can I do to be both the giver and receiver of sacred waters?
*All these attributions come from Constellation Myths: with Aratus's Phaenomena, published 2015 by Oxford University Press
