Astrological New Year
Spring begins late on the eve of March 19th at 11:07 pm est. The Sun shifts out of Pisces and into Aries. This is the beginning of the solar new year in the northern hemisphere. The Sun has traveled through the entire zodiac, enduring the final death throes of winter as he swam through the Piscean waters that holds equally to the dark and light, winter and spring. Light has prevailed. Aries season commences and we begin again. Renewed, recharged, rearmed and blissfully hopped up on straight shots of Vitamin D.
The sign of Aries is often closely associated to individuality, autonomy, and initiation. This is derived from the solar calendar and the seasons, and on the zodiacal wheel, Aries ingress represents the astrological new year. In a metaphorical sense, spring is about the gestation of life and new beginnings, possessing an infancy in the season. Spring can be likened to The Fool in the tarot who first sets out on his own journey, starry eyed, wide-open to the paths that will rise up to meet him, embodying even a sense of child-like self-centeredness. This fiery selfishness is not done out of malevolence, but rooted in innocent ignorance, not possessing the knowledge of learned wisdom, and therefore lacks any wider perspective.
The Fool-Card Zero. Zero represents the full potentiality of any new journey. The circle, similar to the ourborous, we have the beginning and the end all wrapped in the totality of one. Rebirth, death, and birth again. This is infinite renewal. We are all The Fool.
Let us look at the tarot card 2 of Wands, the card associated with the first decan of Aries, 0-9 degrees, the decan of the Spring Equinox. The wands can be linked to the libido, the creative force, energy that moves through us and we feel it intuitively. The wands relate to this spirit, like the Sun, prompting us into action.
In the Rider-Waite deck, we see an image of a man who is holding one of the two wands as a staff, and the other hand is holding a globe. He is perched up high, overlooking the lands, with his back to the other wand. The number two is the the successive card to the Ace of Wands, the first initiation of the intuition that is moving us. Aces relate to our “potential” the two relates to the first sign of conflict. This card does not suggest action, but perhaps uncertainity in how to begin to tackle the goal. The man holds the whole globe in his palm, that is a heavy burden. Where to look initially? What problem to address first?
Two of Wands- We must step into action, initiate our intuition. Gather our goals, our fears from the past, and march forward into personal growth.
This too can be our first reaction to the first days of spring. All winter we dream of longer days, bird songs filled with potential promise of personal growth and development, gardens to be planted. The days do get longer, the sun does shine hotter and higher, and birds do fill the air with their enduring songs. Yet we may find ourself standing still, overwhelmed by all the kinetic energy of Aries season. There are spring chores to do and which one first?! Gardens to be cleaned, spring seeds to sew, outdoor furniture to be dusted off, new spring wardrobe to shop for, weekend getaways to plan, camps to enroll children in. Spring is full of potential and options, and for some, too many options rise up pushing through the soil of our days.
Aries is ruled by the red-hot planet Mars, and exalted by the Sun itself. Mars and the Sun bring the heat, turn up the dial, and this is really a season of trial by fire. Aries also brings courage, and direct action, ask questions later. The man in the tarot image, one wand staff in hand is stepping out on his own, maybe even unaware of the other wand, the other person, the other aspect of the situation that will be affected by his actions. Staff in hand represents the present, and the one behind could be our miscalculations, our judgements, our fears from the past that still haunt us. Yet he must act, he cannot stand above the horizon, forever looking down. We must engage with the world and put the potential into form. There is a lot of unknown, like the Fool stepping out into the wilderness of the world, we step into a river of blind ignorance, but this is the youth of Aries season. The youth, not armed with wisdom, but sheer force and potential, this is the cardinal energy of Aries. We can mend the loose threads later, tend to the other chores at a later date. Let us focus on now!
Spring holds many possibilities, each possessing light and dark for what can grow. It still holds fractiles of Piscean dark, spiritual waters. Yet if we never take a step forward, it all remains unformed potential. Aries wishes to bring the first elements of structure. Like the youth, like The Fool, we step off the precipice, and meet the day with curiosity, passion, fire and even maybe folly.
What will you grow this solar new year? What youthful risks will you wager? Arm yourself with the fiery intensity of Mars and the solar hope of the Sun. Grab the second wand and march forward with the two as walking sticks, the past and the future, to support you on your own solar journey this spring.