On the Darkest and Brightest of Nights

What's a Fortnightly Lunacy?

Fortnightly Lunacy is a tapestry of words woven through the light of the new and full moons meant to transport you into the heart of the sub-lunar realm. To immerse you in poetic prose and lyrical storytelling that initiates you into the oracular sight of the nocturnal sect. To facilitate your tuning-in to your very own synchronicity frequency.

To help you see like Luna.

Balanced with just enough linear astral logic and celestial correlation for you to begin building your own relationship with our Fair Lamp of Night, and to immerse yourself in the secret language of the Giver of Good Grace.

Details Demand Clarification

Saturn in Pisces has brought vivid dreams, and a crisis in willful suspension of disbelief. And their presence in the 10th of the this chart, and the overcoming square to the ascendant place their emphasis front in center, where they otherwise are hidden away from the luminaries action.

The inflationary imagination of Neptune in Pisces has lead to yet another bubble burst. There's a long trend related to the banking institutions in the US and the mutable signs – bit that's a bit afield of a forecast for the more intimate side of a relationship with the Moon. We need look no further than our personal fantasies for the gentle * popping * sounds.

Saturn's overcoming square to the Gemini ascendant is the demand, and Mars in Gemini finally escaping the rays of Neptune's square is the detail's excruciating clarification. Cutting through the bullshit and confusion with a scalpel's precision, thanks to the mutual reception with Mercury, who happens to be covertly in on the New Moon's illuminating action.

This one cuts right down past the subtext to the heart of the matter – preparing us for the epic beginnings and endings of April's Aries Solar Eclipse.

The Chart for the Aries New Moon

[image description: Aries New Moon 2023 chart cast for March 21, 2023 10:22am PDT for Pittsburg, California. 7° Gemini rises with Mars in the first house of the chart at 27° Gemini. Mercury is in the 11th house at 5° Aries co-present the New Moon at 0° Aries, Jupiter is also co-present and rejoicing at 16° Aries. All planets in the chart, save for Mars and the South Node, are in the upper, southern, hemisphere of the chart. Venus is separating from the conjunction with the North Node at 4° Taurus a degree away at 5° Taurus. Uranus is co-present the two in the 12th house at 16° Taurus. Saturn and Neptune occupy the 10th house, with Saturn at 1° Pisces and Neptune at 25° Pisces. The midheaven is at 15° Aquarius in the 9th house while Pluto is at 29°58' Capricorn in the 8th house.]

New Moon at 0°49' Aries

March 21st, 2023 at 10:22 am PDT

Overall, the Sun is definitely the stronger of the two luminaries this go round. And the New Moon occurs in the daylight hours too, increasing the Sun's strength with triplicity.

The New Moon occurs in the decan which belongs to Mars, and the Aries dodeka of the sign, bringing things back to the exalted Sun and the rulership of Mars over in the final degrees of Gemini.

7° Gemini Rising

Gemini rises in this chart, marking Mercury as the ruler (or guardian) of this lunation.

Gemini rising brings an emphasis on the exchange of information, conversation, and to the collection of details. The mutable quadruplicity indicates that we can look to the time just ahead of the lunation for key story lines and plot points, and that we might find event recurring over the course of the lunar cycle.

In the chart we find Mercury close to the degree of the New Moon. The particular degree of the rising sign is in the term of Venus, the dodekatemoria of Scorpio – which adds further emphasis to the generosity between Mercury and Mars.

Mercury rules the Aries New Moon's chart

Mercury rules the chart for the Aries new Moon from under the beams of the Sun. The combination of Mercury ruling the chart, and doing invisibly and in close cahoots with the Sun suggests that there's something happening covertly, or behind the scenes with this lunation.

Though the mutual reception between Mercury and Mars involves an aspect that doesn't perfect until the hop signs, we can still confidently expect to see themes of

Remembering of course that this is only one of two new moons that we'll see in the sign this month.

New Moon of the Ram

The Aries New Moon takes place in the sign of the Ram.

Rhetorius records this about the sign Aries:

"The sign Aries is masculine, tropical, vernal, days and nights are equal, harmful, quadrupedal, living on dry land, royal, barren, easily changed, irascible, bright-burning, MC of the cosmos, increasing, eloquent, licentious, fiery, mutilated, fleshy, weak-eyes, servile, half-voiced, unruly, commanding, looking towards the southeast."
Rhetorius the Egyptian (transl. Holden)

And perhaps more important for us on a mundane level we'd want to consider what he goes on to say about the parts of body: "the head and face and all the conditions and misfortunes relating to the head, that is headaches, weak sign..." "...and they are accustomed to experience those things affecting the hearing and the teeth."

Watch for new injuries, and also for flare ups of old injuries picked up during the time that Mars has been (especially retrograde) in Gemini.

Diurnal Domicile of Mars

The New Moon takes place in Aries, while Mars is somehow still in Gemini. The conjunction of the New Moon to Mercury, and Mercury's mutual reception with Mars creates a little triune of sorts.

Mars ruling the chart emphasizes, on the personal level: risk taking, dynamic action, as well as anger and aggression.

On the more mundane level I'd expect to see hear more dogs and sirens, see more accidents, and other instances of crises arising. With respect to the Aries Ingress chart, this lunation occurs in the 8th house with Mars ruling the 3rd as well. So I wonder if we'll see new information about the fallout or impact of the SVB bank failure, or the response from either the feds or wall-street about it?

The Fiery Triplicity: Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn

This New Moon occurs in the sign of Aries with the Sun above the horizon, making the Sun sect light, and the triplicity lord of the sect light in the chart. The other two triplicity lords, Jupiter and Saturn, are placed in ways that give them each something to work with, and to present the lunation chart.

We might consider what Abu Ma'Shar has to say about the Aries in the context of the fiery triplicity:

"for to Aries (which is the first of the signs) came the indication over the condition of fiery, natural, moderate hotness and dryness by which the beginning of motion comes to be, and the generation of life, and development."
The Great Introduction to the Science of the Judgement of the Stars (transl. Dykes)

Saturn is in Pisces, averse to the lights and as the cooperating lord of the triplicity suggests that suggests that the "success of collective ventures" has little support, and does little to support whomever we view as the subject of this delineation.

Jupiter as the nocturnal triplicity lord of the sect light is co-present and in the terms of Mercury, who is there under the beams of the Sun. If we were to personify these placements we might say that the Sun is the star of the show and Mercury is the number one sidekick saying to the Sun "don't worry, I got Jupiter in pocket they'll do what I ask 'em to." Particularly with respect to

The Decan of the Moon - Aries I

Having two New Moons in Aries this year will give us a bit of an opportunity to compare the vibes between the two in the different decans of the signs, though of course the second one will be an eclipse.

With the lunation in the first decan of Aries, it's a great lunar cycle to begin a Decan Walk under.

Moon in the Aries Bound of Jupiter

The New Moon takes place in the bound of Jupiter. Jupiter is in Aries in the bound of Mercury. Mercury is in the same term as the lights. Honestly, it's giving me Dennis the Menace vibes, in the best possible way.

With Jupiter co-present in the same sign, but in the terms of Mercury (and the two exchanging terms) it's as if there's a secret mission we've all been assigned. Go find a key bit of information, or clear up mis/information. Perhaps we're called to gather more intel, allies, or coin in the pursuit of justice, or defending our solar sovereignty?

The Dodekatemorion of the Moon - Aries

With the Both Sun and Moon in the dodeka of Aries there's emphasis on the planets in the sign of Aries itself, as well as on Mars again. Mars being in the Gemini in the 1st house of the chart, leading to Mercury who's in the same term suggest that the mutual reception between Mercury and Mars is important to consider.

However, it's equally important to consider that the aspect between Mercury and Mars doesn't perfect until they each enter new signs (and sextile on April 7th).

Perhaps this is suggesting that we'll see some major follow-up or consequence of Aries New Moon actions around that time.

Tracing the Moon's Connection to You

Questions:

1. Where is 0° Aries in your chart by house?
2. What planets cast their rays to that degree (i.e., what planets in your chart aspect the New Moon)?
3. What was going on for you around October 9th of last year, during the last Aries Full Moon?
   
   Advanced:
4. What's up with Aries, Mars, Mercury – and to a lesser extent, Jupiter – with respect to your profections, distributions, and any other timing techniques you might be employing?
5. How are the luminaries participating in your current activations?

Have a question for Bear? Want to connect with other astrologers and astrology enthusiasts?

As always, I hope these words find and serve you well.

If you'd like to start a discussion or pose a question to your fellow members (and/or Bear) feel free to post down below!

If you'd like to reach out to Bear directly you can reach him at: contact@bearryver.com

Bear Ryver is a professional astrologer helping his clients hone strategies for grounded growth and embodied empowerment by bringing them back to the BASICS. Winner of OPA’s Most Promising Astrologer in 2018, Bear has lectured at conferences like NORWAC and ISAR. He holds certifications in Hellenistic, Electional, and Horary astrology, and specializes in Intersectional Astrology. He was a teacher for the Portland School of Astrology, and has volunteered as a mentor for AFAN. When he’s not talking stars, or pulling cards, you can find him climbing rocks and playing guitar.