Tomorrow’s New Moon — a conjunction of the Sun and Moon — takes place right at the midpoint of Aquarius. This marks the middle of the current season; a time the ancient Pagans celebrated as Imbolc.
Although the origin of the word Imbolc is not entirely clear, one common explanation is that it comes from the Old Irish word meaning “in the belly,” referring to the pregnancy of ewes.
In other words, the seeds — literal and metaphorical — that have long lain dormant and are still in darkness, are gestating and beginning to stir. (You can read past Planet Waves writing on Imbolc here and here.) To have a New Moon today underscores these themes of what is inside and is developing, a new cycle about to begin from the darkness. Yet it comes in the midst of some astrological activity that has likely been quite activating.
I’m going to cover some of that before looking at the New Moon itself, and you can review recent aspects here. Most of them are beginning to separate; the one that may still be intensifying (if you’re reading this Sunday evening) is the conjunction between Mars and Eris in Aries, exact overnight into tomorrow morning.