New Moon in Aries 2023

So this New Moon happened the day after the Spring Equinox, but it also happened on the day that the Sun moved into the sign of Aries! So a whole new lunar cycle started but the astrological new year also happened - how crazy is that?! However, there is another New Moon in Aries happening in April that will give everyone a second chance to have a start.

This was a really interesting time as it also coincided with me wanting to get my projects back on track and being organised again. Considering that my Sun sign is Aquarius which is all about being free to go wherever, I'm still getting used to my Rising sign being more prominent, which is Virgo and this sign is all about lists and being organised. I feel like I've been neglecting everything recently but then again, maybe a break is all I needed to make space for this new and improved version of me so that I can achieve all of the things I want to do this year.

But the ritual hosted by Emily at Wise Woman Witchery was amazing and helped me to narrow down my focus and what I need to do over the next lunar month. This was done with a visualisation meditation and an egg divination.

At the start of the meditation, I was standing on a smooth dirt path at dusk or twilight with lots of grass and trees around. I was barefoot to be connected to the earth, and the moon was rising as the stars started to appear in the sky above. The stars were illuminating my surroundings as the moon was a dark disc in the sky. But there wasn't just trees and grass around me, because there was also birds singing and flying around and the sound of water nearby with frogs singing their own spring song.

As more stars appeared in the sky above, I moved forward along this smooth path. The air was cool but not cold, full of that post-rain energy and promise of new beginnings. As I looked ahead, I saw a light in the distance so I moved toward it as it seemed to be somewhere along my path. Even at dusk, the world seemed to be alive, awake and oh so vibrant!

As I moved closer to the light, I saw it was a lantern being held aloft by a woman with a large black dog sitting by her feet. I came to realise that this woman is Hekate, goddess of crossroads and the dark (or new) moon.

Hekate had a message for me: that I had reached a place of possibility and new beginnings. There were four paths ahead of me that I had to choose between. Each path had its own sign showing where it would lead me. In order to see the signs, I gratefully received the lantern from Hekate and illuminated them. One sign had a word and the energy of a tarot card, two had an image and the last one had a feeling: teaching, a pile of books, a calendar or schedule for organisation, and then a feeling of golden success. The sign of "teaching" held the energy of the tarot card, The Magician. The sign with the feeling of success felt so unfamiliar and almost alien to me and I was definitely surprised to find it there. All four paths were open and available to me but I could only choose one of them. The energies were converging to open doors that were previously closed off to me.

I took the lantern back to Hekate and received her blessing when she touched me on my forehead before leaving her behind and walking back along the dirt path that led me to her in the first place. But I wasn't leaving Hekate behind for good, just for the time being as I can always call on her again in the future when I'm facing another crossroad or just at the next New Moon.

This was when I did the egg divination. I used a marker to divide the egg into four sections, one for each path and sign. Then I wrote a word within each section before rolling the egg on the floor to see which path I should choose at this particular moment in time based on which section was furthest from the floor. When I rolled my egg, the section that was uppermost was "teaching". Teaching actually is part of a recent idea for a whole new project that I was inspired to create about a week before this New Moon so this is definitely something that I want to explore.

After the meditation and the egg divination, there wasn't anything else within the ritual but I was definitely curious as to how I could move forward with this path so I chose to do a reading for myself about this. I chose to use a spread within the Druid Plant Oracle guidebook because I couldn't find one that really fit with what I was asking: Ceridwen's Cauldron Spread. This spread is apparently very good for exploring creative projects, encouraging insight when everything seems to be in a state of flux, or for help with solving a particular problem.

My cards

This is a five-part spread that relates to the five ingredients Ceridwen used for her magickal brew: Sea Foam, Vervain, Rowan Berries, Lesser Celandine and Wort (likely Flixweed). I actually managed to get just one card for each part of this reading, which is very unusual for me but should be helpful anyway.

1. The place of Sea Foam - Poppy Reversed

This can be the general context of the project or it can be the main issue I'm facing.

With this card, I feel like the main issue I'm facing is languidness. Since I first started working on this project, I've not really done a lot with it although I do want to finish it off. This card may actually be saying that as much as I was really excited when I first received the inspiration for this project and I had a plan written out within 24 hours, since then I really haven't progressed as much as I have wanted to with it. I know I've set this project aside but I wil definitely be working towards completing this within a certain time-frame so that I can actually achieve something for myself that others can find useful as well.

2. The Place of Vervain - Wheat Upright

This is the obstacle, blockage or difficulty I am facing with this project.

With this card, I feel like the obstacle I'm facing is that I took a break from the project and I've not really ended that break. I know I need to keep working on this project but I haven't rediscovered my motivation to actually complete it.

I want to have the abundant harvest that Wheat symbolises but I haven't finished putting in the work to nurture this project just yet. I do want this project to be available to others when it's finished so that they, too, can have their own kind of harvest.

I think I became a bit complacent after I'd put together the initial plan of the project and now I need to put energy back into it.

3. The Place of Rowan Berries - Bramble Reversed

This is the protection that is surrounding me, the project or the issue I'm facing.

With this card, I feel like I'm being too protective of my project. So I might want to consider talking about it with others, more than just the one person with whom I've spoken in depth about this.

I may be smothering this project by not wanting others to know much about it before I'm ready to reveal it. By sharing my ideas with others, they could actually help me to grow this project but also offer their suggestions about what it could have within it.

This card is also confirming that I have a sense of discomfort with how little I have done with this project since the initial plan was finalised.

4. The Place of Lesser Celandine - Borage Upright

This is what will give me joy from this project.

With this card, I feel like the message is that it will give me courage to see what else I can do afterwards. The project I'm working on (slowly but surely) is all about the greater needs of others, rather than my own and this is exactly what Borage is all about.

This card is also about forgetting, especially when it comes to the possibility that this project could fail, so it may be that I need to put this out of my mind.

Borage is also about going beyond judgement and recrimination so maybe I need to stop worrying that I may be judged for creating the finished product and just doing it anyway - always good advice!

5. The Place of Wort - Chamomile Upright

This is the potential for transformation that exists within this project.

With this card, I feel like the message is that I need to be more calm and reconnect with my inner resources so that I can complete it.

This project is all about rejuvenating and re-energising interest and knowledge about forms of divination.

I need to imbue this project with a sense of vitality so that I remove the fatigue and seeming lack of enthusiasm for it and complete the planning and prep-work so the project can be released into the world.

I need to focus on how I can rediscover my passion for this project and what I intend for this project to bring to others, possibly by simplifying every aspect of it.

Well, now I feel called out by this reading but I feel like it's not all "bad". There are positives and advice about how I can move forward with this project and every single part of this reading said what I needed to hear. So I'm glad I chose to do a reading for myself about this project (and there's another reading to come in the Full Moon in Libra post too!).

I hope this inspires you to see how you can work the energy of Aries in the future, especially with it being the sign that starts the astrological year.

Peace and love to all!!