Pisces New Moon - Developing Compassion through Suffering

As the last sign of the zodiac and the last new moon before spring, the New Moon in Pisces presents us with an unparalleled opportunity for letting go. The moon is the guardian of the feminine, of your shadow self and your subconscious. As it moves through its phases, you're carried into places within your subconscious you may not even be aware of. In Pisces, this movement is deep into your inner world and your divine self.

Pisces' energy is other-worldly feeling, dreamy and sensitive. It's fluid and intuitive, descending from the heavens in waves that you can ride deep into your expansive inner realm. If you surrender to Pisces' wisdom and allow your emotions to emerge from the unconscious to be healed, this moon cycle can be a profound cleansing and clearing one.

For some, the Pisces journey is a blissful experience, as the heart opens wider and oneness is recognized. For others, the journey is more challenging, as Pisces reveals your limitations, frustrations and shadow side. Usually, it's a combination of both! With this moon, we enter, too, into the vast, collective unconscious and the undercurrents that have shaped our world, making it easy to feel overwhelmed. However Pisces feels to you, remember that Pisces can guide you (oftentimes through your dreams or intuition) into those hidden places where you still hold back or hold on, where you self-sabotage and lose yourself, where you believe in limits and where you doubt.

Because Pisces also rules suffering, these lessons can feel particularly challenging, especially if you resist or aren't open to receiving the gifts inherent in the suffering. Within the context of a loving, divine plan, suffering is a powerful tool for developing the highest of spiritual gifts: compassion, trust, and a capacity to hold self and others in unconditional love. Pisces understands that suffering is a direct pathway to the divine, and isn't afraid to surrender to the divine plan, whatever it may bring.

If you're willing to surrender to Pisces' plan for you, there's the potential to realize hidden strengths, untapped talents and magical abilities. Beware, however, of suffering for the sake of suffering. Because Pisces is so other-worldly, there's a certain risk of delusion under its influence, especially if you haven't yet developed discernment - the complementary energy of Pisces' fluidity and unconditional acceptance. When in doubt, allow love to be your guide. Can you love yourself through whatever experience Pisces brings you? Sometimes loving yourself means surrendering something you're valuing for the wrong reasons. Sometimes loving yourself means practicing discernment and removing yourself from situations where you're suffering for no good reason at all.

When I think of Pisces, I like to remember the Mesopotamian goddess Innana as she approaches the seven gates of the underworld, willing to offer up her crown, her cloak, her amulets, her gown and her jewels as she descends into her own symbolic shadow. Each of these items, though valuable in the material world, mean nothing in the larger context. So, we too, must surrender all the inessential things we cling to, in exchange for union with the divine residing within each of us. We must be willing to lay down false understandings and personal ego, the “garments and jewels” we’ve clothed ourselves with. In exchange, we may find the far more valuable jewels that lie within - unconditional love, compassion, faith, trust and peaceful acceptance.

The NEW MOON is in PISCES on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 11:03 am. It is conjunct the SUN and NEPTUNE, sextile SATURN and MARS, and square JUPITER.

Keywords to meditate on for this new moon: surrender, going with the flow, compassion, unconditional love, mysticism, delusion, karma, altered states of consciousness, suffering, addiction, dreams, dance

Symbols for this New Moon:

IN THE QUIET OF HIS STUDY A CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES A FLOW OF INSPIRATION. Reliance upon one's inner source of inspiration or guidance. Faith in your own SUBJECTIVE STRENGTH.

AN EASTER PARADE. The capacity inherent in all great sociocultural images to unite the members of a community in a display of excellence. PARTICIPATION IN COLLECTIVE PEAK EXPERIENCES.

A GROUP OF IMMIGRANTS AS THEY FULFILL THE REQUIREMENTS OF ENTRANCE INTO THE NEW COUNTRY. Consciously accepting the ways of a new stage of experience, in readiness for the opportunities it will present. TRANSITION.

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILD CARRYING A BAG FILLED WITH GROCERIES. Rising to the occasion when asked to assume social responsibilities ahead of one's normal development. ACCELERATED GROWTH.

ON THE BEACH, CHILDREN PLAY WHILE SHELLFISH GROPE AT THE EDGE OF THE WATER. Returning to simpler joys for revitalization. LIVE AND LET LIVE.