New Moon in Aquarius

Free Your Mind

As the New Moon in the fixed air sign of Aquarius perfects on January 29, 12:35 pm GMT (your time), I was thinking about the “Pea Souper” of the Great Smog in London in 1952. This weather event created air so contaminated with toxins from the burning of fossil fuels that the Clean Air Act of 1956 was enacted, leading to the elimination of coal and other black smoke-inducing materials being burnt in England's capital.

An anticyclone was the cause—a dump of still, heavy, cold air pressure pushed down by a top layer of warm air, which creates a fog that sits like a damp, suffocating blanket. The cold quickly sinks into the skin and bones of warm-blooded animals; we, in turn, always searching for the Sun, seek the warmth of a blazing fire. Yet the toxins in the black smoke released from burning fossil fuels create a viscous, green-tinted vapour that crawls under doors, through the gaps of windows, and into our airways, literally choking us with toxic air. The only way to move this weather pattern is with a new weather front of wind, blowing away the clouds and fumes.

Coal, the black combination of carbon and fossilised plant and animal life from millennia past, is Saturnian in nature. It is formed over a period of aeons under extreme pressure. The layers build upon each other, crushing the carbon tighter and tighter together, creating a dense material.

Just thinking about the process takes us out of our comfort zone. Yet we are happy to pop a bit of coal on the fire and think nothing of the fact that this piece of black, sooty material is the product of so many processes yet is burned down to ash in a few minutes.

Aquarius season can also mentally create the fixed-air “pea souper” fog within the mind, creating confusion, lack of motivation and even sometimes self-sabotaging thoughts.

When our minds and hearts feel this way, finding the energy to muster the fresh breeze that will blow away the smog from our minds can be difficult. When the Moon travels through Aquarius, we can feel a little remote or removed from that which nurtures us, like a crab very far from the ocean, would soon suffer from the lack of the watery support of its home.

Changing rigidly fixed thinking is challenging work. Nothing is more complicated to change than a stubborn person's mindset! The most difficult part is when our minds imprison us in stagnant thought processes. How can we release ourselves from our internal prison?

Co-present with Mercury and Pluto and trine to Jupiter in Gemini, this New Moon amplifies the potential to work with intention to create new neural pathways in the mind and increase neuroplasticity. If you’re looking for resources on this topic, I recently read Tara Swart's excellent book, The Source. In it, she offers excellent ideas on developing new ways to liberate the mind and reframe one's life. 

Working with Apatite

Apatite is a crystal that helps us maintain balance, especially nourishment. In the exercise below, we will use the crystal to help us break down thoughts and blocks that can release us from the procrastination that keeps us from starting a project.

Apatite can also support forward motion if we lack motivation or are exhausted. It is brilliant for sticking to a healthy eating plan or workout regime or maintaining good habits. Apatite is also excellent for assisting bone and cartilage health.

You Will Need:

• Apatite Crystal

• Natural Fibre Twine/Yarn, or Pen & Paper

• Scissors

Apatite comes in many colours, and each will work with the traditional chakra it attaches to. For this exercise, I chose blue, but you can use with the colour that works for you. If you do not have the crystal to hand, a picture to recall the crystal energy can help you connect.

For this ritual exercise, you can write down your affirmations, but ideally, use your voice. You can talk into a voice recorder or speak your intentions or phrases to a loved one. (If you choose the latter, this person must be trusted to hold the space as a sacred container. Ask them to sit as a benevolent witness without commenting. This person must not call you out in the future if you do not reach a target they believe to be your intention. Remember, this is a practice for you to begin working on your mindset, not a relationship process or an exercise for pleasing someone else!)

Begin by programming your Apatite to work with you by cleansing it thoroughly after your purchase, running under water, ideally a spring or river, or using sound to reset the vibration. Then, hold the crystal in your hands, close your eyes, and speak out about your general intentions for the crystal. It can be something like, “Dear energy of Apatite, please work with me to bring about my highest good whenever we work together.” You can come up with any other phrases, but this should be part of working with any new crystal you bring into your home.

If you are working alone, prepare your space. As always, a clean, tidy area will help you focus, assisting in healthy, balanced thoughts. A clean space is a clean mind.

Have your twine, yarn, or a pen, paper, and scissors to hand (always be careful with sharp scissors, and do not borrow your parents' or partner's cloth scissors for paper!).

Consider the thoughts or routines that are no longer working well for you. They may have once served you well but are now outdated and worn.

Unravel a piece of the twine while you say out loud what you want to change. For example, “I release old, tired patterns of procrastination.” Then, snip the yarn/twine as a symbol of cutting that thread.

Or, if you are writing it down on a small piece of paper, as you speak out loud, cut the paper into two pieces. Do this as often as you need with patterns you want to move on from. You could use a cocktail stick or matchstick if that feels good; break it in half as you affirm the pattern's release. Once done, these items can be composted or buried as long as they are natural fibres.

Take your Apatite in your hands and think about the new ideas and thought patterns you want to incorporate. Imagine a fresh wind sweeping through, a hint of warmth on the breeze. The clouds and fog are blown away, leaving sweet, clean, oxygenated air.

If you dance, you could recreate a swirling wind sweeping through and carrying away the stagnant smog. If you enjoy mindful walking or running, take your Apatite and repeat the affirmation as you move. If you are sitting with a loved one, hold the crystal and speak to it with intent. Maybe something like, “I am motivated to start my new project.” If you enjoy crafting, knit or crochet a small item to represent your intent. Or you can write them down in your journal. The aim is to imagine the lift of the cloud and the clean, new ideas that can shine through like a burst of sunlight.

Once you reach the Full Moon in Leo on February 12th, cleanse the Apatite thoroughly and reexamine how the previous two weeks have gone. Have you begun to bring in some new, helpful patterns?

If possible, place the Apatite in the Full Moon light to recharge the crystal after cleansing. Thank it for helping you get back on track and ready for a new year of plans for the spring season.

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Saffron Dennis is an astrologer, crystal therapist, and tarot reader based in the East Anglia region of the UK. You can book her for a reading or as a speaker at your local or online event at divinebaytree.com