Re-Aligning With Your Self & Re-Committing To Your Personal Desires: New Moon in Aries

  
                 Here we are already! It wasn’t long ago that we were making our New Year’s resolutions and listing our goals and intentions in terms of work and accomplishment (New Moon in Capricorn, December 18th 2017). How are those resolutions coming along? Still on track? If so, please stand up right now and give yourself a thunderous round of applause! I mean it. You have my permission. Three and a half months of focused goal setting is something that most people struggle with.  

 
                If you’ve lost your way, give yourself a little rub on the back. It’s ok. And you’re in luck! Because we have another chance to re-declare our intentions and re-commit to getting what we want. I’m talking about the New Moon that appears for us on April 15th, this time in the sign of Aries.

 
                This is an exciting time! In the world of lunar astrology, this is a lot like New Year’s all over again. Just as January marks the first month of the traditional calendar, Aries is actually the first astrological sign of the year. (The first day of the astrological year is the first day of Aries, March 20th or 21st.) And just look around you. It made perfect sense to our ancestors that now – with the budding trees, the emerging animals, the thawing streams, the greening grass – is the Beginning. How what is undoubtedly the middle of winter came to be marked as the genesis of the year is a history lesson for another day (and most likely has more to do with organized religion and mankind’s need for conquest than common sense…just my guess).

 
                The New Moon is the first phase in the Moon’s cycle. This is at the opposite pole from the Full Moon. Now, none of the Sun’s light reaches its surface (thus this phase’s other name, the Dark Moon). This is the rebirth of the Moon’s cycle. It is starting over, and so can we. It is a time of fresh beginnings. It is a seed of pure potentiality. Just as the Moon will continue to grow fatter and bigger, so can our intentions grow along with it. Now is the time to declare our new goals and move steadily towards them.

 
           Aries, as the first astrological sign, is all about the Self, the ego. The motto of Aries is “I Am.” It is about force of will, personal power, and unashamedly, unabashedly BEING who you are. Aries is an adventurous, risk-taking sign, ruled by the element of Fire. Stereotypically, people born under this sign have been labeled as selfish, impulsive, egotistical divas, but these traits can be shadowy aspects of a much richer picture. Arians are also charismatic, exciting, courageous, dramatic, ambitious and are bold trailblazers in our society. They make passionate lovers (think fireworks in the bedroom, but beware as they can also burn a relationship to the ground) and all-around fascinating people to know. Arians aren’t afraid to feel into – and use – their personal power, and they don’t give a damn about the world raising its eyebrow at their daring and seemingly self-centered desires.
 

         This time of the year brings that same energy with it, which can be tapped into for our own personal development if we so choose. As a person who is definitely not an Aries and whose sign is ruled by a completely different element (Water), I know I could use a little more of this energy in my life and work! Even if you are an Aries, this month is all about re-centering and focusing on yourself and your own desires, things that can definitely fall by the wayside when you have so many other things to care and worry about (children, spouses, lovers, jobs, bills, relationship issues and other concerns).

 
          What about you? Are you moving towards what you want? So many of us have been trained to think that tending to our own needs is selfish and shameful. Quite the opposite is true. You can’t help anyone if your needs aren’t met first and foremost. It turns out that being selfish is a very giving thing to do.
 
           The New Moon in Aries reminds us that you are a unique individual. There is no one else like you, there has never been anyone like you before on this planet, and there never will be again. You have very particular desires and dreams for a reason. When you are happy, you can make others happy. Though it’s theoretically possible to make others happy while you are miserable, I promise you that you will be much more effective at creating dynamic, lasting change in this world if your soul is cared for first.


EXERCISE
 
One of the most obvious ways we can harness this energy is via good ol’ journaling! Grab your favorite journal (or a fresh Word processing page on your computer) and make a list of your top desires and goals for the following year. There could be just one big, unescapable goal that is blinking in your mind in neon lights (MANIFESTING THAT NEW, AMAZING, LUCRATIVE CAREER! or MANIFESTING THAT SEXY, SCINTILLATING, ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME RELATIONSHIP!), or it could be a list of goals. Five to ten goals right now is plenty. Leave space (at least half a page, or a full page) below each entry, and then brainstorm ways in which you can move closer to your goal. For example, if your goal is to gain a new career, you can list “seeing a resume professional” and “updating your Linked In profile” as ways to move closer to your goal.
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But we don’t have to do this alone! Let’s also consult the Tarot to see what advice can be gleaned from the Universe and our subconscious minds.
 


ONE-CARD TAROT DRAW
 
Directions: Please read the question – out loud if possible – and then select one of the three cards, randomly pulled from the deck, that you are drawn to. Then scroll down to read the interpretive response for your selected card.
 
 
QUESTION: What actions can we take to best achieve our personal goals and desires in the following year?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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​CARD#1:  III of Swords Reversed
 

 
 
The III of Swords is a card traditionally about grief and loss.  To me, it is also very much about anger with its representation of sharp swords and a deep, vivid red. When I see this card in reverse, I think about pulling out of grief and anger. I think about healing your heart and mind, and recovery from setbacks. Have you tried to reach for your goals in the past, and were met with disappointment and frustration? Were you perhaps embarrassed and upset, and convinced that you can’t have what you want? This card says the past is the past, and like the famous saying goes, “If you fall down 10 times, get up 11.” Perhaps it’s someone else who has told you that you can’t have what you want because you’re not educated enough/good-looking enough/smart enough, etc.  For every “can’t” you hear, negate it with a “I CAN.” People have achieved what you want, and they are NO better than you. If they can do it, so can you. Forget the past, let it go, forgive yourself, get assistance (even if it’s joining a support group) and PRESS FORWARD. Never stop going after your goals.


 
CARD#2:  IX of Swords
 

 
The IX of Swords, oh boy…this card is all about fear and your mind’s incredible ability to hold you back. It has been theorized time and time again by many of the world’s leading experts on goal achievement and personal development that fear is the Number One reason people don’t live the life they want. Fear is a survival mechanism. However, it is a powerful emotion, and it kicks in even when there is no danger to our lives. It fills us with images of failure, ridicule, social ostracism and unlikely catastrophes that probably won’t even occur. Fear is what keeps us in mundane jobs, from asking for raises and from taking any risk at all. But life shouldn’t be about being safe and mundane. Life is an adventure, and risk is part of that. Everyone has fear, but we need to learn how to manage it and not let it keep us from reaching for our goals. In fact, it’s very possible that achieving goals is what scares you. What happens if you do triple your income, open your own wildly successful practice, become a digital nomad and travel the world while your friends are tied down in their desk jobs? Would you be afraid of  losing your friends? Would you be afraid that people will resent you? Would you be afraid that, like all those famous lottery winners, you’ll lose all your new money and become a laughingstock? Write down what actually scares you about achieving your goals and bring it into the full light of day. Remember that fear is literally F.E.A.R. – False Evidence Appearing Real. It’s all in your head. Don’t let your mind stop you from being happy!


 
CARD#3: IV of Swords Reversed
 

 
The IV of Swords is all about resting, retreat and recovery. It is especially about resting the mind. When we want to achieve our goals, it is very easy for some of us to obsess. When I see this card in reverse especially, I think about disrupted rest. Don’t let your desire to achieve your goals be all-consuming. Please don’t burn out! Yes it is important, but don’t forget that you are enough exactly as you are, regardless of whether you achieve your goals. Take a break! Enjoy the forest, a good dessert or libation, a laugh with friends and family, a good book or two or five! See a film, spend time playing with your pet! I believe that we are here to seek out victory and challenge ourselves, but just remember that there’s so much more to life than a never-ending treadmill of goal attainment. Relax too! Furthermore, MEDITATE. Our minds work so much better and with more focus and clarity when we take time daily (or at least 5 days a week) to be still, breath and relax the mind. Whether you do it on your own or alongside guided recordings (and there are literally hundreds out there), in silence or alongside gentle music or natural sounds like trickling water or sounds of the forest, please schedule it into your day. This rest and recharging of your mind is a wonderful break that will also make your goal achievement much easier for you!


 
Happy Manifesting!
 
With Love,

Kesha

kesha@newworldtarot.org
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www.newworldtarot.org
 
 
{The Tarot is an amazing manifestation tool! Would you like personalized help in manifesting your goals using the cards? Please take a look at New World Tarot’s varied and flexible list of consultation package offerings! Several different and gorgeous decks are available! Contact NWT today! }