On Sunday February 23rd at 10:32 AM (EST), there’s a rare New Moon in Pisces. New Moons, as I’ve said before, mark the beginning of each monthly Lunar cycle, and consequently signal Fresh Starts and periods of initiation and action in the two weeks leading up to the Full Moon, when we realize whatever flaws or obstacles to our plans and adjust accordingly, in preparation for the next New Moon. And so on.

This New Moon in Pisces Decan 1, however, occurs smack in the middle of the first Mercury Retrograde period of 2020, with the Sun, Moon and Mercury all in the imaginative, dreamy Water sign of Pisces—typically not the best time to start new projects or make major moves. And with Mercury in its Detriment, we’re fully awash in the Brain Fog & Escapism characteristic of Pisces. In other words, we’re not thinking clearly now, not only due to Mercury Retrograde but due to the heavy concentration of planets in Pisces (in this case, the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Neptune), as well as in the 9th and 12th houses of the chart.

Similarly, there’s a potent contradiction that underlies this particular New Moon chart—namely, while it denotes a cycle best used for cultivating receptivity, paying attention to how we react to certain situations or people that “trigger” us and reflecting on recent events, the chart depicts an equally powerful, almost desperate, compulsive desire for external validation.

Jupiter Square Venus + Mars Square Chiron: Desire for Validation

Jupiter in its Fall in Capricorn lands in the 9th house of the New Moon chart. On its own, this placement is much like the combination of Sagittarius and Capricorn, embodying the vision of Sagittarius grounded by Capricorn’s signature Practicality. Yet Jupiter forms a tight square aspect to Venus in Aries—the sign of its Detriment—in the 12th house of the Pisces New Moon chart.

In Astrology, each house is associated with a particular zodiac sign. The 12th house corresponds to the sign of Pisces, representing secrets, the unconscious mind, endings and all that’s hidden. With Venus in its detriment by sign, trapped in the 12th house of the chart, our ability to love ourselves (Venus in Aries) is undermined by our excessive, unquenchable need to feel accepted, loved by, or attraction from others. Jupiter in Capricorn and Venus in Aries are both poorly placed by sign, as both planets are about attraction, while Cardinal signs Aries and Cap are interested in goal achievement, action and acquiring of accolades—even if only on a superficial level.

Mars, the planet of drive and motivation, is in Capricorn, and though it’s exalted in the sign of Capricorn, it’s similarly undermined both by its tight conjunction to the South Node in Cap and its equally tight square to asteroid Chiron in Aries. With these aspects, our powers of Action—of Productivity and Manifestation—are just as blurry as our thinking now, as Mars conjunct the South Node in Capricorn indicates action motivated by deeply-rooted, unconscious habit patterns acquired through early life conditioning. Mars conjunct the South Node in any chart is often indicative of someone who’s likely to “shoot himself in the foot,” so to speak—a tendency that’s even more likely when Mars is tightly square Chiron, compelling us to act not out of pure intentions out of fear of rejection.

Consequently, we might become so deeply mired in (or afraid to leave) our comfort zones that we either go deeper into solitude or self-imposed isolation. Or, alternatively, we go embark upon a continual, compulsive quest to seek self-esteem through validation or approval from others. Think notches on bedposts, constant checking of emails ignored or messages left on “read,” or focusing too heavily not on real feeling but on whether the other person (seems) to “like” us or not.

Jupiter Sextile Neptune: Learning From Loss

The recent Cancer/Capricorn Eclipses—both Cardinal signs—have drained us, demanding Action both on the home front and in terms of building our Careers. This has left us exhausted, having either moved house or changed jobs, vacillating constantly between the demands of Home and Family (Cancer) and those of Career (Capricorn).

Jupiter in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces—sign of its Rulership—in the 11th house of the chart increases the potential for Disappointment or Delusion when it comes to our relationships and finances. That said, this New Moon chart above is loaded with potential—though the potential of this New Moon comes not through outward achievements or alliances but through our capacity to embrace our gut feelings and reflect clearly on what parts of our lives are—and aren’t—working.

Not to get morbid here, but there’s one scene in the BBC film Sylvia, the biopic of Poet Sylvia Plath, when Gwyneth Paltrow (Sylvia) finally finds evidence of Ted’s affair. He returns home to find all his papers and letters burned and torn to shreds. But as he screams asking “what happened here” (or something to that effect), she simply looks at him as she delivers one of the most iconic lines in the film: “The Truth comes to me. The Truth loves me.” And with that, he swiftly leaves the house.

In the film, this scene marks the beginning of her self-imposed solitude, during which she suffers as she reels from Ted’s abandonment and the painful reality of her marriage yet channels her suffering to the creative work that became the stuff of legend. Aside from the real-life tragedy of Plath’s life, this one fictional scene is a powerful example of the consequences we face when we bank our entirely identities on validation from sources outside ourselves, from the perceived public or significant others.

The Grand Sextile: Golden Opportunity

This New Moon offers a powerful burst of creativity when it comes to coming up with new ways to approach long-held beliefs and blockages that have been preventing us from feeling fulfilled, shining a light on the depths of our unconscious and giving us a rare glimpse into the Truth about our deepest fears and conditioned behavior patterns—should we choose to look.