The New Moon each lunar month invites us to focus our attention on renewal, on our intention for the coming month. The New Moon in Libra at 28 degrees on Tuesday brings our focus to relationships – our relationship with ourselves, then our relationships with others, and then what new relationships we desire to bring into our future. It is also essential to understand the purpose of relationships which is not just to bring love, pleasure, companionship, connection, and awakening awareness of ourselves as each relationship mirrors us to ourselves.

While relationships can and often do challenge the I of Aries revealing who I am in relationship, what I want/need from another in partnership, what the other wants/needs from me in partnership, relationships are the fertile ground of mutual self-awareness. Can I maintain my sense of self and recognize the equal validity of the self of the other? Can I care for another, explore myself and encourage the other to explore me, can I trust the We of relationship? Getting to truly know another person, revealing oneself to another person, building a caring, trustworthy, respectful bond with another is an exceptional opportunity for each to expand their awareness, open their hearts more fully, and for each to benefit from and share their growth.

Libra is the sign/archetype of balance (the scales), of harmony as the result of balance, of the ideal forged in the direct human experience of connection and love. It is also the sign of the Law. While we think of the law as the external power of a court/judge/jury and it is, there are laws to relationships. Every meaningful relationship we attract in life no matter how joyful or painful, how long or short, how natural or unexpected, is a karmic request to act as consciously as we can as we discover and complete the purpose of that relationship journey. It is with and through others we heal our relationship with ourselves. Each are a necessary element of our quest to a full self.

This Libra New Moon contains a cardinal cross (4 planets in square or opposition to one another) which is both challenging and a dynamic activation. The activation brings our attention to the Sun (our authentic, conscious self), the Moon (our emotional/instinctive/intuitive self), Jupiter (our expanding, self-awareness personally and in our world, the growing truth realized through more experience) and Chiron (our wounded self and the healing it demands to transform into a strength). Here is a profound time to bring our pain from the past to a Libra loving acceptance of all the ways I have not known my true self, have not been able to be my true self, have not been accepted/loved as my true self and have not been able to care for/trust and become my true self. Through Jupiter currently in Cancer self-care, self-comfort, self-nourishment in every way can/is ready to expand our awareness and knowledge of ourselves as we love and heal our wounds. This is the balance and wholeness of a harmony within as it naturally translates to a harmony with others, with life.

In addition to the dynamic cardinal cross, this New Moon brings us a grand trine (think a triangle with a strong, balanced foundation rising to a peak of growth, awareness and opportunity to achieve a deeply held desire) in the water signs (feeling nature) composed of Mercury conjunct Mars, trine Jupiter trine Saturn and Neptune. WOW, 5 of the 10 traditional planets in a grand time offers an exceptional opportunity for integration, harmony, development and achievement. The activation of mars elevating our minds as we understand so much more Jupitarian truth and purpose supported by the grounded, realistic, follow through on our Neptunian dreams/insight and inspiration is a powerful opening to the higher intelligence coming into our consciousness/our evolution and the universal up-level of the now fully here Aquarian Age.