Aries New Moon #1

Welcome to the Moon and You! In this premiere episode, your host Jonah will be sharing his intent behind this podcast, inviting you to join his journey of inner and outer discovery through the twelve signs of the zodiac. 

Episode 1 takes place ahead of the first of two new moons in Aries this month (21 March 2023). Learn what Aries season is all about, the story behind the constellation of Aries, and how to channel the energy of this notorious golden ram towards personal fulfilment. This episode features a mindfulness exercise to connect with your breath, clear mental clutter, and launch into a new cycle open to limitless possibility. So like Jason and his quest for the golden fleece, lets use the power of Aries to ask ourselves, 'what is it I actually want', and set sail.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to The Moon and You a new podcast that's all about the changing signs of the moon and the seasons and how you can tap into them to unlock your own goals and desires. My name's Jonah. I'm an Aussie who lives in South London, and I'm really excited to be starting this adventure with you.

Each month I'll be releasing a new podcast, which aligns with the sign that that new moon is passing through. This first podcast will focus on the first of two new moons in Aries this month. I'll start by saying I'm definitely no expert in astrology, but I did grow up in the country, and I think when you are that far removed from lots of city lights, you do spend a lot of time looking at the stars and wondering how it all fits in.

I also believe that there's lots to be gained when we stop and align ourself with the seasons around us. My mantra for this whole project is to go with the flow and to think how I can go with the current of the river rather than against it. And it's a bit of an experiment to see what the results will be when I do finally lean in.

So every month we'll be following a pretty standard structure where I'll be sharing some of my observations about the seasons and the patterns that are happening around me, and then we'll go into a bit of a discussion about what each sign means and how it relates to that. We'll also do a bit of meditation and inner exploration before we close off with a bit of a call to action.

And again, my goal here is to think how can we best tap into the flows and ebbs of the sky above and the seasons around us to maximize our own potential. Most of you will already know that Aries is the first of 12 signs in the Zodiac, but what you might not know, and what I was curious to discover is that astrology as we know it has a history of at least 5,000 years. As you'd probably expect the biggest priorities of our people at the time were to sort of stay alive and fed, right? So what I'm really interested in are the human histories behind these astrological signs and how they relate to the changing of the seasons. So let's start off with a bit of a checklist of what I can see around me here in gloomy South London.

When I step outside, the first thing that catches my eye are the beautiful bright yellow jonquils and daffodils that have now come out in full bloom along my street. I can see that lots of people have planted primroses and their beautiful red colors are sort of shining through the frost, which is a nice little, um, mood lifter on my way to the gym.

Well, we've been plagued with pretty miserable weather here in the UK lately with this horrible beast of the East Cold snap. One thing that did lift my spirit the other day was a magnolia tree, which is just about to burst into full bloom. There's something really magical and uplifting about their massive pink and white flowers getting ready to show their faces to the world at this time of.

I've also noticed that the birds and the squirrels seem to be a little bit busier. Um, the birds, I understand cuz they're getting ready for spring, but I'm curious why the squirrels are so, uh, frantically busy in my garden. I wonder if they're running low on food stores or maybe they're just trying to make mates, who knows?

Stepping outside of my little concrete jungle, it's lambing season, which is fitting, considering that Aries is the ruling sign at the minute. Uh, and it's also the time of year that all the adders start to wake from their sleep. And being an Aussie snakes will always have a special place in my heart.

Apparently the old English name for March was 'Hyldde'... Dunno if I pronounced that right, which means 'noisy'. And I think that's in reference to the big winds and rains that we get at this time of year. The word march as we know it today is obviously linked to the Roman God. Mars, who you'll know is the romanized version of Ares different to the sheep that we're talking about today.

Uh, but apparently back on the continent and back before climate change was such an issue, March was named after Mars because it was the time of year that the winds would dry up all of the winter clay, and it was the time to start mobilizing and planning your army advance. So what is Aries and what is Aries season all about?

Well, the constellation of Aries is the Ram linked to the golden fleece and stories of a divine golden ram that was sent by the gods to save a couple of twins that were in distress. These twins named Phraxis and Helle were the children of Nephele who was a nymph or like a Sky Cloud spirit. Their father was Im Mortal King, who could not be with said cloud spirit, and he remarried a woman who was not too fond of her stepchildren.

This unfondness grew to a strong distaste, which eventually led to murderous intent, and she plotted to kill them. Their mother, who had eyes and ears in all sorts of places, caught wind of this plot and decided that it was time for her to do something about it with a couple of her divine mates sent a golden ram to save her twins, and just before the wicked stepmother could get her way and end the two twins from the heavens lept a golden ram to save the twins, they jumped on his back and he rode to safety, or did they?

It turns out that riding on the back of a golden ram isn't always a safe exercise, and they certainly didn't have seat belts back in the day. So what happened is Helle, the daughter, she fell from the back of the ram into the sea where she subsequently drowned. Phraxis made it to land, but of course he was grieving his sister.

With the heavy heart of both grief for his sister, but also gratitude for his own survival. He sacrificed that ram to the gods and the ram's fleece became a very, very famous treasure. It was so precious that it was hung from a tree in a grove that sacred to the God Ares and guarded with a fearsome dragon.

The fleece remained th subject of myth and fable. That was until Jason and his merry crew of Argonauts came to find it. Of course, he wouldn't have got anywhere near it if it wasn't for the help of the witch and Sorceress Madea, who I think is one of the most legendary figures in Greek mythology, but her stories for another time, by slaying the dragon and claiming the fleece for his own, Jason was able to prove to his naysayers, beyond a doubt that he was the rightful king and fit to rule claiming his sovereign.

As the golden Ram was the center of so many stories of noble conquests and heroic feats, it was the God Zeus that decided to place the constellation of Aries in the sky to memorialize him. When you reflect on these stories, Aries represents kingship. It represents sacrifice, and it represents, in my opinion, the age old quest to fulfill one's destiny.

But like many things, there are stories far, far older than this one. The constellation of Aries, which if you have a quick Google, you'll see isn't all that much - actually has origins even further back than the ancient Greeks in ancient Egypt. Before the Greeks even had a say, the aries Constellation was attributed to the God Amon Ra, who was a man with the Rams head.

Amon Ra, oversaw the realms of fertility and creativity. But interestingly, his origins also have a backstory. Amon Ra was a hybridization of two previous gods that were much, much older than him. One of whom was the God of occult power and wisdom, and the other one was the God of the Sun, which represents life itself.

In a nice little circle back, Amon Ra was the patron and ancestor of the divine Pharaoh lion, bringing it back to those qualities of leadership, kingship and destiny. So I think we get the point. Now, Aries, the Ram with its wonderful wool is all about the rich tapestry of life and choosing what life we want to create for ourselves.

The 21st of March in this year of 2023 will be the first of two new moons in Aries this year. Interestingly, it aligns almost perfectly with the spring equinox. For millennia and all over the world, people and cultures have marked the spring equinox as the proper beginning of spring. Just about everywhere you look, there are monoliths and tapestries and paintings that all mark this very special day in the solar calendar.

So what does this all mean and how do we bring all of this windy, wet warrior energy into something useful? How do we marry it with this step into spring proper? Let's dislill it. This is a time of unlimited potential. It's a time for us to stop, to think, and to plan ahead. We are the journeyman. We are Jason on that quest for the golden fleece.

So what is our quest? What is our holy grail? It's often said that we can achieve whatever we want to achieve in life, but the biggest obstacle is knowing what we truly desire. I can't expect myself or anyone to be able to answer that so quickly. . But what I can do is make sure that I've got the right mindset to do it.

So this month's meditation will be on just that, mindfulness, and how we can connect with our body, connect with the atmosphere around us, and be fully present and open to possibility.

This month's meditation will focus on the power of breath. Breath is the most constant thing in our life. We have it from the moment of our birth. And we need it until the moment of our death. The whole world could change around us, but one thing will remain the same. And that is breath the rhythm of breathing in and breathing out.

This rhythm connects us with all living beings on the planet. So I'll ask you now to find somewhere comfortable and put yourself in a comfortable position where you'll be able to breathe easily. It could be sitting in a chair, it could be sitting down. You could be lying in a bath or lying on a bed.

Make yourself comfortable and slow your breath. Draw your attention inwards. Begin by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Begin a pattern breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Bring your conscious awareness to your nostrils. Observe how it feels to breathe in that cool air.

And follow that consciousness down to the back of your throat.

And down again into your lungs, and pay attention to the steady rise and fall of your breath.

Now, spread that awareness further. With your next inward breath, pay close attention to your diaphragm. How is presses on your abdomen.

Rollowing that trail, send that consciousness down into your hips. Breathe into your hips.

Become fully present of your torso. Becoming one with your torso, leaving room for no other thought or direction.

Now send that consciousness down further into your thighs, down your calves.

Through your ankles to the tips of your toes.

Now send that awareness across your shoulder blades, into your biceps, down to your forearms, and to the very tips of your fingers.

And send that consciousness up your neck, into your head, allowing you to be fully present of your form. Be one with your body.

And one with your breath.

Know that this present moment is the only moment that matters. Being totally one with who you are, being totally one with your breath. Let yourself feel light and open and hold this space and this mindset for as long as you desire.

When you're ready to return to waking consciousness, bring your awareness to the tips of your fingers and the tips of your toes. Move that awareness through to your hands and feet, and this time, send a command to move them and spring them into action. Give your fingers and toes a wiggle, reminding them that they're awake

Send this waking consciousness up through your legs and through your arms, clenching your muscles and springing them to life. Move this waking awareness up again into your hips and into your torso, and up again into your neck. Give your head a bit of a twist. And when you're ready, slowly open your eyes and return to the waking world.

So now you know how to connect with your breath and connect with your body. Your goal this month is to do this as frequently as possible to prepare yourself for the journey ahead. After all, how can we be expected to navigate the complexities of life if we don't have our own thoughts and our own breath in order?

Our other goal this month is to take advantage of that Aries energy and to start thinking about what we truly desire. By that, I may not what we are meant to want, but what we actually want to want and to formulate a plan to achieve it. When we meet next, on the 20th of April, when the New Moon is again in Aries, we'll be sowing those seeds of intent.

And like Jason, we'll be setting off on our own adventure to claim our own prize. And until then, enjoy Aries season and the coming of spring.