If you bristle at the status quo and conventional methods; if you seek new approaches to old problems; if you’re experimental and perhaps a little contrarian — if “that’s the way we’ve always done it” makes you cringe — the first new moon of 2025 is the moment you’ve been waiting for.
The first new moon of 2025 arrives in Aquarius (9º50’, January 29, 7:35 am ET). It marks the start of the Lunar New Year and it sets us up for a slow transformation that will occur over the next 20 years.
This new moon invites you to speak up about your ideas and plant seeds for a transformative revolution that will evolve over time.
New Moon Dynamics: Initiating New Cycles
A new moon occurs when, from our perspective on Earth, the Sun and Moon meet at the same point in the sky. At this new moon, they meet in Aquarius. In mid-Summer, when the Sun is in Leo and the Moon is in Aquarius, we’ll get the full moon in Aquarius, marking a culmination of the seeds we are planting now.
This is also the first new moon in Aquarius since Pluto entered this sign for a 20-year transit. As such, it marks an initiation of the Pluto-in-Aquarius era and a seeding of a longer-arc transformation that will unfold over the next 20 years.
From the Fringes to the Main Stage
Aquarius is a fixed air sign associated with ideas, innovation, and collective progress. On the wheel of the zodiac, it is opposite Leo. Leo, ruled by the Sun, is the sign of the performer — you can think of it as the main stage. The Sun represents convention, status quo, and social norms.
In Aquarius, which falls in mid-winter, the Sun is at its weakest. Aquarius thus represents what’s on the fringe, or the outskirts. It is the counter-culture, non-mainstream ideas that reject cultural norms, the status quo, and societal expectations.
Just like the Sun eventually makes its way to Leo, where it shines brightly and brings the summer heat, all things that start on the fringe eventually come around to the mainstream.
Revolutionary change and transformation are slower processes than we like to think. They require persistence and patience over a long arc of time.
This new moon invites us to envision a new reality, break free from our past, and release old patterns. It will reward those who are willing to break the rules, challenge conventional practices, and stand on the edge of “normal” for longer than might feel comfortable.
Start Talking About Your Ideas
At this new moon, Mercury has just entered Aquarius and is sitting next to Pluto, not far from the position of the Sun and Moon.
Mercury is the communicator and messenger. It’s position next to Pluto in Aquarius at the the time of the new moon is a signal that it’s time to talk about your contrarian or renegade ideas, no matter how “out there” they might seem.
In fact, any truly revolutionary idea in the spirit of Aquarius will be “out there” — it’s the nature of this sign to be on the outskirts. Aquarian ideas are often “out of step” with time, but know that eventually everyone else will catch up.
Consider Steve Jobs, who had Mercury in Aquarius. The iPhone and iPad were revolutionary ideas that might seem to have had instant mainstream success, but they were successors to his Newton, which failed to catch on because it was too far ahead of its time.
Aquarius is a fixed sign that knows how to stay patient and persistent while everyone else gets on board.
What we seed now might get a little bit of boost from a supportive aspect to Jupiter in Gemini. Jupiter is the planet of expansion: it magnifies things, sometimes to excess. In Gemini it is relentlessly curious, which can help open minds to your ideas.
Revolutions Start With Seeds
Revolutions don’t happen overnight. The pace of change is slow, and it starts with the planting of seeds.
If you’ve been sitting on idea that feels contrarian to the status quo of cultural or industry norms, the Aquarius new moon invites you to initiate a process of speaking about it and working toward making it a reality.
With patience and persistence over time, your contrarian idea will work its way into the mainstream.
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