While all new moons offer the possibility for new beginnings, this week’s new moon in Scorpio adds a little more bang for the proverbial buck. Coming in hot on the heels of Halloween, All Souls Day and Samhain, the pagan celebration of the thinning of the veil between worlds, this new moon is rife with power and the potential for personal renewal.
The alignment of the Sun, moon and Earth at this time shows us only the shadow side of the moon. In astronomy, the conjunction of three celestial bodies is known as a syzygy, which sounds very much like a Scandinavian metal band, but translates roughly to “yoked together.” The definition is apt as the new moon provides the opportunity for us to braid energy and initiative together for the express purpose of moving forward.
While full moons are about completion, endings and fruition, the new moon is when we set course and scatter seeds. Just as the darkest earth is the richest soil, the darkness of the new moon allows us to dig into desire and till dreams. We cannot look to the light of the moon to guide us during this time so we must instead look inward for illumination.
The sign the new moon falls in imbues it with energy and serves to guide us in our observances. In its purest form, Scorpio energy is about transformation, honoring what has passed while resolutely working towards what might yet be. Seriously Scorpio poet Anne Sexton’s bows to both in her poem “In Celebration of my Uterus”
“let me carry bowls for the offering
(if that is my part).
Let me study the cardiovascular tissue,
let me examine the angular distance of meteors,
let me suck on the stems of flowers
(if that is my part).
Let me make certain tribal figures
(if that is my part).
For this thing the body needs
let me sing.”
Sing, indeed, for what your body needs and what your highest self wants. Clear your mind, wash your sheets and read on for insights on where to focus your energies and intentions for maximum lunar benefit.
Aries
This new moon activates your Eighth House of sex, death and magic. The focus for you this go-round is less about action and more about peering into the parts of yourself that require more coaxing. You’ll need all of you to achieve all you need, so get to work talking to your shadows and listening closely to the echo of their answers.
Taurus
The Scorpio new moon falls in your Seventh House of partnership, bull babies. The lesson for you is to go deep — or go home alone. The time is prime for you to surrender to the kind of intimacy that can only come from sharing your wounds and allowing another person to tend to their dressing.
Gemini
With the new moon falling in your Sixth House of daily habits, you’re called to question how mundane routines can be ritualized in order to serve you on a deeper level. Even the simple act of folding laundry can be elevated by considering the way what you wear determines how you conceal and reveal yourself.
Cancer
This lunation is moving through your Fifth House of creativity and pleasure. It’s a time to be led by — and towards — what feels good. Follow the muddy footprints and popsicle debris of your inner child down the path towards self-love and easy expression.
Leo
This dark moon is hitting hard in your Fourth House of home and ancestry. It’s a tender moment for you and you may be tempted to relive the past or waste time reimagining it. Instead, spend time honoring yourself for how you have healed from the pain you inherited and the hurt you were dealt.
Virgo
While you never need an invitation to practice the kind of solitude the new moon typically calls for, this cycle is activating your Third House of communication providing the impetus to connect. Whether that looks like making an overdue phone call, writing a long letter or taking a walk with a friend, give someone the medicine of your words.
Libra
This new moon activates your Second House of possessions and values, making this an auspicious time to call into being abundance in myriad forms. Remember, Libra: the first step towards reaping rewards of any kind is believing that you deserve them.
Scorpio
You’re in your apex power at present Scorpio, and there is little you can’t do with the Sun, new moon and Mars in your sign and on your side. Consider your wants wisely and take care not to waste your wishes.
Sagittarius
The new moon is activating your 12th House of the unseen and the unconscious. This lunation may trigger a mild to severe case of existential dread, archer folk. Be brave. You will not find the cure for fear in fleeing from it — only in staring straight at it.
Capricorn
This new moon is encouraging comradery in your 11th House of friends and community. Now more than ever you are open to the possibility that while you can do it alone, the process of getting it done can be sweetened by collaboration.
Aquarius
The new moon in Scorpio is moving through your 10th House of career and public perception and facing off with Uranus, your volatile ruler. Sudden twists of fate, radical changes and new opportunities are at hand. Be open to all and trust that everything is conspiring for your greater good.
Pisces
This new moon in your Ninth House of travel, philosophy and higher learning wants you to feed your head, Pisces. Any combination of book reading, micro-dosing, Doors records and subliminal stimuli should do the trick. Seek broad horizons and strange shores.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.