The Strength to Endure

We are now entering a brand new astrological month, as well as a brand new time zone. The month of Aries (or in Aramaic Rosh Chodesh Nissan) is right around the corner, and it coincides with the astrological New Year, which is considered the year for the kings of Israel.

Interestingly, King Solomon had a picture of a lamb facing a wolf on one of the steps leading to his throne. Why is that? And why was Aries chosen to be the beginning of the year? The answer lies in the Sefer Yetzira or Book of Formation:

He made the letter hey king over speech
And He bound a crown to it
And He combined one with another
And with them He formed
Aries (tale) in the universe
Nissan in the year
And the right foot in the soul male and female

Speech is the designated ability for lunar Aries. According to the Talmud, man is called “the animal which can speak.” The mouth, pe in Aramaic, reveals wisdom, enabling us to overcome our tikkune. The oral law is called “Torah she baal pe” and Pesach literally means the mouth which speaks.

The letter hey, creator of the sign of Aries, is the easiest letter to pronounce, since its sound comes straight from the lungs, just like a breath. As we know, Avram and Sarai added a hey to their names and overcame their destiny. Avraham was also born in the month of Aries, and is the first pillar of the Three Column system, the chariot of Chesed, the Right Column.

Interestingly, the first commandment ever given to the Israelites was to bless the New Moon. Why? It could have been any of the many commandments! The answer is to give us the power to overcome negative zodiac influence. Actually, in ancient times the new lunar month was declared through the testimony of two witnesses. Then the beit din (the court of law) declares the new month. All of these actions are, indeed, processed through the mouth, via the witnessing and declaration of the molad.

In addition, from the sages viewpoint, the lamb represents unity. As we observe in nature, lambs will always reunite into a flock. Unity is also achieved through the mouth. The nation of Israel (our humankind sample) was very disconnected until the moment they came out of Egypt and proactively came together as one. In the same way, as a community, we can overcome all odds through our unity.

Rosh Chodesh Nissan always coincides with the start of spring. The first 12 days of the month contain the DNA of the 12 months of the year to come and control all 12 signs. As taught by the kabbalists, the Aramaic word for spring, aviv, can also be read, Av-Yud-Bet, which is literally “the father of 12.” The cosmos gives us a way, right at the start of the year, to place order (seder) in our lives. Of course, the wholly-day of Pesach, at the Full Moon of Aries, starts with the seder meal, the order.

From a planetary viewpoint, the lunar month of Nissan is under the ruling of planet Mars, the zodiac warrior. Mars’ look is unmistakable with its red atmosphere, indicative of its martial and aggressive quality. Called Ma’adim in Hebrew, its root is in blood, dam. In traditional astrology, Mars rules challenges, energy levels, and confrontations. Often called the “lesser malefic” (as opposed to Saturn, the great malefic), Mars is the energy giver and power plant of the solar system. Technically, the energy we receive from Mars this month will help us in all our future battles, wars, and confrontations in the year to come.

As we take a closer look at this month’s energy at the birth of the New Moon (molad), we find that Mars is disengaging from Saturn and is conjuncting Pluto in Capricorn. This is a great opportunity for working in-depth and independently on something we are passionate about. It becomes easier to challenge what we know and ask questions, which go deeper. It gives us the endurance and strength to succeed and will generate great creativity to achieve major transformations in our life.

Unfortunately, the downfall is much more aggressive, which can lead to violent streaks. In fact, this month’s chart is on the challenging side with four planets already in Aries. The chart’s ascendant in Gemini reflects the trend of Nissan well and increases our ability to speak up.We are also gifted with a strong amount of planets in Earth signs, especially Jupiter in Capricorn. This will prove to be a blessing in disguise, as Earth will ground and anchor the electrical streak of Aries.On the 21st of March, Saturn enters the sign of Aquarius and gives us a brief relief from the Capricorn heaviness until July when it will then go retrograde again in Capricorn until December of 2020.

It is recommended that we choose peaceful talks over war and confrontation, as the molads chart is particularly volatile and prone to violence and rebellion (especially since Saturn enters Aquarius). A strong eighth astrological house will challenge us to make meaningful changes in our lives. As we await for the important cosmic window of Pesach, the Aries Full Moon, and the symbol of our freedom from the zodiac influence, we should work on the following:

Spiritual Goals for the Month of Aries

• Listen carefully to messages.
• Become more aware of others’ needs.
• Gain deeper understanding.
• Let go of our childish selfishness.
• Realize that reacting is useless.

Let’s all meditate for a more peaceful planet! Happy New Astrological Year to all!