Another New Moon in Pisces; another year mired in the ignorance of war spurred on by the illusion of separation. So once again I find it necessary to speak these deeply real and paradoxically intertwined truths: We are all connected and there is no security; for all things are uncertain. We are nothing and everything; full and empty. It is time we relinquish hatred, fear and greed, and start living together in love and peace. Retrograde Saturn (traditional systems, old thinking) in Leo (power, glory, personal/nationalistic grandiosity) is being pressured so intensely by Chiron (the healer) Mars (the warrior) and Neptune (the mystic) in Aquarius (awakening into new ideas, liberation, humanitarianism, globalism.) Add to this Mercury (mind), Uranus (awakening), North Node (humanity's evolutionary imperative), Sun (self-motivation) Moon (emotion, intuition) in Pisces, intensely vibrating with waves of unconditional love, total compassion, and absolute oneness. Aquarius extends self-care to the community. If all is not well around me, I am not well. This kind of consciousness builds the bridge to the Piscean extension of self, which includes all other existent life and the cosmos. It is time to break down the walls of separation; walls built with hatred, suspicion, and ignorance.

Especially with a partial solar eclipse—visible from eastern Asia and parts of northern Alaska http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OH2007.html#2007Mar19P —how can we not feel the necessity to stand up and demand peace? We are duty-bound by our awareness of suffering. It is time to lift the Neptunian/Piscean veil of denial from our eyes and see how we are all responsible for the continued violence, hatred and suffering in this world. This is the New Moon to practice compassion and selflessness by radiating peace and calm through prayer and meditation. Unlike Virgo, its opposite sign, Pisces knows no distinctions or differences: it perceives the unity within the diversity. Pisces acknowledges our essential connectedness and realizes it through the practice of unconditional love and unwavering compassion. Pisces is Bodhisattva consciousness embodied in self-sacrifice. Pisces' bottom line is to learn to love unconditionally, and to work for the collective enlightenment of all sentient beings; no matter how hard it may be or how long it may take.

This is the New Moon to commit to growing up and out of selfishness and hatred. Transcendence comes in many forms, but the first step is accepting personal responsibility for the condition of your life and the lives of all other sentient beings. Pisces is known as the "oldest" sign in the zodiac, though I prefer to say "most experienced," because it alone has the capacity to transcend all perceived separations through its realization of oneness with the divine or pure consciousness. The Piscean journey is a homeward bound one; an evolutionary ending of sorts. Ultimately, Pisceans are embodied in order to embrace the letting go of self-identification through learning to love unconditionally. This can be a tall order: Pisceans that can't handle it tend to waste their lives lost in the Neptunian haze of alcohol and drugs. Those who can commit their lives to working for the upliftment of all other souls are our everyday Bodhisattvas. So many times clients ask astrology or tarot to reveal their life path; their true reason for being here. The answer is really the same for us all. We are all here to learn to love unconditionally, and to work for the collective enlightenment of all sentient beings, no matter how hard it may be or how long it may take.

This is the New Moon to look at what you cling to. We come here with nothing and we leave with nothing. Why then do we hold so tight to things that will not last? What can you give away? What can you share? The world needs your generosity, your caring, your compassion, and your love. Since Pisces rules direct experience of transcendence, this is a great New Moon to commit to a daily meditation practice. Think of it as a gift to set aside time each day to meditate and find the source of inner peace that resides within. This is the New Moon for spiritual awakening!

On this New Moon, use some of your ritual time to consider what destructive modes of thinking and acting can be released. Pisces is the sign of endings: of letting go for good. Take a hard look at whatever pain you are holding on to; especially if it involves addiction of any kind. Neptune and Pisces rule confusion, denial, addiction, codependence and an inability to hold good emotional boundaries. This is the New Moon to commit to sobriety. Drugs and alcohol are an easy, but ultimately destructive, veil between you and reality. There is no easy way out of fear and problems. Having the courage to face difficult issues and find solutions can be done, but only with a clear mind. Use the following two weeks as the Moon waxes to full to seek out self-help groups like AA, NA, or AL-A-NON/AL-A-TEEN for families of addicts. This goes for all addictions including food, abuse, overwork and gambling.

Every emotion you have is sourced in your mind and mediated primarily through the production of neurotransmitters and enzymes in the brain. Thankfully, the human body is wired so we feel our emotions in the heart. But actually the quality of what we feel rests solely with how the brain's synaptic and neuronal pathways are wired. The good news is the brain is plastic. So mindfully attending to the quality of thoughts, feelings and interactions actually enlivens compassion, empathy, and depth of intention—and rewires the brain.

Therefore, this is the New Moon to look within and take care of your anger. If we waste our lives holding onto anger, resentment, and hatred, we will continue to create a world that reflects our own inner violence. The hatred and anger in our hearts is helping to feed the violence all over the world. So what can we do to stop the senseless killing we see all around us? We can all begin by acknowledging our anger and pain, taking it into our arms like a baby, wrapping it in compassion and letting love work its healing magic. Know that none of us are defined solely by our pain.

Find the true self in the compassionate heart and create the conditions for peace to grow within and without. Then look outside of yourself to your partner, your parents, your children, your friends, your co-workers, your supposed enemies. Look at their pain; acknowledge your part in causing them to suffer. Wrap them up like a baby with your compassion, allowing love to work its healing magic. Go to them; tell them how sorry you are. Realize that what is done to one is done to all, and create the conditions for peace to grow all around you.

Commit to changing your behavior. When you are faced with anger, acknowledge your suffering, but don't act upon it. Look within and breathe, let your breath work its magic upon your anger, giving you time to form an appropriate response. When you do something that makes someone else angry, acknowledge your actions, apologize as quickly as possible, and make room to listen to the other person express how much they suffer. This is the language of selflessness. Give up the label of victim and embrace your own part in continued violence. It is the first step to becoming a peacemaker. If you fearlessly open your heart and let compassion be your guide, you will automatically become an active peacemaker. Love is the language of selflessness. If each of us would practice this language daily, violence would surely end.

With Chiron, Mars, and Neptune in Aquarius we each need to place ourselves on astrological high alert for disconnected behavior within and without. We must learn to mindfully practice loving, caring, and compassionate acts toward ourselves and each other. It is time to bring in the lost ones, the alienated ones and the tired ones with a hug, with a smile, and a gentle touch. This is the way of Pisces, the compassionate healer. These planets also call for a new global (Aquarian) vision of oneness based upon peaceful surrendering of egoic needs. This certainly applies to fundamentalist ideations of all stripes. Violence, grandiosity and hatred in the name of any god are a throwback to the reptilian part of the human brain that lives in fear. It is time we all say NO to the devolved Piscean illusion of god as savior and master, and YES to the evolved Piscean transcendent god within-the higher functioning pre-front lobe-that is calm, thoughtful, joyous and respectful.

What a night to enter a powerful dream state of mind through trance and work to heal the massive suffering on our planet. This is not some kind of magical thinking. The New Moon in Pisces is the time to recognize that boundaries and distinctions are not real. They are the work of Maya; the great illusion of duality. Global healing and peace are not only possible, but can be a reality. This New Moon is our chance to begin doing at home what must be done globally. Heal your life and you will make a great contribution toward healing this world. Open your heart, let compassion be your guide and become an active peacemaker. Don't be afraid to do the work of loosening your attachment to self-identification. Love yourself by loving others. We are all in this together, and together we can do the impossible. Be inspired to be a beacon of peace and light for the world. Dive deeply into this powerfully transcendent New Moon cycle.

Blessings and much, much love to you all!

©2007 Lisa Dale Miller
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