“We’re at the dawning of something strange and transformative, and the new moon of March 24th is a powerful gateway through it.

The new moon will be in the area of the sky known as Uttara Bhadrapada, at the final degrees of watery Pisces – the last sign of the zodiac.  The stars in the constellation of Pisces are ancient symbols of the beginnings and endings of great cycles. Uttara Bhadrapada is associated with loss, death and fire, including the funeral pyre at the end of life.  This is a new moon that burns, but also calls forth the Piscean waters of rebirth.

The new moon falls just 4 days after the equinox, and is at a critical juncture that marks a whole new Vedic astrological cycle — the Vedic New year. We are now leaving behind the Year of Vikari, a word that literally translates as “Sick, ill, or diseased,” and entering the Year of Shavari, which translates as “twilight or night.”

Twilight is a mystical time, with deep spiritual potential, and this certainly is a transitional time between darkness and light. A pull toward the inner realm is growing in the year to come, especially for those who seek knowledge and self-understanding.