A New Solar Year Begins
Happy Astrological New Year!
This week, the Sun enters Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, marking the start of a new astrological year.
For those of us who love astrology, the true start of the year isn’t in January, but in March, with the Aries equinox. Aries’ fiery energy represents the divine spark, the beginning of life, the moment of birth, of arriving into the world and saying, “Here I am.”
Eclipse Season and the New Year
This new solar year will be intense, as it falls within eclipse season, which began with the New Moon on March 10th. This tells us that in order to start something new in our lives, we must first release the burdens we continue carrying that slow us down.
Eclipses urge us to cleanse; they stir up energy within us that brings up everything we’ve avoided releasing. This causes discomfort as unresolved issues come to the surface, demanding attention. As I often tell my alchemists in the Telegram community, life gives us many chances to make changes, but if we resist, what begins as an invitation eventually becomes a necessity—a must-do because time is running out.
Currently, the eclipses are helping us work through the Aries-Libra axis in our charts. This means we’ll face challenges in the realm of relationships, allowing us to discern emotional codependencies, relationship patterns, and the courage to express our individuality in a healthy, balanced way—without falling into excessive individualism or selfishness.
Neptune in the New Year
The new year begins with the conjunction of the Sun and Neptune, still within orb. This energy encourages us to embrace higher values and find balance between the mundane and the spiritual.
On Sunday, March 17th, the Sun and Neptune aligned, bringing an opportunity to look within, to see the unconscious parts of ourselves that need to be revealed and transcended.
Looking inside can be challenging because these aspects are hidden for a reason—they may be painful, shameful, or uncomfortable. But the invitation is to rise above and embrace these revelations with love, compassion, and resilience. Those with the courage to do so will find incredible healing and quantum leaps in their lives.
On the other hand, if we choose to ignore these revelations, Neptune’s energy can become overwhelming and even dangerous. We might dissociate further, using distractions like drugs, alcohol, victimhood, or idealizations to avoid feeling and connecting with our emotions.
Chiron and Mercury in the New Year
On the same day the new year begins, Mercury will be in conjunction with Chiron. Whenever Chiron is involved, a wound is exposed—it hurts, it becomes sharper.
But Mercury’s presence here allows us to examine that wound, understand it, and heal it. This energy signals that it’s time to learn a lesson, that this wound can heal if we learn to love, respect, and value ourselves.
It’s time to stop blaming the outside world for everything that hurts and to turn inward. As within, so without. If something bothers me outside, it’s time to look for it inside.
This alignment is crucial as it will influence the entire new year. Chiron will also play a role in the upcoming eclipse in a few weeks. With Chiron conjunct the North Node, we’re being shown that to move forward, toward our purpose, we must confront and embrace the wound and transcend it.
As long as we continue to sweep it under the rug and pretend it doesn’t exist, the shadow will accumulate and appear unexpectedly, often in the most surprising way. Every time I write about this, I ask myself: why is it so hard to face our pain when it already hurts?
The Wound Doesn’t Disappear on Its Own
I’ve had to learn to respect that each person operates differently. Personally, whenever something painful or uncomfortable arises, I dive into it, allowing myself to feel and experience it fully—even if it means crying for a month and feeling awful. But I know that it will pass.
I used to struggle, and sometimes still do, understanding why some people prefer to avoid it. Doesn’t it hurt just as much? Isn’t it influencing—or even ruling—your life? Isn’t your body sending you signals to take action? Does ignorance truly make you happier?
While it’s true that awareness brings responsibility, I don’t believe ignorance brings happiness. It merely keeps you numb in a life you don’t want, trapped in patterns that don’t serve you, stuck in a hamster wheel.
As I tell my clients, this will keep happening until you decide to change. Until you take responsibility for your well-being and your life. No one can do the work for us. We can receive help, guidance, and support, but if we don’t take action, nothing will change. I can offer you flowers, mandalas, and information, but I can’t do the work for you. You hold the key.
Pluto in the New Year
This year also begins with the Sun in sextile to Pluto, which helps us let go and transform our lives. Pluto teaches us that in order to build something new, we first must destroy what no longer serves us. To start a meaningful new year, we must first clear away what no longer makes sense to us, and then we begin anew.