Auntie Moon

Chinese New Year is based on the Lunar calendar and occurs with the New Moon of Aquarius, which makes this Aquarius rising Moonchild very happy. It’s a wonderful blend of Uranian “let’s bust it up and do something new” energy and lunar associations with food, kitchens, security, and home. For the next several days, I’ll tell you about some Chinese New Year customs and rituals that are sure to get you ready for the rest of the year’s cycle of New Moons. I also hope it lets you enjoy Chinese New Year so much that you’ll start to look forward to it next year. 

Unlike the traditional western New Year, Chinese New Year is not about making resolutions or setting goals. It’s about inviting prosperity into our lives. What it does share with our traditional celebration is a parting with the past. Until we are able to let go of the past, we cannot invite anything new into our lives. We must embrace the moment we are in now and prepare the way for a prosperous future. So, first things first…  

You Must Make Room for Abundance    

A vessel can only hold so much. If you want to put more in, first you have to pour a little out. Pour out the bad, pour in the good. Prepare your home for prosperity to enter by ridding yourself of accumulated dead chi or energy. The Chinese place a great emphasis on chi ~ the flow of energy ~ and after several months of wintry cold weather and of being cooped up inside with stale air and even staler thoughts, Chinese New Year and the Aquarian Moon arrive to remind us that it’s time to mix it up again. 

Before Chinese New Year’s day, it’s customary to do some spring cleaning. Sweep out the cobwebs, clean out your corners, clear your clutter. This is called sweeping the grounds in Chinese New Year tradition. Its purpose is to get rid of all the old nasties lying around so that you can invite abundance into your life. We all need flow in our lives and there’s nothing like stagnant or dead places in our homes to put an end to that. 

Dead Air = Dead Thoughts  

The New Moon in Aquarius is a primo time to perform a space clearing ritual so that you can bring in new chi. It is of utmost importance to remove anything that is blocking your doors. You want flow, not stopped up energy that zaps the life out of you. Aquarius is an air sign so let’s get the air moving! If the weather allows, open the doors and windows ~ even if only briefly~ and allow some fresh air to enter your home. There’s nothing like a fresh, cool breeze blowing through your house to liven up its atmosphere. Dead air = dead thoughts. Aquarius isn’t really into that, you know? If you’re in a blowing blizzard, obviously keep your doors and windows closed. You can move the air symbolically by turning on a fan or waving your arms. Waving your arms around might seem silly at first, but you’re the only one judging so lighten up and throw yourself into it. You’ll also create more air in your lungs by moving around and getting a little exercise. New Moon in Aquarius is an air Moon, remember. 

Clear Out Those Bad Spirits

If you really want to make it fun, throw yourself a space clearing parade. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. You’re moving chi ~ energy ~ so you may as well make it fun. Hold some ribbons or a scarf in your hands and walk through your house like a real Chinese parade.  

Western New Year and Chinese New Year share a tradition of making noise. Did you know that the reason we use noisemakers and rattles is to scare away spirits? They’re no longer a part of the living world and don’t belong in our lives. Space clearing and noise making allow us to move those dead or lackluster spirits out. Add some noisemakers to your parade. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Just grab a pot and a metal spoon and you have the perfect tools. If you have young children, I bet they’ll love this ritual. 

Hey, look, times are rough. Let’s make all the silly, fun, joyous moments we can. They’re free and last forever. 

You can keep it more serious, of course, if that suits your mood, and stick to traditional space clearing rituals. The most important thing is your intention. You are inviting newness into your life and you have to be willing to let some things go. Clinging will not help with space clearing, so set that lunar need aside. Something better is waiting for you. Invite a blessing into your home. It sets the tone for your behavior in the outside world.   

You may not have time to clear your whole house, but you can always pick one room and focus on it. I’ll point you toward mixing astrology and feng shui tomorrow ~ it’s very cool. Go ahead and start thinking about a room in your house that needs a new energy. If you want to focus on the Aquarius house of your chart instead, this New Moon is at 25Aquarius. Find that location in your chart and get ready to apply some feng shui to it. 

For other Aquarius New Moon projects, take a look at Zodiactivities: 12 Things to do When the Sun Transits Aquarius. For projects associated with the 12 houses of your chart, click here.