The new moon in Pisces (which began last light) is an invitation into awareness of our spirituality, creativity and emotions. This particular new moon is a stellium – a conjunction of sun, moon & Venus – all appearing in the same sign, powerful enough (according to some astrologers) to blast open our 3rd eye. This is also a super moon, meaning it is at its closest position to earth. And later in March, we’re told that Pisces has a generational shift into Saturn’s sense of order and boundaries. So this is a moon which envisions our biggest dreams, and then gives us Saturn’s discipline to manifest those dreams into long-term goals. It is a moment for leaps of faith – especially concerning our spiritual growth. But to take that leap we must first let go of the past, forgiving ourselves and others.
And that is where Adar comes in. Like Pisces is the final month of the astrological calendar, Adar is the final month in the Hebrew calendar. The central theme of Adar is the story of Queen Esther in the Hebrew Scriptures, where a young Jewish girl hides her identity and becomes the Queen of Persia, taking a leap of faith to later reveal her true identity to save her people from the massacre planned by the evil Haman. But there is another story hidden within this story.
Because this story takes place in Persia we know it is supposed to take place during the exile of the Jews of Jerusalem to Babylon. We know now, thanks to modern archeology, that prior to that exile, Judaism was not monotheistic. Throughout Israel there have been items excavated inscribed to “YHVH and his Asherah”. Asherah was the Mother Goddess, the precursor to Shekinah (the indwelling presence of the Divine). In earlier cultures she was the partner of El, but with the Hebrew slaves return from their Egyptian exile, she became the consort of YHVH. At both the sanctuary at Bethel, and later at the temple in Jerusalem, the symbol of Asherah, a wooden totem pole or tree, was planted next to the altar of YHVH.
So Asherah went into exile with the Jewish people when they went to Babylon and there became that same persona, known instead to the Babylonians as Ishtar. The goddess Ishtar becomes the human character, Esther. The Esther archetype reminds us that fixed identities can shift/transform. And so the Esther story becomes an allegory: Esther/Ishtar is the hidden Queen/Goddess; Mordechai (her uncle in the Hebrew story) is Marduk, the patron King/God of Babylon and Aman/Haman is the rival god (in both Babylonian and Hebrew cultures). YHVH does not appear in this story, because it is the Goddess who stands in her own truth and power instead of allowing herself and others to be sacrificed to either patriarchal god.
Adar, according to tradition and Talmud is supposed to be a month of increasing, radical joy. It is embodied celebration of vanquishing those who would kill us – or those parts of ourselves which constrict us and prevent us from being our fully embodied divine selves. The veils and mask which are the symbols of the holiday are representative of hiding Esther/our self from highest Self. And we are commanded to get so drunk that we can’t tell the difference between Mordechai & Haman – can’t tell the difference between either patriarchal gd who would keep us in smaller self.
What is the invitation to us on this new moon? Brene’ Brown tells us that “joy is the most vulnerable human emotion.” So, what are the veils & masks (we use to conform) that we are ready to let go of; which hide us from our joy and our divine selves? How do we treat ourselves as someone deserving of joy? Can we sit in that curiosity and see what unfolds? Who can we become if we stop sacrificing ourselves at the altar of gods that no longer serve us? May this new moon be a time of taking leaps of faith, to become our highest, truest selves and embodiments of the Divine Feminine (regardless of the genders we inhabit).