‘Stories from the Arabian Nights’ By Laurence Housman and Edmund Dulac 1911 {{PD}}
The New Moon perfects at 8:22 PDT at 18 Taurus 02, cupped by Venus on one side (at 10 degrees) and Jupiter and Uranus on the other (at 25 and 22 degrees respectively). Both Jupiter and Uranus can be considered conjoined, simply because the fast-moving Sun and even quicker Moon will relatively soon meet them–it’s a building energy–but what about Venus? 8 degrees past is a wide margin–and yet, with a chart that stars the Moon, we can look at this well-past aspect and know it describes the recent past, the time just before the New Moon. That suggests that we’ve been immersed in Venusian matters in Taurean form, which include issues of comfort, sustainability, security, artisanal efforts and aesthetics, stubbornness, loving nurture, as applied to relationships, finances, and/ or values. Our focus there led us to the New Moon beginning; that fresh beginning offers a different perspective on the involved energies, a new outlook that sends us in a new direction in seeking emotional fulfillment in Venus matters. It’s like letting the genie out of the bottle: it promises power, it’s magical and exciting, we see the potential to have exactly what we want, but there’s an awful lot that’s unpredictable and uncontrollable about the situation.
Now the spark of the New Moon presents to us something optimistic, exciting, shocking, unexpected, in the form of opportunities, prosperity, or startlingly inventive ways of looking at things, engaging the Higher Mind, or even asking us to embrace chaos or anarchy, in order to reap the benefits. It’s a scenario that may cause alarm, and certainly may exaggerate the reality picture, but it also confers a great deal of positive, looking-forward-to-the-future energy–and that can be a rocket engine to accomplishment or the securing of one’s place in the world.
There’s also a trine to Ceres and a sextile to Saturn formed by this New Moon, suggesting we can build real-world personal authority or negotiation power out of these circumstances, and Saturn further promises, along with Taurus, material impacts, ones that we can see around us, or hold in our hands. The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A New Continent Rising Out Of The Ocean’. It’s an image of Taurean productivity–new land!–but it also prompts us toward the state of Neptune, which is at 29 degrees of its own sign of Pisces, and is sextile Sedna, another sea denizen, and in the other direction, Pluto. That implies that what’s birthed with the New Moon is a most basic kind of change, the creation of a new foothold, new territory (and this appearance was inevitable, pressured with that 29 degrees exclaiming how the energy must express), a kind of Truth or circumstance of Power that becomes visible and usable. And what accompanies, or even prompts, this? Emotion, the province of the Moon and every Water placement we have. Neptune says the dream, in some form, may be coming true, at last, and Sedna says that whatever appears to us, our instincts and what we ‘know but don’t know’ will tell us exactly what is happening, and more importantly, why it’s happening. We get the lay of the land through our own intuition and other senses–so we’ll understand, whether we’re truly open to, or happy about, what’s happening around us, or not.
Two other points: Jupiter-Uranus are trine the Black Moon Lilith point, and Chiron and Mercury are closely conjoined in Aries. With the first we may see New Moon energy arising at least in part from those matters we’ve ignored or denied, or that enrage us. Our optimism and the opportunities presented may stir up everything we’d hoped to forget–and yet, if we accept that even what we’re not proud of has had its role in making us who we are today, we’ll perhaps learn that to forgive ourselves is to free ourselves. With Chiron and Merc we see our biggest obstacle: a tendency to allow our hamster-wheel thoughts to wound us, to dig up those things we’ve buried and insist we must hurt over them. We don’t have to; that’s just our own aggressive energy looking for a place to light–and if we see that, we can refuse the Self-inflicted wound, and put that Aries pioneering energy to work for that Neptunian creative goal.
Just a few things to keep in mind this week, starting with a Mercury-Chiron conjunction in Aries that perfects May 6th but is already within orb. This is a bit of a slow burn, with Merc still picking up speed after direction, meaning we have an unusually long window (in terms of Mercury) to experience this combo. In Aries this blend of energies can make us feel alone, isolated, our wounds and our thoughts looming larger-than-life. We have the sense that others are exerting their Will on us, but we can’t forget we’ll have the same tendency with them, and likely won’t be conscious of it; there’s also an issue of words, thoughts, and ideas hurting, whether they’re our own or hurled at us by others. This period is the equivalent of emotionally-charged quicksand. To be conscious of it is to give ourselves a chance to minimize damage and to survive what feels like a hostile and unforgiving mental jungle.
Uranus conjoined Jupiter is still in force, but waning in intensity as Jupiter moves at a quicker speed than Uranus and puts steadily growing distance between them. At this point the big Taurean splash is over, and we may be left either struggling to deal with the aftermath, or trying to make that outsized spark happen again. If you dealt with this as an ‘individual vs. group’ situation, you are likely feeling relieved but at the same time a tad left behind, as the group moves ahead whether we like it or not. Part of what we need to realize is that this aspect presented things to us in electrified, exaggerated terms, and though that makes the everyday look dull, it brought a shock that would be disastrously debilitating if we had to live it 24/ 7.
Venus in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius perfects on May 1st; Luna will have just passed over Pluto, possibly igniting dark thoughts or urging us to take extreme action in finances or romance, as the emotional landscape looks bleak, a ‘nobody gets out of here alive’ feeling. Our values may seem threatened, our Love vulnerable to destruction, and relationships or earning circumstances may seem like they’ll have negative consequences–and they just might. We may intuit a depth in the resources or relationship picture and a very specific conflict around it; address this with care, always remaining mindful of the way the Mercury-Chiron pairing may make us entirely too conscious of our own pain, while Venus-Pluto may make us believe there’s only one, permanent way out of getting hurt again–and neither of those is really accurate. Being too aware of a wound means we take our attention away from what we’re doing or faced with–we’re illogically gun-shy–and that puts a barrier between us and perceiving reality correctly; being too frightened of what we might lose will warp our behavior and choices, and will definitely put us on an undesirable track. So, act as if you want to keep what you love, treat those things or people with dignity, care, and affection, and let the rest fall away. The truth around Venusian areas can be tough to take, but it’s necessary to know where we actually stand.
Neptune will reach the 29th degree of Pisces May 3rd. This degree suggests the body is under stress, its energy in some way desperate to express, to be heard. When that energy is Neptune, all bets are off. The only way to know how this might manifest is to know your natal relationship, as well as the current transit picture, to all that Neptune stands for: creative energy, deception, imagination, ideals, with a potential to birth our greatest ideas and to mislead ourselves or others and not even know that’s happening. This influence lasts to July, when Neptune appears to retrograde (bringing confusion over Neptunian choices so far or inspiration gleaned from previous Neptunian experience, and possibly causing us to change our minds or retreat) and continues into early September, then emerges for another go-round when the planet again hits 29 degrees, starting in early March 2025. Hints for handling this include finding and actively employing a creative outlet (or two or ten! Just be sure you’re doing ‘it’, not just thinking about ‘it’), being ‘married to the Truth’ so that you won’t succumb to fantasy, and embracing and accepting (rather than denying) areas of life where uncertainty reigns. To demand answers can undermine that way Neptune has of orchestrating the Universe to hand us the best possible outcome–so I guess trust in ourselves is what we need to practice.
The Full Moon perfects at 4:49 PM PDT at 4 Scorpio 18, trine Vesta, sextile Juno, semi-sextile Pallas, square Pluto (which happens to be conjoined the asteroid Kassandra, more on that later), and not touching much else. It’s a picture of deep change–things are either swept away forcibly or we are put in a position that leaves us little recourse but to eliminate, restructure, resurrect, or annihilate–and this occurs even as we witness our own positive control of our power (Juno), our effective dedication to what we care about (Vesta), and the benefits of our partnerships and cooperative efforts (this latter via Vesta and Juno energies as so often involving–even existing because of or in relation to–the Other, particularly our Significant Other). So, in many ways we are experiencing the harmonious impact of our own power expression, our effectiveness at impressing ourselves on others and our environment–and yet there’s a serious power matter or elimination (Pluto) to attend to, one that the Universe refuses to let us go forward without answering.
A Full Moon is an energy culmination, and presents the collective result of, in this case, efforts in Scorpionic areas or activities, and/ or in the subject areas of the House in the natal chart where the Full Moon falls. We get the results of previously ‘digging deep’; we may put the story together, discover something new that knits scattered evidence into a whole, or we may see the wisdom behind what was removed, destroyed, or forbidden and so understand why what’s happened has happened (the last a product of a loose semi-sextile of the Full Moon to Pallas).
Here’s the kicker: Pluto conjoined Kassandra suggests that the Universe delivers a tough (square to the Moon) moment or incident that offers Higher Mind understanding (Pluto-Kassandra in Aquarius), but we won’t believe what is revealed/ shared. Kassandra, you’ll recall, was a priestess with whom the Sun god Apollo fell in love (and the Sun is actually part of this equation, as it opposes the Moon-Earth and so fills in a T-square with Pluto-Kassandra). Apollo offered her the gift of prophecy, hoping to win her favor; she knew what he expected from this gift (so it wasn’t really a gift, right? It was payment), but once she received it she turned him down, incensing the god. What the gods confer they cannot take back–but they can affect the working of that gift. Outraged at her refusal of his suit, Apollo condemned Kassandra to be always right about what she foresaw, but never believed by others.
That’s a particularly bitter outcome, when we receive what we need to hear, know, or perceive, and yet we are unable to see the Truth of it; that’s exactly what we should expect here: deep, intense perceptions that we will judge to be incomplete or inaccurate. How do we answer that?
We may not accept the power situation and/ or knowledge presented, but we do have a clear, strong influence of Self-confidence and personal autonomy aligned with highest values and commitments (Juno, Vesta) that, if we’ll accept our own emotional Truth (those things we know because we feel their Truth deep within–Moon in Scorpio) we’ll be able to go round the misleading Pluto-Kassandra square and so effectively make the ‘right’ decision, do what needs to be done.
The Sabian for this Full Moon is, ‘A Massive Rocky Shore Resists The Pounding Of The Sea’. The reality of the moment is a rocky shore: ‘What Is’, heavily resistant to abundant and persistent emotional assault of waves of feeling and upset. This is the Full Moon square Pluto-Kassandra. The Sun, light-giver that we always examine at a Full Moon, has the Sabian, ‘A Widow At An Open Grave’. ‘Widow’ describes a particular status: receptive, anima energies without their balancing animus, doing energies. This implies our energies are lopsided: too receptive, too passive, too ready to accept the way things are, too accepting to demand answers, or to insist we must know what that grave is for (and note: there’s not necessarily any connection between the woman’s status and the fact that an empty grave is before her–if we find ourselves looking without and connecting externals to our own internal state, we may be drawing parallels where there are none).
The suggestion may be that, when it comes to the Full Moon scenario, we’re too likely to see ourselves as helpless in the face of greater forces (like death–and Pluto can certainly feel death-like), to perceive ourselves as all feeling, no action–which is never truly an accurate perception, is it? Abdicating our own part in things, remaining passive, is its own kind of action, its own choice. Maybe this reminds us that to see ourselves as subject to outside forces (even to see ourselves as victims) is to pretend we have no part in what’s happening, and that this perception denies our responsibility for our own lives, our own fates.
PS Though there’s been a lot written about this week’s Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, I thought it worth adding that this is an aspect of ‘The Big Big Picture’; that is, a coming together of immensities, of large groups or populations, of huge ideas and all-encompassing concepts, of philosophies and facts and urges toward independence, toward free thought and expansion, toward the kind of impetus for shifts and change that comes in surprising and overwhelming ways. We’re talking about societal moments, rather than individual ones–but we can’t over look the way the social order affects each of us, in uniquely individual ways. Look at the matters of the two Houses in the natal chart that are ruled by Jupiter and Uranus=that’s where you see personal movement, in a blending of their subjects, delivering a dynamic message. If the conjunction aspects something in the natal chart (no more than 3 degrees variation) that is likely to expand that energy and activate it in big, surprising, exciting ways. But of course, it won’t necessarily make a big splash in everyone’s week, or month, or year, and you shouldn’t feel badly if this week has been on the less revolutionary side for you. For many, it will be as if they’re riding a current that after this point flows, just slightly, in a new direction, with the energies acting as a background to more personal, more immediate, developments.
‘Path in the Wheat Fields at Pourville’ By Claude Monet 1882 {{PD}}
I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary on this event, specifically described as bringing a fated meeting, love, or benefit into the life. In my view this isn’t quite accurate. Can it bring that? It’s possible, of course; but the North Node, a point of extremity in the Moon’s cycle, I interpret in the natal chart as indicating our ultimate life direction–not an end point or goal, but a heading, like finding a region on a map (the sign) and moving toward it throughout our time here. In a transiting situation, like now, this brings, in matters of the natal House where it falls, something Venusian related to aspects of our Path/ current life direction. These may touch on issues around our relationship to the energies of the sign where it occurs and/ or our relationship to Archetypal Venus energies: Love, partnership, the Arts, social interactions, assets/ income, or those natal Venus energies found by House location, House rulerships, and/ or Venus’ sign in the natal chart. We have to customize our assessment of a transiting aspect’s impact on the individual–it takes some parsing, especially if the aspect makes contact with other natal placements–and typically the meaning of this will fit well into some scenario we’re currently part of. Naturally, the conclusions we reach, and the intensity or lack of it we experience, will be different for each of us.
What would I read as bringing a fated meeting, inevitable reward, the creation of something (in the Arts, particularly) that defines who we are? That would be transiting Venus meeting our natal Vertex. The Vertex is a point of intersection, where the ecliptic and the prime vertical meet; it’s opposite point is the anti-Vertex, and like the Nodes and the Sun-Earth axis, Vertex and anti-Vertex are always located exactly opposite each other in the flat chart. Anything touching the Vertex, by natal aspect or transiting contact, takes on a definite, life shaping aura. It marks points of crucial decision making, encounters that mark direction altering milestones or experiences, and even if the astrological event seems to occur without causing a ripple, it can often mark a time we will look back on as important because we reached a particular conclusion or make one of those passive, anti-choices that end up determining so much of our way forward. This, too, must be customized, with focus on our relationship to the transiting energy natally, and to what it rules or contacts.
Some may feel that the North Node and the Vertex are essentially the same thing, but I would argue that the North Node is about our choices, and the way the Universe will nudge us in a particular direction, one we have a Soul deep need to explore and experience; the North Node is our True North, a compass point we inevitably orient ourselves to. On the other hand, the Vertex strikes me as involving the orchestration of a great many external elements; those encounters or events or even acts of creation (or, more likely, their recognition) largely happen to us, even when we are catalyst or initiator. One is the Universe gently pulling us, the other is the active hand of the Universe reaching into our lives and shuffling the deck, putting a card that we must play in front of us, challenging us to see the import of the moment, and its potential consequences. We can only hope to recognize those moments, when they come.
‘In the Land of Promise’ By Charles Frederic Ulrich 1884 {{PD}}
Where do you find yourself, days after the total Solar eclipse? In talking with others, I’m hearing two distinct kinds of experiences: one that is a laundry list of what we’re sure to see as negative effects, things we must face that there’s no way around–some of which may have been at the edges of our conscious mind for some time, anticipated for ‘someday’–and the other appears fortuitous, but still haunted by an awareness of our vulnerability, our mortality, ‘good’ happenings that contain within them conditions that reflect how lucky we are in the moment, how one day ‘it’ will end. That tracks, considering the trip to the Underworld we were promised; what may be surprising (and we were promised a surprise, too!) is the solemnity of what we’re facing, the potential for life turning points that seems to lurk beneath even the most casual of decisions.
This is all good. It’s causing us to choose with care, to think about the impacts on others and the future, and it’s fostering a very positive kind of sensitivity, the kind that gives empathy and Love a prominent place in consciousness, and so in relationships and decision-making. Ruler of the eclipse, Mars, is currently in Pisces conjoined Saturn=this is action, choice, reality generated against a background of the creative energy of All-That-Is; it’s our personal creativity and ideals shaping the Cosmos, and the Cosmos shaping us. We’re offered disciplined choice guided by ideals, constructive creative energy, and a chance to build reality as we imagine it should be.
The other important influence is the upcoming meeting of Jupiter-Uranus, perfecting soon (19th-20th April) in Taurus=the most obvious potential possible with this is sudden opportunity, surprising expansion, fortuitous chance,the individual acting on the group, the group affecting the individual, innovation or invention that opens the way, with Taurus suggesting a material outcome, a shift in prosperity, artisanal output, quality, or productivity, a surprise around our sources of security, stability, or comfort. But, for a more personal glimpse at what this means, we may want to first note the matters represented by the House in the personal natal chart that contains Taurus–this is where the action is–and as well to note the matters of the Houses ruled by Jupiter and Uranus–these matters are likely to combine in some significant way involved in those Jupiter-Uranus meeting effects. Then there’s the matter of Venus, ruler of Taurus, at the time of conjunction just past mid-Aries=this emphasizes the power of the individual to affect things, and again emphasizes the role of choice and of taking action, and how this will largely determine results for the individual.
An example: A Whole Sign Sagittarius Ascendant puts the eclipse in the creative output/ children/ risk-taking 5th, along with Venus, and sees Jupiter-Uranus in the every day, duties and obligations, work 6th, and Mars-Saturn in the core Self/ home and family of origin/ end-of-things 4th (and you’ll note, this is likely to be mostly or entirely in one quadrant of the chart, in this case the one that deals with preparing efforts to put out into the world and be judged for, 4th-6th). Jupiter rules the 1st, Uranus the 3rd, suggesting the individual and their thinking are key to what happens; the eclipse offered healing around creative efforts or matters of the individual’s children or ventures, and promises reward if this is addressed (the presence of Venus). This comes in the course of the every day, fulfilling obligations or work, and responds to the core Self (beliefs, especially about who this person is deep inside) and is reflected in home or family matters. In this case, the ‘children’ could be artistic output, or a risk-taking venture, but in any case centers on how this person is viewing this matter, and how open they are to implementing what they (ideally) want, via work, taking on or fulfilling duties, or in dealing with colleagues (the ‘where the action is’ 6th).
All this together, major conjunctions plus eclipse, may offer that promised healing–at least, that’s how I’m seeing it, not only because it makes sense, but because that attitude is it’s own promise, it’s own magic, it’s own blend of the opportunity and optimism of Jupiter and the willingness to risk and overturn of Uranus that can deliver what we seek. Willingly or not, consciously or not, we’ve taken a big step forward; reach out, choose, give it the shape of your dreams.
‘The Fate of Persephone’ By Walter Crane 1877 {{PD}}
A friend of mine is traveling from Seattle to Texas to observe the eclipse from the path of totality firsthand–and I can’t help but think it’s a pilgrimage, whether he’s conscious of it or not, meant to heal, with the meeting of Sun and Moon (at 19 Aries 23, 18:20 UT), the Moon throwing itself between us and the Sun, all bodies lined up along the plane of the ecliptic, also conjoined Chiron (only 1 minute apart), this body designating the primal wound, the deepest, farthest-from-consciousness hurt of all–and that says to me that we all may be engaged in a form of healing with this blending of Sol, Luna, and the Wounded Centaur, a chance through renewal of the ‘I Am’ and worth of Self (Aries) to restore at a personal level the vitality of the Sun, the unadulterated sensitivity of the Moon, and the sense of dedication and purpose behind both identity and the Soul’s intent. A resurrection for each of us, if you will.
It’s interesting that this eclipse wipe-out energy doesn’t involve the persistent, everyday obliterating energy of Pluto–there’s no Scorpio involved, and Pluto doesn’t hook in any way into the eclipse dynamic–and yet the event promises us a deep re-think about who we are and what we’re doing, courtesy of the wide conjunction to a retrograde Mercury in Aries (though Pluto is quincunx the Trans Neptunian Object (TNO) Chaos as well as major asteroid Vesta, suggesting anarchic upheaval in the home or in matters we are–or were, until the eclipse hit–dedicated to). The eclipse trines Persephone in Sagittarius, hinting at the journey to the Underworld we all, at least temporarily, must make, and emphasizing the way we will return to the light–even if it seems like we won’t. So, there’s plenty of dynamic (and potentially destructive, or maybe misleading) energy pinging around out there–and our job may be to know it when we see it, which can help us avoid responding unthinkingly, and so falling victim to it.
The eclipse energy represents a spiritual, rather than a cellular, anastasis–and as such may explain a sort of atmospheric fear swirling around right now–because who isn’t at least a little unsettled by the idea of death, or trepidatious confronting the unknown? And we are promised a surprise delivered by the vastness of the Universe, with the eclipse semi-sextile Jupiter in Taurus, which is itself conjoined by Uranus (though the eclipse is out of range). Jupiter is, among other things, a designator of that longest journey we take at the end of life, with Uranus introducing a version of the three-body problem, roughly explained as an inability to predict with any certainty the long-term path of any combination of objects. In Taurus this suggests material roots, and material effects, though it may manifest as changes in our sense of security, our comfort, or or our ability to provide for our own or others’ needs.
Do we even need to mention Black Moon Lilith in Virgo quincunx the eclipse? Something we’d rather ignore or deny, or that enrages us, is an uncomfortable trigger to events–and this discomfort is seated in criticism, or the need for an accounting, or perhaps is spurred by an unfair or inadequate sharing of ‘the harvest’. The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘A Young Girl Feeding Birds In Winter’. A young girl is just beginning her life, while winter is the season of sleep, torpor, but a necessary step to renewal–and birds are wild things that struggle during periods of scarcity, suggesting that it’s the young, fresh, renewed part of us stimulated by the eclipse that can ‘feed’ those more spontaneous, wilder impulses within us that might not make it through tougher times without a little help. Self-help, then, in its most positive sense, an ability to act, but it’s important to note: timing tells us that winter comes at an expected time, and only lasts so long–remembering that this, too, shall pass, is an important part of dealing with what comes.
‘The Great Wave of Kanagava’ By Hokusai Katsushika {{PD}}
Here we are, in that valley between eclipses, all nerved up, everything seeming in limbo, our feet hovering three or so inches above the ground, worn out and yet brimming with energy. Exhausted and lit up–that’s no way to live! We’re riding that subtle wave pushed out by the Lunar eclipse, trying to get our bearings, and we’re distinctly ungrounded, not through any fault of our own, but as a byproduct of that pull between Moon and Sun, shifting our inner tides, making us feel, really feel, the flow of the Universe in a way we’re seldom so conscious of. And what is the low ground this tsunami of energy, this intense but subtle wave from the Lunar event, seeking? It’s urging us to find that stable place to cool, to collect ourselves, to get our footing–and we find it centered on the North Node point, our indicator of which direction the energy is flowing. That’s currently 16 Aries, still conjoined Chiron, the Sun moving ever nearer, the Node caught at the rough midpoint of Venus-Jupiter=we’re under a growing awareness of the real-world situation, focused on our own wounds–if that remains the center of our consciousness, we’ll get nothing more out of it–but if we can move past our fixation on our own weaknesses or deficits we find: 1) more Love! or other reward, 2) the freedom and benefits that come from taking personal responsibility (focus on our role and acting cooperatively–that is, in harmony with others–but autonomously, exercising our own authority, is key), and 3) a new relationship to the public, our audience, or those in our circle.
The Sun is at the rough midpoint of Neptune and the North Node, and also trines Pallas and quincunxes Juno=we’re aiming to make ideals and dreams our future reality, and we have the wisdom and practical judgment to do so, though we aren’t quite empowered to do so yet–patience. We get a hint that our lack of power is to our benefit, as Neptune square Vesta suggests our dreams and aims aren’t yet aligned with our highest values, or reconciled to our commitments; we haven’t yet fit them around what we care about in life, an important step in moving forward. Mars is semi-square the North Node=actions are hobbled, difficult, but again, that’s to our advantage, giving us time to prepare ourselves, even more than circumstances, and Venus sextiles Uranus=surprise! The only thing we can be sure of is that the unexpected will be featured, delivered through relationships, the material situation, or in where loyalties ultimately lie.
We’ll be in this bardo, more or less, until very close to the Solar event. Each of us does best to get outside our own heads and past our own grievances as much as possible, and to use the time to formulate next steps around hopes and dreams. It’s vital we have those aims clearly visualized, if we want to act effectively. I’ll be unavailable (answering no correspondence or filling book orders) until early next week, when I’ll provide a look at the upcoming Solar eclipse. Have a great week!
Orders made to the Press and all comments and questions will be filled/ answered after my vacation from computers, 27 March-2 April.
‘Portrait of Three Women’ By Charles Giron, before 1914 {{PD}}
The Lunar eclipse perfects just as the 24th becomes the 25th, 12 AM Pacific time (12:12:51, to be precise), but begins at 9:53 PM of the 24th and concludes at 2:32 AM. This is a penumbral eclipse, meaning the Earth, as it comes between the Moon and Sun, with all lined up on the ecliptic, will only block at portion of the Sun’s reflected light; that means the shadow itself may be hard to see, as the Moon will only appear dimmed from our vantage point here on Earth.
A Lunar eclipse is, always, a Full Moon, with eclipses occurring at points when the transiting lights are close to the Nodal axis points (the Nodes are determined by the points at which the Moon crosses the apparent path of the Sun). The opposition between Moon and Sun occurs at 5 Libra 07, with the Moon widely conjoined (but moving toward) the South Node and the Sun in Aries approaching conjunction with the North. There are only a few aspects to what I consider major bodies, so I played around with some of the named asteroids, a consequence of my computer failure and astro program then being unavailable, and my need to use other than my usual sources, a kind of serendipity, I suppose, that takes us on a female energy-oriented path expressed through this Lunar culmination.
Pallas in Sagittarius forms a sextile to the Lunar eclipse, suggesting that a matter of wisdom and/ or practicality will be part of what motivates our response to events; we find ways to answer what comes forward using our beliefs (which either shows their validity or shows their need for revision) or using our own knowledge and the facts at hand. The knowledge we have (or lack) is instrumental to both the source of the Full Moon event and its resolution. The opposing Sun is conjoined Hera (the Greek version of Juno) in Aries, suggesting a kind of Solar power (that is an animus-aligned, ‘doing’ power) displayed by the goddess, the queen of Mt. Olympus and all the gods–but a queen known for her response to being disrespected by her husband-king. She gained a reputation for enraged vengeance–but how can we blame her, as her actions arose from a sense of powerlessness within her particular situation? So perhaps we should ponder where in our own lives are we in a position where we should be able to exercise real power and choice, but are prevented from it, by uncooperative partners or others who don’t respect us.
The eclipse also forms a wide trine to Pluto in Aquarius, which itself happens to be conjoined Psyche. Again, we see a kind of victim motif, one where we’re being ‘kept in the dark’, as Psyche was by her husband Eros (Pluto as the dominating, ‘dark’ male, the one with the power to destroy, change, or control. See a theme here? I think it’s ‘The partner who exerts power by disregarding and disrespecting, with a little gaslighting thrown in!’ And with Pluto involved, this may feel like an intense, life or death situation). Eros is at 16 Taurus, conjoined Jupiter with both quincunx the South Node and sextile Venus in Pisces, forming a Finger of God–and Venus is Eros’ mother, the one who both instigated the string of events that inadvertently brought Psyche and Eros together, and the one who views Psyche as a rival, as she not only took away Eros’ attention, she was as beautiful as Venus, validated by Zeus when he made Psyche immortal and allowed her to taste the Ambrosia of the gods.
Add to this that Cupido–Cupid is the Roman name for Eros–is in Cancer, sextile Juno, quincunx Pallas, and square the Lunar eclipse, suggesting that how much the partner cares will figure in to how smart their response to the scenario will be. In this myth, Venus displayed some of those negative Venusian traits: jealousy, envy, vindictiveness, aimed at the mortal who dared to replace her (speaking from Venus’ viewpoint). So, we have a dynamic energy in play that mirrors at least some of the eclipse energy: exaggerated passions/ sense of ownership, control of the partner, ‘rights’ and privileges trampled and conferred, and secrecy (Jupiter-Eros) combines with jealousy or envy, or possibly beauty or reward/ value (Venus) to create a familiar partnership, relationship, or Arts-oriented situation from the past (South Node in Libra).
If an eclipse is a wipe-out energy, we may wonder why it’s returning us to something already lived. We can’t forget that Merc is due to retro on 1 April, with the Solar eclipse due a week later; the turnaround of Mercury will occur in Aries and remain there for the entire 3 weeks, and this happens to be the sign of the Lunar Sun and Solar eclipse. That points us toward a larger theme of reconsidering ourselves, our Self-image and Self-concept, our actions, choices, and motives, about who we are and how we think about ourselves, with the Lunar eclipse a kind of kick-off point for the journey, where we start by considering our partnerships or other alliances, and what they may impose on us.
A few more interesting tidbits: Sappho is conjoined Pallas and so sextile the Lunar event=passion, and passion for the Arts, align us with what’s wise at this point, though we can too easily tip into potential Self-sacrifice, if we take things at a dramatic (that is, exaggerated) level. Nobody needs to throw themselves off a cliff, no matter how nasty the relationship with the partner reveals itself to be. Circe is quincunx the eclipse from Pisces=Circe is the enchanter of men, who rather ruthlessly turned them to pigs, in a part-punishment, part humiliation that allowed her to keep total control. I think we need to see this not as a woman seeking power over men (though that’s definitely part of the context), but as someone in a traditionally disempowered role (that of a woman) calling the shots and then going a teensy bit overboard. This harks back to Hera, to the attempt to right wrongs (or at least to extract a measure of vengeance and satisfaction for oneself). I’m seeing this as a kind of warning, an admonition: extremes won’t give us the satisfaction we desire, and ultimately, won’t give us what we want (remember, Odysseus and at least some of his men escaped Circe’s domain). And we see Diana, Huntress and goddess of the Moon, sextile the Lunar eclipse from Leo=here’s an example of a woman empowered in herself, as an individual force. She’s a specific kind of Nature goddess, one who reigns over animals, the woodland, and fertility, with her Lunar association suggesting she is tuned in to the rhythms of both natural and planetary cycles. Her role here might be to remind us that our expressions of power are most effective in the right context–that is, in the areas and roles where we best ‘fit’ in life. That requires of us a good understanding of who we are, and what we are adept at–as always, knowing ourselves is more helpful than almost anything else.
A final contact, and maybe the most important one, is a sesquiquadrate of Uranus to the Lunar eclipse. Uranus rules the transiting Pluto position, that dynamic, dark force in the current Lunar equation, and promises the unexpected, the unanticipated, the shocking, the surprising, the revolutionary and revelatory, coming from difficult or unpleasant facets (the sesquiquadrate) of this event. Brace yourself for new, forward-oriented, innovative aspects to figure in, even to seemingly come out of nowhere, at this time.
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Man Watches His Ideals Taking A Concrete Form Before His Inner Vision’. This is about seeing those vague spiritual and creative ideals we carry inside take on a physical form that we can then use to translate them into the world. If we can see it clearly with the inner eye, we can make it happen in a way that materially impacts the world, simple as that. The Sun Sabian is, ‘A Square, With One Of Its Sides Brightly Illumined’. The thing about squares is that each side is exactly the same as the others; it’s their sense of absolute equality among the parts that draws our attention–so what does it suggest when one side is illuminated? We might observe that some gain the spotlight even when they seem no different than anyone else–but we should look again; they are successfully ‘shining’, precisely because the role they are playing completely fits their assets, talents, and abilities. This harks back to our consideration of the ‘Diana’ energy, a knowing who we are that surpasses any ‘shape’ others may want us to take. This eclipse gives us myriad examples of power expression of the anima, ‘being’ energy–it’s up to us to choose carefully among them.
Sorry there’s no chart this time. I’m working on it!
Just some bits I didn’t get to in my last post. My computer that holds my astro software crashed so I’m flying blind, with only notes to go on at the moment. I could argue that it’s a pre-eclipse debacle, as the first eclipse of what my ephemeris describes as a 3-eclipse set falls at the midpoint of my Mercury-Mars–is it wiping out my ability to assert myself, to communicate, or is it clearing the way for new forms? Since I believe that the Universe always works in our favor, I’ll take it as something that’s meant to steer me in a ‘better’ direction, if not an entirely new one. I’m thinking that having to use online sources to draw up an eclipse chart will mean I won’t have my usual assortment of odd bits and bobs, and that could mean my attention will go in a different direction, and so allow me to see things in a way other than I normally would. I’m still at work on that Moon book, itself swelling like an ever-waxing Lunar orb, so of necessity it won’t be long before I’ve got another computer and updated software–but until then, it may be a grand adventure into unfamiliar lands.
The 17th-19th we have Venus square Pallas; then Venus hits Saturn (20th-23rd) while Ceres is still sextile the old man=this is a picture of those who love unwisely suppressing their personal power and autonomy–but to what end? Is it a relationship that calls for betraying the Self in favor of the wider partnership, or is it economics or a question of values that requires restraint and a kind of Self-denial? Or is it that we’ll insist on something impractical in the name of Love, and disempower ourselves in the process?
We’ll also see Mercury conjoin the North Node=this may deliver messages from the future, in the realization that what we think now will, quite literally, make the future into what it will be. It’s a moment when our own power becomes ultra-real, scarily apparent, and we’re challenged to accept, in ways we’re usually able to hide from ourselves, that we truly are in charge of where we go and what we become. And finally, Jupiter quincunxes the South Node, blowing the past all out of proportion. Here it may be vital that we don’t take memories–which will definitely be distorted right now–as ‘the way it was’; this aspect also shows us quite clearly how our beliefs need adjustment, because the facts are different than they were in the past. These two aspects, Merc-NN and Jupiter-SN, work together to create our mindset; it’s up to us to make sure the conclusions we reach are as aligned with reality and our own ‘right action’ as possible.
‘Summer Idleness–Day Dreams’ By John William Godward {{PD}}
Everybody’s talking about the Sun conjoining Neptune, now through the 20th–why? It happens every year, but with Neptune in its own sign, the Solar light applied to transcendent Pisces illuminates ideals, creativity, and community at their highest levels–and inevitably leaves a lot of dissatisfaction in its wake. The wash of big ideas with even bigger intentions is inspiring, yes, massively so, and it’s only human that our results will, with few exceptions, be somewhat less than those dreams we dreamed, making the reckoning between what was visualized and what was realized something we should be prepared for, accept, and still celebrate–reaching for the stars is thrilling, and if we don’t reach our final goal, we still find ourselves in the stratosphere, with a wider view and more far-reaching results than we ever would’ve created without those lofty inspirations.
This duo also trines Vesta, which may be why we’re so focused here, at the moment: Vesta is what we revere, what we find sacred, what we dedicate our life energy to–and that may put a lot of pressure on each of us, whether we’re conscious of it or not. We may feel like attaining those ideals and creative goals is more than necessary–we may in fact feel as if success is mandatory, that we will be ‘less than’ unless we get all the way to our aim. Though high standards are admirable, it’s definitely too much to hold ourselves to such stringent requirements, especially when there are likely one or more components that will be at least to some extent outside our control. We just need to focus on what we gain, what we do create, even if that creation doesn’t go as far or as wide or to completion as we’d hoped.
Chiron is quincunx the Black Moon Lilith point, amping things up even more as we carry in the back of our minds the awareness that what we ignore, deny, or are enraged by carries the potential to hurt us–and that means we know we’ve got to face what we’d rather put aside for later, or never, in an attempt to minimize our own injury. It’s smart to take it head on, as we exercise a lot more control over something we accept as reality than we do over something we’re insisting isn’t a thing. Note: if you have a placement 17-19 Scorpio, this fills in a Finger of God that suggests the fill-in energy plus the sense of woundedness combine to form a sort of dark point around something you’d rather forget–but shouldn’t. Again, addressing it is better than denying its existence, and keeps you in the driver’s seat.
And that brings us to Eris opposed Zeus, with Zeus receiving a trine and Eris receiving a sextile from aggressive Mars. Here we have the agent of discord facing off against our ambitions and desires, with Mars inserting the impetus to act on those wants, with those actions and choices easily putting a target on our backs for anyone with a beef. This is just life, really; there’s no way to control how others see and respond to us, so we must act and be with integrity, pursue our desires and aims, and let others feel and think what they may. That’s how we keep from being paralyzed by the judgments or slights handed out by those who’d rather critique us than look at their own flawed character.
Pluto noviles Saturn=we have the power to change our reality in transformative and quite brilliant ways–just know that alterations made now have a permanence about them that can never completely be undone; also know that changes imposed by externals have that same permanence, and are absolutely, 100% to our benefit, no matter how things look on the surface. Ceres also sextiles Saturn, reinforcing the idea that there’s power contained in facing reality–and both aspects to Saturn tell us that at this time, it’s much easier than usual to control those power expressions, to shape real-world results just as we’d like them to be. That puts powerful mojo behind those Sun-Neptune manifestations–and, as long as we follow a few cautions, puts us in control of our own choices and their consequences.
I’ll follow up with a few other things happening in the coming week. Have a great weekend!
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 