Full Moon in Sagittarius June 2023: A Lonely Lunar Light

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‘The Lonely Farm, Nantucket’ By George Inness 1892 {{PD}}

I suspect this Full Moon we might all be feeling a little lonely, as the Sagittarian energy urges us to reach out, to explore, to make contact, to ‘spread the word’, and we find ourselves, in one way or another, alone–or at least, feeling a little isolated or alienated from our fellow Beings. This Full Moon light perfects at 8:40 PM PDT of the 3rd at 13 Sagittarius 17, and floods the perceptions with emotional wisdom, emotional practicality, or both, courtesy of the close trine to Pallas. This is by far the tightest contact made by the Lunar event, signalling that, whatever our experience, we’d be smart to see it as revealing what our potentials and wisest course of action are–whether that’s through providing a positive picture to be emulated or a negative one to be avoided.

There’s also a loose Fist of God with apex of the Full Moon itself and base of a square between Venus at 28 Cancer and Eris at 25 Aries. That Cardinal square suggests that loving and deeply caring energies will be put into action in ways that will prick at our individuality and bring to the surface every buried resentment and percolating complaint, the kind where we think it’s other peoples’ job to satisfy us. It may feel as if relationships and/ or money issues come pre-loaded with contrary inclinations and difficult requirements, but the Full Moon, applying emotional intelligence to the facts, to knowledge, in a way that’s open and receptive to the unusual, the foreign (to us), the exotic (again, to our experience–these are all Sagittarian approaches), will offer us a way to resolve the tension, and so preserve or even enhance the relationship or financial matter.

There’s a novile from the Full Moon to the South Node, and a semi-square to Pluto, raw at 00 Aquarius and ready to flee (by June 11th) back into Capricorn. This places the Full Moon energy, very roughly, between the influences from the past (SN) and the powerful, awe-inspiring, destructive or transformative energies of Pluto as it orients us toward the future, the modern, the new (Aquarius). That suggests that what we learn from our Full Moon experience (and we will learn something, or undergo something of a Sagittarian nature) may be something we’ve been dealing with, or been burdened with, for some time–and now we’re offered, if not a complete answer as to how to change things, a glimpse that assures us change is indeed on the way.

If we allow for a very generous, 5 degree orb, we can see a sort of chain reaction Fire Grand Trine, where the energy starts in the past, with the Moon’s recent trine to Mars in Leo (probably engaging us in emotional reflection on something we’ve recently done that was specifically for ourselves, for our benefit), and promising an upcoming revelation via Chiron in Aries (likely something centered on our wounds, especially wounds to the ego, our independence, or our autonomy, and how we can heal them). This is a dynamic of recognition of the emotional impacts of actions or choices very particular to us as individuals, and should offer a welcome resolution to a possible sense of guilt, selfishness, or just the feeling we’ve been too wrapped up in seeing to our own needs–we haven’t, it only feels that way.

We can also see a tidier Fire Grand Trine by substituting the Black Moon Lilith point for Mars–which gets us a Full Moon emotional reaction or intuition that leads to what’s been ignored, denied, or that’s enraged (BML) and then taking steps to heal this, or possibly to pull it out of storage and apply our gifts to it (Chiron).

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘The Great Pyramid And The Sphinx’. Symbols of great knowledge shrouded in mystery; time passed, and what was known was in part forgotten. What wisdom that you once centered yourself in has slipped away? Where do you feel yourself ‘off course’, in terms of what you know to be right for yourself? This speaks of Sedna, at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, at a bursting point in terms of a need for each of us to recognize what, deep inside, we know to be true. Sedna is sextile Venus, which in just a tic will be at 29 degrees itself, with the Sagittarian Moon, before leaving the sign, forming the apex to a Finger that Venus and Sedna will be the base of. This implies a near-future circumstance where each of us will see the resolution of what we ‘know but don’t know’ about a relationship or financial situation through either intuitive insight or an emotional reaction that prompts choice (Moon in a Fire sign).

We also look at the Sun for a Full Moon: ‘Bridging Physical Space And Social Distinctions, Two Men Communicate Telepathically’. Ah-ha! it’s the essence of the idea that we all know what’s going on with everyone else, we’re just too polite to read minds all the time! This may remind us that what we need to know (in fact, may be longing to know) is knowable–if we trust ourselves and refuse to muddy the picture with prejudicial filters or sentiments that skew reality.

All in all, though, this Full Moon energy will be brimming with a sense of needing to attend to things personally, and we may be feeling the loneliness of that obligation acutely. Reassure yourself that this perception that so much is on your shoulders is temporary–because it is–and consider that key to using this energy to the fullest is an emphasis on choice: you choose how to employ it, and that means all things aren’t your responsibility, only those you have direct knowledge of, command of the facts around, and the personal energy and authority (that is, the right) to do something about.

A Question of History: Was England’s Richard III a Victim of Ceres?

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I’ve done a series of articles over the years on different historical mysteries, always titled ‘A Question of History’; this one first appeared in a 2014 issue of ECLIPSE.

Periodically I like to inspect historical personages and events taking an astrological perspective, so when I ran across an article (in The New Statesman, and no longer available online) on England’s Richard III and a potential allergy, I had to check it out, particularly considering the way Ceres is becoming more and more obviously prominent in instances of allergy, sensitivity, and in autoimmune diseases of all kinds—I wanted to see if Richard’s famous change of demeanor after excusing himself for a strawberry feast  during a council meeting of 13 June 1483 was possibly related to just such a reaction. If so, it may have had history-affecting consequences, as Richard’s fear that he may have been poisoned or the victim of witchcraft (there is even a suggestion that ingesting a massive number of strawberries may have caused the withering effect to one arm that we heretofore had believed through eyewitness description was a birth defect) led him to lash out against those who might take the crown—including his nephews, better known as ‘The Princes in the Tower’, Edward V of England, for whom Richard was acting as Protector, and his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (at the time the Tower of London was not yet used exclusively as a prison; the boys were lodged there, under guard and for their protection, so the story goes). After the strawberry incident, Richard announced he was taking the crown for himself and the boys ‘disappeared’; his suspicion of even his closest allies planted the seeds for the difficulty of his reign and the horrible reputation that follows him to this day.

Richard III is believed to have been born 2 October 1452 Julian Calendar 9:02 AM LMT (time is certain) Northhamptonshire England. Times of 9 AM and 7 AM have also been put forward, but the time of 9:02 was deduced by astrologer Martin Harvey in the British Astrological Journal Spring 1967, “Time deduced from a 1452 account in Latin, October 2, 1452 OS, 9:15 AM LAT” as per Astrodatabank.

Right away we notice the Scorpio Ascendant sextile Juno (which body I’ve conjectured before may in a man signal a sense of Self-completion, as in not feeling the need for complementary energies, which means the psyche has no room for another—it’s a placement, then, of total Self-empowerment that claims the right to do as he pleases—because no one, and so no other viewpoint, figures in). The apex to the Finger created is the Earth-retro Mars conjunction in Aries—certainly easy to associate this vanity/ ego uncertainty/ identity as a man as it manifested through the personality resulting in the death Richard suffered, as a Warrior at the Battle of Bosworth Field, with blows to the head (Aries) so hard that his crown was driven into his skull (and we know this as his remains, verified by mitochondrial testing of two of his sister’s descendants compared to the DNA found, identified the skeleton discovered under a UK car park in 2012 as definitively his).

But was he susceptible to Mother Nature? Wow, was he ever! Ceres sits at 29 Libra 11, under stress and hidden just inside the 12th and a hair above the start of the 1st House; it’s the T-arm of a wide Vesta-Uranus opposition, suggesting that stress from Nature shows up in erratic and sudden behaviors that are contrary to the highest values. Ceres is the body of latest degree; it implies that all matters end in some sort of ‘reaction’, be it in relation to his sense of authority, his boundaries, his negotiating power, or his interaction with Nature.

‘Strawberries in a Basket‘ By Joseph Decker 1887 {{PD}}

Ceres is quincunx the natal Taurus Moon in the 7th; the Moon is another indicator of sensitivity, in Taurus implying a sensitivity to the environment and particularly to food and atmosphere (and of course the meeting where the impressive change to his demeanor occurred was in mid-June, a high point for strawberries and every other blooming thing!) Placement in the 7th suggests that Richard may have had a very reactive personality, emotionally and intuitively hypersensitive to others, and this is reiterated by the Moon’s opposition to Venus in the 1st.

Richard’s Ceres is also conjoined a 00 Scorpio Mercury (lungs, nerves, highly sensitive to what’s communicated, and at 00 he’s just learning to deal with this in a Scorpionic fashion). The asteroid also sextiles the North Node (while not driving the destiny, it easily figures in), trines Jupiter, ruler of the 2nd (the Ceres nature affects his relationship with the social sphere, his knowledge—indicating potential for the mind and reasoning to be affected by any reaction—and his grasp of the ‘Big Picture’), and is widely conjoined Saturn, again emphasizing the impact of the surrounding reality via Ceres. We also see his Mars in Aries conjoined his Earth, both in the 6th of health, yet again showing the importance of the environment and his own choices and actions on the health picture. This is not to mention the Grand Trine of Ceres, Jupiter, and the South Node, which does suggest that knowledge from the past, lessons learned, would guide ‘reaching out’ efforts and attempts to widen his authority and influence—and this is something that probably initially went very right for him, getting him to the position he enjoyed in June of 1483.

A look at the transits on the day of Richard’s strawberry feast include the Sun fresh in sensitive Cancer trine his Ceres-Mercury, and Saturn at 00 Scorpio conjoined his Mercury, highlighting nervous sensitivity to the material world; transiting Zeus is exact conjoined his Pluto (destructive desires!); transiting Ceres trines his Saturn (again, the influence of Nature made manifest), transiting Eris widely conjoined his Earth-Mars (irritation!); and there were not one but three transiting bodies at 29 degrees during the day, if we include the Virgo Moon (at 29 degrees for a noon chart, so perfect for an allergic reaction) as well as Jupiter and Pallas, all impacting natal Ceres, expanding the potential for sensitivity and reaction, and this in turn having an impact on the common sense and wisdom of the individual (Pallas)—and with Jupiter in the mix, we might consider the reaction could’ve been extreme, even potentially fatal.

There is one other thing: a natal aspect of the 24th Harmonic of 105 degrees (popularly termed the Squine, as it’s halfway between a square and a trine!) between Richard’s Zeus and his Ceres and Mercury. Though some feel there’s no reliable interpretation to be applied to this aspect, I believe that’s generally so because enough astrologers haven’t observed it in action for a long enough time to find consistent characteristics. We must keep in mind, too, that Ceres is not just about one’s interaction with Nature; it’s also about one’s sense of authority and interaction with those who hold authority, concerns boundaries and the propensity to overstep them, and applies to one’s negotiative abilities. If Richard’s Ceres was ‘triggered’ by strawberry consumption, and this affected the thinking (Mercury), then too it could’ve affected the ambitions and desires (Zeus)—and as we know, when the ambitions are touched by fear such as may have occurred with a biological reaction interpreted as poisoning or an occult attack, then it wouldn’t be surprising for the ‘victim’ to have grabbed as much power and control for himself as possible in a bid to insure his own safety, leading to the ominous and still unanswered disappearance of two little boys, and changing the course of a kingdom.“

The Princes in the Tower By John Everett Millais 1878 {{PD}}

Addendum on the Princes in the Tower: Though we still can’t be sure what was the fate of the two princes, the bones of two children were discovered in the Tower in 1674; these were re-buried in Westminster Abbey, which now refuses to allow disinterment and testing to see definitively if these were the nephews of Richard III. And the mystery continues.

Your Week Ahead + The New Moon in Taurus: The Right Magic

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Ambigram Magic Dream – mirror symmetry with a handheld pattern giving a reversed shadow on a blue wall. Photo By Basile Morin Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

I don’t think we should be looking at the upcoming New Moon (perfecting 19 May at 8:53 AM PDT at 28 Taurus 25) as a singular event; instead I see it as a moment made possible by the way these next few days flow into it. I’m seeing a chance for some to make dreams come true (Neptune-Mars trine), particularly in an area where crisis seems to dominate at the moment; I’m also seeing the possibility that, with the right attitude and moves, we can create an outcome that is more than the sum of its parts, giving the whole thing an aura of rightness and magic. So where should we be looking on the way to the New Moon that will make the best of the current influences?

First we note some crisis energies in play: Sedna in Taurus, and Mars in Cancer, both at 29 degrees. Sedna will actually be conjoined by the New Moon, and with these four bodies in sextile we have the base for a Finger of God. Though one doesn’t exist in the current picture, it may in the individual one, for those with a natal placement at 27 Sagittarius to 1 Capricorn. The Lunar event may act as either trigger or a conclusion that opens the way for a new beginning around our ability to access instincts and to act or choose according to those instincts or things we ‘know but don’t know’–or it may force action around something in our ‘blind spot’ that simply can’t be ignored any longer (and this may be something we aren’t aware of, but once revealed, may feel we should have known about)–and this is a condition everyone may face. For those who have a natal point forming the apex to a temporary Finger, the resolution of these actions and choices will have the character of the natal planet, and will be acted out via some combination of point energies, point House placement, or matters of the House that body rules.

With a New Moon in Taurus the senses are heightened (and this can be both pleasurable and off-putting, as in, for example, the case of ‘bad odors’ either literal or psychic, or as when you partake of a tasting menu that you’ll swear is the ‘best food you’ve ever eaten’), and this Moon brings new starts by way of realizations around material resources, artisanal pursuits, comfort, security, stability, and in matters where persistence is a necessity. Apply this, then, to the aspects the New Moon makes: to the sextiles already mentioned, making for intuitively or emotionally informed action and choice, to the Finger, if applicable, to an out-of-element trine to Pluto in Aquarius (changes may be bigger or more permanent than we realize at the time, made at an intellectual level, or in the name of modernization or in order to take one’s place in the avant garde), a semi-square to Venus, which rules the New Moon (we enter NM territory with the negative facets of relationships, finances, or values emphasized in our worldview), and another sextile, this one to Neptune in Pisces (illusion, delusion, creativity, or idealism influences the new start–and this is part of a Water Grand Trine involving Mars and Earth=emotions find stability and possibly expression through needed action to take things from the creative imagination and materialize them).

Mercury just turned direct, and Jupiter just entered Taurus, meaning that our lead-up to the New Moon will be full of ‘new’ information, facts, or revelations about subjects we already thought we knew well. The atmosphere may be one where we ‘want more’ and think we know how to get it–but success must take into account material realities and real-world circumstances, and if those are missing our efforts may be less than effective. There’s also a Grand Square which applies to the Moon via involvement of the Lunar South Node, and also involving Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars=long-term conflicts from the past may feel unsolvable, but in taking action and making changes that align with the facts we can break the impasse and, if not solve all the conflicts, at least reconstitute the issues in new forms that may be less toxic or persistent.

So where does the magic come from? A Mystic Rectangle of Sun-Moon-Sedna, Mars, Pluto, and Earth. We can use that fresh New Moon energy to move some pretty big energies around, ones that under other circumstances may make us feel tired just thinking about trying to alter or manipulate–but for this occasion, we have that wonderful Mystic Rectangle synergy that does the heavy lifting for us–and can result in the re-making of our efforts in ways that use intuition, feeling, and the senses to create a much more potent ‘flow’ than we normally could. Be aware, though, that these changes, if not permanent, will be significant and serious, so proceed with a clear and honorable intent.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘Two Cobblers Working At A Table’. The image suggests that our efforts might best be employed in areas where we already hold skills, especially ones that are practical and/ or call for cooperation. We also look at the Earth (it seems to flesh out the picture from its opposing viewpoint): ‘An Indian Squaw Pleading To The Chief For The Lives Of Her Children’. Here we see someone with less power pleading with someone who holds more power (maybe all power) not for sparing her own life but those of her offspring. It’s maternal altruism that may be in our DNA–imperative that our progeny survive, even if we don’t. And don’t mistake this for negotiation–for that both sides need to have some power–here only one does. This may suggest that the origins of our New Moon experience may lie in a situation where we either held all the power or none of it–and where one party or the other was hoping to further their cause, and perhaps to have an impact on the future. This symbol describes what leads us to the New Moon event–but it may have some long-ago origins, even in circumstances we’ve largely forgotten, until now.

Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio May 2023 What We Resist

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Kimono fabric from Japan, early 20th century, silk, yuzen (paste resist, hand painting), Honolulu Museum of Art
Photo By Hiart 2012 CC0 1.0

The Lunar eclipse (Full Moon) perfects at 10:34 AM PDT of the 5th, with a rather wide opposition pattern involving the Sun (of course), cupped by Vesta on one side and Uranus on the other, with this axis squared by the Black Moon Lilith point. Lunar energy is emotional energy and intuitive knowing, with a Full Moon bringing conclusions and realizations. In Scorpio Lunar perceptions naturally become restless; there’s a need to dig, to refuse to accept surface feeling as genuine (or at least, as revealing the entire emotional picture). This Moon placement can ‘smell’ the depths, the hidden nuances in communicated feeling–so when the Moon moves through Scorpio, secrets are not likely to stay secret for long–especially when an eclipse wipes away what may have been a camouflaging reality.

What seems to be obvious, in the sunlight for all to see, is swept aside in favor of an in-depth, Scorpionic Truth–the group of which we’re a member, our academic or intellectual standing or prowess, our unique approach, revolutionary ideas, or individual talents, all that we honor or find sacred–the eclipse brings forward some (possibly uncomfortable) realities involving these things. Be prepared to find that your real-life role (or real-life feeling) is much different than you’ve been telling yourself and others it is. This eclipse delivers an emotional shock that is also a ‘get out of jail (or the situation) free’ card, if we’re wise enough to see that what’s revealed is genuine, and that what we’ve been telling ourselves isn’t.

But there’s a rebellious energy in the air, thanks to Uranus, the kind of knee-jerk resistance that arises without thought in response to those areas/ illusions we have an emotional need to protect, and this reactivity is only exaggerated in the presence of Vesta, with her high ideals and strong commitment. Nobody wants to see that what they thought was worth their devotion really isn’t. The Black Moon Lilith created T-square presents us with what we are in denial of, what we’ve been ignoring, or what enrages us made visible through some sort of conflict–likely the conflict, largely internal, that comes about when what we think we know or are is challenged by what is.

There’s also a rough Fist of God with base of Venus square Neptune, apex the Lunar eclipse, that suggests again illusions around something we love being challenged by the feeling picture shown us by the eclipse–or is it that the illusion is rent when Love doesn’t conform to our ideal? In either case, we get to the emotional truth of the matter–the only issue is whether we’ll believe what is revealed.

The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘Children Playing Around Five Mounds Of Sand’. There are many possible associations that can be made with the number five, but for our purposes I’d like to talk about the 5-pointed star, with each point referring to the elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) and the fifth to Spirit. This is the environment we’re all born into, one made up of these elements, with ourselves as the fifth, spiritual aspect of the experience. And certainly, play is what occurs in the physical world as we come to know it–so what does this say about the current eclipse? The image adds something essential to the physical picture of existence, something we might almost consider as another element: that of Time, symbolized by the flowing, uncapturable nature of sand–not to mention its function in the earliest of timepieces. I think the image is reminding us that time is ever-moving, inevitably changing everything eventually, and its the timeless nature of the Universe that we may not be thinking of right now–we may instead be focused on ourselves and our roles, as if these are the be all and end all. So, the idea may be not to take what occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and Moon too seriously. Instead see it as a reminder that we are, in the end, timeless Beings ourselves.

The Sabian for the Sun is, ‘Head Covered With A Rakish Silk Hat, Muffled Against The Cold, A Man Braves A Storm’. This image always reminds me of a Toulouse-Lautrec litho. Once more I think the image relates to our focus on ourselves and our worldly role–and how the Earth coming between the Sun and Moon interrupts with a shadow experience our concepts about ourselves and our place. Resistance, as we all know, is futile; take an attitude of play, and enjoy the time you’re here!

A Note Or Two For You

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Dietmar Rabich

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Norderney, Nordsee am Oststrand — 2016

The outlook today, in that valley between eclipses, is just as uncertain, and volatile, as we might expect. The thing that jumps out at me is the way Uranus and a retro Mercury are sextile Mars=sudden, rash words or actions, thoughts that become choices almost before we know it, revolutionary ideas that shouldn’t be acted on right now (they’ll need a re-think, come Merc direct), and the urge to fight, maybe literally, or maybe with the idea that one’s thoughts are more progressive or modern and so need (aggressive) sharing, may come about. There’s also the way Venus sits at the Merc/ Mars midpoint, suggesting that our targets will be those people or things we genuinely care about–uh-oh. Proceed with extreme caution, as this can all occur very quickly–and if you have a natal point or planet at 13-17 Sagittarius, you are most likely to express the base energies to this Finger of God via the subjects of the contacted body–and you may be laser-like in thinking this needs to be said/ done! Try to lean in to the Cancer Moon, which is headed toward contact with Mars; if you can keep the importance of feelings and the need to caretake in mind, you’ll be a lot less likely to misstep.

Jupiter and Eris in Aries are together, and they’re square Pallas in Cancer–again, not terribly positive. The smart thing to do is remember that you care–difficult in the face of public outcry, exaggerating sh*t stirrers, and the strong temptation to put the Self and Self’s ‘knowledge’ (really beliefs) first. Don’t forget, though, that disturbances reflect already extant issues–so maybe the approach that this is an opportunity for revealing problems and cleansing the outlook is best adopted.

The Sun is also sextile Saturn, making us too aware of reality’s hard edges–so be kind, to yourself and others–it’s not as bad as it seems.

I’m taking some brief time away from the blog and social media (to write! So not exactly getting off the computers!) but will be back in time for the Lunar eclipse. All comments will be answered, and orders fulfilled, when I return to this machine 🙂 See you then, and as Bill and Ted used to say, Be excellent to each other!

Mercury Retrograde 21 April 2023 What, Again?

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‘The Thistle Flower House’ By Paul Klee {{PD}}

Merc in Taurus pauses mid-sign and plows in apparent backward motion at 1:35 AM PDT of the 21st, and our feeling may be deja vu all over again: It’s retrograde, again, already? *Sigh* We may be buried in ennui, as the moment of retrograde comes just minutes after the Moon passes over Mercury, conflating thinking and feeling, and confusing intuition and information. The topic is Taurean, but such a blend of mixed communications and emotions could leave us feeling insecure, unsure of those material supports we normally rely on, uncomfortable, and feeling we lack nourishment (especially nourishment of the mind).

The first aspect formed in Merc’s retreat will be a sextile to Mars in Cancer, suggesting that out of the confusion and sense of lack around the retro point emerges actions spurred by or that demonstrate caring. Whatever we go through with Merc’s turnaround inspires efforts, probably along the lines of making the environment better for ourselves or others. Material comforts may become a refuge at this point–take a Cancerian approach and soothe yourself with a few indulgences, the kind that speak to the part of us that needs to feel safe and nurtured, the part that needs to feel mothered/ Part of this retro period may be about seeking out those who are willing to, on occasion, offer that sort of unconditional kindness and support, or being willing to offer it ourselves (best course of action in offering or accepting nurture: do the opposite of your usual–if you normally receive support, reach out and give some yourself, and if you’re one of us who finds it hard to accept caretaking, open your arms wide–you’ll be surprised by who and what fills them!)

With the retro happening in Earth, we get the chance to reconsider what it is that we think we need to feel prosperous, to feel secure, to feel entrenched, but in a good way, a way that supports our creativity and forays out into the world. Merc’s retro mission is always to make sure you don’t think of things the same way by the time he goes direct again, and with his journey starting in (and remaining in) the Earth sign Taurus, we’re likely to re-think our resource and sustenance situation, to rearrange our world, to change our opinions, tastes, and practices so that we end up with a greater sense of security and comfort. It’s important we remember that, during a Merc retro, we can’t rely on the mind for totally accurate perceptions of the world; that’s why using the feelings to guide is not only vital, but able to offer the ‘missing pieces’ of the information pie.

It can help to examine the Sabian for the start of the period, if only to orient us to the tone matters might take. Here it’s, ‘An Old Teacher Fails To Interest His Pupils In Traditional Knowledge’. Are we surprised that we’ll be looking for something new? We shouldn’t be; if Mercury had continued on its previous direct course, it would’ve met Uranus as its next contact. That effectively means that the entire retro is a dance away from and then eventually back to an explosion of Uranian energy, which combined with Mercury suggests revolutionary (for us) thoughts. In direct motion Mercury conjoins Uranus on 4 June–mark your calendars, in more than one way there could be fireworks.

So what starts out as a frustrating stalemate, a re-hash where we’re no clearer on our feelings than we were pre-retro, becomes a revelatory experience–but be aware, this will take time to develop, so give things lots of leg room, lots of freedom to grow and change, and don’t look for any conclusions/ definitive answers before that early June date.

Don’t forget the Solar eclipse of the 19th, poised to wipe the slate clean and set the background noise (and sometimes the main attraction) for the coming 6 months.

Solar Eclipse in Aries April 2023: Who We Were

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Binu.mhp Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 2019

An eclipse is a time when what was, at least in one area of our lives, is erased, and with a Solar eclipse (also known as a New Moon) we see this eliminated material replaced by or clearing the way for a spark, a seed, something new, something just beginning. The eclipse makes room in our lives for the birth of a new entity, endeavor, event, or circumstance that holds the character of the sign in which the eclipse occurs, and takes the shape of the House in the natal chart where the eclipse falls. That means for all of us there will be a similar, sign-oriented flavor to what happens, but that for each of us the eclipse material will take a unique and personal form.

This Solar event occurs at 9:12 PM PDT of the 19th. Since we already had a New Moon in Aries this year (on 21 March at 00), we may be wondering about the way the impetus for new beginnings of a similar, Arian kind is duplicated, as if we get a do-over, and in a way that’s what we’re getting. To immodestly quote myself from the post for the 21st: “A New Moon at the Aries Point is the most bare, exposed, fresh, even raw of beginnings, a seminal point of germination, discovery, inception, origination. In Aries we have initiation, both in the sense of the start of something new, and in the sense of being brought or accepted into something–both are personal, in that they are happening to the individual, but one speaks of a new venture, occurrence, or climate, while the other speaks of something that exists already, into which we enter and become a part. At the Aries Point, we are the Initiate; expect to become, to gain an aspect of identity that you did not carry before, and that you probably won’t be able to anticipate.”

So, we were given a beginning so completely fresh that it was likely without definitive form–and what will Aries do with such energy? Shape the hell out of it; it’s all about becoming, the process of individuation, the formation of identity, and employing that Cardinal energy to impress ourselves and our Will upon the world. We were probably just beginning to get a handle on these new implications for identity and role when along comes the eclipse–uprooting those tender seedlings and making one thing abundantly clear: the identity we were constructing is inadequate to completely express who we are, with the eclipse at 29 degrees suggesting 1) it’s imperative we recognize that what we’ve chosen is not enough, in some sense, and 2) that it’s important we acknowledge we know a whole lot more than we did back in March–oh, how far we’ve come!–and the roles we’re creating for ourselves must take into account all we’ve learned–otherwise, what we create will be obsolete before we even get started.

A Sun-Moon meeting at the 29th degree carries its own message: this is a crisis. The feeling may be that we’ve been wrestling with these identity factors for a long time, and should be farther along. We feel we have to do something. There’s an emotional dissonance in the identity department that we’ll need to recognize. And all that begs the question: why aren’t we more clear on who we are? The answer is: a state of crisis is Self-defining (we find out who we are in a pinch) and that some hindsight will be necessary before we can get a true and accurate reflection of who we have become in the Self-image mirror of the mind.

The eclipse makes few contacts, though it’s conjoined Vesta in Taurus; this clues us in to the fact that what we’re dealing with now in shaping the ‘I Am’ is both sacred and fundamental to our security, prosperity, and comfort. We’re not just being asked to declare ourselves, we’re being asked to put forward what we stand for, to state explicitly what and who we honor, and what we are willing to dedicate our life energy to. The seriousness of this identity declaration may be the source of the tension and the feeling of crisis. We’re at some level aware of how important it is at this time to know ourselves; to fail to define our identity and character is to fail to prepare ourselves for what’s to come. That said, the world doesn’t come to an end if we remain unsure of our feelings or identity–but it does move forward, whether we’re prepared or not.

The New Moon makes a semi-sextile to Sedna in Taurus at 29 degrees (crisis around comfort, security, stability, prosperity), suggesting that instincts can aid us in our identity quest, and that the instinctual nature will transmit messages through discomfort or an ‘off’ feeling–listen to those. There’s also a novile to Venus in Gemini, implying a spark of genius in the thinking, when it’s centered on values or the mind is focused on seeing the beauty (or the profit) in the world. And the Sun-Moon/ Earth axis forms a T-square with Pluto, itself still raw, newly entered into Aquarius, suggesting that transformation won’t be easy–but that it’s inevitable, and that we, and the landscape, won’t reach the Lunar eclipse with the same outlook, or even wearing the same identity ‘shell’ (like a label, role, or job title).

The eclipse Sabian is, ‘A Duck Pond And Its Brood’. This brings to mind the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’, which is a tale of finding one’s identity–and also one’s group. It may be that, if we’re really stumped about our own identity, looking around, examining who and what we’re surrounded by, will give valuable clues–as we must know who we are in the present to know what must change to create our new identity, which in turn creates our future. A bit of a ‘duck and egg’ thing, I think.

It may be a matter of the eclipse wiping out who we were (or our idea of who we were) in favor of something hinted at with the New Moon of March 21st, now ready to be born, to be revealed, or to be realized. A kind of denouement may arrive with the Lunar eclipse–until then, we do our best to put the pieces together, and to understand as well as we can who we are, and to move toward who we want to become.

Here’s a good explanation of a hybrid eclipse– The kind of eclipse we experience doesn’t change the astrological effects, but we can’t overlook the symbolism of, in this case, a hybrid event. It suggests something changeable–that then changes back. It hints that permanent change promised by Pluto may at least appear not to ‘stick’–it may morph back to a previous state, before again changing. Just be prepared to witness fluctuation in our perceptions, and to stay nimble enough that we can respond to what we might not fully anticipate.

And here’s a link that describes paths of upcoming eclipses that will be visible in North America-– many thanks to reader John Spirko for sharing this..

Full Moon 5 April 2023 The Empowering Wound

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‘Satan Watching the Caresses of Adam and Eve’ By William Blake 1808 {{PD}}

I’ll be away from my computer until next week. Please be patient–I’ll do my best to answer comments and fill orders when I return.

The Full Moon arrives on the 5th at 9:34 PM PDT at 16 Libra 07, delivering conclusions about or making clear our relationships with others, particularly those tender parts that persist as wounds. Here’s the thing about wounds: we tend to fixate on the apparent perpetrator of the injury, but the reality is, a situation involving hurt is under our control at all times. Does that mean the person isn’t responsible for the transgression? No, but it does mean that we were vulnerable to them in that area, open in such a way that we allow their actions or opinions to impact us. Does that imply we should never open ourselves to others? Of course not–but it does mean that we either 1) made a poor choice in whom to trust, or 2) need to reassess our own sensitivity levels concerning the input of others. With the first, well, we (hopefully) learn our lesson; with the latter, we may need to review just what has been triggered in us, and whether that’s truly a valid reaction. It may be a matter of perspective: if we realize that what’s really been violated is our own expectation, then we are free to re-align our vision toward a more accurate picture of the situation, and the relationship.

This Full Moon promises revelations along these lines, with the Moon-Earth in Libra opposed the Sun-Chiron conjunction in Aries (placing a spotlight on the responsibility of the individual in areas of wounds and the act of wounding) suggesting that the most potent of injuries (and the most compulsive hurts delivered to others) reside in matters of identity and role. It may also be that we or others need so badly to justify how we see ourselves that we are blinded to the way we are hurting or being hurt. It may be that the disturbances to relationships are, at least in part, reflecting back to us discrepancies in who we think we are vs. who we actually are as revealed by behavior and choices. It’s a sometimes bitter pill, to realize that we aren’t quite who we imagine ourselves to be–and yet, such knowledge is necessary if we are to make the most of our talents and relationships.

The Full Moon also quincunxes Uranus-Juno in Taurus, telling us that the uncomfortable or irritating may require spontaneous response, or may bring shocking or unexpected developments (especially in areas of material welfare or comforts), but that if successfully answered, will bring empowerment. This may be a situation where we’re thinking we’re focused on the prickly connections of relationships, but have something sprung on us that offers us more autonomy or control–and maybe this is able to happen only because we are distracted tending our wounds or trying to repair a fall out. Or, there’s revelation around a group that ostensibly supports us but that may or may not serve our empowerment needs–and then there’s the possibility that we must choose, between the health of a relationship (Libra) and our own individual empowerment needs (Uranus-Juno).

There’s also a loose squine from the Full Moon to Pluto, spanky new in Aquarius. Since we’re prone to take an intellectual approach in Aquarius, we may believe it’s time for some housekeeping, for sweeping the slate clean in some regard–but that can be a very harsh approach to emotional matters, with the aspect telling us that this attitude has both an up and a down side, so proceed with great care in the elimination department, as removals may be more permanent than we imagine.

One thing I’d like to add is a note on the opposition of Ceres in Virgo to Neptune in Pisces. Though not in contact with the Full Moon, this pairing suggests an atmosphere where we already have a critical eye on our own personal sense of authority, and that this is in direct conflict to what we consider our ideal. It can mean that relationship matters, and particularly our part in them, have been under consideration for quite some time–and the Full Moon simply brings them to a head, likely through a minor but unanticipated event or interaction. It can also mean that we’ve recently been over-critical with ourselves, prone to compare our real world interactions with an impossible-to-attain perfection that never was and never will be.This atmosphere may be ripe for a wounding scenario–but consider how much of that hurt is simply coming from ourselves, from a misjudgement where we may, consciously or not, contend we ‘deserve’ it. No, we don’t.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Retired Sea Captain Watches Ships Entering And Leaving The Harbor’. The image presents a knowledgeable observer monitoring the kind of comings and goings which they once commanded. That implies that in some important way, what we see/ learn at this Full Moon is something we are already removed from, but have the experience to understand completely. And maybe that’s the point: that only hindsight can offer a truly impartial assessment of what happens. It also suggests that, in some important way, we may be past the actual impact, the wounding, itself, and are only now reacting to it–which again may point us toward the necessity of reviewing our own sensitivities and the reasons for them. The Sun’s Sabian is, ‘Two Dignified Spinsters Sitting In Silence’. When we consider that the Sun is the light source for the Moon, and so for this event, we may see that there is a certain commonality in interaction; that is, that one can’t be hurt without an Other–and yet the Other is in the same position, subject to the same conditions that are rooted in our solitary existence, in the difficulty of genuinely communicating, of truly understanding others. This image, I think, counsels compassion, and urges us to look for our likenesses, rather than our differences. Too, the image may imply that this is a comfortable silence–an acknowledgment, perhaps, of our ability to know one another without ever exchanging a word.

Pluto Into Aquarius: A Very Personal Acid Trip

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‘Trippy’ By Psychonaught {{PD}}

What does Pluto feel like in Aquarius? An acid trip, a break-you-down-to-build-you-up health spa or boot camp, disintegration of the Higher Mind, a tunnel lined with swirly colors, the Grim Reaper in tie-dye, seeing life through a ‘now or never’ lens, Understanding delivered through destruction or transformation, the Intellect exploring the depths of existence (and so perhaps traumatized though somewhat removed from direct experience of those depths), a crowd going dangerously wild, a group experience that helps you discover the ‘true’ individual role or even the emergence of a leader, and there’s always the possibility that, especially early in the transit, we get the destructive side of things without immediately seeing the restoration or rebuilding, as in the context of revolution or rebellion.

In Aquarius Pluto attunes the mind to Plutonian energies. It’s a little like that saying, ‘If you’ve got a hammer, everything looks like a nail’, but in this case it may be ‘When you find one thing that needs to be eliminated, you may start to think everything has to go!’ Extremes are always a danger with Pluto, but especially so when the god of the Underworld moves through Air, as that changes thinking. We saw massive changes around relationships when Pluto was in Libra (1971-1984), when the critique developed under Virgo led to the destruction of old stigmas around relationships (such as assumptions around divorce or single parenthood), with the proof found in a soaring divorce rate, single parents by choice, couples living together rather than tie the knot, and a worshiping Wall Street mentality that for some substituted one Libra subject, Money, for another, Love.

Pluto in Aquarius brings a disintegrative quality to academic forms of knowledge; the conclusions we’ve drawn from study, experimentation, and observing via the scientific method somehow evolve or don’t hold. With Pluto in the very last degrees of Capricorn we’ve seen Artificial Intelligence surge to the foreground, applied in ways we didn’t anticipate, that cause fear or misunderstanding, and that threaten, at least in the minds of some, to extinguish human thought and creativity as irrelevant. Never fear; we’re only seeing exploration of extremes, a backlash to the perception of intellectual (and other) limits that was a constant theme with Pluto in Cap.

What practical effects might we see? Ones where change is instituted most effectively by group effort–we may learn the importance of banding together, and of choosing the most appropriate leader in any situation. We might also see a more pervasive appreciation of the sciences and simultaneously revolutionary changes in both our assumptions about what makes up the Universe and in effective application of what is known and proven. Changes to our ability to understand everything in our lives, both individually and Collectively, are on the agenda, and we’re guaranteed to emerge into Pluto in Pisces with a much less restrictive view of our Universe, an understanding that truly opens the creative imagination. We may also come to understand that change itself doesn’t require a revolution; it can happen at the quantum level, with our perceptions of the energy expenditure to make things different becoming much less literal hands-on, and much more propelled by the energy of intent.

We may come to anticipate Death as an adventure, an exploration of what consciousness can perceive and experience, rather than seeing it as the end of physical existence, and there may be a kind of perceptual melding of the Mind and Soul, so that we confuse and/ or venerate the two as one. This offers us an alternative to the idea that Pluto carries of finality, of endings that are irreversible, to the finiteness of all things, and may make us exquisitely sensitive to (and perhaps much more accepting of) the way change is the one constant, to be welcomed rather than mourned.

And we may form an entirely new, ‘modern’ concept of what Power truly is. That can only be a good thing, as we come to see that it’s not about controlling others or exerting our Will, but rather lives in the constancy and force inherent to Love, to Intention, and to an exercise of Will that sees it act as flowing water, soaking in where welcome, respectfully accommodating the immovable stones and blending seamlessly into already extant rivers. In that way our idea of Power becomes respectful of others, a cooperative one; never before has ‘Go with the flow’ had more, and more accurate, meaning, in terms of expressing ourselves and getting what we want, while still honoring others and what is.

Pluto is the agent of change that, in Aquarius, requires we embrace what’s modern and ‘new’–get ready, we’ll have plenty of chance to practice. This transit amounts to experiences that form a very personal and very specific lens through which to view the Universe, ones that may initially confuse, disorient, or completely take us outside what we know–and yet it will all be shaped by our own unique experiences– so try to enjoy!

New Moon in Aries 21 March 2023 A Raw Beginning

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‘In the Waves’ or ‘Ondine’ By Paul Gauguin 1889 {{PD}}

A New Moon at the Aries Point is the most bare, exposed, fresh, even raw of beginnings, a seminal point of germination, discovery, inception, origination. In Aries we have initiation, both in the sense of the start of something new, and in the sense of being brought or accepted into something–both are personal, in that they are happening to the individual, but one speaks of a new venture, occurrence, or climate, while the other speaks of something that exists already, into which we enter and become a part. At the Aries Point, we are the Initiate; expect to become, to gain an aspect of identity that you did not carry before, and that you probably won’t be able to anticipate.

The New Moon perfects at 10:23 AM PDT at 00 Aries 49 sits at the rough midpoint of the Pluto-Sedna trine, with the sextile to Pluto catching Saturn at its midpoint. Like nesting dolls the contacts are, at first glance, hidden beneath what appears to be a much more obvious aspect. A trine between Sedna and Pluto suggests ease of change, or transformation, or even destruction, but to a facet of the inner landscape: to the instincts, those things we ‘know but don’t know’ (with the obvious possibility that something like this will become conscious), or to those ‘blind spot’ materials or factors that everyone else can see, but for us is the critical ‘missing part’ to understanding a situation or relationship. Add Saturn, and we add the potential for materialization of this change, or the idea that we may try to make the change ourselves, only to meet barriers. If you do encounter limits, these will be Universe-provided ‘safety rails’ that future hindsight will reveal to have been blessings in disguise. Note, too, that matters around this aspect will have begun to coalesce before the New Moon–the Lunar event simply brings it to our attention, as either our intuition or feelings are stirred.

There’s a squine (that squirrely trine-square mash-up of 105 degrees) of the New Moon to Pallas in Cancer, notable not just because of the conflicting energies of positive and negative but because with both NM and Pallas in Cardinal signs, this might be the agent behind actions we take and choices we make–that is, one informed by the wisdom inherent in caring (Pallas in Cancer)–that is, the way what we care about, and the way we feel about it, automatically means we will approach it in the best way we know how. When we don’t want to mess things up, we invariably do what’s smartest (or what appears smartest to us!) There may be both the feeling one needs to do something, and that one wants to, but either this hasn’t been clear before or hesitation, for a variety of reasons, has kept the urge in stasis.

The New Moon is semi-square to Venus-Juno in Taurus, which are tightly conjoined (only two minutes apart), suggesting a little tension over resources, or conflict over what some (especially the partner) needs for comfort and security. The Lunar event will simply show that the need is unmet, and possibly not even recognized, before now. Smart money says pay attention to this–it’s the kind of thing that can grow beneath the surface and fuel big blow-ups later.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Woman Just Risen From The Sea; A Seal Is Embracing Her’. The connection to the goddess Sedna is apparent, so emphasizing Sedna’s place in the astrological equation. That’s the instinctual nature, those things we know in our bones but may not hold in consciousness, those things we are not cognizant of but are putting out into the world anyway–others see this, we don’t–and this affects our choices, actions, and relationships. This suggests to me that all of what happens now is coming directly from the primal and instinctual natures, and particularly applying to the way all of us live in (at least) two worlds: personal and public, professional and intimate, seen and secret, and so on. For more on the relevance of this symbol, you might enjoy “Sealskin, Soulskin’ from Dr. C.P. Estes’ book, ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’.

Don’t expect anything to have its final form; what happens at this New Moon is protean, in the sense that it’s so new in some way that it possesses an endless number of potential directions. Just know that this beginning may be raw, yet unformed, but certainly a herald of a whole new epoch.

Saturn In Pisces: Nailing Down the Dream

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‘Clouds in Finland’ By Konrad Krzyżanowski 1908 {{PD}}

Dreams get a roughly two and a half year long reality check, with Saturn, the planet of materiality and the passage of time, in Pisces, the sign of the ideal, the imagined, the ephemeral, the possible. We’ll see what dreams we can make our reality, and more importantly, how to bring them about, as Saturn offers organization, patience, and even some necessary compartmentalization, to the land of the creative and the hoped for. Our generative urges demand concrete forms, or the kind of realization that makes them tangible to others, while our ideals are measured, whether we intend to do any measuring or not, against what we’ve actually created in our lives. I don’t need to lecture you on how this is actually a gift, to be able to see our progress in an objective light–though at first it may make us rail against all the ways we’ve been prevented from moving forward, may depress us as we grasp just where we are, or inspire us in ways we hadn’t anticipated.

Saturn in Pisces may also bring an end to things that have drained us, as we dreamed and maybe held off living in the hope that the dream would rescue or remake, or if we mistook a fantasy for something sustaining, nourishing. This may feel like a loss, but it’s really an ending that’s gifting your own energy back to you. Taking responsibility for our own powerful creative force will be a prime requirement during this period, and we do so with the caveat that we must use Self-discipline, boundaries, limits, rules, logic, and stay connected to reality, in order to succeed.

If Saturn is moving through the bottom half of your flat chart (1st-6th Houses), you are in a period of development; don’t expect to easily go public with your efforts at this time–to the outside world, it may appear as if you are still ‘growing’ in that area. If Saturn is in the upper half of your flat chart (7th-12th), then what you do will be seen, and you’ll be judged on what shows. That means the whole thing has the tone of an audition, or something where you must prove yourself–so make sure you put forward your best.

Saturn was last in Pisces roughly early 1994-early 1996. If you’re old enough to remember that time, review it, because it’s not uncommon for the same challenges, issues, or concerns to come forward again–sometimes dressed up differently (sometime even unrecognizably, at first), but the underlying matter is essentially the same. And if you recall early 1964-early 1967, take a look at what was going on for you then, too. We can learn a great deal from the patterns the planets present us, because we’ll be acting within and reacting to those same energies on a periodic basis–and how better to get perspective on our own responses?

This isn’t just a period of personal development, though. We can expect to become familiar with what I’d like to call the Rules of the Unreal: we’ll learn to gauge how much and what kind of effort it takes to bridge (and so affect) factors in our agreed-upon reality with those of our Collective agreed-upon spirituality, which naturally will include cultural and Nature-based collective events. Look at your 12th House, natally and particularly what may be transiting through it during Saturn in Pisces, for hints as to what your role might be, or what mass experience you might be caught up in. This is manifestation as a species–but as with any big occurrence, these events and trends will impact each individual in their own, unique ways.

The House Saturn is transiting is always a place where we’re meeting matters of Self-discipline, restrictions, and costs head-on; the House in the natal chart that holds Pisces is the House where we are most likely to ‘float’, become unconnected to reality, to dream and match those dreams to our ideals, and to attempt, in the areas described by the House, to express our creative nature. Now that the two are together, it can at times be a recipe for our most inappropriate efforts toward Self-expression, whether that’s in our own particular brand of bucking the rules or in our attempt to create without a full understanding of the reality we’re trying to mold. There may be an element of sacrifice called for, specific to each natal body contacted and the aspect made by Saturn as it transits the sign. Pisces inspires us to a world without limits; Saturn tells us just exactly what the price of the world will be.

Full Moon 7 March 2023 We’re Not in Oz Anymore

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Evolution of a Tornado.jpg
This image is created from eight images shot in two sequences as a tornado formed north of Minneola, Kansas on May 24, 2016. This prolific supercell went on to produce at least 12 tornadoes and at times had two and even three tornadoes on the ground at once.

JasonWeingart

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That dynamic of Earth and Moon in Virgo–framing emotional and material matters as practically-oriented, accountable, detail-aware, all with an eye to what will be produced (the harvest)–opposed the Sun in Pisces–the illumination of the creative, the ideals, of delusions and deceptions, of inspirations and dreams–is always one of learning how the two energies can be woven together, to support each other in ways that maximize their positive qualities. It takes organization, method, and attention to detail to successfully create, just as it takes an ideal against which to measure what one has built. The two ends of this axis, just like every other cross-pairing in the horoscope, at best work together to make a whole larger than the sum of their parts–or butt heads endlessly, as the critic and the dreamer find it impossible to connect.

This Full Moon, perfecting at 4:40 Am PST 7 March at 16 Virgo 40, enters into this necessary dialogue between the energies of the two ends of the axis obliquely, largely through a set of quincunxes to the Moon-Earth combo. In this instance I’d stretch the quincunx to about 3.5 degrees either side of exact, for the simple reason that the cluster of energies are themselves conjoined; it’s like the energies ricochet off one another, and in their blending then relate, more or less, to the Lunar event.

We’re counting Jupiter, Chiron, and Venus, all in Aries, as the pivotal players at this point. Those Virgoan Lunar energies funnel down to material matters (Earth) by what needs adjustment, what cries out for modification, what requires change by the fact of the friction the two ends of the aspect are creating. So, we see a Self or action-orientation (Aries) of the emotions (Moon) in areas of relationship or finances (Venus), in our response to wounds, especially long-standing ones (Chiron), and in both our place in the social arena and our attempts to exploit opportunity or expand our world (Jupiter). This can bring realization or the coalescing of a picture that’s been gathering for some time, one focused on who we are and how we feel about that image/ role in one or more of the aforementioned categories.

The Lunar energy is one that examines, and possibly critiques, these identity functions/ roles, but something we’ll need to remember is that the picture presented is an interpretation run through our emotional lens. Yes, we’ll be perusing material circumstances as ‘evidence’, but the reality is that what we see is derived from feelings, from our most vulnerable reactions to things, and not from any objective scenario. If we can remember that what we’re seeing is our own reaction to things that have made us feel very sensitive, to matters where we feel nakedly vulnerable, then we have a chance of gaining some perspective on ourselves, by looking carefully at what kind of reaction we’re having, or what interpretation we’re arriving at.

It’s no accident that the areas quincunx the Moon are some of the areas where we feel most exposed as individuals. The tender connections among our Self-esteem, our feelings, and our relationships (Venus–and don’t underestimate the impact finances can have on how we see and assess ourselves, either), our childhood wounds we still carry and often respond automatically to (Chiron), and the place we believe we fall in the ‘pecking order’ of life (Jupiter). All these are hyper-sensitive, and will be triggered, through some discomfort that comes forward, at the time of the Full Moon. These tornadoes, big or small, will lift us out of the world as we’ve seen it, distorted by our imaginings, and set us down somewhere solid, that we need to assess–all we’ll know for sure is that we’re not in Oz, anymore–but where will we be?

The trine from Uranus in Taurus to Moon-Earth, and a novile of the Full Moon to the Black Moon Lilith point, may explain things in a little more detail (something this Moon may demand!) Uranus suggests that either approaching things as an individual, solely responsible for oneself, or as part of a group, one of which you are actively a member, may be the best way to go–though only you will know which offers you better support. There is also the way Uranus might simply ‘spring’ our feelings on us–we may be going along, thinking we don’t care much one way or the other–then bam! The novile implies that Lunar events (which we might even classify as Lunar feelings) offer a way of uncovering what’s been ignored, denied, or hidden, or that has enraged us even as we’ve refused to respond, and that this is, in some way, genius, either in the brilliance of what it allows us to see, or in supplying a smart way to handle things that’s beyond what we might’ve come up with on our own.

This Full Moon, through the discomfort and gentle discord it engenders, lifts us out of some illusory way we’ve been existing, and takes us to a spot where we are better able to see ourselves clearly, to see what function (Virgo) we actually have, and what ways we actually serve (also Virgo). The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘A Volcanic Eruption’. So, upheaval, a combination of the Earth of Virgo and the flowing quality of Pisces–but we must remember this applies to a highly individual experience (Aries, the Uranus trine)–a Fire one, yes–but a volcano overwhelms, subsumes, and so destroys, while a tornado (my interpretation) can lift one up and put one down just as neatly; though certainly destructive, a tornado transports–and that’s a little more what I see, particularly with the quincunxes. Undoubtedly, some of you will have a fiery episode–this volcano’s for you!

We also look at the Sun for the ‘origin story’: ‘An Easter Parade’. Well, that’s unexpected! Is this image pinpointing a time in the near future, the Full Moon offering a ‘if things keep going as they are’ scenario, or is it more about pride? To be in a parade one literally displays something–a creation, a skill, a belief, an affiliation–they’re proud of, something they want to ‘show off’–perhaps this is pointing us toward Uranus and the uniqueness of each of us that, if it gets out of hand, can undermine precisely the kind of things we cherish most, those Venusian and Jupiterian experiences, as well as our attempts to heal what has been so badly marred (Chiron). This Full Moon requires us to have an experience of leaving one place (an illusory one, or one we no longer see with clarity) behind, and embrace critically where we then find ourselves–and it may be in our most unique qualities (Uranus) and our group and individual identities (Uranus, the Sun, Jupiter) that we’ll find ways to align ourselves with the new ‘territory’ we come to occupy.

Thought Experiment: For Or Against

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‘The Art of Stones’ By Rasheedhrasheed

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What are you, without the things you’re against? We sometimes focus so much on what we reject, hate, despise, that we neglect to define what we’re for, what we want to dedicate our lives to, what we’re striving to achieve. Don’t confuse the ‘wish list’ we put forward as ideal with defining those things we support; what we name as a ‘perfect’ version of ourselves is different (more or less, in most cases) than what we actually spend our time doing, supporting through action, choice, and attention. For instance, we might see ourselves as highly supportive of education in all its forms–but if we’re neither involved in educating others (which requires a certain level of knowledge/ expertise ourselves) or in actively gaining knowledge (as opposed to reinforcing what we already believe/ know), then we aren’t living that concept we see as part of what defines us. And there’s the further temptation to re-frame that as a kind of statement, such as ‘I hate ignorance’–but as we know, hating something we define as the opposite of our ideal doesn’t actually get us any closer to living that ideal, it only sends our energy and attention toward something we’ve already stated we don’t want more of. That’s irony in action.

There are a few places and bodies in the chart that can clue us in to ways we might be prone to mislead ourselves, in terms of aggravating a gulf between who we think we are, and who we are in our interactions with current, three-dimensional reality. First place to look might be the 7th House, the place we are most prone to project the energies it represents. It’s possible to see the negative sides of these in others, and never move on from there, believing, say, that Mercury there gives the experience of others who talk and talk and don’t think, for example, or that Pluto there shows us a darkness in others which we absolutely refuse to see as potentially in ourselves. It’s a matter of ownership: do you see those 7th House energies in all their dimensionality, and accept them as part of yourself? There’s also the possibility that you see the positive qualities of that body but are convinced they belong only to others–Uranus there may seem to grant everyone else freedom that it feels like you’re denied, or Venus there may make you feel like others are beautiful, fortunate, or in some way favored that you can only long to be.

Where Saturn sits, we may have the natural inclination to repress others or judge others, believing it’s the negative qualities of the sign we must rail against–and yet, if we are adequately disciplined and connected to reality ourselves, we are likely to find this judgmental need falling away. We lose the need to judge others (I don’t mean assess, use discernment, or recognize who they are, I mean condemn) when we learn kindness, when we are able to recognize commonalities–and when we can apply that kindness, that realization that we are human, to ourselves.

Neptune is famous for offering up delusions about who we are (especially if connected to the personal planets), but it also tells us what energies align with our genuine ideals, and it points us toward where our creative energy can not just best express, but flourish. Pluto, of course, can frighten, with the glimpse of the darkness it offers, even the threat of our own personal hell, but it can transform us with the way it can offer change, an energy for re-birth and re-making that feels massive and elemental, but that is malleable, when we accept its impact and then strive to shape inevitable change in a desired form.

Chiron, of course, points to the wound, the primal injury that must, if we’re to deal with it successfully, be excavated and recognized, owned and, hopefully, released. Vesta needs thorough examination specifically because it describes what we care about at a Universal, spiritual level; to understand the message of Vesta is to understand, on a most human and individual level, why we are here–or should I say, what we are here to do. As the representative of what we most want to dedicate our life energies to (and this may be literal, in matters described by the sign in which it sits) or symbolic, centering on a concept or value, Vesta can offer us a standard against which to measure every choice: does this resonate with how and where I wish to spend my life energy? If so, carry on! And, once Chiron is to some extent explored, Vesta energy can be combined with the gift that inspection of Chiron will illuminate, the highly specialized thing that only you can offer the world in that very precise way–and you end up with a solid recipe for a rewarding and spiritually fulfilling life path.

Unfettered optimism, a refusal to recognize what’s not relevant, working, or for us as individuals, can be as destructive as a negative pall on every subject; neither approach allows for nuance, context, or the particular talents and viewpoint of the individual. It’s in listening to the Universe, to the response we get from it in answer to our actions and thoughts, and in then following the prompts, not of the ego, but of the Soul, that we’re most likely to find that thing, that circumstance, we don’t even know we’re looking for.

New Moon 19 February 2023 Subtleties

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‘Garden of Gethsemane in Fog’
G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection {{PD}}
Taken between 1940 and 1946

It may be the bodies at 29 tense degrees that steal the New Moon thunder, catching that Moon at the midpoint of a Venus-Pluto sextile, and so forming a Finger of God with Earth as apex, and involving Saturn, out-of-sign conjoined the New Moon (but only at 28 degrees, so not at the crisis point, yet). And that’s not to mention (though I am) another Finger, this one with New Moon as apex, base of Black Moon Lilith and Ceres (though we note this config is looser than the other Finger). Other than that, we have the New Moon squine (105 degrees) Mars in Gemini, and the Lunar event semi-square the midpoint of Juno-Chiron–so a great many subtle influences, or even some energies disguised as others, or by others, perhaps pointing up how much influence the sign of the New Moon has over its contacts–and it’s only exaggerated by the presence of Neptune and Venus in the Great Obscurer’s sign of Pisces.

This picture forms on the 19th at 11:06 PM PST, with the Moon meeting the Sun at 1 Pisces 22. There are few contacts made– and that out-of-sign conjunction of the New Moon to the ancient ruler of Aquarius in Aquarius, Saturn, its own story, one that informs the nature of the New Moon obliquely, with Aquarius signaling that our emotional perceptions and intuitions are all reality-based and rational, a triumph of the higher intellect over the imagination, and yet the Moon in Pisces either obscures that reality, is inspired by it, or sees it as ideal when it’s anything but.

With that kind of ‘now you see it, now you see it differently’ energy at work, the Fingers both take on a quality where our intuition and atunement to the nuts and bolts of our world will be vital to actually making use of the energy–that is, if we don’t understand how things are actually working, we may be misled or distracted. The Finger with Venus and Pluto as base originates in crisis or under extreme stress; we may ask what is destroying or altering beyond recognition either our source of Love or source of income/ support/ reward–and could it be the partner or Other themselves that is the agent of change? We can’t know, with Venus in Pisces, and Pluto in Capricorn only tells us that those structures, methods, rules, and frameworks we’ve relied upon will change–but it doesn’t tell us whodunit. Apex Earth in Virgo tells us that accounts are being balanced, the earthly results of our efforts critiqued–but we still don’t know by what hand the balance is delivered.

That revelation may fall to the other Finger. Base of Black Moon Lilith point and Ceres suggests, if I may resort to an old saying, that the chickens are coming home to roost. That’s another version of the Earth in Virgo, paying debts and settling accounts. We see what we have ignored, been in denial of, or what has enraged us meet the forces of Nature, some supreme authority, or our own need to be responsible for ourselves, and out of the blend the New Moon event is crafted–and it has physical/ material world contours that we will recognize intellectually (Saturn in Aquarius) and respond to emotionally (Moon in Pisces). The key is not to let our imaginations or fears run away with us in response to what comes forward–that would not only be pointless, but would lead to us missing the positives (that is, the scale-balancing of Virgo and Ceres in Libra that allows for a re-set in our world). Gratitude for the potential re-birth (Pluto) of some vital life factor (Venus) may not be easy, if the lesson is a difficult one, but will, no matter what, benefit us in the end.

The squine of the New Moon to Mars in Gemini points again to the prominent place of the mind in understanding what’s unfolding, with the aspect appropriate in the way it both makes for discomfort or upset even as it opens the way for new or better–and that will be through our choices (Mars). The semi-square to the Juno-Chiron midpoint is very minor, but emblematic of the entire Lunar happening: it will hurt, it will empower, and out of the struggle a new emotional perception will be born.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Squirrel Hiding From Hunters’. That may be exactly what it feels like: as if we are small, simple Beings faced with much larger, more complex, and more powerful forces in the world. Hiding in this case, rather than being an act of hunkering down, closing our eyes, and hoping for the best, may instead signify what’s smart in any circumstance where we are faced by something overwhelmingly larger than ourselves that could wield life-changing power: we step aside, allow it to proceed, and deal with the changes once the alterations are done. This mirrors the dynamic of Venus-Pluto–and we all know that fighting Pluto isn’t a possibility–but that harnessing, channeling, and accepting what it creates is.

We may be so distracted by this Venus-Pluto thing that we miss the more subtle developments of this New Moon–but that’s okay. We do best to focus on seeing clearly and understanding what’s happening (though the why or who of it can wait), and then processing our emotional responses, most particularly in light of how much closer we are to realizing our ideals (Moon in Pisces).

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Some Thoughts On The Ascendant

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‘There is Light on the Horizon’ By Wilf Perreault 2019 Uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Eisbergsk Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

The Ascendant is the symbolic point of entry for the individual, determined by the place and time of birth, the birth chart laying out the relative positions of the planets and lights as potentially observable (or as falling below the horizon) at that moment, at that spot on Earth (for Northern Hemisphere births, the chart is as if you are standing on the spot of birth, facing South, Southern Hemisphere, facing North). In a way the natal chart is a map of you sliding into the world, meeting the environment, showing your face, literally and figuratively, for the very first time–and the Ascendant describes your relationship to that world in a very specific way: it tells us how the individual, on first impulse, interacts with the world, and how that world receives the individual, ‘reading’ them through the attitudes and behaviors characteristic of the sign, the responses indicated in particular by the aspects the Ascendant makes and by the state of the Ascendant ruler, with these often funneled through matters of the House(s) an entity rules or is placed in.

This situation can make for an interesting paradox, as the individual sees themselves as having one particular interpretation of the sign energies in interaction, while the world may read them as having the same or other sign related qualities (and if the individual has Neptune or Pisces in the 1st, or Pluto in the 7th, they may be unable to avoid being a screen for the projections of others). For example, someone with Aquarius on the Ascendant may see themselves as unique, while others see them as too trendy, or too closely following ‘group-think’, or they see themselves as intellectually-oriented while others see them as so quirky they can’t relate or as erratic thinkers or even as so avant garde they leave others in the dust, or they may see themselves as using pure reason to navigate the world while the world sees someone so cold that the ability to find, much less join, their group is hampered–or the opposite, for all these, is possible–it’s only to point out that there are subtleties to viewpoints so that what one believes they’re conveying can be read in another light by those with whom they interact.

The Ascendant and 1st House also describe one’s survival methods–that is, what you believed the environment demanded from you early in life. In the case of Aquarius, the message may have been you have to be smart to survive–or maybe the world will only value you if you are totally original–or you need a role within the group to survive, and one day, you should lead it–or conversely, you’re only safe when you act as an individual–or even you have to be a rebel to be real. This point is in many ways about being seen, and that means one can feel less than, even invisible, if the Ascendant traits aren’t recognized and in some form validated by the world at large (with the potential that validation may come in negative interpretation of the sign qualities).

The way the Ascendant Self-image is mixed, more or less, with early childhood messages from the surrounding world and the way it can foster fears (because it’s natural to think about what you’re told and automatically draw the conclusion that if you don’t can institute disaster) means that operating mainly from the Ascendant energy can create barriers to operating successfully, and to understanding more completely why we were given those messages, as well as whether they’re still valid today. Often they are not; as adults it’s vital we reassess our Ascendant related persona in light of what behaviors and beliefs we still carry that may not serve our life and current reality. For instance, in our example Aquarian, if the message was you’ve got to be both smart and unique, and this individual has a Leo Sun, we may see someone who works very hard to excel, even to best, others, as if their life depended on it–that’s the ‘you’d better do this or else’ childhood message at work–and in Whole Sign astrology that places the Sun in the 7th, making for a built-in conflict, as the person has the urge to stand out from the crowd (which serves the Ascendant urge) but also the urge to partner, cooperate, connect, or to go before an audience and exchange energy that way–all of which to be successful require at minimum some humility, a willingness to see and regard others and their needs as equal to one’s own, and a non-competitive stance–not the easiest, when one is told that one must excel, because excellence can only be judged in juxtaposition with others.

There’s also the matter of the physical Self-image related to the Ascendant. Though our health largely resides in the 6th, and the Self-image of who we are and what talents we possess is found in the 2nd, the image we have of our own body interacting with the world is described in the 1st/ Ascendant. It’s how we picture ourselves in our own minds; as such, the image we hold may exaggerate some things, minimize or distort others, and is very likely to have a level of acceptability and appeal in our own minds that differs, at least somewhat, from how others see and assess our attractiveness (the world almost always sees us in a more positive light than we see ourselves!) This is one of those areas where it’s best to accentuate what we see as positive, and then go forward–otherwise we can judge and censor ourselves out of any number of paths and opportunities–go after what you want, and let the world respond!

What about other points or bodies found in the 1st? They definitely figure in to the ‘reaching out’ persona, and typically are qualities we will see as great strengths–until we push them too far (it’s inevitable, either by exaggerating their importance within the personality, or by giving them the lead, and so allowing those energies to run our interactions), at which point feedback prompts us to see them as our greatest weaknesses–and neither is precisely accurate. We understand these energies, yet they’re so integral to our ability to relate to the world that they are bound to take on too large a role in interaction–and then comes the swing in the other direction, where we condemn them, see them as liabilities, our Achilles heel. It’s only when we put them in perspective (often possible through funneling their expression through the House(s) they rule) that we find their best expression in the interaction equation–at which point they truly do become great strengths.

Let’s look at how something like the Moon in the 1st would play into personality expression and outreach to the world. Moon here makes one exquisitely sensitive and intuitive, especially in terms of allowing the physical reactions to the environment to inform the mind and perceptions–but what happens when one puts one’s feelings first and foremost in interaction with the world? Disaster, that’s what, as there are many situations in life that need to be met first with reason, situational awareness, and a decided lack of emotional response, required to assess reality in the first place. Yes, the feeling state and intuition is highly useful–but can’t always be the first thing exposed. The result is likely to eventually become a volatile, overly sensitive, ‘hurt’ personality that suffers unless met with 100% acceptance and love–and if the interaction ‘feelers’ are out principally for uncritical acceptance, other information won’t have a chance of getting in–with the likely result that feedback is negative, as others find it difficult to deal with what to them is an overly emotional personality.

If we have this 1st House Moon with the previous example of an Aquarian Ascendant, that means Luna rules the 6th, setting up a connection between the health and the emotional state, and offering these possibilities of channeling the sensitivity and intuition into a commitment, duty, obligation, or other work that specifically carries an aura of service. It’s in dedicating the emotional attention to something that takes one outside oneself that the intuitive and emotional nature can truly thrive. If that 1st House Moon were to rule the 9th, for instance, the outlet might be found in sharing knowledge or faith; ruling the 3rd it could be about writing out one’s feelings (anything from a diary to fiction to non-fiction that stirs the emotions), or concern one’s thinking/ ideas, one’s neighborhood (especially the childhood arena, perhaps re-visited), or in communication in general or with siblings in particular. No matter what, there’s a way to channel the energy that gives it grounding and perspective–and that’s what’s important.

And each year, when the Sun crosses your Ascendant, you can feel very vulnerable; there’s a floodlight on you and your interaction with the world, and it can be unnerving (unless you’re one of those people who loves the attention, who feels best when everyone’s eyes are upon them!) I think it’s a kind of animal response, one programmed into (most of) us for safety, and it may prompt us to hide. I suggest another tack, though: work up the nerve to allow scrutiny, and make sure that you’re pushing to the forefront all the things you’re most proud of, happy with, or hoping to connect to others through. You’ll be going into relative obscurity and isolation for the six months the Sun is below the horizon, so allow yourself to be seen–make it a Self-affirming experience. Though this only happens once a year, it’s good to be aware of, for matters of timing, and for awareness of the start of a personal year of your own.

Next up, the New Moon!

Full Moon in Leo 5 February 2023 An Emotional Spotlight

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‘A Ray of Sunlight’ By John White Alexander 1898 {{PD}}

Ah! With the Full Moon in Leo we get a symbolic meeting of the Sun (through rulership) and Moon that suggests the kind of atmosphere where emotions come into their full glory. Maybe it’s no coincidence that this always falls relatively close to Valentine’s Day–or maybe it’s just that this combination offers a glimpse into what we’re putting in an emotional spotlight.

The event comes at 10:27 AM PST at 16 Leo 40. The only major aspect is the Moon-Earth forming a separating square to Uranus in Taurus. That suggests the Lunar culmination brings to light some conflict, difficulty, or stress (maybe related to material matters, intractability of a partner, or issues of security–Taurus) that offers a shock, a surprise, a revelation, or an innovative response–and this brings us to a conclusion, close out, or new understanding of what our feelings really are, and what they’re all about.

Sabian for this Full Moon is, ‘A Volunteer Church Choir Singing Religious Hymns’. Religion suggests an organized approach to faith, while we are told the participants are volunteers, joining voices to let their vision of how the Universe is organized be known and praised–and that requires belief in the unseen or unverifiable, as well as belief that one is perceiving what’s beyond the senses correctly. We always look at the Sun as well for a Full Moon: ‘A Watchdog Stands Guard, Protecting His Master And His Possessions’. Combined with the Full Moon Sabian, this suggests defending what we believe in and see as ours.

If this in combination is the energy of the Full Moon, we’re likely to react automatically and defensively when that Uranian challenge comes along and stirs our emotions; it possibly also stirs our fears of chaos or others moving along into the future without us. We are shocked by something, or shocked by our sudden understanding of something, and our immediate idea is to defend how we see things–but we’ll find our harmony by, rather than barking at what upsets us, singing the praises of what we genuinely accept and believe. Rather than struggle or become a victim of our own reactions, we should focus on the core matters of our faith, whatever those may be.

The fact that the Moon has recently quincunxed/ Earth was recently quincunxed by Venus, current ruler of Uranus, says that we’ve received ‘warnings’ (the quincunxes) in the recent past, gotten glimpses of the relationship issues (and these can be with others, the material world, and/ or with the spiritual) that will come forward–it’s just that at this point they bring the unexpected and seem to come as a shock or to deliver a dose of understanding about something that didn’t seem so clear before–with the challenge to us a call to see ourselves in a new light, especially emotionally.

There’s a minor contact of the Moon-Earth by septile to Ceres, which hints at it all in the end being about Power: who holds it, who exercises it, who oversteps their bounds, who’s responsible for what (and especially for whom). Ceres is also our connection to Nature, and to our own personal sense of authority, the kind that perpetually asks us, Am I truly in charge of myself? It asks us to inspect our choices for the influences, even coercion, of others, and it asks us to be genuinely responsible for everything we do. It also asks us to recognize the existence of powers beyond our control, such as Nature and the passage of Time; there are some things we must accept as out of our control, and so not our responsibility. The septile implies a spiritual tone to all this; we then must look at the Lunar event aware that whatever comes forward is a lesson (though I dislike that word, as we’re learning all the time) in our larger involvement in things. That promises that what occurs mirrors our spiritual state, with others or a situation standing in for the Universe itself. It’s about relationship in its biggest sense, and who we are as an individual (Leo), making our way into the future/ forward with the group (Aquarius).

A Note for Today + Tax Tips!

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Of note today: a precise T-square consisting of Mercury in Capricorn opposed Pallas in Cancer, both squared by Chiron in Aries=we may push boundaries in communications, entertaining unwise options or speaking with an eye to torquing others’ ‘feels’ in order to accomplish short-term goals–but consider how this may wound inadvertently in larger ways. Egos may bruise easily, and the ‘I Am’ may find itself momentarily confused; we and others are all susceptible. Tamp down urges toward insistence and aggression (especially if it’s framed as ‘concern’) and you’ll avoid planting the seeds of serious injury.

And now: Tax tips!

‘Paying the Tax (The Tax Collector)’ By Pieter Brueghel the Younger c1630 {{PD}}

This previously appeared in Eclipse in 2014, now slightly modified to bring it up to date.

We’re coming up on tax time in the US, but these rules apply in any country at any time when paying anything where you could be audited and the tax man could come back for more. These suggestions apply equally to personal taxes and business taxes, and have proven very useful in the real world; for myself, in a business that invites scrutiny (astrology is actually illegal in some parts of the US), I’ve filed using these guidelines for at least 27 years now, and I’ve never been audited or had the return questioned in any way. These suggestions are based on some I first saw in the work of March and McEvers—if you’re not familiar with them and their well-presented work, you might want to be. Their series, ‘The Only Way to . . .’ offers an excellent grounding in a number of Astro-areas.

Timing Is Everything. It seems it’s all in the moment you release the Return; whether dropping it in a mailbox or pushing ‘Send’ on the computer. That’s the point at which you lose control of the numbers, and entrust them to Big Brother. So to that end, you choose a moment during the Moon’s Void of Course period, every two and one half days. This can get tricky, as sometimes the Void is only a few minutes in length, but it’s worth planning ahead for.

The idea is that the Moon symbolizes the forward (linear) movement from one event to the next that is the essence of daily life; it represents time, not in Saturn’s slow, trudging-forward, span-of-eons way, but in the way that nothing sits still, everything is changing perpetually, and the Moon captures that changing nature of life in its swift cycle of waxing and waning. When it’s in the Void, it has made the last major aspect it will make to another body while still in that sign; it leaves the Void when it enters the next sign. In that period between the final aspect and entering a new sign, the Moon is said to carry no energy behind it; events, then, lack that same impetus, trailing off into nothing, coming to nothing, or never getting off the ground in the first place. This is advantageous in paying the tax bill as it would typically be scrutinized for discrepancies and extra due. Offering it in a Void period, though, removes the energy that would ‘cling’, in a psychic sense, to the Return, which should allow it to flow through the system without a hitch, with either payment or refund over in no time. Whenever you want to put something through a system and have it pass through with little problem and without drawing attention, then initiating the journey during the Moon’s Void is the right time.

Stay away from submitting something during a Void when you DO want it to draw attention. Don’t enter a contest, submit a paper or article, or apply for a job or for entrance to a college, or make that ‘first moment’ in the Void for anything else where you want to be seen and heard. No interviews, placing orders, or announcements, either. There’s another condition that applies to the Void, the potential for things not to go as planned. This chiefly applies to gatherings or something actually started during the Void, and it plays off what we anticipate going forward: if we believe we can start the party and it will be just fine, a convivial evening of laughter and warmth, what we may get is a lot of no-shows, a couple of fistfights, or an evening where everyone stands in icy silence with a drink in their hand. The opposite can occur, too: if we think something may be a disaster, we may be pleasantly surprised. Unanticipated outcomes and the unexpected will be drawn into the Void like water down a drain–so be prepared.

Have an excellent weekend! If you’ve written to me lately and I haven’t gotten back to you, please understand that I’m unable to correspond with everyone I’d like to–if I give my time to personal questions, chat, and uninvited queries I have that much less time to work–and right now, for me, it’s all about the work. My apologies to those who’ve been disappointed.

New Moon in Aquarius 21 January 2023 The Prison of the Mind

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A new moon setting over Gåseberg, Lysekil Municipality, Sweden, 2016

Photo courtesy of W.carter

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That’s a little dramatic, isn’t it? Maybe it should be something like, ‘Isolated in (or by) our own minds’, or in its most benign form, ‘Alone with our thoughts’. The Moon in the sign of the intellect is always a little uncomfortable (though more easily tolerated by those who live with a natal meld of Water/ Air or who have the Moon in an Air sign); there’s a quite natural struggle to parse feeling from thinking, and knowing the difference depends almost entirely on how clear we are about our own feelings.

We shouldn’t forget that the ancient ruler of Aquarius is Saturn, suggesting the potential for fear or depression to arise from emotional discomfort. It’s a mistranslation of feeling, the emotions taking a negative form of Aquarian shape, and probably taking a form that distracts you and so prevents you knowing what that true feeling is. That means you miss how you feel about something important, or vital, or simply right in front of you, because the mind is too busy looking out for what you fear will appear, or what you fear will oppress you. It’s a way of protecting yourself from being uncomfortably clear on reality–which says you’re hiding from some facts or situation you desperately need to be aware of.

New Moons are new beginnings, and with this New Moon in Aquarius we can plant a seed of awareness, begin to embrace intellectual understanding of some issue, or lay plans to take a chance, rebel, revolutionize ‘the system’. The NM is widely conjoined Pluto in Capricorn, and opposed the Black Moon Lilith point, suggesting that what we may see is new thought or understanding (NM in AQ) springing from the termination, destruction, or resurgence of a framework, system, or set of standards or rules (PL in CAP). This shift, whether it’s obliteration or a re-birth, allows us to uncover what’s been ignored, denied, or has enraged many in material matters (BML-Earth), and in so acknowledging make the first steps toward true change. We can’t change what we don’t see and admit the existence of; that’s a painful part of the energy of transformation that can then lead to healing.

We might also experience this New Moon as a time to shake things up, to be the rebel–but don’t fool yourself, even if it seems the group is behind you, you’ll end up going it alone–and again, any unusual stir may be camouflaging genuine feeling, re-directing the energy that should go to processing this emotion into a ’cause’ or a sense of righteousness that will totally distract from the actual emotional issue at hand.

There’s also a wide out-of-element trine to Sedna and a sextile to Jupiter-Juno in Aries, both of which suggest, in the most general terms, that efforts must be made to sort instinct from social conditioning, personal autonomy from the need to parent or supervise, and to sort out who holds authority, who’s in charge, in any situation–and this is so even if you’re someone who’s not looking to boss anyone around. The aloneness we may find ourselves trying to go beyond will either be an emotional and mental ‘prison’, tormenting us as we fail to reach others, or can become a chance at quiet introspection, making the mind a meditation chamber instead of a torture one.

Now, that struggle for the Moon in Aquarius in knowing what’s a feeling, what’s a thought, is ongoing, though it becomes the environment for all of us each time Luna passes through the sign. A New Moon here promises us the chance to hold something in the mind in a clear, new light. With the current dearth of New Moon aspects, though, we may feel a potential sense of isolation, even confinement–the ‘prison’ of the title–with no easy means of reaching out to or communing with others–even as those tussles over who holds authority blossom. Growing awareness of the new means we are that much more focused on the fact that we are discovering, learning the facts, on our own, in a way that makes it difficult to share our experience, and so alleviate any unsteadiness or doubt or fear. Awareness of the social sphere (Jupiter) and any power struggles that may come along (Jupiter-Juno) only enhances our sense of separation from others. It’s a wee bit strange, a wee bit uncomfortable, but the process is one that is meant to spark reform and help us learn to trust our own instincts and those things we, deep inside, ‘know but don’t know’ (Sedna).

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘An Unexpected Thunderstorm’. There’s Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, in both the unexpected nature of what will occur, and in the symbol of the thunderstorm–so a bit of rough weather, the kind that’s a little dangerous but that energizes, that brings a cleansing, healing rain. No flood here (unless it’s a flash flood, which has a Plutonian nature, of wipeout that leaves nothing behind), as thunderstorms are typically volatile but brief, a discharge of energy that ‘clears the air’–and so this New Moon can be for us.

Mercury & Uranus Direct: No Excuses

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‘Moon Night Thinking’ By Arkhip Kuindzhi, between 1876 and 1890 {{PD}}

I don’t mean to be unkind, but every time I hear someone lament how a retrograde planet is screwing up their lives, I want to scream. Or at least say, That planet represents an energy influence, not an energy directive–how you meet it is how it behaves. By that I mean, if you are open to what that energy is showing you, you can respond appropriately. It’s in resisting, insisting on doing things the way we always have, or in believing events have nothing to tell you that the disturbing results of a retrograde become truly negative. In my view a retrograde isn’t ‘doing things to us’, it’s showing us what might be backward in our own behavior or approach, or what needs attention that we’ve put to the side as not important enough to put our energy into.

Now, you may argue that something like mechanical mess-ups during a Merc retro, for instance, are outside anything we control; but I would argue problems with like items are symbolic of what’s not working in our own choices or actions, in our own ability to process information, or to understand what’s coming at us. Mechanical/ electronic issues can also signal matters of the nervous system/ nerve impulses, intellectual processing/ cognitive ability, lungs, or dissonance between what we have in our minds and what we’re actually communicating. There are myriad ways breakdown of a machine can speak to us of other life areas–we just have to listen in a way that sees everything in our lives as a whole, rather than as unrelated, discrete parts.

Mercury goes direct on the 18th just before 1:12 PM PST at 8 Capricorn 08, with the first two aspects it will perfect after direction a quincunx to stationary direct Mars and a trine to the North Node. Merc in Capricorn seeks solid ground: facts, systems and structures, concrete conditions (which can making thinking far too literal), rules to think by–or perhaps, rules to follow so one doesn’t have to think! The contact to Mars says we start to examine our own choices and actions in real-world terms–we ask ourselves what impact these have had–and we then want to assess, see where we need to adjust either thinking or doing so that things are more in line with what we want (and that may be to make us more comfortable, aligning things with the status quo or with already-in-place structures, with the intent of modifying later–the quincunx). A trine to the North Node says we easily keep our life direction in mind when making modifications to action and thought–so no need to worry that we’ll act against our true direction, or take ourselves off track.

Uranus goes direct on the 22nd, a full day after the New Moon, at 14 Taurus 56 (with the heavies time of turnaround isn’t vital, we just need to know generally when). This happens about 5 hours after being squared by the Moon in Aquarius, suggesting an emotional or intuitive jolt that brings a shift in perspective, probably related to matters of the House in the natal chart Uranus is currently transiting or the House in the natal chart Uranus rules (that’s the one with Aquarius).

Sometimes Uranus is referred to as the ‘higher octave’ of Mercury, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the two directions aren’t all of a piece, involving a lot of rethinking–which may surprise, as we usually come out of a retrograde period all thunk out, so to speak. Expect a surprise or two, and an unusual amount of needed review, especially in areas that seem already firmly established. And remember, you’re in charge of how you respond to these bad boys–direct or retrograde, they don’t run you!

At Long Last: Mars Direct 12 January 2023 + The Green Comet

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‘Donati’s Comet’ By James Poole 1858 {{PD}}

Mars has lingered on the 8th degree of Gemini for about a week and a half before finally shifting apparent motion (on the 12th at 12:57 PM PST)–and then lingers still at that 8th degree for nearly another two weeks after the change in direction. Those with natal placements at 8 degrees of Sagittarius, Pisces, Virgo, and in Gemini will feel both the stationary pressure and the shift to direct more than others, specific to the point or body contacted, with the influence/ experience having a highly Martian quality: circumstances or actions imbued with assertive energy, aggressions from the Self or aimed at the Self by others, the potential for violence or situations, literal or figurative, that call out the Warrior in the individual, or simply difficult choices, of the ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’ variety. For the rest of us any stationary period makes related circumstances feel cemented in place, as if they will never end, usually related to matters of the House Mars is currently transiting, or the House it rules in the natal chart–which, in the case of Mars, makes it important that we don’t act, react, or choose based on precisely where things are right now–there will be movement, probably sooner than you think.

This retro period has been, by all accounts, filled with upheaval, upset, and every other kind of up, including breaking up, giving up, and coughing up the Truth. Matters of choice or actions taken play out successfully or not along lines relative to how honest we are about culpability, responsibility, and admissions of vulnerability that leave us at the mercy of others. That is, those with a strong sense of Self that holds ego to a minimum have probably fared best during the retro–but in any case, we’ve been shown a little bit of chaos, and been asked (often forced) to respond to it. That kind of in your face drama will be ending, subject to this: on turnaround Mars in Gemini makes a loose quincunx to Mercury in Capricorn, perfecting the 16th-17th with still retro stationing Merc and Mars finally picking up normal direct speed. This puts the spotlight on thought, especially thoughts that question the status quo or current structure, or ideas that attempt to ‘break into’ an exclusionary system.

We also see Mars at stationary direction involved in two configurations. One is a Finger of God with Mars widely sextile Chiron, apex the South Node of the Moon in Scorpio. That suggests a strong potential for both our thinking and our actions to boil up out of our wounds, especially if those hurts echo the darker parts of the past, the ones we might like to forget, or are a little ashamed of. The sense may be that Mars releases us, and we go with it, rather than our realizing that release is something we can enjoy without needing to act out. Bad choices will be prompted by a feeling that we need to make up time, catch up and even the score. Not smart.

The other config is a Fist of God, with Zeus square the Sun and Mars the apex. A Fist takes a tough situation and gives one an out through the apex–but that apex energy doesn’t offer to resolve the situation so much as blow it up. It’s another side to that sense of release, a bit of a warning: if you’re dissatisfied with your current identity/ sense of Self/ direction in life, if ambitions are eating at you, their lack of fulfillment causing you to denigrate or question your worth, then you are potentially vulnerable to making poor choices or acting out. Again, release from the Martian thumb doesn’t mean go wild, responding to your frustrations with ill-considered acts–it means hold off, until thoughts are absolutely clear and aligned with your actual goals–not easy, but certainly more desirable than having to clean up a mess later.

And in comet news, a bright green one, known by the designation C/2022 E3, will be nearest to the Sun on the day Mars goes direct, but will be closest to Earth around the 1st of February, and potentially visible to the naked eye from Sun contact through early February. Sighting in the Northern Hemisphere requires binoculars or a telescope at dawn through most of January, and in the Southern Hemisphere it becomes visible by the same means in February. Read more here–

The Cancer Full Moon 6 January 2023: Ideas vs. Wisdom

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‘Two Odalisques Contemplating The Bosphorus’ By Ernest Hébert 1843 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 3:07 PM PST of the 6th at 16 Cancer 21, putting it conjoined Pallas and opposed the Sun and Mercury just before they join in Inferior Conjunction (the conjunction that occurs when Mercury is retrograde). Practical thoughts are being re-visited, illuminated, and how we feel about our environment, our surroundings, our accomplishments (or lack of them) is also being considered–and the outcome may be unpredictable, uncertain, institute radical shifts, or shock and surprise us (FM sextile Uranus), though we can be sure what we weigh and ruminate on at this point will be vetted against our highest values and commitments (FM trine Vesta). Perfection of the Inferior Conjunction will bring the illumination of something fresh, the planting of a seed, the inception of something, an idea or conception of the world (Capricorn) that may or may not prove viable–but the Full Moon helps with this, shining reflective light on the feasibility of it, and most importantly, on the wisdom of what we’re contemplating, along with, in this instance, the ability to see ahead, to visualize the outcome of our idea, and particularly the emotional impact this idea may have on us, if it comes to full term.

The Full Moon also forms a minor aspect with Jupiter, the squine (105 degrees), often defined as having characteristics of both the square and the trine–but that’s not very helpful in telling us what it means, is it? I think of it more as a pushme-pullyou aspect, one that takes the energies of the involved bodies and stirs them up in such a way that there are positives and negatives swirling around–and we as individuals pluck those factors we most respond to from the chaotic mix.

That means Jupiter’s influence will be highly individual, dependent on our own relationship to ‘the facts’, to the social order, to the idea of expansion, to education or religious belief/ indoctrination. Look for these personal effects in the House Jupiter rules in the natal chart, in matters of the House where it’s currently transiting for you, and/ or in expression of your own Jupiter placement, likely as a challenge that requires you to choose a path or an attitude that either embraces a Jupiterian factor or rejects it, opening the way for a ‘new’ version to be adopted.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘The Unfoldment Of Multilevel Potentialities Issuing From An Original Germ’. So, as expected, we will see the possibilities in a particular matter, one we will either choose to nurture or quash entirely, and these will bring an emotional effect, particularly emotional conclusions (the Full Moon), the “Germ” of course being found at the Inferior Conjunction. We also look at the Sabian for the Light-Giver, the Sun, and find this: ‘A Repressed Woman Finds A Psychological Release In Nudism’. This may be about freeing the mind (or relieving it) by adopting unvarnished honesty with ourselves, hiding nothing, ‘letting it all hang out’. I know honesty’s a theme with me, but it’s true: if we accept reality as our baseline, the need for subterfuge, deception, artifice all fall away–and leave that much more energy to make our own choices and institute what we want–and we have the advantage of actually seeing what is, which makes our decisions that much more effective, since they proceed from a realistic take on circumstances.

Also of note: Juno and Pluto are sextile=power struggles, but gentle ones, or maybe passive-aggressive ones, where it’ll be hard to say, “Stop!” without appearing to be churlish. Just know you are right–that is aggressive, no matter how many pretty bows are tied on it. Venus and Ceres are trine in Air, giving those with an anima orientation (that is, those who are receptive, who know that Being is as dynamic and effective as Doing) who also accept their own right to Self-determination, are able to reason out what’s worth it, what will payoff. Relationships do well at this time when everyone is clear on where their responsibilities and autonomy end and another’s begins.

Important, too, is that the Black Moon Lilith point pencils out to the 29th degree of Cancer=hidden, denied, or enraging matters are the most potent movers of the emotions. Be on the lookout for their sneakily invasive influence.

And have a lovely weekend!

A Resurgence of Love: Mercury Retrograde 29 December 2022

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During this retro and the lead up to it, we’re going to see the gaps in our close relationships, and awareness of that distance will probably be a little scary.’The Early Lovers’ By Eastman Johnson 1870 {{PD}}

Mercury technically switches apparent direction in the wee hours of the 29th PST, at 1:32 AM, but as per usual, it’s been stationary for a bit, so that we know what’s coming, whether we admit it or not. We’ve been previewing change and shifts in what used to make us feel secure, particularly in the realm of relationships and who holds the power. Merc officially takes on retro status closely conjoined Venus, with an exact meeting scheduled right after the retro. This confirms that Love, especially in partner relationships, is on the agenda, hinted at in the run up to the retro by Merc’s sextiles to Neptune and Juno in Pisces (we see where our empowerment in partnership might be a fantasy, and we become aware of what might be ideal), and involvement in a Cardinal Grand Cross with Zeus, Eris, and Pallas (we’re consumed by the conflicts among what we desire, what’s wise or practical, what’s worth going to war over! and what discord has been beneath the surface all along. Note Pallas moves on but this remains as a T-square for New Year’s, suggesting desires and related strife will still be on our minds, and in the air).

What have we been seeing about the partner or other intimate? We’re seeing the places where the foundation might be shaky, where our accord might not be as solid as we thought, where we may not be able to count on them as we have in the past (or conversely, we see that we can count on them, though our contribution or attitude must adjust to current conditions. We may become aware of weaknesses in them, not just in our relationship). These conditions won’t be found just in relationships, but may also be seen in any structure, system, status, condition, or hierarchy we’ve been invested in and relying on–we need to be willing to see the reality of it, as any attempts to deal with matters will collapse if our choices aren’t firmly rooted in real-world circumstances, and the ways these are changing, or need to change, in order to function effectively.

The moment of retrograde, which gives us a snapshot of what to expect over the retro period, shows a Pisces Moon at 29 degrees–it’s painful when our fantasies are shredded, but it’s worse when reality seems to ‘come out of nowhere’ to blindside us, so see the emotional upset as a gift that points directly at what needs attention. ‘A Store Filled With Precious Oriental Rugs’ is the Sabian for both Mercury and Venus at the time of retro=we see the worth of what we hold, see the value of what we have, of what’s ‘contained (the store) in our reality. The emotional impact of all this is shown by the Sabian for the Moon at the time of retrograde: ‘A Majestic Rock Formation Resembling A Face Is Idealized By A Boy Who Takes It As His Ideal Of Greatness, And As He Grows Up, Begins To Look Like It’. If we are willing to see what is in a creative way for what it symbolizes, we’ll find inspiration toward making our ideals a reality, toward growing into our own brand of greatness. If we live our lives as if our ideals are real, embracing them as we act and make choices and interact with one another, we can’t help but become what we revere. It’s a recipe for moving the world toward what we’d like it to be–don’t close the door on these potentials just because some of this will be messy, difficult, and will require recognition of vulnerabilities and feelings we may have lately been sweeping under the (Oriental) rug.

What this time offers us is a chance to revitalize Love, as it lives and breathes in our daily dedications, of energy and attention, effort and interaction. And this retro is also a good time to reconsider what institutions, rules, and boundaries we support, and which need to be retired as irrelevant to our current world.

New Year’s Eve we see a Taurus Moon which will trine the Sun just after 2023 begins (Pacific time). That says spend the evening on celebration that feels like a reward, that feels sustaining, nourishing, a treat for the senses, while the Sun’s square to Chiron and quincunx to still retro Mars tells us to avoid dwelling on, assessing things by, or reacting from our wounds–any attempts to right related circumstances will misfire and aggression will definitely be aimed in the wrong direction. Welcome the coming year with a lighter heart–we’ve made it this far, and that’s something to celebrate.

See the recent New Moon here–

Happy Holidays!

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‘Wynken, Blynken, and Nod’ By Maxfield Parrish 1902 {{PD}}

My stepping away for the weekend turned into over a week gone from home, because of a car accident that stranded us in Seattle. No worries, everyone involved was unhurt, but the car was totaled and between that and some of the worst weather I’ve seen since living in and near the Emerald City, it felt like a long, stressful time–and I didn’t have access to my astrology software, which lives on my desktop–that’s why I missed the New Moon of the 23rd. So my apologies, and my very best wishes for a Happy Holiday for all, no matter what you celebrate (even if it’s only toasting the weekend!)

A quick look at the New Moon in Capricorn says to me that it was all about health (it’s closely conjoined Hygeia)–but in Cappy that could be the health of structures and systems, the things we rely on in our lives, what gives us a sense of security and safety, of boundaries and limits, the kind that allow us breathing room–and/ or this applies to the health of the subjects of the House in the natal chart where the NM falls for you–for instance, in the 1st, one’s body or the ways we interact with the world (do you over assert, refuse to acknowledge boundaries, perhaps? or are you literally doing something that endangers you?), while in the 2nd it may apply to exercise of talents or to spending (are you working yourself to death? or is expressing your talent taking a toll, or are you ‘giving it away’ to your own detriment?) In the 3rd that may pertain to the communications or thinking (do you over think? fantasize in a way that lets you over step boundaries or break agreements? do you speak in code, hoping to manipulate?) and in the 4th this might involve dealing with the literal health of family members or the suitability of your relationships with them (are those relationships creating needless boundaries, stopping you from something, maybe in an attempt to keep you safe? do old patterns automatically repeat when you’re together?)

In the 5th it’s one’s offspring or romance or creative efforts or even gambles that are limiting or challenging one’s limits, and in the 6th it may be the job or the actual state of the health that’s holding one back or enforcing limits. The 7th blames it on the partner or all others, or maybe the standards of the Art world or audience, and the 8th may focus on sharing, all that is or isn’t offered to one via relationships. The 9th may see one chafing at the institutions with which they’re involved (religious, educational) or that have factored into the current status, or one’s life philosophy may be under fire or born anew, or a ‘foreign’ entity or environment may be forcing a pull-back. The 10th makes what’s born visible to all and may place NM developments firmly in the context of career or reputation, while the 11th sees groups, friends, hopes and wishes making one aware of Saturnian limits, and the 12th, well, that may send the message via meditation, dreams, or behind-the-scenes matters.

And remember, a New Moon is a new start–so we may be looking at awareness of and then going beyond one’s usual limitations, or even of setting new limits, new boundaries, or drawing lines in the sand and saying ‘No more.’ Capricorn makes us aware of what we can rely on, what truly supports us, and what’s holding us back, and if it falls in one of the first six Houses (1st through 6th) the chief culprit that has been stopping you (or giving you needed structure and support!) may have been yourself.

The NM also creates a T-square with the Ceres-Jupiter opposition=showdowns over power, authority, and ‘knowing’ are formidable, and may determine going forward (at least for a time) who dominates in terms of calling the shots or knowing how to muster ‘natural’ power related to innate human nature and Universal ‘flow’. The New Moon also sesquiquadrates Uranus=surprise! It all shakes out not quite how you think it will.

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘Three Rose Windows In A Gothic Church, One Damaged By War’. What’s your damage? as they say–this New Moon may give us the opportunity to repair a damaged view, something that holds ‘sacred space’ within us, to remove what in our lives was destroyed in a violent way and replace it or restore it with something beautiful, graceful, still vulnerable to being damaged (as in the example of window glass) but then, isn’t that fragility part of its beauty?

It’s good to be back, thanks for visiting, and make the best of the final few days of 2022!

Stepping Away

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‘Woman Holding a Balance’ By Vermeer {{PD}}

This Libra will be stepping away from the computer, just for the weekend, so comments and book orders will be processed next week. Enjoy the Libra Moon (great for socializing, pairing up, partnering, aesthetic pursuits, decorating, and under the right circumstances, earning) and don’t be shaken by the way the Sun is trining Eris and quincunxing Pallas, inviting discord to rise to the pretty Libra surface and prompting less-than-wise responses to upset. Being aware means you don’t have to take the bait! Scroll down for reports on more of what’s going on right now, and return soon for a report on the spanky fresh New Moon in Capricorn, as well as the New Year’s outlook. Until then, have a lovely weekend!

“Jupiter, what’s taking so long?!”

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Jupiter’s lingering at that liminal point, the 29th degree of Pisces, poised to hit the Aries point–and poised, and poised–and we may at this point be feeling like the move into Aries is taking forever–but why are we so anxious for it?

We’re likely seeing it as holding us back, probably in some way we can’t quite define, hobbling our perceptions with that last bit of Neptunian fog that curls right around our eyes and brain and makes everything indistinct. Somehow we believe that everything will be crystal sharp just as soon as the planet moves into Aries, and things will definitely change–but become crisper, allowing us to be more sure of ourselves? Yes, maybe too sure, as ingress to Aries means egos get behind beliefs and push; there’s also the potential for exaggerations of one’s Will, one’s role as leader, or one’s wants–and we’re just as likely to observe these as experience them. Over-blowing our own importance can be avoided with awareness, but the over-blowing of our beliefs really can’t. The danger is we will feel they’re vital, probably not just to our survival but to the survival of the world, carrying a sense that if we all don’t start doing what we believe needs to be done, it may make aggression unavoidable. The argument that going to war, at any scale, is a necessity is the most common way historically that we’ve pushed to have our own way (or one group has pushed to have their way over another). Is aggression ever justified? That’s something we each must answer for ourselves; Jupiter’s journey through Aries will offer us plenty of opportunities to decide where we stand.

But that’s just it: opportunity for the individual to make a mark, to get ‘it’ done, to blossom in terms of affecting who we are and what we produce, will be front and center during this transit–and so offer chances to ‘construct’ the I Am as we’ve always wanted it to be, with retro periods offering re-consideration of our choices and ‘do overs’ for correction, probably focused on assertiveness levels and where we should lead, where we should follow. It may become central to our identity to formulate a philosophy, to adopt a system of belief, to take on religious practice, or to conquer–it all depends on what you choose, which of course speaks to who you are.

By the 20th Jupiter will move into Aries and immediately be closely opposed Ceres and forming a T-square with the addition of Hygeia. Our first consideration may be about health concerns, about diet, about Nature and our relationship to it. It will be the time to focus on our own role within Nature, and any stewardship of it we take on. That launches the identity considerations, and offers a blessedly clear moment when defining who we are in relation to the world we live in becomes our most important task.

Today (the14th) the Sun-Earth T-square with Neptune perfects. It may be difficult to focus, to see clearly, to discern shapes in that fog–but the Sun is shining brightly (at least figuratively!) and if we use what ignites us and what surrounds us (Earth) to orient ourselves, we can make creative progress, especially in terms of seeing what won’t work (the square)–and so then perhaps figuring out what will.

Personal observation shows a predominance of those who are predisposed to lie, to deceive, or to obscure reality are actively at work right now. You know who those people are, and if you’re willing to see what they’re doing, you’ll be able to avoid any pitfalls, including being drawn into their attempts to muddy the Jupiterian waters (that centers on what we will or won’t believe from them, what we will or won’t take as ‘fact’)–but that requires being honest with yourself, in order to not fall victim.

I usually enjoy including a pretty pic with a post, but can’t seem to get one to ‘stick’–sorry about that!

The Fabric of the Solar System

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No, literally: the Solar system in quilt form. Click here to read more about its creator–

And in the run-up to tonight’s Full Moon, we should note a couple of minor trends, some of which have been around for awhile, such as the Pluto opposition to Pallas-Black Moon Lilith across Capricorn/ Cancer. That has given us an ongoing struggle between revealing the Truth and all hidden matters, and destroying the evidence for good–and both sides believe their choice is the wise one (and the one that will pay off, with Venus quincunx Pallas-BML). With Pluto trine and Pallas-BML sextile Ceres, there’s an element of displaying personal power in the mix, or possibly a sense of feeling responsible for revealing or hiding the Truth.

Hygeia trine Eris in Fire signs might move us to act on health matters–or may prompt us to nag others to do so–it certainly has me, as last night I pushed my husband to take a Covid home test to prove his cold was just a cold–and it was–or in a few rare cases it may be that those attacking, upsetting energies themselves prompts stress that affects health. Zeus in Libra is also opposed Eris, suggesting there might be a concern for the partner or some other ambition or desire behind willingness to rock the boat in the name of Health.

Jupiter at 29 Pisces is sextile Sedna at 29 Taurus turning our internal radar up to 11 but also prompting it to be a tad paranoid, to exaggerate what’s perceived (or worse, to only believe what aligns with our beliefs!), or to generally declare things unreliable, despite any supporting physical evidence that exists. *Sigh* Just relax–we not only don’t have to make declarations of the rightness of anything (even though that may feel like what we need to do), we don’t even have to form cogent ideas or judgements about things. This energy can prompt us to believe it’s ALL an emergency, or that we must ‘know what we know’ definitively and broadcast it to the world; neither is required, or even a good idea, at this time.

I hope your week is going well!

Full Moon 7 December 2022: Say It!

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‘Conversation in the Jardin du Luxembourg’ By Vittorio Matteo Corcos 1892 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 8:08:08! PM PST at 16 Gemini 01, just 6 minutes from contact with retrograde Mars. Both Earth and Lunar energies are imbued with a Martian thrust that takes on a Geminian form; feelings may form ‘hot’ and just as quickly come out our mouths, go into print, or drive abrupt action, and we may find ourselves involved in a kind of challenge, one that tempts us to make our thoughts realities almost as soon as we have them. Mars’ retro status only encourages the ‘act now, think later’ atmosphere, and could mean we’re propelled forward before we even know we’ve had a thought (and this is especially a potential if this Full Moon is falling in your natal 12th House).

Is this a good thing, this spontaneity? Some people might equate it with following instincts–but then again, acting instinctively can be a life-saver in a crisis, but unnecessarily defensive or destructive in less dire circumstances, as our animal instincts tend to interpret everything as a wee-bit threatening. Currently Mercury, ruler of the Full Moon, is early in Capricorn, sesquiquadrate Uranus–uh-oh. Both are in Earth, their relationship suggesting a precipitous urgency to ‘make it real’, mostly out of a sense that things either must be controlled or shaped along practical lines–so for all the right reasons we may act–but we must remain aware that our thoughts and ideas may have more than a little Self-interest, ego, or aggression behind them, and may arise as much from fear (the sesquiquadrate) as anything else. This doesn’t inherently make those feelings or that sense of urgency wrong or bad, but does imply that if we’re not crystalline clear and as honest as possible with ourselves, we could create unintended consequences because so many subtle influences may be at work below the conscious level.

Aspects formed by the Full Moon include a semi-sextile to Uranus, a square to Juno, and a very wide trine to Saturn. Each echoes a part of the theme: spontaneity or loss of control, for good or ill (Uranus), a test of Self-control and our sense of empowerment (and this could involve discovery of ways in which we are or aren’t empowered, perhaps contrasting with what we previously thought), and it’s all firmly rooted in the present reality picture and current structure of things, specifically that which has been built on the past (Saturn). We can’t forget that much of Juno’s activity can arise from frustration, especially frustration over her own thwarted authority or from a feeling of disrespect, and a square is just that; there’s the possibility that vengeance (a Juno specialty) may come forward in a maelstrom of emotions–so again, the need for control and clarity, which we may find by staying grounded and aware of what is (Saturn).

Avoiding trouble requires we’re clear about what we want, and why we want it or want to do it. A Full Moon in Gemini urges us to come to conclusions, to ‘say it’, and in the moment those thoughts are likely to read as eminently logical and reasonable–but in the presence of Mars, and through the feeling filter of the Moon, this becomes tricky. Being clear about what we’re thinking means we’ll need to be clear on what we’re feeling, as well, and both must fit not just within the reality picture, but into what we hope to build in the future (Uranus), in order to be productive, positive, and what we actually intend.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘The Head Of A Robust Youth Changes Into That Of A Mature Thinker’. This emphasizes the message of the planets (that we’ll need to respond maturely), and maybe points to a place of vulnerability, offering us a clue as to where we might be most liable to jump to conclusions: those areas in which our thinking, communications, messaging, or emotional development might still have significant room for growth. This is probably related to one or more of the subjects of the House of the natal chart where the Full Moon falls for you, and this is without a doubt something, some area or weakness, of which you’re already quite aware. The image also suggests the Full Moon events offer opportunity for emotional growth, for moving forward in an area we may have long felt inadequate to address, or where we’ve felt behind our peers, developmentally. This can be a person or life area to which, beyond all logic and our normal behaviors, we respond in emotional, uncontrolled, off-the-charts ways; it can be a trigger, something that sets us off, and is probably something we’d dearly like to tame.

For a Full Moon we also look at the Sun, as generator of the Lunar light we’re trying to interpret. It’s ‘An Easter Sunrise Service Draws A Large Crowd’. So, a chance for renewal, even redemption–and in any case, our response will be something witnessed by many. Remember, Jupiter will still be poised in that last, tense degree of Pisces, stressing our hopes, our sense of optimism, what we can be sure we know, our beliefs, and our social roles/ position in the social arena–and some or all of these stresses can exercise their own kind of influence on our thinking, and so on our interpretations of the emotional landscape.

So, we should ‘say it’, or formulate the thought and do it, but in the saying and doing be sure our expression is creating the reality picture, and the future, we truly want.

The Personal Politics of Neptune Direct 4 December 2022

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Shiny surfaces, figurative and even literal, will help you see what you can’t observe directly.
‘Reflection in the Mirror’ By Grigory Soroka c1850 {{PD}}

So Neptune has stationed at 22 Pisces and will officially begin apparent forward motion at 4:16 PM of the 4th–and it does so with the Moon just leaving semi-sextile and Venus square. It looks like a moment of peak emotional confusion: What or who do I love? What’s happening with my money? Am I victim of a delusion? Are the relationships or financial circumstances I thought reliable just an illusion? Is my idea or creation worth anything? Am I loved? Am I even visible? They’re the kind of nagging doubts that, even as we ask ourselves the question, we know we won’t have access to a useful answer. Such is the mystery Neptune swathes things, circumstances, and feelings with. Reassure yourself that coming head-first at such questions right now only invites frustrations; instead, let’s examine what else is going on at that point. We’ll use other conditions to read obliquely what we can’t see directly, like holding a shiny surface out to see around a corner: our view may be a little distorted, incomplete, or blurry, but we’ll get the gist–and that’s what’s important.

Jupiter’s poised to enter the 29th degree of Pisces, and Sedna’s already there. These define the most blatant stressors we’ll be under: the social order may pressure, the facts may unsettle our viewpoint or define our options, and it’s impossible to vet these against instincts, as what we need either lies in our ‘blind spot’ (those matters where we are unable to see one or more fundamental truths), or, when we turn to that inner knowing, we receive dead air instead of enlightenment. This can be especially true if we’re concerned with ways in which we’ve tried to expand our creative output or to put our beliefs into action–and considering the state of Neptune, what we know is that we won’t know! Not yet.

We also see the Black Moon Lilith point conjoined Pallas in Cancer, opposed Pluto in Capricorn, with Eris and Zeus filling in a Cardinal Grand Cross. No wonder we feel we must do something! It feels important, dangerous (both in the doing and the not doing), presenting a landscape littered with hazards (egos, angry others, ambitious or avaricious forces, ‘the Establishment’, not to mention the tension in confronting the sheer power, human and natural, that exists all around us). But there’s a saving grace in Pallas, if we are willing to allow those things we’ve denied, avoided, ignored, or been enraged over to inform our choices. It’s in acknowledging and facing those very things we’d like to forget that we find the wisdom to triumph, the sharp and just sword with which to fight.

The Sun will be trine Chiron at this point, making us far too aware of our own wounds and vulnerability–but remember, those items appear bigger than they actually are right now, and if we shift our vision, just a bit, we can change the focus to our most unique talents. These may have been undervalued of late or put to the side as irrelevant or impractical. Now’s the time to dust them off and apply them, for best results (check your natal Chiron placement for clues as to the nature and uses of your personal Chirotic treasure).

We’ll also have Mercury square Ceres, trine Eris, and quincunx Pallas-BML. Again, there might be a lot of pronouncements, orders given, and attempts to prove personal worth and right through exercising personal power. Silence, or at least a refusal to tangle with those who seem to want a fight, might be our best course. Beware the overly assertive, who claim a ‘natural’ right to tell you what to do–and take care not to act out that role yourself.

And have a wonderful weekend!

Nobody Dances Alone: Mars Retro

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‘Four Dancers’ By Edgar Degas 1899 {{PD}}

The apparent retrograde of any celestial body often reverses our sense of the flow of that body’s energy, or at least changes it, alters the presence of those related forces as we’ve come to know them. It’s the sometimes abrupt nature of those changes that disorients and disturbs—and when that body is Mars, one of the most personal energies we have, the ‘I Am’ that gives us the impetus to pursue what we need and want in life, those changes may feel threatening, messing with our heads and causing fractures to how we see the identity and Will.

The current Mars retrograde is in Gemini, prompting examination of how our thoughts have led (or have failed to lead to) choices and actions, and likely prompting re-consideration of the effectiveness of both our thinking and our efforts. That’s all good; it’s what a retro period is for. The problem comes when we externalize those energies we need to be dealing with internally. Projection can have its benefits: it allows us to gain some distance, look with a more objective eye, and so see what we need to do in a more realistic (and therefore more effective) light. 

But our first impulse, almost always, is to see projected energies as belonging to the Other we’re observing them in/ with. They definitely play a role for the other party–nobody dances alone—but we must remember that Other is a mirror: what we’re seeing is a version of something we ourselves need to address. 

We may be tempted to balk at that idea; we may be tempted to tell ourselves, “I’m not pushy, angry, aggressive/ passive aggressive, Willful, insistent, doing it for myself” and so on. And that may be true: the essence of the energy is where we have to look, being careful not to be distracted by the form or the subject matter. This is the retro effect, the reversal of flow, so that we may see our own flaws or misjudgments and the effect these have on others in enacting our own roles. 

Remember, too, this isn’t all negative—it’s just that those less-than-positive experiences seem to jump out at us, to rankle in a way that’s upsetting—and that upset is our clue that what’s happening is that same energy in us, looking to rise to the surface, to be seen, acknowledged, addressed, and probably offering us the opportunity to employ it consciously in a much more useful form. Positive expressions are also meant to draw our attention, specifically to keep us acting and choosing in ways that harmonize with our Being. We can be shown how and where we’re doing it right—and that can be invaluable, when choosing how to allocate our ‘I Am’, ‘I want’, and ‘I Will’ in the future. 

Mars is on its way to the halfway point in the retro cycle, occurring the 8-9 of December when Mars will oppose the Sagittarius Sun. This should bring illumination of our Martian-themed efforts, a bright light shone on all that we do and specifically on how our thinking guides our choices. This coincides with the Full Moon of the 7th-8th (depending on your location) which falls in Gemini conjoined Mars and Earth. Think of it as a delivery point for a number of messages, including how you feel about your environment and your efforts, giving a kind of education on what you think you need versus what you really do need, and pointing out the ways your outreach, incorporation of what’s new to you or foreign, or ‘the facts’ of a situation can be worked with. 

At this same point Jupiter, recently gone direct, will be entering the 29th degree of Pisces, and in crisis mode, feeling around in the fog in anticipation of hitting the Aries point of manifestation and decisive action. The Mars retro cycle helps prepare you for this, for the expansion that’s coming to the concept of ‘I Am’—and if you deal with those projections of Mars, if you own and accept them, you’ll be more than ready. 

New Moon 23 November 2022 A Tale To Be Told

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Läxläsning (Homework) By Carl Larsson 1898 {{PD}}

The New Moon occurs at 1 Sagittarius 37 on the 23rd, at 2:57 PM PST, and in terms of major bodies (planets, lights, 4 main asteroids) it is earliest in degree save one: Vesta, at 00 Pisces 51, which the New Moon squares. That means on its journey through Sagittarius Luna will create aspects (major, minor, and super-minor!) to every other body, suggesting a tale to be told of unspooling Sag energy, fresh and, in this sign, poised for discovery, learning, teaching/ propounding, and covering some ground, literally and figuratively.

The funny thing is, there just aren’t any other contacts made, though there is a still-extant opposition to Sedna at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, and I suppose we can stretch to include a past trine to Jupiter in Pisces. That says that what’s born at the New Moon might be the outgrowth of Jupiterian dreams plus our instincts and inner knowing, what we ‘know but don’t know’ but are pushed through the emotions or intuition (the Moon) to respond to. This might entail either gaining or disseminating knowledge or facts (Sagittarius), or traveling to ‘foreign’ territory in some form, in order to fulfill, or at least pursue, that expansion dream.

Though not contacting the New Moon, we have an interesting Cardinal (action-oriented) pattern in place at this time: Eris in Aries opposed Zeus in Libra, a T-square created with the Black Moon Lilith point conjoined Pallas in Cancer. So, is this a distraction or an engine? Probably both; the formula involves either our own or another’s initiative/ action that immediately stirs conflict, specifically related to the ambitions and desires of a partner or an ‘other’. That is, our choices upset the relationship apple cart because they clash with what someone else with whom we’re cooperating wants–or we are the ‘other’ who is upset at our partner’s independent choices. In either case, the tension was already there, below the surface, with the person who acts or chooses breaking a kind of energy stalemate that lets differences rise to the surface.

This awareness of conflicting wants then creates its own issues, namely a genuine question as to whether that independent choice made unilaterally is wise or even practical. The only way to know is to look at those things we (and the partner) may be in denial of, or enraged over. What we’ll find is that either this is a good thing to have happened, with any unease based in (possibly groundless) fears, or that the action was taken or choice made driven by anger, a lashing out that makes it no longer possible to ignore feelings.

The Sabian for this New Moon is, ‘White-capped Waves Display The Power Of Wind Over Sea’. This alerts us to the way the unseen, unacknowledged, unspoken will strongly influence conditions, especially emotional ones. The tale here has its origins in dreams and sublimated desires, in what we expect from others and what we expect we must give ourselves, in what we learn and ‘know’, and perhaps most significantly, in what we are hiding, even from ourselves. It’s that emotional component, the wind’s (the unseen’s) influence on the water (the emotions and intuitive knowledge), that will determine how effectively we respond to new awareness and facts that can inform our way toward the dream, with a clue offered here: we’ve just had an experience that illuminated something about our highest values, that has shown us, perhaps to our own surprise or shock, what it is we really honor in life (previous perfection of the square to Vesta). This event is what paved the way to the New Moon beginning; and pay special attention to what comes at us over the time the Moon remains in Sagittarius (through about 1:19 PM PST of the 25th)–that will be like a mini-blueprint of what to aim for or avoid, and how to move forward.

Feeling Stressed? Blame Venus

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Thanks to Sumit Surai for this image of a Goblet of Fire Cocktail

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Not all the time, just today. Venus sits at 29 stressful degrees of Scorpio, either making us feeling we’re missing something important in relationships or finances (and so worrying about loss), or that it’s our last chance to ‘dig deep’, to gain some essential truth, to grasp how to get that reward or to draw in that love or to finally feel materially secure. With that as the running undercurrent, no wonder most of us are feeling ragged! It doesn’t help that Jupiter is trine Venus, exaggerating our reactions to Venusian tensions, and Venus makes a T-square by opposing Sedna, also at 29, both squared by Vesta. That’s a picture of instincts under stress, being dogged by a sense there’s something we know but just can’t recall, and that it really matters, that what we care most about in the world is at stake.

Moon in Leo, as it is right now, tends to make all of us a little too Self-focused–hence we take ourselves a little too seriously–and with the Moon squaring Uranus and opposing Saturn, we’re just sure there’s a nasty surprise right around the corner. And the Sun in a Grand Trine with Neptune and Black Moon Lilith magnifies the uncertainty, the confusion, the sense of hopelessness fed by those things we deny or are enraged by.

Here are my thoughts: know that this is all temporary, more temporary than most conditions under which we operate. Venus will be out of Scorpio in hours, not even days, and the Sun moves at a clip that will dissolve that GT (Grand Trine, not Gin & Tonic!) in no time. For the most part, the tension will simply fall away, if we can just wait it out–and at the very least, we’ll see Venus enter Sagittarius (late on the 15th PST), where she’ll take action (Fire sign), either because she wants to know, or because of what she knows–and getting ourselves moving is half the battle, as anxiety is so often firmly rooted in feeling helpless, in believing that there’s nothing we can do. Venus will let us know that’s not true; trust her to make clear what it is you really value, and who it is you really care about.

Total Lunar Eclipse 8 November 2022 No Mercy

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It won’t be this dramatic. ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’ By Paul Delaroche 1834 {{PD}}

The total Lunar eclipse begins just after 3:02 AM PST as Moon aligns with Earth and Sun at precisely 16 degrees of Taurus. The dynamic is very much one of oppositional energies, as Moon-Earth conjoins Uranus and the Sun is poised for Superior Conjunction with Mercury (as you know, that’s when Mercury and the Sun meet with Merc in direct apparent motion), this latter bringing to fruition something planted around the Inferior Conjunction of 23rd-24th of September, though there are three additions to the picture that add their own twists to the sense of denouement that may arise: a trine of the eclipse to Ceres in Virgo, a novile to just-retrograded Mars in Gemini, and a square to Saturn in Aquarius.

Being Total we should expect no mercy with this eclipse. Falling in Taurus, we’ll experience the wipe-out of circumstances related to some aspect of our own comfort, security, resources, assets, or even talents, or to matters of the House in the natal chart where Taurus falls, and this will bring certain emotions and conclusions about our own feelings to consciousness. The Sun in Scorpio is the light-giver, but in this situation it’s temporarily and completely blocked, implying that our view must change: the Scorpionic light currently cast on things (a light that looks to illuminate the need for change, to ferret out the Truth, to destroy what’s unnecessary or detrimental, to x-ray what surrounds us and reveal what’s hidden) is suddenly removed, with the suddenness of the alteration only emphasized by the eclipse’s conjunction to Uranus. What we see when that critical light of dissection and Truth-delving is gone will not be what we expect. It may in fact be something so new, so unanticipated, that we are shocked, by what happens, or by our own reaction to it, or by the message/ information contained in events (Sun conj Mercury).

Did I say no mercy? That’s not quite right; we find extenuating influences in those other aspects the eclipse makes. The change wrought by the eclipse may easily come about through Mother Nature (trine to Ceres in Virgo) in her critical response to current conditions–and those may be global, like climate change, or personal, like diet or responses to Nature via allergens or disease–so that we may quite abruptly be facing a situation that is the perfect storm of what’s natural combined with our own choices. This could also imply we’ll be faced with the results of our own exercise of personal authority, or our nurture (or failure to nurture) those for whom we’re responsible. Nature will try to re-direct us, and in most cases this won’t be traumatic; it’s up to us to take the hint.

There’s also that novile to retro Mars.You may have wondered why I haven’t made any specific comment on Mars going retro–and I don’t know why, either. Maybe it’s that it’s happening in Gemini, giving me the impression that so much that is aggressive, threatened, imposed, or potentially violent will actually turn out to be ‘all talk, no action’. Maybe it’s the way Chiron and Eris are the only bodies in Aries at the moment, suggesting we could all use a little relief, possibly offered via retro ruler status, from our wounds and from those major sources of aggravation I like to call sh*t-stirrers. But, in terms of the eclipse, Mars’ novile implies a little bit of genius implicit in eclipse events, the kind that may see our hesitation, reluctance, or changed choice or action as a good thing, keeping us from stepping in it.

If you’re concerned this is all too nebulous, don’t be: the eclipse square to Saturn in Aquarius promises real-life effects, solidly grounded, but that must be viewed through the lens of Higher Mind. Is, say, the loss of an asset at this time really about the circumstances surrounding that loss, or is it more about what that loss says, about what we find reward or profit in, about how we spend our energy, about the role of possessions (or possibly the impermanence of these)? If it is about the circumstances of the loss, then it may be that we need to look at our own vulnerabilities, or to the ways our ideas do (or don’t) transfer to reality. For some it may be a bit of the opposite, a question of whether we are playing an intellectual game with reality that keeps us from connecting the dots; in this case, we may be so mired in our own reasoning or tortuous mental justifications that we don’t register how these are seriously at odds with the real-world picture. The ancient ruler of Aquarius traveling through the sign and squared by an eclipse definitely says the brakes will be put on somewhere, that we’re going to come slamming up against something of the real world–the good news is, we can use the mind to de-code what happens.

So, a little thought experiment with the Sabians: I’d been taught that a placement at, as our eclipse is, 16 degrees, no minutes, of a sign meant it actually was part of the preceding degree picture; it hadn’t yet proceeded into the 16th degree because there are no minutes. That’s the way I’ve always read them, but today I questioned that interpretation, so I’ve decided to take a look at both possibilities. I’m not beyond learning a better (more correct?) way, so here goes:

The eclipse Sabian is, ‘An Old Teacher Fails To Interest His Pupils In Traditional Knowledge’–or is it, ‘A Symbolical Battle Between “Swords” And “Torches”’? The old teacher could be Aquarian Saturn in hard aspect to the event indicators, suggesting we won’t learn from what’s come before–that argues for the way I was taught to read them, as this is the preceding symbol. The ‘battle’ is of course between a Water placement (the Scorpio Sun) and an Earth placement (Moon-Earth)–not exactly symbolic of swords or torches, but we could see it as torches being the fire of feeling (Scorpio Water) and swords being something physically effecting (Taurus Earth), though a bit contradictory to the retro Mars aspect–but let’s look at the possibilities for the Sun–maybe that will sort it out. The Sun is, ‘A Girl’s Face Breaking Into A Smile’, and ‘A Woman, Fecundated By Her Own Spirit, Is “Great With Child”’. Hmmm. No help there, in my view. This may be my signal to step back from the Sabians for a while–just not feeling them–I’ll return to them when I do.

But I can offer you this unusual dream Word Image: at an open air market there are steps down which water begins to flow. Someone has placed several small children, no bigger than the palm of your hand, along the steps, and the water is knocking them over, sometimes face down, and the person responsible for them is nowhere in sight. I go and lift each one out of the water, make sure they are breathing, and as I work anticipate that whoever is in charge of them will be rushing up any second, angry that I am handling these delicate creatures. What ‘other person’s baby’ are you in a position to in some way ‘rescue’? If you step in somewhere to help, who will be angry, and why? Or maybe that’s the point: we need to show mercy, in the face of dangerous times, no matter the personal cost. Just a little something to think about–have a great weekend (don’t forget to take that hour back), and an enlightening eclipse!

The Sun and Venus: A Preview to the Eclipse

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‘Venus at her Mirror (The Rokeby Venus)’ By Diego Velázquez 1644 {{PD}}

On the 22nd, mid-afternoon Pacific time, Venus and the Sun perfect their conjunction, offering us a preview of what the eclipse may shake loose, shake up, or deliver an answer to. The question is, will you be asking questions about Love, Money, partnership, aesthetics, Art, or some other relationship or asset type? They conjoin in Libra, at 29 stressful degrees–this issue isn’t new, and may be at a breaking point, one we likely are just now recognizing–and we are faced with a single, telling aspect, a Finger of God that will, in slightly different form, be part of the eclipse picture in a few days.

Venus in Superior Conjunction to the Sun (that is, conjoined when Venus is direct) is symbolically brightly illuminated–even to herself. Our Venusian energies will be visible to our inner vision in stark detail; take advantage of that, in spite of the way Venus might lobby to be seen in a more flattering light. Venus-Sun receives as Finger apex the energy of Jupiter fresh in Aries (at 00) sextile Sedna at 29 Taurus. That’s a potentially volatile mix, probably out of naivety (the 00 placement in the sign of the ‘I Am’ with the significator of knowledge/ belief or the social sphere) combining with stressed instincts (so likely to be warped by other factors, such as want and wish, or what in Taurus probably feels like need) or an insistence on operating in an area where we carry a significant blind spot. The result is a statement about Love, Money, et al, that will be reiterated, possibly in a more stunning form, at the eclipse. Just after the eclipse, the Moon will catch up with Venus, giving us a look at how it all feels, what emotional conclusions we’ve reached–and that may be the point when we understand things, at least in the sense of how we feel, most fully.

See the eclipse outlook here–

Solar Eclipse 25 October 2022 Immersed in the Senses

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‘The Roses of Heliogabalus’ By Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1888 {{PD}}

Hi! Away from my desk this weekend, late the 27th thru the 30th. Will answer all comments and fill all orders then. Have a lovely weekend!

The meeting of Sun and Moon (a New Moon) occurs on the 25th PDT at 3:48 AM at precisely 2 degrees of Scorpio. Both bodies are just shy (by 39 minutes) of conjoining Venus exactly (though the Sun already did–see the following post)–and there’s only one other Lunar set of contacts, Jupiter just into Aries sextile Sedna at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, making a Finger of God with the New Moon as apex. At a typical New Moon, this would concentrate the energies into just a couple of ‘statements’; this being an eclipse, we see another level of concentration, in the way the bodies aren’t just in contact, but are closely aligned along the ecliptic (the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun). When this happens, we have a total or near total blockage of the light as seen from our vantage point on Earth–and this symbolically suggests a wiping out of the flow of energies, an interruption that brings a reset that may appear as shock, catastrophe, surprise, revelation, re-shuffling, withdrawal, renewal, germination, a period of darkness before a re-emerging of light, even birth. Since a New Moon is an energy of new starts, this isn’t unusual, but the nature of the new start may be quite different than we anticipate–and we look to the sign in which the eclipse occurs, and the aspects it makes, for the story.

Here the Lunar event is in Scorpio; that mandate is to strip away what isn’t working, is worn, old, or in need of rehabilitation, even as something is transformed, resurrected, or rises anew from the ashes. We’re looking for the Truth, at a Scorpio New Moon; we’re looking to rid ourselves of psychic detritus, to alter what refuses to serve us. It’s a condition where we may have to get our hands dirty, but we’re promised a reward in the sense of feeling new ourselves, in some part of life designated by the House where the Lunar event occurs, or in the natal House ruled by the Moon.

The New Moon perfecting just before perfection with Venus suggests something beautiful, rewarding, pleasing in the immediate aftermath of what occurs, but with the potential for a potent kind of jealousy, envy, or covetousness, Scorpio emphasizing the more difficult facets of Venus. But those also include a seductive quality, a richness of depth and experience, a promise of intensity to the event itself that may be very alluring–and so may, just as the Moon will obscure the Sun’s light, temporarily block our ability to assess the situation accurately, or may immerse us in sensation, substituting feeling for thinking.

The Finger of God with base of Jupiter-Sedna points us back to the apex eclipse, and describes the individual within the social sphere, or equipped with (or pioneering) some sort of knowledge or belief (Jupiter in Aries), meshing with the individual instincts, what one ‘knows but doesn’t consciously know’, and one’s ‘blind spot’ material, this latter those things we believe we see clearly or feel informed about, but that hold some areas we don’t grasp–and this is visible to others, but difficult for us to see ourselves–with some combination of these resulting in the Scorpionic revelation/ change of the Lunar event.

The Sabian is, ‘A Delicate Bottle Of Perfume Lies Broken, Releasing Its Fragrance’. It’s important to note that this eclipse occurs at two degrees and no minutes of the sign–and in that case, we read 1-2 degrees, rather than 2-3 as we would otherwise. The image says that what occurs may have a negative initial presentation–it’s a small shock when something shatters–but that the benefits of what occurs will become obvious immediately. We may be sad about the break, the destruction, but we’ll glean a side benefit; though we wouldn’t have chosen this, there is still something good that comes of it, something unexpected that fills the air/ senses, and so stirs feeling (eclipse in Water).

Tip for coping: some of us will deal simultaneous to the eclipse with the energies of a Fist of God, with base of Pallas-Black Moon Lilith square Mercury-Zeus, apex Juno in Pisces. This suggests wisdom could be compromised by our own rage and prejudices, with these predispositions clashing with our ability to communicate our wants clearly, dispassionately–and so may compromise our own empowerment, especially that form we have imagined, hoped for, and find ideal. Keep this potential in mind, and know that being honest with ourselves is the foundation on which we can build good relationships with others.

Full Moon 9 October 2022: Who Are You, What Do You Feel?

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‘One Who Understands’ By Paul Klee 1934 {{PD}}

The Full Moon in Aries forms just after first Earth and then the Moon pass over Chiron–and that Chiron is involved in a T-square opposed Venus and square Pallas, begging the question: if that relationship or money thing was so smart, so practical, or such a good use of your skills, assets, or talents, why did it hurt? Or even more confounding, if it didn’t hurt. A Full Moon offers us answers, or at least endings, and in Aries those endings address the ‘I Am’, identity, and our choices and actions. We are likely to have laid at our feet revelation about how we’re processing emotionally some significant recent event–we’d be wise to examine it for the larger message, the one that makes a statement about who we are at our core, right now. Be prepared, as this will likely challenge who we think we are, or will bring into question our actual motivations for doing as we have.

Much of the action in the chart has already occurred by the time the Full Moon arrives, though we do have a few near-future contacts to look at that will reveal what comes next: a semi-sextile to Uranus, a sextile to Saturn, and a square to the Black Moon Lilith point. A sesquiquadrate to Hygeia at 00 Sagittarius and a loose novile to Juno round out the picture. What we have before us are minor shocks, surprises, or revelations that either present barriers or bring something previously only contemplated into our reality–and this brings conflict or discomfort, as we either must deal with what we’ve ignored or denied, or must face something that enrages us. The good news is if we accept our own role in things, and are willing to do something about what we see, we will be allowed grace and true good fortune in tackling it. One important point: if what you’ve been brushing aside is a health matter, it enters a new phase at this point–for good or ill, so this may be the signal to take a new approach in this area.

Here’s the temptation: to keep our eyes trained on that Venus, which opposition is already more than three degrees past once the Full Moon occurs. Looking behind us at that person, romance, partner, asset, reward, or financial circumstance will only distract us in the now; we’re meant to get the message about this, right now, but not to try and re-live, re-litigate, or re-vive.

Then we look to Pluto, stationed direct just a day before, and we may want to blame that dark energy bringing complete and utter change for what happens–but that would be inaccurate, as Pluto is simply standing still (stationary) and offering to point out just exactly where it really does hurt, or where you must make a clean sweep in order to move on. Check the natal chart for any points or bodies Pluto at 26 Capricorn may currently be aspecting: that’s where the real action is–the Full Moon is only about showing you who you’ve become, when you weren’t looking.

The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘Two Dignified Spinsters Sitting In Silence’. What’s your immediate reaction to that image? Do you think it’s sad and depressing, as if these women have missed out on life? Or do you see it as a bit of a triumph, one that has allowed these women to operate outside patriarchal society? Do you see them as independent or oppressed, quiet in peace or quiet in despair? It’s your Rorschach for current Lunar energies, and speaks of some emotional pattern you may need to question, or at least consider from another angle (and that’s so no matter your interpretation).

We also look at the bright engine of the Full Moon, the Sun: ‘A Retired Sea Captain Watches Ships Entering And Leaving The Harbor’. Here we each enjoy a certain distance (retired) from an area of expertise–and what are each of us experts in? In knowing ourselves, of course! We understand the progress we’ve made, and can see the consequences of our choices, with both Pluto and the Full Moon giving us a kind of progress report, a check-up on what we may need to handle next.

The Lunar event itself may be fiery or dull, but in some way shines a spotlight on something about ourselves we need to acknowledge and be aware of, in order to make the best choices we can.

Have a great Full Moon experience! ‘Tis the season for meteor showers–6-10th October the Draconids are visible in the Northern Hemisphere, the 20-21st the Orionids are visible in both hemispheres, and the Leonids fly by 17-18 November, visible in both hemispheres. Dates are for best sightings in the Seattle area, but apply generally by hemisphere as well.

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‘Fallen leaf litter in a mountain stream near Ophir, Colorado, USA’ Photo By Semiautonomous Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

This is from an issue of ECLIPSE from 2014, slightly modified and added to. Thought it might be useful, right about now. I was prompted to share this because of a dream I had last night. In recounting it to my husband, I realized that the whole thing, a long story about hospital personnel who had poisoned someone and were trying to dispose of the evidence, could be boiled down to a single sentence: Someone claiming to be a healer was trying to get away with murder! This offers interpretation of someone’s activities of late, activities I had brushed off as either innocently engaged in or as this individual’s misunderstanding of the Universe itself; this dream tells me that the grift is quite deliberate.

The idea of knowing with whom we’re communicating in any situation was brought up, and the short answer to that is, we just can’t know. I’m talking about those times when we interact with others and something about it leaves us wondering, or unsettled; we sense something about the messenger, because that’s what they seem to be. More than just random encounters, these interactions seem to offer information beyond appearances, information that seems to be of greater import than we might think if we are living ‘on the surface’. We’ve all felt this from time to time, the interaction, often with a stranger, that shakes up our thinking in the moment, and sometimes affects our entire world view.

That stranger we’re speaking with, who says something so innocently profound that happens to resonate completely and specifically with our most recent problem, could be anyone at all—and in speaking influences us in ways we can’t be totally conscious of. We try to know who that is making a remark, whispering in our ear, coming into and out of our life, but the obvious labels we can apply (“man at the bus stop”, “salesman at the door”, “person who appeared out of nowhere and had just what I needed”) don’t suffice to explain the import of what they offer. It’s human nature to attempt to classify the extent and type of our own experiences—and we have so many encounters, in a day, in a week, that push us this way and that, it’s as if we’re a leaf on a stream’s current, being moved and turned in ways we may not even notice.

There are some effective ways to break down our encounters, to put them in a mental kaleidoscope that rearranges the parts enough that we get a different understanding of what we’re meant to take away from the interaction. Here are some possibilities, for your consideration:

The Mirror  This concept follows the precept of ‘As Within, So Without’. Those with whom we interact literally mirror facets of our internal perceptions and of ourselves. It’s ‘What We See Is Who We Are’; this should probably be the first, or at least an early, go-to for understanding encounters, as no matter what our external world will reflect our inner landscape in one way or another.

The 180 Degree Test  This is found in someone who embodies exactly what we shouldn’t do or be, and we find these encounters often coincide with points in time when we are faced with making big adjustments and choices in the life. Often they will reflect the unconscious inclinations—that is, they show us before we’re even thinking of it consciously what the consequences might be. These people also come in another form, typically someone consistently in your life before whom you can float an idea, and whose reaction will tell you to do the opposite. These kind of people can be invaluable, and can be recognized just by observing where their own judgments have taken them: if it’s not similar to where you want to go (and especially if they clearly yearn for more/ better) you know to do the opposite to what they advise, as their thinking and judgment are not working in such a way that their choices are capable of getting them where they want to go. People with bad judgment can reveal the flaws in your own plan–and I mean this in the mildest sense; they are not outright disasters that everyone knows not to listen to, but those who are getting by but not living the life they want, and who consistently are unable to make ‘it’ happen.

Interpreting an Actual Dream In the case of an actual dream had while sleeping, the symbolism and situations must be filtered through one’s own recent experiences and one’s own personal dream and symbolism vocabulary. One helpful thing can be to recount the dream as if it really happened; that can help us remove the unreal qualities and focus us on those facets of the experience that our minds have deliberately magnified, hoping to get our attention. Or, as in my dream described in the intro, we find the whole story can be reduced to a kind of instructional picture, mandate, a single sentence, saying, or concept, or even a rebus (you remember, those puzzles where saying the names of a series of objects creates another, sometimes larger, concept).

Life as a Dream  This offers us a little distance from what we’re trying to analyze, and a stronger orientation toward seeing the symbolism in a situation, and so offers some objectivity and perspective. For this way of seeing we simply narrate the experience as if it’s happened to someone else—or as if it’s happened in a dream–and we observed it. This can be tremendously useful when our own part in things is confusing, or when someone tries to persuade us of something; we can apply the ‘distance’ viewpoint and see just what energies are at work, and just how reasonable others are being.                        

The biggest bonus, though, seems to be the way symbolism becomes so much more obvious when we cast the situation as a dream one. We can get some ‘Big Picture’ messages if we are willing to consider what elements of the experience can stand for, as well as considering what personal meaning these elements might have. For instance, opening an old box and finding a completely worn out pair of ballet toe shoes will have a totally different meaning for someone young and starting her dancing career, another meaning again for someone who doesn’t and never has danced, a third meaning for someone at their ballet career crossroads, and another meaning again for someone with bad memories of childhood ballet classes who has hated ballet ever since. With this method of understanding, context can mean quite a lot.

There is a dream analysis theory that states all parts in the dream are actually parts of the Self; this can at times be illuminating, especially when we sense that the centerpiece of the incident is ourselves and our behavior, but is in my experience only occasionally applicable, as though life certainly concerns each of us from our own vantage point, there is far too much input coming at us that concerns interaction, choice, and that informs us, to label everything ‘me’.

This also comes in another version, which we’ll call Tell It Like It Is, where you tell your own story as if it’s the experience of someone else. Or, you can recruit a friend to tell you your story as if they’re talking about a third party. This offers tremendous perspective, and can be incredibly harsh, as those things we make excuses for or soften in our own minds are laid out under a very unforgiving light. This is helpful when we are trying to see why something’s not working, why we may be getting the reception that we are, or why our lives have reached a stalemate. Seeing our lives as if they’re splashed across a tabloid, or as if our life history is being recounted by someone who doesn’t like us (and so is unwilling to emphasize the good) can help get us moving in significant ways—but be prepared, because no matter how accurate, the bald Truth can still hurt.

When trying to parse the meaning of encounters or experiences day-to-day we should also pay attention to our totems and other ‘familiars’ (including objects/ symbols) along the Path. When these pop up, and especially when they repeat with us seeing the same thing or hearing the same word or phrase, or we undergo any form of deja vu, this suggests you’re closely in the ‘stream’ of meaningful events. This is the principal behind the Daily Image—when I began to notice that it seemed to have meaning not just for me but for others as well, I started to include it in posts. I happen to believe that all events have significance, and that we can never actually be outside of our own Path—but we can fool around along the way, become confused and stuck, and can be mislead into a kind of ‘siding’ (like rail cars are shunted to along the tracks) that prevents forward progress we can recognize as our own, find meaningful, and embrace.

Now a note about the possibility that we encounter angels, demons, supernatural guides, or other entities in our lives: be very careful about casting what by all measures is a flesh-and-blood human being in one of these roles. We may want to see someone this way (especially if they meet our idea of how that entity would interact with us) but the reality is that if we’re actually encountering something like this we are unlikely to recognize it. I believe there are many energies taking many forms and interacting with us all the time—but I know there’s no way I can be sure when that occurs. This reduces the ‘angel experience’ to a very personal level—which I think is where it should be, as that’s the level at which we can recognize it, but not really share it with others, because it is so personal—and because who wants to bust an angel, who’s only there to help?  

Orientation: Late September 2022

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It still feels like late summer, doesn’t it? ‘August Night At Russell’s Corners’ By George Ault 1940 {{PD}}

There’s a trine today between Venus at 29 Virgo and Sedna at 29 Taurus–and if we want to add the timelessness factor, we call it an Earth Grand Trine and count Pluto at 26 Capricorn. This suggests a vibe in our surroundings that’s been building, building, and now feels as if the matter (we think a material one) has reached a crisis point. What we’re really feeling, I think, is stress on assets (whether that be relationships, finances, or other things over which we have a sense of possession–Venus) and our attempts to ‘connect’ with those worldly matters via our instinctual knowledge, what we ‘know but don’t know’ (Sedna). We’re trying to feel our way forward, but the thing we may forget about Sedna is that it also holds our ‘blind spot’ material–hence the feeling that we’re stumbling around in the dark! And Pluto’s involvement doesn’t help–that makes it feel important to figure out, dangerous, and may make us think that if we don’t get things right, we’ll have permanently mauled or jettisoned them–and that can cause real anxiety. With Ceres square Sedna, all our appeals to Mother Nature to give us some insight are going unheeded (She’s in 29 degree crisis mode in Florida, right now! In Leo! So don’t bother her, she’s doing her thing!) And of course this is all during a Merc retro period, in Virgo no less, so there’s just no using the mind to sort this out.

I have a few suggestions. Mars and Saturn are in a neat little Air Trine–and if we add Zeus in Libra, an Air Grand Trine, we have a way to think things through that doesn’t take a beeline through the mind, but instead let’s us use somatic means to understand what we’re dealing with. This is the idea that some people learn best by moving–and with Merc retro in Earth, moving through Air may be the answer. Saturn in Aquarius asks us to take an intellectual or future-oriented approach–What would we like to see happen, best case scenario? Mars in Gemini says, Make thinking and doing simultaneous–one will act as a generator for the other, and round in a circle. It may bring some surprises, but is the most direct route possible to revealing to ourselves what we’re really thinking and intending. And Zeus says bouncing ambitions and desires off others, especially those with whom we partner, can give us clarity in a way that brooding or keeping everything squirreled away in our brains just can’t, right now.

Also of note: Uranus squares Saturn, and the Black Moon Lilith point is sextile Uranus, catching Mars at the midpoint. Remember how I said things might surprise you? It would be surprising if they didn’t! Some of what’s revealed will definitely be of the kind we’d probably rather forget, but remind yourself: even if unpleasant, what we learn will be useful, and should inform our choices and actions. And the Eris-Vesta sextile is slated to form a Finger of God with apex retro, and then direct, Mercury, over the next week=what disturbs our values (especially the ones we’re a little smug about, a little too Self-satisfied over) will be the final piece to the puzzle of how our thinking during the retro period has changed. That means you’ll be able to pinpoint the change much more quickly than usual, in the post-retro period.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Order your 2023 Calendars here–

New Moon 25 September 2022: The Big Event

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Fall is here, and so is change. ‘The Shoots of Autumn Crops’ By Zinaida Serebriakova 1908 {{PD}}

Keeping our usual tight orbs for a Lunar event, the upcoming New Moon in Libra (25 September 2:54 PM PDT at 2 Libra 48) shows only one major aspect: an opposition to Jupiter in Aries. But, you may say, what about the past and still technically in orb conjunction of the New Moon to Mercury? Good point, I’d say, since Merc’s retro status tells us they’ve met more recently than if Merc was in direct motion–but that’s more than 5 degrees distance; rather than illuminating the New Moon event, it speaks to what preceded it: a thought, an idea, one we’d already been contemplating (retro status) involving fresh ideas around partnership, cooperation, aesthetics, fairness, described by the Inferior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury at 00 Libra on the 22nd.

So, we know the background; now our attention goes to Jupiter, the Earth due to conjoin it in exactly one degree (so about one day) in the sign of Aries. Jupiter-Earth suggests a Big Event, in Aries one either driven by the individual choices and actions, or one driven by an individual (Aries) that affects the masses (Jupiter). At a personal level, this could also imply that the individual who acts creates opportunity, or simply that their choices bring them knowledge or more–but more can include more difficulties, as much as it could be bounty or profit, with a negative result most likely if ego, rather than the Libran cooperative spirit, runs the show. Relating this to the New Moon, we can expect new emotional insight or feeling generated from this meeting of individual energy and the larger world.

There are more clues about this Lunar event, found in three contacts, the first being an out-of-sign trine to Sedna from its place in the final, stressful degree of Taurus=there’s something jangly, out-of-context about the ease with which the instincts and ‘blind spot’ material surfaces and colors the emotional palette–don’t be surprised at how things you ‘knew but didn’t know’ are suddenly exceptionally clear. The second contact is the New Moon novile the South Node=the past plays its part, and we would be smart to take a moment and trace the thread from seminal occurrence yesterday to results today. Third, we see a configuration formed: a Fist of God, apex the New Moon with base of Saturn square Uranus=again, big energies speak, this time perhaps implying a clash between what’s established and what will carry us forward into the future–or maybe it’s accident or innovation that shifts the timeline, sending everything in a new direction and sparking new feelings about others (NM in Libra) in the process.

The Sabian confirms this: ‘The Dawn Of A New Day Reveals Everything Changed’. Everything is a big concept, and is most likely to apply to an emotional shift at the individual level that changes the way we see and process the world. Nothing may change around us, and yet everything may be different, with this New Moon.

Full Moon in Pisces 10 September 2022 Visions

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Courtesy NASA/ JPL-Caltech {{PD}}

Just come back to the world, and what do I find? I slept through a Full Moon! But I saw it forming each night, clear and luminous, and was anxious to find out what it might bring; this is what I see:

At 2:59 AM PDT of the 10th the Moon conjoined Earth in Pisces, opposed the Virgo Sun, with the Moon just hours before this contacting Juno, and both Moon and Earth poised to conjoin Neptune, the Moon in hours, the Earth in about a week. What culminates at this point is a material matter that reflects a spiritual one, which impacts identity and creates the emotional landscape with which we’ll engage over the next two weeks. It’s as if in the hours around the Full Moon we think we know what defines us, what empowers us, what we control or have authority over, and then the Moon and Earth meet and we’re given a vision, or perhaps presented with a physical scenario, that reflects back to us a spiritual Truth, one that has a very personal message for us about how to go forward.

Here’s where I have to stop and say that I might have given this Lunar event a somewhat different interpretation, if not for my own experience last night. It was a warm night, that kind of late summer warm where you’re still feeling the heat of the day in the air and coming off the pavement, and yet there’s a breeze off the water that once in a while gives you a chill, warns you that things are changing. I was in a car and came to a stop light. I felt compelled to turn and look at the driver in the car to the right, where he sat under a very bright streetlight, and got a shock: this man looked exactly like someone close to me who has been dead for years. Not just that, but he looked young, much younger than this person was when he died, and even stranger, he had a small smile and a confused expression, and he was looking right at me.

So my experience of the message was in the form of an (unsettling) vision, one that has personal meaning for me, associations made to this person and his example, and which I must decipher for myself–and you will have had a similar event, or will have undergone some revelation, some realization through a dream, some imagining that reveals something new about yourself to yourself–or maybe it came through criticism (that Virgo Sun), or through a kind of accounting, accountability, or harvest, one that told you exactly what the combination of your creative energies and your material ones have brought into being.

The Full Moon also makes a sextile to Uranus, implying a suddenness to what comes, a shock or surprise, or a chaotic note that allows a vision or message to emerge from a maelstrom of activity or information. The group as a whole may deliver your Full Moon conclusion, possibly bringing to a stop something you still carried hope for–Luna is the purest conduit of hope–or delivering it in material form, perhaps an unanticipated material form.

There are also two configurations: a Grand Water Trine, with Moon-Earth-Juno, Black Moon Lilith in Cancer, and South Node widely conjoined Hygeia in Scorpio. A Grand Trine is an invitation for energies to work together through their emotional commonality; here we see material matters around empowerment about which we have strong feelings ‘getting along with’ those matters we are in denial about, ignoring, or about which we are angry, and with what was and wasn’t healthy about the past that is affecting the present. Again, a very personal picture, one that may suggest dealing with issues that bring strong emotional reactions is inevitable.

The second configuration is a loose Mystic Rectangle involving the Moon-Earth-Juno sextile North Node-Uranus trine the Sun sextile South Node-Hygeia and back around by trine to the Moon. This brings together elements of Earth and Water, the past and the present, the material world and the intangible (feeling, spiritual, Soul) one, and asks us to find ways in which the factors and memories coming forward now can empower us materially while making for a healthy Beingness, an approach to ourselves and our place in the world that is positive, benefiting from what came before, and what we can learn through Higher Mind (Uranus) lens to shape the future.

The event should conclude in about a week with Earth conjoined/ Sun opposed Neptune, delivering the ‘Full Vision’ (or for some, the ‘Complete Delusion’) that will power us forward, and which may give us not just a particular spiritual awareness around the Soul identity, it may also prompt a kind of costuming, in the sense of showing openly the roles we are now playing through appearance and behaviors, making apparent the identities we are embracing and offering to the world.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘In A Gigantic Tent, Villagers Witness A Spectacular Performance’. Maybe what prompts your vision, what’s revealed, is a ‘Big Tent’ experience, one many people undergo at once–but that doesn’t mean it isn’t extremely personal, since our interpretation of and reaction to what happens is what gives it meaning for us. Or it may simply be that our gigantic tent is the human experience itself, with each of us witnessing some pretty spectacular things–and this may be one of them. Or we focus on the word ‘performance’, and note that this may involve interaction, actually witnessing another ‘putting on a show’–and again, the meaning of that will be decipherable only to you through your own experiences, past and emotional.

The Sun Sabian is at ‘An Ouija Board’, reinforcing the idea of information or messages that pass from the unseen to either realization or into the actual surroundings themselves–and so pointing to the importance of the message, no matter the medium that delivers it.

Mercury is also retrograde at this point, turning around in Libra, an Air sign, and so asking us to re-think, re-consider, especially in terms of aesthetic choices, partnerships, romances, and oddly enough, maybe asking us, through Venus’ territory of envy and jealousy, to re-examine why we might be envious or jealous–and perhaps rid ourselves of a tiresome and irritating feeling, should we find out we’d rather keep our own situation, problems and all, rather than take on one that only seems in a surface way to be better than ours.

The first major contact Merc will form in apparent retro motion is an opposition to Jupiter in Aries, which centers on the individual within the social order, and the way partnerships or collaborations make the whole thing tick. A riff, then, on the Lunar theme for this Full Moon, on identity and how that brings us to where we are in life.

I hope you all had a wonderful Full Moon, and of course, all the usual caveats with Merc retro: don’t sign, don’t buy, don’t agree–with the exception that if the deal was fully in place and already explored before the retro, you can go ahead. Just remember that if you do implement something during the retrograde, you do so knowing that there’s something you don’t yet know about the situation–which could mean regret or disadvantage, when you finally find out.

End of Summer

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Stan Feldman

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My recent Mercury return, and the Moon reaching that spot in days, plus some completely unexpected events prompting some contemplation, brings me to the need to step back for a bit from screens of all kinds. I will not post here or be available from 29 August through 10 September 2022, and no one will be monitoring the press, so there will be no book sales, either. But before I go, let me tell you a little story.

This summer the forest directly behind our house was logged. It was a relentless assault, day after day, enormous machines, men with chainsaws, huge claws grabbing entire trees and pulling them from the earth, and when they were finally done, the sheltering woods behind our land were gone, the land scarred, stumps and debris everywhere. Some trees directly behind our next-door neighbors house were left, a beautiful stand of cedars designated as sacred by the tribe that now owns the land, so there is that, a small bright spot in a decimated landscape. Summer was full of displaced and disturbed birds, squirrels, deer, raccoons, even bugs, and presumably bears, though we haven’t seen any of those lately, the last siting during a plus-100 degree day last year. I was sad, seeing individual trees taken that I’ve come to know and love, distinct from the thicket of forest, particularly a small fir that had the look of the quintessential Christmas tree, and a tall pine that had a dogwood wound through its branches; I looked forward to that blooming, a line of white flowers laced into the pine boughs.

Now it’s open, and we get first morning sun, which is new–all the plants in the back yard are still adjusting! And something else: they finished logging right before the August Full Moon. All day I had been mourning the trees, and then night came and the Moon rose–and it was stunning, big and illuminated, and I realized we never had that before. It had been difficult to see the Moon here except when it was very high in the sky, and even then it tends toward the southern exposure, which for us is blocked by trees still. But now, in place of the forest, we have this small gift, the chance to watch Luna as soon as it comes up over the horizon. It just reminded me that even when something that seems terrible happens, and it inevitably brings change, we might find that the ‘new reality’ offers some wonderful things the ‘old reality’ didn’t.

Have a lovely end of summer, and I’ll be back soon, with a little something on the Mercury retrograde in Libra!

New Moon in Virgo 27 August 2022: How Angry Are You?

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‘Poultry Yard With Angered Cock’ By Melchior d’Hondecoeter c1600 {{PD}}

That’s the question this T-square with Mars to the Sun-Moon/ Earth axis asks–or maybe, for those who aren’t angry right now (or who are in denial), the question may be something like, What will you do? Or for those truly detached from current irritants: What do you want? In any form, what we’re confronted with or by carries a sense of being forced–and–irony alert!–there are some who will work so hard to feel free-willed, Self-actuated, and independent that they’ll end up being the ones doing the forcing.

With the New Moon in Virgo, and almost everything retrograde (it’s easier to list what’s not retrograde, though even then, we have only about two weeks ’til Merc’s turnaround, and a little over two months until Mars sashays backward–Venus is the only potentially retro major body moving along apace), we may find that what’s forced is the sharing of information, or worse, the sharing of opinions, with the distinct possibility that many confuse their own thoughts with fact. We may be prone to believe our feelings justify our thoughts and so our actions–but truly righteous action is likely to be in short supply. Criticism may fly thick and fast, sometimes in the name of accountability–but when that’s the assertion, we need to take a step back and look at both the genuine facts and the genuine motivations involved. With Mars in Gemini as the arm of the ‘T’, what someone is thinking, specifically that drives their actions, becomes paramount.

The Sun-Earth axis at all times and in the most general terms asks for balance between opposing energies. Currently that means seeking equilibrium between the mind/ mentality, especially faculties of critical thought and discernment (Virgo), and what’s nebulous, atmospheric, imagined or illusory, idealistic but not beholden to reality (Pisces). That’s a difficult position for the planet symbolizing our material atmosphere to reconcile with, too often resulting in mud (Earth in a Water sign) or in a kind of divorced attention, where the material world is seen as completely unrelated to the imagined, the spiritual, the Collective experience, or the individual unconscious.

This potential division between extant energies may play out as conflict between actions/ choices (or the thinking behind actions/ choices) and the way theses moves show the rough edges around both our own critical thinking (Sun-Moon in Virgo) and those things on the material plane we’ve refused to see, acknowledge, or possibly deal with (Earth in Pisces). And here’s the benefit (by this point, you can be forgiven for thinking there probably isn’t one!): we see where our critical thinking or sense of discernment has failed, and we see how that unreal aura we’ve placed around something in our environment is causing problems. And if we can see it, we can deal with it.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Man Becoming Aware Of Nature Spirits And Normally Unseen Spiritual Agencies’. This suggests that phenomenon where we know, via unknown means–that is, the intuition, or the unconscious, or some combination of the two, reveals our connections, and the mass of intelligence available, via the unseen. What info comes to us now, particularly info that doesn’t seem to come from any obvious source, may be beyond what we can reason out–so employ critical thinking–is this wish fulfillment? serendipity? does it ring true?–and what comes to you can be exceptionally helpful.

Revelation may stir up its own form of anger, or under best conditions, stir up energy and enthusiasm for making changes or taking action. Choice is the keyword; the wise and the cautious will adopt it as their mantra for now, keeping the idea that we are responsible for our choices and the consequences they bring in the forefront at all times. Other influences to keep in mind: Venus squares Uranus (which has just gone stationary retro a few days before the NM)=if we don’t get mired in the surface conflict, we can take advantage of the unexpected surprise. Just don’t think it will last indefinitely–it has an expiration date, and so do each of us–keep that in mind when making your choices. Pallas sextiles Eris and squares Neptune=again, advantages can be found in the chaos, or by stepping back from the strife–just don’t let the imagination run away with you (in a good or bad way), or expect miracles with no effort or planning–smart money is on connections, networking, pre-planning, and discussion, with things arranged now capable of coming to fruition in the relatively near future. The Black Moon Lilith point is square Chiron=it’s the same old song: wounds come from what we refuse to face, have neglected to tend, or from buried anger. Don’t fall to Self-sabotage. A Grand Square of Venus, Uranus, Saturn, and the South Node says the past percolates up to now and reveals itself through ‘surprises’ (but are they really?) in relationships, finances, or restrictions or denials we must face. And one other thing: Zeus and Mercury in Libra give us the impression that we’re thinking of and doing things for others, but our own desires and ambitions are in the mix, and must be acknowledged honestly, if we don’t want to look like we’re just out for ourselves.

Have an excellent New Moon experience!

Full Moon in Aquarius 11 August 2022 A Lasting Story

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‘Girl Reading a Newspaper’ By Wada Eisaku 和田英作 1897 {{PD}}

The Full Moon is on approach to Saturn–the Moon only hours from contact, the Earth only days–with other contacts a semi-sextile to Juno, a wide sextile to Chiron, a square to North Node-Uranus/ South Node (forming a ‘T’), and an Air Grand Trine with Zeus and Pallas. Perfecting at 19 Aquarius 21 on the 11th at 6:35 PM PDT, the Lunar event reads like heavy intellectual (Aquarius) and individual (Chiron in Aries) turmoil, with a dash of unexpected material events (Uranus-NN in Taurus) to keep us off balance. We’ll be so busy looking out, at the chaos, rebellion, and anarchy that we won’t realize the real upset is within our own minds, or maybe even within our reactive egos (Sun in Leo). No need to worry about limits, at this point; those will show up on their own, as each body, Moon and Earth, conjoins waiting Saturn, offering understanding as to where our feelings stop, and what restrictions our material surroundings might offer.

That sounds terrible, doesn’t it? But never fear–there are ways to work with the energies that won’t be just comforting, but freeing. Start with an Aquarius Full Moon, meant to bring revelation, understanding, realization, especially intellectually; that says you’re going to learn things, and any learning is to your benefit. That’s something to remember when we’re caught in the midst of Aquarian revolution or chaos, or stunned by the shock, surprise, or the unexpected: we’re seeing things, about people, situations, options, that we wouldn’t have otherwise known about–and knowledge really is power.

The semi-sextile to Juno in Pisces tells us that empowerment is found through the creative, through following ‘the Dream’ despite anything else (and either of these options may require a wee bit of rocking the boat), or that ‘clear seeing’, though somewhat uncomfortable (the semi-sextile) is necessary in order to thrive. The sextile to Chiron in Aries says: make the effort, use your skills or actively accept an opportunity to heal, and you will. The square/ T-square tells us that what happens or is revealed around the Lunar event is 1) building something, or telling us something about reality and its limits or requirements (Saturn), and 2) that the Saturnian discipline or reality awareness will allow us to bring experience (the South Node) to bear on unanticipated challenges or revelations about the future (Uranus-NN). The surprise is the very thing we must respond to–and there’s no time to start from scratch, we must draw on the past and what we already know (SN).

The Air Grand Trine involves what we might dismiss as minor indicators, but the value of this is in the way those minor bodies or points have specific, narrow definitions–and so can pinpoint what we need to cope that much more effectively than can the major energies. Here the call is for intellectual or mental balance, particularly in terms of what we want, our ambitions and goals, our desires (Zeus) and what’s smart, wise, practical, or what we are already equipped to handle with existing skills (Pallas). The Full Moon will likely show us our emotional needs and responses to the Air GT requirements–and may make us face the fact that, without a balance among these, we won’t get very far.

The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘A Large White Dove Bearing A Message’. Yep. We can add, through the symbolism of the dove, that the message will, one way or another, bring peace. The Sun, illuminator of the Moon, has an apt Sabian, as well: ‘Zuni Indians Perform A Ritual To The Sun’. I think this is about acknowledging the Self (Sun in Leo) as the generator of whatever we’re dealing with right now. It may appear to come from externals, but as we all know, those are typically just a reflection of our interior, or in some cases manifested/ attracted because we know (or at least, some part of us does) that we need to face whatever it is. The ‘Zuni Indians’, that is indigenous people native to the southwestern area of North America, points us back to our own Sun, our own Soul intent, to what’s native to us as individuals and within the ‘tribes’ (our psychic and spiritual kinship groups, those places and others who nurture our Soul) we belong to, acknowledging that eternal part of us–a reminder that what we create now is just another step in a lasting, resilient story.

Notes for 5 August 2022: Willingness to See

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Miniature painting, c1840, Artist anonymous {{PD}}

Here’s a question: How do you judge yourself? Or asking more broadly: do you judge some roles, jobs, interests, activities, commitments in life as more ‘worthy’ than others? And if you hold these standards (and who doesn’t, to some extent?) how does that kind of qualitative, hierarchical judgment end up blowing back on you?

The recent meet-up of North Node, Uranus, and Mars stirred up the energies around defining one’s role (Mars) in relation to the Group (Uranus) and how this is shaping the future (NN). It could’ve stirred unexpected anger or aggression, brought up unanticipated facets surrounding taking the initiative, surprised with chaos, intellectual assertiveness, or Willful theorizing unconnected to the reality picture, or brought chaos to the ‘I Am’, requiring definition: Who Am I, when I synthesize my actions, my intellectual perceptions, and my place within the larger whole? And what kind of path for myself are my choices building, versus what I believe intellectually I’m creating?

This sort of judging of our identity and what it means to the wider world is an ongoing thing; the meeting of the Lunar extremity point and the two bodies in Taurus, though, may have brought the intellect to the physicality, material matters, and to the surroundings, offering a clear picture on what the future holds, should we continue our current practices (another way of looking at it: we must weigh our responsiveness to reality against our Willfulness, against our insistence that we have our way, no matter what).

At this point Mars has moved on, allowing us enough distance from our own wants to gain perspective, and midday of the 5th sees the Moon pass over its own South Node point and oppose Uranus, then Mars, suggesting we get some emotional or intuitive illumination by way of memories or shocks, accidents, revelations–and this takes us another step along the ‘Who Am I, and What Do I Mean to the Group?’ line of reasoning.

The fact that we tend to judge ourselves and others in a way that estimates, according to our own priorities and values, our worthiness in the world, is at this point being given a reality-check: our value within the group isn’t what we think it is, and neither is anyone else’s. Our attempts to collate our observations and assess them in light of what we believe is important is a game of shadows, to begin with; in what Universe do we have the individual perspective necessary to evaluate the worthiness of anyone, including ourselves? It’s the quantum influence, the way we can’t know how action A affects the rest of the alphabet, all the way across the Cosmos itself. It’s pure hubris to believe we can know. The only thing we can do is to act according to our own conscience, to do what we find worth doing and know is right–all else takes care of itself.

We can trust the emotions, while Venus moves through Cancer, to let us know what matters right now. Too, we must acknowledge that we don’t need to judge ourselves or others–the world will continue to spin whether we have a settled opinion on our neighbor or not–and then there’s the matter of Mars approaching and conjoining Sedna in the final, tense degree of Taurus (roughly 13 August-21 August). At that point we’ll be challenged to understand and/ or deal with the material in our ‘blind spot’, the stuff we just can’t get into clear focus (the concept reminds me of the way the androids of ‘Westworld’, when confronted with something they’re not programmed for, say, ‘That doesn’t look like anything to me.’ That’s what’s in the Sedna blind spot). The trick there is twofold: to allow light reflected by others and their responses to illuminate that darker area within our own conscious mind, and to listen to the voice of instinct, or the things we think are instinct, which may, in the reflected light of others, reveal themselves to be bad programming, something we need to purge in order to function more effectively.

On the 21st Mars will have entered Gemini (linking actions and choices more cleanly to the mental processes), the Moon will semi-sextile Sedna and the Sun will square Sedna and oppose Vesta–that our window for enlightenment, when all it takes is a willingness to see, in order to perceive.

Currently working on some 5th House examples for the Moon book (it’s done, except for editing and adding examples through the Houses–already have some, but there’s always room for more!) Recent developments: finished AOC, now finishing Prince, next up Picasso, and Grace Kelly. Have a great weekend!

New Moon in Leo 28 July 2022 Take It Personally

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‘Sun and Moon Flowers’ By George Dunlop Leslie 1890 {{PD}}

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Sun and Moon Flowers 1890

So the upcoming New Moon perfects at 10:54 AM PDT of the 28th at 5 Leo 38 and all I want to say is, Take. It. Personally. We can’t help but focus on ourselves with a New Moon in Leo; it’s the glory of the individual, the way each of us uniquely ‘shine’, and that may mean our own light gets in our eyes, obscures the view of what’s happening, just now. Traditional agent of confusion and hidden matters, Neptune, is in his own sign and below the chart horizon (for the West coast location), and is semi-sextile Eris in Aries–the suggestion is that there are things, particularly tensions, between us and other individuals that we just can’t see–we’re too busy shining our own light–so that others ‘offended’ by our light (think ‘jealous’ or ‘judgy’ or ‘envious’ or even ‘garden-variety hater’–note Venus conjoined Black Moon Lilith in Cancer) are likely to present as caring when what they want is to deny something about who we are or how we play the game.

Both Moon and Sun have very recently conjoined Ceres at 2 Leo, prompting us all to examine our own power situation and autonomy (or lack of it), as well as bring to the fore of consciousness our relationship with Nature–whether that’s via our bodies or our environment. No matter what, we’re measuring what affects us and the impact that has–and it’s the wellspring from which our New Moon new starts spring.

Three aspects made by the New Moon warrant a look: a quincunx to Vesta, a trine to a stationary retro Jupiter, which will enter retro status within a day, and a sesquiquadrate from Juno. How we see the ‘Big Picture’ is going to change, and the change will be easy, a slipping from one viewpoint to another, without us really thinking about it. What will cause minor discomfort, however, is something about our commitments, our highest values, likely losing some of their sheen or worthiness as that Big Picture realigns or withdraws current conditions or circumstances, particularly on some action front or around some choice we’ve made. We’ll have to adjust, if we want to go forward. And then there’s the matter of empowerment: we may have to own and then use our own power much more actively than we’re used to–and some of us will reach for an arrow and find our quiver empty–the worth of the episode in this instance being: now you know, you’re not equipped as you thought you were.

There’s also a square to Hygeia, effectively drawing a T-square with the Sun-Moon/ Earth axis, implying we may have to face the unhealthiness of something–whether that’s Mother Nature in the form of Ceres, our own diet, also Ceres, or of a caretaking relationship, one where we feel responsible for someone else, or where someone else, appropriately or not, tries to exert control over you, just as Mama Ceres did with daughter Proserpina (also known as Persephone–I maintain it was as likely an elopement as a kidnapping, but that’s an argument for another day).

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Conservative, Old-Fashioned Lady Is Confronted By A “Hippie” Girl’. It’s a study in contrasts, and echoes my point about someone cloaking their critical attitude or contempt in caring, ‘for your own good’, ‘you’re doing it all wrong’ corrective sensibilities. The conservative woman thinks she’s right, and the hippie thinks she’s right (and by right I mean they think they’re seeing the world clearly and have ‘it’ all worked out), but what they’re both missing is they can only know what’s right for themselves, not for someone else. It’s about boundaries, whether those are violated only by intrusive thought-judgments or in outright, blatant ‘correction’ of another. Recognize and honor the autonomy of another, and your own right to be and choose is that much more secure, energetically speaking.

Just a Few Comments 18 July 2022 Impermanence and Illusion

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‘Sea in Fog’ By George Bellows 1913 {{PD}}

What I really want to talk about is the way the Sun, while still trine Neptune, will conjoin Ceres tomorrow (the 19th), while Earth, sextile Neptune, will conjoin Pluto, this happening across the Cancer-Capricorn axis. It presents us with at least two broad scenarios: one involves ideals, creativity, and ‘the Dream’, while the other involves delusion, illusion, or deception. We have been concentrating on, dreaming about, or enveloped in maya, from the Sanskrit meaning ‘magic’ or ‘illusion’, though it may be better defined as unreality–but that pertains to concepts still percolating within the imagination, the formulation of a dream or idea, the way energy will coalesce into a coherent picture and so invite a plan for realization. We’re speaking, then, in the most general terms of thought forms on the threshold of materializing–but what we must discover is whether those have the potential for becoming real, in the Capricornian sense of physicality, of becoming in the real world, or if they are in some core way illusory, whether that arises from the impossibility of what we imagine, or from the way we may be believing things are other than they are, which removes the potential for them entering reality.

How do we distinguish between the idea that holds promise, and the one that is a mere illusion? In this case, we examine Nature, what is ‘natural’ to us, we recognize our own dominion and power, what we are responsible for or hold dear and must nurture, and we accept the idea that there is a need to negotiate for what we want, specifically with the Powers of change, destruction, and resurrection (Ceres opp Pluto). The key to physical manifestation is in accepting the depth and permanence of Plutonian energies; the steps we need to take will be deliberate, will clear the way or alter what is forever, may end or otherwise destroy what was but is now outmoded, and may involve re-claiming something from the past–exemplified by the South Node (experience) trine Juno (empowerment) in Water signs=it’s through what we’ve learned on the Path, and the emotions it brings forth in the now, that we will know how, and why, Plutonian steps must be taken.

There’s the possibility that facing Pluto will cause things to be re-born, as much as it may eliminate–but in any case it reworks the present so that that Neptunian inspiration, and our genuine power position within the natural order, can be seen for what it is: either a dream or ideal we must strive toward, or an illusion that if pursued will disappoint.

Have a wonderful week, and if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, stay cool!

Full Moon in Capricorn 13 July 2022: The Test of Desire

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It was the title that made me choose this: A Spirit Serves a Small Breakfast, Angel Brings the Desired, lithograph with watercolor by Paul Klee, 1920 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects 11:38 AM PDT of the 13th at 21 Capricorn 21–some nice (but insignificant) numerical symmetry, that, with the closest aspect to the Sun/ Moon-Earth axis a square from Zeus in Libra. This Cardinal T-square promises a tough test of the desire nature or the ambition picture–what are we willing to do to get what we want? With whom will we take our actions? How hard will we push? What problems are we willing to face down? And who or what are we willing to sacrifice in the process?

Will we necessarily run over others in the rush to fulfill our wants? No, it doesn’t have to be that way, but it might, if there are any latent issues of Willfulness, envy, jealousy, or greed in relationships–Eris in Aries opposes Zeus in Libra and so forms a loose Grand Cross with the Full Moon, and that suggests that if there are egos or previously unexpressed aggressions in the mix, we may have to make a choice: coddle others, or reach for what we desire. Or it may be more subtle than that: will we be willing to discomfort others? Will we go against the relationship grain, risking not losing the connection but altering it–and perhaps planting the discordant Eris seed in the process.

A Full Moon in Capricorn is one focused on implementing practical or concrete solutions, bringing about solid or permanent endings, or seeing construction of rules or structures completed–and that means the emotional and intuitive (Moon) must find expression through the material, or what affects the material, in some way (Capricorn Earth).

The Cancer Sun in this scenario has two companions, each widely opposing the Full Moon, one on either side of Sol: Ceres and Mercury. These are energies of Time and Nature, big picture forces, the kind we don’t control, but do affect, as we make our human-sized decisions within their parameters and flow. What we care about (Cancer) is the arbiter, but what we face is the physical impacts that caring makes on our environment (Capricorn), through our actions and choices (Eris in Aries) which guide the outcome within relationships (Libra).

We must note, too, that with a slightly wider orb we see Chiron in Aries also square the Full Moon (but not be included in the Cross). Ah-ha! We find the motive for any hurt in old wounds, festering hurts, in tender flesh beneath scars we thought were healed–but the sextile of the Full Moon to Juno, and trine to North Node/ sextile to SN says we’re acting out of a need to feel our own empowerment, to experience it in real-world terms, and so to shape the future–but we shouldn’t ignore Uranus in proximity to the NN, bringing an element of the untamed, unpredictable, chaotic, or unusual that may offer results a far cry from what we thought we’d create!

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘By Accepting Defeat Gracefully, A General Reveals Nobility Of Character’. Act with pure motives, accept with grace what comes from our choices, and no matter the material result, the Soul will be fulfilled in some important but intangible way. This suggests that those desires driving things in the first place (Zeus) may be, like the energies of Eris that could stir, nothing more than a catalyst within a larger picture, one that tells us something of our Soul’s place (the Sun) in the scheme of Time (Mercury) and Nature (Ceres).

We always look at the Sun for a FM: ‘A Young Woman Awaiting A Sailboat’. Something, then, is on its way, perhaps already on the horizon–and the woman is young, and what’s the outstanding nature of everyone when young? Hopeful and optimistic–so that’s what we should be, too.

One last thing to address: the Moon-Earth combo are headed (at different rates, the Moon in hours, the Earth in days) to conjoin Pluto. Big, bad Pluto. And it’s sextile the Lunation chart Vertex, suggesting it’s an agent of Fate–so tell us something we don’t know! If you have fear of what Pluto brings, you need to take another tack. Instead of seeing it as destructive, as bringing irreversible damage, you might want to try embracing it as an energy that can get things done for us–because Pluto changes nothing we haven’t already been given an opportunity to deal with, get right with, or change ourselves, and we’re definitely scheduled for an encounter. Pluto is the essence of the Truth of things–and the more closely aligned we are with that, the better. We should also turn some attention to two points at 29 degrees at the time of Lunar perfection: Sedna in Taurus, which happens to be trine the Virgo Ascendant in the Pacific zone (other places this won’t be the case). That placement always implies the point or energy is under stress–so West Coasters, watch the environment for precipitous energies (or just brutally critical ones), maybe in the form of details that cause distress or uncertainty, or in a demand for accountability, and don’t expect our instincts to help us much at this point–they are likely to be on the fritz, overloaded with sensory input (Taurus) and probably blocked by our own blind spot material. Go instead on the reality of what we see, feel, and on the ideals we hold for ourselves–the whole point of the challenges our desires will face at this time is to reveal some very true-to-us response, characteristic of the Soul, elevating our idea of ourselves and our abilities to respond and create under pressure.

Just a Few Comments 29 June 2022

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Photo By Julie Demboski 2021 All Rights Reserved

Just a few comments on the current scene: we have Mars in a Cardinal square with Pluto (again, or still? Feels like our Will has been colliding with the powers-that-be for, well, forever!) with Saturn sextile Mars and catching just retro but still stationary Neptune at the midpoint–and let’s not forget, involved in both aspects, is Eris still conjoined Mars. ‘Stirring it up’ is not an adequate descriptor for what’s going on–and yet, it is the most accurate, as doing is prompted by irritations, strife, rivalries we thought we could bury or ignore–or even eliminate the hard way (sq to PL)–but instead we may find ourselves in a balancing act that requires we sort fantasy from reality, dream from delusion, and ideal from unrealistic, in order to achieve in this world (Mars-Nep-Saturn). A stationary Neptune tends to make us believe we’ll be stuck in this delusion/ dream/ nightmare forever–but we just have to remember, it’s an illusion, magnified by a sense of being pressured to do, to change, to make things happen.

And how is achieving your dreams going for you? The recent New Moon offered a booster shot, but may have made us ultra-aware of our own feelings and sensitivities–and that can make us hesitate when maybe we should push forward, get to work, or ignore the implications we think we see in feedback and try it anyway. Right now we’ve got Venus in Gemini sextile Jupiter in Aries–that’s a recipe for valuing our own thoughts and ideas and acting on them optimistically, with an eye to unique opportunities only we can exploit. The Sun’s still square Jupiter, drawing our attention to all the ways we think things aren’t working–but that’s a focus issue, not a real-world one, more a test of faith than a genuine denial of more or better.

If we also note that the Black Moon Lilith point is currently conjoined the Sun, we might begin to suspect that a lot of our negativity, our insistence that we’re being ‘realistic’ when we’re really being pessimistic, is based on rage (and so a feeling of helplessness, ‘it’s just too big for me to do anything about!’) or on things we’ve been reluctant to acknowledge or face–and that’s the answer, the way to get our bearings: feel tender and sensitive and go forward anyway, by being completely willing to see what is, without insisting on covering it with a gauzy filter and a shower of glitter (though who doesn’t like a glitter-bath, once in a while? Well, maybe not Virgo or Capricorn–but the rest of us are down with it!) Knowing why we’re angry or despairing can help, and the instinctual nature is directly tuned in to this right now (Sedna at 29 crisis degrees of Taurus)–so if we trust our internal voice, and approach things with a willingness to see them as they are, it will be very clear what our next step forward should be.

Have a wonderful rest-of-your-week! Here at the blog the 2 million plus hits mark has been reached–never expected that!

New Moon in Cancer June 2022: Keeping It Real

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Ferdinand du Puigaudeau {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects on June 28th at 7:51 PM PDT at 7 Cancer 22. There’s an interesting story here, told through a scattering of close aspects: an approaching conjunction of the New Moon factors (Moon and Sun) with the Black Moon Lilith point=what we really care about (Cancer) revealed through what enrages us, or what we have, for whatever reason (possibly need), ignored or denied; pay attention to vivid emotions at this time, as they’ll tell you what you’re invested in (and so what motivates your choices and actions). That’s always good information to have in the forefront of the conscious mind.

Sun-Moon opposes Earth (of course!) and forms a Cardinal T-square with Jupiter in Aries=the impulse is toward action, based on belief or ‘the facts’ as we see them, and the way we interpret them as not being served. The T tells us this may be tricky territory; think of how difficult things become when everyone is sure they’re in the right. It also signals an ‘individual vs. social order’ mentality that is all the tougher because the social arena is seen by the individual as essentially being on a crusade to impose their values–no wonder we’re upset.

The New Moon trines Vesta, and with generous orbs forms a Water Grand Trine with Hygeia=it may be infuriating, that everyone is attuned to their emotional reactions at this time, but it may be necessary, a healthy expression (no matter how provocative) that helps each of us attain an internal emotional balance. What we honor is recognized as important; a re-dedication of one’s intents and energies would be more than appropriate at this time.

We note a semi-sextile, only seven minutes past, formed by the New Moon and Venus in Gemini=with all this emoting and feeling going on, it’s obvious relationships will be affected, especially in the way we think about others in our circle. This may affect those networks that we’ve previously relied on for earning or other reward, so be prepared–nothing occurs without consequences at this time, described by the Saturn/ Eris-Mars sextile=real world results of choices and actions that stir, or arise from, strife. This sextile also catches Neptune at the midpoint=we’re either operating on ideals or fantasy, and it’s easy to mix them up–hence the rampant belief that each of us is in the right.

Forgiving orbs also give us a Fist of God, base of South Node square Saturn, apex New Moon=the past smacks right up against reality, and the discomfort caused launches New Moon beginnings. With the event in Cancer, those beginnings are likely to be simple changes of (or realizations about) feeling. Answers may be provided by the New Moon novile Pallas and semi-square the North Node=when we look clear-eyed at the difficulties our current choices may cause in the future, we’ll opt for the smart thing, the wise thing–so that’s a positive we should aim for. Also of note is Sedna at 29 Taurus, ramping up the perception that the material situation is at a crisis point. Try not to over-react. It may feel like an instinctual perception, and so be hard to override with the conscious mind, but the reality is this is just a perception–not a reflection of real circumstances–so relax a bit.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Group Of Rabbits Dressed in Human Clothes Walk As If On Parade’. I think this is a warning: don’t take on roles you don’t understand or ‘dress up’ the meaning of what you’re doing as other than what it is. Maybe it’s an admonition about humility, or maybe a prompt to ‘keep it real,’ rather than just parading around, thinking we’re right.

The Return of the Goddess

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Goddess Bhadrakali Worshipped by the Gods from a tantric Devi series, Artist Unkinown, 12th century {{PD}}

This is a reprint from ECLIPSE, slightly modified, and has already appeared here at the blog under a different title–but I do think the ideas bear repeating. Looking for the Full Moon report? See it here.

There’s been lots of talk these days about the return of the goddess–but I don’t think the goddess was ever gone. Seeing it as a disappearance/ re-appearance is seeing it through patriarchal eyes: women have always been, so goddess has always been. A patriarchal society is a Doing-oriented society, one that recognizes and values action, while (typically) disparaging its opposite, the essence of female energy: the receptive, the accepting, the open, the Being-oriented. Goddess energy is female energy, and functions by filling space and time with its very existence; it is vital simply by being, whereas male energy only exists when it is in motion, closed, targeted, inflicting itself on others or the environment. It’s a disparity that many have difficulty grasping, and this is chiefly because we have been indoctrinated with a bias for movement, action, ‘results’, and a sense of accomplishment that relies on seeing change, rather than feeling it. The goddess can sit perfectly still and sense the inevitable processes of growth and decay all around her–she is in fact aware that she is part of this cycle–while those invested in the god-like animus credit only the effects the hands or mind have on the landscape.

In modern Western society we’ve been conditioned to see worth and even virtue in emulating male doing energy, no matter one’s role. We applaud activity, even when it’s purpose or value is questionable, and we see this ‘busy’ attitude reflected in phrases like ‘Protestant work ethic’, ‘Yankee ingenuity’, ‘make hay while the sun shines’, and so on. This is not to say that effort is not important, but that it is only one side of an equation; to celebrate doing and accomplishing without also celebrating the contemplation, depth, communion, feeling, sensitivity, and intuition that can not only shape and guide effort but make sure efforts are effective, is to make action a god, and to cast being as a meaningless state that offers nothing to our advancement–and of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

We tend to have disdain (or at least, less regard) for the kind of contemplative or menial or repetitive tasks that act as a meditation and are much more a being state than a doing one; we may label these ‘women’s work’ (oh, the derogatory tone with which this is spoken!) and see them as beneath us, since they don’t include the slap-dash of going from A to B–but that would miss the point. No one thought to ask the grasshopper why he fiddled while the ants worked–but no grasshopper lives through the winter; it would’ve been a waste of his time to put away food for days he wouldn’t see. (And if we want to get technical about it, the ants would awaken from a torpor to begin their work and replenish their colony before much had grown or bloomed out in the world, so they did need a storehouse). In nature there is balance and reason, room for both god and goddess energy, a different set of rhymes and rhythms that apply to each creature–and we should keep that in mind when judging what’s appropriate or ‘right’, useful and useless.



‘Jupiter in the Guise of Diana Seducing Callisto’ By Gerrit van Honthorst {{PD}}

The picture above is a testament to recognition within the patriarchal structure of Western society that sometimes receptivity is needed in order to gain what is wanted. There’s irony in a doing-dominant entity choosing to enact the anima in order to get something, which getting is in itself a highly animus thing, the kind of goal the doing energy is consistently targeting and pursuing. In the painting Zeus (Jupiter) has apparently learned that abduction and rape don’t win him any friends; instead he transforms into the goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, Diana, and lures Callisto with the Moon’s sensitivity, responsiveness, and ability to reflect back to others what they ‘shine’ with–and yet, in choosing Diana’s form, he’s choosing the most animus-like of the goddesses, in terms of her Self-expression through hunting and pursuit. Empathy requires the surrender of boundaries to the point that one Being can feel the other Being, complete, which the male-oriented cannot do without putting aside the continual, outward thrust of energy that is the normal modus operandi for them.

Even in Zeus’ choice, though, the usefulness of the receptive, Being stance is denigrated, as it’s seen as a tactic with which to accomplish  a goal, rather than as a state of Being just as valid and as dynamic in its own way as any action. With Zeus it’s a means to an end, and so falls in a long line of actions meant to fulfill the animus aim; if it were a true goddess energy, the communion would be without boundaries, and no specific outcome would be on the agenda–being would be enough. If quantum mechanics are correct and the butterfly’s movement is enough to topple a civilization as the shift ripples through matter and time, then the even more subtle shifts in consciousness, attitude, belief, and the effects of both prayer and love are felt as strongly as anything built, accomplished, or acquired. So next time you see a woman sitting with eyes closed, or standing quietly out in the grass, or strolling along with no destination in mind, or rocking a child, you’ll know just how busy, how important what she’s doing, really is.

Your word image is a pair of things: the mention of Karma addressed in or in the name of works of Art, and a key that suddenly appears on the floor at your feet. As they’ve come up at the same time, I can’t help but think they’re linked, each describing a part of what needs our attention. The key came first. Of course, there’s the key, the ‘at your feet’ part telling me it’s laid out before me, presented even, no searching required. The image seems to say: Here’s what you need, that vital thing that will open it all up, let you in to where you want to go. I kept seeing references to Karma related to Art that made me wonder what was in the Collective air that was influencing Artists. Too often I feel that Karma is mis-represented as something outside ourselves, when in my view it’s really just the accumulated energy of our own choices and actions, bouncing off the energy of everything else in existence–that is, it’s not something weighing and judging you, out to get you, to ‘balance’ the Universe, it’s just you, meeting your own energy in another form. So, that would suggest that the key we need to acknowledge, pick up, and use, the use of which will be entirely to our benefit, presents in a situation that’s nothing more than our own accumulated efforts and attitudes, bringing about particular results and circumstances. My thought is: you’ll know this ‘Karmic’ thing, and what it means, when you see it–and you’ll also know, it’s the key you’ve been looking for.

Friedrich Haag

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Full Moon in Sagittarius June 2023: A Lonely Lunar Light

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‘The Lonely Farm, Nantucket’ By George Inness 1892 {{PD}}

I suspect this Full Moon we might all be feeling a little lonely, as the Sagittarian energy urges us to reach out, to explore, to make contact, to ‘spread the word’, and we find ourselves, in one way or another, alone–or at least, feeling a little isolated or alienated from our fellow Beings. This Full Moon light perfects at 8:40 PM PDT of the 3rd at 13 Sagittarius 17, and floods the perceptions with emotional wisdom, emotional practicality, or both, courtesy of the close trine to Pallas. This is by far the tightest contact made by the Lunar event, signalling that, whatever our experience, we’d be smart to see it as revealing what our potentials and wisest course of action are–whether that’s through providing a positive picture to be emulated or a negative one to be avoided.

There’s also a loose Fist of God with apex of the Full Moon itself and base of a square between Venus at 28 Cancer and Eris at 25 Aries. That Cardinal square suggests that loving and deeply caring energies will be put into action in ways that will prick at our individuality and bring to the surface every buried resentment and percolating complaint, the kind where we think it’s other peoples’ job to satisfy us. It may feel as if relationships and/ or money issues come pre-loaded with contrary inclinations and difficult requirements, but the Full Moon, applying emotional intelligence to the facts, to knowledge, in a way that’s open and receptive to the unusual, the foreign (to us), the exotic (again, to our experience–these are all Sagittarian approaches), will offer us a way to resolve the tension, and so preserve or even enhance the relationship or financial matter.

There’s a novile from the Full Moon to the South Node, and a semi-square to Pluto, raw at 00 Aquarius and ready to flee (by June 11th) back into Capricorn. This places the Full Moon energy, very roughly, between the influences from the past (SN) and the powerful, awe-inspiring, destructive or transformative energies of Pluto as it orients us toward the future, the modern, the new (Aquarius). That suggests that what we learn from our Full Moon experience (and we will learn something, or undergo something of a Sagittarian nature) may be something we’ve been dealing with, or been burdened with, for some time–and now we’re offered, if not a complete answer as to how to change things, a glimpse that assures us change is indeed on the way.

If we allow for a very generous, 5 degree orb, we can see a sort of chain reaction Fire Grand Trine, where the energy starts in the past, with the Moon’s recent trine to Mars in Leo (probably engaging us in emotional reflection on something we’ve recently done that was specifically for ourselves, for our benefit), and promising an upcoming revelation via Chiron in Aries (likely something centered on our wounds, especially wounds to the ego, our independence, or our autonomy, and how we can heal them). This is a dynamic of recognition of the emotional impacts of actions or choices very particular to us as individuals, and should offer a welcome resolution to a possible sense of guilt, selfishness, or just the feeling we’ve been too wrapped up in seeing to our own needs–we haven’t, it only feels that way.

We can also see a tidier Fire Grand Trine by substituting the Black Moon Lilith point for Mars–which gets us a Full Moon emotional reaction or intuition that leads to what’s been ignored, denied, or that’s enraged (BML) and then taking steps to heal this, or possibly to pull it out of storage and apply our gifts to it (Chiron).

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘The Great Pyramid And The Sphinx’. Symbols of great knowledge shrouded in mystery; time passed, and what was known was in part forgotten. What wisdom that you once centered yourself in has slipped away? Where do you feel yourself ‘off course’, in terms of what you know to be right for yourself? This speaks of Sedna, at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, at a bursting point in terms of a need for each of us to recognize what, deep inside, we know to be true. Sedna is sextile Venus, which in just a tic will be at 29 degrees itself, with the Sagittarian Moon, before leaving the sign, forming the apex to a Finger that Venus and Sedna will be the base of. This implies a near-future circumstance where each of us will see the resolution of what we ‘know but don’t know’ about a relationship or financial situation through either intuitive insight or an emotional reaction that prompts choice (Moon in a Fire sign).

We also look at the Sun for a Full Moon: ‘Bridging Physical Space And Social Distinctions, Two Men Communicate Telepathically’. Ah-ha! it’s the essence of the idea that we all know what’s going on with everyone else, we’re just too polite to read minds all the time! This may remind us that what we need to know (in fact, may be longing to know) is knowable–if we trust ourselves and refuse to muddy the picture with prejudicial filters or sentiments that skew reality.

All in all, though, this Full Moon energy will be brimming with a sense of needing to attend to things personally, and we may be feeling the loneliness of that obligation acutely. Reassure yourself that this perception that so much is on your shoulders is temporary–because it is–and consider that key to using this energy to the fullest is an emphasis on choice: you choose how to employ it, and that means all things aren’t your responsibility, only those you have direct knowledge of, command of the facts around, and the personal energy and authority (that is, the right) to do something about.

A Question of History: Was England’s Richard III a Victim of Ceres?

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I’ve done a series of articles over the years on different historical mysteries, always titled ‘A Question of History’; this one first appeared in a 2014 issue of ECLIPSE.

Periodically I like to inspect historical personages and events taking an astrological perspective, so when I ran across an article (in The New Statesman, and no longer available online) on England’s Richard III and a potential allergy, I had to check it out, particularly considering the way Ceres is becoming more and more obviously prominent in instances of allergy, sensitivity, and in autoimmune diseases of all kinds—I wanted to see if Richard’s famous change of demeanor after excusing himself for a strawberry feast  during a council meeting of 13 June 1483 was possibly related to just such a reaction. If so, it may have had history-affecting consequences, as Richard’s fear that he may have been poisoned or the victim of witchcraft (there is even a suggestion that ingesting a massive number of strawberries may have caused the withering effect to one arm that we heretofore had believed through eyewitness description was a birth defect) led him to lash out against those who might take the crown—including his nephews, better known as ‘The Princes in the Tower’, Edward V of England, for whom Richard was acting as Protector, and his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (at the time the Tower of London was not yet used exclusively as a prison; the boys were lodged there, under guard and for their protection, so the story goes). After the strawberry incident, Richard announced he was taking the crown for himself and the boys ‘disappeared’; his suspicion of even his closest allies planted the seeds for the difficulty of his reign and the horrible reputation that follows him to this day.

Richard III is believed to have been born 2 October 1452 Julian Calendar 9:02 AM LMT (time is certain) Northhamptonshire England. Times of 9 AM and 7 AM have also been put forward, but the time of 9:02 was deduced by astrologer Martin Harvey in the British Astrological Journal Spring 1967, “Time deduced from a 1452 account in Latin, October 2, 1452 OS, 9:15 AM LAT” as per Astrodatabank.

Right away we notice the Scorpio Ascendant sextile Juno (which body I’ve conjectured before may in a man signal a sense of Self-completion, as in not feeling the need for complementary energies, which means the psyche has no room for another—it’s a placement, then, of total Self-empowerment that claims the right to do as he pleases—because no one, and so no other viewpoint, figures in). The apex to the Finger created is the Earth-retro Mars conjunction in Aries—certainly easy to associate this vanity/ ego uncertainty/ identity as a man as it manifested through the personality resulting in the death Richard suffered, as a Warrior at the Battle of Bosworth Field, with blows to the head (Aries) so hard that his crown was driven into his skull (and we know this as his remains, verified by mitochondrial testing of two of his sister’s descendants compared to the DNA found, identified the skeleton discovered under a UK car park in 2012 as definitively his).

But was he susceptible to Mother Nature? Wow, was he ever! Ceres sits at 29 Libra 11, under stress and hidden just inside the 12th and a hair above the start of the 1st House; it’s the T-arm of a wide Vesta-Uranus opposition, suggesting that stress from Nature shows up in erratic and sudden behaviors that are contrary to the highest values. Ceres is the body of latest degree; it implies that all matters end in some sort of ‘reaction’, be it in relation to his sense of authority, his boundaries, his negotiating power, or his interaction with Nature.

‘Strawberries in a Basket‘ By Joseph Decker 1887 {{PD}}

Ceres is quincunx the natal Taurus Moon in the 7th; the Moon is another indicator of sensitivity, in Taurus implying a sensitivity to the environment and particularly to food and atmosphere (and of course the meeting where the impressive change to his demeanor occurred was in mid-June, a high point for strawberries and every other blooming thing!) Placement in the 7th suggests that Richard may have had a very reactive personality, emotionally and intuitively hypersensitive to others, and this is reiterated by the Moon’s opposition to Venus in the 1st.

Richard’s Ceres is also conjoined a 00 Scorpio Mercury (lungs, nerves, highly sensitive to what’s communicated, and at 00 he’s just learning to deal with this in a Scorpionic fashion). The asteroid also sextiles the North Node (while not driving the destiny, it easily figures in), trines Jupiter, ruler of the 2nd (the Ceres nature affects his relationship with the social sphere, his knowledge—indicating potential for the mind and reasoning to be affected by any reaction—and his grasp of the ‘Big Picture’), and is widely conjoined Saturn, again emphasizing the impact of the surrounding reality via Ceres. We also see his Mars in Aries conjoined his Earth, both in the 6th of health, yet again showing the importance of the environment and his own choices and actions on the health picture. This is not to mention the Grand Trine of Ceres, Jupiter, and the South Node, which does suggest that knowledge from the past, lessons learned, would guide ‘reaching out’ efforts and attempts to widen his authority and influence—and this is something that probably initially went very right for him, getting him to the position he enjoyed in June of 1483.

A look at the transits on the day of Richard’s strawberry feast include the Sun fresh in sensitive Cancer trine his Ceres-Mercury, and Saturn at 00 Scorpio conjoined his Mercury, highlighting nervous sensitivity to the material world; transiting Zeus is exact conjoined his Pluto (destructive desires!); transiting Ceres trines his Saturn (again, the influence of Nature made manifest), transiting Eris widely conjoined his Earth-Mars (irritation!); and there were not one but three transiting bodies at 29 degrees during the day, if we include the Virgo Moon (at 29 degrees for a noon chart, so perfect for an allergic reaction) as well as Jupiter and Pallas, all impacting natal Ceres, expanding the potential for sensitivity and reaction, and this in turn having an impact on the common sense and wisdom of the individual (Pallas)—and with Jupiter in the mix, we might consider the reaction could’ve been extreme, even potentially fatal.

There is one other thing: a natal aspect of the 24th Harmonic of 105 degrees (popularly termed the Squine, as it’s halfway between a square and a trine!) between Richard’s Zeus and his Ceres and Mercury. Though some feel there’s no reliable interpretation to be applied to this aspect, I believe that’s generally so because enough astrologers haven’t observed it in action for a long enough time to find consistent characteristics. We must keep in mind, too, that Ceres is not just about one’s interaction with Nature; it’s also about one’s sense of authority and interaction with those who hold authority, concerns boundaries and the propensity to overstep them, and applies to one’s negotiative abilities. If Richard’s Ceres was ‘triggered’ by strawberry consumption, and this affected the thinking (Mercury), then too it could’ve affected the ambitions and desires (Zeus)—and as we know, when the ambitions are touched by fear such as may have occurred with a biological reaction interpreted as poisoning or an occult attack, then it wouldn’t be surprising for the ‘victim’ to have grabbed as much power and control for himself as possible in a bid to insure his own safety, leading to the ominous and still unanswered disappearance of two little boys, and changing the course of a kingdom.“

The Princes in the Tower By John Everett Millais 1878 {{PD}}

Addendum on the Princes in the Tower: Though we still can’t be sure what was the fate of the two princes, the bones of two children were discovered in the Tower in 1674; these were re-buried in Westminster Abbey, which now refuses to allow disinterment and testing to see definitively if these were the nephews of Richard III. And the mystery continues.

Your Week Ahead + The New Moon in Taurus: The Right Magic

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Ambigram Magic Dream – mirror symmetry with a handheld pattern giving a reversed shadow on a blue wall. Photo By Basile Morin Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

I don’t think we should be looking at the upcoming New Moon (perfecting 19 May at 8:53 AM PDT at 28 Taurus 25) as a singular event; instead I see it as a moment made possible by the way these next few days flow into it. I’m seeing a chance for some to make dreams come true (Neptune-Mars trine), particularly in an area where crisis seems to dominate at the moment; I’m also seeing the possibility that, with the right attitude and moves, we can create an outcome that is more than the sum of its parts, giving the whole thing an aura of rightness and magic. So where should we be looking on the way to the New Moon that will make the best of the current influences?

First we note some crisis energies in play: Sedna in Taurus, and Mars in Cancer, both at 29 degrees. Sedna will actually be conjoined by the New Moon, and with these four bodies in sextile we have the base for a Finger of God. Though one doesn’t exist in the current picture, it may in the individual one, for those with a natal placement at 27 Sagittarius to 1 Capricorn. The Lunar event may act as either trigger or a conclusion that opens the way for a new beginning around our ability to access instincts and to act or choose according to those instincts or things we ‘know but don’t know’–or it may force action around something in our ‘blind spot’ that simply can’t be ignored any longer (and this may be something we aren’t aware of, but once revealed, may feel we should have known about)–and this is a condition everyone may face. For those who have a natal point forming the apex to a temporary Finger, the resolution of these actions and choices will have the character of the natal planet, and will be acted out via some combination of point energies, point House placement, or matters of the House that body rules.

With a New Moon in Taurus the senses are heightened (and this can be both pleasurable and off-putting, as in, for example, the case of ‘bad odors’ either literal or psychic, or as when you partake of a tasting menu that you’ll swear is the ‘best food you’ve ever eaten’), and this Moon brings new starts by way of realizations around material resources, artisanal pursuits, comfort, security, stability, and in matters where persistence is a necessity. Apply this, then, to the aspects the New Moon makes: to the sextiles already mentioned, making for intuitively or emotionally informed action and choice, to the Finger, if applicable, to an out-of-element trine to Pluto in Aquarius (changes may be bigger or more permanent than we realize at the time, made at an intellectual level, or in the name of modernization or in order to take one’s place in the avant garde), a semi-square to Venus, which rules the New Moon (we enter NM territory with the negative facets of relationships, finances, or values emphasized in our worldview), and another sextile, this one to Neptune in Pisces (illusion, delusion, creativity, or idealism influences the new start–and this is part of a Water Grand Trine involving Mars and Earth=emotions find stability and possibly expression through needed action to take things from the creative imagination and materialize them).

Mercury just turned direct, and Jupiter just entered Taurus, meaning that our lead-up to the New Moon will be full of ‘new’ information, facts, or revelations about subjects we already thought we knew well. The atmosphere may be one where we ‘want more’ and think we know how to get it–but success must take into account material realities and real-world circumstances, and if those are missing our efforts may be less than effective. There’s also a Grand Square which applies to the Moon via involvement of the Lunar South Node, and also involving Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars=long-term conflicts from the past may feel unsolvable, but in taking action and making changes that align with the facts we can break the impasse and, if not solve all the conflicts, at least reconstitute the issues in new forms that may be less toxic or persistent.

So where does the magic come from? A Mystic Rectangle of Sun-Moon-Sedna, Mars, Pluto, and Earth. We can use that fresh New Moon energy to move some pretty big energies around, ones that under other circumstances may make us feel tired just thinking about trying to alter or manipulate–but for this occasion, we have that wonderful Mystic Rectangle synergy that does the heavy lifting for us–and can result in the re-making of our efforts in ways that use intuition, feeling, and the senses to create a much more potent ‘flow’ than we normally could. Be aware, though, that these changes, if not permanent, will be significant and serious, so proceed with a clear and honorable intent.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘Two Cobblers Working At A Table’. The image suggests that our efforts might best be employed in areas where we already hold skills, especially ones that are practical and/ or call for cooperation. We also look at the Earth (it seems to flesh out the picture from its opposing viewpoint): ‘An Indian Squaw Pleading To The Chief For The Lives Of Her Children’. Here we see someone with less power pleading with someone who holds more power (maybe all power) not for sparing her own life but those of her offspring. It’s maternal altruism that may be in our DNA–imperative that our progeny survive, even if we don’t. And don’t mistake this for negotiation–for that both sides need to have some power–here only one does. This may suggest that the origins of our New Moon experience may lie in a situation where we either held all the power or none of it–and where one party or the other was hoping to further their cause, and perhaps to have an impact on the future. This symbol describes what leads us to the New Moon event–but it may have some long-ago origins, even in circumstances we’ve largely forgotten, until now.

Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio May 2023 What We Resist

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Kimono fabric from Japan, early 20th century, silk, yuzen (paste resist, hand painting), Honolulu Museum of Art
Photo By Hiart 2012 CC0 1.0

The Lunar eclipse (Full Moon) perfects at 10:34 AM PDT of the 5th, with a rather wide opposition pattern involving the Sun (of course), cupped by Vesta on one side and Uranus on the other, with this axis squared by the Black Moon Lilith point. Lunar energy is emotional energy and intuitive knowing, with a Full Moon bringing conclusions and realizations. In Scorpio Lunar perceptions naturally become restless; there’s a need to dig, to refuse to accept surface feeling as genuine (or at least, as revealing the entire emotional picture). This Moon placement can ‘smell’ the depths, the hidden nuances in communicated feeling–so when the Moon moves through Scorpio, secrets are not likely to stay secret for long–especially when an eclipse wipes away what may have been a camouflaging reality.

What seems to be obvious, in the sunlight for all to see, is swept aside in favor of an in-depth, Scorpionic Truth–the group of which we’re a member, our academic or intellectual standing or prowess, our unique approach, revolutionary ideas, or individual talents, all that we honor or find sacred–the eclipse brings forward some (possibly uncomfortable) realities involving these things. Be prepared to find that your real-life role (or real-life feeling) is much different than you’ve been telling yourself and others it is. This eclipse delivers an emotional shock that is also a ‘get out of jail (or the situation) free’ card, if we’re wise enough to see that what’s revealed is genuine, and that what we’ve been telling ourselves isn’t.

But there’s a rebellious energy in the air, thanks to Uranus, the kind of knee-jerk resistance that arises without thought in response to those areas/ illusions we have an emotional need to protect, and this reactivity is only exaggerated in the presence of Vesta, with her high ideals and strong commitment. Nobody wants to see that what they thought was worth their devotion really isn’t. The Black Moon Lilith created T-square presents us with what we are in denial of, what we’ve been ignoring, or what enrages us made visible through some sort of conflict–likely the conflict, largely internal, that comes about when what we think we know or are is challenged by what is.

There’s also a rough Fist of God with base of Venus square Neptune, apex the Lunar eclipse, that suggests again illusions around something we love being challenged by the feeling picture shown us by the eclipse–or is it that the illusion is rent when Love doesn’t conform to our ideal? In either case, we get to the emotional truth of the matter–the only issue is whether we’ll believe what is revealed.

The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘Children Playing Around Five Mounds Of Sand’. There are many possible associations that can be made with the number five, but for our purposes I’d like to talk about the 5-pointed star, with each point referring to the elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) and the fifth to Spirit. This is the environment we’re all born into, one made up of these elements, with ourselves as the fifth, spiritual aspect of the experience. And certainly, play is what occurs in the physical world as we come to know it–so what does this say about the current eclipse? The image adds something essential to the physical picture of existence, something we might almost consider as another element: that of Time, symbolized by the flowing, uncapturable nature of sand–not to mention its function in the earliest of timepieces. I think the image is reminding us that time is ever-moving, inevitably changing everything eventually, and its the timeless nature of the Universe that we may not be thinking of right now–we may instead be focused on ourselves and our roles, as if these are the be all and end all. So, the idea may be not to take what occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and Moon too seriously. Instead see it as a reminder that we are, in the end, timeless Beings ourselves.

The Sabian for the Sun is, ‘Head Covered With A Rakish Silk Hat, Muffled Against The Cold, A Man Braves A Storm’. This image always reminds me of a Toulouse-Lautrec litho. Once more I think the image relates to our focus on ourselves and our worldly role–and how the Earth coming between the Sun and Moon interrupts with a shadow experience our concepts about ourselves and our place. Resistance, as we all know, is futile; take an attitude of play, and enjoy the time you’re here!

A Note Or Two For You

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Dietmar Rabich

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Norderney, Nordsee am Oststrand — 2016

The outlook today, in that valley between eclipses, is just as uncertain, and volatile, as we might expect. The thing that jumps out at me is the way Uranus and a retro Mercury are sextile Mars=sudden, rash words or actions, thoughts that become choices almost before we know it, revolutionary ideas that shouldn’t be acted on right now (they’ll need a re-think, come Merc direct), and the urge to fight, maybe literally, or maybe with the idea that one’s thoughts are more progressive or modern and so need (aggressive) sharing, may come about. There’s also the way Venus sits at the Merc/ Mars midpoint, suggesting that our targets will be those people or things we genuinely care about–uh-oh. Proceed with extreme caution, as this can all occur very quickly–and if you have a natal point or planet at 13-17 Sagittarius, you are most likely to express the base energies to this Finger of God via the subjects of the contacted body–and you may be laser-like in thinking this needs to be said/ done! Try to lean in to the Cancer Moon, which is headed toward contact with Mars; if you can keep the importance of feelings and the need to caretake in mind, you’ll be a lot less likely to misstep.

Jupiter and Eris in Aries are together, and they’re square Pallas in Cancer–again, not terribly positive. The smart thing to do is remember that you care–difficult in the face of public outcry, exaggerating sh*t stirrers, and the strong temptation to put the Self and Self’s ‘knowledge’ (really beliefs) first. Don’t forget, though, that disturbances reflect already extant issues–so maybe the approach that this is an opportunity for revealing problems and cleansing the outlook is best adopted.

The Sun is also sextile Saturn, making us too aware of reality’s hard edges–so be kind, to yourself and others–it’s not as bad as it seems.

I’m taking some brief time away from the blog and social media (to write! So not exactly getting off the computers!) but will be back in time for the Lunar eclipse. All comments will be answered, and orders fulfilled, when I return to this machine 🙂 See you then, and as Bill and Ted used to say, Be excellent to each other!

Mercury Retrograde 21 April 2023 What, Again?

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‘The Thistle Flower House’ By Paul Klee {{PD}}

Merc in Taurus pauses mid-sign and plows in apparent backward motion at 1:35 AM PDT of the 21st, and our feeling may be deja vu all over again: It’s retrograde, again, already? *Sigh* We may be buried in ennui, as the moment of retrograde comes just minutes after the Moon passes over Mercury, conflating thinking and feeling, and confusing intuition and information. The topic is Taurean, but such a blend of mixed communications and emotions could leave us feeling insecure, unsure of those material supports we normally rely on, uncomfortable, and feeling we lack nourishment (especially nourishment of the mind).

The first aspect formed in Merc’s retreat will be a sextile to Mars in Cancer, suggesting that out of the confusion and sense of lack around the retro point emerges actions spurred by or that demonstrate caring. Whatever we go through with Merc’s turnaround inspires efforts, probably along the lines of making the environment better for ourselves or others. Material comforts may become a refuge at this point–take a Cancerian approach and soothe yourself with a few indulgences, the kind that speak to the part of us that needs to feel safe and nurtured, the part that needs to feel mothered/ Part of this retro period may be about seeking out those who are willing to, on occasion, offer that sort of unconditional kindness and support, or being willing to offer it ourselves (best course of action in offering or accepting nurture: do the opposite of your usual–if you normally receive support, reach out and give some yourself, and if you’re one of us who finds it hard to accept caretaking, open your arms wide–you’ll be surprised by who and what fills them!)

With the retro happening in Earth, we get the chance to reconsider what it is that we think we need to feel prosperous, to feel secure, to feel entrenched, but in a good way, a way that supports our creativity and forays out into the world. Merc’s retro mission is always to make sure you don’t think of things the same way by the time he goes direct again, and with his journey starting in (and remaining in) the Earth sign Taurus, we’re likely to re-think our resource and sustenance situation, to rearrange our world, to change our opinions, tastes, and practices so that we end up with a greater sense of security and comfort. It’s important we remember that, during a Merc retro, we can’t rely on the mind for totally accurate perceptions of the world; that’s why using the feelings to guide is not only vital, but able to offer the ‘missing pieces’ of the information pie.

It can help to examine the Sabian for the start of the period, if only to orient us to the tone matters might take. Here it’s, ‘An Old Teacher Fails To Interest His Pupils In Traditional Knowledge’. Are we surprised that we’ll be looking for something new? We shouldn’t be; if Mercury had continued on its previous direct course, it would’ve met Uranus as its next contact. That effectively means that the entire retro is a dance away from and then eventually back to an explosion of Uranian energy, which combined with Mercury suggests revolutionary (for us) thoughts. In direct motion Mercury conjoins Uranus on 4 June–mark your calendars, in more than one way there could be fireworks.

So what starts out as a frustrating stalemate, a re-hash where we’re no clearer on our feelings than we were pre-retro, becomes a revelatory experience–but be aware, this will take time to develop, so give things lots of leg room, lots of freedom to grow and change, and don’t look for any conclusions/ definitive answers before that early June date.

Don’t forget the Solar eclipse of the 19th, poised to wipe the slate clean and set the background noise (and sometimes the main attraction) for the coming 6 months.

Solar Eclipse in Aries April 2023: Who We Were

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Binu.mhp Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 2019

An eclipse is a time when what was, at least in one area of our lives, is erased, and with a Solar eclipse (also known as a New Moon) we see this eliminated material replaced by or clearing the way for a spark, a seed, something new, something just beginning. The eclipse makes room in our lives for the birth of a new entity, endeavor, event, or circumstance that holds the character of the sign in which the eclipse occurs, and takes the shape of the House in the natal chart where the eclipse falls. That means for all of us there will be a similar, sign-oriented flavor to what happens, but that for each of us the eclipse material will take a unique and personal form.

This Solar event occurs at 9:12 PM PDT of the 19th. Since we already had a New Moon in Aries this year (on 21 March at 00), we may be wondering about the way the impetus for new beginnings of a similar, Arian kind is duplicated, as if we get a do-over, and in a way that’s what we’re getting. To immodestly quote myself from the post for the 21st: “A New Moon at the Aries Point is the most bare, exposed, fresh, even raw of beginnings, a seminal point of germination, discovery, inception, origination. In Aries we have initiation, both in the sense of the start of something new, and in the sense of being brought or accepted into something–both are personal, in that they are happening to the individual, but one speaks of a new venture, occurrence, or climate, while the other speaks of something that exists already, into which we enter and become a part. At the Aries Point, we are the Initiate; expect to become, to gain an aspect of identity that you did not carry before, and that you probably won’t be able to anticipate.”

So, we were given a beginning so completely fresh that it was likely without definitive form–and what will Aries do with such energy? Shape the hell out of it; it’s all about becoming, the process of individuation, the formation of identity, and employing that Cardinal energy to impress ourselves and our Will upon the world. We were probably just beginning to get a handle on these new implications for identity and role when along comes the eclipse–uprooting those tender seedlings and making one thing abundantly clear: the identity we were constructing is inadequate to completely express who we are, with the eclipse at 29 degrees suggesting 1) it’s imperative we recognize that what we’ve chosen is not enough, in some sense, and 2) that it’s important we acknowledge we know a whole lot more than we did back in March–oh, how far we’ve come!–and the roles we’re creating for ourselves must take into account all we’ve learned–otherwise, what we create will be obsolete before we even get started.

A Sun-Moon meeting at the 29th degree carries its own message: this is a crisis. The feeling may be that we’ve been wrestling with these identity factors for a long time, and should be farther along. We feel we have to do something. There’s an emotional dissonance in the identity department that we’ll need to recognize. And all that begs the question: why aren’t we more clear on who we are? The answer is: a state of crisis is Self-defining (we find out who we are in a pinch) and that some hindsight will be necessary before we can get a true and accurate reflection of who we have become in the Self-image mirror of the mind.

The eclipse makes few contacts, though it’s conjoined Vesta in Taurus; this clues us in to the fact that what we’re dealing with now in shaping the ‘I Am’ is both sacred and fundamental to our security, prosperity, and comfort. We’re not just being asked to declare ourselves, we’re being asked to put forward what we stand for, to state explicitly what and who we honor, and what we are willing to dedicate our life energy to. The seriousness of this identity declaration may be the source of the tension and the feeling of crisis. We’re at some level aware of how important it is at this time to know ourselves; to fail to define our identity and character is to fail to prepare ourselves for what’s to come. That said, the world doesn’t come to an end if we remain unsure of our feelings or identity–but it does move forward, whether we’re prepared or not.

The New Moon makes a semi-sextile to Sedna in Taurus at 29 degrees (crisis around comfort, security, stability, prosperity), suggesting that instincts can aid us in our identity quest, and that the instinctual nature will transmit messages through discomfort or an ‘off’ feeling–listen to those. There’s also a novile to Venus in Gemini, implying a spark of genius in the thinking, when it’s centered on values or the mind is focused on seeing the beauty (or the profit) in the world. And the Sun-Moon/ Earth axis forms a T-square with Pluto, itself still raw, newly entered into Aquarius, suggesting that transformation won’t be easy–but that it’s inevitable, and that we, and the landscape, won’t reach the Lunar eclipse with the same outlook, or even wearing the same identity ‘shell’ (like a label, role, or job title).

The eclipse Sabian is, ‘A Duck Pond And Its Brood’. This brings to mind the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’, which is a tale of finding one’s identity–and also one’s group. It may be that, if we’re really stumped about our own identity, looking around, examining who and what we’re surrounded by, will give valuable clues–as we must know who we are in the present to know what must change to create our new identity, which in turn creates our future. A bit of a ‘duck and egg’ thing, I think.

It may be a matter of the eclipse wiping out who we were (or our idea of who we were) in favor of something hinted at with the New Moon of March 21st, now ready to be born, to be revealed, or to be realized. A kind of denouement may arrive with the Lunar eclipse–until then, we do our best to put the pieces together, and to understand as well as we can who we are, and to move toward who we want to become.

Here’s a good explanation of a hybrid eclipse– The kind of eclipse we experience doesn’t change the astrological effects, but we can’t overlook the symbolism of, in this case, a hybrid event. It suggests something changeable–that then changes back. It hints that permanent change promised by Pluto may at least appear not to ‘stick’–it may morph back to a previous state, before again changing. Just be prepared to witness fluctuation in our perceptions, and to stay nimble enough that we can respond to what we might not fully anticipate.

And here’s a link that describes paths of upcoming eclipses that will be visible in North America-– many thanks to reader John Spirko for sharing this..

Full Moon 5 April 2023 The Empowering Wound

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‘Satan Watching the Caresses of Adam and Eve’ By William Blake 1808 {{PD}}

I’ll be away from my computer until next week. Please be patient–I’ll do my best to answer comments and fill orders when I return.

The Full Moon arrives on the 5th at 9:34 PM PDT at 16 Libra 07, delivering conclusions about or making clear our relationships with others, particularly those tender parts that persist as wounds. Here’s the thing about wounds: we tend to fixate on the apparent perpetrator of the injury, but the reality is, a situation involving hurt is under our control at all times. Does that mean the person isn’t responsible for the transgression? No, but it does mean that we were vulnerable to them in that area, open in such a way that we allow their actions or opinions to impact us. Does that imply we should never open ourselves to others? Of course not–but it does mean that we either 1) made a poor choice in whom to trust, or 2) need to reassess our own sensitivity levels concerning the input of others. With the first, well, we (hopefully) learn our lesson; with the latter, we may need to review just what has been triggered in us, and whether that’s truly a valid reaction. It may be a matter of perspective: if we realize that what’s really been violated is our own expectation, then we are free to re-align our vision toward a more accurate picture of the situation, and the relationship.

This Full Moon promises revelations along these lines, with the Moon-Earth in Libra opposed the Sun-Chiron conjunction in Aries (placing a spotlight on the responsibility of the individual in areas of wounds and the act of wounding) suggesting that the most potent of injuries (and the most compulsive hurts delivered to others) reside in matters of identity and role. It may also be that we or others need so badly to justify how we see ourselves that we are blinded to the way we are hurting or being hurt. It may be that the disturbances to relationships are, at least in part, reflecting back to us discrepancies in who we think we are vs. who we actually are as revealed by behavior and choices. It’s a sometimes bitter pill, to realize that we aren’t quite who we imagine ourselves to be–and yet, such knowledge is necessary if we are to make the most of our talents and relationships.

The Full Moon also quincunxes Uranus-Juno in Taurus, telling us that the uncomfortable or irritating may require spontaneous response, or may bring shocking or unexpected developments (especially in areas of material welfare or comforts), but that if successfully answered, will bring empowerment. This may be a situation where we’re thinking we’re focused on the prickly connections of relationships, but have something sprung on us that offers us more autonomy or control–and maybe this is able to happen only because we are distracted tending our wounds or trying to repair a fall out. Or, there’s revelation around a group that ostensibly supports us but that may or may not serve our empowerment needs–and then there’s the possibility that we must choose, between the health of a relationship (Libra) and our own individual empowerment needs (Uranus-Juno).

There’s also a loose squine from the Full Moon to Pluto, spanky new in Aquarius. Since we’re prone to take an intellectual approach in Aquarius, we may believe it’s time for some housekeeping, for sweeping the slate clean in some regard–but that can be a very harsh approach to emotional matters, with the aspect telling us that this attitude has both an up and a down side, so proceed with great care in the elimination department, as removals may be more permanent than we imagine.

One thing I’d like to add is a note on the opposition of Ceres in Virgo to Neptune in Pisces. Though not in contact with the Full Moon, this pairing suggests an atmosphere where we already have a critical eye on our own personal sense of authority, and that this is in direct conflict to what we consider our ideal. It can mean that relationship matters, and particularly our part in them, have been under consideration for quite some time–and the Full Moon simply brings them to a head, likely through a minor but unanticipated event or interaction. It can also mean that we’ve recently been over-critical with ourselves, prone to compare our real world interactions with an impossible-to-attain perfection that never was and never will be.This atmosphere may be ripe for a wounding scenario–but consider how much of that hurt is simply coming from ourselves, from a misjudgement where we may, consciously or not, contend we ‘deserve’ it. No, we don’t.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Retired Sea Captain Watches Ships Entering And Leaving The Harbor’. The image presents a knowledgeable observer monitoring the kind of comings and goings which they once commanded. That implies that in some important way, what we see/ learn at this Full Moon is something we are already removed from, but have the experience to understand completely. And maybe that’s the point: that only hindsight can offer a truly impartial assessment of what happens. It also suggests that, in some important way, we may be past the actual impact, the wounding, itself, and are only now reacting to it–which again may point us toward the necessity of reviewing our own sensitivities and the reasons for them. The Sun’s Sabian is, ‘Two Dignified Spinsters Sitting In Silence’. When we consider that the Sun is the light source for the Moon, and so for this event, we may see that there is a certain commonality in interaction; that is, that one can’t be hurt without an Other–and yet the Other is in the same position, subject to the same conditions that are rooted in our solitary existence, in the difficulty of genuinely communicating, of truly understanding others. This image, I think, counsels compassion, and urges us to look for our likenesses, rather than our differences. Too, the image may imply that this is a comfortable silence–an acknowledgment, perhaps, of our ability to know one another without ever exchanging a word.

Pluto Into Aquarius: A Very Personal Acid Trip

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‘Trippy’ By Psychonaught {{PD}}

What does Pluto feel like in Aquarius? An acid trip, a break-you-down-to-build-you-up health spa or boot camp, disintegration of the Higher Mind, a tunnel lined with swirly colors, the Grim Reaper in tie-dye, seeing life through a ‘now or never’ lens, Understanding delivered through destruction or transformation, the Intellect exploring the depths of existence (and so perhaps traumatized though somewhat removed from direct experience of those depths), a crowd going dangerously wild, a group experience that helps you discover the ‘true’ individual role or even the emergence of a leader, and there’s always the possibility that, especially early in the transit, we get the destructive side of things without immediately seeing the restoration or rebuilding, as in the context of revolution or rebellion.

In Aquarius Pluto attunes the mind to Plutonian energies. It’s a little like that saying, ‘If you’ve got a hammer, everything looks like a nail’, but in this case it may be ‘When you find one thing that needs to be eliminated, you may start to think everything has to go!’ Extremes are always a danger with Pluto, but especially so when the god of the Underworld moves through Air, as that changes thinking. We saw massive changes around relationships when Pluto was in Libra (1971-1984), when the critique developed under Virgo led to the destruction of old stigmas around relationships (such as assumptions around divorce or single parenthood), with the proof found in a soaring divorce rate, single parents by choice, couples living together rather than tie the knot, and a worshiping Wall Street mentality that for some substituted one Libra subject, Money, for another, Love.

Pluto in Aquarius brings a disintegrative quality to academic forms of knowledge; the conclusions we’ve drawn from study, experimentation, and observing via the scientific method somehow evolve or don’t hold. With Pluto in the very last degrees of Capricorn we’ve seen Artificial Intelligence surge to the foreground, applied in ways we didn’t anticipate, that cause fear or misunderstanding, and that threaten, at least in the minds of some, to extinguish human thought and creativity as irrelevant. Never fear; we’re only seeing exploration of extremes, a backlash to the perception of intellectual (and other) limits that was a constant theme with Pluto in Cap.

What practical effects might we see? Ones where change is instituted most effectively by group effort–we may learn the importance of banding together, and of choosing the most appropriate leader in any situation. We might also see a more pervasive appreciation of the sciences and simultaneously revolutionary changes in both our assumptions about what makes up the Universe and in effective application of what is known and proven. Changes to our ability to understand everything in our lives, both individually and Collectively, are on the agenda, and we’re guaranteed to emerge into Pluto in Pisces with a much less restrictive view of our Universe, an understanding that truly opens the creative imagination. We may also come to understand that change itself doesn’t require a revolution; it can happen at the quantum level, with our perceptions of the energy expenditure to make things different becoming much less literal hands-on, and much more propelled by the energy of intent.

We may come to anticipate Death as an adventure, an exploration of what consciousness can perceive and experience, rather than seeing it as the end of physical existence, and there may be a kind of perceptual melding of the Mind and Soul, so that we confuse and/ or venerate the two as one. This offers us an alternative to the idea that Pluto carries of finality, of endings that are irreversible, to the finiteness of all things, and may make us exquisitely sensitive to (and perhaps much more accepting of) the way change is the one constant, to be welcomed rather than mourned.

And we may form an entirely new, ‘modern’ concept of what Power truly is. That can only be a good thing, as we come to see that it’s not about controlling others or exerting our Will, but rather lives in the constancy and force inherent to Love, to Intention, and to an exercise of Will that sees it act as flowing water, soaking in where welcome, respectfully accommodating the immovable stones and blending seamlessly into already extant rivers. In that way our idea of Power becomes respectful of others, a cooperative one; never before has ‘Go with the flow’ had more, and more accurate, meaning, in terms of expressing ourselves and getting what we want, while still honoring others and what is.

Pluto is the agent of change that, in Aquarius, requires we embrace what’s modern and ‘new’–get ready, we’ll have plenty of chance to practice. This transit amounts to experiences that form a very personal and very specific lens through which to view the Universe, ones that may initially confuse, disorient, or completely take us outside what we know–and yet it will all be shaped by our own unique experiences– so try to enjoy!

New Moon in Aries 21 March 2023 A Raw Beginning

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‘In the Waves’ or ‘Ondine’ By Paul Gauguin 1889 {{PD}}

A New Moon at the Aries Point is the most bare, exposed, fresh, even raw of beginnings, a seminal point of germination, discovery, inception, origination. In Aries we have initiation, both in the sense of the start of something new, and in the sense of being brought or accepted into something–both are personal, in that they are happening to the individual, but one speaks of a new venture, occurrence, or climate, while the other speaks of something that exists already, into which we enter and become a part. At the Aries Point, we are the Initiate; expect to become, to gain an aspect of identity that you did not carry before, and that you probably won’t be able to anticipate.

The New Moon perfects at 10:23 AM PDT at 00 Aries 49 sits at the rough midpoint of the Pluto-Sedna trine, with the sextile to Pluto catching Saturn at its midpoint. Like nesting dolls the contacts are, at first glance, hidden beneath what appears to be a much more obvious aspect. A trine between Sedna and Pluto suggests ease of change, or transformation, or even destruction, but to a facet of the inner landscape: to the instincts, those things we ‘know but don’t know’ (with the obvious possibility that something like this will become conscious), or to those ‘blind spot’ materials or factors that everyone else can see, but for us is the critical ‘missing part’ to understanding a situation or relationship. Add Saturn, and we add the potential for materialization of this change, or the idea that we may try to make the change ourselves, only to meet barriers. If you do encounter limits, these will be Universe-provided ‘safety rails’ that future hindsight will reveal to have been blessings in disguise. Note, too, that matters around this aspect will have begun to coalesce before the New Moon–the Lunar event simply brings it to our attention, as either our intuition or feelings are stirred.

There’s a squine (that squirrely trine-square mash-up of 105 degrees) of the New Moon to Pallas in Cancer, notable not just because of the conflicting energies of positive and negative but because with both NM and Pallas in Cardinal signs, this might be the agent behind actions we take and choices we make–that is, one informed by the wisdom inherent in caring (Pallas in Cancer)–that is, the way what we care about, and the way we feel about it, automatically means we will approach it in the best way we know how. When we don’t want to mess things up, we invariably do what’s smartest (or what appears smartest to us!) There may be both the feeling one needs to do something, and that one wants to, but either this hasn’t been clear before or hesitation, for a variety of reasons, has kept the urge in stasis.

The New Moon is semi-square to Venus-Juno in Taurus, which are tightly conjoined (only two minutes apart), suggesting a little tension over resources, or conflict over what some (especially the partner) needs for comfort and security. The Lunar event will simply show that the need is unmet, and possibly not even recognized, before now. Smart money says pay attention to this–it’s the kind of thing that can grow beneath the surface and fuel big blow-ups later.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Woman Just Risen From The Sea; A Seal Is Embracing Her’. The connection to the goddess Sedna is apparent, so emphasizing Sedna’s place in the astrological equation. That’s the instinctual nature, those things we know in our bones but may not hold in consciousness, those things we are not cognizant of but are putting out into the world anyway–others see this, we don’t–and this affects our choices, actions, and relationships. This suggests to me that all of what happens now is coming directly from the primal and instinctual natures, and particularly applying to the way all of us live in (at least) two worlds: personal and public, professional and intimate, seen and secret, and so on. For more on the relevance of this symbol, you might enjoy “Sealskin, Soulskin’ from Dr. C.P. Estes’ book, ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’.

Don’t expect anything to have its final form; what happens at this New Moon is protean, in the sense that it’s so new in some way that it possesses an endless number of potential directions. Just know that this beginning may be raw, yet unformed, but certainly a herald of a whole new epoch.

Saturn In Pisces: Nailing Down the Dream

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‘Clouds in Finland’ By Konrad Krzyżanowski 1908 {{PD}}

Dreams get a roughly two and a half year long reality check, with Saturn, the planet of materiality and the passage of time, in Pisces, the sign of the ideal, the imagined, the ephemeral, the possible. We’ll see what dreams we can make our reality, and more importantly, how to bring them about, as Saturn offers organization, patience, and even some necessary compartmentalization, to the land of the creative and the hoped for. Our generative urges demand concrete forms, or the kind of realization that makes them tangible to others, while our ideals are measured, whether we intend to do any measuring or not, against what we’ve actually created in our lives. I don’t need to lecture you on how this is actually a gift, to be able to see our progress in an objective light–though at first it may make us rail against all the ways we’ve been prevented from moving forward, may depress us as we grasp just where we are, or inspire us in ways we hadn’t anticipated.

Saturn in Pisces may also bring an end to things that have drained us, as we dreamed and maybe held off living in the hope that the dream would rescue or remake, or if we mistook a fantasy for something sustaining, nourishing. This may feel like a loss, but it’s really an ending that’s gifting your own energy back to you. Taking responsibility for our own powerful creative force will be a prime requirement during this period, and we do so with the caveat that we must use Self-discipline, boundaries, limits, rules, logic, and stay connected to reality, in order to succeed.

If Saturn is moving through the bottom half of your flat chart (1st-6th Houses), you are in a period of development; don’t expect to easily go public with your efforts at this time–to the outside world, it may appear as if you are still ‘growing’ in that area. If Saturn is in the upper half of your flat chart (7th-12th), then what you do will be seen, and you’ll be judged on what shows. That means the whole thing has the tone of an audition, or something where you must prove yourself–so make sure you put forward your best.

Saturn was last in Pisces roughly early 1994-early 1996. If you’re old enough to remember that time, review it, because it’s not uncommon for the same challenges, issues, or concerns to come forward again–sometimes dressed up differently (sometime even unrecognizably, at first), but the underlying matter is essentially the same. And if you recall early 1964-early 1967, take a look at what was going on for you then, too. We can learn a great deal from the patterns the planets present us, because we’ll be acting within and reacting to those same energies on a periodic basis–and how better to get perspective on our own responses?

This isn’t just a period of personal development, though. We can expect to become familiar with what I’d like to call the Rules of the Unreal: we’ll learn to gauge how much and what kind of effort it takes to bridge (and so affect) factors in our agreed-upon reality with those of our Collective agreed-upon spirituality, which naturally will include cultural and Nature-based collective events. Look at your 12th House, natally and particularly what may be transiting through it during Saturn in Pisces, for hints as to what your role might be, or what mass experience you might be caught up in. This is manifestation as a species–but as with any big occurrence, these events and trends will impact each individual in their own, unique ways.

The House Saturn is transiting is always a place where we’re meeting matters of Self-discipline, restrictions, and costs head-on; the House in the natal chart that holds Pisces is the House where we are most likely to ‘float’, become unconnected to reality, to dream and match those dreams to our ideals, and to attempt, in the areas described by the House, to express our creative nature. Now that the two are together, it can at times be a recipe for our most inappropriate efforts toward Self-expression, whether that’s in our own particular brand of bucking the rules or in our attempt to create without a full understanding of the reality we’re trying to mold. There may be an element of sacrifice called for, specific to each natal body contacted and the aspect made by Saturn as it transits the sign. Pisces inspires us to a world without limits; Saturn tells us just exactly what the price of the world will be.

Full Moon 7 March 2023 We’re Not in Oz Anymore

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Evolution of a Tornado.jpg
This image is created from eight images shot in two sequences as a tornado formed north of Minneola, Kansas on May 24, 2016. This prolific supercell went on to produce at least 12 tornadoes and at times had two and even three tornadoes on the ground at once.

JasonWeingart

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That dynamic of Earth and Moon in Virgo–framing emotional and material matters as practically-oriented, accountable, detail-aware, all with an eye to what will be produced (the harvest)–opposed the Sun in Pisces–the illumination of the creative, the ideals, of delusions and deceptions, of inspirations and dreams–is always one of learning how the two energies can be woven together, to support each other in ways that maximize their positive qualities. It takes organization, method, and attention to detail to successfully create, just as it takes an ideal against which to measure what one has built. The two ends of this axis, just like every other cross-pairing in the horoscope, at best work together to make a whole larger than the sum of their parts–or butt heads endlessly, as the critic and the dreamer find it impossible to connect.

This Full Moon, perfecting at 4:40 Am PST 7 March at 16 Virgo 40, enters into this necessary dialogue between the energies of the two ends of the axis obliquely, largely through a set of quincunxes to the Moon-Earth combo. In this instance I’d stretch the quincunx to about 3.5 degrees either side of exact, for the simple reason that the cluster of energies are themselves conjoined; it’s like the energies ricochet off one another, and in their blending then relate, more or less, to the Lunar event.

We’re counting Jupiter, Chiron, and Venus, all in Aries, as the pivotal players at this point. Those Virgoan Lunar energies funnel down to material matters (Earth) by what needs adjustment, what cries out for modification, what requires change by the fact of the friction the two ends of the aspect are creating. So, we see a Self or action-orientation (Aries) of the emotions (Moon) in areas of relationship or finances (Venus), in our response to wounds, especially long-standing ones (Chiron), and in both our place in the social arena and our attempts to exploit opportunity or expand our world (Jupiter). This can bring realization or the coalescing of a picture that’s been gathering for some time, one focused on who we are and how we feel about that image/ role in one or more of the aforementioned categories.

The Lunar energy is one that examines, and possibly critiques, these identity functions/ roles, but something we’ll need to remember is that the picture presented is an interpretation run through our emotional lens. Yes, we’ll be perusing material circumstances as ‘evidence’, but the reality is that what we see is derived from feelings, from our most vulnerable reactions to things, and not from any objective scenario. If we can remember that what we’re seeing is our own reaction to things that have made us feel very sensitive, to matters where we feel nakedly vulnerable, then we have a chance of gaining some perspective on ourselves, by looking carefully at what kind of reaction we’re having, or what interpretation we’re arriving at.

It’s no accident that the areas quincunx the Moon are some of the areas where we feel most exposed as individuals. The tender connections among our Self-esteem, our feelings, and our relationships (Venus–and don’t underestimate the impact finances can have on how we see and assess ourselves, either), our childhood wounds we still carry and often respond automatically to (Chiron), and the place we believe we fall in the ‘pecking order’ of life (Jupiter). All these are hyper-sensitive, and will be triggered, through some discomfort that comes forward, at the time of the Full Moon. These tornadoes, big or small, will lift us out of the world as we’ve seen it, distorted by our imaginings, and set us down somewhere solid, that we need to assess–all we’ll know for sure is that we’re not in Oz, anymore–but where will we be?

The trine from Uranus in Taurus to Moon-Earth, and a novile of the Full Moon to the Black Moon Lilith point, may explain things in a little more detail (something this Moon may demand!) Uranus suggests that either approaching things as an individual, solely responsible for oneself, or as part of a group, one of which you are actively a member, may be the best way to go–though only you will know which offers you better support. There is also the way Uranus might simply ‘spring’ our feelings on us–we may be going along, thinking we don’t care much one way or the other–then bam! The novile implies that Lunar events (which we might even classify as Lunar feelings) offer a way of uncovering what’s been ignored, denied, or hidden, or that has enraged us even as we’ve refused to respond, and that this is, in some way, genius, either in the brilliance of what it allows us to see, or in supplying a smart way to handle things that’s beyond what we might’ve come up with on our own.

This Full Moon, through the discomfort and gentle discord it engenders, lifts us out of some illusory way we’ve been existing, and takes us to a spot where we are better able to see ourselves clearly, to see what function (Virgo) we actually have, and what ways we actually serve (also Virgo). The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘A Volcanic Eruption’. So, upheaval, a combination of the Earth of Virgo and the flowing quality of Pisces–but we must remember this applies to a highly individual experience (Aries, the Uranus trine)–a Fire one, yes–but a volcano overwhelms, subsumes, and so destroys, while a tornado (my interpretation) can lift one up and put one down just as neatly; though certainly destructive, a tornado transports–and that’s a little more what I see, particularly with the quincunxes. Undoubtedly, some of you will have a fiery episode–this volcano’s for you!

We also look at the Sun for the ‘origin story’: ‘An Easter Parade’. Well, that’s unexpected! Is this image pinpointing a time in the near future, the Full Moon offering a ‘if things keep going as they are’ scenario, or is it more about pride? To be in a parade one literally displays something–a creation, a skill, a belief, an affiliation–they’re proud of, something they want to ‘show off’–perhaps this is pointing us toward Uranus and the uniqueness of each of us that, if it gets out of hand, can undermine precisely the kind of things we cherish most, those Venusian and Jupiterian experiences, as well as our attempts to heal what has been so badly marred (Chiron). This Full Moon requires us to have an experience of leaving one place (an illusory one, or one we no longer see with clarity) behind, and embrace critically where we then find ourselves–and it may be in our most unique qualities (Uranus) and our group and individual identities (Uranus, the Sun, Jupiter) that we’ll find ways to align ourselves with the new ‘territory’ we come to occupy.

Thought Experiment: For Or Against

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‘The Art of Stones’ By Rasheedhrasheed

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What are you, without the things you’re against? We sometimes focus so much on what we reject, hate, despise, that we neglect to define what we’re for, what we want to dedicate our lives to, what we’re striving to achieve. Don’t confuse the ‘wish list’ we put forward as ideal with defining those things we support; what we name as a ‘perfect’ version of ourselves is different (more or less, in most cases) than what we actually spend our time doing, supporting through action, choice, and attention. For instance, we might see ourselves as highly supportive of education in all its forms–but if we’re neither involved in educating others (which requires a certain level of knowledge/ expertise ourselves) or in actively gaining knowledge (as opposed to reinforcing what we already believe/ know), then we aren’t living that concept we see as part of what defines us. And there’s the further temptation to re-frame that as a kind of statement, such as ‘I hate ignorance’–but as we know, hating something we define as the opposite of our ideal doesn’t actually get us any closer to living that ideal, it only sends our energy and attention toward something we’ve already stated we don’t want more of. That’s irony in action.

There are a few places and bodies in the chart that can clue us in to ways we might be prone to mislead ourselves, in terms of aggravating a gulf between who we think we are, and who we are in our interactions with current, three-dimensional reality. First place to look might be the 7th House, the place we are most prone to project the energies it represents. It’s possible to see the negative sides of these in others, and never move on from there, believing, say, that Mercury there gives the experience of others who talk and talk and don’t think, for example, or that Pluto there shows us a darkness in others which we absolutely refuse to see as potentially in ourselves. It’s a matter of ownership: do you see those 7th House energies in all their dimensionality, and accept them as part of yourself? There’s also the possibility that you see the positive qualities of that body but are convinced they belong only to others–Uranus there may seem to grant everyone else freedom that it feels like you’re denied, or Venus there may make you feel like others are beautiful, fortunate, or in some way favored that you can only long to be.

Where Saturn sits, we may have the natural inclination to repress others or judge others, believing it’s the negative qualities of the sign we must rail against–and yet, if we are adequately disciplined and connected to reality ourselves, we are likely to find this judgmental need falling away. We lose the need to judge others (I don’t mean assess, use discernment, or recognize who they are, I mean condemn) when we learn kindness, when we are able to recognize commonalities–and when we can apply that kindness, that realization that we are human, to ourselves.

Neptune is famous for offering up delusions about who we are (especially if connected to the personal planets), but it also tells us what energies align with our genuine ideals, and it points us toward where our creative energy can not just best express, but flourish. Pluto, of course, can frighten, with the glimpse of the darkness it offers, even the threat of our own personal hell, but it can transform us with the way it can offer change, an energy for re-birth and re-making that feels massive and elemental, but that is malleable, when we accept its impact and then strive to shape inevitable change in a desired form.

Chiron, of course, points to the wound, the primal injury that must, if we’re to deal with it successfully, be excavated and recognized, owned and, hopefully, released. Vesta needs thorough examination specifically because it describes what we care about at a Universal, spiritual level; to understand the message of Vesta is to understand, on a most human and individual level, why we are here–or should I say, what we are here to do. As the representative of what we most want to dedicate our life energies to (and this may be literal, in matters described by the sign in which it sits) or symbolic, centering on a concept or value, Vesta can offer us a standard against which to measure every choice: does this resonate with how and where I wish to spend my life energy? If so, carry on! And, once Chiron is to some extent explored, Vesta energy can be combined with the gift that inspection of Chiron will illuminate, the highly specialized thing that only you can offer the world in that very precise way–and you end up with a solid recipe for a rewarding and spiritually fulfilling life path.

Unfettered optimism, a refusal to recognize what’s not relevant, working, or for us as individuals, can be as destructive as a negative pall on every subject; neither approach allows for nuance, context, or the particular talents and viewpoint of the individual. It’s in listening to the Universe, to the response we get from it in answer to our actions and thoughts, and in then following the prompts, not of the ego, but of the Soul, that we’re most likely to find that thing, that circumstance, we don’t even know we’re looking for.

New Moon 19 February 2023 Subtleties

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‘Garden of Gethsemane in Fog’
G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection {{PD}}
Taken between 1940 and 1946

It may be the bodies at 29 tense degrees that steal the New Moon thunder, catching that Moon at the midpoint of a Venus-Pluto sextile, and so forming a Finger of God with Earth as apex, and involving Saturn, out-of-sign conjoined the New Moon (but only at 28 degrees, so not at the crisis point, yet). And that’s not to mention (though I am) another Finger, this one with New Moon as apex, base of Black Moon Lilith and Ceres (though we note this config is looser than the other Finger). Other than that, we have the New Moon squine (105 degrees) Mars in Gemini, and the Lunar event semi-square the midpoint of Juno-Chiron–so a great many subtle influences, or even some energies disguised as others, or by others, perhaps pointing up how much influence the sign of the New Moon has over its contacts–and it’s only exaggerated by the presence of Neptune and Venus in the Great Obscurer’s sign of Pisces.

This picture forms on the 19th at 11:06 PM PST, with the Moon meeting the Sun at 1 Pisces 22. There are few contacts made– and that out-of-sign conjunction of the New Moon to the ancient ruler of Aquarius in Aquarius, Saturn, its own story, one that informs the nature of the New Moon obliquely, with Aquarius signaling that our emotional perceptions and intuitions are all reality-based and rational, a triumph of the higher intellect over the imagination, and yet the Moon in Pisces either obscures that reality, is inspired by it, or sees it as ideal when it’s anything but.

With that kind of ‘now you see it, now you see it differently’ energy at work, the Fingers both take on a quality where our intuition and atunement to the nuts and bolts of our world will be vital to actually making use of the energy–that is, if we don’t understand how things are actually working, we may be misled or distracted. The Finger with Venus and Pluto as base originates in crisis or under extreme stress; we may ask what is destroying or altering beyond recognition either our source of Love or source of income/ support/ reward–and could it be the partner or Other themselves that is the agent of change? We can’t know, with Venus in Pisces, and Pluto in Capricorn only tells us that those structures, methods, rules, and frameworks we’ve relied upon will change–but it doesn’t tell us whodunit. Apex Earth in Virgo tells us that accounts are being balanced, the earthly results of our efforts critiqued–but we still don’t know by what hand the balance is delivered.

That revelation may fall to the other Finger. Base of Black Moon Lilith point and Ceres suggests, if I may resort to an old saying, that the chickens are coming home to roost. That’s another version of the Earth in Virgo, paying debts and settling accounts. We see what we have ignored, been in denial of, or what has enraged us meet the forces of Nature, some supreme authority, or our own need to be responsible for ourselves, and out of the blend the New Moon event is crafted–and it has physical/ material world contours that we will recognize intellectually (Saturn in Aquarius) and respond to emotionally (Moon in Pisces). The key is not to let our imaginations or fears run away with us in response to what comes forward–that would not only be pointless, but would lead to us missing the positives (that is, the scale-balancing of Virgo and Ceres in Libra that allows for a re-set in our world). Gratitude for the potential re-birth (Pluto) of some vital life factor (Venus) may not be easy, if the lesson is a difficult one, but will, no matter what, benefit us in the end.

The squine of the New Moon to Mars in Gemini points again to the prominent place of the mind in understanding what’s unfolding, with the aspect appropriate in the way it both makes for discomfort or upset even as it opens the way for new or better–and that will be through our choices (Mars). The semi-square to the Juno-Chiron midpoint is very minor, but emblematic of the entire Lunar happening: it will hurt, it will empower, and out of the struggle a new emotional perception will be born.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Squirrel Hiding From Hunters’. That may be exactly what it feels like: as if we are small, simple Beings faced with much larger, more complex, and more powerful forces in the world. Hiding in this case, rather than being an act of hunkering down, closing our eyes, and hoping for the best, may instead signify what’s smart in any circumstance where we are faced by something overwhelmingly larger than ourselves that could wield life-changing power: we step aside, allow it to proceed, and deal with the changes once the alterations are done. This mirrors the dynamic of Venus-Pluto–and we all know that fighting Pluto isn’t a possibility–but that harnessing, channeling, and accepting what it creates is.

We may be so distracted by this Venus-Pluto thing that we miss the more subtle developments of this New Moon–but that’s okay. We do best to focus on seeing clearly and understanding what’s happening (though the why or who of it can wait), and then processing our emotional responses, most particularly in light of how much closer we are to realizing our ideals (Moon in Pisces).

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Some Thoughts On The Ascendant

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‘There is Light on the Horizon’ By Wilf Perreault 2019 Uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Eisbergsk Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

The Ascendant is the symbolic point of entry for the individual, determined by the place and time of birth, the birth chart laying out the relative positions of the planets and lights as potentially observable (or as falling below the horizon) at that moment, at that spot on Earth (for Northern Hemisphere births, the chart is as if you are standing on the spot of birth, facing South, Southern Hemisphere, facing North). In a way the natal chart is a map of you sliding into the world, meeting the environment, showing your face, literally and figuratively, for the very first time–and the Ascendant describes your relationship to that world in a very specific way: it tells us how the individual, on first impulse, interacts with the world, and how that world receives the individual, ‘reading’ them through the attitudes and behaviors characteristic of the sign, the responses indicated in particular by the aspects the Ascendant makes and by the state of the Ascendant ruler, with these often funneled through matters of the House(s) an entity rules or is placed in.

This situation can make for an interesting paradox, as the individual sees themselves as having one particular interpretation of the sign energies in interaction, while the world may read them as having the same or other sign related qualities (and if the individual has Neptune or Pisces in the 1st, or Pluto in the 7th, they may be unable to avoid being a screen for the projections of others). For example, someone with Aquarius on the Ascendant may see themselves as unique, while others see them as too trendy, or too closely following ‘group-think’, or they see themselves as intellectually-oriented while others see them as so quirky they can’t relate or as erratic thinkers or even as so avant garde they leave others in the dust, or they may see themselves as using pure reason to navigate the world while the world sees someone so cold that the ability to find, much less join, their group is hampered–or the opposite, for all these, is possible–it’s only to point out that there are subtleties to viewpoints so that what one believes they’re conveying can be read in another light by those with whom they interact.

The Ascendant and 1st House also describe one’s survival methods–that is, what you believed the environment demanded from you early in life. In the case of Aquarius, the message may have been you have to be smart to survive–or maybe the world will only value you if you are totally original–or you need a role within the group to survive, and one day, you should lead it–or conversely, you’re only safe when you act as an individual–or even you have to be a rebel to be real. This point is in many ways about being seen, and that means one can feel less than, even invisible, if the Ascendant traits aren’t recognized and in some form validated by the world at large (with the potential that validation may come in negative interpretation of the sign qualities).

The way the Ascendant Self-image is mixed, more or less, with early childhood messages from the surrounding world and the way it can foster fears (because it’s natural to think about what you’re told and automatically draw the conclusion that if you don’t can institute disaster) means that operating mainly from the Ascendant energy can create barriers to operating successfully, and to understanding more completely why we were given those messages, as well as whether they’re still valid today. Often they are not; as adults it’s vital we reassess our Ascendant related persona in light of what behaviors and beliefs we still carry that may not serve our life and current reality. For instance, in our example Aquarian, if the message was you’ve got to be both smart and unique, and this individual has a Leo Sun, we may see someone who works very hard to excel, even to best, others, as if their life depended on it–that’s the ‘you’d better do this or else’ childhood message at work–and in Whole Sign astrology that places the Sun in the 7th, making for a built-in conflict, as the person has the urge to stand out from the crowd (which serves the Ascendant urge) but also the urge to partner, cooperate, connect, or to go before an audience and exchange energy that way–all of which to be successful require at minimum some humility, a willingness to see and regard others and their needs as equal to one’s own, and a non-competitive stance–not the easiest, when one is told that one must excel, because excellence can only be judged in juxtaposition with others.

There’s also the matter of the physical Self-image related to the Ascendant. Though our health largely resides in the 6th, and the Self-image of who we are and what talents we possess is found in the 2nd, the image we have of our own body interacting with the world is described in the 1st/ Ascendant. It’s how we picture ourselves in our own minds; as such, the image we hold may exaggerate some things, minimize or distort others, and is very likely to have a level of acceptability and appeal in our own minds that differs, at least somewhat, from how others see and assess our attractiveness (the world almost always sees us in a more positive light than we see ourselves!) This is one of those areas where it’s best to accentuate what we see as positive, and then go forward–otherwise we can judge and censor ourselves out of any number of paths and opportunities–go after what you want, and let the world respond!

What about other points or bodies found in the 1st? They definitely figure in to the ‘reaching out’ persona, and typically are qualities we will see as great strengths–until we push them too far (it’s inevitable, either by exaggerating their importance within the personality, or by giving them the lead, and so allowing those energies to run our interactions), at which point feedback prompts us to see them as our greatest weaknesses–and neither is precisely accurate. We understand these energies, yet they’re so integral to our ability to relate to the world that they are bound to take on too large a role in interaction–and then comes the swing in the other direction, where we condemn them, see them as liabilities, our Achilles heel. It’s only when we put them in perspective (often possible through funneling their expression through the House(s) they rule) that we find their best expression in the interaction equation–at which point they truly do become great strengths.

Let’s look at how something like the Moon in the 1st would play into personality expression and outreach to the world. Moon here makes one exquisitely sensitive and intuitive, especially in terms of allowing the physical reactions to the environment to inform the mind and perceptions–but what happens when one puts one’s feelings first and foremost in interaction with the world? Disaster, that’s what, as there are many situations in life that need to be met first with reason, situational awareness, and a decided lack of emotional response, required to assess reality in the first place. Yes, the feeling state and intuition is highly useful–but can’t always be the first thing exposed. The result is likely to eventually become a volatile, overly sensitive, ‘hurt’ personality that suffers unless met with 100% acceptance and love–and if the interaction ‘feelers’ are out principally for uncritical acceptance, other information won’t have a chance of getting in–with the likely result that feedback is negative, as others find it difficult to deal with what to them is an overly emotional personality.

If we have this 1st House Moon with the previous example of an Aquarian Ascendant, that means Luna rules the 6th, setting up a connection between the health and the emotional state, and offering these possibilities of channeling the sensitivity and intuition into a commitment, duty, obligation, or other work that specifically carries an aura of service. It’s in dedicating the emotional attention to something that takes one outside oneself that the intuitive and emotional nature can truly thrive. If that 1st House Moon were to rule the 9th, for instance, the outlet might be found in sharing knowledge or faith; ruling the 3rd it could be about writing out one’s feelings (anything from a diary to fiction to non-fiction that stirs the emotions), or concern one’s thinking/ ideas, one’s neighborhood (especially the childhood arena, perhaps re-visited), or in communication in general or with siblings in particular. No matter what, there’s a way to channel the energy that gives it grounding and perspective–and that’s what’s important.

And each year, when the Sun crosses your Ascendant, you can feel very vulnerable; there’s a floodlight on you and your interaction with the world, and it can be unnerving (unless you’re one of those people who loves the attention, who feels best when everyone’s eyes are upon them!) I think it’s a kind of animal response, one programmed into (most of) us for safety, and it may prompt us to hide. I suggest another tack, though: work up the nerve to allow scrutiny, and make sure that you’re pushing to the forefront all the things you’re most proud of, happy with, or hoping to connect to others through. You’ll be going into relative obscurity and isolation for the six months the Sun is below the horizon, so allow yourself to be seen–make it a Self-affirming experience. Though this only happens once a year, it’s good to be aware of, for matters of timing, and for awareness of the start of a personal year of your own.

Next up, the New Moon!

Full Moon in Leo 5 February 2023 An Emotional Spotlight

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‘A Ray of Sunlight’ By John White Alexander 1898 {{PD}}

Ah! With the Full Moon in Leo we get a symbolic meeting of the Sun (through rulership) and Moon that suggests the kind of atmosphere where emotions come into their full glory. Maybe it’s no coincidence that this always falls relatively close to Valentine’s Day–or maybe it’s just that this combination offers a glimpse into what we’re putting in an emotional spotlight.

The event comes at 10:27 AM PST at 16 Leo 40. The only major aspect is the Moon-Earth forming a separating square to Uranus in Taurus. That suggests the Lunar culmination brings to light some conflict, difficulty, or stress (maybe related to material matters, intractability of a partner, or issues of security–Taurus) that offers a shock, a surprise, a revelation, or an innovative response–and this brings us to a conclusion, close out, or new understanding of what our feelings really are, and what they’re all about.

Sabian for this Full Moon is, ‘A Volunteer Church Choir Singing Religious Hymns’. Religion suggests an organized approach to faith, while we are told the participants are volunteers, joining voices to let their vision of how the Universe is organized be known and praised–and that requires belief in the unseen or unverifiable, as well as belief that one is perceiving what’s beyond the senses correctly. We always look at the Sun as well for a Full Moon: ‘A Watchdog Stands Guard, Protecting His Master And His Possessions’. Combined with the Full Moon Sabian, this suggests defending what we believe in and see as ours.

If this in combination is the energy of the Full Moon, we’re likely to react automatically and defensively when that Uranian challenge comes along and stirs our emotions; it possibly also stirs our fears of chaos or others moving along into the future without us. We are shocked by something, or shocked by our sudden understanding of something, and our immediate idea is to defend how we see things–but we’ll find our harmony by, rather than barking at what upsets us, singing the praises of what we genuinely accept and believe. Rather than struggle or become a victim of our own reactions, we should focus on the core matters of our faith, whatever those may be.

The fact that the Moon has recently quincunxed/ Earth was recently quincunxed by Venus, current ruler of Uranus, says that we’ve received ‘warnings’ (the quincunxes) in the recent past, gotten glimpses of the relationship issues (and these can be with others, the material world, and/ or with the spiritual) that will come forward–it’s just that at this point they bring the unexpected and seem to come as a shock or to deliver a dose of understanding about something that didn’t seem so clear before–with the challenge to us a call to see ourselves in a new light, especially emotionally.

There’s a minor contact of the Moon-Earth by septile to Ceres, which hints at it all in the end being about Power: who holds it, who exercises it, who oversteps their bounds, who’s responsible for what (and especially for whom). Ceres is also our connection to Nature, and to our own personal sense of authority, the kind that perpetually asks us, Am I truly in charge of myself? It asks us to inspect our choices for the influences, even coercion, of others, and it asks us to be genuinely responsible for everything we do. It also asks us to recognize the existence of powers beyond our control, such as Nature and the passage of Time; there are some things we must accept as out of our control, and so not our responsibility. The septile implies a spiritual tone to all this; we then must look at the Lunar event aware that whatever comes forward is a lesson (though I dislike that word, as we’re learning all the time) in our larger involvement in things. That promises that what occurs mirrors our spiritual state, with others or a situation standing in for the Universe itself. It’s about relationship in its biggest sense, and who we are as an individual (Leo), making our way into the future/ forward with the group (Aquarius).

A Note for Today + Tax Tips!

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Of note today: a precise T-square consisting of Mercury in Capricorn opposed Pallas in Cancer, both squared by Chiron in Aries=we may push boundaries in communications, entertaining unwise options or speaking with an eye to torquing others’ ‘feels’ in order to accomplish short-term goals–but consider how this may wound inadvertently in larger ways. Egos may bruise easily, and the ‘I Am’ may find itself momentarily confused; we and others are all susceptible. Tamp down urges toward insistence and aggression (especially if it’s framed as ‘concern’) and you’ll avoid planting the seeds of serious injury.

And now: Tax tips!

‘Paying the Tax (The Tax Collector)’ By Pieter Brueghel the Younger c1630 {{PD}}

This previously appeared in Eclipse in 2014, now slightly modified to bring it up to date.

We’re coming up on tax time in the US, but these rules apply in any country at any time when paying anything where you could be audited and the tax man could come back for more. These suggestions apply equally to personal taxes and business taxes, and have proven very useful in the real world; for myself, in a business that invites scrutiny (astrology is actually illegal in some parts of the US), I’ve filed using these guidelines for at least 27 years now, and I’ve never been audited or had the return questioned in any way. These suggestions are based on some I first saw in the work of March and McEvers—if you’re not familiar with them and their well-presented work, you might want to be. Their series, ‘The Only Way to . . .’ offers an excellent grounding in a number of Astro-areas.

Timing Is Everything. It seems it’s all in the moment you release the Return; whether dropping it in a mailbox or pushing ‘Send’ on the computer. That’s the point at which you lose control of the numbers, and entrust them to Big Brother. So to that end, you choose a moment during the Moon’s Void of Course period, every two and one half days. This can get tricky, as sometimes the Void is only a few minutes in length, but it’s worth planning ahead for.

The idea is that the Moon symbolizes the forward (linear) movement from one event to the next that is the essence of daily life; it represents time, not in Saturn’s slow, trudging-forward, span-of-eons way, but in the way that nothing sits still, everything is changing perpetually, and the Moon captures that changing nature of life in its swift cycle of waxing and waning. When it’s in the Void, it has made the last major aspect it will make to another body while still in that sign; it leaves the Void when it enters the next sign. In that period between the final aspect and entering a new sign, the Moon is said to carry no energy behind it; events, then, lack that same impetus, trailing off into nothing, coming to nothing, or never getting off the ground in the first place. This is advantageous in paying the tax bill as it would typically be scrutinized for discrepancies and extra due. Offering it in a Void period, though, removes the energy that would ‘cling’, in a psychic sense, to the Return, which should allow it to flow through the system without a hitch, with either payment or refund over in no time. Whenever you want to put something through a system and have it pass through with little problem and without drawing attention, then initiating the journey during the Moon’s Void is the right time.

Stay away from submitting something during a Void when you DO want it to draw attention. Don’t enter a contest, submit a paper or article, or apply for a job or for entrance to a college, or make that ‘first moment’ in the Void for anything else where you want to be seen and heard. No interviews, placing orders, or announcements, either. There’s another condition that applies to the Void, the potential for things not to go as planned. This chiefly applies to gatherings or something actually started during the Void, and it plays off what we anticipate going forward: if we believe we can start the party and it will be just fine, a convivial evening of laughter and warmth, what we may get is a lot of no-shows, a couple of fistfights, or an evening where everyone stands in icy silence with a drink in their hand. The opposite can occur, too: if we think something may be a disaster, we may be pleasantly surprised. Unanticipated outcomes and the unexpected will be drawn into the Void like water down a drain–so be prepared.

Have an excellent weekend! If you’ve written to me lately and I haven’t gotten back to you, please understand that I’m unable to correspond with everyone I’d like to–if I give my time to personal questions, chat, and uninvited queries I have that much less time to work–and right now, for me, it’s all about the work. My apologies to those who’ve been disappointed.

New Moon in Aquarius 21 January 2023 The Prison of the Mind

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A new moon setting over Gåseberg, Lysekil Municipality, Sweden, 2016

Photo courtesy of W.carter

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That’s a little dramatic, isn’t it? Maybe it should be something like, ‘Isolated in (or by) our own minds’, or in its most benign form, ‘Alone with our thoughts’. The Moon in the sign of the intellect is always a little uncomfortable (though more easily tolerated by those who live with a natal meld of Water/ Air or who have the Moon in an Air sign); there’s a quite natural struggle to parse feeling from thinking, and knowing the difference depends almost entirely on how clear we are about our own feelings.

We shouldn’t forget that the ancient ruler of Aquarius is Saturn, suggesting the potential for fear or depression to arise from emotional discomfort. It’s a mistranslation of feeling, the emotions taking a negative form of Aquarian shape, and probably taking a form that distracts you and so prevents you knowing what that true feeling is. That means you miss how you feel about something important, or vital, or simply right in front of you, because the mind is too busy looking out for what you fear will appear, or what you fear will oppress you. It’s a way of protecting yourself from being uncomfortably clear on reality–which says you’re hiding from some facts or situation you desperately need to be aware of.

New Moons are new beginnings, and with this New Moon in Aquarius we can plant a seed of awareness, begin to embrace intellectual understanding of some issue, or lay plans to take a chance, rebel, revolutionize ‘the system’. The NM is widely conjoined Pluto in Capricorn, and opposed the Black Moon Lilith point, suggesting that what we may see is new thought or understanding (NM in AQ) springing from the termination, destruction, or resurgence of a framework, system, or set of standards or rules (PL in CAP). This shift, whether it’s obliteration or a re-birth, allows us to uncover what’s been ignored, denied, or has enraged many in material matters (BML-Earth), and in so acknowledging make the first steps toward true change. We can’t change what we don’t see and admit the existence of; that’s a painful part of the energy of transformation that can then lead to healing.

We might also experience this New Moon as a time to shake things up, to be the rebel–but don’t fool yourself, even if it seems the group is behind you, you’ll end up going it alone–and again, any unusual stir may be camouflaging genuine feeling, re-directing the energy that should go to processing this emotion into a ’cause’ or a sense of righteousness that will totally distract from the actual emotional issue at hand.

There’s also a wide out-of-element trine to Sedna and a sextile to Jupiter-Juno in Aries, both of which suggest, in the most general terms, that efforts must be made to sort instinct from social conditioning, personal autonomy from the need to parent or supervise, and to sort out who holds authority, who’s in charge, in any situation–and this is so even if you’re someone who’s not looking to boss anyone around. The aloneness we may find ourselves trying to go beyond will either be an emotional and mental ‘prison’, tormenting us as we fail to reach others, or can become a chance at quiet introspection, making the mind a meditation chamber instead of a torture one.

Now, that struggle for the Moon in Aquarius in knowing what’s a feeling, what’s a thought, is ongoing, though it becomes the environment for all of us each time Luna passes through the sign. A New Moon here promises us the chance to hold something in the mind in a clear, new light. With the current dearth of New Moon aspects, though, we may feel a potential sense of isolation, even confinement–the ‘prison’ of the title–with no easy means of reaching out to or communing with others–even as those tussles over who holds authority blossom. Growing awareness of the new means we are that much more focused on the fact that we are discovering, learning the facts, on our own, in a way that makes it difficult to share our experience, and so alleviate any unsteadiness or doubt or fear. Awareness of the social sphere (Jupiter) and any power struggles that may come along (Jupiter-Juno) only enhances our sense of separation from others. It’s a wee bit strange, a wee bit uncomfortable, but the process is one that is meant to spark reform and help us learn to trust our own instincts and those things we, deep inside, ‘know but don’t know’ (Sedna).

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘An Unexpected Thunderstorm’. There’s Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, in both the unexpected nature of what will occur, and in the symbol of the thunderstorm–so a bit of rough weather, the kind that’s a little dangerous but that energizes, that brings a cleansing, healing rain. No flood here (unless it’s a flash flood, which has a Plutonian nature, of wipeout that leaves nothing behind), as thunderstorms are typically volatile but brief, a discharge of energy that ‘clears the air’–and so this New Moon can be for us.

Mercury & Uranus Direct: No Excuses

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‘Moon Night Thinking’ By Arkhip Kuindzhi, between 1876 and 1890 {{PD}}

I don’t mean to be unkind, but every time I hear someone lament how a retrograde planet is screwing up their lives, I want to scream. Or at least say, That planet represents an energy influence, not an energy directive–how you meet it is how it behaves. By that I mean, if you are open to what that energy is showing you, you can respond appropriately. It’s in resisting, insisting on doing things the way we always have, or in believing events have nothing to tell you that the disturbing results of a retrograde become truly negative. In my view a retrograde isn’t ‘doing things to us’, it’s showing us what might be backward in our own behavior or approach, or what needs attention that we’ve put to the side as not important enough to put our energy into.

Now, you may argue that something like mechanical mess-ups during a Merc retro, for instance, are outside anything we control; but I would argue problems with like items are symbolic of what’s not working in our own choices or actions, in our own ability to process information, or to understand what’s coming at us. Mechanical/ electronic issues can also signal matters of the nervous system/ nerve impulses, intellectual processing/ cognitive ability, lungs, or dissonance between what we have in our minds and what we’re actually communicating. There are myriad ways breakdown of a machine can speak to us of other life areas–we just have to listen in a way that sees everything in our lives as a whole, rather than as unrelated, discrete parts.

Mercury goes direct on the 18th just before 1:12 PM PST at 8 Capricorn 08, with the first two aspects it will perfect after direction a quincunx to stationary direct Mars and a trine to the North Node. Merc in Capricorn seeks solid ground: facts, systems and structures, concrete conditions (which can making thinking far too literal), rules to think by–or perhaps, rules to follow so one doesn’t have to think! The contact to Mars says we start to examine our own choices and actions in real-world terms–we ask ourselves what impact these have had–and we then want to assess, see where we need to adjust either thinking or doing so that things are more in line with what we want (and that may be to make us more comfortable, aligning things with the status quo or with already-in-place structures, with the intent of modifying later–the quincunx). A trine to the North Node says we easily keep our life direction in mind when making modifications to action and thought–so no need to worry that we’ll act against our true direction, or take ourselves off track.

Uranus goes direct on the 22nd, a full day after the New Moon, at 14 Taurus 56 (with the heavies time of turnaround isn’t vital, we just need to know generally when). This happens about 5 hours after being squared by the Moon in Aquarius, suggesting an emotional or intuitive jolt that brings a shift in perspective, probably related to matters of the House in the natal chart Uranus is currently transiting or the House in the natal chart Uranus rules (that’s the one with Aquarius).

Sometimes Uranus is referred to as the ‘higher octave’ of Mercury, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the two directions aren’t all of a piece, involving a lot of rethinking–which may surprise, as we usually come out of a retrograde period all thunk out, so to speak. Expect a surprise or two, and an unusual amount of needed review, especially in areas that seem already firmly established. And remember, you’re in charge of how you respond to these bad boys–direct or retrograde, they don’t run you!

At Long Last: Mars Direct 12 January 2023 + The Green Comet

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‘Donati’s Comet’ By James Poole 1858 {{PD}}

Mars has lingered on the 8th degree of Gemini for about a week and a half before finally shifting apparent motion (on the 12th at 12:57 PM PST)–and then lingers still at that 8th degree for nearly another two weeks after the change in direction. Those with natal placements at 8 degrees of Sagittarius, Pisces, Virgo, and in Gemini will feel both the stationary pressure and the shift to direct more than others, specific to the point or body contacted, with the influence/ experience having a highly Martian quality: circumstances or actions imbued with assertive energy, aggressions from the Self or aimed at the Self by others, the potential for violence or situations, literal or figurative, that call out the Warrior in the individual, or simply difficult choices, of the ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’ variety. For the rest of us any stationary period makes related circumstances feel cemented in place, as if they will never end, usually related to matters of the House Mars is currently transiting, or the House it rules in the natal chart–which, in the case of Mars, makes it important that we don’t act, react, or choose based on precisely where things are right now–there will be movement, probably sooner than you think.

This retro period has been, by all accounts, filled with upheaval, upset, and every other kind of up, including breaking up, giving up, and coughing up the Truth. Matters of choice or actions taken play out successfully or not along lines relative to how honest we are about culpability, responsibility, and admissions of vulnerability that leave us at the mercy of others. That is, those with a strong sense of Self that holds ego to a minimum have probably fared best during the retro–but in any case, we’ve been shown a little bit of chaos, and been asked (often forced) to respond to it. That kind of in your face drama will be ending, subject to this: on turnaround Mars in Gemini makes a loose quincunx to Mercury in Capricorn, perfecting the 16th-17th with still retro stationing Merc and Mars finally picking up normal direct speed. This puts the spotlight on thought, especially thoughts that question the status quo or current structure, or ideas that attempt to ‘break into’ an exclusionary system.

We also see Mars at stationary direction involved in two configurations. One is a Finger of God with Mars widely sextile Chiron, apex the South Node of the Moon in Scorpio. That suggests a strong potential for both our thinking and our actions to boil up out of our wounds, especially if those hurts echo the darker parts of the past, the ones we might like to forget, or are a little ashamed of. The sense may be that Mars releases us, and we go with it, rather than our realizing that release is something we can enjoy without needing to act out. Bad choices will be prompted by a feeling that we need to make up time, catch up and even the score. Not smart.

The other config is a Fist of God, with Zeus square the Sun and Mars the apex. A Fist takes a tough situation and gives one an out through the apex–but that apex energy doesn’t offer to resolve the situation so much as blow it up. It’s another side to that sense of release, a bit of a warning: if you’re dissatisfied with your current identity/ sense of Self/ direction in life, if ambitions are eating at you, their lack of fulfillment causing you to denigrate or question your worth, then you are potentially vulnerable to making poor choices or acting out. Again, release from the Martian thumb doesn’t mean go wild, responding to your frustrations with ill-considered acts–it means hold off, until thoughts are absolutely clear and aligned with your actual goals–not easy, but certainly more desirable than having to clean up a mess later.

And in comet news, a bright green one, known by the designation C/2022 E3, will be nearest to the Sun on the day Mars goes direct, but will be closest to Earth around the 1st of February, and potentially visible to the naked eye from Sun contact through early February. Sighting in the Northern Hemisphere requires binoculars or a telescope at dawn through most of January, and in the Southern Hemisphere it becomes visible by the same means in February. Read more here–

The Cancer Full Moon 6 January 2023: Ideas vs. Wisdom

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‘Two Odalisques Contemplating The Bosphorus’ By Ernest Hébert 1843 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 3:07 PM PST of the 6th at 16 Cancer 21, putting it conjoined Pallas and opposed the Sun and Mercury just before they join in Inferior Conjunction (the conjunction that occurs when Mercury is retrograde). Practical thoughts are being re-visited, illuminated, and how we feel about our environment, our surroundings, our accomplishments (or lack of them) is also being considered–and the outcome may be unpredictable, uncertain, institute radical shifts, or shock and surprise us (FM sextile Uranus), though we can be sure what we weigh and ruminate on at this point will be vetted against our highest values and commitments (FM trine Vesta). Perfection of the Inferior Conjunction will bring the illumination of something fresh, the planting of a seed, the inception of something, an idea or conception of the world (Capricorn) that may or may not prove viable–but the Full Moon helps with this, shining reflective light on the feasibility of it, and most importantly, on the wisdom of what we’re contemplating, along with, in this instance, the ability to see ahead, to visualize the outcome of our idea, and particularly the emotional impact this idea may have on us, if it comes to full term.

The Full Moon also forms a minor aspect with Jupiter, the squine (105 degrees), often defined as having characteristics of both the square and the trine–but that’s not very helpful in telling us what it means, is it? I think of it more as a pushme-pullyou aspect, one that takes the energies of the involved bodies and stirs them up in such a way that there are positives and negatives swirling around–and we as individuals pluck those factors we most respond to from the chaotic mix.

That means Jupiter’s influence will be highly individual, dependent on our own relationship to ‘the facts’, to the social order, to the idea of expansion, to education or religious belief/ indoctrination. Look for these personal effects in the House Jupiter rules in the natal chart, in matters of the House where it’s currently transiting for you, and/ or in expression of your own Jupiter placement, likely as a challenge that requires you to choose a path or an attitude that either embraces a Jupiterian factor or rejects it, opening the way for a ‘new’ version to be adopted.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘The Unfoldment Of Multilevel Potentialities Issuing From An Original Germ’. So, as expected, we will see the possibilities in a particular matter, one we will either choose to nurture or quash entirely, and these will bring an emotional effect, particularly emotional conclusions (the Full Moon), the “Germ” of course being found at the Inferior Conjunction. We also look at the Sabian for the Light-Giver, the Sun, and find this: ‘A Repressed Woman Finds A Psychological Release In Nudism’. This may be about freeing the mind (or relieving it) by adopting unvarnished honesty with ourselves, hiding nothing, ‘letting it all hang out’. I know honesty’s a theme with me, but it’s true: if we accept reality as our baseline, the need for subterfuge, deception, artifice all fall away–and leave that much more energy to make our own choices and institute what we want–and we have the advantage of actually seeing what is, which makes our decisions that much more effective, since they proceed from a realistic take on circumstances.

Also of note: Juno and Pluto are sextile=power struggles, but gentle ones, or maybe passive-aggressive ones, where it’ll be hard to say, “Stop!” without appearing to be churlish. Just know you are right–that is aggressive, no matter how many pretty bows are tied on it. Venus and Ceres are trine in Air, giving those with an anima orientation (that is, those who are receptive, who know that Being is as dynamic and effective as Doing) who also accept their own right to Self-determination, are able to reason out what’s worth it, what will payoff. Relationships do well at this time when everyone is clear on where their responsibilities and autonomy end and another’s begins.

Important, too, is that the Black Moon Lilith point pencils out to the 29th degree of Cancer=hidden, denied, or enraging matters are the most potent movers of the emotions. Be on the lookout for their sneakily invasive influence.

And have a lovely weekend!

A Resurgence of Love: Mercury Retrograde 29 December 2022

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During this retro and the lead up to it, we’re going to see the gaps in our close relationships, and awareness of that distance will probably be a little scary.’The Early Lovers’ By Eastman Johnson 1870 {{PD}}

Mercury technically switches apparent direction in the wee hours of the 29th PST, at 1:32 AM, but as per usual, it’s been stationary for a bit, so that we know what’s coming, whether we admit it or not. We’ve been previewing change and shifts in what used to make us feel secure, particularly in the realm of relationships and who holds the power. Merc officially takes on retro status closely conjoined Venus, with an exact meeting scheduled right after the retro. This confirms that Love, especially in partner relationships, is on the agenda, hinted at in the run up to the retro by Merc’s sextiles to Neptune and Juno in Pisces (we see where our empowerment in partnership might be a fantasy, and we become aware of what might be ideal), and involvement in a Cardinal Grand Cross with Zeus, Eris, and Pallas (we’re consumed by the conflicts among what we desire, what’s wise or practical, what’s worth going to war over! and what discord has been beneath the surface all along. Note Pallas moves on but this remains as a T-square for New Year’s, suggesting desires and related strife will still be on our minds, and in the air).

What have we been seeing about the partner or other intimate? We’re seeing the places where the foundation might be shaky, where our accord might not be as solid as we thought, where we may not be able to count on them as we have in the past (or conversely, we see that we can count on them, though our contribution or attitude must adjust to current conditions. We may become aware of weaknesses in them, not just in our relationship). These conditions won’t be found just in relationships, but may also be seen in any structure, system, status, condition, or hierarchy we’ve been invested in and relying on–we need to be willing to see the reality of it, as any attempts to deal with matters will collapse if our choices aren’t firmly rooted in real-world circumstances, and the ways these are changing, or need to change, in order to function effectively.

The moment of retrograde, which gives us a snapshot of what to expect over the retro period, shows a Pisces Moon at 29 degrees–it’s painful when our fantasies are shredded, but it’s worse when reality seems to ‘come out of nowhere’ to blindside us, so see the emotional upset as a gift that points directly at what needs attention. ‘A Store Filled With Precious Oriental Rugs’ is the Sabian for both Mercury and Venus at the time of retro=we see the worth of what we hold, see the value of what we have, of what’s ‘contained (the store) in our reality. The emotional impact of all this is shown by the Sabian for the Moon at the time of retrograde: ‘A Majestic Rock Formation Resembling A Face Is Idealized By A Boy Who Takes It As His Ideal Of Greatness, And As He Grows Up, Begins To Look Like It’. If we are willing to see what is in a creative way for what it symbolizes, we’ll find inspiration toward making our ideals a reality, toward growing into our own brand of greatness. If we live our lives as if our ideals are real, embracing them as we act and make choices and interact with one another, we can’t help but become what we revere. It’s a recipe for moving the world toward what we’d like it to be–don’t close the door on these potentials just because some of this will be messy, difficult, and will require recognition of vulnerabilities and feelings we may have lately been sweeping under the (Oriental) rug.

What this time offers us is a chance to revitalize Love, as it lives and breathes in our daily dedications, of energy and attention, effort and interaction. And this retro is also a good time to reconsider what institutions, rules, and boundaries we support, and which need to be retired as irrelevant to our current world.

New Year’s Eve we see a Taurus Moon which will trine the Sun just after 2023 begins (Pacific time). That says spend the evening on celebration that feels like a reward, that feels sustaining, nourishing, a treat for the senses, while the Sun’s square to Chiron and quincunx to still retro Mars tells us to avoid dwelling on, assessing things by, or reacting from our wounds–any attempts to right related circumstances will misfire and aggression will definitely be aimed in the wrong direction. Welcome the coming year with a lighter heart–we’ve made it this far, and that’s something to celebrate.

See the recent New Moon here–

Happy Holidays!

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‘Wynken, Blynken, and Nod’ By Maxfield Parrish 1902 {{PD}}

My stepping away for the weekend turned into over a week gone from home, because of a car accident that stranded us in Seattle. No worries, everyone involved was unhurt, but the car was totaled and between that and some of the worst weather I’ve seen since living in and near the Emerald City, it felt like a long, stressful time–and I didn’t have access to my astrology software, which lives on my desktop–that’s why I missed the New Moon of the 23rd. So my apologies, and my very best wishes for a Happy Holiday for all, no matter what you celebrate (even if it’s only toasting the weekend!)

A quick look at the New Moon in Capricorn says to me that it was all about health (it’s closely conjoined Hygeia)–but in Cappy that could be the health of structures and systems, the things we rely on in our lives, what gives us a sense of security and safety, of boundaries and limits, the kind that allow us breathing room–and/ or this applies to the health of the subjects of the House in the natal chart where the NM falls for you–for instance, in the 1st, one’s body or the ways we interact with the world (do you over assert, refuse to acknowledge boundaries, perhaps? or are you literally doing something that endangers you?), while in the 2nd it may apply to exercise of talents or to spending (are you working yourself to death? or is expressing your talent taking a toll, or are you ‘giving it away’ to your own detriment?) In the 3rd that may pertain to the communications or thinking (do you over think? fantasize in a way that lets you over step boundaries or break agreements? do you speak in code, hoping to manipulate?) and in the 4th this might involve dealing with the literal health of family members or the suitability of your relationships with them (are those relationships creating needless boundaries, stopping you from something, maybe in an attempt to keep you safe? do old patterns automatically repeat when you’re together?)

In the 5th it’s one’s offspring or romance or creative efforts or even gambles that are limiting or challenging one’s limits, and in the 6th it may be the job or the actual state of the health that’s holding one back or enforcing limits. The 7th blames it on the partner or all others, or maybe the standards of the Art world or audience, and the 8th may focus on sharing, all that is or isn’t offered to one via relationships. The 9th may see one chafing at the institutions with which they’re involved (religious, educational) or that have factored into the current status, or one’s life philosophy may be under fire or born anew, or a ‘foreign’ entity or environment may be forcing a pull-back. The 10th makes what’s born visible to all and may place NM developments firmly in the context of career or reputation, while the 11th sees groups, friends, hopes and wishes making one aware of Saturnian limits, and the 12th, well, that may send the message via meditation, dreams, or behind-the-scenes matters.

And remember, a New Moon is a new start–so we may be looking at awareness of and then going beyond one’s usual limitations, or even of setting new limits, new boundaries, or drawing lines in the sand and saying ‘No more.’ Capricorn makes us aware of what we can rely on, what truly supports us, and what’s holding us back, and if it falls in one of the first six Houses (1st through 6th) the chief culprit that has been stopping you (or giving you needed structure and support!) may have been yourself.

The NM also creates a T-square with the Ceres-Jupiter opposition=showdowns over power, authority, and ‘knowing’ are formidable, and may determine going forward (at least for a time) who dominates in terms of calling the shots or knowing how to muster ‘natural’ power related to innate human nature and Universal ‘flow’. The New Moon also sesquiquadrates Uranus=surprise! It all shakes out not quite how you think it will.

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘Three Rose Windows In A Gothic Church, One Damaged By War’. What’s your damage? as they say–this New Moon may give us the opportunity to repair a damaged view, something that holds ‘sacred space’ within us, to remove what in our lives was destroyed in a violent way and replace it or restore it with something beautiful, graceful, still vulnerable to being damaged (as in the example of window glass) but then, isn’t that fragility part of its beauty?

It’s good to be back, thanks for visiting, and make the best of the final few days of 2022!