The Earth and Moon will be just separating from trines to Jupiter when they meet to perfect a Full Moon, on the 3rd at 4:38 AM PDT at 11 Capricorn 18. As we all know, eleven is one better than ten, typically the highest point on the scale, and just leaving that Jupiter aspect–well, we’re probably at a high point or just coming down from one, emotionally or in the social sphere, marking a solid, possibly real-world accomplishment–and those with a natal placement between roughly 8 and 13 Virgo may find this Full Moon brings serious fulfillment, maybe on a large scale.
The rest of us may have a more subtle experience, perhaps getting a lesson on (or even being forced into) taking wise action or making ‘the smart move’ (Mars-Pallas in Leo sesquiquadrate Moon-Earth), or seeing the power of caring words or the impact of feeling on thought and identity (Moon-Earth opposed Mercury-Sun). A Full Moon can bring conclusions, the summing up of an emotionally tinged period that stretches back weeks or even months before, and this can arrive as much in quiet realization as it can in dynamic events.
A few other things to note: Pluto is back in Capricorn at 29 degrees and retrograde–my sense of this is a re-visiting of crises or darkness we thought we’d dealt with but that is now doing its best to hide from us–because if we could detect it we could deal with it, truly eliminating the upset once and for all–and yet it’s just not time to wipe the slate clean in the areas of change, transformation, in areas of mystery and delving deep, not yet–we’re not ready, even though we think we are.
And then there’s the way Pluto and Neptune sextile each other, forming the base of a Finger of God with apex Pallas=this offers us an oblique way to process at least some of the powerful Plutonian charge, by mixing liberally with creative energies, ideals, and making change informed by spiritual beliefs–that’s the way to institute practical change or put wisdom into practice (Pallas), the Finger making for one of those instances where the outcome is bigger than the sum of its parts.
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘An Illustrated Lecture On Natural Science Reveals Little-Known Aspects Of Life’. This points to our gaining life knowledge from what occurs, that this is both natural (as in part of Nature, or part of our nature), and that it will be right in front of us, illustrated somehow in what we see or in our surroundings. That’s reassuring–all we need to be is reasonably attentive to what goes on–the meaning of it will be apparent. It brings to mind a quote from Franz Kafka: ““You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
We also look at the Sun, giver of light, for a Full Moon: ‘A Chinese Woman Nursing A Baby Whose Aura Reveals Him To Be The Reincarnation Of A Great Teacher’. This suggests that what is being nurtured right now is in an early stage, not to be judged in its present state, but to grow into the logical result of all it has been in the past, combined with what is being added to it now. A reminder that nothing comes out of nowhere–it all has origins, all gathers influences, so that there’s no thing we can’t trace back through its genesis and our own nurture or lack thereof, to create what exists today, and what it will grow into tomorrow. That implies we need to be alert to our own responsibilities, our own part in things. Both positives and problems don’t spring from the ether, they’ve been growing and developing for some time.
Expect to come out of this Full Moon better by one–in the area of the chart where the Lunar event occurs, or in some area of interest that carries the Capricorn flavor. Not every New or Full Moon is a major event for each of us–sometimes it’s a marker of minor but still significant change, something that may figure even larger down the road.
“Where Love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.” Carl Jung
In thinking about Jung’s assertion, I naturally looked for an answer via astrology. The most prominent Power player is, of course, Pluto, and Love is indisputably Venus–but as we know, there is plenty of overlap between Love and Power, many shades, and I had to wonder: are they really shadows of each other, or is there a Zen, third way of understanding?
If we take Jung’s assertion as representing absolutes of Love and Power, it is indeed true: when consciousness is consumed by Power, there is no room for Love, as all will be seen through a lens that measures situational Power, and all decisions will be made with Power consequences in mind; and the same is true for Love, if Love is the focus of consciousness, then Power is of no concern–we can only respond with Love, which doesn’t recognize power at all. (If we classify things differently, though, we may find ourselves asking if Love isn’t its own kind of power–but I digress). Of necessity, a viewpoint that is one of pure Love, or pure Power, is almost impossible to muster, much less maintain; not only are we humans in bodies that make demands and with feelings that intrude on nearly every thought, we would have to be Archetypes, almost two-dimensional in our existence, in order to call forth such a one-pointed perceptual lens and apply it to our everyday life for any length of time at all. We can and often do bring forward transcendent moments when an unadulterated concept alone is applied to what stands before us–but these are only moments, soon complicated by conflicting forces both internal and external.
We would be unsuccessful in holding a single measure in our thoughts simply because we naturally think holistically; we perceive thoughts as holographic, in so far as we tend to think something, believe it’s the results of many interconnected bits, and review it for the many facets of our existence it impacts and springs from–and this is done mostly unconsciously, accounting for our reactions to things that are too swift to have come from considering the material. We often label this unconscious prompting, or divine inspiration, or instinct (it’s not–instinct is inborn, unvarying among members of the species–though some are more attuned to it than others–and sometimes responded to in spite of what we think or feel), but it’s much more an amalgam of beliefs, assumptions, learned behaviors, and ‘positions’ we have consciously taken–and as such is likely both more complex than any single label might imply, and more than a little contradictory.
It would be smart for us to apply that dimensionality to our thinking, though, because without it our actions and decisions would be ruthlessly automatic, as well as, to a large extent, unresponsive to reality–and we certainly don’t want that! Still, the idea that Love and Power are mutually exclusive is something I see as unfortunate; it’s one of those beliefs that stymies growth and prevents that evolution in thought that eventually comes to allow the individual to hold two or more contradictory ideas at once–to entertain them, though not necessarily to accept them as equal, an important distinction.
Let’s accept that pure Love is at one end of a spectrum, and that its opposite, pure Power, is found at the other. As astrologers and seekers, this might lead us to look for ways to find where we as individuals might fall on that spectrum, to determine what the balance is between the two qualities in our own psyche–for if they are found on a single continuum, then all of us will find ourselves in relation to Love and Power, giving one ‘x’ amount of psychic ‘space’, and the other ‘y’ amount, along that same continuum, as well.
This is all sounding a little too much like geometry class–sorry, didn’t mean to cause flashbacks! Let’s consider, though, that Love and Power could be extremes of the same energy. If each is the shadow of the other, there’s one thing we also know from Jung: “The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others.” In other words, if we accept our shadow, we make not just ourselves, but the world, a better place–because we don’t mistake our own darkness as belonging to someone else. So, our task may be to find just how we are dealing with Love and Power, how we are balancing and characterizing these, and to learn to accept them both as mere reflections, each of the other–for there’s no chance to be whole if we deny either end of the spectrum, if we characterize either as shadow.
Let’s move to the familiar symbols of the horoscope, in this case Venus and Pluto. Now, here’s the thing: these two will be connected. Some of you may be shouting, ‘No!’ and some of you may be saying, ‘No way’ and rolling your eyes, and some of you may be weeping (likely those with direct contact between the two). Remember how I remarked earlier that with a different viewpoint, we could say that Love is a power of its own? That’s one way to think of it. There is also the idea that, when Power is used in kindness, sacrifice, and without thought of gain, it is Love. And there are other versions of this, the point being that, though we can see them as opposites on extreme ends of a continuum, we can also see them as completely encompassing each other; as being, in effect, one and the same.
We could mull on the possibilities for hours, but we have laundry to do and eyebrows to wax and adventures to begin, so we’ll look at what kind of relationships these two can have in the natal chart, and what those might mean. Of course, a conjunction offers the essence of our thesis, that these can be the same thing–and the individual with this conjunction may not easily differentiate the two energies. Love can make this person feel powerful, and situations of power can make this person feel loved. If the Venus shadow predominates, we may have the individual who is always working to hold the power in any relationship; he or she may see every interaction as a power test. This is not necessarily negative–they may just try to work out the power dynamic, rather than try to dominate–but imposing this on a relationship can be wearing, and possibly threatening to the other party.
All situations involving the sense of Love may, for this person, conjure situations of (or maybe just the need to define) power in the interaction, and so muster the specter of destruction via vulnerability. If the interaction is compelling enough, we may call it addiction–which naturally brings forward the destructive core of Pluto, as well as the shadow of Love–both arise, entwined, both dark. This contact can also signify someone who is on a perpetual journey into the Underworld, and this is almost certainly through the individual’s own mind and psyche. With the conjunction, one carries one’s own darkness close to the heart, and this makes for someone of exquisite understanding of pain, shame, and the transforming nature of Love, but it can also make for someone who creates their greatest pain themselves. Venus-Pluto together in the natal chart suggests that the individual is either author of her or his own sojourn into the Soul depths, with resultant transformation of pain into understanding and compassion, and a re-birth that brings the individual, tempered by Plutonian experiences, to a new evolutionary state, or it suggests that this person inflicts his or her worst wounds (even if they appear to come from without), as he or she cannot distinguish Love from rage, or kindness from destruction. Here, the individual themselves either creates the celebration of Life from hard-won knowledge (the Candy Apple) or prepares and serves themselves the fruit of their undoing (the Poison one).
Our animalistic, survival instincts have trained us to pick the threat out of the landscape–and if everything is fine, we may not trust that perception
With sextiles and trines we have what I describe as an ‘easy’ relationship between the two energies–but what does that really mean? Too often we are tempted to read these aspects as invariably positive, but in reality, the aspects suggest only that whatever each energy expresses meshes well with the expression of the other. That can mean that easy aspects connote expressions that are only surface-deep, a mix of the two most characteristic expressions of that energy for that individual. If that happens to be less-than-ideal, the person with an easy relationship between energies may find these to be some of her or his biggest obstacles, a trap it’s oh-so-easy to stumble into.
For instance, Pluto in Virgo receiving a trine from Venus in Taurus may find that tastes are refined and a true appreciation of material comforts is a strong part of consciousness, as is the meaning behind such material life elements–and yet the individual may easily destroy his or her enjoyment of things through relentless Self-criticism or penny-pinching (the ‘accounting’ aspect of Virgo). Every time the person indulges the senses, prepares a meal, or curls up in a cozy cabin on a stormy night, she or he ruins the experience by worrying (another Virgo specialty) or being critical; she spills a glass of wine and wonders how much it will cost to clean the bearskin rug, he enjoys the warm cabin but every time the heat comes on he calculates how soon he may have to get the fuel tank filled and why didn’t he convert the heating to gas? and the evening is spoiled, just a little. Very often energies in easy aspect will ‘take turns’: one will express positively, and the other will jump in with negative input, in what amounts to a balancing act, and this may be because we are uneasy when things flow (what seems to be) too smoothly. We may fear ‘running on all cylinders’, simply because our animalistic, survival instincts have trained us to pick the threat out of the landscape–and if everything is fine, we may not trust that perception.
These same aspects can, of course, manifest positively, such as when Venus-Pluto trine suggests a deep knowledge of how transforming Love can be, knows how important aesthetics are to enjoyment and perception, recycles what’s discarded into objects of beauty, or makes scads of money–this latter is inherent in any aspect between Venus and Pluto, as an indicator of this potential at some point in the life. The trine or sextile can also show someone who finds it easy to exercise power via the influence one has over those who love them, or can easily change the life, or destroy the Self, over Love (or, sometimes, just over their idea of what Love should be). The Venus-Pluto easy aspect person can offer the bright, shiny candy apple of Love and Transformation to others, can enjoy it herself, or may pass out poisoned fruit, knowingly or not, through distorted ideas of Love or Power.
A square between Love and Power (aka Venus and Pluto) is one of the most written-about, and misunderstood, of aspects. Traditional views tell us this individual will suffer for their unloving attitude–but I think that’s a wee bit harsh and short-sighted. What we see with the square is a conflict for this person between what they see as Love and what they see as Power–and one thing’s consistent, the concepts this individual holds must change in order to settle the conflict and gain both qualities in the life. Squares can play out initially in a way similar to the opposition: the individual chooses one side to embody, and casts someone or some situation in the life to represent the other–and then the struggle ensues, as the individual attempts to wrest the ‘missing’ quality from the designated other–and fails miserably (“I love you–empower me!” or “Respond to my demand–love me!”) It’s in the experience of failing to get what they need that this person comes to understand that by loving to gain power, or using power to gain love, they cannot be fulfilled, and it’s then that the alchemy begins.
When assessing any square, but particularly the Venus-Pluto square, we should keep in mind that this represents conditions the individual believes to be true. If we think of it that way, we find that his Venus-Pluto errors simply need to be unlearned; the Power within Love, and the Love that guides Power, are the treasure (Venus) to be unearthed (Pluto) by this individual. Compassion may be the perfect Venus-Pluto conceptual blend for the square: this person may have been force-fed the idea that she will not be loved (or lovable) if she is a powerful person, in charge of her own life. She may have been told that loving people don’t care about power–and so be cleverly disenfranchised from an early life scenario. She could have been told (and by ‘told’ I mean a message delivered, likely non-verbally, through significant others, typically the adults, in the early years) that Love involves rage, anger, jealousy, requires expensive tribute, is nothing but a power play, is destructive, or that one must immolate oneself on its altar in order to be worthy–all, of course, untrue. With the square, the individual was probably given a poison apple early on, and will continue to partake of it until some conflict makes the absurdity of poisoning oneself patently obvious.
As we’ve touched on previously, an opposition between Venus and Pluto typically first presents as the individual identifying with one side, and projecting the other; this can mean that, because this aspect lacks the outright conflict potential that the square has, the individual could never be under sufficient pressure to recognize a need for integration–they could go their whole lives living one side, projecting the other. In that case, we would see someone who sees themselves as totally loving and generous, and who rejects the idea that he or she may carry darkness or a desire for power, who may have encounter after encounter with angry, destructive, sneaky, dishonest people, or have relationships with those who are abusive or who are excessively centered in power and its payoffs (or, less likely, the individual may see themselves as ‘bad’, or as a transformative and powerful Being who cannot relate to Love and human relationships). The person as well as many who surround her or him often sing the lament, “I’m/she’s/he’s so nice, why do such bad things happen to me/her/him?” The answer is, to wake you up–to spur you to claim all facets of yourself–to make you see that you do carry a Plutonian darkness, and that by living in Venus, you are only half alive–but few will recognize the appropriateness of this answer.
Most people with the opposition do eventually realize that there’s something missing within the consciousness, often when they are confronted with positive and attractive examples of others who are living that opposing, not-identified-with power. A boy who believes he’s ‘bad’ is taken in by a loving family–and suddenly he begins to see that Love is accessible to him, too, that relationships are something he can create–and that he has misinterpreted his ‘badness’, when it may really be misguided or misdirected, but perfectly acceptable, energies. A man who believes himself to be loving and harmless may wonder why he can’t attract a mate, and it’s only in seeing the honest exchanges of energy (which include fighting and resentments) between others in obviously good and loving relationships that he comes to realize that expecting perfect harmony all the time is killing his chances at Love. In the case of the opposition, the individual may see life as all candy apples and unicorns (figuratively speaking) and reject any hint of darker things, or the individual may sees themselves as the poison apple, fearing that their mere presence harms others–and in both cases, life will deliver opportunities to accept the opposite energy and incorporate it into the world view and the psyche–and until this happens, the individual is likely to lead a lopsided, confusing, and unfulfilled existence, where they yearn for something, without realizing the thing they require is the very thing they reject. Once recognition of the need for incorporation occurs, things usually move steadily toward an integration that ultimately may mimic a conjunction in its melding of the two energies.
Now you may be saying, “But I don’t have a direct aspect between Venus and Pluto–what about me? Does this apply?” Yes, it does apply to you–these energies will always, in some way, no matter how tenuous, touch. They can touch through sign placement: Venus in Scorpio or Aries (Mars as a ‘secondary’ ruler of Scorpio, like Pluto’s little brother) connects the Venusian concepts to the darkness. If you have Pluto in Libra, you are likely familiar with the darker side of relationships–and you accept it. Also applicable are aspects to a third body that both aspect but are outside the orb of a connection between Venus-Pluto. There’s also the way Venus in the sign of your Pluto, or aspecting Pluto’s ruler, or Pluto aspecting Venus’s ruler, or the rulers of each in aspect, can pull them together, or even the way these might be located in each other’s ‘natural’ Houses (Venus in the 1st or 8th, Pluto in the 2nd or 7th). There’s also potential for connection through being in the same element or modality. You may think these are a stretch, but they will give you a good idea of where you fall on the Venus-Pluto continuum, of the way you divvy up Love and Power.
Carl Jung, who provided the quote that set this whole discussion off, is a good example. Born 26 July 1875 in Kesswil, Switzerland at about 7:30 PM, Jung has Venus in the 6th in Cancer, conjoined Mercury, and Pluto in the 4th in Taurus. Right away we see a connector, in spite of these two forming no direct aspect: Pluto is in Venus’s sign of Taurus. This hints that Venusian energies may be stronger in Carl’s psychic vocabulary, that they may tinge his Plutonian concepts. Venus is in wide square to Jupiter, exaggerating Love’s power and linking it to, among other things, the social order. It’s in Venus’ mutual reception with the Taurus Moon that we find the most potent contact. and considering some uncertainty to the birth time (and if we allow a reasonably large orb), the Moon could be conjoined Pluto–and this little tidbit binds the two, Love and Power, together almost as tightly as a conjunction might, through the mechanism of emotional interaction with and interpretation of the material world (Moon in Taurus).
Pluto has other aspects, though, and they add to the picture: Pluto is the arm of a T-square with a Saturn-Ceres opposition (reality and Nature ‘face off’, resolving the conflict only through working out the individual’s power position with both), is in rough sesquiquadrate the South Node in Libra (the past and past experiences as prompts to / roots of difficulties in relationship), and is the apex of a Finger of God with base of Jupiter in Libra and Mars in Sagittarius the individual depth of knowledge, when combined with an optimistic and socially acceptable attitude toward relationships, offers pure Power). Again, we see Venus’s influence on the Plutonian concept, through Libra and Taurus, and through the emotions (Taurus Moon. ‘sharing’ a vibe with Pluto, and possibly making the emotions the first line of access when reading matters of Power), including making Pluto the receiver for integration of concepts about the interrelationship of the individual with the social order (Jupiter in Libra) and the influence of relationships/ Love as it reminds of and draws on the past (Libra SN). Added bonus, Sedna, North Node, and Chiron are all in secondary sign of Aries, suggesting that these energies incline toward a Plutonian worldview through Self-assertion. That’s not to mention, if the birth time is correct, how the Black Moon Lilith point is closely conjoined the Midheaven–making it part of his role in the world to show us all how to realize and deal with those things ignored, denied, or otherwise buried.
It seems, then, that Dr. Jung may have been so intent on admonishing all of us on the need to recognize and accept the shadow simply because he was prone to favor Love, to see it as more compelling than Power–and probably to be ultra-aware of the dangers inherent in not recognizing ourselves in the darkness. “Unfortunately there can be no doubt that man is, on the whole, less good than he imagines himself or wants to be. Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.” Spoken with the confidence of a Leo Sun–and oh Carl, don’t we know it.
This article previously appeared in ECLIPSE, and has been modified and added to.
‘Gypsy with a Cigarette’ By Édouard Manet 1864 {{PD}}
The Sun and Moon meet in the sign of the Twins less than a day before both conjoin Juno–and this, combined with a close square formed to Neptune In Pisces, suggests that our New Moon beginnings may in some form pit the world of words, thoughts, ideas against creative urges and ideals. The aspect formed says that what’s communicated, what we’re thinking, hearing, processing, and probably believing, somehow conflicts with what we consider perfection, in our creations, or in our beliefs. Recognizing this dissonance, though, will be empowering–for how can we create, true to our imaginings, if we don’t recognize the flaws in our thinking?
Of note in the struggle to make changes that align with our highest creative wishes is an Earth Grand Trine in affect right now, consisting of Vesta in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn and Ceres in Virgo, the latter two at 29 stressed degrees, implying they must express, and specifically that these energies must make a mark materially. We see what we honor or revere in surroundings, atmosphere, and material matters (Vesta in Taurus) meeting the energy of permanent change (Pluto) and Nature itself (Ceres). The result may be that many factors in what occurs may be outside our personal control, matters of nature or the power structure flexing their muscles–but it all hooks obliquely into the New Moon via its square to Ceres (which also creates a T-square with Neptune=in this instance the NM is likely to prompt exploration of what we hold dominion over creatively, what authority we hold to enact our vision) and via its wide quincunx to Pluto (suggesting what niggles at us or upsets us should draw our attention to needed change, especially that which can offer emotional peace, or at least a sense of satisfaction).
A sextile to Eris in Aries tells us we could be distracted by those who want to stir up trouble, merely for the satisfaction of their own egos–but that’s easy enough to avoid, if we don’t take the bait. There’s also a New Moon semi-square to Venus (it may be a difficulty, in relationships or finances, that makes us look at our resources or surroundings in the first place), and a septile to Jupiter in Taurus. A septile is one-seventh of the full flat chart, considered a minor aspect–but an aspect’s only minor until it supplies a vital part of the story. Here it tells us that if we can get these two, the New Moon and Jupiter, to work together, we can have minor magic arising from a sum that adds up to more than its parts. In this case it likely pertains to the facts, and our beliefs, about our material situation. This probably sparks new thinking along these lines, a new way of seeing our situation that allows a big leap forward, in terms of opportunity or optimism.
The Sabian is, ‘A Gypsy Emerging From The Forest Wherein Her Tribe Is Encamped’. Now we call them Romany, of course, but the itinerant lifestyle is still practiced all over the world, by Romany and other groups. This image suggests something representative of a much larger entity/ pool of knowledge/ resources or assets that makes itself visible or known–and this is something that has, until now, been somewhat obscured (by the forest), so that we haven’t been able to see or understand it clearly. The emergence of one figure is indicative of a larger ‘thing’ of this same nature. The New Moon brings this forward in our perceptions–recognize that ‘there’s a lot more where that came from’, talent or resource wise, that it’s unique, unconventional, even exotic–but available to you, now that you know it’s there.
What happens at the New Moon offers a new outlook, information useful in implementing our creativity, and perhaps inspiration, as long as we’re willing to sort fact from fiction, and to recognize what resources are truly available to us–and as an extension of that, who and what is genuinely helpful along the path.
‘Encampment of Gypsies with Caravans’ By Vincent van Gogh 1888 {{PD}}
‘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.
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 Millais1878 {{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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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