You might hear that, in one form or another, quite a bit over the coming week or so: “Do it for me” “Do it because I care” “Care because I do” or maybe even “I’m angry because you do (or don’t) care”! The meeting of the Sun and the Moon a 18 Cancer 01 9 July at 6:15 PM PDT is semi-sextile Mars in Leo–a recipe for action or anger prompted by (or disguised as) concern or affection. Is this you speaking to someone else, or someone else hoping to move you? It doesn’t really matter–it’s how you respond, or if the speaker is you, what motivates your efforts, that really counts. But what else does the New Moon scenario tell us? What other influences shape the energy of caring and motivation?
We find Jupiter loosely sesquiquadrate from both the New Moon and Zeus, with Zeus square the New Moon and our system’s largest planet apex to a Fist of God. This suggests intense desire, want, ambition brought to light with all obstacles to achievement glaringly apparent in the Lunar light–and if a way is found to make that New Moon germ of tender concern overcome problems, the reward is plenty, more, abundance, overdoing in some way, a social or material ‘glut’, the support of the public, or maybe the reward is the discovery of ‘the facts’–but in any case, an alchemy that takes what dawns with the New Moon, mixes it with wants and ambitions, and serves up a Jupiterian result.
Maybe we can count the New Moon trine Neptune, adding a dash of delusion, imagination, inspiration, or hokum meant to deceive, and maybe even a gaping opposition to Pluto, which brings a sense of danger, a challenge, to what’s before us (both aspects are approaching, so that helps), but everything else has in my opinion too wide an orb for the aspect to count in a New Moon scenario.
I do however want to note a couple of other contacts, unrelated to the Lunar event, but that are distinctive enough they may ‘flavor’ surrounding occurrences. One is the meeting of Sedna and the Black Moon Lilith point at 29 tense degrees of Taurus=this may suggest material matters make us face what we ‘know but don’t know’, what we’ve been hiding from ourselves, and now see reflected back in real, and potentially crisis, terms.
The other is the sextile between Saturn and Chiron. In the best of times this may act like a punch in the nose, and in the worst of times spells a particularly poignant kind of catastrophe, of a distinctly personal nature. It suggests the manifestation in real-world forms of one’s deepest wounds. Together with Sedna-BML, these may add an aura of pressure or fatedness to that push for action, that appeal to do whatever needs doing in order to reach a goal or realize an ambition–just know that this suggests if we push forward right now, if we coerce others or ourselves, we may end up creating not the dream we’ve been working toward but a circumstance that features our own sore points and vulnerabilities in stark and unmistakable terms.
The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Priest Performing A Marriage Ceremony’. A New Moon is like the couple marrying, the solid Earth and the bright, reflective Moon uniting, but in this scenario, what is the priest? This may be us, because it’s on our initiative that something productive can be made from the New Moon union. It’s up to the individual to 1) use the Martian energy for positive Self-motivation, rather than to push others, 2) to use what begins with the New Moon in such a way that we enjoy a positive Jupiterian ‘gain’, 3) harness the ideals and power of the creative urge to support new starts, and 4) to accept our own power while studiously avoiding wielding it over anyone other than ourselves and our own personal options. The circumstances surrounding both material matters and our wounds will be a delicate one, but the key to navigating successfully will be found in not overreacting, while at the same time striving to be as responsible as possible for ourselves and our choices. Keeping the why of things as clear as possible will go a long way toward keeping everyone in their own lane and focused on what they can do about things, rather than just on what they want.
Does it feel as if some promised bounty, some dream that appeared to be in reach, some knowledge or luck you were counting on, has been, rather stealthily, withdrawn? That may be the subtle (early Pisces) backtracking of Jupiter. Those pull-backs from retrogrades are temporary, yes, but sometimes what was removed wasn’t really there–and in this case, because Jupiter was in at retrograde point the sign of Pisces, what you thought was right there was most likely an illusion, in terms of proximity, at least. This retro period will take you into territory that offers a new, ‘modern’ take on that dream, telling you where it was outdated, and through ‘Higher Learning’ and/ or accident and serendipity, re-shape what you wanted (or wanted to know about) into a more appropriate form for who you are now. That’s the beauty of a retrograde, it can often save us from ourselves by forcing a hiatus–and that may be the benefit here.
Now if you haven’t had something whisked away, then you might be someone who sports a natal retro Jupiter, for whom this is Jupiter’s more characteristic dynamic, making whatever dreams you were inspired to pursue take a pause for inventory as it shifts signs–and that’s a good thing, allowing you to align things and orient yourself in the desired direction–and making your most characteristic approach to opportunity the right approach, for right now. If you’re someone who’s had good things come out of the woodwork, particularly long-delayed benefits or long-ago invested-in dreams, then Jupiter’s retro period is taking you back into territory where the dream of Pisces becomes the intellectual or group demands of Aquarius. You’ll be called to find (or perhaps shape) your individual role within a larger context: as member (or leader) of a group, within a specific intellectual sphere, within the avant garde in your field, within an experimental effort, or as a disruptor for the ‘old’ system. In every case, it’s energy that will change your thinking (Jupiter in Air) before it goes direct and returns to the creative or inspired Piscean path you were on when the retro started.
There’s also a loose Earth Grand Trine of Vesta-Pluto-Ceres, putting Mother Nature, dietary matters, the weather, and those things we take very seriously (what we find sacred, what or whom we’re committed to, matters of life and death, reform, serious change, transformation, responsibility) in focus, and by drawing our attention, allowing us to achieve a kind of balance. It’s do-your-best, steady-as-she-goes with all these areas, and we’re required to show reverence for the larger, natural world and for elemental forces that are beyond us–and if our efforts or responses involve alterations, as long as they are undertaken with an awareness of the importance they carry and the repercussions that could come, things will work out fine. That is, seeing our own choices as making a deep impact on the Collective well-being and the world at large means we’ll make the best choices on both a large and small, personal scale.
Too, South Node andJuno are tightly conjoined right now, with Venus trine both roughly July 3rd-7th. The power dynamics of the past in relationships and in financial arrangements might seem currently cemented in place, but they’re not as unchangeable as we might think. When Venus makes contact we might find that at least one party in any matter wants to make change, to update the power dynamic–and the other may stubbornly hold tight. The need to adjust, to ‘modernize’ the balance, will become obvious during this period, and the Moon’s contact to the North Node on the 6th will make not just the need, but the way to implement change, very clear.
In the past week we’ve had Jupiter and Neptune both station retrograde, and my attention is drawn to two things: that both are not only in Pisces, but are ancient and modern rulers of Pisces, and that Vesta will first oppose Neptune, then will be joined by Mercury as it squares both, creating a T-square (in place by July 6th). With the first point, the abundance of liquid energy in the form of Piscean creativity and idealism is inspiring (and we add Pallas, wisdom, in Pisces, and the Sun in Watery Cancer, bringing both smarts and focus/ attention to the mix). The retro status changes, though, may take us underwater, submerging the conscious mind in the emotional element, bringing forward the liminal, the half-remembered, the things about which we end up asking ourselves, ‘Was it real, or did I just imagine it?’
The process of the T forming starts with the opposition, with the suggestion that a critical view of the highest values and commitments (Vesta in Virgo) comes up against illusion, delusion, or the need to violate something we’ve ’til now held as sacred, in order to create or reach an ideal; then Mercury comes along to square them both from Gemini, implying a message, information, or our own thought processes make clear the difficulties arising from or caused by the working out of the opposition tension.
The thing with a T-square is the tension; you have to break it, to unbalance it, or you’ll end up with a fulcrum that see-saws between alternatives and resolves nothing. In this case, you’ll have to choose: stick with old established values, standards, and things you find sacred, or pursue the inspired dream or creative goal. The Mercurial information dump may aggravate things, even mislead you, but in the end the choice comes down to the Vesta end of the see-saw (values, what you currently honor) or the Neptunian end (dreams, creative goals), and keep this in mind: when a new desire or life direction seems to conflict with long-time values and commitments, the thing to do isn’t to automatically reject the desire as unsuitable out of hand; instead it should inspire an examination of the values and what you honor, in order to determine if your values are actually current and in accord with your genuine feelings. Even standards may go stale over time–and yet if you find them still viable, still appropriate for you, then you’ll know that the creative urge was more of a whim or a pipe dream, a distraction or a wrong turn, and can let it go, making room for other inspirations more in line with who you are at core.
Edward Middleton Manigault ‘The Rocket’ 1909 {{PD}}
The Full Moon perfects on the 24th at 11:39 AM PDT at 3 Capricorn 27. A Full Moon in Capricorn can feel awfully final, setting boundaries and rules in no uncertain terms, cutting off the possibility of maybe, scuttling speculation along the ‘if things were only a little different’ lines–but that’s not how it happens, this time. The Moon conjoins the Earth, opposes the Sun, and sextiles Jupiter, implying not an ending or conclusion but an opening up, through opportunity, facts, or an expanded belief system. Granted, this may come via the mechanism of one or more options or alternatives hitting a dead end or conclusion–but that should only reinforce the sense that it’s time to move on, and good things are offered to those who do.
If you’ve got a natal planet at 1-4 of Leo, that body will be apex to a Finger of God, suggesting that the FM events and the wider possibilities they bring will energize the natal planet, showcasing expression of related energies as the logical ‘result’.
Out of this constructive (Capricorn) and optimistic and creative (Jupiter in Pisces) energy comes a new way forward or a new way of seeing things–but there are a couple more subtle contacts the Full Moon makes that we need to take into account. One is the novile it forms to Saturn; a novile promises a spark of genius generated by the combining of the two energies, creating a synergy that delivers more than the sum of its parts. Saturn is reality itself, as well as ruler of the Full Moon, and this could mean real world conditions, or solid material results, could come from Full Moon events–and that they’ll be more than a little special, innovative, or inspired.
We also see the Full Moon sesquiquadrate Ceres in Taurus. Again, the Full Moon brings an emphasis on material matters and ‘tangibles’ (Earth signs Taurus and Capricorn, so many Saturn connections, Earth conjoined the Earth Moon, and now with Ceres, the addition of Mother Nature Herself, the Earth’s ‘personality’, in a way). A sesquiquadrate (135 degrees, + or – 1.5 degrees) is an aspect of agitation and tension, the kind of upset that won’t leave us alone and must be addressed. The irritation that comes from the interaction of Ceres with the Full Moon dynamic may take many forms, but will certainly include some Ceres-related matters with which we become uncomfortable: our own sense of personal authority in some Taurean area, something concerning our health and/ or diet, some situation in Nature that directly affects us (including natural disasters–which I guess Nature doesn’t see as a disaster, right? To her that’s just Self-expression!), something that requires negotiation (especially if we’ve believed we can ‘do it on our own’), some matter of growth or sustenance or even finances, to include something potentially related to Venus’ recent journey (see June 22-23). Something we’ve ‘built’ will need addressing or revision with Full Moon events, either necessitating that (having been brought to a breaking point) or making the need to act on this very clear, though maybe not necessitating action just yet (that could build, finally occurring when Merc and the Sun meet up for the Superior Conjunction, on August 1st in Leo, emphasizing the individual personal nature of the choice or action needed).
Yes, it’s a ‘Strawberry Moon’, and yes, it’s a Super Moon, but neither factors in to the astrological picture. To think so, especially with the latter condition, is to assert that the closer a body is to Earth, the more power it has–which we know isn’t true; just look at the impact a Pluto transit can have, or even in practical terms the way the Sun can burn, while the Moon just glows with the Sun’s reflected light (though I do acknowledge that wonderful effect of the Moon’s pull on the tides of the body–but they’re subtle, so capable of escaping notice).
I really haven’t been feeling the Sabians lately; I’m not saying they’re inaccurate, but rather for my interpretation purposes, they for some time haven’t seemed to expand very much on what we’re getting from the planetary picture. So instead I’ll leave you with a Word Image for the Full Moon period (with significance through to the next Full Moon): an individual’s hands, the left with six fingers, the right with seven. Does this read to you as suggesting the individual is tasked with too much responsibility? Too busy, with ‘too many fingers in too many pies’? Or is it that the individual expects too much from themselves, almost along the lines of ‘if I had more hands, I’d get more done’? Does it strike you as alarming or freakish, prompting you to turn away, suggesting you’re observing something unnatural (or at least, not of the norm)? In some symbolic systems, left stands for the spiritual, and right for the physical world, and the number six for responsibility, the number seven for spirituality; that would then translate as ‘spiritual responsibility, material spirituality’, maybe constituting a message that the two factors, the seen and unseen, must intermingle more, or more completely. Your interpretation may vary, though hands themselves almost certainly imply a ‘Doing’ mode, suggesting a need to take action, and perhaps to find balance or a kind of working relationship between two similar entities.
I’m most interested in two things for this pair of days: a sextile between Juno and Saturn, and a progression of aspects, starting with Venus’ still extant trine to Neptune, then tracing Venus as she goes on to oppose Pluto and trine Pallas, then sextile Black Moon Lilith, and finally sextile Sedna. And of course, Mercury’s station direct afternoon of the 22nd, Pacific time.
The Juno-Saturn pairing suggests that maturity, in the form of accepting responsibility for ourselves and the impact we have, not only offers us stability, support from the material world, but also brings us constructive physical results.
Venus’ journey, on the other hand, either started with great inspiration or great delusion–so we’re already on a massively creative track, or a completely wrong one. The opposition to Pluto will be the jolt that makes clear which Venus path we’re pursuing, and requires we either commit (if it’s the inspired one) or eliminate this direction altogether (if it’s the delusional one).
Important to note, though, that at the same time as the opposition, Venus will also be trine Pallas, offering excellent guidance as to what’s practical, what’s wise–and since this involves Venus, we should expect relationships, finances, or both will be in the mix–but whatever it is, with Venus in Cancer, we’re going to care–just don’t allow sentimentality to masquerade as something worth investing in–because it’s not.
The sextile to BML, followed quickly by one to Sedna, suggests that relationships or financial matters bring a glimpse into areas we may have been ignoring or in denial about, and then our instincts or what we ‘know but don’t know’ chimes in to tell us how to handle what has been revealed. The real trick over these next couple days is to be open, to listen to the inner voice–not the one that gets us in trouble, but the one that makes us say after, ‘I knew it!’–because we did.
Mercury officially re-gains direct status at 16 Gemini 09, and soon after receives an opposition from the Moon in Sagittarius. Information may dawn immediately, delivered with a bit of an emotional punch and an urge to contradict it–but facts are facts, and we’ll have a much better time of things if we accept them and move forward. Also note the Sun-Jupiter trine in Water, promising clarity in belief, perception, social situations, and in the authenticity of any opportunities that come before us. The only thing to guard against is overflowing optimism, just because any overflow, even being overly positive in outlook, always causes a bit of a mess.
The New Moon/ Solar eclipse of the 10th falls at 19 Gemini 47, poised for the next day’s Inferior Conjunction of retrograde Mercury and the Sun. That makes a kind of double energy of ‘new beginnings’, of germination, in both the realm of ideas and that of the matters of the natal House where this eclipse falls for you. The seminal nature of things means we might not immediately know what is getting its start–but in Gemini, it almost certainly will cause a shift in the mentality, a shift in attention.
The eclipse forms a novile with Mars, already unhappy in Cancer and sitting at the 29th degree, desperate to do, to take action, to make ‘it’ happen–always a bad thing, when we feel pushed to do because we care, or worse, to prove we care, or perhaps pushed by others who care (or pushed by others to care, about something that doesn’t move us)–but if you can connect the passion Mars carries to the feeling nature without conflict or pressure, propelled by ideas, by thoughts we truly want to act on, something may be initiated that can help define your current, personal Zeitgeist and inform thinking and the mentality in a ‘fresh’ way. If you can apply the need for action to what you care about you can expect thought-innovation concerning something that really matters to you, ideas and the energy to put them in motion, as well as knowing who or what contacts will change thought into matter.
The eclipse trines Zeus, and forms a wide square to Neptune and wide opposition to Juno. These contacts suggest that ambition and desire fulfillment is the essence of what occurs at the eclipse–and that this may not agree with what we imagine fulfillment will look like. It also suggests that we may find what starts, at least in the beginning, disempowering–but it’s more likely disorienting, asking us to see things in a new light, one that can work out much better than if things unfolded as we would orchestrate them.
Muddy-ing the mix is a wide square to Vesta in Virgo, perhaps suggesting nothing so much as the potential for stiff-necked and judgmental ‘principles’ to get in the way of what needs to be initiated at this time. With that 29 degree Mars we know something must be done, and if we keep our emotional head on straight, and refuse to succumb to emotional pressures, we can start something big, new, fresh, necessary–so though we need considered judgment, an agreement between head and heart, we don’t need a hyper-critical take on what we want to do.
The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘A Modern Cafeteria Displays An Abundance Of Food, Products Of Various Regions’. That’s an image of choice–a watchword of Mars, which we know is instrumental to what goes down. Note too that it’s a ‘modern’ image, one that provides options we might not have had at other points in time, or even in history–important as it emphasizes the wide reach we now enjoy, the variety at our fingertips, and the wide impact of our own choices, an effect we might not anticipate as we act, but which we should be cognizant of.
Find balance between the head and the heart, and be willing to act–what’s promised is something you’ve long wanted, though be warned, it may not be precisely what you’ve envisioned, it will fulfill the ambitions, the desire nature, the craving you’ve carried–and like so many things in life, surprise us with the form it takes, with what it brings, with discovery about the true nature of what we’ve drawn to us.
Bonus: if you have a natal placement in the 18-21 degree range of Aquarius, you may find this period initiates a new front with a worked-for ambition or aim, likely bringing a workable approach that leads to realization, as your natal placement fills in an Air Grand Trine with the eclipse and Zeus. Congrats!
If thoughts seem still as a woodland pond, it may be because Mercury is stationary, ready to technically retrograde at 3:34 PM PDT of the 29th at 24 Gemini 43. (Or, if you can’t seem to light on any train of thought for long, that’s also a Mercurial stoppage of a sort, the kind that sends you round and round through the same ‘network’ of thoughts and offers no definitive satisfactions.)
The Moon in Capricorn will have just quincunxed Mercury shortly before turnaround, giving us the feels and probably making for some frustration: the emotions either seem obvious, sitting right on the surface, or seem to be in the depths, hidden even from ourselves–but most likely is a combination, that comes along with an awareness that, ‘this emotion is right in front of me, but I know I have feelings I just can’t pinpoint!’.
Merc in Gemini prompts some overthinking, and probably a yearning to ‘make progress’ somehow, to make up our minds about things, particularly the matters of the House in the natal chart where the retro occurs–or, we have the need to communicate without really knowing what our message is. There are two tendencies at this point, and you’ll likely choose one: thinking you can think your way through ‘it’, whatever it is, or a personal approach that relies on 1) scattershot attention, so that nothing gets focus, and so nothing gets done/ decided, or 2) turning to others for endless surveys of their opinions, what they would do, etc., which does nothing to move the matter forward.
None of those are wrong, but it is just spinning our Mercurial wheels. A retro in Air asks us to, in broadest terms, re-consider what and how we think of our world, so full awareness of our own subjectivity is highly useful, when we bother to compare it to the facts, the info available, to the prevailing thought on any matter. Again, neither is no viewpoint is inherently more right than any other; it’s in the comparison, the review of our own methods cast against the thinking of the wider world or the group, that we benefit, find mental inspiration, sort the wheat from the chaff.
The Cosmic picture at turnaround sets the stage for the retro period itself, with Mercury roughly three-and-a-half weeks ahead. Here we see Mercury at the point of retrograde pulling back just before, in direct motion, it would’ve conjoined Venus, suggesting a pull back in relationships or financial matters, a wait-and-see, or let’s think about this some more approach. First aspect Mercury in retro will form is a square to Neptune, promising that any fantasies we hope to sustain may hit the rocks on retro review, and also making it difficult to connect to inspiration or the creative ideal, probably because the mind isn’t ready to stick with a single idea, just yet.
Right about the same time Merc will also semi-sextile Mars and square Pallas, warning us: you may get antsy, want to act precipitously, but that wouldn’t be smart, or may be impractical. So don’t indulge in impulse, during this retro time. Inferior Conjunction with the Sun comes on the 11th of June, and should be the starting point for beginning to gather your thoughts. If you’re a wordsmith of any kind, work it and re-work it, and if you’re not, just let the mind sort through things at its own pace, and start paying attention to what occupies your mental space on the 11th. Don’t demand answers until a bit after direction, and you’ll be all the better for it.
A Lunar eclipse is by definition a Full Moon, a time when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon as they are lined up along the ecliptic, offering Earthlings a few minutes when the Moon is prevented from reflecting the Sun’s light. All bodies in our Solar system are more or less lined up along this plane; an eclipse is a point when a New or Full Moon occurs as the alignment of Sun, Moon, and Earth are closest, allowing either the Moon (during a Solar eclipse) or the Earth (during a Lunar one) to block the Sun’s light to the other body.
This Lunar eclipse falls on 26 May, at 4:13 AM PDT, at 5 Sagittarius 25, and of course does so close to the South Node (with Full or New Moon proximity to the Nodes being one sign of an eclipse). Interesting that the closest aspect formed is a sesquiquadrate with Mars in Cancer. With the ’emotion point’ of the chart itself being the meeting of Moon and Earth (with the Moon on the side of Earth opposite to the Sun), Martian energy in the Moon’s sign and in difficult aspect to the Lunar event suggests either aggressive, angry emotions stirred up by endings or conclusions brought by the Full Moon, or that actions or choices (Mars) made because we care (Cancer) bring forward a tough situation (sesquiquadrate).
The Full Moon is also semi-square Zeus, in wide square to Jupiter, and quincunx Ceres. Our desires (Mars/ Zeus) are under pressure (semi-sq and sesqui), and it doesn’t look like we have the opportunity or support we wanted from the larger social sphere or from the facts themselves (sq to Jupiter), and this may cause a dilemma, a need to adjust course (qnx) and make choices based on a realistic picture of our own authority in the matter (qnx Ceres).
The Sabian symbol for this eclipse is, ‘A Game Of Cricket’. Though we’re likely to take what occurs very seriously, we would do well to keep in mind that everything in life is a kind of game. A lighthearted take, or one that is willing to take reasonable risk, or to not take injury too grimly, will serve us well. Know what you’re risking, make your moves, and be willing to lose once in a while, seeing it as the Universe pointing you in another direction. The game metaphor may be old and even trite, but it applies: to succeed we have to be willing to play, to risk, and to know when a win is really a win, and when it’s a distraction from our actual aims (one indication that it’s a distraction: it seems like an end in itself–also when it only makes us want more/ something else).
The Sun has the Sabian, ‘Workmen Drilling For Oil’. The richness of life is there, if we’re willing to work for it, to ‘drill down’ in the right way and in the right place, if we’re willing to ‘get our hands dirty’, as the saying goes–and that means openness to dealing with the nitty-gritty, putting in the time and effort, hoping we can ‘strike oil’–and knowing there’s no guarantee–and that means when we come up dry (that is, when our goals elude us over significant stretches of time and despite all efforts), we need to be ready to declare it a bust, and move on to more promising ground that is more responsive to our efforts–that latter an important point, when pursuing what we want.
Whether the Full Moon is a trigger, ‘lighting up’ feelings about what we learn, already knew but must now face, or discover (Sagittarius), or an ending that opens space for a whole new way of seeing and understanding the world (Jupiter), we need to see that as an eclipse event, it wipes out old circumstances represented by matters of the House in the natal chart in which the event occurs. We learn might be the motto of this Full Moon as it removes previous conditions and presents us, likely via knowledge gained or revealed, or beliefs tested, with a whole fresh assortment of facts.
If it falls in the 1st, we might learn something about ourselves and our interactions with the world; in the 2nd, something around our true talents or about what assets we bring to the table or are capable of earning; in the 3rd, new knowledge or beliefs change our minds or method of assessment; in the 4th something about the family life is revealed, or we have to face facts about the place we see as our current base, or about who we are, deep inside; eclipse in the 5th in Sag says something about what we must risk, or what we must create, in order to get what we want; the 6th brings knowledge that shakes up the everyday, or that re-orders our sense of duty or obligation; in the 7th we may observe what we need to see about ourselves or our situation acted out by others, or the changes come with or through partners or in response to what our ‘audience’ tells us; in the 8th things shift and are revealed through the act of sharing or interdependence, with our cooperative arrangements likely to re-balance; in the 9th the eclipse may force us to reach out, or makes the very instance of discovery or learning into the event itself; falling in the 10th it’s public–others can see, and that may create changes in the career or status; in the 11th a group of which we’re a part may take on a different role in our lives, or we take on a different one in the group–falling here the eclipse may also alter or deliver a long-sought dream or goal, or pave the way for its realization (or final denial); and in the 12th the Moon’s message may arrive in dreams, meditation, or in a realization about our place in the larger Cosmos, or we may find a new chapter opening when we’re under the sway of something much larger than ourselves.
All these potentials include the possibility of expansion, of widening our world, or of gaining experience; we might also find out about our temper and how it drives us, our true power within our own current situation, the difficult or less attractive parts of our ambitions, or we may discover how much we care, even (or especially) if we thought we didn’t. Prepare to have to face the depths of emotions around things we’ve been framing as casual, as something we can take or leave; the eclipse tells us what we need to know–all we have to do is acknowledge that we really want ‘it’, we deeply care about ‘it’, or that we genuinely need ‘it’–and go from there.
On the 10th, during the Dark of the Moon, we may get a shock, as the Moon conjoins Uranus in the world-weary material realms of Taurus. At roughly the same time, Moon-Uranus sextiles Mars and finds itself caught at the midpoint of Chiron and Mercury-North Node. Normally the Dark period is quiet, at least psychically speaking, the energy muted with many of us having the sense that we’re a little apart from the world. Things happen, but we either aren’t yet aware of them or we’re not aware of the full implication of events, as if we’re having trouble intuiting, or maybe feeling, our connection to what occurs.
This time we we may be surprised, or just enlightened, by some revelation, or even some revolution, that we’re witness to. It affects material matters, our security, or our comfort, and at the same time prompts us to act or choose, with the spurring event either evolving from the convergence of past hurt and current, clear thinking about the future, or leading us to a better understanding of the past, ourselves, and where we want to go–and so making what we need to do to get there clear.
That’s the lead-in to the New Moon, which forms at 11:59 AM PDT on the 11th at 21 Taurus 17. We’ve received some flash knowledge the day before, and we see the results of that in two potent aspects: the NM conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point, and the NM as apex to a perfect Finger of God with base of Juno and Zeus. These tell a story that may be a little scary, a little hard to take, simply because we may be faced with some of the more hidden parts of ourselves–and the things we deny, or repress, or think are behind us when they’re not, are some of the most difficult things we ever have to deal with–and they’re all inside us, so challenge us to be unflinchingly Self-responsible–and that’s never easy.
The conjunction speaks of the New Moon beginning/ event as driven by things we’ve ignored, denied, or that have in the past enraged us. It’s the kind of powerful energy that can move us to major feats, to redemption, but also has the potential to simply enrage us all over again as we’re forced to acknowledge something we thought carefully buried! So, we can make the best of it by recognizing what we’ve put aside and then using it as a catalyst to do what needs doing, or we can sink into an abyss of anger at our own choices, pointing fingers at who’s responsible–but by now it’s obvious, the Finger points at us.
With a base of Zeus (the ambition and desire nature) and Juno (empowerment, status, the role we play), this configuration suggests that the dissonance created by the New Moon revelation/ event is the direct result of our own wants and our attempts to bring them to fruition. These two components of our lives have worked together to bring about this New Moon result, and vice versa, the New Moon tells us a great deal about our actual wants, and our actual empowerment situation.
The New Moon also sextiles Neptune and Pallas (wisdom, practicality, and creative energy are all available to address what comes forward; we just have to make a little effort to apply them), trines Pluto (change or transformation is easy–in this instance a kind of ‘magical power at your fingertips’ aspect), and noviles Chiron. This latter is interesting in light of the 10th, when what occurred (or occurred to us) was related to our sense of hurt (or, in some cases, our very unique personal skills); now a novile says that we have an exceptional ability to heal and/ or utilize that energy in positive ways–it’s so strong, we don’t even really need to try, which means that appropriate healing will occur, even if we don’t see it as such–at least, we may not see it that way yet.
Neptune and the New Moon create another Finger of God base, this one with an apex of Zeus in Libra. This suggests that our purest creative urge, when driven by the New Moon energy (that is, a likely material, Arts-related, or comfort-keyed energy), may inform our ambition pursuit, and possibly connect us with others who can make our desires a reality.
Also of note: Jupiter sits at the stressful 29th degree of Aquarius, signalling one of several things: that the intellect suffers under strain that comes from what we’ve learned or realized; that the social sphere around us is in some way at a tipping point, when feeling (Pisces) will soon overtake the mental lens (Aquarius) we’ve been using for some particular subject; that we’re presented with a crisis or stressful situation that is in reality a major opportunity; that knowledge we’ve acquired or ‘the facts’ of the matter will force us to choose or act–in this case, we’re at the end of the road, there’s no getting out of it.
The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A White Dove Flying Over Troubled Waters’. This might be the stance we need to take for what’s coming: bring nothing but a pure kind of peace, an intent to do no harm, to whatever roiling situation you’re faced with. If you find a particular situation is missing something, rather than blaming someone else, what we need to see is that we didn’t bring the missing ingredient, either–and if we choose peace over anything else, as long as it isn’t camouflage for passive-aggression, then we’ll be, at a personal level, in the best position possible to cope, to thrive, to ‘rise above’. And that’s what we all ultimately want, isn’t it? Peace?
What we have to share with others is rarely as tangible as a piece of fruit. ‘Basket of Apples’ By Levi Wells Prentice {{PD}}
Part 1 is here. In continuation, a couple of quick examinations will make it clear that it’s not always easy to distinguish between our actual talents and those things we are, one way or another, obligated to share with the Collective–and then there’s what we want to be in life, the image we want to have in the world, our ideas and beliefs about who we are, and what the social order tells us we are or expects us to be. All these cloud the talent picture and contribute to confusion over how we best fit with and serve the Collective–and it almost goes without saying, what genuinely serves the world serves us as individuals, as well.
Individual Distortions Can Affect the World: Adolf Hitler
Politicians make good fodder for this study, simply because what they do and are affects so many others—they’re the rare individuals whose personal abilities matter to the largest number of people. Though he’s been studied relentlessly, Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 6:30 PM Braunau am Inn, Austria) is still a great example of what happens when an identity crisis, and confusion about gifts, takes on serious proportions–and if you’re sick of Hitler, just skip ahead to the next example.
He has Scorpio on the 2nd, the House holding Earth, ruler Pluto in Gemini in the 9th (and co-ruler Mars in Taurus in the 8th); on the 11th we see Leo, with the House holding Saturn and the Midheaven, ruler Sun in Taurus in the 8th. Talents revolved around a serious ability to make a material impact through intense communication that goes far and wide (Pluto in Gemini in the 9th), with personal action supported by others in aesthetics or by offering security or comfort—and obviously he showed this with flying colors, by extreme negative example. (And we note, Pluto is conjoined Neptune, a classic contact of misunderstanding, misinterpretation, confusion–which directly affects his own interpretation of his talents, since Pluto rules the 2nd).
With an Earth element Sun at 00 of Taurus (and with ruler Venus also in Taurus, retrograde), Hitler was almost bound to confuse the just-budding aesthetic sensibilities to which his Soul was then turning attention with the Scorpionic intensity of the House of talent and its ruler placements, which likely made him feel (along with Mars in the 8th) that he was perpetually in danger of having his sense of identity, his manhood, and his Will totally subsumed by others, and specifically by their teachings or philosophies (Pluto in 9th plus potent 8th)—not to mention the way others disregarded his attempts to create a career as an Artist. The ‘too soon’ placement of the Taurus Sun, plus the too heavy emphasis on the ‘permission’ of others—the 8th—or of schooling—the 9th—tell us he was unlikely to make headway as an Artist no matter what—this is in spite of the ‘look what the world could have been saved from’ assertion that laments how, if Hitler had only been accepted into Art School, the Holocaust never would’ve occurred.
This line of thinking is typically offered as if merely giving someone what they want will make them a kind and cooperative individual–and anyone who’s tried to appease another knows this ain’t so. The chart proves Hitler’s frustration was inevitable—(and that it was his choice not to learn artisanship—Taurus—that would’ve begun cultivation of and development of genuine artistic abilities). Because Hitler’s attention remained largely focused on himself, in real terms he may never have consciously addressed why he might be here, and what he might have to offer; he was too caught up in the sense of personal struggle (Mein Kampf, and those 8th and 9th House connections) to get beyond that. But what did he really have to share with the world?
It could be said that Hitler came equipped to share the difficulties fostered by vanity and intricacies of how to ‘shine’ in the social sphere, and what the need for Self-regard, both Self-esteem and Self-awareness (all Leo), will do to someone who doesn’t have that genuine Leonine regard for the Self (and so seeks to form the world around them to supply the esteem they lack). The ability to wield power, to make and re-make, to rise from the ashes (Scorpio/ Pluto), especially mentally (Gemini) and philosophically (9th), is there; he could’ve served as an example of how to find one’s place in the larger order, to cooperate and support others (11th, 8th House Sun), but the insecurities plus the Leo energy seem to have overwhelmed any potential positives–he went straight to bully for and grab the personal glory, as soon as his initial impulses weren’t valued–a childish response that unfortunately had the power of Pluto behind it, to the detriment of so much and so many.
Too, consciousness about what every individual contributes to the Collective, and of the role of an effective group leader (MC In 11th), as well as awareness of the virtues and dangers of elevating a sense of discipline and rules above common sense (Saturn) appeared to have been part of his potential offering—and all these he did share, in one form or another—but until he embraced the individual role within reality and the established order (Saturn in Leo) and the interconnectedness of all people (ruler Sun in the 8th), especially through their interdependence materially (Sun in Taurus) he would live and die unfulfilled—and I think he did just that.
Food For Thought: Anthony Bourdain
The late chef, author, and travel host Anthony Bourdain (25 June 1956 8:35 AM New York New York USA) carved a career not just from his love of and expertise in the world of food, but from his presentation of first the culinary world (in books like ‘Kitchen Confidential’), then the world at large (in several shows such as ‘No Reservations’), through his restless and very particular personal viewpoint, focused through food. The Cancer Sun of course fits someone for whom food occupies an outsized role in the life, and its placement in the 12th House might suggest he would’ve been destined to thrive behind-the-scenes, in the kitchen rather than before the camera–so what happened?
When we look at the 2nd of talents and personal assets in Bourdain’s chart we see an empty House filled by Virgo, with ruler Mercury strong in its own sign of Gemini in the 11th of what one has to give the world, goals, friendship, and group involvement. Now, we know that an empty House doesn’t mean ‘no talent’, but it does place an exceptional amount of importance on the situation of the House’s ruler. We might translate this as a talent for critique and communication (Virgo)–a strong one, with Merc in a sign it rules–with the signal that the ruler landing in the 11th means this is the real talent, the one he was meant to share, no matter how otherwise nurturing life in the kitchen may have been.
The 11th also holds the South Node, which is conjoined Mercury, suggesting past knowledge that can be applied to talent expression, and Venus, which is not only retrograde but is also major body of latest degree in the chart. Venus in Gemini reads as communicating beauty and values, but when we factor in the retro condition and the latest degree position, we may find someone who always ended things, especially relationships and weighing the worth of things, at a mental stalemate; too much mental activity, too much musing over the meaning of things, may have short-circuited his relationships with the things and people he loved–so the world could’ve felt to him a very lonely place, as his own mind created distance with others, or a too-critical note with values or interactions better just enjoyed.
This is important to the talent picture as Venus is both the rewards we receive and the enjoyment we partake in–and Self-expression suffers, nay, doesn’t even happen, if we’re not getting those pay offs. Venus rules the 3rd of thought/ communication, linking it even more firmly to the Mercurial/ talent energy, and also rules the 10th, making it vital to the career–and this latter may carry the implication that the career would never offer the Venusian rewards and good feeling we all look for, considering the connections it has to overthinking and the inevitable disappointments of a naturally critical assessment of things.
Venus is part of two Fingers of God: one sees Venus sextile Sedna, apex Saturn=combining the desires, love, assets with what one ‘knows but doesn’t know’, what the instincts inform of, can successfully shape the real world and the reality picture–that’s hopeful, and certainly one of the ingredients behind his success; the other has Venus in 11th sextile Pluto-Jupiter-Zeus in the 1st of Self, apex the Moon-Hygeia combo in Capricorn in the 6th=at least some of that thinking and re-thinking about relationships, what’s worthy in life, about values may be stirred by ambitions, knowledge of the wider world, and all the fears, sensitivities, and destructive elements he’s seen on a day-to-day basis.
Relationships themselves, even money (Venus), may have felt like the thing that brings opportunity (Jupiter) and allows ambition fulfillment (Zeus), and also promises destruction and power struggles (Pluto)–though the optimistic potential for transformation (Pluto) may have helped him go forward for quite awhile. And, Venus trines Neptune-Vesta in Libra=easy to be misled, to lie to oneself, to imagine things are ideal–and that violates a genuine belief in the sacredness of human interaction (Vesta), especially at an intimate level. Essentially, this may bring cycles of disappointment if ideals or creative perfection aren’t reached. So, lots of conflict inherent in the way the psyche processed relating to others, even as there may have always been a spark of inspiration and hope for the ideal in relationships.
And we haven’t even talked about Mercury much yet! Only two more things here I think might apply to the talent and asset picture. Mercury is apex to a Fist of God with base of Neptune-Vesta square Hygeia-Moon. That suggests there was a basic conflict between maintaining a healthy emotional state and pursuing creative ideals, making ‘the dream’ happen (and this in any area, career, relationship, and so on), with the stress likely coming from the Neptune in Libra tendency to over-romanticize intimate relationships, and Vesta insisting on seeing every close connection as sacred. The continual tension (the square of the base) that arose from knowing that loving relationships aren’t fantasy-perfect (Venus in Gemini trine Neptune-Vesta), that such an ideal wasn’t healthy (square to Moon-Hygeia) pushed the Mercury apex for an answer–but does an unsolvable problem, or maybe a wish like this, have an answer?
The Geminian Mercury outlet probably saw the mind as the ‘way out’, believing it was up to him to sort it out, get his head on straight, so to speak, with belief in the responsibility of the Self strong (Jupiter–the belief system–in Leo in the 1st). With Merc in the 11th, this was a line of thinking (that probably felt like a life-line!) that said pursuit of dreams and goals would almost magically (Neptune is involved, after all) resolve the ongoing tension–and though reaching goals or achieving positive relationships may have temporarily alleviated the dilemma, it wasn’t a permanent answer, as the ideal vs. healthy/ real dissonance continued (Merc sesquiquadrate the base square).
Mercury is also conjoined the South Node and part of a T-square with the North Node, with all squared by Mars in Pisces in the 8th. That Mars placement could put a lot of pressure on a man to live up to his ideal of the ‘perfect man’–and in the 8th his short-comings in this regard could’ve felt very public, with a tendency to project his own beliefs and expectations of perfection onto others, making him feel they were judging him, or pressuring him to meet their standards–and that’s a tough complex to go through life with. The square between Mercury-South Node and Mars could indicate an elephant-like memory for things said to him in the past by others, especially friends or in group situations (8th and 11th)–and we all know how judgements made of us, even casually, can echo for the rest of our lives, sometimes crippling our Self-image unnecessarily.
The T is of course a tense aspect, with the thinking and perceptions melded to the past in some form (in his case, maybe a constant awareness of his own past, which included addiction), and by sheer placement, somewhat contradictory to the idea of progress, of going forward into the future (NN). Mars in square adds stress to every thought (Mercury) and action (Mars)–is this the right thing to do, considering my past, and looking toward, and trying to move into, my future? Again, a refrain that doesn’t have an answer–though a sense of traveling and learning certainly helped him cope (Mars rules the 9th).
Perhaps surprisingly, what Bourdain had to give the world was his unique way of thinking, processing, his critical eye on the world around us, and the way that world is reflected through culture and a culture’s choices about food. That’s a pretty wonderful legacy, opening our eyes, giving us a greater sense of what’s out there to be explored, and emphasizing how no matter our differences, food connects us all.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
You must be logged in to post a comment.