‘Symbolist Landscape (The Pali Road by Moonlight)’ By Marguerite Louis Blasingame c1930 {{PD}}
Luna enters Libra at 7:09 AM PDT and makes a statement: it’s all about finding emotional balance. What we feel, whether or not we’re conscious of those feelings or our focus on them, becomes the whole enchilada. The reason for this is a (possible sudden, even surprising) awareness of our tender feelings around who and what we care about; these matters seem to be under stress, and that means they exert their influence even when we think we’re being practical, rational, logical (Venus at 29 degrees of Cancer), and the outlet is just naturally the emotional experience (Venus ruled by the Moon).
This reads as a pressured search for the stress points in relationships, partnerships, commitments, and in our artistic endeavors (Moon in Libra). Even if we don’t think we have issues, our emotional antennae will automatically start combing the airwaves for problems that need fixin’–and if we don’t have any, we may just cook some up, out of a need to exorcise that emotional tension.
The outlet comes through the Air sign Grand Trine of Libra Moon, Uranus in Gemini, and Pluto in Aquarius. The element of Air is our hint that taking a mental, rather than emotional, approach to what we see in partnerships and cooperative ventures today is the way to send those feelings and emotional perceptions (to include intuitions) in a positive direction. The way we feel in those relationships (Moon in Libra) will bring benefits and find constructive form if we take our most unique, individual, and inventive ideas (Uranus in Gemini) and look to the power structure accessible through Higher Mind, group involvement, and/ or by taking an innovative approach to what lies before us (Pluto in Aquarius). The potential trap is found in thinking rebellion or destruction will be the short-cut to relationship reform or change in cooperative circumstances; that’ll only bring forward more tension, and more discord, not less. Empowering ourselves without trashing anything or anyone else is the measure of whether the impulse to act on feelings is a good one or not.
The Daily Word Image is the final pieces of an enormous puzzle that are all the same color. That can be frustrating, and sometimes seems impossible to fit together, but it forces the puzzle-doer to look closely, at subtle detail, at shape, so that once one is attuned to taking that particular kind of care, completing the puzzle takes on a Zen-like sense of calm and introspection that focuses the doer in a way that didn’t seem likely just a short while before. Approach that task that seems at first glance undo-able with calm and focus, and watch the pieces fall into place.
‘Three Ghosts’ By Vishchun 2025 {{PD}} Thank you, Vishchun!
The Virgo Moon passes over the Virgo South Node today, and we connect emotionally and/ or intuitively with the past. Whether this comes in the form of memories, repercussions, persistent situations or circumstances, time travel, nostalgia, or hauntings, is an individual matter, but it will show up–but to what purpose? Possibly we visit the past because Mercury squares the Black Moon Lilith point and Jupiter closely trines it, making difficult matters foremost in our thoughts (whether we like it or not!) and easily showing us the ‘Big Picture’–so it’s all quite fortunate, as our perspective from 30,000 ft, and yesterday’s experience, show us exactly how to process, handle, confront, or modify it all. A very helpful day, if we don’t get too distracted by Memory Lane.
Please see previous posts for other still extant influences.
The Daily Word Image is Strawberries. I know, you may be saying, Get over your fruit obsession, lady! But for me strawberries are something I’m allergic to. Just the thought of them makes me itchy and uncomfortable, so I ask you to consider what comes to mind when you think of these berries. For me, it suggests there’s something currently in my world that I need to avoid–but for you, it might evoke very different references, and that’s the beauty of a symbol, isn’t it? Each of us has a particular relationship to the elements of the Universe, the combinations of which are what makes every individual amazingly unique.
‘Still Life With Strawberries in a Crystal Bowl’ By W.carter Thanks, W.!
Our attention’s still on the state of the world, on reality, how clearly we do or don’t comprehend it, and, most importantly, how we can facilitate change (Sun quincunx Saturn-Neptune sextile Pluto in a Finger of God), and this is mostly because we keep repeatedly being shocked, surprised, or suddenly realizing innovative or inventive approaches to what concerns us; we’re receiving one of the Universal forms of ‘higher education’, and we need to keep up, the best we can, to get the most out of it (Sun square Uranus). The distraction, though, is still the Venus-Chiron Cardinal square, with Venus ruling Mars in Libra and Mars ruling Chiron acting like a boomerang and exacerbating both the urge to act and the sense that we’re agitated, but can’t pinpoint exactly why (or perhaps more accurately, whom to blame!)
Answers may lie in a Water Grand Trine with Jupiter and the Black Moon Lilith and North Nodal point. Grand Trines offer an opportunity to create balance, outlining a graceful interaction among various components; here the idea seems to be that if we focus on expanding what we care about, either in some form having or investing in more of that, or in expanding our world so that we care more about the wider one that surrounds us (Jupiter in Cancer), and by accepting (if not embracing) those things we’d rather not acknowledge, see, or that enrage us, that we typically keep hidden or treat as secrets (BML in Scorpio), we can have a big, conscious say in creating our future–and who could want more than that?
The Daily Word Image is a tomato on the vine that from a distance looks beautifully ripe, perhaps left too long in place, as it proves to be rotted after a sudden summer rain. What looks perfect, mature, in your life that at this point really isn’t desirable at all? Or is it that you’ve left something too long, hoping to maximize its perfection, only to find that you missed its peak and it’s now no good? Missing the moment when something should be used, accessed, celebrated is one of life’s small tragedies–look around and make the most of things that are ready, ripe, before they’re irredeemable.
Engraving ‘Die Gartenlaube’ From a book published by Ernst Keil, 1859 {{PD}}
Late in the day, the New Moon perfects PDT at 11:05 PM at 00 Virgo 22 (so falls AM of the 23rd for everyone east of this zone), and the whole day/ 24 hours preceding it is a lead-up to this energy refresh. But, it’s a lead-up through the Dark, and after two days of this already, we may hit a bit of frustration, a mini-Dark Night of the Soul, as we look for, and likely fail to locate, why we are what we are, and want what we want (Moon in late Leo).
The New Moon is apex to a Finger of God with base of Saturn-Neptune in Aries and Pluto in Aquarius. That’s an emotionally charged divining rod, or maybe a lightning rod, attracting and concentrating the state of reality and its degree of conformity to our ideal/ degree of departure from our ideal, if we’re being misled or deceived (and we can fool ourselves if we’re not careful, Saturn-Neptune), and this combines with a Higher Mind desire to make change, or a rebellious urge to foster chaos through destruction or overturn the status quo, but all with an underlying desire to discover the Truth (Pluto in Aquarius), and the result is the New Moon=a sudden realization that the feelings are raw and intuition is stark and unavoidable (00 degrees). We perceive something new for the first time, and the first things we see are what’s wrong with our idea of reality and our desire to change it. Don’t let that be discouraging; having what isn’t working made apparent is much more useful than platitudes and reassurances that may only serve to take our attention away from problems.
The other major aspect is a square to Uranus, ruler of Pluto, which may say that what we discover at the New Moon could be upsetting; we want change (Pluto) because of what we see about our own uniqueness and/ or our relationship to the Group (Uranus). Notice too that the New Moon forms a novile with ruler of the other leg of the Finger, Mars, implying that the actions and choices prompted at this time will create an advantage for us; they’ll be rooted in a spark of genius we won’t necessarily see as such in the moment (as long as they won’t be made from a sense of hurt, see below).
Spanner in the works: Venus and Chiron are still in Cardinal square. Make sure wounded feelings aren’t the impetus behind current choices and decisions; that may infect things in a way that later can’t be easily undone.
The Sabian symbol for this New Moon is, ‘In A Portrait, The Significant Features Of A Man’s Head Are Artistically Emphasized’. The Uranian and Uranus-related elements of this New Moon are likely to make us hyper-aware of our most unusual and unique traits and abilities. We need to see them as ‘beautiful butterfly’ aspects of who we are, and not the unflattering or even shameful distortions of spirit that some others, looking to disempower us, might want us to believe.
We’re really feeling that Dark of the Moon at this point, and I think the little spark engendered by the New Moon will feel sharper than usual as the two will meet in Virgo, so that the first New Moon thought may be a critical one. Until then, the Moon most notably today makes contact, in the Dark, by square to the Black Moon Lilith point and by quincunx to the North Node. Luna, reflecting no light, contacts two points, rather than other bodies, so that the whole thing has a ‘feeling around in the dark’ quality. We may find ourselves groping for meaning, wrestling indirectly with what we’d rather bury or ignore, or with matters that enrage us (BML), all the while trying to adjust our efforts so they don’t conflict with the direction we want to go in life (NN). It’s a balancing act with no center, unless we consider ourselves and our feelings (Moon in Leo) as the fulcrum on which all this rests.
Meanwhile, Venus’ Cardinal square to Chiron suggests we may be caught up in wanting to do something about issues cropping up in relationships, over assets and earnings, and in matters where we’ve been hurt by anything and everything we care about. What we must remember is that the Dark of the Moon period is best used for inner work, not outer correction or confrontation. There can be an anxiousness generated within us by that lack of forward momentum provided by (or really, symbolized by) the cycles of the Moon; when we accept that actions right now will arise from anxiety rather than thoughtful assessment, we’ll see that a delay in addressing what’s bothering us will actually work in our favor, leaving hashing matters out for a time when we’ve got the light by which to see clearly. Instead, try to set aside problems and take some quiet time for yourself–not time that asks anything from you, but that offers you a chance to just be, without judgment or expectation.
See other influences extending into this period in previous posts.
Today’s Daily Word Image is a tsunami. That phenomenon has come to be code for being overwhelmed, but it also suggests the same wiping away and new start offered, usually much more gently, by the New Moon. Consider this upcoming Lunar event as a reset, perpetrated with a critical, Virgoan mindset, that will help make it much easier to navigate the eclipses that’re just around the corner.
The waves in this work are sometimes mistakenly referred to as tsunami (津波), but they are more accurately called okinami (沖波), great off-shore waves. Katsushika Hokusai 19th century {{PD}}
‘Boys Flying Kites’ Attributed to Nicolaes Maes c1670 {{PD}}
The Full Moon peaks at 00:54 AM PDT of the 9th at 16 Aquarius 59, and the most striking thing might be the tidy Kite configuration that doesn’t involve the Moon, though Luna does share a sign with one of the components, and another of the components rules the sign the Moon is in. That’s a tenuous connection but not an insignificant one; it suggests oblique links where Full Moon emotional outcomes may funnel through the shared-sign factor (a sign being an expression attitude), which just so happens to hold Pluto. That’s a naturally intense planetary energy ripe for projection or overreaction even in its most positive forms, and so all the more susceptible to being swept up in prevailing emotion. The fact that ruler of Aquarius, Uranus, is also part of the Kite only reinforces the prominence of the Waterbearer’s energy, which can surprise, shock, or show us something completely new.
So if there’s a Lunar wind behind that Kite, of what does it consist? A Full Moon is a culmination of feelings and perceptions that cohere into an event, realization, or completion related to the sign in which the Full Moon occurs; this may also engage matters of the House in the personal nativity where this falls, and/ or in the House or other placements ruled by the Moon or matters related to the sign ruler, in this case, Uranus, so potentially the House where natal Uranus sits or aspects it makes or other energies it rules. That’s a lot of places the Lunar energy can touch and the Moon moves fast; that’s why tight aspect orbs and a clear picture of what it involves, and what it leaves out, is so important. You’ll notice many of those factors are personal ones, dependent on the Full Moon’s interaction with your chart. Here the focus is on what’s consistent for everyone, as far as possible.
Aquarius tells us the Lunar event delivers revelation or revolution, and with Pluto a conduit for the Moon energy to the Kite, that may consist of ‘the Truth’, of secrets dug up and revealed, or the dawning of the need for change (along with its commencement), not to mention the possibility of an event that removes something or someone from our world, abruptly, and we are left to pick up the pieces and sort out what it all means. Things may be ‘in the wind’, that is gone, beyond our control. What Aquarius/ Uranus offers will always be something that expands our sense of understanding or our mind, that is future-oriented and signals ‘the coming thing’. That’s the wind that propels the Kite–but what is the Kite?
The Kite energies are set to work very smoothly together, though they are offshoots of a difficult central theme, in this case, an opposition between Saturn-Neptune in Aries and Mars in Libra. That’s the fulcrum across which we try to balance the individual needs and wants and those demanded by partners and all others, whether we are in a cooperative relationship with them or not. Saturn-Neptune can suppress the dream or give it concrete manifestation, warts and all, and the Aries placement says each of us is dealing with defining what and who we are, the ‘I Am’ attempting to sort our potentials from our pipe dreams, and learning just what we must do to make those dreams happen. This is faced, so to speak, by Mars, ruler of Aries and so of the individual Will and ‘I Am’, specifically as this quest to define and pursue the expression of the individuality relates to the Arts, and to others: do we need their cooperation to make ‘it’ happen? will fulfillment of our dreams change our interaction or relationships? is our Art, whatever that may be, and our expression of it more important than our connection to others, or is it dependent on it, in the sense that we may need ‘an audience’ or others’ participation to complete the dream’s existence?
So, the ‘spine’ of the Kite is this broad question; now we look at the other influences. Saturn-Neptune is at the midpoint of a trine between Pluto and Uranus, with these trine Mars. That means each Kite holds a Grand Trine, this one in Air, suggesting that if we can find the balance within the I vs. Them equation, we can activate an equilibrium among the need for change/ discovery of Truth, our understanding of the new, and our own efforts and drives.
The Moon offers its influence more directly through a sesquiquadrate to Mars, and a square to the Black Moon Lilith point. These are difficult aspects and will probably be the first energies we encounter in this process, as we find the problems and inadequacies of our current methods and approaches (sesq. Mars) and how our buried, denied, or angry feelings are causing conflict, and realize we must deal with these before we can move forward.
Mercury is still retrograde, so despite the way the feelings are front and center, we need to remember that revisions to Higher Mind and Uranian understanding may still need review, even after this Full Moon. Also note that Venus and Jupiter meet in mid-Cancer from the 9th through the 15th, and offer a lovely, feeling-centered energy that implies if we always keep in mind what it is we genuinely care about, we won’t stray too far off our goals, or take a misstep, something I think all this Lunar energy can be overly fearful of.
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Watchdog Stands Guard, Protecting His Master And His Possessions’. I think this is a little of that Martian energy, the watchdog that wants to guard what we already have–but recall that Pluto is in the mix, and that could mean the loss of things, no matter what. The best approach may be to embrace the impermanence of all things–and put our energy not in fretting over the present state of things and their potential loss, but in efforts to give the future the shape we desire, no matter what is delivered to or taken out of our grasp. The Sabian for the Sun, the ‘triggering’ energy that makes our waxing and waning Moon possible, is, ‘A Volunteer Church Choir Singing Religious Hymns’. This is a symbol of unity, of like-minded faith that unites people. It may speak to those Mars in Libra energies–for don’t we all seek our place in the larger community?
The Sun and Moon meet at 12:10 PM of the 24th at 2 Leo 08–which puts the New Moon in close opposition to Pluto in Aquarius, trine Saturn and Neptune in Aries, and sextile Uranus in Gemini. That sounds like the recipe for a bomb. The question becomes: is the bomb one of unanticipated revelation, one that removes restriction (especially around what we think) or acts as impetus for individual initiative, or does this destroy our understanding, our capacity for change and embrace of the new, instilling fear of authority as well as eliminating our own trust of ourselves? That may be an individual matter, depending on how the Lunar event contacts your natal chart, but in either case, the presence of Neptune in the equation suggests that the basis of any effects rests in whether we know ourselves, or find our own workings a mystery; whether we’re honest with ourselves, deceive others, or hold to our highest ideals. That’s the nub of it: our energy surges, born anew with the combining of Solar and Lunar power, and so will take a creative direction; it’s up to us whether that creativity is of the productive or the destructive kind.
A few things of note: Mercury is retrograde and will meet the Sun in Inferior Conjunction on 1 August–we know this meeting, much like a New Moon, as an inception point, a new start to something, and considering the players, we’ll either see the beginning of whatever is conceived at the NM, or we’ll see a ‘new’ idea emerge from the mix of events and influences occurring now; Saturn and Neptune both retrograded earlier in July; Uranus just entered Gemini for the first time since 1949–so will be ruled for some time by Mercury (and Uranian energies then may have more ‘swing’ when under the sway of the oft-retro Mercury–like they need more instability). All this suggests there is a newness, a rawness, to so many energies involved with the New Moon, both from their locations in early degrees of a sign, and because of the several recent turnarounds, symbolic of a pulling back, a hesitation, a need to reassess territory one has already traversed. The subtle involvement of Mercury through rulerships and its own retro cycle emphasizes the messages we send others, and what we tell ourselves, at the heart of all that happens, with this Lunar event setting off a kind of ‘Truth Bomb’, a situation, gift of information, or realization that we meet with our current level of ‘truthiness’, that allows us to discover something more about ourselves and where we stand, about who we are at core and where we can ‘shine’ (Leo).
Also sextile the New Moon and conjoined Uranus are asteroids Psyche and Sappho, and object Sedna*; these bring to mind passionate relationships (and these can be relationships to groups or to a vocation or life subject/ path) where some knowledge or denial/ lack of acknowledgment (for a variety of reasons) may be involved. Too, with Sedna there’s the potential for this attraction/ interaction to sit in one’s ‘blind spot’, suggesting we may feel strongly but not be completely aware of our feelings, which may read like instincts or suppressed knowledge (as in, Psyche sensed there was something different about her lover Eros, but wasn’t conscious of it until she finally made the decision to light a candle so she could observe him at last). This New Moon is ‘lighting the candle’, about something we might already be knowledgeable of to some degree, but not have in the forefront of awareness. Linked to Uranus, this may contain Higher Mind knowing, or may have the purpose of disruption to the current order; in any case, our relationship to it is unique to us, original in the way we see, approach, and interact with it.
Hekate in Scorpio is square the New Moon=the Lunar event is a ‘way shower’, but either the way is difficult or seeing the direction we must go causes conflict. Lilith in Pisces is quincunx the New Moon=are we seeking to wield our power simply to express ourselves, or are we seeking vengeance? An important issue to sort before proceeding. And finally Dionysus is conjoined the New Moon but out-of-sign, from 29 degrees of Cancer=the stress response to all this might be to go wild, party like it’s 1999, or try to escape in whatever way will let us hide from our feelings (Cancer placement)–and we all know that’s never a good move.
The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Middle-Aged Woman, Her Long Hair Flowing Over Her Shoulders And In A Braless Youthful Garment’. I firmly believe that everyone should dress the way they want; this description, however, hovers close to judgment, simply by the details it chooses to include, details that suggest, with use of the designation ‘youthful’, that how this woman has chosen to present herself is inappropriate, because the first thing mentioned is that she is not, in the estimation of the image assessor, youthful. Is she dressed inappropriately? No, she’s not, and make sure you hear that: just because someone else thinks they get to judge you, doesn’t mean they actually have any business doing so. That kind of thing is the opposite of the ‘Truth Bomb’ the New Moon will set off.
The Truth, rather than ‘out there’, is ‘in here’, in our own hearts and minds. This New Moon brings something that helps us discover it, and no matter how stunning, shattering, or powerful the event or idea (or how subtle–we can’t forget the porousness of the unconscious, or the influence we tacitly accept without realizing it)–we do best to welcome it. And if the ‘bang’ doesn’t come with the New Moon, keep an eye on the Inferior Conjunction on 1 August.
Have a wonderful New Moon, my friends!
*Sedna is an SDO (Scattered Disk Object). These are small bodies located beyond Neptune’s orbital path that have eccentric orbits themselves, which is what distinguishes them from Kuiper Belt Objects.
‘The Cobbler’s Apprentice’ By Frank Duveneck 1877 {{PD}}
The Moon’s opposition to the Sun perfects at 1:37 PM PDT of the 10th at 18 Capricorn 50–which, of course, is conjoined the Earth in the flat chart. The first thing that jumps out is the way within a few hours the Sun will trine the North Node point (and even more quickly, the Moon will sextile the South Node), casting current events as both echoes of past emotional experiences and direct precursors to our futures, suggesting we may need to be as conscious as possible about where we put our attention (the Sun). The Lunar opposition could tempt us to bury or shut off input from the emotional or intuitive realities we’re feeling (Capricorn), especially those things we find restrictive or that deny us what we need, or that ask us to show restraint or to comply with structure or rules; in response we may be tempted to substitute what we claim to care about. I say ‘claim’ because we need to remain aware that what receives the Sun’s spotlight at any one time is what garners our attention; we tend to accept that as reality, no matter what else is going on or what other perceptions we’re having.
In this case, the Sun in Cancer makes us feel that the whole world is taking note of what we’re nurturing, what we care for, or are sensitive to–and that may make us feel so vulnerable that we reflexively push down our real concerns in order to present a caring scenario/ picture we believe is more presentable. Our genuine Lunar concerns are Capricornian in nature, and we may feel that hard-nosed examination of emotional territory for its actual effects on the structure of our life and relationships doesn’t play as well as the stereotypical sentimental soft touch of Cancer–which is a shame, as giving our emotions a stable and controlled arena in which to express is actually very important to our health and relationships, and should be honored.
Luna forms a wide sesquiquadrate to Venus in Gemini, but I count it because the Moon is moving toward perfection of the aspect (and that’s why with a Full or New Moon portrait I don’t count an aspect that is significantly past perfection, such as the trine the Moon made to Mars before the Full Moon occurred). Other than that, providing we keep to our relatively tight aspect requirements for a Lunar event, there are no other contacts–but we do see some interesting asteroid involvement.
There are so many asteroids that one can find a placement in almost any degree in the sky, at any time–and that means that we must be discriminating in which asteroids we incorporate in any picture. First thing is that we need to understand they’re not a substitute for major planet contact; they refine the story, adding nuance, rather than new plot. Second, we should only work with energies that we’ve either studied over time, and/ or that contribute clear meaning that coalesces with the other energies via the stories associated with their names. Either can be helpful, though again, not a replacement for the major planet Big Picture.
So, we have a sesquiquadrate between the significator of emotion and intuition, the Moon, and Venus, planet of Love, relationships, assets, talents, and values, suggesting that what we’re feeling around our relationships or earning/ asset situation isn’t what we think we should be feeling (Venus in Gemini). Our mind wants to see the scenario in question one way, but Luna’s Cappy energy says, ‘Wait a second, this doesn’t follow the emotional rules, or this treatment or use of assets doesn’t mesh with the things that would support me, make me feel safe, or help me contain feelings in productive channels.’ We may be left at an impasse, not knowing whether to believe the feeling nature, or the mental assessment of the situation.
We have potential, though, for an illuminating Cardinal Grand Cross, if we use relevant asteroids: Moon-Earth is conjoined Sphinx in Capricorn, Eros and Kassandra are square and together in Aries, Nemesis is in hard aspect from Libra, and the Sun is conjoined Hera in Cancer–plus Amor in Virgo trines Luna-Earth. We note that Love is the easy (trine) conduit for conveying and receiving emotion, which suggests a certain amount of vulnerability via relationships–and that’s definitely where we’ll see the Full Moon activity (and this is so even if we look around and think, ‘Hey, I’m not having a relationship tussle’, to which I would answer, ‘That’s because you’re in the emotional box provided by the Capricorn Moon–you’re shut out of the current emotional reality, perhaps deliberately, though not necessarily consciously’.
The Cross paints the conflict picture (or really, the multi-directional pull of simultaneous energies all activated at once): the feelings, and the physical setting, are an enigma (Moon-Earth-Sphinx)–we can’t read ourselves, or maybe that’s our response to the Capricorn Moon, to isolate the feelings, so they don’t distract us from all the other things we’ve got to deal with; the sense of individuality, of relying only on the Self, is strong, as is the desire nature and the idea that communication isn’t working–no one believes us, and we don’t believe them! (the Aries setting for Eros and Kassandra); partners seem like (or maybe feel like) enemies, no matter the surface interactions (Nemesis in Libra); and our attention is on how much we care, and how much we’ve been wronged, disregarded, or stymied in using our position and power (Sun and Hera, the much disrespected sister-wife of Zeus, in Cancer–and this placement adds the frustration of the unappreciated nurturer, the carer who’s also a caregiver, who receives no caring themselves).
So, we may experience a number of emotional perceptions that our brains or our social arena or what we expect our relationships to provide and be directly contradict–and the Full Moon energy is the point when those come to a head, must be exposed, explored, expressed, and recognized. We shouldn’t expect to immediately understand what we feel–remember the Sphinx?–and sorting feelings from the real world circumstances may be challenging, at the very least.
This time, the Sabians hold the keys to ultimate meaning. For the Moon: ‘A Five-Year-Old Child Carrying A Bag Filled With Groceries’. We aren’t ready to undertake the ‘job’ (task, role, function, responsibility) we’re currently trying to perform. Yes, the advice is that blunt: we’re not ready, not mature enough, or just not physically (or in some other way) capable–and all this clash between the surrounding scenario and our emotional perceptions has been about avoiding seeing and acknowledging this. Though we can be helpful (all hands, no matter how young or small, can help carry groceries) no one in our position should be expected to perform this particular task or live this particular role (no five-year-old should have the burden of providing sustenance for themselves or others)–it’s that simple.
The Sabian for the Sun is: ‘A Priest Performing A Marriage Ceremony’. Aha! This is about discovering, acknowledging, accepting, and then incorporating or otherwise uniting with a necessary Other (which can be anything needed, from assets to learning skills to ‘maturing’ in some way to actually partnering with others). Something else is needed; we’re getting ahead of ourselves–and in that way, we’re being unkind to ourselves, judging and not extending the understanding we would almost certainly offer someone else in the process of developing their abilities and trying new things. Expecting ourselves to be completely formed, completely knowledgeable, completely ready for anything, is to forget that life is a process, one long experience of learning and re-learning and shaping and re-shaping who we are and what we can do. It may be a long time since some of us were beginners–but it’s the right time to be new at something, all over again.
In this case, the lenses are in the upper left corner. Trompe-l’oeil By Charles Bouillon 1704 {{PD}}
The New Moon perfects at 3:31 AM PDT at 4 Cancer 07, and our immediate reaction to events will be big, exaggerated, but the reaction will be based in facts and/ or our beliefs (Moon-Sun conjoined Jupiter) centered on what we care about or are responsible to care for (Cancer) as this applies to our individual position within the real-world situation (square to Saturn in Aries)–or at least, our reaction and actions taken will be based on what we BELIEVE the real-world situation is (Neptune conjoined Saturn). The thing we need to be cognizant of, more acutely than anything else, is that our illusions, prejudices, ideals, and beliefs, along with any deceptions perpetrated by or aimed at us, will be our lens–and that means we’ll be reacting to what we tell ourselves is so, rather than what’s really there.
That doesn’t mean our perceptions and experience of the moment are wrong; it means we’re bringing ourselves to the event and filtering what happens through ourselves–and we can’t help but add our interpretations to the mix. Awareness of these perceptual conditions is vital to being able to translate what we conclude into the most fact and reality-based version possible–because accuracy in terms of the reality picture is necessary for our presence to be heard and the impact of our actions felt–otherwise, we’re just waving out arms and shouting into an empty room.
A clear interpretation is important because a New Moon is a new start, a seed moment, when new conditions, ideas, perceptions, germinate and will be with us in one form or another at least through the Full Moon in two weeks, and possibly considerably longer, depending where in our own natal chart the New Moon falls and what natal placements it contacts.
The Moon-Sun-Jupiter meeting sextiles Mars in Virgo and so forms a base for a Finger of God, apex Pluto in Aquarius=this suggests that New Moon actions born out of critical assessment, harvest-sharing, or attempts focused on efficiency and accountability will result in significant change, that may be permanent, or potentially could go beyond helpful to outright destructive. The success of transforming some element of your world, then, is relative to one’s fairness in dealing with others (giving them their rightful due) and one’s processing of and understanding of critique. The change may be purely intellectual or may catapult us into the future, maybe even thrust us into the avant garde in some area where we hold experience or expertise–but it’s definitely a double-edged sword, as capable of harming as it is of clearing an avenue for progress.
The New Moon also makes a semi-square to Venus in Taurus=the Moon in its own sign and Venus in her own sign with an uncomfortable angle between them suggests feelings are strong, and relationships and/ or material assets and the situation generating them are firmly in place–and neither will budge willingly–so we look again to the required change demanded by our own actions and choices (Mars) and the new spark of the New Moon and see that the change to the asset picture or relationships comes about because of the Lunar new start and in spite of the way we’re dug in with both our feelings and our prosperity efforts. We know this because Plutonian outcomes are the result of the mix, and that they’ll take an Aquarian form (the Finger).
Also of note: Uranus at 29 stressed degrees of Taurus sextiles Mercury in Cancer=what shocks or surprises in the material world or conditions under which we operate can be anticipated–but it’s an individual matter how willing each of us is to acknowledge what we care about, what we see potentially occurring, to formulate ideas on how to handle it (Mercury), and then decide what we are willing to do (Cancer is a Cardinal sign) about the impending crisis. With a 29 degree placement, the wave will break, but it’s up to us whether we’ll position ourselves well or just get swept away by it.
The New Moon Sabian symbol is, ‘At A Railroad Crossing, An Automobile is Wrecked By A Train’. This emphasizes the need for awareness, especially of current surroundings, and whose or what’s path you may be in the way of. Too, it requires acknowledgment that there are forces larger than all of us capable of harm, often simply because the objectives it holds don’t take us into account–and at this moment in time, getting out of the way of Plutonian (focused on obliteration, change-by-force) and Uranian (anarchic, wanting to shock and surprise above anything else, all the energy in the act, and so not caring about the outcome) actors may be the best strategy for coping and staying safe.
Wishing you all a lovely, and above all, safe, New Moon–
‘Three Women on a Hilltop’ By Charles Courtney Curran {{PD}}
The longest day of the year deserves our attention, not least because at the Solstice point, 7:42 PM PDT, the Moon has just entered Taurus and is still sextile the 29 degree Sun, with Uranus caught at the 29 degree Taurus midpoint. It’s a portrait of emotional rawness, of extreme shock, surprise, stunning revelation, or higher mind understanding illuminated–and it may present in the actual physical atmosphere or with circumstances related to our comfort or security (Taurus), and hints at large themes we’ll deal with for the entire summer.
There’s a Finger of God in place that may point out at least part of what’s coming: Pluto sextile Saturn-Neptune as the base, apex Mars=big, transformative (and possibly unwelcome or unwilling) change to the real-world picture, to established methods, structures, rules, and to the things we do or, crucially, don’t see clearly–or change to the ways we’ve so far implemented our dreams and incorporated or manifested them within our reality. The formula is something like Time plus the Powers-That-Be acting on our world, either bringing it closer to the ideal or dragging it farther away by exposing what had been obscured before. So, we find out the Truth, but we might not be happy about it–and from there we make our choices and take action.
Jupiter in Cancer is conjoined the Sun and sextile, to either side, Mars in Virgo and the Moon new in Taurus. In this Solstice snapshot that places Jupiter-Sun at the rough midpoint of Luna and Mars=feelings drive both actions and perceptions of identity and place within the social arena; we care more about how society perceives us when Jupiter is in Cancer, and we want to do something about it, and what we care about expands, as well. Who we are and how we’re perceived seems to matter so much more, right now; just remember, with everyone feeling that way, we can’t possibly be under as much scrutiny as we think we are. Living up to our own standards is the most important thing–and know that anyone who tries to make you feel badly about yourself is likely suffering deeply (and behaving insufferably, natch) themselves. It has, literally, nothing to do with you.
This also means that Saturn-Neptune sextile Uranus catches the Moon at their midpoint=emotional perceptions will definitely be filtered through our reaction to the Uranian unanticipated–and to what this shows us about our manifestation so far of the dream or ideal. How close have we come to what we really wanted? And how does the Uranian revelation change our perceptions of, and our feelings about, that dream? All good questions, that it will likely take the whole summer (or winter, for our Southern Hemisphere friends) to answer.
Note too that Mercury is trine the North Node=thinking, planning, communicating are shaping the life direction/ future right now. That means awareness of the power of your words and thoughts is paramount to knowing consciously just exactly what you’re creating/ drawing to yourself in the moment. It’s no time to sling words, insults, or criticisms casually–all will have an oversized effect on tomorrow.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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