Category Archives: New Moon

New Moon in Virgo 17 September 2020 A Soul Critique

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Honestly, this doesn’t look too bad–which may just go to show that hell is a personal, internal creation. ‘A Soul in Hell’ By Evelyn De Morgan 1902 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 4:00 AM PDT at 25 Virgo–those are some nice round numbers, aren’t they? (And as an aside, don’t read anything into that–numbers are a human-created system–there’s no mystical meaning in neither having minutes.) The NM noviles Vesta, right away telling us that what begins at this time is something that carries a spark of genius, in terms of the way it can instigate important commitments, can dedicate our energies to what really matters to us, and can bring the spiritual into interactions. What is birthed right now matters, to the Soul, to the psyche, and to the manifestations of these in the life, as they arise from our own accounting and critique (Virgo) of who we are (the Sun) and how we feel (the Moon).

The New Moon, which is of course conjoined the Sun and opposed the Earth, also happens to square the Nodal axis. The Nodes are not bodies but ‘markers’, in a sense, of the points at any one time when the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic, and so can be thought of as energetic placeholders, adding depth to analysis of the Moon’s situation at any particular point, and indicating the direction of a general energy stream moving from South Node to North. Since this Grand Cross consists of the event bodies (New Moon-Sun), one that’s always linked to the Sun anyway (the ever-opposing Earth), and these extremity markers (the Nodes), no one could be faulted for thinking this isn’t truly relevant to the event–but it is, simply because this likely signals the kind of ongoing tension typical to a GC that is kicked off by the New Moon event. That is, what starts at the NM simultaneously brings forward questions of identity and role (the Sun), the past (South Node), and the direction we’re headed in life (North Node), and this happens as a logical matter of course, and again marking the depth of meaning behind the NM itself and giving events the sense that decisions and choices must be made.

The New Moon trines Pluto and is in close trine to Saturn, suggesting just how easily profound change may occur, particularly in ways that change the material reality or that create structure or limit restraints. Further, Sedna could be considered to fill in a loose Earth Grand Trine with Saturn, indicating that either our instincts and intuitive faculties, or those matters we carry in our ‘blind spot’, become instrumental in events. Do we have a choice here as to whether we get a leg up with accurate instinctual perceptions or suffer at the hands of matters we just aren’t conscious of? No, probably not, though we can do our best to stay open to change, and so to Truth–a willingness to see and know may be our most important asset.

The New Moon in Virgo forms quincunxes to the Black Moon Lilith point and to Mars, the latter of which is still stationary in Aries, poised to break backward in apparent motion. The light dawning with the New Moon may slowly begin to illuminate what we need to do about matters we’ve ignored or denied–but whether that comes as a flash of knowledge all at once, or seeps in over the coming days, can’t be known, and considering that Mars is technically already retrograde, may imply that we don’t do anything, but instead learn what must be done, and then reserve action for a later date.

The NM also makes a sesquiquadrate to Uranus. This points out to us the need to ‘make peace’ with our own uniqueness. Too often we seek to subdue, distort for acceptability’s sake, or otherwise hide what is most true to ourselves, partly out of fear: to be known and seen is to be vulnerable, and partly out of a desire to be accepted. But, this Moon event will help us see, even if it’s only in some small way, how embracing a unique part of ourselves will make us truer to who we are at a Soul level. Special note: if you have something 8 and 12 degrees Aquarius, then that natal placement fills in the base of a Fist of God with Uranus and New Moon as apex. The suggestion is that Moon events might come directly from a clash between your most unusual qualities and the natal energy as they try to ‘get along’. For you the ‘recipe’ for making the most of New Moon events very firmly rests in the need to accept something you up until now may have seen as too ‘out there’ to be incorporated as a part of the identity–but now you must find a way.

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘A Flag At Half-Mast In Front Of A Public Building’. The editor in me wants to correct that to say ‘half-staff’ as half-mast is only shipboard–and then I wonder, is that ‘mistake’ part of the message itself? Is it meant to convey that the mourning of loss and show of respect shown by lowering a flag is actually, in some strange way, misplaced? Maybe it draws our attention to an area we have been mourning, something that brings us sadness, only to point out to us that we are sad either about the ‘wrong’ component of the situation, or that we are misunderstanding our own mourning, either the need to or the need not to (which in some circles could be seen as unacceptable and so punished). In any case, this sadness has a public component, a public ‘face’, so that we may be challenged to examine whether what we are told we should be mourning really matters to us, or whether we are mourning something else entirely in private, participating in group sadness as a way to find ‘cover’ for our real feelings. Whatever happens at the New Moon, it may involve the loss of a feeling state (real or pretend) that moves us by its subtraction closer to living a most genuine life.

New Moon 18 August 2020 Luminescence

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‘Chicago, Illinois. In the waiting room of the Union Station’ Photo By Jack Delano – Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, reproduction number LC-USZ62-130260 {{PD}}

A New Moon forms at 7:42 PM PDT of the 18th at 26 Leo 35, and we know that New Moons foster beginnings; in Leo this can take the shape of a ‘New You’, a new image within one’s own mind or visible on the outside with changes to behavior, efforts, or style, or a fresh approach to one or more of the subjects of the House where this falls in your natal chart. Leo asks us to look at our own effectiveness, the roles we are playing: are we having an impact? Do we shine? Are we drawing the kinds of attention we actually want? The New Moon situation gives us a chance to assess this, or sends us on a quest to find our answers, should the need for review feel new to us.

In this instance the NM comes right after the Superior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury, suggesting that something related to the Leo energy has reached a peak or conclusion, the message received concerning ourselves and our activities or presentation. Then the NM Fire arrives and sparks new ideas–what arose from the SC leads us to the necessity of a Leonine new beginning, new venture, new Self, that realization or even the launch of the new effort coming with the NM.

Lunar crater Aristarchus {{PD}}

We see the New Moon fill in a Fire Grand Trine with Mars and the South Node. Our actions and choices at this juncture may be aimed at correcting, re-working, or trying again something from the past. It takes a new form, of course, one more in keeping with who we are right now, appropriate to our individual evolutionary point (Leo). The Sun-Moon/ Earth axis also forms a T-square with Sedna, implying tension around our ‘blind spot’ and/ or our instinctual nature; in this case the world may be telling us we’re one thing, but what we don’t see but carry within may contradict that, typically on a non-verbal level. That could lead to rejection of the New You presented, a crisis as the individual doesn’t accept what’s reflected back to them. If this occurs it likely means that there’s something we don’t see about ourselves that we are now required to recognize–and likely as not this is a good thing, a talent or ability, something secure or steadfast (Sedna in Taurus) that we have failed to see as our own.

There’s also a semi-square to Venus, which suggests the state we find ourselves in may make for small difficulties or an uncomfortable time in relationships or even financially, not surprising if we find ourselves re-vamping our Self-image. But the closest aspect made by the New Moon is the quincunx to Saturn. This frames the New Moon revelations as needed adjustment to the reality picture. Saturn stands for both reality itself (a cold, unadorned version) and a principle of measurement–more repression or less, stricter rules or more lenient, more Self-discipline or a loosening of strictures? What happens at the New Moon makes clear the need to make this adjustment, specific to the Leonine personal need that’s revealed. Overall, the real-world feedback we receive must be accommodated, but it’s up to each of us to discern how this best can be addressed.

The New Moon is involved with one more configuration, as it forms a base with the North Node to a Finger of God with apex Saturn. This is notable aside from the quincunx alone as it tells us that the adjustments we make will require adjustments to the life direction. Simple as that: as we change, so does our Path.

The Sabian for the New Moon needs no explanation: ‘The Luminescence Of Dawn In The Eastern Sky’. It’s a new day, a new dawn, and each of us gets both a fresh understanding of ourselves and a fresh start, or even a do-over. Embrace it with gratitude.

I don’t normally discuss other factors at the time of a New or Full Moon, as I believe that the event typically exerts a strong but temporary influence that predominates. This time, though, I want to point out a very close quincunx between Neptune in Pisces and Zeus-Juno in Libra, as they’re all within just a handful of minutes from exact and so possibly as prominent in the equation as the New Moon itself. The effect is one of laser-like attention trained on ambitions, goals, and desires, the need for the kind of empowerment that can make them happen. We may become acutely aware of the adjustments needed to open the space (probably emotional or mental) for expression of the creative urge, or of a need to create a means of ridding the Self of deceptive others or misconceptions, or possibly both. It’s a sort of closet cleaning meant to facilitate autonomy, creativity, and the confidence to pursue our goals, particularly to pursue them without having to acquiesce to others.

Oh, and Pluto is retrograding to perfect (by the next day) an opposition to Hygeia–don’t gamble with your health.

 

New Moon 20 July 2020 Past As Prologue

18 Saturday Jul 2020

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By Édouard Manet Probably c1860s {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 10:31 AM PDT at 28 Cancer 26, sesquiquadrate Ceres, opposed Saturn which is closely conjoined the Earth, and forming the base to a Finger of God by sextile to Sedna in Taurus with an apex of the South Node in Sagittarius. We’re offered a fresh emotional slate with this event, but the question is, is it a clean emotional slate? That is, is the viewpoint and agenda devoid of baggage, free of old aversions and biases, and so truly based in what we care about at this moment, at this point in time?

Well, we’re human, so gaining such a blank, unburdened emotional outlook as adults is unlikely. Instead, we are probably going to discover we care about one or more ‘new’ things or areas in life related to matters of the natal House that contains Cancer or that holds the natal Moon. What we care about, though, will be inextricably linked to the actual current reality picture and material situation (probably as it relates to those natal Cancer/ Moon placements). With the involvement of both Ceres and the Moon, the theme of mother or nurturing will likely be prominent, specifically through a lens of the kinds of power that accrue to someone who carries responsibilities, or who becomes responsible for someone or something else. Our interest may arise from or show us the difficulty of our own or someone in authority’s power position, and out of this, triggered by this Moon event, we’ll see our own instinctual responses and/ or our ‘blind spot’ material brought forward in such a way that we create a version of the past.

Often when we see something referring to the past being re-created in the present, we’re inclined to freak out. We don’t want to go ‘backward’, or at least don’t want to move toward something we think is regressive. This time, though, there’s no need. The past in this instance refers to something learned from experience, something that spurred the widening of our world or our viewpoint, that introduced us to something ‘foreign’ but exciting and expansive, something that helped us reach out and become a part of the wider world. The experience we had then can inform the experience we have now, and that’s a good thing, a refresher directly from the Universe that shows us how we’ve grown, and re-asserts the means by which we did–and in the process challenges us now to use a similar experience or method to foster growth once again.

The Temple of Zeus at Cuma. Photo By Bobbylamouche at French Wikipedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1643589

The Sabian for this Moon event features an odd cross between Libran and Gemini-themed symbology: ‘A Greek Muse Weighing Newborn Twins In Golden Scales’. What do those astro symbols relate back to? The Air element, Gemini the twins and Libra the scales, which is essentially missing from the active Cardinal energies of the current sky in the form of a relatively empty Libra. Major energies fill the other Cardinal signs, but Libra holds only Juno and Zeus–and though Juno is precisely opposed Mars in his own sign of Aries, formidable as she is, the Queen of Olympus is no match for the Warrior, at least as they represent major energies within the psychic pantheon for the individual. The Mars-Juno match-up shows us how our Will, Self-interest, choices, and actions (Mars in Aries) have put us into specific empowerment venues and roles, ones that involve cooperation or aesthetics (Juno in Libra), but these aren’t integrated into the New Moon picture, leaving the energies to ‘dangle’ without potential for resolution.

Too, the fact that those scales are described as “Golden” implies a certain purity or high value–that is, what’s missing is as important as what’s present and active, in reading this image.

There is also the matter of ‘A Greek Muse’. I’m inclined to see that in this instance (in the New Moon snapshot of the sky) as pointing us toward Libra once again–in this case, toward the only body I’m currently using that carries a Greek, as opposed to Roman, name: Zeus, which sits at 19 Libra 58, closely opposed the Black Moon Lilith point in Aries and square the midpoint and each of Pallas-Jupiter in Capricorn, and also square Vesta in Cancer–creating a completed Cardinal Cross (as opposed to the Cardinal opposition formed by the New Moon-Sun opposite Earth-Saturn).

The Cardinal opposition emphasized the material/ physical experience, especially the barriers we face or the issues that limit us (Earth-Saturn) that will be illuminated/ triggered/ will generate new attitudes of caring, nurture, and concern (NM in Cancer). The factor of Time (Saturn), and what we’ve learned in the past or from its passage, is also vital to the equation.

The Sabian, then, may provide information that the initial aspect picture only hinted at. A Cardinal Cross is an action plan, a dynamic roadmap of what is in play–and knowing what’s in play automatically offers us answers about how to handle it. Our ambition and desire picture, particularly as it’s expressed through cooperative arrangements, partnerships, and the Arts (Zeus in Libra) is triggered by the friction provided by all that we’ve ignored, denied, or that has enraged us about ourselves (Black Moon Lilith in Aries), and this in turn prompts application of our highest standards and values, an assessment of and re-affirmation of our commitments and what we honor (Vesta in Cancer), and what comes from this tension are smart and practical opportunities to make solid, concrete responses (Pallas-Jupiter in Capricorn) to the issues before us.

The New Moon picture turns out, after careful consideration, to be much more personal, and much more focused on the individual initiative and perceptions, than it seemed at first glance. The action, then, is largely on the inside, though certainly, how we feel (Cancer) about our surroundings and material circumstances (Earth-Saturn) and the ways they restrict, hedge us in, help us build, or restrain us (Capricorn) will be the trigger for it all.

New Moon in Gemini 22 May 2020 Thoughts Take Shape

21 Thursday May 2020

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‘Le jardin des Tuileries en automne (The Tuileries in Autumn)’ By Paul de Castro 1921 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 2 Gemini 04 at 10:37 AM PDT on the 22nd and makes just a few close aspects; if we stretch a little, what we get is an Air Grand Trine with arms of Juno in Libra and Saturn-Pallas Aquarius with the conjunction of Sun and Moon making this GT temporary but potent. What’s clear is that we have an opportunity to achieve mental balance, to find a harmonious relationship between how we intellectualize the real world, how we see our own power or lack within it, and the role our relationships play in the actual empowerment equation. What forms here tests our capacity for practicality and calls forth our skills, specifically requiring us to collaborate or otherwise draw on our network of contacts in order to achieve effective mental balance–that is, an effective way of processing and expressing ourselves in the world.

If this New Moon could talk, it might make these statements: cooperation facilitates getting what you want and opens avenues to Self-expression; what we think of the physical and material is as important as what those material circumstances actually are; what’s solid, real, and possibly seen as a barrier is in actuality offering you a receptacle that will give shape to your mental energy as it takes physical form. The sooner you see that Saturnian walls, restrictions, and rules don’t deny nearly as much as they show you practical parameters to enhance and define creative energy expressed through skills, the more quickly you’ll be able to make a reality of the new ways of thinking and networking the New Moon brings.

‘Music in the Tuileries’ By Édouard Manet 1862 {{PD}}

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘The Garden Of The Tuileries In Paris’. The Tuileries are an expression of the human Saturnian urge to order, contain, and capture as it applies to Nature herself. This image tells us that if we cooperate and collaborate, by recognizing the true inclinations of the energies we seek to mold, we can create something that has the best elements of humanity’s interventions and Nature’s spontaneous (but in its own way planned) growth, outreach, and expression. And how is this achieved? By finding the balance between control and growth. The Tuileries are an example of the longevity creations with this kind of balance can attain, and encourages the idea of peaceful co-habitation in any number of ways.

Combine this New Moon energy with the other energies of the 22nd to successfully shape and guide yourself over the coming two weeks.

 

New Moon 22 April 2020 Eye of the Storm

19 Sunday Apr 2020

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‘The Large Poplar Tree II (The Coming Storm)’ BY Gustav Klimt {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects on the 22nd at 7:26 PM PDT at 3 Taurus 24, both bodies moving quickly to conjoin Uranus–first the Moon, of course, then the Sun. This may build-in to New Moon events a particular, high-strung energy that makes everyone hyper-vigilant, hyper-aware, hyper-anxious, and just plain hyper–and this despite the event taking place in normally placid, steady Taurus. We may be presented with a surrounding situation that is all calm vibes and low-key mellowness, only to find that it’s very difficult to sit still, with reality and real-world circumstances forcing awareness of (and maybe ceaseless rumination on) problems or restrictions and limitations, or stressful (and likely confining) circumstances. Or, we could be the calm eye of the storm, with everyone or every thing else swirling around us. In either instance, a contrast that can’t be readily explained.

The thing is, Neptune is loosely semi-square the New Moon; that almost certainly brings a bedeviling energy, with imagination on overdrive and each of us too quick to believe what may not hold up upon examination. Too, this aspect of the NM to Neptune could bring the birth of a new dream, ideal, or misbegotten goal–that latter having its origins in a misconception from which nothing truly sound or productive can come. It’s our job, right now, to know the difference, but don’t be hard on yourself if you fall for a Neptunian delusion, as even with what appears to be a misstep, the contact of the NM to Uranus tells us that whatever transpires at this time offers enlightenment in the form of Higher Mind understanding (Uranus). We may be inspired, or we may falter, caught up in a spontaneous illusion, but in either case we learn a greater Truth, or see our world through a higher and wider perspective.

The Sun-Moon blend noviles the pairing of Venus and Hygeia, suggesting new awareness of the costs in both relationships and material assets of maintaining health. This most certainly applies to quarantining and lockdowns around the world. The New Moon may offer ingenious ways to cope, to soothe, and to provide (Taurus), and will likely show us what we’ll lose if we move too quickly and ignore what’s required to overcome this expression of Nature. Important to note that Ceres, Mother Nature Herself, is currently trine both the Earth and the North Node=we must balance our needs with Nature’s, in order to have a future at all. Ceres is also at 29 tense degrees, and novile Black Moon Lilith=Nature is forcing us to confront what we’d rather ignore; she’s in distress Herself, and needs us to acknowledge certain realities, if we’re both to go on. Ceres at 29 Aquarius screams loud and clear: we can’t go on intellectualizing, justifying our position with ‘reasons’! If we stretch we add to this the way the New Moon is also novile Vesta, suggesting that honoring the ‘right’ things is required, that it’s the smart thing to do, and that we must start today.

The New Moon is also within trine of the South Node and in wide square to Saturn and even 29 degree Pallas. Right now we may be seeing all the difficulties, all the restrictions and issues that the real world presents, the results of past actions and choices. But again, we see that doing the smart thing, the right thing, the wise thing, is required; we’re at a crisis point, and we’re being called to ‘go to war’ in an Athenian way, that is, with consciousness and good intent, to make things right, and to solve real-world problems.

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘The Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Rainbow’. Well that seems kind of obvious, doesn’t it? We can see how to win, what material surroundings and the environment require–now we just have to keep ourselves united in purpose long enough to do it.

Stay safe! If the astrology for this New Moon doesn’t convince you that we need to continue to Self-isolate, I don’t know what will. And if anyone reading this happens to be among those who are protesting the Stay at Home orders, I say with all the love in my heart, go fuck yourselves–you clearly don’t understand what’s going on, and you don’t have the right to endanger the rest of us.

New Moon in Aries 24 March 2020 ‘It’s All About The One’

23 Monday Mar 2020

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‘King David: “Oh, that I had wings like a Dove, for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” Psalm 55-6 By Frederic Leighton 1865 {{PD}}

By ‘The One’, I don’t mean that magical someone who, we are taught (especially when we are little girls) will change our lives–or am I? I’m talking about each one of us–and in that sense, we are indeed ‘The One’ who can bring about change, hopefully for the better. Required isolation is putting the emphasis back on Self-responsibility, on taking the needed initiative individually–and this New Moon reflects that.

Moon and Sun meet at 4 Aries 12, at 2:28 AM PDT of the 24th, just before conjoining Chiron and the Black Moon Lilith point. This suggests a strong new course for healing by paying attention to all those things we’d rather ignore–or, in a less likely scenario, a deep, primal wounding via those factors we’ve insisted on ignoring–but in Aries, we are each, as a single entity, allowed to take our pick, to make our choices (or to garner the results of those choices already made).

The New Moon combo is moving toward perfection of a semi-sextile with Uranus in Taurus–something we don’t always need to take note of, but in this case, we do, because it’s approaching, rather than separating–and again we see the importance of the individual, this time as playing a role within a group (the dual symbolisms of Uranus), and all of this figuring in to the welfare of the environment (Taurus) as the group and individual are both part of it, and as they affect it.

The New Moon also forms a semi-square to Venus in Taurus, which in this chart is in its own sign and rules Earth, Juno, Zeus, Sedna, and Uranus, as well as a semi-square to Ceres, which places the New Moon at their midpoint. We could call this ‘The Worth of the Earth’; the bodies under Venus’ rulership suggest that we come to a new assessment of the value of human autonomy (Juno), the costs of ambition on a larger scale than that of the individual (Zeus), and of the price of paying no attention to our instincts and what we ‘know but don’t know’ (Sedna). The NM at the midpoint says that a new path must be found, a new balance, between Ceres in Aquarius (the demands of ‘the modern’ on Mother Nature, a new, progressive view of our relationship to and obligations to Nature and the natural order) and Venus in Taurus, which in a least one expression tells of the human need for material comfort and sustenance, which are gleaned from the environment and its products and assets.

In fact, the square between Venus and Ceres forms the base of a Fist, with the apex the Earth in Libra: it’s only by cooperation, by caring for others as much as we care for ourselves, that the New Moon tension can be resolved and reach some sort of accommodation between Nature and Humankind, a resolution that supports the health of the Earth, as well as the health of her inhabitants.

There is also the way the Sun-Earth axis, joined by the Moon, continues a Cardinal Grand Cross/ Square, for those who accept the Nodes as valid configuration points (long-time readers know I do). The need for action is both clear and fundamental to the way forward; we must deal with what we’ve wrought, in a way that handles both material and spiritual realities, and that recognizes the  rate of the passage of time is a crucial factor to success.

Though it’s a wee bit wide for a New Moon sextile, we can include Vesta in Gemini, if only because the symbolism is so striking: our ultimate values, what we find sacred and dedicate our energies to, are renewed, re-dedicated at this New Moon, as each individual takes action, makes our choices, takes on a new way of thinking (Gemini) that defines both our priorities and the way we will live day-to-day (around the Vestal hearth).

‘Wing of a Roller’ By Albrecht Dürer 1512 {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for this New Moon may confound us, at first: ‘A Triangle With Wings’. A flying inanimate object–I can’t help but picture a cold geometric shape with the feathered wings of a dove–makes an absurd image, until we think of the way a triangle is balanced, each leg in equal proportion to, and supporting, the other two. It’s this state of true balance that the New Moon is sparking in each of us, via the mechanism of individual choice, responsibility, and commitment. The wings are the symbolic equivalent of the spiritual component of all endeavors, reminding us that a kind of flight of the spirit is what we are always seeking, always aiming for, working to lift ourselves ever ‘higher’–and this image tells us that lift is achieved by attaining that balance. Usually we see this as an inner function, a personal goal, but the Aries New Moon tells us that spiritual ascension is possible only with the correct measure given each of the three legs of the triangle: the individual, the Collective, and Mother Nature Herself.

 

 

 

New Moon in Pisces 23 February 2020: A Dawning Awareness

22 Saturday Feb 2020

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‘The Three Sisters from Policeman Creek, Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The Three Sisters are a trio of peaks. They are known individually as Big Sister, Middle Sister and Little Sister.’ Photo By Jakub Fryš – Own work CC BY-SA 4.0

The New Moon occurs at 4 Pisces 28 on the 23rd at 7:31 AM PST, semi-square Venus and loosely semi-square Jupiter (placing the NM at the rough midpoint), sextile Uranus and Mars (again, the NM is caught between them), and in loose trine to the North Node point and loose sesquiquadrate to Zeus-Juno in Libra. A New Moon in Pisces can bring a new dream, a dawning awareness of some new facet of the life, of some burgeoning desire or ideal, or the birth of a vision, fantasy, or even deception that inspires, whether what we imagine is true or not.

In this instance we are offered a spark, a fresh idea, that arises from the difficulty in balancing relationships or the need to earn with the social whirl or with a multitude of opportunities. Our own willingness and initiative, and serendipitous events and ‘coincidences’, shape our life direction and put us in a quandary: do we bow to the needs of others, graciously making ourselves small in order to ‘get along’ (and so, we might imagine, earn their Love), or serve our own ambitions and in the process discover who among our companions supports us, who falls away?

The Sabian symbol for this New Moon is, ‘A Church Bazaar’. This is an event where like-minded (we might even say, spiritually attuned to one another) individuals who share a common belief framework about the ‘right’ way to live gather in order to share their handiwork, their creations, in a celebration of fellowship. Nothing wrong with that, right? Except how much do we experience, learn, or test our beliefs if we surround ourselves only with others who share an identical viewpoint to our own? This New Moon may incite a search for the wider world, as we seek the commonalities among, for instance, humankind, or those qualities we share with other sentient beings, rather than shrinking our world down to others who are more like us than not.

Aspects and Sabian combined suggest a need for new and broadening experience with others of the ‘not-like-us’ variety. It dawns on us that there’s more to the world than we suspected. Pisces wants us to dream, wants us to connect with the Collective, wants us to accept and to be accepted–and that last is probably, for anyone, a good place to start.

This is it for at least a couple of weeks. Have a wonderful and safe late winter–see you by spring!

New Moon in Aquarius 24 January 2020 Birth of Unanticipated Beauty

23 Thursday Jan 2020

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‘The Birth of Aphrodite’ By Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky 1887 {{PD}}

The New Moon in Aquarius (also known as the Chinese New Year) occurs at 1:41 PM PST of the 24th at 4 Aquarius 21, sextile Chiron and square Uranus, but both of those on the wide and separating side, and we can also include a loose novile to Venus in Pisces. That suggests in a psychic sense the New Moon is dangling out there, a loner, an individualist, on its own, birthing something unanticipated, something startling and beautiful–and in Aquarius, that can be something new, modern, advanced, academic, unpredictable, or chaotic.

We may take an intellectual approach to the new feelings sparked at this time, or may discover a new understanding of an already extent situation, and these viewpoints arise from both a shock and a healing moment; those may be the same thing, or two different things, but together end up opening the door brilliantly to a reward, relationship, or ‘treasure’ of great spiritual depth, one that connects us in a unique way to the Collective.

However, there’s nothing brash about what happens here. The shocks are mild, traceable to a recent conflict or difficulty, and perceived in such a way that with a bit of effort, all can be healed, smoothed over, or put right, with the upset likely showing us exactly what we need to see. Conflict with the group is possible, or we may be guilty of erratic behavior, unreliability, or generating chaos ourselves, but it’s within the tumult that we find the seeds of understanding, revelation, and ultimately, acceptance.

The novile to Venus in Pisces holds our ideal of Love, relationship, asset acquisition or talent expression before us, and shows us a clever and inspired way to achieve it; we still have to reach for it, putting in some energy to make it a reality–nothing is guaranteed, and the unpredictable element, if left unaddressed, can take it all sideways in a heartbeat.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Council Of Ancestors Is Seen Implementing The Efforts Of A Young Leader’. Here the emphasis is on the experienced group recognizing the innovative leader, with the mention of youth a clue to that figure’s link to Higher Mind–for where else does wisdom come from, if one is short on experience? This implies that the revelations or reveals that accompany the New Moon are informed by a higher intelligence, and that it will take a cooperative effort, or an acceptance by the majority, to implement them.

No matter what form taken by the unanticipated beauty of the New Moon, and no matter how disorganized or shocking it is initially, it promises positives, information that makes our lives better, an understanding that unites rather than divides. It takes our breath away, and shifts our world-view toward the modern, the fresh, the future.

Solar Eclipse in Capricorn December 2019: Expansion Valve

20 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, forecast, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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The Solar eclipse perfects initial contact at 9:12 PM PST on the 25th at 4 Capricorn 06, with both Sun and Moon just over one degree from conjoining Jupiter. A meeting of Sun, Moon, and Jupiter in Capricorn speaks of everything (the attention, the emotional nature, the intuition, the fears, ‘the facts’, the public, the nations of the world) all focused intently on the material state of things, the surroundings, and the rules, restrictions, and structures, governmental, societal, familial, that give it all form and make it all tick. We may be intent on making all this bigger, in some way, in constructing (or possibly deconstructing) something greater than ourselves, fueled by our beliefs or philosophy, or by the inspiration we get from what’s unusual, new, foreign. In any case, the inception point marked by the eclipse event is one of generosity, abundance, of largesse and, possibly quite literally, of more; whether that is desirable or simply exaggerates our fears (especially our fears of restriction, suppression, or of governmental or other authorities controlling us), giving us more of what we don’t want, is an individual matter, probably concentrated in the subjects of the Houses across the Capricorn-Cancer axis of the natal chart.

The eclipse forms a Cardinal T-square with Chiron, but one that is separating, the Sun-Earth axis well into the process of moving beyond orb. That suggests that what precedes the event is a dynamic and difficult circumstance that creates tension and maybe outright conflict, the source of which is one or more of our own wounds or ‘weak points’. Eclipse events may come from this, as a consequence of previous choices, or the eclipse may disrupt this, possibly implying that the problem we thought we had is losing validity in light of (or more literally, in the shadow of) eclipse events.

The Sun-Moon-Jupiter also noviles Mars in Scorpio, implying that, despite any trauma or upsets that occur, our choices and actions will aim at getting to the Truth, to the facts, and that what we choose to do about things at this time holds a touch of genius, inspired in the creative way we go about it, in the moves we make.

The eclipse also trines Uranus in Taurus, but again, this aspect is separating; the implication is that, after taking an original or inspired approach we are onto the next thing with the eclipse; that is, eclipse events, like those associated with Chiron, may be springing from this Uranian effort. We may have asserted our uniqueness, used ‘modern’ methods, rebelled, been unreliable or erratic, may have been surprised or ambushed in some way, and our relationship to ‘the group’ may, through our choices or theirs, have caused the Solar eclipse new start.

An eclipse in Earth creates an abrupt shift, one that ripples out like an earthquake; sometimes those are deep and barely perceptible, while other times the moving and crashing together of the tectonic plates shakes and rolls everything in its energy path. The size of the effect generated in the individual life is difficult to judge ahead of time, but we do know that at the very least an eclipse changes the backdrop against we operate, specifically, in the case of an event in Earth, the material conditions, resources, and physical matters surrounding us, and can temporarily put a specific other set of conditions into play (designated by the aspects the eclipse forms), from the event itself through to the next Solar eclipse in six months.

The Sabian symbol for the eclipse is, ‘Indians On The Warpath. While Some Men Row A Well-Filled Canoe, Others In It Perform A War Dance’. Yes, some of the Sabians are dated, and at times clearly and condescendingly taking the predominant-at-the-time white, male viewpoint. And yes, I know that these were channeled by the gifted Elsie Wheeler, a woman–but that doesn’t mean she, like so many of us, wasn’t subject to seeing things through the dominant lens of the culture of which she was a part.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, we can get to dissecting the symbol. First, nobody dances in a canoe. Ever. Or at least, they don’t dance for long in a canoe–so right away, we know this image is emblematic, rather than realistic. Too, ‘Indians on the warpath’ is an old stereotype that has entered the language as a phrase meaning, ‘Somebody’s angry and looking for someone to take it out on.’ There’s an implication not just of aggression, but of unreasonable aggression, of a wish to wipe out an enemy.

There’s also irony within this symbol: the Indigenous Peoples of North America were very nearly themselves wiped out, and certainly remain disempowered to this day. The image suggests a people at their apex, and with hindsight applied we know this will not last forever, crumbling beneath the relentless onslaught of the Europeans, of what’s foreign–the epitome of the world-expanding Jupiter for both natives and intruders.

The symbol may suggest a warning. Individually and/ or Collectively, we may be at an apex; new things will be introduced, things will change, and it may be important to realize that a change in attitude, tactics, approach, and interactions may all be necessary to survive, and hopefully thrive.

There is an opening up, a state of expansion, that occurs with this eclipse within the confines of those Capricorn elements of the life–and this eclipse and its events may act as a safety valve, keeping the whole thing from blowing up, and so keeping us from a wipe-out, even as it’s clear we need to adapt to all the changes over which we have little or no power.

Potentially of note is the fact that on the West coast of the US the perfection chart has a 00 Virgo Ascendant. Even though this isn’t a Horary or Electional chart, where that would have definite meaning, we might surmise that the new beginning promised by any New Moon, and the powerful one augured by a Solar eclipse, would be amplified in an atmosphere where the ‘birth’ of the event bursts on us as a new ‘moment in time’ (and so connection to the world, as symbolized by an Ascendant) occurs. This describes a brand new attitude that accompanies the new beginning; Virgo suggests our initial approach may be critical, believing assessment is the way to get a grasp on things, and as well, believing that making a critical ‘statement’ about things will bring a kind of ascendancy. Friends on the West Coast, keep an eye out for this–for me it brings to mind a Washington state legislator who’s been charged with domestic terrorism–certainly those kind of actions constitute a critical statement about the current structure (Capricorn), with both eclipse and Pacific time Ascendant in Earth, suggesting something materially affecting ‘what is’ may be on the agenda. Or is it an earthquake, with Ceres (Mother Nature) in perfect sesquiquadrate to the eclipse chart Ascendant? Time will tell.

‘Solar Eclipse In Fedosia’ By Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky {{PD}}

Here’s an interesting link to a list of the Saros solar eclipses to which the upcoming eclipse belongs. The most recent in this series was in December 2001, and I went looking to see if there was any suggestion within events the last time that could be harbingers for this time–but that’s a true rabbit hole, with events that month including the Battle of Tora Bora and the shoe bomber incident that caused us to forever after have to take off our shoes at the airport. The Saros cycles aren’t something I spend a lot of time investigating, but there are astrologers who make it a regular part of their work, such as the groundbreaking Bernadette Brady–so you might want to start there, if you want to know more.

New Moon in Sagittarius 26 November 2019 The Beginning of Wisdom

22 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, New Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘Noc gwiaździsta’ (Starry Night) By Józef Marian Chełmoński 1888 {{PD}}

The New Moon falls at 4 Sagittarius 02 at 7:04 AM PST of the 26th, with both bodies approaching conjunction to asteroid Pallas and trining Chiron. The Lunar event makes a pair of semi-sextiles which place the Moon at the rough midpoint of Mars in Scorpio and Ceres in Capricorn (and so makes Earth the apex of a Finger of God), and quincunxes Uranus. The New Moon also semi-squares the midpoint of transiting Saturn-Pluto, possibly noteworthy as a harbinger of the conjunction of these two in January that we’re all anticipating–and it semi-squares asteroid Zeus, placing the New Moon at the rough midpoint of Saturn-Pluto square Zeus. All these contacts, even the minor and modest ones, are worth exploring, as sometimes meaning is found in the subtlety of things, the interrelationships drawing associations we might otherwise have missed.

What are we looking at here? A smart, wise, or practical new beginning that requires we adjust to learning or experiencing the unexpected or unanticipated, the modern or the revelatory, and that we do so in order to preserve our autonomy, our place with or independent from the group, and/ or the personal power we’ve already established. It heals, or calls on our most unique skills, or both, and may hint at the emotional impact of upcoming changes to the reality picture, especially in terms of potential ambition or desire fulfillment, or its denial.

The New Moon brings an instance of learning something, or experiencing something, likely something we’ve been struggling to ignore or deny or not be consumed with rage by, with actions or choices stirred by events or by the emotional revelation that comes, and these address the scope of our current ability to wield power and affect our environment. We will develop a new attitude, a new philosophy, based on what occurs. Realization will be the big internal change, while we’ll also see material changes that signal the structure of (or structure behind) the ‘new’ power dynamic.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘An Old Owl Sits Alone On The Branch Of A Large Tree’. We have Athena’s symbol, the owl, in the image and the namesake asteroid conjoined the New Moon event–who says there isn’t a pattern to all this? The mention of the fact that the owl is alone seems superfluous, as owls are generally solitary creatures, and big sturdy trees their domain. I’m thinking that in this instance the symbol simply alerts us to the wisdom that the Lunar event will contain; it may be so obvious, so much a normal-seeming part of the landscape, that we could miss the smart message it offers, should we be expecting something splashier or more jarring. Characterization of the owl as “old” only reinforces the sense that this is something already around, that we are used to, and so may overlook, and as well, also reinforces the notion that there will be something wise, that is, that comes of experience, for us to take away from the event.