Category Archives: Sabian Symbols

New Moon in Taurus 11 May 2021 What We Want

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‘A Beauty With Doves’ By Charles Joshua Chaplin 19th century {{PD}}

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?

Full Moon in Scorpio 26 April 2021 Deep Dive

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‘Moonlight in the Adirondack Mountains’, Photographer Unknown {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects on the 26th at 8:32 PM PDT at 7 Scorpio 06, with the Sabian, ‘A Calm Lake Bathed In Moonlight’. In Scorpio a lake is dark, with an uncharted floor, mysterious, a symbol of considerable gathered emotion, calm on the surface, but promising something in the depths, maybe something hidden in caves or grottoes yet to be discovered. A Full Moon with this image suggests there’s a large well of emotion, one with many facets of which we’re not aware, that will either reach peak or reach capacity, with the former implying the highest (so most strenuous) point of feeling, while the latter says the dam may break, the feeling overflow, and so need release. This may bring the emotional scenario to an end, or it may allow ‘breathing room’ in order to go forward.

I like tight orbs for a crisp Lunar picture, and here we have lots of contacts that don’t strike me as relevant, at least not in an event chart. They imply some ‘befores’ or ‘afters’ that don’t figure in, with orbs so wide they don’t currently (or won’t for some time) count, so I’ll stick with my usual. There is an approaching opposition to Uranus that promises the FM may take us by surprise; revelations, specifically about secrets, our feelings around our material situation, and shocks, delivered by friends, groups, or an unanticipated ‘modern’ way of doing things, could arise from Lunar events (and then be acted upon via the approaching trine to Mars, and blocked or become a reality by the approaching square to Saturn, with the cost or the payoff announced by the approaching opposition to Venus–but I digress, or maybe jump too much into the future!)

There’s also a sextile to Vesta, which tells us that the Full Moon will in some (relatively easy) way show us something about our values and what we dedicate our time and energy to. Lunar events may show us what needs to go in the commitment department, show us ways to enhance our honoring of and dedication to what we find sacred, and may reinforce responsibilities and relationships we’ve been wavering on, either to clear them out with Full Moon energy, or to enter a new stage of the interaction, a ‘next step’ for the future.

There are two other aspects of note, which with the Full Moon form a Fist of God: Hygeia squares the FM, and both sesquiquadrate Neptune. Health matters, physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, give us a problem we need to resolve–if we do so successfully, we can create an ideal, can reach into the hopes and imagination and bring a desire for ‘perfection’ in some form into being; if we are unable to handle the problem presented, we may retreat to fantasy, confusion-as-an-answer, or ‘drown our sorrows’, at least symbolically speaking. I need not tell you which of those responses is preferable.

We always look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon, as Sol emits the light that makes the Full Moon possible: ‘A Sleigh On Land Uncovered By Snow’. This speaks of being inappropriately equipped for the situation. What thing are we carrying around, in our heads, in our psyches, or in the physical world, that’s not of use to us at all? This is something that under other conditions we would find quite useful–but right now that’s not where we are, and we may want to think about the unnecessary emotional burden this could signify. Typically we hold tight to things we’re not using when we’re convinced we may need them later, or we have a philosophy of ‘just in case’. This image likely relates to the Fist, telling us that we can take the energy required to maintain the useless thing and translate it into something of an ideal realized, a dream come true, or an inspired perspective–much more useful than allowing something that doesn’t fit the current landscape to take up space.

New Moon in Aries 11 April 2021 Turns in the Road

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‘The Arrival of Spring; Two Roads’ By Maria Yakunchikova 1896 {{PD}}

Even though the New Moon of the 11th, 7:30 PM PDT at 22 Aries 24 is still conjoined Venus, that’s actually a separating aspect; whatever the Superior conjunction of the Sun and Venus was meant to convey around relationships or assets, it’s already come to us, though our emotional reaction to it is still in the future, delivered about 8 hours after this Lunar event (and maybe spurred by what happens at the NM). The same can be said about issues around personal power and authority, boundaries, a sense of autonomy, and even health matters, as the Sun and Moon have each both recently conjoined and are now moving away from Ceres. This suggests we’ve hashed out quite a bit recently, and likely believe we know where we stand–so why does it feel like we’ve made no progress, like we remain rudderless and confused, like we’re yearning for something and reaching come up with a handful of water, lost before we can get a sip?

A New Moon in Aries should spark confidence, a feeling that we can do ‘it’, the courage to take the next step, a sureness about taking the lead in our own lives, and when this NM perfects we may want to make a clear ‘I Am’ statement, not for those around us, but for ourselves, to try and ground us in something firm. We have the fire (Aries) to do (Cardinal sign) something to propel us forward–and this NM in particular we’re buoyed by imagination and a wave of creative energy (semi-sextile to Neptune), and we have big ideas (sextile to Jupiter) for change (square to Pluto) with empowerment as the goal (trine to Juno)–but there’s something about our desires or ambitions (opposition to Zeus) that makes us reluctant, or that maybe even outright prevents, that change we’re dreaming of–the potential for action could dissipate into nothing but talk (sextile to Mars in Gemini).

There’s a (brilliant) way out, and there’s also an issue to be dealt with, before the feeling and action impasse can be broken. One is the novile to Pallas in Pisces. This speaks of the wisdom of the imagination and the creative outlet, of the practical benefits of using our skills to do–and so serve both the Arian New Moon impulse and and the need to circumvent issues that have brought us up short, confused us, or distracted us from what we want and need to sort out. The Sabian symbol for the New Moon says it all: ‘A Pregnant Woman In Light Summer Dress’. The image is one of creative potential. Giving our creativity free rein right now is the smart thing to do; we may ‘birth’ our answer, or we may in the process of expressing make other contacts, or take other turns in the road, that will get us past what’s been holding us at bay. The ‘Summer Dress’ of the image implies the creative urge itself is at its peak of productive potential, just as a garden is at that point in the seasonal cycle. We don’t know how far along that ‘pregnancy’ is; we only know that the creation itself definitely exists, and will, sooner or later, be brought forth.

The thing to be dealt with is described by the New Moon’s sesquiquadrate to Vesta in Virgo. A sesquiquadrate is an aspect that promises difficulty, suggesting both trouble within the psyche (problems with accepting and processing what we’re confronted with, for example) and external factors that contribute pressures or force awareness and/ or force us to stop forward progress, at least in terms of the goal we thought we were working toward. There’s usually a measure of upset or outrage, a ‘This is ruining all my plans!’ plaintive cry as we see we’re given no choice but to halt and re-group.

With this being the New Moon’s contact to Vesta, what we’re likely to be faced with is some form of criticism or critique, internal or from others, that assesses our commitments, our values, or what we’re dedicated to as less-than-sacred. This might come in the form of our own internal monologue that recognizes we don’t care as we think we did, or in internal recognition or external feedback that points to some facet of hypocrisy in what we claim to hold in highest regard. Maybe our actions haven’t been supporting our highest standards, or our choices point to an entire other set of values by which we’re in reality living. No matter what, the Aries New Moon offers us a chance to re-dedicate ourselves to choices and actions that reflect our true values; it gives us a chance to align our walk with our talk, and prove what and who we genuinely care about.

A New Moon in Aries is about choice; the issue for this New Moon may be that we’ve convinced ourselves either we don’t have any, or that our options aren’t ideal. Events at this time are meant to show us that the true circumstances are otherwise–we just need to be brave enough to see that the ideal is possible, and that indeed, we always have options.

Full Moon in Libra 28 March 2021 The Balance

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‘Tightrope’ By Paul Klee 1880 CC0

Love is central–or is that a money, asset, or credit situation that takes center stage right now? Either relationships are in focus, or our currency status is, at this Full Moon, which perfects at 11:48 AM PDT on the 28th at 8 Libra 18. All the strongest flow for this lunar event is across the Libra-Aries axis, imbuing the episode with an ‘I/ Other’ dynamic. With Venus so closely opposed the Full Moon, we are likely to frame the Full Moon in terms of what we have versus what others have, and this may be about intangibles like Love or tangibles like property or resources, but in any case brings examination of the balance between the ‘I Am/ I Have’ and ‘They Are/ They Have’. Chiron, also opposed, brings in the consciousness of what we don’t have, or makes it clear what unique skills we possess that can help us get what we want. We may get a new, mature perspective on a number of issues or relationships, and a new attitude born of Full Moon conclusions or culminations, especially in reference to the way injuries, past and current, may be at play in either our emotional or asset situations.

Some things that may be answered: Do we feel unity with others, or are our thoughts focused on the solitary nature of our existence? Do we allow others to hurt us, and then hold those injuries tight for our own reasons? Or do we reject the one who hurt us, and is doing so healthy, or filled with rage (and so taking up our energy when it shouldn’t)? Do we actually believe that others have it easier than we do for no reason? Are we feeling less than rewarded for being who we are? Do we avoid cooperation or forming relationships (especially those centered on romantic love) because we believe it will ‘cost’ us? Have we been withholding use of our skills due to past injury? Do we like cheese? Well, maybe not that last one.

The Full Moon is apex to a Finger of God, with base of Pallas sextile Uranus. This suggests that Full Moon events or revelations (something the Full Moon is known for, bringing complete enlightenment, particularly in matters of the House in the natal chart where this occurs) come about either through a meeting of the practical or skills and the unique viewpoint, or via wisdom applied to the spontaneous or chaotic. What is original to us as individuals combines with either what we can do, or what we know (in the form of a profound Truth), and delivers to us the outcome of an event at this time, or a realization that can illuminate our immediate way forward.

A semi-sextile to Vesta and a sesquiquadrate to Jupiter tells us that hopes to get ‘more’ of what we value, or attempts to honor our beliefs, especially beliefs about what’s sacred, what’s important, will have a rough go of it; it’s likely we’ll have to face certain beliefs, facts, or ways in which we dedicate our energies that are causing problems or are difficult to implement, with the Full Moon requiring us to adjust those beliefs, or modify what we dedicate our time and energy to.

There’s also a loose Air Grand Trine involving the Full Moon, Saturn, and the North Node-Mars (we’re stretching, here). It’s worth noting, though, as in the next hours and days both Earth and the Moon will be perfecting that Trine–and this implies recognition of the energies as working together even at the time of the event gives us a little glimpse into the future. We’re talking about emotional understanding or intuitive perceptions that balance out the mental perceptions and then act as foundation for forward moving actions and choices that will have an effect on the reality picture.

The Sabian for this Full Moon is, ‘Three “Old Masters” Hanging On The Wall Of A Special Room In An Art Gallery’. I think this is a clear reference to Venus; the suggestion may be that we must acknowledge what we treasure, what talents we possess, what we hold dear, our assets, but the issue may be this: if this asset or talent is segregated, off in its own room in a special construct (the gallery), does that mean we are treating it as rarefied, not using it or appreciating what it can do for us? Are we viewing our talents or assets as precious museum pieces, as passive, rather than incorporating their potentials (for earning, for sharing beauty, for generosity, for what they can bring us) into our daily life? Do we keep them in special circumstances because we are in some way saving or ‘hoarding’ them, or does keeping them separate allow us to believe there’s more value in them than we might find should we employ them in the real world? These are Old Masters, after all, possibly a salute to the Chirotic skill each individual possesses that is extraordinary in its uniqueness–so, something we shouldn’t hesitate to share or test, as no one can do ‘it’ quite like we can.

The Sun, Chiron, and Venus, this last ruler of the Full Moon-Earth combo, all share a Sabian: ‘A Crystal Gazer’. The future is written in who we are at core, who we are as a Soul (the Sun), how we respond to our wounds (and you’ll notice the kinds of wounds aren’t important–those are irrelevant, in this context–Chiron), and who, how, and what we love and value (Venus)–and at least symbolically, these matters ‘rule’ (via Venus) and contain the Full Moon ’cause’ (via the light generation of the Sun), so are instrumental to, and in fact inseparable from, the Lunar event.

New Moon in Pisces 13 March 2021 Siren Song

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‘Ulysses and the Sirens’ By Herbert James Draper 1679 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 2:21 AM PST on the 13th at 23 Pisces 03, after recent passage of both the Sun and Moon over Neptune. That puts a haze on everything, a siren song with no clear origin: what are we seeing? what are we feeling? Also past but still in orb: a square to Juno and a quincunx to Zeus, suggesting that just lately we’ve faced some conflict over the legitimacy of our ambitions and our own autonomy. And what lies ahead, within orb now, are a sextile to Pluto (the impulse to burn it all down, out of shaken convictions around the ambitions, desires, and our ability to act on them), and a sextile to Sedna (the impulse to listen to the instincts, to trust what we ‘know but don’t know’, and proceed as planned). Which will we choose? Right now that depends on your relationship to Piscean energies in general, and to transiting Neptune in particular.

Pisces is singing to us right now, of ideals and dreams, of our practicality, skills, and wisdom, of the payoffs awaiting us in Love or Money or maybe just companionship (Pallas, Venus, Neptune transiting there), and the New Moon offers a starting point: face what we want, and either purge it and ourselves (if we find the dream inadequate), or trust ourselves and follow instinctual prompts and the inner knowing. Not a difficult choice, if we know ourselves, if we are not deluded, if we know our dreams, and if we are brave enough to go forward and create, unafraid of what others might say or think. And of course, that little bit at the end may be the hardest part.

The New Moon also falls at the midpoint of the Saturn-Uranus square. That’s reality pushing against the radical, the established pushing against precipitous change, tradition butting up against the modern, authorities clashing with the individual, or with advancement in general. It’s natural for What Is to resist and resent innovation, unless how that improvement is good for all is made obvious from the start–and even then there may be issues. Expect the New Moon to present a point of tension over this kind of revolution, a preview of the coming, just forming Cosmic dream, a glimpse of the future, and look for the positive that will come from letting go and accepting new developments. What’s happening is inevitable; better to have some say in and control over change (by willingly going along), than have it overwhelm when upset and resistance builds too high. Don’t let the siren song of ‘We’ve always done it that way’ stop a good thing.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘On A Small Island Surrounded By The Vast Expanse Of The Sea, People Are Seen Living In Close Interaction’. I’m seeing this in something of an unusual way: Pisces is the sea, the House of the natal chart an island in the horoscope, with the people in close interaction those we love (Venus), those we idealize or connect with spiritually (Neptune), and those from whose wisdom or practicality we benefit (Pallas). Getting all the human components to mesh in positive ways is something we strive for–and the new start of the New Moon offers a moment when the way to that harmony might be apparent, through the matters of the natal House where Pisces sits. And right now, everybody could use just a little more harmony.

Full Moon in Virgo 27 February 2021 Due & Payable

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‘A Jar Of Peaches’ By Claude Monet 1866, well before deteriorating eyesight made the impressionist painter’s work even more impressionistic!

Keeping our nice, tight Lunar event orbs, we see that this Full Moon, falling at 8 Virgo 57 at 12:17 AM PST, makes only a few, crisp aspects–but of course, they tell us everything we need to know.

A Full Moon brings related energies to a conclusion or peak, and in Virgo this most likely involves matters where accounting and balance sheets (including intangible spiritual or emotional ones), criticism and critical discernment (again, including those that are mere thoughts, or that address the personal and subjective, as much as those aimed at the Collective and objective), and the gathering and allotment of some kind of ‘harvest’, are prominent. This can be anything from actual bills due to the subtle workings of Karma, from a quiet judgment inside our heads to a very vocal assessment of someone or something, and from the literal distribution of goods to the gain or loss of rewards, in either case likely anticipated in some, possibly very nebulous, form (a notion that occurs to us, right out of the blue, and is just as quickly gone, for instance).

The Moon-Earth conjunction forms apex to a Finger of God, with base of Chiron-Saturn. Oww! We may be asking ourselves just exactly where and why ‘it’ hurts (or where and why we’re having this sensation, which is not necessarily painful, it may just be new, or something we haven’t felt for a long time), and we may be acutely aware of how our own responses to reality have created this denouement. The presence of Chiron gives us two possibilities: one is that we’re seeing the real-world consequences of our own woundedness, which may have driven previous actions or choices, and so brought us to this point. The other possibility is that we are seeing the results of what we’ve built through unique talent expression, through utilizing that particular ability that is so unique to us.

The Full Moon also trines Uranus and, with a little leniency, the Black Moon Lilith point. This suggests, very simply, surprise, probably centered in something we’ve been striving not to think about, or that has angered us, implying that what’s delivered may have the ring of justice, or the requirement that we accept things as they are. And, we see a sesquiquadrate to Pluto, telling us that whatever occurs may through difficult circumstances change everything, or that the Truth will be exposed, transforming for the good, or conversely the rot will be exposed, with the tough option of cleaning it up. It’s especially hard to know if Pluto in the mix is a good thing, as so much of what Pluto brings, even when the ultimate result is positive, can be especially hard to process, get through, or even survive, and it often temporarily gives an ‘end of the world’ feeling.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘An Expressionist Painter At Work’. I’m thinking this tells us that we need to take a ‘higher up’ view of events around this Lunar occurrence, one that takes in the broad picture, rather than focusing too much on any one detail (and this Full Moon may throw many details at us, considering its placement in Virgo). It reminds me of a scene in the immortal, Jane Austen inspired work, ‘Clueless’, a movie where the main character, the teenage Cher, describes someone or something (and I’m paraphrasing here) as ‘a real Monet’–that is, a mess if you insist on getting up close to it, but making a beautiful picture if you pull back and take it in at a distance–or, in the case of a person, someone who seems together, until you get a gander at their actual circumstances or coping skills.

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘A Jockey Spurs His Horse, Intent On Outdistancing His Rivals’. This suggests that competitiveness may drive us (and is echoed by a minor aspect of the Full Moon, a semi-square to Zeus). What we want, and what we can do about it, is spurring us on at this time. We need to be aware that it’s ourselves, rather than externals, that have created the current scenario, with circumstances we’ve initiated determining its outcome.

It’s a time of ‘getting what we deserve’. If that phrase makes you excited, then good, you know deep within that you’ve been adding to the Collective in a positive way, and it’ll be paying off; and if it makes you uneasy, then just know there’s something, either in your methods or your motives, that needs purging–and Pluto will be around to help.

Thank you, everyone! Take care out there, and Happy Full Moon!

New Moon in Aquarius 11 February 2021 What Are We Waiting For?

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‘Waiting’ By Henri de Toulouse Lautrec 1887 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 11:05 AM PST on the 11th at 23 Aquarius 16, but before it does, we pass through the pre-New Moon three day period known as The Dark of the Moon, notable for its absence of Lunar light. This is a period when forward momentum can be sidetracked or stalled, and new projects will sputter, fail to get off the ground, or later require a rehaul or restart–and that’s doubly so during Mercury retrograde, currently in effect.

What can we do during this period? Normally we’d do best to drift and dream, meditate and relax, to connect through silence or dreams to the non-verbal perceptions, but during this Dark period we have a slightly different mandate: it starts with the Inferior Conjunction of Sun and Mercury on the 8th, an inception point for development related to matters of the House where the contact occurs, specifically around shifts in thought, plans, and where we’re putting our attention–and it continues as later that day the Sun meets Pallas, with the Moon to pass over Pallas just over two hours before the New Moon perfects. All this speaks to reconsideration of Mercurial subjects that leads to a wiser take on things, and to a smart or more practical new beginning shown by the New Moon event.

Otherwise, this New Moon doesn’t make much notable contact at all. Its closest aspect is a trine to Zeus in Libra, suggesting that Higher Mind revelations (Aquarius) in relationships and their role in ambition and desire fulfillment (Zeus in Libra) will lead to greater understanding–but understanding of what? For some this might be revelation in relationships themselves, a more accurate view of how they work on a daily basis, and what each party gets out of them, but for many of us the emphasis will be on how our interactions with others color, constrict, shape, or curtail our own efforts toward ambition realization. We may become acutely aware of how we modify our efforts to accommodate relationships, and how we modify relationships so we can pursue our goals, and we’re very likely to see where we need a re-think on the whole thing, with this re-consideration informing the latter half of the Merc retro cycle.

Too, Zeus speaks of the power balance within any relationship, the ways in which we get our needs met but must accept that others, too, have needs, and that the clash between these two sets of wants can be chaotic, a contest between our desire for the relationship and our desire for, well, just about anything else that creates an appetite. With Juno, the asteroid of empowerment, and signifier of Zeus’ partner, placed sextile Mercury from her spot in Sagittarius and conjoined the South Node at the time of the New Moon, we definitely see a rise of smoke from smoldering relationship issues, and between the New Moon of revelation and understanding (Aquarius) and the Merc retro cycle, we are likely to find these issues cropping up, many of them as direct power issues and some as an outright clash of wants between partners.

We might also want to count a very loose square to Sedna, only in contention because Sun and Moon are approaching rather than retreating from the aspect. This might give just the barest hint, the vaguest echo, a mere wisp of an idea that trouble may be on the horizon. This might take the shape of Self-sabotaging instincts or an insistence on not admitting that everyone, including ourselves, has a blind spot–and this might be just the time when we need some reflection (the Moon) from those with whom we’re in relationship (that Libran Zeus)–because that’s exactly what we’re offering them, too.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Man, Having Overcome His Passions, Teaches Deep Wisdom In Terms Of His Experience’. I’ve not much to add to that since it seems we’ve already covered this same message via aspects, but will point out that the symbol strikes a hopeful note, as the messiness that is natural to relationships will show us what we need to know, and make us wiser in the process.

Have a lovely week, everyone!

New Moon 12 January 2021 A Fissure Filled With Light

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Kilauea’s Fissure 8 cone erupting in the early morning of June 28, 2018, in the Lower East Rift Zone. {{PD}}
Courtesy of the United States Geological Survey

Usually we get that ‘wipe out’ feeling/ energy from an eclipse, when the old patterns are disrupted by new ones; this time, we get the same experience from a New Moon as it meets the god of the Underworld. The Lunar event of the 12th falls at 23 Capricorn 13 at 9 PM PST, closely conjoined Pluto–in just over two hours the Moon will perfect contact, while the Sun will take a tad longer, a little more than twenty-four. This suggests the dawning of new emotions or intuitive perceptions that transform our Beingness, or that change what we pay attention to; we are plunged down, to the depths, perhaps in the birth pangs of a new world order arising from the institutions, rules, and constraints of the old order a la Capricorn, and we’re given a clear insight into what this change means for us as individuals.

A New Moon in Capricorn promises two things: new rules, and efforts at ‘building’, whether that’s something intangible, within the psyche, or an actual, literal structure or figurative framework within the social order, but when the Sun-Moon meeting is on the way to conjoin Pluto, we are effectively stunned by the energy–hence the similarity to the eclipse ‘wipe out’. In this particular case, the new feelings, followed by a new sense of ‘I Am’ or ‘I See’, then gets the Plutonian treatment. We can’t be sure if the emotions and changed efforts are undertaken in anticipation of serious, inevitable, even extreme change that is before us, or if they’re the result of such thorough, deep, and irrevocable developments–all we can know is that this New Moon is the first glimpse of an ever-growing light shining at the bottom of the bottomless fissure that opens up beneath us: the New Moon shows us a way out, a new way of structuring or processing, or the resurrection of something, as it delivers an inspiring and instructional glimmer of not only what’s to come, but what we can build from it, that will culminate with the Full Moon two weeks from now.

How much this New Moon will bring change to the individual is dependent on the contacts the event makes to the natal chart. This is precisely why general forecasts aren’t ‘one size fits all’. That said, see below for a brief lesson on reading a configuration filled in by the New Moon event. What all of us will be influenced by: the New Moon semi-square Juno=we see our own relationship to pure Power, and see just where out limits are (but that also means we’ll get some idea of what we’re missing, and so how to go about getting more); New Moon square Zeus=we see where our ambitions, relationships, or desires are making it difficult to start anew, or to make the changes we really want to, or what we learn at the New Moon creates tension or conflict with those ambitions currently on our agenda; and lastly, the New Moon forms an Earth Grand Trine with Vesta and Sedna=I’m counting this despite Vesta being more than six degrees from perfection to Sedna 1) because Sedna is in apparent retrograde right now, so moving back toward Vesta, and 2) because trines are major aspects, and 3) because this configuration is in Earth, same element as the New Moon, and 4) because the presence of Pluto and the Sun together gives a big energy ‘punch’ that I see as carrying farther than I normally would accept. Ties of the placement together make up for the looseness of the orbs, particularly the way the NM and Pluto ‘bridge’ the degrees between Vesta and Sedna. The Grand Trine suggests that what changes/ evolves/ is forced/ transforms/ resurrects at the New Moon is in harmony with our actual highest values, and with our instincts and what we ‘know but don’t consciously know’. We may not see the benefits of the GT energies right away, because they have a good chance of emerging from our own ‘blind spot’, and so carry the feeling that they’re coming from external events, rather than that they’ve been orchestrated by our own intents, even though they have.

‘A Nun’ By Ragnhild Beichmann 1878 {{PD}}

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Woman Entering A Convent’. This implies that though what occurs seems excessively restrictive or that it requires an inordinate degree of discipline or supplication, it’s actually based on what we’ve chosen to dedicate our life energies to (Vesta). A look at your Vesta will help tell you the intent behind what manifests, and may give you a greater understanding of the nature of what you genuinely care about in life.

A Little Something on Configurations, as Demonstrated with the New Moon

When judging whether a configuration is formed, we need to keep in mind the various strengths of the aspects. The loose Grand Trine I describe above is allowable at least in part because a trine is a major aspect, and that allows for a greater orb; in the Fist I describe below, we have a square between NM and Zeus, which is a major aspect and so can take a greater orb, but in order to form the Fist, we need both bodies to sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) a third body, and since this is a more minor contact, we need a closer orb, something around no more than two degrees from exact in either direction, which in the following example would be 8 Gemini. In this case, anyone with a natal placement 6-10 Gemini will find their natal energy at the apex of a Fist of God with base of New Moon-Pluto square Zeus. This suggests the New Moon will bring change that arises from conflict over or forces change to the ambitions or desires, particularly as this applies to relationships (Zeus is in Libra). What happens or is revealed by the light of the New Moon shows how the current ambition picture contrasts, and requires modification of, what you’re aiming for, and this is because of what you learn now–and this will affect the natal apex planet, either through expression of its characteristic energies or through something it rules, House or other bodies, in the natal chart. (And just a reminder: please don’t write and ask if the aspect, for instance, applies to your Ascendant at 12 degrees Gemini, or your Sun at 5–I’ve told you the range of things already: anything between 6 and up to but not past 10). Keeping in mind what aspects any configuration contains, and then keeping orbs crisp, will insure you not only get a clear picture, but also that you don’t lead yourself astray or distract with an inaccurate or exaggerated picture, though there are exceptions, as I describe using the example of the Grand Trine aspect, above. Thus endeth the lesson!

Forecast for the 10th is here–

Tomorrow the Weekly will go up. Have a great rest-of-the-weekend!

Full Moon in Cancer 29 December 2020 Peak Feeling

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‘Thirty-six Peaks of Mount Huang Recollected’ By Shitao 1705 {{PD}}

The Full Moon peaks at 7:28 PM PST of the 29th at 8 Cancer 53, novile Sedna, in wide square to Chiron (and we can read the Wounded Healer as arm to a T, with this Sun/ Moon-Earth opposition), sextile Black Moon Lilith-Uranus, widely trine Ceres, and quincunx Pallas. Is it opposed Mercury? In my opinion, no, as Merc is more than 5 degrees ahead, making it not only a too-large orb for a Full Moon situation but also showing us that the solidity of the Full Moon won’t be available when the transiting Moon catches up to oppose Mercury; Luna will leave Earth behind, so that the impact of Moon opposed Mercury (arriving about 11 hours after the Full Moon) will be a fleeting and solely emotional one, with the feeling nature flooding and possibly overwhelming the mental processes, post-Lunar culmination(very probably prompted by whatever the Full Moon has brought to fulfillment or conclusion).

A Full Moon in Cancer is a peak of caring, feeling, or emotional investment; from here on out we draw back, emotionally speaking, and begin to lessen the emotional impetus behind decisions and perceptions in direct proportion to the way a more objective perspective grows. This is the point when we know how we feel, what we care about; it’s in the aspects the Full Moon makes that we may see our actual emotional stance, particularly around matters generally ruled by the Moon (feelings, intuitions, mothers and motherhood, nurturing, vulnerability, and so on), about matters specifically ruled by the Moon in the personal natal chart (and if the FM aspects the natal Moon, we may have a bonanza of feeling to sort through), concerning matters of the House where the Full Moon occurs, as well as about matters related to the House containing Cancer or bodies posited therein within the natal chart (some of these are redundant, but you get my drift: Moon, Moon, Moon!)

Often the Full Moon can bring a sudden and even surprising recognition of how we feel. In Cancer that sensibility is, in a way, doubled: we see how we feel about feeling! In this instance, the feelings themselves may become the center of attention, beyond whatever spurs them. That can mean that we can potentially turn more of our attention toward ourselves than out into the world–and with the current Full Moon’s set of aspects, this promises to be a potent and largely Self-focused examination of our emotional interaction with the world, and the emotional sensations this generates inside us.

The Cancer Full Moon offers a kind of brilliant insight to those things we aren’t normally conscious of, that we may hide even from ourselves (novile to Sedna). This is valuable information, not to be lightly dismissed, though the temptation is to do just that: the brilliance of a novile is too easily seen as obvious and natural, with the assumption that we’ll see it just as clearly later–which we very well may not.

The Chiron T-square and the quincunx to Pallas speak of each other: if we insist that hurt is stopping our progress (either because we’ve not overcome the wound, or because we blame someone else for the insurmountable harm, or both), it will take adjusting our attitude in order to see what’s wise–that is, we can either re-frame things (which likely involves admitting we needn’t wallow in victimhood), or ignore the need to modify our sense of what’s wise (as currently we are almost certainly seeing our hurt as a statement of what’s just–we are hurt and want others to know what’s wrong and ‘who done it’).

The sextile to the Black Moon Lilith point and Uranus says that we can take an original and inventive approach to solving our issues, if we are willing to admit they exist! and they are indeed under our control (and/ or that we can be assisted by taking a Higher Mind approach, or accept assistance from ‘the group’). It will take a little effort (the sextile), but facing what we’d rather ignore or deny will pay off in unexpected or surprising ways.

The trine to Ceres may put us ‘in tune’ with Nature (including our own bodies), may allow us to understand and align with those who hold power and to do the same with our own, personal sense of authority, may make us aware of the scope of our reach and influence, or all of the above. Add to this that we can fine-tune the health routine right now, addressing larger issues effectively either in Nature or in our physical presence, and we’ll see an overall potential for a healthier New Year, one where we access the flow of our own power.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Small Naked Girl Bends Over A Pond Trying To Catch A Fish’. This doubles up on the symbols for innocence (a child, and being naked), and makes me ask, Why the emphasis on the pureness of Being, on, in essence, not being knowledgeable or Self-responsible? The image brings to mind the old adage about fishing: give a fish, one eats for a day, teach one to fish, they eat for a lifetime–but as I’ve recently seen pointed out, it’s much easier to learn to fish if one isn’t starving! So, I’m seeing this symbol as one of an attempt to be Self-responsible that comes from a place of innocence–and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Others prey on those who are too innocent, who fail to recognize the full spectrum of human potentials and behaviors, who think that a wide-eyed approach to life is protective when it’s anything but. This corresponds somewhat to the Chiron T-square; if we choose innocence (that is, we lack Self-responsibility, refuse to recognize the spectrum of behaviors available to humanity, and insist that this makes us pure, possibly protected, and potentially superior to those who have dirtied themselves with knowledge and responsibilities), then we inevitably end up playing the victim, since the natural direction of energy’s flow is an outward one, to act on the environment and on others–and if we stopper that flow, the energy backs up like a drain, putting us in the (often unpleasant) position of being acted-upon.

For a Full Moon we also look at the Sabian for the life and light-giving Sun, ‘An Angel Carrying A Harp’. The Sun is a symbol of awareness; it points toward where our attention needs to go. This symbol is one of purity, as well, but this is an active purity with a purpose, one that ‘makes its own music’. It tells us we can have that sense of innocence in two positive ways: behavior that aligns with our Highest Ideals (the ‘angelic’ part), and a channeling of energy outward to something that is both expressive and productive (the harp). So, just maybe, this Full Moon is about not getting stuck in some sort of Self-examination that pushes us to be innocent in all the wrong ways.

Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius 2020 Moon in Blue

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By alyssa BLACK. from toronto, canada – full moon., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76519128

This New Moon of the 14th occurs at 8:17 AM PST and is also an eclipse, falling at 23 Sagittarius 08, preceding the Superior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury at 29 degrees in just about a week. This adds an element of building tension to what is normally with a New Moon a ‘fresh start’ energetically, a clean slate that typically signals the origins of a new beginning. That means new circumstances arrange themselves around an already-tense situation, lending things a ‘jumped into the fire’ quality, and this is even more noticeable because an eclipse on its own signals a wipe-out of previous arrangements–and that means we may find ourselves in the midst of a conflagration (Sag is a Fire sign) that we absolutely have not anticipated–and that quite possibly interferes with manifestation of the new start.

The eclipse doesn’t make many aspects–the major ones are loose, so it’s to the minor ones my attention goes first, as this implies a subtle and nuanced eclipse picture. The eclipse is closely semi-sextile Pluto, suggesting that small discomforts or inconveniences create big change, while the New Moon also noviles Pallas in Aquarius and sesquiquadrates Uranus. This combo implies the influence of the Higher Mind and/ or ‘the group’ in events, with those influences arriving through difficult Uranian means: an accident, a troublesome or unanticipated serendipity, the crashing down of a larger spiritual Truth, the exercise of and surprise brought forward by one’s own originality, or the spotlight on one’s position in (or perhaps alienation from) the group. However, the novile tells us that this spurs or is spurred by something smart, motivated by wisdom or practicality, maybe by the way the Universe presents a set of trying events and then asks, ‘What will you do?’.

Pluto and Uranus both aspecting the eclipse could imply a spark-to-flame destructive event that clears the way for something entirely new–in any case, what happens may be disturbing, upsetting, unsettling, even traumatic, or just unexpected, surprising, but will be for the good (see the Sabian symbol, below).

The square to Neptune is too wide, for my taste, suggesting that we may think that misleading information, the creative urge, the dream, or a mirage, any or all related to the emotional state, is a motivation when it’s really not. Zeus in Libra is sextile the New Moon, suggesting that ambitions involving relationships we want, or the way relationships affect us going after ambitions, is on the agenda. There is a trine to Mars in his own sign of Aries, telling us how easily we may act, based on a relatively sketchy picture or our own hair-trigger temper; the sense is of being profoundly aware that we are all alone, that we must do something, and this may come from events or be the agent of them, and is probably the driver in the relationship scenario: we must act to make a reality of the desired relationship, or we must act in order to fix a situation where a relationship is precluding our ability to go after what we want.

A New Moon in Sagittarius is typically a Moon where we learn something, are exposed to something foreign, or see the origins of new beliefs or philosophies coalesce; the Sabian is, ‘A Bluebird Perched On The Gate Of A Cottage’. Well that’s idyllic, isn’t it? A bluebird is a symbol for happiness, the ‘bursting out in song’ kind, and its position, at ease on a garden gate, suggests a peaceful environment where the bird feels safe, an ‘in its element’ sensibility. As the Sabian for a New Moon eclipse, this might imply we learn or are exposed to something that brings happiness in the way of feeling ‘at home’ in some situation, or with some change or new start that occurs. It’s a reassuring symbol that tells us in spite of any indications to the contrary within the scenario or related to the initial upset, we’ll be happier with our new circumstances than we were with our old ones.

Special note: those with a natal placement between 21 and 24 of Taurus may find the eclipse brings a real ‘do-or-die’ point in matters of ambition and desire fulfillment, relative to the natal energy, which will act as apex to a Finger of God with base of the eclipse and Zeus. What you’ve been aiming for, wanting, even lusting for will be addressed through the energy of the eclipse, and the result will funnel through the natal point. Good luck with that!