Category Archives: Sabian Symbols

New Moon in Scorpio 14 November 2020 Re-Birth

13 Friday Nov 2020

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

The New Moon perfects at 9:07 PM PST of the 14th at 23 Scorpio 17; this meeting takes place after both bodies have, relatively recently, conjoined Juno (the Moon within hours, the Sun about 5 days before). This suggests that the New Moon new start follows on an illumination of our own empowerment situation, the extent of our reach, and how effective we are in impacting our world. We looked beneath, or even through, x-ray-like, circumstances (Scorpio) and likely found one of two things: that we are much more powerful than we thought, or that we don’t hold power in the ways, or over what, we previously believed.

So this New Moon offers a point of re-birth, a re-making that allows us to rise again empowered–and a single set of sextiles tells the story. These are to the Capricorn-located energies of Pluto, Jupiter, and Pallas–and the New Moon has no other contacts. A sextile is a cooperative aspect, one that encourages the entities to work together, but it does require some effort, the kind shown by active intention.

We must choose to re-make, re-form, according to the Truth we find beneath the surface (Scorpio), and we do it by transforming structures, rules, restraints, and the framework upon which we hang our identity (Capricorn). The energies at our disposal are powerful ones: the Plutonian spark of the Universe, intense as life and death, a generative essence that can create or destroy; Jupiterian confidence, opportunity, and largesse, a bold belief in what we can build, and also that we know the material facts, and so can judge our best endeavors; and Pallas, offering a Warrior-spirit, a mature wisdom and understanding, a brave countenance with which to face challenges, and a practicality that informs our best use of already-developed skills.

That sounds like a lot, but the reality will be very individualized, very specific to your own personal transformation story. We’re likely to experience the chance at re-birth in matters of the House in the natal chart where the NM occurs. Though the contours of the situation will be highly unique to each individual, the general areas affected may be encompassed by the House where it falls: the 1st–the Self and the way you ‘present’ to the world; the 2nd–talents, assets, or Self-concept; the 3rd–communications, thinking, agreements, siblings; the 4th–family or core beliefs about identity; the 5th–creative efforts, romance, one’s children, risks; the 6th–the everyday circumstances, obligations and duties, the job, work colleagues, health; the 7th–your partner, your audience, your Art, or the world at large; the 8th–others’ assets, what you share and they share with you, sex, death; the 9th–things at a distance, education, religion, in-laws, travel, publications; the 10th–the career, the public image, business, your boss; the 11th–group affiliations, friendships, hopes wishes and goals; the 12th–the wider Universe, large institutions, those things we may be hiding from ourselves, spirituality. Not a definitive list, by any means, but one meant to give you some idea of where the action will be. There’s plenty of overlap, as well, as anyone who works with astrological concepts for long will know, so use your best intuitive sense of how this translates to your world.

So what’s the Sabian for this transformative Moon? ‘After Having Heard An Inspired Individual Deliver His “Sermon On The Mount,” Crowds Are Returning Home’. We’ve already ‘received’ the message delivered by spirit, or via someone inspired in their offering–now we need to take it ‘home’ with us, into ourselves and our everyday lives. What that message is will depend on who you are–what we know is that we’ve already got the needed information, and now just have to implement it.

Like Dorothy, we already have what we need to get ‘home’, we just have to access it, and the New Moon offers an ‘entry point’ that can kick-start a next-step inspiration.

Full Moon in Taurus 31 October 2020 The Revolution Ends, the Revolution Begins

29 Thursday Oct 2020

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‘The Nativity’ By Ghirlandaio, Domenico c1480 {{PD}}

The Full Moon occurs at 7:49 AM PDT at 8 Taurus 38 on the last day of October. This happens just three minutes short of perfection of a conjunction with backward-barreling Uranus, imbuing the whole event with a sense of ‘Ah-ha!’ completion, and not a little potential for shock, surprise, awe, and unintended consequences or events, including accidents. Revelation is the order of the day, and it’s our job to find the meaning behind what the Full Moon brings to completion or ending, or to truly see what events show us, especially in terms of Higher Mind or in insight concerning our own individual emotional nature.

A Full Taurus Moon suggests change in the material circumstances, resources, comfort level, surroundings, available skill sets, and in the sense of security we enjoy (or lack). Other than the close and compelling contact to the planet of disruption, invention, and revolution, there is only one even reasonably close aspect, a loose novile to the North Node point. Of course what happens at the Full Moon shapes the future! That doesn’t tell us anything–or does it? Contact with the Nodal point suggests the extremes of emotion we might experience at any one time; for Luna, contact to its own Node is like looking in a mirror, one that reflects back the extent to which this Lunar event might prompt extremes of feeling, which may be reactionary (in response to something outside ourselves) or internal (in response to revelations about the Self or the Self in relation to the group). Add that a Full Moon brings Earth and Moon together, and that this event is in Taurus this time, magnifies the way in which the feelings will reflect the environment and particularly one’s perceptions of it, and vice versa, the way the emotional reactions will frame perceptions of and experiences of the environment.

I’ve seen a number of people say that they believe this Full Moon will be comforting, soothing, but I can’t agree, although there’s the possibility that the Uranian influence does bring a kind of other-shoe-dropping relief, possibly delivering something tensely anticipated for a while now. I think going automatically to a ‘comfort’ assumption may be a slight misreading due to the things we can typically count on: 1) that a Full Moon brings endings, and so some closure, and 2) that Taurus automatically means what comes about is comforting. We shouldn’t discount the way loss may figure in to any ending, as well as needing to remain aware that the opposite of comfort and security are just as much a part of the Taurean experience as are facets that are artisanal, nourishing, and soothing.

One thing we should keep in mind is that the intellect may perform in erratic fashion at this point, changing on momentary input and then changing further, and so might the actual surroundings–all we can be sure of is that our feelings about ourselves and about the various groups to which we belong will undergo extremes, and that may involve vacillation, which suggests that we’d do well to let the dust settle before we draw any firm conclusions from events, material results, or our own reaction to them.

The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘A Fully Decorated Christmas Tree’. There are two most likely scenarios that this may represent: the celebration of a symbolic ‘birth’, one that stands for our faith in something or someone, or one that promises a new beginning or even a kind of forgiveness, or a literal marker for Full Moon results that will manifest around holiday time. In the former case we’re looking at something along the lines of a start that offers a renewal of hope (and maybe anticipation of the receiving of gifts or rewards) that arises from something drawing to conclusion with the Full Moon–an ending that makes room for a new beginning–or if Uranus is prominently involved, the end of one revolution and the beginning of another; this also suggests that there will be a Taurean-themed material component to what occurs. In the case of the latter, we can mark our calendars for any ‘incompletes’ that come forward with the Full Moon, knowing that results will be delivered before the New Year.

For a Full Moon we also look at the Sun’s Sabian, since the Solar orb is the source of all light and a symbol of the conscious/ overt energies in play at this time. The Sun’s is, ‘A Dentist At Work’, suggesting that what occurs at the Full Moon was prompted by our own attention to ‘fixing’ or doing vital work on some important part of our lives. It also summons Saturn (teeth, bones, discipline and hard work) to the table, and at the Full Moon we see an approaching square between Saturn and Mercury as the latter moves in retrograde. This may imply conflict with others (Libra) over rules, or over what’s necessary (Capricorn) may kick off the surprises and extremes of the Full Moon, and that these will have material consequences. Look, then, to the Saturnian practices or places in your own life for the genesis of Full Moon events.

And have a wonderful, safe, and spooky weekend!

What Are We Feeling? A Snapshot of the Now and What’s To Come 21 October 2020

21 Wednesday Oct 2020

Posted by in astrology, Cardinal Activity, current events in the sky, future events in the sky, Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, Sabian Symbols, Saturn in Aquarius

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Photo By Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3626879

I’m sure many of us are feeling the heightened energy in the current atmosphere–and even as I write this I’m aware of the inadequacy of that phrase, ‘heightened energy’–it’s really more like the heaviest breeze you’ve ever felt, or maybe like floating inside a lead cloud. My symbol choices may be clunky, but I have no doubt you all know what I’m talking about.

For me it’s manifested as an inability to go to sleep. Now normally when I suffer insomnia, it’s either caused by a hamster wheel of overthinking spinning to the tune of free-floating anxiety, or it’s sheer, unfettered resistance of the ‘I’m a big girl and I don’t have to go to bed right now’ variety.

This time, though, it’s a pure alertness that doesn’t cause and isn’t prompted by anxiety; instead I’m simply AWAKE, with no agenda trying to push its way to conscious consideration–and for me, that’s really weird.

Clearly, this is a wave that’s lapping the globe, generated by a spectacular array of world events–and right now might be a good time to put a pin in the whole thing (with so many bodies in Capricorn, including today the Moon), so that any upset this frequency is creating can be seen for what it is: a Collective ‘web’ in which we’re all vibrating, and so it’s only natural we’re concerned there’s a spider that will emerge at any time to either eat us or wrap us in silk for later!

Here’s something that may help: the big changes, the big traumas, are already done–Saturn and Pluto are done with their dance, and that means that the real-world manifestations of change have already fallen into place (even if we haven’t yet seen those results, or you haven’t seen the dust settle in your part of the world, yet). By mid-December Saturn will be moving into Aquarius, fostering the processing of previous material events in intellectual terms, finding where they fit into and reflect both the modern Zeitgeist and our own future, and delivering revelations that push some of us to rebellion, some of us to the avant garde in our arena, some of us to erratic (and probably Self-destructive) behaviors, and some to show our most unique and original qualities and creative abilities. And really, it’s your choice, since it’s all seated in our response to prevailing energies, rather than determined by any one thing or series of things that happen to us.

The real culprit shakin’ our web is Jupiter. I really hesitate to call Jupiter by one of its traditional names, The Greater Benefic. It’s not that the moniker is untrue, but that Jupiter can be big, loud, colorful, overwhelming, sweeping in its effects–and that can feel a lot like bullying to more sensitive types, especially those heavy in Water (they need to feel and then sort through those feelings around what’s happening, before they can enjoy it) and those heavy in Air, as they need to digest events mentally, before they can determine their reactions (and that’s so even when onlookers might see things as unreservedly positive–how can they be, asks the Air individual, if I don’t yet know what I think of them?)

As easily as Jupiter can bring bounty, it can bring too much–and if it’s too much of something we didn’t want in the first place, that can be its own kind of trauma. So, now that we’ve properly recognized that Jupiter can be indiscriminately too too, we’ll look at his role in the current situation; we won’t worry about past contacts much, because honestly, at this point so much has happened that going back to sort through with a fine-toothed comb is a waste of time, simply because we don’t need the past illuminated–it’s what’s coming that’s important, now.

Jupiter’s direct and rapidly approaching Pluto, which is also direct as of earlier this month–but at this point the latter is barely moving, lingering on the 22nd degree, where Jupiter will, by November 12th, meet him. Are our beliefs destroyed, transformed, or seen for the darkness they carry? Or is it that what we know takes on meaning via matters of Power and the way they play out? Are we too quick to rage, our upset grown out of all proportion, or do the facts set us free by the way they transform the situation, our outlook, our world? No matter what, Jupiter and Pluto together mean an exaggerated effect, and too many of us respond to Pluto with fear, especially when our own sense of Power is inadequate, damaged, or we have rejected our own strength; that can spell dangerous misunderstanding about what’s happening, what’s changing, that may spiral us into destructive mode out of fear, when a better response would be to reassure ourselves that the Universe is working to our benefit (Jupiter) no matter what those changes (Pluto) we’re facing look like on the surface.

At this point Mars will be poised to go direct, on the 13th–and that adds a strong impetus to move, act, do, that rides on the energy wave of the Jupiter-Pluto meeting. What we learn may prompt our choices and motivate us–but we need to take care, as tendencies to exaggeration and extremes (Jupiter-Pluto specialties) may distort what we glean so that we essentially make those choices based on misleading impressions. It may be difficult to see at the time that the heightened atmosphere is meant to help us ‘receive’ what we need to know–but awareness that it doesn’t reflect reality in its correct proportions is vital to not overreacting, to not destroying or raging out of misunderstanding.

This is a potent influence, and so relatively strong for awhile; the most dangerous point for action based on misperception or illusion will be 5th-9th of December, as Mars moves to semi-sextile Neptune (thanks, Maree!), with the semi-sextile shouting loud and clear that what we base our actions and choices on at a personal level (Mars in Aries) needs adjustment and re-assessment, especially the small kinds that sneak under the radar (the semi-sextile). Those ideals (Neptune) we’ll think we’re serving won’t quite align with reality–so we must tread with care.

Let’s look at the Sabian for the meeting of Jupiter and Pluto: ‘A Soldier Receiving Two Awards For Bravery In Combat’. It’s going to feel very much like that; we’ll want to respond as if in the heat of battle, believing we’re doing the right, the noble, the brave (Mars in Aries!) thing–but as we can see from the larger picture, our viewpoint will be exaggerated, off, over-the-top–and that means our judgment of what to do, how to act, and how it’s all going to work out, will simply be a fantasy (Mars-Neptune).

So, we need to be prepared to feel things ‘too much’, at times, in the coming months, and we must also know that to act on our initial impressions will create problems, simple because what we learn, see, and experience will suffer some sort of distortion. But knowing that, we can go softly, and not need that big stick at all.

New Moon in Libra 16 October 2020 Discovery

14 Wednesday Oct 2020

Posted by in astrology, Cardinal Activity, current events in the sky, forecast, Lunar Aspects, New Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘Butterflies’ By Fujishima Takeji 1904 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 12:31 PM PDT on the 16th at 23 Libra 53, after just recently passing Zeus at 21 Libra and so still conjoined, and still within opposition of Mars, which recently conjoined Earth as the Warrior continued apparent backward motion. Immediately the New Moon takes on the tone of the near-past, where emotional aspirations and attentions toward ambitions and passions have been faced with the effectiveness (or not) of choices and actions meant to bring those goals into concrete realization. What dawns here may derive from recent choices and interactions, and let us know who will help us, who has hindered us, and who we must cooperate with or accept support (or even criticism) from, in order to make ‘it’ happen. With whom do we want to bond, with whom partner or share, in whom are we interested romantically, with whom are we aligned? This New Moon brings forward these important questions–but do we get an answer, during Merc retrograde?

Merc in Scorpio is prone to dig, and that doesn’t always sit well within Libran relationships–too, our Mercury cycle may focus our thinking in directions other than those brought forward by the New Moon, so it may be highly individual whether these two tie together in any way. If we don’t learn who is vital to our efforts and our happiness at the New Moon, we’ll definitely get an inkling at the Inferior Conjunction–simply because our excavations will naturally have at least some effect on our relationships, and vice versa.

This time the Lunar event forms one end of an opposition (the other end being the Earth and Mars), with both ends squared by Capricorn residents Jupiter (yes, we’ll give the orb a little more than usual, this time, because this body touches the two that have closer aspects to the NM), Pluto, and Saturn–and of course, that makes a Cardinal T-square. That’s a configuration of tension, stretching all energy components to their extremes within the situation, but it promises us something: we can resolve the basic opposition if we can resolve the conflict the ‘arm’ introduces to the general dynamic.

That presents a picture of ambition and desire fulfillment, and who or what is helping (or hindering) with that, as it stands in relation to our own actions and choices, and how these have affected the material situation. We’ll be seeing the disparities between enacting our Will (Aries) and our desires (Zeus–which naturally involve others, even if only in the form of an audience or witness, because we might ask if we really find satisfaction in a totally unnoticed act–even with an anonymous one, we want to see it affect others–Libra).

We sort through these disparities between getting our way and getting what we desire by recognizing what we’re doing that works, and what is impeding us–and this New Moon says we do so using the three energies of the square in a disciplined and controlled (Capricorn) way. There is a strong element of responsibility in all this, via both the need to assess our own behavior and its effectiveness, and in the ways to modify that in order to get what we truly want.

Jupiter says we need to face the facts, especially those that are restraining us or hemming us in, or it suggests that it’s our relationship to (or perhaps subjugation to) the social order that is causing problems, or that our expansion attempts are poorly engineered, or that our faith is somehow misplaced (probably invested in an unworthy authority figure). Saturn says we just need to stop! or that authorities have deemed we must, or that we are failing to follow ‘the rules’ or to discipline ourselves–and so we miss at least some of our marks. With Pluto the idea of power struggle is introduced, again possibly with authorities, or we either fail to recognize that change has occurred, or that changes need to be made. We underestimate the force behind the social order, the inevitability of evolution, and the march of time, and this New Moon allows us to re-calibrate, in terms of our own efforts.

Remember, it’s natural to weigh things, with this Libra New Moon–we’re meant to assess one thing against another–so don’t succumb to internal critics that may confuse discernment in matters that directly affect you with judging things that have nothing to do with you. Right now, weighing your own choices, actions, and goals is what it’s all about.

Though I don’t typically talk about other aspects in a New or Full Moon picture, because I prefer to keep the energies discussed Lunar-relevant, I want to mention a close square currently in place: Ceres in Aquarius square Sedna in Taurus, both late in the sign but not so late that they demand our attention (right now, at mid-28 degrees, they’re just whining and pulling on our sleeves!) This may bring an entirely different tension that we could mistake for New Moon conflict; in reality this shows more as our own intellectually held concepts of our personal authority as they clash with those matters that either sit in our ‘blind spot’ or that we ‘know but don’t know’. Here the clash is internal, and likely highly distracting, stirring all kinds of feeling–but not the same ones stirred by the Lunar need to measure our actions, and our effectiveness, as it applies to goals and the World.

Too, Black Moon Lilith at this time is found at 29 Aries 29, placing those things we’d like to ignore or that enrage us at a precarious, hard-to-maintain position that could become explosive–and that means this tension might factor in, as well.

This New Moon really is about knowing ourselves (Mars in Aries, retrograde, and so going over territory we’ve already seen but need to reassess), and this knowing must be in the context of our relationships with others. New interactions or bonds can be born at this time, just as long as we face what we need to. This NM may feel a lot more like a Full Moon because of the Mars opposition–so don’t be surprised if it brings as many endings as beginnings.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘ A Butterfly With A Third Wing On Its Left Side’. This New Moon seems to be about discovery, specifically about our own assets and what we can do with them. An extraneous ‘third wing’ may at first appear useless, random, even in the way of our successful ‘flight’, but on a butterfly a wing is an object of delicacy and beauty, with location on the left suggesting a spiritual purpose or meaning to it. It may be that with this New Moon we find something, in the course of all our other weighing and measuring, that offers a profound spiritual connection to our own beauty and ability–do your best to accept it as genuine, and to incorporate it in your idea of You.

Feel like Saturn’s giving you a hard time lately? Are you near a Return? You may want to visit (or re-visit) this real-life Saturn advice.

Full Moon in Aries 1 October 2020 The Roles We Play

30 Wednesday Sep 2020

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

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Photo By Emma Brick, Japan Folk Stage Art, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Full Moon perfects at 2:05 PM PDT on the 1st at 9 Aries 08, the Moon and Earth meeting just after passing over Chiron (the Earth by a couple of days, the Moon by a couple of hours), and with which the Full Moon is still conjoined. It suggests that FM events arise from our wounds–not necessarily hurtful at present (in fact, hurts that are likely tucked away, out of sight, or which we think we’ve grown past), but injuries centered in those factors of personal autonomy, expression of Will, leadership, and temper/ anger that we’ve not yet faced and/ or processed. These can be ego wounds (held purely within the emotions or psyche) or they may be related to actions taken and the repercussions and reactions these brought, or to actions not taken, and our regrets, particularly about things we could’ve been or roles we could’ve played, that are now (to our way of thinking) out of reach.

Since this is a Full Moon in Aries, it brings to culmination something about identity and role, especially about who we think we are. It’s the Self-image, the sum total of all our choices, viewed through the mental lens (Aries rules the head, after all–it’s where we ‘look out’ from at the world). This Moon is very much about conclusions or arriving at a pinnacle related to the Self-image we carry inside, and at least some of that may involve how singular we feel, how connected to others, how independent, how ‘different’, and how this state might wound us, as well. The semi-sextile the Moon makes to Uranus makes us aware of all the ways we may ‘stick out’, be unusual or seen as ‘foreign’, and it could emphasize our sense of being alone, or conversely, our sense of being a part of ‘the Group’, but perhaps not adequately appreciated or even seen.

The Full Moon also makes a novile to Ceres, the asteroid at 29 tense degrees, suggesting a crisis situation that we can address in some brilliant way. The implication is that what happens at the FM sparks a new way of approaching health and what we ingest (in all forms, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, especially when this intake is unconscious, shown by the presence of the Moon in the equation), gives us clever ways to benefit from, support, and interact with Mother Nature (and this can be anything from understanding and respecting our own impulses and nature to caring for our little piece of the planet), and can show us adept ways to negotiate for what we want (remember Ceres was able to negotiate even with someone as powerful as Pluto/ Hades and successfully get her desires met, within reason–and that might be something to remember here, that if our asks are appropriate, we can get them). And that leads us to this: in the overall scheme of things, this aspect promises we will find excellent and beneficial ways of dealing with Power, whether it’s expressing our own, gaining more, or dealing with those who have the power to influence us.

And that’s it, a very simple but striking aspect picture for this Aries Full Moon: it’s about us, our role and how we see ourselves, it’s about the Power picture in our lives, it’s about where and how we might feel isolated/ ostracized and just as much where we feel we fit in, and it suggests another important effort to ‘get along’ with Mother Nature.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Teacher Gives New Symbolic Forms To Traditional Images’. Let’s also note the Sabian for the Sun, source of the Moon’s light: ‘Having Passed Through Narrow Rapids, A Canoe Reaches Calm Waters’. The combined message seems to be that Full Moon events will offer a new take on what already is, will re-frame the status quo in such a way that we reach a peaceful détente with whatever has been harrowing or threatening personal serenity. Obviously, there’s a lot that can torment us nowadays, but this promises a fresh understanding of and approach to what has been trying–and that’s nothing but good.

Together Sabians and aspects tell us that we will enjoy a new and more tranquil sense of ‘I Am’–I for one couldn’t ask for more.

I’m taking some time off, and don’t know at this point when I’ll be back. I’ll pop in when I can. Thank you to All! And have a wonderful October!

New Moon in Virgo 17 September 2020 A Soul Critique

15 Tuesday Sep 2020

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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.

Full Moon 1 September 2020 Suspension

31 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Finger of God, forecast, Full Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘Dubrovnik bei Mondlicht’ By Eduard Kasparides 1915 {{PD}}

The first thing that draws my attention is the tidy sextile of the Full Moon in Pisces to Uranus, and the second thing is the loose Finger of God with base of Moon-Earth sextile Pallas and apex of Vesta; there’s also a close sesquiquadrate to Venus in Cancer. Though the FM makes no conjunctions among the bodies I use, it does sit in a kind of suspension between Neptune and Ceres; I’m aware this isn’t a true midpoint picture, but somehow the overwhelmingly watery nature of the Full Moon scenario seems to ask that we notice this, maybe even more than the precise sextile to Uranus in Taurean Earth or the quincunx to Fiery Vesta–or maybe that’s the point, that being cradled as it is between two strong indicators of Water/ Nature may suggest that these qualities are prominent in the relationships among the closer FM aspects. It does land at the midpoint of the current Saturn-Black Moon Lilith square, describing the Full Moon events as representing a point of tension in all that we ignore, deny, or are enraged by in the reality picture or in current restrictions, rules, or assertions of authority.

The deets: perfection occurs at 10:22 PM PDT of the 1st at 10 Pisces 12. The aspects suggest a resolution to stresses, especially emotional ones, triggered by fuller understanding (Uranus), which leads to greater wisdom (Pallas), resulting in a solidification of highest values and commitments to those values (Vesta). This will be very welcome, considering how we live in a kind of suspension at present, one consisting of the threats from a water-borne, communicable, difficult-to-contain virus (Neptune) and the reactions of Mother Nature Herself, via the effects of global warming, on-going food availability, production, affordability, and distribution issues, and the vagaries of Nature in terms of weather and planetary health, which have taken a decided uptick in extremity and impact on both the ecosystem itself and on humanity.

That Finger could also bring sudden accident or surprise to which we have to respond practically or wisely (the latter translating as ‘doing what we know we should, rather than what we want’), with the outcome a freshly realized dedication or new commitment (perhaps unexpected, and possibly arising from the way something else ends at this point courtesy of the closures that typically accompany the Full Moon)–or perhaps this need to respond smartly comes from our own or others’ rebellion–which may or may not successfully lead us to a clearer understanding of and dedication to our highest values.

The sesquiquadrate of the Full Moon to Venus in Cancer is troubling, though. It calls us to immerse ourselves in our relationships, to swim in our feeling, to relate to financial situations or assets emotionally–and yet when done through the Piscean lens of the Full Moon in difficult (sesquiquadrate) aspect we are likely to be overwhelmed or to find upset that we or others don’t care enough, or that material matters may swamp us and make it feel as if it’s impossible to recover. Our fears in these areas, our relationships and our finances, are apt to be exaggerated–know that your perspective is off, and don’t act in these areas at this time, as you’ll surely misjudge the severity of the situation.

The FM’s semi-square to each component of the square between Saturn and BML suggests that real-world events, endings, or restrictions/ delays we experience at this point arise directly from circumstances we’ve ignored or denied–and that says that Full Moon occurrences offer us the chance to respond to these things (maybe even require it). The FM event is ‘pressured’ by the unrecognized, unacknowledged, and reality itself–which may give FM events the feeling of being forced, to at least some degree.

The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, ‘Men Traveling A Narrow Path, Seeking Illumination’. In concert with this we look at the source of the Full Moon’s light, the Sun Sabian: ‘In Her Baby A Mother Sees Her Deep Longing For A Son Answered’. These together suggest that we may find ourselves dedicating energies to a relatively narrow or focused Path at this time; this has the qualities of Vesta, which just so happens to be at the apex of the Finger, and represents our most revered values, causes, and principles. Expect to discover what is truly precious to you, particularly via the emotions, and then allow events to unfold, waiting a bit for emotional extremes to recede: what you’re left with will be what’s most important, what you should serve, protect, and support.

 

Full Moon in Aquarius 3 August 2020 Movin’ On Up

01 Saturday Aug 2020

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

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S103-E-5037 (21 December 1999)— Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery recorded this rarely seen phenomenon of the full Moon partially obscured by the atmosphere of Earth. The image was recorded with an electronic still camera at 15:15:15 GMT, Dec. 21, 1999 NASA – http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-103/html/s103e5037.html {{PD}}

For the forecast for 2 August, please click here–

The Full Moon perfects at 8:58 AM PDT on the 3rd at 11 Aquarius 45, loosely sextile Chiron and catching Ceres (which Saturn also happens to parallel) at the midpoint, square Uranus, and sesquiquadrate Venus in Gemini. A Full Moon in Aquarius brings culmination, conclusion, a finish or ending, and so at least to some extent understanding, as Higher Mind either orchestrates and delivers the realizations that come with ‘lessons’ or delivers innovative, inventive, or original ‘answers’, sometimes to questions we didn’t even know we had, and sometimes via surprises, accidents, or serendipities!

Contacts this time suggest healing through accepting some facet of our own authority–this is, in essence, the response we must give when the difficult Uranian situation occurs, and this situation in turn likely springs from the difficult Venusian one, centered in relationships, finances, or values. With Aquarius, Aries, and Gemini involved talk, especially assertions stating ‘I Am’ or ‘I Know’, comes to the fore, though the Uranian element of the equation sits firmly in Taurus, telling us that something physical may spark speeches, declarations, and attempts to define the Self and persuade others of the legitimacy of the designation.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘On A Vast Staircase Stand People Of Different Types, Graduated Upward’. Does this imply some sort of human hierarchy or Karmic ‘ranking’, does it represent different points of development or evolution for the individual, or does it simply illustrate how we’re all at a slightly different ‘place’ on the same ‘staircase’? When we weigh the aspects made by this Full Moon with this symbol, it may be that part of what we come to understand with FM events is that everyone has a slightly different perspective, depending on their spot on life’s staircase; that would suggest that the sense of understanding one person gets may be other than what someone at a different point, and so having a different perspective, concludes. This might warn us not to judge others using our own perspective; our conclusion is valid for us, for the position we hold, but may not be valid for anyone else.

‘Night Fete, International Fisheries Exhibition 1883 London, England’ By Frederick Whymper {{PD}}

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘An Evening Party Of Adults On A Lawn Illumined By Fancy Lanterns’. The social circle we move in as individuals is illuminated by the glow of maturity (this is an adult party), and this again emphasizes, when combined with the Full Moon’s Sabian, that different perspectives depend on our personal viewpoint–or said another way, birds of a feather flock together. Our conclusion might be that there are good reasons for us to be where we are in life; acknowledging that our experiences are tailor-made for what we need to discover, learn, experience goes a long way toward seeing that accepting our circumstances is the first step in learning from them, and then moving on to an even more desirable situation. The Aquarius Full Moon delivers a chance to move up a step or two as we gain understanding; sticking to our misconceptions, refusing to learn, is literally the only thing standing in our way.

New Moon 20 July 2020 Past As Prologue

18 Saturday Jul 2020

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

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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.

Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn 4 July 2020 A Volatile Choice

02 Thursday Jul 2020

Posted by in astrology, Cardinal Activity, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Grand Cross/Grand Square, Lunar Aspects, Lunar Eclipse, Sabian Symbols

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See the forecast for the 3rd here–

The Full Moon perfects at 9:43 PM PDT of the 4th at 13 Capricorn 37–and just so happens to be a Lunar eclipse, the third and final eclipse of the recent set. We see an enormous concentration of energies in Capricorn right now, which contains the Moon, Earth, Pallas, Pluto, Jupiter, and Saturn, the latter at 29 tense degrees (with the Saturn situation suggesting real-world pressures from which we can’t escape). The thing about this is that the Sun, arbiter of where our attention goes, of what’s in the spotlight, is in Cancer, emphasizing our emotions, our connections to others, and matters of care and nurture; add to this that the Sun is only two minutes from perfection conjoining Vesta at the time of the eclipse, and we see that what occurs with this Full Moon will occur in the real-world (Capricorn, Saturn) even as our attention is on intangibles, feelings, and the ‘comfort and care’ picture (Cancer). We have emotion, then, on both ends of the eclipse axis, with the involvement of Cancer and of course the Moon. It also suggests that we will be striving to operate at the level of our highest values and commitments (Vesta)–and that may offer an added layer of stress as we try to meet our own high standards.

Illustration by John D Batten for “Indian Fairy Tales” edited by Joseph Jacobs, 1892 {{PD}}

We’ll set our orbs to ‘generous’, as that gives us a dynamic picture of eclipse events. There’s a sextile to Ceres, a trine to Uranus, and a sesquiquadrate to Sedna, which implies easy personal expression of authority or a ‘mothering’ attitude (which may include overstepping those personal bounds), an urge to spontaneity, originality, and inventiveness, and difficulty ‘hearing’ the instincts or in seeing our own blind spot. So, a great deal of progressive, get-to-it energy focused on those we care about or have dominion over, coupled with an inability to adequately hear our own inner dialogue.

And what sets all this off? A Cardinal Grand Cross formed by the eclipse Earth-Moon opposition to the Sun-Vesta, crossed by a very close opposition of Chiron to Juno, which, though it sits ‘behind’ the eclipse by degree, implies that a recent (and possibly ongoing) wound to the autonomy or empowerment situation ‘blossoms’ with the eclipse contact. This suggests the trigger to authority expression, boundary leaping, spontaneity, and lack of touch with instinct and our own weaknesses is seated in this recent hurt, and that it creates an unsolvable emotional dilemma: do we honor our feelings about the situation (especially its material aspects–Moon-Earth; that is, do we honor the wound?), or do we honor the call to be our ‘best Self’ via elevation of those highest and most refined facets of our identity and commitments (Sun-Vesta)?

‘Bergziegen (Mountain Goat)’ By Franz Marc 1913 {{PD}}

That’s the choice, and it won’t be an easy one in the moment, in spite of how it may appear an easy choice when laid out like this, pre-eclipse. The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘An Ancient Bas-Relief Carved In Granite Remains A Witness To A Long-Forgotten Culture’. This may best be illuminated in light of the Sun and Vesta’s Sabian at this time as it ‘fills in’ the axis and provides the literal illumination of the eclipse scenario itself, ‘A Very Old Man Facing A Vast Dark Space To The Northeast’. In both images we are presented with ‘witnesses to history’, to what may have disappeared or been forgotten, lost in the darkness, and this may relate to the triggering wound set off by the eclipse, a hurt that we, or those who inflicted it, may have tried to consign to the shadows. Our blind spot also resides in our internal darkness, out of our sight, and may as well figure in to what occurs.

There’s an interesting aside in the way that a chart drawn for the Northern Hemisphere assigns the direction of northeast to the 3rd House (this is something we need to know in horary, for instance, when trying to locate an object using a chart). This House describes all kinds of communication, local interactions, our neighbors and siblings (and the oldest sibling, in particular), and the act of writing. This may hint that the eclipse involves one or more of these elements, and certainly suggests that our experience will be as much lived in interaction with the world as it is an internal event, seen only by us. Some situation that has caused us pain may be resolved–or may act to blow things up–but in either case, brings a kind of ending or denouement to an emotionally volatile scenario.