‘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.
‘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!
‘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.
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.
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!
‘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.
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!
The upcoming eclipse is a Full Moon at 8 Gemini 38at 1:26 AM PST of the 30th, and as with every Full Moon, we’re likely already feeling a building tension, attached to some matter either in the natal House where the eclipse occurs, or in some Lunar-related area of our lives (and that can be something involving your Lunar placement, something ruled by the Moon in the natal chart, or a Lunar topic in general, such as mothering, intuition, or nurture). This one, though, being an eclipse, brings a wipe-out to some kind of thinking that has become outmoded, shakes up ideas or perceptions, likely through difficult, unusual, shocking events, because of assertions by ‘the group’, or through accidents, serendipities, or sudden insights provided by Higher Mind (the Sun, which is of course opposed the eclipse and the illuminator of the Moon, quincunx to Uranus). With Full Moon events we alter our thinking or perceptions because of emotional or intuitive ‘enlightenment’ of one kind or another.
The eclipse is apex to a loose Fist of God with base of Pluto-Zeus, suggesting that eclipse revelations (another Uranian concept!) may bring resolution to conflicts between ambitions and desires (Zeus) and matters of Power (Pluto), now held, recently lost, or currently sought. It’s an equation arising from clashes, upset as catalyst to an answer that doesn’t just allow emotional satisfaction or relief, but that changes how we think, how we process ideas of Power and our own wants, as well.
If we really want to be loose with our numbers (and who doesn’t, once in a while, in the name of recognizing the flow of energy?) we can find the eclipse as part of the base of a Finger of God with a wide sextile to Chiron, apex a Venus that’s not really quincunx Chiron, but is linked via the Lunar event. The Finger implies if we can heal something about our own ego, our expression of Will, our actions and choices (which might mean forgiving ourselves for something we’ve done), or heal some concept we have around our own aloneness, whether literal or existential (all Aries, linked to Chiron’s current location), and do this in tandem with or prompted by eclipse events, then we can harmonize some schism, unite in relationship or via aesthetics, or discover some vital Truth (Venus in Scorpio).
Our Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Quiver Filled With Arrows‘. The events of this eclipse arm us, give us plenty of chances to ‘hit the target’; whatever occurs, then, offers a kind of resource, something that facilitates our own activity. The Sun, light-giver and reason for the apparent eclipse phenomenon in the first place, has the Sabian, ‘A Mother Leads Her Small Child Step By Step Up A Steep Stairway’. Are we the mother, or the small child? I see this as the Universe being the mother, showing us the way, assisting us as we try to do better, as we try to climb. That means, then, that if you are knocked back a bit by eclipse events, that the larger flow is telling you that whatever you were trying or after isn’t for you–at least not right now. Taking a warning is always better than ignoring one, wouldn’t you agree?
The 25th-29th brings hurtful thinking (or possibly thinking that works at solving the kinks inherent to utilizing our skills), but also circumstances that firmly support our personal authority and expression, and this sets a success dynamic in place through the eclipse. If we dwell on slights we short-circuit the positive impetus, but if we examine hurt in light of how to heal, how to prevent further damage, and/ or for the part we played in its creation, we empower ourselves significantly, and open the door to both skill utilization and surrounding conditions that facilitate our intents.
Look at it like this: there’s a lot of good mojo available to those who 1) aren’t afraid of their own power, and at the same time willingly embrace genuine responsibility (and that latter is as opposed to saying one is responsible but not actually dealing with a matter); 2) those who actively value the most original and unique parts of themselves (and by extension, who accept those things in others); 3) who wield power in areas that are specifically appropriate to who and what they are (in the largest, Universal sense, not in the worldly ‘labels and qualifications’ kind); and 4) those who are both honest with themselves AND able to listen to instincts (being honest means the instincts are indeed instincts–not wishful thinking or personal propaganda–and so can be trusted). Center efforts on something meaningful to you at a Soul level, and you just might make significant progress at this time.
During this period we also see Neptune turn around in his home sign of Pisces (late afternoon PST of the 28th)–and he does so poised to make his first contact (excluding Lunar ones) by square to the Nodal axis. That suggests we all might get a dose of reality through our efforts to either move forward (NN), resolve the past (SN), or in trying to maintain continuity of past circumstances into the future (SN/NN axis). Generally, this direction should ‘lift the fog’, or otherwise allow more access to the creative (but also, make the pitfalls of the deceptive or deceitful more prominent, and so more difficult to recognize, as well).
‘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.
‘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.
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.
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