Category Archives: Sabian Symbols

The Eclipses of July-August 2018

02 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by in astrology, eclipse, forecast, Full Moon, future events in the sky, Lunar Aspects, Lunar Eclipse, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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Photo By Naposaurus 2013 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Here are the general forecasts for the eclipse set coming late this summer. Notice that the first two seem strongly connected; I fully expect events around the initial Solar one to lead directly to the events of the Full Lunar one that follows at the end of July.

The Partial Solar eclipse of 12 July 2018 (7:48 PM PDT) falls at 20 Cancer 41 as the Moon, Earth, and Sun align on the same plane, allowing the Moon to ‘eclipse’ the normally dominant Sun at their New Moon meeting. This event also sees Earth, which of course is always opposed the Sun, conjoined Pluto, making its opposition to the New Moon eclipse the centerpiece of the aspect picture; asteroid Zeus forms a T-square with the Sun-Moon-Earth-Pluto axis, and Ceres is semi-square the New Moon. A Solar eclipse, this one in Water, is a new beginning, and that can come gently, like a tide lapping at the shore, or fiercely, like a wave crashing on the beach—but in either case, it brings change, which may slowly pull the sand from beneath your feet, can knock those feet out from under you, and/ or could even wipe the landscape clean in a tsunami, leaving you in an entirely new place. Change, then, is expected, and with Pluto opposed the event and conjoined the Earth, the very ground on which we walk, we may want to be highly attentive to the mix of Water and Earth, emotion and the material, flow and static states, in our world.

This event in a Water sign also emphasizes the emotional component eclipses already carry, as they are mainly Lunar events, with the Moon playing the pivotal role, either in blocking the Sun’s light from us (a Solar eclipse) or acting as the screen on which we observe the blocking of the light (by the Earth, as it moves between Moon and Sun) in a Lunar eclipse. This Solar eclipse event doubles down on the emotional, psychological, and intuitive potentials, making us all naturally hyper-sensitive to the atmosphere around the New Moon. Symbolically this speaks of, in the case of a Solar eclipse, emotions themselves causing a blockage between the material world (Earth) and ‘What Is’, including purpose and intent (the Sun). The block is meant as a disruptor, a point at which the usual view just can’t be adopted, as the light in which we view things is suddenly radically different. We keep this in mind as we look at the particulars of any eclipse event, as consciousness about the larger scenario illuminates the smaller details of the single occurrence.

Here we have the sheer power of Pluto aligned with Earth—and of course this kind of aspect always makes me think of earthquakes or volcanoes—most likely of a personal, symbolic nature, and this directly opposes the meeting of Sun and Moon on the ecliptic, so that we have Earth-Pluto, a material or physical power situation, that is receiving no light, as the Moon prevents it. That suggests that at or following the eclipse we face a real-world challenge that we’re prevented from understanding by our own emotional response.

Too, the challenge puts us in a spot: not only is our authority to respond at issue (Ceres), but we see conflicts with our goals, ambitions, and/ or desires (Zeus). The Sabian symbol for the eclipse is, ‘A Famous Singer Is Proving Her Virtuosity During An Operatic Performance’. This not only speaks of the individual need to express ourselves in a way most characteristic of us as unique individuals—to ‘sing out’—with the eclipse challenge one of performance: show us your stuff! In the context of the eclipse, what we see is that the ability to convey who we are, our strongest and most authoritative identity (Ceres) expressed in an earthly venue (Earth-Pluto) is endangered by our extreme emotional response (the eclipse), which blocks an objective assessment of the situation.

The Earth moves, and we react—and that stops a clear understanding of what’s actually happening, and so of knowing what’s actually affected. The change that happens here is serious, but not necessarily permanent; we may do best to see it more as inevitable reform, events or revelations that present us with personal power and ‘territory’ issues we hadn’t yet faced, and conflicts with ambition fulfillment we hadn’t yet acknowledged. Taking that tack tells us that what elicits our emotional reaction at the eclipse could’ve been anticipated, if we’d realized the extent to which these matters, goal achievement and our power reach, needed our attention to begin with.

The Total Lunar eclipse of 27 July 2018 (1:19 PM PDT) falls at 4 Aquarius 44, forming just after contact to, and still within orb of, a retrograde Mars; the Full Moon is also in wide sextile to Chiron and wide square to Uranus, with the latter, ruler of the eclipse itself, forming a T-square with the Sun-Earth-Moon-Mars axis. The only other aspect made is a sesquiquadrate to Venus in Virgo. A Lunar eclipse is a Full Moon, and this one occurs in the crisp, intellectually-oriented, forward-thinking sign of Aquarius, suggesting the event delivers revelation or understanding. Since it’s conjoined Mars, what appears could be the consequences of our own choices or actions, as instituted at the inception point of the previous Solar eclipse/ New Moon, or it could be that what we come to understand drives a current choice or action, with consequences still to be seen. That preceding Moon opposed Pluto, suggesting a power situation revealed, and this Full Moon may be the personal response to it, something driven by our intellectualization of the events that we then act on or choose according to, as we see the outcome of the New Moon start.

The results as manifested at this Lunar eclipse point have the potential for wounding or for calling forth skills (Chiron), but in either instance they show the need to express the individuality, or to accede to the group (Uranus), and all of this is likely spurred by difficulties surrounding relationships, finances, or Self-worth (Venus).

The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘A Council Of Ancestors Is Seen Implementing The Efforts Of A Young Leader’. This suggests that the authority and experience of those who came before plays a vital role in showing us which direction to take; that is, we learn from the past, especially from the experiences of others, appropriate considering eclipses always fall near the Nodal axes, with this Lunar one conjoined the South Node.

Since this eclipse seems so directly connected to the one preceding it, we’ll forgo our usual inspection of the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon, since in this case our ‘source’ is the New Moon that came two weeks before. Instead we move on to the next and final component of this eclipse set, the Solar eclipse in Leo.

The Partial Solar eclipse in Leo falls at 18 degrees, 41 minutes on August 11th at 2:57 AM PDT. This event is conjoined Pallas—ah! ‘new wisdom’ is the result of the past two events—with the aspects offering a subtle picture of what it is we’ve gained. A new start in Leo is about ourselves and our identity, and those facets of the individuality that allow us to ‘shine’; the aspects made by the eclipse describe the nature of our attributes, the ways in which we can make our uniqueness known. What begins at this time also has an air of the practical about it, or a sense of skills possessed—but no matter what, a situation that allows us to be our Best Self.

The eclipse-Pallas sextiles Zeus and catches Ceres at the midpoint, even as it semi-squares Venus. This suggests that it’s in the act of reaching for ambition or desire fulfillment that we both gain authority and power and learn what needs to change in relationships or finances in order to make ‘it’ happen. Should we count this as base to a Finger of God, with a loose Neptune apex? Maybe, if we consider that what we likely need to do to fine-tune the ambition picture is rid ourselves of delusions, or utilize our creativity—that’s what can make the whole thing work together.

The eclipse is also apex to a loose Fist of God with base of Saturn and Chiron, and quincunxes Pluto. As apex, the eclipse promises that resolution of conflicts between the reality picture or reasonable restraints applied to our effort, and our own skill set or wounded nature (the latter possibly referring to unreasonable restraints that need removal), offers a ‘New You’, a  fresh expression of identity or purpose, and that this is also an expression of our own wisdom and gifts (Pallas). The contact to Pluto simply tells us adjustment is needed, whether we want to gather power, make a change, eliminate, or transform.

There’s also an Earth Grand Trine that hooks into the eclipse by degree: Ceres (semi-sextile), Pluto (quincunx), and Juno (square). This implies the eclipse may be a spark of sorts, putting into motion material matters that, one and all, are concerned with power and power expression. No matter what else is in play at this time, this Grand Trine reminds us that there are some very real material stakes here, and that even the most innocent of moves holds an ultimate goal of gaining or solidifying the ability to make the individual Will felt and impactful.

If we really want to get loose with things, we can also see that the T-square formed by Juno’s hard angle to the axis  becomes a Grand Cross if we pull Jupiter into the equation. This may remind us that individual development doesn’t happen in a vacuum; others to whom we reach out, look for reactions and interactions, and to get a measure of our own empowerment are part of the picture, and must be taken into account, especially when we think about how beliefs, knowledge, and the capacity to reach out and to accept what we consider ‘foreign’ all shape not just our potentials for success, but our view of our own adequacy, as well.

The Sabian symbol for this New Moon eclipse in Leo is, ‘A Houseboat Party’. That promises a celebration, once we’ve dealt with anything that’s not working on our path forward to Self-expression—but we should also note the party of the image is afloat—that is, hovering on the surface of the water, the symbol of feeling. That tells us that beneath the joy engendered by successful realization of our gifts, skills, and most unique qualities lies a body of emotion, one that it’s entirely possible to sink into, even to lose our joy to. That implies that after this sequence of eclipses we might have a whole new set of emotions to explore—and maybe entirely new feelings related to how we see ourselves (Leo).

Full Moon 27 June 2018 Holding Back, Holding Court

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects, Sabian Symbols, T-Square

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By Ronnie Robertson – Compass Head moon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56612161

The Full Moon perfects at 9:53 PM PDT of the 27th at 6 Capricorn 28, just after both Earth and then Luna have swept past retrograde Saturn, which should be considered conjoined the event. The energy for this FM is withdrawn, passive, spurring reticence and uncertainty, as it falls directly after Mars’ stationary retrograde pause and in cautious Capricorn. The atmosphere is charged with suppressed, misdirected, short-circuited, stunted, repressed, rule-bound influences, and yet we are invited to survey our handiwork, to examine what we’ve built, and to assess how we need to modify our approach to create what we want in the future, and specifically, how we might want to ‘hold court’ , positioning ourselves to make the most of our individuality, to ‘shine’ (quincunx North Node in Leo).

We may meet the results of our own, Self-imposed discipline, our hard work, or conversely, we see where we should have applied effort. The Full Moon puts the reality picture under a spotlight, one that tells us, quite literally in some cases, the lay of the land. The event axis also forms a T-square with asteroid Hygeia; this dynamic promises either/ or choices presented by the Lunar culmination, neither of which will be truly supportive of us! (the squares–I’m defining health in its broadest context.) So where does that leave us? Knowing where we stand, which is invaluable, with the ability to assess how effective we’ve been, and to see how to modify our efforts for future success (that ‘place’ where we can ‘shine’). Not glamorous, but plenty useful.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Veiled Prophet Speaks, Seized By The Power Of A God’. Wow! We might not expect such an elevated meaning from these modest Full Moon aspects, but that’s the essence of a veil, isn’t it? We have to make an effort, however slight, to see what’s behind it, and to be willing to reveal our own prophetic nature (that is, pure intuitive nature).

Saturn is ‘the Old Man’, certainly a stand-in for a serious, old world kind of god, and the image itself casts us, the individuals basking in the Full Moon glow, as channels for revelation. Do we see that in the chart? We do, if we look at the conjunction of Earth, Moon, and Saturn. That suggests that both material matters, the actual physical surroundings as well as the reality picture overall, will speak to us of divine (that is, spiritual) information, and we’ll have another channel for this via the emotions and intuition (the Moon).

For a Full Moon we also look at the Sabian symbol for the Sun: ‘ Two Nature Spirits Dancing Under the Moonlight’. This suggests that our own celebration of the natural world is what instigates the emotional culmination of the Full Moon. We connect to the Cosmos (consciously or not) and receive our message (the information channeled through us in the Full Moon symbol).

So, listen to your feelings, listen to those interior whispers, and look around you; the world will surround you with symbols, with messages, with meaning, and your own inner wisdom and feeling can translate that into language that makes your situation and state apparent, and the potentials for your future crystal clear.

See the general outlook for the day here, and the chart for the Full Moon, below.

 

New Moon 13 June 2018 Reaching for More

11 Monday Jun 2018

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

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No matter how humble our aspirations, this New Moon will have us reaching for more (or better). By Jules Bastien-Lepage 1876 {{PD}}

The New Moon occurs in Gemini on the 13th at 22 Gemini 44, at 12:43 PM Pacific time. The event, with Ceres, forms the base of a loose Finger of God, apex Black Moon Lilith, which of course is an empty point in space–so, symbolically, the New Moon helps point to what isn’t there, at least not yet, but can be felt, like a shift in the tone of a room, in an attitude. We might be tempted to see Pluto as co-apex, but don’t–it’s too wide for the quincunx to Ceres to count, though the NM perfects close enough to its quincunx to be counted, drawing in the power and danger Pluto’s presence can signal through the NM itself–so indicating timing, most likely, a Plutonian element at or near the NM moment. This configuration suggests that Nature, a maternal or authority figure, or ourselves, in the position of exerting our Will/ authority within a situation/ or exerting our position and its prerogatives, may act at the time of the New Moon and set in motion something powerful but invisible–something that stirs Black Moon Lilith’s depths of hidden, ignored, or denied matters, or of rage or injustice.

The only other aspects within reasonable orb are a sextile to Juno and a sesquiquadrate to Mars. These suggest that whatever our current position of empowerment or status (Juno) we easily (and probably immediately) reach for what power that gives us; perhaps this is the fuel to the Finger’s fire, where we step into ‘greater than’ territory (Ceres), potentially stepping on a few toes, promoting ourselves, and/ or taking as our own a more potent role. This action, and/ or our choices (Mars) may be awkward, in terms of fitting with our current position, but that’s the point: this New Moon fosters a Will or an opportunity to take a larger role, to be more than we have been, and though this stirs buried upsets, it also gives us a chance to grow, and to grow our influence.

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘Three Fledglings In A Nest High In A Tree’. The fledglings are the ideas we’ll test, the power assertions we’ll try, and possibly the upsets or buried material we’ll bring out into the open–at this point we’ll see if our new role, efforts, or assertions ‘fly’, or plummet to a quick end–and that will tell us where to put our energies in the immediate future.

I’m offering a seasonal special, here—

Full Moon in Sagittarius May 2018 ‘Torn Veil’

28 Monday May 2018

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

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Vilhelm Hammershoi – ‘Interieur mit Rueckenansicht einer Frau’ – 1903-1904 {{PD}}

The Full Moon occurs on the 29th at 7:20 AM Pacific time at 8 Sagittarius 10, falling trine to the transiting North Node and sextile the South one–and that makes a Mystic Rectangle with the Sun-Earth-Moon axis. Keeping our 2+ or – degree (or less for minor contacts) orb, we also see the FM semi-sextile Saturn and semi-square Black Moon Lilith–otherwise, this event is all on its lonesome. The interesting point is that the only ‘solid’ aspect the Full Moon makes is to Saturn, and that’s a minor interaction–all else is with calculated points, intangibles made up of energy, mathematical points derived from the movement of other solid bodies, giving the points a ‘once removed’ quality. That suggests that this Moon is a kind of ‘shadow Moon’, one that exerts a more subtle, nuanced, or ephemeral effect than the usual Lunar event–and those are cast with reflective light as it is, emphasizing that these connections and the influences they represent are probably more tenuous, even insidious, and more difficult to discern, than we realize.

At the same time, even as the effects seem to creep up on us, we can look to the natal House where Saturn is currently transiting, and/ or the House it rules (these will in most systems be one and the same, or sometimes the next House to the one it’s currently transiting, possible with Placidus, for instance, since Saturn’s in its own sign) for matters where the Full Moon may show through material issues. It’s like the fabric of the unseen world, the veil that separates material from non-material, is torn right where Saturn is, letting what we’re intuiting, sensing, or feeling spill through to take physical form.

What spills through with a Full Moon in Sagittarius is knowledge–and if not delivering the facts, it may deliver an event that bolsters, defines, or alters our faith, or our outlook toward the foreign or the social–and any or all of these will present things that, factual or not, will read as facts in our world, will inform the landscape. It’s important to remember for any Lunar event that it’s likely to be an emotional one, aside from any physical occurrences, and doubly so as the FM contacts its own points of extremity (the Nodes), and well as the Earth’s energy counterpoint within its ellipsis, Black Moon Lilith. This suggests that what we learn will be charged with emotion, and possibly emotion that we have denied, repressed, or that is closely bonded to rage–and this all acts on the psyche, which orchestrates the material world around us, bringing a point of manifestation at or very near the Full Moon point (or potentially, though less likely, at some time through to the next New Moon).

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Mother Leads Her Small Child Step By Step Up A Steep Stairway’. The conscious mind is the mother, leading the way, the small child those less-conscious impulses, and energies more closely connected to the primal Self. The stairway, of course, is life, learning, going both forward and ‘up’, to a higher understanding–just exactly what the contacts promise for this FM. The opposing Sun Sabian is, ‘A Quiver Filled With Arrows’. That is an image of pure potential–and what is knowledge but that with which we’re ‘armed’ in our daily life? Use what you know at this Full Moon, and be open to acquiring more information–it’s there to be had, and some of it will appear in material form, up to us to ‘handle’.

Over the years people have written me on occasion, wanting to know why I use such close orbs for New and Full Moon discussions, and why I don’t talk about other aspects in force at the time of these events. I keep the picture crisp and clear to aid understanding; I think we muddy the waters when we want to analyze aspects kitchen-sink style, talking about everything in hopes that we hit something. Though nothing manifests in a vacuum, so to speak, we have to be able to tell influences one from another–otherwise we run the risk of believing we’re attending to a matter, when we might be missing its source completely.

Have a lovely week!

 

New Moon in Taurus May 2018 Earthly Upset

14 Monday May 2018

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

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For ‘Our Fathers’ Godsaga’ by Viktor Rydberg, drawn by John Bauer 1910 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 4:48 AM PDT of the 15th at 24 Taurus 36, within range of conjunction to Sedna, and, despite a relatively large aspect orb, we’ll count the trine of the New Moon to Mars in Capricorn, as the Warrior’s 29 degree placement suggests an assertiveness that can’t be ignored (with its’ current square to Uranus bringing in an element of suddenness or surprise). This may drive the entire NM dynamic, as a must-be-satisfied Mars forces action or decision-making that just so happens to also carry along a deep, denied, and possibly destructive undertone (slightly closer trines to Pluto and Black Moon Lilith, together in Capricorn)–and all this will be happening somewhere deep inside, whispering in the psyche sotto voce, and these may prompt responses from the instincts or those places where we ‘know but don’t know’, leading us in a way most true to our inner angels and demons, rather than in the guise of our conscious choices and intentions.

We add to this a loose semi-square to Juno in Aries, a sextile to Hygeia, and a semi-sextile to Venus; these are likely to be subtle but conflicting influences: one tide in the direction of healthy and loving action, effective moves that promote well-being and that may soothe relationships or finances, with an opposite impulse to have one’s way (originating from a sense of previously having been disrespected), taking that out in small ways in relationships or minor financial indiscretions or petty withholding in either arena.

Scenery of the pond at Shitennō-ji Honbō Park in Osaka, November 2015 Photo by Laitche CC BY-SA 4.0

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘A Vast Public Park’. This suggests openness in material matters; Nature shared, resources mutually held, a new state related to these begins. What we hold in common, under a civilized agreement preserving something in a natural state for the benefit of all, takes a new turn. We might ask: how long will that ‘park’ remain a public resource, an environment to share? Replace the word ‘park’ with the appropriate subject related to the NM placement in the natal chart for clues as to where the ‘new start’ may show itself.

It all makes for a kind of earthly upset; could we draw connection to the way Kilauea is splitting open, discharging what’s been below the surface, re-shaping ‘what is’ and the very Earth itself, hot, ‘angry’ (though it’s a bit of a crime to personify Nature that way), spilling forth the destructive and transformative, what ’til now has been hidden, or even denied (as some built their houses amongst the old lava paths)? Sure, we can make the correlation, but for the vast majority of us, we’ll experience this New Moon on a smaller scale and in much more personal ways. The earth may move beneath our feet, opening up to reveal some fairly heady, dangerous stuff, but most likely we’ll experience the New Moon as we experience all extreme points in the Lunar cycle, as an emotional shift, a feeling revelation, a small but vital chance to start over.

And on Uranus’ same-day move into Taurus—

You might want to try this, over at ‘Been There, Done That’

Full Moon in Scorpio April 2018 ‘Your Money Or Your Life’

27 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in astrology, Full Moon, Grand Cross/Grand Square, Moon, Sabian Symbols

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Photo By G.Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com)/ESO – https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1802a/ CC BY 4.0

Is this Full Moon really as dramatic as that stick-up line in an old movie? Yes, and then again, No. This Full Moon is likely to feel highly charged, in the sense of seeming as if a great deal depends on how things go, on which direction we decide to jump–but that’s just a feeling, fostered by a culmination in Scorpio (at 5:57 PM PDT on the 29th) that is in relatively close square to the Nodal axis, the North end of which is conjoined Ceres. Yes, I’m aware the Nodal axis at any one time is the measurement of the points where the Moon crosses the ecliptic, with the North Node being the point when the Moon crosses into the Northern ecliptic hemisphere and the South Node the opposite, and all as defined from our viewpoint here on Earth–and so, the Nodes aren’t bodies at all, which some astrologers do not count as acceptable components of configurations–but I do. I see them as charged points in space, and so meaningful when aligned with other points or bodies.

Back to the Full Moon’s participation in a Fixed Grand Cross, with Sun in Taurus, Moon-Earth in Scorpio, North Node-Ceres in Leo, and South Node in Aquarius, which I anticipate lending the Full Moon its sense of dynamism, importance through potentialities, and even fatedness, should we feel this Cross as a swirling maelstrom rather than a compass pointing (and so urging us to move) in four directions at once. We may be confronting (the squares) our personal future direction and power situation (NN-Ceres in Leo) as well as the ways in which our once-future oriented approach has become dated and passé (SN in Aquarius). This Full Moon illuminates our personal caves, digs down into the figurative Earth beneath our feet, shines a light on what’s normally dank and wet and hidden, dark, mysterious, and perhaps alluring because it’s unknown, and shows us how this must change, evolve, or be reformed in order to reconcile what we want (Sun in Taurus) with what we are compelled toward, intuit, love, and already have (Moon-Earth in Scorpio), with the consideration that these Moon-Earth attributes must change (Scorpio), in order to allow us to move forward effectively, with our power, agency, and autonomy intact (NN-Ceres).

A sextile to Saturn by the FM tells us that this is an opportunity–how? you ask: the real world restrictions and restraints imposed by ourselves or others on us have created exactly the right physical conditions for us to see and then alter those areas that the FM reveals as requiring change. The Moon’s emotional component supplies a sense of urgency, while the Moon’s placement tells us that nothing less than our own personal evolution is on the table. Sorting need from want deals with the stress questions imposed by the Cross, even as it answers that question, ‘Your money or your life?’ through the Sun’s assessment of what we want to gain, accumulate, and find comfort in. What at first feels like a hold-up becomes a chance to evolve, another Scorpio specialty. Looking deep and willingly making needed change, we can have both what we need materially (‘money’) and what we value spiritually (‘life’).

The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, ‘A Fellowship Supper Reunites Old Comrades’, while the Sabian for the Sun is, ‘A Red Cross Nurse’. Both are images of care, the camaraderie of mankind, and healing. This suggests that if we can get beyond the sense of urgency and fear, we can see how beneficial, offering repair to relationships and feelings, the circumstances of reform highlighted by the Full Moon can truly be.

Bonus: those with a natal placement 8-11 degrees Gemini will find their natal energy at the apex of a Finger of God with base of Saturn-FM. This suggests what is acted upon for the individual will be related to that natal energy, and/ or to the subjects of the House it rules in the natal chart.

Excellent work on finding your ikigai from Astrologer Jem Neal–

And we’ll end with a quote from Mignon McLaughlin:

Your money, or your life. We know what to do when a burglar makes this demand of us, but not when God does

Mercury’s Post-Direction Journey: 10 Days in April 2018

14 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by in astrology, Astrology and Communication, Consciousness Explored, Dreams, Mercury Direction, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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By © 2017 Jee & Rani Nature Photography (License: CC BY-SA 4.0), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58519377

Though Mercury has already stationed for turnaround, it hasn’t happened yet; we have to wait until 2:21 AM Pacific time of the 15th for a technical shift in direction. Merc’s direct motion starts at 4 Aries 46, with Mercury’s first post-direction contacts (other than ones received from Luna) coming on the 25th-26th close together: a square to Saturn in Capricorn and a trine to Ceres in Leo. That leaves a relatively long stretch when Merc is picking up speed and unimpeded (as well as not imposing its own agenda) on anything else. Merc in Aries is about communicating who we are, and what we want, as individuals–so expect a spate of realizing just what it is we want or think, then speaking up, speaking out, followed after ten days or so by giving those ideas solid form, or stopping something we’ve found objectionable (Saturn) in a perfect (that is, balanced) expression of our identity, essence, and authority (Ceres, in all her glory in Leo).

Just hours after technical direction, we see the New Moon in Aries, and in the run up to Merc’s first contacts we see Chiron enter Aries, Sun conjoin Uranus then enter Taurus, and Venus sweep over Sedna and then enter Gemini, from which it sextiles Chiron, both still in 00 degrees–and at that point we see Mercury poised to make his statement. This should bring a kind of progression, a building of energies, that starts with a re-focusing on the sense of woundedness from a Universal one to a personal and individual one. This may prompt unusual revelations about the Self and the identity; things we’ve not seen as wounds before suddenly are, while other hurts we’ve assumed may be exposed as nothing at all. Attention shifts, then, to the material, to nurture, to tending those wounds (and in worst-case scenarios, to feeding them!) Meanwhile, relationships, finances, and our values all take it deep, dipping into instincts, things we ‘know but don’t know’, and into our own ‘blind spot’, in order to reveal the wounds, the ‘true’ state of the identity, and to organize and make sense of what transpired during the retrograde phase. Only then, just before Mercury makes its first aspects post-direction, will we know with any certainty what we should do, and how we should proceed. And that’s the essence of my advice at this time: in spite of the direction, wait–you’ll learn a great deal in those ten days that will have a significant impact on your perspective.

Albrecht Dürer – ‘Wing of a Roller’ 1511 {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for the direction point perhaps offers a formula: ‘A Triangle With Wings’=elevated balance–not a bad goal, at all.

And now for an update on my dream life. I was in what seemed to be the lobby of an old department store, and as people came through the revolving doors I took it upon myself to decide who could come in and who was turned back. Even in the dream I thought I might be overstepping, but everyone supported me in this role and there were no arguments–everything was decided with my intuition, and everyone seemed to see this as valid. Then I toured the building, which was immense, filled with innumerable rooms, and as I moved through the corridors more and more people came along with me. I returned to the lobby as it seemed that’s where I was ‘needed’. A man sat on an elevated platform; he was in intense pain. I knew him from ‘before’ (which I took to be earlier in the dream). He was Indian, had been a soldier, and had been tortured in the Middle East; he was now severely deformed, with part of his spine sticking out of his back, his entire mid-section twisted. I sat before him and cupped my hands around one of his knees. Between my palms appeared a flow of what looked like deep golden marigold petals, and these somehow took away the man’s pain. Then I woke up (or as they say, did I go to sleep to dream my ‘real’ life?) This seemed to be along the same lines as that last dream I shared, so thought it might be of interest to some.

‘Marigolds and Tangerines’ By Félix Vallotton {{PD}}

Now the astrology. Last night around the time of the dream, the Moon and Mercury were conjoined in Aries in my communication 3rd=intuited information on my role or the actions I should take–communication through emotion (or perhaps empathy). Neptune and Hygeia were closely conjoined in Pisces and smack on my Black Moon Lilith=through dreams what has been ignored or denied is explored, the healthy way shown. t Jupiter trine natal Moon and natal Ceres, forming a Water Grand Trine=a glimpse of my ‘natural’ role/ authority, at expressing a personal, nurturing role, or was it a wee peek at the afterlife (Jupiter is now so strongly associated with death). And t NN is sextile my natal Jupiter, and Ceres sextile and Pallas trine my natal Mars, with t Saturn still within orb of a square to that Mars=addressing the Will, Self-actualization, the life direction; it’s the smart thing to do, though difficult to bring into the reality. t Vesta is square my natal Mercury, and this catches natal Neptune at the midpoint=I must face how I think about what I honor–this message is delivered through the dream life. t Sedna closely opposed my natal Venus=time to treasure what I ‘know but don’t know’, what the instincts reveal, and perhaps to find the value in what has, possibly just until the present, been hidden in my ‘blind spot’. And or all of these interpretations could be followed by a great, big question mark 🙂

Of course, these are just guesses, but it’s fun to look at the astrology and see what it might reveal (or, more often, obscure!) Have a wonderful week!

New Moon in Aries 15 April 2018 Wild Card

12 Thursday Apr 2018

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

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We may not be allowed a glimpse of what the New Moon brings ahead of time. By Paul Spangenberg 1911 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 6:57 PM Pacific time on the 15th at 26 Aries 02, just over two degrees short of conjunction to Uranus. The New Moon is also in close semi-sextile to Sedna, and is novile both Neptune and Hygeia (the latter exact), but is outside acceptable range to anything else. This makes the interesting scenario where we will have the NM event, then an emotional reaction (as the Moon reaches Uranus just a few hours later), then enlightenment (when the Sun arrives in a couple of days).

What can we expect at the New Moon, then? Sudden revelation, possibly via the Higher Mind, or caused by our action (Aries) within the group (Uranus), showing us the health of one or more ‘systems’, material, physical, financial, spiritual, and the challenge is to see the state of these systems for their true status and standing, and if possible, to envision and potentially realize their ideal state (the obscuring and elevating influence of Neptune).

With this New Moon falling in Aries, we should expect new starts to our own methods, choices, actions, and to expression of our Will; its proximity to Uranus late in the sign suggests the consequences of our actions and choices play out in relation to or within the group, or through spontaneous events or ‘accidents’. All these will likely bring ‘healthy’ changes or results (Hygeia), born either from spiritual or creative ideals, or from the depths of the imagination (Neptune–and with that latter may be seen as positive or not-so).

In any case, our instincts, our ‘blind spot’, and/ or what we ‘know but don’t know’ (all Sedna) will be the ‘Wild Card’ of what we’re dealt (or perhaps it’s more accurate to say, What We Deal to Ourselves!) Sedna will be the driving or molding force that informs all other developments, and that means the shape of New Moon events will reflect our own inner landscape, as captured and projected outward by Sedna’s energies. The good news is that the creative and the inclination toward health (Neptune, Hygeia) come with a touch of genius (the novile); what happens offers some brilliant material, it’s just up to us to sort through what may seem more like the capriciousness of the Universe than the revelation of the truly remarkable, in order to find it. The Sabian for the New Moon says it all: ‘Through Imagination A Lost Opportunity Is Regained’. Yes, it is.

Full Moon in Libra March 2018 ‘Being Willing’

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

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

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Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema ‘The Bible Lesson’ {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 5:36 AM Pacific time of the 31st at 10 Libra 44 at the Sabian degree for ‘A Professor Peering Over His Glasses At His Students’. Ah-ha! This Moon will be instructive, and the Lunar energies will be responses to and responding to our own understanding and accomplishment–that is, how much we’ve learned. There’s an element of judgment, of assessment, to what occurs, that echoes ‘lessons learned’ at the Virgo Full Moon of the 1st, and takes them to a new level–be ready to receive your grades!

The FM is square Mars-Saturn, with Mars still to perfect conjunction to Saturn. The Full Moon effect both arises from our real-world actions and generates them; we see the consequences of restraint, and we may see specifically that actions or choices driven by emotion will affect the reality picture, and may have down sides or restrictive components we haven’t anticipated. The FM is also trine the South Node point, suggesting the past easily ‘flows’ into the present; connections are obvious, and allow us full rein to continue or reject their influence. Too, if we pair the FM with the North Node by sextile, we see a loose Finger of God with apex Hygeia in Pisces (though Neptune could be apex if the FM had occurred just a day or two later, at this point it’s no cigar). The current Finger tells us that emotion plus our current life direction are the fundamentals that determine our health–an obvious formula, but one worth becoming thoroughly conscious of, as we are not perceiving the state of health (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual) and those things that affect it as clearly as we may believe (Hygeia in Pisces).

Winslow Homer ‘Kissing the Moon’ 1903 {{PD}}

With the Full Moon falling in Libra, we know that central to events will be interaction with others; behaviors, choices, relationships are all interdependent, and so inextricable, one from another. What ends or comes to completion at this time is related to our relationship to one or more entities to which or to whom we feel emotional connection; the issue then becomes what feelings or intuitions we are willing to acknowledge about those others, with FM events offering a denouement that offers at least partial answers to our questions.

This Moon is also opposed a retrograde Mercury and sesquiquadrate Sedna, suggesting that we may not have access to coherent thought around the Full Moon experience, and that access via instincts will be difficult if not impossible to accomplish. It may be that, after assessing our relationships in the light of FM events, we must look into the eyes of others in order to make contact with our own feelings. The question, ‘Is it you or is it me?’ may be vital to gaining deeper knowledge of our relationships and of our causal part in them.

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘The Ruler Of A Nation’. That implies that big events, or the choices of those far above us in influence, will factor in to Full Moon circumstances. Or, as ruler of our own ‘Nation’, we may be looking for conformity across the relationship spectrum, for an easy thread of likeness with which to bind all those who populate our world. Though the wish for this is understandable, it’s not necessarily desirable; one thing the Full Moon in Libra ought to show us is how varied the characteristics of each of our many relationships, how particular and specially-attuned they are to various parts of our own Beingness. To lose that variety by adopting a uniform attitude (symbolized by ‘The Ruler’, a kind of Archetype, in the image), or by expecting our personal ‘Nation’ to blend homogeneously to suit some idea of who we are, we lose the broad spectrum of potentials and talents that are stored within our own personalities, celebrated in our innate contradictions and pecadillos, and brought forward within a rainbow of interactions. That Aries Sun makes us feel more solitary, more separate, than we really are, but it’s only in embracing the way the individual fits, puzzle-piece like, into a relationship, that we discover the best in ourselves, as well as the many different ‘shades’ that Self comes in.

I’ll be completely unavailable starting afternoon of the 28th, through evening of the 1st, Pacific time. Have a great Full Moon!

 

New Moon in Pisces March 2018 A Goldilocks Moon

14 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in astrology, forecast, Horoscope, Jupiter retrograde, Mercury retrograde, New Moon, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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Jessie Willcox Smith – ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ 1915 Illustration for a soap company {{PD}}

The New Moon occurs at 6:11 AM Pacific Daylight time at 26 Pisces 53. Both bodies (Sun, Moon) are applying conjoined Chiron, sextile Sedna and catching Uranus at the rough midpoint, square Vesta, and widely square Mars, the latter two together in Sagittarius, with Mars at the stressful 29 degree mark. The New Moon is also headed toward a sesquiquadrate with the North Node, and is in wide separating trine to Jupiter, which suggests what was recently promised by Jupiter is now in the rear-view mirror, not exactly gone, but at least temporarily losing relevance and certainly making connecting with that Jupiterian potential impossible right now (and we might ask ourselves, what ‘new’ do we need to learn, related to that Jupiter possibility, that will make actually obtaining what we want possible? Look to matters of the House where the New Moon and retro Jupiter fall in the natal chart. The NM Mars could make us feel as if we must act on it–but the time’s not right, yet)–the sesquiquadrate to the North Node only adds to this, making the road ahead appear particularly bumpy from our current vantage point.

Forming so close to Chiron suggests the New Moon brings potentials for hurt or healing–but which? We get a clue in the sextile to Sedna, which finds Uranus at the midpoint; this promises that something prompted either by the instincts or the ‘blind spot’ (that is, that we stumble into, rather than deliberately choose) will bring something unexpected or shocking, will garner the input of the group, or will foster understanding, not just intellectually, but emotionally, even intuitively. We must also consider that the knowledge, opportunity, or belief ‘withdrawal’ suggested by Jupiter may be the source of the wounding or healing. Whatever it is, it challenges our commitments, our priorities, or our highest values, with responsibility one way or another falling back on us and our own (possibly) poor decisions or potentially arising from aggression or conflicts sparked by others. This New Moon gives us the opportunity to reckon with our own and others’ ego urges and assertiveness, and to do so via our capacity for creative thinking, or through applying ideals to the imagination (Pisces); like Goldilocks, we’ll need to ask: Are we too aggressive and Self-involved, or are we giving our own needs too little attention or regard, or are we just right? The NM lays the emotional groundwork to successfully deal with this question, and when Mercury retrogrades in Aries on the 22nd, it will be prime time for reviewing and changing our actions (retro in Fire), particularly the way we act out or express the ego and action urges (Aries); we’ll have this New Moon to thank for a least a portion of our insights.

With Mars at its current position (29 Sagittarius) we may feel we’ll have to act in order to learn, but that would be premature–wait for Merc’s turnaround, as more will then be revealed–at this New Moon point, it’s all about feeling, intuiting, and communing, to discover our precise relationship to the Universe–modifications come later. One thing we may have to face at this time is that there is no difference between our woundedness and our ability to heal–and that in response to that awareness, action need not and often should not automatically be our answer to what’s revealed. Hints as to what follows are found here–

Utagawa Hiroshige – ‘Cuckoo Flying Under a Full Moon’ 19th century {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon in Pisces is, ‘The Harvest Moon Illumines A Clear Autumnal Sky’. This suggests opposites, through the imagery of a Full Moon, and autumn rather than the spring that’s soon to come (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere–for those in the Southern Hemisphere, the message may be simple: in the beginning is the end, and it is now). This could imply for Northerners that New Moon events play out through the summer and come to some sort of peak in the fall, or that what is born with the New Moon has the seeds of its completion, its ending, built in. That suggests not only that if we look carefully we will see the outcome to events already implied in their beginnings, promising a ‘harvest’ proportional to our efforts now, but that what happens now may also bring endings–that is, that the New Moon beginning has arisen from the completion of other cycles, that it’s time for other efforts to naturally terminate, conclude, or die. The imagery may also suggest we note Virgo at this point, in any or all of its guises within the personal life. That means subjects, qualities, and even people we associate with the sign may hold one or more keys to the meaning of events. Earth sits in Virgo, and that means those symbols will be literal, or at least tangible; check also the subjects of the House in the natal chart that holds Virgo for clues as to what may inform the New Moon event. ‘Discernment’ may be a key concept–also ‘criticism’, ‘accountability’, ‘results’. The ‘Circle of Life’ may be extraordinarily apparent right now–embrace this as a natural part of things, and appreciate what you have, in the present.