Maybe that’s stated too strongly; this is just a Full Moon, like we have every four weeks, but the way it precisely squares its own Nodal axis resonates and focuses through the Air (Moon in Gemini) and Fire (Sun in Sagittarius), that is, through thought and atmosphere, action and choice. This influence presents us with a compelling dynamic to act based on what we know; that compulsion becomes pressure, when we put it into a personal context of our past (SN) and where we’re headed (NN). In particular, our destined direction (NN in Pisces) calls to our imaginations, showing us every potential we can picture, every possibility we can create–and that means there’s room for tremendous creative efforts, launching things we’d otherwise never try, but also room for fears, for the worst we can imagine, and for confusion arising from not being able to sort real from unreal. The Full Moon may trigger this, through emotional networking, contacts, or knowledge shared (Gemini) that illuminates the facts of the situation, and/ or our own and others’ beliefs (Sagittarius).
The Full Moon perfects on the 4th at 3:13 PM PST at 13 Gemini 03, and makes sparse contact. There’s a rough sesquiquadrate between Pluto and the Moon, and the Sun is loosely conjoined Venus; other than that, it’s all about the Cross. The Sun-Venus pairing suggests the spotlight is on relationships, finances, or our values and again, the facts of the matter (Sagittarius), while Pluto disturbs the emotional equation with the dark, dirty, and threatening disguised as Higher Mind or as a mere academic exercise (Aquarius). Even change and necessary evolution can be perceived as disturbing when delivered through the emotions by Pluto–so, something to remember, the doom scenarios may be exaggerated or merely fears seeping through cracks in the psyche, through the uncertainty of our world as it exists right now.
The Moon’s Sabian symbol is, ‘Bridging Physical Space And Social Distinctions, Two Men Communicate Telepathically’. This certainly fits the atmospheric nature of the Full Moon influence, and keys us in to extent of our own connectedness: we can hear one another think, perhaps whether we want to or not! For the Sun we see this: ‘The Great Pyramid And The Sphinx’. There’s wisdom to be had in this moment, some of it long lost to us, buried under the sands of time. Listen carefully, since it does factor in to our own life direction, and to our own emotional life.
One other thing I’d like to note. We’ve had that ongoing Grand Trine, but currently there’s a very tight one within that larger scenario made up of Water-placed Saturn, Jupiter, and the Part of Fortune. I know, I know–not everyone is okay with use of a Part within a configuration. As Ripley famously said, They can bill me. What I’m seeing is an influence that frames, within the larger reality/ world (Saturn) something of a Scorpionic nature that is fortuitous (Jupiter). I think this serves to warn us off overreacting to the shadowy Plutonic fears or changes we’re faced with; as Jung prompts us, when something bad happens, ask what good will come from it, and when something good happens, look for the bad that can follow. Asking the question alone can help stabilize our reactions, give us purchase on rough, uneven ground.
‘By the Waters of Babylon’ By Arthur Hacker 1888 {{PD}}
The New Moon of 19 November perfects at 10:46 PM PST at 28 Scorpio 11, poised to perfect the Inferior Conjunction with Mercury in hours, and clustered with the Black Moon Lilith point that both Sun and Moon have just passed over. A New Moon is a point of discovery, of revelation, and in Scorpio the energy is one of uncovering the Truth–but as always, we must be careful to parse objective truths (agreed-upon facts or points of shared reality) from what resonates as true to us (which may be both subjective and entirely valid, or may only apply to us). The Inferior Conjunction is a starting point within a minor cycle where the Sun and Mercury ‘converse’–their Inferior meeting birthing and allowing the remaining retrograde to incubate something, typically an idea or way of thinking related to the sign where they meet, with the finished initiative delivered at the Superior Conjunction, when the Sun and Mercury direct meet. Under the Scorpion those ideas may consist of what’s hidden, even from ourselves, things mysterious or primal–but the finished idea, delivered around 19 January, will be Capricornian: crisp, controlled, definitive, consisting of the rules or framework we think necessary as we move forward. That carries the potential for a lot of judgment of the Scorpionic, perhaps rejected out of the belief that it’s in boundaries and institutions, in listening to authorities, our best future lies–which sounds to me like an aberration, desperate, and temporary, at best, arising from fear of what we don’t know, or what we don’t understand, the kinds of things we think linger in the shadows.
Consider how passage over and, at the moment of New Moon, still conjoined, Black Moon Lilith affects our emotional experience. We’ve just been exposed to/ reminded of/ or faced with things we’d rather ignore or deny, or that enrage us–and now we are being given a glimpse of what those things might make us feel. And in Scorpio, those are dark feelings, even if they serve as revelation or purge. Magnified, by the Water trine to Jupiter in Cancer, in the form of imaginings made real, in the Water trine (and so forming a Grand Trine) with Saturn conjoined Neptune in Pisces, the latter at 29 stressed degrees=the dream is at a breaking point, the imagination taxed to its limit, the creative faculties at their peak.
Uranus at 29 Taurus sits in opposition to the New Moon complex=stress like a high-tension wire exposed throws electricity into the air, precipitating upset that forces innovation or a Higher Mind approach in the face of new, unusual, or more advanced intel. It presents as a crisis in identity, but whether that’s individual or in relation to the group is unique to each of us–in any case, our sense is that our stability, safety, prosperity, or well-being is endangered–and naturally, that may prompt any number of radical attempts to re-gain our footing–instability is the last thing the sure-footed bull can take for long.
The New Moon Sabian is, ‘An Indian Squaw Pleading To The Chief For The Lives Of Her Children’. The Moon in Scorpio is pleading with the Sun, bargaining for the emotional life and the things it makes possible, makes live; it reminds me of the way Mercury meets the Sun in Scorpio, then completes the cycle in Capricorn, as if the secrets, hidden matters, emotional truths we discover will be so overwrought, so deep, even taboo, that we may retreat to the clamped down and restrictive just to get a moment to collect ourselves, to get our bearings, so thoroughly will we be knocked out of our familiar emotional orbit. Oh, I hope that’s not the case.
Waves at sunrise in Corniche (Sète, France) {{PD}}
The Full Moon perfects at 5:19 PST of the 5th at 13 Taurus 22, and some things stand out: the number of ‘clusters’, different energies gathered in small groupings, and the oppositions, the most fleeting being the Full Moon, and the way that Water Grand Trine persists and in doing so ratchets up the need to address emotions to a big fat 11 with it now part of a Kite. A Trine and a Kite–those should be positive, right? Well sometimes the good or easy thing creates less-than-positive circumstances, just like hardship can create, if not blessings, then fortuitous situations of one kind or another. So much depends on how we meet things, and with a Full Moon in Taurus, we expect to be able to draw conclusions around our genuine values, commitments, material situation, and in areas where we dedicate our energies and talents–but with Moon ruler Venus square the Sun ruler Pluto (yet still sharing the same modality, a Fixed status, and element, Air, at this point) what we may find is that opposing forces that we would expect to clash and then hash out their differences are instead like mirrors of each other. Instead of two distinct and unalike matters we get a choice between two versions of, on closer inspection, what proves to be the same thing–and yet there’s still conflict, still a sense that resolution isn’t possible, only choice. Both our emotional conclusions about Lunar events and their origins will be remarkably similar, and if we don’t accept that fact fairly quickly, we could be in for a time where we feel caught, between the proverbial rock and hard place, with no desirable option available.
It doesn’t help that the Moon makes no significant contacts aside from the opposition to the Sun, though it does touch its own Nodal axis by trine to the South end and sextile to the North, suggesting old emotional patterns may be on display–but then awareness of that may be key to, with a modest effort, making headway on our Path.
All the dynamism in play at present lies in the clustered energies and the contacts they make; the Lunar event is just a waypoint, a maximum that ushers in an opportunity to dissipate some of the tension, and perhaps resolve some of the upset. First we see a chain-reaction connection from Black Moon Lilith at 24 Scorpio to Mars at 00 Sagittarius and Mercury at 5 Sag. This grouping suggests there’s impetus to bury a lot of anger, to keep our communications centered on ‘the facts’, and to bury what we find unacceptable. These are all loosely trined Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn-Neptune, with Neptune still lingering in that final, anaretic degree of Pisces (though let’s be honest, was our taste of Neptune in Aries pre-retrograde all that appealing? It had a fish-out-of-water quality that evoked a marine creature gasping to return to its element, rather than a freeing of imagination to take new individual shape). Add the ‘spine’ of the Kite that pulls in Pluto and we have to ask, are we suppressing our creative urge and/ or avoiding confronting unpleasant matters precisely because we derive power and control from not blossoming into our most actualized Self? I think it might; we care too much about what already exists to want to personally thrive and so perhaps lose what we have. Is it a given that what we cherish will disappear if we allow our growth? No, but it would definitely be challenging, and draining, could require us to give up a particular status in the larger scheme, and for many of us now may not be the time to tap our already overtaxed inner resources, much less shake up our social standing.
We also have Uranus at 00 Gemini opposing Mars and company and trining Pluto. This pulls in the possibility of learning something new, the kind of knowing that may easily and with little fanfare dismantle, transform, or resurrect some Higher Mind state or revelatory information. We surprise ourselves, by what we’re willing to do, and what we are (seemingly) willing to sacrifice–and this in the face of all that hesitation over loss. Too, there’s a loose Grand Cross with Jupiter, Venus, Pluto, and Chiron that inserts our primal wound at the very heart of the Lunar tension; what results may see our own fears and hurts asserting themselves and coloring reactions in ways we didn’t anticipate and likely don’t want.
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘On The Beach, Children Play While Shellfish Grope At The Edge Of The Water’. The revelations centered on our feelings, on our emotional stance, that are so vital to understanding our Moon experience, may be found not through the stressful situations that may preoccupy us but through those that allow us to relax and learn without knowing we’re learning. The shellfish represent another kind of learning, the liminal spot between two worlds or states of consciousness or Being that can teach us a great deal about both. The key to accessing what we need may be to play and allow the unconscious to absorb what we need–a less aggressive approach than the problem-filled atmosphere that may confront us, but one that ultimately may be quite effective.
For the Sun the Sabian is, ‘Telephone Lineman At Work Installing New Connections’. And here’s what we’ll get, the benefit of relaxing the conscious mind and Will: ‘New Connections’ that will help answer so much of what we’re facing.
The mirror quality of what occurs in this period alerts us to the need to stop struggling, and allow the unconscious to reach out and do its work. Enjoy for once not having to come up with the answer.
The Word Image is the biggest tree uprooted you’ve ever seen, its bulk hanging precariously over the only road in and out of an isolated place. What major factor have you tried to keep separate from the rest of your life, only to find that it’s not only not staying in place but threatening to cut off your free movement, or your access to the rest of the world?
The New Moon perfects at 5:24 AM PDT of the 21st, filling in a T-square with Moon-Sun opposed Chiron in Aries and all squared by Jupiter in Cancer; with generous assessment, we could even call this a Grand Square by including Pluto from its spot very early in Aquarius–and maybe we should, considering Pluto and the New Moon both occupy Air signs. It’s a statement: what begins here brings conflict between personal hurt and expanded sensitivities (especially on the social front) and results in transformation or destruction of a way of thinking, and possibly of a way into the future that we’d anticipated–that is, our wounds and our caring about the wider world require change, and that change may alter both our thinking and our tomorrows.
A New Moon in Libra urges us to look at whom and what we partner with, prompting awareness of both cooperative circumstances and aesthetic ones; Luna’s contacts tell us that the ways in which we are injured will be front and center as we assess our emotional state (the Libra Moon) and our identity (the Libra Sun) in relationships. The Other looms large, and we’re likely to be hyper-focused on how we feel about others–and they will be looking at us through the same, Self-focused lens. That should give us pause; we’re not the only one feeling alone in the midst of all those closest to us.
Remember too that Chiron is also our unique gift, something original and useful we’ve synthesized from all our knowledge and experience, something that literally no one else can do, see, or understand in quite the same way we do. If we can manage to avoid being distracted with our own deep hurts, we could bring that gift forward with the New Moon, likely to help others (Libra) or to heal our own relationships, or to create necessary change in thought or theory (Pluto in Aquarius) or within the social arena or in faith or philosophy, specifically in how these guide us to care for others (Jupiter in Cancer). As usual, it’s a choice: use our energy to make things better, or distract ourselves reviewing a litany of our wounds.
The Moon and Sun are also apex to a Finger of God with base of Neptune in early Aries and Uranus in early Gemini. This suggests that if we can get our uniquely original ideas to mesh with our individual ideals (these are creative, pioneering, in some way), we can apply that to our New Moon fresh start with others. A Finger is all about making the best of the base energies; the apex describes what we get, if we get it right.
The New Moon is also sesquiquadrate the North Node in Pisces=we’ll need to adjust our vision of the Path forward, and that’s whether we use the NM energy positively or negatively (I hate to use those words–I’d rather think of them as electrical charges, with the energy either pushing out, or pulling in, the difference between engagement with others, so important under a Libra Moon, and stubbornly remaining focused on the Self, despite what’s around us).
Also of note, and probably the most prominent thing in our consciousness at present, is a Water Grand Trine, Mars, Mercury, and the Black Moon Lilith point all together in Scorpio, Saturn in Pisces, and Jupiter in Cancer=hidden anger and ‘buried’ realities motivate us and drive our reasoning; we believe we and others should care about the wider world, and we think reality is as we imagine it to be–we mistake feelings for facts. Wow, the possibility of missteps in those combined factors is huge. Traps lie in the Trine’s components each carrying a high degree of subjectivity, a propensity to be viewed through one’s inner reality rather than through fact or real world-based perceptions. This is certainly what I’ve been seeing around me for a while now, and I bet you are, too: people charging forward in the belief that they see things correctly, and you need to agree. Let’s redefine this Trine, substituting externals for that inner reality. What we get then is Self-awareness that understands our own aggressive tendencies and those ways we can deceive ourselves by refusing what we’re uncomfortable with (Mars, Merc, BML), a way to look at how ideals can shape the real world, as well as spot them when we come across circumstances that meet those ideals (Saturn), and a viewpoint that centers not on feelings but facts, and the ways we can be sensitive to these realities and so can move to expand both our understanding and our efforts to help (Jupiter).
The New Moon Sabian is, ‘Mankind’s Vast And Enduring Effort To Reach For Knowledge Transferable From Generation To Generation’. If we don’t learn from the past, then we’re doomed to repeat it–and doomed is the word specifically because there’s something truly awful about retracing our steps when we should know better. Understand what came before–look at how it turned out–don’t think you’re the exception for whom a repeat of choices will somehow magically end differently than they did before.
Believe me, the last thing I want to do is add to the current stressful atmosphere, but I have to acknowledge the axiom ‘As Above, So Below’; the Zeitgeist is reflected in the Full Moon situation, and the Lunar picture conveys some specifics about what’s coming at us–and we may find out the disturbing factors aren’t necessarily what we think they are. Just being alive means we can’t avoid the mess of modern life; might as well check the skies for guidance (and if we’re really connecting with the Universe, inspiration).
The Full Moon perfects on 6 October 2025 at 8:47 PM PDT at 14 Aries 08 and makes no major contacts–so let’s start with the atmosphere into which the Aries Full Moon makes its statement. Notable will be Mercury’s quincunx to Neptune and Uranus, forming a Finger of God; Mercury’s also square Pluto. This can take many forms, but the essence will be sudden revelation about hard Truths or reality vs deception that reveals what’s beneath the surface (Merc in Scorpio)–and we likely won’t like what we hear, especially as it might create power struggles. Uranus is trine Pluto=change, transformation, or destruction may be (relatively) easy, because of its sudden or surprising nature, or because it’s relentlessly modern, crowding out the old. And Venus, current ruler of the Sun, sits at the midpoint of Jupiter and the Black Moon Lilith point=what stands in the way of getting to the good stuff? Requirements levied by the current social order, as well as those matters we’ve buried, ignored, denied. As long as we worry what others will think, and as long as we lie to ourselves, we won’t reach the payoff–it’s both that difficult, and that straightforward. Remember that Jupiter is on its way to trine with Saturn, in about one month; that means we’re heading toward reaping the results (‘the facts’) around reality and manifestation of what’s at present ethereal rather than material. We’re (probably overly) optimistic at this point–it would be better to see reality unvarnished and truly be willing to examine where the current path actually leads.
Now to the Lunar event itself. The Moon is semi-square Uranus, and is apex to a loose Finger of God with base of South Node and Mars (though the latter is very wide–4 degrees–we’re dealing with the fast-moving Moon, so I’m willing to count this). So we get an emotional shock or surprise, too, a personal one, that stems from a mixture of the past and our own actions and choices. The Sun, giver of light and author of this entire show, is sesquiquadrate Uranus and quincunx the Moon’s North Node, reinforcing the difficulty of the shock/ surprise/ modern times energy and also pointing to the adjustments that will need to be made in future, if we stay the present course.
Now let’s look to contact with smaller bodies; these help define the Moon’s contacts to major players, as well as help describe the character of the energies involved. In this case I think they fall into two broad categories: Power expression, and Trouble. On the positive side, we have the Moon’s trine to Vesta=no matter what the Full Moon brings, we know our priorities and values, what we honor, and we stick to it. That’s reassuring, descriptive of a strong core that won’t be overly swayed by externals. The Moon is also trine a pairing of Amor and Icarus in Sagittarius=uh-oh, our first trouble spot: Love, in its purest and least ‘judgmental’ state (not romantic, but encompassing of many kinds of regard and affection), will tempt us not to respect realities, such as boundaries, limits, our own vulnerabilities, and what’s wise in the moment.
Then there are two squares the Moon makes to bodies in Cancer, one consisting of Hades and Kronos, one of Circe and Isis (though these pairings are about 5 degrees from each other). The first two are ‘hellish’ in nature, representing torments of the individual, and with Kronos’ attempts to control the future arising out of fear; the latter two are energies of controlling others, to the point of reassembling them! That, as we know, can make for a Frankenstein. These suggest tough interactions, with everybody believing they know what everyone else deserves, and an extreme lack of boundaries within those interactions, such that we may feel subject to others’ choices no matter what. And finally, there’s the Moon’s quincunx to Nemesis, which only reinforces the confrontational energies in play–and that others don’t necessarily have our best interests at heart.
The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, ‘An Indian Weaving A Ceremonial Blanket’. The Sun’s Sabian, which should help illuminate the Moon meaning, is ‘Circular Paths’. This suggests to me that too much distance from what’s happening (that is, trying to treat it objectively, rather than personally) might make our actions nothing but ceremonial–that is, not having an impact on the real world picture, but instead sending us in circles–in effect, distracting us. And that’s the last thing we need to be to navigate what’s ahead.
A Full Moon in Aries is about bringing to full power who we are, what we choose, and how we act, and this one may prove exceptionally challenging, as what we accept and support now gives shape and contours to our future. As long as we remember that, we’ll choose and act in ways that are best for us–and that’s what counts. Yes, the Lunar event may bring us a fresh hell, but it’ll be our fresh hell, unique to our situation, but ultimately solvable by us, too, as we remember our values, our priorities, and what we truly care about.
This is just what we need, a New Moon new start, except what we’re getting is more tense and more fraught than we might think a new thing can be; it arrives with a sense of history, in spite of its newness: the event is a meeting of the Moon and Sun at 29 Virgo 05 where they’re part of a Kite that echoes the Kite present at the Full Moon of 8 August–but this time, the Moon is involved in the configuration (it wasn’t those few weeks ago) and the meeting of the Lights occurs at the maximum stressful degree. Of course, the August event was a scenario of conclusions, in the sense that we needed to find equilibrium across the Aquarius/ Leo/ I vs. Them axis–and find how being ourselves, fully and without societal distortions, affects our relationships, groups to which we belong, and all those with whom we interact. Now for the current Solar eclipse we’re looking at inception energy, generative, not in the bloody way of the end of a 9 month process, a delivery of a brand new but long-in-the-works project (that’s much more like Full Moon energy), but in the way of suddenly, almost magically, sparking something to life, out of what seems like thin air, but is actually the energetic material of the spiritual, mental, physical, or emotional resulting from the convergence of accumulated energy ‘threads’ as they weave together and become a ‘something’–conception, then, not birth. The difference is that one process is a new beginning, but only because another stage is ending; with this New Moon, something is coming from nothing–or at least, it’s ideas or events that come together to present us with a result we might classify as ‘never before’.
There are a number of contacts made by the Partial Solar eclipse; I’ll list each one separately, then (try to) fit them into the bigger picture. The basic New Moon energy is the Sun and Moon together in that final critical degree of Virgo, and they’re widely conjoined Mercury in Libra=the critiques, assessments, accountings, analyses, and commentary we give and receive will be the conduits for the eclipse ‘message’. The eclipse is also semi-sextile Mars at 29 Libra=stress again! In relationships, in artistic ventures, in partnerships, in relation to ‘the audience’. It’s notable that Mars was a component in the August Kite, but here is less potent, off to the side and subdued, suggesting temper and the ‘I Am’ will influence, but not drive, those eclipse communications. There’s also a wide (for a quincunx) aspect of Chiron in Aries to the New Moon=this implies we may be sensitive enough to our own and others’ wounds that we are careful to avoid them, and promises our interactions will be shared with a certain level of sensitivity (though there will be some who adjust in the opposite direction, intending to wound).
Then there’s the Kite. The base involves a Grand Trine where two of the placements, the Sun and Moon, are in Earth, with Pluto, Uranus, and Mercury in Air. This describes a material, real world event that fuels the communications as well as the inclinations to innovation, spontaneity, change, and sharing of the Truth. Through the middle of the Kite runs a ‘spine’, an opposition to the eclipse, to Saturn in Pisces-Neptune in Aries, with this combo sextile both Pluto and Uranus. I look at this and think of the ‘lift’ this configuration will give to the eclipse message. It will likely carry big themes, big change and ideas and creative expression, even as we find ourselves trying to balance, trying to straddle the need for transformation of some life area and the need to be responsive in the moment, open to that very new, original thing the eclipse promises.
Two factors in the Kite, Pluto sextile Neptune, act as base for a Finger of God with apex Venus in Virgo=this feels like a set of influences we can control, more so than what’s presented by the eclipse. An embrace of the nitty-gritty, a willingness to change, even to change to extremes, if called for, can deliver Higher Mind (Aquarius) in service to the creative Will (Neptune in Aries), and result in positives: rewards, payoffs, Art, or Love to the individual (Venus in Aries).
The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘Totally Intent Upon Completing An Immediate Task, A Man Is Deaf To Any Allurement’. This suggests that whatever message we receive will draw our complete attention; that’s a good thing, in terms of our accomplishment, but possibly not so good if it means we miss the Bigger Picture. The key may be never to lose sight of the fact that there are other people in the world, and that what we do affects them. A simple concept but an important one, when we’re trying to make the most of our own potentials, our own possibilities.
Engraving ‘Die Gartenlaube’ From a book published by Ernst Keil, 1859 {{PD}}
Late in the day, the New Moon perfects PDT at 11:05 PM at 00 Virgo 22 (so falls AM of the 23rd for everyone east of this zone), and the whole day/ 24 hours preceding it is a lead-up to this energy refresh. But, it’s a lead-up through the Dark, and after two days of this already, we may hit a bit of frustration, a mini-Dark Night of the Soul, as we look for, and likely fail to locate, why we are what we are, and want what we want (Moon in late Leo).
The New Moon is apex to a Finger of God with base of Saturn-Neptune in Aries and Pluto in Aquarius. That’s an emotionally charged divining rod, or maybe a lightning rod, attracting and concentrating the state of reality and its degree of conformity to our ideal/ degree of departure from our ideal, if we’re being misled or deceived (and we can fool ourselves if we’re not careful, Saturn-Neptune), and this combines with a Higher Mind desire to make change, or a rebellious urge to foster chaos through destruction or overturn the status quo, but all with an underlying desire to discover the Truth (Pluto in Aquarius), and the result is the New Moon=a sudden realization that the feelings are raw and intuition is stark and unavoidable (00 degrees). We perceive something new for the first time, and the first things we see are what’s wrong with our idea of reality and our desire to change it. Don’t let that be discouraging; having what isn’t working made apparent is much more useful than platitudes and reassurances that may only serve to take our attention away from problems.
The other major aspect is a square to Uranus, ruler of Pluto, which may say that what we discover at the New Moon could be upsetting; we want change (Pluto) because of what we see about our own uniqueness and/ or our relationship to the Group (Uranus). Notice too that the New Moon forms a novile with ruler of the other leg of the Finger, Mars, implying that the actions and choices prompted at this time will create an advantage for us; they’ll be rooted in a spark of genius we won’t necessarily see as such in the moment (as long as they won’t be made from a sense of hurt, see below).
Spanner in the works: Venus and Chiron are still in Cardinal square. Make sure wounded feelings aren’t the impetus behind current choices and decisions; that may infect things in a way that later can’t be easily undone.
The Sabian symbol for this New Moon is, ‘In A Portrait, The Significant Features Of A Man’s Head Are Artistically Emphasized’. The Uranian and Uranus-related elements of this New Moon are likely to make us hyper-aware of our most unusual and unique traits and abilities. We need to see them as ‘beautiful butterfly’ aspects of who we are, and not the unflattering or even shameful distortions of spirit that some others, looking to disempower us, might want us to believe.
‘Boys Flying Kites’ Attributed to Nicolaes Maes c1670 {{PD}}
The Full Moon peaks at 00:54 AM PDT of the 9th at 16 Aquarius 59, and the most striking thing might be the tidy Kite configuration that doesn’t involve the Moon, though Luna does share a sign with one of the components, and another of the components rules the sign the Moon is in. That’s a tenuous connection but not an insignificant one; it suggests oblique links where Full Moon emotional outcomes may funnel through the shared-sign factor (a sign being an expression attitude), which just so happens to hold Pluto. That’s a naturally intense planetary energy ripe for projection or overreaction even in its most positive forms, and so all the more susceptible to being swept up in prevailing emotion. The fact that ruler of Aquarius, Uranus, is also part of the Kite only reinforces the prominence of the Waterbearer’s energy, which can surprise, shock, or show us something completely new.
So if there’s a Lunar wind behind that Kite, of what does it consist? A Full Moon is a culmination of feelings and perceptions that cohere into an event, realization, or completion related to the sign in which the Full Moon occurs; this may also engage matters of the House in the personal nativity where this falls, and/ or in the House or other placements ruled by the Moon or matters related to the sign ruler, in this case, Uranus, so potentially the House where natal Uranus sits or aspects it makes or other energies it rules. That’s a lot of places the Lunar energy can touch and the Moon moves fast; that’s why tight aspect orbs and a clear picture of what it involves, and what it leaves out, is so important. You’ll notice many of those factors are personal ones, dependent on the Full Moon’s interaction with your chart. Here the focus is on what’s consistent for everyone, as far as possible.
Aquarius tells us the Lunar event delivers revelation or revolution, and with Pluto a conduit for the Moon energy to the Kite, that may consist of ‘the Truth’, of secrets dug up and revealed, or the dawning of the need for change (along with its commencement), not to mention the possibility of an event that removes something or someone from our world, abruptly, and we are left to pick up the pieces and sort out what it all means. Things may be ‘in the wind’, that is gone, beyond our control. What Aquarius/ Uranus offers will always be something that expands our sense of understanding or our mind, that is future-oriented and signals ‘the coming thing’. That’s the wind that propels the Kite–but what is the Kite?
The Kite energies are set to work very smoothly together, though they are offshoots of a difficult central theme, in this case, an opposition between Saturn-Neptune in Aries and Mars in Libra. That’s the fulcrum across which we try to balance the individual needs and wants and those demanded by partners and all others, whether we are in a cooperative relationship with them or not. Saturn-Neptune can suppress the dream or give it concrete manifestation, warts and all, and the Aries placement says each of us is dealing with defining what and who we are, the ‘I Am’ attempting to sort our potentials from our pipe dreams, and learning just what we must do to make those dreams happen. This is faced, so to speak, by Mars, ruler of Aries and so of the individual Will and ‘I Am’, specifically as this quest to define and pursue the expression of the individuality relates to the Arts, and to others: do we need their cooperation to make ‘it’ happen? will fulfillment of our dreams change our interaction or relationships? is our Art, whatever that may be, and our expression of it more important than our connection to others, or is it dependent on it, in the sense that we may need ‘an audience’ or others’ participation to complete the dream’s existence?
So, the ‘spine’ of the Kite is this broad question; now we look at the other influences. Saturn-Neptune is at the midpoint of a trine between Pluto and Uranus, with these trine Mars. That means each Kite holds a Grand Trine, this one in Air, suggesting that if we can find the balance within the I vs. Them equation, we can activate an equilibrium among the need for change/ discovery of Truth, our understanding of the new, and our own efforts and drives.
The Moon offers its influence more directly through a sesquiquadrate to Mars, and a square to the Black Moon Lilith point. These are difficult aspects and will probably be the first energies we encounter in this process, as we find the problems and inadequacies of our current methods and approaches (sesq. Mars) and how our buried, denied, or angry feelings are causing conflict, and realize we must deal with these before we can move forward.
Mercury is still retrograde, so despite the way the feelings are front and center, we need to remember that revisions to Higher Mind and Uranian understanding may still need review, even after this Full Moon. Also note that Venus and Jupiter meet in mid-Cancer from the 9th through the 15th, and offer a lovely, feeling-centered energy that implies if we always keep in mind what it is we genuinely care about, we won’t stray too far off our goals, or take a misstep, something I think all this Lunar energy can be overly fearful of.
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Watchdog Stands Guard, Protecting His Master And His Possessions’. I think this is a little of that Martian energy, the watchdog that wants to guard what we already have–but recall that Pluto is in the mix, and that could mean the loss of things, no matter what. The best approach may be to embrace the impermanence of all things–and put our energy not in fretting over the present state of things and their potential loss, but in efforts to give the future the shape we desire, no matter what is delivered to or taken out of our grasp. The Sabian for the Sun, the ‘triggering’ energy that makes our waxing and waning Moon possible, is, ‘A Volunteer Church Choir Singing Religious Hymns’. This is a symbol of unity, of like-minded faith that unites people. It may speak to those Mars in Libra energies–for don’t we all seek our place in the larger community?
The Sun and Moon meet at 12:10 PM of the 24th at 2 Leo 08–which puts the New Moon in close opposition to Pluto in Aquarius, trine Saturn and Neptune in Aries, and sextile Uranus in Gemini. That sounds like the recipe for a bomb. The question becomes: is the bomb one of unanticipated revelation, one that removes restriction (especially around what we think) or acts as impetus for individual initiative, or does this destroy our understanding, our capacity for change and embrace of the new, instilling fear of authority as well as eliminating our own trust of ourselves? That may be an individual matter, depending on how the Lunar event contacts your natal chart, but in either case, the presence of Neptune in the equation suggests that the basis of any effects rests in whether we know ourselves, or find our own workings a mystery; whether we’re honest with ourselves, deceive others, or hold to our highest ideals. That’s the nub of it: our energy surges, born anew with the combining of Solar and Lunar power, and so will take a creative direction; it’s up to us whether that creativity is of the productive or the destructive kind.
A few things of note: Mercury is retrograde and will meet the Sun in Inferior Conjunction on 1 August–we know this meeting, much like a New Moon, as an inception point, a new start to something, and considering the players, we’ll either see the beginning of whatever is conceived at the NM, or we’ll see a ‘new’ idea emerge from the mix of events and influences occurring now; Saturn and Neptune both retrograded earlier in July; Uranus just entered Gemini for the first time since 1949–so will be ruled for some time by Mercury (and Uranian energies then may have more ‘swing’ when under the sway of the oft-retro Mercury–like they need more instability). All this suggests there is a newness, a rawness, to so many energies involved with the New Moon, both from their locations in early degrees of a sign, and because of the several recent turnarounds, symbolic of a pulling back, a hesitation, a need to reassess territory one has already traversed. The subtle involvement of Mercury through rulerships and its own retro cycle emphasizes the messages we send others, and what we tell ourselves, at the heart of all that happens, with this Lunar event setting off a kind of ‘Truth Bomb’, a situation, gift of information, or realization that we meet with our current level of ‘truthiness’, that allows us to discover something more about ourselves and where we stand, about who we are at core and where we can ‘shine’ (Leo).
Also sextile the New Moon and conjoined Uranus are asteroids Psyche and Sappho, and object Sedna*; these bring to mind passionate relationships (and these can be relationships to groups or to a vocation or life subject/ path) where some knowledge or denial/ lack of acknowledgment (for a variety of reasons) may be involved. Too, with Sedna there’s the potential for this attraction/ interaction to sit in one’s ‘blind spot’, suggesting we may feel strongly but not be completely aware of our feelings, which may read like instincts or suppressed knowledge (as in, Psyche sensed there was something different about her lover Eros, but wasn’t conscious of it until she finally made the decision to light a candle so she could observe him at last). This New Moon is ‘lighting the candle’, about something we might already be knowledgeable of to some degree, but not have in the forefront of awareness. Linked to Uranus, this may contain Higher Mind knowing, or may have the purpose of disruption to the current order; in any case, our relationship to it is unique to us, original in the way we see, approach, and interact with it.
Hekate in Scorpio is square the New Moon=the Lunar event is a ‘way shower’, but either the way is difficult or seeing the direction we must go causes conflict. Lilith in Pisces is quincunx the New Moon=are we seeking to wield our power simply to express ourselves, or are we seeking vengeance? An important issue to sort before proceeding. And finally Dionysus is conjoined the New Moon but out-of-sign, from 29 degrees of Cancer=the stress response to all this might be to go wild, party like it’s 1999, or try to escape in whatever way will let us hide from our feelings (Cancer placement)–and we all know that’s never a good move.
The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Middle-Aged Woman, Her Long Hair Flowing Over Her Shoulders And In A Braless Youthful Garment’. I firmly believe that everyone should dress the way they want; this description, however, hovers close to judgment, simply by the details it chooses to include, details that suggest, with use of the designation ‘youthful’, that how this woman has chosen to present herself is inappropriate, because the first thing mentioned is that she is not, in the estimation of the image assessor, youthful. Is she dressed inappropriately? No, she’s not, and make sure you hear that: just because someone else thinks they get to judge you, doesn’t mean they actually have any business doing so. That kind of thing is the opposite of the ‘Truth Bomb’ the New Moon will set off.
The Truth, rather than ‘out there’, is ‘in here’, in our own hearts and minds. This New Moon brings something that helps us discover it, and no matter how stunning, shattering, or powerful the event or idea (or how subtle–we can’t forget the porousness of the unconscious, or the influence we tacitly accept without realizing it)–we do best to welcome it. And if the ‘bang’ doesn’t come with the New Moon, keep an eye on the Inferior Conjunction on 1 August.
Have a wonderful New Moon, my friends!
*Sedna is an SDO (Scattered Disk Object). These are small bodies located beyond Neptune’s orbital path that have eccentric orbits themselves, which is what distinguishes them from Kuiper Belt Objects.
‘The Cobbler’s Apprentice’ By Frank Duveneck 1877 {{PD}}
The Moon’s opposition to the Sun perfects at 1:37 PM PDT of the 10th at 18 Capricorn 50–which, of course, is conjoined the Earth in the flat chart. The first thing that jumps out is the way within a few hours the Sun will trine the North Node point (and even more quickly, the Moon will sextile the South Node), casting current events as both echoes of past emotional experiences and direct precursors to our futures, suggesting we may need to be as conscious as possible about where we put our attention (the Sun). The Lunar opposition could tempt us to bury or shut off input from the emotional or intuitive realities we’re feeling (Capricorn), especially those things we find restrictive or that deny us what we need, or that ask us to show restraint or to comply with structure or rules; in response we may be tempted to substitute what we claim to care about. I say ‘claim’ because we need to remain aware that what receives the Sun’s spotlight at any one time is what garners our attention; we tend to accept that as reality, no matter what else is going on or what other perceptions we’re having.
In this case, the Sun in Cancer makes us feel that the whole world is taking note of what we’re nurturing, what we care for, or are sensitive to–and that may make us feel so vulnerable that we reflexively push down our real concerns in order to present a caring scenario/ picture we believe is more presentable. Our genuine Lunar concerns are Capricornian in nature, and we may feel that hard-nosed examination of emotional territory for its actual effects on the structure of our life and relationships doesn’t play as well as the stereotypical sentimental soft touch of Cancer–which is a shame, as giving our emotions a stable and controlled arena in which to express is actually very important to our health and relationships, and should be honored.
Luna forms a wide sesquiquadrate to Venus in Gemini, but I count it because the Moon is moving toward perfection of the aspect (and that’s why with a Full or New Moon portrait I don’t count an aspect that is significantly past perfection, such as the trine the Moon made to Mars before the Full Moon occurred). Other than that, providing we keep to our relatively tight aspect requirements for a Lunar event, there are no other contacts–but we do see some interesting asteroid involvement.
There are so many asteroids that one can find a placement in almost any degree in the sky, at any time–and that means that we must be discriminating in which asteroids we incorporate in any picture. First thing is that we need to understand they’re not a substitute for major planet contact; they refine the story, adding nuance, rather than new plot. Second, we should only work with energies that we’ve either studied over time, and/ or that contribute clear meaning that coalesces with the other energies via the stories associated with their names. Either can be helpful, though again, not a replacement for the major planet Big Picture.
So, we have a sesquiquadrate between the significator of emotion and intuition, the Moon, and Venus, planet of Love, relationships, assets, talents, and values, suggesting that what we’re feeling around our relationships or earning/ asset situation isn’t what we think we should be feeling (Venus in Gemini). Our mind wants to see the scenario in question one way, but Luna’s Cappy energy says, ‘Wait a second, this doesn’t follow the emotional rules, or this treatment or use of assets doesn’t mesh with the things that would support me, make me feel safe, or help me contain feelings in productive channels.’ We may be left at an impasse, not knowing whether to believe the feeling nature, or the mental assessment of the situation.
We have potential, though, for an illuminating Cardinal Grand Cross, if we use relevant asteroids: Moon-Earth is conjoined Sphinx in Capricorn, Eros and Kassandra are square and together in Aries, Nemesis is in hard aspect from Libra, and the Sun is conjoined Hera in Cancer–plus Amor in Virgo trines Luna-Earth. We note that Love is the easy (trine) conduit for conveying and receiving emotion, which suggests a certain amount of vulnerability via relationships–and that’s definitely where we’ll see the Full Moon activity (and this is so even if we look around and think, ‘Hey, I’m not having a relationship tussle’, to which I would answer, ‘That’s because you’re in the emotional box provided by the Capricorn Moon–you’re shut out of the current emotional reality, perhaps deliberately, though not necessarily consciously’.
The Cross paints the conflict picture (or really, the multi-directional pull of simultaneous energies all activated at once): the feelings, and the physical setting, are an enigma (Moon-Earth-Sphinx)–we can’t read ourselves, or maybe that’s our response to the Capricorn Moon, to isolate the feelings, so they don’t distract us from all the other things we’ve got to deal with; the sense of individuality, of relying only on the Self, is strong, as is the desire nature and the idea that communication isn’t working–no one believes us, and we don’t believe them! (the Aries setting for Eros and Kassandra); partners seem like (or maybe feel like) enemies, no matter the surface interactions (Nemesis in Libra); and our attention is on how much we care, and how much we’ve been wronged, disregarded, or stymied in using our position and power (Sun and Hera, the much disrespected sister-wife of Zeus, in Cancer–and this placement adds the frustration of the unappreciated nurturer, the carer who’s also a caregiver, who receives no caring themselves).
So, we may experience a number of emotional perceptions that our brains or our social arena or what we expect our relationships to provide and be directly contradict–and the Full Moon energy is the point when those come to a head, must be exposed, explored, expressed, and recognized. We shouldn’t expect to immediately understand what we feel–remember the Sphinx?–and sorting feelings from the real world circumstances may be challenging, at the very least.
This time, the Sabians hold the keys to ultimate meaning. For the Moon: ‘A Five-Year-Old Child Carrying A Bag Filled With Groceries’. We aren’t ready to undertake the ‘job’ (task, role, function, responsibility) we’re currently trying to perform. Yes, the advice is that blunt: we’re not ready, not mature enough, or just not physically (or in some other way) capable–and all this clash between the surrounding scenario and our emotional perceptions has been about avoiding seeing and acknowledging this. Though we can be helpful (all hands, no matter how young or small, can help carry groceries) no one in our position should be expected to perform this particular task or live this particular role (no five-year-old should have the burden of providing sustenance for themselves or others)–it’s that simple.
The Sabian for the Sun is: ‘A Priest Performing A Marriage Ceremony’. Aha! This is about discovering, acknowledging, accepting, and then incorporating or otherwise uniting with a necessary Other (which can be anything needed, from assets to learning skills to ‘maturing’ in some way to actually partnering with others). Something else is needed; we’re getting ahead of ourselves–and in that way, we’re being unkind to ourselves, judging and not extending the understanding we would almost certainly offer someone else in the process of developing their abilities and trying new things. Expecting ourselves to be completely formed, completely knowledgeable, completely ready for anything, is to forget that life is a process, one long experience of learning and re-learning and shaping and re-shaping who we are and what we can do. It may be a long time since some of us were beginners–but it’s the right time to be new at something, all over again.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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