Full Moon in Scorpio 12 May 2025 Configuring Emotion

08 Thursday May 2025

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‘The Icebergs’ By Frederic Edwin Church 1861 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 9:55 AM PDT at 22 Scorpio 12. At this point, Lunar energies (emotion, intuition, sensation, the concealed or obscured but felt, caretaking, nurture, mothering, the changeable and ephemeral) reach a peak, and in Scorpio this means things plunge into the depths. The Moon’s palette dovetails nicely with the Scorpionic; their watery emotional viewpoint unites them, as does the orientation of both toward perceiving the hidden or unseen, the unspoken and implied, and reacting to it through the feeling nature. Chances are this occurs unconsciously, with only the tip of the emotional iceberg perceptible to us, and that means that under a Full Moon in Scorpio feelings we didn’t even know we had can come to fruition–and our reactions to those emotions are reflected back to us through matters set in motion/ orchestrated by that current of feeling. Recognizing that our own emotions are the source of what’s presented at the Full Moon is vital; so is the need to read what occurs as if we’re sending ourselves important messages, things which may be too disturbing to the routine or status quo, or that we may be in denial of, to have delivered any other way.

This time the Full Moon is conjoined Juno and opposed, as always, the Sun, which is joined by Hygeia and Uranus=Personal empowerment, making ourselves felt in the world, is key this Full Moon, and if we neglect to claim our sovereignty, we’ll be faced with an unhealthy situation, one chaotic, surprising, or that demands we innovate or invent in order to survive, or in less extreme circumstances, in order to assert our individuality or uniqueness, to remain free of ‘group think’. Drama is a Scorpio specialty, exacerbated by the easy trine the Full Moon makes to Saturn and Ceres in Pisces (with Saturn conjoined Neptune in Aries, which is too far outside orb to be contacted by the FM)=we can be misled, deceived, or can simply allow wishful thinking to override a more concrete picture of how things are and what our personal power scenario is. Tuning in to reality is particularly difficult right now–things are fuzzy and motivations, thinking, and who holds what power is unclear, at least in terms of understanding realistic goals and potentials–and that means making choices can be harder than usual.

The Full Moon is part of several configurations, and we pull in little-used but illuminating points to complete the picture. There are two Fingers of God, one apex the Moon and Juno with base of Jupiter conjoined Hera in Gemini sextile Chiron, Sappho, and Eris in Aries=this suggests that either the belief system or what we believe we know is under strain within the larger social sphere, disregarded and disrespected, and this hurts, turns us toward those who choose as we do, and stirs up any latent discord that’s been dormant, with the result being an emotional lesson on where and how we are actually empowered (as opposed to where we thought we commanded power). The other Finger is Moon-Juno sextile Sphinx in Capricorn, apex Jupiter-Hera=here emotional empowerment is found in accepting mystery, acknowledging what is unknowable, right now, and moving forward anyway; the result is a broadening of our reach and potentially our knowledge, as well as the possibility of open acknowledgment by others as to where we’ve been wronged or not respected.

‘The Questioner of the Sphinx’ By Elihu Vedder 1836 {{PD}}

A T-square with the Full Moon opposed Uranus, Hygeia, and the Sun in Taurus, all square Pallas in Aquarius rounds out the FM picture=though emotional revelations and measures of emotional health draw our attention (and possibly our concern), what we need to remember is that, difficult as it is, what we’re being shown must be answered either with our innate wisdom or with a strong sense of practicality. ‘Make it useful’ could be our motto, at present; we might add to this a Cardinal T-square that could make its own waves by proximity, rather than direct involvement: Uranian Zeus opposed Eris, Chiron, and Sappho, both squared by the Sphinx=it’s useful to admit what we don’t know, or what’s unknowable, no matter what; when we do that in relation to our ambitions and desires, we disarm those who might want to struggle with us or hurt us, in spite of the way they are likely to be just like us. Taking ammo away from those who are looking to attack is a strong incentive for them to take their aggression elsewhere–or even to realize we’ve more in common than not, after all.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Rabbit Metamorphosed Into A Nature Spirit’. This Full Moon makes apparent the essence of what’s special and spiritual within. It’s there within our everyday, ‘rabbit’ form, but events now release what’s closest to Nature inside us. Expect revelations around feeling and purpose.

We also look at the Sabian for the Sun, giver of light: ‘A Jewellery Shop Filled With The Most Magnificent Jewels’. The more mundane face of this Full Moon energy shines on actual material matters–the spiritual essence we discover is reflected in these, but not derived from it. The wealth, and the payoff, really do come in an elevated spirit; the sense of prosperity or reward is just a nice extra.

There’s a great deal of feeling stirred up by this Full Moon, and so much of it we’ve likely been unaware of–our task is to give those emotions context, to configure them so they’re meaningful to us, and thus useful, and to remember others are having a similar emotional experience–again, seeing that we’re more alike than not can help bring down barriers that have been contributing to our sense of the ‘Other’ as invasive force, rather than as potential ally, collaborator, or partner.

New Moon 27 April 2025 Back From the Dead

24 Thursday Apr 2025

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‘Circee’ (Circe), drawing By Jean Delville 1893 {{PD}}

A New Moon in Taurus may ask if we are born from our environment, a material, sensuous Being with qualities and personality fully formed and fully intact, or if we are born into our environment formless, a tabula rasa upon which our surroundings write their influence? Of course, in absolute terms when we’re born, or re-born as part of the Lunar cycle, we’re neither totally unformed nor are all our characteristics already determined; anyone who’s dealt with an infant knows they’re distinctive from birth, even as they are learning and changing all the time, and so it is with us all through our lives: we live, we grow, and even as we develop we’re aware that there are some responses, feelings, traits that have always been within us.

Any New Moon offers us a moment of re-birth, a moment in which, in areas related to the sign and the House it occupies in our natal chart, we can begin again; with Taurus we focus on our surroundings, the atmosphere, our assets, what we have or are missing (and related to this, what we need, find comfort in materially, and what personal expression and power we derive from our wealth or talents), such that we may feel the sign concerns things outside ourselves, and so outside our influence or control. An easy mistake to make; that’s why we are obligated to remind ourselves that where we are in life, and what surrounds us, is a direct and undeniable result of each and every decision we’ve ever made. The outside matches the inside, not one-for-one, but in ways where many things are more subtle, cumulative, or far-reaching, extending into our futures and or sending tendrils of meaning and re-interpretation back into the past.

This New Moon sparks at 12:30 PM PDT of the 27th at 7 Taurus 46, conjoined (and moving toward perfection of the conjunction with) the asteroid Circe=the child of gods, but described as a sorceress and minor goddess, Circe is chiefly known now as having used her power to turn men into pigs just to keep the one she desired (Odysseus) trapped on her island. Like so many people used to wielding power, used to getting her way, Circe didn’t see how she was encroaching on others’ boundaries, that she was behaving in abusive and controlling ways, simply because to people who process power the way she does, others aren’t as real as she is–she’s a narcissist.

Together the New Moon/ Sun-Moon conjunction and Circe act as one arm of a Grand Cross made up of Mars in Leo conjoined the asteroid Karma, Pluto in Aquarius, and Black Moon Lilith and the asteroid Hekate in Scorpio. In a more conventional interpretation only the T-square would be considered, with Hekate (the one who shows the way) ignored–which may be the case even as we note Hekate’s presence, because it’s conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point, urging us to bury the info we’re being given about which way and how to go.

So, conscious of this tendency to skip over what’s uncomfortable or inconvenient, especially if it illuminates the direction we should take, we look at the other energies in play: Mars in Leo makes us want to act or choose, to our own glory or for our own Will or purposes; Pluto in Aquarius may, in this Lunar light, take on an unusually negative tone: awareness of Higher Mind, taking an intellectual tack, being inventive or innovative, may feel destructive–or, change and transformation seem to be required to move successfully into the future. Either way, the pressure is intense–and so may be the fear.

But, we haven’t addressed one element: the asteroid Karma in Leo conjoined Mars. Here we have a chicken-or-egg situation: do we act or choose because we’re meeting some facet of our Karma, something we have created ourselves and now must face (or embrace–it could be a good thing), or are we creating Karma with our actions and choices? Inevitably, both are true, in the larger scheme of things, but the label of ‘Karmic’ is one we should use with care; really, either everything is Karmic, or nothing is. Mayhap we should read this, then, as facilitating something we deserve–no more, no less–and no matter where or from whom this appears to come, we as individuals have earned it (Leo).

One other thing worth mention: the New Moon is at the midpoint of another energy picture, a trine among Requiem in Cancer and a conjunction of Orpheus and Damocles in Pisces. Requiem in the sign of Lunar sensitivity and emotions suggests an end to something, a feeling or caring situation memorialized which reflects the presence of Pluto in the larger equation. Orpheus attempted to retrieve his beloved from Hades, only to fail when he lost trust and looked back, violating the only order he’d been given; combine this ‘blowing his big break’ with the story of the Sword of Damocles, wherein it’s made clear that with enormous privilege comes a much higher level of danger/ threat, and we get a portrait of an individual granted extraordinary favor who then, either through his own misbehavior or through a newfound awareness, loses what he so deeply wanted. He is disabused of the idea either that he deserves an exception to the very rules of life and death, or that those with a particular status are immune from these rules. The Moon-Sun, then, poised between these, may imply that a particular idea about what one desires will need, one way or another, to die.

The Sabian for this New Moon is a little startling: ‘A Sleigh On Land Uncovered By Snow’. We’re given a symbol of movement that’s in a totally unsuitable environment. This just reiterates that the ‘old’ idea of how to move forward needs revision–and certainly, that what we find comfortable and secure may need to be revised, updated–because how many of us regularly drive a sleigh anymore? You see what I mean.

That New Moon in Taurus gives us a re-birth in what’s not just materially important or possible, but in what we want and deserve. Awareness grows, likely through emotional processes, and so our ideas about what brings comfort, prosperity, or security, particularly on an individual level, change as well. We’re re-vivified through a process of assessment and evaluation–and we are shown in the light of the New Moon exactly what we must do, what direction we must take, to make it happen. We’re, in some important way, back from the dead, in the Taurean areas of our life. Enjoy it.

Spring Break

16 Wednesday Apr 2025

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‘Beauty of the Season: Spring’ Hanging scroll by Fujiwara Chikanobu 18th century {{PD}}

Hi All! I’m stepping away from the computer for a short while, but will be back with the New Moon post. I won’t be answering emails or processing orders or sales through Dog & Sunflower–it’s a bit of a detox, for me–but will be back up and running next week. With Mercury conjoined Neptune, and Venus and Saturn conjoined the North Node, we can be inspired to plan for an abundant future, make dreams into realities, and as well appreciate everything we already have. The ideal is apparent–all we have to do is reach for it, but with the caveat that the unscrupulous may try to obscure the facts or mislead. So, eyes wide open. Have a great week/ weekend!

Full Moon in Libra 12 April 2025 Divining Our Best Self

10 Thursday Apr 2025

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By Leon Wyczółkowski 1933 {{PD}}

Here’s the Sun in Aries, shining a light on each of us as individuals, making us hyper-aware of ourselves, our actions, our choices, making us sensitive to expression of our Will (are our wants reasonable? possible? do they leak into others’ territory? are we letting others know what we want? are we frustrated in some way? do we know what we want?)–and shining that same light on both our primal wounds and our highly unique gifts, pointing out how thoroughly these permeate our identity, our idea of who we are, even our very consciousness (Sun conjoined Chiron)–and so affect our ego, our choices, our wants, who we believe we are.

Then the Moon comes along on April 12 (at 5:21 PM PDT) and opposes the Sun-Chiron in Aries at 23 Libra 19, creating a T-square with Mars in Cancer=Cardinal (action) energy makes for a dynamic Lunar event; most likely we are faced with a clear picture of a wound to the identity that must be healed (a few of us will instead have that spotlight shine on some talent that we can no longer ignore expressing), and we see who we must appeal to, partner with, or cooperate with in order to make that happen (Libra Moon). It’s an emotional perception, so we may be at the mercy of our own fears and limitations and Self-designated comfort zones as these hem us in, short-circuiting progress in order to foster a sense of safety and control. That’s where Mars comes in; it takes the identity wound and the emotional attitude that would allow us to escape noticing it, and forces us (the T-square) to take action–simply because we care.

There are a few minor entities of note: Eris, pot-stirrer and body most likely to get everyone to clear the air, is conjoined the Sun and Chiron, which suggests that part of healing may be being more honest about how we see ourselves, our Willfulness, or our abilities (Aries); and the Uranian Zeus and asteroid Nemesis are both in Libra conjoined the Moon, implying that our emotional reactions at this point may reveal much about our desires, and who we think is preventing us fulfilling them.

And we must acknowledge the Finger of God, with a base of stationary Venus (which technically goes direct about a half hour later) and Saturn in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus, apex the Full Moon (which, we should note, is conjoined the Earth). This suggests that revelation keyed to what the Venus cycle has exposed us to or made us face, which was initially just an inspiration, something we imagined or idealized (Pisces), has taken solid, real world form (Saturn)–and this is our first inkling of what this manifestation might entail. This involves a material surprise or spontaneous insight or even a radical change to the atmosphere or asset picture (Uranus in Taurus); we then observe the events of the Full Moon in Libra, which are the results of our Venus retro experience and what it changed in the real world that triggers our Uranian insight or shock, and which creates the Lunar event–one that asks us to stop navel-gazing (Aries) and start looking around at others, particularly those with whom we partner or cooperate (Libra).

The Finger of God is like a Cosmic divining rod, the quincunxes that are its ‘legs’ requiring that we deal with whatever love, money, or relationship issues we’ve recently reviewed (the retro) and the shocks, surprises, and revelations they delivered (Uranus) that have likely shaken our way of living, our comfort or asset status (Taurus), and that have resulted in this Lunar episode. A Full Moon in Libra delivers the product of our relationships, our aesthetic choices, and those areas where we’ve made our investments of time, energy, attention, and other valuables, and in this case, the fruits are real-world ones, generated by the ways and places we’ve invested in our own lives. At this time we’ll see just where and from whom we receive significant support, as well as the ways in which we’ve engineered, successfully or not so, our own lives–and all this either heals us in some important way, or calls us to offer our unique Chirotic gift.

‘Death of a Butterfly’ By Evelyn de Morgan 1914 {{PD}}

The Moon’s Sabian is, ‘A Butterfly With A Third Wing On Its Left Side’. Is that ‘extra’ wing extraneous, or does it offer advantages in lift or ability to fly longer distances? Does it weigh one side down, causing imbalance? This may refer to the Chirotic gift, a special ability that we carry as a wound until we are able to transmute it in a kind of alchemy that distills it into a unique quality or talent we can offer to others. This may require us, too, to ask ourselves: what are we seeing as a burden, that may actually be something that helps us soar, once we see and respond to it appropriately?

We always look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon, as well: ‘Blown Inward By The Wind, The Curtains Of An Open Window Take The Shape Of A Cornucopia’. What the wind blows to us is another way of describing the challenges and windfalls time and events present to each of us–and in this instance, what’s blown our way may be fortunate, offering a bounty. But then, what some would call luck, others would see as the reward for seeds sown and hard work. Call it what you will, but at this time what appears in our lives is both chastisement and reward, opportunity and notice of what we lack, abundance and where we’ve fallen short–and since information is the most useful thing we can receive at any point in time, this Lunar event might prove to be very ‘lucky’, indeed.

10 April 2025 A Critical Point

07 Monday Apr 2025

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Rock balancing (Counter Balance).jpg

With thanks to Leandro Inocencio

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

I know that sounds dramatic, but the confluence of energies on the day is exceptional, despite the way many of the contacts are in place well before, and for some time after, that day; the difference is in the Moon, in Virgo, as it passes over the South Node point, highlighting what’s going on, and potentially bringing the emotional realities behind the other aspects to awareness. It’s likely a deja vu, an ‘All this has happened before, and all this will happen again’ revelation, one that perhaps pulls past events into the present, making clear the emotional impact they’re delivering in the moment. Think in terms of accurately seeing the origins of things, and the consequences our handling of them bring forward now.

With Moon in Virgo the impulse is to be critical, to dissect and fact-find and, unfortunately, edit; if we succumb to the urge to trim, and so in effect deny, the facts, we deprive ourselves of the full picture. Use that Virgo energy to catalogue, instead: allow the perceptions to see things that don’t neatly fit into a preconceived picture, accepting the contradictory, the inconvenient truth, the messy reality. Remind yourself that the job here isn’t to complete the puzzle or draw sweeping conclusions, it’s to be as aware as possible of all the factors in play and to accept as reality the genuine state of things.

Within less than six degrees we see five bodies/ significant points: Venus retro, Saturn, the North Node, Mercury, all in late Pisces, and Neptune at 00 Aries. This massive line-up tests our ability to see reality, as well as to respond creatively and, at the same time, take responsibility for our choices. These lie opposed the Moon and South Node, pitting our revelations about the past and its (emotional, if not literal) connection to the present against our re-visit of our talents, assets, and aesthetics, the nuts-and-bolts reality picture, things and particularly our thinking that have been restricting us or holding us back from pursuing our intended life direction, and what we imagine we can do–versus what we actually are capable of doing.

Our minds, still sluggish after the recent Mercury direction, are groping around, trying to identify what we think, what our standards are. We’ve been myopic, trying to discern not just our place in the scheme of things, but our own best use of our time and talents, and how to implement our goals that make the most of who we are–and Luna in Virgo brushes up against the South Node and fairly shouts at us: it’s your feelings about the past that are holding everything back!

That big Pisces/ Aries line-up is also trine Mars in Cancer–there’s another clue, a reiteration–that the only way to get moving is to sort out the feelings, and sextile Uranus in Taurus, implying that either the material or asset situation, or our feelings around comfort and its lack, will surprise us, perhaps delivering unexpected insight.

Now Neptune, at 00 Aries, has its own little dialogue going, with a quincunx to the Black Moon Lilith point in Scorpio and a sextile to Pluto in Aquarius, which makes BML square Pluto=this applies to us trying to pinpoint how we can muster creativity to express the ‘I Am’, influenced by those factors we ignore or deny (and which are now being dredged up–Scorpio) and spurring intense, permanent change, the kind that ushers in a ‘New Age’ (Aquarius), one that we may be acquainted with intellectually but in which we may lack hands on experience or understanding (the 00 degree). That means our discretion and judgment may be clouded by what we’ve been avoiding or even can’t know about—so again, facing all components, and admitting exactly how we feel (once we discover it!) will be the only way to shape and control what happens. Otherwise we invite big change that we didn’t necessarily want, and which will seem to come out of the blue–but of course, it won’t, we’ll only think that if we are in denial, or haven’t yet sorted through the feelings.

One more point: the Sun and Chiron are conjoined in Aries; they square Mars and the Sun is moving away from a sextile it formed last week with Jupiter in Gemini. Again, we have a tendency to focus on our own wounds and potential talent expression, and may be having trouble taking action; this is specifically because we have allowed the Big Picture, and our place within the social order, to lose relevancy for us personally. The more attention we pay to ourselves and our issues, the less we see what’s happening around us–and that means we make our decisions and act as if we are independent of the social arena, rather than a component of it, with all the crossed wires and inadvertent interference that may imply.

Back soon with the next Lunar update!

Partial Solar Eclipse 29 March 2025 Seeing Our Way Forward

25 Tuesday Mar 2025

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‘The Education of Achilles’ By Auguste-Clément Chrétien 1861 {{PD}} The Horse/Guy giving the archery lesson? None other than Chiron.

The upcoming Partial Solar Eclipse (New Moon) peaks at 3:47 AM PDT of the 29th late in 8+ degrees of Aries. What we see is that retro Mercury is already well past Inferior Conjunction and poised to re-enter Pisces, suggesting we are on the verge of a ‘mental retreat’–I don’t think that’s a surprise to any of us. Transiting Mercury is out-of-sign conjoined retro Venus and Neptune in Pisces, the latter at 29 stressful degrees, and in a chain-reaction conjunction with both the North Node and Saturn which are close to Venus and Neptune, with Merc also closely quincunx the Scorpio Black Moon Lilith point; I think that’s a pretty good description of the situation: we’re worried about our future as much as the current reality picture; the mind needs a rest, an escape, as a recent refresh (the Inferior Conjunction) is still germinal, not even close to revealing itself, and with our tastes, relationships, and/ or values under temporary assault, experimental, or feeling foreign to us, and our ideals and faith stretched to the limit, we are more than aware of those matters under the surface, the things we’ve tried to ignore or deny, that enrage when we think about them, that require us to adjust repeatedly–and we feel the need for a break. Looking for relief from our stressful reality has, at this point, almost become a way of life–so we must ask, what will trigger this latest urge to escape, and the actions (Aries) it suggests?

A New Moon is a new start, but when it’s a Solar eclipse in Aries, it promises something new doesn’t just take root, it wipes out what was growing before, creating fertile ground for something originating all the way, in our planetary metaphor, to the molten core of our individuality, our sense of initiative, and identity as a unique Being who works to impress the ‘I Am’/ Will on people and things around us. We feel we must act; we may desperately want a new start in that most important of venues, within ourselves–and the Aries New Moon delivers that aforementioned trigger prompting the new start via three scenarios: the Moon’s sextile to Pluto in Aquarius, and in two Fingers of God, one with the eclipse as apex with a base of Achilles at 7 Virgo sextile Atlantis at 7 Scorpio, the other with Aries Luna sextile Pallas in Aquarius, apex Achilles.

The sextile to Pluto, of course, announces serious, permanent change or evolution; this may involve involuntary loss or destruction, affecting our intellect and our understanding of current circumstances. It alerts us to the fact that we will feel this, be aware of this, as it affects the mind/ mentality, our relationship to or role within the group, and calls for a modern approach to what we are facing (Aquarius).

The Finger featuring the eclipse as apex blends as the base two interesting energies: Achilles, describing an unanticipated vulnerability, around critical thinking/ reasoning, abilities of discernment and enjoyment of mutually shared ‘harvest’, and Atlantis, embodying an advanced civilization that is no more, that in fact has receded into legend, if it ever was at all, with the memory at this point possibly acting in a hidden and potentially destructive way. Looking back now we may wonder: is our past real? Were our advances lost, or never really there all along? This config suggests we have a weak point brought forward by a set of standards or behaviors that are no longer appropriate, needed, or in force, that are in fact actually detrimental in handling the Now, with the Aries Solar eclipse the result: a wipe out to some facet of the identity, or to some course of action or choice we either have been contemplating or have already embarked on/ made.

The eclipse point sextile Pallas suggests there’s wisdom, or at least practicality, in what occurs at this time, in the reconsidering of action or choice, and that’s so even if we don’t understand it. The result of recognizing this is an understanding of where, precisely, we are vulnerable (apex Achilles) and so most crucially, how to deal with it.

The Sabian for the New Moon/ Solar eclipse is, ‘A Crystal Gazer’. I think this describes every one of us right now, intent on seeing the future, or at least discerning how we can best respond in the moment. The Solar eclipse delivers a clear suggestion, an intimation of what we should do, and what we should avoid–and the image implies we’ll be capable of seeing what’s presented, if only we’ll believe in our own ability to see.

A vanitas still life with a crystal ball reflecting an image of the artist at his easel, By Vincent Laurensz van der Vinne 17th century {{PD}}

Neptune Enters Aries 2025 The Responsible Warrior

20 Thursday Mar 2025

Posted by in astrology, Neptune, Retrogrades + Directions

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Dahomean women warriors, or Amazons.The horns, probably made of tin, were an insignia of rank: these are officers. Horns were also icons of power, associated with such animals as the antelope and buffalo; “furious antelope” and “wild buffalo” cadres were among the fiercest Amazon battalions. By N.N. c1894 {{PD}}

Neptune lingers in the last degree of Pisces until 30 March, when it moves to the Aries Point, 00 of the sign, and remains there until the final few days of April when it moves forward in Aries, dipping back into Pisces for a nostalgia tour (look how carefree and/ or muddled we were! Those were the days!) from late October to late January 2026. How much are we conscious of this kind of shift, a heavy leaving its longtime home for a new sign–and even more pointedly, leaving its own sign for what is, at least symbolically, the inception point of the zodiac? Those Cardinal points (00 of Cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) are often significant, felt in the same way a sudden drop in the barometer is; every cell of our bodies feels an intense change in pressure, accompanied by an urgent impulse to act, to express the essence of the transiting energy in new ways. With Neptune in Aries, impulses toward the creative, the ideal, the spiritual, and the deceptive, seem to require individual effort of (almost) heroic proportions–we become keenly aware that we alone can make it happen–and circumstances urge us to embrace the right to Self-assert. Of course, what it is we’re thinking of asserting is intimately aligned with the situation of our natal Neptune, and how and where we typically express it. A sense of responsibility may overwhelm; so might confusion, as we find we may have a lot of sorting, true from imaginary, real from unreal, to do.

That Neptunian fog rolls into Aries and asks, “Wait a minute–who’s in charge here?” Don’t hold your breath for an answer; every assumption we’ve been making about the confluence of energies that make up civilization will be brought into question. We’ll need to examined what’s around us, with the goal of determining as an individual where we will be responsible, how we might take the lead, and in what way we must put in motion our own ideals. No more relying on the Collective (Pisces) to carry us along; the individual in Warrior mode is needed now. Anything short of complete personal responsibility will leave a lot of Neptunian energy on the table–and unused Neptune leaves us open to being deceived, misled, or kept in the dark when we have a clear right to know. It’s that principle of energy ownership: if we don’t take command of our creative and spiritual inclinations, they’ll come at us in a much less useful form from the outside.

It’s a tall order, asking each of us to examine our creative and spiritual goals, and yet, if we don’t get specific about it, we’ll suffer confusion, be taken advantage of, or may believe things that just aren’t–to our eternal detriment. The dreamy state that was Neptune in Pisces dissolves (such a Neptunian word!) in the aura of accountability and call to action of Aries. With Neptune in Aries, we’ll each become a spiritual force, our statements of ‘I Am’ a direct line to who we are as creatives and as spiritual Beings–but whether we’ll muster on the side of ‘good’ or ‘evil’ (that is, deception) will be a choice each of us must make alone. To make that choice as consciously as possible is to exert a strong influence on the world at this time, our impact commensurate with our surety of purpose. Clarity in knowing who we are (that Aries ‘I Am’) will offer a kind of creative power and powerful expression we haven’t had available to us before; let’s hope that being so potently armed (for the Aries energy is nothing if not Warrior energy), we’ll all choose the side of ‘good’.

Total Lunar Eclipse 13-14 March 2025 Reassembling the Self

11 Tuesday Mar 2025

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

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Detail of the frieze of the wells in the tomb of Pharaoh Horemheb, showing the gods Osiris, Anubis, and Horus. Derivative work By A. Parrot Jean-Pierre Dalbéra Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

I’ve drawn the eclipse chart for the maximum eclipse point here in Seattle, according to the website Time and Date, which is 11:58 PM PDT of the 13th with the Moon at 23 Virgo 58, though the overall duration of the event is 6 hours 3 minutes, with totality lasting 1 hour 5 minutes–so a long span that is visible in most of the Americas for its entirety.

As always with an eclipse, the Nodal points are close to the Sun-Moon-Earth axis, this time with the North Node conjoined the Sun, Saturn, and Neptune (this latter at 29 tense degrees of its own sign, Pisces), and so opposed the Virgo Full Moon. Our attention is on our vision of an ideal reality, on what’s holding us back or misleading us, on our creative accomplishments or lack of them, and the future all these matters are shaping (Sun, et al)–and this draws us away from the ‘real’ action, or at least the action we can play a part in, right now: that’s represented by the Virgo Full Moon, a culmination of how effectively we’ve prepared, addressed ‘the details’, fairly distributed both effort and harvest–this really is a point of awareness of results for what we’ve done, and a chance to assess what we still need to do--with Luna’s trine to Uranus in Taurus suggesting that material resources, and/ or ‘the group’, may prove unreliable, too future oriented, extreme, or too radical in what is asked of us to be helpful in reaching our goals.

An eclipse is the interruption of the ‘flow’ of Solar light as reflected by the Moon; symbolically, this signifies a moment when we can read the emotional landscape without the distraction of the conscious mind. This time it’s a surprise, something of a shock, and definitely serves this purpose: the Uranian element of things allows for a kind of Higher Mind re-arrangement of the situation, such that it will be to our advantage, even if in the moment it seems to run against us. The disruption is doubled, once in the removal of previous circumstances by the eclipse, a second time interrupting our plan or throwing us wildly off course with the unanticipated and the unusual, and our feelings about it. In actuality it’s the wisdom of the Universe, saving us from an unfortunate mistake, or delivering to us the direction or results we actually need to thrive.

Such is the influence of an eclipse: a re-ordering of affected life areas, the old wiped out and replaced by–what? Sometimes an entire new scenario is placed before us, and sometimes there’s only a sweeping away that leaves no discernible landmarks or legacy circumstances. With most major contacts either conjoined or opposed the event itself (we can expect their influences melded to the eclipse episode, and so presenting as part of, or the result of, the event itself), and a single other major aspect a trine to Uranus, promising shock, awe, and upheaval, we must look to minor bodies for a little more detail (so Virgo!) and a little more clarity.

The eclipse Full Moon is apex to a Fist with base of Bacchus and Hygeia (in Taurus, and so ruled by the currently retro Venus) square Pallas and the asteroid Lilith (not to be confused with the Black Moon Lilith point), both in Aquarius, so ruled by Uranus that is such a big component of the eclipse picture=this says that living with abandon in some way has affected the health; we know better, know what we should do, and knowing this fosters a rebellious kind of rage–why must I conform? Why does physical reality, the kind that impacts my physical well-being, have to be acknowledged? Why can’t I just do what I want? This kind of foot-stamping insistence that we should have no restraints, seeing these as persecution when we know very well that we need them, is answered this eclipse with circumstances challenging us to be smart, be practical (Pallas); we’re shown how our past has accumulated to create our now–and what happens gives us a glimpse of the future (Sun, North Node), one we read through the emotions (Moon, South Node). This could be quite upsetting, but we can’t deny it’s a gift to know what, by extrapolation and honest evaluation, one could do to make a better future.

Eris and Chiron are conjoined in Aries, with Eris quincunx the eclipse=discord and hurt, stirred by our own actions, seen when the distraction of Solar energy is removed–but there’s one thing about that Solar cluster opposing the eclipse that we haven’t yet discussed, and it may be important to see, as the Earth (material matters and Purpose) comes between the source of light and its receptor, allowing awareness of how our attention to this energy has been running the show of late, with the eclipse event offering a chance at new, more productive, awareness.

Within the Sun-North Node-Saturn-Neptune cluster in Pisces, we find the asteroid Osiris, just on the Sun at 24 degrees, and so directly opposed the eclipse. Are you familiar with the story of the Egyptian god Osiris? His depiction with a shepherd’s staff hints that his myth may have originated with an actual sheepherder-who-became-a-ruler, but the stories told now see him as the offspring of Ceb, the god of the Earth (his laughter was responsible for earthquakes) and the sky goddess Nut. He was considered a wise ruler who oversaw a period of peace and prosperity stemming from ideal natural order (maat), his rule cut short when his brother-god, Set, murdered him (most versions contend out of jealousy, in order to gain the throne), cutting his corpse into 42 pieces corresponding to the 42 provinces of Egypt, then scattering them far and wide. Osiris’ sister-wife, Isis, recovered the body parts and re-animated him by means of magic long enough for her to conceive their child, Horus, an important god-figure in his own right.

So, Osiris conjoined the Sun and co-located bodies in opposition to the Lunar eclipse in Virgo may suggest that circumstances have been keeping us busy just trying to ‘stay whole’, to keep our magic/ mojo, to create and produce (likely something that is quite important to our personal legacy). This has been distracting us, demanding most if not all of our energy, as we scramble to ‘assemble ourselves’ (after having been ‘dismembered’ by others, possibly who envy our position or want what we have), and the interruption of the eclipse allows us to get some perspective on these efforts, to see our real-world situation (Saturn) clearer, and to know how close to our ideal (Neptune) we may or may not currently be.

The Sabian for the peak moment of the eclipse is: ‘Mary And Her Little Lamb’. Mary is a caretaker (perhaps analogous to the shepherd of the Osiris myth), the lamb a symbol of innocence (‘its fleece was white as snow’, purity), in this case specifically our own inner innocence (‘Wherever Mary went, the lamb was sure to go’). This may speak to our inherent vulnerability, the kind that springs from our most pure and simple intentions toward the world, with all the risk contained in a lack of worldliness when dealing with real life. Just as with the presence of Osiris, it’s a reminder of the hazards that are part and parcel of dealing with the world, and how it’s our job to maintain our autonomy, working toward our goals and maintaining our purity of ideals in spite of the way we can be ‘torn to pieces’ by difficulties, and to maintain our integrity (the lamb), by choosing well and being vigilant in our responses (Mary). I think the Osiris myth supersedes the Sun Sabian, for this eclipse, so count it as the ‘energy origin’ of current events.

The Lunar cycle generally has two purposes: enlightenment/ awareness and fulfillment, this latter reminding us of both the consistent passage of time, and the ebb and flow of the associated emotional energy. In whatever House of your natal chart the eclipse falls, look for the experience of and understanding of those matters, appreciating the wipe outs and endings for what they are: a chance to start fresh, to see things differently.

Navigating March 2025

04 Tuesday Mar 2025

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Retrogrades + Directions

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The Sombrero Galaxy NASA/JPL-Caltech and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) {{PD}}

Venus retrograded on the 1st at 10 Aries–but what does that mean? Venus, an energy we experience in highly personal ways, in apparent backward motion will mean different things to different people, depending on where and in aspect to what it contacts the natal chart; what we all share is the way Venus retrogrades in the same part of the chart/ sign, within a couple of degrees, every 8 years. With such a loop to the Venus retrograde cycle, we may not immediately recognize that we’re in territory we’ve trod before–or that we’re seeing the results of our previous, 8-years-ago responses, whether they take the same shape or are the same challenges in a new Venusian get-up.

Retrogrades are ‘re-‘ periods, times when we can (and often must) review and reconsider our usual stance on any number of, in this case, Venus-themed areas, but the 8 year cycle places those circumstances of review and revision in an area where we’ve already experienced them–and now, as noted before, we face either the renewal of the situation, as if no time has passed, or we find the same issue dressed up in a new form, with the possibility that we don’t notice the echo-quality of what’s happening; we may believe we’ve already dealt with this Venus issue satisfactorily, ‘putting it to bed’ 8 years previously, or that what’s before us is unrelated to anything that’s come before–and in both instances we’d be wrong.

This time Venus retrogrades in Aries, an energy she’s inherently uncomfortable in, as she is receptive, seductive, looking for pleasure, and Mars-ruled Aries is assertive, aggressive, looking to impose the Will. It’s hard to be receptive when the surrounding energy is urging one to go out and get what is wanted–and yet, that’s one way we can reconcile the disparities here: Venus wants, as well, and if she can modify her usual seductive or appealing-to-the senses stance to seek actively, as Aries does, she can find a way to be effective within an atmosphere that’s less than sympathetic to her preferred modus operandi.

Then we have the question of where this retrograde happens in the individual chart. It’s incumbent upon each of us to look back at our situation 8 years ago–and in particular, to look for those echoes, those repeats, the re-emergence of what we thought long settled. Say this retro occurs in your 3rd House, and 8 years ago you and your sibling discussed going into business together. It didn’t pan out, but now you find yourself considering the idea again, or your sibling has gotten in touch, just lost their job, asking if you ever consider going for that food truck you both talked about? Or it falls in your 5th: 8 years ago you were head-over-heels for someone, and now you’ve just found out you’re pregnant (by another partner–haven’t seen that 8-years-ago guy in 7 years). What’s the connector? Romance and children are both products of the 5th; 8 years ago you were considering the value of the relationship, while today you’re considering what having a child will mean to you. Both are relationships that fall under the 5th, and both are Venusian, two different versions of Love. It may take a little detective work, but finding the thread will help us understand what’s at stake, and how Venus retro may shape things going forward.

Beyond the Venus-keyed patterns we see, we’ll also deal with the garden variety Venus issues that spring up during a retro period: changes in our customary tastes, our attitudes toward relationships, toward Love, toward aesthetics, toward sharing and cooperation, toward diplomacy, Art, comfort and sustenance, and in our values, preferences, and wants. We must be ready to experience changes in what we find attractive or pleasing–and we must be aware that our tastes, once the retro is over, will bounce back to the shapes and styles we had before the retro, meaning that we must be careful what aesthetic alterations we make during this part of the cycle. We’d be wise to do things that aren’t permanent, to experiment, but not in an irreversible way; if the change or adventure leads to something that we’ll have to live with, we’d be wise to save the idea until after Venus goes direct–then if it still appeals, go ahead. Otherwise, dye your hair, but don’t get a tattoo; date someone new, but don’t marry them, just yet; vacation in a part of the world you’d never found appealing before, but don’t decide, between flowery umbrella drinks, to move there. It’s a time for exploration of the senses and what pleases us; choose something irreversible (or at least difficult to alter) and you risk being stuck with something that ‘just isn’t you’.

Venus goes direct 12 April at 24 Pisces. If you experiment, and are considering a permanent step, please wait until after this point; then, evaluate, and measure, according to your more usual tastes and feelings. Though it’s not as much fun as off-the-cuff change, assessing things in a sober light is worth it (because that’s what it can feel like during the retrograde, like we’re drunk on some kind of Venusian punch, a high that undercuts our judgment in favor of a momentary feeling of invincibility). We deserve to enjoy Venus in a form most supportive of who we are–and we can only have that when our senses aren’t distorted as we make choices and invest in ourselves.

Mercury retrogrades on the 14th at 9 Aries, making for a period of reconsideration and review around what we do (Fire sign). Are we happy with our choices, with the way we’ve expressed our Will, with our leadership role(s) or lack of them? Have we gone after what we want, and are we okay with what we had to do to get it? Remember, at this time the mind and the mentality are, in certain ways, ‘blind’ to the facts, to communications, to the details, or these are actively not being shared–and that means that, even with the most careful efforts, we’ll still be making decisions and coming to conclusions without a full and complete picture of the situation. Inevitably, post-direction, we find out things we didn’t know during the retro period, but sure wish we had. Usually I’d encourage everyone to rely on the feeling nature to supplement/ circumvent the mind, but with Venus retro, that leaves only the intuitive faculties of the Moon as reliable–and even then, our feelings may color things so that what we think is accurate could be distorted by emotion and even leakage from the atmosphere around us. Maybe hold off on significant decisions for the retro period, as well as the usual don’t sign, don’t buy warning, which goes through direction on 7 April. Try instead a ‘go with the flow’, noncommittal attitude, leaving yourself as many options as possible, and a gentle refusal to judge or condemn yourself or your actions as you review them; by the time Merc reaches the direction point, in Pisces, the imagination may have supplied more possibilities than the mind could on its own, offering up potentials Mercury normally would’ve overridden before the idea even dawned.

All the outer planets are direct through March and April, with the spell being broken by Pluto’s retro on 4 May at 3 Aquarius. Since Mars was recently retro, and Merc and Venus will be, this imparts a difficult to sort personal picture but a crystal clear Big Picture. Our difficulty may be in discerning where, exactly, we fit in that larger scenario–but again, definitive statements of ‘I Am’ can wait until Merc re-enters Aries, 16 April. Pluto’s turnaround, by the way, will probably feel like a mental scouring pad; don’t over react–just remind yourself, It’s good to give things a thorough scrubbing! No matter how raw we feel immediately afterward.

Neptune moves into Aries on 30 March. This may feel as if someone lit a fire under our imaginative, creative, or idealistic inclinations–but the thing is, that’s fire applied at the end of a watery journey through Pisces–and fire applied to water is–steam! Will we harness it, and use it to move forward, ‘Little Engine That Could’ style, or will we just complain about the humidity? It all depends on your relationship to your own creative energies, and to reality–do you know where you stand? Because that’s required, if you want to make choices that will really matter. Prepare by (before the Mercury retro) going over recent creative efforts and where they stand–and remembering that our sense are affected right now by the Venus retro, so that making practical rather than aesthetic judgments is probably the best use of time.

And, just before Mercury retrogrades, we have a Total Lunar Eclipse in Virgo. More to come soon!

New Moon 27 February 2025 What To Believe?

21 Friday Feb 2025

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

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‘Cassandra’ By John Maler Collier Before 1934 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 9 Pisces 40 at 4:44 PM PST and forms only a few aspects, but they paint a surprising picture. First, a New Moon is an inception point, a new beginning, and in Pisces this entails a fresh spark or the origins of a new venture around our ideals, our dreams, in humanitarian concerns, in Collective or spiritual experience, or in those matters where we are deluded, misled, or deceived (that is, where we believe we’re headed toward a dream that may in fact be a nightmare). That’s the thing with Piscean energies: it’s difficult for the individual to know if they are being inspired or fooled, are seeing a dream manifesting or being led toward a kind of disaster, one where the individual intent is subsumed to the Universal one, or even where the individual spark is absorbed into the dominant stream of events, leaving us feeling inconsequential and adrift.

There’s a square to Jupiter in Gemini–that’s a lot of talk/ thoughts/ ideas, exaggerated, overblown, where much more is promised (or threatened) than can be delivered–but also where the social order has a strong voice, sounding out on Collective beliefs or networking people through ‘the facts’ and what those imply. In hard aspect, the New Moon suggests that what’s born there is in sharp contrast to the current social mentality–to the point where there’s active conflict. Pisces wants to aim at the ideal, to include everyone–and Jupiter in Gemini, more than anything else, wants to be believed, and isn’t beyond using reasoning, connections, exaggeration, even gossip to persuade. That pits altruistic intentions against the stake society has in getting us to agree and conform, with the result that we’ll see a lot of selective perceptions and carefully curated (to the point of untruth) information that will meet resistance from those longing to see ideals implemented–or to escape from what those selective perceptions are creating in the dream’s stead.

There are a slight handful of other aspects made by the New Moon, including a novile to Chiron at 20 Aries=from taking a good look at what we’ve discovered from our own wounds or in use of our Chirotic talents we can source incredibly smart solutions in personal choices and actions; the NM makes a semi-sextile to Venus in Aries, which is still at this point direct=we can turn over a new leaf with relationships, or by using assets to support ideals, or in measuring choices against values–small steps that lead us closer to dreamed-of circumstances or goals; and the New Moon is conjoined the asteroid Kassandra=you know the story of the mortal Kassandra, yes? The Sun god Apollo fell in love with her, and gave her the gift of prophecy, but when she didn’t respond with affection, attention, and dedication in return, this incel immortal grew angry. What the gods bestow they can’t take away, but they can add conditions: Apollo decreed that, though Kassandra knew the future, she’d never be believed, and so it was: Kassandra wandered the rest of her life, experiencing the frustration that only those who see but aren’t able to convince can know. This suggests that what begins at the New Moon springs from clear and accurate perceptions, particularly of what may be coming, but that we ourselves may not believe it, or those it would be necessary to cooperate with might not. This disbelief may be emotional (we can’t accept the reality of things, as it contradicts something we hold dear), or resistance may be masquerading as an intuition, as more accurate than the vision or inspiration (Pisces) we received. Of note, and perhaps relevant to this last bit, Neptune is conjoined the North Node, making it difficult to see what’s around the corner, and/ or to inspire new directions that support ideals or dreams.

The New Moon Sabian symbol is, ‘An Aviator Pursues His Journey, Flying Through Ground-Obscuring Clouds’. That’s a bit hair-raising, considering the recent spate of aviation disasters, and may signal synchronicity, pointing out that we are right in ‘the groove’ of what we might term fated occurrences. Beyond that, there’s the idea that we may be insisting on ‘taking off’ no matter what, despite the fact that we can’t locate firm ground beneath us, can’t see where it’s safe to ‘put down’, or could, as sometimes happens to actual aviators, become disoriented, not knowing ‘which way is up’. All could bring about a ‘crash’ of one kind or another. That’s the nature of an event in Pisces, though: it makes us dream, it gives us hope–and we could really use that, right now–

Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY

Addressing the Individual Experience Within the Universal Truth

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