Choose Your Adventure

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Trees photographed with handheld ICM (intentional camera movement) on Myrstigen hiking trail in winter in Brastad, Lysekil Municipality, Sweden. One photo made with hand-held camera, in a slow movement with a short pause at the beginning for that “double exposure” effect. By W.carter – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127635920

Or is it that adventures, or at least the messages that urge you in an adventurous or discovery-filled direction, choose you? Here are a small number of Word Images that I’m thinking may come up, stand out, or describe a situation in your life, probably through the period between now and the next Full Moon September 17th, which also happens to be a Lunar eclipse.

Carelessness causes a splash of boiling water on one’s ankle. It’s important to note that the ankle belongs to the person wielding the boiling water. Symbolism linked to the ankle includes the personal ability to receive pleasure, a measure of flexibility in the course of life events, the degree of emotional and/ or spiritual stability, and the ability to move forward in life. Boiling water is an element in an extreme state; it’s never meant to come in contact with the physical body. This image suggests to me an extreme state current in one of the ‘ankle areas’ listed above, a situation where we’ve somehow swung way past reasonable and may be in fanatical territory, almost certainly out of an intense positive desire to deal with life events successfully and/ or to have a positive impact on our world. Moderation is key. If the right side of the body is involved, concentrate on material situations, while if the left is involved, look to the spiritual or the unseen.

A group gathers for a drink, congratulating themselves on something they haven’t done yet. It’s more than the cart before the horse, here: it’s an unwillingness to acknowledge reality. When we are living so far in the future that we believe we’ve accomplished what we’ve yet to really start, we’re in deep trouble, and unlikely to know it. Are you seeing this around you, or are you part of such a group? Your vantage point will tell you whether you actually need to ‘wake up’ yourself, or whether you are an observer who may want to reflect reality back to those who’ve lost their real-world anchor.

A long delayed artistic project is on the verge of completion, and you suddenly find yourself questioning its worth or beauty. If you are a normal human Being, then you have some Self-doubts–that’s to be expected. Is that small voice inside criticizing your choices, questioning your talent, or simply insisting your creation (or you) aren’t ‘good enough’ to be presented to the world? I could say, Ignore that voice, but that’s not an easy or realistic thing to do, so I would instead advise shifting your perspective: realize that after a certain point, artistic creations take on a life of their own, beyond what their creator intended, and probably beyond what that creator is able to fully control. That means that the creation takes on a kind of right to exist that it didn’t have in the early stages, and that ‘right’ allows the creator to step back a bit emotionally and recognize that completion is required for the object or project itself, as a way to honor its evolution from idea to manifestation. With that step back the whole thing stops being so personal, and so allows us to stop trying to impose our internalized criticisms, judgments, and fears onto it. It goes from ‘it will be’ (when we have complete control and responsibility for achieving) to ‘it is’, when we are no longer birthing it, but now for the most part simply observing and appreciating it, as a creation very much separate from ourselves.

A ‘Your Speed Is’ sign goes up on a street where the speed bumps make it very hard to go too fast. What gives, when someone is implying a condition or behavior that really doesn’t exist? It sounds to me like an excuse to exert control over others for their imagined slights or misbehaviors. Is there someone in your life who is insisting that rules or restrictions must be in place, despite the lack of need for them? This is the kind of effort that occurs when someone is trying to gain a preemptive sense of authority in areas where they really should hold none at all. Look to the natal House where Saturn is currently transiting (Pisces) for clues as to who might be trying to exert more control than is appropriate (and is likely trying to obscure, distract, or outright hide those efforts, using the Piscean energy). In the 1st you might be too hard on yourself or your body, in the 2nd those with a say in financial matters or talent management may be involved, in the 3rd siblings or neighbors, in the 4th your family, in the 5th your creative efforts or your children or gambles taken, in the 6th health or work colleagues, 7th with the spouse or the public at large, 8th shared assets or inherited matters and those who handle them, the 9th in laws, teachers, or religious leaders, 10th the career scene or social order, 11th with friends or groups to which you belong, in 12th large institutions or the Collective or even the Universe itself.

You want to exchange all the furniture between two rooms, fundamentally changing the use of each, and it’s a big job. This is about using your space (whether that’s your actual surroundings, the atmosphere around you, or your mental, emotional, or creative space, external or internal) however you want, and not because someone long ago decided a particular ‘room’ had to be a dining room or a living room or a bedroom, even when that doesn’t fit your needs. To follow one’s own course may seem overwhelming, especially if those around you aren’t into how you’d like to alter things, but this large effort is doable, with patience and persistence. Just follow that old saw about eating an elephant: you do it one bite at a time.

Painting By Amrita Sher-Gil ‘Two Elephants’ 1940 {{PD}}

Full Moon 19 August 2024 The Tree of Life

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‘Cypress Trees, Carmel’ By Mary DeNeale Morgan {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 11:26 AM PDT at 27 Aquarius 15, with the Sun/ Moon-Earth axis balanced on the fulcrum of the very close square to Uranus in Taurus. Meaning comes almost exclusively from the Moon’s location in Aquarius, its relationship to Uranus, and its status as the Lunar orb at maximum; it cannot get any bigger, any more ‘complete’, and neither can the matter of freedom, anarchy, academics, independence, innovation, invention, originality, leadership, or group participation that sits before us. Involved is some life area, signified by the House of the natal chart where the Full Moon occurs, where we’re ahead of the pack, where we’re trying to modernize, where we’re trying to apply Higher Mind concepts, where spirit guides us not as a nebulous ideal but as a ‘new’ principle, one that we embrace with our mind and aim for.

This is a remarkably conscious energy for the Moon to carry, and as such may make us feel uncomfortable, as if we’re missing some emotional realization we’re sensing we should be having. In actuality, this Full Moon acts as the point of emotional enlightenment related to the new beginning in thought seeded at the Inferior Conjunction just the day before, on the 18th. That means revelation is achieved as we consider matters and consciously make choices–but of course this happens with the awareness that Mercury is still retrograde, so that our feeling nature needs to be used for decision-making at least as much as our mind–and so we welcome the Moon in Aquarius, that aids the thought processes, enhancing them with significant emotional realizations and bolstering or discouraging our thinking with active intuition.

Are we as open to the feeling messages, and to the Aquarian form revelation takes, as we need to be? It all depends on our relationship to Uranian energies. The good thing is that Uranus is currently moving through Taurus, grounding the lightning-quick insights and shocking reveals by giving them material components, expression through circumstances in our surroundings and in our comfort, security, asset situation, sustenance, and survival. If we’re unsure of the ‘message’, all we have to do is inspect the landscape and the way the present atmosphere makes us feel, and all will be clear. The square to Moon ruler Uranus suggests these messages via the material must be filtered through and interpreted by the personal conscious mind (Sun in Leo, Moon in Aquarius) and balanced with our ‘read’ of our surroundings and the feelings these stir and the insights these deliver (Moon and Earth in Aquarius).

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Tree Felled And Sawed To Ensure A Supply Of Wood For The Winter’. This implies what happens prepares for the future–even if it doesn’t seem to. Framing what occurs with future repercussions in mind would be smart, and may change our idea of what we’re seeing. The Sabian for the Sun, source of the Full Moon’s light, is, ‘Many Little Birds On A Limb Of A Big Tree’. Interesting that both images involve trees; they push up out of the ground like living extensions of the Earth itself. What lights on us, in our minds and hearts, at this time may seem minor, but these will be ‘living’ matters, things we must respect and allow the freedom to develop, even to ‘carry the message’. ‘A little birdy told me so’ may not be so far from the way revelation arrives with this Moon, but in no case should something small be dismissed as something irrelevant.

Have a wonderful, safe, and happy Full Moon, my friends!

Current Snapshot: 13-16 August 2024 Mad Mad World

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Earthrise Over Compton Crater NASA {{PD}}

The Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Gemini is the headliner–but it may not bring the impact we anticipate, since it could consist of Big Talk about action, rather than actions themselves. Is that a bad thing? No–it may be a useful exercise in floating options and measuring reaction to them in ourselves and others. Action is less likely than talk simply because ruler of Gemini, Mercury, is currently retrograde at 0 Virgo, suggesting that the inner consciousness is busy trying to organize, trying to account for our own methodology and internal logic. Pluto in Aquarius is quincunx that Mercury, stirring up the depths; it’s why we keep obsessively going back to mull over certain thoughts, certain situations, and it may be the engine that keeps us trying new solutions that we think will solve old problems; our success rate will directly reflect how accurately we perceive the issue in the first place (Uranus sextile Neptune, the latter at 29 tortured degrees, reaching the limits of both imagination and illusion/ delusion).

There’s a willingness to trot things (especially things we see as facts) out in public, making it easier than usual to see and consider the potential impact of what people think if they try to make these things a reality; too, this period can act as a compass, pointing each individual toward what matters to them, and making that clear to those around them. Our communications are useful sources of information, beyond the words: what we focus on, what we accept as real, factual, logical, will shape how we see the world, and so respond to it.

The Mars-Jupiter duo is square Saturn in Pisces, which offers two possible effects, one suppressing Mars-Jupiter (so probably keeping matters in the talk-speculation arena), or making an almost magical effect that manifests almost as soon as something is expressed, a ‘speak (or think it) and it becomes so’ formula. Saturn in Pisces can put a glamorous sheen on reality, and suggests creative responses to the ideas put forth by Mars-Jupiter. Making the ideal real, though, carries a possibility that we get what we want, but that it has effects we either didn’t consider or didn’t believe might come to pass. Ask for what you want, but think it through, as you just might get it.

By the 14th the most notable change is that the Leo Sun is close to perfecting trine to Chiron in Aries. It’s like both our pain and our most unique skills are put under a spotlight. If you can do something about what causes you pain, then do it, but don’t waste what could be a glorious expression of your abilities by staring too much at your wounds.

The 15th sees that retro Mercury move back into 29 degrees of Leo–and the caterwauling of the individual who believes they haven’t received due attention may be deafening. For the rest of us, this may bring a moment or three of displacement, of feeling like we’re not who we think we are. It’s all part of the Mercury retro cycle’s gift of returning our attention to what we should be reconsidering, namely, ourselves, this time around.

By the 16th Mars is starting to pull away from Jupiter, giving us more realistic perspective on our own actions and choices, and Mercury retro moves out of the 29th degree, de-stressing Self-reflection, taking it from our stressful imaginings (quincunx Neptune) to the realm of genuine surprises, not all of which will be positive (square Uranus in Taurus) but at least some of which will answer our questions about the availability of resources, our own comfort with current circumstances, and what we can do to feel more secure in this mad mad world.

Mercury Retrograde 5 August 2024 Living With Uncertainty

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Bangasayusang, semi-seated contemplative Maitreya probably from Silla, circa early 7th century. Height: 93.5 cm. National Museum of Korea Korea Open Government License Type I: Attribution.

Mercury began its apparent backtracking motion earlier today at 4 Virgo 05–so what should we expect? This retrograde starts in an Earth sign, one that’s ruled by Mercury itself, one that is focused on thought processes, language, comprehension, mental perceptions, the harvest/ results of efforts, and keeping careful track of these (Virgo). Add to this those things Mercury stands for: quickness, facility with thought and language, on-a-dime changeability, communication, contracts and agreements, and then focus difficulties with or withdrawal of forward progress in these matters through the lens of the natal House where the retrograde occurs. We must also look to Houses ruled by Mercury (Virgo and Gemini) and any aspects transiting retrograde Mercury makes to natal placements. That’s the formula for understanding the personal picture–but there are some general things that apply to the cycle no matter what House it occurs in with the natal chart, or what things it aspects for you personally.

Mercury starts retro motion poised to meet Venus, which has just entered Virgo; they’re already close enough to be considered in contact, and that paints a particular picture, one where we may try very hard to apply the mental faculties to relationship and/ or asset-related matters but find that either the mind is a distracting chatterbox that won’t let us focus, or that we can’t seem to form a clear thought at all. Mercury in Virgo asks us to make an accounting, to keep track, to know where we stand, to know who is entitled to what, and is dedicated to keeping both the facts and the results of our labor distributed accurately–but along comes the retro and we lose our mental grip–and though it’s uncomfortable, it’s supposed to happen. We are meant during a Mercury retro to stop relying so heavily on cognitive functions and open ourselves temporarily to the senses and the feeling nature to gain information.

The Moon will move over Merc just hours after retro, injecting a spark of intuitive insight or information delivered through the emotions, just the kind of thing a retro is meant to bring about. Note how this feels, and use that feeling throughout the retro time; taking a feeling-centered approach will provide your best and most accurate sources of both info and understanding, until Merc goes direct, on the 28th.

The next contact will be a quincunx to Pluto, itself retrograde at the moment. That likely delivers an urge to dig, overturn, reform, resurrect, or stirs our impulse to transform, and this is probably something we’ve either been contemplating through Higher Mind or involves radical alteration or ahead-of-the-pack innovation or creation (Aquarius). These aspects kick off our Mercury in Virgo retro experience, which overall will ask us to review material matters by asking ourselves: what do I have, and what do I think I should have? With both Venus and Pluto involved in the retrograde point, we shouldn’t be surprised that this question will be asked in relation not just to assets and their distribution (Venus, Virgo) but to relationships (Venus) and to big energies of permanent change (Pluto). We could, by the end of the cycle, discover we’ve made up our minds about what (or who) must go, about what must be eliminated, for our own good.

We should note that Mercury will pass back into Leo, where it will quincunx Neptune and then meet the Sun in Inferior Conjunction (the 18th), while at the same time as this latter aspect square Uranus. Moving back into Leo brings the focus back to ourselves as individuals, and asks: who do we think we are? and what do we think we’re good at? The contact to a 29 degree planet of creativity and delusion (Neptune)may be especially stressful, ramping up the feeling both that ‘something’s wrong’ and that we are out of control or unable to receive any info accurately. Again, this is a perception, not necessarily a reality. The Inferior Conjunction marks a point in time where new things are born–in this case, likely new ideas about who we are (Leo)–and the square to Uranus adds the element of surprise, the influence of chaos, or a shock, possibly related to our role within the larger group.

In just over three weeks (the 28th) Mercury will resume forward motion–but that’s the thing: it doesn’t really move backwards at all, it just looks that way from our vantage point on Earth. When the retro occurs we think (Mercury) things are suddenly different, that Mercury-related things don’t work right, are uncooperative, or can’t be fathomed by our mysteriously addled thought processes–and certainly, the feedback we get during the retro reinforces this; the mistake would be to think these things are happening outside ourselves. They are perceptual, and that means they are distortions of the norm, specifically meant to make us pause and re-think, to access and use the feeling nature and the intuition (which in too many of us are neglected, or spurned in favor of more tangible info, even, and particularly, when those feelings contradict what seem to be the facts before us), and access to the intuitive and feeling is spurred by the fact that how we typically process and judge information just isn’t working. That’s the gift of Mercury retro: it slows us down and realigns the ways we take in information. Relying too much on any one thing to process life events, our choices, our needs (the mind, the intuition, the feelings, what others tell us) will hobble the perceptual abilities overall. The Mercury retro helps us break out of those constrictions we assign ourselves. Relax, embrace as many ways of gaining input as possible, and accept that it’s likely we’ll have to wait until after direction to draw very many conclusions or make definitive statements. And that’s the way it’s meant to be.

New Moon 4 August 2024 I Am, I Said

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‘The Tight-Rope Walker’ By Jean-Louis Forain c1885 {{PD}}

If you read this title and automatically heard the words that follow this line from an old Neil Diamond song (‘I am I said/ to no one there’) then you’ve just grasped the essence of this Leo New Moon: we may end up feeling like we’re shouting into the Void, or at the crowd, or we may simply realize we are speaking, putting out info, sharing ourselves, to an empty room. The New Moon forms on the 4th at 4:12 AM PDT at 12 Leo 33. It doesn’t make a lot of aspects; that emphasizes the sense of Leo as a singular energy, one that sees the Self as spreading out into the Universe, with the Universe reflecting the Self, rather than the individual reflecting the Universe. The Leo energy glories in expression of the unique sensibilities, aware that its opposite (Aquarius) signifies the groups to which one belongs and one’s place in those groups, making for a kind of ‘othering’ of the individual’s obligations to everyone else, freeing Leo New Moon energy to be concerned only with the Self.

It’s important to note that between now and the New Moon, we’re in the Dark period, which calls for its own variation on low-key energy and a more contemplative-than-usual mindset. Rest and relax–not as easily done as it is said, but a good thing to aim for, anyway.

The New Moon prompts us to communicate assertively, to lay out the facts, to broadcast our ideas to the world (NM in wide sextile to Mars and Jupiter, widely conjoined in Gemini) and potentially to act on them–but there are some crisis energies in play right now that could distract, to the point where pronouncements are made but not effectively received by the intended audienceand yet what happens still shapes the future, whether we mean it to or not (NM trine NN/ sextile SN). Mars and Jupiter together in a Mercury-ruled sign could make for a racing mind, exaggerated Will, anger, or appetites, and may inflate our perceptions of the aggression or transgressions of others–we see a bullet coming toward us, propelled by angry words, rather than the tossed pebble it actually is.

What’s worse, our intuitive perceptions, and our experience of our own emotions (Lunar energies), may suffer as the mind (Gemini) insists on inserting itself–and we can’t get away from the ‘me’ focus of the the Leo Moon, which only encourages us to see ourselves as right, even perfect, despite any feedback to the contrary.

The energies in crisis are creative and relationship ones, ones where we are unsure of the value of things, ones where we are either worried that what exists will be destroyed, or that what exists isn’t what we think it is—both valid worries with Venus at 29 degrees of Leo, quincunx Pluto at 00 Aquarius, and quincunx Neptune at 29 Pisces. This draws a Finger of God in the sky; the apex (Venus) centers the effects on interaction, assets, and what we care about, while the base of Neptune sextile Pluto speaks of the power inherent in new knowledge, innovation, invention, or radical events (Pluto in Aquarius) combined with crises in the creative, inventive, spiritual, or in manifestation of the Universe itself (Neptune in Pisces–with this latter, think climate change, experiments or power generation that alters fundamental atomic structure, a shift in the magnetic poles, mutations, changes to the rotation of liquid layers near the Earth’s core, asteroids, comets, and space junk on a collision course with us–you get my drift). I have a totally irrational fear that gravity will stop working, right as I’m climbing a steep tower, counting on that downward pull to center me and keep me in place; this weekend would be just the kind of instance when that fear could come true. We must accept the stressful and inconclusive status of both creative and relationship matters at this time–walking a tightrope is tricky, but if we remain aware that the only way to resolve things is to get to the other side–that’s the beauty of not resolving these matters, right now.

One other thing I’d like to mention that’s not relevant to the Moon picture but will, for some of us, be distinctively, aggressively in the air: Eris and Chiron, conjoined in the latter third of Aries. Irritations and upsets we normally quash, ignore, bury, or otherwise have the Self-control to overlook come popping up, making for a kind of ‘instant anger’, and offering a fiery potential to hurt or be hurt. Try not to let anyone press your buttons if you can.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘An Old Sea Captain Rocking Himself On The Porch Of His Cottage’. This is an image of someone who’s been through the storm, who knows the (sea=emotional) score, and now has retired his full interaction with the world in favor of enjoying a quieter existence. This suggests to me that a peaceful situation would be a smart one to surround ourselves with at this time. It’s not out of defeat, but out of care for our Souls and our own peace of mind, that we can embrace a calmer situation and participate in less assertive engagement–FOMO may try to panic you, or your own ego (Leo) may see a calmer demeanor as uncool, but remember, rest and a lower profile are only temporary, a necessary Self-nurturing that the Leo New Moon can be very good at delivering, once we can accept that gift.

Full Moon 21 July 2024 Landslide

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Landslide Rock, Blue Mountains National Park, Photo By PrimenumbertheorCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

The Full Moon in Capricorn perfects at 3:16 AM PDT of the 21st at 29 Cap 08, poised to conjoin retro Pluto at its place at 00 Aquarius. Any body at 29 degrees is under stress, tense in its last moments in a sign, imparting a feeling that matters of that energy expression related to the sign must be wrapped up or otherwise attended to; with Luna under this stress, then fleeing directly into the arms of the god of the Underworld, we’re likely to see emotions that we’ve been struggling with, ones we’ve restrained, shored up ’til now, that we’ve found boundaries and containers for (Capricorn), suddenly break free, a landslide of feeling we just can’t hold back anymore, and most important, we’ll have to choose to shape these feelings as either expressions of power, or expressions of destruction. Some will see no difference between those two phrases; I offer that expressions of power can be uplifting, making the world a better place, and that even destructive acts can be good: in removing what must go, what has been detrimental, what has claimed our power as its own, which we must now re-claim. The form our Plutonian energy takes will be an intellectual choice, and can be a revolutionary one (Aquarius)–but the key to effectiveness is found in our intent: are we transforming something, resurrecting something missed, or using our strength and influence to build-up and create? or are our efforts driven by one thing, and one thing only: rage?–that’s the question.

Note as with all Full Moons, the Sun is directly opposite in the flat chart, to the minute, in the opposing sign, and so suffers its own stress at 29 Cancer. Where to put my attention and effort? Where to shine the light? we ask ourselves. In this instance the Sun is in Cancer, telling us that what we care about, nurture, call home, consume, or are sensitive to, requires our focus. The Sun’s demands will feel like a distraction from the important emotional work the Moon and Pluto are setting in front of us–but what we choose to spotlight will have an enormous effect on our emotional and power expressions–and can act as a conduit for those feelings, as well. Where, among those Cancerian subjects, do you spot the landslide? That’s the middle-of-the-night question that keeps you up, especially if you dwell in the Americas–everywhere else, it may seem slightly less stressful, as it’ll receive the bright light of day.

The Full Moon forms a trine to Mars and Uranus, though the first is in Gemini and the second is in Taurus. The effect may be we think assertively or aggressively, putting ourselves first in the equation, communicating our ‘I Am’ to others, but we shouldn’t underestimate how spontaneous, highly original, or even revolutionary matters around security, stability, prosperity, and comfort (Taurus) can massively influence those fledgling (Mars at 00 Gemini) thoughts and assertions about the Self. If we’re open, the feedback we receive on those ‘I Am’ and ‘I want’ statements can be a valuable orientation for us to the reality picture.

The Full Moon also sextiles a 29 degree Neptune; well that’s discouraging. We may struggle to understand or even get a clear picture of what we’re dealing with–that’s where faith in the Collective to help steer us (Pisces, and our own Neptunian ideals) comes in. Jupiter in Gemini is roughly sesquiquadrate the Full Moon, again asking what we have faith in, and offering illumination of where our faith should be placed, through difficult emotional reactions and circumstances triggered by this Full Moon event. Pay attention to what sets you off–that will tell you where you need the support, company, and spiritual sustenance of others.

Some notable contacts to other bodies include a wide square made by the Full Moon to Eris in Aries (which, when we include the Sun, forms a Cardinal T-square)=let’s put it this way: don’t let anyone push your buttons. Though the irritating matter that surfaces may have long needed airing, it’s not the time–addressing it will only be a distraction–and the ‘fix’ probably won’t stick. Quincunx the Full Moon is a convention of Orpheus, Dionysus, and Karma at 28/29 Gemini=that’s quite a ‘party’, involving a trip to the Underworld (one where the goal is lost through lack of restraint), indulgence of the appetites, and delivery of some earned situation or factors, good or ill, stemming from the past. This screams ‘Proceed With Caution!’ What may seem a chance to blow off steam, to ‘live a little’, could bring loss and a comeuppance (for some reason, that seems like the right term!) We may think we can get away with overdoing it (Jupiter in Gemini)–we can’t, and the results are served up immediately–so beware.

Sisyphus is square the Full Moon from Libra=it may seem a pointless exercise, trying to make headway with others/ partners; put the focus back on yourself, and bypass a lot of frustration and wasted effort. Only those who are good and ready will help you push that boulder up the mountain–and you trying to make it happen won’t speed it along at all. And Kassandra sits conjoined the Full Moon–oh no! Do you remember this story? Apollo took a shine to Kassandra, a beautiful mortal, and gave her the gift of prophecy. She didn’t succumb to his attentions, though, and the god was furious. What a god gives, they can’t take away, so instead Apollo made it so that Kassandra would indeed prognosticate truthfully–and not be believed. This suggests that the emotional landslide we experience will show us some truths, particularly the kind that tell us what our future will be, without change or intervention–and we will be unable to believe the message–not surprising when we remember that 29 degree Neptune is essentially exerting the same influence, but also providing ameliorating advice: faith in the Universe, to steer us correctly. We just have to be willing to be stripped of our illusions. Look back to the emotions of the Full Moon–connect with them, and you’ll connect with Truth, via acceptance of one’s power (Pluto)–and we’re back to where we began, in trying to get Luna and Pluto to work together.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun, giver of life and source of the reflected light of the Full Moon, is, ‘A Daughter Of The American Revolution’. This suggests both a newness, a freshness of purpose within one’s Being, at this time, and that our lives have been shaped by trying to break free, form a better way to govern ourselves and to engage with others, to create a better atmosphere, full of opportunity. No one’s saying the methodology or the resulting nation/ person is flawless, but this image says that the environment that formed us gave us a certain energy and good intent with which to pursue our lives, an ideal of equality and justice–just appreciate that, and give yourself credit for both positive intentions and genuinely kind efforts to make the world a better place.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Secret Meeting Of Men Responsible For Executive Decisions In World Affairs’. This is the kind of image that we may picture when we’re thinking about events and their impact, that only people already holding a great deal of power can make a dent in things–that is, we think our smaller actions made in smaller arenas don’t really matter. The reality is, they not only matter, they can have a far greater impact than we know. Quit falling for the appearance of power–connect with the immense potentials you carry, and know you are as powerful as anyone else on the planet.

What We Should Fear

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‘Third of May 1808’ By Francisco Goya {{PD}}

Should we be afraid of the Mars-Uranus conjunction in Taurus, perfecting tomorrow and lasting roughly through the 23rd? No, of course not–these energies are your friends, one fueling the engine of accomplishment and action, the other connecting us to Higher Mind, spontaneity, invention, and an appreciation for the unique. True, when they come together we may find a crackling electricity in the air, an inclination to impulsivity driven by ego, rather than reason–but the key to not succumbing to a chaotic, Self-aggrandizing thrust of the I AM out into the world is to give both these energies a say in expression, but not allow either to drive it, dominate it, or use Self-expression as a channel for anger, spite, or the urge to spoil things for the group. If we give in to their baser forms, we run the risk of havng them attack each other, making the outer expression match a battle within (likely between expressing anger and maintaining control–because we literally can’t show genuine anger without showing passion–and everyone knows, passion does not color within the lines.

We must acknowledge ourselves, our Will, and the need to feel respected and heard (Oh! does Aries need to be heard–the ears and mouth are, after all, located on the head, which Aries energy describes and Mars rules). Each of us deserves validation as a unique and inventive individual, vis a vis the group, which can swallow identity in favor of tribal labels; when Mars and Uranus meet we need to find and act on our individuality, our absolute distinctness, even as we refuse to go to war with the wider world–for that, too, is a Martian impulse, and Uranus’ leanings to chaos-as-expression can seem quite appropriate, until we see that using our energy to foster discord and disorder, while it may temporarily blow off steam, serves nothing and no one, as eventually we find we still need to do something about ‘it’, and also need to clean up the mess we’ve made, as well.

Much has been made of this conjunction’s place on fixed star Algol. One thing we need to remember about the Fixed Stars is that their meanings stem from a time when the only people who had their horoscopes drawn were Kings, and at the time, the King was effectively representative of the country; his fate was the nation’s. Algol is shown as a severed head, the name derived from the Arabic ‘Al Ghoul’, demon or evil entity (from the same root as ‘alcohol’, apparently), and the general meaning has been one of indicating circumstances under which one may ‘lose one’s head’–so the impulsivity and Self-serving nature of giving in to one’s ego or to chaos as a means of expression that is suggested by Mars-Uranus could find specific meaning here–that is, if one indulges in Mars-Uranus blindly, one may indeed lose one’s head, meaning going massively, destructively, overboard.

Algol’s inclusion in the conjunction is fortuitous, I think, as it calls our attention to how dangerous indulging in anger, vengeance, and erratic behavior really can be; losing one’s head doesn’t just mean losing control, but losing reason, perspective, and even dignity. It doesn’t help that this conjunction occurs sextile 29 degree Neptune, suggesting great difficulty seeing matters that enrage or cause chaos clearly. In a week we have a Full Moon at 29 tense degrees of Capricorn, trine the still, at that point, extant contact. The implication is that we’ll try mightily to put something ‘to bed’, under wraps, secured with Capricornian boundaries and limits–and that it probably won’t work.

So what should we be afraid of? Our own desire to lash out, for vengeance, to indulge any thought that cloaks itself in righteous indignation or in revolutionary garb–for though the revolution won’t be televised, it won’t bring anything good if the only impulse is one that’s out for blood, rather than to enact true, Higher Mind ideals.

New Moon 5 July 2024 Your Personal Banquet

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By Lucas Cranach the Elder and Workshop 1539 {{PD}}

The New Moon forms at 14 Cancer 2 at 3:57 PM PDT of the 5th, both Sun and Moon ostensibly on their way to meeting Venus, roughly 8.5 degrees ahead in Cancer. Within hours Luna will perfect conjunction to the goddess, but the Sun chases and chases her yet never arrives, their next meeting months away. So, can they be considered conjoined Venus for the purposes of understanding the New Moon? My vote is: yes and no.

A New Moon in Cancer is about discovering what we care for–but what comes is twofold: Luna meets Venus, reflecting back to us the emotional meanings behind relationships, assets, and issues of fairness or equity; but Sol doesn’t complete contact anytime near this New Moon, suggesting that we focus our attention on Venusian matters (Love, finances, who has what, with whom to partner) and yet we are distracted from realities by the pure feeling of Luna and Venus meeting. That is, we want to see Venus’ subjects in a clear, realistic light, but find our emotions overwhelm and even obscure the ‘What Is’ picture. The feeling nature overtakes and swamps our connection to the objective state of things, and so keeps us from applying mind adeptly to material matters (which it seems that we can, encouraged by the Sun’s rulership of Mercury, currently in Leo). We want to be rational, to use the mind to decide what we care about–but our intuitive and feeling nature has other plans, and the placement of Mercury (the mind) in Leo says we are likely to tailor our perceptions and thoughts to things that serve our ego or paint us in a positive, shining light–that’s not a bad thing, just one that may skew our interpretations and conclusions.

The answer, I think, is to see with feeling, to use the intuitive and emotional as senses, as information collectors–like we typically have to do during a Mercury retrograde (maybe this is practice for the next retro period, in August, in Virgo and back into Sun-ruled Leo, mimicking the clear sight vs. feeling conundrum we’re facing now). We must put out feelers, read the room, trust the intuition, trust ourselves, but still maintain a sense that the mind is not really equipped right now to put what we perceive into words–so that the more generally and nebulously and calmly we incorporate what we ‘know’ into the psyche, the more successful we’ll be at choosing and acting correctly, without surrendering to the ego traps the mentality might present at this time.

The New Moon is in wide sextile and trine, respectively, to Mars and Saturn, which are themselves in a close sextile. This adds stability to the emotional perceptions as we cross-check our feelings with the reality picture (how closely does this adhere to our idea of the ideal–Saturn in Pisces), and tells us to act with that same sense of connection to the reality picture and to the comfort and stability of the material–if it enhances our security, our enjoyment, our well-being, then it’s the right choice (Mars in Taurus).

The New Moon also forms a Cardinal T-square with the Nodal axis; think of this as offering an energy lightning rod, the actions (Cardinal) that connect past and future (Nodes) prompted by the feeling picture of the Now (New Moon). Add to this that Ceres opposes the New Moon from Capricorn, and we suddenly have a Cardinal Cross, with the bonus placement of asteroid Hades conjoined the New Moon. Ceres introduces the concepts of autonomy, responsibility, and our relationship to the natural world to the feeling perceptions of the New Moon–with our feelings juxtaposed this, we learn how suited our personal authority is to the world in which we operate–and Hades paired with the New Moon may have a special message for us: we make our own hell, perhaps by allowing feelings to dictate too much (or for some, too little). Balance, then, between our personal responsibility (Ceres) and the indulgence of our own preferences and feelings (NM conj Hades) is very likely the thing we must achieve.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘In A Sumptuous Dining Hall Guests Relax After Partaking Of A Huge Banquet’. This brings to mind a quote from an old stage play: “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” This suggests this Moon’s offering can clue us in to where our emotional abundance can be found. Do we really know where the potential satisfactions, the banquet in our own life, lies? Use our New Moon feelings to find it and partake; that’s what it’s there for.

Current Conditions: Digging It Up, Sorting It Out, and the Yardstick of the Past

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Laokoon By Adriaan Korteweg 1914 {{PD}}

Just a couple of things to note in what feels like a kind of intermission, its ending signaled by the Saturn retrograde on the 29th, and the Neptune turnaround on July 1st. Until then a retro Pluto in early Aquarius prompts us to dig into the imagination and the possibilities of what could be, in an attempt to answer the stress inherent in a 29 degree Neptune, while Pluto’s trine to the 29 degree Black Moon Lilith point makes us fearless in digging through material we at other times would resolutely ignore, particularly in that we’ll apply a critical eye, making accountability of ourselves and others a focus.

This is all good–a kind of housekeeping, if you will–and this may spur the action engendered by a Cardinal T-square with Venus in Cancer squaring the Nodal axis=we act or choose according to what we care about, what we are invested in, especially those things that matter to the asset picture or the relationship one; be aware that these decisions arise out of the past, and form the future, essential to remember and certainly influential in what we choose–we’re not pouring our efforts into a vacuum–there’s already a landscape that offers circumstances we must respond to–and our awareness that what we do now really does shape what happens next will be a useful guide when the options lie before us.

That Venus in Cancer is also sextile Mars in Taurus, uniting our emotional needs with a willingness to attend to material matters and emphasizing the necessity of those things that comfort, reassure, and make for a sense of security. And of course this means that Mars is quincunx the South Node, offering a highly valuable perspective: the past as measure, offering insight into the way our actions may play out, and on the repercussions they are likely to have, as hinted at by what we’ve created by our choices before.

And what of the apparent retrogrades of Saturn and Neptune? They’re ‘heavies’, slow-moving planets that typically exert a background energy, and particularly in the case of Saturn, may have different influences on individuals, likely based on the natal status of the planet, where the transiting energy is traversing by House, and what it contacts in the natal chart.

If Saturn is retrograde natally, its transiting retrograde may place us back in a more familiar constructive territory–direct may feel incomprehensible, as we struggle to understand realities and the system that contains them; things may be too restrictive when it’s direct, too straightforward–with Saturn’s characteristic energy (as defined by its natal situation) having the chance to bloom on retrograde for the retrograde natal Saturn. For those with direct natal Saturns, a retro transiting Saturn can skew the sense of reality, with both barriers and things we count on potentially withdrawn, and matters that were making steady progress coming to an abrupt, and possibly permanent, halt. We find ourselves suddenly hemmed in, turned away, blocked, and at least initially, unable to see a way around. The ground slips out from under us, and there’s nothing to be done, not until things change.

Neptune’s turnaround can bring what we were sure of just a moment before into question; suddenly we’re suspicious that there’s something we’re missing, not understanding, or being deceived about, or, something really is hidden or we really are being deceived or mislead. It may be tougher to sort illusions from realities and especially real potentials, and ideals could be gently shaken. Neptune puts a veil over what we most desire to see clearly in the areas of the House being transited, those things Neptune rules in our chart, and in things connected to natal Neptunian perceptions. Whether it’s direct or retrograde in the natal chart seems to matter less with this planet, as it deals so much with what’s nebulous, imagined, possible, or illusory anyway; retrograde periods are likely to shift what about and where we’re feeling its influence, and on the positive side, could bring inspirations and apply creative energies to areas we aren’t natally inclined to see them applied in.

Oh! And there’s this: the July Full Moon falls on the 21st at 29 tense degrees of Capricorn, conjoined Pluto and coinciding with Mars’ entry into Gemini. Mark your calendars. I’m anticipating the status quo and/ or various systems at a bursting point, one that reaches for power with aggressively persuasive words–something along the lines of ‘we must unite those who think alike (us vs them), because if we don’t, they will obliterate you, take your power, destroy what you count on for support–so give your power to us’. By status quo I mean what exists that has been in the process of trying to garner our power–and at this point may try to do so through fear. Beware with whom you network/ unite/ emotionally respond to–if they ask for your support but don’t offer anything but frightening words and encourage extremist behavior against ‘them’, then they are definitely not the ones to follow. Use your own power to think it through (Pluto in Aquarius).

We have a Daily Word Image today: walking a path, a small, agile snake crosses in front of you in an ‘s’ pattern and disappears into the foliage. Something crossing one’s path is typically an opportunity–but then again, if it’s a black cat . . . and ‘crossing paths with’ something or someone is generally considered confrontational, though it can also suggest a fated encounter. And, a snake can represent knowledge (especially knowledge gained through autonomous, assertive, or defiant behavior), the kind that opens one’s eyes, or deceit (‘snake in the grass’). I think the meaning all depends on how the image itself strikes you; for me, I was struck by how young and small the snake was. It made me think of something just started, fledgling, that I needed to put on my radar before it slipped away, something I needed to know, or maybe something that could ‘get by’ me and grow into something larger (and potentially threatening). I’d love to hear what the image means to you in the comments.

Full Moon in Capricorn 21 June 2024 Emotions Light the Way

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Sky lanterns, Château de Montsoreau-Museum of contemporary art, Loire Valley, France Photo By Suavemarimagno
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

The Full Moon perfects at 6:08 PM PDT on the 21st at 1 Capricorn 07 as part of a compelling Grand Cross of Sun conjoined Chaos and Venus opposed Earth and Moon, squared by 29 degree Neptune in Pisces conjoined Circe in Aries, opposed by the Black Moon Lilith point at 29 Virgo. The Sun-Moon axis is Cardinal; the Neptune-BML axis is Mutable. Usually a Cross has four arms located in the same modality, which means that when one arm is activated they’re all activated, with each arm mobilizing according to that single modality, making for 4-reactions-at-once scenarios, and so typically linking all factors of the Cross through similar character or style of expression.

In the Grand Cross formed at the time of this Full Moon, two modalities are present. That means some of the response will center in taking action (Cardinal) while some, occurring at the same time, will be fluid, and not necessarily manifesting in outward effort or change, but possibly changing ideas or attitudes around what to do and how to pursue and/ or judge things (Mutable). In this case, the implication is that the Sun (the energy to do or achieve, with focus on caring and sensitivity–Cancer) and Moon (emotions around the material and status quo, or that are constrained or otherwise limiting or disciplined–Capricorn) drive action (Cardinal placements), and that those Solar energies are, put simply, chaotic; at the same time this urge to act is offset by crises in creative, imaginative, or misleading energies that prompt change and/ or shifts in meaning from moment to moment (Neptune in Pisces), as well as expressing in a headstrong and sure manner, a ‘must have my way’ energy (Circe conjoined Neptune from her place in Aries), and crises in discernment and accountability that must underlie choices/ impulses that acknowledge matters we’ve swept under the rug or ignored, until now (Black Moon Lilith in Virgo).

Current influences create a pressure-cooker that compels action that must take into account our need to express as creators and requires that we use our most sophisticated tastes and judgment when doing so–and yet we do so surrounded by or generating some sort of anarchy. It isn’t easy to act or make choices while inspiration and the creative urge shift and flow, and things we’ve ignored or denied refuse to remain buried. It’s also notable that the Solar energy that drives everything is characterized by action that arises from caring, and that this is, in some way, without organization or discernible boundaries, perhaps making what we’re doing unrecognizable, either in intent or the realization that we are the engine driving developments. That’s a lot to sort through at one time, and may be especially difficult because each impulse interacts and combines with all the others.

The Full Moon is also opposed Venus, taking that chaotic and caring energy and aiming it at relationships, the partner, and/ or assets, resources, or sources of income. The presence of Black Moon Lilith and Neptune in the equation suggests we might not recognize we’re taking aim at or affecting Venusian matters, even as we look right at them (Sun conj Venus). The Full Moon is also semi-sextile Pluto and quincunx Vesta, warning us that a delicate balance between exercising our own power, dealing with the power of others, and maintaining our allegiance to and support of those things we find sacred and cherish must be achieved.

What should we make of all this? Aside from being aware that we might not be aware (!!!), we find a beneficial clue in the Full Moon’s trine to Hecate. She is the way-shower, that energy that answers our questions and vets our suitability for and readiness for a particular path; in flowing connection with the Full Moon in Capricorn we see that disciplining and containing the emotions might be the way to bring order (at least internal order) from the chaos of conflicting influences and a less-than-clear environment. ‘Feelings as guide’ might be an appropriate mantra, so long as we understand the framework within which those feelings are generated (Is this worth getting angry over? Do I truly understand what’s happening? Why does reality look this way to me, and what could this look like to others?) So, relief and illumination almost certainly rests with our own ability to stay calm in the midst of our surroundings, and the actions and responses of others.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘Three Rose Windows In A Gothic Church, One Damaged By War’. This speaks of how intents expressed through actions are creative, and yet those same energies interacting with each other can inadvertently be destructive. The creative acts involved in conceiving of and creating the windows clash with the destructive act of war, though both are themselves acts of creation: they express the creative energies of human Beings, as one creates Beauty/ Art, one creates conflict–and when those two creative streams interact, destruction is generated simply because it’s the nature of one of those impulses to tear down, obliterate, alter, as part of its very existence, while the other’s nature is simply to exist. Both are generative acts, and it might be worth asking ourselves, ‘Is what I’m creating (in my life) something that just needs to exist, or is my creation such that its nature requires it to alter what’s around it, for good or ill?’

The Sabian for the Sun is, ‘A Man On A Magic Carpet Hovers Over A Large Area Of Land’. Try to get ‘the lay of the land’, to gain an overview, a ‘Big Picture’ perspective, on the current scene–that will definitely keep things in proportion, and our responses on an appropriate scale.

Thank you to all my readers, and have a wonderful Full Moon experience!

Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY

Addressing the Individual Experience Within the Universal Truth

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