An Air Grand Trine has formed, consisting of Venus on her home turf in Libra, Saturn in Aquarius, and Ceres-North Node in Gemini. It’s a little bit like Venus is the hopeful balloon, thinking good thoughts especially about relationships and aesthetic matters, Saturn is the anchor that keeps Venusian optimism connected to both reality and Higher Mind, and Ceres-NN lends thought the authority to lead us confidently in our destined direction. That’s a lot of ‘mind energy’, a lot of ruminating and pondering that won’t be completely conscious–and that’s the thing we need to remain aware of.
For all the overt reasoning and perception that will be going on in this period (and the seemingly super sane and rational way it will appear), we may be faced with influences we didn’t really know were there, until they’re right in front of us. For instance, Venus is sextile Juno by the midpoint of the period, suggesting that our Venusian viewpoint will be confident in its own status and authority–but Venus is also on the move toward perfecting an opposition to Chiron, meaning that despite our good intentions and our Grand Trine inclination toward harmony and balance, the relationship or financial aspect of things may be headed toward hurt, either because we plow forward without enough sensitivity or responsiveness to others (which the circumstances of the GT may encourage), or because we see something in current situations that mirrors old wounds, and react.
Too, there are things that aren’t directly connected to the GT but that are crucial to be aware of, as in the case of the Pluto-Eris square. It’s important chiefly because it’s Cardinal; we can’t hide from that dynamic ‘doing’ energy even if we want to! This means that the Pluto-Eris scenario will be present at the same time (though not necessarily intertwined with) the Grand Trine. So, there’ll be a dynamic situation of conflict, destruction, or serious/ massive change going on while the GT is occupying our minds with other, likely much more personal, ideas. This may create an atmosphere of dissonance, a feeling that ‘I’ve got it together over here, why can’t all those upset people get it together over there?’
And that’s how we may miss the square’s influence in our own lives. That clash is between a rage for Power by one party, and a catalyst energy that’s embodying disharmony already extant but perhaps pushed under the surface, until now, by the other party, and we may be more than a little inclined to believe we’re neither of those entities, that this conflict just doesn’t apply to us. Look more closely: the personal manifestation of this will come as emotional strain (signified by the Full Moon) that is perpetrated via what we ‘know but don’t know’, or by matters that reside in our ‘blind spot’ (both Sedna)–perceptual areas we may try very hard to disown, right now.
Seems like we may have an (overly) emotional scattering of days ahead of us, but I do see at least one way to channel the discord and the ‘living in our heads’ energies effectively: by plunging into the work of the ‘Smart Creative’. That’s the creative thing you know you should do, but are prone to undermine yourself by ignoring. By creative I don’t necessarily mean something in the Arts; that can just as easily apply to anything where you generate and guide the energy to shape, form, or simply do something. It’s about funneling energy from inside you to outside you, into affecting something external, whether that be materials or another human Being (Neptune conj Pallas in Pisces).
55 Cancri e: Skies Sparkle Above a Never-Ending Ocean of Lava. Poster from the NASA Exoplanets Exploration Program’s Exoplanet Travel Bureau {{PD}}
‘Moment’ of crisis isn’t quite right, is it? More like decade–but then again, has there ever truly been a time of no crisis? Even if one’s corner of the world was peaceful, or one’s awareness was truncated, there was still turmoil elsewhere–so no, we’ve never been without that condition. It’s just that this Full Moon falls at 29 Aquarius 36, at 5:01 AM PDT of the 22nd of August–and as we all know, that’s a degree rife with tension. So then we must ask, How will the stress of this culmination affect me?
The answer, of course, is found in how this event interacts with the natal chart, but here we must speak in more general terms–and I don’t mean mundane, worldly ones, but in ways that address the individual. A Full Moon in Aquarius promises ends, peaks, denouements, and final pronouncements or dispensations in matters of the natal House where it falls, and/ or in areas where we are involved with rebellion, with being in the avant garde, in areas that touch on Higher Mind or academics, in our group involvements (especially those that include a question of leadership), in what’s most original about us (and by extension, involving our original thoughts or products), in those life areas where we feel most unique or individual, and in matters of the unexpected, accidental, or of the ‘rare bird’ variety.
And what does that 29 degree placement add? Anticipation to the bursting point. Shock. Anarchy. Surprise. Excitement. Chaos. Or a kind of irrelevance of events or perceptions, as we take an academic approach to something that we need to feel. We may find ourselves floored by an ending we never expected, a mishap that changes everything, a sudden revelation that brings understanding (for understanding is the expression of Aquarian divine nature), a fantastically original idea–or a pervasive idea given a whole new approach. Consider the mind blown.
This time the aspect picture looks like it’s written in code: the Full Moon bodies of Earth-Moon have recently passed over Jupiter, the Earth just a few days before, the Moon a few hours, and they can still be considered conjoined. Immediately we know the FM event or experience will be exaggerated, and/ or that we’ve lately been hit with ‘the facts’ or our belief system has sustained a blow or received a revelation, with these related to a material circumstance (Earth) that we then have an emotional reaction to (the Moon)–and no matter which applies to us, the FM brings the moment of Truth (otherwise known as, you got it, a moment of crisis or opportunity) in terms of what this means to us, what concludes, reaches apex, or stops short, providing an opening for something new.
We also have a pair of squares, one rather wide, to Black Moon Lilith, the other close, to Sedna (and these two can be considered widely, out-of-sign conjoined). What comes with the Full Moon is instinctive knowledge, or ‘blind spot’ material, that we’ve hidden even from ourselves–and the difficult, stressful, or urgent Lunar events bring this to light.
The Full Moon also sesquiquadrates Vesta, suggesting events create a need to adjust or otherwise modify what we honor, what we consider sacred–so this challenges the way in which we frame our world and our priorities. And there’s a quindecile to Mars, a prompt to action, likely that involves actions we don’t want to take, or choices we don’t want to make, or the whole thing is just painful, in terms of what we’ve found/ learned/ discovered, and what we must do about it. With any luck, it’s just a matter of having to go outside our comfort zone–so not so bad, really.
It all sounds no fun, but considering the degree at which the Full Moon forms, the involvement of Sedna and BML, and the way Earth and Moon have just met with Jupiter, we would be wise to realize: 1) what we need or are forced to do at this point is truly necessary, that 2) it’s likely something we’ve put off, consciously or not, and 3) though this may bring disarray or upset, at least initially, it not only needs doing, it will clear the way for a fresh and probably more accurate understanding of and relationship with our world.
The Sabian is a wordy one: ‘Deeply Rooted In The Past Of A Very Ancient Culture, A Spiritual Brotherhood In Which Many Individual Minds Are Merged Into The Glowing Light Of A Unanimous Consciousness Is Revealed To One Who Has Emerged Successfully From His Metamorphosis’. Roughly translated: if you’ve done the work, you graduate at this point to a ‘next level’ of consciousness. Not that it’s an up-and-down hierarchy; it’s more like a giant Cosmic map, with each individual ‘location’ being different, rather than superior or inferior to others. Even if you don’t level up, you are promised like-minded surroundings–or put another way, water seeks its own level, so wherever the Full Moon leaves you, you’ll have company.
The Sabian for the Sun, which generates the light in the first place, is ‘An Unsealed Letter’. Something that had been hidden ‘under seal’ is illuminated. Now we know; we would expect no less, with a Jupiter redolent Full Moon in Aquarius!
In honor of Eris helping us not be run over. ‘A Woman Defends Her Castle’ From Smithfield Decretals [Decretals of Gregory IX] Author: Raymund of Peñafort, editor; Bernard of Parma, glossator France 1300-1340 (text), England circa 1340 (illumination) {{PD}}
So, I thought after yesterday’s explanation of how I see Eris, an example is in order. The current situation with the sitting governor of the state of New York, Andrew Cuomo, involves women speaking up about mistreatment–which seems like an Eris situation, or at least one where she might have something to tell us. How convenient that Cuomo has promised to walk away from the governorship after accusations by at least eleven women of groping, assault, and inappropriate behavior led to a plethora of investigations, a potential impeachment, and (so far) at least one criminal complaint.
As of the 10th’s egregiously Self-serving press conference, the situation has revealed that 1) Cuomo’s made so many enemies during his strong-arm political career that when he needs them he’s without friends, and 2) that in spite of his many excuses, no one’s buying his ‘they moved the line as to what’s acceptable’ reasoning. Touching someone against their Will has always been over the line; Cuomo’s inability to admit he’s wrong is firmly rooted in Self-justification that says, I have the right to do as I please with others–the kind of power statement made by those who both hold power and believe in their own superiority. All his rambling, kitchen-sink speech on resigning the governorship has done is show the world how Cuomo doesn’t grasp that hiding his aggressions behind ‘friendly’ manhandling of both men and women isn’t acceptable–no matter how you characterize it and what you call it.
We have a birth date and place but no time for Cuomo (6 December 1957 ntk Queens New York USA). I drew a noon chart, as this gives us a clear idea of what his Moon situation is–in this case, showing that no matter when he was born, the Moon was in Gemini; this also shows us he was born not long before a Full Moon that will form early hours EST of the following day. No time unfortunately means we have no angles and no Houses, but we can see plenty just from relationships between bodies.
Eris is conjoined Hygeia and Vesta in Aries, and may sextile the Gemini Moon. If the sign in which she sits is any indication (and it is) his Eris may have issues with Will, assertion, and aggression. He may, in a phrase, insist upon himself. This also suggests a focus on ‘Me First’ in areas of health (reasonable) and in what he may commit to and find sacred, the problem with this latter being that, when one believes the decision of what’s sacred, what to respect, is one they are personally granted to make, one doesn’t completely respect anyone or anything else–the viewpoint is instead that they are the final arbiter of every topic and individual’s worth.
Eris’s placement is both a little wide for a quincunx to the North Node, and for a trine to Uranus–only a square to Mercury in Capricorn is in orb, aside from the conjunctions. Mercury in Cap suggests organized, structured, and constructive communications–we saw this in his daily Covid briefings early in the pandemic–but these same briefings also showed a plodding insistence, repetitive expressions, and a notable defensiveness (just think of the nursing home scandals that he managed to, if not bury, certainly dilute their political potency). In square with Eris-Hygeia-Vesta, we see persistent defensiveness over what, and probably how, he communicates, especially in areas of health, commitment, and what should be honored–so with the latter an inclination to reject what the establishment (Cap) thinks is honor-worthy in favor of, again, whatever he decides (Aries).
From what I could find, it appears the press conference began at 11:53 AM EDT 10 August. If that’s even close to accurate, that gives us a Virgo Moon square the natal Sun-Saturn-MC/ Earth-Juno axis, suggesting an emotional point of extreme tension regarding the established professional identity/ reputation and the material empowerment situation, especially the way the fortunes of the material environment ‘turn’, for him, on the empowerment of women. The natal situation with Earth-Juno further suggests that how he treated women he found ‘worthy’ was an integral part of his story–certainly true right now, and perhaps true over and over for him, throughout life.
And what’s transiting Eris doing right now? She’s conjoined his Sedna in Aries, and opposed, only one minute past exact, his natal Jupiter in Libra. aha! Here Eris’s presence may reveal by disturbing the ether, by shaking things up, by seeking justice, as she forces what Cuomo ‘knows but doesn’t know’, his ‘blind spot’ material, out into the open, this only reinforcing the awareness that he really does know what he did was wrong–but that he also allowed himself to continue with this behavior by pretending it wasn’t.
Transiting Eris’s opposition to Jupiter is interesting, if we see it both as his proclivity to push past reasonable boundaries (literally encroaching on others’ personal space) within relationships (Libra), and opportunity, publicity, and popularity, as defined through the public lens. An opposition describes some of what he did in his resignation speech: point the finger of blame at absolutely everyone and everything else, from cultural norms to political enemies to (hold on to your hats for this one) vengeful women.
Currently, transiting Eris is in close semi-sextile to transiting Pallas and square transiting Pluto, suggesting that difficult change, even destruction, stirred up by Eris (remember, she’s a catalyst) contains a certain amount of wisdom. As to the idea that what’s happening is vengeance on the part of the (female) accusers, it’s pretty clear to me it’s not. Transiting Eris is quincunx transiting Venus in this chart, the latter of which was due to be hit by the Moon before it left Virgo, which may at first glance imply this is revenge on the part of the women–but look again: t Eris isn’t contacting his natal Venus, which is at 00 Aquarius, implying a newness for Cuomo in the ‘modern woman’ concept as part of his core perceptions, and t Eris also isn’t in contact with his Ceres at 29 stressful degrees of Cancer, making Ceres a natal out-of-sign opposition to his natal Venus.
That scenario says it was almost inevitable that his reaction to the personal authority and autonomy of women in his life would create problems. Ceres so late in Cancer and under pressure from the modern idea of womanhood (opp to Venus in Aquarius) suggests to me that he’s a bit of a cave man, longing for the days (at least, a time he thinks existed) when women were responsible for nurturing–indeed were required to nurture (and so required to coddle, indulge, and cooperate with) everyone in their sphere. He’s always had trouble treating women Beings as valid in their perceptions and rightfully autonomous as himself; that’s his flaw, not theirs. When we see that transiting Juno is trine his Eris, and transiting Mars is quincunx it, we get the message that it’s his own assertive actions, his own choices, that have put him in this uncomfortable position (the quincunx), and that transiting Juno in Sagittarius has been stirred to speak up for herself, to take her own power back by broadcasting exactly what happened, by getting the facts out into the open.
And to those who say, why didn’t those women speak up sooner? I have to answer: if you’re asking that question, then you’re either oblivious to the system we live in (one in which it’s an uphill battle for women to be taken seriously, to be believed, even after Me Too), or oblivious to the massive power imbalance that made Cuomo, like so many other men, feel it’s their right and privilege to take what they want.
‘Study at a Reading Desk’ By Frederic Leighton 1877 {{PD}}
The New Moon forms at 16 Leo 14 at 6:50 AM PDT on the 8th, and I want to call this a ‘looking back’ Moon (with the exception of one thing I’ll mention last). We keep our usual tight orb and get a very succinct picture: the NM makes a square to Uranus, and a wide trine to Chiron, and nothing else. Both aspects are separating–and that places them in the past. The scenario is of a recent material surprise, group choice, or sudden shift or erratic choice that affects surroundings, comfort level, or asset situation, upsetting, real-world shock, environmental revelation, rebellion, or Higher Mind conclusion, or some combination of these that shook up the scene, and this is either wounding or arose from your own responses to wounds–and the New Moon now delivers a kind of answer to this, in the form of how you as an individual ‘light’ should proceed.
Leo requires you shine–but what does that mean for each of us? The place to let yourself glow out into the social order is outlined by the natal House where this New Moon occurs. Subjects found here tell you where your particular brand of ‘me-ness’ is needed, and welcomed, with the New Moon instruction one of ‘go forth and dazzle!’ Doing so offers healing–though there’s a caveat: we must do our thing, take our light out from under the proverbial bushel for all the world to see, most likely without immediately seeing where and how the healing occurs. We don’t have to take this step on blind faith so much as by having faith that what we do matters, is important, and is a contribution to the good. So, act on matters of the House where the New Moon falls with some confidence, knowing that action here is a necessary part to the healing formula.
I want to point out two other things that are happening at the same time as the New Moon that are likely to figure in: a still extant square between Sedna and Jupiter–this suggesting lingering and significant conflicts between our own inner perceptions and instincts and the public/ wider world and/ or ‘the facts’–and a Finger of God with a base of Pallas sextile Pluto, apex in just a day or two Mercury, this latter with the Moon in just three days, and the Sun in nine days, following behind and filling in, each in turn, the Finger’s apex. This suggests a kind of flow into the future of the New Moon energies as they follow in the wake of wisdom (Pallas) plus change (Pluto) creating a firm, possibly ‘new’, idea (Mercury) of who you are (Leo). Then the Moon comes along and offers emotional illumination of the change that has occurred; the Sun brings the final reveal, a kind of spotlight moment that shows you the real state of your own intentions, and Soul, as it has been shaped by the recent string of events.
The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Volunteer Church Choir Singing Religious Hymns’. This emphasizes the group facet of Uranus, probably signalling that what comes at us is more than just personal, that it may affect many. There’s also that ‘faith in the Self’ aspect, where the New Moon asks you to ‘sing out’–so do, as this is the key to healing–and we all hope for that.
Sharp-eyed readers will notice I’ve added Eris to the chart (she’s there at 24 Aries, looking like a buoy with an anchor, to me), and I’ll be reading the lady in, when applicable, from now on. There’ll be a post soon to come on this new addition.
Thank you, everyone, especially to those who’ve offered individuals they would like to see examined in the upcoming Moon book–and it’s not too late! If there’s someone you’d like to suggest, please do. Have an excellent New Moon experience!
That’s you and me, getting a gander at this crazy weather. ‘Sunset’ By Caspar David Friedrich c1830 {{PD}}
Hello! I hope you’re all enjoying your summer, no matter how hot, smoky, weird, or stressful–though I suspect most if not all of us are under at least one of those negatives right now. It’s not particularly hot here, but the sky has a visual quality that reminds me of when there are fires nearby, and the sun is shining in that eerie way you see during a Solar eclipse, glowing but strangely subdued, both light and shadow looking unreal.
So now that you have the weather update (!) I’ll tell you why I’m here: in working on the Moon book I find I want to add more examples–and want to know who you as readers might want to know about. The focus of the book is reading and understanding the implications of natal Moon placements, just so you know. These can be historical personages or alive right now–anyone you like. You don’t have to know the placements of the people you’re suggesting–I’ll find those myself. Any suggestions would be appreciated, though I can’t guarantee all (or any) will end up making the final cut, as much depends on the example’s usefulness in conveying a concept or illustrating a point, but again, that’s my job, your only task is to tell me who you’d like to read about. Just put your suggestions in the comments. Thank you!
Also, What’s Up With Jupiter? The behemoth has moved back into Aquarius as part of its retrograde phase, pulling back on our dreams to make us focus once again on the impracticality of what we may have been moving toward. That’s not only unpleasant, it’s as if Jupiter wants to just throw the facts in our faces–as if things don’t change, as if potentials can’t become reality, as if our attempts to expand can’t go forward as we’d hoped–oh but they can. This interlude is only meant to make us approach our opportunities more practically, no matter how Jupiter taunts us like an out-of-control circus clown–it has no business calling us fools, so don’t believe it when it comes at you with that painted face and scary ruffles and big shoes. Whoever’s trying to puncture the dream is the one who’s floundering, who’s lost their dream–so take a moment to understand that, and know how little their critique really means.
Jupiter’s under pressure at 29 degrees, and so is Sedna, which Jupiter is squaring. This is a prescription for feeling our instincts and internal knowledge are untrustworthy. We may feel very shaky inside right now–everything kind of looks the same, and we may sense so much internal uncertainty that even things we would normally trust our judgment on come into question. Sedna is in Taurus, prompting us to feel we don’t understand (Aquarius) what’s right in front of us. I suggest we wait until the New Moon of the 8th to make any decisions or take any steps, since by then Jupiter will have changed degree and, even though will still be in orb of the square, the pressure will lessen, and so will the uncertainty.
It doesn’t help that Ceres and Black Moon Lilith are together in Gemini, infiltrating our thinking with–what? A fear that our personal authority, autonomy, or ability to negotiate our own path may be ruined (or at least seriously impacted) by all those things we may have ignored, are in denial of, or are enraged about and don’t acknowledge. Being conscious of this influence might help us handle it, as we’ll see it invading our minds like some sort of ink poured into water, dark tendrils of negativity spreading and coloring everything, and the sooner we recognize it, the sooner we can identify its effects as not inherent to our perceptions–and so not necessarily accurate or even real.
I’m mindful of the way Michelle Wolf characterizes blogs as a conversation no one wants to have with you (!) so I’ll take off now–see you soon with a New Moon report. Have a great one!
‘The Hilly Path, Ville d’Avray’ By Alfred Sisley 1879 {{PD}}
There’s a Mystic Rectangle forming that will be in play through the 2nd of August; let’s walk through the situation, and see where it leads.
A Mystic Rectangle is a configuration made up of a pair of sextiles, with each pair opposing the other; that is, point A sextiles B, and point C sextiles D, with A opposed D, and B opposed C. This generates a certain synergy among the energies, a positive dynamic that otherwise would allow the oppositions to have a greater, and decidedly more negative, say.
Now that you’re thoroughly alphabet-confused, we’ll describe what’s actually in the sky, as the Sun in Leo moves into place to complete the pattern. The Sun sextiles the North Node, forming one end of the rectangle; the other end is the South Node closely conjoined by Juno sextile Earth, the latter approaching conjunction to Saturn. It’s not unusual for the Nodes to act as ‘anchor points’ in the forming of this configuration, and as well for the Sun-Earth axis to move into position, almost as if our energy, attention, and surroundings develop until we reach a point to make choices (relatively easy ones–the sextiles) that have, one way or another, life-direction changing impact.
This config suggests illumination (Sun) of the future (NN) we are currently generating via our thoughts and ideas (Gemini), especially as they make statements about who we are and the role(s) we wish to play (Leo), and the way these notions confront (oppositions) our status, roles, and empowerment circumstances of the past (Juno-SN), specifically as these attempted to expand our horizons, help us learn, or exposed the facts (Sagittarius) and created current material surroundings (Earth) and, subsequently, our reality (Saturn). So, it’s a period of assessment and evaluation focused on ourselves and our methods, and where those ideas and efforts have taken us.
We might initially think immediate action is the answer, as the first two days of the Rectangle coincide with Mars at 29 tense degrees of Leo. The issue is that actions at this point may be purely motivated by ego or a need to put the Self forward, to ‘shine’, because our ‘I Am’, our action urge, is under stress, even panic, wanting to redress and make corrections to our previous conduct, because we see quite clearly where that led, and where it did and didn’t bring success. The ‘I Am’ is roaring during this period, so be prepared for some chest-thumping and a few pirouettes, from ourselves or others, and see them more as blowing off steam than as serious assertions of who we are–and this may happen publicly, is definitely exaggerated, but could generate opportunities or some balloon-ready-to-burst optimism (Jupiter in Aquarius, also at 29 degreesand opp Mars).
Too, we see Ceres-Sedna closely conjoined at 29 Taurus. Though not part of the config, those 29 degree bodies fill the air with tension and encourage rash (and sometimes disastrous) action. In this case this pairing adds a dash of desperate-to-be-seen-as-autonomous (Ceres) to the inner landscape (Sedna), stimulating our ‘blind spot’ material (Sedna) and making us sitting ducks to act out, rather innocently believing we’re following instinct when we’re really riding on a subtle current of info we ‘know but don’t know’ (Sedna).
By the 30th we’re not as prone to act (Mars enters Virgo, and gets a lot more inclined to demand to know the odds, the details, and the stats before doing), and Mercury flies close to the Sun in Leo, adding a prompt to think. Are we, Icarus-like, prone to be blinded by consideration of ourselves and our purpose and intentions, so much so that we flame out and plunge back to earth? Maybe, but the real message here could be that we pull back from being dazzled by our own potentials and intentions, and start to apply our smarts in service of getting closer to our goals.
Superior Conjunction of Mercury and the Sun on August 1st says we’re successful at drawing useful conclusions and making effective plans, and the ability to bring our ideas into solid reality only increases, peaking on the 2nd as Earth and Saturn finally perfect their meeting. Plan accordingly, and expect by the 3rd to get a good emotional reading on life direction and modification of efforts as the Gemini Moon passes over the North Node.
Today’s Word Image is a woman, seated in a pool of lamplight, in the middle of the night. What, literally or figuratively, is ‘keeping you up at night’? The image suggests awareness at a point when rest would be more appropriate, and could speak of overwork, hyper-vigilance, or an emphasis on being overly responsible, probably for things outside one’s control, as well as a state of worry. Since the woman in the image isn’t doing anything, it may suggest that anxiety without action is just wasted energy, and that it may be keeping us from getting what we genuinely need (in this case, sleep!)
This Full Moon brings with it a couple of perfectly legitimate astrological questions: should the Full Moon at 1 Aquarius 26 be considered conjoined Pluto at 25 Capricorn 24? And what about Saturn at 10 Aquarius 51? Though both bodies are at greater orb than I normally count in a Full Moon scenario, I’m open to the idea of recent or imminent proximity to the bodies involved in the Lunar event as qualifying those bodies as relevant since they have exerted or will exert an influence right before, or soon to come after, the Full Moon perfection–and so may set the stage, or be part of the aftermath, of the Lunar event. This is based in part on the idea of the Moon as showing the passage of time and the development of any situation, and on the idea that the horoscope is a moving picture, a ‘story’ told through the movement and contact of the bodies to one another, with any chart simply a ‘snapshot’ of a moment in time.
In this case, both Earth and the Moon have just come off a conjunction to Pluto in Capricorn, the Earth about 6 days previous, and the Moon a mere 10 hours before. That means that both energies have recently seen their energies meet Plutonian ones, and more than likely we will see these energies reach some sort of peak or conclusion at the Full Moon. Earth and Pluto implies a material change, purge, transformation, or destruction, one that shifts our material view and perhaps changes (even if only temporarily) our surroundings or asset situation or availability–an earthquake, of one kind or another. Pluto-Earth may have made itself known, probably no more than 7, and no fewer than 5, days before the Full Moon–shaking up the scenery, preparing the ground, so to speak, for the emotional event of the Full Moon, which is one of completion, ending, conclusion, the finish to a situation, cycle, or effort, that now must wind down, shift focus, become something else.
Moon-Pluto suggests a trauma, an episode that enrages, a deep hurt, or release from trauma or hurt, a resurrection or re-making of the emotional nature, probably the emotional framework that once supported us and was so familiar, now being torn down, re-fashioned, or eliminated, with the Full Moon offering us a definitive point for this event. We make peace with it, most likely through the support of the group, understanding via Higher Mind, or by taking a ‘modern’ of highly original approach to this Plutonian emotional experience, all these reflecting the Full Moon happening in Aquarius.
And what of Saturn? Both Moon and Earth will reach Saturn relatively quickly, the Moon in about 14 hours, Earth by August 2nd, with the promise that this either brings an end or resolution to the emotional or material upset or change, or that what we feared, formed, or pushed for emotionally takes solid, maybe even literally tangible, form–so, signalling the final shape of events that we can directly trace backward to the Full Moon.
The Full Moon (23 July at 7:37 PM at 1 Aquarius 26) otherwise makes only a few contacts, but one in particular is potent, an Air Grand Trine with Sedna at 29 Taurus-Black Moon Lilith at 0 Gemini, and Vesta at 2 Libra. This suggest that no matter what upheaval, trauma, extremes, or shake ups precede the Full Moon, the situation that comes from it is in balance. The feelings about surroundings or material circumstances find harmony within the support and commitment of others (Vesta in Libra) and those matters that have been in the ‘blind spot’, denied or ignored, that now will not just be dealt with, but ‘satisfied’, in the sense that they will no longer sit in the shadows, exerting unconscious pressure, but be faced in the light, discussed, and a resolution found (again, likely concluding with that Earth contact to Saturn on the 2nd).
The only other contact is the Full Moon’s quincunx to Venus-Hygeia, implying that it’s healthy, of value, for us to deal with these matters–we’re uncomfortable until we do–and good relationships or positive financial situations show themselves and help us navigate.
The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘An Unexpected Thunderstorm’. Yep. Next!
We also look at the Sabian for the Sun, source of the Full Moon light: ‘An Epidemic Of Mumps’. Whatever happens, it’s catching! We’re ‘exposed’ to something that may be rippling through the populace all around us: an idea, likely of how we see ourselves or how we see our role (Leo), based on what will let us shine. It’s the good side of pride, the impulse that makes us every day move closer and closer to expressing our core Self. And that’s good.
Coming down off that reveal of Sun opposite Pluto, the one that shone a bright light on our real feelings about the destructive nature of what institutions, practices, traditions, and restrictions hem us in (because that’s what we’ll remember about it, not the tortured drama and stress that we actually lived), we may find our attention drawn to material matters and to what hurts, but this time we’ll be a lot more concerned with discovering the smart moves we can make that will pay off or reward us (Finger of God with base of Earthsextile Pallas, apex Venus). We’ll home in on what creative (Pallas in Pisces) take we can apply to material efforts (Earth in Capricorn) that will benefit us, especially in ways that make us shine as individuals or that brings us the regard we crave (Venus in Leo). There’s a small window here for success, so it will take concentration–we have the chance to act through the 20th–and a willingness to deal with things both as they are, and in the smartest way we know how.
There’s another Finger, what I would term a ‘moving’ one as the apex is the Moon in Scorpio, meaning that it will be in effect for a relatively short time, from about 1 AM PDT of the 18th through, max, 10 AM of the same day; the base is a wide sextile between Chiron and the North Node. This Finger points out the emotional costs of not acknowledging the impact that our wounds have on our life direction, and encourages us to ‘purge’–which can mean excavating with care, and then setting about transforming what we find, preferably into a Chirotic gift (check the natal Chiron sign for likely gifts that you can express uniquely, an ‘only you can do it that way’ endowment).
Venus also squares Ceres on the 18th, possibly leading to contests of Will over who has say over whom. Other potential topics include, ‘I Don’t Approve of What You Spent’, ‘We’ll Do What I Say’, and ‘Love Means You’ll Give In To Me’. If you’re getting these kind of Power issue signals, you may want to reassess just what beyond being told what to do this relationship provides–maybe that can be what the Finger of the 21st allows you to reform.
By the 19th Mercury squares Chiron: do you hear whining, do you hear excuses, do you hear a litany of hurts, or do you get a difficult-to-hear message about what others care about? Next question: is the one doing the communicating you?
The 20th we see another brief Finger formed, apex the Sagittarius Moon with base of Mercury-Uranus, 11 AM through 4 PM PDT. This could bring accidents or surprises that expand thinking and open up the feeling nature; the test will be in taking what occurs as a positive thing, as supplying you with knowledge or opportunities you didn’t have before.
The 21st what jumps out at me is another Finger, this one with a base of Sun sextile Vesta, apex Jupiter. This lasts right about up to the Full Moon of the 23rd, and suggests opportunity, reward, or a widening of options if we keep our attention and effort on doing things according to our deepest values. Honoring what we care about will, without any other factor needed, draw to us something that offers bounty or helps make us optimistic about ourselves and our future. And, on the 22nd, Mars quincunxes Pluto. Do the rewards of the Finger arrive through unpleasant or aggressive circumstances? Maybe. What I am sure of is that taking change into your own hands, initiating re-making or cleaning out, will be key to experiencing this in a not-traumatic way; if you sit on your hands and leave it to fate, you could suffer attack or become exceptionally angry at the change that happens without your input or consent.
Good luck! I’ll be back later with a Full Moon forecast.
Njommelsaska i Lappland by Carl Svantje Hallbeck {{PD}}
I’m a little bit consumed with the upcoming opposition of the Sun to Pluto, perfecting on the 17th, but as I look at the sky patterns for that day, I’m struck even more by two bodies and a point (Sedna-Black Moon Lilith in Taurus trine Vesta in Virgo) all at 29 degrees of an Earth sign, and even more commanding, at that point Earth-Pluto will be trine Ceres (again, Earth placements) and sesquiquadrate the North Node. So, what might seem like a perfectly straightforward aspect (Sun opposed Pluto) seems to burn in a crucible of stress (the 29 degree placements) and difficult, fate-shaping events or, more likely, difficult or fate-determining thoughts or ideas (the North Node is in Gemini). We may be tasked with sorting and committing to what we really value, as opposed to what we instinctively value and what we may value but deny is important to us. This suggests a strong material, health, or instinctual component that works on both the mind/ way of thinking and that brings forward the challenge of how best to serve our highest values (which feel as if they’re under assault)–and that could prompt many of us to either ignore what we know but are loathe to acknowledge, or to unleash a ‘scorched earth’ policy in areas we think are too messy, or too unpleasant, to sort out and deal with. This kind of excessive response (Jupiter is planet of earliest degree, flooding the environment with exaggeration) would indeed shape the future, and probably not in any way we would see as desirable. Pluto-Ceres says it will be easy to be destructive; or, that Nature herself will make change, or even do damage. Better to be willing to look at the Plutonian elements revealed by the Sun’s bright glare without being too judgemental–the ‘warts and all’ glimpse that we get should remind us we’re all human and that on its own is not a sin–and then refuse to overreact–which is exactly what all those 29 degree factors, plus Jupiter, will push us toward. Add that the Moon will trine Jupiter on the 17th, alerting us to the possibility of emotional factors persuading us to justify a too-big response–so just be aware.
During this period through to the 17th, these aspects are accompanied by a lingering meeting of Mars and Venus in Leo, suggesting nothing so much as the kind of romance where each person is thinking more of themselves than they are of the other. I don’t mean that negatively; the Leo placement suggests to me the kind of satisfaction and pride in one’s ability to attract and interact that is part and parcel of the Leo charm (and, admittedly, the Leo ego!) This conjunction promises a short time when relationships that are in some way complimentarily balanced (male/ female, animus-focused/ anima-focused, one where one brings the money or looks, the other the strength or capacity to ‘get it done’, and so on) will shine particularly brightly–so if you’re part of one of these partnerships, time your moves for this window. Even singles will gain by being a little more confident, a little more of a peacock.
Jump back a bit, to the 15th, and we see Earth and Neptune acting as base for a Finger of God with apex Venus. This won’t last long but could bring one of two effects: our idealism is made manifest, and we are rewarded, or we experience the material impact of our delusion, and it costs us. Just another argument for being as honest as possible with ourselves–and that means being as connected to the real world as we can be, and still dream.
The only other thing I want to mention is the still extant sextile between Saturn and Chiron. Here’s where we get a clue about what could be putting us in a bad position in terms of the Finger mentioned above: if our sense of reality (Saturn) is filtered through wounds and hurts, especially those related to our own agency and competency, or around our expression of Will (Chiron in Aries), then we are much more likely to suffer the delusion/ cost expression of the Finger, rather than the rewarding one. Proceed with care.
There was a trend at one point to hide or disguise a mother in a portrait as she held her child, and this is the eerie result. {{PD}}
Your Word Image for the period: a white room, where a dark-eyed, dark-haired woman sits dressed all in white, with a baby, also dark-haired, dark-eyed and dressed in white, who sits on her lap; the woman is upset to learn that this baby, which is her baby, is ‘haunted’. This is an image from a dream and carries a wide variety of possible interpretations, all of which may depend on your definition of what a ‘haunted baby’ really is. ‘Somebody’s baby’ is a phrase that for me brings to mind something special an individual may be deeply engaged with, usually a project or creation they see as uniquely theirs–and if your ‘baby’ is haunted, that may suggest there are unseen or even unperceived influences that are affecting creation.
Or maybe we should look at this more in light of the woman as an individual, and her baby as the part of herself that is extraordinarily young, inexperienced, immature, or undeveloped, ‘new’ in some important way, and the haunting as what’s preventing the maturing of this part of her. Could the baby be a ‘fresh’ thing, talent, characteristic, or project that is being held back by the influence of others, whose criticism or comment has seeped in and may need to be exorcised?
Do you think of a baby as an extension of its parents? In that case it may be that some way that the individual is reaching out into society is being unduly invested with the ‘spirit’ of others–or maybe it’s something as simple as being afraid of something new, something ‘just born’, that we don’t understand. In any case, an interesting image; apply it to your own life as you will.
You might hear that, in one form or another, quite a bit over the coming week or so: “Do it for me” “Do it because I care” “Care because I do” or maybe even “I’m angry because you do (or don’t) care”! The meeting of the Sun and the Moon a 18 Cancer 01 9 July at 6:15 PM PDT is semi-sextile Mars in Leo–a recipe for action or anger prompted by (or disguised as) concern or affection. Is this you speaking to someone else, or someone else hoping to move you? It doesn’t really matter–it’s how you respond, or if the speaker is you, what motivates your efforts, that really counts. But what else does the New Moon scenario tell us? What other influences shape the energy of caring and motivation?
We find Jupiter loosely sesquiquadrate from both the New Moon and Zeus, with Zeus square the New Moon and our system’s largest planet apex to a Fist of God. This suggests intense desire, want, ambition brought to light with all obstacles to achievement glaringly apparent in the Lunar light–and if a way is found to make that New Moon germ of tender concern overcome problems, the reward is plenty, more, abundance, overdoing in some way, a social or material ‘glut’, the support of the public, or maybe the reward is the discovery of ‘the facts’–but in any case, an alchemy that takes what dawns with the New Moon, mixes it with wants and ambitions, and serves up a Jupiterian result.
Maybe we can count the New Moon trine Neptune, adding a dash of delusion, imagination, inspiration, or hokum meant to deceive, and maybe even a gaping opposition to Pluto, which brings a sense of danger, a challenge, to what’s before us (both aspects are approaching, so that helps), but everything else has in my opinion too wide an orb for the aspect to count in a New Moon scenario.
I do however want to note a couple of other contacts, unrelated to the Lunar event, but that are distinctive enough they may ‘flavor’ surrounding occurrences. One is the meeting of Sedna and the Black Moon Lilith point at 29 tense degrees of Taurus=this may suggest material matters make us face what we ‘know but don’t know’, what we’ve been hiding from ourselves, and now see reflected back in real, and potentially crisis, terms.
The other is the sextile between Saturn and Chiron. In the best of times this may act like a punch in the nose, and in the worst of times spells a particularly poignant kind of catastrophe, of a distinctly personal nature. It suggests the manifestation in real-world forms of one’s deepest wounds. Together with Sedna-BML, these may add an aura of pressure or fatedness to that push for action, that appeal to do whatever needs doing in order to reach a goal or realize an ambition–just know that this suggests if we push forward right now, if we coerce others or ourselves, we may end up creating not the dream we’ve been working toward but a circumstance that features our own sore points and vulnerabilities in stark and unmistakable terms.
The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Priest Performing A Marriage Ceremony’. A New Moon is like the couple marrying, the solid Earth and the bright, reflective Moon uniting, but in this scenario, what is the priest? This may be us, because it’s on our initiative that something productive can be made from the New Moon union. It’s up to the individual to 1) use the Martian energy for positive Self-motivation, rather than to push others, 2) to use what begins with the New Moon in such a way that we enjoy a positive Jupiterian ‘gain’, 3) harness the ideals and power of the creative urge to support new starts, and 4) to accept our own power while studiously avoiding wielding it over anyone other than ourselves and our own personal options. The circumstances surrounding both material matters and our wounds will be a delicate one, but the key to navigating successfully will be found in not overreacting, while at the same time striving to be as responsible as possible for ourselves and our choices. Keeping the why of things as clear as possible will go a long way toward keeping everyone in their own lane and focused on what they can do about things, rather than just on what they want.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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