Tag Archives: New Moon Sabian

New Moon 9 July 2021 ‘Do It For Me’

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Statue of Leszek I the White in Marcinkowo Górne. Sculptor: Jakub Juszczyk, 1927

Photo By Krzysztof Mizera

{{PD}}

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.

Have a wonderful New Moon!

New Moon in Aries 11 April 2021 Turns in the Road

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‘The Arrival of Spring; Two Roads’ By Maria Yakunchikova 1896 {{PD}}

Even though the New Moon of the 11th, 7:30 PM PDT at 22 Aries 24 is still conjoined Venus, that’s actually a separating aspect; whatever the Superior conjunction of the Sun and Venus was meant to convey around relationships or assets, it’s already come to us, though our emotional reaction to it is still in the future, delivered about 8 hours after this Lunar event (and maybe spurred by what happens at the NM). The same can be said about issues around personal power and authority, boundaries, a sense of autonomy, and even health matters, as the Sun and Moon have each both recently conjoined and are now moving away from Ceres. This suggests we’ve hashed out quite a bit recently, and likely believe we know where we stand–so why does it feel like we’ve made no progress, like we remain rudderless and confused, like we’re yearning for something and reaching come up with a handful of water, lost before we can get a sip?

A New Moon in Aries should spark confidence, a feeling that we can do ‘it’, the courage to take the next step, a sureness about taking the lead in our own lives, and when this NM perfects we may want to make a clear ‘I Am’ statement, not for those around us, but for ourselves, to try and ground us in something firm. We have the fire (Aries) to do (Cardinal sign) something to propel us forward–and this NM in particular we’re buoyed by imagination and a wave of creative energy (semi-sextile to Neptune), and we have big ideas (sextile to Jupiter) for change (square to Pluto) with empowerment as the goal (trine to Juno)–but there’s something about our desires or ambitions (opposition to Zeus) that makes us reluctant, or that maybe even outright prevents, that change we’re dreaming of–the potential for action could dissipate into nothing but talk (sextile to Mars in Gemini).

There’s a (brilliant) way out, and there’s also an issue to be dealt with, before the feeling and action impasse can be broken. One is the novile to Pallas in Pisces. This speaks of the wisdom of the imagination and the creative outlet, of the practical benefits of using our skills to do–and so serve both the Arian New Moon impulse and and the need to circumvent issues that have brought us up short, confused us, or distracted us from what we want and need to sort out. The Sabian symbol for the New Moon says it all: ‘A Pregnant Woman In Light Summer Dress’. The image is one of creative potential. Giving our creativity free rein right now is the smart thing to do; we may ‘birth’ our answer, or we may in the process of expressing make other contacts, or take other turns in the road, that will get us past what’s been holding us at bay. The ‘Summer Dress’ of the image implies the creative urge itself is at its peak of productive potential, just as a garden is at that point in the seasonal cycle. We don’t know how far along that ‘pregnancy’ is; we only know that the creation itself definitely exists, and will, sooner or later, be brought forth.

The thing to be dealt with is described by the New Moon’s sesquiquadrate to Vesta in Virgo. A sesquiquadrate is an aspect that promises difficulty, suggesting both trouble within the psyche (problems with accepting and processing what we’re confronted with, for example) and external factors that contribute pressures or force awareness and/ or force us to stop forward progress, at least in terms of the goal we thought we were working toward. There’s usually a measure of upset or outrage, a ‘This is ruining all my plans!’ plaintive cry as we see we’re given no choice but to halt and re-group.

With this being the New Moon’s contact to Vesta, what we’re likely to be faced with is some form of criticism or critique, internal or from others, that assesses our commitments, our values, or what we’re dedicated to as less-than-sacred. This might come in the form of our own internal monologue that recognizes we don’t care as we think we did, or in internal recognition or external feedback that points to some facet of hypocrisy in what we claim to hold in highest regard. Maybe our actions haven’t been supporting our highest standards, or our choices point to an entire other set of values by which we’re in reality living. No matter what, the Aries New Moon offers us a chance to re-dedicate ourselves to choices and actions that reflect our true values; it gives us a chance to align our walk with our talk, and prove what and who we genuinely care about.

A New Moon in Aries is about choice; the issue for this New Moon may be that we’ve convinced ourselves either we don’t have any, or that our options aren’t ideal. Events at this time are meant to show us that the true circumstances are otherwise–we just need to be brave enough to see that the ideal is possible, and that indeed, we always have options.

New Moon in Pisces 13 March 2021 Siren Song

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‘Ulysses and the Sirens’ By Herbert James Draper 1679 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 2:21 AM PST on the 13th at 23 Pisces 03, after recent passage of both the Sun and Moon over Neptune. That puts a haze on everything, a siren song with no clear origin: what are we seeing? what are we feeling? Also past but still in orb: a square to Juno and a quincunx to Zeus, suggesting that just lately we’ve faced some conflict over the legitimacy of our ambitions and our own autonomy. And what lies ahead, within orb now, are a sextile to Pluto (the impulse to burn it all down, out of shaken convictions around the ambitions, desires, and our ability to act on them), and a sextile to Sedna (the impulse to listen to the instincts, to trust what we ‘know but don’t know’, and proceed as planned). Which will we choose? Right now that depends on your relationship to Piscean energies in general, and to transiting Neptune in particular.

Pisces is singing to us right now, of ideals and dreams, of our practicality, skills, and wisdom, of the payoffs awaiting us in Love or Money or maybe just companionship (Pallas, Venus, Neptune transiting there), and the New Moon offers a starting point: face what we want, and either purge it and ourselves (if we find the dream inadequate), or trust ourselves and follow instinctual prompts and the inner knowing. Not a difficult choice, if we know ourselves, if we are not deluded, if we know our dreams, and if we are brave enough to go forward and create, unafraid of what others might say or think. And of course, that little bit at the end may be the hardest part.

The New Moon also falls at the midpoint of the Saturn-Uranus square. That’s reality pushing against the radical, the established pushing against precipitous change, tradition butting up against the modern, authorities clashing with the individual, or with advancement in general. It’s natural for What Is to resist and resent innovation, unless how that improvement is good for all is made obvious from the start–and even then there may be issues. Expect the New Moon to present a point of tension over this kind of revolution, a preview of the coming, just forming Cosmic dream, a glimpse of the future, and look for the positive that will come from letting go and accepting new developments. What’s happening is inevitable; better to have some say in and control over change (by willingly going along), than have it overwhelm when upset and resistance builds too high. Don’t let the siren song of ‘We’ve always done it that way’ stop a good thing.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘On A Small Island Surrounded By The Vast Expanse Of The Sea, People Are Seen Living In Close Interaction’. I’m seeing this in something of an unusual way: Pisces is the sea, the House of the natal chart an island in the horoscope, with the people in close interaction those we love (Venus), those we idealize or connect with spiritually (Neptune), and those from whose wisdom or practicality we benefit (Pallas). Getting all the human components to mesh in positive ways is something we strive for–and the new start of the New Moon offers a moment when the way to that harmony might be apparent, through the matters of the natal House where Pisces sits. And right now, everybody could use just a little more harmony.

New Moon in Aquarius 11 February 2021 What Are We Waiting For?

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‘Waiting’ By Henri de Toulouse Lautrec 1887 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 11:05 AM PST on the 11th at 23 Aquarius 16, but before it does, we pass through the pre-New Moon three day period known as The Dark of the Moon, notable for its absence of Lunar light. This is a period when forward momentum can be sidetracked or stalled, and new projects will sputter, fail to get off the ground, or later require a rehaul or restart–and that’s doubly so during Mercury retrograde, currently in effect.

What can we do during this period? Normally we’d do best to drift and dream, meditate and relax, to connect through silence or dreams to the non-verbal perceptions, but during this Dark period we have a slightly different mandate: it starts with the Inferior Conjunction of Sun and Mercury on the 8th, an inception point for development related to matters of the House where the contact occurs, specifically around shifts in thought, plans, and where we’re putting our attention–and it continues as later that day the Sun meets Pallas, with the Moon to pass over Pallas just over two hours before the New Moon perfects. All this speaks to reconsideration of Mercurial subjects that leads to a wiser take on things, and to a smart or more practical new beginning shown by the New Moon event.

Otherwise, this New Moon doesn’t make much notable contact at all. Its closest aspect is a trine to Zeus in Libra, suggesting that Higher Mind revelations (Aquarius) in relationships and their role in ambition and desire fulfillment (Zeus in Libra) will lead to greater understanding–but understanding of what? For some this might be revelation in relationships themselves, a more accurate view of how they work on a daily basis, and what each party gets out of them, but for many of us the emphasis will be on how our interactions with others color, constrict, shape, or curtail our own efforts toward ambition realization. We may become acutely aware of how we modify our efforts to accommodate relationships, and how we modify relationships so we can pursue our goals, and we’re very likely to see where we need a re-think on the whole thing, with this re-consideration informing the latter half of the Merc retro cycle.

Too, Zeus speaks of the power balance within any relationship, the ways in which we get our needs met but must accept that others, too, have needs, and that the clash between these two sets of wants can be chaotic, a contest between our desire for the relationship and our desire for, well, just about anything else that creates an appetite. With Juno, the asteroid of empowerment, and signifier of Zeus’ partner, placed sextile Mercury from her spot in Sagittarius and conjoined the South Node at the time of the New Moon, we definitely see a rise of smoke from smoldering relationship issues, and between the New Moon of revelation and understanding (Aquarius) and the Merc retro cycle, we are likely to find these issues cropping up, many of them as direct power issues and some as an outright clash of wants between partners.

We might also want to count a very loose square to Sedna, only in contention because Sun and Moon are approaching rather than retreating from the aspect. This might give just the barest hint, the vaguest echo, a mere wisp of an idea that trouble may be on the horizon. This might take the shape of Self-sabotaging instincts or an insistence on not admitting that everyone, including ourselves, has a blind spot–and this might be just the time when we need some reflection (the Moon) from those with whom we’re in relationship (that Libran Zeus)–because that’s exactly what we’re offering them, too.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Man, Having Overcome His Passions, Teaches Deep Wisdom In Terms Of His Experience’. I’ve not much to add to that since it seems we’ve already covered this same message via aspects, but will point out that the symbol strikes a hopeful note, as the messiness that is natural to relationships will show us what we need to know, and make us wiser in the process.

Have a lovely week, everyone!

New Moon 12 January 2021 A Fissure Filled With Light

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Kilauea’s Fissure 8 cone erupting in the early morning of June 28, 2018, in the Lower East Rift Zone. {{PD}}
Courtesy of the United States Geological Survey

Usually we get that ‘wipe out’ feeling/ energy from an eclipse, when the old patterns are disrupted by new ones; this time, we get the same experience from a New Moon as it meets the god of the Underworld. The Lunar event of the 12th falls at 23 Capricorn 13 at 9 PM PST, closely conjoined Pluto–in just over two hours the Moon will perfect contact, while the Sun will take a tad longer, a little more than twenty-four. This suggests the dawning of new emotions or intuitive perceptions that transform our Beingness, or that change what we pay attention to; we are plunged down, to the depths, perhaps in the birth pangs of a new world order arising from the institutions, rules, and constraints of the old order a la Capricorn, and we’re given a clear insight into what this change means for us as individuals.

A New Moon in Capricorn promises two things: new rules, and efforts at ‘building’, whether that’s something intangible, within the psyche, or an actual, literal structure or figurative framework within the social order, but when the Sun-Moon meeting is on the way to conjoin Pluto, we are effectively stunned by the energy–hence the similarity to the eclipse ‘wipe out’. In this particular case, the new feelings, followed by a new sense of ‘I Am’ or ‘I See’, then gets the Plutonian treatment. We can’t be sure if the emotions and changed efforts are undertaken in anticipation of serious, inevitable, even extreme change that is before us, or if they’re the result of such thorough, deep, and irrevocable developments–all we can know is that this New Moon is the first glimpse of an ever-growing light shining at the bottom of the bottomless fissure that opens up beneath us: the New Moon shows us a way out, a new way of structuring or processing, or the resurrection of something, as it delivers an inspiring and instructional glimmer of not only what’s to come, but what we can build from it, that will culminate with the Full Moon two weeks from now.

How much this New Moon will bring change to the individual is dependent on the contacts the event makes to the natal chart. This is precisely why general forecasts aren’t ‘one size fits all’. That said, see below for a brief lesson on reading a configuration filled in by the New Moon event. What all of us will be influenced by: the New Moon semi-square Juno=we see our own relationship to pure Power, and see just where out limits are (but that also means we’ll get some idea of what we’re missing, and so how to go about getting more); New Moon square Zeus=we see where our ambitions, relationships, or desires are making it difficult to start anew, or to make the changes we really want to, or what we learn at the New Moon creates tension or conflict with those ambitions currently on our agenda; and lastly, the New Moon forms an Earth Grand Trine with Vesta and Sedna=I’m counting this despite Vesta being more than six degrees from perfection to Sedna 1) because Sedna is in apparent retrograde right now, so moving back toward Vesta, and 2) because trines are major aspects, and 3) because this configuration is in Earth, same element as the New Moon, and 4) because the presence of Pluto and the Sun together gives a big energy ‘punch’ that I see as carrying farther than I normally would accept. Ties of the placement together make up for the looseness of the orbs, particularly the way the NM and Pluto ‘bridge’ the degrees between Vesta and Sedna. The Grand Trine suggests that what changes/ evolves/ is forced/ transforms/ resurrects at the New Moon is in harmony with our actual highest values, and with our instincts and what we ‘know but don’t consciously know’. We may not see the benefits of the GT energies right away, because they have a good chance of emerging from our own ‘blind spot’, and so carry the feeling that they’re coming from external events, rather than that they’ve been orchestrated by our own intents, even though they have.

‘A Nun’ By Ragnhild Beichmann 1878 {{PD}}

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Woman Entering A Convent’. This implies that though what occurs seems excessively restrictive or that it requires an inordinate degree of discipline or supplication, it’s actually based on what we’ve chosen to dedicate our life energies to (Vesta). A look at your Vesta will help tell you the intent behind what manifests, and may give you a greater understanding of the nature of what you genuinely care about in life.

A Little Something on Configurations, as Demonstrated with the New Moon

When judging whether a configuration is formed, we need to keep in mind the various strengths of the aspects. The loose Grand Trine I describe above is allowable at least in part because a trine is a major aspect, and that allows for a greater orb; in the Fist I describe below, we have a square between NM and Zeus, which is a major aspect and so can take a greater orb, but in order to form the Fist, we need both bodies to sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) a third body, and since this is a more minor contact, we need a closer orb, something around no more than two degrees from exact in either direction, which in the following example would be 8 Gemini. In this case, anyone with a natal placement 6-10 Gemini will find their natal energy at the apex of a Fist of God with base of New Moon-Pluto square Zeus. This suggests the New Moon will bring change that arises from conflict over or forces change to the ambitions or desires, particularly as this applies to relationships (Zeus is in Libra). What happens or is revealed by the light of the New Moon shows how the current ambition picture contrasts, and requires modification of, what you’re aiming for, and this is because of what you learn now–and this will affect the natal apex planet, either through expression of its characteristic energies or through something it rules, House or other bodies, in the natal chart. (And just a reminder: please don’t write and ask if the aspect, for instance, applies to your Ascendant at 12 degrees Gemini, or your Sun at 5–I’ve told you the range of things already: anything between 6 and up to but not past 10). Keeping in mind what aspects any configuration contains, and then keeping orbs crisp, will insure you not only get a clear picture, but also that you don’t lead yourself astray or distract with an inaccurate or exaggerated picture, though there are exceptions, as I describe using the example of the Grand Trine aspect, above. Thus endeth the lesson!

Forecast for the 10th is here–

Tomorrow the Weekly will go up. Have a great rest-of-the-weekend!

Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius 2020 Moon in Blue

09 Wednesday Dec 2020

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

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By alyssa BLACK. from toronto, canada – full moon., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76519128

This New Moon of the 14th occurs at 8:17 AM PST and is also an eclipse, falling at 23 Sagittarius 08, preceding the Superior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury at 29 degrees in just about a week. This adds an element of building tension to what is normally with a New Moon a ‘fresh start’ energetically, a clean slate that typically signals the origins of a new beginning. That means new circumstances arrange themselves around an already-tense situation, lending things a ‘jumped into the fire’ quality, and this is even more noticeable because an eclipse on its own signals a wipe-out of previous arrangements–and that means we may find ourselves in the midst of a conflagration (Sag is a Fire sign) that we absolutely have not anticipated–and that quite possibly interferes with manifestation of the new start.

The eclipse doesn’t make many aspects–the major ones are loose, so it’s to the minor ones my attention goes first, as this implies a subtle and nuanced eclipse picture. The eclipse is closely semi-sextile Pluto, suggesting that small discomforts or inconveniences create big change, while the New Moon also noviles Pallas in Aquarius and sesquiquadrates Uranus. This combo implies the influence of the Higher Mind and/ or ‘the group’ in events, with those influences arriving through difficult Uranian means: an accident, a troublesome or unanticipated serendipity, the crashing down of a larger spiritual Truth, the exercise of and surprise brought forward by one’s own originality, or the spotlight on one’s position in (or perhaps alienation from) the group. However, the novile tells us that this spurs or is spurred by something smart, motivated by wisdom or practicality, maybe by the way the Universe presents a set of trying events and then asks, ‘What will you do?’.

Pluto and Uranus both aspecting the eclipse could imply a spark-to-flame destructive event that clears the way for something entirely new–in any case, what happens may be disturbing, upsetting, unsettling, even traumatic, or just unexpected, surprising, but will be for the good (see the Sabian symbol, below).

The square to Neptune is too wide, for my taste, suggesting that we may think that misleading information, the creative urge, the dream, or a mirage, any or all related to the emotional state, is a motivation when it’s really not. Zeus in Libra is sextile the New Moon, suggesting that ambitions involving relationships we want, or the way relationships affect us going after ambitions, is on the agenda. There is a trine to Mars in his own sign of Aries, telling us how easily we may act, based on a relatively sketchy picture or our own hair-trigger temper; the sense is of being profoundly aware that we are all alone, that we must do something, and this may come from events or be the agent of them, and is probably the driver in the relationship scenario: we must act to make a reality of the desired relationship, or we must act in order to fix a situation where a relationship is precluding our ability to go after what we want.

A New Moon in Sagittarius is typically a Moon where we learn something, are exposed to something foreign, or see the origins of new beliefs or philosophies coalesce; the Sabian is, ‘A Bluebird Perched On The Gate Of A Cottage’. Well that’s idyllic, isn’t it? A bluebird is a symbol for happiness, the ‘bursting out in song’ kind, and its position, at ease on a garden gate, suggests a peaceful environment where the bird feels safe, an ‘in its element’ sensibility. As the Sabian for a New Moon eclipse, this might imply we learn or are exposed to something that brings happiness in the way of feeling ‘at home’ in some situation, or with some change or new start that occurs. It’s a reassuring symbol that tells us in spite of any indications to the contrary within the scenario or related to the initial upset, we’ll be happier with our new circumstances than we were with our old ones.

Special note: those with a natal placement between 21 and 24 of Taurus may find the eclipse brings a real ‘do-or-die’ point in matters of ambition and desire fulfillment, relative to the natal energy, which will act as apex to a Finger of God with base of the eclipse and Zeus. What you’ve been aiming for, wanting, even lusting for will be addressed through the energy of the eclipse, and the result will funnel through the natal point. Good luck with that!

New Moon in Scorpio 14 November 2020 Re-Birth

13 Friday Nov 2020

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‘The birth of Aphrodite’ By Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky 1887 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 9:07 PM PST of the 14th at 23 Scorpio 17; this meeting takes place after both bodies have, relatively recently, conjoined Juno (the Moon within hours, the Sun about 5 days before). This suggests that the New Moon new start follows on an illumination of our own empowerment situation, the extent of our reach, and how effective we are in impacting our world. We looked beneath, or even through, x-ray-like, circumstances (Scorpio) and likely found one of two things: that we are much more powerful than we thought, or that we don’t hold power in the ways, or over what, we previously believed.

So this New Moon offers a point of re-birth, a re-making that allows us to rise again empowered–and a single set of sextiles tells the story. These are to the Capricorn-located energies of Pluto, Jupiter, and Pallas–and the New Moon has no other contacts. A sextile is a cooperative aspect, one that encourages the entities to work together, but it does require some effort, the kind shown by active intention.

We must choose to re-make, re-form, according to the Truth we find beneath the surface (Scorpio), and we do it by transforming structures, rules, restraints, and the framework upon which we hang our identity (Capricorn). The energies at our disposal are powerful ones: the Plutonian spark of the Universe, intense as life and death, a generative essence that can create or destroy; Jupiterian confidence, opportunity, and largesse, a bold belief in what we can build, and also that we know the material facts, and so can judge our best endeavors; and Pallas, offering a Warrior-spirit, a mature wisdom and understanding, a brave countenance with which to face challenges, and a practicality that informs our best use of already-developed skills.

That sounds like a lot, but the reality will be very individualized, very specific to your own personal transformation story. We’re likely to experience the chance at re-birth in matters of the House in the natal chart where the NM occurs. Though the contours of the situation will be highly unique to each individual, the general areas affected may be encompassed by the House where it falls: the 1st–the Self and the way you ‘present’ to the world; the 2nd–talents, assets, or Self-concept; the 3rd–communications, thinking, agreements, siblings; the 4th–family or core beliefs about identity; the 5th–creative efforts, romance, one’s children, risks; the 6th–the everyday circumstances, obligations and duties, the job, work colleagues, health; the 7th–your partner, your audience, your Art, or the world at large; the 8th–others’ assets, what you share and they share with you, sex, death; the 9th–things at a distance, education, religion, in-laws, travel, publications; the 10th–the career, the public image, business, your boss; the 11th–group affiliations, friendships, hopes wishes and goals; the 12th–the wider Universe, large institutions, those things we may be hiding from ourselves, spirituality. Not a definitive list, by any means, but one meant to give you some idea of where the action will be. There’s plenty of overlap, as well, as anyone who works with astrological concepts for long will know, so use your best intuitive sense of how this translates to your world.

So what’s the Sabian for this transformative Moon? ‘After Having Heard An Inspired Individual Deliver His “Sermon On The Mount,” Crowds Are Returning Home’. We’ve already ‘received’ the message delivered by spirit, or via someone inspired in their offering–now we need to take it ‘home’ with us, into ourselves and our everyday lives. What that message is will depend on who you are–what we know is that we’ve already got the needed information, and now just have to implement it.

Like Dorothy, we already have what we need to get ‘home’, we just have to access it, and the New Moon offers an ‘entry point’ that can kick-start a next-step inspiration.

6-8 May 2016 New Moon in Taurus: The Seed of Change

05 Thursday May 2016

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Jean-François Millet - 'Spring' c1868 {{PD}}

Jean-François Millet – ‘Spring’ c1868 {{PD}}

Friday the 6th as the day begins on the West coast we are in approach to the conjunction of Sun and Moon in Taurus–and that sense of anticipation may overshadow a couple of other aspects perfecting at this time. The reality picture may be startling in its ability to empower us–who’d ah thunk, right?! Here the facts of what is (Saturn in Sagittarius) accommodate, support, and perhaps give focus to matters where we can get down to the Truth, and thereby gain influence, situational strength, and/ or the emotional fortitude to dig deep and address those aforementioned facts. We can get a clear view of our ambition and desire picture at this time, and can see just where it needs modification and revision–and we can also see the ambition agenda of others, and so gain better understanding of them, if we care to look (Saturn nov Juno, Sun qnx Zeus)

The New Moon occurs at 12:30 PM Pacific time at 16 Taurus 41. A New Moon is a seed moment, a beginning, and in Taurus this might be quite literal: a moment of conception related to the House of the natal chart in which it falls. In the 3rd, we may get an idea, in the 12th we may view something come to consciousness, in the 5th or 8th, we may get a baby–so check where it falls for you, for maximum safety! Of course, new beginnings can take in a lot of territory; and we must look at the conception in light of not just the initial placement of the event, but also according to what aspects it makes, and the implications of the Sabian for the degree where it falls. Taurus is naturally fecund, but the form that fertility takes is very specific to the individual and where this event falls in the natal chart.

On the larger scene, the New Moon forms apex to a Finger of God with base of Zeus-Saturn, suggesting that what begins at this point in time is the direct product of our ambitions and desires in the material world. Aha! Again with the suggestion that what we’ve aimed for, lusted for, even, in our physical reality is what drives the New Moon manifestation. Well, this is getting interesting.

New Moon in Taurus May 2016

If we stretch our standards a bit, we see the way the New Moon trines the midpoint of transiting Jupiter and the current North Node, signalling that the event somehow relates to our place on the social scene, and that it will affect life direction–so it takes on an added, serious tone–and if we treat this point (made up of Jupiter and the NN) as meaningful, we can use it to fill in an Earth Grand Trine with the NM and Pluto, suggesting that what the New Moon brings is a kind of destruction, transformation, or re-birth to our social role and the direction we’re headed in life that makes for a new beginning–but what does that beginning look like?

'Judith' Vincenzo Catena c1625 {{PD}}

‘Judith’ Vincenzo Catena c1625 {{PD}}

The Sabian for the event is, ‘A Symbolical Battle Between “Swords” And “Torches”‘ Strength, the ability to force, punitive energy, symbolic judgment, physical means of deciding, ‘killing’, or severing, wrestle with enlightened energies, ones that light the way or offer a wider view, that illuminate, that can perhaps burn, and so destroy with their insight–but that have the disadvantage of carrying no ‘doing’ energy, which is really what this contest is about: whether we will take an active role, or a hopeful, enlightened, but possibly materially ineffective one. In this instance, we may face the seductive energy of knowing, versus the call to do, with either choice applying to our identity. The question may become, ‘Do you want to be right, ‘in the know’, but not a player? Or do you want to shape things, make the choices, but not be privy to the bigger picture, the right or wrong, until after the fact?’ Not an easy question to answer, as each side has its advantages, and its problems.

'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose', 1885-86 John Singer Sargent {{PD}}

‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’, 1885-86 John Singer Sargent {{PD}}

Today’s word image is Solar lanterns winking on across a garden as dusk falls. The Sun, at just the right distance from our planet, makes all life possible, and we can feel its presence even at night, in the breeze through the trees, the emerging nocturnal animals, the reflected light bounced to us by the Moon. At a New Moon we are without that nighttime light, and the world can seem a pretty dark and forbidding place, until the light of the Moon ‘returns’.

Maybe this image is about realizing that everything has its cycles, its seasons, and that if we’re in a ‘dark’ one now, all we really have to do is wait–and there’s the suggestion of unseen forces, such as the warmed earth that helps push that breeze, or the way the nocturnal animals hid from the sun’s glare all day, that suggest something vital and ‘warm’ moving behind the scenes, exerting an influence, moving things along.

Donate–read—services–plant a New Moon seed!

 

7-8 March 2016 and the Solar Eclipse

06 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Dark of the Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse, The Daily Word Image

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By Carroll Jones III or carrolljonesoriginals.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46450858

By Carroll Jones III or carrolljonesoriginals.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46450858

Just a couple of notes on aspects perfecting today; the big show is with the eclipse, of course, which arrives here on the Western US coast on the 8th. Since we’re in the Dark of the Moon right now, we are more open to sensing than to reasoning–and we really feel like that in approach to a Total Solar Eclipse. While our eyes (and our sensitive ‘feelers’) are on the Moon, Vesta will quietly enter Taurus–and probably bring emphasis to the material needs and comforts, especially those related to the Lunar event, though Venus square Sedna may temporarily interfere with that emotional and intuitive signal, putting finances and relationships, for just a little while, beyond easy understanding (or at the very least, complicating our feelings toward them). We also see Juno trine Ceres, bringing balance to relationships between powerful or dynamic women, and also between our need for power and what we must do (or compromise) to obtain it; those aspects are all on the 7th.

By the 8th we’ll also have Vesta contra-parallel Zeus, which may tip our attention and efforts in the direction of honoring what’s really important to us, rather than toward pursuing goals; it may seem that relationships and causes to which we’re dedicated must be seen to first. We also see Saturn sextile Pallas, connecting the smart choice to what’s practical or wise–and possibly suggesting that we can learn what’s smart by observation of what is, of the rules, and/ or by noting what’s solid and dependable. And then there’s the eclipse.

Solar Eclipse 8 March 2016 5:54 PM Pacific Standard Time at 18 Pisces 55

In energy terms, eclipses wipe out what came before. They clean the slate and write a new energy equation on it, one that describes the general influence and tone of Sun (consciousness) and Moon (emotions) in interaction. This may build on what came before, or obliterate it—we can only know which for the individual by inspection of the eclipse impact in the natal chart—but in any case the pair of eclipses brings a shift in tone that extends through to the next eclipse set, in about six months. The New and Full events are always separated by two weeks, but not necessarily in that order. They shake-up and realign, and the change they bring can be subtle as a breeze, or shocking as an earthquake that drops the ground beneath our feet.

A New Moon eclipse brings a kind of ‘super-birth’, a brand new energy direction that sees the inception of many beginnings themed to the sign and aspects of the Lunar event; a Full Moon eclipse brings something to closure, again related to placement and aspects. Sometimes the Full Moon presents as a finish, a fait accompli, an ending or boundary past which we can go no further, or it shows us a culmination of events and their result; when the Full Moon is an eclipse, we add to this a sense of finality that may remove something or someone from ours lives for good. We must remember, too, that with a Full Moon, we may find the seeds of new beginnings, as when one thing ends it invariably leaves an empty energetic ‘space’, into which something new always, eventually, goes.

With a New or Full Moon we keep orbs as close as possible, simply because we want a crisp picture of Lunar effects. For a Solar Eclipse (a New Moon, the alignment of which finds Earth, Sun, and Moon along the same plane, with the Moon between the Earth and Sun) we allow a slightly more generous span; we respect the intensity the event generates, we feel our primal senses give a little ‘jump’ as the Moon moves between us and the Sun and blackens in relief against the Sun’s glowing corona, and through the experience are just a little more acutely aware of our connection to Nature. Even being able to explain the mechanism of the event doesn’t divest it of mystery. It makes sense, then, that we use bigger orbs for the aspects this impressive alignment forms.

The Pisces Solar Eclipse/ New Moon of 2016 conjoins Chiron (only one minute less than 2 degrees apart) and Ceres (with a gap of just over 3 degrees), and falls close to (off by only 42 minutes) exact opposition to Jupiter. Normally we don’t consider semi-sextiles unless they’re tight, but we have one today, to Uranus. The eclipse also sextiles Pluto, is widely trine Juno, and quincunxes Zeus, though the orb is too big to also include Zeus’ companion in Libra, Black Moon Lilith. We also see a T-square, with Saturn the arm to the opposition of the eclipse (Moon-Sun) to the combination of Earth conjoined Jupiter (and we might note that since the Earth is always precisely opposed the Sun, we wouldn’t be noting it here except for the involvement of Jupiter).

With the eclipse closely conjoined Chiron and Ceres we can expect a new state surrounding a wound (and this may involve healing or fresh wounding), associated especially with the primal wound our natal Chiron represents, or one keyed to our personal expression of power, talent, or authority, especially as it comes through a natural role, or through what we might describe as a gift (for instance, through being a parent, or as a man or woman at a biological/ social level, or in our role within the Arts or in whatever way we display our talents), and this may come about through material circumstances (Earth) created by the social order or their representative entities (Jupiter—religious or educational institutions, ‘foreign’ governments) and their judgments, or by current material facts (also Jupiter in the Earth sign Virgo).

This wound-related or power-related event may show us our socially or materially-imposed limits (the Saturn square) that will spur or create change (Pluto), which is ultimately empowering to us (Juno), though this empowerment requires adjustment to our goals, ambitions, and desires (Zeus)—this adjustment may require enhanced discipline or acquiescence to the rules (Saturn)—and the whole thing may come as something of a surprise (Uranus). What occurs likely springs spontaneously (Uranus) out of older circumstances (the Saturn T-square may even imply an age-old struggle of some kind) that point us in a new direction, either through an experience of hurt, or an experience of healing (both Chiron), and the way these reflect our personal power situation and natural authoritative roles (Ceres). The new start is empowering and possibly status-conferring, especially if we form a new partnership (Juno), and forces modification of our desires and ambitions (Zeus), as they will have to change (Pluto) to accommodate the new direction (the New Moon eclipse).

The Sabian for this eclipse is, ‘A Master Instructing His Disciple’. This suggests an inflow of information from which we may benefit, that matures us and makes us more adept in some area, specifically an area we are trying to master, than we were before. The ‘super-birth’ relates to applying our attention and effort to a discipline or body of knowledge, of being accepted into or initiated into a Knowledge Tradition that shares the accumulated experiences of all who walked the Path ahead of us. An example of what we are to become (‘A Master’) is before us; how then does this change our ambitions and goals? We receive, in one form or another, something akin to the wisdom of the Universe in the Solar Eclipse event, passed on by one who knows and shares this with us, and no matter what it appears to be on the surface, what happens or develops at this time will in the end be fortuitous for us, taking us a step farther along the Path, either enhancing our expertise or our personal development.

I don’t usually discuss things for an eclipse that aren’t directly triggered by that eclipse, but in this case I’ll make an exception, because many people may be feeling this gathering in Pisces and understandably mistaking it (that’s a Piscean specialty, after all) for a Lunar eclipse influence. At the time of the Lunar Eclipse, Ceres, Chiron, and the South Node will all sit within 24 minutes of each other at 21 degrees Pisces. This brings hurt, authority figures or one’s own personal authority, and the past together in such a way that a memory of, for instance, a past power struggle lost becomes, through the haze of imagination, a more significant (and possibly more injurious) event than it really was. That is, we may suddenly designate this a seminal event that seems to be the source of the Lunar eclipse effect, when it’s actually just a carry-over of the Solar (Pisces) Eclipse that preceded it—and we are doubly likely to do this if the struggle we have in mind was one within a partnership. The Pisces area of the natal chart will be sensitized by the Solar Eclipse, and like a tuning fork, this grouping of Ceres, Chiron, and South Node may continue to carry the reverberation long after our awareness of the eclipse would usually be relegated to background noise within the unconscious.

Lunar crater Daedalus. We know what happened to him, right? Stay away from the Sun, kids! {{PD}}

Lunar crater Daedalus. We know what happened to him, right? Stay away from the Sun, kids! {{PD}}

Fun facts: according to Space.com, “Since the moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago, it has been gradually moving away from Earth (by about 1.6 inches, or 4 centimeters per year). Right now the moon is at the perfect distance to appear in our sky exactly the same size as the sun, and therefore block it out.” And this: “Researchers say that when it formed, the moon was about 14,000 miles (22,530 kilometers) from Earth. It’s now more than 280,000 miles, or 450,000 kilometers away.” To answer the question, Will the Moon ever escape Earth’s orbit? we have this somewhat snarky explanation from Physics Forums: “. . . the moon will only move away from Earth until it reaches an orbital resonance when the length of the Earth’s day and the Moon’s month will be equal – that’s in about 50 billion years. In theory the moon could then move closer to Earth, but since they are both going to be consumed by the sun before that – it’s a bit academic.”

The Word image for this period through the eclipse is ‘Two individuals argue, not realizing they’re saying the same thing’. Sometimes we are so busy making our point that we don’t hear what’s coming at us. An eclipse can, in the same way, block our clear perceptions of something, most likely matters found in the House of the natal chart where it falls. Don’t react too strongly during this period, as in a very short time full light (and so our perceptions) will be restored.

New Moon in Aquarius 2016 Higher Understanding

07 Sunday Feb 2016

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

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Dante Gabriel Rossetti 'Holy Grail' 1873 {{PD}}

Dante Gabriel Rossetti ‘Holy Grail’ 1873 {{PD}}

The New Moon in Aquarius (also known as Lunar New Year) falls on the 8th at 6:38 AM Pacific time at 19 Aquarius 15. The NM forms close semi-sextiles to Venus and Chiron, with only 9 and 5 minutes difference, respectively, and so falls at the midpoint of their sextile; this on its own suggests the New Moon brings the healing power (Chiron) of Love (Venus) through intellectual understanding or through a greater knowledge of the reasons behind the facts (Aquarius). What’s born here can heal, can be a conduit for Love at its most pristine and potent, and can offer an elevated level of comprehension in terms of the ‘higher function’ of events–but that’s not the entire story.

The New Moon is also sextile Vesta, in wide quincunx to Jupiter, trines Black Moon Lilith-Zeus, and squares Mars. So, we may have two general scenarios: either the higher understanding and Love are reached through a negatively-perceived event, or through a positively perceived one. That is, we may act in reaction to some aggression, or as the conflict-initiating entity ourselves, or in reaction to a restrictive or demanding social or fact-based situation (likely in trying to fulfill ambitions or to rectify an injustice, with our choices guided by our highest values or the needs of the mate or home front), and this either flows from the NM healing event, or creates it.

That’s the difficult thing: the NM event may soothe us, or it may offer that healing and in the process create a stressful circumstance in reaction. There’s no way to know ahead of time, but we can look to the House in the natal chart where this NM falls; knowing the current circumstances of House matters will clue you in to what might be involved, and whether the initiating event is a negative or positive one.

The Sabian goes right along with the healing nature of the New Moon, ‘A Large White Dove Bearing A Message’ Expect to learn something; expect to gain an appreciation of the circumstances of peace (and this may come through war). In particular, we can heal a relationship that may be suffering. This comes through our own willingness to expand our understanding, to apply Love to all our connections, to accept peace–and that latter may be difficult for some of us to do.