No matter how humble our aspirations, this New Moon will have us reaching for more (or better). By Jules Bastien-Lepage 1876 {{PD}}
The New Moon occurs in Gemini on the 13th at 22 Gemini 44, at 12:43 PM Pacific time. The event, with Ceres, forms the base of a loose Finger of God, apex Black Moon Lilith, which of course is an empty point in space–so, symbolically, the New Moon helps point to what isn’t there, at least not yet, but can be felt, like a shift in the tone of a room, in an attitude. We might be tempted to see Pluto as co-apex, but don’t–it’s too wide for the quincunx to Ceres to count, though the NM perfects close enough to its quincunx to be counted, drawing in the power and danger Pluto’s presence can signal through the NM itself–so indicating timing, most likely, a Plutonian element at or near the NM moment. This configuration suggests that Nature, a maternal or authority figure, or ourselves, in the position of exerting our Will/ authority within a situation/ or exerting our position and its prerogatives, may act at the time of the New Moon and set in motion something powerful but invisible–something that stirs Black Moon Lilith’s depths of hidden, ignored, or denied matters, or of rage or injustice.
The only other aspects within reasonable orb are a sextile to Juno and a sesquiquadrate to Mars. These suggest that whatever our current position of empowerment or status (Juno) we easily (and probably immediately) reach for what power that gives us; perhaps this is the fuel to the Finger’s fire, where we step into ‘greater than’ territory (Ceres), potentially stepping on a few toes, promoting ourselves, and/ or taking as our own a more potent role. This action, and/ or our choices (Mars) may be awkward, in terms of fitting with our current position, but that’s the point: this New Moon fosters a Will or an opportunity to take a larger role, to be more than we have been, and though this stirs buried upsets, it also gives us a chance to grow, and to grow our influence.
The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘Three Fledglings In A Nest High In A Tree’. The fledglings are the ideas we’ll test, the power assertions we’ll try, and possibly the upsets or buried material we’ll bring out into the open–at this point we’ll see if our new role, efforts, or assertions ‘fly’, or plummet to a quick end–and that will tell us where to put our energies in the immediate future.
Vilhelm Hammershoi – ‘Interieur mit Rueckenansicht einer Frau’ – 1903-1904 {{PD}}
The Full Moon occurs on the 29th at 7:20 AM Pacific time at 8 Sagittarius 10, falling trine to the transiting North Node and sextile the South one–and that makes a Mystic Rectangle with the Sun-Earth-Moon axis. Keeping our 2+ or – degree (or less for minor contacts) orb, we also see the FM semi-sextile Saturn and semi-square Black Moon Lilith–otherwise, this event is all on its lonesome. The interesting point is that the only ‘solid’ aspect the Full Moon makes is to Saturn, and that’s a minor interaction–all else is with calculated points, intangibles made up of energy, mathematical points derived from the movement of other solid bodies, giving the points a ‘once removed’ quality. That suggests that this Moon is a kind of ‘shadow Moon’, one that exerts a more subtle, nuanced, or ephemeral effect than the usual Lunar event–and those are cast with reflective light as it is, emphasizing that these connections and the influences they represent are probably more tenuous, even insidious, and more difficult to discern, than we realize.
At the same time, even as the effects seem to creep up on us, we can look to the natal House where Saturn is currently transiting, and/ or the House it rules (these will in most systems be one and the same, or sometimes the next House to the one it’s currently transiting, possible with Placidus, for instance, since Saturn’s in its own sign) for matters where the Full Moon may show through material issues. It’s like the fabric of the unseen world, the veil that separates material from non-material, is torn right where Saturn is, letting what we’re intuiting, sensing, or feeling spill through to take physical form.
What spills through with a Full Moon in Sagittarius is knowledge–and if not delivering the facts, it may deliver an event that bolsters, defines, or alters our faith, or our outlook toward the foreign or the social–and any or all of these will present things that, factual or not, will read as facts in our world, will inform the landscape. It’s important to remember for any Lunar event that it’s likely to be an emotional one, aside from any physical occurrences, and doubly so as the FM contacts its own points of extremity (the Nodes), and well as the Earth’s energy counterpoint within its ellipsis, Black Moon Lilith. This suggests that what we learn will be charged with emotion, and possibly emotion that we have denied, repressed, or that is closely bonded to rage–and this all acts on the psyche, which orchestrates the material world around us, bringing a point of manifestation at or very near the Full Moon point (or potentially, though less likely, at some time through to the next New Moon).
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Mother Leads Her Small Child Step By Step Up A Steep Stairway’. The conscious mind is the mother, leading the way, the small child those less-conscious impulses, and energies more closely connected to the primal Self. The stairway, of course, is life, learning, going both forward and ‘up’, to a higher understanding–just exactly what the contacts promise for this FM. The opposing Sun Sabian is, ‘A Quiver Filled With Arrows’. That is an image of pure potential–and what is knowledge but that with which we’re ‘armed’ in our daily life? Use what you know at this Full Moon, and be open to acquiring more information–it’s there to be had, and some of it will appear in material form, up to us to ‘handle’.
Over the years people have written me on occasion, wanting to know why I use such close orbs for New and Full Moon discussions, and why I don’t talk about other aspects in force at the time of these events. I keep the picture crisp and clear to aid understanding; I think we muddy the waters when we want to analyze aspects kitchen-sink style, talking about everything in hopes that we hit something. Though nothing manifests in a vacuum, so to speak, we have to be able to tell influences one from another–otherwise we run the risk of believing we’re attending to a matter, when we might be missing its source completely.
For ‘Our Fathers’ Godsaga’ by Viktor Rydberg, drawn by John Bauer 1910 {{PD}}
The New Moon perfects at 4:48 AM PDT of the 15th at 24 Taurus 36, within range of conjunction to Sedna, and, despite a relatively large aspect orb, we’ll count the trine of the New Moon to Mars in Capricorn, as the Warrior’s 29 degree placement suggests an assertiveness that can’t be ignored (with its’ current square to Uranus bringing in an element of suddenness or surprise). This may drive the entire NM dynamic, as a must-be-satisfied Mars forces action or decision-making that just so happens to also carry along a deep, denied, and possibly destructive undertone (slightly closer trines to Pluto and Black Moon Lilith, together in Capricorn)–and all this will be happening somewhere deep inside, whispering in the psyche sotto voce, and these may prompt responses from the instincts or those places where we ‘know but don’t know’, leading us in a way most true to our inner angels and demons, rather than in the guise of our conscious choices and intentions.
We add to this a loose semi-square to Juno in Aries, a sextile to Hygeia, and a semi-sextile to Venus; these are likely to be subtle but conflicting influences: one tide in the direction of healthy and loving action, effective moves that promote well-being and that may soothe relationships or finances, with an opposite impulse to have one’s way (originating from a sense of previously having been disrespected), taking that out in small ways in relationships or minor financial indiscretions or petty withholding in either arena.
Scenery of the pond at Shitennō-ji Honbō Park in Osaka, November 2015 Photo by Laitche CC BY-SA 4.0
The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘A Vast Public Park’. This suggests openness in material matters; Nature shared, resources mutually held, a new state related to these begins. What we hold in common, under a civilized agreement preserving something in a natural state for the benefit of all, takes a new turn. We might ask: how long will that ‘park’ remain a public resource, an environment to share? Replace the word ‘park’ with the appropriate subject related to the NM placement in the natal chart for clues as to where the ‘new start’ may show itself.
It all makes for a kind of earthly upset; could we draw connection to the way Kilauea is splitting open, discharging what’s been below the surface, re-shaping ‘what is’ and the very Earth itself, hot, ‘angry’ (though it’s a bit of a crime to personify Nature that way), spilling forth the destructive and transformative, what ’til now has been hidden, or even denied (as some built their houses amongst the old lava paths)? Sure, we can make the correlation, but for the vast majority of us, we’ll experience this New Moon on a smaller scale and in much more personal ways. The earth may move beneath our feet, opening up to reveal some fairly heady, dangerous stuff, but most likely we’ll experience the New Moon as we experience all extreme points in the Lunar cycle, as an emotional shift, a feeling revelation, a small but vital chance to start over.
Is this Full Moon really as dramatic as that stick-up line in an old movie? Yes, and then again, No. This Full Moon is likely to feel highly charged, in the sense of seeming as if a great deal depends on how things go, on which direction we decide to jump–but that’s just a feeling, fostered by a culmination in Scorpio (at 5:57 PM PDT on the 29th) that is in relatively close square to the Nodal axis, the North end of which is conjoined Ceres. Yes, I’m aware the Nodal axis at any one time is the measurement of the points where the Moon crosses the ecliptic, with the North Node being the point when the Moon crosses into the Northern ecliptic hemisphere and the South Node the opposite, and all as defined from our viewpoint here on Earth–and so, the Nodes aren’t bodies at all, which some astrologers do not count as acceptable components of configurations–but I do. I see them as charged points in space, and so meaningful when aligned with other points or bodies.
Back to the Full Moon’s participation in a Fixed Grand Cross, with Sun in Taurus, Moon-Earth in Scorpio, North Node-Ceres in Leo, and South Node in Aquarius, which I anticipate lending the Full Moon its sense of dynamism, importance through potentialities, and even fatedness, should we feel this Cross as a swirling maelstrom rather than a compass pointing (and so urging us to move) in four directions at once. We may be confronting (the squares) our personal future direction and power situation (NN-Ceres in Leo) as well as the ways in which our once-future oriented approach has become dated and passé (SN in Aquarius). This Full Moon illuminates our personal caves, digs down into the figurative Earth beneath our feet, shines a light on what’s normally dank and wet and hidden, dark, mysterious, and perhaps alluring because it’s unknown, and shows us how this must change, evolve, or be reformed in order to reconcile what we want (Sun in Taurus) with what we are compelled toward, intuit, love, and already have (Moon-Earth in Scorpio), with the consideration that these Moon-Earth attributes must change (Scorpio), in order to allow us to move forward effectively, with our power, agency, and autonomy intact (NN-Ceres).
A sextile to Saturn by the FM tells us that this is an opportunity–how? you ask: the real world restrictions and restraints imposed by ourselves or others on us have created exactly the right physical conditions for us to see and then alter those areas that the FM reveals as requiring change. The Moon’s emotional component supplies a sense of urgency, while the Moon’s placement tells us that nothing less than our own personal evolution is on the table. Sorting need from want deals with the stress questions imposed by the Cross, even as it answers that question, ‘Your money or your life?’ through the Sun’s assessment of what we want to gain, accumulate, and find comfort in. What at first feels like a hold-up becomes a chance to evolve, another Scorpio specialty. Looking deep and willingly making needed change, we can have both what we need materially (‘money’) and what we value spiritually (‘life’).
The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, ‘A Fellowship Supper Reunites Old Comrades’, while the Sabian for the Sun is, ‘A Red Cross Nurse’. Both are images of care, the camaraderie of mankind, and healing. This suggests that if we can get beyond the sense of urgency and fear, we can see how beneficial, offering repair to relationships and feelings, the circumstances of reform highlighted by the Full Moon can truly be.
Bonus: those with a natal placement 8-11 degrees Gemini will find their natal energy at the apex of a Finger of God with base of Saturn-FM. This suggests what is acted upon for the individual will be related to that natal energy, and/ or to the subjects of the House it rules in the natal chart.
Though Mercury has already stationed for turnaround, it hasn’t happened yet; we have to wait until 2:21 AM Pacific time of the 15th for a technical shift in direction. Merc’s direct motion starts at 4 Aries 46, with Mercury’s first post-direction contacts (other than ones received from Luna) coming on the 25th-26th close together: a square to Saturn in Capricorn and a trine to Ceres in Leo. That leaves a relatively long stretch when Merc is picking up speed and unimpeded (as well as not imposing its own agenda) on anything else. Merc in Aries is about communicating who we are, and what we want, as individuals–so expect a spate of realizing just what it is we want or think, then speaking up, speaking out, followed after ten days or so by giving those ideas solid form, or stopping something we’ve found objectionable (Saturn) in a perfect (that is, balanced) expression of our identity, essence, and authority (Ceres, in all her glory in Leo).
Just hours after technical direction, we see the New Moon in Aries, and in the run up to Merc’s first contacts we see Chiron enter Aries, Sun conjoin Uranus then enter Taurus, and Venus sweep over Sedna and then enter Gemini, from which it sextiles Chiron, both still in 00 degrees–and at that point we see Mercury poised to make his statement. This should bring a kind of progression, a building of energies, that starts with a re-focusing on the sense of woundedness from a Universal one to a personal and individual one. This may prompt unusual revelations about the Self and the identity; things we’ve not seen as wounds before suddenly are, while other hurts we’ve assumed may be exposed as nothing at all. Attention shifts, then, to the material, to nurture, to tending those wounds (and in worst-case scenarios, to feeding them!) Meanwhile, relationships, finances, and our values all take it deep, dipping into instincts, things we ‘know but don’t know’, and into our own ‘blind spot’, in order to reveal the wounds, the ‘true’ state of the identity, and to organize and make sense of what transpired during the retrograde phase. Only then, just before Mercury makes its first aspects post-direction, will we know with any certainty what we should do, and how we should proceed. And that’s the essence of my advice at this time: in spite of the direction, wait–you’ll learn a great deal in those ten days that will have a significant impact on your perspective.
Albrecht Dürer – ‘Wing of a Roller’ 1511 {{PD}}
The Sabian symbol for the direction point perhaps offers a formula: ‘A Triangle With Wings’=elevated balance–not a bad goal, at all.
And now for an update on my dream life. I was in what seemed to be the lobby of an old department store, and as people came through the revolving doors I took it upon myself to decide who could come in and who was turned back. Even in the dream I thought I might be overstepping, but everyone supported me in this role and there were no arguments–everything was decided with my intuition, and everyone seemed to see this as valid. Then I toured the building, which was immense, filled with innumerable rooms, and as I moved through the corridors more and more people came along with me. I returned to the lobby as it seemed that’s where I was ‘needed’. A man sat on an elevated platform; he was in intense pain. I knew him from ‘before’ (which I took to be earlier in the dream). He was Indian, had been a soldier, and had been tortured in the Middle East; he was now severely deformed, with part of his spine sticking out of his back, his entire mid-section twisted. I sat before him and cupped my hands around one of his knees. Between my palms appeared a flow of what looked like deep golden marigold petals, and these somehow took away the man’s pain. Then I woke up (or as they say, did I go to sleep to dream my ‘real’ life?) This seemed to be along the same lines as that last dream I shared, so thought it might be of interest to some.
‘Marigolds and Tangerines’ By Félix Vallotton {{PD}}
Now the astrology. Last night around the time of the dream, the Moon and Mercury were conjoined in Aries in my communication 3rd=intuited information on my role or the actions I should take–communication through emotion (or perhaps empathy). Neptune and Hygeia were closely conjoined in Pisces and smack on my Black Moon Lilith=through dreams what has been ignored or denied is explored, the healthy way shown. t Jupiter trine natal Moon and natal Ceres, forming a Water Grand Trine=a glimpse of my ‘natural’ role/ authority, at expressing a personal, nurturing role, or was it a wee peek at the afterlife (Jupiter is now so strongly associated with death). And t NN is sextile my natal Jupiter, and Ceres sextile and Pallas trine my natal Mars, with t Saturn still within orb of a square to that Mars=addressing the Will, Self-actualization, the life direction; it’s the smart thing to do, though difficult to bring into the reality. t Vesta is square my natal Mercury, and this catches natal Neptune at the midpoint=I must face how I think about what I honor–this message is delivered through the dream life. t Sedna closely opposed my natal Venus=time to treasure what I ‘know but don’t know’, what the instincts reveal, and perhaps to find the value in what has, possibly just until the present, been hidden in my ‘blind spot’. And or all of these interpretations could be followed by a great, big question mark 🙂
Of course, these are just guesses, but it’s fun to look at the astrology and see what it might reveal (or, more often, obscure!) Have a wonderful week!
We may not be allowed a glimpse of what the New Moon brings ahead of time. By Paul Spangenberg 1911 {{PD}}
The New Moon perfects at 6:57 PM Pacific time on the 15th at 26 Aries 02, just over two degrees short of conjunction to Uranus. The New Moon is also in close semi-sextile to Sedna, and is novile both Neptune and Hygeia (the latter exact), but is outside acceptable range to anything else. This makes the interesting scenario where we will have the NM event, then an emotional reaction (as the Moon reaches Uranus just a few hours later), then enlightenment (when the Sun arrives in a couple of days).
What can we expect at the New Moon, then? Sudden revelation, possibly via the Higher Mind, or caused by our action (Aries) within the group (Uranus), showing us the health of one or more ‘systems’, material, physical, financial, spiritual, and the challenge is to see the state of these systems for their true status and standing, and if possible, to envision and potentially realize their ideal state (the obscuring and elevating influence of Neptune).
With this New Moon falling in Aries, we should expect new starts to our own methods, choices, actions, and to expression of our Will; its proximity to Uranus late in the sign suggests the consequences of our actions and choices play out in relation to or within the group, or through spontaneous events or ‘accidents’. All these will likely bring ‘healthy’ changes or results (Hygeia), born either from spiritual or creative ideals, or from the depths of the imagination (Neptune–and with that latter may be seen as positive or not-so).
In any case, our instincts, our ‘blind spot’, and/ or what we ‘know but don’t know’ (all Sedna) will be the ‘Wild Card’ of what we’re dealt (or perhaps it’s more accurate to say, What We Deal to Ourselves!) Sedna will be the driving or molding force that informs all other developments, and that means the shape of New Moon events will reflect our own inner landscape, as captured and projected outward by Sedna’s energies. The good news is that the creative and the inclination toward health (Neptune, Hygeia) come with a touch of genius (the novile); what happens offers some brilliant material, it’s just up to us to sort through what may seem more like the capriciousness of the Universe than the revelation of the truly remarkable, in order to find it. The Sabian for the New Moon says it all: ‘Through Imagination A Lost Opportunity Is Regained’. Yes, it is.
Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema ‘The Bible Lesson’ {{PD}}
The Full Moon perfects at 5:36 AM Pacific time of the 31st at 10 Libra 44 at the Sabian degree for ‘A Professor Peering Over His Glasses At His Students’. Ah-ha! This Moon will be instructive, and the Lunar energies will be responses to and responding to our own understanding and accomplishment–that is, how much we’ve learned. There’s an element of judgment, of assessment, to what occurs, that echoes ‘lessons learned’ at the Virgo Full Moon of the 1st, and takes them to a new level–be ready to receive your grades!
The FM is square Mars-Saturn, with Mars still to perfect conjunction to Saturn. The Full Moon effect both arises from our real-world actions and generates them; we see the consequences of restraint, and we may see specifically that actions or choices driven by emotion will affect the reality picture, and may have down sides or restrictive components we haven’t anticipated. The FM is also trine the South Node point, suggesting the past easily ‘flows’ into the present; connections are obvious, and allow us full rein to continue or reject their influence. Too, if we pair the FM with the North Node by sextile, we see a loose Finger of God with apex Hygeia in Pisces (though Neptune could be apex if the FM had occurred just a day or two later, at this point it’s no cigar). The current Finger tells us that emotion plus our current life direction are the fundamentals that determine our health–an obvious formula, but one worth becoming thoroughly conscious of, as we are not perceiving the state of health (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual) and those things that affect it as clearly as we may believe (Hygeia in Pisces).
Winslow Homer ‘Kissing the Moon’ 1903 {{PD}}
With the Full Moon falling in Libra, we know that central to events will be interaction with others; behaviors, choices, relationships are all interdependent, and so inextricable, one from another. What ends or comes to completion at this time is related to our relationship to one or more entities to which or to whom we feel emotional connection; the issue then becomes what feelings or intuitions we are willing to acknowledge about those others, with FM events offering a denouement that offers at least partial answers to our questions.
This Moon is also opposed a retrograde Mercury and sesquiquadrate Sedna, suggesting that we may not have access to coherent thought around the Full Moon experience, and that access via instincts will be difficult if not impossible to accomplish. It may be that, after assessing our relationships in the light of FM events, we must look into the eyes of others in order to make contact with our own feelings. The question, ‘Is it you or is it me?’ may be vital to gaining deeper knowledge of our relationships and of our causal part in them.
We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘The Ruler Of A Nation’. That implies that big events, or the choices of those far above us in influence, will factor in to Full Moon circumstances. Or, as ruler of our own ‘Nation’, we may be looking for conformity across the relationship spectrum, for an easy thread of likeness with which to bind all those who populate our world. Though the wish for this is understandable, it’s not necessarily desirable; one thing the Full Moon in Libra ought to show us is how varied the characteristics of each of our many relationships, how particular and specially-attuned they are to various parts of our own Beingness. To lose that variety by adopting a uniform attitude (symbolized by ‘The Ruler’, a kind of Archetype, in the image), or by expecting our personal ‘Nation’ to blend homogeneously to suit some idea of who we are, we lose the broad spectrum of potentials and talents that are stored within our own personalities, celebrated in our innate contradictions and pecadillos, and brought forward within a rainbow of interactions. That Aries Sun makes us feel more solitary, more separate, than we really are, but it’s only in embracing the way the individual fits, puzzle-piece like, into a relationship, that we discover the best in ourselves, as well as the many different ‘shades’ that Self comes in.
I’ll be completely unavailable starting afternoon of the 28th, through evening of the 1st, Pacific time. Have a great Full Moon!
Jessie Willcox Smith – ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ 1915 Illustration for a soap company {{PD}}
The New Moon occurs at 6:11 AM Pacific Daylight time at 26 Pisces 53. Both bodies (Sun, Moon) are applying conjoined Chiron, sextile Sedna and catching Uranus at the rough midpoint, square Vesta, and widely square Mars, the latter two together in Sagittarius, with Mars at the stressful 29 degree mark. The New Moon is also headed toward a sesquiquadrate with the North Node, and is in wide separating trine to Jupiter, which suggests what was recently promised by Jupiter is now in the rear-view mirror, not exactly gone, but at least temporarily losing relevance and certainly making connecting with that Jupiterian potential impossible right now (and we might ask ourselves, what ‘new’ do we need to learn, related to that Jupiter possibility, that will make actually obtaining what we want possible? Look to matters of the House where the New Moon and retro Jupiter fall in the natal chart. The NM Mars could make us feel as if we must act on it–but the time’s not right, yet)–the sesquiquadrate to the North Node only adds to this, making the road ahead appear particularly bumpy from our current vantage point.
Forming so close to Chiron suggests the New Moon brings potentials for hurt or healing–but which? We get a clue in the sextile to Sedna, which finds Uranus at the midpoint; this promises that something prompted either by the instincts or the ‘blind spot’ (that is, that we stumble into, rather than deliberately choose) will bring something unexpected or shocking, will garner the input of the group, or will foster understanding, not just intellectually, but emotionally, even intuitively. We must also consider that the knowledge, opportunity, or belief ‘withdrawal’ suggested by Jupiter may be the source of the wounding or healing. Whatever it is, it challenges our commitments, our priorities, or our highest values, with responsibility one way or another falling back on us and our own (possibly) poor decisions or potentially arising from aggression or conflicts sparked by others. This New Moon gives us the opportunity to reckon with our own and others’ ego urges and assertiveness, and to do so via our capacity for creative thinking, or through applying ideals to the imagination (Pisces); like Goldilocks, we’ll need to ask: Are we too aggressive and Self-involved, or are we giving our own needs too little attention or regard, or are we just right? The NM lays the emotional groundwork to successfully deal with this question, and when Mercury retrogrades in Aries on the 22nd, it will be prime time for reviewing and changing our actions (retro in Fire), particularly the way we act out or express the ego and action urges (Aries); we’ll have this New Moon to thank for a least a portion of our insights.
With Mars at its current position (29 Sagittarius) we may feel we’ll have to act in order to learn, but that would be premature–wait for Merc’s turnaround, as more will then be revealed–at this New Moon point, it’s all about feeling, intuiting, and communing, to discover our precise relationship to the Universe–modifications come later. One thing we may have to face at this time is that there is no difference between our woundedness and our ability to heal–and that in response to that awareness, action need not and often should not automatically be our answer to what’s revealed. Hints as to what follows are found here–
Utagawa Hiroshige – ‘Cuckoo Flying Under a Full Moon’ 19th century {{PD}}
The Sabian symbol for the New Moon in Pisces is, ‘The Harvest Moon Illumines A Clear Autumnal Sky’. This suggests opposites, through the imagery of a Full Moon, and autumn rather than the spring that’s soon to come (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere–for those in the Southern Hemisphere, the message may be simple: in the beginning is the end, and it is now). This could imply for Northerners that New Moon events play out through the summer and come to some sort of peak in the fall, or that what is born with the New Moon has the seeds of its completion, its ending, built in. That suggests not only that if we look carefully we will see the outcome to events already implied in their beginnings, promising a ‘harvest’ proportional to our efforts now, but that what happens now may also bring endings–that is, that the New Moon beginning has arisen from the completion of other cycles, that it’s time for other efforts to naturally terminate, conclude, or die. The imagery may also suggest we note Virgo at this point, in any or all of its guises within the personal life. That means subjects, qualities, and even people we associate with the sign may hold one or more keys to the meaning of events. Earth sits in Virgo, and that means those symbols will be literal, or at least tangible; check also the subjects of the House in the natal chart that holds Virgo for clues as to what may inform the New Moon event. ‘Discernment’ may be a key concept–also ‘criticism’, ‘accountability’, ‘results’. The ‘Circle of Life’ may be extraordinarily apparent right now–embrace this as a natural part of things, and appreciate what you have, in the present.
The Full Moon occurs at 4:50 PM PST March 1st at 11 Virgo 22. A Virgo Full Moon promises we’ll get the details, that we’ll receive an accounting, that the means of production (to borrow an old, reddish phrase) will be clear, and all of it allows us to make critical decisions, to apply a discerning eye to what culminates, concludes, or reaches a ‘full’ point of assessment, creating a need to be judged so that the next step can be taken, or at least mulled over. With a FM in Virgo, we see inside the machine–but the Moon is central to what happens, so does the machine see inside us as well, via our emotions or an intuitive exchange of information or ideas? Yes, it does, and this allows the machine to read us, to shape what it creates according to our spiritual orientation, our imaginings, our ideals, our beliefs.
The machine, of course, is the Universe, but we’re unlikely to recognize it as such. The FM opposition to Neptune (meaning the Sun and Neptune are conjoined, perfecting two days or so post-FM) suggests we look out from our emotional or intuitive ‘read’ of the Full Moon experience and we see whatever it is we want to see–or at least, what we see takes a form that is meaningful to us–as this may appear to be an accident, a shock or surprise, or something foisted on us by the group, a modern concept or convention that we are required to follow, if we don’t want to be left behind, if we want to remain a part of the Collective (Sun-Neptune in Pisces, FM sesquiquadrate Uranus). For those focused on the Virgoan energy, this may present a time machine, of sorts, where a review of the past shows how we got to the present, and in certain ways offers a ‘do-over’; for those focused on the opposing Piscean energy, this may present a timeless machine, losing the particularity of the Full Moon within the larger Cosmos, a kind of ‘seeing and realizing All at once’ experience.
The FM also trines the Black Moon Lilith point, and with generous orbs we could call this an Earth Grand Trine with Pallas; this points us toward the nature of the material effect we might get from the FM event. It suggests that what we’ve ignored, denied, or been enraged over (BML) is a factor in what culminates at the Full Moon, and that ultimately this delivers a balanced material result that is wise, practical, or both (Pallas). What we see in material terms is a response; what we’ve done, or not done, is made apparent, and in some form, judged.
Gertrude Käsebier ‘The Bride’ 1901 {{PD}}
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘After The Wedding, The Groom Snatches The Veil Away From His Bride’. It’s the ‘Big Reveal’; what did our past efforts bring us? And immediately our critical faculties kick in, assessing what we’ve got. Maybe pleasing, maybe not, but we must consider that perhaps the very act of judgment isn’t pretty, either, and perhaps beside the point, as the action’s already complete.
We also look at the Sun for a Full Moon. ‘In The Sanctuary Of An Occult Brotherhood, Newly Initiated Members Are Being Examined And Their Character Tested’. Maybe this Moon is a kind of lesson, one that reminds us our sanctuary is found within the machine, not in some rarefied and separated corner of the Universe. Certainly, how we respond to what we’re presented with will say a great deal about character and attitude. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that it’s all a spiritual experience; the material and physical can overwhelm us through the senses, driving out consciousness of the spiritual underpinnings beneath. So, the Full Moon becomes a point of personal reckoning, a statement about our relationship to All-That-Is, on top of any worldly results gleaned.
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We see a partial Solar eclipse at 27 Aquarius 07 at 1:05 PM Pacific time of the 15th. Aquarius suggests a theme of understanding, beneath the flash of what’s new and original, beneath the trend toward being different, and below the busyness of the intellect and the fussiness of the academic; this is emphasized by the way this New Moon is tucked late in the sign along with the planet Mercury and asteroids Juno and Hygeia, all with less than a 1.25 degree span, so very close together. A New Moon is a time of beginnings, of inception, and in this sign and with these fellow travelers suggests the start to a new way of thinking and feeling centered on a healthy personal sense of empowerment. Somehow we have a better understanding of who we are and of our emotional landscape, and that translates into clearer perceptions in the life area (as determined by subjects of the House) in the natal chart where the eclipse falls.
It also translates into new starts, things begun in the spirit of an emotional need for an intellectual quest–or the intellectual need to discover and connect to the emotions. In whichever way you’re lacking, this Solar eclipse will prompt consideration of the missing facet, likely revealing healthy and fitting ways in which you can empower yourself. This New Moon promises a new and original mindset, tailored to who you are, a revolution in how you approach life itself, a spark that may bring chaos but that ultimately lights the way toward more effective forms of communication between the Self and the Universe. (On a personal note, look to the Houses of the natal chart ruled by Mercury for clues as to and from where that communication might flow).
The Solar eclipse and company also sextiles Uranus, catching Chiron at the midpoint. This implies sudden revelation, with the capacity to heal (most likely) or to wound (a scant possibility). The inclination is to reveal and understand, and so to make a space to heal, or to react radically and cause hurt to the Self or others. The NM also squares Sedna, and we’ll count a wide square to Jupiter, as all together these form a Fixed T-square that is destined to make a bigger splash than we might at first think. The understanding and revelation we receive with the eclipse will create tension among ‘the facts’ or beliefs, and the instincts and those things we ‘know but don’t know’; this discord may lead to the eclipse events, or may spring from them, but in either case will translate into a new understanding, and so to taking a new direction.
One other minor aspect of note: the eclipse is semi-square the point Black Moon Lilith–and of course, that means BML is sesquiquadrate the Earth. This implies that something ignored or denied will cause a problem that leads to eclipse events–or vice versa, that eclipse events bring forward difficult circumstances that have up to now been ignored or denied. This may be, at the time of the eclipse, the most prominent thing, a thing you’d hoped would just go away that now, ‘in your face’, must be dealt with–it could distract from deeper, evolutionary shifts that occur, so that we only later see how much has changed, and what a revelation that change is.
‘The Oak’ By Issak Ilich Levitan c1880 {{PD}}
It all adds up to a kind of revolution, the nature of which is determined by the revelations received; they are instructions on how to empower ourselves in the most positive way possible, and suggest that tension or missteps arise directly from a failure to reconcile the nuts and bolts of the reality picture with our belief system and those things that are a part of our nature. What happens here is described in the Sabian symbol for the eclipse: ‘A Tree Felled And Sawed To Ensure A Supply Of Wood For The Winter’. A resource sacrificed to see us through coming tough times may be what we face with revolution, which is a systemic change meant to foster a better life in a better world–but always, there is a winter that precedes a flourishing spring, one that must be lived through, best we can, as Nature goes through Her cycles and humankind reorganizes into a new system. What happens with the Solar eclipse may be our symbolic supply of wood, meant to see us through a stressful period while the world is rearranged and healed, the terrain becoming ready to bloom around us once again.
