Tag Archives: Sabian Symbols

Mercury Retrograde 21 April 2023 What, Again?

19 Wednesday Apr 2023

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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‘The Thistle Flower House’ By Paul Klee {{PD}}

Merc in Taurus pauses mid-sign and plows in apparent backward motion at 1:35 AM PDT of the 21st, and our feeling may be deja vu all over again: It’s retrograde, again, already? *Sigh* We may be buried in ennui, as the moment of retrograde comes just minutes after the Moon passes over Mercury, conflating thinking and feeling, and confusing intuition and information. The topic is Taurean, but such a blend of mixed communications and emotions could leave us feeling insecure, unsure of those material supports we normally rely on, uncomfortable, and feeling we lack nourishment (especially nourishment of the mind).

The first aspect formed in Merc’s retreat will be a sextile to Mars in Cancer, suggesting that out of the confusion and sense of lack around the retro point emerges actions spurred by or that demonstrate caring. Whatever we go through with Merc’s turnaround inspires efforts, probably along the lines of making the environment better for ourselves or others. Material comforts may become a refuge at this point–take a Cancerian approach and soothe yourself with a few indulgences, the kind that speak to the part of us that needs to feel safe and nurtured, the part that needs to feel mothered/ Part of this retro period may be about seeking out those who are willing to, on occasion, offer that sort of unconditional kindness and support, or being willing to offer it ourselves (best course of action in offering or accepting nurture: do the opposite of your usual–if you normally receive support, reach out and give some yourself, and if you’re one of us who finds it hard to accept caretaking, open your arms wide–you’ll be surprised by who and what fills them!)

With the retro happening in Earth, we get the chance to reconsider what it is that we think we need to feel prosperous, to feel secure, to feel entrenched, but in a good way, a way that supports our creativity and forays out into the world. Merc’s retro mission is always to make sure you don’t think of things the same way by the time he goes direct again, and with his journey starting in (and remaining in) the Earth sign Taurus, we’re likely to re-think our resource and sustenance situation, to rearrange our world, to change our opinions, tastes, and practices so that we end up with a greater sense of security and comfort. It’s important we remember that, during a Merc retro, we can’t rely on the mind for totally accurate perceptions of the world; that’s why using the feelings to guide is not only vital, but able to offer the ‘missing pieces’ of the information pie.

It can help to examine the Sabian for the start of the period, if only to orient us to the tone matters might take. Here it’s, ‘An Old Teacher Fails To Interest His Pupils In Traditional Knowledge’. Are we surprised that we’ll be looking for something new? We shouldn’t be; if Mercury had continued on its previous direct course, it would’ve met Uranus as its next contact. That effectively means that the entire retro is a dance away from and then eventually back to an explosion of Uranian energy, which combined with Mercury suggests revolutionary (for us) thoughts. In direct motion Mercury conjoins Uranus on 4 June–mark your calendars, in more than one way there could be fireworks.

So what starts out as a frustrating stalemate, a re-hash where we’re no clearer on our feelings than we were pre-retro, becomes a revelatory experience–but be aware, this will take time to develop, so give things lots of leg room, lots of freedom to grow and change, and don’t look for any conclusions/ definitive answers before that early June date.

Don’t forget the Solar eclipse of the 19th, poised to wipe the slate clean and set the background noise (and sometimes the main attraction) for the coming 6 months.

Full Moon 5 April 2023 The Empowering Wound

01 Saturday Apr 2023

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‘Satan Watching the Caresses of Adam and Eve’ By William Blake 1808 {{PD}}

I’ll be away from my computer until next week. Please be patient–I’ll do my best to answer comments and fill orders when I return.

The Full Moon arrives on the 5th at 9:34 PM PDT at 16 Libra 07, delivering conclusions about or making clear our relationships with others, particularly those tender parts that persist as wounds. Here’s the thing about wounds: we tend to fixate on the apparent perpetrator of the injury, but the reality is, a situation involving hurt is under our control at all times. Does that mean the person isn’t responsible for the transgression? No, but it does mean that we were vulnerable to them in that area, open in such a way that we allow their actions or opinions to impact us. Does that imply we should never open ourselves to others? Of course not–but it does mean that we either 1) made a poor choice in whom to trust, or 2) need to reassess our own sensitivity levels concerning the input of others. With the first, well, we (hopefully) learn our lesson; with the latter, we may need to review just what has been triggered in us, and whether that’s truly a valid reaction. It may be a matter of perspective: if we realize that what’s really been violated is our own expectation, then we are free to re-align our vision toward a more accurate picture of the situation, and the relationship.

This Full Moon promises revelations along these lines, with the Moon-Earth in Libra opposed the Sun-Chiron conjunction in Aries (placing a spotlight on the responsibility of the individual in areas of wounds and the act of wounding) suggesting that the most potent of injuries (and the most compulsive hurts delivered to others) reside in matters of identity and role. It may also be that we or others need so badly to justify how we see ourselves that we are blinded to the way we are hurting or being hurt. It may be that the disturbances to relationships are, at least in part, reflecting back to us discrepancies in who we think we are vs. who we actually are as revealed by behavior and choices. It’s a sometimes bitter pill, to realize that we aren’t quite who we imagine ourselves to be–and yet, such knowledge is necessary if we are to make the most of our talents and relationships.

The Full Moon also quincunxes Uranus-Juno in Taurus, telling us that the uncomfortable or irritating may require spontaneous response, or may bring shocking or unexpected developments (especially in areas of material welfare or comforts), but that if successfully answered, will bring empowerment. This may be a situation where we’re thinking we’re focused on the prickly connections of relationships, but have something sprung on us that offers us more autonomy or control–and maybe this is able to happen only because we are distracted tending our wounds or trying to repair a fall out. Or, there’s revelation around a group that ostensibly supports us but that may or may not serve our empowerment needs–and then there’s the possibility that we must choose, between the health of a relationship (Libra) and our own individual empowerment needs (Uranus-Juno).

There’s also a loose squine from the Full Moon to Pluto, spanky new in Aquarius. Since we’re prone to take an intellectual approach in Aquarius, we may believe it’s time for some housekeeping, for sweeping the slate clean in some regard–but that can be a very harsh approach to emotional matters, with the aspect telling us that this attitude has both an up and a down side, so proceed with great care in the elimination department, as removals may be more permanent than we imagine.

One thing I’d like to add is a note on the opposition of Ceres in Virgo to Neptune in Pisces. Though not in contact with the Full Moon, this pairing suggests an atmosphere where we already have a critical eye on our own personal sense of authority, and that this is in direct conflict to what we consider our ideal. It can mean that relationship matters, and particularly our part in them, have been under consideration for quite some time–and the Full Moon simply brings them to a head, likely through a minor but unanticipated event or interaction. It can also mean that we’ve recently been over-critical with ourselves, prone to compare our real world interactions with an impossible-to-attain perfection that never was and never will be.This atmosphere may be ripe for a wounding scenario–but consider how much of that hurt is simply coming from ourselves, from a misjudgement where we may, consciously or not, contend we ‘deserve’ it. No, we don’t.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Retired Sea Captain Watches Ships Entering And Leaving The Harbor’. The image presents a knowledgeable observer monitoring the kind of comings and goings which they once commanded. That implies that in some important way, what we see/ learn at this Full Moon is something we are already removed from, but have the experience to understand completely. And maybe that’s the point: that only hindsight can offer a truly impartial assessment of what happens. It also suggests that, in some important way, we may be past the actual impact, the wounding, itself, and are only now reacting to it–which again may point us toward the necessity of reviewing our own sensitivities and the reasons for them. The Sun’s Sabian is, ‘Two Dignified Spinsters Sitting In Silence’. When we consider that the Sun is the light source for the Moon, and so for this event, we may see that there is a certain commonality in interaction; that is, that one can’t be hurt without an Other–and yet the Other is in the same position, subject to the same conditions that are rooted in our solitary existence, in the difficulty of genuinely communicating, of truly understanding others. This image, I think, counsels compassion, and urges us to look for our likenesses, rather than our differences. Too, the image may imply that this is a comfortable silence–an acknowledgment, perhaps, of our ability to know one another without ever exchanging a word.

New Moon in Aries 21 March 2023 A Raw Beginning

18 Saturday Mar 2023

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

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‘In the Waves’ or ‘Ondine’ By Paul Gauguin 1889 {{PD}}

A New Moon at the Aries Point is the most bare, exposed, fresh, even raw of beginnings, a seminal point of germination, discovery, inception, origination. In Aries we have initiation, both in the sense of the start of something new, and in the sense of being brought or accepted into something–both are personal, in that they are happening to the individual, but one speaks of a new venture, occurrence, or climate, while the other speaks of something that exists already, into which we enter and become a part. At the Aries Point, we are the Initiate; expect to become, to gain an aspect of identity that you did not carry before, and that you probably won’t be able to anticipate.

The New Moon perfects at 10:23 AM PDT at 00 Aries 49 sits at the rough midpoint of the Pluto-Sedna trine, with the sextile to Pluto catching Saturn at its midpoint. Like nesting dolls the contacts are, at first glance, hidden beneath what appears to be a much more obvious aspect. A trine between Sedna and Pluto suggests ease of change, or transformation, or even destruction, but to a facet of the inner landscape: to the instincts, those things we ‘know but don’t know’ (with the obvious possibility that something like this will become conscious), or to those ‘blind spot’ materials or factors that everyone else can see, but for us is the critical ‘missing part’ to understanding a situation or relationship. Add Saturn, and we add the potential for materialization of this change, or the idea that we may try to make the change ourselves, only to meet barriers. If you do encounter limits, these will be Universe-provided ‘safety rails’ that future hindsight will reveal to have been blessings in disguise. Note, too, that matters around this aspect will have begun to coalesce before the New Moon–the Lunar event simply brings it to our attention, as either our intuition or feelings are stirred.

There’s a squine (that squirrely trine-square mash-up of 105 degrees) of the New Moon to Pallas in Cancer, notable not just because of the conflicting energies of positive and negative but because with both NM and Pallas in Cardinal signs, this might be the agent behind actions we take and choices we make–that is, one informed by the wisdom inherent in caring (Pallas in Cancer)–that is, the way what we care about, and the way we feel about it, automatically means we will approach it in the best way we know how. When we don’t want to mess things up, we invariably do what’s smartest (or what appears smartest to us!) There may be both the feeling one needs to do something, and that one wants to, but either this hasn’t been clear before or hesitation, for a variety of reasons, has kept the urge in stasis.

The New Moon is semi-square to Venus-Juno in Taurus, which are tightly conjoined (only two minutes apart), suggesting a little tension over resources, or conflict over what some (especially the partner) needs for comfort and security. The Lunar event will simply show that the need is unmet, and possibly not even recognized, before now. Smart money says pay attention to this–it’s the kind of thing that can grow beneath the surface and fuel big blow-ups later.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Woman Just Risen From The Sea; A Seal Is Embracing Her’. The connection to the goddess Sedna is apparent, so emphasizing Sedna’s place in the astrological equation. That’s the instinctual nature, those things we know in our bones but may not hold in consciousness, those things we are not cognizant of but are putting out into the world anyway–others see this, we don’t–and this affects our choices, actions, and relationships. This suggests to me that all of what happens now is coming directly from the primal and instinctual natures, and particularly applying to the way all of us live in (at least) two worlds: personal and public, professional and intimate, seen and secret, and so on. For more on the relevance of this symbol, you might enjoy “Sealskin, Soulskin’ from Dr. C.P. Estes’ book, ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’.

Don’t expect anything to have its final form; what happens at this New Moon is protean, in the sense that it’s so new in some way that it possesses an endless number of potential directions. Just know that this beginning may be raw, yet unformed, but certainly a herald of a whole new epoch.

Full Moon 7 March 2023 We’re Not in Oz Anymore

04 Saturday Mar 2023

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Evolution of a Tornado.jpg
This image is created from eight images shot in two sequences as a tornado formed north of Minneola, Kansas on May 24, 2016. This prolific supercell went on to produce at least 12 tornadoes and at times had two and even three tornadoes on the ground at once.

JasonWeingart

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

That dynamic of Earth and Moon in Virgo–framing emotional and material matters as practically-oriented, accountable, detail-aware, all with an eye to what will be produced (the harvest)–opposed the Sun in Pisces–the illumination of the creative, the ideals, of delusions and deceptions, of inspirations and dreams–is always one of learning how the two energies can be woven together, to support each other in ways that maximize their positive qualities. It takes organization, method, and attention to detail to successfully create, just as it takes an ideal against which to measure what one has built. The two ends of this axis, just like every other cross-pairing in the horoscope, at best work together to make a whole larger than the sum of their parts–or butt heads endlessly, as the critic and the dreamer find it impossible to connect.

This Full Moon, perfecting at 4:40 Am PST 7 March at 16 Virgo 40, enters into this necessary dialogue between the energies of the two ends of the axis obliquely, largely through a set of quincunxes to the Moon-Earth combo. In this instance I’d stretch the quincunx to about 3.5 degrees either side of exact, for the simple reason that the cluster of energies are themselves conjoined; it’s like the energies ricochet off one another, and in their blending then relate, more or less, to the Lunar event.

We’re counting Jupiter, Chiron, and Venus, all in Aries, as the pivotal players at this point. Those Virgoan Lunar energies funnel down to material matters (Earth) by what needs adjustment, what cries out for modification, what requires change by the fact of the friction the two ends of the aspect are creating. So, we see a Self or action-orientation (Aries) of the emotions (Moon) in areas of relationship or finances (Venus), in our response to wounds, especially long-standing ones (Chiron), and in both our place in the social arena and our attempts to exploit opportunity or expand our world (Jupiter). This can bring realization or the coalescing of a picture that’s been gathering for some time, one focused on who we are and how we feel about that image/ role in one or more of the aforementioned categories.

The Lunar energy is one that examines, and possibly critiques, these identity functions/ roles, but something we’ll need to remember is that the picture presented is an interpretation run through our emotional lens. Yes, we’ll be perusing material circumstances as ‘evidence’, but the reality is that what we see is derived from feelings, from our most vulnerable reactions to things, and not from any objective scenario. If we can remember that what we’re seeing is our own reaction to things that have made us feel very sensitive, to matters where we feel nakedly vulnerable, then we have a chance of gaining some perspective on ourselves, by looking carefully at what kind of reaction we’re having, or what interpretation we’re arriving at.

It’s no accident that the areas quincunx the Moon are some of the areas where we feel most exposed as individuals. The tender connections among our Self-esteem, our feelings, and our relationships (Venus–and don’t underestimate the impact finances can have on how we see and assess ourselves, either), our childhood wounds we still carry and often respond automatically to (Chiron), and the place we believe we fall in the ‘pecking order’ of life (Jupiter). All these are hyper-sensitive, and will be triggered, through some discomfort that comes forward, at the time of the Full Moon. These tornadoes, big or small, will lift us out of the world as we’ve seen it, distorted by our imaginings, and set us down somewhere solid, that we need to assess–all we’ll know for sure is that we’re not in Oz, anymore–but where will we be?

The trine from Uranus in Taurus to Moon-Earth, and a novile of the Full Moon to the Black Moon Lilith point, may explain things in a little more detail (something this Moon may demand!) Uranus suggests that either approaching things as an individual, solely responsible for oneself, or as part of a group, one of which you are actively a member, may be the best way to go–though only you will know which offers you better support. There is also the way Uranus might simply ‘spring’ our feelings on us–we may be going along, thinking we don’t care much one way or the other–then bam! The novile implies that Lunar events (which we might even classify as Lunar feelings) offer a way of uncovering what’s been ignored, denied, or hidden, or that has enraged us even as we’ve refused to respond, and that this is, in some way, genius, either in the brilliance of what it allows us to see, or in supplying a smart way to handle things that’s beyond what we might’ve come up with on our own.

This Full Moon, through the discomfort and gentle discord it engenders, lifts us out of some illusory way we’ve been existing, and takes us to a spot where we are better able to see ourselves clearly, to see what function (Virgo) we actually have, and what ways we actually serve (also Virgo). The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘A Volcanic Eruption’. So, upheaval, a combination of the Earth of Virgo and the flowing quality of Pisces–but we must remember this applies to a highly individual experience (Aries, the Uranus trine)–a Fire one, yes–but a volcano overwhelms, subsumes, and so destroys, while a tornado (my interpretation) can lift one up and put one down just as neatly; though certainly destructive, a tornado transports–and that’s a little more what I see, particularly with the quincunxes. Undoubtedly, some of you will have a fiery episode–this volcano’s for you!

We also look at the Sun for the ‘origin story’: ‘An Easter Parade’. Well, that’s unexpected! Is this image pinpointing a time in the near future, the Full Moon offering a ‘if things keep going as they are’ scenario, or is it more about pride? To be in a parade one literally displays something–a creation, a skill, a belief, an affiliation–they’re proud of, something they want to ‘show off’–perhaps this is pointing us toward Uranus and the uniqueness of each of us that, if it gets out of hand, can undermine precisely the kind of things we cherish most, those Venusian and Jupiterian experiences, as well as our attempts to heal what has been so badly marred (Chiron). This Full Moon requires us to have an experience of leaving one place (an illusory one, or one we no longer see with clarity) behind, and embrace critically where we then find ourselves–and it may be in our most unique qualities (Uranus) and our group and individual identities (Uranus, the Sun, Jupiter) that we’ll find ways to align ourselves with the new ‘territory’ we come to occupy.

A Resurgence of Love: Mercury Retrograde 29 December 2022

28 Wednesday Dec 2022

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During this retro and the lead up to it, we’re going to see the gaps in our close relationships, and awareness of that distance will probably be a little scary.’The Early Lovers’ By Eastman Johnson 1870 {{PD}}

Mercury technically switches apparent direction in the wee hours of the 29th PST, at 1:32 AM, but as per usual, it’s been stationary for a bit, so that we know what’s coming, whether we admit it or not. We’ve been previewing change and shifts in what used to make us feel secure, particularly in the realm of relationships and who holds the power. Merc officially takes on retro status closely conjoined Venus, with an exact meeting scheduled right after the retro. This confirms that Love, especially in partner relationships, is on the agenda, hinted at in the run up to the retro by Merc’s sextiles to Neptune and Juno in Pisces (we see where our empowerment in partnership might be a fantasy, and we become aware of what might be ideal), and involvement in a Cardinal Grand Cross with Zeus, Eris, and Pallas (we’re consumed by the conflicts among what we desire, what’s wise or practical, what’s worth going to war over! and what discord has been beneath the surface all along. Note Pallas moves on but this remains as a T-square for New Year’s, suggesting desires and related strife will still be on our minds, and in the air).

What have we been seeing about the partner or other intimate? We’re seeing the places where the foundation might be shaky, where our accord might not be as solid as we thought, where we may not be able to count on them as we have in the past (or conversely, we see that we can count on them, though our contribution or attitude must adjust to current conditions. We may become aware of weaknesses in them, not just in our relationship). These conditions won’t be found just in relationships, but may also be seen in any structure, system, status, condition, or hierarchy we’ve been invested in and relying on–we need to be willing to see the reality of it, as any attempts to deal with matters will collapse if our choices aren’t firmly rooted in real-world circumstances, and the ways these are changing, or need to change, in order to function effectively.

The moment of retrograde, which gives us a snapshot of what to expect over the retro period, shows a Pisces Moon at 29 degrees–it’s painful when our fantasies are shredded, but it’s worse when reality seems to ‘come out of nowhere’ to blindside us, so see the emotional upset as a gift that points directly at what needs attention. ‘A Store Filled With Precious Oriental Rugs’ is the Sabian for both Mercury and Venus at the time of retro=we see the worth of what we hold, see the value of what we have, of what’s ‘contained (the store) in our reality. The emotional impact of all this is shown by the Sabian for the Moon at the time of retrograde: ‘A Majestic Rock Formation Resembling A Face Is Idealized By A Boy Who Takes It As His Ideal Of Greatness, And As He Grows Up, Begins To Look Like It’. If we are willing to see what is in a creative way for what it symbolizes, we’ll find inspiration toward making our ideals a reality, toward growing into our own brand of greatness. If we live our lives as if our ideals are real, embracing them as we act and make choices and interact with one another, we can’t help but become what we revere. It’s a recipe for moving the world toward what we’d like it to be–don’t close the door on these potentials just because some of this will be messy, difficult, and will require recognition of vulnerabilities and feelings we may have lately been sweeping under the (Oriental) rug.

What this time offers us is a chance to revitalize Love, as it lives and breathes in our daily dedications, of energy and attention, effort and interaction. And this retro is also a good time to reconsider what institutions, rules, and boundaries we support, and which need to be retired as irrelevant to our current world.

New Year’s Eve we see a Taurus Moon which will trine the Sun just after 2023 begins (Pacific time). That says spend the evening on celebration that feels like a reward, that feels sustaining, nourishing, a treat for the senses, while the Sun’s square to Chiron and quincunx to still retro Mars tells us to avoid dwelling on, assessing things by, or reacting from our wounds–any attempts to right related circumstances will misfire and aggression will definitely be aimed in the wrong direction. Welcome the coming year with a lighter heart–we’ve made it this far, and that’s something to celebrate.

See the recent New Moon here–

Solar Eclipse 25 October 2022 Immersed in the Senses

21 Friday Oct 2022

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‘The Roses of Heliogabalus’ By Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1888 {{PD}}

Hi! Away from my desk this weekend, late the 27th thru the 30th. Will answer all comments and fill all orders then. Have a lovely weekend!

The meeting of Sun and Moon (a New Moon) occurs on the 25th PDT at 3:48 AM at precisely 2 degrees of Scorpio. Both bodies are just shy (by 39 minutes) of conjoining Venus exactly (though the Sun already did–see the following post)–and there’s only one other Lunar set of contacts, Jupiter just into Aries sextile Sedna at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, making a Finger of God with the New Moon as apex. At a typical New Moon, this would concentrate the energies into just a couple of ‘statements’; this being an eclipse, we see another level of concentration, in the way the bodies aren’t just in contact, but are closely aligned along the ecliptic (the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun). When this happens, we have a total or near total blockage of the light as seen from our vantage point on Earth–and this symbolically suggests a wiping out of the flow of energies, an interruption that brings a reset that may appear as shock, catastrophe, surprise, revelation, re-shuffling, withdrawal, renewal, germination, a period of darkness before a re-emerging of light, even birth. Since a New Moon is an energy of new starts, this isn’t unusual, but the nature of the new start may be quite different than we anticipate–and we look to the sign in which the eclipse occurs, and the aspects it makes, for the story.

Here the Lunar event is in Scorpio; that mandate is to strip away what isn’t working, is worn, old, or in need of rehabilitation, even as something is transformed, resurrected, or rises anew from the ashes. We’re looking for the Truth, at a Scorpio New Moon; we’re looking to rid ourselves of psychic detritus, to alter what refuses to serve us. It’s a condition where we may have to get our hands dirty, but we’re promised a reward in the sense of feeling new ourselves, in some part of life designated by the House where the Lunar event occurs, or in the natal House ruled by the Moon.

The New Moon perfecting just before perfection with Venus suggests something beautiful, rewarding, pleasing in the immediate aftermath of what occurs, but with the potential for a potent kind of jealousy, envy, or covetousness, Scorpio emphasizing the more difficult facets of Venus. But those also include a seductive quality, a richness of depth and experience, a promise of intensity to the event itself that may be very alluring–and so may, just as the Moon will obscure the Sun’s light, temporarily block our ability to assess the situation accurately, or may immerse us in sensation, substituting feeling for thinking.

The Finger of God with base of Jupiter-Sedna points us back to the apex eclipse, and describes the individual within the social sphere, or equipped with (or pioneering) some sort of knowledge or belief (Jupiter in Aries), meshing with the individual instincts, what one ‘knows but doesn’t consciously know’, and one’s ‘blind spot’ material, this latter those things we believe we see clearly or feel informed about, but that hold some areas we don’t grasp–and this is visible to others, but difficult for us to see ourselves–with some combination of these resulting in the Scorpionic revelation/ change of the Lunar event.

The Sabian is, ‘A Delicate Bottle Of Perfume Lies Broken, Releasing Its Fragrance’. It’s important to note that this eclipse occurs at two degrees and no minutes of the sign–and in that case, we read 1-2 degrees, rather than 2-3 as we would otherwise. The image says that what occurs may have a negative initial presentation–it’s a small shock when something shatters–but that the benefits of what occurs will become obvious immediately. We may be sad about the break, the destruction, but we’ll glean a side benefit; though we wouldn’t have chosen this, there is still something good that comes of it, something unexpected that fills the air/ senses, and so stirs feeling (eclipse in Water).

Tip for coping: some of us will deal simultaneous to the eclipse with the energies of a Fist of God, with base of Pallas-Black Moon Lilith square Mercury-Zeus, apex Juno in Pisces. This suggests wisdom could be compromised by our own rage and prejudices, with these predispositions clashing with our ability to communicate our wants clearly, dispassionately–and so may compromise our own empowerment, especially that form we have imagined, hoped for, and find ideal. Keep this potential in mind, and know that being honest with ourselves is the foundation on which we can build good relationships with others.

Full Moon in Pisces 10 September 2022 Visions

10 Saturday Sep 2022

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Courtesy NASA/ JPL-Caltech {{PD}}

Just come back to the world, and what do I find? I slept through a Full Moon! But I saw it forming each night, clear and luminous, and was anxious to find out what it might bring; this is what I see:

At 2:59 AM PDT of the 10th the Moon conjoined Earth in Pisces, opposed the Virgo Sun, with the Moon just hours before this contacting Juno, and both Moon and Earth poised to conjoin Neptune, the Moon in hours, the Earth in about a week. What culminates at this point is a material matter that reflects a spiritual one, which impacts identity and creates the emotional landscape with which we’ll engage over the next two weeks. It’s as if in the hours around the Full Moon we think we know what defines us, what empowers us, what we control or have authority over, and then the Moon and Earth meet and we’re given a vision, or perhaps presented with a physical scenario, that reflects back to us a spiritual Truth, one that has a very personal message for us about how to go forward.

Here’s where I have to stop and say that I might have given this Lunar event a somewhat different interpretation, if not for my own experience last night. It was a warm night, that kind of late summer warm where you’re still feeling the heat of the day in the air and coming off the pavement, and yet there’s a breeze off the water that once in a while gives you a chill, warns you that things are changing. I was in a car and came to a stop light. I felt compelled to turn and look at the driver in the car to the right, where he sat under a very bright streetlight, and got a shock: this man looked exactly like someone close to me who has been dead for years. Not just that, but he looked young, much younger than this person was when he died, and even stranger, he had a small smile and a confused expression, and he was looking right at me.

So my experience of the message was in the form of an (unsettling) vision, one that has personal meaning for me, associations made to this person and his example, and which I must decipher for myself–and you will have had a similar event, or will have undergone some revelation, some realization through a dream, some imagining that reveals something new about yourself to yourself–or maybe it came through criticism (that Virgo Sun), or through a kind of accounting, accountability, or harvest, one that told you exactly what the combination of your creative energies and your material ones have brought into being.

The Full Moon also makes a sextile to Uranus, implying a suddenness to what comes, a shock or surprise, or a chaotic note that allows a vision or message to emerge from a maelstrom of activity or information. The group as a whole may deliver your Full Moon conclusion, possibly bringing to a stop something you still carried hope for–Luna is the purest conduit of hope–or delivering it in material form, perhaps an unanticipated material form.

There are also two configurations: a Grand Water Trine, with Moon-Earth-Juno, Black Moon Lilith in Cancer, and South Node widely conjoined Hygeia in Scorpio. A Grand Trine is an invitation for energies to work together through their emotional commonality; here we see material matters around empowerment about which we have strong feelings ‘getting along with’ those matters we are in denial about, ignoring, or about which we are angry, and with what was and wasn’t healthy about the past that is affecting the present. Again, a very personal picture, one that may suggest dealing with issues that bring strong emotional reactions is inevitable.

The second configuration is a loose Mystic Rectangle involving the Moon-Earth-Juno sextile North Node-Uranus trine the Sun sextile South Node-Hygeia and back around by trine to the Moon. This brings together elements of Earth and Water, the past and the present, the material world and the intangible (feeling, spiritual, Soul) one, and asks us to find ways in which the factors and memories coming forward now can empower us materially while making for a healthy Beingness, an approach to ourselves and our place in the world that is positive, benefiting from what came before, and what we can learn through Higher Mind (Uranus) lens to shape the future.

The event should conclude in about a week with Earth conjoined/ Sun opposed Neptune, delivering the ‘Full Vision’ (or for some, the ‘Complete Delusion’) that will power us forward, and which may give us not just a particular spiritual awareness around the Soul identity, it may also prompt a kind of costuming, in the sense of showing openly the roles we are now playing through appearance and behaviors, making apparent the identities we are embracing and offering to the world.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘In A Gigantic Tent, Villagers Witness A Spectacular Performance’. Maybe what prompts your vision, what’s revealed, is a ‘Big Tent’ experience, one many people undergo at once–but that doesn’t mean it isn’t extremely personal, since our interpretation of and reaction to what happens is what gives it meaning for us. Or it may simply be that our gigantic tent is the human experience itself, with each of us witnessing some pretty spectacular things–and this may be one of them. Or we focus on the word ‘performance’, and note that this may involve interaction, actually witnessing another ‘putting on a show’–and again, the meaning of that will be decipherable only to you through your own experiences, past and emotional.

The Sun Sabian is at ‘An Ouija Board’, reinforcing the idea of information or messages that pass from the unseen to either realization or into the actual surroundings themselves–and so pointing to the importance of the message, no matter the medium that delivers it.

Mercury is also retrograde at this point, turning around in Libra, an Air sign, and so asking us to re-think, re-consider, especially in terms of aesthetic choices, partnerships, romances, and oddly enough, maybe asking us, through Venus’ territory of envy and jealousy, to re-examine why we might be envious or jealous–and perhaps rid ourselves of a tiresome and irritating feeling, should we find out we’d rather keep our own situation, problems and all, rather than take on one that only seems in a surface way to be better than ours.

The first major contact Merc will form in apparent retro motion is an opposition to Jupiter in Aries, which centers on the individual within the social order, and the way partnerships or collaborations make the whole thing tick. A riff, then, on the Lunar theme for this Full Moon, on identity and how that brings us to where we are in life.

I hope you all had a wonderful Full Moon, and of course, all the usual caveats with Merc retro: don’t sign, don’t buy, don’t agree–with the exception that if the deal was fully in place and already explored before the retro, you can go ahead. Just remember that if you do implement something during the retrograde, you do so knowing that there’s something you don’t yet know about the situation–which could mean regret or disadvantage, when you finally find out.

Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio 15 May 2022 Total Emotional Metamorphosis

10 Tuesday May 2022

Posted by in astrology, Full Moon, Lunar Eclipse, Sabian Symbols, T-Square

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‘Butterflies’ By Odilon Redon c1910 {{PD}}

Is it the T-square formed by this Lunar eclipse, the Sun-Sedna, and the arm of Saturn-Vesta that will be most prominent, the T offering a dynamic emotional confrontation (probably over what we should see/ recognize, but don’t) that may be resolved through honoring real-world manifestations of what’s sacred (or that may conclude with the shut-down of some outlet we have been dedicated to)? Or will it be the trine to Mars-Neptune sending at least some of us chasing the Dream (or maybe, the mirage), or will we feel the delicate quincunx to Eris, as she extracts full-blown conflict from what should be minor discomfort? Much of what’s emphasized for the individual will depend on what in the natal chart is stimulated–but all of us are likely to feel the sweep of this Total Lunar eclipse in Scorpio (that happens to sextile ruler Pluto) as it digs deep, brings forward a Truth, unearths secrets, purges shame or guilt, resurrects what we thought lost, or brings a searing and complete end to something that once was a passion: vital, central, something we believed we couldn’t live without.

That’s the essence of it all, really, right there–to go on would just be extraneous. So, other energies in play may include the Jupiter-Ceres Cardinal square at 00 Aries-Cancer, respectively=the individual role within the larger social order or belief system (Jupiter in Aries) has to work it out with the sense of personal authority, and/ or the care-giving role(s) (Ceres), as they are chosen to show who and what we care about (Cancer). At time of perfection Chiron and Venus are still very close together in Aries, and semi-sextile Uranus=hurt in relationship may take on a too-singular view, losing sight of the fact that any interaction automatically involves more than one person, who also has needs and viewpoint of their own–and something in this arena could shock or surprise us–so get out ahead of it by keeping the needs of others in mind. And finally, Hygeia in Scorpio opposes Pallas in Taurus=what’s practical or wise will expose the weakness or rot behind what we’ve been calling healthy–not pretty, but infinitely useful.

I’d like to look at the Sabians involved in the T, as I suspect these will be the major energies felt by most. The Lunar eclipse Sabian is, ‘American Indians Making Camp After Moving Into A New Territory’. The question here is, is the new territory a place entered by choice, or was the move forced, remaining where one is untenable? Considering the general history of the Native American, we might infer that this move, whether willing or not, may be due to the incursion of others.

For the Sun we have, ‘A Spanish Gallant Serenades His Beloved’. The Sun, as light-giver to the Moon, may represent the catalyst: a (potential) invader, indeed, who likely sees himself as a ‘lover, not a fighter’–or maybe in the case of wooing someone, a (forceful) persuader. What does the T tell us? Saturn describes real-world circumstances or conditions: ‘A Butterfly With The Right Wing More Perfectly Formed’. That phrasing implies the left wing is perfect–the right is just more perfect! Is that even possible? There are no degrees of perfection. Add this to the symbol for Vesta: ‘A Tree Felled And Sawed To Ensure A Supply Of Wood For The Winter’. Storing up for the future, investing, in a sense. Does that suggest that exaggerated assessment, judgment, or appraisal is a kind of storing up, putting things in a kind of relationship bank? That can certainly be what someone serenading another is thinking–that the attention and flattery is an investment in the future–but what about moving into new territory?

To my mind at least one of the possibilities is encountering (or being) someone at the eclipse who goes into what for them is new territory: trying praise, flattery, and maybe a little smoke (!) in place of more aggressive methods for getting what they want. If you run into someone who’s, probably outside their usual behavior, trying a ‘catch more flies with honey than vinegar’ approach, you’ll know that they want something. It’s not necessarily nefarious in its current form, but whatever they’re aiming for, know that going along with it might eventually completely run you off what is, right now, your territory, your land. Be aware this condition is possible through the next eclipse set, 6 months down the road.

The event itself falls on the 15th, 9:14 PM PDT, at 25 Scorpio 17.

Solar Eclipse April 2022 The Shock of It All

22 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by in astrology, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse, The Word Image

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Fahd Hasis December 2019

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The Sun and Moon meet in partial Solar eclipse on April 30th at 1:28:04 PM PDT at 10 Taurus 28 and don’t form many aspects, the closest being a sextile to Mars in Pisces. The idea may be that what old is wiped away, and what new born, may be overshadowed by other meetings that grab the attention and let the Solar event seed a new energetic flow without our really being aware of it.

In Taurus a Solar eclipse speaks to the material condition, matters of nurture and comfort, to the artisanal and earthy–and don’t forget, to whatever matters are represented by the natal House in which this event occurs. Location in the natal chart is what gives any event like this its personal meaning; all we can do here is study the general nature of the energies, see what change they might carry. And, a Solar eclipse (without specific alignment otherwise known as a New Moon), gives a fresh start–a really fresh one, with an eclipse’s ability to obliterate circumstances related to the sign and involved bodies and Houses that existed before.

The Union of Sun and Moon occurs just as the two approach contact to Uranus, suggesting an almost explosive potential for surprise, the unanticipated, and possibly for a flash of Higher Mind guidance in the wake of the eclipse. The Moon will, upon separating from the Sun, contact Uranus first, implying an emotional impact that arrives before we can really see (the light of the Sun) what’s happening.

There’s a sextile to Mars, telling us that the event will spur action, or force choices, in Taurean realms, and the eclipse forms as both bodies separate from opposition to Hygeia–not a big deal, but a notable one, as changes or challenges to the material situation (Earth, Taurus) may affect the health and well-being.

This aspect picture leaves us with a surprisingly subdued event, with a ‘kick’ only coming later with the revelation of Uranian contact–as I said, our attention will probably be on other things, such as the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, only two minutes before perfection and falling at the midpoint of the Sedna-Pluto Earth trine, or the Mercury-Pallas semi-sextile, or the Neptune-Ceres square, or the Saturn-Ceres Air trine that catches Eris at the midpoint. All these will be loud, not offering us much choice: look at us, otherwise you’ll miss ‘it’! For most of us, though, what the eclipse eliminates and replaces will in the end be much more important, have a bigger impact on our survival and Self-image, than any of these other flashes-in-the-pan.

Venus-Jupiter, late in Pisces, may make for a kind of existential angst around Love, Money, or Relationship. It may feel like in the Cosmic order of things we’ll never have enough, never feel completely secure in Venusian areas. Our needs may seem greater than usual, but shift your perspective, and what you’ll have is an awareness of rewards greater than you anticipated–they just might not be in the form or quantity you expected. This falling at the Sedna-Pluto midpoint says anxiety may arise from instinctual feeling and/ or awareness of the power situation, with the reminder that upset is likely seated in those blind spot areas where we have given away our power. So, it’s not the power landscape itself that causes upset, but the way we’ve abdicated our own agency, prompting something within ourselves that’s struggling to be heard and known.

Mercury-Pallas says wisdom is available, as long as we don’t insist it be comfortable for us to know! Neptune square Ceres challenges us, as do many of these other aspects, to embrace Self-responsibility rather than delusion or pipe dreams (it also says, watch out for hidden environmental or dietary factors that could blindside you). The Saturn-Ceres-Eris formula suggests discipline and following ‘the rules’ pays off in authority points and the ability to Self-determine, but may also draw ire from others who benefit when you are confused or fail to stand up for yourself. If somebody is upset with your assertive nature, you’re probably doing something right.

One last, small aspect of note: the Solar eclipse is septile ( officially 51 degrees, 26 minutes) the Black Moon Lilith point in Cancer–which of course is ruled by the Moon. The septile is an influence that the rational mind doesn’t grasp easily; ‘inspiration’, or ‘in spirit’, might be good descriptors of the triggered energy. In this case the emotions will be deeply stirred by the eclipse event, but again, not reach awareness until later. Something denied, ignored, or that enrages, that we are sensitive to or care about, will begin to emerge, as we are inspired to deal with it. Give it time to reach complete consciousness, before reacting/ responding.

The eclipse/ New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Woman Watering Flowers In Her Garden’. A garden is the essence of Taurus, right? The admonition is to care for what’s already underway, rather than to put attention on something new–that comes shortly, with that Uranus contact I talked about.

I have a Word Image for the week, drawn straight from real life, and I’m thinking it applies to the Solar eclipse: you are in a public place, you look down, and there at your feet is a large blue pill. Via ‘The Matrix’, a blue pill has come to be a symbol for keeping things as they are, for refusing to recognize reality in all its horrifying detail–but I don’t think that’s what it means here. The assumption that we’re not focused in reality can be a pernicious power game, with someone always claiming to have red-pill insight beyond anything available to us. Though it’s important to acknowledge there’s always more to learn, that doesn’t automatically mean we aren’t seeing what’s before us. The Solar eclipse, with its low-key ‘planting’ energy, may tell us that what we’re seeing/ perceiving is accurate–so believe what you and others are gestating–a matter of believing what we see, real world efforts, rather than being distracted by stories, ‘what ifs’, and intimations that others with power (or who want power) know more than you do.

We might also imagine that the blue pill being left on the floor implies that it was the red pill that was taken–so perhaps pointing us to our own solid connection to reality, which speaks to a vivid awareness, alive and well, seeing warts and all. Or, there’s that other blue pill, Viagra (though the pill I saw was a capsule identical to the one offered by Morpheus). Does it suggest we need to up our potency, possibly to reinvigorate the life force? Since symbology is an individual matter, we can pick the idea we resonate to, and go from there.

Have a wonderful eclipse!

Merc Retro in Aquarius 14 January 2022: Mind Inspired

10 Monday Jan 2022

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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Nicolas Poussin c1627 ‘Venus and Mercury’ {{PD}}

Mercury pauses and enters apparent backward motion at 3:42 AM PST of the 14th, and the effect is likely to be subtle but far-reaching. The planet has stationed at 10 degrees, arriving there one day before and remaining one day after; the turnaround itself occurs at 10 Aquarius 20. The Sabian symbol for this degree is, ‘During A Silent Hour, A Man Receives A New Inspiration Which May Change His Life’. This is the heart of it: the retro period brings re-consideration of our ideals, of what we find sacred and honor, of how we wish to spend our days and hours–we look at how we are actually spending our time (what a phrase in English! Equating our lives with the use of any other asset), and how close this comes to (or diverges from) what we truly find of value.

We may find ourselves comparing our current situation to the dreams we have and had, especially those expectations for life that we carried at an earlier time. We are able right now to set aside those rationalizations that may have made us compromise our visions and goals; we see exactly how we may have diluted our aims to accommodate practicality, expediency, and varied duties. Some of these duties and choices, we’ll find, do represent what’s most important, in the form of commitments to others or to causes; some won’t pass the smell test, no matter what we tell ourselves–and this retro is the time to see, acknowledge, and then prepare to do something about the ways in which our thinking and pursuit of Higher Mind goals have gone seriously off-track.

This need for re-consideration is apparent in the contacts Mercury makes at the moment of retrogression. Happening in Aquarius, a Fixed Air sign, we know that previously rock-solid ideas and opinions will be examined by the Higher Mind and vetted through current or near-future conditions–and we know that at least some of the revelations we’ll receive will come through accident, surprise, or rebellion, which in this instance will be necessary catalysts to the examinations we must make.

Mercury will be novile both Neptune-Pallas, planet of creativity, imagination, ideals, and delusions, united with the asteroid of practicality, skills, and wisdom, and the asteroid Vesta, harbinger of what we honor and dedicate our life energies to–in fact, Mercury will turnaround at the midpoint between the other two points. The novile is an aspect that draws the genuinely innovative and ‘genius’ elements from the two bodies in question; in this case, we have four, three of which, in two portions, Neptune-Pallas, and Vesta, aren’t in major contact to each other–but they are through the mechanism of Mercury and his retro mentality of review. We can expect the retro period to offer inspiration as to what we want to use our life energy for, where we want to focus our efforts, and how we can best fulfill our highest ideals, and to offer this in both practical and smart forms. This may or may not reveal itself in material forms (Merc ruler Uranus in Taurus/ ancient ruler of Aquarius, real-world oriented Saturn, just ahead of Mercury in Aquarius), but we will certainly get a solid mental picture of what needs to occur upon direction–and this is contrary to the usual message of letting the mind rest during a Merc retro. In this case, we just won’t be able to. The hamster wheel will keep spinning–just be aware that final conclusions shouldn’t be drawn until well after the tension of retro and direction have passed, in this instance maybe even waiting until once-again direct Mercury passes its retro point, around the 25th of February–which is also the time when Mercury will, just past the retro point, square Uranus.

We have noted that Mercury turns around just short of completing a square to sign ruler Uranus, now in Taurus. This suggests that we won’t actually confront material realities during the retro, that instead those will be delivered through difficult (the square) Uranian circumstances after direction (and those may include through leadership issues, group mandate, innovation, rebellion by ourselves or others against demands or constraints, accidents, surprises, or serendipities, through application of academics or Higher Mind thought, through revelation, invention, or modernization, or through taking an original approach or manifesting an original idea).

At the point of retrograde Mercury will also be in wide conjunction to Saturn–again as with the square to Uranus, not perfected, and so any limitations or constraints won’t be applied to matters, just yet–and sextile Chiron, offering some promise of healing through the retro review. This is a ‘make plans, understand what you really want and care about’ retrograde, with careful attention to aims and extended consideration of wants vital to eventual good decisions. The usual admonitions ‘don’t sign, don’t buy’ are still in force, though as always I would add that if something has been thoroughly vetted or chosen well before the retrograde, proceeding during to complete the deal typically holds no more risk than when Mercury’s direct. Though I often suggest using the feeling senses as the go-to during a Merc withdrawal, this time, as I’ve already noted, it may not be easy or even possible; the less time we spend judging our mental state during this retrograde, the more actual, effective exploration of our priorities and our ability to implement them is likely to get done. The unsuitability of emotions and senses for processing may be shown by the retro moment’s capture of a tight quincunx between the Moon in Gemini and Venus in Capricorn, implying that the feeling nature and relationships/ wants will be generating their own friction, and so might not be available as an alternate conduit for perceptions right now.