Tag Archives: The Lunar Essence

Full Moon in Aries 13 October 2019: I Want

09 Wednesday Oct 2019

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‘Dubrovnik by Moonlight’ By Eduard Kasparides, 1915, is a lovely destination for an Aries Full Moon, even if Dubrovnik is associated with opposite sign Libra (according to this article: https://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/46520/20170428/travel-destinations-based-zodiac-sign.htm)

The Full Moon culminates at 2:07 PM PST at 20 Aries 13 on the 13th. The Full Moon is apex to a Finger of God with base of Pallas in Scorpio and Juno in Virgo. The Finger signals a kind of energy funnel, uniting the two base energies and showing how their synergy results in the apex energy. The import of this configuration is that the result found in the apex isn’t necessarily what one would expect from combining the two base energies. In this case, the detail-oriented, responsible, status-conscious entity focused on empowerment engages with the deep diving, deep thinking ‘Truth Warrior’, and what we get is a denouement made up of Full Moon events. These are Aries charged: assertive, even aggressive expressions of Self, Will, wanting, and/ or leadership. The individual may see this manifest as a confluence of inner and outer circumstances that bring both confidence and urgency to a choice to act; how this plays out will depend on the way the FM fits into the natal chart, but for everyone it will carry an emotional element, an awakening to or conclusion to some feeling about our personal place, role, or identity, and around our ability to act on those feelings.

The Full Moon is also closely opposed the asteroid Zeus, which is snuggled (Zeus! snuggled!) right up to the Sun, only 6 minutes apart. All Lunar events get their energy from the Sun as the origin of light, so that at a Full Moon the Sun and its situation is integral to FM meaning. In this case, the Sun-Zeus conjunction suggests that Full Moon events spring directly from where and how we’ve put our attention on ambition and desire fulfillment. What we want has created the circumstance brought to fruition with FM events–we’ll see results we’ll judge as positive or negative, and should keep in mind that these are the end-product of deeply held desires.

The FM makes two other aspects: a trine to the Ceres-Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius, and a square to Pluto in Capricorn. The Lunar event may flow from or create an instance of individual power expression within the social sphere. That is, the individual will show their personal authority within a context that makes this expression visible to others, as they display assets of knowledge and experience (Sagittarius). This knowledge sharing may trigger FM events, or come from them, but in either case flows easily, a natural by-product of the ‘I Am’, and suggests the FM itself may call this expression forward, giving it a spotlight.

The square to Pluto implies that all the other expressions brought forward by the Full Moon are possible because of serious but difficult change-in-progress to current structures and power situations. The guardrails we’re used to are gone, and no new ones are yet in place, not completely. The Lunar event is made possible at least in part because of these changes, but this aspect also signals that the Full Moon situation itself may instigate even more change, and this won’t necessarily be easy (the square). Or, it may be that Full Moon events put difficult change before us (something we may need to take initiative on–Aries), or require a resurrection of old ways temporarily, or even the closing off of some feeling in the Self–but no matter what form the Plutonian element takes, it implies the Full Moon is a point at which we’ll need to address a tough matter in the emotional shape of rage, destruction, change, re-birth, transformation, or death, and these may be symbolic manifestations (for instance, a scalding incident may equal rage) or more direct ones (an actual fight or rule change, for example).

Young boxers fresco, Akrotiri, Greece {{PD}}

The Full Moon, then, is a sort of statement of who we are, and what we want–right now, as things have coalesced at the point of culmination. The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Pugilist Enters The Ring’. Seems apt, for an Aries Full Moon: the individual is ready to fight, to win. That suggests our own and others’ aggressive nature may be closer to the surface than we think. It could be an instance where we think we’re just saying, but others receive it as shouting, demanding, insisting–so interact with care. We want, and may not realize that desire is showing quite nakedly.

The Sun, origin of Lunar light, has the Sabian ‘A Sunday Crowd Enjoying The Beach’. This may reflect the Jupiter-Ceres contact, in that the social order may be instrumental in putting things in motion, with our experience being that we are dynamic while others seem to be spectators or ‘taking things easy’. We may at least in part be moved to act, then, out of frustration or a sense that others are enjoying a ‘day at the beach’ while we toil! Here it’s good to keep in mind the way the social sphere offers a venue for our knowledge sharing or belief expression (a crowd is just another name for an audience), as well as reminding ourselves that if we think we’re the only ones making an effort, then we aren’t seeing clearly.

‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle Grand Jatte’ By Georges Seurat 1884 {{PD}}

New Moon in Libra 28 September 2019: Pairing Up

26 Thursday Sep 2019

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At the Moulin Rouge, two women waltzing, 1892, By Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec {{PD}}

I want to talk about the New Moon, at 5 Libra 20 that perfects at 11:26 AM Pacific time, but I also want to discuss how many pairs there are in the heavens right now! Some are paired by conjunction at the same degree, while others are paired by parallel standing, but the extraordinary number of these duos screams their importance at the time of a New Moon, as if Luna is crowd surfing the Universe–or maybe it’s that the Moon is opening an energy door, ushering the various combinations into new expression, putting new push behind them with the spirit of Libran cooperation.

Moon in Libra can be paralyzing, as we compulsively (and maybe unendingly) consider all sides, and too much emotional focus on partners or others, on the social sphere or on aesthetics, on fairness and ‘balance’, may in the end distort our perceptions. When this is the New Moon, it can mean new thoughts or concepts (Libra is an Air sign) in regard to others, the Arts, or what we are willing to do in cooperation with others. It may seem our feelings are fickle at this time, but it’s more like we’re having feelings that are just occurring to us! These are emotional responses we haven’t realized we were having, until now. With this New Moon that’s even more pronounced, due to the pull of that black hole duo, South Node-Saturn, and the relationship scenario of the Sun-Moon combination vis-a-vis Mars and Venus. Both leave us feeling a little stretched, a little tattered, as if we’ve lost our mojo just as our goal is within reach. Don’t take this too seriously, as the New Moon specifically offers a new start, ‘fresh meat’, or whatever image you come up with to signal an uptick in energy and optimism.

The New Moon in Libra is caught between Venus and Mars, but not quite at the midpoint; it’s closer to Mars, but if we see it in straightforward symbolic terms, the Sun and Moon are both moving away from Mars, even as Venus has already passed them and is herself moving away. That is, the New Moon event sees our conscious attention (the Sun) and unconscious mind (the Moon) turning away from deliberate action and choice, away from taking the initiative, possibly in pursuit of feeling, assets, or rewards, but even as our attention turns what we find desirable gets farther away from us. It may be that we are ‘waking up’ too late to some feeling situation, and the New Moon is delivering notice of this.

The New Moon is also quincunx Uranus in Taurus, with Moon and Sun only 24 minutes from exact, suggesting that the big shock or surprise or revelation is yet to come, and in some way we’ll have to adjust to it. It’s as well squine Pluto. That’s a 105 degree aspect that’s a cross between a square and a trine, implying some of the ease of the trine but with all the conflict or problems of the square. Such a minor contact takes on greater resonance by being one of the few close aspects Luna is making. We might want to think of it this way: the Moon-Sun are, at New lunation time, taking the same point of view, having the same perspective on all the other energies, and in the case of Pluto there may be a deep desire for change and a simultaneous deep fear of it–or maybe that’s power, or death, or transformation, or a desire to burn it all down and rise again, re-made.

In this case, the aspect manifests as the force that makes us consider, perhaps just for a moment, jumping from a great height that we’re actually petrified by, or tempting us with a primal pull toward a thing we believe consciously we’d do anything to avoid–with the implied result that this is destructive/ transformative in a permanent way.

The New Moon is also opposed Chiron, and though this is a separating aspect, it suggests that it’s matters related to injuries to the Will, or to the current material reality, that are being re-made. The Sabian symbol is, ‘A Man Watches His Ideals Taking A Concrete Form Before His Inner Vision’. Here a human concentrates on the mental picture, the inner eye, as it gives form, face, and function to one or more of his/ her/ their ideals. This can be many things, but the image first and foremost suggests the energy of an ideal gathering manifestable shape, the vision being a precursor to physical possibility, to literal creation. The surprise, as shown by the close aspect of Uranus to the New Moon, is that unless we have thorough Self-knowledge we may not be able to anticipate our vision. Perhaps it’s a little of what we fear, what we believe, that controls the shape and intensity of New Moon events–so take things, at the very least, as being representative of the inner reality, and be aware that the new lunar cycle offers the inspiration to take off in a new direction.

Now to the pairs in the sky: we start, of course, with South Node-Saturn in Capricorn, which we’ve been feeling like a weight around our necks for some time. It’s the restrictions we’ve built coming forward from the past, to be lived now. Ouch. Then there’s Black Moon Lilith-Neptune in Pisces. What can you say about those things ignored or denied that are obscured from our view, hidden in the fog, or that we’re being lied to about? The imagination is as likely to work for us as against us. This may or may not be a fog of our own choosing, but it definitely makes knowing what’s happening difficult, with the big danger being we’ll be misled–and that’s only enhanced by the Mercury-Black Moon Lilith parallel, bedeviling the mind (consciously or not) with all it’s tried to forget (and the result of that may be that even if there’s nothing to be worried about, we worry!)

Vesta and Sedna sit together in Taurus and reinforce that unseen/ values connection, marrying both the willingness to commit and the instincts to material well-being and surroundings–‘comfort levels’ may be the most obvious measure of this. Venus parallels Neptune, again bringing forward familiar themes, but this time linking values and that Neptunian influence, pointing toward the New Moon values/ ideals thread, or toward a kind of ‘wildest dreams’ payoff, and this is echoed by a Venus-Jupiter sextile–we’ll call it the ‘more/ better aspect’. Taking a chance in order to win love or money could be a good idea–but only if your ideals/ beliefs are real-life aligned with what you truly love.

Bonus! A soon-to-perfect (the 30th) Pallas-North Node Water Trine: Smart emotions, practicality, and skills shape the future. Git you some.

 

 

Full Moon in Pisces 13 September 2019: Tilting At Windmills

13 Friday Sep 2019

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

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‘La nuit au léger brouillard’ By Félix Vallotton, 1913 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 9:31 PM Pacific time at 21 Pisces 04. The Earth and Moon have recently conjoined Neptune, and are still within orb of the planet; the FM also occurs sextile Pluto, widely opposed Mars and with large orbs square Jupiter (and so forming a T-square with the latter two bodies). A Full Moon promises endings, conclusions, or the cessation of something, and in this instance, the sextile to Pluto suggests that what occurs either fosters change or arises from it, likely referring to a dream, an ideal, a deception, a misunderstanding, an inspiration, or some other Neptunian factor that comes to an end. The ending may come from conflict with the larger social circle, from facing hard facts, or possibly the ending is necessitated by the intractability of our own beliefs (square Jupiter). Efforts to reach out, publish, broadcast, expand may have met problems, turning our attention in another direction–in this instance, causing us to either shed a dream, or cut through the fog of delusion or deception, seeing at last the hard facts of the matter.

Then again, with Neptune conjoined the Full Moon, what occurs may be hidden, obscured such that we may be forced to act (Mars) without understanding what we’re doing or why we’re doing it (opposition Neptune)–or will we choose to remain frozen, not comprehending what’s happening? The Mars opposition Neptune-FM suggests this inability to know what to do is only compounded by the proximity of Mars to the Sun, the implication being that something else gets the lion’s share of attention, obscuring our choices or actions, or even blocking awareness of our own wants–and so we act or choose unsure of what’s finished or what it means, unsure of our part in it, or our choices going forward. That explanation’s a little confusing on its own, and probably not very reassuring, either, though it is important to know that it all comes down to knowing that we can’t know, we can only try to pick out the shape of things by looking at areas other than those actually creating the impact (the Full Moon). It’s like watching shadows and trying to guess what’s making the shapes; we can be right on, or totally mislead.

One thing of note that may offer some clarity is the Mystic Rectangle in effect, which includes ruler of the FM and the nearly exact Mars-Neptune opposition. Currently this consists of South Node-Saturn, Neptune-Black Moon Lilith, Mars, North Node. The implication is that this synergy blends realities or restrictions of the past with those dreams, creative goals, or ideals we’ve rejected or ignored (likely as too difficult for us to achieve on our own, considering the other elements of the Rectangle are Mars and the NN). This suggests that at this Full Moon time we should be looking at discarded dreams, reassessing them for viability, especially since the social sphere or the facts will show us the hard reality at this time (FM sq Jupiter)–and that means, we might be able to put them to bed once and for all, or go after them once again, if we recognize that it’s not only not too late, but that we really are equipped to go after what we dream of.

That Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Prophet Carrying Tablets Of The New Law Is Walking Down The Slopes Of Mount Sinai’. Spiritual conviction takes many shapes; this Full Moon may clarify something about the ways we should or shouldn’t put those convictions to use, with the FM promised resolution bringing fresh insight to what’s most deeply meaningful to us at a spiritual level. This could involve a new dedication of our energy, a new intent or ‘law’ put into practice. We also look at the Sun symbol for a Full Moon: ‘A Royal Coat Of Arms Enriched With Precious Stones’. The source of the FM enlightenment may be our own striving to ‘rise above’, to attain a kind of nobility, or to simply become ‘cream of the crop’ in some area (likely related to the House in which the FM falls in the natal chart).

By Honoré Daumier c1868 {{PD}}

What occurs at this Full Moon eliminates something, reveals the Truth of a matter, and allows us to re-connect to an old dream or spiritual intent–and all while we at best wander a bit, and at worst tilt at the wrong windmill.

 

30 August 2019 New Moon in Virgo: Call To Action

29 Thursday Aug 2019

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By NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA – New Moon, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51482526

In some places this is the second New Moon of the month, in others the Moon some saw on the 1st may have fallen on July 31st–you see the issue, which is why I don’t make much of those occasions of two New or Full Moons in a calendar month–they don’t hold everywhere, and only apply if one uses the current calendar–which of course is a man-made device, not a naturally-occurring one. So, forgive me if I’m not kvelling 🙂

The New Moon falls at 6 Virgo 46 at 3:36 AM Pacific time on August 30th. This duo (Moon and Sun) is chasing Mars, soon to catch him, and can also be considered widely conjoined Juno, Mercury, and Venus, as well, all in Virgo. This cuts a wide swath just a hair over 9 degrees wide, end to end, with the New Moon close to the midpoint. A New Moon in Virgo brings a new way of thinking or observing critically, making discernment, judgment, and efforts leading to reward and appropriate sharing the centerpieces of what’s begun here. In concert with so many other influences, the New Moon viewpoint may feel pervasive; the focus may be on what is ‘natural’ (in the Virgoan ‘Harvest’ sense, particularly in matters of the natal House where the New Moon occurs), and what’s needed to make that happen at an optimum level. We’ll be seeking personal empowerment through critical and corrective thought and action, particularly that which offers reward. And certainly, what we’re trying to achieve, one way or another, is worthy–but will we succeed?

The New Moon forms the arm to a T-square on the Hygeia-Ceres opposition (a Grand Cross, if we include Earth). The T suggests agricultural upsets, climate issues, environmental poisonings, natural disasters–as if we can’t point to dozens of these matters already–they didn’t wait for the New Moon to manifest, but they may take on new urgency, and we may gain a dawning new awareness of them, drawing much more of our attention as we watch them wax along with the Lunar energies. Personal manifestations may include onsets of allergies, asthma, dietary issues or responses, and much more noticeable links among health, our environment, and specifically how much we may be able (or unable) to affect things.

‘Ceres’ By Osmar Schindler c1902 {{PD}}

The Sun-Moon square Hygeia also forms the base for a Fist of God, apex Pluto, once again pointing to a crisis situation involving the health–and whether it’s the health of the planet or our own personal well-being, the pressure of crisis elicits either a destructive response or a transformative one, the latter offering the hope of an environmental or health-centered phoenix rising from the current ashes.

On top of all this the New Moon is trine Uranus and quincunx Chiron, suggesting that the unexpected surprises or delivers a bolt of understanding, and this either injures or calls forward our unique Chirotic skills. It may be that New Moon events or revelations lead us into a new, more active role in dealing with larger issues, whether they center on dealing more effectively with personal challenges to health or with challenges to the health of the whole damn planet. Via a lightning bolt of revelation, understanding, or sheer shock, the New Moon is bound to mobilize us, mentally and physically, in support of our values, in a way we weren’t ‘in motion’ before. Too, when we add New Moon aspect meaning to the Sabian, what we may find is how inextricable our place in the larger scheme really is. All we control is ourselves, within that defined space we occupy and can affect–this NM may point us toward our best, most effective impact, for both the individual and the Collective.

‘The Harem’ By Émile Bernard pre-1941 {{PD}}

The Sabian for the new Moon is, ‘A Harem’. Though we find the existence of a harem regressive, even offensive, today, we might do best with this image to define it not as captive sex slaves or something equally sensational and canted toward the exploitative, but as a cooperative living arrangement for women of a certain privileged status due to their relationship with a powerful Other. In that sense, harems are the province of Venus, in some guises, and most especially Juno, as status and power derived through the partner are two of her most prominent characteristics. As a symbol of New Moon events, then, this might signal that empowerment may be most effectively found within a role or status we already hold, particularly one that may otherwise feel restrictive or exploitative, one where we ultimately might wish for more freedom, but find current relationships (or even survival) require we continue in this function. When we look at it this way, we can see this could apply to the web-like restrictions of the social sphere, family, or even the need to make a living–whatever it is that both ‘protects’ us (offering benefit in some form) and concurrently proscribes, for good or ill, our movement.

See the forecast for the 29th and birthday for 6 Virgo here—

Good day to . . . start something new that requires energy, concentration, attention to detail, persistence, especially if this speaks to fulfilling some ideal. Good time to also take corrective measures with health/ diet.

For those born with the Sun at 07 Virgo. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). You may feel a lot like a Warrior this coming solar year, through to your next birthday, dear Virgo, and if you don’t, you may just be angry or highly motivated! In any case, you’ll have an enormous amount of energy, drive, and attention best applied to fighting for a cause, moving forward in life, and/ or in dealing with the matters of the natal House ruled by Mars. You’ve got the guts, and may earn the glory, if you can observe successfully a few rules: control and refine all energy expression–to fail this invites chaos and accident, but to do it inspires invention, innovation, originality, and may place you in a leadership role, well-deserved, should it come to you; cooperative arrangements can be very good–trust, but verify, to avoid surprises; and face health matters head-on–attend to them, because something dealt with now won’t flare up bigger and badder later. Good luck!

15 August 2019 Full Moon in Aquarius: Cost/ Benefit Analysis

14 Wednesday Aug 2019

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Vandenis (Aquarius) in the twelve-paiting cycle Zodiakas (Zodiac) By Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis 1907 {{PD}}

The Full Moon occurs at 5:29 AM Pacific time at 22 Aquarius 24. Venus is still closely conjoined the Sun, and so figures in to the T-square formed by Vesta in Taurus. This dynamic describes the principle tension and likely revelation (or revelatory tension!) of the Full Moon event. A Full Moon is a culmination of energy, a building to completeness of some matter either related to the House where the FM falls or that has the character of the sign in which the FM perfects, and typically this has a strong emotional component. A T-square suggests conflict reaching a head, leading to either a showdown or an impasse, a ‘no resolution’ situation that we can only see a way out of after the Lunar event, likely by, in this case, following values and commitment guidelines.

In Aquarius we could come to some emotional conclusion without even realizing it, and yet not really feel it. Aquarius is forever mixing up the mental and the emotional, and the event or atmosphere associated with this Full Moon may not be recognized as an emotional ending, though the emotions will be stirred. The mind may jump in, rationalize, or may attain a mental understanding that neglects the emotional impact (and so neglects the individual emotional needs). Distance from feelings is a distinct hazard. We may not realize ‘it’s’ over, in some way–or we may not realize that ‘it’ can’t go on like this, despite the Aquarian promise of its Fixed nature, that encourages us to believe things can go on as they are, indefinitely.

This Waterbearer looks at first glance like Libra. Aquarius bronze and glass grille figure, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C. Photo By Carol M. Highsmith {{PD}}

The tug-of-war this time may be between some feature of the talent or Self-worth picture, in the form of its value or cost to the Soul expression (Sun-Venus in Leo) versus an emotional-intellectual need that has a material component, or that involves surroundings or assets (Moon-Earth in Aquarius). What we spend and what we gain when we express ourselves may see direct reflection (a Moon characteristic) in material/ physical forms (Earth conjunction), and will carry an emotional charge–and the Full Moon’s function may be to make this as clear as possible by showing any dissonance among these elements of expression, material results, and the feeling nature as measured against our highest values, commitments, and those things we find sacred (Vesta).

There are no other contacts to the Full Moon that fall within our relatively narrow allowed orb. That just points out that the entire ‘punch’ is in the dissonance of the T, not scattered or watered down with many influences. You’ll likely end up running a cost/benefit analysis with values as your guideline, prompted by the Full Moon, and what you conclude may have an outsized impact on the forms Soul expression might take or the value you assign to the identity, with an emotional and material assessment of the profits possible or the costs incurred a key part of the equation.

You may come face-to-face with an inner or an outer ‘bear’, and you’ll need to deal with it. By John Bauer 1902 {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, ‘A Big Bear Sitting Down And Waving All Its Paws’. The thing that draws your attention at the Full Moon is, as the saying goes, ‘a real bear’, that is, something truly troublesome or difficult to handle that you can no longer ignore. As a symbol, a bear suggests something big, animalistic in nature, that is already present but that you’ve been looking past, ignoring, that you’ve been denying the needs, nature, or existence of. Astrologically it may be represented by the asteroid Vesta; it may show there’s something we respect that we’ve been neglecting, or something that we need to respect, that we’ve somehow failed to honor–and certainly, what we honor is meant to show us a way out of any stress brought on by the Lunar event.

The Sabian for the Sun (and for Venus as well) is, ‘In A Circus The Bareback Rider Displays Her Dangerous Skill’. This suggests that it’s our own actions or displays of talent that create the Full Moon situation in the first place. Something daring or out of the ordinary, something we’ve attempted, is the initial source of the Full Moon event energy, and this is specifically a try at showing our skills or talents, at putting them before the audience of ‘The Big Top’–that is, showing our talents in a public venue,or showing them openly, for all to see. Look to the House holding the Sun-Venus to help you pinpoint the nature of this effort, and look to the House that holds the Full Moon for clues to the life area that offer a response to this effort, with challenges coming from, or issues pointed out, via persons or matters of the House that holds transiting Vesta (which sits at 22 Taurus 38).

Good day to . . . see what you must deal with in order to bring your unique talents to the fore and so create/ attract Love or Money. This is an ‘information’ day, one where, if you’re paying attention and ‘want to know’, you can gain an enormous amount of useful data, especially about how and where to ‘put yourself out there’.

For those born with the Sun at 23 Leo. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). This solar year, dear Leo, may be headlined, ‘Pursuit of Love or Money’. It may also be an emotionally stressful year, one where you feel you must ‘do or die’, or where the emotional reality meets a turning point, such that it changes dramatically. So, the pair of matters, emotions and those things pursued, are likely to swallow up most of your effort and attention, and you should know, they’re meant to–a narrowed focus may be the only way you can deal with getting what you need, with finding worthwhile reward, and with creating the relationships you really want, so don’t let others label you selfish–this year you deserve to live about you and for you. Good luck!

31 July 2019 New Moon in Leo: Controlling the Shape of Things to Come + Mercury Turns It Around

29 Monday Jul 2019

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The New Moon falls at 8 Leo 36 at 8:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time, and just 48 minutes later we see Mercury inch from its station to station direct. It could make for one intense hour, especially considering the way Luna has just passed over Venus in Leo and is yet to trine Jupiter in Sagittarius–and both of these are, in my view, outside acceptable orbs to register as part of the New Moon event. This past and yet-to-be could bleed into the New Moon, though, infusing the ambient energy with a sense of rewards, recent and yet to come. The experience of Luna drenching itself in the Self-Love of Venusian fire, and then moving toward harmony with the social order, with opportunities far and wide, with facts that support our emotional perceptions, may make the atmosphere a little heady, the outlook carrying a sense of empowerment and ‘great things’ for the future.

The New Moon in Leo suggests a new passion, and particularly suggests a fire within the individual that sets a new emotional course. The NM square to Uranus in Taurus forms a T with the Sun-Moon/ Earth axis, implying that fire’s spark could come from accident, surprise, revelation, something that shocks via the senses, via a resource dilemma, or that changes our comfort level discernibly. The New Moon is trine Chiron in Aries, again pointing toward the individual, and to the individual weakness, vulnerability, wound, or unique skill, and that this will play an important role in what starts here. A quincunx to the calculated point Black Moon Lilith promises that what begins now must accommodate or otherwise adjust to one or more matters that anger, or that are being ignored or denied, or perhaps that matters surface and are shoved aside, in order to keep the optimistic mood and get the Self into action.

The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon is, ‘Glass Blowers Shape Beautiful Vases With Their Controlled Breathing’. This suggests that the perception of reward, of something beautiful on the horizon that springs from our own effort, is indeed accurate, but it’s up to us, in fostering that new spark, that individual action or feeling, to control ourselves. No matter how shocking or unusual the Uranian influence to the New Moon event, we need to keep a clear head–that might be part of the acceptability of to some extent pushing aside or adjusting to Black Moon Lilith issues–and we need to control our prana, the very life force itself, in order to maintain a coherent connection between the physical world and the spiritual one, in order to heal, or access skills (Chiron) and so control the spark, control efforts and materials, and as a result, shape a beautiful future.

Then less than an hour after the New Moon we see Mercury go direct. It does so as planet of latest degree, suggesting that we may experience a sensation something like ‘waking up’ but in a way that feels a little like coming to consciousness after climbing out on a limb–we’re super-surprised to find ourselves there, and don’t really know what to think! Since Merc is in Cancer, the surprise may concern what we do or don’t care about, or maybe how we think we care about something and find out we don’t.

Also of note today, and maybe felt strongly by some, a Finger of God with base of Mars-Juno and Zeus, apex Neptune. This actually shaped up right around the 28th but only grows more contained, peaking today and dissolving by August 2nd. This suggests, barring any other contrary indicators within the individual chart, that concerted effort to fulfill ambitions could very easily bring the dream to reality, or lead to establishment of ideal circumstances. That means do it now.

Happy Birthday! By Caroline’s Cakes – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12799030

For those born with the Sun at 08 Leo. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). Dear Leo, you know that terrible Aladdin song everybody in their early 30s wants to sing at karaoke? It’s gonna feel like a whole new world, now through to your next birthday, and you may be pretty surprised at that, since you may not immediately recognize that you are the mover and shaker who made it happen. When things first hit the fan, you may insist that you are at the mercy of others or circumstances, but the reality is, you and your approach are shaping everything, precisely as you need it to be. That means the sooner you own up to your own influence on events, the sooner you can make that energy conscious, and so control what happens (at least to the extent any of us can 🙂 ) So, you know Love, you know what’s of value to you, and you have the drive, energy, and vision to create opportunity–no need to wait, the future is now.

Please scroll down for the forecast for the 30th, or click here–

16 July 2019 Lunar Eclipse in a Venus Sky

14 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by in astrology, Born Today, current events in the sky, forecast, Lunar Aspects, Lunar Eclipse, Sabian Symbols

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The Milky Way arches across this 360-degree panorama of the night sky above the Paranal Observatory, home of ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The Moon is just rising and the zodiacal light shines above it, while the Milky Way stretches across the sky opposite the observatory. To the right in the image and below the arc of the Milky Way, two of our galactic neighbours, the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, can be seen. The open telescope domes of the world’s most advanced ground-based astronomical observatory are all visible in the image: the four smaller 1.8-metre Aŭiliary Telescopes that can be used together in the interferometric mode, and the four giant 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes. The image was made from 37 individual frames with a total exposure time of about 30 minutes, taken in the early morning hours. ESO/H.H. Heyer CC BY 4.0

The Partial Lunar Eclipse is at 2:38 PM PDT of the 16th at 24 Capricorn 04, and perfects against a Venus-heavy sky, with Venus sesquiquadrate Ceres, quincunx Jupiter, and opposed Saturn. Since Venus is just inside combustion range of the Sun, we would expect its contacts to be less prominent–but in this case, we may see them as backdrop to emotion, passage-of-time, or feeling-based (Lunar) eclipse events, subtle ones that may either operate below consciousness or that we may be aware of but unable to give time or attention to.

Relationships and/ or assets, then, may be the underpinnings for eclipse impact, and may involve a situation where we are wrestling with who holds power in a relationship, or who holds spending power within a relationship, or in a situation where we can’t reconcile Love’s presence with the need to take responsibility and to set boundaries. The social sphere or some fact we’ve learned is calling for us to adjust our interactions or our finances, and we may have a hard time wrapping our heads around that (eclipse novile Jupiter). And then there’s the way we may be tempted to ignore the rules, boundaries, obstacles, or reality itself, when it comes to relationships or finances. All this makes for a disconcerting undercurrent–and then we have the Lunar event itself.

Falling in Capricorn, a Lunar eclipse suggests an ending to some sort of restriction, sense of discipline, support structure, or material reality, and it’s likely an ending where we are aware of its finality, even in some cases of the way we can do nothing about it. Restraints may reach a peak or disappear entirely, depending on your personal situation, but in either case the ending is clearly defined and makes an emotional impact.

The most startling thing may be the Lunar eclipse conjunction to Pluto, which implies the eclipse is a powerful moment, shot through with meaning in the form of Truth, and may incite transformation or obliteration at a core level. That’s a scary thought, but consider: there have been any number of life-changing moments you’ve already gone through, and nine times out of ten you probably didn’t know that was a transformational moment, or a course-changing event, until later, maybe much later.

Pause on this: that a Lunar event, one focused on feeling, and on bringing that feeling into a tangible or material sphere (Moon conjoined Earth in Capricorn) will occur, and it’s meant to bring completion to some matter related to the House where it falls or the matters this House represents in the natal chart, or possibly those represented by a natal body or point that is affected. Impact is inevitable, but the sense of catastrophe or loss is not. ‘Getting right’ with our own destructive impulses or urges toward power is the way to sail through this and even make the most of it.

The widest allowable aspect the event makes is a trine to Sedna (just under 4 degrees), which implies we know the meaning and impact of the eclipse at an instinctual level. It also implies information about the event is most accessible through the natural instincts, through being open to ‘what we know but don’t know’, which requires we trust ourselves–often easier said than done.

But there’s also a semi-square to the Black Moon Lilith point, suggesting that what stirs our instincts may be the rough edges around things we’re ignoring or denying, or that enrage. And then there is the novile to Jupiter, promising that whatever occurs at the eclipse, it will open up our world, will offer new or clearly perceived facts, will show those beliefs that are ‘right’, offer a religious experience, and/ or allow us to face emotionally-charged real-world events philosophically, easily seeing a way to process and accept what occurs.

The Sabian for the Lunar eclipse is, ‘A Store Filled With Precious Oriental Rugs’. These, even when the patterns are the same, are unique, one-of-a-kind creations–just like individuals. The eclipse, in pointing up our beauty as creations, also shows us the loneliness inherent to our form. Being one-of-a-kind carries with it the knowledge that we are separate, and the symbol also suggests that we are filled with things of worth (the store) and all we have to do to live that purpose is to be.

For a Lunar eclipse we also look at the Sabian for the Sun, since she is the light-giver that makes the whole show possible. The Sun’s is in Cancer: ‘A Willful Man Is Overshadowed By A Descent Of Superior Power’. This suggests that what casts the eclipse shadow in the first place is an instance of noticing our actual power in the larger scheme of things, and this is driven home by awareness of those who hold power superior to our own, and is so despite our very Arian inclination to Willfulness–which seems to point to the only item in Aries right now, Chiron. Is this a hint that it’s our own hurt at not having our way that re-aligns us with our effective place in the Universe, with a proportional understanding of each of us as an individual? Perhaps, though when we hark back to the Lunar eclipse Sabian, we might conclude that we are works of Art, and that we are unable to adequately express as long as we are wrapped up in our own heads, our own want, our own Willfulness.

Scroll down for the forecast and birthday look ahead for the 15th. Thank you, and Happy Eclipse!

For those born with the Sun at 24 Cancer. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). Dear Cancer, the emotional impact of this year, especially what happened just a smidge before your birthday/ Solar Return, can’t be understated–and yet, know that you must deal with ‘the facts’ honestly in order to move forward and embrace the Truth, and through it the Power, that is slated to be yours. If you don’t already have a form that this power can take and express through, you may want to spend your birthday considering what you ‘know but don’t know’, as well as facing what you’d rather ignore, and so finding out exactly what you should be doing, as you take your place in the vanguard of your social sphere, peer group, or profession. Good luck!

The table’s all set for a Happy Birthday. ‘Open Door on a Garden’ By Konstantin Somov 1934 {{PD}}

 

2 July 2019 Solar Eclipse in Cancer: A New Dedication

30 Sunday Jun 2019

Posted by in astrology, Born Today, current events in the sky, eclipse, forecast, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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‘The Temple of Vesta and the Falls at Tivoli’ By William Callow 1859 {{PD}}

Sometimes we find that with an event we must loosen our orbs in order to get a picture of what’s going on; in my view this lends the whole thing a subtler influence, making a softer impact in the life, or maybe making the kind of difference we don’t really comprehend until later, as other things unfold and make the event (or point in time) results apparent. This is the case for the Total Solar eclipse at 10 Cancer 37, starting at 12:16 PM PDT of the 2nd. There’s only one close contact, and that’s to an asteroid, a sextile to Vesta, right away signalling that what happens at this time will (gently) wipe out or otherwise alter something we care about, something we are dedicated to, or will in some way offer us something new to honor, or bring us something new, a cause or mission or ideal or even a partner with which to merge, that sets us on a new path, or that changes the direction of the one we’re traveling now.

The eclipse also forms a semi-square to Hygeia, suggesting that through some tough but minor changes we create something a lot more healthy for us. With generous orbs, we get a T-square with Pallas as arm to the Sun-Moon opposed Earth axis, bringing a challenge: what happens at this time may conflict with what we consider wise or practical, or may point out we don’t have the skills we think we do. That can be a bitter pill, but as the aspect to Hygeia points out, swallowing it is actually to our benefit.

The eclipse also forms a loose trine to Black Moon Lilith, pinpointing the eclipse energies as able to easily deal with what we’ve ignored or denied, or what has angered us; we have the emotional strength at this time to face what we otherwise look away from, and that’s a gift we should accept.

There’s also another T-square with an arm of Chiron (which is NOT opposed Pallas–the orb is just too big–so no possibility of a Grand Square/ Grand Cross). This again points us toward the need to heal ourselves (Chiron in Aries), perhaps through hewing more closely to what we truly care about, rather than through some image we may have been trying to perpetuate that just isn’t really us.

The Sabian symbol for the Solar eclipse is, ‘A Clown Caricaturing Well-Known Personalities’. This suggests deliberate mimicry, the kind that could be perceived as part of the individual’s role. What role are we playing, job doing, persona-wearing, that has us behaving as someone else? This Solar eclipse may be a call to seek out the ungenuine that we carry and let it go; this meshes perfectly with the sextile to Vesta that offers a gentle boost toward being more closely aligned with our own deepest feelings, interests, passions, and to give our energy to what really matters to us. It may also point out that doing things or meeting life in the ‘style’ of others is a bit ridiculous, casting us as unreal (clownish) in the way we come across or in the things we apply, as they’re most suitable to others. This might be an especially important message for those who’ve been trying to succeed in some area that hasn’t gone as well as they’d like–it may be there’s a need to recognize that impersonation will never make us into someone we’re not.

The New Moon eclipse offers a re-dedication or a new dedication, a chance to commit to something we care about, to something we love, and to do so in a state that is more genuine to our Soul’s intents–and that sounds like it’s only for the good, to me.

Scroll down for the forecast for July 1.

Happy Birthday, you. ‘Cakes’ 1963 By Pplachigo Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

For those born with the Sun at 10 Cancer. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). Dear Cancer, halfway through the solar year to your next birthday, you may feel burned down to a nub, as if it’s all gone, even to the point of wondering what it’s all for. This can be a purely interior condition, though it’s possible one or more of the things you care about will transform and fall away, but in any case may be a difficult emotional journey, initially. Look ahead, though: by late in the calendar year, you will likely see a major re-birth in yourself, a serious new cause or affection that may completely re-build or re-order your world. Not an easy time, but if you always keep what you truly are dedicated to in the foreground, you won’t let go of anything that truly matters to you, and you’ll shape a whole new emotional outlook in the process. Good luck!

17 June 2019 Full Moon in Sagittarius: Denouement

15 Saturday Jun 2019

Posted by in astrology, Born Today, current events in the sky, Finger of God, forecast, Full Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘The Banquet of the Officers of the St George Militia Company in 1627’ By Frans Hals {{PD}}

The Full Moon, at 25 Sagittarius 53, occurs at 1:30 AM PDT, and is apex to a Finger of God with base of Juno-Sedna–which sextile naturally catches the Sun, currently parallel to Mercury, at its midpoint. The only other viable contact is the Full Moon in (very) wide conjunction with Jupiter, its ruler. A Full Moon in Sagittarius brings a sense of ending, completion, or denouement, but one filled with optimism, that possibly presents new opportunities, and perhaps one that reveals needed knowledge, information, or ‘facts’, and these may either offer new directions to the individual or show precisely why the situation is viable no more.

Every Full Moon is a Moon-Earth conjunction, and this points up the way there is typically an emotional conclusion and a material one. Either we have a feeling reaction to what ends, or our feelings bring about the end of some physical situation, but in any case, there is both an internal experience and an external one, though certainly, the impact for one or the other varies with the individual. Some will feel the event is solely internal, others only external, but it benefits us to look at circumstances and try to draw the thread that connects our emotional state (of which we might not automatically be aware) and what’s happening, especially what’s coming to a close, around us physically.

The Finger suggests that what concludes arose from stress, in the clash between our status or a role that empowers us or where we can express ourselves, and our own instincts and our inability to follow them. Somehow our responsibilities, especially if we feel a certain amount of resentment or anger surrounding them, may be the foundation for this; our denial of those instincts, of our own needs or wants, is too powerful at this point to be dismissed–and so the events of the Full Moon appear, as the psyche manifests before us, possibly in exaggerated but also in informative ways.

We need to exercise caution: we may be acting from our ‘blind spot’, from some area or on some issue that we believe we understand or have dominion over, though in reality we don’t. We might also be mustering our instincts out of hurt or vengeance–remember, Juno didn’t take that disrespect dished out to her lying down.

The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, ‘A Flag Bearer In A Battle‘. The flag bearer is essentially a non-combatant, even though this individual risks just as much as anyone else out on the battle field. We may feel that we are simply a standard bearer, that we are ‘letting everyone know’, and so not really involved in the battle–and this tells us that’s a false perception, likely offering us a false sense of safety. And maybe that’s what we learn with the Full Moon events: that we can’t hold ourselves separate from the tumult around us.

The purpose of a flag bearer in battle is to help orient the soldiers to where their forces are gathered, and to how far forward, or how much in retreat, they are at any one time. So, for some of us this Sagittarius Full Moon may be a marker of sorts, one that tells us how much progress in ‘the fight’ we’ve actually made.

Dominique Lang ‘Matin d’hiver’ 1916 {{PD}}

The Sun, always vital in a Full Moon scenario (how else would the Moon shine?) has the Sabian, ‘Frost-Covered Trees Against Winter Skies‘. This suggests to me that Full Moon events were either set in motion last winter, or if we look carefully, we will see their origins there. At the time we may have had the impression that related matters (maybe even our feelings) were ‘frozen’–now we know they’re not.

No matter what happens at this point, we learn something, facts or how we feel–that’s the beauty of Moon in Sagittarius.

‘Cakes, 1963’ Photo By Pplachigo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28954794

For those born with the Sun at 26 Gemini. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). This solar year for you, dear Gemini, may bring some a number of endings, especially emotional ones, and it may ask you to find a role in life that both empowers you and allows you to show and make use of your vibrant inner life. That’s a tall order, when most of us are just trying to make a living, but you have the capacity this year, through to your next birthday, to create/ find the perfect spot for you. As a natural consequence, this will change many things in your life, but I’m guessing you’re more than ready to show more of who you are, even as you heal your sense of yourself as a unique and interesting individual. Good luck!

3 June 2019 New Moon in Gemini: Evolved Beyond

31 Friday May 2019

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

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

The New Moon occurs at 3:01 AM PDT of the 3rd at 12 Gemini 33. This event makes only two reasonably close aspects to other bodies: a semi-square to Vesta and a trine to Pallas. A New Moon in Gemini ushers in a new way of thinking, probably centered in the matters of the House of the natal chart within which this falls. The aspects tell us that what arises from (or sometimes ushers in) this change is a challenge to the highest values, something that comes forward and dares us to defend our commitment, our cause, what we honor or find sacred–and the great thing about this is that it shows us the wisdom (or lack of it) within our choice. Is our energy well dedicated? Are we on a sinking ship? Have our values and priorities changed over time such that this cause isn’t really ours, anymore? The New Moon shows us, in largest terms, how and where we have evolved beyond the current ideas we carry–and that will carry clues as to where we put that energy now.

The Sabian symbol for this New Moon is, ‘A Famous Pianist Giving A Concert Performance’. Considering that the NM event contacts Vesta, the body that describes what we revere, what we ‘worship’, in many senses, and that it also contacts Pallas, which can describe skills, we might see this symbol as expression of a well-developed skill or ability. The New Moon, then, might show us either that we have reached a peak in development in some area where we’ve dedicated ourselves and now must find a new form or direction, or it shows us the potential for mastery that dedication will bring.

The House in the natal chart that holds Gemini should offer some personal guidance and some hint as to what the New Moon might bring, and for all of us, it offers a ‘new way’ to think of something important to us, something that may be vital to the overall health and development of the Collective, and to our contribution to it.

‘Cakes, 1963’ Photo By Pplachigo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28954794

For those born with the Sun at 13 Gemini. Check your natal chart for the correct Sun degree (you may want to read both the degree number and the one that follows, if you have minutes on your Sun position–together these offer a more complete picture of your year ahead). Dear Gemini, what is it that you’ve just begun? The solar year, through to your next birthday, may be keyed to this, or to some Lunar (read, ‘intuitive or emotional’) matter that is developing, growing, and that may figure large in your life very soon. Down sides to your year may feature a too-fixed mindset that doesn’t accept a new idea easily, and a tendency to exaggerate both your own willingness to do something and your ability to do it, and Up sides include rewards commensurate with the extent of honest, serious change you undertake. At some point there may be a showdown over personal power issues, but if you remind yourself of what really matters to you, you’ll know exactly how to handle it. Good luck!

The post for 2 June follows at 7 AM Pacific time on the 1st, as usual.