Tag Archives: The Lunar Essence

23 March 2016 and the Lunar Eclipse

22 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, Full Moon, Lunar Eclipse, Sun/Mercury Superior Conjunction, The Daily Word Image

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Rider by John Bauer 1914 {{PD}}

Rider by John Bauer 1914 {{PD}}

Though we’re all poised to receive the Lunar eclipse that occurs today, there are a few other aspects that may quietly perfect and knock us sideways. Whether these overshadow the eclipse influence (by contact to your natal scenario, for instance) or are mere low notes on the scale, barely noticed, the day will be a ‘big’ one, if only in the way we will end it distinctly different in feeling and viewpoint than we began it.

Chiron conjoined the South Node=wounds pull us back to the past, or we realize from past experience what we need to heal. Jupiter sq Saturn=we might at first see this as the forces of ‘Go’ and ‘Stop’ in conflict, but with Jupiter currently retro, we are more likely to experience it as choosing between two unsatisfying alternatives, neither of which is really what we want. This may also bring the matters of the Houses they rule in the natal chart (Sag and Cap) into conflict. The best resolution may be a practical one; re-tracing ones steps involving the details (Virgo) and where in the plan we may have been overly optimistic (Sag) may show us how to salvage most if not all of what we are working with. Venus trine Juno and contra-parallel Sedna=the anima-dominant among us are feeling strong and empowered, and have the assets necessary to implement plans; just take care that old, consciously-forgotten resentments or jealousies don’t interfere.

The final aspect set is Merc conjoined the Sun in Superior Conjunction as well as parallel Chiron=this may be a significant aspect set that flies largely under the radar; we may see the culmination of something specific to the Mercury cycle (seeded at the Inferior Conjunction, when the Sun and retro Merc meet) or something related to the Aries House of the natal chart, that we may find is separate from the Lunar eclipse effect. How can we tell the difference? The Lunar eclipse Sun Sabian interpretation I give below mentions seeing our own (psychic) shadow at the eclipse; the Merc-Sun meeting and Chiron parallel point to a second effect of realization surrounding our own role in hurting, whether that wound is our own or one we’ve inflicted (Sun-Merc in Aries, Chiron in Pisces). We see the effect, and we see what we can do about it.

Today’s word image is a video ‘You’ve Done Nothing Wrong’ by Iris DeMent, or if you prefer, google for the words to this song. They spoke to me, so I thought they might speak to you.

Extraordinary photo by Wing-Chi Poon See featured pictures here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wingchi Released under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic

Extraordinary photo by Wing-Chi Poon See featured pictures here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wingchi Released under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic

The Lunar Eclipse occurs on 23 March 5:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time at 3 Libra 17

The Lunar Eclipse is a Full Moon in Libra, sextiling Mars, opposing Mercury just before its Superior Conjunction with the Sun, novile Juno, and is quintile to Saturn, which is stationary and poised to retrograde. The novile and quintile both suggest a small spark of ingenuity, genius, inspiration, cleverness, and carry the impulse of the creative and innovative; this suggests that what ends with the Full Moon carries inherent within it the creative seed of something new—that is, we’ll be able to see the new start already sprouting from the ashes of the old ending.

What ends here may be something involving our role as an individual (Mars) within partnership (Juno, Libra); we may ‘get the message’ from our opposite number (Mercury, as anyone ‘not us’ delivering info), and this ends a previous emotional situation (FM) while beginning a brand new one, one where we are more likely to be responsible for and see to our own emotional well-being in both personal empowerment (Juno) and real-world (Saturn) terms. It’s not a message of independence or selfishness, but rather one of finding emotional fulfillment through the Self, and the clever ways we can be in charge of ourselves within the reality picture. We’ll no longer look to the partner for affirmation or support (at least, not as much as we have in the past); even if we remain in a close, and for some a dependent, interaction, we will develop something within at the Full Moon that serves our own individuality as a source of nurture and support (the Moon).

The Sabian for the Lunar Eclipse is, ‘Around A Campfire A Group Of Young People Sit In Spiritual Communion’. This suggests that in becoming more Self-responsible we will not be alone; the thing about this kind of development is that we will go from needing to be surrounded by people who are in material/ physical terms like us to being surrounded by those who are spiritually like us, no matter what their outer circumstances or appearance. It’s like moving from a clique in high school where there’s only one standard of ‘cool’ and everyone strives to be, dress, and act the same, to moving through the world gravitating to and attracting others of like spirit. The fire is the enlightened energy that attracts us all, and the quality of youth mentioned in the image a feature of active spiritual perception—a lightness and an eagerness—that does not feel the need to judge differences. We become more attuned to the essences, rather than the externals, with whom we interact—and this is all for the good, even as some connections are lost as we move on, and they don’t.

With a Lunar Eclipse we also look at the Sun Sabian: ‘Two Lovers Strolling On A Secluded Walk’. For a Lunar Eclipse the Earth moves between the Sun and Moon within the same plane, blocking the Sun’s light from reaching the Moon. It’s our own shadow we observe at a Lunar Eclipse; in this case, we may be seeing how our interaction within partnership, as well as our attitudes toward it, may have been making us feel alone and lonely (the ‘Secluded Walk’ of the image).

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

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

Enjoy this extraordinary Wednesday!

7-8 March 2016 and the Solar Eclipse

06 Sunday Mar 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Upcoming Eclipses of March 2016

29 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in astrology, eclipse, Lunar Aspects, Lunar Eclipse, Solar Eclipse

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Rider by John Bauer 1914 {{PD}}

Rider by John Bauer 1914 {{PD}}

They’ve got their own page! The Solar and Lunar Eclipses of March 2016

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Full Moon in Virgo 22 February 2016 We Get Our Answer

21 Sunday Feb 2016

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

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'Woman Reading a Letter' 1660-1662 Gerard ter Borch {{PD}}

‘Woman Reading a Letter’ 1660-1662 Gerard ter Borch {{PD}}

The Full Moon occurs at 10:19 AM PST at 3 Virgo 33. A Full Moon is an ending, a culmination of what came before both in the passage of time and in the emotional history, and signals a conclusion, especially a conclusion of feeling based in the Moon (emotions) reaching a point of maximum visibility. We tend to see the point of things, to realize that the situation is complete, over, no longer viable. And we let it go, or we allow the conclusions reached to fuel change.

This Full Moon is semi-square Zeus, yet too wide for us to count a quincunx with Venus, though we might need to count the exceptionally wide (for a Moon event) opposition of the Moon-Earth to Sun-Neptune-Ceres, with the latter two only 29 minutes apart at 9 Pisces. The mild but noticeable contact to Zeus implies that ambitions or the desire nature are receiving some sort of answer, with FM events pointing to an end place for something we want–and of course, this can be because we get it, or because we don’t, and see that it will never be ours.

The Moon-Sun complex suggests this: what has pushed us forward has been some combination of creative energy, delusion, lies, spiritual quest, ideals, power needs, authority issues, a search to establish territory, and the desire to control. These have formed the fait accompli we see with the Full Moon, with its Virgo location suggesting practical results, an accounting, and/ or a harvest.

The FM Sabian is, ‘Black And White Children Play Together Happily’, clearly a suggestion that the FM brings a state of integration, harmony, balance, parity. Whether this is internal or external for you depends generally on whether the FM falls below the horizon (internal) or above the horizon (external) in the natal chart.

For a Full Moon we also look at the Sun’s Sabian, as the Sun is, after all, the symbolic source for the energy that creates FM circumstances (as well as the literal agent of light): ‘Heavy Car Traffic On A Narrow Isthmus Linking Two Seashore Resorts’ This again brings forward the idea of happiness or play (the resorts), linked by movement between them (a kind of sharing of like material, symbolized by the people we can assume are traveling in the cars). The idea may be that it’s in making the effort to get together in the first place that the two opposing or disparate elements (symbolized by the Black and White Children) find a way to happily interact, and pinpoint commonalities.

The star of the show, however, is a loose Fist of God (or Thor’s Hammer, for the Nordic enthusiasts among us) that names the FM apex with a base of long-term on again, off again Cardinal square Pluto-Uranus. This square has been analyzed to death, and though it takes a particular form for each individual, we can say this: the forces of individuality and/ or the group in relation to the individual, and facets of uniqueness, originality, and rebellion are awakened in service to the individual Will or identity (Aries), and clash with, not the need for change, but the actual changes themselves (a fine point, but an important one) in any and all structures, rules, and boundaries related to Capricorn and the House containing transiting Pluto, as well as the House it rules natally, in the chart.

So, it’s the changes that the individual responds to that go on to create even further change, new rules, new boundaries, new structures, that help shape the individuality and allow harmonious interaction with factors from which one once remained separate, and the Full Moon events comment on this: we see some conclusion related to integration of disparate elements that’s either practical, draws criticism, or in either positive or negative form is a kind of ‘harvest’ (which is simply the result of what’s been ‘planted’ previously). This Full Moon may reveal what we have constructed from our own unique sensibilities in response to changes in the rules and structures within which we normally function. We have made it work, as Mr. Gunn says, though it hasn’t been easy (or perhaps not–we may simply take a pounding–the Fist); but with this FM event we get an answer that acts as a conclusion: to a dream, to a lie, to a desire, and from there we must determine our next step.

New Moon in Aquarius 2016 Higher Understanding

07 Sunday Feb 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your Weekend 22-25 January 2016 What’s Smart? + The Leo Full Moon

21 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Full Moon, Mercury Direction

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Artist Willem van Aelst 'Still life with hunting equipment and dead birds' 1668 {{PD}}


Artist
Willem van Aelst ‘Still life with hunting equipment and dead birds’ 1668 {{PD}}

The 22nd Pallas enters Aquarius and, especially while Merc remains retro, we may convince ourselves that every thought is an informed or wise one; au contraire, mon ami, it’s just not so. We may discount our own strength in a situation, even as we treat our wounds as sacred, to be honored rather than healed. This leads to some heavy forms of communication, destructive in some instances, transformative in others. The results all depend on what we really want to change and what we truly care for, deep inside (Vesta parallel Chiron and semi-sq Ceres, Merc conj Pluto)

The 23rd we feel a strong pull into the future, a forward-looking optimism that has practical values and a sense of personal responsibility at its root. We are in a position to understand our minds and our thinking clearly, though not in a position to act on the fairly objective picture we have; we are too damaged by, or perhaps fearful of, further hurt to choose an effective course (Jupiter conj NN, Venus into Capricorn, Merc parallel Ceres, Sun parallel Merc and semi-sq Chiron)

The Full Moon in Leo arrives at 5:46 PM Pacific time at 3 Leo 29. The closest aspect this FM makes is a sesquiquadrate to Chiron; it also opposes Pallas, and takes what amounts to a very wide swipe by quincunx (and so essentially misses) Venus fresh in Cappy (and it’s that newness to the sign that may make Venus more susceptible than usual). This suggests that the Full Moon brings an end, through difficult circumstances, to some unwise, ego-driven hurt that we’ve clung to too long. We have compromised both our values and our ability to heal this insult by willingly resuscitating it; now we have the chance to let it go, once and for all.

‘A Formally Dressed Elderly Man Stands Near Trophies He Brought Back From A Hunting Expedition’ This Full Moon Sabian says that what must be let go is something from the past, something we have collected and cherished (in our own way–the trophies), and we receive a hint that what we are called to let go resulted from our own aggression–but the circumstances that ‘earned’ them are no more, so that our energy is better focused in the now, and in what’s to come, than it is dwelling on the past (and that’s no matter how recently this past has been). It’s important to note that the ‘trophies’ the image refers to, at least in a hunting context, are actually living things pursued and killed, rather than the metal cups and plaques we nowadays typically label ‘trophies’, and this suggests the entire concept of pursuing and laying aggressive claim to the life energy (in whatever form) of another living thing is past its time. We ‘age’ ourselves when we cling to what was, whether it was a glory or a debacle–this Full Moon will show us that, and offer a letting-go opportunity.

For another take on the Full Moon, see Lua Astrology–

The 24th we set out to honor the reality picture, to deal with circumstances as they are, and to dedicate our energy and efforts to building knowledge, to reaching out, to discovering (Saturn in Sagittarius), but what’s been denied, hidden, ignored, or has enraged us at some point surfaces again and prompts rebellion, erratic reactions, or pushes us forward to a point where our response is totally original (at least within our typical lexicon of behavior). The fact is we can’t deal with the reality picture in any effective way if we are wearing a lens of anger or denial; that distorts our vision and automatically means our choices will not be the best we could make. Accept that the issue must be dealt with, and be thankful you were given the chance to handle it, rather than allowed to go ahead and make a muddle of things (Saturn trine Vesta, Uranus opp Black Moon Lilith)

The 25th we find a way to express our Will through our current status or empowerment situation–and isn’t that what we always seek? Be aware that, if you’re dealing with less-conscious others, your competence may attract some aggression–but pay it no mind (Mars conj Juno) We also have Mercury direct today. He turns around just shy of the middle of Capricorn, so if you have placements halfway through the Cardinals you can expect a certain amount of news or communication urgency related to the contacted natal energy–probably somebody (maybe you!) is trying to ‘nail it down’. First thing our valiant messenger contacts (not counting hits to Merc from the Moon) is Pluto, by 30 January; this may be the point when we get the ‘down and dirty’ that happened during the retro period but which somehow remained hidden, until now.

Have a lovely weekend!

Your Saturday and the New Moon in Capricorn 2016

08 Friday Jan 2016

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

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'Choirboys' José Gallegos y Arnosa c1890 {{PD}}

‘Choirboys’ José Gallegos y Arnosa c1890 {{PD}}

The 9th makes it easy to profit from efforts, take the opportunity, or do the rewarding thing; there’s a Willingness and enthusiasm provided by the still-conjoined Venus-Saturn in Fiery Sagittarius that is upped exponentially by the fact that they’re parallel, as well, and Mars novile Jupiter doubles down, making every gesture big and every action fortuitous. That’s a nice setting for the New Moon in Capricorn, which falls at 19 Cap 13 at 5:30 PST. We have to give it some generous orbs to make real contact at all, but that’s acceptable when it’s consistent; with nothing closer than the square from Zeus with a 57 minute difference, we can afford to loosen our parameters. The entire reason to look at the New Moon aspects in the first place is to impart meaning to the event; here we see the square to Zeus is actually part of a Cardinal Grand Cross with Earth and Uranus in the other arms, and there is also a sextile to Chiron and the NM is part of a loose Earth Grand Trine, with wide conjunction to Pallas and trines to Sedna and Jupiter-NN. Keeping in mind that major leeway for a Sun-Moon meeting is in order, we also have the NM conjoined Pluto, albeit well past exact.

The New Moon offers us a couple of scenarios; how it affects each individual is likely dependent on how the event hooks into the natal chart. No matter what, the New Moon itself is conjoined both Pluto and Pallas, with the implication potentially being that what has its origins here (in matters of the natal House where it falls) must move us from a destructive or power-focused approach to one that is more oriented toward skill acquisition or use and to what’s practical and wise–that is, moving from a Pluto viewpoint to a Pallas one. And this is what we carry into both the Grand Cross and the Grand Trine, the need to move forward, refine, draw back from a sheer need to control or change to one that seeks to change through application, of what we know, and what we know to be right. In the Grand Cross this arrives through a moment or event of tension, conflict, or confrontation, and the demands of the group or our own demands to be unique (Uranus) clash with our ambitions and desires (Zeus), and so affect our material situation (Earth), with a solution of sorts found in the ‘new approach’ of the New Moon.

In the Grand Trine the New Moon triggers a chance to harmonize a future-oriented opportunity (Jupiter-NN) that meets a primal and largely unconscious impulse, one that we might call an instinct (Sedna) through the NM event; that is, we are given a beginning that serves both an inner and an outer need, one that allows an interior urge an external outlet or expression. As well, the sextile to Chiron signals that all the events or beginnings that emerge from the New Moon energy offer healing, if we’ll take it.

The Sabian is, ‘A Hidden Choir Is Singing During A Religious Service’. Apparently, what Beethoven said explains something of the Sabian meaning: “Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.” In all the aspect scenarios, this New Moon offers connection, offers its own vibration as a conduit linking something tangible and something intangible. That is the ‘hidden choir’ of the event or beginning, bringing together or stringing a line between the seen and unseen, and doing so in a spiritually advanced way. We see that in, besides the aspect situations, the call to move along the Capricorn (that is, material) spectrum from more brute energies (Pluto) to more refined ones (Pallas). Bringing together a spiritual intention with a material one is what we’re here for–and this New Moon offers us a means to do it.

Happy New Moon! Get my books here, or make a small donation at right. Thanks!

Here’s an especially helpful New Moon assessment by astrologer Robin–

 

 

 

Cancer Full Moon 25 December 2015

24 Thursday Dec 2015

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

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'Canoe and Star' c1920 Arman Manookian {{PD}}

‘Canoe and Star’ c1920 Arman Manookian {{PD}}

The Full Moon occurs at 3:11 AM PST at 3 Cancer 19, with Vesta creating a T-square to the Sun-Earth-Moon axis, the FM in sesquiquadrate to Ceres, and with generous orbs the FM forms a Water Grand Trine with Neptune and Juno. A Full Moon, of course, concludes, brings to culmination, fruition, or end, completes, or designates a point when situations or circumstances cannot go on as they have, in effect taking a new tack or making it clear there’s no future in the current direction. We must always remain aware of the beginnings in endings, and the endings inevitably present in beginnings–a Full Moon brings a point such as this, without confining us to any particular form for the results.

The T-square puts us on notice that the highest values, the home situation, and/ or the situation with the mate will undergo a ‘stress test’–but this isn’t necessarily something that creates a tense mood or conflict. Rather, it’s a circumstance, situation, or event that brings into sharp focus the ways our actual behaviors or choices may conflict with what we find sacred, revere, or honor. It’s a chance to see clearly and bring to an end something that keeps us from truly honoring what we find important, or that keeps us from living our values–and it very likely involves something we care deeply for or about, or something that we nurture or see as our responsibility to protect and ‘grow’ (Cancer Full Moon). The contact to Ceres only reinforces this, probably pointing out how the pitfalls of holding or pursuing power, or of having it in an ‘overseer’ or parental relationship, creates difficulties which, with their acknowledgment, can be concluded at this Full Moon.

The Water Grand Trine is reassuring, telling us that balance can and will be achieved (but keep in mind, if we don’t willingly bring about a just measuring of circumstances and privileges, Nature, that is, Ceres, will do it for us!) Emotional clarity can be the result of judicious application of both ideals (especially spiritual ones) and exercise of empowerment through one’s ‘right status’. That is, using one’s current position and abilities to affect circumstances and change, and aligning this with the spiritual ideals, will offer a satisfying conclusion to a situation that may have been emotionally abrasive, that could’ve kept us off-balance, and that likely is the same situation that offers the ‘stress test’ through pointing out dissonance we’ve been living with but not noticing or possibly ignoring–and the Full Moon allows us to end that dissonant state.

The Sabian Symbol describes something telling for this Full Moon: ‘A Cat Arguing With A Mouse’. This suggests that whatever circumstance needs to come to an end, or whatever dissonance needs harmonizing, is something we may be generating ourselves, by taking a ludicrous position. The Water Grand Trine may also describe this pre-harmonized state, as our response to the empowerment situation is based on fantasy or misconception, rather than reality. In effect this says we have been operating under some untrue ideas about our own power position or ability to affect things, and the tension undergone at the Full Moon will show us exactly how much we really do hold the power, after all. It gives us the opportunity to align action (Cardinal placement) with ideals and express these through a more accurate understanding of our own power place in the Universe (Juno).

We typically also look at the Sun Sabian for a Full Moon, as this is the ‘source material’ for what we’re dealing with now. It is, ‘A Group Of People Outfitting A Large Canoe At The Start Of A Journey By Water’. This may imply that the emotional attitude that needs balancing and healing is one we received from the family/ group; we were outfitted with this emotional equipment early in life or in the project that brought us together (at the start of the journey), and now it needs modifying, so that our expressions accurately reflect our true position. We will no longer be the cat arguing with the mouse; that is, we will no longer fail to perceive the true power balance, or the true situation–and that will make all the difference.

The Full Moon ‘message’ is in line with the aspect situation for the 25th, with the added caveats that the social order may run mostly on hidden or ignored material (Jupiter contra-parallel Black Moon Lilith), so be prepared, and that instincts and ‘blind spot’ material will not aid smooth relationship or financial dynamics (Venus opposed Sedna)–so being aware that statements and beliefs won’t necessarily make ‘surface sense’, and that there’s too much roiling around beneath consciousness in relationship or financial matters will help us navigate what could be a rocky day. Knowing this, though, should predispose us to put our internal energy toward that Full Moon realization and re-making of our own power and position awareness, while in the social sphere we concentrate on sharing good feeling and leaving heavy relationship or financial matters for another day.

If you celebrate at this time, I wish you all the best in life–and if you don’t, I wish you the same!

Cancer Full Moon December 2015

10-11 December 2015 and a New Moon in Sagittarius

09 Wednesday Dec 2015

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

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'Sommervergnügen' Anders Zorn 1885 {{PD}}

‘Sommervergnügen’ Anders Zorn 1885 {{PD}}

The aspects for the 10th and leading up to the New Moon in Sagittarius on the 11th are fraught with tension and a sense of ‘Big Moments’–and yet, depending on how one or more of these hook into your personal chart, much of the tension and revelation may only occur on an interior level; that is, we could brace ourselves for a big splash yet hit the water only in our own minds. At least some of this effect could come from the Dark of the Moon preceding the New Moon–but, we could be inordinately occupied with hurt from the past, with establishing a smart power position or wise transformation in service to facilitating and maximizing our creative efforts and the rewards they will bring, and yet we are too ambition focused, and our thinking is too much in conflict with what we truly value, to be effective. We may find ourselves in a ‘Me vs. the Group’ situation, or worse, in a fight against our own originality or rebelling against (and so rejecting) those qualities that make us different–which of course are so often the keys to making the most of our creativity and our opportunities!

Frustrating may be too mild a word to describe the influences on the 10th, though what we need to remember is that, despite the tension we can make stellar progress in both instituting wise change and in gaining reward and creating opportunity related to our creative and spiritual goals, if we honor our ambitions and goals with the same respect we show to our ability to earn and our ability to ‘own’ (that is, be responsible for) our own thoughts and energy dedication. We can advance our wants in direct proportion to our willingness to be both autonomous and dedicated to what we’re pursuing. No blame belongs to others or circumstances, in terms of our own progress–it’s all up to us (Chiron parallel SN, Pluto conjoined Pallas, Mars opp Uranus, Venus semi-sq Jupiter and trine Neptune, Merc sq Vesta, Sun sxt Zeus).

The 11th reinforces this, and potentially, at least, offers a payoff, reward, or an opportunity to exercise our talents and abilities in a way that directly supports our goals–but this may only appear if we embrace responsibility for our own situation on the 10th, and then negotiate our actions and choices in such a way that we do not allow a sense of victimization or hurt to drive our direction (Vesta parallel Zeus, Mars qnx Chiron, Venus novile NN, Merc novile Ceres). And then, of course, there’s the New Moon.

The Sun and Moon meet at 19 Sagittarius 02 on the 11th at 2:28 AM Pacific time. The NM creates a rough arm to a loose opposition of Chiron to Jupiter, suggesting that what is born (or conceived) at this point will offer some sort of answer to or spark a reconciliation within a situation where wounds may have been in direct conflict with (and so preventing progress toward) current opportunities–and if we count the Earth, we actually have a Grand Cross, which promises a material solution, effect, or outcome to the T’s energies.

The NM also trines Uranus, lending events a sudden, spontaneous, or surprising quality, and for those who have natal placements in the 15-20 range of Leo, this NM brings a chance to achieve balance between a Uranian element in your life (your own rebelliousness, originality, intellect, or in interaction with the group) and the natal energy, through the new start of the New Moon. The NM also sextiles Mars and Zeus, sending the energy of the NM inception naturally to our ambition and desire-related choices, especially as they manifest in relationships (Libra)–and again, if one has a placement at 17-18 Taurus, one receives a Finger of God from the New Moon, implying that what begins here, and prompts action or choice involving the goals or ambitions, resolves through expression of the natal energy, or through matters of the House it rules, if any. And as an aside, anything outside these two degrees won’t count toward formation of a Finger, simply because we need to keep the base contacts within quincunx range of orb (no more than 2 degrees for any involved body).

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘In An Old-Fashioned Northern Village Men Cut The Ice Of A Frozen Pond For Use During The Summer’ This may emphasize the commonality and shared resources of Sagittarius; that is, the accumulated wisdom, learning, facts, knowledge, that are shaped, preserved, passed from one to another, stored for later use. This New Moon adds to our knowledge, possibly through our own efforts in concert with others, and though we may not realize it at the time, what we’re learning will be important in a different ‘season’. This Sabian offers a kind of advice: don’t discount what information you acquire or are privy to now–you will definitely find it useful, even a luxury (ice in summer) to be enjoyed later.

The general picture is one of tension resolved by the New Moon and leading to revelation or the acquisition of information that we’ll find useful in future–not a big splash, necessarily, but one that has an effect, nonetheless.

See my books at Dog & Sunflower Press, or donate, here or at your favorite blogs (my button’s at right), and have a great New Moon!

New Moon in Sagittarius December 2015

Full Moon 25 November 2015 A Memory Moves Us

24 Tuesday Nov 2015

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

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Viktor Vasnetsov 'Snegurochka' 1898 {{PD}}

Viktor Vasnetsov ‘Snegurochka’ 1898 {{PD}}

Today our words and actions have the full faith and credit of our personal power behind them–and that means we’re only effective to the extent we’ve become, to paraphrase Carl Rogers, our potentialities. How well we have actualized what could be within us will determine our impact on others and our surroundings at this point in time. Any empowerment we’ve achieved pays off; and strangely enough, what’s smart may be to ignore those things we want to avoid or that make us angry (Mercury sextile Ceres and Mars, Venus parallel Juno, Pallas contraparallel Black Moon Lilith).

The Full Moon of the 25th is at 2:44 Pacific time (PST) at 3 Gemini 20, and in order to see the sweep of the Full Moon energies we have to allow a larger orb relative to what we usually do; that makes for a FM that’s part of an Air Grand Trine with Mars and Ceres, and that involves the FM in a T-square with the Sun-Saturn-Mercury conjunction (with the latter drawn in by contact to Saturn), with an arm made by Neptune, and a sesquiquadrate to Zeus.

In Gemini a Full Moon speaks of completion of thought, ideas, communications, or movement of some kind, generally focused in matters of the House where the culmination falls. We either see the matter fully formed, or we see it end, and in either case, the Gemini FM opens the way for the ‘next step’ mentally. The Air Grand Trine reinforces this and elaborates upon it: what comes is a balanced view of action and power. We see what our efforts have wrought, and how we need to adjust the action-power balance to get what we’re thinking about/ desiring (and this brings up the very important point, that what we think about, whether we acknowledge it or not, is what we ultimately are aiming for–no matter what we believe our goals really are). This Full Moon reminds us of this, as well as the fact that we are required to both express our power and to make an effort in order to achieve.

The T-square is a kind of reiteration of the GT/ FM message, with a further answer as to outlet: we see the material results of our thoughts, our Beingness (Sun-Mercury)–they have indeed created our reality (Saturn)–and we’re offered a way to release the tension through a purely creative act (Neptune), likely through matters of the House where Neptune is now transiting, or through the House where it sits natally.

Let’s start with the Sabian for the Sun: ‘A Little Child Learning To Walk With The Encouragement Of His Parents’ This suggests that what ends for us is a static state, or at least one where we were not as empowered as we now can become; we’re now capable of taking our first steps in a new direction, one that has a purpose integral to our expression (of which walking is symbolic). The Sun’s Sabian at a Full Moon is indicative of the energy that caused, created, or preceded the Full Moon situation–so this FM is a point where we are ready to move forward in some important way.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘Holly And Mistletoe Reawaken Old Memories Of Christmas’ This hints that sensory input (through the nerves, memory, and lungs, all Gemini) will transport us to a previous ‘season’–not necessarily a winter one, but certainly, something invested with a distinctive atmosphere that makes for distinctive recall. Those memories will inform both what concludes or culminates right now, and what we take as a next step; what we remember may urge us to recreate that atmosphere, to figuratively re-visit a time and place, or at least to evoke it, in the now–and of course the question to ask ourselves is, ‘What is it that I want to bring back, re-live, or re-create?’ We know that’s probably a feeling–name that, and you’ll know what you’re aiming for.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Full Moon in Gemini November 2015