Tag Archives: The Lunar Essence

Full Moon 24 February 2024: The Compass of Desire

20 Tuesday Feb 2024

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18th century – Compass and Sundial, German {{PD}}

Inherent in any beginning is its ending, just as in any ending there are the seeds of a new beginning. We have to remember that, particularly when there is a New or Full Moon; the possibilities that live within the event stretch in both directions, with the Lunar occurrence merely a marker along the way. That’s especially important to keep in mind as we examine the Full Moon in Virgo, coming on the 24th at 5 Virgo 23 at 4:30 AM PST, as it can be seen as the opening salvo in an Earth Grand Trine that will reverberate, as Earth-Moon conjoined in Virgo and Ceres in Capricorn all move closer to aspect with Jupiter in Taurus.

Normally I wouldn’t include something 5 degrees outside of exact as part of a Lunar event configuration, but with all factors approaching I think we’re seeing one of those instances where what’s happening is resonating over a longer-than-usual window for a Full Moon. The idea is one of timing with material matters, something centered on the exercise of our own personal authority, probably over something we’re responsible for, and involving the public or some effort at expansion of our reach or our world. The Full Moon casts a critical, Virgoan eye on the situation, urging us toward personal expression that brings us closer to harmony (and therefore success) with the public role or interaction.

Other Full Moon contacts fill in the picture: a novile to the South Node suggests a potentially brilliant spark (of thought or action, with Cardinal Libra) arising through partnership or artistic activity; a septile to Zeus implies desire or ambition may act as a compass to guide us, as our wants subtly align with our spiritual needs; a square to Pallas creates a T-square across the Sun-Earth-Moon axis, promising tension around what’s seen as wise or practical–if it also serves our ambitions or desires, it’s likely the right thing; an opposition to Mercury is technically in the past–and so suggests we’ve been thinking on what to do in this Full Moon area for awhile (and it’s slated to conjoin the Sun in Superior Conjunction in the next couple of days, so should reveal an ending of its own)–and an opposition to Saturn is in the near future, implying real-world results are on the horizon.

The only other thing I’m concerned with right now is the Nodal axis, with the South Node previously discussed, and the North Node conjoined Chiron and both quincunx the Black Moon Lilith point and Juno in Virgo. Out of fear that the future will be painful, we may make adjustments to our own empowerment situation–but even these will be chosen from fear, or heavily influenced by those things we are enraged over or in denial about, and so may not be as carefully thought out as need be. There may be a certain panic setting quietly in over material circumstances (Sedna at 29 Taurus) that’s fueling it all–so be aware that injury may permeate choice, and so send it in a less than desirable direction.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Merry-Go-Round’. It may feel like we’re getting nowhere, right now–but that’s an illusion, as progress aligns out of our sight, reveals itself as a fait accompli only later. We also look at the Sun: ‘A Parade of Army Officers In Full Dress’. Uniformity and conformity may seem overwhelming, as if we have no other choice–look how organized, how unified, everyone else seems to be!–but ‘parade’ is our clue that what we’re seeing is a show, not the real thing as it exists in the real world.

It seems to me that distraction, our attention drawn by energetic noise generated by those who traffic in misleading and confusing in order to profit, is our biggest challenge. Use that compass of desire, the inspiration offered within genuine partnership, to guide you, and just let the sound and the fury, signifying nothing, go on by.

New Moon 9 February 2024: A Measure of Grace

06 Tuesday Feb 2024

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‘The Wounded Angel’ By Hugo Simberg 1903 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 2:59 PM PST on the 9th at 20 Aquarius 40. This also marks the start of the Lunar New Year as celebrated in a number of cultures (it’s the year of the Dragon in China, for those keeping score). A New Moon in Aquarius promises new beginnings, offering a blueprint to integrate feelings with understanding of the things that trigger those feelings. It’s a dawning within the human psyche, a point when Higher Mind can process reality in ways that will benefit us, if we can let go of preconceived notions and level up.

Three aspects stand out immediately: a square to Uranus, a trine to Vesta, and a quincunx to Juno. This is a tough picture, implying unexpected, spontaneous, and difficult, disorienting events. Chaos, revelation, or revolution may result, or we could find it’s the individual versus the group. What happens is measured against what we honor and find sacred–that will determine our reaction to what occurs, with adjustments needed on our part to gain or maintain empowerment. It could be a Uranian event that challenges us to respond, or it could be that the Uranian action is ours (and if so, we may not know it’s coming until it arrives), based on protecting what we honor, particularly in the way of partnership, but in any case our ability to answer from a position of personal strength will require modifications to our approach and/ or our behavior. The contact between the New Moon and its ruler suggests a tight relationship between Lunar events and the nature of the Moon in this sign–it all may seem random, haphazard, unpredictable, but it’s almost certain that we’ll look back on this as something we could’ve anticipated–we may even convince ourselves we did.

We’re offered a measure of grace, though, via a septile between the New Moon and Ceres, the latter newly arrived in Capricorn and still at the 00 degree. This suggests there’s a spiritual way to synthesize reality, what’s ‘natural’, our emotions, and our personal power and authority picture; we’ll see where and what we’re actually responsible for, and be given a grace period during which we can vet the situation and choose a way to meet it. This will be new to us and likely brings forward ‘fresh’ feelings; it almost certainly involves any position of responsibility we hold or may involve Nature in the form of natural disasters or events, our health, or inevitable changes such as aging. How we meet these will be paramount; it’s only in accessing our spiritual core that we’ll do our best when confronted.

The New Moon makes a semi-sextile to Venus, and I’m not comfortable claiming a sextile between the New Moon and either the North Node or Eris, both in Aries, but I am ready to say there’s a sextile to their midpoint, with a corresponding situation involving a trine to the midpoint of the South Node and Zeus in Libra. This is a mirror situation with a stand-off between energies of letting no stone go unturned (and so no issue not dredged up and flayed), and the elements of desire (lust, even!) and ambition, with these latter asking us to focus up on long-term goals and let go of distractions. We’re likely to be keenly aware of discord as distraction, even as we believe we must handle it in order to maintain control of our life direction, and there’s a corresponding sense that what we’ve done to fulfill ambitions and goals in the past should have pointed us to the right aesthetic choices and the right partners for our endeavors. Both sets of these perceptions are misleading: the very worth of working this out is highly questionable, with the apparent conundrum essentially one huge distraction. Our energy best goes toward in-the-moment responses to new developments (Uranus square), with our responses both keeping what we find important in mind (Vesta trine), and orienting any reaction toward amplifying our own empowerment within the situation (Juno quincunx).

The Sabian for this New Moon is, ‘A Disappointed And Disillusioned Woman Courageously Faces A Seemingly Empty Life’. This may speak of the anima, the receptive, ‘being’ energies in each of us, stirred by the cool Aquarian Moon to awareness of the clinical side of things, our losses and failures, the ways in which we have let ourselves down, and the reality of being existentially alone. Depressing, right? But the nature of an Aquarian New Moon is such that it offers fresh insight, even as it mercilessly reminds us in detail of the state of things. Notice use of the word ‘seemingly’. That implies the situation only appears to be without anything worthwhile, with the words ‘disappointed’ and ‘disillusioned’ suggesting that ideals have been pummeled, hopes dashed, but that courage is the secret ingredient for re-framing, and so taking both a more optimistic (that is, less negative) inventory, and a more accurate one.

The Realities of Love: Pluto Into Aquarius + The Leo Full Moon 2024

24 Wednesday Jan 2024

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‘Kingdom of Hades’ By Vishchun
Digital drawing by Arsen Hrebeniuk, 2022.
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

First a word about Pluto, which has just entered Aquarius. The thing about the ‘heavy’ planets is that they act more as background than foreground material the majority of the time. Pluto’s change of sign brings a shift, yes, but one that, if we’re distracted by the everyday, we might not feel for some time. We should expect tonal variation, rather than a big splash, though one reason people may be so focused on this sign change could be due to the shift in element: we see Plutonian matters that for so long carried the density, physicality, and real-life ground-beneath-your-feet quality of Earth take on a mental essence of Air, which likely sharpens awareness, even as it alleviates what for so long felt like a continual onslaught of Plutonian threats to our very existence. It can lead to a series of pretty grim thoughts, even mental breakdown and despair, before resurrecting the thinking in new ways that are more effectively responsive to circumstances, especially those that feel life-threatening, than our ways of thinking before. Attitudes about death, change, renewal (including 2nd chances and new ‘lease on life’ possibilities), and what needs to be eliminated will, through Pluto’s transit of Aquarius, become different, and will likely continue to re-make themselves until Pluto finally enters Pisces for good, almost 20 years from now.

With Pluto in Aquarius the perceptual challenges center on both Higher Mind and the thinking around the frameworks we use to elaborate on and explain various life areas, what we might label the impersonal academics of What Is. One of the Aquarian keywords is ‘Understanding’, so that this period may usher in breakdowns in our ideas around methods of destruction, transformation, and renewal, may completely re-formulate our ideas around the sciences, as well as sparking new, innovative approaches to ‘old’ problems, especially ones like climate change and ‘progress’ in tech and AI that once appeared to seriously threaten our own obliteration.

Big effects for individuals emerge with Pluto contacts to the natal planets and points, so will be felt, though the sweeping changes the lord of the Underworld brings with changes in sign are more an experience of societies as a whole, rather than as personal ones for each of us. That said, we can’t help but be affected by what goes on in the wider world, and of course, when we do experience Pluto on an individual level it feels like the most personal of experiences, which are almost guaranteed to emphasize our own powerlessness in the face of the inevitable: aging and death, entropy, permanent loss, transformation, rebirth–in short, the Truth of the Universe. The thing about a Pluto transit to a natal placement, especially to the personal planets and points like the Ascendant, is that it changes us in large and permanent ways that feel like they’re happening only to us. During a Plutonian experience the best thing we can do is take a step back and acknowledge the Universality of the experience, beyond our own personal loss or trauma.

The Full Moon perfects on the 25th just before 9:54 AM PST at 5 Leo 14, with both Earth and Moon recently opposing Pluto, newly arrived in Aquarius. A Full Moon in Leo puts emotional focus on the Self, on something discovered or coming to light about ourselves that we didn’t know before. In this case, the conclusions reached can’t be separated from the effects of Pluto contact; that is, the change, transformation, elimination, or destruction wrought by Pluto is now processed by us emotionally. We see what that change really means to us, with the nature of the change or loss related in some way either to matters of the House(s) that hold Capricorn (most likely), Aquarius (less likely), Scorpio (possibly), and/ or the House where natal Pluto is located (this most likely if transiting Pluto or another body is currently aspecting it).

The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, ‘A Conservative, Old-Fashioned Lady Is Confronted By A “Hippie” Girl’. The new meets the old. What we need to remember is that the new isn’t necessarily better, just different–and the same can be said for the old. The kind of discrimination Earth placements offer us may be what needs following here, in order to determine what to keep, what to change. That suggests both Venus and Juno in the current scenario–Love and Empowerment. Keep those in the forefront, and you’ll discriminate correctly.

We also look at the Sun for a Full Moon: ‘A Masked Figure Performs Ritualistic Acts In A Mystery Play’. What’s shrouded in mystery and ritual isn’t really mysterious at all when we come to understand the symbolisms involved–it’s instead a shorthand of sorts for a means to enlightenment. Is anything really hidden from us? I don’t believe it is, if we have the courage to genuinely look at what’s before us. It’s true of the world, and it’s true in our relationships. With the Leo Full Moon, what’s on offer is emotional revelation about ourselves. Don’t be afraid of what you’ll see–it’s truly for the best.

There’s a T-square formed by the Full Moon axis which squares Jupiter in Taurus=this suggests our own experience of the Full Moon will be strongly colored by ‘the facts’ around material matters or in our experience of some larger social condition that affects our material well-being. It’s a distraction, in terms of the eternal; it as well represents a potential overindulgence engaged in as we attempt to cope. It could stand for an emotional disappointment–we expected too much–or the realization that all that glitters isn’t emotional gold. There’s also a square between Vesta and Juno, with the Full Moon at the midpoint, making it semi-square each=what we truly care about, and our own empowerment, are at odds. Taking emotional inventory, weighing what matters most, will be vital to resolving the tension. Surely there’s a way to honor what’s important and still feel we are effective–your job is to find it.

The final aspect that stands out to me is a loose Finger of God, with base of Venus, fairly new in Capricorn, sextile Saturn in Pisces, apex the Full Moon=we may be hit with the realities behind love, assets, relationships, or rivalries, and they hold a paradox: the realities of the situation feel somehow unreal, maybe ideal, or promise to hold creative potential, while our impulse to love and relate is taking a practical tack, wanting to stay grounded in reality (the last thing Venus wants to do right now is go overboard, or assume a potential that doesn’t really exist). The balance between these two attitudes, between the unrealness of the real and the desire to stay grounded in what we’re sure of in relationships, is key to understanding our emotional reactions and reality at this time. It may be a ‘feels too good to be true’ scenario–but for once I’d say, it’s not only true, it’s the beginning of something really rewarding. Trust yourself and your intuition, and enjoy.

New Moon 11 January 2024: The Devil’s In The Details

08 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by in astrology, Lunar Aspects, New Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘The Devil’ by Photographer Jus De Citron 2013
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Two things immediately stand out with the New Moon in Capricorn (3:57 AM PST at 20 CAP 44): the way it and the opposing Earth form a crisp Cardinal Grand Cross with the Nodal axis (and as well with Zeus conjoined the South Node, and Eris conjoined the North, and these opposed each other at 24 degrees), and the Earth Grand Trine the New Moon forms with Uranus in Taurus and Juno in Virgo. These are dynamic energy patterns, promising action (Cardinals) and material impact (Earth signs), with the New Moon acting as trigger to both. So what does the New Moon itself promise?

A New Moon in Capricorn implies new beginnings in matters of status, social structure, constraints and rules, limits and requirements for achievement, so may feel a little like punishment; in reality, the form Capricorn imposes is for our benefit. The sign lets us know the limits, lets us know what we must do to get what we want and how to go about climbing the ladder, making an impact, building a place for ourselves in the wider world. We should welcome knowing the rules of the game–the alternative is a formless world where nothing can be built upon, everything dissolves in a mist, all is chaos, and as Gertrude Stein famously said, there’s no ‘there there’–and even worse, in a world without rules, there’s no way to instigate change. Without a system in place, we can’t create a better one. Essentially, all becomes meaningless.

So, Capricorn ‘gifts’ us with form, limits, and conditions for achievement, and expects us to follow the rules–and in this instance, the Cardinal Grand Cross tells us that taking heed of the new conditions and requirements, new forms and limits, will be instrumental in shaping our future, in the direction our lives take (the Nodes). The repercussions that ripple out like rings in the water are what we need to be as aware of as possible–and yet, it’s not possible to know all the consequences of our current choices and actions–and that’s where the Earth Grand Trine comes in.

We have Juno in Virgo (empowerment through discretion and critical assessment, and through productive labor that insures each harvests according to that invested labor) and Uranus in Taurus (impulses toward rebellion, innovation, and chaos in the material realm that can be channeled into unique creativity and choices that honor Higher Mind), and these potentials come within reach with the spark of the New Moon. Luna will show us how to balance empowerment generated by our efforts and discriminative faculties as they are applied taking smart creative risks and making smart, spiritually mature choices. The New Moon recruits the feeling nature and intuitive sensibilities as guides in shaping our choices and our path forward–and all while sorting the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, the relevant from the distracting and the confusing.

The presence with the Nodes of Eris opposed Zeus is a hint as to what’s at stake: our ambitions and desires must be measured in direct relation to those matters and individuals that harbor destructive or chaotic energy in response to our efforts. If it undermines your path it will show itself now–it can’t help it–and the New Moon in Capricorn will offer the conditions under which you will or won’t accept what’s in play. It’s useful in a thousand ways–the only danger is that sentiment (the Moon) may cloud our vision, may undermine us acting in our own best interests.

Less compelling but no less revealing aspects the New Moon makes include a semi-sextile to Ceres and a semi-square to Saturn. These suggest that our sense of personal power, and/ or our health, will figure in, and that the reality picture or our own internalized sense of ‘dos and don’ts’ may perpetuate emotional resistance. For best results, we must set these preconceived (and often Self-imposed and Self-generated) ‘limits’ aside, and go with the new, revised vision offered by the New Moon. There’s also a sextile to Pallas, which should set our minds at ease. Inner wisdom and practicality are available–all we have to do is call on them.

Within hours (for the Moon) and days (for the Sun) both will meet Pluto at 29 tense degrees of Capricorn. In fact, the Sun will meet and then travel into Aquarius with Pluto, so it’s really worth mentioning these upcoming encounters. The New Moon occurs in anticipation of its conjunction with the lord of the Underworld; that is, emotional revelations delivered by events of the New Moon lay the emotional groundwork for radical change, elimination, resurrection, or transformation (Moon conj Pluto), which is followed by our attention on that change (Sun conj Pluto), which will take us from spotlighting the re-making of the established systems/ reality (Capricorn) to innovations in replacement systems/ approaches that are keyed to Higher Mind (Aquarius).

Sabian for the new Moon is, ‘A Relay Race’. This may refer to the New Moon’s preparation of the way forward for the Sun/ Moon encounters with Pluto. A relay race features the passing of a baton from one participant to the next. The original runner doesn’t cross the finish line, nor do those that follow. It’s only the final runner, who benefits from the actions of all who came before, that actually engages in the end of the race. The big and often irrevocable changes Pluto represents are built on many small moments that lead up to that change; we’re in one of those periods now. This also hints at the importance of the past (SN) in creating the future (NN), with the contact to Saturn suggesting current reality isn’t necessarily easy to alter or deal with (semi-square), at least not directly or even consciously.

I’ve heard the phrase, ‘The devil’s in the details’ more times than I can count in the past week (call it our Weekly Word Image, if you like)–and I think it’s exactly what applies to the energies stirred by this New Moon. While we’re dealing with it all, our attention is taken for the most part by the minutiae of living, but it’s these small, sometimes barely noticed choices that shape and drive what’s to come–these are what occur all around, and connected to, this New Moon in Capricorn point.

Also of note: a very close trine between Venus in Sagittarius and Chiron in Aries. Be aware of the ease with which we may injure ourselves or others in trying to apply ‘the facts’ within relationships (or, in the way realities about money may affect relationships). We may try to reduce an interaction to a practical level, or to a handful of hard truths; don’t forget that it exists first and foremost because of feeling, and those need no justification or explanation.

Full Moon in Cancer 26 December 2023: Ripe With Feeling

22 Friday Dec 2023

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‘Still Life with Ripe Fruits’ By Josef Lauer 1870 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 4:33 PM PST of the 26th at 4 Cancer 58. A Moon-ruled Full Moon promises that a feeling state ripens and reaches its most complete point; it can also bring feeling states to a head, and so expose the depths of our caring, our complex emotions, and our wounds. Intuition may be fulsome, and also irrelevant, as everything we would otherwise sense is on display–we don’t have to parse the vibes, everything is right in front of us. There are almost 7 degrees between the Full Moon and Vesta, with the Moon and Earth having left Vesta long ago enough that this may describe the past that brought us to this present Full Moon moment: we’ve just been considering what really matters to us, what we’re dedicated to, whether our life investments of time and energy truly reflect our priorities, et voilà, the Full Moon delivers the emotional impact of these musings, and then some.

When it perfects the Full Moon is still within trine of Saturn in Pisces, suggesting the reality picture puts its two cents into the feeling formula; expect to see the results of emotional decisions in real-world circumstances, but also be aware of the potential for suppression of that awareness, especially if we are either in the midst of reaching for a dream, or if we’re unwilling to see what is without our rose-colored glasses. That means there’s the chance for internal clashes, as feelings try to surface, try to make themselves known, and we resist or deny–and of course, that’s possible for those with whom we must deal, as well.

‘Ripe Wheat’ c1353–1336 B.C. New Kingdom, Amarna Period
Dynasty 18, Reign of Akhenaten

The Full Moon is also sextile Jupiter and semi-square Uranus, both in Taurus, implying that emotions are easily exaggerated, and that optimism is easy to come by, especially when it’s focused on our material state and surroundings, but even these good feelings can wield a sharp edge: we may be shocked or surprised by the actual state of our comfort or prosperity, if the Full Moon reveals it to be other than we believe (and this could be a positive thing–or could plunge us into Uranian chaos). Too, we may become aware of how much the group and our place within it affects our standing and our sense of positivity. A steep learning curve for some, but an important re-orientation to real-world circumstances. Expect to see an even bigger reveal around the 31st, when Jupiter leaves stationary retrograde status and resumes direct motion once again; that promises that either ‘the facts’, or our beliefs, will be undeniable.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘At A Railroad Crossing, An Automobile is Wrecked By A Train’. This image may be emphasizing the Uranian shock or surprise factor, and suggests that the impact of Lunar events is bigger than we anticipate, shown by Jupiter. It’s easy to write off emotions as something we don’t have to pay attention to, or that is something only happening inside of us, but in this case, it doesn’t seem we’ll have a choice: Emotions will hit big, jarringly, and will translate directly into our surroundings and our world, probably through actions or decisions that are prompted by those feelings. Whatever it is, it ‘wrecks’ a particular way we’ve been moving forward, and this happens specifically because we’re stalled at just the point where other, larger forces move through.

I suspect those larger forces will be explained by the Sun’s Sabian: ‘Indians On The Warpath. While Some Men Row A Well-Filled Canoe, Others In It Perform A War Dance’. This is an image of like individuals working together, prepared and ready to strike or otherwise aggress, in order to get what they want. Any situation like that for you? If you are one of the aggressors, you’ll be making your move–and if not–makes me think of the old joke: Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you! It seems any blow to our forward motion is perpetrated very deliberately, by those with an agenda. I imagine the Full Moon energy simply offers the emotional impetus for them to act, and like it or not, we’ll receive the impact.

The good part of all this is that we will definitively know where we stand–and that means with post-Lunar events we’ll be equipped to move forward wiser and more aware, especially in our knowledge of who to trust, who and what to care about.

New Moon in Sagittarius 12 December 2023: Carousel of Uncertainty

12 Tuesday Dec 2023

Posted by in New Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘Carousel at Night at the Fair’ By Ferdinand du Puigaudeau {{PD}}

From now on I’ll be highlighting the ‘message’ portions of my posts for those who aren’t versed in or interested in the technical aspects of the astrology, and just want to know what the general trends are. Thanks to my friend C.M. for the inspiration!

The New Moon for December occurs at 3:32 PM PST of the 12th at 20 Sagittarius 40, forming a very loose Grand Cross with a wide opposition of Juno and Neptune, with Earth as always opposed the Sun and at this time, the Moon. A New Moon in Sag speaks of new beliefs, new ideas rooted in exposure to other cultures or ways of Being, and introduces the possibility of new facts being learned or coming to light; the Juno-Neptune opposition suggests creative or deceptive or muddied acts meant to empower. That says we act, we do, based on energies either imbued with the creative spirit or hopelessly misleading in their implications–and either way, we experience tension (the multiple squares of the Cross) that likely arises from that Sagittarius-themed new info/ belief. It’s a carousel of confusion, a merry-go-round that disorients because the facts may appear to be unreliable—and that isn’t an unreasonable perception, because of the influence of Neptune, which will obscure or mislead and so inspire uncertainty, hesitancy, and an overall sense that the world, or even our own minds, are untrustworthy.

The Sag (that’s pronounced ‘Sadge’) New Moon trines the North Node and Eris in Aries, suggesting that forward-moving actions and choices, and future-anticipating efforts, will bring out any enmity that lies beneath the surface of things; the NM also widely sextiles South Node-Zeus in Libra (so that these oppose NN-Eris), laying the casual base for a loose Finger of God, apex Uranus in Taurus. The Finger implies that New Moon energies join with the past and our own ambitions and desires, especially those around aesthetic creations, finances, and partnerships (Libra), and what it creates is either modern and new, or chaotic, manifesting in our surroundings, environment, or material circumstances (Uranus in Taurus). Either way, the results of New Moon influences as they combine with other forces are a surprise.

One other thing of note: Venus and Pallas are closely conjoined at the time of the New Moon, only 17 minutes apart in Scorpio–and these two just so happen to be novile (40 degrees, + or – 1 degree) from the New Moon. I think this offers a kind of intuitive ability to read the feelings coursing deep within ourselves and beneath relevant circumstances and to then see the wisdom these feelings offer–but this is only available if we are viewing the issues with Love. If our lens is clouded with anger, vengeful thoughts, jealousy, or greed (the negative Venusian qualities), we won’t have access to this practical guidance.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Child And A Dog Wearing Borrowed Eyeglasses’. We were just talking about lenses, and here they are again! The image, though, is of borrowed lenses, something specifically meant to help someone else see–not just inappropriate in practical terms, but even ludicrous, when we think of specs on a dog. This may be a warning, that we need to be careful not to adopt viewpoints that are meant for others, when looking for helpful ways to regard and interact with the world. It can be tempting to think that someone else’s way of seeing things can work for us, too, but the reality is we are unique, and so our viewpoint, and the lenses we use to understand life, need be, as well.

Full Moon in Gemini 27 November 2023: Until We Perfect Time Travel . . .

25 Saturday Nov 2023

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‘Time Traveler’ Raku ceramic piece, first shown at Artsight Gallery, Coral Gables 2013. Provenance: Private collector, Miami, Florida

Aimeeperezsculptor

Free Art License

The Full Moon perfects at 1:16 AM PST of the 27th at 4 Gemini 51, and we’re still seeing the influence of the Sagittarian Sun, Ceres, and Mars combined, now in opposition to the Lunar event–which means, all that identity and ego assertiveness, all that testing of one’s authority and right to do and be, creates an emotional reaction, with the Full Moon bringing it from the unconscious to conscious awareness. And what is that emotional response? It’s cerebral, but in that surface way that works things out by talking about it, chatting with others, sharing information, and just generally connecting with the minds and thinking that surround us. At the same time, it’s tempered by a wide conjunction of the Moon-Earth to Sedna, which is poised at the critical 29th degree of Taurus. That adds instinct, even what we might term ‘animal instinct’, to the mix, brings forward what we ‘know but don’t know we know’, and, probably suddenly, makes available ‘blind spot’ material that we’ve likely been struggling to access (especially so if we’ve sensed something there, just on, to mangle a phrase, the tip of our minds).

So, it’s a Lunar event of revelation, if we define revelation as gleaning knowledge from intense interaction with our environment that manages to shake loose and make accessible information both inner and outer in form. The Sun-Moon axis forms a loose Grand Cross with squares to Saturn, spanky new in Pisces, and Black Moon Lilith in Virgo, suggesting that, when the emotional reaction to the identity and ego efforts occurs, a simultaneous cross-current will form pitting an illusive or spiritually-tinged or creative reality picture against matters we’ve been ignoring, denying, or that have enraged us. The result is Self-recrimination, for all that we (theoretically) could’ve done in the past to get us closer now to where we’ve been wanting to go. We may berate ourselves for not having known better, or worked harder, earlier–but let me just say, that’s water under the bridge. Know that you had your reasons, that you handled things the best you could’ve at the time; we can’t expect ourselves to have performed in the past with the knowledge or mentality we have in the present. It’ll be a different situation when we perfect time travel–until then, understand we’re all operating at maximum (even when it doesn’t appear so to others!)

The Full Moon also forms a sesquiquadrate to Venus in Libra. This may make some relationships on which we rely feel uncomfortable; the Love may be hard to see, the value of the interaction so indiscernible we may feel alienated from what’s usually a steady source of partner support, emotionally and/ or financially. Don’t fret–it’s temporary, with the function of throwing our attention back on what we really can control: ourselves. That’s where the action is, right now, though that carries its own problems, namely some uncertainty as to whether we are smart enough, wise enough, or practical enough to handle what’s before us (quincunx to Pallas). Never fear; we are equipped, and here’s how we handle it. Use as guides two things: the chosen life direction, the way you have been intending to move forward, regarding that plan as not just legitimate but inspired (and this should include any modifications you now want to make that spring from newly-learned material), and second, accept that difficult reactions that come from others in answer to your actions and choices are only revealing feelings that were always there, just kept out of sight, usually because the other got some kind of advantage as long as your choices complemented their wants. See this as something you needed to know, and move on–dwelling on it won’t take away the somewhat sour taste of discovering a particular friend is only conditionally supportive, after all (novile NN and Eris).

The Sabian fits, and really needs no elaboration: ‘A Revolutionary Magazine Asking For Action’. In this case, the revolution is likely an internal one, aligning us more closely with our own newly discovered desires and direction, as has been stirred by the Sun, et al, with the Full Moon our emotional response to it. For the Full Moon we always look at the Sun’s Sabian, as well: ‘An Old Owl Sits Alone On The Branch Of A Large Tree’. This echoes the Pallas contact, since the owl is Pallas Athena’s symbol. We’ll feel alone, we may worry that we are inadequate to the task, especially when it comes to making smart choices–but this symbol hints that it’s in the space when we are alone that we can come to know our own mind, and what’s wise for us, most easily.

I plan on bringing back the Word Image–not today, because we have these Sabians to ponder–but with my next post. Have a wonderful Full Moon week!

New Moon in Scorpio 13 November 2023: Opposites Compel

11 Saturday Nov 2023

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

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Architechtural opposites By Paul Balfe Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

The New Moon perfects at 1:27 AM PST at 20 Scorpio 43 on the 13th, shortly to conjoin both Mars and Ceres, and to oppose Uranus. The Sun, Moon, Mars, and Ceres in Scorpio together shine a light on emotional depths, on personal power issues, on what action to take or choice to make, while this energy faces the Earth and Uranus in Taurus, a pairing that promises surprises or the unexpected in the material realm. Though Scorpio seems action-keyed with rulers Pluto and, secondarily, Mars, it’s actually a Water sign, and that’s what we need to remember: any shift, action, or change prompted by this New Moon will be fueled by feeling, even compulsion–and that means our most important efforts should be around understanding our own emotional reactions, and where they might lead–not easy to do, when Luna is New Moon fresh, with clear perceptions made even more difficult by Ceres, who quite naturally sees herself as an authority (even THE authority!) That can mean the new Moon atmosphere is infused with a sense of both urgency and willfulness, a push forward that at its heart remains mysterious–but only if we fail to examine our own motivations. It’s a situation where opposites compel–if by compel we mean the inner urges respond to the emotions as prompted by sudden and surprising material conditions, which call forward an emotional need to take action–but to do what?

There’s only one other aspect made by the New Moon: a semi-square to Venus. That’s about the farthest Venus ever gets from the Sun; it reflects the way consciousness (the Sun) can’t completely separate itself from the concept of Love (Venus)–but it does imply that the individual consciousness can be at war with Love, probably when it doesn’t recognize the form in which Love arrives–or fails to understand the need to reform its own ideas of Love and relationship. This may signal that the current environment calls for extra care in our approach, and perhaps calls for awareness that it’s all too easy to believe we’re acting out of Love, when our idea of what that entails differs drastically from our own forgotten or neglected ideal.

To sum it up, whatever shocks, surprises, radicalizes, innovates, or modernizes right in front of us is the thing we must approach with as much emotional intelligence and genuine Love as possible. If it pops out of the woodwork, you need to respond, with as much care, consistency, and awareness of your own feelings as is humanly available to you.

The Sabian says it perfectly: ‘Obeying His Conscience, A Soldier Resists Orders’. It’s in acute Self-awareness, coupled with a strong moral compass, that we make the right decisions in any situation. To do as we have always done won’t cut it; as necessary as it is to work in harmony with others within a larger framework (in this example, in the army and with one’s fellow soldiers), it’s important to recognize the circumstances under which it’s not just desirable, but necessary, to respond in accord with our own conscience, with what we know is right.

Lunar Eclipse 28 October 2023 Sacred Senses

25 Wednesday Oct 2023

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

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Incense in Vietnam Vietsui Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

The Lunar eclipse (otherwise known as a Full Moon) perfects at 1:24 PM PDT of the 28th at 5 Taurus 09. This promises emotional revelations or conclusions about the material world, to the senses, around the appetites, in the comfort or security situation, or endings to what we rely on, or to what soothes us. The thing is, this lunar event makes only a few contacts, which can sometimes confer a kind of nebulousness to proceedings, making the bodies the Moon does interact with seem more immediate, more in-your-face, more fraught as we seek meaning within some narrow avenues.

The Moon and Earth for this event oppose the Sun, of course, which is just about a week past Superior Conjunction with Mercury–that may give us the sense that the shoe has already dropped, that we already know what we need to know, that nothing else is coming–with the FM trining Juno-Black Moon Lilith in Virgo=we feel (the Moon) that the accounting’s been done (Virgo), that we’ve done our due diligence, have faced what was hidden or ignored (BML), that roles are assigned and our reach and empowerment parameters are clear (Juno)–but the eclipse comes along and says, Hold on–the material circumstances need rearranging–nothing’s settled, yet.

The Full Moon is sextile Vesta, imbuing all that occurs under this Lunar light with a sense of dedication, of the need to honor or to regard as sacred–and that can make us careful with how we handle things, which is good, or make us overly reverent in matters we’d be better off seeing in a harsher, more direct light. The eclipse also noviles Neptune and is in loose sesquiquadrate with Venus–and it’s really these two ‘minor’ aspects that will sing, and may in fact spark each other: will it be a bit of creative genius that takes us on a difficult or unexpected path relative to Art, to relationships, or to finances/ assets, or will it be that trouble with creative output, interactions, or money leads us to a creative or spiritual breakthrough? Either way, this is what we gain from the eclipse, as old conditions around these matters are wiped out–the only question is, will we be too distracted by practical considerations, details and accounts, or too focused on who holds what power, to grab the inspiration tackling some Venusian difficulty can offer?

The Sabian for the Full Moon eclipse is, ‘Cantilever Bridge Across A Deep Gorge’. Events at this time provide a ‘way across’ in some situation that may have up to now appeared impassable. The Sun’s Sabian is, ‘ The Gold Rush Tears Men Away From Their Native Soil’. This may describe the difficulty that will lead to creative or spiritual bounty; the price we pay is that we lose/ leave what’s familiar.

There are some things unrelated to the eclipse that I think may figure in. There’s this Martian energy in the air–aggressive, pugnacious, forward, assertive, consumed with doing–as the Sun will soon conjoin Mars and the Moon and Earth oppose it, with Moon and Earth meeting Jupiter at about the same time, exaggerating everything–and we have Eris and the North Node (a marker of the Moon’s extremity) closely conjoined in Aries=the way into the future is directly through facing any strife or buried tension. We can’t ignore it, if we want to make progress. Then there’s a sextile between Venus and Ceres, with both inconjunct Chiron in Aries, forming a Finger of God=the power situation, individually and in relationships, when dealt with will bring a certain amount of responsibility to heal at an individual level–only we can do it–and if responsibility is abdicated, those interactions become a vehicle for hurt. Self-responsibility, then, is background to successfully using eclipse energies to their fullest, and key to control–and we all want a little more of that, right?

 

Solar Eclipse 14 October 2023: Zombies, Or A Fresh Start?

11 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse, Sun/Mercury Superior Conjunction

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Well, that’s one way to get people to close a gate. Visitor7 CC 3.0

The Sun and Moon meet at 21 Libra 07 at 10:55 AM PDT of the 14th, lovingly cupped (it’s Libra, after all) in an 8 degree span by Mercury approaching for Superior Conjunction (the 19th) and Zeus and the South Node which both Moon and Sun are on their way toward. Then there are the oppositions: Earth, of course, along with Chiron and a close conjunction of Eris and the North Node. The Nodal points close to the Sun-Earth axis are to be expected, as that occurs with each set of eclipses, symbolically signaling the idea of Lunar extremity, the very kind of definitive change we should expect from an eclipse. For either Solar or Lunar eclipses, circumstances are reaching an apex, a pivot point, a point of no return, a point at which Things Will Change, with the Solar like a conception (the beginning of a thing), the Lunar like a birth (the arrival of the completed thing).

But in order for something to be conceived, previous conditions have to be set aside–it’s that old physical conundrum about two things unable to occupy the same space at the same time–so that a Solar eclipse can sometimes feels anti-climactic, a tiny sparkle in an empty space, a glimmer of newness to come, perhaps overwhelmed by a hollowness left by what is not there, anymore. We may feel things have ended and be looking around for the new start, or we may just then become aware that something is no longer–and only in that moment realize there are new opportunities ahead (because nature and vacuums, right?)

This time we may be heading toward fresh ambitions and goals (Zeus), our desires just taking coherent form (Superior Conjunction–expect to really understand what the eclipse means for you then), and they grow either from past experience and what we’ve learned, or from a previous want we’ve long forgotten or abandoned, perhaps thinking it was never to be (South Node). An old desire comes back to life–but will this be a genuinely new crack at achieving what we want, or will it be a zombie, re-animated but without the Soul presence needed to make a living, breathing result? Those zombies will be Plutonian, once again visible since Pluto’s recent direction: serious, potentially life-changing, resurrecting something you never thought would happen, so it may be hard to distinguish between what’s coming back that really is a birth (or re-birth), and what’s dead on its feet.

This Solar eclipse says there are others waiting to assist, cooperate, or partner, under aesthetic conditions we find pleasing (unless this eclipse hits by hard aspect a natal body involved with this particular desire/ ambition–then it could be a much different story). This may be surprising, or emerge out of chaos, with the eclipse forming a quincunx to Uranus in Taurus, but in either case, others will appreciate our originality, and want to help. Then there are the oppositions: to Chiron (which is at a degree prior to eclipse formation, suggesting a wound already suffered is part of what leads to now), bringing reactions or lessons derived from hurt into the mix, and to the Eris-North Node combination, which could suggest one of two things: either women or anima sensibilities are instrumental in shaping the future path, or that any underlying conflicts will surface, and in so doing, shape what comes. The oppositions are in Aries, implying that the individuality and Will, ours and that of those with whom we deal, will be the form these challenges arrive in. It may seem like our interactions are caught in the vagaries of personality on the one-to-one level, but we must recognize that each of these persons represents something larger, a force, a trend, the Universe itself, and that we’ll all be communicating larger matters for one another.

The Sun and Moon also form a semi-square to Venus in Virgo, and as ruler of both the current positions of Uranus and the eclipse, tells us a few things, chief among them that our critical judgment may be in crisis mode, under- or over-doing assessment, and Venus herself is widely conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point, which is opposed Saturn at 00 Pisces. This is a mini-portrait of the potential for relationships and/ or financial situations that will be sabotaged through an unwillingness to see reality, whether that’s by denying or ignoring important aspects of the matter, by allowing righteous anger to make our decisions for us, or by a simple denial of reality, and particularly denial of real-world problems or barriers we just don’t want to acknowledge–and this is all reinforced by Mars in Scorpio sextile Black Moon Lilith, quincunx Sedna, and trine Saturn, spelling Willfulness fueled by the darker side of our nature, and easily manifested in the world. This can mean that our eclipse new start is at first wrapped in just this kind of bull-headed resistance, a zombie of a circumstance that just won’t die–and that only after we deal with this distraction and the distortions we’ve allowed to our own perceptions will we be able to locate that glimmer of a new start.

The Sabian for the New Moon eclipse is, ‘A Child Giving Birds A Drink At A Fountain’. What strikes me about this is the phrasing: “giving birds a drink”. The water is there, maybe poured into the fountain by the child (though a fountain, by definition, already contains water), but still, that child can’t really give them a drink, they must come to it–her only real contribution may be that she doesn’t flap her arms and shoo them away! I think this points to the need for clear perspective, to see what we’re really doing, saying, or being, and the needed effort to refrain from obscuring what’s going on (by using euphemisms, by omitting facts, by making assumptions, by placing a veil of opinion or prejudice over matters) in a way that may skew the event in the perceptions. This may relate to Venus in Virgo as ruler of the eclipse: our judgment is a little wonky, so striving for clear sight may be the most helpful thing we can do.