Waning Moon Moving into Gemini

Today's notes cover the Moon's transit through Gemini from this afternoon through Thursday evening.

The Moon holds her steady course in patient Taurus this morning, enjoying simple pleasures and sensual delights. My Taurus gift was the arrival of David Abram's new book, Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology. I love his first book, The Spell of the Sensous, and can't wait to dive into this new one, which opens with an invitation to "blending our skin with the rain-rippled surface of rivers, mingling our ears with the thunder and the thrumming of frogs, and our eyes with the molten gray sky." What could be more Taurean?

The Moon challenges the Neptune-Chiron conjunction today (Tuesday), squaring Neptune at 2:39pm EDT and Chiron at 4:32pm. The Moon in Taurus asks visionary Neptune and healing Chiron to stay grounded, channeling their intuitive energies into actions we can see, hear, taste, smell and touch.

At 7:13pm, the Moon flows energy in sextile with innovative Uranus, inviting the trickster and revolutionary to send his flashes of inspiration, but to send gently so we can absorb the message. With that, the Moon enters her time-between-times until she makes a sprightly leap into bright Gemini at 8:19pm.

Now the mood shifts! If you've been staying close to home, tending your garden and reflecting on life with Taurus, the Gemini Moon may bring the world to your door. Gemini energy is lively and social, connecting ideas and people, networking, and looking for the next new thing.

The Moon in Gemini is a great facilitator who knows how to work a room and enjoys doing it. Flowing energy in sextile with expansive Jupiter in Aries at 10:09pm amps up the sociability factor; this could be your night for skyping with friends and family halfway around the globe, updating all your social networking accounts with your latest projects, and stopping by the local coffeehouse for philosophical conversation.

Street Fair, WikiMedia Commons

The Moon sparkles in Gemini through Wednesday, energizing, connecting and networking. A flowing trine with Saturn in Libra (exact at 4:05am EDT) might help get some work done, as long as we remember that Gemini is also a trickster and his ruler, Mercury, continues to be retrograde. So use this trine judiciously and accept Saturn's reminder not to leap without looking.

At 1:22pm Wednesday, the Moon reaches her square with the Virgo Sun, signaling our entry into the last quarter of this lunar cycle. The Moon moves closer to the Earth now, and to Venus, as the energy shifts from sharing our Full Moon accomplishment with the world, toward understanding what this cycle has meant for us. The Gemini Moon, falling in this waning cycle during Mercury retrograde in Virgo, can help us make connections between what we intended, what we accomplished, how the universe responded, and what we are meant to learn.

Underscoring the need to connect our thoughts and our feelings, the Gemini Moon squares Mercury in Virgo at 7:17pm. This Gemini Moon may be more thoughtful and reflective than some, helping us to gather up all the threads of recent experiences and see how they can be woven together in beautiful patterns.

On Thursday, the Gemini Moon brightens Mars in Libra, flowing energy in trine at 12:30pm, perhaps pointing out the perfect idea or person you need to connect with now. At 6:46pm, the Moon reaches her trine with lovely Venus. This evening, conversation may sparkle as relationships and creativity flow easily. This Venus-Moon trine in Libra and Gemini may lighten hearts, reminding us how much we enjoy our connections.

Moonlight, Wikimedia Commons

By 9:26pm, the Moon flows energy in trine with Neptune, opening the door to intuitive messages and listening for something new and intriguing. By 11:06pm, the Moon trines healing Chiron, receiving healing messages that might be unexpected innovative. A square to revolutionary Uranus at 1:40am Friday challenges us to think outside the box about the messages we receive, and also signals the Moon's entry into her time-between-times, before she enters her home sign of Cancer at 2:50am EDT.

The Moon's bright curiosity in Gemini offers the chance to survey where we've been. What new ideas and people have come into our orbit this lunar cycle, energizing our thinking and opening up new possibilities? If we don't like something, the Gemini Moon tells us to flip it over, try another angle, and look for a new perspective. Only connect!

Waning Moon Transitioning into Taurus

Today's Moon notes will review the Moon in Taurus time, which continues until Tuesday afternoon.

The Moon's last classical aspect in Aries was to Neptune at 4:47am EDT, so she is void of course now, held between one breath and another, suspended until she steps into peaceful Taurus at 10:35am. The Taurus Moon brings a sense of calm, an appreciation for the abundance of life, and the pleasures of the senses.

In this waning lunar cycle and the autumn of the year, we feel the poignant beauty of harvest. The year is turning. Each ripe fruit becomes a wonder to savor and a reminder that change brings losses as well as gains. The Taurus Moon serenely accepts both and finds peace.

Each movement of the Moon through one sign of the zodiac begins at 0 degrees and continues to 29 degrees, moving through those same energies each lunar month. The Moon embodies the constancy of change and the stability of its pattern, moving through one sign of the zodiac in about two and a half days, then moving on to the next, and the next, and so on around the circle.

If the Moon were alone in the sky, perhaps the repeating cycles would become stale, nothing more than the mechanical movements of a clock ticking off seconds of linear time. The Moon is not alone. She moves through her cycles as one dancer in the midst of a company.

In this dance through Taurus, the Moon first flows energy in trine with transformative Pluto, reaching him at 4:11pm EDT. Then she reaches a trine with the Sun in practical Virgo at 11:40pm today. This trine with the Sun brings a moment of clarity and understanding within the waning cycle.

The Moon reaches her flowing trine with Mercury, retrograde in careful Virgo, tomorrow (Monday) at 2:39pm EDT. With the Sun and Moon both in Earth signs, and Mercury retrograde in Earth, we may find ourselves connecting with a depth of understanding that flows through our bodies, grounding and centering us.

This deeply grounded feeling helps us maintain our balance when the Moon reaches a challenging square with Neptune and Chiron on Monday 2:39pm EDT. The Taurus Moon welcomes the imaginative visions Neptune and Chiron can bring, but wants to channel those visions into practical, real-world healing and growth.

The Moon in practical Taurus receives a new vision as she flows energy in sextile with Uranus in intuitive Pisces at 7:13pm Tuesday, her last aspect and the beginning of her time-between-times which ends when she jumps into bright, active Gemini at 8:19pm EDT.

We have entered the dance of the Taurus Moon, moving with the slow grace and sensual delight of this Earth sign ruled by Venus. From now through Tuesday evening, the Moon flows with the calm patience and steady loyalty of this sign.

Taurus is a lover of music, with a keen ear and a resonant voice. The Taurus Moon dances the patterns of the universe itself, following the musica instrumentalis of our earthly melodies and song; the musica humana of each human lifetime, and the musica mundana, the "the steady, slow rhythmic movements of the planets and stars." (Thomas Moore, The Planets Within)

The images of ripe grapes and measures from a sonata by Handel are available through WikiMedia Commons.

Waning Moon in Aries

With the impulsive Aries Moon making an inconjunct angle-of-adjustment to Mercury, retrograde in careful step-by-step Virgo, and opposing Venus and Mars in balanced, harmonious Libra, today will be a day to watch how we respond to what life places in our path.

The Aries Moon brings a wonderful energy for breaking new ground, but patience is not high on her list of virtues. If we face delays or disruptions of the Mercury-retrograde kind, we might find ourselves reacting with frustration, irritation, and hasty words. These feelings arising within us offer opportunities for learning and transformation.

Experienced meditators, who have reached a level of practice allowing them to maintain calm even in the face of sudden, loud noise, achieve this balance by becoming aware of their immediate, habitual reactions and choosing another path. Today, knowing the Moon is in Aries, we might be offered the chance to watch our reactions to frustrating circumstances and practice calm.

The dialogue between the Aries Moon, and Venus and Mars in Libra, supports this learning. Venus in Libra values harmony and balance in all relationships, and Mars seeks to act from that place of harmony. The Aries Moon brings the bright curiosity to learn, and the motivation to try a new path.

To learn more about how we can work with our consciousness to create balanced, effective responses to experience, explore the resources available at the Mind and Life Institute website, a place where Buddhist thought and practice interact with Western cognitive science and research. Namaste!

The images of the locked door and of the Dalai Lama are available through WikiMedia Commons.

Waning Moon in Aries

This morning's Aries Moon sings "I just gotta be me!" as she challenges the careful Virgo Sun with an inconjunct, opposes responsible Saturn, and squares transformative Pluto.

At times, the forces of the universe feel overwhelming. So many responsibilities, so many needs to be addressed, so much we ought to be doing for our own good and for those around us. With all the messages telling us what, and when, and how, and why to live, it's a wonder we do anything at all. Today's Aries Moon takes action by following her own path, marching confidently to her own drum and blazing new trails for others to follow.

Our challenge with the Aries Moon is to listen to our hearts and find the courage to act on what we hear. The best of Aries is the joy of honoring our unique path by following where it leads, feeling the fear and doing it anyway. The danger of Aries is acting impulsively, turning our backs on good counsel just because we've got to do things our way.

In this time after the Full Moon, we've reached a turning point where growth is finished and implementation begins. We've been shown something new and asked to share it, then to release what we're done with to prepare for the next cycle. Today's Aries Moon is prepared to act on that counsel, moving ahead with a joyful heart, breaking new ground, ready to see what's over the next horizon.

“I have no name,
I am but two days old.
What shall I call thee?
I happy am ... Joy is my name ... "

–– William Blake, The Songs of Innocence

The images of the singer and the page of Blake are available through WikiMedia Commons.

Waning Moon in Pisces Moving into Aries

The Pisces Moon swims through the last degrees of this Water sign today, heading toward a conjunction with innovative, eccentric Uranus (exact at 9:59pm EDT). Still in the early days following the Full Moon, we assimilate what was illuminated, share what was completed, and release what we no longer need.

Pisces energy supports this Full Moon time, offering empathic understanding, a willingness to give, and an awareness that loss opens the way for new growth. Here are some things to try today, flowing with the Pisces Moon:

• Drink plenty of clean, pure water, helping the body release toxins.
• Pamper your feet (Pisces rules the feet).
• Explore your dreams ... write down one you remember, or reread old dream journals.
• Meditate
• Get a Tarot reading, or explore other ways to open to the flow of intuitive guidance.
• Take a nap, and explore any dreams that come.

In a few weeks, the International Association for the Study of Dreams holds its annual, online PsiberDreaming Conference. This easy, low-cost, enlightening, and fun conference explores the psychic dimensions of dreamwork. I'll be presenting on the Astrology of Dreaming, and would love to see you there!

When the Moon reaches Uranus this evening, she enters her time-between-times. She'll remain void of course until 10:49pm, when she blazes into fiery Aries. Having released, relinquished, and merged with the cosmos, the Moon is reborn with a bright new energy.

Our focus shifts from the universe to the self, and we are aware in a new way of what we want, and a desire to go after it. A conjunction with expansive Jupiter at 1:51am Friday adds fuel to the fire, igniting our enthusiasm and also possibly our impulsiveness or irritation. This is a time to think twice before jumping into something, and take a few deep breaths before giving way to angry words.

In this Mercury Retrograde in Virgo, we may face frustrating missteps and delays. In this time after a Full Moon, we have a chance to shine some light on our behavior and release what doesn't serve us. The Aries Moon can help highlight places where we waste Aries bright fire in needless conflict, allowing us to redirect our warrior selves toward worthy goals.

The images of the waterfall and the burning candle are available through WikiMedia Commons.

Waning Moon in Pisces

Today, the Moon swims through dreamy Piscean waters without touching other planets until evening. Perhaps she is lost in reverie, bathing in the lingering Full Moon glow, or perhaps she is deep in meditation, needing this time to understand what was illuminated at the Full Moon.

The Moon's aspects later today are with the personal planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, and present challenges. At 8:28pm EDT, she reaches an inconjunct, the angle that requires adjustment, with Mars in Libra. Mars wants to act, to find the point of balanced equilibrium that includes both self and other. The Pisces Moon reminds Mars that we cannot know all ends, and sometime need to act within uncertainty.

At 10:04pm, the Moon opposes Mercury, now retrograde in Virgo. While retrograde, Mercury is naturally reflective, but Virgo focuses on the details, asking, what has been missed and how can I repair it? The Pisces Moon invites Mercury to let go and allow the universe to make things whole.

Just before midnight, at 11:50pm, the Moon reaches her inconjunct with lovely Venus in Libra. Ruling Libra, Venus is at home in this sign, poised and serene. The Pisces Moon brings Venus messages from the subconscious, upsetting Libra's balance while opening our relationships and creativity to wider and deeper understandings.

This is a day to find time for mediation, reflection, dreaming and visioning. The ideas, images and feelings that emerge from our reflections may seem unrelated to us, until this evening, when the Moon's interactions with the personal planets nudge us into applying what we learn to our own lives.

The illustration of the Moon jellyfish by Luc Viator is today's Picture of the Day at WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Pisces Reaching Full Today

The Moon joined visionary Neptune at 4:29am EDT, and reaches Chiron the wounded healer at 9:50am. Still in Aquarius, the Moon is already slipping into Pisces waters, joining the planets that carry our energies for spirituality, healing, mentorship, creative imagination, intuitive flow, and our desire to connect with something larger than ourselves.

Morning dreams are likely to be powerful, bringing visions or a healing path. Even if you don't often remember dreams, you might wake with one this morning. If so, make a few notes or a sketch, capture the fleeting images in a few phrases or a poem. You might enjoy my friend Roswila's Dream and Poetry Realm, where she shares the haiku and images of her dreams.

After joining with Chiron, the Moon enters her time-between-times, that liminal space of reflection, until she emerges into Pisces at 10:11am. She swims gently toward her opposition with the Sun, the Full Moon point of greatest illumination, which happens at 1:04pm. Yesterday's post discusses the energies of this Full Moon in Pisces.

Whatever is illuminated for us at this Full Moon, is now shared with the world. This process can bring new understanding, the implementation of new accomplishments, and the release of what we no longer need. This is a transformative time, acknowledged as the Moon flows energy with Pluto the phoenix at 4:03pm.

Today, we celebrate the Full Moon as she rides high and bright in the night sky, bringing another time of powerful dreaming.

The image of the floating woman was taken by photographer Toni Frissell at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida in 1947 and was WikiMedia Commons Picture of the Day on July 22, 2010.

Full Moon in Pisces

Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 24, the Moon is full at 1:04pm EDT in early Pisces, sign of visions, dreams, and our longing to merge with something larger than our individual selves. Pisces feels connected always to all that is, empathic, sensitive and intuitive.

At the Full Moon, the Moon and Sun are opposite, their point of maximum illumination, looking each other full in the face. This intense dialogue takes place across the wheel of the zodiac. For this Full Moon, the Sun is in early Virgo, sign of practical details, careful analysis, and grounded action.

These signs share a devotion to service and a willingness to lose the self in the process. Their ways of perceiving, knowing, and acting are rather different. Pisces senses energy and emotions, resonating with people and situations like a delicate tuning fork. Virgo is hands-on, collecting and analyzing empirical data, carefully building a picture of the whole from a detailed understanding of the parts.

When Pisces is skillful, she moves energy in healing and calming ways without losing her own boundaries. People feel better just being with Pisces, sometimes without knowing why. When Virgo is skillful, she quietly and efficiently manages the practical details of life without criticizing. People find what they need ready to hand, sometimes without knowing how it got there.

Pisces and Virgo seek balance between the cosmic and the tiny, embracing the beauty and majesty of the whole without losing the wonder and fascination of the individual parts. Each can get lost without the other. Virgo reminds Pisces that universes exist in a grain of sand. Pisces gently redirects Virgo's view to the stars.

Once again, we see the Full Moon connecting with complex outer planet patterns. The Moon conjuncts Neptune and Chiron, emphasizing the Piscean connection to dreams, visions, creativity and healing of this Full Moon.

The Sun and Moon flow energy in trines and sextiles to the Nodes of the Moon and to transformative Pluto.

The Full Moon's relationship to the Saturn opposition to Jupiter and Uranus is complex: The Sun shares an edgy energy with Saturn, and looks for adjustment with Jupiter and Uranus. The Moon shares edgy energy with Jupiter and Uranus, and looks for adjustment with Saturn.

This Full Moon will illuminate issues for us in whichever House it appears in our birth charts, in relation to birth planets and points it touches, and in areas related to Pisces. Are we aligned with the natural flow of energy in our lives? Are we connected to spiritual or intuitive guidance in ways that nurture our spirits? Where in our lives does the balance between the big picture and the small detail need to be illuminated? Auntie Moon sees this Full Moon as a time to honor our need for sanctuary as we ponder deep questions.

With the emphasis in the sky remaining in cardinal signs, focused on initiating, acting, moving forward, striking out on new directions, it's good to note that this Full Moon falls in mutable Water and Earth, energies that are receptive as well as flexible.

Pisces and Virgo wish to serve, not to command. Creating webs of relationship among the more prickly and demanding archetypes, perhaps this Full Moon will point the way toward balance among seemingly incompatible forces, and illuminate ways in which we can bend gracefully, maintain our center, and dance with the universe.

The images of the spiral galaxy Messier 81 (today's Picture of the Day), of the dandelion clock, and of the dancer stretching are from WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Aquarius

Today's Moon notes cover both Sunday and Monday.

The future-oriented Aquarius Moon opens the day with a flowing trine to Saturn in balanced Libra, sharing information about how to manifest long term dreams and visions. This is the only aspect the Moon makes today as we move toward the final days of this lunar cycle. We're now in the last phase before the Full Moon, when we meet the final challenges to our New Moon wishes.

Today's Aquarian Moon presents the challenge of considering the long-term ramifications of our dreams. We live in a world full of sentient beings with whom we are in community. We have connected with the dreams in our hearts and set intentions to manifest those dreams. Often, we do this with a wish for the highest good of all concerned. The Aquarian Moon asks us to consider more clearly what we'll be releasing into the web of life at that Full Moon. What might we choose to adjust, if we think of the next seven generations?

The Sun is in the last degree of passionate Leo today, making significant aspects of his own that echo this theme. In the dialogue of opposition with visionary Neptune and healing Chiron, in the need-for-adjustment inconjunct with revolutionary Uranus and expansive Jupiter, and flowing in trine with transformative Pluto, the shining solar self is challenged to align with these larger energies of the cosmos. All three of the big outer planets speak to the Sun today, just as he leaves expressive Leo for the detailed practicality of Virgo (at 1:27am EDT Monday).

Tomorrow (Monday), the Aquarius Moon flows in trine with Mars (exact at 4:17am EDT) and Venus (exact at 6:00am EDT). Now the focus shifts, from taking cosmic messages to heart, to how we act (Mars) and how we relate to others and the world (Venus).

An inconjunct angle-of-adjustment with Mercury, retrograde in Virgo, reflects some possible discomfort as we balance practical details with large visions, wanting to have our lives organized and under control as we move quickly toward an unknown future.

But move we will! Today and tomorrow, we complete the final preparations before setting out on a mission to boldly go where we've never been before. With the Full Moon launch already scheduled, we have our final meetings and review our equipment. Compass? Check! Maps? Well ... maybe ... where are those maps I had? Wings? Wait ... we need wings for this?

The Aquarius Moon is great at planning, if unconventional in approach. Our gear may look a little quirky for this voyage, but trust your intuition. Pack the wings.

The images of the map to Treasure Island and the wingsuit flyer are from WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Capricorn, Moving into Aquarius

Today we may feel like all our effort is needed just to stay on course. The Moon continues in steadfast Capricorn, and the square-off between Saturn (Capricorn's ruler) and transformative Pluto in Capricorn comes exact. That's a lot of energy focused on responsibility and hard work. The time and energy needed to bring our dreams into physical reality feel very real.

With Jupiter continuing to oppose Saturn, and Uranus nearby, there may be a genuine desire and readiness for change, and yet a feeling that it just can't, or won't, happen.

This is a time when Mercury retrograde can be a refuge. Mercury turns back on his path in Virgo, checking for missed steps and dropped stitches. Instead of pushing forward relentlessly, today we can ride the retrograde current and revisit our plans and progress. We might be able to make key corrections, saving time, effort and possibly heartache later. In reviewing our path, we can also appreciate the progress we've made, and gain the resolve to keep moving toward the goal.

The Sun opposes Chiron and Neptune this morning, signaling that we're not alone. There's a dialogue happening between our core solar selves, and the intuitive guidance and healing that Neptune and Chiron offer. We keep on keepin' on, with faith that results will come.

The last aspect for the Capricorn Moon today signals a shift. She flows energy in sextile with revolutionary Uranus at 9:08pm EDT, which begins her time-between-times until she emerges into the outside-the-box energy of Aquarius at 9:37pm. Our hard work in Capricorn has led to a realization, a big new idea, or maybe the conviction that we know what's best for ourselves and no longer need to follow anyone else's rules.

The Aquarian Moon plans on a large scale, wanting to serve the highest needs of the community, and able to think clearly and objectively about how to bring that about. A flowing sextile with enthusiastic Jupiter in Aries at 1:37am EDT Sunday gives wings to this Moon's bright view of the future. Under the Aquarius Moon, we are ready to forge ahead once more. A brave new world indeed, that has such people in it.

The images of the slow road and the Gemini rocket launch are from WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Capricorn

Today, even as the Moon presses forward in determined Capricorn, heading toward next week's Full Moon and the release of what has been achieved in this cycle, Mercury goes retrograde. Does this mean everything comes to a halt? How do we balance these energies?

This morning might feel like a push toward a deadline, as the hard-working Capricorn Moon challenges Venus (exact at 12:45pm EDT) and then Mars (12:49pm) in serene Libra.

Both Capricorn and Libra are cardinal signs, with Libra the Air-based planner and Capricorn the Earth-based actor. The Moon challenges Venus and Mars to stop planning and get doing. Venus (Libra's ruler) reaches her exact conjunction with Mars (how we get things done) at 2:49pm, reinforcing the energy of taking action on our creative plans. With the Sun in creative Leo opposing visionary Neptune, the actions we take can be especially inspired if we link to our intuitive guidance.

Mercury goes retrograde at 3:58pm EDT. Conventional wisdom says forward action stops at that point, and we're all in trouble. And yet, retrograde periods are built into our experience of life; they are natural. The Capricorn Moon is ever the realist, honoring the way things are. Under this Moon, we can become balanced realists about Mercury retrograde.

As I wrote at the end of the last Mercury retrograde, it's more grounded as well as more helpful to work with retrograde periods than fight against them. We know time is not as fixedly linear as sometimes like to think. The time-space continuum eddies and flows. If we insist on pushing forward with linear goals, we can find ourselves pushing again a current far stronger than we are.

Today's Mercury retrograde is in Virgo, the Earth sign known for careful thought and committed service. Auntie Moon describes Virgo as the wise counselor, pointing the way to a healthy partnership with this Mercury retrograde:

We're reaching a crucial time in this lunar cycle, nearing the Full Moon release of our efforts into the world. The role of Mercury, retrograde in Virgo, is to keep us on course, away from the wrong road, if we pay attention. The goal is finding the balance between driving forward and consulting the map.

The Moon in Capricorn is absolutely committed to reaching her goals, but this savvy builder understands the importance of checking the plans. At 11:45pm EDT, the Capricorn Moon flows energy in trine with the newly retrograde Mercury, where she does exactly that. Today's motto: Measure twice, cut once!

The images of the relay race and builders consulting plans are from WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon Moving into Capricorn

So here we are, gathered around a wooden table in a dusty bar somewhere back-of-beyond. We've spent the night sharing marvelous tales of the road, trumping each other with another close call or moment of resplendent beauty, and toasting each triumph.

It feels like we're in a dreamscape where the boundaries between what actually happened and something truly magical are blurred, like we're all one band of travelers, brothers and sisters of the road.

And now the Sun is coming up outside, the first bright rays piercing the dark smoky air. Time to wake up and look around, come back into our own skins, and think about where we go next. What time does that bus leave? And where has my passport gotten to?

Gathering ourselves together, we wait a bit, sitting in the rising Sun. This is the tail end of the Sagittarius Moon, that philosophical raconteur. At 5:06am EDT, the Moon flowed energy in sextile with Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius, facing the bright light of Uranus in Pisces in square at 9:58am. Oh, but that Uranian light can be tough on the eyes after an all-night ceilidh!

At the square with Uranus, the Moon enters a brief void of course, stepping up to the mark in hard-working Capricorn at 10:17am EDT. The party's over, go find your work boots and grab a shovel while you're at it.

Early Capricorn is Pluto territory these days, and so the Moon moves through Pluto's positions as she squares expansive Jupiter in Aries at 2:35pm, squares Saturn in balanced Libra at 3:39pm, and joins Pluto at 4:02pm.

Capricorn looks at Sagittarian philosophizing as a lovely pastime with limited relevance to real life. If the idea can't fix something, build something, feed someone or make life better in some practical, hands-on way, what good is it? So here's where the rubber meets the road in this waxing Moon cycle. What have we done to make our dreams real? And if there's work still unfinished, why are we sitting here reading blogs and sipping lattes?

Things are happening, real things that make a difference, and we are part of them. When we've walked our talk, done the work, and reached a goal, we feel the bone-deep satisfaction a Capricorn Moon can bring.

Last night, the 4th Stryker Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division crossing the Iraq- Kuwait border, leaving Iraq for good. The remaining combat troops now in Iraq will transition into noncombat roles by the end of this month. This is a real, tangible achievement in a long, long war. With the Moon in Capricorn, we know it ain't over 'til it's over, but watching the convoy pull out, we know a significant milestone has been reached. Our thoughts are with those who lost their lives, those who suffered injuries, those who made it out, and those who remain. 

Images courtesy of PicApp.

Waxing Moon in Sagittarius

Today the adventuring Sagittarius Moon encounters a challenge from Mercury in analytical Virgo. They meet in square, exact at 12:50pm EDT. The square pushes us, demanding a new dynamic balance. The expansive, philosophical Sag Moon is approaching a practical, service-oriented communicator.

This, to me, is a writer's aspect. The Sag Moon loves to talk ... Mercury in Virgo wants it down on paper. The Sag Moon would love to expound on her wonderful experiences ... Mercury in Virgo asks, how was it wonderful? Give me details! What was it exactly that made the experience so memorable? The same questions can be asked in any medium: Think of the telling detail that creates an evocative photograph, or a memorable film.

I'm reminded of the Traveler's Tales series, collections of essays from the road. The original proved so popular, the editors created an entire series. Reading them feeds the Sagittarian explorer in me with the voices of travelers sharing their most exciting, frightening, poignant, transformative experiences. Writing in this way reflects a dynamic balance between Sag and Virgo, Moon and Mercury, the traveler who experiences deeply and the writer who crafts a vehicle so we can share the journey.

Later, the Moon joins the asteroid Ceres in Sagittarius (exact at 4:53pm EDT), acknowledging the abundance of the coming harvest season and the turn of the year it signifies. The Moon is moving toward another key point in her cycle, the waxing trine with the Sun in fiery Leo (exact at 2:57am Thursday). Trines are easy flows of supportive energy, so this is a time to adjust our alignment ... another Mercury in Virgo skill. If we're on the path to reaching our goals, clear and committed, the trine offers an energy boost to help us.

Today, enjoy the journey and remember to take a few snapshots or write in your journal. Feel free to share here, too. Has knowing more about the Moon's path shed some light on your own? Imagine we're walking side by side a while an the way. Tell me a story ...

Waxing Moon in Sagittarius

The Road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can, pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say. – JRR Tolkien

Today's Sagittarius Moon made an early visit to her guru for an infusion of sacred fire, a trine to Jupiter in Aries at 6:59am EDT. Sagittarius is the sign of philosophy and metaphysics, and "guru" is one of the names for Jupiter, Sag's ruler, in Vedic astrology. This was followed by a sextile, bright flow of energy, with hard-working Saturn in Libra at 6:10am, a visit to a master of form and manifestation.

The Moon in Sagittarius is linked for me with the goddess Sarasvati, beautiful flowing wisdom, the feminine and knowledge aspects of Brahman, and bringer of culture. In Sagittarius, we explore the paths of wisdom, finding them alluringly lovely.

The Sagittarius Moon brings an enthusiastic fire to the study of other cultures, times in history, myth systems, philosophies, legal systems, and literature. The Moon carries our connection with the past and the ancestors, so today we may find ourselves seeking the guidance of wise elders, whether in the page of books, in face to face conversation, or through meditative practices. If your Scorpio Moon time brought insight, today can be a time to understand the broader context of what you're learned by consulting the wisdom of teachers.

Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, is the most expansive and generous of planets, enjoying the good things of life and sharing those things with others. On the shadow side is a tendency to inflation. Mae West said, "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful," a very Sag sentiment indeed, but if you find yourself overindulging in ways that are not good for you, redirect this Moon's energies into reaching out to others or exploring something new and intriguing.

Sextiles to Venus in Libra (exact at 9:56pm EDT) and Mars (11:42pm) bring the welcoming fire of Sagittarius to our relationships, creativity, motivation and action. This evening may bring stimulating social gatherings, opportunities to meet new people or experience people you already know in new ways, and the enthusiasm and drive to dive into a project–especially if it involves research or journeys. When opportunity knocks, the Sagittarius Moon grabs her pack and joins the trek.

The images of Sarasvati and the open road are from WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Scorpio

Today's Scorpio Moon began with a flow of energy to Mercury in careful Virgo at 4:10am EDT, perhaps bringing deep dreams full of detail. If you make the time to record even the bare bones of what you remember, dream memory will be stronger. Dreams are among Scorpio's messages from the depths of the unconscious well worth our time and attention.

We reach the first quarter phase of the lunar cycle today 2:14pm at the Moon squares the Sun. The first quarter square is an aspect of challenge, when what we are growing in this cycle turns a corner and faces a need to balance between the Sun and Moon energies, in this cycle, Leo's bright expressiveness and Scorpio's chthonic shadow.

The Sun's wide opposition to the Neptune-Chiron conjunction in late Aquarius turns this first quarter square into a T-square, in which the universal visionary healing of Neptune and Chiron are confronted by the personal creative expression of the Leo Sun as both are squared by the Moon in incisive Scorpio.

What motives and values lie beneath our Leonine and Aquarian dreams? Are we bringing our heart light into the world to honor our unique creative gift, or looking for attention and adulation? Are we seeking a vision for the greatest good of all, or avoiding dealing with personal issues by focusing on a vague idea of universal love? These are the uncomfortable questions the Scorpio Moon insists we face. The goal of Scorpio is radical, bone-deep honesty, the challenge and the gift.

The Scorpio Moon's last aspect is a trine to Uranus in late Pisces at 2:24am EDT Tuesday. Her last act in Scorpio is to flow energy with the planet who challenges us to be who we truly are. The flow of energy represented by the trine creates an exchange; we offer the results of our soul searching and receive the intuitive guidance we need for our next steps.

Ten minutes later, at 2:34am, the Moon steps out of the shadows into expansive Sagittarius, ready to find some fellow travelers and share stories of the road over a few drinks and a good meal. Cheers!

The images of the poster from D.W. Griffth's Dream Street and an illustration by Georges Roux of Treasure Island are available through WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Scorpio

Today's incisive and insightful Scorpio Moon asks us to consider where we are on our life path. We each have skills and dispositions we are good at, ways we act, feel and think that are comfortable. Those familiar skills are often valuable, to us and to our communities, but may not bring about the personal growth that makes life meaningful.

Other areas of life draw our attention, intriguing and challenging us, bringing us in to experiment with new ways of being we might pull away from when they feel too different from who we are. Today is a good day to look at where we are balanced between the familiar and the challenging, what we know and what will help us grow.

This path is marked in our birth charts by the Nodes of the Moon, those points where the path of the Sun (our yang, solar self) and the path of the Moon (our yin, lunar self) intersected in the sky. The South Node, where we've been, is the tail of the dragon. The North Node, where we're going, is the dragon's head. The sign and house placement of your Nodes of the Moon (always exactly opposite each other) show the characteristics of each. Stepping away from the safe familiarity of the South Node often creates discomfort, yet if we take a deep breath and step toward the challenge embodied in the North Node, deeply meaningful experiences unfold.

Today, the Nodes of the Moon are being challenged by squares from Venus and Mars, together in Libra, the sign of balance. The searchlight of the Scorpio Moon is turned on this T-square as the Moon flows energy in semisextile to Venus (exact at 11:15am EDT), and then to Mars (2:26 pm), and flows energy to the Nodes with a trine to the South and sextile to the North (exact at 1:05pm).

Remember that old song about friendship? Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other is gold. Our Nodal axis is like that, a place where we find the balance between appreciating who we already are and what we offer the world using skills we've mastered, and who we are becoming and what the world will discover through us as we break new ground.

The bicycle path in Hungary, taken by Lhgergo, and the painting Picking up Silver and Gold by Alexander Mann are available through WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Libra

We are in the crescent phase of the waxing cycle now. The Moon flowed energy with the Sun in sextile at 6:06am EDT, moving us out of a quiet time of germination and into a more active, visible phase of growth.

Under this Libra Moon, infused with energy from the Leo Sun, growth will be creative, as both Libra and Leo share this characteristic. Libra brings grace and balance to Leo's passion and enthusiasm; a lovely combination. Today, it might feel as if the Sun has come out from behind clouds, illuminating our next steps.

The Moon moves into a flowing trine with Neptune at 4:06pm, an opening of intuitive flow between the Moon's deep knowing based in the body, our felt experience, and the support of the ancestors, and Neptune in Aquarius with her cosmic dreams and visions. Libra and Aquarius are both Air signs, facilitating thought and communication. A good time for meditation or other visionary practice.

In classical astrology, the Moon enters her time-between-time with this trine to Neptune. Yet Neptune continues walking together with Chiron also in late Aquarius. The Moon reaches her trine with Chiron the wounded healer at 6:26pm, extending the window for receiving flows of intuitive guidance, especially in areas of healing and mentoring.

Then we have Uranus, always a force to be reckoned with! He now sits at the very edge of Pisces, slipping back into that visionary sign. The Moon reaches an inconjunct angle-of-adjustment with Uranus at 8:24pm. As Uranus moves back into Pisces, we are offered a chance to revisit our ideas and experiences of radical change, reflect on how they are linked to our dreams and visions, and adjust as needed.

If we include the trine with Chiron, and the inconjunct with Uranus, as significant aspects (and they seem so to me), today's void of course becomes very brief. The Moon dives into shadowy Scorpio at 8:26pm.

In Scorpio, we are tested. Do our dreams, visions, assumptions, ideas and plans hold up to deep, incisive scrutiny? This sign of investigation and insight may make us squirm a bit, as ideas and feelings we were so sure of may not hold up under the Scorpio Moon's searching examination. If our towers are going to stand tall, our foundations have to be rock solid. Testing the foundations is Scorpio's role, which is reinforced as the Moon sextiles Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) in rock-solid Capricorn at 1:36am EDT Sunday.

Today's Moon begins with the bright, active energy of the Sun, moves into a contemplative time with Neptune and Chiron, has the opportunity to revisit ideas of radical change with Uranus, then enters a time of deep research and review with Scorpio and Pluto. Quite a ride!

The painting A Sunny Day at Shinnecock Bay by William Merritt Chase and the photo of the cave diver by Clark Anderson are available through WikiMedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Libra

The Moon glides through harmonious Libra, her only aspect a conjunction with Mars at 9:21am EDT that brings feelings and action into alignment in balanced and beautiful ways.

Libra is creative and artistic, words we associate with the "fine arts" that belong to the great, not to us ordinary humans. Yet the Latin libra simply meant a weight, or a scale. Our word balance also meant a device for weighing, coming to us from Old French from the Latin bilanx, which was a libra with two (bi) plates (lanx) to compare weights. Even talent, that prerequisite for great art, meant in classical Latin a balance weight or a sum of money, beginning to take on its modern meaning of an aptitude or skill we can "spend" in the 14th century.

So, Libra has her decidedly practical side, attuned to harmony in ordinary life, where beauty emerges everywhere. Today Mars helps us take action to bring our lives into equilibrium, aequus (equality) of libra (balance), even as the Libran Moon helps us find emotional balance.

My thanks to the Online Etymology Dictionary for information on word origins, and to WikiMedia Commons for the image of the balances.

Void-of-course Moon Moving into Libra

Well! A mistake at the end of yesterday's entry stated that the void-of-course cauldron of transformation ended at 6:42 AM EDT when it continues throughout the day, ending at 6:42 PM. So, what is a void-of-course Moon and how does it affect today's energy?

The Moon is the fastest moving body in our sky, container of moods and feelings, signifier of the natural rhythms of life. She focuses our feelings as she moves through astrological space, touching other planets in the sky as well as points and planets in our own charts. We look to the relationships between the Moon and these other planets and points to gain insight and guide action.

The Moon moves through each sign of the zodiac, from 0 to 29 degrees of each, in about two and half days. Within each sign, she touches everything located at the same degree, in some way. When she no longer touches any other planet, the Moon is said to be void of course. She continues in her path, but has no other touchpoints until she enters the next sign.

Because this void-of-course concept emerged from classical astrology, it takes note only of the classical planets and the Ptolemaic aspects, which are the conjunction, opposition, trine, square and sextile. This leaves out the asteroids, including Chiron, as well as aspects like the inconjunct (also called the quincunx).

The standard advice is to avoid starting anything new during a void-of-course period, as whatever is begun, will not prosper. This comes out of electional astrology, choosing when to sign a contract, make a major purchase, or take some other important action. Voids of course are also considered to be more inwardly focused, reflective times, while the Moon is on her own, not in dialogue with other energies. On the other hand, some astrologers, and many people, pay no attention to voids of course at all.

Voids of course times, as with anything else in astrology, are patterns for us to explore. Astrology is one of many ways the cosmos communicates with us. As we move through our lives, we listen, look, use all our senses to take in the world around us. Then we respond. Are voids of course meaningful for you? Ultimately, only you can answer that.

As I attend more closely to the Moon's patterns, I find that voids of course do feel more reflective, and allow myself more time for meditative thought and practice. Some things about the classical approach I'm not comfortable with, though. It's time to change how I view this pattern, and see where that leads.

Chiron, the wounded healer and mentor who urges us to fully embody our unique selves, is an important archetype and energy in my astrological practice. He's at 28 degrees of Aquarius now, and no other planet is later in degree. So although he is omitted from standard calculations of when the Moon goes void of course, he's actually the last body touched by the Moon at this time. I plan to recalculate the beginnings of voids of course to include Chiron.

The other change I'm making is to include the inconjunct. This awkward angle that requires active adjustment seems to be a powerful one for the emotion-filled Moon. The inconjunct is also the key to the yod pattern, the isoceles triangle formed from two inconjuncts and a sextile.

These changes in my approach have an immediate impact. Classically, the Moon has been void of course since 8:04pm EDT yesterday, and will remain so until she enters Libra at 6:42pm tonight. If we include Chiron and the inconjunct aspect, the Moon is not yet void.

The careful, practical Virgo Moon is moving toward an inconjunct with visionary Neptune that will be exact at 2:41pm EDT. This will be followed by an inconjunct with Chiron at 4:59pm EDT. If you find your moods and reflections today touched with a felt need to balance visionary healing (Neptune and Chiron) with practical everyday life (Virgo Moon), perhaps these patterns are part of your Moon experience as well.

At 6:42pm EDT, the Moon steps gracefully into balanced Libra, and immediately confronts the Cardinal Cross. She will need all her Libran charm and diplomacy as she opposes Uranus (6:46pm), conjuncts Saturn (10:01pm), opposes Jupiter (11:06pm), and squares Pluto (11:38pm). What a lineup! The Moon then moves toward conjunctions with Venus (4:58am EDT Friday) and Mars (9:21am EDT Friday).

The Moon's transit through early Libra becomes a kind of swan song for the Cardinal Cross, as Uranus will retrograde back into Pisces at 11:36pm Friday. Powerful aspects will continue to unfold, and our time of great change is far from over, but as Uranus slips back into the sign of cosmic visions, we can expect an energy shift in that direction as well.

Amid the technical details, here's the emerging theme: The Moon today moves through a reflective time includes some difficult terrain. We may feel uncomfortable, a bit out of balance, as we try to hold both the practicalities of daily life and larger visions of change and healing.

Tonight, the Moon moves into Libra, a sign usually marked by grace and balance, where she will face a series of significant planets and patterns. The Moon brings our feelings into focus around the changes we see around and within us. What does global change mean for me? How am I feeling about what has emerged so far, and where this might lead? Where is my personal balance point? These are perennial questions, to be sure, and the Moon leads is there once again.

The images of the waterlily and the pointe shoe are available through Wikimedia Commons.

Waxing Moon in Virgo

With the Moon in careful, practical Virgo, your dreams last night may have focused on getting the details in place to help Leo's bright dreams unfold, and that's today's energy as well. Virgo is the mutable Earth sign: adapting to circumstances, wanting to be of service, organized and clear-minded.

Virgo's ruler, Mercury, is a master of change and subtlety. With his guidance, we transform the bold, colorful designs we created with the Leo New Moon into step-by-step plans that manifest our dreams in this physical reality. Today we assemble our materials. What pieces do we need to take the next step? We make a specific, detailed plan and then act on it.

Virgo can be critical, and apt to be most blisteringly critical of herself. In this early waxing phase of the lunar cycle, it's far too soon to look on newly planted seeds with an editor's eye. Instead, apply Virgo's love of proper form and right action to nurturing your dreams in the best way possible. If you find yourself second-guessing your intentions, or thinking you can't possibly achieve your goals, gently stop and redirect your attention to choosing the perfect ways to create the best growing conditions for your new life.

Virgo loves to serve. Today, flow your Virgo Moon energy into serving your own creative goals. If this feels selfish, remember that our greatest service is to bring into the world our unique gifts. Mercury, ruler of Virgo, is also the alchemical Mercurius, the guide who leads us through the transformations of soul and psyche that bring us into our truest self. We are here to help one another, certainly, but our greatest work is our own unfolding path. Today we take the first steps.

The Moon's only aspect today is her last one in Virgo, when she joins Mercury at 8:04pm EDT before entering a void of course time that lasts until 6:42am EDT tomorrow, Thursday. As we enter this time-between-times this evening, hand in hand with Mercurius, we step into a cauldron of transformation, prepared to become the bright being we envisioned.

The image of the weaver demonstrating traditional Incan textiles in Peru and the Blue Morpho butterfly are available through WikiMedia Commons.

New Moon in Leo!

Last night's New Moon turned the tide. The lunar cycle shifts into seeding, beginning, burgeoning, growing ... Now we make our wishes and set our intentions for the time to come.

There is one important time today when patience is needed ... not one of Leo's virtues, so let me set that out right now: At 3:10pm EDT, the Leo Moon makes her final aspect, an opposition to Neptune in radical Aquarius, and then goes void of course until 7:01 pm when she steps into careful, practical Virgo. The void of course period is not a good time for New Moon rituals or for manifestation work. So, dive in this morning, or wait until later this evening!

Planting seeds during the New Moon is an ancient tradition, and a powerful approach to manifestation work. For an introduction to this process, check this earlier post. At each New Moon, we can wish for whatever we most need ... aligning our intentions with the energies of the New Moon gives them wings and speeds them on their way.

Pythia Peay writes: "If there is an astrologically-appointed time to discovering and incarnating the glory of who you were born to be, the Leo New Moon is it." We each have a unique gift, the bright light of our own hearts and souls, to bring into this life. We are the hero of our own story. Joseph Campbell wrote: "The adventure of the hero is the adventure of being alive."

Manifesting with the New Moon, we join our hearts with the cosmos around us, recognizing with joy that we are not alone in a reality solely of our creating. We are surrounded by sentient beings of all kinds whose hearts and souls co-create with us. Leo loves to shine, but not alone! Leo craves the attention of loving others, and passionately offers that attention in response ... light shining with light.

New Moon wishes come from the heart. Their wording and form needs to resonate deeply with you. Here are some suggestions for this New Moon in passionate, playful Leo; use any you like to create wishes that shine for you:

• I wish to easily find myself experiencing joy.
• I wish to find myself easily and naturally moving through my days with confidence.
• I wish to easily find myself accepting leadership roles aligned with my goals and skills.
• I wish to easily and naturally discover the life path best suited to bringing my unique gifts into the world.

Specific wishes are also appropriate, worded for your circumstances:

• I wish to easily and naturally bring joy and playfulness into my role as a parent, creating loving and fun times with my children.
• I wish to easily find myself experiencing a new confidence in my public speaking.
• I wish to naturally find myself acting and speaking at work in ways that bring positive recognition and promotion.
• I wish to easily find myself writing creatively and passionately in ways that resonate with readers.

We make our wishes and send them out to the cosmos, trusting in the wisdom and abundance of life to make it so. Then we dive in with Leonine passion, shining with new creative fire, as we live from the heart.

Waning Moon in Leo

This morning's Moon leaves behind a flowing trine with Jupiter and Uranus but has not yet reached the Sun, leaves behind an edgy inconjunct (angle of adjustment) with stern Pluto, and flows energy in sextile with Mars in balanced Libra.

The New Moon arrives tonight, but not until 11:08pm EDT ... and that feels like forever to this Leo Moon, singing I Just Can't Wait to Be King!

Remember, we remain in the last hours of the waning lunar cycle, the balsamic phase. The time is not yet ripe for New Moon wishes and intentions, for stepping into our resplendent, passionate Leo selves. Patience is not a Leonine virtue, so today could be challenging.

The shadow aspects of Leo include a self-important pride that resents any perceived lack of attention, and can lash out in dramatic fashion against those who should be more appreciative. Venus, planet of harmony and relationship, is conjunct Saturn and square Pluto now, so we're in a time when our close relationships are under review, and feeling pressure to change or release any not serving our highest good.

Today's waning Leo Moon, feeling challenged in relationships and, also, perhaps out of sorts and out of balance, might embody an exiled king like Lear, old, worn out, bitter at the losses he's suffered, and unwilling to see how his own attitudes and actions contribute to his suffering.

As we near the gateway of this passionate New Moon in Leo, our chance to come into our true heart and burst forth in a glorious expression of our creative passion, we want to avoid foundering on the shoals of false pride. Today is a good day to remember that one of Leo's gifts is playfulness. Leo loves to laugh, big rolling guffaws that come up from the toes and get everyone else laughing too. Leo loves the delight of children in bright colors and creative play.

Caroline Casey is a playfully creative and irreverent astrology and activist who understands the interplay between power and humor. Her book Making the Gods Work for You: The Astrological Language of the Psyche offers insightful, balanced and fun ways to understand and work with the very big energies that come to us through the planets. I find myself recommending this book a lot these days and use it often myself. If your inner Lear needs a jester, you'll find one here!

Tonight at 11:08 is the New Moon in Leo, an opening in the midst of a time of cosmic change when we can fully embody and express our unique and wonderful selves. Astrologer Lynda Hill works with the Sabian symbols, images channeled for each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac. Her new post uses those symbols to explore the intricate patterns of this New Moon, a great resources for understanding its possibilities and power.

Today, bend Leo's creative passion to a last effort to release whatever we need to let go, avoiding wounded pride and emotional drama, sensing just over the horizon the New Moon gateway.

Waning Moon Transitioning in Leo

For most of today, the Moon continues in her long void of course time, resting, reflecting, finishing. We have entered the balsamic phase of the lunar cycle, when whatever we experienced in this cycle is reduced to its essential form. The balsamic phase is the end of the cycle, marked by an awareness of loss, the ephemeral nature of life, and the inevitability of change.

As the Moon waits in a time-between-time, Venus conjoins Saturn in Libra. Venus has been approaching this point for days, taking her turn in one of the Cardinal Cross hot seats, opposing Uranus and Jupiter, and squaring Pluto. Today's exact conjunction with Saturn brings Venus into focus. As she lends her creative charm to Saturn's attempts to hold the line, challenges Uranus and Jupiter to bring an awareness of others into their bold demands for radical change, and tempers Pluto's relentless drive to tear down everything in pursuit of improvement, we may feel our own Venus issues coming to the fore.

Are our key relationships balanced and beautiful? Is our creative life flowing in harmonious ways? Are we attuned to the flow of our lives, dancing with the energies around us, so we experience serendipity, synchronicity, "luck"? These are Venus-and-Saturn in Libra questions.

Best to think about them during the void, too, because when the Moon steps onto the Leo stage at 7:23pm EDT, she'll join a drama already in full swing. The Leo Moon begins strutting her stuff with a flowing trine to fiery Uranus at 7:36pm, a sextile to responsible Saturn at 10:02pm, a sextile to lovely Venus at 10:36pm, a trine to exuberant Jupiter just after midnight, and a sextile to fair-minded Mars at 5:40am Monday. The Moon's going to need all her creative passion tonight!

I like Auntie Moon's blog post for the upcoming New Moon, titled Please Acknowledge Me, and let me say right here how much I enjoy her insightful, creative writing. CJ Wright shines her light on how we can navigate today's transition from a void Moon with a Venus-Saturn focus on the important other people in our lives, to the "look at me!" energy of a Leo Moon.

Look in your birth charts to see where Leo falls. This is the area of life in which we most crave acknowledgment. And here's the key to today's transition, as she says:

"If you haven’t told someone recently just how much you appreciate them ~ those silent, behind-the-scenes people who carry your weight on their shoulders ~ give them a moment in the Leo spotlight by telling them now. You need to tell them, and they need to hear it. Acknowledgement. Appreciation. There’s nothing like it. It always feels good, and it really hurts when it’s missing."

Today's images of the lotus and the hug are available from WikiMedia Commons, and I thank all the wonderful creative folks who share their work through that website!