Disseminating Moon: In Like a Lion!

Takarabune!

Disseminating Moon in Leo
January 1, 2013

Of course, I first typed "2012" in that header, then had to correct for the new year. Here we are, crossing yet another threshold, stepping through another portal, into what promises to be another amazing journey round the Sun.

Calendar time and astrological time don't always mesh gracefully. Yet on January 1, New Year's Day, we step into the Disseminating Moon––the waning phase after the Full Moon when we share out what we've learned, gained, and come to understand.

Since this is the calendar time of new beginnings, resolutions, and good wishes, it's intriguing that the lunar calendar invites us to put into practice all the things we've learned in this lunar cycle, and by extension, the past year.

The Moon's in passionate, creative, playful Leo, which is wonderful because Leo is feisty, fiery and warm, and we're in Capricorn time. The Sun is just slightly past conjunction with deep, deep Pluto, and Juno and Mercury are likewise in Capricorn. Saturn holds steady to his mutual-reception-sextile with Pluto, increasing the rock-hard, iron-fist qualities of cardinal Earth that Capricorn brings.

We're in deep winter here in southern Indiana, with more snow than Chicago or Boston, which, honestly, just isn't right. The weather's got me thinking about Capricorn, and the qualities that sign represents.

Saturn-ruled Capricorn is often described as the quintessential patriarch, the archetypal Father, authoritarian to the max. Capricorn can definitely wear that suit, and it fits well ... but as an Earth sign, Capricorn also carries feminine, or perhaps we might say, yin, energy.

In woman's garb, Capricorn is the Cailleach, the hag of winter who's bones are hard rock, and who can be pitiless in enforcing the laws of nature. This is the Baba Yaga, whose key question when we show up at her door is, "Are you here of your own free will?"

Which isn't a bad question for New Year's. Are we? Are we, wherever we are in our lives, there of our own free will? What does it mean to even ask that question?

The Moon in Leo knows––the Leo Moon, a square-and-a-half from the Cailleach, knows all about free will, and the absolute necessity of personal creative expression.

Within what is frozen, there is a burning ember waiting to ignite. Within the rock, there is gold. At this turning of the year, what commitments will we make to acknowledge the force of the Cailleach, while reaching with courage for the gold that is ours?

Luckily, help is available. Lots of help, always, actually, but I'm thinking of the Takarabune, the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan, whose night this is. Tonight and tomorrow, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, sleep with an image of the ship of these gods under your pillow, and your dreams may show you good fortune to come.

The Leo Moon is squaring the Moon's Nodes, which mark the pathway from the past into the future. A planet squaring the Nodes is said to be a missed step, something we haven't yet done, that may block us from moving forward.

At this Disseminating Moon in Leo, arriving on New Year's Day, we step forward boldly and reach for whatever good luck and good fortune are available to us, carrying these gifts into the coming year with a high heart.
    

Full Moon in Cancer: There's No Place Like Home

home as refuge ...

Full Moon in Cancer
December 28, 2012

Before dawn on Friday, December 28 (EST), the Full Moon in Cancer arrives... which means we're heading into some nights of deep, meaningful dreaming.

Cancer is the Moon's home sign, filled with emotional connection, protectiveness, nurturing, and all traditional values of home and hearth. And since we're living in these amazing times, this Full Moon is also surrounded by transformative energy illuminating questions like: What is home? Where is home? Where do I feel at home?

I'm writing this in the middle of a blizzard that's brought this town and the surrounding counties to a halt. The university and city are closed, only emergency drivers are allowed on the road, and snow is still falling. I am at home, likely to be here through tomorrow at least, and thankful for electricity and internet.  Makes it interesting to be looking at this Full Moon chart.

Let's look at what this Full Moon brings ... At each Full Moon, the Moon and Sun are opposite, looking each other full in the face and paying close attention. This Full Moon happens at 7 Cancer for the Moon and 7 Capricorn for the Sun. Cardinal Water and cardinal Earth, these are two of the most traditional signs of the zodiac.

The Sun is conjunct Pluto, also in Capricorn, and sextile Saturn in Scorpio. Pluto and Saturn remain in mutual reception, residing for now in each other's houses, resonating more deeply than usual. These guys are on the same wavelength, which is one of deep, deep commitment to structure, physical manifestation, and the space-time matrix we inhabit––and also to complete and utter change.

Pluto and Saturn each form inconjuncts to Jupiter who remains retrograde in Gemini––I've written about this yod, this finger of fate, in earlier posts. The fundamental shifts we're experiencing now also call for shifts in our worldview, our philosophy of life.

The Full Moon is aligned with this yod of tectonic, evolutionary change. One of the paradoxes of our manifest world is highlighted for us at this Moon: That change itself is part of life. Our most cherished traditions must change to remain alive. Anything we try to fix in place, forever and ever, becomes dead.

The holders of tradition are strong at this Full Moon––the Moon and Saturn, Cancer and Capricorn––and the wisdom keepers themselves are saying, look, nothing stays the same.

This is not a comfortable place to be.

In some areas of life, we all look for the best kinds of changes. We want to be safer, more secure, more prosperous, happier. We want our children and families to have those things too. We long for a better world, a more peaceful and compassionate one. And yet ... we don't want to give up anything to get there, not really, and we all have something––an idea, a belief, a commitment, something––we do. not. want. to change.

This Full Moon might show us where change is happening anyway.

This edgy relationship we have to "home" is reflected in David Whyte's FB post from this morning. (I love synchronicity.):

Ground
is what lies beneath our feet. It is the place where we already stand; a state of recognition, the place or the circumstances to which we belong whether we wish to or not. It is what holds and supports us, but also what we do not want to be true; it is what challenges us, physically or psychologically, irrespective of our abstract needs. It is the living, underlying foundation that tells us where we are, what season it is and what is about to happen, To come to ground is to find a home in circumstances and to face the truth, no matter how difficult that truth may be; to come to ground is to begin to step into difficulty and through all difficulty…

From the Forthcoming Essay “Ground”
© David Whyte 

So, check where this Full Moon falls in your chart, which houses the Sun and Moon are in, and which planets in your chart are aspected. This will likely point to places in your life where basic assumptions, things assumed to be always true, and what you count on to stay the same, might be shifting.

The intent of this Full Moon is not to leave us homeless or ungrounded. Instead, it's meant to show us that this life is more ark than fortress, more journey than staying put. We carry "home" with us wherever we go. Change is growth is life.
     

Gibbous Moon: Welcoming Transformation

the Capricorn Sun?

Gibbous Moon in Taurus
December 24, 2012

A few days ago, I wrote about getting in touch with our birth charts, finding where the growth points are, and learning which transits of planets through signs are likely to affect us the most.

This learning process is a great reason to follow the Moon, who some astrologers slight because she changes so quickly––we live in the moments of those quick changes, and our experiences are right there for us to feel and relate to.

Christmas Eve brings the Gibbous Moon, the square-and-a-half between the Sun and Moon. This sesquiquadrate is an edgy aspect pattern, and the Gibbous Moon is often a challenge before we reach the illumination of the Full Moon.

This Gibbous Moon certainly carries its share of challenge: The Sun in hard-driving Capricorn is squaring revolutionary Uranus, a classic encounter between an immovable object and an irresistible force. We could feel really pushed today, pushed hard.

But me, I feel happy. In the spirit of Christmas and the mysteries of the Moon, I'll tell you why. The Moon is our mama, and we all know if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy––under these aspects, my Moon is happy.

Here's how it works for me, as an example, and to encourage you to get to know your Moon mama better: My Moon is in Virgo; at 0 degrees of Virgo, in fact, which makes her anxious. Then, looming over my Moon is my natal Pluto, and together they're right at my Ascendant.

Astrologers out there are already saying "ouch" and for everyone else, this means I often feel insecure, anxious, inept, and so on ... and yes, I know many people who know me won't believe that. I also have Leo rising, who puts up a good front, but believe me, my Moon can be a jumpy, unhappy place.

... Except when the transiting Moon's in Taurus, which (for several astrological reasons) feels wonderful to me.

With a Taurus Moon, I feel content, peaceful, blissed out. I feel the wonderfulness of the world, its abundance, its myriad marvels.

When the Sun's in Capricorn, trining my anxious Moon, I feel more capable, more powerful, more energized. This is how it works for me.

It's not all sweetness and light in the sky or my birth chart: That same Capricorn Sun strengthening my Virgo Moon every Winter's Solstice also squares my Libra Sun.

This year's Gibbous Moon brings my Sun front and center into a T-square with the Sun and Uranus, telling me in a very pointed way to revolutionize my life. I'm working on it, I promise (I keep muttering this...).

Still, my Moon mama is happy. It all looks possible, and doesn't need to happen today, no matter how pushy Uranus gets.

It will happen, though: The Capricorn Sun is moving toward conjunction with transformative Pluto, who holds to his sextile with Saturn, they're still in mutual reception, and still forming a yod with Jupiter. The phoenix is about to flame up, to rise again.

My absolutely favorite tale from this time of year is Dicken's A Christmas Carol, a story I feel a deep, abiding connection to. The Capricorn Sun can be a real Scrooge––a grasping, squeezing, covetous old sinner. This energy embodies everything we like least about a season that gets commercialized, overspent, overstuffed, and still somehow never enough.

On the night of this Gibbous Moon, Christmas Eve, Capricornian Scrooge will go through the fire, encountering (with the help of Pluto and Saturn) the dark side of his greed and lack of compassion. We all have this chance to be remade, we're all invited to walk abroad with the spirits.

When the transiting Moon's in Taurus, I am confident in the redemptive powers of insight and compassion. Here, have something heartening and sweet for your journey. It could be a long night, I know it will be a magical one, and we'll awaken to a wonderfully magical birth.
    

Winter Solstice: Finding Alignment

Newgrange spirals

Winter Solstice
December 21, 2012

In astrology, the Winter Solstice happens when the Sun enters Capricorn, cardinal Earth. The Sun goes to ground, so to speak, standing still for about three days before turning back from decline and beginning to rise higher in the sky once again.

Since the time is marked by the Sun's entry into Capricorn, the astrological solstice does not always fall on December 21. This year, it does, arriving just before dawn, Eastern Standard Time.

Much has been said about this December 21, and much written. Here, I'll focus on the astrology of this day––which is compelling in its own way, though not (in my view) catastrophic.

Throughout this Solstice chart, we see a combination of the mystical and the practical. The Sun at 0 Capricorn, the workhorse of the zodiac, sextiles Neptune at 0 Pisces, the zodiac at its most visionary. The Sun in conjunct Juno, the goddess focused on justice and social contracts. Neptune is conjunct Chiron, the wounded healer and mentor.

We see pragmatic action grounded in reality connecting to the deepest, widest, broadest, craziest, most impossible dreams we can dream.

There's energy here too, a wild fiery blending of mind and heart: The Solstice Moon rides through the middle of Aries, cardinal Fire, making a flowing trine to Mercury in Sagittarius.

Here we have emotions and thoughts flaming together, moving confidently into new territory.

Then the heavy hitters, bringing gravitas to the celebration: Saturn and Pluto form a tight sextile, made more powerful by their mutual reception. These two share energy because they're 60 degrees apart, and because each travels through the sign ruled by the other.

Saturn, that bastion of responsibility, practicality and hard work, is at his most mysterious and magical in Scorpio. This Saturn has hidden depths, doesn't miss a trick, and seems to know everything.

Pluto, lord of the depths, is at his most comprehensively thorough in Capricorn. He leaves no stone unturned; in fact, he's moving continents.

The only question with these two working together is, can we stand it? Can we look unflinching at the secrets uncovered? Can we look truth in the face and go toe to toe with Goliath? This is a real question, not a rhetorical one, and the Solstice chart says we're still thinking about it.

Saturn and Pluto are each inconjunct Jupiter, forming yet another yod or finger of fate. The pattern is especially strong today, with all three less than a degree apart in each sign.

So, Saturn and Pluto join power, making Jupiter really uncomfortable. Can we be sure of anything in these times? What do we really know? Jupiter is retrograde in Gemini, remember, and much less sure of himself than usual. The philosopher-sage has a lot on his mind.

The yod aspect always points to a place where we need to make adjustments––this yod, combining as it does, Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter, points to big adjustments. The answer to the problem posed by a yod is said to lie underneath the apex––and there we see Venus, generously optimistic in Sagittarius.

Venus is personal. She's creative and relational. She's clever, holding her own in debate while never losing sight of the human aspects of a situation. You remember the slogan, the personal is political? This Venus, resting opposite Jupiter, poised between Saturn and Pluto, might be telling us the political is personal––or perhaps challenging us to realize this.

Another way to express this might be to say that what we do and how we do it, say more about who we are than what we say. If our actions are already aligned with our values, this is comforting. If they're not, well, it's going to feel a bit awkward until we get things lined up better.

At the Winter Solstice, at Newgrange in Ireland, the Sun pierces deep into a stone tunnel carved with spirals and other drawings. Just one day each year, a shaft of light illuminates this shadowed spot. We don't know what––or who––might have been placed in the niche at the end of the passage. We don't know what significance the ancients attached to this.

Yet there's a long waiting list, to be one of the few allowed in to see this Solstice light. We've all got those dark places in need of insight and healing. We've all got unanswered questions. We look to the Solstice Sun to show us, not everything, but the next thing.
    

First Quarter Moon: Manifesting Our Dreams

balanced

First Quarter Moon in Pisces
December 20, 2012

The First Quarter square challenges us: Are we ready to embrace what the New Moon is bringing us?

The Sun will be at the end of bright, active, optimistic, yang Sagittarius ... the Moon will be at the end of reflective, dreamy, visionary, yin Pisces. We're poised at a moment when yin and yang are equally strong, and very different. This is a mutable square, though, which brings flexibility––there are options here.

This First Quarter Moon wants action. The Moon herself holds tight to her dreams (and mine have been weirdly interesting these last few days). She will stay true to her vision. Around her, we see energies saying, "OK, what's the next step? What can we do?"

Venus trines Uranus, both in Fire. Creative action, surprising events, new perspectives in relationships, finances and our value systems. Sometimes we take trines for granted, but with Venus and Uranus flaming in Sagittarius and Aries, we're not likely to miss this jolt of energy.

The tragedy in Newtown, CT is opening conversations everywhere about violence, guns, young men in need of support, the mental health system, and the safety of children worldwide.

With tomorrow's First Quarter, we may find ourselves changing, feeling a new sense of clarity and commitment around the issues and values closest to home for us.

Mars in determined Capricorn will trine the South Node and sextile the North Node. Here's the action point.

Once our values and commitments become clear, Mars will push for concrete steps forward to address long-standing problems from the past and move toward a better future.

Mars and the North Node will create a yod, a finger of fate, pointing right at Ceres in late Gemini. Ceres, the goddess we know better as Demeter, is the fiercely protective face of the mother. She will do anything to protect her children, and stop at nothing to get there.

The answer to the yod lies underneath the apex, and opposite Ceres we see the Sagittarian Sun. Again, we're called forward into action, not in despair but with confidence that the world is good, people can be loving and want to be loved, and the abundance of life surrounds us with grace.

Some days it's hard to be with Sagittarius. Some days we grieve with the Pisces Moon, feeling deeply every loss, every pain. This feeling is part of the First Quarter Moon too. The challenge is to feel what we feel, mourn our losses, and still move forward into wholeness.
    

Finding Our Growth Points

point of contact

Sensitive places in our birth charts

At each New Moon, I point all of us to our birth charts, to learn where the New Moon will fall and therefore how it might touch our charts. This Sagittarius New Moon cycle feels like a good time to say more about how that works.

Everyone has a birth chart, and everyone's chart is at least slightly different. The closest charts, of course, will be those of twins (and other multiple birth babies) born in the same location mere minutes apart.

To create a birth chart, we need the date, time and location. Here's Michelangelo's chart, just to show that time is no barrier as long as the information is available.

More often than you'd think, the exact time of birth is unknown. In such cases, there are complicated ways to figure out what the most likely time of birth was. There are some easier seat-of-the-pants ways, which are the only ones I know, but true chart rectification (as it's called) is a specialty all its own.

So, one way or another, you get your chart. It looks complicated. It IS complicated. Each of us is uniquely and wonderfully complex and why shouldn't our charts reflect that?

Over time––getting a chart reading from an astrologer you like, reading on your own––you begin to learn your way around your chart. My sun in Libra in the Second House, my Virgo Moon conjunct my Ascendant and Pluto, my Mercury-Neptune conjunction in the Third, all offer pictures and ideas about who and why I am that help me understand and respond to life in interesting ways.

The real proof of the pudding, though, is what my chart can tell me about what's happening in my life right now.

To get to that kind of insight, I need to (1) have my birth chart somewhere I can easily get to it ... i.e., on my computer, (2) pay some attention at least some of the time to what's happening in the sky, astrologically, and (3) connect those two together.

I don't do this every moment of every day. Really, I don't. I also get confused and sometime make mistakes when answering off the cuff questions, like suggesting an evening planet was probably Venus when she's appearing in the morning sky these days. (The planet in question was Jupiter.)

But I do pay attention, and when things come together in a particular way, I learn something.

Real life example: Michelle Suzanne creates a weekly podcast for Sasstrology which I've been following and like. She described the now-happening shift of Venus into Sagittarius as possibly leading to a feeling of never having enough––Sagittarius being about, among other things, always wanting more, and Venus being about our relationships, creativity, money and values.

Now, I'd never quite thought of Venus in Sagittarius that way, but the ides caught my attention. Sure enough, on the day of the shift (without immediately realizing this was happening), I found myself sinking into one of those never-good-enough morasses.

Then, the astrological light went on––Venus at 0 Sag was squaring my Moon at 0 Virgo! Any time anything went through 0 Sag, this would happen, and since Virgo Moon are notoriously self critical, this is suddenly no surprise.

Astrology in that moment offered me a shift (which is why I like it). Yes, I was feeling very not-all-that, and now I could ask myself why and how that was happening. What did I want that was missing from my life? How could I engage Venus and the Moon, Sagittarius and Virgo, to either help me get it, or let it go?

Are there other ways to do this? Sure there are, and they work just fine. Astrology happens to work for me, and is also fun.

I'm available for chart readings! Chart readings make lovely gifts, this being the gift season and all. Readings are a wonderful way to open the door into your chart, an intriguing way to get you know your wonderfully, magically unique self.
    

Crescent Moon: How Do We Know?

Crescent Moon in Aquarius
December 16, 2012

Writing in the US this morning, I first acknowledge our grief over the loss of young children and the adults protecting them in Newtown, CT. As a mother, an educator, and a human being, my heart goes out to everyone who lost someone yesterday and to the community. May we all support each other with kindness, compassion, sensitivity, and love.

As an astrologer, and someone who works with oracles, I point to the primacy of choice. No, we can't predict specific events with any certainty. We live in a world of probabilities, possibilities, and choices. We are actors, choosers, co-creating our lives and fates.

Astrology offers a context, a framework for helping us understand, approach and solve problems. With that in mind, I offer some astrological comments about this tragedy, and where the energies seem to be moving.

Uranus the Awakener stationed direct Thursday night and is now moving forward after five months retrograde. This alone suggests the possibility of a shocking event that shifts our perceptions.

For the overwhelming majority of us, this tragedy is experienced as perception and information. To those who lost loved ones, to those who survived and now look for a way back, I offer my deepest compassion, as inadequate as that is. The rest of us are responding to news.

Astrologically, then, we have Mercury, who is mind and communication, trining Uranus and squaring Neptune and Chiron––news that galvanizes and changes us, wounds us, holds out possibilities of healing, and is also confusing.

Thus far, the news reports have confused the identity of the young man who committed these crimes with his brother, and confused the relationship between the killer, his mother, and the school. The brother and father were reported dead, and are not. Information about the young man is uncertain, unclear. There is no clear motive.

At the same time, we're at the beginning of a Sagittarius New Moon, with Mercury also in Sagittarius. The shadow side of Sagittarius is knowing it all, and in that certainty, being more than ready to set everyone straight.

Touching on hot-button political issues, we've already seen pronouncements from analysts, writers, bloggers, tweeters, and posters on Facebook about the need to instantly enact gun control, and about the complete irrelevance of gun control. We're seeing posts on the need to lock away anyone showing any sign of mental imbalance, the need to stop the administration of psychoactive drugs, the need to increase treatment for mental and emotional issues. Many of these are expressed with absolute certainty, some with outrage, and some with outright vitriol.

Right now, we don't know what happened. We certainly don't know why. We may never be certain. What I do know is that immediately staking out a position will not help us find solutions.

There's lots of evidence that the easy availability of really powerful guns in this country increases the probability that violence will be deadly. And gun control will not magically end violence.

There's plenty of evidence that the mental health system in our country is broken. Drugs seem an easy option. They're also the only option when residential programs are few and far between. Young men are the hardest population to find good care for, hands down. It's easy to call for this to be fixed and much harder to vote for spending to fix it, not to mention finding solutions that work.

What I'm saying is that being shocked out of our complacency is only the first step to solving deeply entrenched, complex problems.

Tomorrow's Crescent Moon brings the first glimmers of light on whatever was initiated at the New Moon. This Crescent Moon is in cool, cerebral Aquarius, the sign best able to step back, take in the big picture, and makes plans that are comprehensive as well as calm.

The Moon trines Jupiter, retrograde in Gemini, an easy flow of energy that supports reflection instead of snap judgements, exploration instead of certainty.

Meanwhile, Mercury opposes Jupiter, an interesting challenge as they are in mutual reception: Mercury in Jupiter's home sign of Sagittarius, and Jupiter in Mercury's Gemini. One aspect of this mutual reception is that it places each planet in the sign of its detriment, where they are uneasy, not at home. This also supports reflection, careful examination of facts and situations, and calls into question what we thought we were so sure of.

The Sagittarian Sun squares Pallas Athena, another voice for calm, consideration, and what is best for society. The Sun is also conjunct Juno, champion of what was fair and just.

At this Crescent Moon, Venus shifts from shadowy Scorpio into bright Sagittarius. Venus represents our values as well as our relationships. Now, the things we (hopefully) learned while in the depths, can be brought into the light of consciousness. We look at the implications of what we know, how it changes our lives and our world.

This is a good time to look at our certainties. Avoiding pulpits and soapboxes, we reflect on what is true for us, and how it informs how we live our lives. In the face of terrible loss, we can appreciate––more than that, we can love––what we have, and cherish this precious life.
    

New Moon: Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!

meteors! (the Geminids)

New Moon in Sagittarius
December 13, 2012

Oh, Sagittarius ... expansive, generous, hospitable, liberal-minded, open-handed, open-hearted. This is a New Moon to align with the lottery winner within, the energy of good luck, grace, and good will.

Sagittarius lives large, knows it all, has a system sure to work, bites off more than he can chew and swallows it anyway.

Where Sagittarius lives in our charts, we experience good luck and grace, and look out for inflation and smugness. Set your intentions accordingly!

This particular, special, one-of-a-kind Sagittarian New Moon is all about what we know: information, messages, intuition. Why do I say that?

Mercury is also in Sagittarius, just about to emerge from his retrograde shadow. In other words, he's almost at the point when he turned back, in November, and revisited Scorpio. So, he's gaining clarity and surging forward.

Mercury is trining Uranus, the Awakener, in fiery Aries. Just that alone points to big messages heading our way ... but wait, Uranus is stationing, and turns direct just a few hours after the New Moon. Take about forward momentum!

So, Mercury, the energy of our human minds and communications, is moving into new territory while signalling a major revolutionary Uranian shift.

Mercury is a busy lad at this New Moon––he also squares Neptune and Chiron, who have their own messages to impart.

Neptune can be misty, diffuse, hard to get a handle on, especially in Pisces. Think of the Mercury square, accompanied by a semisextile from Uranus, as a bright flashlight shining through the Neptunian fog, offering moments of clarity.

All this information is offered in support of our transformation, and our world's. Saturn and Pluto are sextile, pushing, pushing, pushing us to fix what we know is broke.

The tree-topper is a yod, a finger of fate. As Saturn and Pluto sextile each other, they form awkward inconjuncts to Jupiter, still retrograde in Gemini. What is this? The ruler of the New Moon remains reflective and thoughtful, still exploring inner structures and philosophies to be certain sure they're right––for us, for our times, for our needs.

The answer to a yod lies between the sextile corners and there we find ... Sagittarius. 

We're reminded that the New Moon is a seed time, a dark time. We can feel the surges of energy, we're tantalizingly close to a new place of clarity, and we're not quite there yet. We're invited to trust, to welcome grace, and to celebrate what will come, without knowing exactly what it looks like.

The Geminid meteor shower for 2012 peaks on the night of this New Moon. In the darkness, we see bright light showering down on us. Nice metaphor? Maybe... Nice message!
    

Soon, the New Moon

planting with the Moon!

Preparing for the New Moon in Sagittarius
Arriving December 13, 2012

We're in the Scorpio Balsamic, let's clean out the gunk, time now ... a great time to peek ahead, imagine the blaze of light to come (soon, very soon) and align with the best in all of that.

Which is a fancy way of saying, we've got something to look forward to!

First, some background on New Moons: Each lunar month, the Sun and Moon meet at the same position in the zodiac. Astrologically, they're conjunct. At this point, the energies of the two luminaries, the lights in our sky, join up, energizing the same point. This merging of energies happens in the dark. The Moon and Sun rise and set at the same time, leaving the night sky empty.

The burst of energy happening in darkness makes each New Moon a seed time, a moment when the cosmos starts something new. Seeds germinate in the dark, so what will emerge is a mystery. We get clues about this mystery by looking at the sign and degree of the New Moon, and the aspect patterns that surround it. This can tell us a lot about what each New Moon will bring.

Of course, our interest tends to focus on our own lives––what will the New Moon bring to me? This is where your birth chart comes in. Knowing how each New Moon will touch your chart, by sign, degree, and house, tells you what might emerge for you.

If you need a copy of your birth chart, go here: Astro-com Birth Data Entry It's free.

Then compare your chart with the New Moon chart. Where does 21 degrees of Sagittarius fall in your chart? What else in this New Moon chart is touching your chart?

Once you have some ideas about that, the New Moon becomes a time for wishing. We set intentions, listen to dreams, explore oracles, and plant seeds.

For me, this is a lunar, magical, co-creative process. I partner with what's already happening. I avoid asserting willfully what I want, and instead explore what is being offered, and how I can best align with that.

WAIT for the New Moon to make wishes. Remember that until the New Moon arrives, the Moon is waning, releasing, letting go. You want to plant your seeds when the Moon begins growing again. The first three days after the New Moon are best, and your own process will be strongest for you.

What about the Galactic Alignment? You may have heard that the world is about to end, described in a variety of scenarios, one of which is a galactic alignment happening on or around the Solstice. So, wishing for stuff might feel a bit ... superfluous.

It turns out that the galactic alignment concept––the apocalyptic one, anyway––doesn't hold up either astronomically or astrologically.

Our Milky Way galaxy has a massively huge black hole in its center. This black hole is named Sagittarius A and, astrologically speaking, falls at about 26 Sagittarius, give or take, since it's really, really, really, really big.

the Milky Way

So, one way of thinking about galactic alignment is to say, when does the Sun (or Moon or any other body or point) reach 26 Sag? This kind of alignment happens once a year for the Sun, once a month for the Moon, and so on for everything else relative to its orbit.

If we look at "alignment" this way, which in astrology is a conjunction, then the Dec 13 New Moon conjuncts the galactic center, being only 5 degrees away, and therefore well placed to transit not radiation to destroy us, but information to enlighten us. This is way cool.

The dire end-of-world predictions are mostly talking about a different kind of alignment, either actually crossing the real galactic plan, or crossing the galactic equator. (Sometimes it's hard to tell.)

Our solar system is way far from the actual galactic plane and will not cross it any time soon. The Earth crosses the galactic equator twice every year, and will continue to do so. If the Earth comes to an end any time soon, it won't be due to this event. Here's the science on that.

What's happening seems to be a confusion between science and symbol. One aspect of this muddle is the idea that this year, crossing the galactic equator coincides with the Winter Solstice––which it doesn't, precisely, as the closest lineup of crossing and solstice happened back in 1998.

We do live in an era when the solstice and crossing the galactic equator are closer than at other times in history. And, given some of the other amazing transits we've got (notably the Pluto–Uranus square), we're living in an incredibly transformative time.

I just don't see any evidence the Earth is going to be zapped out of existence while crossing the galactic equator near the Winter Solstice.

Back to the New Moon. This Sagittarian New Moon will be offering amazing, optimistic, philosophical, adventurous, liberating energy. The biggest challenge will be staying within our limits, since this is a no-boundaries kind of Moon ... we'll look to Saturn for help with that one.

More on the special qualities of the New Moon, tomorrow!
     

Balsamic Moon: Past is Prologue

a clean sweep

Balsamic Moon in Scorpio
December 9, 2012

Today, we enjoy the balanced, lovely Libra Moon. Tomorrow ... well, tomorrow, we reach the Balsamic Moon.

This half-a-square (semisquare) between Moon and Sun ushers in the final phase of a powerful lunar cycle that began in Scorpio, and brought us so much of this shadowy, deep, insightful, obsessive, relentless, passionate, psychic sign's energy.

Look at the Balsamic Moon chart. Note the rather large emphasis in Scorpio: Mercury, North Node and Venus together. Moon and Saturn together, trining Neptune and Chiron in Pisces. The Sun is valiantly trying to stay alight and upbeat in Sagittarius, but we're swimming in deep waters here.

What's past is prologue, a line from Shakespeare's The Tempest, neatly captures the feelings of this turning. Often quoted to show the value of understanding the past, in the play, it's actually said to justify evil––Antonio tells Sebastian, in effect, they are prisoners of the past and can't be other than they are.

Which is it? Scorpio, more than any other sign, looks at both sides of every coin, then bites to test its value.

Yes, we live out patterns, habits, choices we made in the past. Yes, we are influenced by choices others made in the past––ancestors, leaders, sometimes random people whose lives touched ours. Does that make us prisoners? Scorpio would say, decisively, no.

Yet, the route to freedom is neither easy nor well lit. At this Balsamic Moon, we're invited to look into the dark corners of our lives. We've been through intense transformations lately (and are still, this is ongoing). All those dramatic shifts have shaken things loose. It's time to take inventory and sweep out the corners.

What things do you know, really, deeply know, it's time to let go of? With Moon and Saturn conjunct, there's no shirking, no pretending you didn't notice or hadn't realized. No big eyes and innocent manner. Bad habits, worn out ideas, stuff you don't use, relationships that drain you ... now's the time.

The coming New Moon is in generous, optimistic, philosophical Sagittarius. Mercury will have moved back into Sag by then, helping shift the energy into celebration and gratitude. Hold on to that thought, the idea of a new beginning in the sign of Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Present, the giant who freely gives the milk of human kindness to all.

For the next few days, we finish the alchemical work we began at the Scorpio New Moon, cleaning up messes, learning from any failed experiments, holding tight to the philosopher's stone of our successes, preparing the way for what is to come.
    

Last Quarter Moon: What Works?

the open door

Last Quarter Moon in Virgo
Thursday, December 6, 2012

At the Last Quarter, the Moon and Sun square each other, a challenge of information and decision. We're turning a corner here, moving from the illumination and fireworks of the Full Moon toward the quiet darkness of the New. As we approach the sharp corner of this Sun–Moon square, what are we needing to see?

The Sun continues his journey through philosophically adventurous Sagittarius. The Moon will be squaring from carefully anxious Virgo.

Sagittarius can feel held back by Virgo's nit-picky attention to detail and endless need for reassurance. A little Virgoan carefulness can keep Sagittarius from stepping off a cliff. Where are you in this balance between adventure and planning?

At first glance, the support is clearly on the side of taking action. The Moon makes an exact (and I mean exact) trine to Mars in Capricorn at the Last Quarter, which means the Sun and Mars are exactly semisextile.

Mars is the action planet, and Capricorn says, point me at the goal and let's move that mountain. And yet, Capricorn is nothing if not organized, the sign of planning your work and working your plan. The message here is, take action with a plan, not in spite of one.

And look ... Vesta, goddess of home and hearth, is opposite the Sun and square the Moon, offering a T-square that balances the safety and honor of home against the strong pull of the open road. Once again, we see the both/and.

So, this can be a corny idea. Remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Nick Portokalos: Don't let your past dictate who you are, but let it be part of who you will become.
Toula Portokalos: Nick, that's beautiful.
Nick Portokalos: Yeah, that dear Abby really knows what she's talking about.

In spite of the humor, there's truth there, and Toula hears it. Sagittarius and Virgo are, after all, mutable signs––they don't need to hit us over the head.

Mars in Capricorn, now, he might hit us over the head, so maybe part of the message of this Last Quarter Moon is to find the balance––between adventure and safety, planning and spontaneity, close to home and far away, planning and doing––and then take the next step.
    

Disseminating Moon: Gently

Peasant Woman Cooking by a Fire – Van Gogh

Disseminating Moon in Cancer
December 2, 2012

Today's Disseminating Moon rests in her home sign of Cancer, a wonderful day for hot chocolate, warm fires, good books, and hugs. That's my choice, anyway, because outside it's raw, chilly, grey and rainy––opposites that capture this Moon.

The waxing cycle we just completed (survived?), from the Scorpio New Moon to the Gemini Full Moon, both with eclipses, was something for the record books. Now we're past the Full, the dust is settling, and we're wondering what it was we were trying to do, just before it all got crazy.

At the Disseminating Moon, the Sun and Moon are sesquiquadrate, a square and a half, an edgy angle that has a bit of "WTF?" in it. Today's Disseminating Moon is gentler, with a quirky sense of humor: the Sun's in optimistic Sagittarius, leaving the high-energy trine with Uranus behind, and the Moon (as I mentioned) hiding in her Cancerian castle. They're not quite on the same wavelength, but can still talk.

The Moon today trines the North Node in Scorpio, who is conjunct Mercury in Scorpio, and sextiles the South Node––messages from the past, from home, from our inner knowing help inform our next steps on the life path. Or maybe we get some rest, if only for a day or so!

There's a new Grand Trine in Water today, anchored by that same Moon, including the North Node and Pallas Athena in dreamy Pisces. Again, we see messages that combine head and heart, the logical and the visionary, flowing into our next steps.

This idea of balancing head and heart comes up again, in a yod (finger of fate) which also includes the Moon and the South Node, pointing at Juno in Sagttarius. Yes, we're going forward, yes, we're excited about what's just over the horizon, and sure, we need advice from the past––our past, the deep past, the body. OK, we promise to listen this time.

There is some tension around getting things done vs. stopping to listen: As the Sun and Moon are sesquiquadrate, so Pluto and Mars in just-do-it Capricorn are sesquiquadrate the South Node. There are needs out there in the world that urgently call for action. What are we doing about it?

And yet it all comes back to that Moon in Cancer... sometimes we all need a little down time, a chance to take a breath, check our supplies, review the plan.

Today is that day.
    

Full Moon in Gemini: The Union of Opposites

alchemical union

Full Moon in Gemini with Lunar Eclipse
November 28, 2012

Oh, it's been an amazing two weeks, this trip from New Scorpio Moon to Full, solar eclipse to lunar. What was planted in the dark soil of the New Moon will come to light at the Full––except when we're in an eclipse season, all timelines lengthen and we enter a new, much larger cycle.

This is the Full Moon in Gemini, the Moon at 6 Gemini and the Sun at 6 Sagittarius. We're spanning the cosmos, with Gemini breadth and Sagittarian depth. Anything can happen, and all bets are off.

In the ordinary way, this would be a light-hearted Full Moon––Gemini and Sagittarius being the most optimistic of signs, generous, liberal-minded, and looking on the bright side.

Yet the times are challenging, and celebrations reflect this. We might feel the giddy relief of a near-escape, relaxation after having squeaked through something. We might feel deep gratitude at what we have, knowing how chancy this world can be. Optimism, yes, but with an edge, an awareness that it could be otherwise.

Jupiter the philosopher is conjunct this Full Moon, opposing in the Sun in his Sagittarian home. Since the great sage is still retrograde, he brings thoughtfulness and questioning that shift this Moon out of easy, hail-fellow-well-met territory.

And there are challenging aspects a-plenty. The Full Moon is squared by Chiron and Neptune, creating a T-square in the mutable, flexible signs. This also adds visionary depth, an awareness of past wounds, and the potential for healing.

The Chiron–Neptune square connects the Full Moon to the ongoing Grand Water Trine, holding on as Ceres retrogrades away, still within reach. At the Full Moon, Saturn is joined by Venus in Scorpio, a powerful combination that brings us to the alchemical image for this Full Moon: the coniunctio, or sacred marriage.

The culmination of alchemical transformation is this sacred union of opposites, the joining of the male and female.

But (I hear you say) the Sun and Moon are opposite each other when the Moon is Full, not joined. True––this union is one that recognizes the value and uniqueness of each, emphasized in the opposition of the Full Moon.

The coniunctio is sometimes described as the marriage of the red king and white queen, and here we see the Sun in a Fire sign and the Moon in Air.

This is not patriarchal dominance, but a true joining, yin and yang, Shiva and Shakti. Within ourselves, we realize and experience the melding of polarities into a magical one greater than its parts.

This Full Moon is at the apex of a yod filled to the brim with transformative energy: Mars and Pluto conjunct in Capricorn, masculine strength and power, form a sextile with Venus and Saturn conjunct in Scorpio, feminine strength and power, as each pair is inconjunct the Moon.

This uncomfortable set of connections demands resolution, and the answer to a yod lies in what is opposite the apex: In this case, the Sun in Sagittarius. As we embrace our opposites, we are transformed.

The Sun, after all, is catching a fiery trine from Uranus, who pours energy into revolutionary individuation. Uranus is sextiling the Moon, flowing energy both ways.

And now we've brought Uranus into the picture, we see he is forming the base of another yod, in which he and the Moon point at Venus and Saturn. We've looped back around to the melding of masculine and feminine (Venus and Saturn) in alchemical Scorpio. The answer to this yod lies in the sign of Taurus, Venus' sensual and practical daytime home.

As always, look to the house in which the Full Moon falls to see which areas of life are most likely to be illuminate now. Check out any planets in and around 6 degrees, especially those in the early degrees of the mutable signs. Where has change been coming into your life, invited or not? Where have you needed to adjust, or completely remake, your responses? These also are areas affected by the Full Moon.

How can we not be transformed? Surrounded by these energies, the best course is to dive in, go with the flow, follow the muses, and hope for the best. Whatever emerges is bound to be amazing.
    

Gibbous Moon: Citrinitas

golden light

Gibbous Moon in Aries
November 24, 2012

Today's Gibbous Moon, which arrived first thing this morning, shines light on where we are in the alchemical soup. The waxing Moon is brighter in the sky, leading into the Full Moon and lunar eclipse. This eclipse will complete the two-week intensity from eclipse to eclipse we're now in, the last eclipse of this calendar year.

What do we see now we didn't see before?

Alchemy continues to be an apt framework for this magically mysterious Scorpio New Moon cycle. In the ancient system, the next stage is the citrinitas, the yellow or golden stage. New light dawns, the solar light within. Something inside lights up; we see things in new ways.

A few days ago, the Sun moved from Scorpio's depths into the optimistic glow of Sagittarius. Today's Gibbous Moon shows the Sun trining the flames of Uranus in Aries, while sesquiquadrate (a square and a half) the Moon also in Aries. A lot of Fire!

During eclipse times, information flows––messages from the outer world, secrets uncovered, inner realizations are all heightened now. The Fire of this Gibbous Moon pushes us to look at where we are. Is there something we need to embrace? Is there something we need to face up to?

Later alchemical texts often omit the citrinitas, moving directly from black to white to red. Jung, however, associated citrinitas with the archetype of the senex, the wise elder. This Gibbous Moon, our citrinitas, focuses our attention on the senex who in astrology is Saturn.

The Grand Trine in Water still flows. At this Moon, we see Ceres in Cancer trining Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, trining Saturn in Scorpio who now is joined by Venus. Underneath the solar brightness of Sun, Moon and Uranus in Fire, the depths of emotional, ancestral and intuitive knowledge sustains us.

So, another question asked at this time is, how's our relationship with the wise elder, both within and without? Where have we become fixed, sedentary, pedantic, or heavy handed? Or, where are we encountering maturity, wisdom, the voice of experience, the awareness of time ... and are we listening?

If we need an additional reminder (or push) to look at our relationship to wisdom and authority, the asteroid goddesses form another pattern: While Ceres participates in the Grand Water Trine, we see Juno, Athena and Vesta in a T-square.

Juno, who stands for the strength of family bonds and commitments, is in philosophical Sagittarius. She opposes Vesta, keeper of the hearth at the center of each home, in Gemini. Both are squared by Athena, who raises the standard for learning, tradition and the rule of law, now in visionary Pisces.

Each of these three goddesses embodies a certain kind of relating, a way to understand who we are in society (Athena), in our extended family (Juno) and in the center of our homes (Vesta). Venus conjunct Saturn in Scorpio hold up a mirror, asking us to look at our relationships, how we define them, and whether they're working well.

This exploration of alchemy and archetypes might seem esoteric and theoretical. It sounds nicely mysterious, but what does it mean? Here's an example:

I'm living with Saturn in a serious way. My second Saturn return arrives in two weeks, which means, among other things, that my Saturn is in Scorpio and has been receiving aspects from everyone else moving through Scorpio these last weeks.

Living alone for the last several years, I've been working with Pema Chödrön's approach of staying with discomfort to learn from the very things we normally try to ignore. I don't do this every day, mind you, but I do give it a try.

For a variety of reasons, I've been feeling very alone lately. Not lonely, exactly, but alone. I like to think I'm mostly OK with this. I am, after all, introverted and generally happy in my own company. This morning, I realized (while doing my morning tai chi, so, out of nowhere, more or less) that I am most uncomfortable being alone as I fall asleep at night, and as I wake in the morning. This explains, in a new and interesting way, why I often feel compelled to get online first thing in the morning, even when I know I have other priorities and Facebook is a great evaporator of time.

Not an earth-shattering insight, and perhaps even a "duh" moment––but it tells me something about myself I didn't know before, that illuminates my behavior and opens a space for change. This is about my relationship to Saturn as senex, the hermit living alone. For what it's worth, I'm here blogging this morning, but haven't yet checked any of my other online accounts.

The Full Moon is on her way. Illuminations now, major or minor, comfortable or un, help us prepare for the greater illumination to come.
    

First Quarter Moon: A Light Appears

golden seams: mending cracks with gold

First Quarter Moon in Aquarius
November 20, 2012

The rich symbolism of alchemy weaves itself through the sky patterns of this Scorpio New Moon cycle. With the First Quarter Moon, the challenge in square between the Moon and Sun, we move from the total darkness of the nigredo into the light of albedo; literally, from darkness into light.

The Moon shines in the sky again, and the sea changes wrought in this powerful cycle begin to show themselves. The work is only beginning––this is, after all, a challenging phase, and we are in the stubborn arena of the fixed signs. Yet transformation is in the air, the water, the earth around us. We can't escape, so we might as well dive in.

The albedo is the stage of washing, of purification. The seven metals of alchemy correspond to the seven planets of classical times, so as we purify alchemical metals, we also purify the planets and their energies. Psychologically, we cleanse ourselves, our souls, the doors of our perceptions.

The Sun is in magical Scorpio, still conjunct the North Node path of destiny and Mercury now retrograded back into Scorpio: Illumination of the inner journey.

The Moon is in visionary Aquarius, conjunct Neptune and Chiron, challenging the inward focus of Scorpio: What are the community-wide, indeed, cosmos-wide implications of my personal journey?

Meanwhile, The Grand Trine in Water still holds sway, emphasized by the presence of the Moon and the square from the Sun. Saturn, Ceres, Neptune and Chiron in trine, conjunct the Moon and challenged by the Sun. It's not enough to achieve personal insights. What are we doing with what we've seen? Are we changing ourselves? Are we changing our world?

You know, we look at these charts as transit charts, about what's happening in the sky right now and how it affects us. I keep thinking about these as possible (actual, for someone) birth charts: Children born during this time will find some amazing pathways of transformation, I'm thinking, in ways we can't possibly imagine now.

In Jungian psychology, the albedo is associated with how we relate to our inner masculine and feminine, the animus and anima. As we purify each planet, its energies are enlivened and focused––and here is Venus in Libra, where she rules, in a tight trine to the Moon, which draws her also into the Grand Water Trine.

Mars is in the fire, as he continues to move into conjunction with Pluto, and into a square with Uranus. Marie-Louise von Franz relates this cleansing of planetary energies with the withdrawing of projections:

When we see others as the cause of our own aggression, or errors of action, Mars has fallen and needs repair. When we locate our troubles with love, affection, relationship or creativity in the faults of others, or of the world, Venus is in trouble and needs help. At this First Quarter Moon, these two are well placed to transform, if we can align with the energies in that way.

Jupiter remains retrograde in Gemini, continuing to invite us to reexamine our philosophies, to question what we thought we knew for sure. At this First Quarter, he is sesquiquadrate Venus, the challenging square-and-a-half that puts pressure on her to reflect on all Venusian things.

And so, we have more light now. The light shows us where work is needed––and what we can become, if we let go of everything in our way. In this waxing half of this Scorpio Moon cycle, we are growing our selves. Now we can see what shape, color, sound, texture that self might grow into, what the glorious butterfly will look like, if we can just stick with the process of change.

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." ––Leonard Cohen

     

Crescent Moon: The Peacock's Tail

peacock's tail feather

Crescent Moon in Capricorn
November 16, 2012

Tonight, we reach the Crescent Moon. In the clear night sky, just after sunset, the bright sliver appears. We know the great work is underway.

The Crescent is the half-square between the Moon and Sun that lets us know something is afoot. The changes inaugurated by the New Scorpio Moon and accompanying eclipse could hardly be missed, and this Crescent unfolds the story a bit further.

This Crescent Moon has transformation written all over it. This is a relentless Moon, determined, committed, and deeply insightful.

One glance at the chart shows the focused energy in Scorpio and Capricorn, emphasized by the Sun and Moon in each.

In Scorpio, we see the Sun tightly conjunct the North Node and Mercury retrograde. Are we moving in the direction of our deepest desires? Or are we paralyzed with fear? At this Crescent Moon, the question is posed and the answer might point to very old patterns––introjects, as psychologists say.

Where are we playing out old scripts we no longer need? This might sound like a waning Moon question ... a what-do-we-need-to-get-rid-of question. But in this time of transformation, we're continually offered opportunities to understand. We're invited to explore the buried, the old, the stuck––this is Scorpio illuminated by the Sun and Mercury, side by side by side, unflinching.

The Moon, meanwhile, is conjunct Pluto (who rules Scorpio) and Mars, in unshakeable Capricorn. Emotions and action aligned with alchemy––unstoppable. What actions need to be taken, we take, fearlessly, step by step.

Saturn in Scorpio moves in to square Pluto, the Moon and Mars, emphasizing the strong coupling of insight and action. Pluto and Saturn are in mutual reception now, each in the sign ruled by the other. This puts them on the same wavelength, supporting strong expressions of each.

Saturn continues to anchor the Grand Trine in Water, with Neptune and Chiron now both direct in Pisces, and Ceres still retrograde in Cancer. Intuition remains strong, and Saturn helps ground and manifest what we feel.

Do we need another marker of change? Ceres opposes the Capricorn group, and with a square from Uranus, retrograde in Aries, a T-square is formed. Transformation goes deep here, each step feeling hard won, and each achievement celebrated.

In alchemy, the darkness of the nigredo, the Dark Moon/ New Moon phase, is sometimes followed by the Peacock's Tail. In this stage, the blackness becomes light, split into all the glorious colors of the rainbow. At this time, we catch a glimpse of the possibilities inherent in transformation. The danger is, we can be seduced by beauty, remaining stuck in contemplation of what might be.

This Crescent Moon guides us through this mysterious stage, the Scorpio group showing us wonder and the Capricorn group keeping our feet on the path. What is the next step? Take it. And the next? take that.

The image of the peacock's tail combines glorious color with many eyes, a symbol of awareness in the midst of wonders. We want to see where we're going, while avoiding siren calls that will bring our ship onto the rocks ... the Capricorn Moon, with Pluto and Mars, keep our purpose firm and commitment strong.

Here's the next step. We'll take it together.
    

Learning about Eclipses

perception is everything :)

New Moon in Scorpio and Solar Eclipse
November 13, 2012

I wrote about tomorrow's New Moon yesterday (how's that for time travel in one sentence?). Today, I'm adding links about eclipses, and this solar eclipse in particular.

Eclipses are on my learning curve, so I happily turn to other astrologers for insight. These essays resonated with my experience of this eclipse season so far ... perhaps you'll feel the same!

Eclipse Pointers from Moonkissed by Jessica. She also has a nifty article called Eclipses by House and Sign that's worth reading.

If you're interested in an easy intro to the technical aspects of eclipse cycles, and where this one fits, check out Eclipse Astrology by Brenda Black. I am new to Brenda's work and enjoyed this one––will be reading more.

April Elliott Kent is an eclipse diva, and her site has lots of information on eclipses and how they affect our charts. Her article on this particular eclipse is here, but check out Big Sky Astrology for more eclipse resources.

The presence of a solar eclipse amps up the intensity (there's that word again!) during this New Moon time, and with Scorpio energy strong, it's good to remember we're travelers within a great mystery. We can be insightful and align with the forces that align with our goals, but control is off the table––reach deep and trust.
    

New Moon in Scorpio: Superposition

New Moon in Scorpio
November 13, 2012

I'm guilty of overusing the word "intense" and I promise to stop. After this New Moon, I mean. Yes, this New Moon is intense ... an intensity of intensities beyond intense. Where is my thesaurus?

Monday's New Moon is in Scorpio, fixed Water. Wary, brooding, tenacious, insightful, psychic, involuted, Scorpio has a long memory, sharp tongue, and nerves of steel. This is the intensity of transformation, life and death decisions, and deep knowledge.

Every Scorpio New Moon––every Scorpio everything––has this kind of intensity, and this one's got more.

Saturn is in Scorpio now, adding his gravitas. You can't ignore Saturn; he's the 500 lb. gorilla. He's anchoring the ongoing Grand Trine in Water with Ceres in Cancer and Chiron and Neptune in Pisces. We're swimming in deep seas with strong currents.

This New Moon comes with a solar eclipse, which means the New Moon is conjunct the North Node––in other words, aligned with the point of our unfolding, the place we create ourselves and find meaning.

And here's Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius also conjunct the New Moon, at 0 degrees, in fact. He calls us to reexamine our philosophy of life, the universe and everything. With Jupiter the philosopher himself still retrograde, the invitation to revisit our worldview is compelling.

We're all alchemists now, standing in our shadowy lab, surrounded by alembics and crucibles. The surrounding dark draws in. The glow of the gas burner creates a nimbus of golden light around us as we look at the elements laid out before us.

Scorpionic alchemy is about soul making. We ourselves are going into the crucible to be cooked, broken down, and reborn. All kinds of transformation are supported now, especially anything related to where this New Moon falls in our birth charts, and what it touches.

This is also a time of unknowing. Faced with the deepest of mysteries, we recognize the limits of our own hearts and minds, and surrender ... not going down in defeat, but recognizing our ideas, our wills, our selves are not big enough to accomplish our purposes.

For some, surrender will be to the Divine in some form. Some of us surrender to the immensity of life itself. At this New Moon, we accept our limits. Then, we seek to be re-formed, remade into something new, something better, something more closely aligned with our life purpose.

I always feel bad for Schrödinger's cat. There she is, stuck in that box, threatened with poison, dead and alive for eternity. If I open the box, maybe I can let her out into a normal cat life. On the other hand ... I don't open the box.

This New Moon is an unopened quantumly mysterious box. It glows in the dark. It begs to be opened, drawing us closer. Look, isn't that corner loose? Maybe we could just peek in ...

Don't do it! Seriously. This New Moon, more than most, invites us to make our wishes, set intentions, and let them go. All things are possible. In these days of the dark Moon, we can't see any of the choices anyway. Our eyes have the hazy sight of newborns.

This is the quantum state called superposition, when all possible states are held simultaneously. The probabilities will collapse, there will be an outcome, but not yet. Instead of giving way to anxiety and the insistent desire to know, let's revel in the deliciousness of not knowing, when anything can happen.

Dream large at this New Moon––Neptune turned direct on Saturday! The Neptunian fog can now shift into dreams come true. And Chiron is stationing direct, a powerful agent for healing. He'll turn direct November 14, right after the New Moon, flowing forward into positive change and learning.

As we approach the New Moon, release everything that's not working. Welcome the New Moon as a time of transformation. Seek intuitive guidance. Make wishes. Rest in the velvet dark. Wait.
    

Balsamic Moon: Cat's Cradle

compost!

Balsamic Moon in Libra
November 10, 2013

In the ancient Celtic calendar, we've entered the dark half of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, this direct link to the Sun's leaving us in darkness has symbolic depth as well.

We're now in the ancient Celtic month of Seed Fall, when seeds die in the dark earth and we wait for the new plants to emerge... later, when they're ready, when the time is right.

The Balsamic Moon is the seed fall of each lunar month, preparing to push new seeds into the earth, composting carefully with what is ready to break down and nourish the future. We will choose the seeds carefully based on what we hope to harvest, knowing that not all will sprout and even among the sprouts, not all will fruit––not knowing which ones will make it.

It's been an intense month. The losses are many and still being counted––even if you're happy with US election outcomes overall, the campaign season took a toll, and then there's storms, floods, fires, and the urgent, ongoing need to reach those still isolated and alone.

At this time, we're invited ... called ... even pushed to let go of what doesn't serve us. Let go of rancor and bad feeling. Let go of outmoded ideas. Let go of models that aren't working. Let go of stuff that's broken or damaged or simply not needed. Compost it.

Seed planting will come soon, it's time to prepare the ground.

The aspect patterns surrounding this Balsamic Moon are complicated, interwoven. Like a cat's cradle, the pattern shifts as we move our hands and look from another angle.

Notice all the planets in the early degrees of signs, connecting the dots:

The Moon at 3 Libra squares Ceres at 3 Cancer and opposed Uranus at 5 Aries, a Cardinal T-square challenging us to find a new balance amid sharply delineated changes.

The same Moon sextiles Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius, who trines Uranus in Aries––let's rethink our philosophies, look with new eyes at the world and find points of creative compromise.

Between the Moon and Mercury sits Saturn at 4 Scorpio, the wizard anchoring one node of this web. He semisextiles Moon and Mercury, and maintains still the Grand Water Trine with Ceres at 3 Cancer, and Chiron at 4 Pisces with Neptune at 0 Pisces. Emotions and intuition flow easily and powerfully, opening doors to insight and growth.

Saturn is inconjunct Uranus, the two rulers of Aquarius, sign of the new age, pushing at each other, challenging each to greater depth (Saturn) and wider revolution (Uranus).

And then there's Pluto, at 7 Capricorn, a big far away from the planets grouped at 3 and 4 perhaps, and yet Pluto's power has a long reach. He squares the Moon and Uranus, opposes Ceres, sextiles Saturn and Chiron, semisextiles Mercury, as if to say it's all, every bit of it, part of a grand movement, and alchemical shift towards ... towards what, eactly?

We don't know. This is not a time for clear sight; it's dark out there. Dark, however is not the same as evil. Darkness brings rest, release, rejuvenation, healing. Venus is in mid Libra, one of her home signs, and she trines Jupiter reflectively retrograde in Gemini. They remind us we're in a time of review that will bring a new flowering.

This is a time to appreciate the creative complexity of the cosmos, realize we can't possibly comprehend it all, and resolutely take the steps before us. Whatever's ready to go, let go of it. It will feel good, and you'll feel lighter afterwards. I promise.