First Quarter Moon: Who Can We Trust?

Can we?

First Quarter Moon in Scorpio: July 26, 2012

Life is confusing. Mixed messages, conflicting reports, intense emotion, high stakes––it's everywhere these days, and sky patterns reflect it right back to us.

Tomorrow's First Quarter Moon, the waxing square halfway between New and Full, puts us right in the middle. With that Moon in wary, skeptical Scorpio, we wonder: Who can we trust?

The First Quarter Moon chart is filled with challenge. (Like we need more of that now, right?) Mars continues opposing Uranus and squaring Pluto, bringing added tension and attention to the signature polarizing question of our times: How do we find a path out of the serious issues facing us, into a secure and stable future?

Neptune and Chiron continue to square the Nodes of the Moon, signalling both the opportunity to reach deep and heal old patterns of wounding, and the confusion and pain of not knowing.

A series of Yods around the circle point to Pluto (Sun-Mercury and Jupiter at the base), the Sun-Mercury conjunction (Pluto and Neptune-Chiron at the base), and the Moon (Uranus and Jupiter at the base). The Finger of the World still points at Saturn, with Chiron and Jupiter at the base.

These are the great forces of this time in history, aspecting the luminaries, highlighting the perplexing and sometimes painful intersection between the personal and the global.

The heart of the First Quarter chart is the square between the Sun and Moon, this time in Leo and Scorpio, fixed Fire and fixed Water.

With Mercury retrograde conjunct the Sun (and therefore also squaring the Moon), we see the potential for passionate anger and deep resistance. This is difficult emotional terrain.

Fire and Water are not seen as compatible, in the classical scheme. They're not seen as playing well together, especially Leo and Scorpio, the fixed signs.

In ancient Celtic legends, though, there is another view. The motif is seen in Hindu myth as well, and can be traced back to shared Indo-European origins: it's called Fire-in-Water, and signifies the presence of intense creative inspiration hidden in deep, dangerous waters.

The challenges of our times and our lives cannot be sidestepped. Choosing not to engage is itself a choice, with significant consequences. The only way out is through.

At this First Quarter Moon, we're shown that answers won't come easily. We'll need to dive deep, face things we prefer to avoid, to reach the gold.

For the Scorpio Moon, trust is always an issue. In a world of shadows and deception, what can we believe? The Sun and Mercury Rx in Leo say, we can trust our hearts to lead us ... if we are prepared to face truths courageously, express those truths passionately, and find the brilliant inspiration hidden in darkest shadow.