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.
    

Last Quarter Moon & Samhain: Light the Dark

lighting the dark

Last Quarter Moon in Leo
Astrological Samhain
Mercury Retrograde
November 6, 2012

Tuesday's Last Quarter Moon happens at 15 degrees of Leo (for the Moon) and Scorpio (for the Sun), making this waning Sun–Moon square coincide with astrological Samhain, when the Sun reaches the Scorpio midpoint.

As we turn the corner toward the New Moon in Scorpio, the skies mark the turning into the dark half of the year.

For those living along the Eastern seaboard of North America and the Caribbean who suffer the worst losses of hurricane Sandy, for US citizens trying to vote, and for those watching the election returns (and there will be watchers worldwide), this time might look dark indeed.

The Last Quarter Moon is the time in the lunar cycle when we release what is lost, what is finished, what no longer serves us. We enter the time of clearing the ground, composting, preparing by paring away.

At Samhain, also celebrated as the Day of the Dead, we enter the time of the ancestors, when we honor those who have gone before us, remembering their contributions to our lives and communities. For many reasons, this is a sobering time, a somber time, a quiet time.

And yet, the patterns of the heavens point us to life, passion, and creative action. The bright Leo Moon challenges the Sun in Scorpio, as she moves into the trine with Mars in optimistic Sagittarius. The Moon also sits in energized sextiles to Jupiter and Venus, who trine each other in Libra (Venus) and Gemini (Jupiter).

These patterns say, hey, when it looks dark, we light fires! When challenge comes, we rise to meet it! We let go of what's no good anymore and find the juice, light the spark, live without fear!

Wait ... isn't Mercury turning retrograde today? Yes, it's a complicated day, I admit. But notice that at the moment Mercury stations, he's less than a degree from trining revolutionary Uranus. There's great change and a big jolt of power here.

Mercury retrograde is not about communication breakdown––it's about careful communication, paying attention, rethinking what we do and say. Even Mercury retro is saying, seize the day!

Underneath everything, the Grand Water Trine continues to hold sway, linking deeply responsible Saturn to fiercely nurturing Ceres, visionary creative Neptune, and Chiron the healer-sage. The power of emotions, the strength of community, are paramount here.

The combination of patterns at this Last Quarter Moon invites us to:

• face our fears,
• rethink our goals and priorities,
• build community,
• find creative solutions.

Some, on this day, will find creative solutions to the great needs for food, housing, and safety in the face of Sandy's challenges.

Some, on this day, will make a fierce commitment to voting, no matter how long the lines or how many documents are required to prove their rights. Others will document the voting process, as a community of citizens committed to democratic action, to assure that challenges to this bedrock of government are met firmly.

Around the world, there are extraordinary challenges, and people will find ways to stand together with strength and find a way.

This Grand Trine in Water encompasses the largest possibly community. As we honor our ancestors, we reach out to new friends, neighbors and family. Sometimes, we honor the ancestors in this very way, by building new links to create a new world:

The Indian Country Today Media Network reported on special teams of marathon runners who, arriving in NYC to find the race cancelled, stayed to help: Eight aboriginal runners of Australia's Indigenous Marathon Project and the Lakota Five from Pine Ridge.

Let the waters of emotion and spirit connect us all. Let fire kindle our hearts to passionate, creative action. These elements are the focus of this Last Quarter Moon. Classically considered to be incompatible, we see across the world today that the greatest floods cannot put out the light of hope, and the bonds of community support our most powerful acts.
    

Disseminating Moon: Life Lessons

Disseminating Moon in Gemini
November 2, 2012

The Disseminating Moon is the square-and-a-half that follows each Full Moon, asking us what we've learned. At this Disseminating Moon, in bright, connected Gemini, we're children sitting on the shore, trying to put the pieces together.

The Grand Water Trine is with us still, with Saturn in Scorpio tightly trine Ceres in Cancer, trined by Neptune and Chiron in Pisces.

The Moon is 8 degrees away from Ceres, and Uranus less than 2 degrees from squaring Ceres––the fierce mother archetype morphs suddenly into something much larger than we've ever seen.

The oceans command our attention today in direct, unavoidable ways. Weather patterns, storms, wind, rain, rising sea levels. Things that are huge. Things we cannot control. Events that change the world as we know it.

Once, years ago when my daughter was little, she and I were caught in a rip tide off the North Carolina coast. It was a sunny afternoon, we were in sight of the shore, many people were around, and help came. Still it was terrifying––knowing I was in a current stronger than me, and I needed help to free myself and protect my child. I had nightmares about it for years afterwards. I cannot imagine facing a storm of Sandy's magnitude.

So, at one level, this Disseminating Moon brings messages about the power of wind, water and tides, and about the limits of human intervention, and also about our capacity for survival, adaptation, courage, hope, and compassion.

As I write this Thursday morning, 2 million people are still without power on the East Coast, over 100 people have died in the Caribbean and across Eastern North America, and more are missing. Many pieces have yet to be put together, to understand the total impact of this storm, and where we go from here.

Those of us not living in Sandy's path send prayers, good wishes, and support, as we think those "what if" thoughts ... because an event of this power brings up issues for everyone.

This Full Moon in Taurus brought us face to face with the gifts of Earth and also her limits, with the power of emotion and intuition, and also its shadows. Like the goddess Ceres, who we know better as Demeter, the Earth goes so far and no farther.

And yet, the Earth is neither vengeful nor angry. We take our place in the great pattern of life, our actions create changes we cannot see, and other things happen––because of what we did, perhaps, but the equation is not a simple one. We live within complex, interwoven systems in which decisions made by others somehow lead to where we stand among tangled strands we try to unwind.

Mary Oliver's poem Shadows closes with these words:

... Whatever
power of the earth rampages, we turn to it
dazed but anonymous eyes; whatever
the name of the catastrophe, it is never
the opposite of love.

And so we pick up the pieces, weave new patterns, and get on with things. We help those who have suffered loss. We honor those whose courage saved lives and homes. We breathe. We understand that love is something we can bring to the pattern, something that changes things, something of great power. 
     

rainbow over NYC after Sandy