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.