The Waning Moon: The Ideal and the Real

which glasses??

Disseminating Moon in Virgo
January 20, 2013
2:34 am EST / 7:34 am GMT

Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio
January 24, 2014
12:29 am EST / 4:29 am GMT

Balsamic Moon in Sagittarius
January 27, 2014
12:12 pm EST / 4:12 pm GMT

New Moon in Aquarius
January 30, 2014
4:39 pm EST / 9:39 pm GMT

I'm hibernating. Not literally, but part of me really wants to say: "... see you in March ..."

It's way cold here for what used to be "normal" and yes, others have it much worse. I have the luxury of working from home in a safe, warm place, and still, my brain moves in slow motion. Sometimes I watch my ideas form on a very slow screen––or maybe they're just defrosting.

As I sat down to write this morning (which I made myself do, knowing I'm already late with this post), I realized my slow-moving state fits the astrological weather (duh!). These weeks from the Full Moon in Cancer to the upcoming New Moon in Aquarius, we're at the interface of mind and body, the idea and the reality, the transition between thinking something up and manifesting it in the physical world.

At the Disseminating Moon on January 20, the Sun stepped into Aquarius, the cool, clear-eyed visionary. No longer in plodding, pragmatic Capricorn, we find ourselves on a mountaintop, the air dazzlingly clear, able to see far horizons on every side.

With Mercury also in Aquarius, grand visions form easily. We might find ourselves dazzled by sparking new thoughts, ready to jump on the latest bandwagon. How wonderful to see it all clearly now. Visions are so intoxicating!

And yet, the most powerful thing happening in the sky right now is Venus retrograde in Capricorn moving inexorably back toward Pluto, opposed by Jupiter retrograde in Cancer moving into a more exact opposition.

Venus, Pluto and Jupiter are keeping us firmly in what is real. With these planets, in these signs, we cannot look away from what is actually happening day-to-day, sometimes moment-to-moment, in our lives. What is working? What is not working? What needs to change?

Tomorrow (January 24) is the Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio. The Sun–Moon square in fixed (read: stubborn) Aquarius and Scorpio will force us to face places where our lovely vision does not square with emotional, psychological, and/or deeper realities.

This is not a bad thing, although it won't always feel comfortable. At this Last Quarter, the Moon flows energy with Neptune, allowing our deepest dreams to come through to enrich our cerebral visions (if we let them). Also, Mars in diplomatic Libra flows energy with clear-sighted Mercury in Aquarius, supporting positive action.

We're being offered the chance, at this time, to think, feel and experience where our visions and our realities are not matching up. It's not about being judged and found wanting. It's about getting essential feedback that will actually support us in reaching big goals.

We can look away if we choose, but we'll miss something important.

What that "something" is will be different for each of us, depending on our birth charts, life choices, where we are in our life cycle––all those things. It could be seeing where a job, workplace, or relationship is not a good fit. It could be realizing we need to commit to THIS and let THAT go.

The Balsamic Moon of January 27 suggests part of the alignment process in this cycle has to do with our beliefs. For this late waning Moon, the Sun continues in visionary Aquarius and the Moon sails through Sagittarius. Sag is optimistic and generous, but also philosophical. One of Sagittarius' failings is being too certain, too wedded to a particular worldview, too confident we've found "the way."

So at this Balsamic Moon, the time of letting go and clearing out, we get the opportunity to see where our ideas don't quite fit what's actually happening. Mercury and Mars continue to support each other in moving easily between thought and action, so things can shift.  The ongoing Venus–Pluto–Jupiter dance keeps the focus on what's really important.

Think of this like a complex piece of music (you choose the style). Venus, Pluto and Jupiter are the bass line, thumping away, keeping us grounded. The Sun, Mercury and Mars bring in a lighter melodic line, something enticing and playful, beautiful imagery. The Moon moves from sign to sign, sometimes focusing on the slow, steady bass, sometimes flying high with the melody.

Both are there, neither is going away, and for the music to work, they need to match. (Unless you've chosen a really dissonant musical style, in which case, you're on your own...)

During any waning cycle, we let go of what doesn't work. During this particular waning cycle, we're at the edge between what we think we know, and what's actually going on. This is a good place to be. Not comfortable, necessarily, but good. Without a reasonable amount of congruence in our sense of where we are now and our vision of where we're headed, progress is unlikely.

The upcoming New Moon will be in Aquarius. At that time, we'll be invited to commit to a new vision, or recommit to our current vision. Now, we have time to check the game plan. Where is our thinking outmoded? Where has reality shifted in a way we need to recognize? Now's the time to let go of old ideas that just don't fit.

Sometimes, changing our thinking is the hardest change to make. The results, though, can be amazing.