New Moon in Aquarius: Real Vision

fractal geometry

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

Today's the New Moon in Aquarius, sign of vision, community, our common being-ness with all that is. Aquarius is a formal sign, fixed Air, sometimes building castles in the air, always searching for the "Why not?"

That quote itself, dreaming things that never were and asking, why not? has a history: Often attributed to Robert Kennedy, it was first quoted by John F. Kennedy, from a play by George Bernard Shaw, where it was spoken by the Serpent. Interesting, no?

Here we are on a New Moon day about vision, and the real is so present, so unavoidably here, visions seem (perhaps) laughable if not irrelevant. This winter of biting cold and storms to shake foundations, of changes in air pressure and temperature so extreme we wonder which season it is at all, has triggered more discussions about vision and planning and projection and foresight than any airy debates could.

The charts for this New Moon show that pattern. Yes, the Sun and Moon sit in the 10th degree of Aquarius––check where this falls in your birth chart to see where clarity and new perspectives can enter your life––and yet another powerful pattern is here:

Venus and Pluto sit together in Capricorn, offering all the "real" we can handle. Opposite is Jupiter in Cancer, making it all bigger. These two, Capricorn and Cancer, are the tradition-holders of the zodiac, the places where we value what has been, how things are, and what needs to continue.

And yet ... and yet ... this opposition is squared by Uranus the revolutionary. The hard question posed by this T-Square is, our realities are changing. What are we going to do about it?

Change is happening all around us, on every level. Personal, professional, environmental, political––name a realm, an area of life, where huge changes are not the norm. What do we do?

There's the vision thing. Derided by some, this New Moon brings us back to that point. Life is uncertain. Our control over events is limited. Without a dream, a vision, a plan in some form of where we're headed and what we hope for––without something like that, how do we get anywhere at all?

That opposition of traditions, Pluto, Venus and Jupiter, is also linked in positive flows of energy to energies of dreaming and planning: There's a lovely rectangle of trines and sextiles connecting those three to Pallas Athena in Virgo (always clear-headed) and Chiron and Juno in Pisces, with Neptune nearby (open to the needs and wounding of others, looking for healing).

NB: For those of you looking at your birth charts, notice how much is happening in and around 10 degrees, especially in Capricorn, Cancer, Pisces and Aries. Anything in our charts in these degrees is being touched by these larger patterns.

There are also yods (fingers of fate), two of them, at this New Moon. The key yod points at the New Moon itself, with Jupiter and Pallas Athena at its base: In the contest between emotional connection to the past, and clear-eyed dedication to the best possible future, moving into a new vision is desperately needed.

We cannot, and should not, let go of what is best in the past. (This includes, by the way, our biosphere, which is our Cancerian home place at its most fundemental.) But the old ways alone will not bring us into the world we hope for.

This is not a comfortable time. This New Moon feels to me like that moment when an important deadline looms, the make-or-break presentation, and I suddenly realize my whole concept for the project is flawed. At the 11th hour, do I have the guts to tear up what I have and start over?

Over the last weeks, we've been brought face to face in some way with things that are and are not working in the realities of our lives. We've been asked to let go of something––beliefs, assumptions, convictions, relationships, tangible stuff, whatever. It hasn't been easy, although there has been some relief.

Now we're at the point of looking at what's in front of us and asking, what next? This is the "What next?" New Moon.

Keep in mind that Aquarius is also quirky, innovative, and iconoclastic. This is an outside-the-box New Moon. Also remember the New Moon is a dark time. We are looking for a vision, asking for one, hoping for one, but it won't be clear just yet.

This is the time to set intentions for where we want clarity, hope and commitment. Where we pledge to boldly go, and hold onto the dream. The choices we make and the directions we set are important.

Think about it.
     

There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?
Robert Kennedy
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/robert_kennedy.html#v4AWfKpfCwfzW8xL.99

Full Moon in Aquarius: Clear Sight, Strong Heart

Full Moon over Belfast

Full Moon in Aquarius
August 20, 2013 9:45 pm EDT
August 21, 2013 2:45 am GMD

I am in Ireland, in the early days of a journey that will, in ways I can feel but not see, shape what happens next in my life.

Looking at the chart of the upcoming Full Aquarius Moon, that same shaping is there for all of us––One way or another, this Moon will illuminate what happens next with startling clarity.

For one (smallish) thing, the Full Moon happens on different dates in the US and Ireland, the two places my consciousness bridges these days: 9:45 pm August 20 EDT and 2:45 am 21 August GMD. Look... the dates aren't even written in the same format.

We'll find the Full Moon at 28 Aquarius, the Sun at 28 Leo. This late-degree placement intensifies the polarity, Aquarius as the clear-sighted, incisive, big-picture thinker and Leo as the passionately creative heart.

These two powerhouses face off to highlight their positions. Are we thinking clearly? Are we heart centered? Are those two really opposed? What does this even mean?

Well, this Full-Moon-to-come offers examples:

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's recent comments in support of Rand and Ron Paul shocked those who assumed Assange stood for the underdog, which he doesn't, except in the sense that he opposes government structures of almost any kind. Assange sees the Paul's libertarian hands-off policies as 'the only useful political voice in Congress.'

Overnight, Time's Michael Grunwald tweeted, then apologized and withdrew, that he would celebrate a drone strike that took Assange out. Government intervention to the max, in the form of extrajudicial execution.

These are extreme Aquarian positions: committed worldviews representing abstract, idealized positions uninformed by compassion. Not, let me hasten to say, Aquarius at its best. Rather, a vision of what can happen to Aquarius in the absence of Leo.

Or looked at the other way 'round, both Assange and Grunwald are privileged. While we might not consider their lives enviable in all respects, they are celebrities of a kind, able to put their views before a world audience.

Listened to with less privileged ears, each could be heard as saying, "I've got mine, which is the right and only view, so screw you," which is Leo run amok, uninformed by the wider community vision for which Aquarius stands.

This rather startling example of Full Moon polarity, which arrives with Neptune conjunct the Moon, includes options for illusion, delusion, and confusion, as well as creative vision.

Back to my Irish odyssey. This evening, I will enter into five days of silent retreat, led by a poet who loves deserts. Meditation, listening, going within––no speaking, reading, googling.

I will experience this Full Moon on the inside, watching her brilliance rise over mountains and shine down on the bay, hoping for a new inner peace.

With all that's happening on the world stage, this Full Moon will feel very, very personal. Venus entered Libra yesterday, a place she loves, seeking balance and beauty. Her relationship to this Full Moon is awkward––an inconjunct to Neptune, longing for a harmony that may elude us, at least for now.

Mars in Cancer, still in the place of emotion and tradition which is not his most comfortable abode, will make the same awkward inconjunct aspect to the Moon. In this, the good soldier Mars tries to temper the cold steel of Aquarius with the Moon's own compassion. Will it work?

Meanwhile, Mercury is conjunct the Sun in Leo, opposite the Moon, ready to speak out with passion. Here are some of the questions this Full Moon might illuminate:

• How am I holding space for both compassion and idealistic vision? Loving what is, while moving toward what could be?

• How am I honoring the past, preserving important legacies, while releasing what no longer serves me? How am I moving into the future without turning my back on where I'm from?

• Where am I deluding myself? Where have I become inflated, rigid, or too sure? Where am I in a comfortable spiritual bypass rather than facing an edgier inner truth?

• How am I balancing the personal and the political? How can I create and hold space for balance, harmony and peace?

The Leo New Moon invited us to connect with our creative passion, to plant the seeds closest to our own hearts. At this Full Moon, we'll see how we've done––not in a final, this-is-over way, but in a hmmm, how's that working? way.

The lighting could feel a bit stark; Aquarius has a merciless quality Leo doesn't always bother to temper. The most cathartic theater comes not in light comedy, but in experiencing something deeper and closer to the bone.

So take a deep breath and buckle up. This Full Moon promises to be quite a show.
    

Seeing Who We Are: The Full Moon in Aquarius

a full house ...

Full Moon at 0 Aquarius
July 22, 2013 2:16pm EDT

Some time ago, I pledged to stop using "intense" to describe the New and Full Moon patterns we've been seeing. Not because the intensity went away, mind you, but because "intense" loses its meaning when every single lunation is, well, intense.

Beginning with this Full Moon, I think I'll stop using "rare" and "unusual" too.

Monday's Full Moon includes an amazing combination of aspect patterns:

• a Grand Cross of Ceres and Juno squaring the Nodes,
• a T-Square of Uranus squaring Pluto and Mercury,
• a T-Square of Saturn squaring the Sun and Moon,
• two Grand Trines in Water, of North Node, Chiron and Mercury, then Saturn, Neptune and Mars–Jupiter–Lilith,
• two yods mirroring each other, of the Sun at the apex of Pluto and Neptune, and the apex of Venus and Pallas Athena, and
• two quintiles linking Venus and the North Node, and Uranus and the Moon.

To describe this combination of patterns at a Full Moon as "unusual" or "intense" feels lame, at this point. Intense and unusual have become the new normal.

This Aquarian Full Moon fall at the beginning of the beginning of Aquarius and Leo: Only 5 minutes inside the 0 degree. After the somewhat behind-the-scenes and under-the-radar energies of past weeks, this Full Moon will feel like stepping onto a fully lit stage.

In fact, this could feel like stepping onstage for what we think is a full dress rehearsal, only to find it's opening night and the theater is packed. Friends, family, well-wishers, strangers, enemies, critics––everyone's here. The opening applause dies down, the spot focuses in. Time for the opening speech.

Fight. Flight, Freeze. Is this an amygdala highjack? Or are we ready? Can we grab that fraction of a second we've got to shift attention into a calm, centered place?

This is a Full Moon for feedback. The Sun and Moon, the luminaries in the sky and the guiding lights of our inner selves, are at the twin centers of a whole passel of attention from powerful others. We are going to be illuminated, quite possibly with a level of brilliance we've not experienced before.

In the past weeks (or months or years, depending on your chart and life choices), we've been preparing. Personal work, creative exploration, diving into the unconscious or dreamscapes or Imaginal realms, everything we've done to build a meaningful life––all the projects, efforts, plans, desires we've fed with our energy and time and love for longer than we can remember––what are they, really? Do we know?

Reading through what I've written feels scary. And yet, what this Full Moon offers is a gift. In the bright white limelight of an Aquarius Moon and Leo Sun, we're given the chance to see who we are.

I've been listening to a lot of Marion Woodman lately. She describes key moments in therapy sessions when, experiencing a deep insight, the client comes into wholeness. These moments don't generally last, but the experience, however brief, lights that client's unique and individual path.

center stage

If we're willing to step into the light and reach deep within for the insight, we can experience a wholeness that lights up where we are and (hopefully) where we go next.

This Full Moon can be like that.

Seeds we planted at the New Moon will bear some fruit. And, given the number of players, and the strength and precision of their focus, the illumination of this Full Moon could have a much deeper, broader impact.

Who are we, really? Yes, this is about embracing Shadow. But this isn't a Full Moon for playing small. It's also time to step into our gifts, our grace, our vision and our passion.

Look into the faces in that packed theater. See what's mirrored there in all its complexity. This is who we are. This is the curiosity, challenge, excitement, delight and love the universe offers.

It's mind-blowing and heart-opening to think about. I'm hoping I remember my lines. If I stumble a bit at the beginning, though, it's still be awesome.
    

Balsamic Moon: Luere Means "to Wash"

doing the washing

Balsamic Moon
March 8, 2013
2:57 am EST

The Balsamic Moon, the final half-square between the Sun and Moon before they meet, ushers in the last, focused time for releasing what we're done with. If we're not quite done, but know we should be, it's time to let go anyway.

The Latin word luere, meaning to wash, connects us to where we are: dissolve, ablution, dilute, alluvium, deluge ... all these Neptunian words tell us it's time for a change.

The goal is to clear the foundations for a new, strong, creative, valued structure to rise up. At this Moon, we see Saturn in Scorpio (deep structure, facing the Shadow) flowing energy in trine with Mercury (thought, communication, reflection) and Venus (creativity, values, relationships) in Pisces, the universal solvent.

At the same time, Jupiter squares Chiron––whatever the issue is, we can't miss it, and the support for healing is right there. Vesta, goddess of home and hearth, squares the Sun and Venus, so perhaps issues of home and family are at stake. Alongside Vesta is Lilith, also square the Sun, bringing the voice of the fierce feminine.

Letting go of stuff is hard. We don't like it. With all the Pisces energy around and Mercury retrograde, it's a bit tricky to know exactly what we need to let go of, and why.

This Balsamic Moon is in Aquarius, which offers a cool head, perspective, and an extra dose of intuitive power.

Oracles are very powerful now, all kinds of oracles. Here's a Tarot spread my friend Arwen created that suits this Balsamic Moon time perfectly. Finding this excellent quote:

When the wind of change is blowing, some people build walls, the others windmills. 
~Chinese Proverb

She designed a three-card spread in which the middle card is the Wind of Change coming into our lives, the card to the left is the Wall and the card to the right is the Windmill.

In other words, what needs to change? How are we holding ourselves back? And where is the opportunity to move?

So of course I tried it, using Joanna Powell Colbert's beautiful Gaian Tarot.

Well ... the Winds of Change card was ... The Tree, Joanna's version of the Hanged Man. Could there be a more perfect evocation of this Piscean ocean energy we're in? I swear, this is the card that came, I did not stack the deck!

The Wall in my readings was, interestingly, Justice. Of course Justice is a good thing, and a very positive card in many spreads and locations, but it wasn't difficult for me to see that holding on to a need for things to be fair can be a problem. Some issues for the past can never be resolved (another luere word). Sometimes we––ok, I––need to let go of that burning desire for justice.

The opportunity card? It was the Wheel, the card that says, what goes around, comes around ... the card of change with a capital "C" except it's not change we're in control of, it's change we accept and ride with.

This reading had personal meaning for me, and also felt like something many could relate to: We're in a time of flux and might feel stuck, or at least not fully in control of what's happening. We want things to be fair! We want justice to be done and will hold our position forever until that happens! Except of course that leaves us stuck in the past ... so, it's time to let go, let the wheel of time roll on, and see what comes in the next turning.

I'm getting out the wash basin and my sweetest smelling soap––maybe that will make all this dissolving just a bit easier.
    

New Moon, New Year!

The New Moon in Aquarius arrived overnight, and it's time to make wishes and set intentions. (This being a reminder from your friendly neighborhood astrologer.)

My New Moon Aquarius wishes

With Aquarius, thinking outside the box is always good, so I created a digital collage to represent my hopes for this New Moon, leaving lots of space for the cosmos to fill in the blanks.

Writing, blogging, creative play, transformation, fluidity, inspiration, and the unexpected are all themes for me now. What are you calling into your life? Be bold!

The Moon will soon slip into imaginatively dreamy Pisces, joining the mystical party already in full swing: Neptune, Chiron, Mars and Mercury are already there.

The Pisces Moon will oppose my natal Moon in Virgo, and I'm here to tell you oppositions are not always bad. My Virgo Moon can feel a bit squashed and invisible––the Pisces Moon seems to bring me out of myself, take me on a tour of the outer stratosphere, and give me new images and thoughts to ponder. Add in the creative mojo of an Aquarian New Moon, and who knows what I might do today?

Now that we've moved into the waxing cycle, everything begins to expand and grow. Tonight and many nights to come will be rich ones for dreaming––look for healing dreams (Chiron), big dreams and creative dreams (Neptune, Aquarian New Moon, and lots of Pisces), and personal dreams (lots of personal planets moving through Pisces now). Have your dream notebook handy this week.

The Moon is void of course now, until she enters Pisces at 4:19pm EST. So if you haven't made those wishes yet, best wait until after 4:30. This evening through tomorrow morning will be great for setting intentions. Just after noon Monday, the Moon goes void again until she pops into fiery Aries just before 9:00 pm EST.

The best of this innovatively eccentric and long-sightedly humantarian New Moon to you!
    

New Moon in Aquarius: Answer the Call

Druidcraft Tarot ... reborn!

New Moon in Aquarius
February 10, 2013 –– 2:20 am EST

Overnight Saturday, the New Moon in Aquarius arrives.

Herald of Spring, beginning to the new year for the Chinese and the Tibetan people, the year of the Water Snake ... a magical doorway!

Each New Moon invites us to set intentions and make wishes, and in Aquarius, we're called into a new vision. The new year brings rebirth, a theme sounding loudly with this New Moon.

Sun and Moon meet at 21 Aquarius, in a very tight square to the Nodes of the Moon, the karmic pathway in the chart. Squares to the Nodes can be read as a challenge, or a missed step, on our life path. At this New Moon, we're checking in:

Are we feeling clear on where we're headed? If not, this is a wonderful New Moon to ask for clarity.

If our vision is clear, but commitment is lacking, set intentions to follow through, to take the steps we know we need to take.

The Nodes of the Moon mark places where eclipses occur, and the Solar Eclipse back on November 13, 2012, fell at 21 Scorpio, where the North Node still resides. There may be a special resonance between this New Moon and whatever emerged for you back in mid November.

Look in your birth chart to see where this New Moon falls. The house of the New Moon indicated the area of life in which renewed visions and clarity can be expected––or where they will be welcome. What planets or points do you have around 21 degrees? These will be touched, and also drawn into the influence of this New Moon.

For me, this New Moon is complex. Appearing in my 6th house very close to the 7th, the Sun and Moon will conjunct my Descendant, oppose my Ascendant-Pluto-Moon conjunction, square my Midheaven, trine my Mercury-Neptune conjunction, inconjunct my Uranus-Jupiter conjunction, and sextile Eris. Someone's got their finger on my reset button!

If this New Moon makes complicated aspects to your chart too, fall back on asking for clear sight, straightforward guidance, and the long view.

Aquarius is masculine and yang, fixed Air, stubborn, committed, objective, far-seeing. So it's interesting this is the year of the Water Snake, feminine and chthonic.

Goddess energy is strong with this New Moon: Venus, also in Aquarius, squares Saturn in Scorpio, an archetypal challenge of masculine and feminine.

The asteroid goddesses create a series of intricate patterns around Saturn as well: There are three yods forming. Ceres is at the apex of a yod with the North Node and Juno at the base; Vesta is at the apex of another with Saturn and Venus at the base; and Saturn is at the apex of the third with Vesta and Pallas Athena at the base.

Yods, also called fingers of God or fingers of fate, emphasize places where energy is concentrated and something is happening. One area of polarization in the world today focuses on the role of women and girls––our health, our freedom of action and freedom from violence, our education.

Authoritarian forces (one role Saturn can play) try to keep women down, but again and again, women rise up. Perhaps this New Moon will bring a re-envisioning of men and women, boys and girls, living together in equality, compassion and Aquarian freedom. This, too, is something we can wish for.

Remember to wait until after the New Moon arrives to make wishes and set intentions. Until then, we continue in the waning cycle of release and preparation. I will be wishing for clarity, as I think I'll need it just to understand all the messages this Moon will bring me!

Remember too to allow the Moon leeway to do as she will. The New Moon arrives in darkness, and it can take time to see the new shoots emerge. Wish, intend, breathe, let go. A new day dawns.
    

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.
    

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

     

Heading into the Full Aries Moon: Lightning Rod!

Full Moon Over Kilauea by Jules Tavernier

Gibbous Moon in Aquarius:
September 26, 2012
Full Moon in Aries:
September 29, 2012

The bases are loaded for this Saturday's Full Moon in passionate, risk-loving, fiery Aries. With Uranus lined up with the Moon and Pluto squaring, all bets are off and anything goes.

This Full Moon calls for clear sight and steady hands ... have I mixed enough metaphors up in there?

Since the Pluto–Uranus square came exact on September 19, the Moon, Mercury and the Sun have taken turns triggering the square by moving through early Libra, and in the case of the Moon, moving through early Capricorn too.

This has kept those Pluto–Uranus issues of transformation, alchemy, polarization, and power struggles front and center in our consciousness. For some, it's been a time of quick, unexpected changes. Some have experienced unlooked-for opportunities, others traumatic shifts. Some have felt surges of energy that have been enlivening, in other cases, overwhelming.

The Gibbous Moon leans into the Full Moon by bringing more of the edgy feelings we've had plenty of this week.

The Sun is already turning the Uranus–Pluto square into a T-square, with the Moon a square-and-a-half away in Uranus' home sign, Aquarius. The Moon creates a Grand Trine in Air with Mercury and Jupiter.

This pattern offers insight into how the big transformations around us will affect both our lives and our communities. With the Sun, Moon and Mercury in Air, we get perspective, objectivity, and the long view.

With Mercury, Jupiter and the Moon in flow, we can articulate our thoughts and feelings, putting energy into words. We might get philosophical. We might also talk too much.

There's also a Grand Trine linking Neptune and Chiron in Pisces with Ceres in Cancer, and Saturn in late out-of-element Libra. This connection also offers support for putting feelings into form, although Neptune also offers her usual opportunities for zoning out and missing the point.

Adding to the intensity, Mars in Scorpio and Venus in Leo form a tight square. Mars is conjunct the North Node. Venus anchors a Finger of the World as she makes sesquiquadrates to Uranus and Leo.

Again, we see personal planets (Venus and Mars) connected to major cosmic energies (Pluto, Uranus and the Nodes of the Moon) in ways that present a challenge. This pattern calls for a courageous balance of inner and outer, the Self and the Shadow, what we admit to publicly and what we only let out in private––Leo and Scorpio.

Whew! And we're not even at the Full Moon yet.

This Aries Full Moon promises a blast of full-power illumination on issues of how well we're honoring our own needs in relationship (the classic Aries–Libra opposition).

Uranus, standing with the Moon, puts his thumb firmly on the side of honoring our true selves. He reminds us we can't create authentic relationships unless we're allowed to be our true selves as part of the package.

On a mundane level, a Full Moon in Aries conjunct Uranus with Mars in Scorpio squaring Venus in Leo suggests a time of intense passion––wonderful with the right partner, dangerous in the wrong place at the wrong time. Avoid unnecessary risk.

Where does this Full Moon fall in your birth chart? In this area of life, you may receive new information about authenticity, power, desire, and transformation.

This Full Moon aspects my early Libra Sun, and lies across my 2nd House–8th House axis. At first glance, this might suggest a need to look at money issues. But with Venus transiting across my Ascendant and Mars just inside my 4th House, I'm thinking this will be more about deep-seated values, personal authenticity, and a frank look into my psyche. I can't wait. Really.

Venus and Mars still square each other in Leo and Scorpio; Mars still aligns with the North Node while Venus squares the Nodes.

The Neptune–Chiron–Ceres–Saturn Grand Trine is still in effect, maintaining the focus on feelings and form, although without the Grand Air trine of September 26, those feelings may move into passionate expression. Another reason to avoid unnecessary risk.

This Full Moon offers great power for change. Channel its energy into reaching your best goals and deepest desires. It also offers a chance to look, under bright light, at who we truly are––if we're ready to go there.
    

Full Moon in Aquarius: The Head and the Heart

Full Moon in Aquarius: August 1, 2012, 11:27 pm EDT

The indie group from Seattle called The Head and the Heart offers the perfect title for the almost-here Full Moon in Aquarius:

With the Moon in cerebral, far-thinking Aquarius, and the Sun in passionate, expressive Leo, we discover anew we are both head and heart, both thinking, both feeling, both wanting.

This Full Moon comes with a Grand Trine in Air, a breath of fresh right when we need it, a chance to see our way clear, get a new perspective. The Moon trines Jupiter in Gemini and Mars in Libra, active, upbeat planets moving the Moon out of contemplation and into action.

The Sun is part of an almost-Grand Trine in Fire, trining Uranus in Aries while conjunct Mercury who trines the North Node in Sagittarius. Can you feel the heat? From the heart side, we're also pushed to act, take the lead, step into the spotlight, and express what's in our hearts.

The focus is on transformative action. There are two Yods mirroring each other, pointed at the Sun and Pluto. There are Fingers of the World, almost overlapping, pointed at Saturn and Mars. These tough-to-ignore patterns pull major players Pluto, Neptune, Chiron into relationship with Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Mercury and the Sun.

This Full Moon highlights where we're coherent, and where we're not. The head–heart connection energizes our ability to see how aligned our thoughts, beliefs and values actually are. The surrounding aspect patterns support taking action to create the coherence we crave.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. In these tumultuous times, gaining clarity on who are are, what we value, and how to act is both difficult and essential. The Full Aquarian Moon raises us up, offering a wider, more spacious view of life, the universe and everything.

This is a Full Moon in fixed signs, so the possibility of stubborn, even fanatical, commitment is there. "This is how I feel, this is what I believe, and I'm entitled to my opinion." ––How often have we read or heard that claim in the last weeks? Often with the implicit "And you're entitled to my opinion too" as they expound at length.

If this is where we find ourselves––entrenched and embattled––this Full Moon amps up the pressure. Pluto and Uranus are not patient forces (understatement!). If we insist on holding to positions that are unfocused, untenable, or not in our highest good, change happens.

This is tricky territory. We want and need the fierce passion and clarity of thought that will breach any barrier and bring us through to our goals. Yet we need flexibility and openness to respond to a change-filled world and move forward.

This calls for the creative playfulness of Leo as well as the innovative planfulness of Aquarius.

With Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Mercury, Mars and Saturn on board, a wide range of practices can help guide our way. Intentional dreaming, vision boards, movement meditation, shamanic journeys––anything active and energetic as well as intuitive will bring in the energies surrounding this Full Moon.

This is not the time to keep our lights hidden ... in the light of this Full Moon in Aquarius, we step into a brighter, stronger sense of who we are and what we're here to do. Then we do it :)
   

Disseminating Moon: Who Will Listen?

good listeners wanted!

Disseminating Moon in Aquarius: June 7, 2012

The Full Moon has passed and the Moon now wanes. At this time, we wants to share with the world, recount our experiences, tell our stories. At the Disseminating Moon, the Moon and Sun challenge each other in a sesquiquadrate, a square and a half, and we wonder if anyone's paying any attention at all.

The Sun is still in talkative Gemini, and the Moon has just moved into community-oriented Aquarius. Venus remains in Gemini, and Mercury has just slipped into visionary Pisces: With this particular Disseminating Moon, the urge to share, show and tell might be especially strong. "Listen," we say, a little louder than we intended, "I've got something to tell you about."

The Full Moon Eclipse, Neptune stationing, and the Venus transit combine to bring forth some fascinating images and experiences. Strong dreams, intuitive 'aha' moments, psychic connections––a leap forward in some way. Now we want to get the word out.

And yet, in the swirl of images and messages, which are true? Which are real? Among the voices interpreting these tumultuous times, to whom do we listen? Is this apocalypse or the edge of paradise? Who's right?

Is Queen Elizabeth II a vision of Venus triumphant, or symbol of traditional authority? In this time of Neptunian-influenced communication, I was more entranced by the students of the Royal College of Music Chamber Choir who, thoroughly drenched in a cold rain, kept singing right to the end.

Disseminating Moon

The Aquarius Moon challenges us to clarify our vision and commit to core values––our own, not anyone else's.

The Moon is at the apex of a Finger of the World as she makes a sesquiquadrate to Mars as well as the Sun, and the Sun and Mars square off. At this time, what we think and say (Sun in Gemini) and how we act (Mars in Virgo) resolve differences by sorting out what we truly believe (Moon in Aquarius).

The Moon is trining the South Node and sextiling the North, flowing energy into forward motion on our life path, which is good, as confusing, nebulous Neptune and revolutionary Uranus both aspect the Nodes. Clear thinking does help.

Venus has completed her transit across the face of the Sun, and remains hidden until June 13, when she is reborn as the Morning Star. As the Moon is New when conjunct the Sun, this is a kind of "New Venus" when we look within.

With Venus in Gemini, we rethink our relationships, creative connections, and values––all the relational areas that Venus rules. What, where, and with whom are our core connections? What gives meaning, color, and joy to our lives? During this time of Venusian darkness, we're invited to muse on these issues.

Gemini is sometimes known for speaking first, thinking afterwards. Something interesting can happen when we talk, though––sometimes as we hear what we say, we realize what we really think and feel. Sometimes, in the act of telling the story, the meaning of the story (or dream, or intuitive experience) suddenly shines through.

If we're telling the same old story, in the same old way, this generally doesn't happen. But when we tell a new story, about something that just happened and still has us in its grip, the telling becomes an event with its own power.

So maybe what's important at this Disseminating Moon is that we tell our newest, craziest stories whether anyone listens or not. And maybe that's because our most important listener is ourselves.
   

Last Quarter Moon: Good Work

Iona North Beach: Ancient Rock

 Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius: May 12 through May 16

Today, the Sun and Moon square off to mark the Last Quarter Moon, when we turn the corner toward the New Moon to come.

This New Moon in Gemini is an Eclipse, following the powerful Super-Full Moon in Scorpio, a signal that we're in a time of making an unmaking, of initiation, rededication, and choice.

I am on the isle of Iona, ancient center of the Celtic world, on rocks among the oldest exposed on the surface of the Earth––including anorthosite, which is also found on the Moon. As my personal center shifts, I couldn't resist running a chart for here at the time I began writing.

The sky as I began writing this entry

Look at all those planets in the 12th House! The fortunate, expansive, Sun–Jupiter conjunction is there, along with Mercury, Ceres, Venus and the South Node.

It seems my hopes of connecting with the land here, and receiving messages, is supported today.

Meanwhile, the Moon is at the top of the chart in visionary Aquarius, hopefully helping me read the tenor of the times.

Here, too, is the Last Quarter Moon chart drawn for Iona (and British Summer Time, please adjust as needed).

The Grand Trine in Earth continues strong. Chiron the wounded healer replaces Neptune at the point of the kite pattern, opposing Mars and sextiling Pluto on one side, and Mercury and Ceres on the other. Seeking healing of the body, and through the body, of long-standing issues is supported now.

The late Aquarius Moon approaches Neptune and the apex of the kite, drawing our attention to this healing opportunity. The time is now! During the Last Quarter, we release whatever trips us up, gets us down, and keeps us looking back over our shoulders.

The Last Quarter Moon (Iona chart)

That Aquarian Moon forms another Grand Trine, this one in Air with Venus and Saturn. This trine invites us to release old patterns of thinking and connecting, so we can step into new ones.

Saturn remains retrograde in Libra, and Venus will soon turn retrograde herself, a time of reflecting on relationships, values, creativity, and balance.

Under a waning Moon, we prepare for what is to come. Sometimes this phase feels nostalgic, regretful, full of longing.

This Last Quarter, with trines in Earth and Air, and the Sun and Jupiter together, feels like a full, deep breath of clean air before digging in to work––the solidity of work to be done and the strength to do it.
     

Moon into Aquarius: The Big Picture

Friday evening through Monday morning
Eastern Daylight Time

getting perspective

Friday, April 13
Moon enters Aquarius 5:48pm
Moon semisextile Neptune (Pisces) 10:14pm
Mercury direct in Virgo 11:52pm

Saturday, April 14
Moon inconjunct Mars (Virgo) 12:30am
Moon sextile Uranus (Aries) 4:07am
Moon sextile the North Node (Sagittarius) 7:21am
Moon semisextile Chiron (Pisces) 8:46am
Moon trine Venus (Gemini) 11:10am
Moon semisextile Pluto (Capricorn) 11:16am
Venus (Gemini) inconjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 12:51pm

Sunday, April 15
Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 12:09am
Sun (Aries) opposite Saturn (Libra) 2:26pm
Moon trine Saturn (Libra) 6:21pm
Moon sextile Sun (Aries) 6:42pm
(begin void of course)

Monday, April 16
Moon semisextile Mercury (Pisces) 12:21am
Moon enters Pisces 1:38am
Moon conjunct Neptune (Pisces) 6:25am

As the Moon moves through each sign of the zodiac, changing every two and a half days (more or less), she pulses naturally between yin and yang through the four elements, shifting our attention around the wheel. After the focused, steady work of Capricorn, we're invited to lift our eyes to far horizons. It's time to rise above the clouds and get the Aquarian big picture.

This evening, as the shift into Aquarius takes place, the Moon's first touch is to Neptune in Pisces, bringing Aquarian flashes of insight together with Piscean intuitive flows. The Moon is the intuition of the body, what our gut tells us, and tonight she's connected with the cosmos. A good evening for intuitive arts of all kinds.

Added to that, Mars turns direct tonight. He'll be in his retrograde shadow for a few more weeks, so action in the world might still feel slower than normal. Yet now the energy will start to flow outward again. This time of reflection has been valuable, and now Mars is shaking himself off and getting ready to move.

making plans

Planets are especially strong when stationing, and Mars in Virgo brings an intense attention to detail––another reason tonight could be good for intuitive connections and messages.

Saturday is full of lunar aspects as the Aquarian Moon sparks with the Fire and Air planets, and makes edgier connections with Earth and Water.

The most awkward aspect is the inconjunct with Mars, a reminder that it's not yet time to move ahead with new projects.

Semisextiles with Chiron and Pluto keep us connected with the slow but inexorable changes happening around and within us.

Meanwhile, the Moon feels Uranus' revolutionary charge, flows easily with the North Node pointing to the future, and networks madly with Venus in Gemini.

All this happens in the morning, followed by an awkward inconjunct between Venus and Pluto: Lots of energy flowing in all directions, and still Pluto can stop us in our tracks. Keep track of messages as they arrive, enjoy connecting and planning and thinking wonderful thoughts––and don't forget the past while planning for the future. History has long arms.

Sunday opens with a challenge between the Aquarian Moon and Jupiter in Taurus. Both are optimistic, but move at very different speeds. Taurean Jupiter is ready to let life unfold as it will; the Moon in Aquarius wants change yesterday.

This focus on the pace of change is emphasized as the Sun opposes Saturn, the Sun in fiery, impetuous Aries and Saturn in calm and balanced Libra. The Aquarian Moon highlights these two with a trine and a sextile, suggesting the balance will be found by stepping back and taking the long view. These are perennial questions after all, not solved in a day.

The sextile with the Sun is the Moon's last classical aspect in Aquarius, opening a void of course time. Sunday night could bring strong dreaming, as the Moon connects with Mercury in Pisces, enters Pisces, then meets Neptune in Pisces. Keep paper and pen handy.

While the Moon's in Aquarius, we get the overview, look to the future, and plan. This is a waning Moon, a time of letting go. When you see where your future is pointing, you know which baggage is no longer needed. Let it go.
    

Moon into Aquarius: Look to the Future

Saturday afternoon through Monday evening
Eastern Daylight Time

Saturday, March 17

The Fool, Maat Tarot, Spring Equinox card

Moon enters Aquarius 12:12pmMoon semisextile Neptune (Pisces) 3:08pm
Moon sextile Uranus (Aries) 7:46pm
Moon sextile Mercury (Aries) 8:46pm

Sunday, March 18
Moon semisextile Chiron (Pisces) 12:24am
Moon inconjunct Mars (Virgo) 3:22am
Moon sextile the North Node (Sagittarius) 4:30am
Moon semisextile Pluto (Capricorn) 5:32am
Sun (Pisces) inconjunct Saturn (Libra) 5:55am
Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 7:22am
Mercury (Aries) conjunct Uranus (Aries) 1:21pm
Moon square Venus (Taurus) 2:39pm

Monday, March 19
Moon trine Saturn (Libra) 4:31pm
(begin void of course)
Moon semisextile Sun (Pisces) 7:39pm
Moon enters Pisces 11:16pm

In one hour (as I write this––less by the time you read it), the Moon steps into cerebral, forward-looking Aquarius. This is the Moon as messenger, bringing our attention to larger patterns in the sky. Tomorrow, Mercury and Uranus reach the second of their conjunctions in Aries during this Mercury retrograde cycle. Overnight Monday, the Sun enters Aries to begin the new astrological year. Time to look ahead!

Tonight offers an intriguing opening for receiving messages. The Aquarian Moon is already attuned to the heavens, looking for signs and patterns. Her first aspect for this transit is an edgy touch with visionary Neptune, and tonight she flows energy with Uranus and Mercury. Questions we ask at this time are likely to get answers, although perhaps not the ones we'd expect.

Captain Future!

Sunday's focal aspect is the Mercury–Uranus conjunction. Mercury is moving backwards at this time, and this retrograde connection alerts us to where we need to change. Yes, we're already working on the changes we know we need to make. (We are, right? Mostly? Maybe?)

Now the places we're stuck, holding on too tight to the past, or outworn thinking, or bad habits, feel more irritating than ever. Mercury–Uranus wants to rip that bandaid right off––the sting only lasts a second.

The Moon feels conflicted about all this, as we're likely to be. After the lovely flowing time with the Grand Trine in Earth, all calm and peaceful, we're gritting our teeth and wondering why it takes so long for positive change to happen. I might not be quite ready to (fill in your essential change here), but it really bugs me that everyone else is moving so slowly.

Early Monday, the Moon trines Saturn, a time when our thoughts and feelings might settle and a plan of action emerges. Hold that thought, though, because this is the Moon's last classical aspect in Aquarius and the void of course will last all day.

We're entering a liminal time, the doorway between one zodiac cycle and another. All day Monday, the Moon is void of course in Aquarius, entering Pisces, last sign, Monday night. This is the end of the waning lunar cycle too, so we're entering a time of release.

And yet, the Sun is ready to move. Overnight Monday, he steps boldly into Aries, reaching the Spring Equinox, the Aries point of new beginnings. The Aries New Moon, flanked this year by Mercury and Uranus, is not far behind.

With a highly energized Equinox and New Moon ahead, we welcome this Aquarius Moon time to look ahead, realign with our own grand plan, and prepare.
    

Moon into Aquarius: Sparks on the Water

Sunday morning through Tuesday afternoon
Eastern Standard Time

Sunday, February 19
Sun enters Pisces 1:17am
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 4:22am
(begin void of course)

in the Aethar

Moon enters Aquarius 5:29am
Moon semisextile Sun (Pisces) 5:49am
Moon semisextile Neptune (Pisces) 6:33am
Moon sextile Uranus (Aries) 10:15am
Moon semisextile Chiron (Pisces) 2:16pm
Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 3:03pm
Sun (Pisces) conjunct Neptune (Pisces) 3:40pm
Moon semisextile Pluto (Capricorn) 9:38pm

Monday, February 20
Moon sextile the North Node (Sagittarius) 12:11am
Moon semisextile Mercury (Pisces) 2:20am
Moon sextile Venus (Aries) 7:28am
Moon inconjunct Mars (Virgo) 2:35pm

Tuesday, February 21
Moon trine Saturn (Libra) 11:17am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Pisces 12:30pm
Moon conjunct Neptune (Pisces) 1:47pm
Moon conjunct Sun (Pisces) 5:34pm
New Moon in Pisces:
Moon semisextile Uranus (Aries) 5:40pm
Sun semisextile Uranus (Aries) 6:58pm
Moon conjunct Chiron (Pisces) 9:55pm
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 11:10pm

Just before dawn tomorrow (Sunday), the Moon will enter bright, innovative Aquarius. Leaving behind the rocky road of Capricorn, she soars into the revolutionary skies of fixed Air. The key question is how the cool-headed Aquarian Moon will relate to the Water element. With the Sun entering Pisces' ocean overnight and joining Neptune there Sunday afternoon, Water is now a force to be reckoned with.

When Air and Water mix, we can end up in a fog, our thinking as clouded as our perceptions are dim. With Mercury and Chiron now in Pisces, along with the Sun and Neptune, foggy thinking is a definite possibility. If we give way to negative thinking, we can find ourselves lost in a maze of old patterns and feelings with no exit in sight.

This is precisely where the Aquarius Moon can shine, even though her light is dim in these last waning days. In Greek mythology, there were three airs. The highest was Aether, floating underneath the sky god Ouranos. This was the pure, light air of the highest heavens, breathed by the gods and goddesses. Here, thought was clear and unclouded. This is the realm of Aquarius, ruled by Uranus.

a Piscean landscape

As planets themselves for the New Moon in Pisces, the Aquarian Moon blows away the mists and helps us keep our bearings.

These are the last days we have to prepare for the New Moon seed time. This Moon keeps us calm as we decide what needs to be released to prepare for this new cycle.

The Moon in Aquarius strikes generous sparks from Uranus' fire late Sunday morning, amidst a day of edgier connections with Water and Earth. But that infusion of Aries Fire is enough to brighten the Air.

If the concentration of Pisces has you feeling fogged in, imagine this Aquarian Moon sending shafts of sunlight down through the clouds. The surface of the waters glints with sparkling light, and a path forward is illuminated.

Monday, this pattern continues as the Moon shares energy easily with the North Node and Venus in Fire signs, while having more difficult interactions with Mercury in Water and Mars in Earth. Keep thinking of the Aquarian Moon as Aether, whose ancient name also meant "to shine."

Late Tuesday morning, the Moon flows energy with Saturn in airy Libra, and then enters a void of course time just over an hour long. Flowing into Pisces, the Moon now swims to join the other powers ready and waiting for her. The New Moon approaches.

While the Moon is in Aquarius, we rely on her clear thought to steer us through sometimes murky waters, always watching for the glint of those shining lights.
     

Moon into Aquarius: Tricky Manouvers

Sunday night through Wednesday morning
Eastern Standard Time

Sunday, January 22
Moon enters Aquarius 9:53pm

Monday, January 23
Moon sextile Uranus (Aries) 12:27am
Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 12:56am
New Moon in Aquarius

twisting roads

Moon conjunct Sun (Aquarius) 2:40am
Moon semisextile Chiron (Pisces) 3:23am
Mercury (Capricorn) trine (Mars (Virgo) 6:15am
Moon semisextile Pluto (Capricorn) 12:19pm
Sun (Aquarius) semisextile Chiron (Pisces) 12:51pm
Moon sextile the North Node (Sagittarius) 6:50pm
Moon semisextile Venus (Pisces) 6:57pm
Mars turns retrograde in Virgo 7:53pm

Tuesday, January 24
Moon inconjunct Mars (Virgo) 3:26pm
Moon semisextile Mercury (Capricorn) 8:04pm

Wednesday, January 25
Moon trine Saturn (Libra) 2:59am
Moon conjunct Neptune (Aquarius) 3:33am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Pisces 4:11am
Moon semisextile Uranus (Aries) 7:02am
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 7:48am
Moon conjunct Chiron (Pisces) 10:13am
Moon semisextile Sun (Aquarius) 1:54pm
Moon sextile Pluto (Capricorn) 7:31pm

The Moon will enter Aquarius in a few hours, Sunday evening in the Eastern time zone, which I am not actually in at this moment. The last two days brought me into a microcosm of the shift into the Dark Moon and thrust toward the New Moon we're in right now.

During the Dark Moon, we release, release, elease and I left Indianapolis early Saturday morning in ice. The shuttle driver and I slid into the airport, the plane boarded, was de-iced for 40 minutes, then took off for Atlanta where we spent an hour circling because a major thunderstorm was knocking out power to thousands of Georgians.

Yes, I missed my connecting flight. I spent a very Saturnian night (Moon in Capricorn) in an airport hotel introspecting and feeling depressed. I also released any fear of not reaching goals and/or looking foolish in the process, something I've always been loth to do.

Tonight, the night of the amazingly creative New Moon in Aquarius, I am in Costa Rica, where howler monkeys hang out in the canopy and the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean. Which is to say, things can change, and change dramatically. This is Aquarius we're talking about here.

curve and recurve

Monday begins with the Moon in touch with Uranus and Saturn, setting the stage for the outside-the-box New Moon I wrote about in my last post. Uranus and Saturn, strange bedfellows though they are, co-rule Aquarius. Saturn is the ancient ruler, Uranus the modern.

Once the New Moon arrives, growth begins on a day full of aspects: The Moon touches Chiron, Pluto, the North Node and Venus, ready to heal, transform, get on track with this life's path, and do it all beautifully.

Meanwhile, the Sun also touches Chiron, Mercury and Mars flow energy to get work done, and then everything slows way down, as Mars turns retrograde in Virgo. This lasts until April.

Does Mars retrograde, especially in persnickety Virgo, throw up big roadblocks for the powerhouse New Moon? I don't think so. The New Moon in Aquarius signals long-term change, deep transformation, with no going back. Mars retrograde asks us to look within and consider what that means for us. "Consider" is con + sidere ... with the stars.

Tuesday brings time for considering, as the edgy touches between the Moon, Mercury and Mars mean that actually getting things done will be difficult and quite possibly better left for another day.

Wednesday morning offers another nudge to take the long view. The Moon trines Saturn and joins Neptune, positive energy with the planets that, when they work together, help us manifest our visions. After less than an hour void of course, and while most of us are still asleep, the Moon slips into the cosmic ocean of Pisces.

With this Moon in Aquarius, focused on the New Moon, we planet marvelous, creative, innovative seeds that may take time to develop, and then step back a bit from direct action and see what unfolds.

New Moon in Aquarius: Taking the Wheel

Early Monday morning
Eastern Time

The New Moon arrives early in Aquarius––2 degrees––and early in the day––2:39 am EST. We've been through some times of pondering, planning and plodding with Capricorn and Saturn, and this New Moon says, enough, already! Let's move!

Aquarius is the sign of the revolutionary, the idealist, and the innovator. In this sign, we connect to our vision of a better world at the same time we embrace our unique selves. In Aquarius, we know that our best contribution to our communities will emerge from our own talents, developed and delivered our way.

This New Moon is also the Chinese New Year, opening the Year of the Water Dragon. This will be a year of strong water events, with the Dragon bringing change.

An energized sextile from Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, channels plenty of just-do-it power into the New Moon, wanting to see big changes right out of the starting gate. But wait... this New Moon is at the apex of a T-square that challenges us to look before we leap.

Jupiter in Taurus squares the New Moon, ready to shower his good luck on our new endeavors if we're sure. Have we committed to nurturing our dreams? With our intentions be planted in good soil, so they develop strong roots and healthy branches? Have we got good self-care plans in place to avoid burnout?

Saturn in Libra squares off from the other side. He'll also be on our side if we've got good blueprints. Are our concepts well grounded? And if we meet that test, are we ready to walk our talk? Are we behaving responsibly, thinking through to seven generations?

Although the challenges are strong, this doesn't feel like a fight to me. Venus also has a strong presence at this New Moon, bringing in beauty and diplomacy. She's squaring the Nodes of the Moon, asking whether our life path is aligned with our cosmic vision. And, she rules both Taurus and Libra, the signs Jupiter and Saturn are sitting in as they square the New Moon.

water dragon

Picture a conference on a major new project, one you really want to go well. To get everyone on the team on board, you need to walk in with your best presentation: great ideas, solid supporting data, and the creative juice to get things going.

Your team includes some hard-nosed players who will challenge you every step of the way, yet you know their intentions are good. Once things are hammered out, the project will be stronger, its chances of success improved.

In these last days of the waning Moon, let go of whatever is gumming up the works. Mars is in detailed-oriented, analytical Virgo, already slowly for his approaching retrograde. Use his eagle eye to clean things up.

Check your birth chart. Where does this New Moon fall? That house will be energized to move in new directions. What does this Moon touch? If you have 

Once the New Moon arrives, harness all that vibrant creativity to flow energy into your wildest outside-the-box dreams. Mars will turn direct Monday evening, so plan to make your wishes and set intentions on Monday, especially ones focused on actions in the outer world.