Toward the Full Moon: Grounding Our Power

strength!

First Quarter Moon in Cancer
April 18, 2013 8:31 am EDT
Gibbous Moon in Virgo
April 22, 2013 5:04 am EDT
Full Moon in Scorpio
April 25, 2013 3:57 pm EDT

The fiery energy of new beginnings continues as the driving force in the sky now. Sun, Mars, Eris, Uranus and Mercury all continue in Aries. We have seen the explosive, destructive aspects of Aries and so it's important to hold in thought and heart the cleansing, regenerating, pioneering aspects as well.

Wednesday, April 17, in the evening, the Sun and Mars reach their conjunction, one peak of this energy of new beginnings and life force. If you've not already seen signs of whatever you wished for at the New Moon, this may be a time when new green shoots emerge into the light. If you find yourself caught up in anger, irritation, or similar emotions, this could also be a peak time––taking steps to increase calm is a good idea.

Thursday morning, April 18, brings the First Quarter Moon. This is the challenge between Moon and Sun when we're asked, Really? Did you mean that stuff you said? Here's what it might look like, so be sure, now ...  The Sun in late Aries, the Moon in late Cancer, each strong in their signs, will be testing each other.

The Sun says, go, go now! Reach for it, that thing you want, explore, step out, live large! The Moon says, is it safe? How will this affect the children? What do the ancestors say? How does it feel?

The Sun is supported by Mars and Eris, tipping the scales on the side of leaping, net or no. The Moon in Cancer is strong too, though, and very protective. We'll feel the need to honor both sides.

Friday, April 20, we'll see a conjunction of Mercury and Uranus. This pairing electrifies speech the way Sun–Mars electrified action. We could find ourselves speaking out strongly––so if we're in situations where this could create more problems than it solves, planning ahead, working to maintain calm, and thinking before speaking could be vital.

Mercury and Uranus together also offers energy for intense, sudden, unexpected insights. If there's a problem you're working on, this could be the day for a radical solution to present itself. Intuitive flashes can be strong too; keep a notebook handy.

We'll continue to feel the fire, and we'll have increasing chances to channel this energy into stable, long-term growth. This new stability has already begun: Venus has already moved into Taurus, one of her home signs.

Where Aries is flash and quickness, Taurus is warm, steady glow. This is fixed Earth, the sign of the patient gardener, the energy with staying power, loyalty, and commitment. Venus entered Taurus in the early hours of Monday, April 15, beginning the shift.

When Venus is in Taurus, we long for relationships that offer support, compassion, security, and pleasure. We appreciate those we have, and we feel ready to offer compassion to others. Pallas Athena and the South Node of the Moon are already in Taurus. Venus' arrival begins to re-focus our attention from instant gratification to something that will last.

The Sun enters Taurus Friday evening, April 19. Mars joins the Taurus garden party early Saturday morning, April 20.

When the Gibbous Moon arrives on April 22, the emphasis on Earth is much stronger. This is the square-and-a-half between Sun and Moon that again tests our commitment to our New Moon plans ... but notice all the Earth in this chart.

Here we see Sun, Mars and Venus in Taurus, and the Moon in Virgo. The Gibbous Moon question is likely to be, can we be patient enough to see our plans through? Aries energy loves to start, and isn't always around for the finish. Taurus and Virgo point us toward patience and steady effort, which may feel like a welcome change or like a frustrating block.

Notice how I'm offering lots of either/or's? It's because there are some big shifts, as well as energy peaks, happening now, and how we feel them will depend on where we've been, and how we've handled the energy up til now.

If the Aries fireworks have felt wonderfully enlivening, the shift into Taurus could feel like someone's hit the brakes. If this Aries intensity has felt overwhelming, the arrival of Taurus will feel wonderful.

Wherever we've been (and it's likely been a mix of both, actually), a worthy goal is to harness Aries fire and flow the power into something slower, stronger, and long-lasting.

The Full Moon arrives on the 25th with the extra juice of a partial lunar eclipse. I'll write more on this powerful Moon later, but here's a peek at the chart.

For this next week or so, continue noticing how power feels to you––the power around you, the power flowing through you, the power directed at you, and the power you direct. Where is it electric, fiery, fast, and (sometimes) furious? Where is it slow, steady, grounded, and stable? When is one good? When is the other a better choice? Can you shift one kind of flow to another?

These are the kinds of power questions to explore now.
    

Waxing Moon: Shift Happens!

Tiger wakes up!

Spring Equinox
March 20, 2013 7:02 am EDT
Gibbous Moon in Leo
March 23, 2013 1:56 pm EDT
Full Moon in Libra
March 27, 2013 5:27 am EDT

The Spring Equinox blew into town in a big way. I wish I could say it's brought warmth and sunshine, but we're still in winter here. So far, the changes have been internal––powerful on the inside.

Astrologically, the Equinox arrives when the Sun enters Aries, arriving at the Aries Point, zero Aries, beginner's mind, the Fool card in the Tarot. Where is your Aries Point? This is one of the things you want to know about your birth chart, for it's the place where new things enter your life.

My Aries Point is in my Eighth House of deeply transformative stuff. It's also exactly opposite my Second House Libra Sun. For me, it's like the Spring Equinox Aries Sun hits me right between the eyes. This happens every year, which, while I love Spring, might tell you why my favorite season is Autumn.

The convention phrase is "I feel like a new person!" What's more accurate for me this year––and with the intensely concentrated sky energies this might be true for you too––is "Wait! I just discovered I'm not who I thought I was!"

The transformation I'm experiencing involves peeling off lots of old layers that got added on in earlier searches for things like safety, privacy, acceptance and love. Those layers may have felt good and necessary at the time, but they're stiff and old now, holding me back from living my way into a more authentic life. Still, there's a lot of "ouch" in this process.

All the powers are online for this Spring cleaning: Mars and Uranus are conjunct in early Aries, ready to remove old layers with the sharpest tools they can find. The goddesses Eris and Pallas Athena hang out in late Aries, ready with blades of their own.

I've mentioned an ongoing yod, also called a Finger of Fate, in which Saturn and Pluto point at Jupiter––reminding us not to overextend, overinflate, or get too ahead of ourselves. Now we see a second yod overlapping this one: Jupiter and Mars–Uranus are pointing right back at Saturn, psuhing back against the forces of tradition, saying, yes, we're ready to lay solid foundations here but get on with it, already!

Meanwhile, Mars and Uranus are squaring Pluto while Chiron and Mercury sextile Pluto and semisextile Mars–Uranus. Oh yes, Chiron and Mercury are also trining Saturn. Venus enters Aries tonight (11:15 pm EDT), reaching her Aries Point moment. Whew!

These complex interwoven patterns are not deadlock; there's way too much energy flowing for that. These are healing patterns, blueprints for change.

We see powers for healing and compassion (Chiron and Mercury in Pisces), an awareness of the need for depth of understanding and strength (Saturn in Scorpio), an optimistic view of many opportunities (Jupiter in Gemini) and tremendous energy for growth and joy (everybody in Aries).

I want to highlight what an opportunity this is: Yes, we have a Spring Equinox every year, and Venus enters Aries every year, but Mars has a two-year cycle, and Uranus takes 80+ years to make it around the zodiac. Having this much focus in Aries, which this complexity of patterning, is special.

Maybe you're thinking you'd like a little less "special" in your life. I hear you, believe me, but we don't have that option. We live in interesting times. Our choices lie in our responses––are we riding the tiger or frozen in his glare?

At the Gibbous Moon on March 23, the Moon will be in fiesty Leo, squaring the Nodes of the Moon. Where, she asks, are we leaving passion and creativity behind? On the way to that moment, she will trine each of the Aries planets. These are wonderful days for healing art, creative expression, and passionate play.

Then, early on the morning of March 27, we reach the Libra Full Moon. The pattern is reminiscent of the last Full Moon: a singular Moon standing alone against a full court press of other planets. The energies, though, are very different. This time, we see one voice of balance and diplomacy speaking to a room full of supercharged adrenaline junkies.

This pattern reminds me of the Chariot card in the Tarot, which is all about learning to ride the tiger. I'll write more about this amazing Full Moon in a few days. What's important to see now is that it's coming, and bringing big energies with it.

This Full Moon will illuminate things like our authenticity, our passions, and whether we're speaking our truth––so taking a look now at our personal Aries Points and considering where change wants to flow in our lives are good things to be doing.

It's time to wake up. Toss the heavy blankets aside. Look around. Then, hit the ground running. It's a beautiful day!
    

Crescent Moon to Full: Diving Gear Ready!

prepare to dive ...

First Crescent Moon
February 17, 2013 3:30 pm EST
Gibbous Moon
February 21, 2013 6:44pm EST
Full Moon in Virgo
February 25, 2013 3:26 pm EST

As we turn the corner with the growing Moon (who rode faint but clear in the early afternoon sky as I liked in the woods a few hours ago), let's take a moment to appreciate the First Quarter Moon chart.

It's an intense chart, yes, and maybe the energy has been a bit crazy and jittery. I mean, it's not every week that meteors strike the earth on one continent and flame across the sky in another, while NASA monitors a near-miss asteroid fly-by.

Notice that in the First Quarter chart, everyone is moving direct. Everyone! That won't be true for a while, so we should appreciate it today.

Tomorrow, Saturn turns retrograde in Scorpio, where he'll be backing up until mid July. On February 23 (Saturday), Mercury goes retrograde in Pisces, right in the middle of the cosmic Pisces party.

Saturn and Mercury both turning retrograde in water signs, when there's such a concentration in water already––this is interesting. It is not time to panic. (Although you might want to have your Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy handy ... the one with the large friendly letters on the cover which say, Don't Panic.)

This is a big shift in energy that does not point inevitably to disaster. Honestly. The shift will feel less jarring if you're aware it's coming, and go with the flow. We've been in a time of forward motion that has (at least in my life) felt unpredictable and squirrelly. We are entering a time that is likely to feel slower, more fluid, more languid, more reflective, and also possibly foggier.

Any planet is more powerful when stationing (preparing to turn either retrograde or direct), so Saturn in Scorpio is pretty heavy right now. He could be showing up as the voice of paranoia and fear, or justice and retribution. Making those easy flowing trines to the Pisces guys (Chiron, Mars and Mercury are in range), it might feel easy to get pulled into conspiracy theories, or just get really jumpy about a lot of vague stuff.

This is not the approach I recommend.

Dana Gerhardt's take on Saturn in Scorpio (shared in chart readings) is, this is where he's at his most wizardly. How can we work with this mystical powerhouse? Instead of being taken over by fear, we can explore what our fears are, gain insight into their shape and size, and lessen their control over us.

Notice that the Gibbous Moon is in her home sign of Cancer, just past a trine with Saturn. We'll be experiencing multiple Water trines during this quarter, including Grand Trines in Water among the Moon, Saturn and the many planets in Pisces.

At a recent workshop about living an authentic life, Gregg Lavoy shared the story of the great Buddhist Milarepa who, during a long meditation retreat, found himself beset by his worst demons. After trying in vain to vanquish them, he shifted strategy. He made tea and invited them all to sit down.

In other words, he got to know them. He got to know them as challenges separate from himself, energies he could explore without being controlled. In his book Callings, Gregg quotes the actress Naomi Newman who says "If we wait until our hands stop shaking, we will never open the door."

At the New Moon in Aquarius, we dared greatly, setting intentions for our brightest dreams. During this First Quarter phase, we saw, perhaps, the first unfurlings of those dreams and probably got a few shocks along the way.

In this next quarter, reaching toward the Full Moon, we'll be diving into deep emotional, intuitive and magical territory. With Saturn on our side (and this is possible), we have the chance to channel great power and learn vital truths. This is a time to dive in, open the door, and invite our demons for tea.

The alternative is to stay frozen, and that's no fun. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am myself exploring tea with my demons as part of my writing practice. It's not easy. Scarey things are scarey, and ugly as well. It's really interesting, though. Just like these charts. Go for it!
    

Gibbous Moon: Imagination Becomes Reality

Janet Echelman's 1.26

Gibbous Moon in Gemini
January 22, 2013

This morning (Sunday, January 21), the Sun has shifted into Aquarius, inviting us to be ourselves, grab onto our craziest visions, dream large, and make things happen. Mercury is also in Aquarius, conjunct the Sun. We've left the heavy pragmatism of Capricorn behind and sail aloft, amazing and magical horizons unfurling everywhere we look.

Overnight, I arrived home after a week at Blue Spirit Resort on Costa Rica's lovely Nosara peninsula, listening to inspiring speakers, moving my body to the ancient rhythms of qigong, walking on Pacific beaches and waking to the roars of howler monkeys. Now I'm ready to change my life!

We live in exciting times, and the Aquarius Sun is ready to celebrate that. Some of us, though, rather like comfort and safety. Change is needed, we can see that, but does it need to be today? And that large ... can't we have small change? So we can get used to it?

The Gibbous Moon arrives tomorrow night to say, no, not really.

This is the square-and-a-half on the way to the glorious Full Moon, the edgy time when we face what our visions are really asking of us. Yes, we want to be, have, and do all we envision. Being human, we'd prefer it neatly packaged, delivered on time, and easy to install.

The Gibbous Moon says, not so much.

We've got the Sun and Mercury together in Aquarius––the vision is so clear, so big, so compelling. The Moon is in detail-oriented, excitable Gemini.

Wait ... since Aquarius and Gemini are both Air signs, shouldn't this be an easy flowing trine? Well, we'll have the trine today, making Sunday afternoon a wonderful time for brainstorming, planning, vision boards, anything like that.

The Gibbous Moon arrives when the Moon is past the fun part and joins Ceres, the Earth Goddess, in late Aquarius. Here we get to "but how is this going to work?" and possibly "oh, no, this is not what I meant to happen..."

There is a trine back to the Sun and Mercury, from expansive, generous, and sometimes overblown Jupiter, which makes our visions seem really big, really important, and really wonderful. And they are all that and more. Still, the Moon and Ceres are working overtime to keep balls in the air and all those plates spinning.

Do we stop? Fall back and regroup? Give up? NO! With Aquarius and Gemini strong, and Aquarian Mars squaring the Nodes of the Moon, this edgy and challenging Gibbous Moon is about embracing challenge and triumphing over it. The challenges are real, and so is the dream. Both are essential.

Synchronicity delivered a wonderful example of this energy to my desktop this morning, courtesy of a friend who linked Janet Echelman's Huffpost blog and TEDtalk to Facebook.

Janet Echelman

Janet makes sculptures that float and change, are permanent, and massive. Turned down by seven art schools, she was inspired by (and worked with) fishermen in India weaving their nets.

She's worked with engineers, software developers, and scientists to bring her visions of transformed urban spaces to fruition.

Maybe we won't all work in this scale, with this success. Still, at this Gibbous Moon, we're likely to face the uncomfortable distance between what we dream and what it will take to actually get there.

Although we're looking at a single lunar cycle (which is about a month), Aquarius reminds us to take the long view. Some of Janet's works took many years to complete, as she faced each hurdle of materials, design and construction.

The title of her TED talk is "Imagination Becomes Reality" and I can't think of a better expression of the challenge and the promise of this particular Gibbous Moon.
    

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.
    

Gibbous Moon: Citrinitas

golden light

Gibbous Moon in Aries
November 24, 2012

Today's Gibbous Moon, which arrived first thing this morning, shines light on where we are in the alchemical soup. The waxing Moon is brighter in the sky, leading into the Full Moon and lunar eclipse. This eclipse will complete the two-week intensity from eclipse to eclipse we're now in, the last eclipse of this calendar year.

What do we see now we didn't see before?

Alchemy continues to be an apt framework for this magically mysterious Scorpio New Moon cycle. In the ancient system, the next stage is the citrinitas, the yellow or golden stage. New light dawns, the solar light within. Something inside lights up; we see things in new ways.

A few days ago, the Sun moved from Scorpio's depths into the optimistic glow of Sagittarius. Today's Gibbous Moon shows the Sun trining the flames of Uranus in Aries, while sesquiquadrate (a square and a half) the Moon also in Aries. A lot of Fire!

During eclipse times, information flows––messages from the outer world, secrets uncovered, inner realizations are all heightened now. The Fire of this Gibbous Moon pushes us to look at where we are. Is there something we need to embrace? Is there something we need to face up to?

Later alchemical texts often omit the citrinitas, moving directly from black to white to red. Jung, however, associated citrinitas with the archetype of the senex, the wise elder. This Gibbous Moon, our citrinitas, focuses our attention on the senex who in astrology is Saturn.

The Grand Trine in Water still flows. At this Moon, we see Ceres in Cancer trining Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, trining Saturn in Scorpio who now is joined by Venus. Underneath the solar brightness of Sun, Moon and Uranus in Fire, the depths of emotional, ancestral and intuitive knowledge sustains us.

So, another question asked at this time is, how's our relationship with the wise elder, both within and without? Where have we become fixed, sedentary, pedantic, or heavy handed? Or, where are we encountering maturity, wisdom, the voice of experience, the awareness of time ... and are we listening?

If we need an additional reminder (or push) to look at our relationship to wisdom and authority, the asteroid goddesses form another pattern: While Ceres participates in the Grand Water Trine, we see Juno, Athena and Vesta in a T-square.

Juno, who stands for the strength of family bonds and commitments, is in philosophical Sagittarius. She opposes Vesta, keeper of the hearth at the center of each home, in Gemini. Both are squared by Athena, who raises the standard for learning, tradition and the rule of law, now in visionary Pisces.

Each of these three goddesses embodies a certain kind of relating, a way to understand who we are in society (Athena), in our extended family (Juno) and in the center of our homes (Vesta). Venus conjunct Saturn in Scorpio hold up a mirror, asking us to look at our relationships, how we define them, and whether they're working well.

This exploration of alchemy and archetypes might seem esoteric and theoretical. It sounds nicely mysterious, but what does it mean? Here's an example:

I'm living with Saturn in a serious way. My second Saturn return arrives in two weeks, which means, among other things, that my Saturn is in Scorpio and has been receiving aspects from everyone else moving through Scorpio these last weeks.

Living alone for the last several years, I've been working with Pema Chödrön's approach of staying with discomfort to learn from the very things we normally try to ignore. I don't do this every day, mind you, but I do give it a try.

For a variety of reasons, I've been feeling very alone lately. Not lonely, exactly, but alone. I like to think I'm mostly OK with this. I am, after all, introverted and generally happy in my own company. This morning, I realized (while doing my morning tai chi, so, out of nowhere, more or less) that I am most uncomfortable being alone as I fall asleep at night, and as I wake in the morning. This explains, in a new and interesting way, why I often feel compelled to get online first thing in the morning, even when I know I have other priorities and Facebook is a great evaporator of time.

Not an earth-shattering insight, and perhaps even a "duh" moment––but it tells me something about myself I didn't know before, that illuminates my behavior and opens a space for change. This is about my relationship to Saturn as senex, the hermit living alone. For what it's worth, I'm here blogging this morning, but haven't yet checked any of my other online accounts.

The Full Moon is on her way. Illuminations now, major or minor, comfortable or un, help us prepare for the greater illumination to come.
    

Gibbous Moon: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night ...

into the woods ...

Gibbous Moon in Pisces
October 25, 2012

"Gibbous" is an odd word, don't you think? It makes me think of gibbons ... gibbering gibbons.

Its origins are equally odd. Gibbous means something convex or bulging, but comes from the Latin gibbus, a hump or hunch. In the fifteenth century, "gibbous" meant hunchbacked.

This Moon phase, which peaks as the Sun and Moon form a square-and-a-half (a sesquiquadrate), is like hitting a bump in the road. We've met the First Quarter square challenge, we can see the Full Moon reward looking ahead, and––wait ... what? I just fell over something.

This Gibbous Moon is the log you trip over on a foggy night in the woods when you've made a wrong turn, the compass needle spins crazily, the matches are wet, and the flashlight battery's low.

The Grand Trine in Water I've written about earlier in this lunar cycle is still with us, emphasized by a Sun–Saturn conjunction in Scorpio, trine Neptune and Chiron in Pisces and Ceres in Cancer. With the Moon also in Pisces, we're going to have a tough time getting our bearings. These energies are filled with glorious spiritual connection, and the cruelest of illusions. Healing and wounding, clarity and confusion, innocence and decadence, light and shadow.

At times like these, rational logic goes out the window. It just doesn't work. The choice point is, are we driven by fear? Or do we tune in to intuition?

Let's not dismiss the fear option out of hand. When I look at the world, our situations politically and ecologically, the treatment of all people in any way disadvantaged, I am afraid. Fear feels like a realistic assessment.

So maybe the question is, what's the purpose of fear? And, beyond that, what do I do with fear? Where does it lead me? Are there healthy ways I can experience and work with fear?

Karla McLaren describes fear as the mood state evoked by change, novelty, and the possibility of physical danger. Oh, snap. "Novelty" seems like a weak word indeed for the level of change coming at us––even "change" doesn't evoke the speed-of-light flows of information, innovation, and transformation swirling around.

Karla sees emotions as moving, calling us to action. Fear, she says, leads us into our instincts and intuitions, the ways we know, outside of logic, what to do right now to stay safe––sometimes by freezing or running away, but often by orienting to the coming changes and flowing with them.

Fear and intuition are not opposite choices. When experienced well, fear connects us to intuition.

Today, intuition is often glossed as "inner knowing." We think of tuition as teaching, and in as inside, so, intuition is an inner guide who tells you stuff.

The origin of intuition leads back to the Latin teuri, a word so old its origins are lost, which means not teacher, but guardian and protector.

Intuition is the guidance within that keeps us safe, activated when we feel the emotion we know as fear. Nature intended this to work seamlessly––the inner alarm bell goes off, we correct our course of action, the alarm bell goes quiet.

This is not a case of "feel the fear and do it anyway" when the action we're choosing makes the alarm bells get insanely loud. Neither is it a call to stick our heads in the sand because this momentarily reduces panic. This is about learning how to respond in ways that make us safer, by accepting, understanding and responding accurately and effectively to our circumstances.

This is the beauty of a trine, especially a Grand one: Trines flow easily.

Even as this part of the lunar phase leads us into the dark, misty forest and lays a log in our path, the energies out there are standing by to offer powerful, easily accessible experiences of how well intuition can work.

Seriously, with a Grand Trine like this one, plus Mercury conjunct the North Node in Scorpio, if we can't get in touch with our inner guidance now, when can we?

OK, that was a bit Scorpionic and snarky. How these transits affect you will depend a lot on your birth chart and how your life's been going lately. At the same time, we really are offered a chance to experience intuition at work (and at play) this week.

Watch for synchronicities. Remember your dreams. Dust off the runes, I Ching tiles, Tarot cards. Watch flights of birds. Listen to the wind.

Important safety tip: Choose ways of working with intuition that keep you safe and in contact with trusted guides who have your best interest at heart. Plan for invocations, prayers, or blessings.

If fear comes up, try not to immediately shy away. Look for a calm space within. Watch where the fear leads you. Listen to what the message is. Take effective action that increases safety.

Blessings for all of us.
    

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.
    

Gibbous Moon: Steadfast

strong foundation, solid base

Gibbous Moon in Capricorn: August 27, 2012

The Gibbous Moon arrives tomorrow (Sunday) evening, that big-bellied, almost-but-not-quite full Moon brightening the evening sky. This is the square-and-a-half that asks, are we ready? Are we prepared? Is everything in place?

This Gibbous Moon is in Capricorn, sesquiquadrate the Virgo Sun. A challenging angle, and yet what a stable, grounded combination this is. If we need structure, discipline or commitment on our way to this Full Moon, look no further.

The Moon is not considered to be happy in Capricorn, the sign of its detriment, and yet there's an essential dignity here as well. (And Capricorn love dignity, not to mention traditional systems.) The Moon is the triplicity ruler of Earth signs in a nighttime chart, which this chart is in my time zone.

The Sun rules the first 10 degrees of Virgo, reckoning by decans, and so, at 5 degrees gains some essential dignity too.

This is a steadfast Moon, a word from Old English that means "standing your ground." This Moon has feelings, but will not allow sentiment to cloud judgement, or avoid a difficult task because it might upset people.

This groundedness is a good thing, because the cosmos is full of murky energy right now.

Pluto, Chiron and Uranus are all at 7 degrees, aspecting each other in Capricorn, Pisces, and Aries.

At the Gibbous Moon, the Sun is a scant two degrees away, illuminating the ongoing wrestling match between tectonic transformation (Pluto) and volcanic revolution (Uranus), with Chiron flowing aid to both sides while avoiding the line of fire.

Mercury is point man between Pluto and Uranus, at the apex of a Finger of the World. Time to distinguish between courage and bravado, heart-felt passion and dramatic bombast.

Neptune continues to square the Nodes of the Moon, with a trine from Mars in Scorpio increasing both the pressure to do something and the inability to see clearly what needs to be done.

The Moon is at the apex of a Yod with Mercury and Ceres at its base, highlighting the need to keep our feet on the ground. our eyes on the prize, and our mouths shut unless we've considered carefully what we need to say.

The Moon also opposes Venus in emotional, Moon-ruled Cancer. Traditional values, security, home and family come to the fore. Again the Moon focuses on practical steps to help reach our goals, rather than dissolving into anxiety and reactivity.

The soon-to-arrive Full Moon is in Pisces, surrounded by energies that will increase sensitivity, intuition, empathy, and (potentially) confusion. With this Gibbous Moon, we're reminded that structure protects and strengthens.

We have the chance to test what's underfoot. Heading toward quicksand? Now's the time for a course correction to reach solid ground.
    

Gibbous Moon: The Final Draft Dress Rehearsal

"All the real work is done in rehearsal" Donald Pleasence

Gibbous Moon in Sagittarius: July 29, 2012

Last night's Moon was beautiful here. An intense late afternoon storm moved through, dumping rain, upending umbrellas, dropping temperatures, and blowing the sky clear. Later, the growing, glowing Moon rose while the twilight sky glowed deep azure.

These were the last hours of the mysterious Scorpio Moon, moody and intense. She moved into optimistic, adventurous Sagittarius overnight, shifting us into a more upbeat mood. The struggles haven't gone away, but there's an easing of tension, a glimmer of hope, a bend in the road.

Tomorrow, the Moon reaches her Gibbous phase, the square-and-a-half with the Sun that marks the last stage before the Full Moon. It's a fiery point in this lunar cycle, as the Sag Moon pushes against the Sun holding strong in Leo.

The Sun is conjunct Mercury, trining Uranus in Aries, and trining the North Node in early Sagittarius. So this Gibbous Moon is actually bumping against a almost-Grand Trine in Fire that links the revolutionary trickster, the karmic signpost, how we think and communicate, and our heart's core. (Uranus and the North Node are too far to be trining each other, but the Sun and Mercury link them both.) Heady stuff, this.

Yet Uranus and Mercury remain retrograde, and we're not at the Full Moon yet. The intense emotions, the private and some very public challenges, the ongoing polarizations unfolding within this lunar cycle are still in process. Not quite ready for prime time.

The Leo Sun and Sagittarian Moon look outward, ready to share. Mercury and Uranus retrograde keep the focus inward. Messages are taking shape here. Insights gained, perhaps some conclusions drawn. But we're still working on it. Things are still in process, under construction.

This is a very creative time. Venus in Gemini trines Saturn in Libra, flowing energy from creative vision into form, finding the right container for what we see, feel and wish to say.

This lunar phase moves us beyond introspection into creation. It's time for active processing, for getting words on paper, paint on brushes, hands into clay. It's time to find the right key, the best chords, the melody and lyrics to express who we are and what we know.

The thing is, Mercury and Uranus will still be retrograde through the Full Moon. There's something about the coming illumination that will call on the inner work we're been doing to bring forward something we haven't felt ready to share yet.

With that in mind, it's time to get the show on the road. Those trial performances, the late drafts we bring to our best readers––the Gibbous Moon says it's time.
    

Gibbous Moon: What's in the Glass?

I heard a peal of delight and turned around
-- that's the picture at the top of this post.

Hilary Matfess, a young policy analyst, was jumping
up and down, yelling out details.

"The mandate is constitutional! It was upheld!
Roberts went for the swing vote! Yes! Oh my God!
The individual mandate survives as a tax!"

Did you work on passing the bill? I asked.

"No!" said Matfess. "I just have lupus!"

Gibbous Moon in Scorpio: June 30, 2012

Tomorrow morning the big-bellied Gibbous Moon arrives, pushing toward Full as she makes an edgy square-and-a-half connection with the Sun in her home sign of Cancer.

Something is pending, something is due, and the Scorpio Moon wants to peek behind the curtain and make sure it's ok.

The Sun highlights the ongoing challenges of the Pluto–Uranus square by opposing Pluto and squaring Uranus: a T-square with revolution at the apex.

How are we seeing this energy?

In the US, the Sun highlights transformation with the Supreme Court decision to uphold the individual mandate in the new health care laws, which feels like a blazing, wonderful revolution to some and a terrible tipping point to others.

Some on the right say the US has gone communist and they're leaving for Canada (which already has universal health care and gay marriage to boot) while one GOP leader calls for armed rebellion––not peaceful Occupy-style action, mind you, but armed and dangerous. Scorpio Moon stuff, here.

The Sun connection highlights where the personal and the global meet, illuminating stories of relief as those of us with preexisting conditions, and those summarily dropped from plans, and those who've seen costs rise and coverage shrink feel some hope for the future.

Yes, my sympathies are clear––I support going beyond the current health care changes to universal care. And the astrological point is, the aspects show seismic change and extreme reaction from all sides, with emotional valences based in individual viewpoints.

Meanwhile, the Scorpio Moon forms an out-of-sign opposition to the big, happy group hanging out in Gemini, clustered around the South Node. She's also in an out-of-sign, still-wide conjunction with the North Node.

What does the Moon see behind the curtain here? Are we looking back to the past and missing the present? Are we distracted by the shiny thing of the day and avoiding our life path altogether? The Full Moon arrives soon, and this Scorpio Moon wants to know what's going on.

So, we might be left with that odd feeling we're missing something important. We might take a second look, or third or fourth look, to check what's going on. We might even look over our shoulder, to see what's back there. Not a bad idea, with this Moon.
   

Gibbous Moon: The Ripening Promise

Gibbous Moon: June 1, 2012 (EDT)

Tomorrow very early (overnight, really), the Moon reaches her square-and-a-half with the Sun that marks the Gibbous Moon. What is that word?

A gibbous Moon is a bulging Moon, full but not quite, round but not quite, promising but just a little off to our eye. "Gibbous" is an old word for "hump" or "hunch" and was used for hunchbacks as well as the Moon.

Awkward, then, this Moon. Something we can't look away from and yet don't want to be caught staring at. It pushes at us, wanting to be adjusted.

Sesquiquadrates, the square-and-a-half aspect, are like that. We've made it past the First Quarter challenge, heading for the illumination of the Full Moon, and here comes something else to trip us up.

It doesn't seem fair, and yet all the great stories have this one-more-challenge pattern. This is the falling action, the dénouement. The hero has passed the crisis and all seems resolved, but wait––who is that hiding in the shadow?

At this Gibbous Moon, we find the Moon conjunct Saturn, both in Libra and Saturn (still) retrograde. They sit at the apex of a Finger of the World, as they are sesquiquadrate both the Sun and Chiron, who square each other.

The Sun, conjunct Mercury, Venus and the South Node, also squares Mars, who opposes Chiron. Meanwhile, Neptune and Chiron square the Nodes of the Moon, and Uranus is one degree away from his first exact square to Pluto.

This is looking like the scene in the frontier cantina when everyone has his/her weapons drawn and pointed at everyone else, and no one can move.

Definitely awkward.

light increasing

There's another image of the Gibbous Moon that offers hope. Looking at the almost-full profile of this brightening Moon, we see the profile of a heavily pregnant woman not quite ready to give birth, "big-bellied with the wanton wind," as Shakespeare had it.

This is a delicate time, when we wait with some anxiety, ready to celebrate the coming birth and hoping nothing happens so close to threaten the outcome.

The signs in the sky point to surprises, flashes of energy, and hidden support: the Gibbous Moon flows in trine with Neptune and Venus, and sextiles Pluto. Mars trines Pluto, and Uranus trines the North Node.

At this time, we may feel a strong need to act without being able to see clearly what action will be best. The heady mix of planets standing around this particular cantina suggests action will be needed. It's a good time to stop the cycle of anxious thinking, and tune in to a deeper, more intuitive channel.

As we move toward the powerfully energized Full Moon, careful steps are called for, yet we want to move without anxiety, calling in our intuitive connections, and finding the way.