This Moon's Quarter: Dreaming True

White Stone (detail) by Nicholas Roerich

Crescent Moon in Pisces
10:35 pm February 2 EST
3:35 am February 3 GMT

Imbolc (astrological)
February 3, 2014
5:03 pm EST / 10:03 pm GMT

First Quarter Moon in Taurus
February 6, 2014
2:22 pm EST / 7:22 pm GMT

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces
February 6, 2014
4:43 pm EST / 9:43 pm GMT

There's so much happening, this First Quarter gets its own post. We're now in the midst of celebrations for the new Chinese Year of the Wood Horse. Tomorrow brings the Crescent Moon, followed by the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc, the First Quarter Moon, and our first Mercury Rertrograde of 2014 ... what's going on??

As promised, the New Moon in Aquarius awakened a new vision, and we're already getting glimmers of what's coming. What? You thought an Aquarian New Moon would be slow?

Still in the dark of the New Moon time, the Pisces Moon brings strong dreams. Right now, she's traveling with Neptune and Chiron, so be sure you have a notebook or recorder handy. (I use my iPhone.)

Tomorrow night's Crescent Moon, the edgy half-square when we get our first glimmer of our New Moon intentions, finds the Moon in the last, powerful, anaretic degree of Pisces. Poised to jump into a new cycle of Fire, this Moon is widely trine Saturn is mysterious Scorpio. Perhaps tonight's dreams will show us obstacles––along with the magic to work through them.

The next day, the ancient festival of Imbolc arrives. Known as Candelmas in later calendars, Imbolc arrives astrologically when the Sun reaches 15 degrees of Aquarius, the middle of winter. At this deeply quiet, frozen, silent, time, we look for early signs of Spring: snowdrops blooming through snow, the stirring of unborn lambs, the peeking out of a groundhog.

The middle of winter is deepest yin, when yang is potentiated most strongly. We have planted seeds. Now, before we see the first shoots, we feel the seed crack open in the dark earth. Somehow, the growth tip knows how to find the Sun, and heads upward.

And, oh! what a sprouting this will be! The Imbolc Moon sits right with Uranus the trickster revolutionary, igniting Fire that will light our way for the year to come. The goddess and saint associated with Imbolc is Brigid, whose triple skills in smithcraft, healing and poetry are all based in the inspiration of Fire.

The First Quarter Moon grounds us firmly in Earth, as she sits at 17 Taurus, squaring the Sun, opposite Saturn, and trine Venus and Pluto. The First Quarter is the challenge: Are we ready to step into our new vision?

The Moon's pattern is challenging, alright, and thumps us back down in the middle of the New Moon's pattern: This is about reality AND vision, coinciding, working together, becoming real.

No getting lost in the clouds at this First Quarter, it's all about what works from top to bottom, high to low, edge to edge, and every bit in between.

Which is good, because we're about to offered time to think it through: Just a few hours after the First Quarter, Mercury goes retrograde in Pisces.

Mercury is very close to Neptune as he stations, continuing the strong dreaming vibe. Keep those notebooks and recorders handy!

Over the course of the month, Mercury will move back into Aquarian territory, giving us the time to check and double check our plans. Remember, Mercury retrograde is not about making us miserable with constant glitches. It's about taking the time to reflect, review, revisit, retreat (when necessary), revise ... all the "re" words.

These periods are vital for us. We can't go, go, go all the time. Embracing the gifts of Mercury retrograde, taking time for meditation and slowness, will reduce frustration and most likely the number of mishaps as well.

So will backing up your computer and other tech devices. and making allowances for more dreaminess than usual––this is Piscean and Aquarian territory, after all.

This first week of the new lunar cycle is crowded with incident, and then we slow down. Pay attention to what's coming up for you now. This is a time of thinking and feeling, mind and body, the vision and the manifestation. Noticing where things don't fit will alert us to where those new shoots will soon be breaking through.

This Full Moon coming up is in passionate Leo, and falls on Valentine's Day. Can't wait to tell you more about that one ...
    

Full Moon to Last Quarter: Crying for a Vision

crying for a dream

Full Moon in Leo,
January 26, 2013
Disseminating Moon in Virgo,
January 30, 2013
Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio
& Imbolc, February 3, 2013


The deep intensity of Saturday's Full Moon in Leo crystallized where we stand, each of us, in our ability to passionately and creatively express what's in our hearts.

Some of us realized we've found our place in the light, our way to shine in the world. Some of us discovered we've still got a way to go.

There were interesting synchronicities around energy, burnout, ignition and keys: Two friends traveling to the same workshop left their car lights on and needed jumps to get started again. My garage door opener stopped working, and I forgot my door key, initiating a convoluted late-night series of drives, messages, meetings, and follow-ups. In the end, my own opener started working again, all on its own.

So, what did you learn? Where are you shining brightly? Where are you overloading your circuits? Where do you need a jump or a new battery?

In this first part of the waning phase, we share. Sometimes that means getting clarity within; sometimes it calls for broadcasting; sometimes it's time for outside help.

My theme for this week is "crying for a vision," the Lakota phrase to describe a vision quest. Also translated as "crying for a dream," this is a sacred time when we ask for support to clarify goals, or give thanks for what we've received.

Let's look at the transitions happening now:

[A note about the charts ... since I'll be including more charts in each post, they'll appear smaller. Not everyone will want to see the charts, and you're welcome to pass them by. But if you want to see the patterns I'm describing, click on each chart to open a larger image in a separate window.]

The Sun remains in the middle of Aquarius, the sign of visions. The Moon moves from passionate Leo, through careful Virgo, harmonious Libra, and into shadowy Scorpio. Venus transitions from pragmatic Capricorn into visionary Aquarius. Mars shifts from Aquarius into Pisces. And, glory be! Jupiter is turning direct tomorrow after long months retrograde.

Jupiter is especially powerful as he stations, signalling a shift in energy from inward reflection to outward action. It's time to move from contemplation into consequences. What have we learned? How do we implement that?

Energy overall is shifting into the signs of dreams and visions: Aquarius and Pisces, which makes it important to say, dreams and visions are meant to be acted upon and acted out! Sometimes our modern culture sees dreams as insubstantial and unreal, and visions as pie-in-the-sky fantasies. Yet without a vision, our lives are formless and empty.

If the Full Moon illuminated a wonderful place for you, this waning cycle can be one of articulating your vision fully, getting really clear on what the next steps are, and preparing for them.

If the Full Moon showed you're still out in the dark, then this is a wonderful time to cry for a vision, to ask for guidance and dreams.

When we reach the Last Quarter Moon, we also reach Imbolc, one of the four great Fire festivals of the ancient Celtic world. This festival marks a hinge of the year: In the depths of winter, we feel the shift toward Spring.

The Celts divided the year into dark and light (think yin and yang). At Samhain (Halloween), we enter the dark half of the year––at Beltaine (Mayday) we enter the light half. With this year's Last Quarter Moon at Imbolc, we reach the middle of the dark half, and begin the turn toward the light.

There's still plenty of winter left, and yet we're feeling the first stirrings of new life. One translation of "imbolc" is "in the belly," a reference to the pregnant ewes soon to begin lambing.

Astrologically, Imbolc arrives when the Sun reaches the midpoint of Aquarius. This year, the Imbolc Sun is squaring the Nodes of the Moon as well at the Moon herself. The Nodes are the path we're meant to follow in this lifetime, and anything squaring the Nodes marks a missed step, something we've forgotten.

With the Aquarius Sun squaring the Nodes, we realize––it's the vision thing! Are we clear on where we're going? Can we see the future we desire and work for?

The Full Moon in Leo charged up our batteries and reconnected us with our passions. Now we share our vision with the world... or we cry for a new one, realizing how empty life is without a dream. We all have one, usually more than one––which vision is calling us now? Commit to that one.
    

Moon into Cancer: Coming Home

Saturday morning through Monday morning
Eastern Standard Time

Three of Cups ©Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Saturday, February 4
Moon enters Cancer 1:04am
Moon trine Neptune (Pisces) 1:06am
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 4:44am
Imbolc: Sun reaches 15 Aquarius 5:22am
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 6:54am
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 8:22am
Moon opposite Pluto (Capricorn) 5:07pm
Moon inconjunct the North Node (Sagittarius) 10:00pm

Sunday, February 5
Moon inconjunct Mercury (Aquarius) 4:17am
Moon inconjunct Sun (Aquarius) 7:12am
Moon sextile Mars (Virgo) 6:01pm

Monday, February 6
Moon trine Venus (Pisces) 4:29am
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 7:30am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Leo 8:24am
Moon semisextile Neptune (Pisces) 8:35am
Moon trine Uranus (Aries) 12:01pm
Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 2:23pm
Moon inconjunct Chiron (Pisces) 3:30pm
Moon inconjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 11:34pm

The Moon moved into Cancer very early this morning, shifting from the bright, airy connections of Gemini into the slower, deeper movements of her home Water sign. If you woke this morning from dreams of ancestors, nurturing, food, warmth, mother, then look to the Cancer Moon.

We also reached astrological Imbolc early this morning as the Sun reached 15 degrees of Aquarius. Today, as the year turns toward greater light, Aquarian insight is available to us along with Neptunian visions: The Moon's first contact was a flowing, Watery trine with Neptune newly arrived in her home sign of Pisces.

Yes, I wrote "her" for Neptune. The name is a male god, yet Neptune's energy has many feminine, yin qualities. In many cultures, ocean deities are female. The glamour, the lyricism, the dreaminess, the easy contact with emotions and the subconscious––these are yin and feminine, although of course men have and experience them too, just as women have the fierce drives of Aries.

Today's energies are strongly in this Watery, yin arena. The Moon stands in challenge to the quick-acting, direct Uranus, while flowing energy with Jupiter in slow, sensual Taurus as well as with healing Chiron. Opposing Pluto, we experience opportunities for transformation that, floating in this visionary space, might feel easy to sense but tricky to articulate.

newborn lamb

Imbolc is the time of the goddess Brighid, triple goddess of the hearth, of poetry, and of smithcraft, which the ancient Celts saw as transformation at work.

I invoke her today with Stephanie Pui-Mun Law's Three of Cups from the Shadowscapes Tarot, perfect for this day of the Moon, Neptune and Pluto.

At Imbolc, the ancient Celtic calendar shifts from the dark half of the dark half of the year (from Samhain to Imbolc), into the light half of the dark half of the year (until Betaine).

One reading of the ancient meaning of the word "Imbolc" is "in the belly" and we enter a time now when yang energy begins to stir, arising within the womb of winter stillness.

With the Gemini Moon, we gathered lots of new information. Now, we sit with it. We reflect. We feel. We allow. Tonight, the Moon makes an awkward aspect with the North Node, signalling that adjustments are needed in our path forward. Tomorrow, that same aspect with the Sun and Mercury tells us to slow down, notice where things are not comfortable, and adjust. A connection with Mars, retrograde in detail-oriented Virgo, gives us the precision of insight we need.

Early Monday morning, connections with Venus and Saturn offer creative energy just before the Moon steps into Leo's creative fire. As we enter the week ahead, we may find that our time in reflection and stillness gives birth to new passions, new play and new ideas.

While the Moon is in Cancer, we cultivate stillness, allowing time for feelings.
    

Moon into Gemini: Sleight of Hand

Wednesday afternoon through Saturday morning
Eastern Standard Time

Wednesday, February 1
Moon enters Gemini 2:15pm
Mercury (Aquarius) semisextile Pluto (Capricorn) 2:38pm

The Greatest Show on Earth

Moon sextile Uranus (Aries) 5:54pm
Venus (Pisces) opposite Mars (Virgo) 6:41pm
Moon semisextile Jupiter (Taurus) 7:47pm
Moon square Chiron (Pisces) 9:40pm

Thursday, February 2
Moon inconjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 7:04am
Moon trine Mercury (Aquarius) 9:41am
Moon opposite the North Node (Sagittarius) 12:37pm
Moon trine Sun (Aquarius) 5:01pm

Friday, February 3
Moon square Mars (Virgo) 10:24am
Neptune enters Pisces 2:02pm
Moon square Venus (Pisces) 3:03pm

Saturday, February 4
Moon trine Saturn (Libra) 12:07am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Cancer 1:04am
Moon trine Neptune (Pisces) 1:06am
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 4:44am
Imbolc: Sun reaches 15 Aquarius 5:22am
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 6:54am
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 8:22am
Moon opposite Pluto (Capricorn) 5:07pm

Ahhh, the Gemini Moon begins this afternoon, beguiling us into a world of intriguing ideas, scintillating conversations, enlivening connections, flirtatious engagements and tricksterish fun. With Mercury (ruler of Gemini) in Aquarius, the outside-the-box trickster in each of us peeks out, ready to play. Never forget, though, that creative play is all about deep learning.

Mercury gets edgy with transformative Pluto this afternoon, and Venus opposes Mars. These sounds like not-fun––more like challenge and work, actually. With Mercury and Gemini, fun is more about risk than safety. Where can we push the boundaries? Where is the new perspective? Mercury is the patron of thieves as well as merchants and loves question like:

"Which is the greater crime, to rob a bank or to own one?" 

(... a tricksterish quote often attributed to Marx, from Bertold Brecht's Threepenny Opera, Mercury at work again.)

Nouvelle Experience

With Venus and Mars opposite in Pisces and Virgo, we're called on to balance heart and hands, soul and body––to keep our soft-focus, peripheral vision open to magic and mystery, even as we work steadily away at the task before us.

Thursday, the Moon continues her changeable path through Gemini, making her own awkward connection with the Plutonian alchemist as she flows energy with Mercury.

The Moon is opposite the North Node today, but Gemini doesn't sit still. Is she really opposite? Or conjunct? Or both at once? The day closes with the waxing trine with the Sun, a time of seeing our New Moon dreams begin to take shape. With all this mercurial energy about, that shape might look nothing like we imagined. Have fun with it anyway!

Friday, the Moon squares both Mars and Venus, bracketing the entry of Neptune once again, and for good and all, into Pisces. The Gemini Moon reminds us to keep our eye on the ball (Where did that rabbit come from? Was that the Queen of Hearts?) as we enter a new world of dreams and visions.

The Moon's transit through Gemini ends early Saturday with a happy trine to Saturn in Libra, a reminder that while some paths are quirky, full of twists and turns, we can still live our dreams and make things happen. Then, she moves into her Cancerian hearth to celebrate Imbolc.

By the calendar, Imbolc happens now, with the Gemini Moon. Astrologically, Imbolc is the moment the Sun reaches 15 degrees of Aquarius. As we celebrate this time of transition, feeling the stirrings of life in the stillness of winter, we remember that Brighid, the goddess associated with Imbolc, is a triple goddess of the forge, of poetry, and of healing. She contains all the energies we experience now.

With this Gemini Moon, we celebrate sleight of hand, here-today-gone-tomorrow, word play, quick-change artists, and transformations that happen even when we're looking somewhere else.