Last Quarter Moon: Lords and Ladies of the Dance

The Fifer

Last Quarter Moon in Virgo
November 25, 2013
2:28 pm EST / 7:28 pm GMT

The Sun's moved into happy-go-lucky Sagittarius, gladdening hearts and lightening burdens. It's time for thanks in the United States, and here's hoping we extend it to all, to the those who support invisibly, who carry on with little, and who have been ignored, even forcibly turned out, in the past.

There's an old, old song called the Lord of the Dance, with many versions of lyrics––a song from the old days still vibrant. Now, the Sun is the Lord of the Dance, and we're all invited to join in.

This is not a simplistic dance, mind you ... no "happy happy joy joy" without awareness of what's going on. Instead, the Lord of the Dance says yes to life in all its complexity and suffering, the joy and the pain, the gifts and the losses.

Our response is the key. To look at life and still dance. To see what is, and still sing because, despite the challenges, it's all so wonderfully beautiful.

Today's Last Quarter Moon tips the balance, rounds the corner toward the New Moon in Sagittarius. And while the Sun sounds a happy keynote, the engines of transformation are very much alive.

Three Russian Dancers

Today, the Sun and Moon square each other––the Moon in careful Virgo, gently warning the Sag Sun not to go all grasshopper and find himself with an empty larder come winter.

And the Sun and Moon are both in aspects patterns called the Yod, or Finger of Fate. This is a challenging pattern, an itchy feeling that somethings needs to be adjusted. And so it will be!

The Sun flows easy sextile energy with Ceres and Vesta in Libra, happy to see a bountiful harvest. They are both inconjunct the South Node in Taurus, which creates an awkward sense we might be missing something––a message from the past? Something we haven't completed? Here, Fire and Air are drawn back to Earth, reminded not to become ungrounded.

The Virgo Moon flows easy sextile energy with the shadowy North Node in Scorpio. These two, in Earth and Water, are cautious, wary, checking everything twice. But they are inconjunct Uranus the revolutionary, who says, Get on with it! Get moving! This is Water and Earth sparked by powerful Fire.

It's a dance of the elements. Shifts, movements, ripples and shakings. Sometimes when the ground underfoot begins to move, the best way to keep your balance is to dance.
     

Last Quarter: Into the Well

Truth Lies at the Bottom of the Well

Last Quarter Moon in Leo
October 26, 2013 7:40 pm EDT
October 27, 2013 12:40 am GMD

Balsamic Moon in Virgo
October 30, 2013
6:52 pm EDT / 10:52 pm GMT

New Moon in Scorpio
November 3, 2013
7:50 am EST / 12:50 pm GMT

We've entered the Last Quarter, the deepening of the waning lunar phase. We're drawn into Scorpio's realm with a dramatic T-square overnight.

Picture a dark stage, operatic, the proscenium arch very large, the curtains a deep velvet. Everything shadow, everything hushed, and yet already there's a palpable tension. The curtain slowly opens as the orchestral offers the first strains of mysterious music. The movement reveals a lone figure dramatically lit, visible but silent in the midst of a crowded, shadowed throng.

That figure is the Leo Moon, squaring everything in Scorpio plus the South Node in Taurus. A stage filled with fixed signs, strong and committed, sometimes immovable. Earth and Water, deeply yin energy. And then the Leo Moon––a torch in the night.

What can we make of this time we're in? It feels full of significance, portents and omens in every dream, every circumstance, and yet the meanings are elusive. Are we receiving warnings or invitations?

Ahhh, Scorpio! The sign of, perhaps, more paradoxes than any other in the zodiac. Scorpio wants to know everything, feels compelled to uncover secrets, and yet is wary, wary ... so sensitive to hidden dangers. Scorpio understands the need for secrecy, and yet pushes to uncover every taboo. Scorpio is full of fear, and fearless in moving ahead anyway.

"I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life––and I never let it stop me from doing a single thing I wanted to do." –– Georgie O'Keefe (Scorpio Sun)

With the concentration of planets building around the Scorpio North Node, the sense of fate continues to grow. So it's a good time to look at this whole idea of fate and destiny, to unpack it a little.

hidden well, Glendalough, Ireland

Plenty of religions and traditions will be happy to tell you that Fate (capital "F") trumps all. We are born with a destiny, we can't escape it, we do as God wills. The New Age version is the idea of not being able to escape karma or everything happening for a reason, most often said about someone else who's having a bad time of it.

But is that true?

Astrology is (can be) one of those traditions with its thumb on the "immutable Fate" side of the scales ... and yet, astrology today, practiced at its best, points always to choices, opportunities, open doors.

Astrologer and Jungian analyst Liz Greene believes the world itself changed through our increasing understanding of the unconscious, so that Fate itself has altered, becoming more mutable, less predictable. My experience and study over time suggests we're walking a paradoxical path.

On one hand, we are not completely in control of everything––there are "givens" in our aptitudes and attitudes and sometimes in our circumstances. Some of us carry burdens not wholly our own. On the other, we have so much more freedom than we realize––than, in many cases, we are raised to believe, or our societies want us to know.

JRR Tolkien was fascinated with this theme, which he called the "doom of choice" –– doom not in the sense that it doesn't matter what we do, because Fate will get us, but doom in the sense that what we choose, what we do, matters terribly, and the world changes through our choices.

Notice how Scorpio leads us into deep waters?

Part of the paradox we're in right now involves the challenge of knowing when to wait and when to act. Scorpio can wait forever for the opportune moment. Do we have the insight to know when that is?

Paradoxically, part of the answer may lie in the past. We also have a Grand Earth Trine now, formed of Mars in careful Virgo, Pluto in relentless Capricorn, and the South Node in steady Taurus. As we walk into the shadowy future, our best support is coming from behind. Somewhere, there are lessons––messages from ancestors, learnings from our own experiences, things we know in our bones.

We're in the time of letting go, releasing what no longer serves us to prepare for the New Moon already on her way. And this New Moon arrives with another eclipse, a solar one, a cosmic neon sign saying "This. Is. Important."

It's time to crank up the Scorpionic discernment engine. At this time, we need our attenae up and ready, we need to see in the dark––not in a spirit of anxiety, which will cloud our vision, but in a spirit of adventure.

We're called to stand up for ourselves, to say our names, to be courageous in the face of challenge. The opening image is a drawing by Frances MacDonald, Scottish designer and artist, less well known than her sister Margaret in part because her husband destroyed much of her work after her death. This is the negative power of Scorpio––unhealthy control––and not where we want to be.

Now is the time for radical honesty, with ourselves first of all. We want the sustenance of the deep well, the clear water, the true stream. We can find it.

"My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times." ––Clarissa Pinkola Estes

    

Waning Moon: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Disseminating Moon in Libra
March 1, 2013 5:37 am EST

Last Quarter Moon in Sagittarius
March 4, 2013 4:52 pm EST

As I write this on Wednesday evening, the Libra Moon is just reaching her opposition to Uranus in Aries and a trine with Jupiter in Gemini, and Mae West came to mind ... the balanced, charming, lovely Libra Moon sparking fire with let's-do-it Aries, egged on by expansive Jupiter:

"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."
––Mae West

And was that how this amazing Full Moon was in your life? Too much of a good thing?

The rising Moon that night was glorious here, then lost in a soft bank of white Neptunian cloud. I'm not sure I can even put into words all I experienced, or that I'd want to if I could.

Let's just say it's still unfolding.

Meanwhile, we're entering the waning phase of the cycle, releasing into the world whatever we learned, completed, shared, or just let go of. The Pisces revels continue throughout this time, and so will the sense of expanding––possibly overwhelming––dreams, visions, mystical experiences, confusion, creativity, unclear communications, deep healing, getting lost and then finding something unexpected.

The Disseminating Moon, which is the half-square between the Sun and Moon, arrives with the month of March. The Moon's in late Libra, the Sun still in mid Pisces.

With the Moon squaring Juno, goddess of equal partners, and the Sun squaring Vesta, goddess of home and hearth, watch for confusion at home––as well as healing opportunities there. Venus has just entered Pisces, joining the party, and so the spiritual as well as the addictive sides of relationships might be highlighted.

At the Last Quarter Moon, the Moon is in upbeat Sagittarius opposing Vesta, with each being squared by the Sun in Pisces. Usually, a Sagittarian Moon is ready to party, but the ongoing Mercury and Saturn retrogrades may impart a more somber, philosophical mood.

The Last Quarter brings a Sun–Saturn trine and a Sun-Pluto sextile, as well as a Chiron-Jupiter square. I expect we'll still be unpacking the Full Moon then, weaving bright dreams into new visions, trying to put pieces back together, or a bit of both.

These are odd days. Two packages were incorrectly delivered to my old address; one I've retrieved, the other seems lost in the ether. I've been doing some deep writing. This morning, I dreamt I was in a car wreck, in a little car crushed by a falling truck, and walked away uninjured.

Then I had a sort of dream vision of a book on a shelf, a slim, large format book in a shiny black dust jacket. Its title was The Inner Dreams of the Body, and I was the author. I'm working on my new website. What will come of these, I can't say. I'm developing my skills at surfing whatever comes up.

It's about keeping moving, not about perfection. After all, Jennifer Lawrence tripped on her way up to accept her Oscar, and she was still amazing. I didn't watch the whole extravaganza ... way too much glamor for me ... but noted that some awards were carried off by visionaries and dreamers.

The idea of "too much of a good thing" is seductive, just like Pisces. Today's Libra Moon is all about moderation, but philosophically, you know, "all things in moderation" is not a moderate statement. Coping with this much Pisces is rather like dancing, I think. The trick is to enjoy the movement, the grace, the excitement without becoming exhausted or overwhelmed. Listen to the music ...
    

Last Quarter to New Moon: Single Point Focus

what are you focusing on?

Last Quarter Moon:
February 3, 8:56 am EST
Balsamic Moon:
February 6, 6:26 pm EST
New Moon in Aquarius:
February 10, 2:20 am EST

We turned the corner this morning, heading into the home stretch, reaching toward the quirky individuality of the New Moon in Aquarius.

We've passed the Last Quarter Moon mark and energy shifts from sharing to releasing––take stock, see what we've outgrown, used up, don't need, and let it go.

And this time around, it'll be easy. Well ... let me qualify that. It'll be easy to see what needs to go. Actually letting go––your mileage may vary.

This last half of the waning Moon phase brings us the Sun in Aquarius, clear-sighted, strong-minded, and revolutionary. This Sun pulls no punches and doesn't mess around. Is the way forward clear? All right-y then, let's roll up our sleeves.

In my last post, I pointed to the Sun squaring the Nodes of the Moon, saying we're asked to clarify our vision and apply it to our life goals. If you look at the charts here, for the Last Quarter, Balsamic, and New Moons, you see that Aquarius Sun square just gets tighter and tighter.

The Sun forms an applying square to the Nodes (in astrology-speak), one that's getting stronger. So, our vision is becoming more clear and more compelling. Inescapable, one might say. In other words, we know what we need to do.

At the same time, the focus in the dreamy sign of Pisces is increasing. Right now, we see Neptune and Chiron, who've been in Pisces a while, joined by Mars. Mercury will soon join the gathering, bringing mind and action into the Piscean ocean.

On one hand, this makes letting go easy. Pisces, after all, is the sign associated with loss and sacrifice. On the other hand, Pisces can generate a lot of fog. When we're with the Aquarian Sun, clarity is right there in front of our eyes. Step into the Piscean mists, and ... what did we want to do? Suddenly it's much less certain.

This is where the single point focus becomes essential. In photography, single point focus is where the energy of the image is gathered, where the eye wants to go. The photographer creates this focus by framing the shot and choosing the depth of focus that will bring the key element into prominence.

Pick up a camera and focus it on the vision you hold for your life. How are you going to frame the shot? What needs to be included? Where is your point of focus? Many photographers can look at the same landscape; each will create a different image. What's yours?

In meditation, single point focus is a technique for quieting the mind, reducing inner chatter. The simplest point of focus is the breath, following each inhale and exhale, calmly, peacefully. Over time, maintaining this focus becomes easier. Inner clarity and strength increase.

This second kind of focus is helpful if we find ourselves in Piscean fogginess. Are we distracted by media, food, alcohol, drugs, whatever? Are we drifting and zoning out? Are we confused? Welcome to Pisces waters ... now breathe. Follow the breath.

This New Moon in Aquarius invites us to step into our strongest, clearest vision of who we are and what we want for ourselves and our world. Exactly square the Nodes of the Moon, the New Moon calls us to commit to our best and brightest image of a possible future.

It's this bright image that can motivate us to gently, compassionately release what we no longer need. We've turned the corner. Punxsutawney Phil, king of groundhogs, has called for an early Spring. Brigid lights the fires of new growth. Let's get ready.
      

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.
    

Last Quarter Moon: Thinking Again

Last Quarter Moon in Libra
January 4, 2013

The Last Quarter Moon arrives tonight, just before 11pm EST, turning us around the corner to the coming Full Moon in Capricorn.

January 4 itself is an intriguing day, before we reach the Last Quarter: Tem Tarrikar of The Mountain Astrologer chose this day as his Featured Chart (which you can read for free in the sample forecast section currently available online here).

The day offers a Grand Trine in Air of the Libra Moon (charming and diplomatic), Mars in Aquarius (quirky, opinionated, stubborn) and Jupiter retrograde in Gemini (reflective, philosophical, less certain than usual for Jupiter).

There's also a T-square of the Moon, Uranus in Aries and Mercury–Juno–Pluto in Capricorn, a challenging mix of let's-do-it-now vs. have-we-got-this-right?

Then we reach the Last Quarter, when the Moon is still holding on to the Grand Air Trine, and just barely to the T-square, and we're going ... whew! what was that?

This Last Quarter is about thinking again, in all the ways we can interpret the phrase. The Libra Moon is ready to find creative solutions to all problems, while making sure everyone is represented at the table and has their say. With Jupiter retrograde, we're still in the process of rethinking our personal philosophies, sorting the wheat from the chaff.

So, thinking again as in, rethinking, checking in with ourselves, our assumptions, our plans, our beliefs. Uranus and Mars want to act now, and are also interested in entertaining really radical, revolutionary ideas. We might do well to remember the tight connection between thought and action, and give the thinking process the time it deserves.

We've also come through a time of intense emotion. The Full Moon in Cancer came with a Grand Trine in Water, so we've been swimming in some pretty deep seas. Now we move into more airy territory, where we can pull back, gain perspective, consider other points of view, and make plans.

So, thinking again as in, maybe we haven't been thinking too clearly lately.

This thinking time is not about maintaining the status quo. Saturn and Pluto are still in their mutually receptive, highly transformative sextile. Plus, the prominence of Uranus and Mars in current aspects points to shifts, possibly major, possibly sudden. This thinking time is about really getting into what our thoughts actually are, what we focus on, what we attend to, and what we say to ourselves. Is this mental territory the one we want to be in? Or not?

With the Last Quarter Moon, we're heading into the days of letting go. Beginning the night of January 4, we enter the part of the lunar cycle when we're releasing, composting, and preparing the ground.

The New Moon in Capricorn of January 11 will be a no-nonsense, hands-on, rock-solid Moon when we can plant seeds for the physical reality we hope for. Now we strengthen patterns of thought that are working, locate patterns getting in the way, and prepare to let the latter go.
    

Last Quarter Moon: What Works?

the open door

Last Quarter Moon in Virgo
Thursday, December 6, 2012

At the Last Quarter, the Moon and Sun square each other, a challenge of information and decision. We're turning a corner here, moving from the illumination and fireworks of the Full Moon toward the quiet darkness of the New. As we approach the sharp corner of this Sun–Moon square, what are we needing to see?

The Sun continues his journey through philosophically adventurous Sagittarius. The Moon will be squaring from carefully anxious Virgo.

Sagittarius can feel held back by Virgo's nit-picky attention to detail and endless need for reassurance. A little Virgoan carefulness can keep Sagittarius from stepping off a cliff. Where are you in this balance between adventure and planning?

At first glance, the support is clearly on the side of taking action. The Moon makes an exact (and I mean exact) trine to Mars in Capricorn at the Last Quarter, which means the Sun and Mars are exactly semisextile.

Mars is the action planet, and Capricorn says, point me at the goal and let's move that mountain. And yet, Capricorn is nothing if not organized, the sign of planning your work and working your plan. The message here is, take action with a plan, not in spite of one.

And look ... Vesta, goddess of home and hearth, is opposite the Sun and square the Moon, offering a T-square that balances the safety and honor of home against the strong pull of the open road. Once again, we see the both/and.

So, this can be a corny idea. Remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Nick Portokalos: Don't let your past dictate who you are, but let it be part of who you will become.
Toula Portokalos: Nick, that's beautiful.
Nick Portokalos: Yeah, that dear Abby really knows what she's talking about.

In spite of the humor, there's truth there, and Toula hears it. Sagittarius and Virgo are, after all, mutable signs––they don't need to hit us over the head.

Mars in Capricorn, now, he might hit us over the head, so maybe part of the message of this Last Quarter Moon is to find the balance––between adventure and safety, planning and spontaneity, close to home and far away, planning and doing––and then take the next step.
    

Last Quarter Moon: When It's Darkest

Starry Night Over the Rhone –– Van Gogh

Last Quarter Moon in Cancer
October 8, 2012

So, let's acknowledge up front that things feel a bit bleak, now Saturn has followed Mercury into Scorpio.

They're trining Neptune and Chiron in watery Pisces. The Moon's in Cancer, at her most emotional, and Venus is in anxious Virgo.

I've already seen Facebook posts from usually cheery friends talking about climbing back into bed with hot cocoa and blankets, even though the sky is blue and clouds fluffy. This is internal weather we're talking about, and sometimes a lovely day just makes it worse.

We're in a Shadowy season, and this year's will be more intense than usual. Those of us interested in psychology reach for the James Hillman. Fantasy fans may find cheery tales just don't cut it right now. Happy endings? I double-dog-dare ya.

Sooooo ... what do we do with all this heaviness?

Satire is always good, while remembering the distinction between satire and mere sarcasm. Scorpio excels at both.

Creative work is an excellent choice. Saturn loves form. He's trining gifted Neptune, with communicative Mercury and mentoring Chiron in close attendance. This pattern pushes us to go beyond wallowing in drama du jour, and instead see what it's made of, what can be made of it, and––in the process––what we're made of.

Wallowing is a bit of an issue when the Moon's in Cancer, which is exactly the challenge presented by tomorrow's Last Quarter Moon. The Sun's at 15 Libra, the Moon at 15 Cancer, and the Water Trine is Grand, with Saturn, Mercury, Neptune and Chiron as described and Ceres (Demeter) holding the third corner in emotional Cancer.

At the Last Quarter, we turn toward the coming New Moon, and look at what we need to let go of ... but, oops, Cancer and Scorpio hate to let go of anything. Old patterns? Check. Hurts and losses? Check. Grudges and resentments? Check. We've got 'em, and they're all up for review. Sounds fun, huh?

This is where the good side of Saturn comes to the fore. (Yes, Saturn has a good side.) This is the serious guy, the one who wants to see hard work, responsibility, commitment and patience. Raising a sardonic eyebrow at all this emotional baggage, Saturn asks whether any of it really matters.

Which issues contribute to our lives going forward, and which are so much dead weight? Which ones are we ready to commit serious time and effort to understanding, and which can we just let go of, right now, this week? Suddenly we notice things on the list not worth worrying about ... sure, pitch those over the side ... buh bye!

The opportunity at this Last Quarter Moon is to commit to spending serious Saturnian time with the real issues in our lives and let the rest go. With Saturn in Scorpio, we're in for some heavy weather, and traveling light is an excellent choice.

It's time for realism. The old proverb "It's always darkest just before the dawn" is not helpful, and not true. It's darkest right in the middle of the night, and that's where we're headed.

Instead, I offer Emerson: "When it's dark enough, you can see the stars." This, I like. Darkness offers contrast, the velvety blackness that makes any spark stand out. I've been in caves deep beyond any ambient light. It's surprisingly comforting ... and wow, do candles look great!

At this Last Quarter Moon, we've got Uranus in fiery Aries lighting a huge candle. He's at the apex of a yod with Saturn and Mercury on one side and Venus on the other, sextiling each other. So, he's the answer, the way out, the light in dark places when all other lights go out.

Sagittarean Mars is trining Uranus, boosting Fire's energy exponentially, combining to offer a double-edged sword: Are we looking for piercing personal insight, or a torch to burn something down? Could work either way.

The Chicago Marathon is today, another setting in which blazing energy and long-term commitment combine to create success. I'm not a runner myself, but some of my nieces are running––I wish them well; may Aries and Uranus put wings on their feet, and Scorpio ensure their energy never gives out!

For the rest of us, let's pull those tired old issues out into the light, and toss the ones we don't need onto our personal bonfire of the vanities. We commit to a journey into the depths for important issues, but not for trivial matters that are just. so. over.
    

Last Quarter Moon: Test of Allegiance

a question of loyalty

Last quarter Moon in Taurus: August 9, 2012

The Last Quarter Moon, the waning square between the Moon and the Sun, arrives tomorrow––although I can see her in the sky now, pale as a cloud against the blue.

This is the turning of the Moon into the dark. After the brilliance of the Full Moon in Aquarius, the intense energies of the Disseminating Moon and the festival of Lughnasadh, the energy shifts to something quieter. Not necessarily less intense, but more inwardly focused.

Which is funny, in a way, because Mercury is finally stationing direct, releasing us from the fiery self-scrutiny we've been held in these last weeks... or maybe not quite yet.

Let's see where we are.

At this Last Quarter, the Sun and Moon will square each other at 17 degrees of Taurus (Moon) and Leo (Sun). Fixed Earth, Fixed Fire––cue Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "I Won't Back Down"

Loyalty, fidelity, allegiance... these are virtues, right? These are good things, signs of strength. Aren't they?

In these times of political upheaval and polarization around hot-button issues, when does loyalty to the best in a nation, a party or a cause shade into jingoism, blind faith or fanaticism? The glib answer is, when we personally don't agree with the position being held, but the question is a real one.

At this Last Quarter, Mars and Saturn are conjunct in Libra, embodying the principle of right action. We want to act according to our best values, with integrity. We might also feel prepared to accept an external discipline that looks good, feels right.

Venus in Cancer is trining Neptune in Pisces, calling to deep emotions binding us to family, tribe, nation: My country right or wrong. Defend to the death.

Neptune and Venus together in Water can bring us into a felt connection with everything that is, transcending the boundaries that divide us––or trigger a need to belong to something larger than ourselves, and an accompanying need to pledge fealty to whatever that something is.

At this Last Quarter Moon, we're pushed (the square) to look at what we having pledged allegiance to. The Leo Sun likes to take a stand, passionately proclaiming beliefs to the world. The Taurus Moon hates to move; once committed, this Moon will stay the course.

But what if our old alliances no longer fit?

The Leo Sun is also the great heart, the courageous heart. This Sun wants to be aligned with the best and truest self, and has the strength to look unflinching at what is.

The Taurus Moon is ultimately loyal to truth, and wants a chance for truth and beauty to unfold into the world. The Taurus Moon will change when it becomes clear that change is needed.

We move toward the New Moon in Leo, the renewal of the heart. This Last Quarter Moon is a test, the moment we're asked––when we ask ourselves––what we truly believe in. As we move into the dark phase of the waning Moon, we'll perhaps cut away old allegiances. This can be done with honesty and integrity, but sometimes must be done. It begins with asking the question.
  

Last Quarter Moon: Creating Congruence

confluent congruence

Last Quarter Moon in Aries: July 10, 2012

Tomorrow's Last Quarter Moon, in mid-Aries, sits in a complex of T-squares and Fingers of the World patterns that weave together squares, oppositions, and squares-and-a-half in web almost too intricate to be described. Yes, these are challenging angles––we live in challenging times.

Before reaching her square with the Sun that creates the Last Quarter, the Aries Moon will trine the North Node pointing to our life path, conjunct on-fire revolutionary Uranus, and trine Mercury in passionate, expressive Leo.

These are days for speaking up, speaking out, and making a splash. These are days for realizing who we are and doing something about it.

The Last Quarter Moon chart includes three T-squares and three Fingers of the World. Looking at those repeating triangles reminded me of geometry and congruence––when shapes can be shifted around and the overlap is exact, they are congruent.

So even though these aspect patterns include different planets and points, they have key similarities. They are congruent.

They are, of course, congruent and pushy, congruent and challenging, possibly congruent and downright unpleasant, since they are squares, oppositions and sesquiquadrates.

In this waning Moon, as we turn the corner into the release work before the next New Moon, the pushiness is, I think, the point.

Where are we not congruent? Where are our inner values not being expressed in our outer life? Where are we not walking our talk?

Where are we not congruent with the world, perhaps because our model of how things work no longer fits the events happening around us? Where is something we've always believed true, just not working any more?

Those are the places our attention is focused. Those are the places where a new dynamic balance is called for.

Of course, we'll have places where we are congruent, where who we are, what we believe, and what we experience, lines up. Those places might feel energized at this Moon, and we could feel called to express ourselves more clearly, more passionately, more vitally.

This vigorous, no-nonsense Last Quarter Moon is not about to back down. Better get ready!
   

Last Quarter Moon: Making the Cut

pruning ... where to cut?

Last Quarter Moon in Pisces: June 11, 2012

Last Quarter Moons can be relaxing––the deep exhale before the next round––or shadowy––stepping into the darkest time of the lunar cycle––or nostalgic––looking back at was has been and is no more.

This Last Quarter Moon is none of those things.

This Last Quarter Moon is filled with challenge, a time of contest and striving. And this Last Quarter Moon is in Pisces, whose default setting is to sacrifice everything.

Luckily, one of the key challenges to this Piscean Last Quarter is Mars in Virgo who says, "Really? Can we talk about this?"

Virgoan Mars serves to keep both Sun and Moon in check, in a Last Quarter T-square. All three are mutable signs, flexible enough to find a solution. Neither Gemini nor Pisces are especially good at staying focused; Mars in Virgo makes sure someone is keeping an eye on the ball.

Another T-square brings home the fierce energies rocking our world. The first Uranus–Pluto square is very close to exact, and is now in a T-square with Mercury in Cancer. This interesting pattern links two of the most traditional signs in the zodiac––Capricorn the Father and Cancer the Mother––with Uranus in Aries, the ultimate revolutionary.

The news is full of ideological and political conflicts about what it means to be a woman in this world.

What rights do we have? What health care are we entitled to? How do commentators view us when we advocate for our needs? Why are those commentators predominantly male? Can religious women speak the truth as they see it and explore scholarly topics without sanction?

Gender as a whole is more fluid today––or maybe not, depending on your point of view.

Are we what our anatomy shows? Are we what we feel? Does anatomy define who we can feel attracted to, who we're allowed to love, who we can partner with to build a life?

Pluto and Uranus are prepared to keep presenting us with those questions until each of us individually, and society as a whole, explore every corner and move into a new paradigm. With Uranus and Pluto, change is certain, and may well be swift and sweeping.

The presence of Mercury brings this issue to our conscious attention.  Mercury in Cancer brings in emotions and ancestry. If key information from the past can help in our journey to the future, now's the time for it to come forward.

Neptune in Pisces, now retrograde, continues to square the Nodes of the Moon. Neptune's presence here calls for a deepening of our life path, an opening to spirituality, and a certain fogginess about exactly how to accomplish this. Neptune's fog facilitates deception of all kinds, including self-deception. Perhaps only the intensity of Uranus and Pluto can strip away lies and leave us face to face with truth.

At the Last Quarter Moon, we turn the corner toward the Dark Moon. Questions arise at this time about whether we're ready to move on, to let go of what's finished, and release what we no longer need.

In the garden, pruning is my least favorite task. It's difficult for me to cut away healthy wood just because it's growing at the wrong angle, or in the wrong place, or there's too much, too close together. Isn't abundant growth a good thing?

Yet the Last Quarter is a time for pruning. Which branches are strong, healthy, and placed so they can support future growth? Which branches need to be trimmed, to make room for the best and strongest? But ... what if I cut the wrong ones? What if I do a bad job?

It's tough, but needs to be done to create strong foundations for the future. This lunar phase calls for a good plan, clear vision, sharp tools, and skillful action. What shapes and structures are we trying to create? Which ideas, values, commitments, paradigms, will support that vision? Which need to go? It's time to make the cut.
         

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 Capricorn: Quality Assessment

Wednesday afternoon through Friday evening
Eastern Daylight Time

finding balance

Wednesday, April 11
Moon enters Capricorn 1:02pm
Moon sextile Neptune (Pisces) 5:07pm
Moon trine Mars (Virgo) 7:23pm
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 10:33pm

Thursday, April 12
Moon semisextile the North Node (Sagittarius) 2:00am
Moon inconjunct Venus (Gemini) 2:02am
Moon sextile Chiron (Pisces) 2:57am
Mercury (Pisces) inconjunct Saturn (Libra) 3:16am
Moon conjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 2:48am
Moon trine Jupiter (Taurus) 12:35pm
Venus (Gemini) square Chiron (Pisces) 6:05pm

Friday, April 13
Last Quarter Moon:
Moon square Sun (Aries) 6:50am
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 11:11am
Moon sextile Mercury (Pisces) 1:04pm
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Aquarius 5:48pm

The Moon enters steady, pragmatic Capricorn this afternoon, shifting energy from what feels good to what works. Tomorrow, the Moon joins Pluto the alchemist for a look into the cauldron of transformation. On Friday, we reach the Last Quarter Moon, when we begin looking at what is ready to be composted before the next New Moon. Time to roll up our sleeves.

This evening, the Moon flows easily with Neptune and Mars, who are opposing each other. Finding the balance between the cosmic "big picture" and the everyday details is supported by paying attention to our goals, and the concrete steps needed to reach them.

Thursday offers a complex dance of the rational and the emotive, the visionary and the pragmatic. The Moon makes edgy contacts with the North Node and Venus in mentally active Gemini. The Capricorn Moon values steadiness and focus, and wants us grounded.

steady focus

Mercury, still in dreamy Pisces, makes an awkward connection with Saturn in Libra Thursday, another need to balance visionary thinking with physical reality.

The Capricorn Moon flows easily with Chiron in Pisces and Jupiter in Taurus, reminding us that steady, focused work helps in our quest for peace and healing.

The Moon's conjunction with Pluto the transformer reminds us that we live in a time of deep, structural changes. The work we're doing on personal goals needs to be aligned with the goals of the psyche, as well.

Friday brings the Last Quarter Moon as we turn the corner toward the coming New Moon in Taurus. Squares between the Moon and Sun, and Moon and Saturn create a T-square with the Capricorn Moon at the apex. Here, the Moon asks how we're doing in balancing self and other, desires and responsibilities, impulsive spontaneity and careful planning.

Friday afternoon's flowing sextile between the Moon and Mercury opens up a few hours void of course with an invitation to rest and reflect: End the work week with wrap ups and reviews, rather than new projects.

Friday evening, the Moon steps into Aquarius, ready for something innovative. While the Moon's in Capricorn, we assess where we've been and how we're doing, using Capricorn's pragmatism and good sense.
      

Moon into Scorpio: Standing in the Shadows of Love

Sunday evening through Tuesday evening
Eastern Standard Time

Sunday, February 12

shadow heart

Moon enters Scorpio 5:02pm
Moon trine Neptune (Pisces) 5:36pm
Moon inconjunct Uranus (Aries) 8:55pm

Monday, February 13
Moon opposite Jupiter (Taurus) 12:11am
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 12:28am
Moon inconjunct Venus (Aries) 3:04am
Moon sextile Pluto (Capricorn) 7:44am
Moon semisextile the North Node (Sagittarius) 11:00am
Mercury (Aquarius) trine Saturn (Libra) 1:43pm
Mercury enter Pisces 8:37pm

Tuesday, February 14
Mercury (Pisces) conjunct Neptune (Pisces) 1:46am
Moon sextile Mars (Virgo) 3:06am
Last Quarter Moon:
Moon square Sun (Aquarius) 12:04pm
(begin void of course)
Moon inconjunct Saturn (Libra) 7:01pm
Moon enters Sagittarius 7:57pm
Jupiter (Taurus) sextile Chiron (Pisces) 8:39pm
Moon square Neptune (Pisces) 8:39pm
Moon square Mercury (Pisces) 11:28pm

The Moon enters Scorpionic shadowland this evening, slowing down to connect with Neptune and tell Uranus to call back another time. Positive choices with this combination include mediation, vision work, dreams, and shamanic journeys. Less positive options include zoning out, drifting away, and doing anything to avoid facing fears. The Moon's in Scorpio for the next few days, though, so I recommend staying present.

Monday offers energy for deep healing, as the Moon continues to hold off impetuous Fire. She begins the day with an opposition to Jupiter that calls us to look under the surface of life, not settle for the easy and the obvious. Flowing energy with Chiron the healer and Pluto the alchemist, the Scorpio Moon steps into the cauldron of transformation.

Sadness, by Julia Margaret Cameron

Monday also offers a shift in our thinking and communicating, as Mercury closes his time in Aquarius with a flowing trine to Saturn in late Libra: Here we can send energy to manifest the quirky, innovative plans Mercury's been hatching.

By evening, Mercury swims into Pisces and thoughts shift into the realm of dreams and visions.

Very early Tuesday, Mercury joins Neptune. Monday night, put pen and paper on the bedside table––this is definitely a night for strong dreaming. The Scorpio Moon flows energy with Mars this morning too, so our dreams might have advice for inner work.

The Moon's last aspect in Scorpio is a square to the Sun. Yes, this is the Last Quarter Moon. We're in letting-go territory now. We might awaken on Valentine's Day with beautiful dreams, but a Last Quarter Scorpio Moon suggests this lover's holiday will be tinged with nostalgia, and more than a little darkness.

By evening, the Moon will slip into convivial, open-hearted Sagittarius, so perhaps a day of disappointment will be following by an evening of happiness. Yet, though expansive Jupiter flows energy with healing Chiron, the Sag Moon squares off against Neptune and, later, Mercury.

Maybe we'll ignore the pain and party the night away. Or maybe, this Valentine's, we're offered the chance to let go of old patterns that don't work. No one sees into the heart of darkness better than Scorpio. Before the Moon slips into happy-go-lucky Sagittarius, take the plunge, face the darkness, and let go of the past.
    

Moon into Libra: Finding Flow

Saturday morning through Monday morning
Eastern Standard Time

Saturday, January 14
Venus enters Pisces 12:47am
Moon semisextile Saturn (Libra) 6:46am

painting a thangka

Moon inconjunct Neptune (Aquarius) 7:15am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Libra 8:28am
Moon inconjunct Venus (Pisces) 9:12am
Moon inconjunct Jupiter (Taurus) 10:13am
Moon opposite Uranus (Aries) 10:29am
Moon inconjunct Chiron (Pisces) 12:56pm
Venus (Pisces) sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 9:47pm
Moon square Pluto (Capricorn) 9:50pm

Sunday, January 15
Venus (Pisces) semisextile Uranus (Aries) 12:14am
Moon square Mercury (Capricorn) 2:15am
Moon sextile the North Node (Sagittarius) 5:17am
Moon inconjunct Mars (Virgo) 11:10pm

Monday, January 16
Moon square Sun (Capricorn) 4:07am
Venus (Pisces) conjunct Chiron (Pisces) 6:11am
Moon conjunct Saturn (Libra) 10:00am
Moon trine Neptune (Aquarius) 10:29am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Scorpio 11:33am
Moon opposite Jupiter (Taurus) 1:34pm
Moon inconjunct Uranus (Aries) 1:40pm
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 4:11pm
Moon trine Venus (Pisces) 5:05pm

The Moon entered calm Libra this morning for a day that will call on her diplomatic skills. The Moon's aspects today are edgy: inconjunct Venus, Libra's ruler, as well as Jupiter and Chiron, the sages of the sky; opposite Uranus and square Pluto, the changes agents. And yet, today offers abiding peace as Venus steps into visionary Pisces and flows with Jupiter in sensual Taurus. What do we make of this?

runners

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explores and writes about flow states, times when we experience creative surges, well being, competence, and a feeling of timelessness.

One of the ways we move into flow is to experience the right amount of challenge, a level that calls us to step up without catapulting us into anxiety. Athletes, musicians, visual artists, programmers––all of us––when we do something we love, in a way that engages all our skills and just a bit more, can find that flow state.

Today, with the Moon holding her own against revolutionaries, alchemists, and sages, we might feel challenged to bring out our best. At the same time, the inspiration offered by Venus newly arrived in Pisces, plus the benevolent grace of a flowing aspect between Venus and Jupiter, surround us with a cosmic "yes!"

Sunday's energy continues the sense of edginess as Venus and Uranus seek ways to balance peaceful calm and fiery action. The Libra Moon flows easily with the Sagittarian North Node, ready to discuss concepts and make plans. At the same time, edgy aspects with Mercury and Mars in Earth signs might leave us feeling it's not the right time to act.

weaving

Monday opens with the waning square between the Sun and Moon, the Last Quarter Moon.

We shift from appreciating accomplishments to preparing for the next cycle. We begin thinking about what needs to be composted, what we're ready to release.

Monday morning's Moon aspects make this process of release one of ease and healing. Venus and Chiron meet in Pisces: creativity, harmony, healing, and mentoring aligned.

The Moon joins Saturn, then trines Neptune, allowing for creative manifestation. After an hour void of course, the Moon enters Scorpio's shadowy realms.

This Libra Moon will make it easier for us to feel the peace, abundance, and creative vision that Venus in Pisces can bring to our relationships, finances and creative work. If we also embrace the challenge, we can find ourselves in flow, accomplishing wonderful things with ease.