Waning Moon: What Did You Just Say??

Think before you speak!

Disseminating Moon in Sagittarius
April 18, 2104
5:38 pm EDT / 10:38 pm BST

Exact Pluto–Uranus Square
April 21, 2104
3:21 pm EDT / 8:21 pm BST

Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius
April 22, 2104
3:52 am EDT / 8:52 am BST

Balsamic Moon in Pisces
April 25, 2104
1:37 pm EDT / 6:37 pm BST

New Moon in Taurus
April 29, 2104
2:14 am EDT / 7:14 am BST

Looking at the charts for this waning Moon time, I had to laugh ... I mean, we might as well, right?

The Full Moon eclipse illuminated some important things for us about how we relate to pretty much everything, and now the waning Moon charts offer a series of cautions about what we say (and do) about that.

Remember, we're in the maximum impact period for the Cardinal Grand Cross, with the exact Pluto–Uranus square landing on April 21, so this isn't just about personal communication. We're likely to see some startling examples of public, political and corporate speech too.

Tomorrow's Disseminating Moon kicks things off with the Sagittarius Moon in a powerful trine to Uranus, and the Sun at the possibly explosive end of Aries. With Mercury, Eris, Juno and the South Node also in Aries, there's a whole lotta Fire goin' on.

A Sagittarius Moon is usually upbeat, optimistic, happy-go-lucky, which is nice for a Friday––but a Sag Moon is also often convinced she has THE ANSWER and catching lots of energy from Uranus could make it all too easy to make pronouncements, lay down the law, or have something suddenly pop out of our mouths that might be true but also highly unfortunate.

Venus continues to hang out with Chiron, not too far from Neptune, in Pisces, so holding on to our highest goals and compassionate souls would be an excellent and supported practice.

When the exact Pluto–Uranus square arrives on April 21, the Moon is in Capricorn along with Pluto while the Sun has just entered Taurus. Having the two luminaries (Sun and Moon) in Earth signs could help stabilize things and keep us grounded.

On the other hand, Taurus is notoriously stubborn and Capricorn can be heartlessly pragmatic, so if we've crossed a line in communicating already, it could be hard to step back. Flow with the transformational energies of the Grand Cross if you need to, no matter how hard it is. Remember, with Pluto involved, resistance is futile anyway ...

The Last Quarter Moon arrives April 22, with the Moon now in Aquarius. Squaring a Taurus Sun, we could again find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. We're absolutely sure we're right (Aquarius Moon) so we won't budge (Taurus Sun). With Mercury in Aries, we could find ourselves doing more talking than we should.

At the Balsamic Moon of April 25, the mood shifts. The Pisces Moon joins Venus and Chiron, while Mercury has shifted into calm and quiet Taurus, sitting with the Sun. If we've gone too far, we may now be able to let go of our "rightness," shift back into compassion, and reconnect with a bigger vision.

If we've been on the receiving end of someone else's fiery communication, the Balsamic Moon might allow us to find inner peace and outer harmony. As always, the Balsamic Moon is about releasing the old to prepare for the new. This month, the letting go can reach far and deep as we seek creativity, connection and healing.

The New Moon in Taurus will invite us to slow way down. With a trine from Pluto and a sextile from Jupiter, we'll be planting seeds to nurture our newly transformed and transforming self. There will be more on the New Moon later, but keep in mind our time of change continues.

For the next few weeks––and especially for the next few days––pay attention to thoughts, words and actions. Yes, sometimes hard truths need to be said directly and clearly. If that's coming up in your life, the energies in the sky support you!

At the same time, we all need to take extra care that we're saying what needs to be said for the greater good, not just because we're irritated. Whatever is communicated now will have extra power, and we don't want to spend weeks putting out a fire we never meant to start.

Think first!

New Moon in Scorpio: The Dark Forest

into the woods ...

Uranus–Pluto Square
November 1, 2013
6:30 am EDT / 11:30 am GMT

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

What to say about tomorrow's exact square between Uranus and Pluto, followed by Sunday's New Moon and solar eclipse? I think everything has pretty much been said.

On October 23, I wrote about the Mercury Retrograde. On October 23, I previewed the waning cycle leading up to the New Moon. And on October 27, I introduced the Last Quarter Moon and what was to come.

We know this is a deep time, a shadowed time––the ancient Celts saw this as a hallowed time, for honoring and communing with the ancestors, telling stories of times past, remembering old teachings, and using divination to look toward the future.

This year, the skies point to a time that will be far-reaching, having more than usual impact: Both the eclipse and the Uranus–Pluto square say this, and in addition, Venus in late Sagittarius will be conjunct the Galactic Center.

Despite these signs that this New Moon will be felt on the world stage, I'm struggling with what to say about this New Moon because this is an especially and deeply personal time.

In other words, I can't tell you what this New Moon will mean for you because I don't know you well enough.

Scorpio is the sign of the deep psyche, the sign that shows us where our greatest strengths and mightiest demons lie. Scorpio is about everything we keep secret, even from ourselves.

So how could I know what doors are opening for you? Where things are shifting, patterns are changing?

With this mysterious and powerful New Moon, I can't even fall back on advising you to check which house in your natal chart the Moon will appear––of course, the house placement will be important, and yes, please do check, but ...

This New Moon is conjunct the North Node, Mercury and Saturn; opposite the South Node; trined by Chiron, sextiled by Pluto on one side and Mars on the other (and Mars and Pluto are trining each other); squared by Juno; and inconjunt Uranus (who squares Pluto), so that Mars and the New Moon make a yod pointing at Uranus.

This means over half of any chart will automatically be touched in some way by this New Moon, so, a lot going on there.

By this time, so close to the square, the eclipse and the New Moon, you probably already know where big changes are stirring in your life. You won't know exactly what the results will be––the timetable unclear, the players not all chosen, the direction uncharted. Still, you're most likely at the starting place.

Wherever that place of change is, that's where our most powerful wishes and intentions will be.

It would be nice to have better maps, wouldn't it?

And yet, the not-knowing can be a source of great magic. Joseph Campbell saw individuality, following our own star, the promptings of our own hearts, as the signature strength of Western spirituality. He quoted from La Quete du San Graal:

They thought it would be a disgrace to go forth in a group. Each entered the forest that he had chosen where there was no path and where it was darkest.

And then added: Now, if there’s a way or path, it’s someone else’s way.

So we're each of us headed into the dark forest, from the place we have ourselves chosen. This doesn't mean we're always alone, not at all, but it does mean we're on our own paths.

Right now, for this New Moon, that's exactly as it should be. Bon voyage.
    

Mercury Retrograde: Depth of Focus

The Seer, Wildwood Tarot

Mercury stations retrograde
October 21, 2013
6:29 am EDT / 11:29 am GMD

Uranus–Pluto square
November 1, 2013
6:30 am EDT / 10:30 am GMT

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

Astrological Samhain
November 7, 2013
1:14 am EST / 6:14 am GMT

Mercury stations direct
November 10, 2013
4:12 pm EST / 9:12 pm GMT

We've entered our last Mercury retrograde for this year, the last in the Water element. Following on the heels of the fiery intensity of the Aries Full Moon, Mercury's station (the moment he slows down and stops before turning back) ushers in the season of Samhain.

At Samhain, deep in Autumn in the Northern hemisphere, we enter the dark time of the year. This is the time of stories around the fire, of mending and making, of looking within. For the ancient Celts, this was where (and how) everything began––in the depths of quiet yin.

The astrological year begins at the Spring Equinox, with fiery yang Aries energy. We felt a burst of that at the Full Moon, and now, only a few days later, we're dropped into the depths of something ancient and dark.

This is the waning cycle of the Moon, but this post is not my usual post for this time––I will write another in a few days describing what the Moon will be up to. We've entered an intense and focused time within a much larger cycle now, and it feels important to get oriented.

dive in ...

Samhain arrives every year, after all ... the time of Scorpio, the energy of fixed Water that asks us to look our fears in the face, embrace our Shadow, have tea with our demons.

Scorpio time is also for connecting deeply with what fuels us, what brings meaning and creative fire into our lives. And for honoring the past and the ancestors.

These themes are connected: We fear what we don't understand and don't want to face, often these things come from the past, and are shadowy. The things modern culture wants most to ignore––age, death, decay, depth––these are Scorpio things and the source of all new life.

This year... well, this year we're offered extra Scorpio. A Scorpio main course with Scorpio on the side, and some Scorpio sauce.

Mercury's retrograde in Scorpio opens the door and nudges (pushes?) us through. The usual caveats apply––double check plans and schedules, make extra backups of important files, and avoid leaping to conclusions about what you think someone meant when they said that to you. But this is not what Mercury retrograde is about.

The mess-ups in communication come about because our attention is being directed elsewhere. The ordinary details of life are not where our hearts and minds want to be right now. We're being drawn into the depth of our own lives, the lives around us, the life of our world. 

This is the time to examine our deepest goals and desires, to face our darkest fears. Mercury stations retrograde while trining (in a deep flow of energy) with Jupiter in Cancer. This connection reminds us of the waves of Water energy we swam in this summer, when so much was happening in the sign of Cancer.

Now we're asked to take all of those emotions to a new level, placing them in a context that includes the past, potential futures, and the creation of meaningful lives.

The next exact Pluto–Uranus square's coming right up too. Pluto rules Scorpio, and remains in mutual reception with Saturn who is in Scorpio. This square, coming at this time and during the waning lunar cycle, says, Let go! It's time to take off the water wings, leave the shallow water, and trust that we can swim to the far shore.

The New Moon in Scorpio will be conjunct Saturn, Mercury retrograde, and the North Node, offering an open portal for new beginnings in the deepest parts of our psyches. This New Moon arrives with a Solar Eclipse, giving extra energy and resonance to whatever seeds we plant. Astrological Samhain (when the Sun reaches 15 Scorpio) and the ending of the retrograde will follow.

... the water's fine

By the time we reach that far shore, we'll be in a waxing cycle, growing something new. We'll also have changed our clocks, which may carry extra symbolic weight this year––it certainly will for me, because I will experience it twice. We'll "fall back" here in Ireland before I leave, and then I'll "fall back" again in the US a few days after I arrive.

In the next days and weeks, be aware that whatever happens is likely to feel "extra" ... extra strong, extra important, extra meaningful. And most likely, it will be. We're entering a time when signs and portents could be anywhere and everywhere.

I invite you to choose the deep over the superficial. One thing I've learned on my long travels is how easy it is for me to allow ordinary anxieties (Did I lock the door? Did I pay that bill? Is she angry about what I said?) to keep me from experiencing the layers of deeper emotion underneath. I think this is fairly common, and something we want to get beyond, especially now.

These next few weeks invite us to look closely at who we are, how we feel, what fuels us, what blocks us, and where we go from here. Ordinary live recedes. We're called into a reflective time. That cave might feel scary but there are riches within. Take the plunge!
    

Hope and the Waxing Moon: The Thing with Feathers

Waxing Lunar Cycle Following the New Moon in Taurus

Hope is the thing with feathers ...

Crescent Moon in Cancer
May 13, 2013 11:12 pm EDT
First Quarter Moon in Leo
May 18, 2013 12:35 am EDT
Third Uranus–Pluto Square
May 20, 2013 7:02 pm EDT
Gibbous Moon in Libra
May 21, 2013 5:07 pm EDT
Full Moon in Sagittarius
May 25, 2013 12:25 am EDT

The New Moon arrived in calm, peaceful, stable Taurus ... so why do things feel so squirrelly-crazy-flaky-weird?? I've heard this question in various forms over the last week, so let's be up front: It's ain't the Moon.

On May 20, we reach the third in a series of seven squares between Uranus and Pluto that began in 2012 and continue through the Spring of 2015.

These two powerhouses keep shifting as one, then another, turns retrograde and direct. This is the defining astrological aspect of these years, setting the zeitgeist, the frame, the water we're swimming in.

Uranus stands in fierce Aries energy for revolution now. Blowing things up, burning them down, and getting to the fiery core. Who am I apart from any conditioning? What does my radically free and sovereign self look like? On a larger scale, what's true? What's right? What needs to happen?

Pluto stands in heavyweight Capricorn for fundamental, alchemical transformation. Where Uranus in Aries is lightning, Pluto wields a crowbar, or maybe an archeologist's pick and trowel. Dismantling artifice, exposing falsehood, uncovering what's really going on, removing defenses. What does my soul look like, long for, and need? Who can I become when I arise from the ashes? On a larger scale, are the foundations firm? Where they're rotten, let's dig it all up and start over.

This is, to put it mildly, kind of intense. These are polarizing energies. Extreme position-taking and finger-pointing. No fence sitting here.

And yet, this waxing Moon takes us through landscapes that are upbeat, playful and fun. Really! World going to hell in a handbasket? Check. Personal crisis and transformation looming? Check. Serious work to be done? Check. So, OK, who knows a good joke?

Tomorrow (May 13) at midnight, the Crescent Moon arrives in the sign of Cancer, her home base. This edgy semi-square between Sun and Moon will feel not edgy at all, as the Sun along with Mercury, Pallas Athena and Mars offer grounding and calming energy to the deep emotional space of the Moon.

Dreamers, take note: These are wonderful nights for strong dreaming. This Crescent Moon is conjunct Vesta, lady of home and hearth, and part of a Grand Trine in Water with cosmically connected Neptune in Pisces and karmic Saturn in deeply insightful Scorpio. Have questions you want to ask the universe? Now's the time.

Venus has moved into bright Gemini, looking for connections and messages. She joins Jupiter, whose been hanging in Gemini for a while, heralding the coming shift as everyone reluctantly leaves the Taurus garden party for some flirty Gemini networking.

At the First Quarter Moon on May 18, Mercury has popped into Gemini too, brightening thoughts, bringing scintillating ideas. The passionate Leo Moon challenges the placid Taurus Sun: It's time to play! Express ourselves! Shine!

That same Leo Moon activates the almost-here Uranus–Pluto square, throwing out sesquiquadrates to both, creating a Finger of the World pointing right at her. If we're feeling a sense of impending doom, the Leo Moon turns it into something creative and passionate: great art comes of great challenges. If we're rising the wings of transformation, the Leo Moon celebrates with fiery expressions. More great art, more heart-opening wild rides.

The Leo Moon is part of another Finger of the World, for the Sun is sesquiquadrate Pluto. Yep, the alchemist sits at the top of his own world, drawing both luminaries into his transformative enterprise. It's not enough to sit and wait (as Taurus might prefer). It's time to engage, create, express, act.

The Pluto–Uranus square is exact on May 20. I'm not an astrologer who looks at world events, and so leave predictions to others. I note, however, the presence of hope, Emily Dickinson's thing with feathers that is sweetest in the gale.

The Gemini party has begun, with the Sun at 0 Gemini, Mercury and Venus conjunct, and Jupiter and Lilith there as well. The Moon is in Libra, sign of diplomacy and mediation, trining the newly-energized Sun.

These are excellent energies for finding solutions, innovating, connecting the dots. Playful trickster energies, able to avert disaster by finding the loophole, the hidden clause, the secret way out. This is the energy of good humor, the kind that sees the genuinely funny side when we take ourselves too seriously.

The full sail of the Gibbous Moon arrives May 21, reflecting many of the same energies of the day before. The Libra Moon has moved, and now there's a Grand Trine in Air, with the balanced and harmonious Libra Moon trining Juno (goddess of fair partnerships) in far-seeing Aquarius and the Mercury–Virgo conjunction in Gemini.

May 25's Full Moon in Sagittarius will have her own post later on. I'm including her here to say we're heading toward one of the most celebratory, generous, inclusive Full Moon illuminations you'd want to see. The energy supporting innovation, tricksterish problem solving, and light-hearted play continues strong.

Are these challenging times? You bet they are. Are we crushed by the weight? Heck, no! We're rolling up our sleeves, connecting with each other, finding new and fun ways to solve old problems, and laughing at ourselves the whole time.

It's a trick of perspective that's not really a trick, because it hides a deeper truth. Sometimes we can do with sleight of hand what can't be accomplished with direct action. Sometimes great art emerges from great struggle. Sometimes a good laugh can open up doors, soften hearts, and save the day.

Go for it!