New Moon in Sagittarius: On the Road Again

light in winter

New Moon in Sagittarius
December 2, 2013 7:22 pm EST
December 3, 2013 12:22 am GMT

A New Moon  day––this afternoon on the West Coast, this evening on the East, overnight in Europe. So much has been happening in this Balsamic time of release, I can't quite believe it's upon us, but so it it!

The Moon in Sagittarius is optimistic, generous, and open-hearted. As we enter the winter holidays (in the Northern hemisphere), hearts lift even as the longest night approaches. We light candles, hang tinsel, find the brightest berries, light the warmest fires. Songs are sung and tales told.

Yet this is not a happy-go-lucky time, no lighthearted romp. Sagittarius arrives with his Fire at the turning toward winter, when hard times are arriving. Food might be scare, and the cold bites deep. No, this is a time when we see what lies ahead, while celebrating all we have.

This New Moon at 10 Sagittarius invites us into celebration of abundance, both the abundance we have before us and the abundant potential of life itself. And yet, this optimism is fearless rather than naive, tempered by all that has happened and a knowledge of what may come.

This New Moon squares Chiron in Pisces, acknowledging that healing is needed and knowing it comes in song and dance and good fellowship.

The New Moon squares Pallas Athena in Virgo; all the details of what must be done are here before us, and yet we are strengthened by joy.

Of vital importance, the New Moon trines Uranus, the revolutionary, and is in a tight 30 degrees away from Pluto the alchemist. Yes, change is in the air, bright all around us. That, too, this New Moon celebrates.

Look to your chart. Which house does this New Moon fall in? Find what you have in and around 10 degrees, especially in the mutable signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. These points are ready for renewal.

As the turning happens and the New Moon arrives, make wishes and set intentions for where you wish to bring joy in your life, for where you are ready to journey farther and dive deeper. Wish for optimism. Set the intention to be of good heart.

In these last hours of the Balsamic Moon, let go of whatever holds you back. Let go of fear, resentment, and old pain.

We are all travelers on the road. We are heading into more adventures, no doubt about that. With this New Moon, we can know ourselves as troubadours, warriors of heart and spirit, intrepid explorers in distant lands. We look around us at the Inn, see who else might be going our way. Good company is always welcome.
    

New Moon in Gemini: The Council of Me

New Moon in Gemini
Today (June 8) 11:56 am EDT

When the noon siren goes off today in my town (yes, we still have one), it will welcome the New Gemini Moon.

Already, the tribe is gathering––the Moon's emerged from her long void-of-course time in Taurus, waking from her rest deep in the quiet Earth. She's connected with Pallas Athena and Mars, and draws near to the Sun.

With both luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, in Gemini, along with Mars and Jupiter, Pallas and Eris, attention focuses in on me. What am I connected to? Who and what are in my networks? What information is at my fingertips? Where can I find more?

On a national level, everyone in the US who uses a cell phone is wondering how they're connected to the NSA via their metadata.

On a global level, we're chapulling, connecting to the people of Turkey as they connect with each other to stand up against violence and tyranny, and fight for their rights.

This is also a very personal New Moon. We look to see where we're connected outward, even as we're drawn inward.

Mercury, ruler of the New Moon has moved into home-based Cancer, trining Chiron the wounded healer.

How do connections and networks become tribe and family? Does my time looking outward (cruising the internet, say) bring me more security, more nurturing? Or am I dissipating my energy in a search for novelty?

Venus, also in Cancer, activates a Grand Water Trine with Neptune and Saturn. Sometimes trines are so easy, we don't notice them.

But this one includes Saturn in Scorpio connecting to Neptune––together, these two carry strong manifestation mojo––connecting to Venus, goddess of relationships and creativity. I don't think we'll be able to ignore this amount of energy pouring in.

How do my networks support and nurture my creative passions? (Or maybe the first question is, do they ... ?) How does my style of relating and connecting foster deeper, more personal relationships? (Or maybe, does it ... ?)

Sitting with one foot in Gemini's world of bright and shiny, and Cancer's world of soft, safe, and secure, we look through both sets of eyes to see how each supports the other.

And (this is a BIG 'and'), our most vital connections and relationships are within.

The smallest amount of reflection quickly reveals the many voices within our psyches. Whether we think in terms of inner critic, inner child, inner parent; or balancing seven chakras and their various needs; or dialoging with archetypes; or using an astrological lens to connect to our Sun, Moon, Mercury, everyone, we experience ourselves as many.

At this New Moon, I will be setting an intention for a stronger, clearer, more balanced relationship with my own inner council. These last lunar cycles have showed me how impossible it is to ignore the reality of my own inner experience, the memories and patterns stored in my body, the stories (good and bad, true and not so true) that help define my experience of life.

Stepping into the life I want for myself, the one I hope for, calls me into connection with all that I am.

Ancestry, personal history, and life in all its dimensions and realities are within and around me. The strong Gemini energy helps me see my personal web of life, and how it connects to the whole.

Overwhelming? Kind of. And yet, there's power here. Opportunities. Movement. The resources to strength the present connections I wish to keep, and forge new ones as well.

As we move toward the New Moon, where are you feeling connected? Where are things lighting up for you? Look there for the new ideas that can carry you into the next bright shiny time of your life.
    

Disseminating Moon: Life Lessons

Disseminating Moon in Gemini
November 2, 2012

The Disseminating Moon is the square-and-a-half that follows each Full Moon, asking us what we've learned. At this Disseminating Moon, in bright, connected Gemini, we're children sitting on the shore, trying to put the pieces together.

The Grand Water Trine is with us still, with Saturn in Scorpio tightly trine Ceres in Cancer, trined by Neptune and Chiron in Pisces.

The Moon is 8 degrees away from Ceres, and Uranus less than 2 degrees from squaring Ceres––the fierce mother archetype morphs suddenly into something much larger than we've ever seen.

The oceans command our attention today in direct, unavoidable ways. Weather patterns, storms, wind, rain, rising sea levels. Things that are huge. Things we cannot control. Events that change the world as we know it.

Once, years ago when my daughter was little, she and I were caught in a rip tide off the North Carolina coast. It was a sunny afternoon, we were in sight of the shore, many people were around, and help came. Still it was terrifying––knowing I was in a current stronger than me, and I needed help to free myself and protect my child. I had nightmares about it for years afterwards. I cannot imagine facing a storm of Sandy's magnitude.

So, at one level, this Disseminating Moon brings messages about the power of wind, water and tides, and about the limits of human intervention, and also about our capacity for survival, adaptation, courage, hope, and compassion.

As I write this Thursday morning, 2 million people are still without power on the East Coast, over 100 people have died in the Caribbean and across Eastern North America, and more are missing. Many pieces have yet to be put together, to understand the total impact of this storm, and where we go from here.

Those of us not living in Sandy's path send prayers, good wishes, and support, as we think those "what if" thoughts ... because an event of this power brings up issues for everyone.

This Full Moon in Taurus brought us face to face with the gifts of Earth and also her limits, with the power of emotion and intuition, and also its shadows. Like the goddess Ceres, who we know better as Demeter, the Earth goes so far and no farther.

And yet, the Earth is neither vengeful nor angry. We take our place in the great pattern of life, our actions create changes we cannot see, and other things happen––because of what we did, perhaps, but the equation is not a simple one. We live within complex, interwoven systems in which decisions made by others somehow lead to where we stand among tangled strands we try to unwind.

Mary Oliver's poem Shadows closes with these words:

... Whatever
power of the earth rampages, we turn to it
dazed but anonymous eyes; whatever
the name of the catastrophe, it is never
the opposite of love.

And so we pick up the pieces, weave new patterns, and get on with things. We help those who have suffered loss. We honor those whose courage saved lives and homes. We breathe. We understand that love is something we can bring to the pattern, something that changes things, something of great power. 
     

rainbow over NYC after Sandy

Spring Equinox: The New Seed

eggs!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Eastern Daylight Time

Tuesday, March 20
Spring Equinox:
Sun enters Aries 1:14am
Moon semisextile Mercury (Aries) 1:41am
Moon semisextile Uranus (Aries) 4:10am
Moon conjunct Chiron (Pisces) 9:00am
Moon opposite Mars (Virgo)10:25am
Moon square the North Node (Sagittarius) 12:46pm
Moon sextile Pluto (Capricorn) 2:05pm
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 4:56pm

I want to share the chart for the Equinox, Spring in the Northern hemisphere, Fall in the Southern, and a hinge of the year in all earthly places. Note the amazing geometry of this chart, with its overlaid squares and triangles.

The Sun moved most decisively into Aries, closely aligned with Mercury and Uranus. The Sun at the Aries point highlights where change is happening, where new fire is alight, and here we have mind and communication, and the revolutionary trickster, ready and waiting.

Look for the Aries point in your birth chart: Which house holds 0 Aries? What upheavals are you experiencing there? What world-flipping new ideas are showing up? Where is your life force, your libido, your desire, glowing?

This is vital––literally!––and yet there is a context here that needs to be woven.

Notice how most of the planets are clustered on one side of the chart, with Mars standing alone on the other side. This is a basket pattern. Mars, the handle, takes on added importance.

Not only is he the handle of this Ostara basket, he is one point of the Grand Trine in Earth (with Pluto, Jupiter and Venus) and one corner of the Grand Cross in the mutable signs that includes the Nodes of the Moon as well as the Moon, Neptune and Chiron in Pisces.

Mars is holding a lot of important threads here, so it's good he's in organized, detail-oriented Virgo. We can be sure no one will be forgotten, no energy left out, all ducks will be lined up. And yet ... Mars in Virgo is no speed demon, is still retrograde, and rules Aries. What's up with that?

Aries likes to act, ACT NOW, jump in with both feet, no holds barred. With the Sun, Mercury and Uranus aligned, we could feel a big power surge to DO something. Mars retrograde in Virgo, with Saturn retrograde in Libra and Mercury retrograde in Aries join together to say, NOT YET.

Something vital has now been seeded, and needs time to grow. The power of the Grand Trine in Earth offers us a strong connection with natural cycles of growth and development, the ability to allow life to unfold without interference, the willingness to wait and watch.

The Grand Cross creates the container, the alembic in which transformation will occur. This container is anchored in Virgo and Pisces, the Earth and the cosmos, and includes the karmic life path, the Moon's Nodes.

This is the time of the anlage, the primordial seed from which something new will come. We cannot see its form yet, and opening the container will mar the process. With the coming New Moon, we will plant seeds and nurture them, allowing them to grow with the best support we can provide.

The alembic is an alchemical vessel that transmutes what we put into it. Another translation for 'alembic' is 'still,' and so we imagine ourselves heading into the hills with the trickster Uranus, setting up our copper coils and tubs away from prying eyes, fermenting the mix and hoping for a tasty and potent brew––uisce beatha, the water of life!

Happy Equinox Morning to all.
         

New Moon in Virgo: Grounded Alchemy

Sunday, August 28, 2011 11:04pm EDT

Virgo is the sign of organization, precision, and effectiveness. Criticized as fussy, Virgo is also humble and willing to be of service, patiently absorbing criticism and taking it to heart. Virgo combines service and practicality into a focus on wellness and healing that begins with the body but doesn't end there, embracing the heart and soul as well.

This New Moon in Virgo is the most grounded, practical gift we could ask for. Creative, bountiful Venus is joining the Sun and Moon, adding her grace to this time of planting seeds and making wishes.

And all three––Sun, Moon and Venus––anchor a grand trine in Earth that includes generous, expansive Jupiter in sensual Taurus, and alchemical Pluto in never-give-up Capricorn.

Neptune in Aquarius and Chiron in Pisces are opposite the New Moon, illuminating Virgo's attention to each minute detail with the light of our most cherished dreams.

In addition, Mercury in Leo and Saturn in Libra, both creative powerhouses in those signs, are trining and sextiling the Nodes of the Moon.

This is the New Moon to set intentions for taking realistic, responsible steps toward our biggest vision. Anything from balancing the checkbook to securing venture capital for a bold new enterprise, from getting losing a few pounds to overcoming a serious health challenge, from taking a class to embracing a new life path––this New Moon can handle it all.

There are challenges in the sky, and yet, this time, they're not as closely connected to the New Moon energy. The Uranus-Pluto square is still in force, and remains a force to be reckoned with for some time to come. The Mars-Saturn square still seems to be stirring up trouble, sparking emotional outbursts and reflexive action, making mediation difficult. Here, too, we can look to the New Moon to offer workable, real-world solutions, if we're prepared to ask.

It's time to check the birth chart, see where this New Moon will fall, and think about where we need grounded, determined, generous, creative energy in our lives. Where don't we need this? Late tonight, or within the next few days (after the New Moon arrives), set your intentions, plant your seeds, and watch out for the beanstalk!
  

An Extra Jolt of Gemini

Tuesday :)

Yes, I already posted on the Gemini Moon, and yes, here I am again.

This morning, Michael showed up in my dreams again. The last time he appeared, the Moon was in Gemini and he showed up to reconfigure my internet connections. Exploring the dream, I realized this Michael was an angel, a messenger, an avatar of Mercury.

(Traditionally, Michael the Archangel is a warrior and dragon slayer. Personally, I'm not in favor of slaying dragons, so I'd like to state here that this particular Michael has a rather different style.)

Michael Mercury

I woke from an dream of two Michaels running parallel to each other in somewhat different dimensions. One was an ordinary man, running down a city street.

A voice said, "this is Michael the mundane." Then I looked to my right, and saw another Michael, also running, wearing a leather helmet with small wings on either side. The voice said, "and this is Michael ... "

Did the voice mean, Michael the magical? The cap looked like the one worn by Captain America, but those wings ... this was Captain Mercury, come back to visit, graduated from cable guy to superhero.

So, I'm cruising around the 'net this morning, and find this entry on the Burning Man blog called Laughing our way to Tomorrow. It's about the saving grace of play, about how whimsy is not only innovative but redemptive.

something silly ...

These are serious times, heavy times, with much work to be done. How can we not be weighed down by it all? And yet ... there are balloons, 3-D glasses, caterpillars that grow exponentially, people who go out into bleak desert every summer and create astonishing things, and skies that look different every single day.

Today the Gemini Moon trines Saturn in Libra. The faster moving planet gets to be the trigger, and the Moon never seems to move faster (or more erratically) than when in Gemini. Saturn is the heavy, but in Libra also graceful and creative. Saturn is marvelous at manifesting. Today, manifest at least one silly thing :)

Moon in Taurus: A Day of Calm

We're in the newest of New Moon days with the Moon one-in-herself today, floating in Taurus without classical aspects of any kind. This is a day for turning within and nurturing ourselves deeply. Wait 'til the Gemini Moon for those wishes and intentions.

For today, I offer one of my favorite poems, by Mary Oliver:

Wild Geese 

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers. 

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Moon in Scorpio

Tuesday morning through Thursday morning

The Moon moved into the depths of Scorpio at 4:29am EST Tuesday, for a day of insight. Now in the disseminating phase of the lunar cycle, we understand more fully what we were shown at the Full Moon.

first-ever image of the far side of the Sun

Today's flowing trines between the Moon and Mercury, and the Moon and the Sun, mark this time. With the Moon in Scorpio, and Mercury and the Sun both in Pisces, the potential connections reach from the depths of the unconscious to the far reaches of the cosmos. Mercury and Mars move into Pisces today, bringing thought and action along on the cosmic ride.

The Moon also flows energy in sextile with Pluto today, lending Scorpio's penetrating analysis to Pluto's transformative agenda. Wednesday's only aspect is a sextile between the Moon and Venus, bringing intensity to Venus' transit through determined Capricorn. This Moon-Venus combination might show you exactly where key relationships are headed, while setting the stage for deep connections.

Very early Thursday morning, Mars and Chiron, warrior and mentor, join in Pisces. Perhaps one gift of the Full Moon in Leo was a new image of how to lead from the heart. Now, Mars and Chiron can work together to heal damaging anger and aggression and find healthy challenges for sacred warriors.

Shortly thereafter, the Moon reaches the last degrees of Scorpio, challenging Neptune in square and trining Uranus, as these two giants of intuition continue in mutual reception at the end of Aquarius and Pisces. The Moon steps into warm-hearted Sagittarius at 7:46am EST Thursday.

Moon in Libra

Sunday morning through Tuesday morning

NASA image of solar flares

The Moon moves into balanced Libra at 4:01am EST Sunday, her calming influence welcome as we continue receiving intense energies. As the geomagnetic storm that accompanied the Leo Full Moon begins to subside, we have a chance to catch our breath. Or not ...

The Libra Moon forms a challenging T-square with Jupiter in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn, cardinal Air, Fire and Earth vying for primacy. With Pluto shaking things right down to their foundations, and Jupiter ready to set the world on fire, this Moon's diplomacy may be sorely tested.

Meanwhile, the ongoing Aquarian focus bombards us with intuitive flashes, trickster energy, and radical ideas as Mercury, Mars and Neptune all join up on Sunday. Mind, action and vision united create a powerful focus for all forms of intuitive work.

On Sunday, we need the Libra Moon to help us keep our balance.

Monday brings our focus back to relationships and healing. The Moon joins Saturn in Libra, then squares Venus in Capricorn, reminding us that Venus and Saturn continue to square each other. Saturn can have a depressive effect on the Moon, so things may look more serious this morning as we contemplate the work ahead.

This is a good day to remember Libra is a deeply artistic sign, and look for beautiful solutions to pressing issues. As Mercury enters Pisces, our thoughts naturally flow into metaphors and images, as new visions appear.

Late Monday night, the Moon reaches the last degrees of Libra, flowing energy in trine with Neptune and Mars in Aquarius, and creating an inconjunct angle of adjustment with Uranus in Pisces. The Moon's last aspect will be a trine to the South Node and sextile to the North, offering an opportunity to realign with our life path. As this happens, Mercury joins Chiron the wounded healer in Pisces.

The Moon dives into Scorpio's depths at 4:29am EST Tuesday; look for intense dreaming Tuesday morning.

Moon in Virgo

Friday morning through Sunday morning

Tonight's Full Moon arrives in a blaze of fire that ends the Moon's transit through Leo and opens the waning half of the lunar cycle in careful, organized Virgo. Friday morning's dreams may be dramatic, but waking leaves us ready to sort out whatever happened and make sense of it.

phoenix rising

The Moon enters Virgo at 4:39am EST Friday, her opening aspect a flowing trine with Pluto the transformer, still in hard-hitting Capricorn. Having moved through the brilliance of the Full Moon, we're ready to surrender. The phoenix consumed in flame will be reborn in new form.

This transformative Moon transit through Virgo opens a dialogue on what Virgo is all about. Donna Cunningham at Sky Writer hosted a discussion of Chiron's role in Virgo led by Joyce Mason. Many astrologers note the affinity between Virgo and Chiron, wondering whether his healing archetype might be a better fit as ruler than scattered Mercury.

As Chiron moves into Pisces, it seems likely his role will be reassessed and redefined, illuminated perhaps by his conjunction with the Sun at this Full Moon. The Sun moves into Pisces Friday afternoon, reaching an exact conjunction with Chiron on Saturday that sheds more light on this question.

Friday also brings a square between Venus and Saturn, whose mutual reception (they sit in each other's signs) challenges us to consider how they feel the same, and how they are different. The planet of work, responsibility and karma is bathed in the energy of beauty and harmony, as the planet of balanced relating works through the energy of determination and steady effort.

Saturday, the Virgo Moon flows energy in trine with Venus in Capricorn while semi-sextile with Saturn, maintaining our focus on the square. Maybe work flows easily today and relationships are hard, as the Virgo Moon loves getting things done. Or perhaps we have the energy today to do what needs to be done in our relationships, even though it's difficult.

The Virgo Moon brings energy for organizing. If your weather is warming up, it might be time to prepare the garden, or sort out garages and basements. If not, well, tax season is upon us. Where's that paperwork gotten to?

Overnight Saturday, the Moon reaches conjunction with the asteroid Juno, ruler of equal partnerships. Again we look in a detailed, analytical way at where we are in key relationships, and what (if anything) needs to be done. The Moon's final aspect in Virgo is an opposition to Uranus, where we catch a glimpse of the big picture that might surprise us, before slipping into the Moon's time between times.

As the Moon moves through Virgo, her aspects and her position at the beginning of the waning cycle ask us to reassess. What needs organizing in our lives? Where are our service and attention most needed? Where can we heal? The Moon enters harmonious Libra at 4:01am EST Sunday morning.

Moon in Leo

Wednesday morning through Friday morning

The Moon steps into the Leo spotlight early Wednesday morning (4:14am EST), and flows energy in trine with Jupiter in fiery Leo. This is a day for strong feelings and high courage; a day when awareness allows us to move into creativity and heart-centered passion, deftly avoiding emotional excess and drama.

Thursday, the planets align for the Full Moon in Leo, a complex and powerful pattern of aspects involving all the key players. This Full Moon will be a performance to remember.

Early Thursday morning, the Sun conjuncts Neptune, joining our core selves with cosmic dreams and visions, in the sign of radical insight. With the Sun's light and Aquarius' clear thought involved, this could be a great night for lucid dreams.

Lucid dreaming has had pretty mixed press lately, with reports it's a method for escaping reality, or imagining we have superpowers to control our lives. Rather, lucid dream is a disciplined practice focused on increasing our awareness, bringing light and consciousness to what is dark.

As Thursday unfolds, the Moon begins with a flowing sextile to Saturn in Libra, balanced and responsible thought speaking to passionate feeling. Then the oppositions to the Aquarian cluster begins with the asteroid Ceres, and moving to Mercury, Mars and Neptune.

This Leo Full Moon comes with a strong focus on Aquarius, with five planets clustered there. This allows us to think in clear, innovative ways about whatever this Full Moon brings up, while adding extra emphasis to the Leo-Aquarian polarity.

At this Full Moon, we have Fire and Air, elements of movement and high energy. Like any element pair, they're essential to each other but dangerous when unbalanced. There is no fire without air, and no wind without warmth. Too much air either extinguishes flame or creates an inferno; too much fire consumes all available air, extinguishing life.

With Leo and Aquarius, we seek the balance between head and heart, between thinking rationally and staying with the ground of our feelings. We also look for the balance between self and community, the constantly negotiated boundary between following our heart's desire and meeting the needs of our communities.

Since this Full Moon falls in the last degrees of Leo and Aquarius, the characteristics of each sign are intensified. In the print edition of The Mountain Astrologer, Stephanie Austin reminds us this is the last of the series of five Full Moons falling in the last degrees, in which each polarity has been heightened. It's also the first of six SuperMoons coming this year, in which the Moon is at perigee, her closest approach to Earth, and at syzygy, aligned with the Earth and Sun.

Because it falls at the final degree, the Full Moon initiates the Moon's time between times, ending her transit through glorious Leo. The Full Moon arrives at 3:36am EST Friday morning. If this has been a winter of discontent for you, allow the brilliant illumination of this center stage Moon to open new doors of perception and understanding.

Moon in Cancer

Sunday evening through Wednesday morning

Just after midnight Sunday, the Moon enters her home sign of Cancer, opening Monday as a day of hearth and home, warm feelings, and protection of family and tradition. Monday is also Valentine's Day, which some dismiss today as a marketing ploy, but whose roots go back to Victorian times, to Spenser, Shakespeare and Chaucer, and to ancient Greece and Rome.

ocean Valentine

Cancer is the cardinal Water sign, in which feelings lead the way. Valentines are designed to express our feelings, sometimes with humor and sometimes with tenderness, but clearly emotions are the focus.

Cancer is a deeply traditional sign, and the history of Valentine's Day reflects this. In ancient Greece, this time of year was associated with the marriage between Hera and Zeus. In medieval times, nesting birds were said to chose their mates on Valentine's, a day associated with courtly love and its traditions of honor and loyalty.

So, Valentine's Day was not a time of unbridled passion or secret liaisons, but a day to declare openly who we love, and to make that declaration into a contract. This kind of love, the Cancer Moon is very comfortable with.

Yet the course of true love never does run smooth, as Monday's transits suggest. The gentle Cancer Moon squares exuberant Jupiter in Aries, the classic contest between getting what I want now, and devoting myself to the one(s) I love.

Oppositions to planets in Capricorn bring out another aspect of the Cancer Moon. Pluto, the asteroid Vesta, and Venus are together in Capricorn. Both Cancer and Capricorn are committed to traditional values, but where Capricorn is ready to take on the world, Cancer prefers to stay at home.

One theme we may experience Monday, then, is where to find the balance between building a nest and learning to fly. Where is our comfort zone? How can we establish the secure base we need, so we can go out and climb mountains to reach our goals? Another aspect Monday can help us find a solution: Mercury in clear-thinking Aquarius flows energy in trine with Saturn in harmonious Libra.

Tuesday morning, the same question comes up in another form as the Cancer Moon squares Saturn in Libra. Will heart or head lead the way? Can our feelings and our thoughts find ways to support each other and work together?

Overnight Tuesday, the Moon reaches the last degrees of Cancer, connecting with both Neptune and Uranus. Once again, we have an invitation to incubate dreams of vision and intuition, as the Moon enters her time between times.

Very early Wednesday (4:14am EST), the Moon roars into passionate Leo, the sign of Friday's powerful Full Moon.

Moon in Gemini

Friday afternoon through Sunday night

T.G.I.F!

The Moon popped into Gemini at few hours ago, just as the work week ended in this time zone. If you suddenly felt lit up and connected, ready to socialize, chat, dance and flirt a little, it could be T.G.I.F., but don't rule out the effect of a Gemini Moon!

With the Moon flowing energy in sextile with Jupiter in Aries late tonight, you could find yourself partying later than you planned, or having a very active night of dreaming. With these two energizers combined, you'll want to temper your enthusiasm. This could also be a night for overcommunicating, especially about emotions.

Tomorrow (Saturday), the Moon creates flowing trines with Mercury in Capricorn and later with Saturn in Libra. This might be the weekend, but working on your communications, and strengthening your networks are strongly supported today. Maybe today's the day to set up that website you've been thinking about.

Sunday, the Moon creates more flowing trines, this time with Mars and the Sun in Aquarius. Again, Sunday is usually a day of rest, but this combination will energize your thinking and planning for the future. Gemini likes to keep things light, but will be happiest if these connections are acted on rather than ignored. Take time to network, if not with others, then by exploring new creative ideas for yourself.

The transiting Nodes of the Moon change signs today, shifting from traditional Capricorn and Cancer to questing Sagittarius and Gemini, another reason to explore new territory this weekend.

Late Sunday, the Moon reaches the last degrees of Gemini where she finds Neptune (with a flowing trine) and Uranus (with a challenging square) ... and yet Gemini the bridge builder can listen to both and find the common ground.

These connections with the outer intuitive planets form just as night falls, opening the door to a night of bright, intuitive dreams. The Moon steps into her home sign of Cancer at 12:48am Monday, and Cancer loves to dream, so set some intentions as you drift off to sleep and remember to place a pen and paper close at hand. Dream on!

Moon in Taurus

Wednesday morning through Friday afternoon

Ahhhhh ... the Moon in Taurus relaxes, enjoying the sensual delights of the manifest world. The Moon is exalted in Taurus, happy in this sign of warmth, comfort, patience, and peace. Our world is full of marvels!

wildflowers

This morning, the Moon flows energy in trine to the planets and points clustered in hard-driving Capricorn––the North Node, Venus, Pluto, and the asteroids Vesta and Juno––saying, I value your commitment and drive but there's no need to push so hard. Let's allow things to unfold in their own time.

Venus and Pluto reach their conjunction today, aligning our connections with others and our creativity with deep transformation. The Moon's participation wraps this intense combination in a groundedness that helps us stay centered.

Overnight, the Taurus Moon squares Mercury in Aquarius. The squares within the fixed signs can feel the most challenging, as neither side wants to give an inch. With these planets, we see two vital ways of knowing vying for attention.

Mercury in Aquarius is logos, the idea, the intellect, the principle, the word. The Moon in Taurus is the body, which though denigrated in Western philosophy, we now know to be the rich tapestry in which the experience of our lives is woven. How will we solve our own mind-body problem?

This Moon-Mercury square introduces Thursday's aspects, more squares to Aquarian planets. The Moon now squares Mars, and the Sun, raising more questions about how to balance pure thought and body knowing.

The Sun-Moon square marks the first quarter of this waxing lunar cycle, the time when our New Moon intentions are tested. Are we really committed to our goals? How can we get mind and body on board and working together?

Friday morning, the Moon reaches the last degrees of Taurus, squaring Neptune and sextiling Uranus. These are the big visionaries of the cosmos, offering messages in dreams and intuitive flashes. Again, the Taurus Moon keeps us in the present moment, in our bodies. We are living these lives, on this planet, at this time. Everything the cosmos might want to say, becomes manifest here.

The Moon will bounce into bright, gregarious Gemini at 5:20pm EST Friday. In the meantime, here's a gorgeous video that expresses one way Aquarian thought is made real here on Earth:

Moon in Aries

Sunday afternoon through Tuesday night

A waxing Aries Moon is a charge-ahead time when whatever we planted at the New Moon grows faster than we can keep up with it. Watered by visionary Pisces, our intentions reach out in all directions, unafraid and excited to be born. The Moon begins by joining Jupiter, expanding even further.

leaves!

But then a check, perhaps: A square to Venus in Capricorn. When two cardinal signs square each other, it's not a question of whether the thing will get done, but who will go first ... the fiery heart of Aries or the hard-headedness of Capricorn.

Venus and Jupiter are an intriguing pair in square; the lesser and greater benefics vying for the chance to give more. With Venus and Jupiter, the challenge of the square might be a tendency to give, and do, too much, expanding beyond what can be sustained. The weightiness of Capricorn will help keep this pair grounded, although tonight's addition of the Moon may tilt our emotions to the fiery energetic Aries side.

Tomorrow (Monday), the Moon flows energy in sextile with Mercury in Aquarius, and we may find ourselves fired up by wonderfully innovative ideas. Then later in the day, the Aries Moon squares Pluto in Capricorn, and we might feel ready to surge ahead with some of the transformations Pluto has been offering us.

Tuesday, the Aries Moon reaches an opposition with Saturn in Libra, and we are reminded that our personal desires (Moon in Aries) need to be balanced by our responsibilities to others (Saturn in Libra). With Aries' optimism and Libra's diplomacy, perhaps this dialogue can focus on how to reach everyone's goals.

As the Moon flows energy in sextile first with Mars and then with the Sun, both in Aquarius, we may find ourselves acting in innovative ways to accomplish our goals. The Moon-Sun sextile marks a time in the waxing crescent phase when we can gain new clarity on what our goals are, and where, and how to get there.

Tuesday afternoon, Chiron the wounded healer re-enters Pisces. This is a time to learn more about this energy of woundedness, healing, and mentoring. At Sky Writer, Donna Cunningham offers insights into Chiron. And Joyce Mason at The Radical Virgo is a Chiron specialist with insights worth reading.

Overnight Tuesday, the Moon will sextile Neptune and semi-sextile Uranus, bringing energetic dreams. Tuesday night will be a good night for dream intentions, as the Moon enters her time-between-times. She steps into Taurus' peaceful garden at 6:22am EST Wednesday.

Waxing Moon in Pisces

Friday morning through Sunday afternoon

Hexagram 51: thunder over thunder

The Moon swam into Pisces early this morning, flowing energy in sextile with Venus who marched into Capricorn late yesterday, and the North Node, also at 0 Capricorn. So, if you woke with dreams about where your relationships and creative life should be going, write them down and make time to work with them. Capricorn rewards work!

A Pisces Moon is generally a dreamy, unfocused time but not this one. Six planets and asteroids in Aquarius, including a Sun-Mars conjunction, are continuing the intense New Moon buzz.

CJ Wright links this New Moon to the I Ching hexagram thunder over thunder, which made me think of the thunder snow reported as part of the recent massive winter storm ... Aquarius is always unusual and unexpected.

This afternoon, the Moon flows energy in sextile with Pluto the transformer, another indication that this is no ordinary Moon transit we're dealing with. We're in the Year of the Rabbit now, but as the first comment to CJ Wright's blog post noted, this is no ordinary bunneh!

With this amount of Aquarian eccentricity and humor around, maybe our intense transformations won't seen quite as difficult. Tomorrow (Saturday), Mercury in Aquarius sextiles Jupiter in Aries, and the Aquarian Sun trines Saturn in Libra ... yes, there's work to be done, but also a tremendous amount of energy to do it, and a willingness to laugh and enjoy the process.

Sunday morning, Aquarian Mars will sextile Saturn, continuing the emphasis on work, leaping ahead, and the unexpected. The Moon will reach the last degrees of Pisces early Sunday afternoon, forming edgy semisextiles to Neptune and Chiron, while joining Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, just before entering her void of course time. 

The Moon strides into Aries at 5:45pm EST Sunday, ready to take on the world.

So, not so much of the dreamy, laid back Pisces Moon this time. Instead, we're in a tremendously energized New Moon phase where seeds are sprouting and bursting into new growth. We remember that life began in the oceans, and experience this Pisces Moon as the matrix from which our new Aquarian selves will rise.

Moon in Aquarius

Tuesday afternoon through Thursday night

Late today, the Moon sails into innovative, eccentric Aquarius, the Air sign of tomorrow's marvelous New Moon. The Moon's first aspects in Aquarius rekindle the warmth and generosity of Sagittarius, as the Moon flows energy in sextile to Jupiter, Sagittarean ruler, and Venus in Sagittarius flows energy in sextile with visionary Neptune in Aquarius.

balloon vendor

We're now in the time of Imbolc and Candlemas, the turning point when the ancient Celtic year shifts from the darkest dark into a lighter phase heading toward Spring.

The energies coming into play––the radical honesty and innovative thought of Aquarius, the laughter and expansiveness of Sagittarius, and the creative dreaming of Pisces––remind us that even as winter seems to be holding tight, new growth is stirring.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), we experience the New Moon, whose powerful Aquarian energy I wrote about here. This New Moon is a time to wish for our biggest dreams!

Thursday, the Moon continues sailing through Aquarian skies while reminding us it's not just about the dream, it's about making the dream real. We're now in a waxing cycle, ready for growth and expansion!

The Moon will reach her exact flowing trine with Saturn, he who manifests. Mercury steps into Aquarius, maintaining the flow of innovative ideas. Venus flows energy in sextile with healing Chiron, then steps into Capricorn, the sign of working to manifest our goals.

Overnight, the Moon will join Neptune, semisextile Uranus, then join Chiron before entering her time-between-times. With those powerfully intuitive outer planets involved, Thursday night will be a powerful night for dreaming, so plan to incubate some dreams, and have a notebook nearby.

At 5:24am EST Friday, the Moon swims into Pisces' ocean, ready to connect with the cosmos.

Cruising the Aquarian internet yesterday, I Stumbled Upon (yes, I'm hooked... ) the perfect expression of this upbeat, expansive, creative, innovative, Aquarian Moon transit: Airgami: the fine art of folding air ... balloons! Larry Moss offers us balloons as art, as fun, as community building. What could be more Aquarian than this? Enjoy!

Waning Moon in Capricorn

Sunday morning through Tuesday afternoon

Authority, determination, focus. Need a job done? Go to Capricorn. The Moon strode into Capricorn's orderly domain at 9:04am EST and remains within his precincts until Tuesday. She will enter Aquarius at 6:21pm EST. Precisely.

Author G.D. Falksen

If Capricorn is a captain of industry, a waning Capricorn Moon surely evokes steampunk, the genre of fiction, music, art and roleplay wrapped in nacreaous fogs of alternative history.

The Moon and Capricorn share a love of history and reverence for tradition. The Moon is emotional, even moody; Capricorn is rational, pragmatic. Looking back to a time that never was, longing for something we can't quite reach ... if it has gears, pistons, and a Babbage engine, Capricorn is so there.

With five planets already in Aquarius and an Aquarian New Moon dead ahead, today's energy puts the Capricorn Moon's nostalgia on an airship and flies it right into a radical future.

So, in these last days of the waning cycle, pull out the funky jewelry your crazy aunt gave you, and those radio tubes from the science kit your cousin left in the basement. Lay everything out in Capricornian orderliness, then bring in Aquarius to mess with the boundaries. Make something radically new, then sell it on Etsy. Seriously.

It's a radical day. The Moon steps into Capricorn right on top of the North Node, place of destiny and karma. Then she challenges Jupiter the philosopher king in square, and with Jupiter igniting fiery Aries, this square could be the spark that lights the boiler. This evening, the Moon conjuncts Pluto, when we could feel the rumblings of an underground shift.

Monday brings a square between the Capricorn Moon and Saturn in Libra, a meeting of titans. Tuesday, the Moon joins messenger Mercury, then communes with the outer powers Neptune, Uranus and Chiron before retreating into her time between times.

As ever, we choose to engage with the archetypes as they present themselves. This waning Capricorn time could see us slipping into a nostalgic reverie, lost in nihilistic mists, lamenting the past, raising a glass of absinthe to what is gone. Yes, Capricorn is saturnine, and can get downright depressed.

As ever, the remedy for Saturnian moodiness is hard work. So go ahead, dive deep into the past ... your personal past, or history you're passionate about. And then, instead of getting lost in a labyrinth, pull the best of tradition into the future and work it into something wonderful and new.

Waning Moon in Sagittarius

party icon

Thursday night through Sunday morning

Overnight, we emerged from Scorpio's dark basement into Sagittarius' well lit, convivial kitchen ... a place where all are welcome, something rich and fragrant is always cooking, and the talk flows easily. Welcome!

Sagittarian warmth is heightened today by a flowing trine between the Moon and Jupiter, Sag's ruler now shining in fiery Aries. With energetic sextiles between the Moon and Sun, and later, the Moon and Mars and Ceres, all in innovative Aquarius, we'll feel we can do anything and have fun with it.

Tomorrow (Saturday), the Moon forms a flowing sextile with Saturn, newly retrograde, and later reaches conjunction with Venus in late Sagittarius. We feel ready to get things done, putting our responsibilities in a wider context and ready to fine the good in (and savoring the delights of) the work we have before us. Venus and the Moon together align relationships and creativity with emotions.

Very early Sunday morning, the Sagittarius Moon contacts the outer planets Neptune and Uranus, and the asteroids Chiron and Juno. She'll form a T-square with Uranus and Juno, who are opposing each other in late Pisces (Uranus) and Virgo (Juno). At the same time, she'll be creating flowing sextiles with Neptune and Chiron.

With Neptune and Uranus in similar degrees of adjacent signs, an "easy" aspect with one planet means a "challenging" aspect with the other. Yet Neptune and Uranus are in mutual reception ... each in the sign ruled by the other. So as the Moon contacts one, the other is there, each sending intuitive messages that flow (Neptune) and flash (Uranus).

In this waning part of the lunar cycle, we're integrating what we've learned and releasing what no longer serves us. This transit through Sagittarius helps us make sense of what it all means ... Sagittarius is a philosopher and mentor who can help sort out the complexities of these challenging times. This Moon transit brings energy, focus and balance, and closes with intuitive messages from the cosmos.

At 9:04 am EST Sunday, the Moon steps into determined and responsible Capricorn, ready to make something practical and real.

Waning Moon in Scorpio

Tuesday evening through Thursday night

Tonight at 9:15pm EST the Moon emerges from her time-between-times and dives into Scorpio's watery depths. Scorpio demands we look at things we don't want to see, acknowledging the power of the Shadow.

power from the depths

Scorpio is an energy we tend to resist. In an interview last night on Blog Talk Radio, April Elliott Kent described it as repellent, a common, if not always deserved, response. Yet when we're ready to shoulder our packs and walk into the dark, Scorpionic journeys lead us into the heart of our own power.

Jung's concept of the Shadow points to why Scorpio energy is something we prefer to turn away from. As individuals, families, and societies, we make choices about what is acceptable and what is not. Some of these choices are absolutely essential to creating and maintaining strong, healthy communities. Some reflect styles and preferences that express and define who we are.

As we push away the unacceptable, making it taboo, it acquires great power. How we respond to the unacceptable then defines where that power is and who has access to it. Is it ours or only part of those others out there?

This aspect of Scorpio is highlighted as Saturn stations at 17 Libra and turns retrograde (1:10am EST Wednesday). Libra is a the sign of balance between self and other. Saturn is all about limits, rules, and boundaries, what is acceptable and what is not, who is in and who is out, and where responsibility falls. His retrogrades are times to think again about these issues.

During this waning transit through Scorpio, we look at fallout. Things like results and consequences may come up for review. We may find ourselves asking, whose fault is this? Where are we willing to step up and accept our role, and where do we only look around for a scapegoat?

Wednesday's transits include challenging squares between Mercury in Capricorn and Saturn in Libra, the Moon in Scorpio and the Sun in Aquarius, and the Moon in Scorpio and Mars in Aquarius. Meanwhile, the Moon creates a flowing sextile to Pluto in Capricorn.

All of these aspects ask different versions of the same question about action and consequence. We must act; in acting, we choose; actions and choices have consequences; not all the consequences are pretty. Even inaction is action, and inaction can sometimes have the worst consequences of all.

What's a body to do? Wednesday's Sun-Moon square marks the last quarter Moon, our entry into the final phase of this lunar cycle. This is a time of reflection, integration, and release. We strive for insight, accept what is ours, and release what is ready to move out of our lives. The Scorpio Moon opens the door to engage in this process with great depth.

In the early hours of Thursday, the Moon will flow energy in sextile with Mercury, communicating about this theme, perhaps sending dreams we can remember and work with.

By Thursday evening, the Moon will communicate with outer planet messengers. Neptune and Chiron wait at the end of Aquarius, asking for adjustments with inconjunct angles. Uranus is will be there also, at the end of Pisces, flowing message in trine to offer intuitive guidance on what comes next.

The Moon enters her time-between-times late Thursday night, stepping into welcoming Sagittarius at 1:55am Friday. The lights of Sagittarius will seem brighter if we make our Scorpio journey first.