Waxing Moon in Pisces

When the Moon waxes in Pisces we are invited to move into one of the more difficult paradoxes, the experience of needing to leave things behind to reach for something new.

seedling

We're in the growing half of the lunar cycle. We planted seeds at the New Moon and nurture them, wanting them to grow into something wonderful. We're early enough in this cycle that we can't see the emerging plants yet, but we know they're there, and we have hope.

Pisces is mutable Water, a sign of visions and dreams, well suited to this time of imagining the new things that can emerge from our wishes for the year to come.

Pisces is also a sign of release and loss. The last sign of the zodiac, Pisces represents endings, completion, and the realization that the cycle of life includes death. It is completely natural and necessary that we release some forms, allowing the energy contained within them to flow back into the cosmos, so that new forms can emerge.

We know this side of Pisces, and yet the experience of release is not always easy. Sometimes it is, of course. We complete a difficult project and are happy to move on. We realize a relationship needs to move into a new phase, or end completely, and are sometimes at peace with that, even ready to let go of something that no longer works. But sometimes, even when we thought it would be easy, it's hard to let go.

Today, the Pisces Moon forms a flowing sextile with Pluto in Capricorn, as aspect that speaks directly to this tough part of change. Pluto is the transformer, the planet channeling the energy of complete and utter change into our lives. When Pluto moved into Capricorn in 2008, his focus shifted to fundamental structures ... in financial markets, in governments, and in our lives.

Pluto is not an easy energy to live with, but there's an inexorability to the changes he facilitates that has can have us just step back in awe and accept what has to be. Today's Pisces Moon, communicating with Pluto's irresistible force, may open up our feelings about whatever has been shifting for us. Nostalgia, after all, is painful: algia, the suffix, is from the Greek work algos, "to feel pain" and also "to care about."

Pisces cares deeply, and today we may find ourselves caring too, perhaps about things we thought we were done with. The first part of nostalgia, nostos, means "homecoming," and moving into the new, even when we look forward eagerly to positive changes, requires us to leave behind what has been familiar, what has been home.

Checking in with our emotional selves today can help us honor what we are releasing, understand its importance in our lives, and then perhaps complete the process of letting go. Then the Pisces Moon can help us dream into the future, creating a vision in which we can find a new home.

Waxing Moon in Aquarius Moving into Pisces

The Moon is now in the late degrees of Aquarius, and with so many planets at the ends and beginnings of signs, there are many conversations going on.

detail from a Mandelbrot set

The Aquarian Moon forms a flowing sextile with Mercury in Sagittarius, which tells us the trickster is in the building. Aquarius and Mercury both love word play, perceptual tricks and new ways of looking at things.

Sagittarius makes everything bigger, and the Moon engages our emotions. Is something crowding your perspective this morning, or seems too far away to get a handle on? Turn the telescope around, twirl the kaleidoscope, and see how it looks now!

This new view is being applied to all Capricorn seriousness too, as Mars in Capricorn is neatly semisextile between the Moon and Mercury. With the Sun in Capricorn squaring Saturn, Capricorn's authoritative ruler, in balanced Libra, we're challenged to place our work, our drive to achieve, and our responsibilities in a framework that also balances our core self (Sun) and the needs of partners (Libra). The Aquarian Moon and Mercury can help with this, bringing lightness and humor to a heavy situation.

The Moon's last classical aspect in Aquarius is her conjunction with Neptune at 3:51pm EST, but there are other contacts to consider. The Moon will semisextile Uranus at 4:14pm, semisextile Jupiter at 5:01pm, and join Chiron at 5:57pm. These aspects make this afternoon a powerful time for seeking intuitive guidance, as the Moon heads into her time-between-times.

At 9:57pm, the Moon enters visionary Pisces, continuing the strong connection with intuition and psychic insight, and making this a wonderful night for dream incubation. We are growing our New Moon intentions now, and asking for dreams to guide us will be an excellent idea tonight.

Venus, long in deep, dark Scorpio, entered adventuring Sagittarius early this morning. As the Moon swims into Pisces tonight, her first aspect will be a challenge in square to Venus. What philosophical insights has Venus gained from her months of Scorpionic initiation? Perhaps tonight's dreams will point us toward a new quest in relationships, or in creativity.

With all this in mind––the heaviness and responsibility of Capricorn we've all been standing under for some months now, the intensity and deep change in our relationships signified by Venus in Scorpio, today's Moon and Mercury bracketing that Capricornian Mars, and the Moon's communion with the visionary outer planets––I'd like to offer you Elizabeth Gilbert's talk recorded at the TED Conference in February 2009.

Gilbert, author of many intriguing books and notably the wildly popular Eat, Pray Love, talks about creativity and genius and how we place extraordinary burdens on ourselves and each other to be geniuses, when a more gentle and (yes) creative view would be to realize that the genii are all around us. They are there for us to talk to, to commune with, to dance with. We just need to show up and ask.

Waxing Moon in Aquarius

This note covers the Moon's transit through Aquarius today and tomorrow.

The Moon moves boldly into the territory of the new today. She'll step into revolutionary Aquarius at 11:08am EST, being now in her time-between-times.

astrolabe

The Moon in Aquarius is cool, calm, objective, innovative, and all about the greatest good for the greatest number. Yet the accompanying message of attending to our key partnerships is carried into this new lunar cycle: The Moon's last aspects as she entered her current void-of-course period were to Venus in depth-oriented Scorpio, and to Juno in service-oriented Virgo.

A square between Venus, planet of relationships, and Chiron the wounded healer today echoes this theme. Chiron shares with Aquarius an emphasis on being who we truly are, with Chiron's path to the full embodiment of self one of healing old wounds. The square to Venus in Scorpio challenges us to examine where key relationships may need healing.

The Aquarian Moon makes no other aspects today, and we feel the energy of this long-sighted Air sign filling our sails, carrying us into the new directions we've charted for the year ahead.

Tomorrow's only aspect is a flowing trine between the Aquarian Moon and Saturn in Libra, an invitation to work (Saturn) on our long-range plans (Aquarius) in a way that balances (Libra) the heart (Moon) as well as the head.

We have sailed through the New Moon gate into new territory, with the map of our intentions in hand. Now we look to the horizon, seeking the best ways to reach our goals.