Crescent Moon: Breasting the Waves

Sunset surfing

Crescent Moon in Sagittarius
October 18, 2012

The Grand Trine in Water still swirls underneath all we do, and some are feeling the undertow.

Scorpionic Saturn can be fierce in holding up mirrors to what we prefer not to see. Neptune and Chiron in Pisces turn and look, then turn away, floating between truth and illusion.

Ceres in Cancer keeps the home fires burning, reminding us of what we hold dear––which doesn't always help when we're swimming in Neptunian, Chironic, Saturnian oceans.

The lovely Libran New Moon tantalized us with creative visions, hopes of love, and an invitation to rededicate to core values. Today we reach the Crescent Moon, and the first illumination of what may grow from our longings.

This Crescent Moon sails in optimistic, generous and philosophical Sagittarius, joining determined Mars in the seas of possibility. The Moon and Mars together are ready to dive into the deepest waters, certain they will rise again, pearls in hand, triumphant.

The Moon and Mars still feel energized by their contact with revolutionary Uranus, and head into opposition with Jupiter retrograde in Gemini. There are several courses here, and good navigation is a must:

The Moon and Mars in Sag might leave Uranus all fired up, sure they have everything they need to surge ahead, full steam, damn the torpedoes ... and run aground on Jupiter's uncharacteristic indecision. Suddenly, the course is not so clear. Where were those charts again? Oh, forget the fog, just open the throttle and let's go!

Or, Moon and Mars can celebrate the energy of Uranus by taking action to confirm the details of intuitive guidance, checking where the rocks and shoals are before leaving port. In this scenario, the reflective mood of Jupiter retro in Gemini alerts us to possibilities lurking at the edge of vision, things we might miss if we don't double-check.

The semisquare from the Sun in clear-sighted Libra offers just the check Moon–Mars needs, so pay attention if something looks off balance, not quite right, or out of true. A small correction now could avoid a major oh-no-we're-completely-off-course later.

Venus moves out of her square to Jupiter, and as she's in Virgo, sign of the careful planner, this is another reminder to pay attention to details during this Crescent Moon. She sextiles Mercury in deep Scorpio, so the details we need to watch for might be the hidden ones. Mercury in Scorpio sees in the dark, and is never fooled by Neptunian sleight of hand. Pay attention to where your attention goes; watch for tricks.

With the native caution supplied by Virgoan Venus and Scorpionic Mercury, the Moon and Mars can enjoy this Crescent Moon. These are not armchair travelers, content to read about other people's adventures ... these two are ready to hit the road and see where it takes them.

Despite the strong tides around us, we can embrace the challenges of wind, rain and currents, glorying in the feel of wind in our face and the taste of salt on our tongue. Where will the journey take us? Let's find out!
    

An extra New Moon note...

An extra note as we head into the New Moon ... this New Moon ushers in a void-of-course time that lasts all day, so open heart and mind, allow your consciousness to learn what it learns, and save the plans and requests for tomorrow. Today is a day to receive rather than to intend.

New Moon in Libra: Open Mind, Open Heart

dancers in motion

New Moon in Libra
October 15, 2012

Tomorrow's New Moon in Libra is brought to you by peace, harmony and beauty, with additional support provided by creativity, relating and abundance.

Really! This New Moon, arriving at 22 degrees Libra, offers an opening in the spiral of time to reflect on all things wonderful about life, our lives, and the values we cherish and want to expand.

Because this New Moon occurs late in Libra, the Full Moon that will illuminate its seeds falls in Taurus (rather then Aries, the sign opposite Libra, and the sign of last month's Full Moon). It happens that Libra and Taurus are the two signs ruled by Venus, making this goddess the patron saint of this lunar cycle (to mix a few spiritual metaphors). She's a rich goddess whose gifts include the sensual pleasures and beyond, to include the networks of relationship that enfold us.

At each New Moon, we begin again. Entering the dark Moon time, something is released to become fertile ground, and something germinates. I write about this as a time for wishing and intending, for working with the forces surrounding us rather than seeking to impose our conscious will.

Astrologer Dana Gerhardt goes farther into Moon mysteries in acknowledging that sometimes, maybe more often than not, we can't see and don't know what seeds are splitting open at this time, and what might show up in our gardens afterwards. (Find Dana's wonderful writing about the Moon at astro.com and available as ebooks on Dana's website, Mooncircles.)

Dana suggests the New Moon as a time of allowing, and this month's New Moon in Libra invites that approach especially. Underlying the New Moon is a Grand Trine in Water of Saturn in Scorpio, Neptune in Pisces, and Ceres in Cancer. Trines in Water carry us into flows of emotion and intuition. This one links Saturn and Neptune, leading to manifestation. The presence of Scorpio and Pisces lets us know we're in deeply psychic and insightful territory. The goddess Ceres (Demeter) in nurturing Cancer offers protection.

Libra energy reminds me always of the Beauty Way, the prayer of the Diné which says we walk in beauty, beauty before us, beauty behind us, beauty all around. This New Moon surrounded by powerful Water allows us to see, in the dark, the wonder of our one precious life. Even in times of great challenge––sometimes especially in such times––we walk in beauty.

Jupiter the philosopher remains reflectively retrograde in Gemini, widely trine the New Moon, and squaring Venus in careful Virgo. Mercury in deep Scorpio is inconjunct Jupiter and sextile Venus. Edgy connections here, drawing us in to analyze our values, to look beneath the surface of our relationships, to reexamine our ideas of abundance.

The transformative signature of our time, the Pluto–Uranus square, is energized at the New Moon by a trine from Mars in optimistic Sagittarius to Uranus in fiery Aries. When we allow energy to move, change happens easily, visibly, and quickly.

Saturn's move into Scorpio put him in mutual reception with Pluto in Capricorm––they each inhabit each other's signs now, another aid to positive, necessary change.

As always, look to your birth chart to see where this New Moon will fall and what it will touch. These areas of life may be the fertile spots from which new seeds will emerge. Making wishes and setting intentions is worthwhile.

And for this New Moon, add in the "yes, and" of improvisational theater ... let's support the actors on stage with us, and build on their intentions as well as our own. Yes to the Sun and yes to the Moon. Yes to Venus, yes to Saturn, yes even to Uranus and Pluto and the great changes flowing in their wakes. Yes, and yes, and yes again.