Balsamic Moon: Past is Prologue

a clean sweep

Balsamic Moon in Scorpio
December 9, 2012

Today, we enjoy the balanced, lovely Libra Moon. Tomorrow ... well, tomorrow, we reach the Balsamic Moon.

This half-a-square (semisquare) between Moon and Sun ushers in the final phase of a powerful lunar cycle that began in Scorpio, and brought us so much of this shadowy, deep, insightful, obsessive, relentless, passionate, psychic sign's energy.

Look at the Balsamic Moon chart. Note the rather large emphasis in Scorpio: Mercury, North Node and Venus together. Moon and Saturn together, trining Neptune and Chiron in Pisces. The Sun is valiantly trying to stay alight and upbeat in Sagittarius, but we're swimming in deep waters here.

What's past is prologue, a line from Shakespeare's The Tempest, neatly captures the feelings of this turning. Often quoted to show the value of understanding the past, in the play, it's actually said to justify evil––Antonio tells Sebastian, in effect, they are prisoners of the past and can't be other than they are.

Which is it? Scorpio, more than any other sign, looks at both sides of every coin, then bites to test its value.

Yes, we live out patterns, habits, choices we made in the past. Yes, we are influenced by choices others made in the past––ancestors, leaders, sometimes random people whose lives touched ours. Does that make us prisoners? Scorpio would say, decisively, no.

Yet, the route to freedom is neither easy nor well lit. At this Balsamic Moon, we're invited to look into the dark corners of our lives. We've been through intense transformations lately (and are still, this is ongoing). All those dramatic shifts have shaken things loose. It's time to take inventory and sweep out the corners.

What things do you know, really, deeply know, it's time to let go of? With Moon and Saturn conjunct, there's no shirking, no pretending you didn't notice or hadn't realized. No big eyes and innocent manner. Bad habits, worn out ideas, stuff you don't use, relationships that drain you ... now's the time.

The coming New Moon is in generous, optimistic, philosophical Sagittarius. Mercury will have moved back into Sag by then, helping shift the energy into celebration and gratitude. Hold on to that thought, the idea of a new beginning in the sign of Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Present, the giant who freely gives the milk of human kindness to all.

For the next few days, we finish the alchemical work we began at the Scorpio New Moon, cleaning up messes, learning from any failed experiments, holding tight to the philosopher's stone of our successes, preparing the way for what is to come.
    

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.
    

Disseminating Moon: Gently

Peasant Woman Cooking by a Fire – Van Gogh

Disseminating Moon in Cancer
December 2, 2012

Today's Disseminating Moon rests in her home sign of Cancer, a wonderful day for hot chocolate, warm fires, good books, and hugs. That's my choice, anyway, because outside it's raw, chilly, grey and rainy––opposites that capture this Moon.

The waxing cycle we just completed (survived?), from the Scorpio New Moon to the Gemini Full Moon, both with eclipses, was something for the record books. Now we're past the Full, the dust is settling, and we're wondering what it was we were trying to do, just before it all got crazy.

At the Disseminating Moon, the Sun and Moon are sesquiquadrate, a square and a half, an edgy angle that has a bit of "WTF?" in it. Today's Disseminating Moon is gentler, with a quirky sense of humor: the Sun's in optimistic Sagittarius, leaving the high-energy trine with Uranus behind, and the Moon (as I mentioned) hiding in her Cancerian castle. They're not quite on the same wavelength, but can still talk.

The Moon today trines the North Node in Scorpio, who is conjunct Mercury in Scorpio, and sextiles the South Node––messages from the past, from home, from our inner knowing help inform our next steps on the life path. Or maybe we get some rest, if only for a day or so!

There's a new Grand Trine in Water today, anchored by that same Moon, including the North Node and Pallas Athena in dreamy Pisces. Again, we see messages that combine head and heart, the logical and the visionary, flowing into our next steps.

This idea of balancing head and heart comes up again, in a yod (finger of fate) which also includes the Moon and the South Node, pointing at Juno in Sagttarius. Yes, we're going forward, yes, we're excited about what's just over the horizon, and sure, we need advice from the past––our past, the deep past, the body. OK, we promise to listen this time.

There is some tension around getting things done vs. stopping to listen: As the Sun and Moon are sesquiquadrate, so Pluto and Mars in just-do-it Capricorn are sesquiquadrate the South Node. There are needs out there in the world that urgently call for action. What are we doing about it?

And yet it all comes back to that Moon in Cancer... sometimes we all need a little down time, a chance to take a breath, check our supplies, review the plan.

Today is that day.