Waning Moon in Leo Moving into Virgo

Today's date tells us this is Halloween, also known as Hallows, All Soul's Eve and Samhain. Modern society marks holidays at the most convenient time: trick or treating here for little kids was Thursday evening, and last night this college town blasted really loud music for the annual take-the-streets party until 3:00 am. (Living only a few blocks from party central, I'm working on far less sleep than usual as I write.)

The Four Evangelists, Book of Kells

Calendars change over the centuries, and sometimes take centuries to finish changing. The shift from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar began in the late 1500's, yet Great Britain didn't change until 1752 and China made the switch in 1949. Official dates are only loosely linked to the celestial events and Earth changes they originally marked.

So, when is Samhain?

In the ancient Celtic calendar, the four great fire festivals took place in the fixed signs of Scorpio, Aquarius, Taurus and Leo. These signs appear as the four beings in the corners of the World card in the Rider-Waite Tarot, and as the symbols of the four evangelists, showing how deeply this thread is woven through our culture.

Astrologically, there are two ways to mark Samhain. Solar Samhain occurs when the Sun reaches the middle of Scorpio, 15 degrees, which is November 7 this year. Lunar Samhain is often celebrated at the New Moon in Scorpio, November 5. This week is the season of Samhain.

The waning Moon continues in Leo, sustaining our hearts and fueling our creative passion. The Moon steps into the late degrees of Leo, looking to the powerful outer planets as she makes her last entrance in this theatrical sign for this cycle. This Moon supports us as we connect with our heart's desire, pouring Leo's fire into the creative expression of who are we at our core. At this waning time in the lunar cycle, we draw on everything we've learned and create something beautiful.

Officially, the Moon's void-of-course time begins at 5:01pm EDT when she reaches her opposition with Neptune in Aquarius. Yet this leaves too much out: the Moon will also oppose Chiron in Aquarius (exact at 8:16 pm), and inconjunct Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces (10:06pm).

The dialogue between Leo and the visionary signs of Aquarius and Pisces centers around finding the balance between personal creative expression (Leo) and the needs and visions of the cosmos (Aquarius and Pisces). The Leo Moon receives inspiration from the cosmic messengers, while reminding them that through the words, actions, and creations of individuals speaking from the heart, messages are heard.

Today, our creative work may be touched with genius, those spirits of place and time who speak to us if we open our hearts to listen.

At 11:51pm, the Moon enters practical Virgo, ready to take wonderful creative visions and apply them to meeting our very real needs. First, inspiration ... then, solution.

Waning Moon in Leo

As we approach Samhain, fire festival of Scorpio and the turning of the year, the Moon in Leo strengthens our hearts. The ancient Celtic festivals happen in each of the fixed signs: Samhain in Scorpio, Imbolc in Aquarius, Beltane in Taurus, and Lughnasadh in Leo. Today's Leo Moon reminds us of Lughnasadh's abundance. We carry within an inner glow, our heart's fire, as we walk into the dark.

The Moon challenges the Scorpio planets in square today, beginning with Venus (exact at 4:49am EDT), moving to the Sun (exact at 8:46am) and ending with Mercury (1:12am Sunday). A flowing sextile with Saturn in Libra gathers grounding, clarity, and balance. The Moon is also inconjunct Pluto, Ceres, and the North Node in Capricorn, seeking adjustment with these strong planets and points.

Bonfire Night in Lewes, Sussex

Hekate is the Goddess of the Scorpio Moon, keeper of the crossroads, the one who knows what's really going on and fears nothing. One of her emblems is a flaming torch, one of her titles is Phosphoros, Light Bringer. The Moon in Leo holds Hekate's torch high, illuminating our journey into shadow.

Venus retrograde in Scorpio beckons us to look deeply at our relationships, finances and the deepest wellsprings of our creative lives. The Sun brings illumination of his own, strengthened with the Moon in the Sun's sign. Mercury allows us to articulate what we see and feel. Hermes is a psychopomp, one who can safely travel between the realms of the living and the dead. He is our guide as we bring treasures from the depths of the psyche into the light of consciousness.

The square with the Sun marks the Last Quarter Moon, the turning toward the coming New Moon in Scorpio. If we have kept faith with our New Moon intentions for this cycle, today's Sun-Moon square may mark a time of insight and understanding, when we begin to see the wider meaning of our efforts.

What we learn in the shadowy depths of Scorpio will fuel our transformation, which requires adjustment. The deeper we go, the more uncomfortable it can be to integrate our new understanding. Pluto and Ceres standing with the North Node point to the path we're meant to be walking. Today's Leo Moon offers the courage and passion to step onto that path.

Waning Moon in Cancer Moving in Leo

The Cancer Moon reaches the late degrees where she communes with outer planets bringing intuitive guidance: Flowing trines with expansive Jupiter and innovative Uranus, and inconjunct angles-of-adjustment with visionary Neptune and healing Chiron create space this morning for mediation, freewriting, dreaming, and journeys.

streambed at Kinder Downfall

The sign of Cancer, the Moon's home sign, holds the energy of our tribe, our tradition, and our history. As we enter the time of Samhain, the hallowed days when we shift into the dark time of year, the ancestors approach. Perhaps the inconjunct with Neptune and Chiron signals a healing message for us, or an opening through which we can bring healing to our lineage.

The idea of karma is a difficult one to translate well in Western culture, since we tend to think of sin and retribution: Someone does a bad thing, and karma comes later and gets him back. But karma is not about punishment, it's about patterning.

Over time, our thoughts, feelings and actions create patterns like water cutting a new channel in a streambed. Our actions have consequences, not because there's a karmic review board passing sentence on us, but because what we think, feel, and do creates patterns of energy that naturally influence our experience.

We are influenced by patterns within our families and tribes. We have, in that sense, family karma. At this time of year, when the ancestors are close, we can explore family patterns, to honor and strengthen ones that are loving and life producing, and release and heal ones that are damaging. Healing energy we send to ancestors, or focus on difficult family patterns, can echo through the generations, releasing karmic debt and creating more peace and harmony.

The waning Moon in Cancer, in aspect to Neptune, Chiron, Jupiter and Uranus, will support any such work we do this morning.

The Moon enters her time-between-times at 3:48pm EDT. This is a time to avoid beginning new ventures if possible, as the Moon rests. At 8:38pm, she blazes brilliantly into Leo, passionate, playful, and ready to shine.

Each sign of the zodiac prepares the way for the one that follows. The nurturing we receive in Cancer prepares us to shine our light into the world in Leo. Work we do healing family patterns, frees us to share our unique creative gifts with joy. When we honor our ancestors, acknowledging their place in our lives, they offer their support, helping to guide us as we assume Leo's mantle and become leaders.

Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit

The Moon's first aspect in Leo is a trine to Mars, now embarking on his Sagittarian quest. Shamanic teacher Tom Cowen named his book on Celtic shamanic traditions Fire in the Head, invoking the ancient words of Amergin, and the more recent words of the great poet Yeats:

I went out to a hazel wood,
because a fire was in my head ...

Tonight's flowing energy between the Moon and Mars, Leo and Sagittarius, can ignite our creative, oracular, shamanic fires. The Celts recognized the links among creative inspiration, intuitive insight, and spiritual power, classing poets, seers and druids together. Deep creative work will be possible tonight, especially if we have our ancestors' blessing.