Waning Moon: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Disseminating Moon in Libra
March 1, 2013 5:37 am EST

Last Quarter Moon in Sagittarius
March 4, 2013 4:52 pm EST

As I write this on Wednesday evening, the Libra Moon is just reaching her opposition to Uranus in Aries and a trine with Jupiter in Gemini, and Mae West came to mind ... the balanced, charming, lovely Libra Moon sparking fire with let's-do-it Aries, egged on by expansive Jupiter:

"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."
––Mae West

And was that how this amazing Full Moon was in your life? Too much of a good thing?

The rising Moon that night was glorious here, then lost in a soft bank of white Neptunian cloud. I'm not sure I can even put into words all I experienced, or that I'd want to if I could.

Let's just say it's still unfolding.

Meanwhile, we're entering the waning phase of the cycle, releasing into the world whatever we learned, completed, shared, or just let go of. The Pisces revels continue throughout this time, and so will the sense of expanding––possibly overwhelming––dreams, visions, mystical experiences, confusion, creativity, unclear communications, deep healing, getting lost and then finding something unexpected.

The Disseminating Moon, which is the half-square between the Sun and Moon, arrives with the month of March. The Moon's in late Libra, the Sun still in mid Pisces.

With the Moon squaring Juno, goddess of equal partners, and the Sun squaring Vesta, goddess of home and hearth, watch for confusion at home––as well as healing opportunities there. Venus has just entered Pisces, joining the party, and so the spiritual as well as the addictive sides of relationships might be highlighted.

At the Last Quarter Moon, the Moon is in upbeat Sagittarius opposing Vesta, with each being squared by the Sun in Pisces. Usually, a Sagittarian Moon is ready to party, but the ongoing Mercury and Saturn retrogrades may impart a more somber, philosophical mood.

The Last Quarter brings a Sun–Saturn trine and a Sun-Pluto sextile, as well as a Chiron-Jupiter square. I expect we'll still be unpacking the Full Moon then, weaving bright dreams into new visions, trying to put pieces back together, or a bit of both.

These are odd days. Two packages were incorrectly delivered to my old address; one I've retrieved, the other seems lost in the ether. I've been doing some deep writing. This morning, I dreamt I was in a car wreck, in a little car crushed by a falling truck, and walked away uninjured.

Then I had a sort of dream vision of a book on a shelf, a slim, large format book in a shiny black dust jacket. Its title was The Inner Dreams of the Body, and I was the author. I'm working on my new website. What will come of these, I can't say. I'm developing my skills at surfing whatever comes up.

It's about keeping moving, not about perfection. After all, Jennifer Lawrence tripped on her way up to accept her Oscar, and she was still amazing. I didn't watch the whole extravaganza ... way too much glamor for me ... but noted that some awards were carried off by visionaries and dreamers.

The idea of "too much of a good thing" is seductive, just like Pisces. Today's Libra Moon is all about moderation, but philosophically, you know, "all things in moderation" is not a moderate statement. Coping with this much Pisces is rather like dancing, I think. The trick is to enjoy the movement, the grace, the excitement without becoming exhausted or overwhelmed. Listen to the music ...
    

Full Moon in Virgo: Into the Dark Woods

Vassilisa going home, by Ivan Bilibin

Full Moon in Virgo
February 25, 2013 3:26 pm EST

At this Full Moon, I offer the tale of Vassilisa, the beautiful, quiet girl whose wicked stepmother sends her off into the forest to the fierce hag, Baba Yaga.

This Russian story, from the time when animals and birds still spoke to us and magical happened every day, offers the perfect Virgo heroine––virginal, innocent, lovely and long suffering.

Clarissa Pinkola-Estes says Vassilia comes across as a bit irritating. Seriously, who could be that good, that uncomplaining? This, too, is Virgo.

So, this Full Moon takes little Vassilisa––and us too, in all our hope and anxiety––and places us at the edge of the deepest, darkest, mistiest forest you can imagine. Look at the chart! Can you see all that Pisces opposite our poor wee girl? Sun, Neptune, Chiron, Mars and Mercury. The gates of Faery are opening and who knows what will come riding toward us.

Vassilisa carries in her pocket a little doll, given to her by her loving birth mother, as that mother lay dying. That doll, Vassilisa's secret, is the clear voice of intuition and guidance, who Clarissa Pinkola-Estes calls the angel mother.

The angel mother at this Full Moon is Venus in the final, strong, anaretic degree of Aquarius. She is clarity and grace, even when she shows us something we would really prefer not to see. To pull in another powerful story, this Venus, at this Full Moon, is the vial of Galadriel that held the light of the Elves' most beloved star, the light that shines when all other lights go out.

The fierce darkness of the Baba Yaga shows up at this Full Moon, wearing the cloak of Saturn in Scorpio, who trines the Sun and Chiron.

In her house of bones, understanding to the finest of fine degrees the laws of boundaries and the limits of this physical life, Baba Yaga is the queen of the dark forest and giver of great gifts to those who know how to ask.

Magic is afoot. Mars in mystical and manipulative Pisces is squared by Lilith in Gemini, a trickster both powerful and angry. Vassilisa (and we, too) must use all her wits and listen carefully to the wise doll, to avoid the snares in this shadowy place.

Jupiter, the great storyteller, in tricksterish, playful Gemini, forms a very tight square to this Full Moon. He has the power to make the monsters in the dark wood appear huge, overwhelming, unconquerable––even when they are nothing more than mice scurrying about.

This Jupiter also has the power to make our power grow, inflating our sense of importance beyond what we can sustain, or giving us just the right boost at the right time to help us stand our ground and face the demons.

Vassilisa is sent into the forest to get fire from Baba Yaga, which she does. She brings it home inside a skull, the fire in the head, the ancient symbol of illumination. Pluto the alchemist is here too, trining the Moon, our heroine. Whatever happens at this Full Moon will transform us utterly. Let's keep our eyes open, so we can act from our best selves and embrace the coming changes.

To layer in yet another great tale, the illuminated skull is like the Grail, the ancient cup of power. The key question "Whom does the grail serve?" is a Virgo question, the quest for our life's purpose. Vassilisa and Parsifal have much in common, innocent and untried as they begin their journeys.

Yet where Parsifal watches the Grail go by carried by maidens, Vassilisa is the maiden who carries the Grail as well as the one who seeks it. In the ancient Celtic myths (of which the Arthurian cycle is one part), the final step of the journey of illumination is the willingness to take it.

Reaching our hand to take the sacred fire, we may––we will––get burned. Is the game worth the candle? Are we ready to do all we can, to become all we may become?

The Virgo Moon looks quite alone in this Full Moon chart. Remember that she (and we) have the angel in our pocket, the connection to our souls, our ancestors and our guides we need to carry us through.

Be kind to those you meet on your journey. Ask the good questions. Offer help when needed. Take the fire.    
    

Mercury Retrograde: Treading Water or New Seas?

Toni Frissell photo for Harper's 1947

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces
February 23 through March 13, 2013

Tomorrow, Mercury turns retrograde in the visionary and also confusing sign of Pisces. Today is a good day to back up computers, and send messages that especially need to be clear and direct.

And yet ... I see the coming weeks with Mercury as an invitation to depth, not a time of anxiety.

Back in 2010, I wrote about how Mercury retrogrades are part of this planet's cycle, a time of renewal and reflection.

It's time to slow down. Relentless forward motion is exhausting and ultimately self-defeating. We are cyclical creatures who need are own times to replenish, and this is one.

We're entering the first Mercury retrograde of 2013, an experience quite different from 2012's retrogrades. Last year, Mercury explored the Fire signs––we were asked to look at our motivations, what drives us, what fires us up.

This year, all three retrogrades will be in the Water signs, and so we're diving into emotions, dreams, visionary experiences, lyricism, poetry, and mist.

Mercury turns retrograde in Pisces overnight (4:41 am EST), ushering the North American times zones into this period of reflection while we're deep in dreams. He's just past the Pisces planet conclave and decides ... wait, I'm not done here ... and decides to turn back and reconnect with each of the energies there: Mars, Chiron, the Sun and Neptune are in Pisces now, with Venus poised to enter soon. Each will conjunct Mercury during his journey.

Saturn retrograding through Scorpio makes this a time of power as well as vision. Astrology is about cycles within cycles, and the dance of Mercury and Saturn over the next few weeks will draw each of us into questions about what we desire, what moves us, what triggers us, and where the power lies in it all.

I'm fascinated with what I'm seeing in the charts over the next weeks. At the moment Mercury turns retrograde, the Moon will be in Leo trining Uranus––pulsing underneath the watery calm is intense energy for change and renewal.

On March 7, Mercury trines Saturn, both retrograde, as Mercury conjunct Venus, with both in the middle of a very large Pisces group. Questions of emotional power, visionary depth, and the power of dreams may come to the fore at this time.

March 17, Mercury goes direct sitting between Neptune and Chiron as the Sun and Venus are conjunct in late Pisces. Just days before the Spring Equinox, Mars moves to conjunct Uranus as the Moon moves to meet Jupiter ... Boom!

When we reach the Spring Equinox, the planet party has moved decisively into Aries and everything lights up.

Right now, we're offered a contemplative time, a reflective time, to dig deep, look in the mirror and unpack our emotional baggage. It's likely to be intense, confusing and emotional. Issues of power, manipulation, deception and glamour may raise their threatening heads.

If we accept the invitation, we'll do far more than tread water for the next few weeks hoping nothing gets too messed up––we'll find ourselves in new waters, refreshed and alive, ready for the explosion of Spring, the rebirth of Aries Fire.

It's up to you ... but I'm grabbing my swim fins and diving in!