Waning Moon: Power Flowing Outward

Spring energy, Aries energy!

Disseminating Moon in Scorpio
March 30, 2013 3:15 pm EDT
Last Quarter Moon in Capricorn
April 3, 2013 12:36 am EDT
Balsamic Moon in Pisces
April 6, 2013 12:36 pm EDT

The word "waning" brings ideas of weakening, fading, going away ... not this cycle! Aries power flows continue, making this waning lunar cycle more like a live wire––if that wire's down, treat it with respect and call in the pros.

Today's Disseminating Moon is a case in point. The Sun, Venus, Uranus and Mars are all conjunct in Aries, which is enough to light up a good-sized city. Uranus at 8 Aries and Mars at 14 could be considered too far away now to be conjunct, but with the Sun and Venus between them at 10 Aries, it's a party.

Look across and see Pluto the alchemist at 11 Capricorn: the Aries party is activating the Uranus–Pluto square, the polarizing, utterly transforming pattern of this time in history. Is light being brought to vital issues? You bet. Is a lot of heat being generated? Absolutely. How will it all turn out? Can't say––Uranus' presence means all bets are off. We can be sure big changes are coming, we just don't know what they are.

Meanwhile, Jupiter sits at the apex of a yod with Pluto and Saturn at its base, another sign of big change. AND Saturn sits at the apex of another echoing yod with Jupiter and the Aries party at its base. Oh, yeah, Jupiter sextiles the Aries group, sending expansive energy. The neon "BIG CHANGE" sign just exploded.

And the Moon's in Scorpio, alert to the hidden nuances, the sharp rocks under the surface, and is feeling wary and determined at the same time.

April 3 brings the Last Quarter Moon, the square between Sun and Moon that marks the turning point toward the dark before the New Moon. Everything I said about the Disseminating Moon still holds.

The Sun, Venus and Mars are even more tightly grouped, and more tightly sextile Jupiter. Uranus is a bit further away but still plenty close enough to the blazing Aries Sun to be in the party.

The Moon popped over to join Pluto, emphasizing (if such were needed) the completely game-changing nature of change. This Moon is definitely in the game and ready for anything. I'm currently reading Brené Brown's Daring Greatly, and if there was ever a Moon ready to walk into the arena, this is it.

The Balsamic Moon of April 6 lessens the tension a wee bit. Sun, Venus and Mars are still tight in Aries, but Jupiter and Saturn have moved enough to take some of the pressure off the larger issues. Still plenty of energy around, but perhaps we'll feel we can stop and get our breath as we prepare for the New Moon to come.

The Moon is now in Pisces conjunct Neptune, which allows for down time, reflection, and healing. In fact, the presence of Chiron at 11 Pisces opens the door for healing all through this highly energized period.

Stuff's coming at us from right, left and center, and it's all showing up with enough energy for transformation, possible resolution, at least finding ways to cope and accept what is.

Soooo ... what does this mean for us? Here's what I'm expecting:

• Whatever came up at the Full Moon will continue to be very present during this time. Some of it may be so in-the-face that we can't escape new perspectives and insights, no matter how much we'd like to cling to old views.

• Accepting change will be easier if we ride the energy. It's not so much that resistance is futile, in the sense that someone else is controlling us. It's more that the energy is here, it's moving, and either we ride it, or it passes by. Grab on.

• As we move past the Last Quarter and toward the Balsamic, release, release, release. This is Aries-fueled release work, a real Spring cleaning. Remember the scene towards the end of Practical Magic when Sandra Bullock activates her phone tree to save her sister? When the spell is complete and the energy ready to go, one lady grabs her dust buster and gives the throaty yell "Ladies, let's clean house!" That's the kind of release work we can do this cycle.

I'll admit up front, the energy around this cycle feels overwhelming at times. It's difficult for my Libra Sun, Mercury and Neptune to handle. Tough things are coming up. At the same time, I am doing some really creative work, and I'd love to see that continue.

Let's ride this!
    

Where Does this Moon Fall in My Chart?

Where's Waldo? (... or that Moon!)

How Do I Know?

Each time a New or Full Moon, or another significant astrological event, is about to happen, I suggest getting out our birth charts and seeing where the event will fall. The other day, a reader wrote and asked if I could explain exactly what I mean by that. Thanks for the excellent question!

This will be the first part of what is likely to be a longer explanation. Please, everyone, let me know if this helps. One important goal for me is being clear, and helping to make astrology's sometimes technical language and geometry clear as well. Here goes ...

Step one is getting a copy of your birth chart, which I've mentioned this in other posts but it bears repeating. Both Cafe Astrology and Astro.com offer free birth charts. You type in your birth date, time and location, and voilá, a chart appears! This chart shows the positions of your planets and points, and how the houses of your chart are set up.

As an example for this post, here's the birth chart of actor and all around theater person Ken Howard. I chose his chart because it has significant, easy to see relationships to the recent Full Moon. If you want to know more about Ken Howard, visit his entry at Astro.com.

A note about chart layouts (this is important): If you do go to Astro.com, you'll see that the chart there and my chart here look different. There are lots of ways to present charts. Each one has advantages and disadvantages.

The charts I use here are drawn with equal-appearing houses. The Astro.com charts show the actual sizes of the houses, which vary more and more the farther away from the equator the chart location is. I find equal-appearing house charts easier to read, and easier to teach from. The information presented in each chart format is the same, it's just a different layout.

OK, step two is the chart for the important astrological event, in this case, yesterday's Full Moon in Libra. There it is ...

Now we literally and methodically compare the two charts. You can print the charts out and lay them side by side. You can download the chart images and look at them side by side on your desktop. If it works for you, just look back and forth between the images here on the page.

A new note, this one about chart locations: Birth location is essential to create an accurate birth chart, so isn't it important that the Full Moon chart is from someplace in Indiana that doesn't relate to anything for me (or Ken Howard)?

No, the location of the Full Moon charts and the other charts I post doesn't matter because they're all natural charts. Natural charts are set with 0 Aries on the Ascendant, following the natural zodiac. Such charts don't reflect the location where they're created, so location doesn't matter. The charts I post here are designed to be used as comparison charts, good for any location.

On to step three: Where's the Full Moon? Look at the Full Moon chart alone. See the Moon at 6 Libra, and the Sun at 6 Aries––this is the opposition that defines every Full Moon. Notice all the planets clustered around the Sun, making the Aries energy really strong.

In my Full Moon post, I talked about other strong aspect patterns making this Full Moon a doozie. If you want, you can note where those are too. But focus first on the Full Moon itself, the Sun and Moon placements.

Step four is where we look for the Full Moon in the birth chart. This is the "Where's Waldo?" part.

The key question is, where are 6 Libra (the Full Moon) and 6 Aries (the opposing Sun) in Ken Howard's chart? Now you see why I chose this one, because his birth Sun is at 7 Aries which means this Full Moon landed right on his own Sun––a powerful placement.

This Full Moon for him will lie in his Fourth and Tenth houses, the axis that contrasts home and family (4th house) and career and the public (10th house). The Moon will conjunct his Neptune down in his 4th house, while the Sun is conjunct his birth Sun in his 10th.

This Full Moon might have illuminated issues around balancing home and family with his career and public self, and how it affects his personal relationships. It might also illuminate new creative projects for him, perhaps some that combine issues close to his heart (4th house) with his theater and film career (10th house).

And look where his Moon is, at 5 Gemini in his 12th house. This means his Moon is being trined by the Full Moon at 6 Libra, emphasizing what I said above about issues close to his heart, and also his deeply creative and insightful side.

Finding where the Full Moon falls in your own chart might not be as crystal clear as in Ken Howard's, but it's there. Every sign and degree of the zodiac falls in every chart. There might not be an obvious planet or point to link it to, but 6 Libra and 6 Aries (and any other position) will be there somewhere.

If you haven't had a chance to check, there's still time and something to be learned. Knowing where and how astrological events touch your birth chart helps you understand how the energies around now are affecting us personally.

That's enough for a first post on this. Do let me know if this is helpful, and what else needs to be unpacked, to unlock more astrology for you. Thanks!
    

Full Moon in Libra: Boom!

Tiger!

Full Moon in Libra
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
5:27 am EDT
Moon at 6'52" Libra

Full Moons illuminate, and this one has a whole crew already setting up the kleig lights. Massive amounts of power concentrating for this one: Sun, Venus, Uranus and Mars all conjunct in Aries opposing the Moon in Libra.

Everyone else has a piece of this too: Neptune, Mercury and Chiron in Pisces are inconjunct the Moon, creating another awkward push. The ongoing yod (finger of fate) that includes Pluto and Saturn inconjunct Jupiter adds its transformational energy as Pluto squares and Jupiter trines the Moon. Saturn trines Chiron. Juno trines the Moon. Lilith trines the Moon.

What do we make of this?

First, the energy represented in this Full Moon is high volt, high watts. Aries is the sign of personal power, desire, anger, physical energy, libido, the raw force of life surging into this world. This energy is wonderful; it's what keeps everything going. At this concentration, it can also feel threatening and overwhelming. Kind of like "I've seen God and boy, is She pissed!"

How strongly you feel this Full Moon depends on what your chart looks like. The early cardinal degrees (say, 0-12 of Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn) will feel this most strongly. Anything else in the cardinal signs will be affected, and anything else in the early degrees will also feel the effects.

No one is likely to miss this Full Moon. It's more a question of how and how much. Check your birth chart to see which houses this Moon will fall in, and which of your planets and points will be most involved.

Aries is the sign of individual, personal, ME power. Libra is the sign of the Other, the energy exquisitely attuned to the myriad sentient beings out there who are NOT me. The balance is clearly tipped to the "me" side, and yet at the Full Moon, it's the Moon herself whose fully illuminated.

If you're in the hot seat for this Full Moon, you may experience challenges, possibly direct and pointed ones, in key relationships. This may come to a head for you or for a partner. Stuff may get said and done that can't be unsaid or undone. The opportunity is for clarity––is this (whatever "this" is) supporting my healthy growth? The risk is misinterpreting, overreacting, and moving into anger.

Aries is the sign of physicality––our physical health, energy and activity. Being active could be a great way to channel and express this Full Moon. Vigorous workouts in whatever modality you love, including sexuality, could feel awesome. The opportunity: connecting with our body's energy and needs with greater clarity and focus. The risk: Overdoing it, burning out, accident or injury.

Libra is the sign of balance and harmony. The opportunity for this Moon is to find the inner strength and peace to stand in the middle of a firestorm, and remain calm. And smile, don't forget that part. All those things we've been doing to cultivate equanimity and balance in our lives? This Full Moon is likely to take some pokes right at that, saying "Hmmm ... what happens if I do this? What about this? Are you still calm?"

Think about all those jokes with siblings in a car, at home, wherever. One is trying to read, or watch a program, or just be. The other one is waving his hands around, desperate for attention. "I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!"

The story I offer for this Full Moon is one told and retold by Clarissa Pinkola Estes:

A young woman greets her husband returning from the war. She is thrilled to have him home, and frightened to discover the loving man who went away has returned angry, withdrawn, and dangerous. Desperate, she consults a wise man, asking what she can do to help her partner.

The wise man says he can make a potion to cure her husband, but the key ingredient is an eyelash from a fierce tiger who lives up the mountain. Can she get one? The woman loves her husband, and says she will bring one back. She travels up the mountain, to discover the tiger is larger, wilder and more fierce than she imagined.

It takes months of careful, quiet, calm, focused being. Each day she sits a little closer. She leaves him food. She advances inch by slow inch. One day, she is close enough to get the eyelash she needs. Triumphant, she returns to the wise man, her prize carefully cradled in her hand.

When she arrives, the wise man takes the eyelash and tosses it in the fire! Aghast, the young woman asks why. The wise man says "Now you have the skill and insight. Go home and treat your husband as you treated the tiger."

Garden Hose by Edith Vonnegut

An intriguing story, I've always thought. Part of me says, why does the woman always have to accommodate, be quiet, stay calm, fix things? Why can't the man deal with his anger?

Yet this is a story about ourselves, on the inside. Sometimes the parts of us that are raging, grasping, and out of control cannot stop by themselves. We need to strengthen the parts of us that can hold space, listen and reflect without judgement, and yes, stay calm and carry on.

Knowing we're in a time of big Aries energy, we can plan some extra meditation time, extra quiet, soft music. And also, depending on our needs and temperaments, plan extra exercise, vigorous activity, wild dancing. We can watch for overreacting, for risky behavior, for triggers.

It's not possible for us, as humans, to keep it together perfectly all the time. We may well see, at this Full Moon, which triggers are still active for us, where we fall down, where we lose it. That's OK. We can flow with the Libra Moon's sensitivity and vow to treat our flawed, imperfect and uniquely beautiful selves with all the compassion and love we would offer a much loved partner.

We're the young woman and the tiger both, and also the sage and the wounded warrior. At this Full Moon, all those parts may appear lit up on stage, so we can see with crystal clarity where more compassion, as well as more skill, are needed.