New Moon in Gemini, June 12 2010

June 11, 2010 By
New Moon Gemini June 12For the next few weeks with Mercury in its own sign of Gemini the mental realm is activated, helping ideas to flow smoothly and aiding our ability to adapt to new circumstances. This process is facilitated by the Gemini New Moon on June 12th. The New Moon phase offers an opportunity for a new beginning, and in Gemini this opportunity takes us into the mental realm where we experiment with new ideas and ways of living our life before actually manifesting these ideas into form.
Gemini is the sign that is associated with the mind, but it also has to do with accepting a wide variety of ideas and experimenting with many different kinds of experiences.  Gemini is wide open – everything is considered to have value for its own sake, and there is a keen desire to learn about many things.
The Gemini New Moon is the perfect time to set aside our prejudices and look at our world through new eyes.  What can we learn about the ideas of others; what changes can we make in our lives to give us more flexibility and make it easier to adapt to change.
This New Moon is squared by Saturn, the Lord of Form and Structure, suggesting that there will be some struggle at this New Moon to reconcile the practical aspects of the thought forms we create at this time.  But a harmonious sextile from Venus to Saturn helps us to link the creative force within us (Venus) to our desire to achieve and manifest (Saturn), and a harmonious sextile from Neptune to Ceres can reveal more completely the thread between our spiritual world (Neptune) and the world around us (Ceres).
The Jupiter/Uranus conjunction that we’ve been talking about for the past couple of weeks makes a powerful addition to this lunar chart and encourages us to expand our usual range of thinking. If our conceptualization of our life is too narrow, we can never be free and under this lunar influence there is tremendous potential to unlock the doors of our own mental prison.  However, Pluto forms a challenging square to Jupiter and Uranus in the lunar chart which suggests that we will have to confront our inner fears (Pluto) before this emergence into freedom can occur.
We may also have to confront our own lack of connection to the body with a challenging square from Saturn to Ceres.  If we pay attention to any area of our life where we are ignoring the needs of our physical body as well as our emotional world and work to make improvements there, we will sail through this planetary event with ease.
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Powerful Virgo New Moon on Friday

September 17, 2009 By

art by Oxana Zuboff

The New Moon on Friday September 18, 2009 captures all of the powerful September planetary events and provides us with an opportunity to pull them all together for the new lunar cycle.  New Moons, remember, represent the beginning of a brand new lunar experience as the Moon conjoins the Sun and their dance begins anew.

The New Moon is actually the dark of the Moon – the Sun completely obscures the Moon’s light, and we begin the new cycle in a void.  This is an opportunity to let go of the lessons learned from the previous lunar cycle and begin the anew in the sign of Virgo.

Virgo isn’t a very exciting sign – it won’t bring fame or fortune like Leo, and it won’t attract passion and power like Scorpio.  Virgo is all about the necessary things we have to do to maintain life in a body like eating right, getting enough exercise, making sure our teeth are brushed and our house is clean.  But Virgo also inspires the powers of perception and discrimination.  Under Virgo’s influence we are able to sort through the complex factors that tend to confuse as and achieve clarity and purpose.

This New Moon sits right on the Saturn end of the Saturn/Uranus opposition, suggesting that the tension here between the Uranian drive for change and the Saturnian drive for discipline and convention will be exacerbated, but the Virgo influence will attempt to impose some kind of order on this tension.  Virgo wants to be prepared for everything, and needs a road map before beginning any kind of new adventure.  During this New Moon we will be called on to create a plan and a strategy (Virgo/Saturn) to help integrate the change that is sure to occur (Uranus).

Because Saturn and Uranus are in opposition, there is a tendency to want to favor one side over the other.  Perhaps we are more comfortable with Saturn and don’t want change.  Or maybe we are adventurous and chafing at the restrictions that Saturn has imposed, and ready for Uranus to take over.  But oppositions require balance; both ends of the equation must be integrated.  Uranus opposes the New Moon, so change is inevitable.  The only thing missing now is the plan, and the New Moon in Virgo can provide this.

Because Chiron is, in my opinion, the transformational ruler of Virgo, the power of Chiron to teach and infuse us with wisdom is at work in this New Moon.  Chiron teaches us through our own emotions and feelings.  When we feel something uncomfortable lurking within us, rather than reach for the beer or the candy bar turn your attention within.  See what emotion needs to be faced and released.

But this healing power of Chiron goes beyond emotional healing; there is also the impetus to create perfection and balance in our lives so that we may experience the body truly as the temple of the soul.  Under Chiron’s influence, as we heal we become less distracted by life in a physical form and more aligned with the soul’s experience.

Chiron is still enmeshed in the triple conjunction with Jupiter and Neptune, and as we have been discussing here all summer the call of the soul has been paramount under this planetary combination.

Pluto is powerful in this lunar chart, having just changed direction last week and still stationary, having only advanced by one minute at the time of the New Moon.  Pluto sits on the Ascendant of the chart in the charts for Washington DC and New York, and the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune trines the Libra Midheaven.  This suggests that issues of power (Pluto) will take center stage during this lunation, and most of us along the East Coast will feel it.  Pluto requires that we eliminate waste from our lives, and he’s not always nice about it.

There’s no doubt that this is a major time of transition, and this New Moon can help us to move forward.  If, however, we attempt to hold onto the past, which will be tempting as Saturn embraces the New Moon, transition will be that much more difficult.  This is a time of letting go, but having a plan (Virgo) within which the process can occur.

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New Moon in Leo today!

August 20, 2009 By

The New Moon occurs in late Leo, and in opposition to the Triple Conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune.  New Moons occur when the Sun conjoins the Moon and begins a brand new lunar cycle.  These are good times to begin new projects, especially now as we head into the shadow of the Mercury Retrograde period that begins on September 7th.

The opposition to the Big Three (Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune) shows that in order to create a new beginning with the new lunar cycle, something from the past must be rectified, or surrendered, or transformed.  Jupiter asks that we open our minds to possibilities that are larger than what we might expect.  Chiron seeks to heal wounds from the past that may still be problematic.  And Neptune calls on us to hear the sweet and quiet voice of the Spirit within that connects us to a deep sense of our purpose and our true path.

Leo is the sign of the Self – our sense of Self, our ability to express ourselves and develop a healthy ego and individuality.  Leo is also the sign of royalty, encouraging us to fulfill the role that was served by kings and queens in ancient times of bridging the gap between humanity and the gods.  There is a nobility to Leo and a deep inner sense of importance that walks a tightrope between the healthy ego and attachment to the gratification of the ego.  Leo also suggests the beauty of the divine child.  You may want to listen to the edition of Astrological Musings Radio in which I discuss the nature of Leo and the healthy ego.

This is the perfect time to begin a process of self-understanding, or something that is creative.  and joyful.  It won’t come easily, because Mercury (thought process) is still in conjunction to Saturn (delay and restriction), and both are in a challenging square to Mars (our drive and ability to take action).  But this challenging planetary combination also can provide us with the courage (Mars) and the mental acuity (Mercury) to form a detailed plan to accomplish our goals (Saturn).

New Moon energy is available to us for about three days after the actual lunar event.  Enjoy!!  The Moon will have moved into Virgo shortly after the New Moon which will probably add enough practicality and analytical thinking to help us to get things done.

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Total eclipse of the Sun, July 21-22 2009

July 18, 2009 By

The New Moon that occurs at 10:35 pm EDT on July 21 (2 am GMT July 22) is also a total solar eclipse, in which the Moon passes in front of the Sun from our perspective here on Planet Earth, obscuring the light of the Sun for a short time.

Solar eclipses always occur at the time of the New Moon, when the Sun and Moon are in the same degree of an astrological sign and said to be conjunct.  Because the conscious intention of the solar principle combines with the instinctive longings and reactions of the lunar principle at the New Moon, these are excellent times for new beginnings.  But in an eclipse, the solar principle is temporarily blocked and the lunar principle prevails.

Eclipses can only occur when the New or Full Moon occurs near the Lunar Nodes, the points at which the Moon crosses the ecliptic of the Sun.  In the astrological language, the Nodes of the Moon represent the evolutionary direction of the soul, with the South Node pointing to the direction from which we have come, and the North Node the direction of our future.  Therefore, the symbolism inherent in the eclipse is a powerful clue to the evolutionary potential in an eclipse event.  This upcoming eclipse is very tightly conjunct the Nodes – within one degree – which portends its importance for planetary evolution.

The ancient Chinese, Incas and Hindus viewed the nodes of the moon as the Dragon’s Head (North Node) and the Dragon’s Tail (South Node), and they perceived an eclipse as the Dragon eating the Sun or the Moon.  From the beginning of the use of astrology, somewhere over 2,000 years, eclipses have been used to time significant events.  In a typical year there are two pairs of eclipses, but this year there are an astonishing six, indicating that this is a significant year for change.

The upcoming New Moon is not only an eclipse but also the second New Moon in Cancer (a phenomenon also known as the “Secret Moon.”)   Because Cancer rules the Moon, it is particularly powerful in Cancer and because this is an eclipse of the Sun, the lunar influence is even more powerful.  The Moon presides over all issues of emotion, but also our emotional connections to each other and to our ancestral history.  Cancer is known for its concern with family matters but that sense of family extends beyond the nuclear family, and even the extended family, to the entire tribe of which we are a part.  Some of us have strong family ties; others of us create our own tribes that serve the family role.

Because of the intensity of the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune which is still tighly in alignment, many of us are more sensitive and more highly reactive than usual. Under the eclipse the influence of the solar conscious mind is diminished, and the emotional power of the Moon stands raw and undiluted.  The Triple Conjunction is already stripping away the veneer that we have built to protect us from ourselves; the eclipse may accelerate the process of unmasking the vulnerability (Moon/Cancer) that reveals our true heart.

The first New Moon in Cancer occurred in June on the day following the Summer Solstice which added its own bit of drama. This New Moon is at the 29th degree of Cancer, within two degrees of the North Node. The 29th degree is sometimes called the “critical degree,” and there is a sense of something coming to a close, of needing completion. The New Moon, when the Sun and Moon conjunct, is typically a time of new beginnings; however, here we have something new beginning and closure occurring at the same time. The Sun is on the cusp of Leo, so the fresh new start is already in place – we have only to turn our view so that we are looking forward again and we will be in motion.

The New Moon is trined by Uranus, the planet of radical change and surprise, suggesting that the new wave of evolution will not be what we are expecting.  Uranus demands that we let go of any rigid ideas that we have and open up to the intuition of the higher mind.  A harmonious sextile of Mercury to Mars is embedded in the New Moon as well, helping to sharpen our focus and provide us with the mental energy we need to get through any difficulty we encounter in our day.

Relationships may be under some pressure with a square of Venus (relating and beauty) to Saturn (disappointment and restriction), and we may find that this is a time that the soul prefers solitude to companionship.  This is a time when we are pulled deep within ourselves and the presence of others in our lives may create pressure with the Saturn/Venus influence.  On the other hand, Saturn inspires us to greater loyalty and commitment so it is possible now through the hard work that is required of a Saturn square, a challenging aspect, to strengthen our relationships based on the Truth that is emerging from within.

The effect of the eclipse will be most powerful for those who are currently undergoing transits to their chart from the Triple Conjunction, or who have planets in the very last degrees of the Cardinal signs (Cancer, Capricorn, Aries and Libra).  The eclipse is also most powerful in the areas where it can be seen, which in this case includes central India including Mumbai and Bhopal; Nepal, Bhutan, Shanghai, and the islands south of Japan.


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The Messier Marathon: How many galaxies can you see?

March 21, 2009 By

Messier MarathonWhen the New Moon occurs near the spring equinox and the sky is dark, there is an opportunity to view up to 110 deep sky objects as catalogued by Charles Messier. These include galaxies and nebulae and star clusters that are normally not visible with amateur astronomical equipment.

For you astronomy buffs out there, Universe Today has provided a tour guide to view all 110 objects at a leisurely pace over an eleven-day period, ten at a time.  They started yesterday though, so you may have to do a bit of catching up!

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Thoughts on the August 1 Eclipse

July 31, 2008 By

August 1 will bring a total solar eclipse, occurring at 6:12 am EDT. The solar eclipse occurs astronomically with an alignment of the Sun, Moon and the Earth so that the Moon blocks the light of the Sun to us here on Earth.

Astrologically, the solar eclipse occurs at the time of a New Moon, with the solar conscious principle conjoining the lunar unconscious principle in close proximity to the nodes of the Moon, or the Dragon’s Head and Tail.

The nodes of the Moon describe our evolutionary journey, with the North Node (also called the Dragon’s head by the Chinese and other ancients) demonstrating the direction in which we are heading and the South Node (the Dragon’s tail) identifying the karmic past and issues best left behind. The involvement in the eclipse phenomenon perhaps gives a clue to the effect of an eclipse, where the Sun and Moon are aligned in tandem with the evolutionary lunar nodes but the earth blocks their light. The symbolism to me is clear: The eclipse marks a turning point, but the significance may not be immediately obvious as both the solar conscious principle and the lunar instincts are obscured and we journey in darkness.

The eclipse on August 1 is at 9 degrees Leo, the sign of creative self-expression and the development of a healthy ego. If you have a copy of your birthchart, look to see where in the chart the eclipse will fall and that will give you a picture of where in your life you are likely to experience a change. Some say that the eclipse is an “unmasking,” revealing something that has been hidden up until this point.

A solar eclipse in Leo is an interesting phenomenon astrologically, because Leo is the sign that is associated with the Sun and the ego is therefore driven underground during the eclipse period. The effect of New and Full Moons is said to be three days before and three days after the event; eclipses can be felt for a longer period of time if you are a particularly lunar person (with planets in Cancer, in the fourth house, or with strong aspects to the Moon).

This eclipse could bring out some interesting facets of the US presidential candidates, since it is exactly square to Uranus in McCain’s chart and very close to a square to Neptune in Obama’s chart. This is interesting because these are the two planets that cause the candidates the most trouble. Uranus (radical behavior) is square to McCain’s Mars, the astrological dynamic that results in McCain’s “maverick” status that he is trying so hard now to keep under wraps. Neptune (redemption and illusion) is square to Obama’s Sun, and this is the chart factor that results in the adoration of Obama that some find so frightening. Perhaps during this eclipse period some of the real substance that underlies these factors may be revealed.

This incredible image is from The Nonist; it’s a composite image of 6 hand drawn images from different astronomers of a total solar eclipse on July 18, 1960.


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Skywatch is posted! And New Moon today

July 2, 2008 By

Only a day late. :) Here’s what’s going on in early July:

As July begins, Pluto, in retrograde motion, has just re-entered Sagittarius on its final journey through Sagittarius. We’re seeing its influence on the airline industry (travel is associated with Sagittarius), along with a resurgence of fears (Pluto) over differing religious beliefs (Sagittarius also rules religion and shared ideals and theologies). With Pluto in Sag throughout the rest of the year we are sure to see religion raise its head even more in this year’s US presidential election. Pluto in Sag has also had a great deal to do with xenophobia – the fear (Pluto) of other cultures (Sagittarius).

We are in a heavy retrograde period now, with four traditional planets plus Chiron all appearing to travel retrograde now. Retrograde periods force us to re-examine all that we do; we are constantly re-negotiating and re-vising our plans. Forget about two steps forward and one step back; we’re retracing our steps now so that we can perfect all that we do with clarity and intention.

Uranus has just turned retrograde and we saw the tendency of Uranus to create shocking reversals mirrored in the news in the fall of the stock markets on the last few days of June, and the new Supreme Court decision that legitimizes gun ownership by individuals. Mercury will be moving into position to square Uranus over the next few days, and information and communication (Mercury) will be subject to misunderstandings and disruption as Uranus seeks to break us out of our routines and create new neural pathways for information to travel through.

Chiron is exactly conjunct the North Node, as it will be for the next few months. The North Node of the Moon is a signpost rather than a planet; it marks the path of the moon along the path that we see the Sun travel each year. The North Node marks the portal of our evolutionary direction into the future; the South Node gives us an exit into the past. Chiron’s presence conjunct the North Node signifies the healing energy (Chiron) that is available now to bring us into our future (North Node) and release the bonds of the past (South Node). The Chironic healing process is not always easy; it requires that we enter fully into our emotions and mind – what Eckart Tolle calls “presence.” Once we are fully connected to ourselves internally, feeling completely whatever wound we have tried to avoid, we are able to release the past and move forward once and for all.

On July 1 Mars leaves the showier sign of Leo for the more subdued Virgo. Mars is our aggressive urge – our anger, our rage, our desire. In Virgo, all of these take the back seat to what is appropriate and orderly, both items of concern to Virgo.

The New Moon takes place on the evening of July 2, with not only the Sun and Moon in Cancer, but Venus as well. The triple shot of Cancer means the focus will be on the home and our loved ones – not just our family of origin, but the tribe we have chosen to affiliate with as well. New Moons are times of new beginnings, and this new beginning includes an opposition of Venus in Cancer to Jupiter in Capricorn. This is a marvelous time to invite friends (Venus) into our homes (Cancer) for social events (Jupiter) that share a common goal or purpose (Capricorn). Responsibility is also highlighted as Mars (drive, energy) approaches a conjunction to Saturn (discipline, hard work and goals).

Mercury forms an exact trine to the Chiron/North Node combination which brings our mental function and communication abilities to the table so that we can better communicate and express (Mercury) the healing process that we are going through either willingly or not. Mercury is in its own sign of Gemini where it is nimble and quick and can manifest in its Trickster aspect more easily than not. The Trickster knows how to manipulate matter in order to manifest ideas, and this is a fertile time for that sort of activity.

The square of Mercury to Uranus mentioned above perfects on July 5, and in tandem with the Chiron influence may create difficulty in our dealings with others and the processing of our own experience. This is not a good time to plan a court trial or a job interview! However, the influence of a trine to Neptune from Mercury is already felt, and when these two planets move into alignment on July 6 there is more harmony and more understanding (Mercury) on a purely intuitive (Neptune) level. Relationships with others become easier as well under a trine from Venus (relating to others) to Uranus (in fresh new ways).

Entire article here. If you’d like to sign up for a subscription to Skywatch which includes an abridged translation in regular English, visit my website!

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The New Moon and the May 6 Primary

May 7, 2008 By

The New Moon occurred yesterday at 17 degrees Taurus. At the New Moon, the Sun and the solar principle of conscious awareness conjoins the lunar principle of instinctive reaction. The New Moon is the beginning of the solar cycle, in which the Moon rejoins the Sun to begin a new phase of life.

The New Moon on May 5 closely preceded an important primary in the US presidential race and fell in the tenth house of Barack Obama’s chart. The tenth house is the house of career but more than that, it identifies where we find our true life path. We may have a career as an accountant but feel our life path is as a bodyworker – in that case the accountant job falls in the sixth house of work rather than the tenth house which would house the bodywork practice.

This is the primary that turned the corner once and for all and cements Obama’s candidacy, despite the transit of Pluto opposing Venus in Obama’s chart that ended his long-time relationship (Venus) with his former pastor, the egomaniac Jeremiah Wright. (Wright, incidentally, is going through a transit of Pluto in square to his Neptune/Sun conjunction.) Except for the Pluto/Venus transit, this is a good planetary time for Obama with transiting Jupiter at a station on his natal Saturn over the next few months and bringing opportunities (Jupiter) for success (Saturn), rewarding his hard work and discipline. The New Moon also formed a trine to Mars in Obama’s chart, energizing him to continue his battle (Mars) for the White House.

This has not, however, deterred Hillary Clinton who, as we’ve noticed many times in this column, is exhibiting the dogged determination typical of Scorpios. The Taurus New Moon formed a square (challenging aspect) to the triple conjunction of Mars, Pluto and Saturn all in Leo in her chart. If I saw this coming in a client’s chart I would tell them that this was a harbinger of an event that made a change to their focus and their path. Clinton is very focused, and she is adept at using adversity to strengthen herself even more. But this New Moon event in her chart reveals that the tide is indeed turning.

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A New Direction: Neptune, Rahu and the New Moon

May 4, 2008 By

Sunset Activation, by Francene Hart

One of the more interesting things about planetary activity this month is the fact that Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto are all slowing down to a “station” as they prepare to change direction. Jupiter traverses less than a degree during the month, Saturn less than half a degree, Uranus just one degree, Neptune only about 11 minutes, and Pluto just over 30 minutes. The influence of all of these planets is particularly focused and intense now, and this is exceptionally true if any of these planets are affecting us by transit.

The Nodes of the Moon are not planets; they are points in the sky where the Moon crosses the ecliptic, or the apparent path of the Sun. The North Node represents our evolutionary direction towards the future; the South Node holds us back. Aspects and transits of planets to and from the North Node often point to a change of course, or a (usually) fortunate event that aligns us more completely with our evolutionary journey.

Neptune opens our eyes and our hearts to a different way of seeing and healing – one that comes from within. Neptune’s reputation for confusion and illusion and deception arises from the fact that sometimes in order to encourage us to look a little deeper for answers we can lose our footing and try to find those answers elsewhere. The alignment of the North Node this week signifies a change of direction that (a) encourages or (b) forces us to let go of our attachment to what we thought was real in order to deepen our experience of the true reality that transcends the physical world.

This aspect coincides with the Taurus New Moon tomorrow, and a Grand Trine of Venus, Saturn and Pluto which are all in Earth signs. All this wonderful Earth energy helps to ground the Neptunian longing for transcendence and can be used to help us along the path. Grand Trines offer opportunity but require focus and attention to take advantage of the positive energy that is present now. Intentions that are set now during this New Moon period will have tremendous power for the weeks to come.

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Void Moon Research Project

April 21, 2008 By

The first full day of the Void Moon Research Project was last Thursday April 17, when the Moon was void between 1:59 am EDT and 6:10 pm EDT. The Moon was finishing up in Scorpio where it aspects a T-square in my chart involving my Moon, so I thought that if I was susceptible to the Void Moon that would be a good time to test it. That day all of my plans went smoothly, although Friday was a different story. By Friday the Moon was firmly in Libra where it set off another big square in my chart to Uranus.

Comments to the initial void moon post yield a mixed result. There are some anecdotal reports of difficulties during the void moon, and just as many not. So far we have no conclusive information.

I will say that I did notice during the void Moon that I had a sense of relaxation and a desire to explore more fully my inner life, but that might just have been because I had a relatively relaxing day. So let’s try another round.

The next Void Moon is in Scorpio and occurs tomorrow, Tuesday April 22, at 12:47 am EDT and continues until 5:07 pm EDT when it enters Sagittarius. Please report on your experience in the comment section, and if you begin a project on Tuesday keep track of its progress so that you can determine later whether the Void Moon had any effect on its success.

Thanks for participating!

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