Mars square Jupiter

Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius

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Disappearing Act by André Kertész

Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius

The Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius on December 4, 2021 is total, resulting in the blackness of night completely overcoming the light of the Sun. In Hesiod’s Theogony, the earliest known mythical cosmogony in ancient Greece, it is Chaos who gives birth to Gaia along with Erebus (primordial deity of Darkness) and Night who mate and give birth to Day and Aether. As there are many other creation stories in which Day/Light is born from Night/Darkness, the phenomenon of eclipses cloaking the radiance of solar light in darkness both visually and psychologically returns us to a sense of the chaotic abyss, chasm, and fertile void which opens wide to bring forth creation. Similarly, the diverse cultures that have imagined mythic tales of chaotic dragons attempting to devour heroes also corresponds with past astrological traditions equating the lunar nodes with chaotic dragons and serpents which devour the light of the sun during solar eclipses.

The Total Sagittarius Solar Eclipse will be at 12º22’ Sagittarius aligned on the side of the South Node of the Moon in Sagittarius, known as the tail end of the imaginal astrological dragon. Similar to how the South Node can be a place of sacrificial fires of purification in traditional Indian astrology, Dane Rudhyar described the South Node as a place of sacrifice as in “making sacred” rather than egoic sacrifice in which we expect something in return. Amidst whatever liminal transitions you have been experiencing, intentionally making the changes sacred will bring you into better flow with the eclipse, such as releasing fixations and being willing to enter the mysterious unknown. Rather than focus on expansive new growth, themes such as releasing, purifying, emptying, and letting go will be favored. The way forward requires returning to patterns of the past that need to be laid to rest in putrefaction that will eventually give rise to new desires. The dissolution of old forms that leads to the arising of new forms in times of eclipses is symbolized well by the ancient ouroboros image of a dragon devouring its own tail. As Brian Clark beautifully described in Soul, Symbol, and Imagination:

“The ouroboros is a cross-cultural symbol which uses the fabled image of the dragon-serpent swallowing its own tail to embody the recurrent nature of the cosmos; on one hand it represents the alpha, the beginning or the head, and the omega, the ending or the tail, yet both are the same point. In astrology we know this point as the conjunction, the beginning of a new cycle marked by the end of the old. This eternal cycle suggests that creation emerges out of destruction, or that life is renewed through death. As the dragon-serpent devours its own tail, its life carries on in a renewed form. Death and rebirth, creation and destruction, beginning and ending, heads and tales mark the eternal return, the never-ending cycle of regeneration.”

Brian Clark

The Sagittarius Solar Eclipse is the final eclipse to occur in the signs of Gemini and Sagittarius, and so serves as the final chapter of the eclipse stories that have been coinciding with eclipses in Gemini and Sagittarius. The first eclipse in the series was a Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius on 5 June 2020, followed by a Lunar Eclipse in Gemini on 30 November 2020, a Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius on 14 December 2020, a Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius on 26 May 2021, and a Solar Eclipse in Gemini on 10 June 2021. As these eclipses have flowed back and forth between whatever places the signs of Gemini and Sagittarius occupy in your natal chart, you can trace narrative themes that have developed in correspondence involving the ways both Gemini and Sagittarius are involved in your nativity. Yet since there has been more of an emphasis on eclipses in the sign of Sagittarius, it is fitting that the sequence ends with a Total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius.

Sagittarius is the fiery home of Jupiter, zodiacal terrain which kindles inner embers into flames of expansive vision and intuitive knowing that can be fervently expressed in outward action. As a fire sign which excels in distinguishing and separating matters to aim with precision at a targeted goal, the Sun in Sagittarius being eclipsed suggests that righteous knowing will become cloaked by a dark tapestry of unknowing and questioning the course of direction forward. As we are in a collective period of great upheaval with numerous societal systems on the brink of collapse and in need of radical reformation, the shadow side of Sagittarius that can become ruthless with dogma and moralizing preaching needs emptying and release. On the other side near the North Node of the Moon in Gemini, the close presence of Ceres retrograde calls for deep listening to our grief and the grief shared by others we encounter through dialogue and witnessing.

Robert Fludd from Utriusque Cosmi (1617)

Mercury in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces are especially important influences on the eclipse. Mercury is only three degrees away from the solar eclipse, having recently been reanimated in the heart of the Sagittarius Sun on November 28. The close proximity of Mercury to the eclipse will make significations of Mercury readily apparent in events connected with the eclipse. In contrast, Neptune stationed direct a few days before the eclipse on December 1, and so is saturating the astrological landscape with its imaginal influence. While the Sagittarius Moon is applying to a square aspect with Neptune it will complete later on the same day as the eclipse, Mercury is also applying to a square aspect with Neptune that it will complete on December 7. While the impact of Neptune can often feel like an imperceptible underlying influence, its stationing and catalyzing aspects with the eclipse and Mercury will make it much more viscerally felt than normal. It will be worthwhile to explore the meaning of any images that grab your attention through dreams or in your waking life. The contact between Mercury and the eclipse with Neptune may bring inspirational images, ideas, and messages into your awareness that unveil aspects of inner psyche and ineffable qualities of soul patterns that will reward attention and contemplation.

Having recently been regenerated by the Sun, Mercury is moving fast through its invisible phase, actively in process of gestating the forms of new ideas that will be injected by the otherworldly influences of the eclipse and Neptune. Mercury in Sagittarius excels at taking visionary leaps of thought and synthesizing information with sharp intuition, but its propensity for blazing speed of thought can lead us to excitedly rush forward before throughly analyzing dynamics. Moreover, the square between Mercury in Sagittarius with Neptune can also manifest as dogmatic crusaders or excessively idealistic evangelists wishing to convert others to whatever perspective, philosophy, or belief they have become impassioned by. Making a conscious effort to ground and slow down to allow for thought processes to deepen can help in opening to the imaginative influences of Mercury with Neptune while also creating space to separate the illusory from the authentic.

Eagle by Morris Graves

Jupiter in Aquarius rules the eclipse, with Mars in Scorpio applying toward a square aspect with Jupiter he will complete on December 8. While Jupiter is positively in a whole sign sextile aspect with the eclipse, the overbearing influence of Mars upon Jupiter can create a more volatile atmosphere in which anger and anxiety can be more readily triggered. As a result, it will be helpful to find a balance between resting and relaxing to calm nerves as well as making an effort to be physically or creatively active to move and release energy rather than having it become bottled up and at risk of imploding. Positively, the friction between Mars and Jupiter can be invigorating and fuel dynamic action and courageous efforts to fight through obstacles as well as bravely bring protection to those who are vulnerable.

Jupiter is sharing the same sign of Aquarius with Saturn for a few more weeks, as he will enter his expansive ocean home of Pisces on December 28. Fortunately, this means that Jupiter will be present in the same sign as Saturn during the time period in which the final exact square aspect between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus will be building in intensity until it becomes completed on December 24. Richard Tarnas in Cosmos and Psyche described periods of Saturn and Uranus as involving “the exacerbation of tensions between authority and rebellion, order and freedom, structure and change” as well as “repressive revolution,” “erratically unpredictable authority,” “sudden collapse of structures,” and “grim awakenings.” While these themes elucidated by Tarnas have fit perfectly with events that have erupted during the past year of Saturn and Uranus clashing, in our personal lives we will be able to have more agency to create the changes we wish to experience than within the much larger societal events that careen out of our control. During the final weeks of Jupiter sharing the sign of Aquarius with Saturn, see how you can continue to embrace whatever radical changes you have been inspired to embody and enact, finding ways to make space for shifting perceptions so you can more resolutely release the forms and patterns of the past that need to be let go of.

The Dancing Faun (1919) by André Kertész

Within the darkness of the solar eclipse, Venus in Capricorn will be glowing very bright as an Evening Star in twilight. Although Venus will be shining brightly in the night, she is also slowing down in speed as she approaches her retrograde stationing on December 19. Moreover, Venus is applying closely to a conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn that she will complete on December 11, the first of three conjunctions that Venus will form with Pluto over the course of her upcoming retrograde phase (the next two will be on December 25, 2021 and March 3, 2022). Gary Caton and other astrologers have compared the present phase of Venus that lasts until she stations retrograde and disappears into her invisible phase with the nigredo of alchemy, a period in which we experience loss and putrefaction of matters that will create space for us to receive the seeds of new desires and visions to come into relationship with. The close proximity between Venus with Pluto in the month following the eclipse will amplify the intensity of old relational patterns needing to rise into awareness so we may shed the dead skin of past patterns that no longer align with our present relational needs. It will not be an easy or quick process, but the deep regenerative potency of Pluto can help purge past toxicity as we make more intimate contact with the relational needs and desires that are authentically aligned with our emerging presence.

While Mars in Scorpio is making an activating and disruptive aspect with Jupiter, it is simultaneously forming a harmonious sextile aspect with Pluto in Capricorn that will become exact on December 6. However, although Venus is only about a degree away from an exact sextile aspect with Mars in Scorpio during the eclipse, due to Venus stationing she will not complete the sextile aspect before she stations retrograde and moves away from Mars in the opposite direction. The influence of Mars in Scorpio upon Venus and Pluto in Capricorn will further volatilize and deepen the transformative process already underway for Venus, making it a potent time for deep listening and sharing within intimate relationships. While much can be uncovered within relational dialogue that facilitates penetration into the core dynamics and patterns at play, it will also be important to make time and space for solitary contemplation and becoming more grounded and rooted in one’s sovereign sense of self outside of relationship.

The Sagittarius Solar Eclipse is part of the saros 152 eclipse family that originated with a partial solar eclipse in the southern hemisphere on July 26, 1805; all of the eclipses in this family occur on the south or descending node of the Moon. Interestingly, at the time of the origin eclipse in 1805 there was a conjunction between Jupiter and Neptune in Scorpio, reflecting the Jupiter Neptune conjunction in Pisces in 2022, and there was also a conjunction forming between Saturn and Uranus in Libra, reflecting the building tension of the square aspect between Saturn and Uranus occurring during the present eclipse.

Thus the saros family of the Sagittarius Solar Eclipse has a strong connection to both the Jupiter Neptune and Saturn Uranus cycles that will be the key astrological themes of the year ahead. The last three solar eclipses in this series have been total: 23 November 2003, 12 November 1985, and 2 November 1967. Regarding the eclipse’s metonic cycle, the last time there was a total solar eclipse at twelve degrees of Sagittarius near the South Node of the Moon was on December 4, 2002 and so the same aspects of your natal chart would have been activated by that eclipse as the present one.

9 of Wands by Pamela Colman Smith

Sagittarius 2 Decan

The second decan of Sagittarius where the Sun will be eclipsed is associated with the Nine of Wands card illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith. In the image a bandaged and alert figure stands with his chosen staff planted firmly in the ground, with eight other wands of varying size rooted behind him. There is a resilient strength and courage to persist in the face of opposition found here that resonates with the meaning of the second face of Sagittarius. It is significant that the figure has been wounded at the top of his head, as Sagittarius unifies fiery spirit with the will of the body. Since the Moon is ruler of the second face of Sagittarius, the fact that the Moon is eclipsing the Sun while in her own face makes the meaning of this decan especially activated.

Austin Coppock in his book on the decans 36 Faces ascribed the image of “The Bridle” to the second face of Sagittarius, stating that the battles and conflicts pictured in the Nine of Wands card “are necessary to inflame the will and provide the heat necessary for the fusion of the mind and body.” Coppock praised the capacity of the second face of Sagittarius “to keep the body and mind in line with intention, despite contrary forces,” as its rulership by the Moon and Mars brings the ferocious resiliency needed to protect what we most value in the face of opposition with all of the odds stacked against us.  Yet Coppock cautioned that while the second face of Sagittarius “represents a formula for strength in the face of opposition,” we must discern when circumstances “do not demand, nor reward such a response” but instead require yielding to develop a different strategy.

The dichotomy of fighting to protect a vision, whether it is securing a boon through victory or bewailing the loss of defeat, is found in ancient textual images of the second decan of Sagittarius. In the Birhat Jakarta a golden woman of grace picks up gems from the ocean, while in The Beginning of Wisdom by Ibn Ezra as well as the Yavanajataka there is a chest of golden ornaments and jewels set before a beautiful woman. These images are in contrast to images in other tomes signifying sadness and fear, such as a “lamenting woman” in Three Books of Occult Philosophy.  These images of mourning and unearthed treasure are also curiously resonant with the figure of Kore who was ascribed to the second face of Sagittarius by the Hellenistic text the 36 Airs. Austin Coppock linked Kore’s presence here with her form as Persephone Praxidike, mistress of the furies and the forces of nemesis that create the adversarial force necessary to bring forth our most heroic qualities.

Safron Rossi in her recent book The Kore Goddess: A Mythology & Psychology associated the archetypal Kore with “psychological integrity” and “what it means to be grounded in one’s essential nature as an individual.” To Rossi, the sacred qualities that the Kore personifies include “unto-oneself, sovereignty, vitality” and “authenticity,” viewing “one-in-herself as central to the archetypal stream of the Kore.” She further referenced classicist Guilia Sissa that the Greek meanings of kore and parthenos included “a treasure that one guards (phylassein), a value that must be respected (terein).” With an eclipse in a decan associated with Kore, Rossi’s identification of the Kore’s shadow as involving “innocence” and becoming “untouchable, impenetrable, self-enclosed,” is further vital to consider.

In relation to the association of the Kore with Persephone, Rossi noted that “when we can embrace a more complex perspective that is not primarily concerned with maintaining psychological innocence, Persephone’s myth shows us how Kore consciousness is forged by underworld initiation.” Indeed, Rossi stated that “Persephone-Kore is the divinity within the painful loss of innocence for it is she who shows how there would be no growing down into authenticity without the forays into the underworld.” These archetypal revelations concerning Persephone-Kore will be important to keep in mind as Venus stations retrograde while conjoining Pluto within the forthcoming lunar cycle. They also connect with the synchronicity that during the time of the Sagittarius Solar Eclipse the Persephone asteroid will be retrograde at 6º16’ Gemini nearby Ceres retrograde at 3º26’ Gemini and the true north node of the Moon at 1º44’ Gemini.

In some versions of Persephone’s story, her playmates by her side before her abduction by Hades were none other than the Sirens, daughters of the muse of melody and tragedy, Melpomene. Just like Persephone ultimately brings her divine beauty into a sovereign role as Queen of the Underworld, so do the Sirens bring their beautiful voices into a psychopomp role of helping to maintain harmony between the underworld and the upper world through music. Safron Rossi in The Kore Goddess mused “that Kore consciousness can experience the Siren’s songs as north stars, calling us to move beyond our limited perspective and gain further knowledge of ourselves and the world.” In the aftermath of the eclipse, may you hear the music and songs of soulfulness that help you cope with whatever grieving and wounding needs tending, and call you to embark upon a journey beyond past confinement with fiery vision and aplomb, like a piercing arrow shot forth from the sacred bow of Sagittarius.

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References

Clark, Brian. (2019). Soul, Symbol, and Imagination. Astro*Synthesis.

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: the history, astrology, and magic of the decans. Three Hands Press.

Rossi, Safron. (2021). The Kore Goddess: A Mythology & Psychology. Winter Press.

Rudhyar, Dane. (1971). The Planetary and Lunar Nodes. CSA Press.

Tarnas, Richard. (2007). Cosmos and Psyche. Plume.

New Moon in Capricorn

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Air Power by Jean Michel Basquiat

New Moon in Capricorn

The Capricorn New Moon on January 12 initiates the first lunar cycle of 2021, the first lunar cycle to follow the dissolution of the eclipses that brought an end to 2020, and the first lunar cycle to begin since the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius.  There has been immense volatility in recent current events befitting our collective transition into a new astrological era, from the chaos of the riotous insurrection in the USA to the swift response of banishment from Internet corporations that has revealed the power they hold in the era of air. Though we have left the era of earth defined by the Jupiter and Saturn cycle, the New Moon in Capricorn will  pull us underneath the surrounding soil, penetrating into the underlying dynamics at play in the tearing down and building up of forms. The darkness of the lunation invites exploration of the dark forest within, feeling into the roots of matters and how they are being nourished from subterranean sources.

The New Moon is separating from a harmonizing sextile with Neptune in Pisces and applying toward an intensifying conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn. The lunar movement from Neptune to Pluto evokes the potent depth of the Sea Goat who draws sustenance from the oceanic, immaterial expanse underlying reality, churning visions of what to manifest from subconscious senses. The magnetic influence of Pluto can bring cathartic experiences that expose the desires behind our ambitions and bring realization of goals to cultivate that will be authentically empowering with a natural sense of power. It’s not a lunation for rushing into making things happen, but rather gestating and gathering internal resources. With Pluto present as we cross the threshold of not only a new lunar cycle but a new astrological era, we need to let its process of death and rebirth take its time. We need to deepen into the changes emerging from within before we may wield their full potential in the year ahead.

The New Moon conjoining Pluto also brings awareness to a section of your natal chart that was heavily impacted by the union of Saturn and Pluto in 2020. Indeed, the New Moon at 23°13′ Capricorn is very close to the same place Pluto formed a conjunction with Saturn last year at 22°46′ Capricorn on January 12, 2020.  Pluto had to share the sign of Capricorn with Saturn from the end of 2017 to the end of 2020, and in the past couple of years also has had the South Node of the Moon and Jupiter nearby as well. With Pluto now alone in Capricorn, we can hear the voice of Hades clearer with its fertile pulse buried under the richness of earth. The New Moon and Pluto may pinpoint an area of your external or internal life that needs extra care and nurturance in recovery from all of the ruptures of the past year. The ferryman of Hades has arrived to greet us at the doorway into a new era, willing to guide us into emerging possibility as long as we pay the toll of shedding what needs releasing, deepening into what wants to be born through us.

The Capricorn New Moon is ruled by Saturn in Aquarius, with Mars in Taurus applying to a disruptive square aspect with Saturn that it will complete on January 13. The discord found within the aspect between Saturn with Mars will be reflected in turbulent collective events involving a berserker charge from Mars into the fortified walls of Saturn. While Saturn is in position to protectively bind the rage of Mars, the strife and tension constellated between them can escalate stress and pressure. The square between Mars and Saturn is more important than the usual passing square between them, as it brings the final chapter to a story that was previously initiated during the period of Mars retrograde in Aries when Mars formed exact square aspects with Saturn at the end of August and the end of September in 2020. While the discord between Saturn and Mars dominated the astrology of August through October in 2020, there was a lessening of the friction between them in November and December. Once Mars entered Taurus on January 6, the volatility between them became amped up again and has built in intensity since then.

The aggressive assertion of Mars will make things frustrating if we want to make things happen too fast, and so the fiery force of the star of Ares will be most effective when grounded into the earthy, long term focus of Taurus not unlike how the orphic hymn to Ares gives his weapons over to the agricultural work of Demeter. A balance will need to be struck between opening to new desires being stoked by Mars while patiently working through whatever obstacles and tests are being set in place by Saturn. It’s a period for laying the foundation of long-term goals rather than grasping for short-term gratification. The seeds of the great conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius have been set in motion, and as the potency of Jupiter and Saturn requires serious intention with commitment to bring things to completion, we need to patiently work through disruptions and restrictions without losing sight of the larger vision we want to work toward. The forthcoming lunar cycle will be one of the most inflammatory periods of 2021, and so it will be helpful to rest when able so that we may draw on full reserves of energy when action needs to be taken.

During the recent peak period of darkness in the northern hemisphere and peak light in the southern hemisphere, Saturn and Jupiter have put on a dazzling display of light following sunset. Pivotally, the Capricorn New Moon demarcates the shift of Saturn and Jupiter from being visible into setting into their invisible phase. With both Saturn and Jupiter setting into their dark, underworld phase that will last until the beginning of February when they will become visible again, pay attention to whatever message they are delivering to you about the new issues emerging from old patterns.  In the forthcoming lunar cycle both Saturn and Jupiter will become reanimated by conjunctions with the Sun, as Saturn will conjoin the Sun on January 23 and Jupiter will conjoin the Sun on January 28, the same day as the Full Moon in Leo. Though no longer visible as a solstice star omen, as Saturn and Jupiter move through their invisible phase during the next month we may gestate whatever visions and ideas we gathered underneath their light, gathering and cultivating the tools and skills we will need to bring the dreams of our imagination into reality in the years ahead.

Vassily Kandinsky Small Worlds VII

Vassily Kandinsky (1922) Small Worlds VII

Looming large over the Capricorn New Moon is the presence of Uranus in Taurus which will station direct on January 14, saturating the astrological atmosphere with its emancipatory and shattering influence. Uranus has been retrograde since stationing on August 15, 2020 at 10°41′ Taurus, and as it stations direct at 6°43′ Taurus it will be met by the explosive volatility of Mars combining with it. Mars will form an exact conjunction with Uranus in Taurus on January 20, with Mars also forming catalytic square aspects with Saturn in Aquarius on January 13 and Jupiter in Aquarius on January 22. In addition, Jupiter in Aquarius will form an exact square aspect with Uranus on January 17 while Uranus is still primed in potency due to its recent stationing. Altogether this period of time has immense risk for discord and violence, and makes the recent mob riots in the USA deeply concerning in relation to what will transpire leading up to the inauguration of President Biden on January 20. There will need to be a collective effort of protection and defensive resistance to prevent the kind of out of control violence that erupted in the USA when Mars joined Uranus in Taurus on January 6.

While collective events will involve the shattering quality of the Tower arcanum in tarot in the week following the Capricorn New Moon, in our personal lives we must also be careful of not become overinflated with self righteousness. There will be greater possibility of personal conflicts accelerating needlessly, and so it will be important to take a step back and regain calmness when needed. It will also be possible to discover personal breakthroughs during this time period and sources of new inspiration if we allow ourselves to transmute fears of the unknown into courageous determination. Constructively, unlike the extreme friction circulating between Saturn and Jupiter with Mars and Uranus, Venus in Capricorn is applying toward a flowing trine aspect with Uranus that it will complete on January 13. Make space to receive whatever innovative ideas emerge, knowing you have time to deepen into their meaning and manifestation. Venus will next move through a sextile with Neptune in Pisces on the way to forming a conjunction with Pluto during the upcoming Full Moon in Leo, and so there will be deep illumination possible at the end of January regarding whatever inspiration Venus picks up at the New Moon in Capricorn.

After Venus completed its conjunction with the South Node of the Moon at the end of 2020, it activated a configuration (called the Kala Sarpa Yoga in Vedic astrology) in which all of the planets transit in between the lunar nodes. In collective events, this configuration intensifies the chaotic volatility and extremes we would normally expect due to crossing over the threshold into a new astrological era. Each month this pattern will be temporarily broken up by the Moon moving across the North Node in Gemini through the signs of Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio, periods in which the Moon can give us a reflection of the deep seated changes taking shape. However, once the Moon passes through the gate of its South Node in Sagittarius everything will be moving in between the lunar nodes until the Moon reaches its North Node in Gemini again, making these sections of time especially charged. This pattern will remain in effect until Mars eventually moves across a conjunction with the North Node of the Moon in Gemini at the end of March 2021. This time around, the Moon activated the pattern by crossing the South Node of the Moon on January 10 and so the New Moon in Capricorn involves all of the planets being in between the lunar nodes. The Moon and the rest of the planets will remain in between the lunar nodes until the Moon forms a conjunction with the North Node of the Moon in Gemini on January 24.

kandinsky round poetry

Vasily Kandinsky (1933) Round Poetry (Runde Dichtung)

The other major player in the lunar cycle ahead is Mercury in Aquarius. Within the darkness of the Capricorn New Moon, Mercury in Aquarius will be making major announcements as it has returned to visibility as an Evening Star and has also recently moved through conjunctions with Saturn and Jupiter and square aspects with Mars and Uranus.  Ultimately, Mercury in Aquarius will station retrograde within the forthcoming lunar cycle on January 30, giving us the two weeks following the Capricorn New Moon to make use of Mercury being in its productive Evening Star phase.  Mercury in Aquarius is well suited to helping us navigate through the volatile period of time that will follow the New Moon, as its airy quality can absorb new perspectives while its fixed nature can sustain focus on longterm goals, weaving in between the daily details we need to attend to and the larger vision we are working toward that we need to keep in mind.

As we are moving in between astrological eras, Mercury in Aquarius can help ferry us across the divide between the known and the unknown.  While Mercury in Aquarius can be helpful in making the connections we need to make between our present life and the sense of future vision we are cultivating, we will need to resist the stubborn side of Aquarius and open to the flexibility of consciousness beloved by the star of Hermes. Mercury will enter the “shadow” of its upcoming Mercury retrograde phase on January 15, and so events from around that time may play into shifts in storylines that extend through February as Mercury will return to station direct at the same degree on February 20. Most importantly, Mercury will reach maximum elongation as an Evening Star on January 23 at which point it will begin slowing down in preparation for its stationing a week later on January 30.

4 of Pentacles by Pamela Colman Smith

Capricorn 3 Decan

The New Moon arises in the third decan of Capricorn associated with the Four of Pentacles card illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith.  An image of empire building and wielding influence from a seat of power, the Four of Pentacles signifies a cultivation of inner talents to make an impact in the material world that aligns with the third decan of Capricorn being ruled by the Sun and Mercury.  The crowned and enthroned figure is surrounded by the weight of matter with pentacles below and above, with a fourth pentacle cradled at heart level evoking a spinning wheel of fortune. The figure towers in the foreground, suggesting someone sovereign and able to manage structures to bring material prosperity and security within the wildly fluctuating changes in fortune that come and go within surrounding society.

Austin Coppock in his book on the decans 36 Faces ascribed the image of “The Throne” to the third face of Capricorn, a fitting image given that the Sun rules the decan.  Coppock wrote that this face of Capricorn involves administering from a throne to control the elements of the world needed to attain material gain and positions of greater power and responsibility.  Notably, Coppock cautioned that hubris can tempt those grasping for power in this face to overlook the weight of responsibility and the loneliness of isolation that accompany achieving ambitions.  Coppock warned that accumulations of material wealth, power, and responsibility “may end up crushing them,” the idealized palace turning into a restrictive prison as “only high places bring with them the danger of terrible falls.” Coppock concluded that the third face of Capricorn draws us “close to high seats of power,” we need to remember that influential “positions always come with responsibility, and to sit in them is to be tempted by hubris.”

Thus the union of the New Moon in the third face of Capricorn with Pluto may stir ambitious desires that bear the seeds of hubris within the potential fruit of manifestation. In collective events, we will likewise witness those from high seats of power fall while others fight to gain a seat on the throne. Allow the darkness of the Capricorn New Moon to guide you into the goals that will be truly worth you courageously putting everything into, versus the desires that will ultimately lead you to overwhelming pressure that will not be worth the effort. Explore the shadow of the goals and desires you are cultivating, feeling into where you may become at risk of being consumed by hubris. Let the forthcoming lunar cycle deepen your sense of the innovative plans and ideas that have emerged during the recent weeks of the great conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn, and how to most effectively integrate them into your present life.

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References

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

Full Moon in Aquarius

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Vakaras

Evening (1905) by M.K. Ciurlionis

Full Moon in Aquarius

The Full Moon in Aquarius on August 3 illuminates the torch of the reclusive seer, the fire at the core of the hermit’s lantern, and messages received from those that have strayed far off the mainstream path. The airy and humanitarian sign of Aquarius will provide a remote space for the lunation we may utilize for incubating insight regarding the many dramatic changes taking shape in current events. While revelations may be received from the unorthodox who are removed from dominant cultural paradigms, rather than stubbornly insisting on an individualistic path we can use the silvery light of the lunation to increase awareness of those who share our intention and purpose. It’s an opportune time to deepen bonds with those we can collaborate with and mutually support through the shattering, dismantling astrological transits coming in the next few months.

In the northern hemisphere, the Aquarius Full Moon is glowing during the time of Lughnasadh or Lughnasa, the ancient Gaelic holiday of harvest festivals that occurs at the midpoint between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox. Similarly, the Aquarius Full Moon is occurring at a midpoint along the timeline of 2020 astrology that is in between the volatility of the solstice eclipse season of June and the enflaming initiation of Mars retrograde in Aries that will intensify at the Libra Equinox on September 22 when Mars will be engaged in conflict with Saturn. The slow burn of Mars retrograde in its fiery home of Aries will dramatically disrupt the societal structures already being reshaped by the alignment of Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter in Capricorn, and so the Aquarius Full Moon can shed light on areas of life in need of focus to prepare for the deeper changes on the way.

Since the Aquarius Full Moon is closely separating from a catalyzing square aspect with Uranus in Taurus and applying toward an activating sextile with Mars in Aries, we may experience events or insights that propel us rapidly forward or lead to a significant change in direction. It’s the third lunation in a row ruled by Saturn retrograde in Capricorn slowly moving closer to Pluto, inciting the titanic forces of gravity, contraction, division, and polarized judgment that have been constellated repeatedly throughout history when Saturn and Pluto begin a new cycle together. In many places the economic fallout from the pandemic of 2020 is being more acutely felt, and so the peak light of the Aquarius Moon can spur action in response to forces of necessity.

Crucially, Mercury in Cancer is applying closely toward a tense opposition with Saturn in Capricorn that may feel extremely constraining depending upon your present circumstances. Constructively, Mercury’s opposition with Saturn will make it obvious where we need to weigh our options to make adjustments, mediation, deals, and a rebalancing of priorities in order to mediate the pressing demands of Saturn and Pluto. In addition to inspecting one’s material conditions, it’s also an excellent time to conduct an inner exploration of shadowy internal dynamics in order to refrain from excessive projection and scapegoating of others. There will be more than enough victimization and persecutory othering going on in the wider collective without adding more fuel to the fire.

It is further significant that Mercury is setting under the beams of the Sun, sharing its final light as a Morning Star as it disappears into its invisible phase during which its accumulated debris and excess waste will be burned off under the radiating fire of the Leo Sun. The solar phase ending for Mercury now was reseeded during Mercury retrograde in Cancer on June 30, so there will be a shedding and purifying process of regeneration concerning whatever Mercurial ideas have been developing since early July once Mercury enters Leo on August 4. Mercury will be reanimated during its superior conjunction with the Leo Sun on August 17, a day before the upcoming New Moon in Leo on August 18, and so the waning half of the present lunar cycle will be ideal for releasing whatever we need to let go of in order to gain clarified focus.

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Unusual Thursday (1951) Kay Sage

While the catalytic square aspect between the Aquarius Full Moon and Uranus in Taurus can bring a sudden twist in our story through unexpected events and revelations, it may also reveal premonitions regarding larger changes that will become more significant over the course of the next year and a half as Saturn in Aquarius forms a series of three exact square aspects with Uranus in Taurus during 2021. Additionally, the Aquarius Full Moon may return awareness to themes and narratives connected with the square aspect between Saturn in Aquarius with Uranus in Taurus that became activated from March through June of 2020, as the waxing Moon will form a conjunction with Saturn en route to forming a square with Uranus during its peak illumination. Pay particular attention to any new ideas, projects, or goals you are feeling inspired to develop as they may turn out to become significant points of focus over the course of the next year or two.

Some of the major themes associated with the last quarter square phase between Saturn and Uranus include irrevocable dismantling and restructuring of societal systems, the necessity of invention to address whatever is falling apart, as well as finding inspiration within some ancient traditions to address present dilemmas while other traditional lineages become rejected for being outdated. Richard Tarnas in Cosmos and Psyche described the periods of Saturn and Uranus in hard aspect as involving “the exacerbation of tensions between authority and rebellion, order and freedom, structure and change” as well as “repressive revolution,” “erratically unpredictable authority,” “sudden collapse of structures,” and “grim awakenings.”

During the waning half of the forthcoming lunar cycle, Uranus will station retrograde on August 15 a few days before the New Moon in Leo on August 18. As a result, the influence of Uranus will become intensified in the week surrounding August 15 especially if you have important natal placements in between seven and thirteen degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). It will be wise to remain flexible and ready to alter plans and goals as needed in the next couple of weeks due to the unpredictable nature of Uranus. Most importantly, by cultivating a readiness to receive breakthroughs and activate new creative directions, you will be more likely to clarify the intentions and visions that you are most authentically aligned with and which deserve your full focus and commitment.

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The World of the Mars (1905) by M.K. Ciurlionis

While the Aquarius Full Moon is applying toward a creatively engaging sextile aspect with Mars in Aries, Mars is closely applying toward a catalyzing square aspect with Jupiter in Capricorn. Mars combined with Jupiter can inspire ambitious campaigns and idealistic striving that can be further amplified by the Full Moon in Aquarius. There is a risk of being overcome with hubris through a stubborn fixation on one’s own idealistic beliefs with an unwillingness to make compromises or listen to other viewpoints. The fiery willforce of Mars can be utilized to separate ourselves from situations causing us harm, protect those who are vulnerable, and assert our desires for change, yet we must be careful that the reckless side of Mars does not lead us into causing unnecessary division and destruction in the process.

This will be the first of three square aspects that Mars will form with Jupiter between now and January 2021 due to stationing retrograde in the first week of September, and so we are entering an extended period of time involving friction between Mars with Jupiter as well as Saturn and Pluto that we will need to endure and resiliently navigate. During the waning half of the forthcoming lunar cycle, Mars in Aries will be applying toward an intensifying square aspect with Pluto in Capricorn that it will complete on August 13. Mars will not complete its first square aspect with Saturn in Capricorn until August 24, but the tension between them will be building in potency each day.

Though Mars is known as an archetype that severs connections with an individualistic impact, it is also capable of working toward shared goals as part of a team while also putting us in touch with the enlivening life force and passions that want to emerge into expression. Since we know that Mars will be facing off against barriers and restrictions coming from Saturn in the months ahead, we can bear in mind that there will be potential for Mars to incite a self-righteous rage that wants to burn everything down when faced with opposition. While taking a courageous stand in the face of opposition may be necessary at times, it will also be important to be curious about how our inner desires are being reshaped and reforged by the flames of Mars. By gaining clarity now regarding the intentions we want to direct the focus of Mars toward, the ideals and values we want to defend and assert, we will be better able to conserve our energy for our priorities rather than getting drawn into needless conflict that exhausts us. Mars in Aries will need to exert is force within the containment brought by the Capricorn trio of Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter, yet within the pressure of their configuration important and significant work can be created.

kurt seliggman moon flower

Moon Flower (1858) by Kurt Seligman

The Full Moon in Aquarius also demarcates the final days of Venus transiting Gemini, as Venus will enter Cancer on August 7. Venus has been in the airy, mutable sign of Gemini since April 3 and so it will be a major change for Venus to exit Gemini and enter the watery, lunar landscape of Cancer. Moreover, Venus will be closely applying toward a vivifying conjunction with the North Node of the Moon in Gemini as the Aquarius Full Moon culminates. Ever since the true calculation of the North Node of the Moon entered Gemini on May 5, Venus has been occupying the same sign and so it is especially significant that Venus is finally completing its conjunction with the North Node in Gemini.

Due to the passage of Venus retrograde in Gemini from May through June, we have already experienced a necessary disordering of desires that has been bringing about a reordering of values. The passage of Venus across the North Node of the Moon as Selene shines her full light can draw awareness toward opportunities and choices available to make productive use of whatever the long passage of Venus through Gemini has opened up for us.

However, the influence of the North Node of the Moon upon Venus can also pull us into the shadows of illusory material desires and so it will be important to make space to consider whether or not the desires emerging are aligned with your authentic path and purpose or not. This is especially the case since Venus recently finished its long series of square aspects with Neptune in Pisces that took place on May 3, May 20, and July 27. The Aquarius Full Moon can bring deeper insight into the storylines that played out between Venus and Neptune, as their tension likely brought waves of confusion and inspiration to navigate. Let the lessons learned from any associated disillusionment as well as enlightenment continue to guide your choices as Venus completes its union with the North Node and heads into Cancer where it will form a series of pivotal aspects with Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn, and Mars at the end of August and beginning of September.

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6 of Swords by Pamela Colman Smith

Aquarius 2 Decan

The Full Moon in Aquarius is in the second decan of Aquarius associated with the Six of Swords card illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith. The six swords in the image are anchored, suggesting firm resolve and grounded focus. Yet the swords are also staked into a boat journeying through watery, liminal space. There is a vision behind the image, a bold determination to follow foresight into foreign territory. The ferryman is in a role of guidance not unlike the psychopomp Mercury, which is fitting since Mercury is the ruler of the second face of Aquarius. The destination on the far shore is not capable of being reached by the passengers without the utility of the boat and the labor of the ferryman, and so there is also a need to surrender to being along for the ride.

As the ferryman in the Six of Swords is creating a network in between shores, linking the known with the unknown, he is an apt symbol for Mercury being the ruler of the second face of Aquarius. Austin Coppock in his book 36 Faces ascribed the image of “Heaven and Earth” to this face, writing that it connects multiple territories with a sense of “principled but fierce wisdom,” as well as that the fixed nature of this face “stabilizes commerce between heaven and earth” while also establishing “independence between multiple worlds.” Coppock declared it to be a decan “of independence, of living and becoming according to one’s principles” so that one may “connect worlds without becoming beholden to them.” Like the ferryman and Hermes, those who occupy this face mediate a “steady commerce between heaven and earth” according to Coppock, allowing for “the connection of the orthodox and the unorthodox, the known and the unknown” as well as “the ideal and the practical.”

Furthermore, the Hellenistic text the 36 Airs ascribed Phobos to the second decan of Aquarius, the divine son of Ares and Aphrodite who is associated with the fear evoked in battle and war. Austin Coppock noted that as Phobos is connected with the etymology of “phobia,” its presence in this face also reveals “the fear that people have of what lies outside their small worlds.” It also brings to mind the double edged sword of fear, in that it can lead to poor choices rooted in paranoia as well as the kind of inspired action that erupts when we have our backs against the wall and the odds stacked against us.

There are many fears being enflamed around the world as societal systems continue to be disrupted by the pandemic. Just as the second face of Aquarius facilitates communication between the known and the unknown, so may we tend to the places in us that feel scared and overwhelmed regarding the unknown future. The astrology of 2020 has been serving as a bridge in between eras, and while it may feel like we are close to falling off a precipice we may in those moments gather our inner knowing that can guide our way forward. We will need to rely upon the support and transport of others just as we will also be required to lend assistance and guidance to others. Let the light of the Aquarius Full Moon quench the flames of fear so that your pathway forward may be illuminated with clarified focus.

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References

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

Tarnas, Richard. (2007). Cosmos and Psyche. Plume.

 

Full Moon in Pisces

/ grayastrology / 2 Comments

the unicorn is found

The Unicorn is Found (1495 – 1505)

Full Moon in Pisces

The silvery glow of the Full Moon in Pisces will stir imagination and set flight to fantasy with the enchanting trance of Neptune. The waxing Pisces Moon will conjoin Neptune on September 13 while also forming catalyzing aspects with Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. While the actual peak illumination of the Pisces Full Moon will occur on either September 13 or 14 depending upon your time zone, the thrust of emotions and passions corresponding with its light will be deeply felt on both days. Pisces is a nocturnal sign well suited to dissolving dualistic distinctions between the rational and irrational, bridging awareness between our conscious conditioning and the unconscious urges of soul that compel us from within. The Full Moon in Pisces will be revelatory and revealing, opening perception to a more expansive vision of circumstances. Like the inspired musing that comes from close encounters with the ocean, we may feel accumulated stress and anxiety wash away enough to envision new potential where we had feared none existed.

The waxing Moon’s journey through Pisces on its way toward fullness will be in range of a major aspect with every other planet, in particular connecting the cycles between Jupiter and Neptune as well as Saturn and Pluto that have been the most dominant longterm transits of 2019. With the Pisces Moon passing through a trine aspect with its North Node in Cancer and a sextile with its South Node, Saturn, and Pluto in Capricorn there is an opportunity to discover ways to connect creativity and imagination with the grounded structure and focused discipline needed to manifest inner visions. Rather than feeling unproductively restrained by restrictions and barriers, we can realize how to utilize whatever limitations we have been facing to artfully create results that make the most out of our available resources. As the Pisces Moon also moves through a square aspect with Jupiter on its way toward a conjunction with Neptune, we may also receive a jolt of inspiration that brings forth exciting new ideas to develop as well as insight into how to improve projects already under construction.

On a deeper level the Full Moon in Pisces is a calling to explore the underbelly of dreams, lifting up the fabric of ideals to see what is subsisting in the shadow of whatever you desire to attract into your life. The propulsive force that the Full Moon uniting with Neptune unleashes from subjective senses can bring realization regarding whatever has been driving actions and goals for achievement from hidden realms within. It’s a good time to contemplate where you have been looking to find wisdom, who you have been listening to, which influences you have been allowing to shape you and which ones you have been shielding yourself from. If feelings of disillusionment arise over old dreams of who you aspire to be in the world, allow yourself to release attachment to them in order to create space for a vital new vision of your future growth to emerge.

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Gustave Courbet (1869) The Wave

Jupiter in Sagittarius rules the Pisces Full Moon while in the midst of intense aspects from Mars and Neptune.  In the week leading into the Full Moon, the fiery natures of the Sun and Mars volatilized Jupiter through forming change inducing square aspects with the star of Zeus. When we become fully activated in correspondence with Jupiter in Sagittarius we can become overwhelmed by desire to journey far in search of knowledge or expand aspirations beyond previous constraints. Yet before leaping into the unknown, it will be best to let the light of the Pisces Full Moon illuminate whatever underlying myth or personal narrative has been shaping plans and goals. Before writing the next scene of the story you want to live, take time to consider the quality of life you truly wish to cultivate for yourself and others through your endeavors. What core values and priorities will serve as your guiding star forward?

As the Full Moon peaks, Mars in Virgo will be separating from a catalytic square aspect with Jupiter while applying tightly toward a tense opposition with Neptune in Pisces. Mars in Virgo is moving at its fastest speed at the beginning of a new cycle with the Sun, but remains combust and vulnerable in its regenerative underworld phase as it faces off with Neptune. The impact of Mars on the lunation can incite self righteous crusades and dogmatic diatribes in those unwilling to question their beliefs. Conflicts will erupt in which each side of the opposition feels certain they know what is best, unable to see past the illusions encircling their anger and rage. In certain cases it will be best to avoid confrontation due to the unlikelihood of being able to facilitate compromise out of a genuine exchange of perspective.

On the other hand, there is also a constructive side to the invigorating impact of not only the Sun and Mars setting off the square between Jupiter and Neptune during the Full Moon, but also the fact that within the present lunar cycle that both Venus and Mercury in Virgo previously did so as well. It is remarkable that Mercury, Venus, and Mars have all begun new cycles with the Sun recently while simultaneously forming a square aspect with Jupiter and an opposition with Neptune. If you have felt disillusionment regarding yourself or others during this time, the putrefaction of past perception can fertilize a revitalized sense of self in the light of the Pisces Moon. Allow yourself to find acceptance for past mistakes and lay them to rest, gathering the wisdom of the lessons you have learned to inform your presence in the moment. As the destructive storms stirred up by Mars opposing Neptune clear, there can be a new sense of potential to embrace through dislodging yourself from the constraints of old beliefs that have been dictating what you feel is possible to achieve.

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Inner Eye Eagle with Chalice by Morris Graves (1941)

The Full Moon in Pisces will serve as a threshold gateway to pass through en route to the final last quarter square aspect that will occur between Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces on September 21. This will be the third square aspect between Jupiter and Neptune this year, with the first occurring on January 13 and the second occurring on June 16. It will be wise to take time to reflect on significant insights and events that emerged around the time of January 13 and June 16 when the square between Jupiter and Neptune previously intensified. The present cycle between Jupiter and Neptune began in 2009 in Aquarius, which means we are now entering the final quarter phase of their cycle which will come to an ending and beginning in 2022 at 24º Pisces. It will thus be revealing to consider what new creative or spiritual directions were initiated in 2009 that have now reached a stage of development for us to harvest and share with others, as well as how we may be realizing a need to shed old beliefs while engaging in a change of direction from what was begun in 2009.

At its heart the intensified relationship between Jupiter and Neptune beckons us to consider possibilities and potential rooted in soul more so than our material circumstances. Jupiter and Neptune in combination become visionary planets connected with spirituality, imagination, as well as attuning to the interconnected soulfulness of our world more so than the limitations of our mundane life.  The last quarter square ripening between Jupiter and Neptune can pull perception far beyond the distant horizon toward our most idealized dreams and fantasies of what we desire to create. We may receive glimpses of a future self to grow into, or a different facet of our identity we have been neglecting that now demands attention and engagement. Since the visions incited by Jupiter and Neptune may feel at odds with our present responsibilities, it will be important to find ways to begin manifesting them rather than pulling back into the comfort of the status quo and known security. Jupiter and Neptune can direct awareness toward the cutting edge of our potential and following alternative paths into an unknown future where we have not already established stability.

Fortunately, due to the Pisces Full Moon also moving through harmonizing sextile aspects with its South Node, Saturn, and Pluto in Capricorn there is greater likelihood of sensing a way forward that combines a grounded appraisal of necessary responsibility with imaginal inspiration. The severe gravity of Saturn and Pluto coming together in Capricorn within four months can cast a large shadow which includes fears of being at the mercy of larger societal forces. There is nothing easy about dealing with experiences related to Saturn and Pluto, but the cathartic intensity they force us to endure aids in developing inner focus, determination, and courage. The Full Moon mixes together the uplifting qualities of Neptune and Jupiter that can see the bigger picture and sustain belief in our capacity to help build new forms that can take the place of the societal structures currently in a state of decay and breakdown.

Remedios Varo creation of the birds

The Creation of Birds (1957) by Remedios Varo

At the time of the exact Full Moon in Pisces, Mercury and Venus will be barely separating from a conjunction in the final degree of Virgo.  Mercury blending its nature with the unifying and harmonizing significations of Venus at the end of Virgo brings a piercing awareness into our present relational dynamics with others as well as the state of our own creative processes. As Venus and Mercury remain hidden under the beams of the Sun, continuing to regenerate strength, so may we feel an instinctive impetus for change and a rebalancing of both our relationships as well as our use of creative focus. The last time that Venus and Mercury formed a conjunction was on July 24 with Mercury retrograde at the end of Cancer, and so there may be many issues that were stirred up by the eclipses in July that we can now discern ways to mend or resolve.

Following the culmination of the Pisces Full Moon, both Mercury and Venus will enter Libra on September 14 where they will soon be opposed by the waning Moon in Aries. Since the air element has been absent from recent astrological transits, the return of Venus to its airy home of Libra while accompanied by Mercury will bring a boost for increasing harmony and effective communication within social interactions. Significantly, Venus and Mercury will continue to remain within five degrees of one another in Libra for most of September, making it an ideal month to revitalize our sense of style and arrangement of aesthetics. It can also be a fruitful time for constructing collaborative arrangements that bring together disparate talents and gifts into a unified, artful whole of creative expression.

During the waning half of the present lunar cycle, the most pivotal period of Venus and Mercury’s transit through Libra will occur between September 22 and the New Moon in Libra on September 28, as Venus and Mercury will pass through change inducing square aspects with Saturn and the lunar nodes, followed by a harmonizing sextile aspect with Jupiter and then another square aspect with Pluto. During the week of the Libra Equinox we can gain a stronger sense for however we need to rearrange our priorities and goals in light of whatever deep changes have been happening this year. Whatever has come out of balance will be obvious, and we will feel driven to make reparations in personal as well as collective spheres of engagement.

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10 of Cups by Pamela Colman Smith

Pisces 3 Decan

The Full Moon arises in the third face of Pisces associated with the Ten of Cups card illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith. An archetypal image of wish fulfillment and idealized happiness, it’s form of a joyous couple enraptured by a rainbow, their children blissfully dancing in front of their picturesque home in the countryside is merely one possible manifestation of the countless images that could be used to capture a sense of the inspirational vision underlying and driving inner motivation. An earlier image for this face is found in Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy in which a nude male is present near a beautiful maiden whose head is decorated in flowers. Other older images show the other side of having a great dream through the terror of loss, such as Ibn Ezra’s The Beginning of Wisdom in which another nude male is armed with a lance and yelling for fear of thieves and fire. The Full Moon in Pisces ripening in this face asks us to contemplate the inner images of inspiration that have been motivating all of our work in the world, the full implications of our dream as well as how well it truly fits our sense of soul purpose.

The rainbow pregnant with abundant cups in Pamela Colman Smith’s image for the Ten of Cups evokes the great daimon of Hope found in the ancient story of Pandora’s box in which Elpis, the spirit of Hope, is the only presence left in the box after its many ills and evils were unleashed into the world of humanity. It’s the spirit found in cultural ideals such as a young Judy Garland wistfully singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” musing that somewhere exists where the most precious dreams you dare to dream really can come true. Fittingly, the ancient Hellenistic text The 36 Airs of the Zodiac attributed the figure of Elpis, the daimon of Hope, to the third decan of Pisces. The guiding star we wish upon, the guardian angel we pray to for assistance, the hope we are able to muster in even the bleakest and most desperate of times, is essential to the meaning found in the third face of Pisces, the final face of the zodiac full of the passion required to move through the end and rebirth of the entire cycle.

Austin Coppock in his book on the decans 36 Faces ascribed the image of “A Cup of Blood” to the third face of Pisces, describing it as a place revealing one’s willingness to “sacrifice everything” for the “attainment of one’s greatest desire, no matter the cost.” Noting the images of romantic happiness found in the Ten of Cups card as well as in Agrippa’s masterwork, Coppock wrote that the third face of Pisces “inspires the lust and desire implied” by the images, “but the true object of the passions is a merger with the universe itself . . . The face and body of the beloved are a mask, an entry point into the experience of all-as-bliss.” Coppock noted that “the third face unfolds as the quest for true and perfect love,” yet the willingness to sacrifice all for the dream leads to the third face of Pisces becoming “littered with broken dreams and failed martyrs- those who sacrificed themselves for an illusion.”

The grandiose dreams of ecstatic bliss as well as the agony of loss that comes from misguided investment in ideals that Coppock attributed to the third face of Pisces are further shown through the fact that Mars is the ruler of this decan. As previously mentioned, during the Pisces Full Moon the fiery red planet will be occupying the opposite place of Virgo and forming a perfect opposition to the planet of dreams and illusions, Neptune. Mars in Virgo is at the earliest stages of its synodic cycle, having recently been reborn in the heart of the Sun on September 2, a few days after the inception of the present lunar cycle. Open yourself at the Pisces Full Moon to the unveiling of the inner dream driving everything you sacrifice yourself for, questioning whether the vision’s source is from external conditioning or from inner sources of soul. Rather than rearranging the surface elements of daily goals and to-do lists, it may be necessary to go to the heart of your inner storyteller to re-conceptualize and rewrite the source of the story you are living in the moment.

References

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

Cancer New Moon & Mercury

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chagall la nuit blanche

by Marc Chagall

New Moon in Cancer

The New Moon in Cancer on June 23 follows closely behind the Cancer Solstice in which our Sun stands still, as well as the rebirth of Mercury within the heart of the Sun.  The solstice in Cancer is one of the peak moments of the year, the beginning of Summer in our northern hemisphere and the beginning of Winter in our southern hemisphere.  This year as our Sun stood still at the pinnacle of its furthest northerly reach, Mercury united within its fiery rays for an extremely powerful superior conjunction of the Star of Hermes with our Light of Spirit.  The longest day in our northern hemisphere and the longest night in our southern hemisphere, the Cancer Solstice pulls us within to explore the deepest desires of our heart, while also calling us to express our feelings and visions in our wider community, finding appropriate forms and mediums through which to communicate our message.

The last time Mercury formed a superior conjunction with our Sun was in March at the beginning of the Venus retrograde in Aries.  Following Mercury’s union with the Sun during its retrograde in April, Mercury spent an extended period of time moving backward and the forward again in union with Uranus.  The first half of 2017 has brought significant shifts, some unexpected and all necessary, as we moved from a period of eclipses into extremely volatile phases of Venus and Mercury retrogrades.  The Cancer New Moon comes at the perfect time to look backward to the first half of the year and what has and has not come into manifestation, while looking forward with focus on configuring what we need to shift and restructure in order to bring more of our desires into form and expression.  The second half of 2017 will continue to bring volatility and immense change.  As a result, the Cancer New Moon is ideal for centering within and nurturing ourselves and loved ones with intimate attention.  Tenderness and gentle strength that calms and soothes volatilized nerves will be important medicine in the lunar cycle ahead.

hilma-af-climt-2

by Hilma af Klint

Cancer is the home of the Moon, and so the New Moon in Cancer is always an especially powerful moment for setting intention.  Cancer is a cardinal sign of initiation and leadership that simultaneously connects with the emotional realm within as well as the emotions of those we meet in relationship.  Cancer holds our memories and in the reflection of its waters we catch glimpses of our essential nature and most cherished desires.  While the season of Cancer may make us think of ruminating over past memories, the current New Moon in Cancer is most vital in terms of making new memories that will enliven our passion for life and bring sustenance to our sense of soul.  This is a New Moon with which to launch yourself into living life fully in the moment, seizing the opportunities brought by day and night to receive the pleasure of being alive.  Humanity on our planet has been going through a difficult time of immense suffering on many levels, and the amount of change and reform in need of being enacted can feel overwhelming to achieve on an individual level.  The Cancer New Moon will support expressing yourself into your wider community and in so doing discovering collaborators who possess a sense of mutual purpose.

Mercury separating from the Sun while applying toward a conjunction with Mars is an important aspect of the New Moon, for in the lunar cycle ahead Mercury will unite with Mars in opposition to Pluto while both are invisible under the beams of the Sun, and then as Mercury emerges as an Evening Star around July 4 it will form a catalyzing square with Uranus in Aries.  Allow Mercury to soothe and open up whatever defense mechanisms have been internally preventing you from risking your heart in action.  As Mercury gets closer and closer to Mars, look for remediation outlets to express passions through so that they are less likely to become bottled up and unleashed in anger.  Its likely that many aspects of collective current events will incite anger and inspire action, and so this is also an excellent New Moon to look around your community for volunteer, service, or organizing opportunities.  Mercury combined with Mars can be volatile, yet in the end Mercury loves to connect and bridge and so by taking action there can be significant new connections made linked with purpose.

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Birch (1922) by Hilma af Klint

Mars is playing a leading role in the New Moon as it is applying closely to a square with Jupiter in Libra.   Mars is currently invisible under the beams of the Sun, undergoing a period of purification and regeneration that will not complete until the Sun unites with Mars in Leo on July 26.  As a result the Mars square with Jupiter is potent and will dredge up deep issues of ambition and desire, some of which is in need of shedding while other aspects can be returned to our inner soil to reseed future visions.  Mars in Cancer is known as being in its “fall” since it is the opposite sign of its exaltation in Capricorn, and yet there is an interesting aspect in which Jupiter is receiving Mars through the square since Mars being in Cancer means it is in the exaltation of Jupiter.  An empowering interpretation can be found through realizing the wisdom we can gain when pursuing passionate desires even when we do not achieve our intended success.  The importance is in taking action and risking our emotional involvement and full presence.  It will be important to not become overly critical of ourselves for not having already achieved certain grand ambitions, but rather acknowledge and find value in whatever point of our journey we find ourselves within.

Mars in Cancer can bring about emotional outbursts and so it will be vital to find appropriate outlets for our feelings and focus on the relationships that can offer us nurturance and support.  The period from June 28 through July 4 is important to be aware of, as Mercury will unite with Mars and then oppose Pluto as Mars also forms an opposition with Pluto, followed by Mercury forming a challenging square with Uranus in Aries.  Further interesting is that just before Mars and Mercury enter into these intense aspects, they will have recently formed a supportive trine with Neptune in Pisces.  It will help to find work and projects you can pour your heart and energy into without become overly upset if the results do not match your idealized expectations.  There is tremendous power and inspiration found within these aspects, and we will gain strength through courageously engaging life fully rather than withdrawing through fear or defense mechanisms.

Another significant intersection between personal planets with the transpersonal at the Cancer New Moon is Venus in Taurus applying closely to a trine with Pluto in Capricorn.  At the previous New Moon in Gemini, Venus was in a square with Pluto that brought up some deep issues we can now integrate and find deeper stability around.  The trine from Venus to Pluto can also help us deepen intimacy with both ourselves and others through opening ourselves to the sort of full emotional involvement that facilitates buried issues reemerging into the light of conscious awareness.   Venus in Taurus can help stabilize and harmonize whatever has become out of balance, so look for ways to embrace Venus in your life in whatever forms bring you pleasure and comfort.  While opening ourselves to deep emotions may not always feel pleasurable, significations of Venus such as music, color, food, and intimacy can be a balm that helps us cross over the threshold of old inner obstacles.

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2 of Cups by Pamela Colman Smith

Cancer 1 Decan

The New Moon falls in the first face of Cancer associated with the Two of Cups card illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith.  In the image we find two lovers coming together with shared passion on an equal level, with a caduceus of intertwining snakes and a winged lion arising in the space between their merging desire.   Fittingly for the erotic reciprocity found in the symbolism of this image, the first face of Cancer is ruled by Venus.  Yet Venus is not only about the romanticism of Eros and Psyche.  We can also find a connection between Venus with the first face of Cancer and the Two of Cups through the inner values that underlie all of our relationship dynamics with others, a source that can alchemize magical healing and power within the relationships that resonate with our essence.  The New Moon in Cancer is ideal for honoring the relationships that receive, support, and protect our unique expression and presence.

Austin Coppock in his book on the decans 36 Faces ascribed the image of “A Mother and Child” to the first face of Cancer, as he wrote that the face holds the hungers of our emotions and biology, the womb that gives birth to us and all of our resulting needs.  Coppock further connected the themes of mother and child to the pursuit of romantic love found in the Two of Cups since “it is the perfect support, half-remembered from the womb, that gives rise to the human dream of similarly nursing bonds between committed partners” (p. 104).  Coppock wrote that idealized unions can be realized in the first decan of Cancer, the type of relationships that seem “as if the two reside in each other’s wombs, simultaneously devouring and being devoured, yet neither is depleted” (p. 105).

As the lovers in the image of the Two of Cups are greeting one another with chalices, consider at the Cancer New Moon what sort of chalice you are carrying into your relationships.  Who are you willing to share your chalice with and why, for what reasons.    The relationships in which equity and reciprocity coexist naturally will emerge with magnetic force in the lunar cycle ahead and will feel most deserving to share in mutual nurturance.  Remember to also pour an offering to the Earth and Spirit, and set intention to manifest your most cherished desires in the season ahead.

References

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

 

Polish Women Strike

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Polish Black Madonna

POET: You can seek Poland throughout the whole wide world, young lady; and you’ll never find her.

GIRL: Perhaps searching is a waste of time.

POET: Yet there is just one small space- Now, Jagusia, just place your hand beneath your breast . . . – A tam puka? (Is something beating there?)

GIRL: A cóz za tako nauka? (What sort of lesson is this?) Serce – !–? (That’s my heart!)

POET: A to Polska właśnie. (Exactly. That’s Poland).

—Stanislaw Wyspianski from his play Wesele (The Wedding Feast)

On October 3 there is a planned collective strike by Polish women to protest a proposed law that would make all abortions illegal, in any circumstance including following a rape or when the pregnancy is a medical danger.   Women can face imprisonment for up to five years for having an abortion and anyone who assists with the abortion also would risk prosecution and imprisonment under the proposed law.  Poland already has one of the most restrictive abortion policies in Europe, with abortion legally permitted only when the life of the fetus is under threat, when there is a serious threat to the health of the mother, and when the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. There has been a call in response for all women in Poland to go on strike for a day, refusing to work or take care of domestic responsibilities in order to gather, meet, protest, or do charity work.  The protest is inspired by an all-out strike by the women of Iceland in October 1975, when 90% of women refused to work, cook, or look after their children for a day.  “Black protests” have been planned in over sixty Polish cities on October 3 with almost 100,000 women having pledged to strike.

How does this relate to the current astrology?  With Jupiter in Libra we are going to be witnessing a lot of protests and a return to social justice issues of oppression relating to events correlating with the tumultuous square between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn that dominated from 2011 – 2015.  This is because as Jupiter moves through Libra it will form a square with Pluto in Capricorn and then transfer this energy into its opposition with Uranus in Aries.  Right now in the current lunar cycle, we are at an intense trigger point that lines up perfectly with the strike by Polish women.  This is because Mars in Capricorn is applying now to a square with Jupiter in Libra, and Mars will then move forward to form a conjunction with Pluto and then ultimately a square to Uranus in Aries.  In addition, the upcoming Full Moon on October 16 will be conjoining Uranus in Aries, with the New Moon in Libra a few days ago being conjunct Jupiter in Libra and in square to Mars and Pluto in Capricorn.

While Uranus in Aries in square to Pluto in Capricorn did correlate with numerous protest movements against oppression, there was also strong Plutocratic resistance in global hierarchies of power to do everything possible to subdue and control mass protests that could potentially shatter their grip on power and influence.  In Poland last year, the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) won the Polish presidency and then in addition a parliamentary majority.  The conservative Law and Justice Party is supported by traditional nationalistic elements of the Polish populace with strong ties to the Catholic church, while their policies have outraged the liberal and progressive element of the Polish people.  In an article published recently in The Nation, the rise of the conservative Polish party was used as a warning to people in the United States of America that the same element of the American populace roused to elation by Donald Trump, similar to the British element that supported Brexit, could in future presidential elections be used by a more skilled and charismatic American politician to achieve victory.

There is incredible collective trauma in Poland hard to fathom by citizens of the United States, as Poland was partitioned and did not exist from 1795 until 1918, creating subconscious national fear.  After regaining independence in 1918, the second world war saw the indescribable horror and trauma of Hitler, Stalin, and concentration camps visit Poland.  Some have said that attempts at healing the Polish identity have led some to become overly nationalistic.  Whatever the case may be, following a successful revolution that led in 1989 to a democratic transition into the Third Republic, Poland increasingly became a player in wider realms of international policy through membership in NATO in 1999 and then the European Union in 2004.   Up until elections in 2015 there had been a strong influence of more liberal political parties in Poland that were less bound to the Catholic church and more tolerant of difference than the conservative parties that have now seized power.  Some analysts believe the shift to conservative party dominance comes from the economic policies following the democratic transition in 1989 that led to incredible urban economic development in Poland at the cost of factories and farms in more rural areas experiencing economic collapse.

In Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland’s Present historian Norman Davies wrote that in the 1990s the left wing of Poland were quicker in successfully organizing to gain power than the right wing, shocking those who thought “Christian values” would dominate the new democratic Poland.  Davies wrote, “It took some time before the Church hierarchy realized that it could not dictate political developments as in old Ireland, and that direct clerical interference would be counter-productive” (p. 428).  Polish youth were less inclined to follow church dictates blindly, and with the abolishment of state censorship in the 1990s there resulted a revolution of Polish literature shattering previous restraints and fostering open exploration of diversity.  From one perspective the recent rise of conservative political parties in Poland can be seen as a backlash at the changes seen as threats against traditional values resulting from the revolutions of the late 1980s.

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Collectively in our global community we have been in a time of darkness that calls for the return of the sacred feminine.  The audacious, courageous decision by Polish women to refuse to submit and instead take direct action to shut down the system if necessary is a beautiful example of the power we all have as individuals within the collective to unite in solidarity on behalf of social justice. I am going to use only two charts to look into this strike, the first being the sunrise chart for Monday 3 October in Warsaw, the current capital of Poland:

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The second chart below is for Noon on Monday in Krakow, when organized strike group events are set to begin.  Krakow was the capital during the age of Poland’s kingdom and remains a powerful symbolic seat of power for Poland.  There is an article from the Krakow Post you can read here detailing the planned events for the day.  The organizers have also prepared an English language leaflet you may read here.

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You can notice in both charts the trigger of Mars in Capricorn applying to a square with Jupiter in Libra, with the Sun in Libra in square to Pluto in Capricorn.  You can also witness the feminine power of the black protests through the Moon in Scorpio applying to a conjunction with Venus in Scorpio and a trine with Neptune, with the Moon and Venus in Scorpio in sextile to Pluto and Mars in Capricorn.  It is further compelling that Saturn in Sagittarius is exactly on the ascendant of the noon chart in Krakow, with Jupiter in Libra on the midheaven.

I also find it significant that the true node of Black Moon Lilith is conjoining Juno in Scorpio, as this holds the symbolism of rebellious feminine genius gathered in staunch refusal to bow down before patriarchal power structures.  When we look at the chart for the Third Republic of Poland in a moment, you will also notice a recurrence of this conjunction between Juno and Black Moon Lilith in Scorpio.  While I don’t always pay much attention to the Vertex in event charts, I also can’t help noticing that the Vertex in the sunrise chart is conjoining Uranus in Aries, and the Vertex in the noon chart for Krakow is conjoining Vesta in Cancer- this highlights the square between Vesta in Cancer with Uranus in Aries that also has compelling feminine symbolism for the protest strikes.  I don’t have Eris in my astrology program to show on these charts that Eris is conjoining Uranus, but many modern astrologers would also find the Polish strikes to be a compelling correspondence with the union of Eris and Uranus in Aries.

Below is the horoscope of the Poland Third Republic that formed in the wake of communist revolutions and the transition to a democratic Polish government (click here for an analysis of the horoscope for Poland):

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This chart is fascinating in connection with the planned strikes because you can see that the current transit of the Sun in Libra on October 3, 2016 is exactly conjunct the ascendant in the chart of the Third Republic.  This also places the current transit of Jupiter in Libra on the ascendant, with the transit of Saturn in Sagittarius in sextile to the ascendant of the Third Republic chart.  You can also notice that the current transit of Pluto in Capricorn is conjoining the IC, Saturn, Neptune, and the Sun in the chart, as well as that the current transit of Mars in Capricorn is applying to a conjunction with the Capricorn Uranus in the chart of the Third Republic.  You can also see that the current transits of Jupiter in Libra and Mars in Capricorn form a t-square with the opposition between Uranus in Capricorn with Jupiter in Cancer in the Third Republic chart.  As previously mentioned, I also find it amazing that the Third Republic chart features a conjunction of Juno with the true node of Black Moon Lilith in Scorpio exactly as takes place on the day of the protests (in this case they are further conjoining the Pluto of the Third Republic chart).

We are now hurtling toward a Full Moon in Aries on October 16 that conjoins Uranus, Eris, and Ceres retrograde, while also containing a conjunction between Mars and Pluto in Capricorn that is in square to Mercury in Libra.  In solidarity with the women of Poland, may we all liberate ourselves and refuse to submit to oppression.

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View of Wawel (1894) Stanislaw Wyspianski

References

Davies, Norman. (2001 new edition). Heart of Europe: the Past in Poland’s Present. Oxford University Press.