An Aries New Moon

It’s hard to say that the Aries New Moon will ‘appear’ in our skies because New Moons are that moment when the light of reflection – that of the Moon reflecting the Sun – is for a moment, extinguished.

But soon, it will appear yet again. And as that happens, the metaphysical image is one of life on the move. In this case, Aries promises a new image, a new sense of being, a fresh, maybe innocent or naïve approach to something with our preconceptions already gone and our minds, hearts and spirits ready to embrace and avail ourselves of new ideas and opportunities.

This Aries New Moon will occur on April 10th at 9:26 in the morning, UT/+0 time. By being a degree in a sign’s third decanate (degrees 20 through 29) the degree 20 Aries is by definition one which involves an idea or action or situation which we don’t personally embody. Third decan degrees always involve a degree of ‘worldliness,’ even if that ‘world’ is simply those we live with. Whatever it is, we don’t control it in its entirety. And given Aries as a sign all about the Me-I-I Am of life, we may want to control it.

But we don’t. So be prepared for opinions. They may be on who you you are or what you’re doing. They may be suggestions, or answers to some question you’ve been searching for. There is some tendency with Aries to ‘assume’ or jump to conclusions and to be on guard, or to assume someone is trying to pick a fight when they’re not thinking about anything of the kind.

And realizing this…being able to separate the ‘me’ from the ‘thee’ of things – that may be one of the things which comes into focus at this time. A new thought, newly occurred and newly formulated.

With the Moon being our image of emotions, values and emotionality, this can be a time for grand, courageous actions. Then again, seeing that Aries can be so very ‘conscious of the Self’ this New Moon may begin a month of days when you or others make a timid first step towards something you’d like to be true. Or which you’d like to be able to do.

The Moon moves in phases. Aries is birth – or however you want to conceive of ‘a beginning.’ So whatever else this New Moon is about, it’s about a new phase of something. Maybe of you or in your life. Or maybe a new phase in relationships or how you handle them or behave in them or regard or prioritize them. The natural polarity between Aires and Libra asks us to respond to others and to think through how we effect others.

And in that, it asks us what is really important to us about relationships, and whether they are about what we can get…or what we have to give.

Optimally, those qualities are in harmonious balance. And even then, the idea of the Aries New Moon is such that you may feel it’s time to change things. Or tweak things. Or alter your priorities. Or to take on some new goal for yourself in what you do or who you are to, or with others.

Astrologically, one of the more interesting facts about this lunation is that it’s not part of a greater planetary picture, as has been so common in recent lunar months. As I say that, I’m reminded also that this is the first New Moon since last October to not appear at 21 degrees of a given sign. This is a subtle if important sign of energies beginning to shift: in the months ahead we will see the monthly New Moons sort of ‘counting down’ through the ‘teen degrees of successive signs.

So this lunation stands at the ‘brink’ of our worldly life. It stands on that line where we waver back and forth between ‘it’s me…it’s them,’ and that too is very Aries / Libra. Lore on this degree speaks to it having a quality all about being aware of our ego, underscoring the many “I / Thou”…‘me / them’ …. ‘cause / effect’…and ‘do / haven’t done’ dualities which exist in our life.

But when I say that this New Moon is not part of a planetary picture, that isn’t to say it isn’t in aspect to anything. Dwarf planet Haumea is at 19 Libra in opposition to the New Moon lending it’s nature to the idea that there will be a ‘shifting of the shape of things’ going forward. There are dual warning here. One is not to use what you do only to your own benefit, as that will lead us into situational self-defeats. The other is against ‘changing the shape of the discussion’ in order to avoid the truth of it, or your position in the matter, be that past or present.

 Dwarf planet Haumea, with moons H'iaka and Naumaka as photographed

by the Keck Telescope by Caltech

(photo used by permission - c. 2003, Caltech)

Just ‘north’ of Haumea (yes, I think of degrees in directional terms!) Rhadamanthus at 22 Libra urges us to be fair with others and fair with ourselves in understanding our very human vulnerabilities, fears and blunders. Fixed Stars Spica and Arcturus (the brilliance of leadership or brilliance evidenced in or discovered through leadership) positioned with Kallisto suggests that there are some ‘beastly’ things which need to be dealt with, but that only by accepting that ‘phase’ can we emerge as a star and yet twinkle again.

Closest to this New Moon are asteroids Pelion (the mountain) and Niobe (pride), a comment on how ego (specifically “big egos” or “mountainous pride”) can get in our way, or be in our way this month as we try to move through our tasks and challenges. That ego may be ours. Or it may be presented to us by someone else who – in true Haumea style – tries to ‘shape shift’ as fast as we try to pin them, or the subject at hand, down in order to try and sort things through and move forward.

Eris and Mars sitting at 22 Eris is a huge descriptor for this lunation as Mars rules Aries. The degree 22 Aries being one where ‘good fortunes’ fall apart in the face of the reality of work which needs to be done, Eris’ presence in this mix suggests that something unexpected is or has ‘unsettled’ our norm, either forcing us or allowing us to see how much life can offer which is beyond our experience.

This could be the whole point of your (Pelion / Niobe) New Moon experience. Simply getting past our know-it-all habit of thinking we know what’s what and that we know how the world works is an ego bender. And if this helps you understand that you are part of something greater and that you can do great things and earn such love and respect that you have no need for ego, that’s a huge, huge step for an entirely human psyche.

That Eris / Mars is in direct opposition to Rhadamanthus, asks that we rise above our own pettiness to act in a ‘kingly’ manner in resolute fairness. That was what Rhadamanthus was famous for. As son of Zeus (Jupiter) and Europa, Rhadamanthus is the image of the balance we strike between getting ‘carried away’ (Europa) or ‘overcome’ in any sense and thinking we know everything or have the right to everything (Jupiter).

 Jupiter and Europa by Gustave Moreau (1826-1898)

In this, Rhadamanthus asks that we be fair to ourselves – an idea which is here presented through Libra (through who we are to others in this world) with the choice being to ‘fall back’ on our Haumea tendency to try to make everything suit our personal fancy and Spica – Kallisto – Arcturus, the knowing that to be or become that which we would really like to be (or to know ourselves to be) we need to face what it takes to get there…and that such a process isn’t all fun, sunshine and cupcakes.

With Venus at 23 Aries we would expect some degree of wanting things to be as we want and a commensurate amount of irritation when things don’t go our way. And that Venus’ position is perfectly sextiled to Black Moon Lilith at 23 Gemini (with Vesta at 24 Gemini) is a suggestion all about our awareness. We know what it will really take to achieve our highest goals. Are we willing to go that distance?

New Moons are always a moment for inner reflection. Our ‘light’ does not shine forth. We are given this moment in which to determine our course. That this New Moon takes place on the 'opening day' of Pluto's Capricorn station (more on that tomorrow) and that Pluto will go retrograde in a perfect sextile to Saturn's February station-retrograde at 11 Scorpio tells us that this is a time to do and be more. There is a definite sense of 'calling' the world over. Some people are 'calling' for things to happen. Some of us are heeding our personal callings. We shouldn't expect instant changes. What is being generated now is an energy which will take time and effort (Saturn) to (Pluto) create in the fullness of change.

In all of this, the Aries New Moon is our awareness. 

So...what are you now aware of? Or coming to be aware of?

What do you know you want to do?

Do you have the courage to fulfill your promise and potential and bring joy into your own life and that of others by not compromising what you were created to be in the eternal and mortal sense?

Do you know what that asks of you?
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A Virgo Full Moon: The Cost of Consciousness

A Full Moon over Old Square in Ljubljana, Slovena

(photo credit: Vid Gajsek, 2012, public domain)

This month's Full Moon will occur on February 25th at 8:27 in the evening (UT/+0) at 7 Virgo.

The idea of the Full Moon is a funny one in that there are so many directions you can go with it as a metaphysical symbol. Some astrologers (and nature or natural spiritualists) think of the Full Moon entirely as an emblem of ‘peak moments’ or ‘fulfillment.’ Others speak of the Moon in a more astronomically-interpretive way, with their Full Moon concept being that of ‘highest reflection’ or ‘greatest emotional or instinctive’ illumination. And I must say…I tend to be among this second group.

But if we think of the Full Moon in the ‘glass half empty or half full?’ mode, since lunar cycles are cycles, there are unquestionably those among us who go from New Moon to New Moon, and those of us who think of life as being only a matter of Full Moon to Full Moon.

In other words, how we react to the “everyday” cycles generally timed out by the Moon is greatly a matter of who we are. Or…is that really about who we choose to be?

There’s a lot of ‘sloganism’ (my term) about this ‘attitude makes reality’ thing and what we hear most often is ‘hold a positive attitude – that will make things happen for the better.’ But is that really true? If it was, wouldn’t we all be sassy-happy by now?

The Virgo Full Moon is about practicality being pitted against emotionality…Virgo Moon, Pisces Sun. And this goes (to my thinking) what the Full Moon is really about stretching us beyond what we already know. The ‘knowing’ part is enlightenment (illumination) and the ‘stretching’ comes from the astro-idea that any opposition asks us to hold two diametrically oppositional ideas in our minds, hearts or lives at once.

In other words, Full Moons are about life (the Sun) being in one sign (in this case, the ‘life is going to get you to feel whether you want to or not’ Pisces life-phase) and the Moon ‘lighting up’ or ‘illuminating’ those things, those factors, those opportunities or challenges we haven’t thought of. Or experienced yet. Or taken into consideration.

Pisces-Virgo is about doing the thing which will work for me in the long run (Virgo) which HAS the greatest affect (and effect) BECAUSE it touches others and thus garners their approval, support and respect. THAT is what leads to my emotional satisfaction, because whether I like it or not, I’m not living on this planet by myself and the more people understand, accept and are with my right to do what makes me happy, the easier my life is going to be.

I’ll put it another way: if Virgo is the effort, the work, the efficiency and effectiveness of our physical life and life or lifestyle (how we go about living), Pisces as the indicator of ‘end of life circumstances’ (retirement/old age pensions, hospitals, emotional acceptance) is the indicator of how well all that works out. When I say that Pisces represents all those things which involve people being scared of feeling their feelings, Pisces is about anything – including late-in-life finances – which refer to anywhere where they might feel helpless. Or where they might be at the mercy of others.

“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers,” wrote Tennessee Williams in A Streetcar Named Desire. That line very much embodies the Pisces concept. And every time we have a full Moon in Virgo, we are presented with something of a ‘checkpoint’ on how well we’re doing not only in our effort to balance depending on kindness (ours and that of others) but not depending on them too.

Tennessee Williams in 1953 arriving at the service for Dylan Thomas

(photo courtesy of the US Library of Congress, Prints and Photography Division;

source - New York World-Telegram and Sun, Walter Albertin, photographer)

Which yes, may be a gesture of kindness of a whole other kind – not burdening others.

On a whole other tact, Full Moons often represent a climax or a fulfillment (or failure) of something we’ve been working on. But as they say in the world of parenting teens, it’s a phase. What happens now isn’t the ‘end of all things.’ It’s a phase. If this was the moment when your Significant Dating Other (a whole other meaning for SDO beyond Scattered Disc Objects) “pops the question,” that may mean the ‘undecided’ portion of the courtship phase is over. But the real work of a marriage? That hasn’t even yet begun.

(Come to think of it…having someone ask you to marry them is sort of SDO and Kuiper Belt, isn’t it? All Kuiper Belt objects, SDOs and otherwise, are about getting us to experience things in life we couldn’t otherwise experience. I’m thinking marriage is among them!)

So Full Moons can be the manifesting of a goal. Or maybe even the letting go of a goal. Or maybe it’s just shifting gears.

On to other, pickier facts.

This is the last in a the series of three Full Moons at 7 degrees of respective signs. However – we’re still pursuing a series of 5 New Moons at 21 degrees of successive signs.

 
That the Full Moons have been in 1st decanate degrees (degrees between 0 and 9 of any given sign) tells us that these past several months have led us (New to Full phase) to issues which are personal level. They may be about the nature of our life. Or our physicality or health. Even our actions, whether that means taking action or the results or consequences of some action.

But others are involved. That much we know because these lunar cycles have originated in New Moons which are all at 21 degrees of respective signs, 21 being a 3rd decan degree (between 20 and 29 of some sign) indicating something we don’t control or that others have a right…even a need to have input on.

This…by the by…is one of the great and easy and interesting things to look at in the charts of people you know. The 1st decanate of any sign is always about the person or something personal. The 2nd decanate is always emotional (yes, even when the Sun or Moon is in an air sign!). The 3rd decan is always about a level of life which involves your having to interact with others or work with others, connect to others or accept/work with input from others.

And here’s the kicker: this isn’t just about YOU in the sense of what YOU want to do or your personality or personal nature - this is also about your life lessons. So life, in its infinitely dispassionate if ever-so-personal way is going to teach you what you need to learn whether you want to learn it or not.

Example: I have a friend with both Sun and Moon in the 2nd decanate. The one thing this person hates is having to deal with emotions and emotionality.

Guess what - that’s because learning to deal with emotions and about their own emotions is a core part of this person's purpose, path and life lessons. (Hint: one of the lights being in a decan gives us a direction. To have both Sun and Moon in a single decanate speaks to directions, lessons, and the general 'shape' of one's purpose.) The sooner this person gets on with dealing with their own feelings and those of others, the happier (2nd decan, right?) they’re going to be.

But just try telling them that.

Example #2: I have a Sun and Moon which are both in the 1st decanate. My life is all about figuring out what to do and not to do. It's about life as it exists, life as it manifests, and it's about my life in particular (including my physicality) and the world around me.

Another part of this? Much to my eternal irritation (and water sign upsetted-ness) I never get help with doing anything until I prove I either figure out how to do it or don’t need help any more.

Go figure.

So looking purely at decans, the months from November (actually last August, but who’s counting) through April 2013 will have been and continue to be – at some level – about recognizing what the world values and is willing to do or not do (or put up with or not put up with) and how we act accordingly. Or how the world responds to how we have acted.

But within this longer cycle there have been mini-phase-cycles. November through March have all been New Moons at 21 degrees of respective signs. And at some level, 21 degrees is always about starting something in the world, doing something a new way in order to create greater effectiveness, or dealing with a ‘new’ tide of sentiment or opinion which is going to effect what we do.

Against this we have had another mini-cycle (yes, we’re in the realm of the many interlocking cycles of time the Mayans called ‘wheels within wheels’) composed of Full Moons at 7 degrees of respective signs.

Seven is the number of ‘the other’ not as that which ‘fits’ with us (which would be 2, the opposition or duality) but which is the corresponding energetic. You know: for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. The tide comes in, the tide goes out. We breathe in, we breathe out. Seven is a corresponding otherness.

And just to be clear here, it’s not karma. Karma belongs to the greater concepts associated generally with the number 8. Karma’s slogan is more do unto others as you would have done unto you…implying that what you do for Person A may come back to you (maybe totally unexpectedly) through Person Q.

Seven is more logical against eight being emotional. Seven says if I do something nasty to you, you’re likely not to like me for it. Eight says if I do something nasty to you, my life is going to become difficult, possibly for reasons totally unconnected to you.

Numbers tell us a lot. Just remember, they need to be  put into context - like everything else!

Okay…with all this now duly said and discussed, 7 Virgo has a reputation for a shyness or a reticence which can be gotten past but which can become overly polarized by 7 Pisces, a degree known for confusion – up to and including levels of mental confusion we would associate with mental illness.

The question at it’s most basic this is: will we connect to the greater message or feeling implied here? Don’t think that you can avoid anything but holding back. The act of doing so may be your 7 Pisces factor, not “theirs.”

Being that 7 Virgo is the current position of Thuban, we should also consider that everything implied by this Virgo/Pisces moment of ‘illumination’ may just possibly be the fixed star “backdrop” against which our own drama is playing out.

Thuban is one of those stars we don’t hear a lot about, but which is active in astrological history. Between about 3,900 BCE and 1,700 BCE, Thuban was actually our pole star (instead of Polaris, which has the job at the moment). Known astronomically as Alpha Draco, Thuban is the ‘head’ or ‘alpha’ star in the rather large constellation of Draco, which today we think of as ‘the dragon’ but which way back when was associated with the infamous snake of Adam and Eve fame.

Constellation Draco as envisioned in a long-ago manuscipt

And that is an interesting cross-reference, seeing as dragons are a positive in Oriental culture and we all know how western culture has villainized snakes. (I’m surprised they haven’t organized as a union and conducted a mass slithering in protest.)

Just to clarify here: Thuban is not in the ‘head’ of the constellation – it’s in the tail. (A whole different tale, yes.) But probably more to the astrological point, this is a constellation which by any measurement is a large one. It also appears in the sky as to seem 'wrapped around' our planet's north pole in a rather 'protective' posture. So it isn't surprising that Thuban seems to be about ‘something precious’ and sometimes the protecting of that ‘something precious.’ In fact, modern archaeologists and metaphysical types both note with interest that in Giza, Egypt, the Great Pyramid (that of Khufu) seems to have been built with one of its internal 'sighting tunnels' aimed at Thuban's position of the day. 

 A New York Times archive photo of the Giza pyramids taken from a

nearby oasis in 1917 (Brown and Dawson)

And that the head of a snake is tucked in the middle of the coil where the muscular tail is left out as the first thing an attacker (or unwary soul) would deal with...that says something about Thuban too.

One other item about Draco should be touched on: because it is a 'polar north' constellation, it isn't visible from all global latitudes. This raises a question you hear of now and again in astrology: whether something which isn't visible in the sky when and where you were born is a viable influence.

My vote here is 'yes.' Why? Because there are plenty of unconscious or 'unseen' attributes in our world and in our lives. Not everything is obvious or evident. Nor - probably - should it be, for reasons both good and bad.

That said, on with the show. The modifiers on the Moon’s side of this Full Moon are Achilles (strength, daring, deft ability), Eurydike (enduring the cost) and Orcus (consequences). So…are we too shy to do what needs doing until the costs become too much to bear? Or is this about doing something about something which we know we need to protect ourselves (and maybe others) from, never mind the cost?

Of course…seldom is life a simple choice between difficult options. Or even a difficult choice between no-brainer, simple options.

Yes folks, this Full Moon comes equipped with a handy-dandy t-square just ready to pickle your puzzles!

Anyone for sour puzzles? Or half-dill puzzling?

This t-square is an interesting one, too. Having finally moved its big red self off 6 Gemini (headaches, anyone?) to 7 Gemini, a degree noted for the following polarity: good luck versus taking the easy way out. Which let’s be real – is very much akin to and therefore part of the whole Aldebaran ‘integrity’ theme.

So here are the ‘rules’ in play here: t-squares work in zodiacal order, passing ‘through’ the “t.” So this one starts in emotional Pisces but has to jump the Jupiter-Aldebaran (thought of integrity) hurdle in order to get to the point where Virgo effectiveness and deft solutions can be put into place. And that the ‘t’ in a t-square is ALWAYS about ego, there’s likely to be a lot of decrying and self-righteous chest pounding about now.

That means…if you are dealing with someone who is indulging in a bunch of huffery-puffery ‘I have a right to my own opinions!’ you may as well let them puff. Your job at the moment is to get past thinking this is ‘all about you’ to the ‘doing something about providing a good basis for proceeding’ on the general level. The puffers are going to be out there, absolutely. And if you can recognize that they’re not coming from a position of strength but really coming from fears of impotence and rejection, you’ll be that much farther ahead.

Appealing to others in terms of integrity is one good idea of the moment. Certainly phrasing things in dispassionate terms and working to get egos out of the discussion while the problem or challenge gets examined for what it is – that’s a great idea to keep in mind.

But remember: ultimately, this Full Moon – like everything else astrological – has a generalized meaning and a meaning which is particular to each person’s chart, life and outlook. This Full Moon in your world is part of the machinery of time-space which is moving you through the process of learning all you need to learn while teaching others things which may be entirely different.

And maybe that’s the point. As we learn to accept our ‘stuff’ as OUR stuff, maybe we can learn who others are without projecting on them all the time. Maybe we can be more supportive…or at least understanding of what their challenges are.

At that point, maybe the Full Moon of the moment will become a ‘Fulfilling Moon.’ And isn’t that what we all want?
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