Pluto’s New Moon Vega Station

Fixed star Vega, photographed here by the Spitzer Space Telescope,

is twenty-five light years away from us in constellation Lyra

(photo credit: JPL, NASA)

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As this post hits the digital airwaves, dwarf planet Pluto is going on station. The actual station-retrograde moment occurs at 3:52 in the morning on Friday, April 17th (in the UT/+0 time zone), but given the nature of stations as indicators of things ‘taking a turn’ in life, it just isn’t unusual for things to happen just in advance - or just after - a station’s occurrence.

And the likelihood of something Plutonic happening to you...? That increases (or decreases) with how exactly Pluto aspects your natal chart.

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The closer the aspect, the stronger the effect.  And since we’re talking Pluto, the closer to the actual time and date of station, the more transformative the effect. With Pluto going from direct motion into retrograde, we’re going from just shy of seven months of adapting to externally into about five months of changing on the inside - or finding out how we’ve already changed, and what that means to us in some long(er) run.

With Pluto taking this ‘turn’ in perfect conjunction with fixed star Vega, part of what we’re going through involves a sorting through standards and ‘structures,’ be they physical, mental, moral, fiscal, occupational or otherwise - and what we’re finding there is that things are either changing ... or never were what we wanted to think they were to begin with.

And no, we can’t forget about it.

Nor are we particularly enthralled about it, even in the case of those (you know who you are...!) who are utterly determined to resist, that being one of the easiest things to read from the grand trine (in earth signs) which Pluto is in as it goes into retrograde.

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This‘resisting’ force is symbolized by Mars, though at 12 Taurus there is every chance that some of us will be beginning to tackle or work through things which have been resisted, but which for whatever reason are now beginning to be recognized as an area of life or attribute or situation in need of investment and attention, not something simply to be taken on its hard-shell face.

The other member of this triad being Black Moon Lilith at 15 Virgo, an odd combination which speaks either to a determined effort to deny any responsibility for dealing with particular facts/truths even if they will benefit your aim, goal or ‘cause’... or which speaks to some sort of determined effort which, in seeking to control how others act, think or prioritize, gets confronted by some sort of transformative energy which ends up changing the goal or the point of the effort itself.

Moreover, this particular Pluto station is also part of an ‘almost complete’ grand sextile.

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In not being complete, this figure won’t be important to many of us. However, IF you’re someone with a planet, dwarf planet, node, cusp or axis point positioned between 4 and 7 degrees of Libra in your natal chart, that point will complete this grand sextile (filling in the question mark above), telling us that what you’re doing and things which are now in progress are going to change your life - not just transform your direction or change your mind but change your life in fairly short order.

This doesn't have to be a big change - but it can be. It may be something only you recognize or even suspect. It may only matter to you. Or it may have not ever  crossed your mind until now. With this being a grand sextile in fire and air taking place as Pluto takes station in an earth signs, there is a bit of an abstract quality about something both fateful and very real ... which in time you will grow to recognize as a learning experience you were never in control of.

And even if you’re not on the grand sextile list, there are two other figures included with fire and air sign sprinkle, one of which is a Kite... 

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... and the other of which is a Magic Rectangle...

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...which unlike the possible grand sextile DO both apply to everyone - at least as ‘modifiers’ to whatever Pluto station matters we’re each experiencing.

Not that they work the same way, though. Kites speak of opportunities which we want to harness, or which need to be harnessed, lest something get off course or fail to live up to its nature. Kites ‘aim’ at a goal which is pictured by the object at the top of the kite - which in this case, is Ceres at 3 Aquarius, speaking to difficulties or people who are experiencing painful difficulties and our efforts to guard against such things, to fix whatever may be causing the difficulties, or even the determination to ‘guard’ or ‘protect’ some painful status quo from criticism or interference.

But with kites, we don’t ‘aim’ right for the goal - we ‘steer’ towards it, doing that steering from the position of the kite’s “tail” (here, Juno at 7 Leo),  which if you think of that point as where a kite’s string would attach makes total sense.

As for Juno at 7 Leo, that speaks to a (Juno) managing or management of some situation, aim or tendency through the intelligent construction (constructing) of that which is the most creative and ‘aimed at’ (this being the Aquarius part) not one’s personal aims, but those bigger or more overarching considerations which if improved will bring about the result or reward we are hoping for (and thus our personal rewards).

Pluto Station-Retrograde (glyph chart)

April 17, 2015 - 3:52 a.m. (UT/+0) - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Pluto station-retrograde (text chart)

April 17, 2015 - 3 52 (UT +0) - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Magic rectangles differ from kites in that kites are something we actively do (or are in the middle of doing) and magic rectangles refer most often to things which are, or which have been set up, created or which have come to be without all that much effort on our part, and which because they are just so ‘magical’ (and more or less magically effortless) in our lives we don’t tend to value as someone else - someone who doesn’t have our talent, our heritage or inheritance, how someone who doesn’t have our problems OR our privileges might see things.

And that being what it may, all goes well (or terribly) for us in this seemingly unending way until something ‘breaks the spell’ and the magic suddenly ends.

Once “broken” (which with a natal magic rectangle is timed through difficult transits to the points which make up the figure) magic rectangles are difficult to heal, solve or otherwise resurrect. It’s as if the ability remains, but because it wasn’t “worked for” in the “normal” sense, there seems to always be some sort of inability to put things back together.

In this case (a strictly transiting magic rectangle), the points are Ceres, Saturn, Juno and Venus, with Venus in opposition to Saturn and Ceres (as we just discussed in reference to the kite) in opposition from Leo to Aquarius. Saturn is still at 4 Sagittarius - the degree it was at when it went retrograde back on March 14th ...

-link to post-

Saturn Retrograde - Phaethon Direct

... and Venus is at 6 Gemini, a degree known for separating fact from fiction and facts from feelings, resulting in insights which though correct can prove very unpopular and a preference (or need to remain confined to) surface examinations, perhaps because this degree insists on equal emphases on ability and (emotional) motivation if success is to be achieved.

Venus/Saturn in opposition is considered one of the few oppositions which are fortunate (and even sometimes stabilizing) in business world and when it comes to dealing with money. This combination is also very good for making plans which require consideration of details and/or ‘costs,’ be they financial or to anything else - such as a schedule or some other plan which now needs to be changed.
Pluto’s station isn’t affecting any of these dynamics directly. But that they are occurring at the same time as Pluto’s station does suggest how, with regards to something in your life which you identify personally as having its reflection in either with the grand sextile, the kite or the magic rectangle (or maybe all three!) ... how that situation or effort is going through a transformative time.

Or how ‘other’ (Pluto) things around you in life and the world which are in the process of changing are causing (even forcing) you to alter your plans - maybe even fatefully so.

And that things may (read: will) change? Or that they’re changing? Or that many of us will be or become the person who enacts that change - or that we’ll begin changing in our own life?

With Pluto turning to retrograde on the 17th just a day after Earth has begun its annual Lyrid Meteor Shower (and a day before a New Moon at 28 Aries on the 18th) we are getting a double dose of finger pointing in the Vega direction. After all, not only is Pluto going retrograde in perfect conjunction with Vega, but this station is occurring one day after the Lyrid Meteor shower (which runs from April 16th through the 25th) begins.

Constellation Lyra is, after all, where Vega lives.

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And if that’s not enough, comet Thatcher (the comet which produces the Lyrids) has its radiant (apparent origination point) IN Lyra, a constellation which portrays the ‘musical instrument’ (and ‘harmonic tones,’ one could argue) used by god Apollo.

Which makes perfect sense when we think of Vega as the heart of this constellation and thus a symbol of all which softens our resistance and ‘attunes’ us to the qualities of Apollo’s enlightenment - that being so very close to what we call ‘charisma.’

So this issue of what pleases us, what we think ‘looks good’ or ‘sounds good,’ the qualities of charisma (that which enchants us) and/or our qualities of charisma (that with which we enchant others) ... all that is now up for grabs (one hopes not literally) with what others think of us as easily transformed as what we think of them (or ‘that,’ should our focus be a situation, goal or object rather than a person).

Does that mean everything will go wrong now?

Not necessarily. It all really depends on our relationship to Plutonic forces and desires - said desires so often being aimed at what we want others to do or be, when the real issue is how vulnerable we really feel. We’re all exceptionally good at fooling ourselves on this point - we tend to think Plutonic acts and choices are about our ‘strength’ instead of our fervent desire not to be seen as weak.

Or maybe worse yet, to have to live with our feelings of incapacity, weakness or vulnerability. That, we REALLY don’t like, especially at times when Pluto energies become active.

You know, like about now. So we can all expect to be going through some ‘stuff’ which we don’t like at all - and in response to what we think of as something someone else is “doing to us” (or to our efforts), we are likely to get all hot and Pluto-obsessive, which is not the way we “win” (or prevail) where Pluto is concerned.

Here’s the Pluto rule: no matter how demanding or upsetting the situation is, first, know your position. Then state it - ONCE - in its simplest and most honestly and complete terms.

Then BE QUIET. Go about your business. Let the fur fly. Let others stir up all the dust they want to stir up.

If you have understood the problem and truly proceeded on honest facts, and IF you have chosen your course of action (or priorities) based not on emotion but on an understanding of your fears as well as the needs of others (without giving in emotionally to either side) ... then, when the dust settles, you will win out.

I know - this sounds odd. Particularly odd as we associate Pluto with passion, obsession and overwhelming odds, feelings and outcomes. But that’s just the point: Pluto’s positives are outcomes which occur when we do things for the right reason, not because we desire a given outcome.

And when we don’t go that route?

That’s when Pluto becomes a symbol of an emotional world of pain ... a painfully emotional world and a world of emotionality driven by pain.

So what does all this mean in connection with a New Moon in Aries - specifically at 28 Aries?

Every New Moon is about something new, be it the phase of a continuing project, a new perspective on something or someone you know or a new plan, reason or action which leads to getting something done, whether externally or otherwise.

New Moon in Aries (glyph chart)

April 18, 2015 - 19:56 (7:56 pm) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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New Moon in Aries (text chart)

April 18, 2015 - 19:56 (7:56 pm) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Before we move on, a few notes from the ‘Oh, What a Difference a Day Makes’ file. Between the time Pluto goes on station and the New Moon, the Moon will have moved over twenty degrees, completely disrupting the grand sextile and kite formations seen at Pluto’s station.

The magic rectangle is still there. Pluto’s private grand trine is still there. But the opportunity (or perhaps the need) which might have allowed us to steer something - that’s over.

Being at 28 Aries, this New Moon will emphasize  personal issues in that we’re likely to take things personally - even overly so, as in the case of those who will see something happen in the world around them and give up or walk away. Aries is always a fairly temperamental sign this way, but its not always as prone to disappointment (and all which goes on inside of us when we’re feeling disappointed) as at the moment.

Some of this may be useful in how it may be a reflection of our realizing that something we’ve been doing is either ‘over’ or it’s not going to work (or can’t work) the way we thought it would - which for some equals defeat. But for others, maybe it just means we need to take a step back and think (or plan) through again. At least one astrologer has written about this degree as having something of a different response depending on our age as well, with younger people feeling more disappointments (or feeling their setbacks more acutely) than those who have lived long enough to think of life in less black-and-white terms.

But whoever we are, this New Moon’s degree - and thus the lunar month it is spearheading emphasizes support, help and the equal abilities of men and women to be receptive of others and generous in kind.

Evidently that matters at the moment. Not only that, it’s also part of everything we’re doing by way of sorting through the differences between what we thought was ‘worth it’ or valuable or inspirational or what we wanted ... and what things have turned out to be-and/or-become.

With Pluto going retrograde on the 17th, the two-day station allowance we give such events ends on Sunday the 19th. And since Sunday the 19th is the date that Pallas goes retrograde (at 0 Capricorn) and the second of April’s scheduled meteor showers (the Eta Aquarids) begins, in the wake of Pluto’s station ... and the New Moon ... it would appear we will be ‘sparked’ to some new (Pallas) or new level of perspective.

Pallas has been sitting at 0 Capricorn since it entered the sign just after Jupiter’s station on the 8th, promoting patience and the need for patience as much with our Self as others as we try - often ineffectively - to communicate forms of inner truth to others even as we protect our beliefs or abilities from unnecessary harm. Will Pallas’ going retrograde mean we will now gain some perspective on our Self as to why we get listened to and not listened to? Not necessarily, but maybe. What would seem to be likely apart from that would be our gaining some ‘transformative’ perspective through (or as) we simply live through these days - which in its own way will give us perspective on who we have been being ... who we can be ... and why one thing might work better for us than another. Given Pallas’ turn to retrograde as the Eta Aquarids start up (they start on April 19th and run until May 28th), we can expect some natural societal, society, social, systemic and networking energies - anything which to us defines the path to and experience of ‘success’ (however we define that) to be part of this mix. Given the Aries New Moon, there are aspects of this introduction of Big Picture Aquarian (Eta Aquarid) vibe which apply to health, lifestyle and overall functionality ... and then again, there are aspects of the current energetics which are very definitely more egocentric - and about whether our ego is getting in the way (our way).

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Plus, there is the fact that this part of the station - the ‘aftermath’ and evolutionary part which starts us into seeing what we need to leave behind and where we need to go in order to renew or reinvent our Self and efforts in times ahead ... all of that is taking place on the day when the Sun is at 29 “critical” degrees of Aries - a degree known as useful to those willing to make determined efforts (now and in the days, weeks and months to come) and which though not particularly elegant, is willing to grapple with the ugly as well as the beautiful, if only because the energy of 29 Aries seeks to build on that which is solid while eliminating the tendency to hesitate or otherwise waste time and energy on appearances which in the end are merely ‘advertising.’

In the end, we are what we do. That’s very 29 Aries - as is the inbuilt-desire and effort to work peacefully and to have everything work out for the best as the Sun moves on into Taurus, where who we are (and aren't) come back to haunt us not only through what we are (and have done through a month of Aries-centric self-motivated doings) - but through what we aren't, especially in our own soul.

Thus will we be ... and find ourselves transformed.
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A Revisionist Aries Moon

 
There’s a New Moon which will occur on March 30th at 6:46 p.m. (UT/+0 time) at 9 Aries. As it occurs, instincts stir in keeping with this beginning of a last cycle of daily lunar doings before our life and planet shifts through an inexorable eclipsing of value.

Becoming who we are…the reason we would raise voice, or feel ourselves being motivated by a conviction finding voice within us, the making strides not out of the need to assert what we believe in but as a demonstration of our ability to believe in it –such will be the commonly held virtues of a New Moon moment in Aries which in its own vibrant way urges us to prove our point.

And yet…that point is often not as we think it is…which is a noteworthy concept found through many a doing now and moving forward. It’s as if this 9 Aries cycle is prompting us to ‘answer a call’ precisely so we will learn not to respond to emphasis or ‘volume’ alone, but rather the reality of need.

Aries is always personal and lunar cycles are the heart and celestial clockwork timing of daily life and doings. Given our current Mars in retrograde opposition effect (from Libra) many if not most of us will feel pre-occupations alternate with a thoughtful sort of longing which estimates the distance between ‘us’ and ‘them’ (or where we are and where we were or want to be) as not being what we want it would be.

And that means whether we wish we were closer to that whatever ‘it’ is would either just go away or stop standing there and fix things.

Either way, we’re not picky. We just want not to have to think about ‘that’ any more – and by ‘that’ we don’t mean the thing or person, we mean the feeling inside your soul which is motivating you to feel that something is so peculiarly important.

Something needs proving. We want to prove it – at least to ourselves.

That’s the crux of very issue: we’re all about us now. Whatever passes between us amounts to prompting, setting us up…or off…wherever we’re dissatisfied with ourselves. Yes, we may think it’s the other person (or ‘side’) which is at fault.

Those feelings though…the ones in our gut? They’re ours.

This is an Aries lunation: it’s a cycle having to do with understanding our very existing, our very flesh and blood human life.

And we feel alone. Even if surrounded by others or being ogled by millions, in our soul we will come to this time feeling an isolation which in some very unique and personal way affords us the opportunity to watch.

And watch we will, as if condemned to stand on principle – ours. We see the damage. We are passionate about how things should be and how they must be done.

We’re just missing the human part. That would start with breaking through either our reluctance or incapacity… and in some cases, the reluctance to deal with simple lack of capacity. With ‘blame’ easily exteriorized and assigned, fewer of us than might be useful will get past however they ‘see it’ to that place which in respecting truly universal parameters earns respect.

That would seem the path to eradicating ills of old and disunity within and without, but…we are so very human. It’s just so, so easy to blame someone else for the respect for Self we lack, finding in that projection sufficient justification to prevent any consideration of why someone else’s defeat will never salve our most painful, long-standing wounds.

And that would be our aim. Aries is always a personal sign, and with this lunation we are brought closer than ever to those things we’ve always feared were true not in terms of what we need to become, but what we need to correct in order to be the person we claim we are on the inside.

You know, to ourselves.

The above image – the t-square – is centered on the New Moon itself (Sun conjunct Moon) with Uranus and Juno, symbol of ‘managing the household,’ whether that would be our home, our life, our mentality, our accounts, a company or whatever else we’re currently involved with.

It’s about us and about our conscious, everyday life as a means by which that life experiences change – that which is astrologically so very Uranian. How this happens is individual…the measure of change you experience through realization may come to someone else through getting a new job. Or through letting go of some hope, some plan, some relationship or ideal. Maybe you’ll move physically.

Or maybe you’ll move off a position or decision held since half-past before you started forever.

It could happen. And if it does, providing we are giving something up which has held us back, then all begins falling in line.

Not instantly, but eventually. Give it a year…or three.

That’s how eclipses work.

Those who will not change – either in this moment or as a matter of stance or principle are the most likely to experience problems as this is not a lunation which deals well with rigidity. Even the most staunch of positions – or the person embodying such a stance – is likely now to meet up with unexpected considerations.

As with all things Uranian, flexibility is advised. Wherever a ‘vision’ or aim can be revised, updated or innovated, look there for facts and the sort of inspiration which cleaves a natural path through challenges while creating minimal disruptions.

Uranian moments either explode upon us, in our hands or through our mindsets, blowing out that which whether new or old, flimsy or time-honored, has outlived its functionality.

And no, we don’t get to control such things. We may or may not like the march of time. We may protest the passing of years and supplanting of ideas all we like and yet discover we haven’t changed a thing.

Except our outlook, that is.

And that…or something about how the world works is confusing. Or, as the weeks wind on and Mercury moves from Pisces into Aries, even daunting. Differences between perspectives will stand out now, and many of us will feel compelled, especially as the Lunar Eclipse of April 15th draws closer – to try to insist.

On what?

On something which means a great deal – even everything - to us.

Magic rectangles imply grace under any and every circumstance, even if the sort of ‘magical’ effect we associate with this image astrologically is only occasionally solely about ability, talent or resources. Here pictured as something of a societal setting or a ‘global’ sort of personal challenge, we move forward now through our determination and almost in spite of (Venus/Damocles trine Mars in Libra retrograde) difficulties. Such difficulties may well be (Eris/Pelion) huge and ‘expertise’ may be required to compensate where (Aries) individual incapacity is involved. ‘Damage’ and ‘damages’ requiring an enormous amount of effort may be experienced locally, universally and in the present…or they may now surface and be presented as legacies from some past, perceived or otherwise.

Not knowing what we know collectively and not wanting to believe what we know in our hearts instinctively as true (Pallas/Kassandra opposition Venus/Damocles) now vie against a reality which is only as dangerous or disappointing as our expectations and presumptions.

Which can be highly problematic, granted – which is the other side of this entire month’s dynamic. There are those who have lost or who are lost. There are those who feel threatened by the idea of something broken or broken down which they don’t know how to put back together.

Nobody said life was ever easy, even for those we suspect live a life of ease. No matter who we are, no matter where this lunation finds us, the difference between some long held idea(l) and an incontrovertible and bluntly realistic limit is forcing us to reconnoiter and rethink not for some future action, but for a future we will necessarily face.

In that arena, today’s theoretical advances go most readily to those revisionists willing to take on whatever abstractions have caused them to be so reluctant to be human – but to those willing to do so in public.

We are our own best …or worst tool now, depending on how we utilize not our opportunities, but our greater, most ethically human abilities.
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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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An Aries New Moon: For Better or Worry?

Above is pictured the chart of a New Moon which occurs at 2:32pm (UT/+0). For those who read charts, even without “extra points” thrown in this is really one of those astrological pictures which simultaneously makes you wonder why such things happen and if somewhere…on some level…there is some force in this universe which has a really (no, really) bizarre sense of humor.

It’s not really about the New Moon just as a New Moon – that’s rather normal. Occurring at 13 Aries, we can easily say this is a emotionally assertive time. How do we know that? Well, we know that firstly because 13 is a second decanate degree - meaning it’s between 10 and 19 degrees and thus where the sign expresses its nature emotionally. So think fervent. Think intense. Think upheaval or passionately focused or ultra, uber determined.

Of course considering this is Aries we’re talking about…okay, so this could be angry – particularly if someone is telling you ‘no’ or treading on your ego’s tail. (Ddn’t know egos had tails, did you?) Emotional plus Aries could also mean courageous. Or a need for courage (meaning anxiety, trepidation or fear – which would be a lousy name for a law firm, but…). It could indicate a moment of frustration.

OR…this New Moon moment – considering New Moons are markers of “beginnings” – this New Moon moment could be when you screw your guts in tight and decide that by gum, yes – you ARE going to take on that task, whatever it may be. You will weather whatever volcanic fires are thrown at you…YOU SHALL PREVAIL!

But before that comes a little ‘getting challenged’ from Forces Beyond Your Control.

Said forces are symbolized in this chart by Saturn being at 13 Aries – in direct opposition to the New Moon. Astrologically, this is particularly fortuitous for those who are making some personal decision, BUT it’s not exactly the time to put things “out there.” That we would say both because of Saturn’s very direct opposition and because Mercury has just gone retrograde.

So this is a time of planning - or working on something already in progress.

Lore for this degree refers to it as being particularly challenging. That goes with the Saturn opposition (like, to a headache-producing ‘t’!). And yet, with this degree (as with this Saturn opposition), we also get a message that whose who are willing to tackle the tough stuff and brave enough to persevere in a disciplined manner can really come out of these next few months way ahead of where they are now.

Mind you, this isn’t a slap-dash sort of effort we’re talking about; things undertaken or really ‘dug into’ now will like as not finish this phase of development come mid-August (2011).

Still…to look ahead, at that point, Mercury will again be in retrograde. So whatever you’re working on or towards, plan on it taking several ‘steps.’ In fact, if you can plan for phases (or steps in your plan) – so much the better!

But that’s not all that’s going on right now – no sirree bub! Not by a long shot! Or a short shot!

 A photo of March 19th (2011's) Perigee Moon behind

the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC

photo credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA

From 7:52pm through 8:55pm (UT/+0), Mars, calculated Lilith and Uranus will all be at 1 Aries, a degree which suggests enormous drive, a desire to be ‘first’ (or on top, or in control/power) and an ability to draw on (liberate, utilize, unleash) an enormous amount of energy.

IF you are someone in a position to be doing something about a problem, this may well mark a make-or-break moment of sorts. This can also be when an opportunity to fill a problematic void comes to light.

Other than that however, Mars and Uranus both being symbols of energy even without 1 Aries, this would appear to be a possible flash point – and one which society either doesn’t approve of or which is all about societal denial (that being the calculated Lilith part).

If you’re a frequent visitor to this blog you may also remember that when we did the monthly Dateblog overview I mentioned asteroid Lilith being about to go into retrograde. Well, this would be the moment when Lilith does just that.

Actually, considering that Lilith goes retrograde at 5:36am (UT/+0) that means that the asteroid Lilith turn to retrograde happens before the New Moon.

So…what does that mean? That means that the part of ourselves we really would rather not have to deal with is already in internalized flux when the New Moon forms up.

Does it mean anything that asteroid Lilith and calculated Lilith are both in this figure? Well, not exactly and yet…yes, entirely. What this amounts to is that it’s a double bind of blindness: both points refer to not wanting to see…call it “voluntary blindness,” which is otherwise known as denial.

The asteroid represents all those things we don’t want to know about ourselves where the calculated form of Lilith (which really has to do with Moon’s orbit around the Earth) is what we don’t want to see about society or that part of us society wants no part of.

So, with Saturn in opposition, especially in the relationship/agreement sign of Libra, we would really not be shocked if some really nasty scenes went down today.

Ah yes...maybe. And yet in the end the hostility we feel may not be 'about' the other person - at least not in the end. There are all those things we are just likely to get annoyed with because we don't want to have to think about them, much less deal with them!

One really good way around most of the difficulties presented by this figure is to be someone helping others in a really bad bind. Dealing with loss or difficulties would be a good use for this time – as would be taking a good solid look in the mirror and admitting that thing you really, really don’t want to admit.

Whatever you do, know this: Neptune is going to enter Pisces on the ‘morrow. That means that today is its very last day in the societal-economic-income-acceptance-elitist-anarchist-friendship-individuality versus unity sign of Aquarius.

It also makes it more than likely that all the 'Lilithian' energy here means that which isn't to anyone's liking isn't going to be heard.

Alas.

And there is also that this New Moon is perfectly poised to bring up that January 2011 Solar Eclipse we’re all so fond of.

(Not!)

With January’s eclipse metaphorically poised in a perfect square to the New Moon we know we are being given a challenge. But since Saturn is in exact opposition to this New Moon that eclipse is suddenly the ‘t’ in a t-square – and thus the image of a much bigger and broader dynamic.

It also suggests that (particularly those whose charts were aspected by that January eclipse) you are now at a ‘stepping stone’ point in a process which will not come to true fruition until 2014. But don’t relax now!

Considering the exactitude of all the signals, this is an important juncture – or at least one when you can get a very special insight or see how to take an important step forward in your life, or with regards to some project.

Because all the planets in this chart ‘feed’ back through their sign rulers to Mars – and Mars is in it’s own sign of Aries, we know that the most single critical issue in our world right now is who we are right now. And how we are living our lives.

That comes back to the basic Aries question: whether we are living life for ourselves or so that we can make the most of our lives – in a greater sense.

In the end, this is yet another opportunity to start anew, move on, or try, try again. What we do with that (as always!) is up to us!