Full Moon in Cancer

This is on Christmas day, around noon GMT.

The sun will be at 3 degrees Capricorn, the moon at 3 Cancer.

The Cancer-Capricorn polarity is about home and family life (Cancer) vs. outer achievement, career and persona (Capricorn). Private vs. public; the inner, emotional life vs. the outer persona. Vulnerability vs. control.

The moon is in her home sign in Cancer, so she's comfortable there. Plus she'll be well aspected at the full moon: harmoniously aspecting Neptune (compassion, emotional openness) and Mars (great emotional energy and force). So it might actually be possible to get along with your crazy family on this holiday so fraught with family tension.

I hope so. Best wishes to all.

But here's the inevitable doom part: Uranus and Pluto are squaring each other tightly, and Uranus will go direct later Christmas night – just as the moon moves into Cardinal t-square territory against those two heavies.

Be prepared for some kind of emotional eruption or jolt. Uranus direct provides the zap, and Pluto the deep, manipulative nastiness. Mercury in Capricorn is involved, so very harsh words may be said. Mars in Libra is also involved, amping up the irritation.

This comes post-Christmas dinner, when everyone's sitting around all semi-sloshed after their sherry trifle, exhausted from the effort of trying to stay civil. Perfect time for some nasty barb to be flung, or for some deep dark family secret to be aired.

This fraught atmosphere continues into the day after Christmas, as the moon moves to square Mars in Libra and oppose Mercury. Fighting words, words that can deeply wound.

Three of swords

I am not trying to be negative here – this is a heads-up. If you're aware this is the atmosphere, you can hopefully do something to mitigate it.

In this case, I think the best way to mitigate it is represented by Jupiter and the north node nearing conjunction in Virgo. Humility and attendance to little details; serving others. You could go into the kitchen and do the dishes. You could put all the leftovers in little goddamn color-coded Tupperware containers. You could bring the dog for a walk.

Mercury in tight-lipped Capricorn will also be harmoniously aspecting Jupiter, the north node and Venus – you can use this to communicate truthfully, practically and with kindness. Or you can just tell a lot of terrible jokes – this looks like a good influence for terrible jokes. Mercury in Capricorn has a way with deadpan absurdity.

Anyway, if you can't say anything funny (or helpful, or practical, or healing), you don't have to say anything at all. There's just no point.

There is the potential for truthfulness and deeply comforting talk with these aspects – but there's also a lot of emotional upset going on. So things could go either way – or both ways. With Uranus direct, you can expect some kind of shock. It might be liberating, if you keep it in perspective. But with the moon (emotions) under fire, it's likely to register as hurtful.

Regarding perspective (a theme now, with Saturn in Sagittarius): it has been a hell of a year, so maybe cut people some slack.

The calendar year kicked off with an incredibly intense full moon in Cancer on the 5th January, and the moon's monthly transits of Cancer since then (and really for a few years previous), have been a recapitulation of that energy – another kick to the gut, more or less – as she squares Uranus (shock) and opposes Pluto (death).

The final exact pass of the Uranus-Pluto square was back in March – so we are standing in a changed landscape now, for better or worse. There isn't any going back to how things were.

And then we had Saturn in Scorpio for 3 months this year, dragging us through some dark psychological debris. There isn't any unknowing what we've learned.

And then, late last month, we had the first round of the Saturn-Neptune square we'll be dealing with for the next year. The scales have fallen from a lot of eyes; the ground is dissolving beneath a lot of dreams.

There isn't much energy left for bullshit. It's safe to say, astrologically this has been a heavier year than most, and people are tired and shell-shocked. For many it's been hellish. Full of great gifts and surprises, sure – but the losses and betrayals have a way of impacting us harder.

And now the year is ending with another Cancer full moon on Christmas day, a day that holds the accumulated ghosts of Christmases past. It's bittersweet – an emotional summing-up of what this year has meant.

So I guess...the kinder we can be with each other, the better. The humbler and more honest we can be, the better. No one has had it particularly easy, and no one needs any more nastiness at this time.

But the nastiness will probably be pretty easy to come by. Easy to fall into, in a reflexive, emotionally reactive way.

Relationship planets Venus and Mars are both in signs where they don't function well: Venus in nuke-em-all Scorpio, Mars in passive-aggressive Libra. And the moon is under fire in Cancer, as we've seen.

And the south node – the place this story will tend to get stuck – is in Pisces. Which means it's much easier to sit around feeling depressed and victimised then to focus on what we can do practically to help others. Even though helping others and being grounded and practical is the exact way out of this morass of self-pity and chaotic emotion.

Granted, some scenarios have become untenable. There are some people you just don't need to have dealings with, whether they're family or not. If they're family, it makes everything harder – you might just have to suck it up and humour them this Christmas, but it sure doesn't mean you have to do it the rest of the time.

Hell, they might not like you either. Big deal – not everyone has to like each other.

Anyway, a shift is coming. Venus leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius on the 30th December, and this should lighten the relational friction up considerably. And then Mars moves to Scorpio, a sign he rules, on the 3rd of January.

And we will also have every planet in the sky moving direct! For the brief window between Uranus direct on Christmas till we start a Mercury retrograde on the 5th January – and then a Jupiter retrograde on the 7th – everything will be moving forward. So it's full speed ahead. New horizons are opening up.

So whatever emotional claustrophobia is going down this Christmas – remember it's fleeting. It's just a mood! Better days are coming. And you don't have to let yourself be dragged into it. You can go out to the kitchen and sort the recycling or something. Or make everyone watch “Airplane”.

New Moon in Sagittarius

This is on the 11th December, at 10:30 am GMT.

The sun and moon will be conjunct at 19 degrees Sagittarius. Sagittarius is a party kind of sign: buoyant, happy-go-lucky, generous, enthusiastic. So a new moon in this sign generally signifies a fun emotional tone, ushering in the festivities and happy excesses of the holiday season.

But the key word here is “excesses”. Sagittarius can be too much of a good thing. It can be inflated, impulsive, pompous, preachy and over-the-top.

And this new moon is tensely aspected, squaring Chiron in Pisces and Sagittarius's ruler, Jupiter in Virgo. So “too much of a good thing” is definitely a theme for the lunar month ahead. We have some big inflation (Jupiter) and delusion (Pisces) going on here.

Chiron in Pisces is about profound wounding and loss, and Jupiter in Virgo can be pedantic, small-minded, not seeing the wood for the trees. Having Jupiter harshly aspecting the new moon amps up the potential for the kind of over-the-top, socially callous and tactless behaviour Sagittarius is sometimes known for. And having Chiron involved amplifies the damage this can do – and with Chiron in leaky-boundary Pisces, damage control will be hard.

So you could make big, dumb mistakes that you'll have to live with forever. You could shoot yourself in the foot and have to hobble around on a wound that won't heal. You could find yourself with a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease, but people will think it's herpes and no one will kiss you again for a long time.

OK, so maybe I am exaggerating, Sagittarius-style here. But I don't think this is an easy new moon at all.

As an example of this energy: look at Donald Trump wrecking what's left of his reputation with his dumb, inflammatory remarks about Muslims. His idiocies are being disseminated widely, and every government in the world seems to be denouncing or barring him right now. And he appears to be too oblivious or pompous – or pleased with the attention – to care about how ridiculous he looks, or the damage he's doing to his (dubious) legacy.

And complicating things, we have the reality-dissolving, confusing Saturn-Neptune square fully in effect, making it hard to discern what is really going on here.

Like, is the man really that stupid? He couldn't be, right? He's a successful businessman, richer than God – you don't get richer than God by being stupid!

So is he mentally ill? Or shrewdly manipulating public opinion? Is there a hidden agenda here?

And do 35% of American voters registered Republican actually agree with him – can that really be true?! What is going on here??!!

Anyway, apply this combination of ideological self-righteousness, impulsivity, irremediable stupidity, ego and moral confusion to your own life, and you see the damage that can be done. Donald Trump is rich enough not to care about looking like a fool. Presumably he also enjoys the attention he's getting. Most of us are not in that kind of situation, so it's best to refrain from saying and doing bullheaded, inflammatory, impulsive shit.

Loose lips sink ships – and it will be your own ship you're sinking, here.

It all looks kinda hard, as we come up to the holidays and the kind of family tensions they entail. No one can push our buttons better than family – they're the ones who created those buttons. This new moon sets the tone for the holiday season, and I think just getting along with everyone and being civil this year will be an achievement!

Because in addition to the Chiron and Jupiter stuff outlined above, we have a very intense t-square happening in the cardinal signs. Uranus in Aries (personal anger and rebellion) is exactly opposite Mars in Libra (passive-aggression, underhanded violence in relationships), and both are squaring Pluto in Capricorn (corrupt old power dynamics).

The Uranus-Mars stuff is great for sudden explosions, accidents and violence – so please drive carefully this month and don't take unnecessary risks. Over-the-top, impulsive action is a big risk with this aspect – and we've already seen that this is a theme for this new moon.

The Pluto stuff heightens the intensity and trauma involved. Permanent endings. You want to be iced by someone, literally or metaphorically? You want a loss you'll never recoup? Run your mouth off. Spout your unconsidered opinion. Take a stupid gamble for short-term gain.

I'm thinking of Trump again. Has the man never heard of a fatwa?

Does he really think there are no consequences to his dopey pontificating?

Saturn (karma, consequences) is in Sagittarius, a sign that loves to pontificate, particularly about religion and ideology. And Saturn is squaring Mercury (thought, communication) in heavy, consequential, tight-lipped Capricorn. This is not a free-speech kinda vibe, AT ALL. This is a put-up-and-shut-up-or-else vibe. Your verbal diarrhoea will cost you, big time.

So yes, there are heavy consequences. Under these skies, the consequences look quite brutal.

I don't much care what happens to Trump, except insofar as he is an object lesson. But understand, these currents will play out in personal relationships.

Relationship planet Venus is in all-or-nothing Scorpio, which is ruled by Pluto and Mars – and as we've seen, Pluto and Mars are harshly aspected. And Mars is in relationship sign Libra, which is ruled by Venus. Neither of these planets are comfortable where they're at.

What it all means is: this intensity and violence will play out in close relationships over the next month, and it looks rocky. Associations will end over this stuff. Others will be renewed and transformed.

OK, so how to work with these skies in order to effect renewal and transformation? I think it all hinges on how willing people are to get over themselves.

1) Shut UP. Don't run your mouth off or make promises you can't keep. Keep your big important opinions to yourself. Omerta!

(This is courtesy of the Mercury-Saturn stuff, and also Saturn in Sagittarius, and also the new moon square Jupiter in Virgo. And Saturn square Neptune...because what the hell do you actually know for sure?)

2) Make art, have faith in the grand design, be compassionate and humble. Forgive and forget. Be the bigger person...like Melanie in “Gone With the Wind”.

 (This is courtesy of Venus in Scorpio exactly trine Neptune in Pisces – transcendent spirituality, forgiveness and compassion, even in the face of tremendous mistrust and pain. Also Mars in Libra – a drive to maintain civility and social harmony at all costs. Also Jupiter and the north node in Virgo: HUMILITY.)

3) To thine own self be true. Going your own way and doing your own thing and being resolutely yourself will be helpful at this time – no matter how weird it looks to others. You don't have to get engulfed in anyone else's drama, because you're free. Detachment and clarity are on offer; impartial truth and fairness are on offer. You really can choose to step away from the bullshit and not engage with it at all.

Like Miss Melanie above: she's not overly concerned about other people's notions of social propriety - just her own. And her unwillingness to feed drama defuses a potentially ugly situation. She stays true to her personal notion of what's right, AND she gets everyone else to go along with it. It's brave. She is not gonna throw Scarlett under a bus, though she has every justification.

(This comes via Uranus in Aries and Mars in Libra beneficially aspecting the new moon. Also Saturn in Sagittarius, which at best, takes the high road and the larger perspective.)

--Anyway, I think we have a doozy of a month ahead, with a full moon in Cancer on Christmas day, and Uranus direct later that evening. So anything you can do to stay away from drama (especially family drama), you should do. And if you can't, I guess being Melanie from Gone With the Wind is the best option, hard as that might be.

I mean, frankly I think this scenario sucks ass. I personally do not want to be Melanie from Gone With the Wind. But this is just how it is: this is how to fight the good fight now. Humility is how you prevail, under this sky. Jupiter (luck) and the north node (karmic imperative) are in humble, grounded, self-effacing Virgo, don't forget.

So to recap:

1) Keep your opinions and criticisms to yourself. Shut up already.
2) Be compassionate, forgiving and humble.
3) Detach from the drama. You CAN just walk away or refuse to engage. And you can also defuse it via number 2 above: compassion, forgiveness and doing what's right on principle. And attention to the little details of social etiquette.

Sounds simple, but I'm sure it won't be!

Happy holidays, folks.

*ps: I think I've made everything sound very dire! It's not all dire! This is a new moon in exuberant Sagittarius, beneficially aspecting Uranus and Mars. It's high-energy and madcap. There is really no reason not to be happy and have fun, no matter how dark things may look. Life is an absurd song-and-dance routine.

Full Moon in Capricorn

(Otherworld - Andrew Wyeth)

This is tomorrow, the 12th July, around 12:30 pm GMT.

Full moons signify culminations or endings. This particular full moon is a real exciting one, with an end-of-era feel about it. Big shifts are underway! It's a “one door closes, another door opens” scenario.

Specifically, the issues that are being wrapped up relate to old family issues, old emotional dependencies and baggage, old power hierarchies.

Some Morrissey. Don't much like this song, but it expresses the mood.

“Break up the family, let's begin to live our lives.”

Time to shut the door on something old and outworn in your life...some closet full of rotting family mementos and clothes you wore 10 years ago. Fiery new portals are opening all around: opportunities for new alliances, creativity and self-expression, fun and mayhem.

But you can't step through a fiery portal of fun and mayhem carrying all your old crap and your parents' old crap and their parents' old crap...that doesn't work.

So what is the story here? We have a cardinal grand cross again, but it's looser this time than the ones we've been dealing with all summer. So tension is still in effect, but it's starting to break up.

We also have a grand water trine involving the sun, Saturn and Chiron. It actually makes a kite formation with the sun-moon opposition as the axis.

So we are looking at jagged tension, drama and power struggles via the grand cross. But also inward emotional strength and deep feeling via the grand water trine.

Plus we have some madcap social stuff going on: Venus and Mercury in Gemini trining Mars and the north node in Libra. That's easy communication, mental energy, lots of romantic options, excitement.

All in all, a big weekend! If you have scores to settle, this is the right time to settle them. And hopefully without too much ugliness either. There'll be plenty of emotional restraint available, and shiny new doors opening for every door that's closing.

Underlining this theme of shifts and endings, we have three major shifts happening in the weeks after the full moon, leading up to a brash new moon in Leo on the 26th July.

First Jupiter switches signs, then Saturn goes direct, and then Mars switches signs. This is what I mean by new doors opening.

Let's look at these changes.

Shift 1: Jupiter moves from Cancer to Leo on the 16th July. This is huge! Jupiter has been in Cancer for a year, so the emphasis this past year has been on home and family stuff. Nurturing those closest to you, dealing with turbulent emotions, taking care of your nest, makin' babies, wiping snotty little noses, lying around on the couch eating comfort food and watching boxed sets, etc etc.

But now our faith / hope / luck (Jupiter) shifts to Leo, which is about self-expression, drama, creativity, fiery self-regard, fun.

What this means is for the next year, it's not about dealing with your crazy family and their issues anymore... We've done that for a whole damn year and now it's over for another 12 years, thank god. The emphasis for the next year is going to be on YOU and how freaking amazing and special you are. How you are making a unique work of art of your own life. That's where your luck is going to be at.

Shift 2: Saturn goes direct in Scorpio on the 21st July after a retrograde period that started in early March. Karma comes due and starts being a bitch again.

If you've done your Saturn in Scorpio work and cut away the deadwood in your life, this will probably come as a relief. If you are still hanging onto crap that no longer serves you, it will hurt.

Saturn in Scorpio is about a kind of emotional ruthlessness – with yourself first and foremost. It's about taking responsibility for your pain. There are trade-offs to be made here for the sake of survival...the stakes are very high.

It's like, if you're walking around with a gangrenous leg...you are going to have to amputate the leg, and it will hurt like hell, and you'll have to learn to live differently. But if you don't amputate, this rotten thing attached to you is going to poison and kill you. It's that stark.

For 'gangrenous leg', substitute whatever in your life you know is rotten or unsound – it could be a relationship, a habit or addiction, a way of thinking. Bite the bullet.

(That expression comes from the days when wounded soldiers were given a bullet to bite while undergoing amputations without anesthesia. Very apt here.)

Shift 3: Mars will leave Libra and enter Scorpio early on the 26th July. He has been in Libra (the sign of his detriment) since December of last year – 8 damn months already. (He usually spends around 2 months in a sign.)

This was a long time for the planet of raw male energy and war to be stuck in the sign of peace and social harmony....like forcing Mike Tyson to sit around drinking tea in a never-ending BBC regency drama. And his stay in Libra was made even more fraught by the cardinal t-squares and crosses he got involved in there. Just a very drawn-out and frustrating time.

Well anyway, that's nearly done and he's moving out... to Scorpio, which is more his style. We go from passive aggression, enforced politeness, metrosexuality and wussiness to...film noir. Mars in Scorpio is a private dick (ahem) out of film noir: obsessive, secretive, probing, boiling with concealed passion.

Here is Mars in Libra:

And this is what he looks like in Scorpio:

And I know which of the above pictures I'd be happier in, if I were Mars.

--So anyway, these big shifts are underway and you'll feel it. The full moon tomorrow represents the last stand of the issues we've been dealing with all this summer – and really since the start of the year. Look back to the new moon in Capricorn in January and think about what you've been slogging through since then. Time to draw a line under all that stuff and move on.

--OK, I could leave it at that, but I'll write a little more background on the full moon tomorrow. The sun at 20 degrees Cancer will be facing off against the moon at 20 degrees Capricorn. 

Capricorn is about the old order: the tried and true. Authority, stability, duty, responsibility, following the rules. And Cancer is about home and family, roots, nurturance, emotions, the past.

They are also about public life vs private life: Capricorn is the outward image or persona, and Cancer is the inner world. Career and worldly status vs. home and family life.

They are very 'parental' signs: Capricorn is patriarchal, and Cancer matriarchal. Ideally these polarities should work together: the point about polarities is they are two sides of the same thing, requiring each other. So Capricorn's rules and discipline can turn into cruelty if they don't originate from a Cancerian will to nurture and protect. And Cancer can get lost in emotional turbulence and sentimentality without a dose of Capricorn's restraint and pragmatism.

Anyway, Pluto in Capricorn is widely conjunct this full moon, meaning part of what's lit up here is the corruption and abuse underlying the old, patriarchal order. And the sun in Cancer is applying into a conjunction with Jupiter in Cancer, meaning truth (Jupiter) is on the private, emotional side of the equation. And these poles are bound into a grand cross involving Uranus in Aries (individual revolt) and Mars in Libra (fighting for justice).

We have been dealing with this scenario for awhile, and this is just another iteration of it. One way of translating it is to say that it represents a stand-off. The corrupt old forces of outer power / authority / respectability / status... vs. your own inner emotional truth.

Pretty tense. Again, Jupiter (luck) is on the side of the inner truth stuff, so I would pay attention to that. If you have some kind of stand-off in your life between what is expected of you, what you 'should' do and what you truly feel...well your own feelings are the thing to trust here, of course.

But with a caveat: restraint and an awareness of limits are called for. There are responsibilities to be attended to even if you don't like it.

The sun and Jupiter in Cancer are disposited by the moon in Capricorn, which represents emotional containment. Don't go spilling your messy emotions all over the place...now's not the time. Try to be realistic, pragmatic and disciplined about what you feel and what you need.

Bearing this out, we are moving into a conjunction between Mars in Libra and the north node, exact on the 14th. The story for the next few weeks is still about enacting a balance, fighting for fairness and right relationship.

A full moon is a balancing act really: you have two opposing themes (in this case Cancer and Capricorn) that must be reconciled. Hopefully in yourself: the point of all this astrology stuff is self-understanding. Otherwise you mindlessly play out one side of the equation and someone else comes along to play the other side and it's just a battle of puppets.

The real work is this alchemical thing of reconciling the opposites within yourself. This is tricky and takes a lot of awareness. And it's also always a work in progress: you have to keep at it forever. But ultimately there's no other way to be free.

With this full moon, we're dealing with these parental signs, Cancer and Capricorn, and a conflict between emotional truth and practical necessity. And then Jupiter moves from Cancer (which is about the undertow of childhood, mama and the past) to Leo (which is about the self, YOU in all your glory). And we have Saturn going direct in Scorpio, which is about the sloughing off of an old skin.

So I think the story here is about taking responsibility, becoming your own authority, your own parental figure – and that means you rely on what you know to be true deep down, not what the powers that be try to force down your throat. 

And also you get rid of the psychological baggage of the past: the stuff you can't bring through the fiery portal. Your granny's lovely tablecloths, moldering in the attic; your father's sense of inadequacy; your mother's rage; whatever. It's not yours and you don't have to carry it anymore. Something new is trying to be born - your life, maybe. 

(Yeah. Always.)

We are the sons of no-one, bastards of young!

And here is some Tsunami. I used to listen to this when I was a teenager. Sitting in my room, waiting for my real life to start - ha.  

New Moon in Aries

Ok, let's look at tomorrow's new moon - 30th March, around 7:30 pm GMT.

It's at 10 degrees Aries, conjunct rebel freak planet Uranus! Square Pluto in Capricorn and Jupiter in Cancer! I feel like putting exclamation points on the end of every sentence, looking at this!


(DIE ANTWOORD BREAK!!!)

So fun, so freaking scary. That's what this feels like. Big jolt of freak energy, teetering on the brink of mayhem.

New moons are about beginnings, and a new moon in Aries is about the start of something big. Woo, here we go! Yippie ki yay motherfuckers, it's spring! And everything is just shooting up out of the ground like, aaaargh, let me loose!

Aries is a cardinal sign: cardinal fire. The cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn) initiate action, and as the first sign in the zodiac, Aries kicks off everything.

It's the moment of birth: the moment where the baby finds itself suddenly clear of the constriction and anonymity of the womb. What a shock! A riot of new sensations: strange air on your skin, strange blurred forms all around you as you open your eyes for the first time and let out your first big yell of individuality:

“Aaaargh, here I am!! I, MYSELF, ME!!!”

Aries is about newness, excitement, raw enthusiasm - a headlong urge to begin something new; to set a new story in motion.

Ok, but here is the hard part – because there has to be a hard part. Birth is always hard...but these times are especially fraught: nothing is uncomplicated or innocent here. The birth we are looking at is an especially difficult and dangerous one, and as to what is being born, who the hell knows?

It's alive! God help us.

The fact is, we are headed for some shock and awe starting mid-April, and this new moon is the herald. This is the kickoff, the jolt of lightning that rouses the monster.

“Frankenstein” actually fits the themes of the current cardinal t-square between Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter very well. We have a mad scientist (Uranus) creating life out of dead bodies (Pluto)...and his poor hideous creation wants nothing but affection, acceptance, family – Jupiter in Cancer themes. But his efforts to attain these things only lead to heartbreak and violence. Everyone he tries to love either runs away in terror or gets accidentally killed.

Well “Frankenstein” is the worst case scenario, I guess. Maybe we can re-write it though...if we're brave enough not to run in terror from our monsters. They only need a little kindness, a little acceptance.

This new moon is disposited by Mars in Libra, and Mars is currently retrograde and opposing the lunation. In non-astrologese, what this means is it's all about relationships.

Aries and Libra are opposite signs...Aries is about selfhood, pure and simple, uncomplicated by the demands of relationship. But Libra is all about relating, marrying, creating harmony between the self and others.

These two polarities require balancing here. Aries energy on its own can be self-involved, arrogant, blunt and crude.

(Aries cake)

Libra, on the other hand, can be too diplomatic, too people-pleasing, so concerned with social correctness and politeness that the imperatives of the individual self are lost.

Clearly, these signs have something to learn from each other. Libra needs a bit of the fire and self-determination of Aries, and Aries could use a dose of Libra's social finesse and concern for the other.

With both the north node (the direction of the whole story) and Aries' ruling planet Mars, in Libra, the demands of right relation take center stage at this new moon. What we are looking at are the difficulties of balancing the needs and desires of the self in relation to others – especially in close, one-on-one relationships like marriages or partnerships.

And it's a difficult balance. There is a lot of emotional intensity, ambivalence and blockage here...especially with Mars retrograde. Covert tactics, passive aggression, power plays. An underlying drive for freedom, escape, self-determination; vicious argument as a form of communication and exchange. Belligerent posturing, undercover maneuverings. A hopeful new order being manipulated into abusive relationship with a corrupt old one... a revolutionary impulse co-opted, sold out, betrayed.

Prague spring.

On a collective scale, we are seeing the public desire for change coming up against entrenched, rotten old power dynamics. It's fraught and explosive. And the same themes apply in personal relationships...

This is about not selling yourself short, not throwing yourself away in relationships that are manipulative or abusive. Standing your ground, standing up for your right to live by your own standards. And figuring out how to reconcile this fiery self-focus with relationship...How to be yourself, and free, in the context of a relationship.

There is a definite gender theme here. Libra's ruling planet, Venus, is in Aquarius, trining Mars in Libra. Women are the movers and shakers in balancing the relationship equation: they will be the ones demanding change, unwilling to conduct relationships via the old rules, willing to abruptly walk out on situations where their needs aren't being met. Firebrands!

(That's a quote from Lady Lazarus by Plath on her back.)

Men will be more likely to be struggling to maintain control in the context of stale old patriarchal power dynamics. They are going to have to learn to work with women, and within a radically new set of relationship rules. Not easy, but the trine between Venus and Mars means it's definitely do-able... and it's what both parties actually want, deep down. They want to relate, and they want change and freedom in the context of relation.

Something very helpful here: Mercury in Pisces is conjunct Chiron, trining Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Scorpio and sextiling Pluto. What this means is resolution of these issues is available via communication. And it's a very specific type of communication: intuitive, compassionate, profound, emotional.

The speaking of old hurts and grievances in a way that does not accuse or lay blame on the other. And also nonverbal communication: music, art, poetry, gestures of empathy and kindness.

Giving the monster a flower...

But please keep in mind that this sort of thing is always a possibility when you're dealing with monsters:

And we all know how well this approach worked in disarming the military-industrial-partiarchal complex. Ha fucking ha.

Anyway, please keep in mind that despite the fact that nastiness is possible at this time, and can lead to outright war (like in 'Frankenstein' where a lynch mob forms after the monster drowns the little girl!), war can hopefully be averted via the recognition that we're not really separate; that we all need each other ultimately. The ability to empathise and put yourself in the opposing party's shoes (without letting empathy turn you into anyone's doormat) will get you far here. 

PS: re. the discussion of gender relations, what we're talking about here are archetypal 'masculine' and 'feminine' energies and gender roles, not necessarily physical genders! It's about the construction of those roles and necessary shifts within that rotten old structure.  

Full Moon in Cancer

This one's at 26 degrees Cancer on January 16^th, around 5 am GMT. 

And it's...not so bad. Really, ha. It's actually sort of nice! Provided you've been doing your work.

The moon will be in her own sign of Cancer, which is a very nurturing and motherly kind of vibe. And she will have just passed a conjunction with Jupiter in Cancer the day before, which is kinda like getting a cupcake from the universe. Or a big smoochy kiss. It's a fleeting influence, but sweet. 

The moon will be opposing the sun in Capricorn, which is widely conjunct Venus: so this story is still about having rock-solid standards in love and money matters. Making sure your commitments are solid. 

So basically we are looking at a very motherly, nurturing, cupcake-bearing emotional tone opposing the cold, bedrock reality of limits and standards. You can't always get what you want...

Oh crap, I'll play the song even though it's kind of hokey. You get what you need. 

Yeah, very appropriate for this full moon. (There's even a cake on the cover of the album.) 

Mars will be exactly squaring Venus in Capricorn later on the day of the full moon...so this theme of wants vs. requirements really does seem to be what we are looking at here. Mars in Libra wants one-on-one relationship, social harmony, social justice and fairness. And Venus in Capricorn requires solid investments and security. Something you can bank on. And the moon in Cancer is about hunger and sustenance.

What do you want; what is your heart set on? And is it something that can actually nourish you, or is it junk food? It's the full moon, so you will know: the issue will be all lit-up and in your face. 

Here is a link to hexagram 27 from the I Ching. It's about issues of right nourishment. 

http://deoxy.org/iching/27

There may be something you want that you just can't have. Or something you really want that you probably shouldn't have (another cupcake maybe?)

Maybe you're emotionally invested in something that just does not work in the real world. Or maybe you're involved in some unjust relational dynamics that need to exposed and weeded out. 

Saturn in Scorpio (karma coming due, especially regarding dark collective psychological patterns) will be hitting the sun, Venus, the moon and Jupiter with beneficial aspects, and this is a very steadying influence on the emotional tone. It should be possible to cut off any toxic or unworkable patterns this full moon exposes. It should be easier than usual to walk away from temptation, to stop doing what you know is bad for you, to dissociate yourself from shitty interpersonal dynamics. 

And because Mercury is in Aquarius and sextiling Uranus in Aries...you will probably find it easy to understand, in a fairly detached way, exactly what's going on. And to articulate it brilliantly and with great clarity! To issue your revolutionary manifesto in a very electrifying yet rational way.

I think if you've been doing your work and dealing with your shit (Saturn in Scorpio again), the skies at this time will really be on your side. You'll get back some sort of solid return on investment; you'll have laid the foundations of your security...and you'll probably be feeling pretty damn ok.  

If you've been lying to yourself and others, indulging what's worst in you, attempting to nourish yourself on toxins...well you'll get a solid return on those sorts of investments as well. It's harsh, but that's just how it is.

Something I'm seeing in my own life under these skies: there is a real theme of women being fed up with deeply ingrained cultural patterns of patriarchal power and abuse, and refusing to put up and shut up anymore. It's exhilarating. 

Jupiter in Cancer is some big fat female energy. And this full moon will be conjunct Lilith, a signifier of scary, socially unacceptable female power and rage. And these points are involved in the current cardinal grand cross, which is about rotten social structures that must be changed. 

So I think for women especially...speaking out about relational injustice, even if you're initially branded a crazy bitch for it (and you probably will be), is really important. We have Jupiter (luck, blessing, justice) on our side right now and we had better use it! 

This goes for gay men as well, and men who don't buy into the patriarchal worldview. The cardinal grand cross represents a window of opportunity or a portal to a different kind of world. We can actually instigate revolutionary changes in the collective via individual action these days...and that means fighting for justice on your own home turf, in your own life. Speaking out, making a fuss, being loud and troublesome if that's what feels necessary. And also banding together with other women and like-minded men for support.

Things only change when enough individual people are willing to stand up and challenge the collective undertow...even if that means being isolated at first. We have to value our personal integrity and the truth of our feelings and intuition more than we value fitting into social structures that are inherently rotten.

New Moon in Capricorn / Cardinal Grand Cross



by Tom Thomson

 
This one happens at around 11:15 am GMT on New Year's Day.

And holy crap, what is there to write about this kind of intensity? It's so stark.

Here is a Pavement tune for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9FYkXEFlE8

& another, while we're listening to Pavement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPeykShUVA

New moon in Capricorn conjunct Mercury and Pluto (deep, austere thought and communication). Opposite Jupiter in Cancer (big emotion), squaring Mars in Libra (social aggression, or a drive for relationship) and Uranus in Aries (individual revolt). It's a cardinal grand cross again, jagged and tense, demanding change.

What austere, difficult story is being initiated here? Is it about the beginning of an ending? Or the beginning of something absolutely true - all dross stripped away? All illusions burnt away.

A dream flayed alive, all stripped down like a winter tree... But surviving.

& this was on the other side of the Simple Machines 7" with that Scrawl song, so I'll include it. Holiday joy. Haven't heard these in a long time.

Yeah, it's Capricorn time again. Dark of the year, but with the promise of new light. The landscape in hibernation: stark and quiet, no frippery. The trees hoarding their light deep underground; enduring.

Earthly incarnation is hard going. That's the message of Capricorn...it's hard going and you will have to work for your security. And there will be times where you're stripped of everything but essentials, standing out in the cold wind and just holding on.

Capricorn is also about building something solid and reliable. Committement. What have you achieved this year...what can you build on? What are you committed to?

If you have committed to something unreliable, you'll know. With this cardinal grand cross in effect...you'll know because it will be battered to bits.

--Where I live, the winds were so high last night I thought the roof was going to fly off. It held.

But the same sort of testing is in effect with regard to relationships and investments of all kinds. Venus - ruler of love and money issues - is in Capricorn, demanding solidity.

And this lunation is disposited by Saturn, ruler of Capricorn. Saturn is about limitation. Duty, rules, karma...also fear, constriction, loss.

Saturn is in Scorpio now, so the karmic load is pretty damn heavy and dark. Not a lot of leeway here. We are facing into the consequences of collective patterns, not just our individual ones...and the changes required of us, especially in relationships, are profound.

Failing deep commitement and the will to relate profoundly, we are likely to see some shocking nastiness under these skies. People either get it or they don't. Either they're doing the work, striving for integrity and decency...or they aren't. It's that stark.

And the ones who aren't, you'll want to stay away from these days...they'll be loose cannons. If a person hasn't established some sort of bedrock ground to stand on via their words and actions...avoid them if you can, for your own safety.

People will be stressed and tense, overburdened and easily pissed off. And sudden violence is quite possible, given the Uranus-Mars opposition.

Sudden accidents are also likely, so drive carefully please!

Yeah...stark is the word for this new moon allright. But Jupiter in Cancer is also about faith and hope and emotional buoyancy. And Capricorn is about faith too. However dead and stripped-down the landscape looks...we are past the solstice, the days are getting longer. Grim endurance is not a permanent condition - soon enough it'll be spring again.

Happy New Year!

And no, it will not be an easy one. But we are getting used to this state of affairs by now, right? If we've come this far we can go the distance.

Here is a link to hexagram 32 from the I Ching. It's about enduring, persevering. Staying balanced amid the changes. It's a good hexagram for the skies at the minute.

http://deoxy.org/iching/32

by Toshi Yoshida