This is exact later today, the 19th February, just before 4 pm GMT.
The moon and sun will be at 0 degrees of Virgo and Pisces, respectively. 0 degrees of any sign is very concentrated and potent energy. In addition, the rulers of Virgo and Pisces – Mercury and Neptune – are nearly exactly conjunct in Pisces at this time.
It's a beneficial melding of Virgo and Pisces themes. Virgo is about cleanliness, order, health, routine and painstaking attention to detail, and Pisces is about spirituality and ego loss. So under this full moon we should be trying to find the holiness in the everyday – ordinary tasks like washing the dishes and taking out the garbage are inherently spiritual. Instead of hating and avoiding these everyday chores, you can approach them with attention, care and mindfulness. Getting your external house in order is a prerequisite to making internal spiritual progress – these things aren't separate.
There's a very transformational vibe to this full moon -- recall that we are still under the influence of the new moon in Aquarius two weeks ago, which was all about breaking free. It's no accident that Marie Kondo's show about decluttering is one of the most-watched things on Netflix at this time, and it fits the symbolism of this full moon precisely.
Now is a perfect time for internal or external spring cleaning and you can make great progress in whatever you set out to do. The full moon is beneficially aspecting Mars and Uranus, which are conjunct. This is like having some rocket fuel behind you, and as Mars is in Taurus, it's a slow and steady burn. Once you get started, you can carry through to the end and achieve a transformation, however enormous the task looks at the beginning. Just start.
We also have Venus, Saturn and Pluto conjunct in Capricorn at this time, which is about solid value in love and money matters. It's not an easy or feel-good influence, but it's definitely something you can use. All this Capricorn can be pretty ruthless about weeding out what is not essential, be it a possession, a situation, a habit or a relationship. Focus on keeping and maintaining only what supports your constructive growth. Remove your energy from what you know to be toxic or stagnant, and if that means allowing certain relationships to die, so be it.
At this full moon, it's important to remember that the motto of the Virgo-Pisces axis is “serve or suffer” - both signs need to serve something larger than the ego or they're prey to a lot of self-involved angst. With Virgo, the angst takes the form of endless worrying and nitpicking; with Pisces it's emotional turmoil and addiction. The way out of this angst is to do something practical and/or to help someone else. It's a pretty foolproof formula.
We are heading into some heavy Pisces influence over the next month, so please keep this formula in mind. Also, it's a good idea to avoid boundary-dissolving substances such as drugs, alcohol and fairy-tale romance. We'll have a new moon in Pisces on the 6th of March, with Uranus re-entering Taurus on the same day for extra weirdness. We'll also have a Mercury retrograde in Pisces beginning the day before the new moon, and running till the end of March. The Mercury retrograde will end on the 28th March, with Mercury exactly conjunct Neptune as he is now.
I think you put it all together and March looks like a real head-melting scenario, with a lot of weirdness going down around Mercury themes especially (that's thought, communication, travel, vehicles, appliances, trade, infrastructure, Brexit talks, etc). So the more you can get things streamlined, clear and functional at this time, the better prepared you'll be for the topsy-turvy weirdness ahead.
Calmly observing the primordial swamp from a progress-oriented vantage point
Cutting oneself free of old patterns and conditioning
To thine own self be true
This is tonight, the 27th August at 8:22 pm UTC.
So here we are at the big blood moon. Longest eclipse of the century so far, a super-moon (meaning closer to Earth than usual), and conjunct a Mars that is halfway through his retrograde period and closer in his orbit than he's been since 2003. It's a big deal.
I don't really know where to start with regard to this thing. The strings of the whole chart are pulled so tight – like a bow string, or a loaded gun. The moon is nearly exactly conjunct Mars on the south node, the sun is nearly exactly conjunct the north node in Leo, and Uranus in Taurus squares both poles at a tight angle. This is a fixed t-square - pretty uncomfortable, a bunch of immovable objects facing off against irresistible forces. Something's gotta give.
With Uranus so heavily involved, expect the unexpected. Whatever comes, shock will be involved. It may really be a liberation, but it won't necessarily feel like one -- it looks abrupt and uncomfortable.
Mars in Aquarius is squaring Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius. This is a blitzkreig aspect – sudden accidents and explosions of violence are more likely. Please be careful operating machinery and driving, and be careful around electrical equipment.
Also, stay away from angry, aggressive people if you can, and try to avoid being one. With Mars and the moon on the south node in Aquarius, the path of least resistance is cold rage and abrupt, emotionally detached violence – kinda psychopathic really.
The sun on the north node in Leo points the correct way forward: creativity, self-expression, generosity, good humour, playfulness, heart. These qualities may be harder to access than usual at this time, but it's important that you at least try to access them in order to avoid acting like a total psycho.
There is also a theme of maintaining personal authenticity in the face of group dynamics – acting from your core individuality instead of going along with the crowd. Being true to yourself is pretty much impossible if you're preoccupied with how you appear to others. The task here (and always) is to become your authentic self, not a curated persona. The ways in which you are not true to yourself are likely to be cast in sharp relief about now.
Authentic self-expression may be blocked or difficult, as we're dealing with a Mercury retrograde in Leo as of yesterday (26th July), and running till the 19th August. As always, I'd advise using blockage to look inward. Introspection is a prerequisite for true authenticity and self-expression, and you can use this Mercury retrograde to connect with what you truly think and feel, even if expressing it properly is tough at the moment. (Also, hold of signing documents and formalising commitments with Mercury retrograde, and expect the usual issues with travel and communications.)
Full moons are about culminations and endings, and a lunar eclipse is a full moon, only more so. So be prepared to say goodbye to something at this eclipse. Given the Uranian influence, something may be abruptly removed. Please remember that what feels like loss may actually be liberation: one less thing to carry around and worry about.
Radical minimalism is one of the themes of Uranus in Taurus: the less baggage you're carrying, the more room you'll have to manoeuvre, and the more space you'll have for the new to enter your life. It's all about making space for the new this year: we are in the process of building new operating systems based on greater personal authenticity, because following the same old patterns no longer works. This is for everyone, across the board -- and this eclipse serves that imperative.
I think we're looking at a great opportunity here to cut ourselves free of old conditioning and pathologies. Remember we are still in Cancer lunar cycle, and the new moon solar eclipse in Cancer two weeks ago was about the death or transformation of unhealthy old emotional patterns and family dynamics. Aquarius, unlike Cancer, is emotionally detached and focused on the future.
So at this eclipse, we are facing an inward turning-point, where we can finally look dispassionately at the baggage we're still carrying around and drop what needs to be dropped, in the interests of moving forward. There is unlikely to be much point in dwelling on your hangups any further, unless you really enjoy doing that. But it'll keep you stuck! If you're interested in progress, you can use this eclipse to cut and clear.
At best, it looks like a kind of emotional shock-therapy – liberating, but not exactly comfortable:
Intense as this blood moon is, it really does look like an inward realization kinda vibe to me: coming to terms with reality and understanding how to move forward. We are dealing with a lot of retrogrades at the moment, so you can't expect much progress in the outer world, though you may have great clarity about where you're supposed to be aiming.
On a collective level, some intense reckonings with bedrock reality are underway. On a personal level I think this is all about being true to yourself. Your authentic core self, your essence – not your socially constructed self.
We'll round out eclipse season with a new moon partial solar eclipse in Leo on the 11th August, which underscores the theme of personal authenticity.
Per Shakespeare:
“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man”
It's a big deal. Something is bound to be shifting for you at a very basic level about now, and the effects are going to be long-term. You are not going to be able to stay stuck in the same old ruts. And collectively, the events unfolding now will have long-term consequences.
This new moon is all about Uranus, planet of shock, revolution and upheaval. Uranus is changing signs within 3 hours of the new moon, from Aries into Taurus. Uranus changes signs roughly every 7 years, and the odds that he'll be changing signs at nearly the exact time of a new moon in the sign he's shifting into is... wildly improbable, to say the least. The universe is being pretty heavy handed with its symbolism here. And the symbolism is of a thorough-going shake-up of an established order.
Then the day after the new moon, Mars shifts signs into Aquarius, the sign Uranus rules. His first order of business in Aquarius is perfecting his square with Uranus in Taurus – it will be exact at 0 degrees of each sign. More heavy-handed symbolism – and here we are dealing with a shock to the system, a bolt from the blue, a trigger event. A Mars-Uranus square is liable to be explosive, aggressive and abrupt: it's a blitzkreig aspect. And here it acts as the starting gun that sets off Uranus's rampage through Taurus - or the red rag to the bull, if you like.
Taurus is habitual, slow-moving, conservative, attached to comfort / possessions and resistant to change (but implacable once set in motion). Uranus, in contrast, is a live wire, very erratic and unpredictable, chaotic, uncomfortable by nature – and he demands change. So the transit of Uranus through Taurus is likely to set the ants loose in your pants. Over the next 7 years, we are going to be dealing with disturbances and abrupt shifts to our finances, our work, our values, our habits, our possessions – everything we cling to for a sense of security in this world. Shocking reversals of fortune are likely. Unpredictable political changes and environmental shifts are also likely.
I think it's a good idea to streamline and get rid of stuff you don't need in preparation for this – radical simplicity is one way of making this energy work for you. It's also a good psychological tactic, as the less you're holding on to, the less you'll have to lose and the easier it will be to maneuver.
You probably already have a pretty good idea of what this is about for you and are itching for change in some sector of your life. We had a Mercury-Uranus conjunction at 29 degrees Aries on the 13th May, just ahead of this crazy new moon. The moon in Aries was also involved, and everything was squaring Mars in Capricorn. And all this represents an intense lightbulb moment, a newsflash, a surge of tremendous irritation and insight. So I'm sure you know by now what has to change.
But it's one thing to know what you want to be free of and to open up space in your life for something new – it's another thing entirely to build a new operating system, from the ground up. That's the challenge we're looking at this new moon, and for the forseeable future. Thankfully, the sun and moon will be beneficially aspecting Mars and Pluto in Capricorn, which should be very good for making long term, practical changes. Whatever is set in motion at this new moon should have long-lasting effect and staying power.
There'll be plenty of impatience and irritation as Mars squares Uranus, but please try to keep things slow and steady. Also, with Mars square Uranus, please be careful around electronics and while operating machinery or driving. Sudden accidents are more likely at this time.
We'll have a full moon in Sagittarius on the 29th May, and it looks quite confusing and unsettled. I guess that's fitting after the Uranian shocks of the new moon – people will be rattled, and it will be hard to know what's true. Lunations along the Gemini-Sagittarius axis usually have to do with information, communication and truth vs. falsehood, and the full moon is no exception. But amid all the fried neurons and crossed wires, you'll have a strong ally in the form of your intuition. We have a grand water trine forming between Venus in Cancer, Neptune in Pisces and Jupiter in Scorpio, and it will be operative around the time of the full moon. It looks like a soulful, soothing influence in a jangled-up period. I'll write about it closer to the time.
The sun in Taurus will be facing off against a Scorpio moon.
Taurus wants to hold on to comfort and possessions. It's a rooted, habitual kind of energy. Scorpio, in contrast, wants purgation, intensity and transformation. So there's a conflict at work every Scorpio full moon, between holding on to the past and letting go. It's like a cicada leaving its old, flightless shell to take up a new airbourne existence – not a comfortable or easy process, but necessary. You can't move into the future if you've one foot stuck in the past. Something has to be shed and left behind for good.
This full moon, the Scorpio side of the equation – purgation, intensity and transformation – are definitely the way to go. It's all about letting go of the past in order to have space for a different, more authentic future. There is a theme of ruthless, extremely pragmatic culling going on. Whatever in your life is superfluous or non-viable has got to go, so you can channel your energy toward what you really value and want. Building and maintaining something of real, solid value in your life will take all the energy and commitment you have, and you can't afford to waste energy on people, things or situations that drain your resources. You have to erect boundaries around what you care about and defend those boundaries.
Scorpio is all about energy exchanges, particularly psychological ones. These dynamics are hard to quantify, but easy enough to discern on a physical, gut level: if an exchange leaves you feeling depleted or queasy, something is off. The energy balance has to be righted or the dynamic won't be tenable long-term.
It's very useful to do a cost-benefit analysis of relationships and situations at this time: what kind of energy do you get back for the energy you invest (and this applies to work, as money is a form of energy); is it an equal exchange or does it leave you feeling consistently drained and used? If a draining, parasitic situation can be transformed, this is your moon for trying to put the energy balance right. If it can't be transformed, it must be amputated from your life – and this is your moon for amputating. You'll know in your gut what needs to be done, and it will be all-or-nothing. Trust that instinct, cut cleanly and don't look back. There isn't a lot of room for sentimentality here, and odds are, you won't be feeling sentimental.
The cost-benefit analysis can be done on your bad habits, addictions and internal pathologies as well. That stuff is non-viable by definition, and this is a great time for getting to the root of it and cutting it out.
Scorpio's rulers, Mars and Pluto are conjunct in Capricorn at the time of this full moon. This is a very violent, ruthless, dangerous energy, and caution is advised, especially around conflict scenarios. An argument can escalate into a fight to the death under this aspect. Fortunately, it's in beneficial aspect to Jupiter in Scorpio, which rewards deep psychological excavation work. I think this is the best use of the energy, but you can definitely use it to achieve big in whatever area of your life you want to focus on.
We'll also have the Scorpio moon beneficially aspecting Saturn in Capricorn - so all in all, we are looking at a lot of helpful Saturn-Pluto action. It means that what's been hidden under the surface will come to light in all its ugliness and corruption, but that unearthing will feel necessary and beneficial - even cathartic. It will be very hard for us to lie to ourselves about what's actually going on in our lives, or to cover shitty situations in a haze of pretty sentiment. The truth will be laid bare, and uncomfortable as this may feel, the truth is what will set you free.
I think this is a fantastic scenario – very liberating. But if you're heavily invested in your ego, it's sure to be painful. In fact I think being too heavily invested in anything is not a good strategy at this time, because we're in for a thoroughgoing shake-up where fortunes can reverse in an instant. If you have all your eggs in one basket and that basket gets knocked over, what then?
The shake-up is fast approaching. Uranus will move into Taurus at the new moon in Taurus in two weeks' time. A few hours later, Mars will move into Aquarius, in exact square to Uranus in Taurus – this presages sudden, blitzkreig shocks and accidents, so please drive carefully and be careful around machines and electrical wiring.
On a more internal level, the stage is set for sudden, life changing insights into the nature of reality; lightning mental revolutions and breakthroughs; sudden reversals of stuck mental ruts; brilliant discoveries. It looks exciting, but we should all be prepared for some unexpected, and maybe unwelcome, shock and awe. Uranus in Taurus will shake our stolid certainties and complacencies right out from under us.
So I think it's a good idea to get on board with this energy in advance, and use this uncomfortable, powerful full moon to cull what's no longer viable in your life. If you're actively moving toward transformation, you're less likely to feel victimized by sudden change. It'll be easier to maneuver.
Katy Perry, your silly song expresses the feeling of this new moon better than I can.
It's tomorrow, the 23rd July, at about 10:45 am GMT and it looks pretty fabulous to me. A major energy-shift after the work-life conflicts and heavy emotional baggage of Cancer lunar cycle.
Leo is about romance, childlike enthusiasm, creative self-expression, ego, bling! It's fun, shiny and a bit over the top. A new moon in Leo is a great time to do something dramatic with your hair, redefine your self-image in some way, or start a new creative project. It's also a great time for starting a new romance, making babies, launching a big idea.
For this new moon, the sun and moon will be conjunct at 0 degrees Leo, which is pretty dramatic in itself. But they're also tightly conjunct Mars in Leo, which adds some self-assertive firepower!
Plus the sun, moon and Mars square rebel planet Uranus in Aries, giving this new moon an abrupt, explosive element – it's a kind of breaking point. What comes to mind is someone who's felt undervalued or slighted for a long time, finally getting the courage to break out and assert their own will and desires.
As this is a square, there is the possibility of a destructive outcome to this, so please exercise a bit of caution. Keep your outrage in check. With Mars square Uranus, there is also the danger of sudden accidents, so please be aware of that too, especially when driving or operating machinery.
Leo is heart-centred and concerned with romance, and there are some difficult things going on in regard to that right now. Love and money planet Venus is in Gemini, where she is a bit of a flitterer, hard to pin down. Venus in Gemini is about multiple choices and a desire for communication, stimulation and variety, especially in close relationships.
But Venus is currently opposing retrograde Saturn in Sagittarius, which acts like a big concrete barrier to those desires. It puts me in mind of a butterfly caught in a net. Saturn in Sagittarius is about walking your talk and laying solid foundations for the future. What this says to me is, there are actually not multiple options here. There's a right path and a wrong one, and the flitterer will be brought down to earth.
This Venus-Saturn opposition is difficult, speaking of blockages, delays and deprivations in love and money matters. It is exact the day after the new moon, so I think there are hard choices to be made here – this is a crossroads really.
We also have a square between Jupiter in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn in play. This aspect is exact on the 4th August, and it speaks of deep-seated power struggles, especially in relationships.
So all in all, the month ahead is not so easy on relationships – there are definitely some kinks to be worked out.
The big question here is, what do you really want? What makes you feel truly alive, not merely surviving? What would it mean to live from your heart? Who and what do you love?
And the way through is about expressing what's in your heart: your love, your conviction, your desire, your creativity, your individuality. Everything in the sky right now points to Leo. We have Mercury in Leo conjunct the north node, meaning the way forward is all about creative, dramatic self-expression. This is not the time for hiding under a rock.
So launch your big ideas with a bit of flair and showmanship. Speak your truths with confidence and pride. If you've been feeling low and under-appreciated, this is the right time to assert your sparkly fabulousness. You're not a doormat or a drudge, you're a one-of-a-kind event. There will never be another you.
This new moon is important, as it sets the stage for eclipse season, a time of accelerated change and intensity. We will be dealing with these Leo themes for the next two months.
In two weeks we'll have a partial lunar eclipse in Aquarius, a culmination of the issues opened up under the new moon. And then on the 21st August, we'll have the main event: another new moon in Leo, this one a solar eclipse (also known as the Great American Eclipse, as it will be visible from a band across the US.)
So clearly, these days the sky is hammering home these Leo themes of creativity, pride, romance and joy. Look at where your life is lacking in these qualities, where you feel like an unloved, unappreciated drudge – and use those feelings as a marker for what needs to change. It's time to be a bit selfish and focus your energy on what really makes you happy.
It's an annular (“ring of fire”) solar eclipse - the second and final eclipse of this eclipse season. The next round of eclipses won't be till August. Eclipse season represents a time of supercharged change.
Pisces, as the last sign of the zodiac, has to do with endings – and we have a big stellium in Pisces right now. But new moons are symbolic of new beginnings, and we also have a very charged-up stellium in Aries, which is about birth.
So the symbolism here is very much about death and rebirth – endings and beginnings. We are looking at permanent endings here, but we are also looking at fiery, supercharged new beginnings. One door shuts for good, another door opens.
OK, that's all very well, but the death-and-rebirth process this new moon ushers in is unlikely to feel clear-cut. There may be intense delusion / nostalgia / confusion / deception going on, making it hard to know what the hell is happening.
Or else the true import of what's happening may be clouded or hidden – we'll look back and say “this marked the turning point!”, but it'll be impossible to understand it in the moment. The meaning will only come clear in hindsight.
That's because the eclipse is happening close to the south node. And the south node in Pisces is very swamplike – we are vulnerable to all kinds of self-deception, delusion and addiction here. Also illness: Pisces dissolves boundaries, allowing energy to leak out and contagion to leak in.
Having the sun and moon near the south node in Pisces indicates delusive egotism (sun) joined up to emotional hypersensitivity (moon). Plus the sun and moon are conjunct Pisces' ruler Neptune, which further confuses matters. And Mercury, which has to do with our minds and communication, is newly in Pisces too, and tied up with the eclipse. Meaning our brains are going to be underwater, and not too helpful in reasoning us through this or parsing truth from falsity.
Put it all together and it's a recipe for mind-fuckery, victim shit, deceit, muddled thought, addiction, self-delusion, stagnation, depleted reserves and generally feeling like crap. I could try to put a better spin on this – Pisces can be beautiful, dreamy, magical, spiritual energy. But in the context of this new moon, it doesn't look so pleasant. It looks like a big leaky mess.
Don't believe everything you hear. We are sure to be lied to and emotionally manipulated on a grand scale this month, and it's going to be hard to know whose version of reality to trust. Focus as much as you can on what you know to be factually true – and steer clear of reasoning that is informed by wounded emotion, unverifiable beliefs or sentimental nonsense. I expect it'll be easier said than done.
Don't believe everything you think or feel either. Try to fact-check yourself and to take a broader view than the personal. The risk of self-delusion here is high. (One particular danger is of using victim shit as a smokescreen: people will be taking on the mantle of outraged victimhood in order to minimise or excuse their own bad behaviour.)
Also, please be very careful with boundary-dissolving substances (alcohol, drugs) and addictions – you can fuck yourself up much more severely than usual at this time – and maybe irreparably.
That's because in addition to the Pisces south node stuff, we have some ultra-violence going on in the sky: a cardinal t-square between Pluto in Capricorn, Jupiter in Libra and Mars and Uranus in Aries. Sudden shocking accidents are likely. Things can turn in a second and there'll be no going back – remember we are dealing with permanent endings here. So unless you want to blow-torch your life, extreme caution is advised.
This cardinal t-square is tough. Mars conjuncts Uranus the day after the new moon, and both exactly oppose Jupiter in Libra. It looks like an abrupt breaking point – for relationships especially.
I could view this more positively, as a psychological breaking point for relationship hangups and dysfunctional patterns. I do want to look at it positively! Maybe you'll get free of something that's been weighing you down forever.
Positive or negative though, it looks uncomfortable. It involves Mars, who is impetuous and violent, and Uranus, who is abrupt and shocking. Jupiter in Libra may moderate these two or inflame them, we'll see. But the scenario reminds me of the story about the straw that broke the camel's back.
“Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge...”
Not pushing people when they're close to the edge is a good idea here!
Anyway, please be careful this month. Be careful driving. Be careful drinking. Be careful drinking and driving. Be careful with machinery and electricity. Don't plug anything in while you're sitting in the bath. Keep your wits about you and try to avoid stupid drama. That won't be so easy, with Mercury zoning out in Pisces – but please try. These are dangerous days. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, etc.
This emphasis on caution is reiterated by our Venus retrograde, which starts on the 4th March. She'll move backward from 13 degrees Aries toward 26 degrees Pisces, resuming direct motion on the 15th April.
This is a rare enough event – it happens about every other year. It's a time for evaluating our relationships and thinking about what we really value. Powering full steam ahead in love or money matters is not advised until the retrograde ends.
Because this retrograde takes Venus back into square aspect with Saturn in Sagittarius, it will probably involve a depressing sense of blockage, delay and deprivation – especially around mid-April. Don't try to push your way though. Blockage, delay and deprivation are absolutely real here, but also unavoidable. Also relatively temporary, so there's no point freaking out! You can work with the reality instead of getting depressed about it.
OK, and while we're talking about working with reality - I know I've been harping on about the north node in Virgo for ages, but it's very important - especially at this confusing mess of a new moon. This is no time to slack off on the Virgo stuff.
Virgo stuff is about taking care of everyday tasks, sticking to routines and health regimens, attending to details, doing the mundane stuff that needs doing daily. Also helping others as much as possible, and keeping our minds on what's practical. Right now, that's our path through the fog.
Service, discrimination, humility, pragmatism, attention to reality! Virgo stuff can actually be lifesaving as we head into the atmosphere of swirling deception and rage that characterises the month ahead – so please keep doing your Virgo, as much as you can. Even if the most you can do is wash a few dishes. It's not nothing. It's grounding and it helps.
The sun and moon will be conjunct at 8 degrees Aquarius, and not strongly aspecting anything else. So this is kind of a jolt.
Aquarius is about newness, upheaval, shock, revolution. We are getting an overdose of that stuff these days. This new moon opens a month where we're set to get zapped some more.
I probably don't need to tell you that all this turbulence is more gut-churning than exhilarating. We're all feeling it. It is profoundly disorienting and destabilising.
Like this over and over...
But please remember - it is necessary. Change is demanded, and change is the opposite of being comfortable.
Anyway, this is another not-exactly-feel-good new moon. Venus is conjunct Chiron in Pisces, which is achy-breaky-heart stuff to the max. It looks like a deep sense of loss to me, or dreams that feel impossible to realise. And as Venus has to do with values and finances as well, we are also looking at broken ideals and money suckage.
Compounding these themes, Venus will be squaring Saturn exactly at the new moon. This is about harsh limitations in love and money matters – what you want may be blocked or delayed in some way, or denied outright. Or a relationship or financial situation may not live up to expectations.
So we are looking at deflation, depletion and a sense of let-down: our dreams and ideals don't match up to cold reality and it's painful. SAD.
(The Venus-Saturn square hits DT hard, by the way. I don't suppose he's feeling so great these days. The harsh realities of his new dream job are probably becoming clear to him...and I bet he's feeling more than a little unloved.)
On the plus side of Venus-Chiron-Saturn, it can be good to know exactly where you stand. It's reality, and it's something solid you can work with. Just don't expect it to feel good!
Troublingly, the collective mood is about to shift from disappointment, confusion and inertia – to action and rage. Mars is on the very last degree of Pisces at the time of this new moon – traditionally one of the most unlucky degrees of the zodiac, associated with death, permanent endings and self-destruction. Those associations will persist in phantom form through the month ahead, as this is happening at the kickoff point of the new moon.
But a few hours after it, Mars shifts signs and enters 0 degrees Aries – the Aries point, the explosive start of the whole zodiac. And this looks like an upwelling of energy and aggression to me – one that will intensify in the collective over the next month as Mars moves toward Uranus in Aries. The Mars-Uranus conjunction will be exact on the 26th February, and exactly opposing Jupiter in Libra as well, with both these poles squaring Pluto in Capricorn. We'll also have Venus in Aries as of the 3rd February.
So very soon and quite suddenly there will be a lot of cardinal fire in the sky – and this means energy and fury. I think we are bound to see some shocking expressions of collective rage here. Staying balanced, civil and nonviolent in an atmosphere of upheaval is going to be a major task.
Speaking of Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter – they have been in cardinal t-square formation since November, and this is not going away for a while. Jupiter stations retrograde in Libra on the 5th February, keeping him in hard aspect to Uranus and Pluto into April. Not only does this intensify the harshly transformative effects of Uranus and Pluto, it acts as a constant strain on our goodwill and our ability to be civil toward others.
A cardinal t-square is a stressful aspect pattern that demands change and adaptation – in this case, the changes are seismic, profound and explosive. That's obviously where we're at, at this new moon in the sign of revolution.
For this the new moon, Mercury in Capricorn will be involved in the t-square, conjunct Pluto. This conjunction will be exact on the 29th January, and it's about bedrock, ugly truths coming to light – despite people's attempts to pretend we are “post-truth” and facts no longer matter. Lies and liars will be outed this month, likely in shocking fashion.
We'll know more at the full moon in Leo on the 11th February – and the weeks leading up to that look very intense. But whatever happens or is revealed, be aware that we're in for a bumpy ride. Change is what people want, and change is what they'll get. But the pace and intensity of change is something no one can predict or control. February is a wild horse.
You'd do well to harness this energy in order to make necessary transformations in your life - in a very systematic, pragmatic way. Remember we'll have the north node in quiet, disciplined Virgo till May. The way through the chaos is still about humility, taking care of practical details and serving others.
So please keep doing your Virgo! And your Jupiter in Libra as well, which is about being generous, balanced, polite and fair in our dealings with others. Staying civilised in the midst of uncivility, in other words.
It will be hard, when all you want to do is punch a fascist.
Unfortunately, the sky does indicate that punching fascists is not the way forward right now. As ever, when dealing with Aquarius, it's worth asking yourself: "What would Spock do?" (Spock - calm, humanitarian, rational and detached - is my idea of the perfect avatar of Aquarian energy.)
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?
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.
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.
“but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death.”
As of today (20th December), we have 3 planets in Capricorn: Venus, Mercury and Pluto, all conjunct and squaring Uranus in Aries and the north node in Libra. We also have Capricorn's ruler, Saturn, on the last minutes of the last degree of Scorpio.
This is intense heaviness and seriousness. A profound reckoning is coming due. Capricorn and Saturn are about commitment to earthly reality, perseverance, work. Sobriety and absolute realism. What's before you may not be easy, but the path will be coming clear now...
Venus conjuncts Pluto exactly later today, and squares Uranus. The sextile between Mars in Aquarius and Uranus in Aries is also nearly exact.... This stuff is about endings, final ruptures – also commitments. Breaking with the past and starting anew.
The Venus-Pluto conjunction is difficult, and might involve the ghost of Christmas past rising from the grave and shimmying around in front of you beguilingly. Dead loves come back to fuck with us under Venus-Pluto aspects, and you have to beware – remember what's dead is dead for a reason. “The best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour”, per Dr Phil.
But there is such a counterbalancing push for the new at work - I don't think the ghosts are going to be able to do much damage. This looks more like a summation or final reckoning than a scenario where you get pulled back into past patterns.
The death-and-rebirth symbolism of the next few days is extraordinary. One door is closing forever, another door is opening. It's profound and it may be very painful - but it must be accepted. We are dealing with reality here, which is as it is, not as we might wish it to be.
Tomorrow (21st December) is the winter solstice: the darkest day of the year, but also the moment when the light begins to return. It's marked by the moment the sun enters Capricorn, which this year happens at around 11 pm (GMT). At around the same time we have Uranus (revolution and liberation) going direct in Aries, a sign representative of birth and new beginnings. This is a big jolt of light amid darkness – a significator of intense change. It's really beautiful and hopeful.
Then we have the new moon a few hours later, as the moon enters Capricorn. 22nd December, around 1:30 am GMT, 0 degrees Capricorn. New moons represent new beginnings – in Capricorn, we see the beginning of something austere, true, reliable. The symbolism here couldn't be clearer or more stark – or more beautiful. Like the face of the Madonna del Parto above: she looks like she knows exactly what she's getting into.
This is the 3rd in a series of 0 degree new moons – we are moving from possibilities (Sagittarius) to realities (Capricorn) here. This is the door opening into a new world. It might not be the life you've dreamed of, but it will be something you can trust – it will be credible.
Hope and change we can believe in. (Ha. Black humour. Black humour is very Capricorn.)
Then, the next day (23rd December), Saturn changes signs – from Scorpio, where he has been for the past 2 years, to Sagittarius. Because Saturn moves so slowly, a sign-shift is a momentous occasion.
Saturn is about limits, karma, duty, responsibility. He rules Capricorn, and we will have a total of 5 planets in Capricorn as he shifts signs. And this is all about the concrete solidifying on the road ahead.
Saturn in Scorpio was about dealing with our psychological shit, and it was not an easy transit. Many of us have been to some very dark places over the past two years. Hopefully we've come out of it with a lot of our garbage and dross burned away.
Saturn in Sagittarius is not as psychologically heavy at all – it's more about grounding (Saturn) a vision of the future (Sagittarius). So again, we are looking at a death-and-rebirth scenario with Saturn's sign shift - from purgation (Scorpio) to building a future (Sagittarius) - and this is fully in keeping with the symbolism of the winter solstice and the new moon in Capricorn.
There are some difficulties to be expected of this transit, though. For one thing, Saturn in Scorpio has been in a mutual reception with Pluto in Capricorn over the past two years. Pluto in Capricorn is about the rot underlying the old order – the process of unearthing that rot (Scorpio) has been relatively measured and grounded during Saturn's transit of Scorpio. But with the end of that beneficial relationship, we may see accelerated societal breakdown, and extremism spreading like wildfire.
Another difficulty is that Saturn will be squaring Neptune in Pisces for much of his transit of Sagittarius. This is about reality dissolving, and it reinforces the theme of societal breakdown that the end of the mutual reception portends.
“All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away; all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real conditions of life and his relations with his kind.”- per Marx.
How do you build a new reality when the ground keeps dissolving underneath your feet? That's a question we'll probably be looking at in detail over the next few years.
But for now I am not going to speculate - we have enough to be dealing with over the next few days, and into Christmas (as detailed in the post below as well). Happy solstice to all.
The weeks ahead look brilliant for inspired thinking and communication – very exciting and energetic. Things envisaged or imagined begin to come into focus, and all kinds of new possibilities open up. Inspiration will be sparking like crazy, and socializing should be more fun than usual.
It's very lively. That said, this December will not be the most comfortable month – as we move toward the holidays, things start to look fairly challenging. But unless you've been living under a rock, you'll be well used to this state of affairs by now. 'Challenging' is the new normal.
Keep in mind, it's not all bad! A lot of it is lovely looking: exciting and revolutionary. But the whole month is coloured by the 6th exact square between Uranus and Pluto on the 15th December – and this is about radical, wrenching change. We are saying goodbye to the old order, prying ourselves out from under the wreckage of our old lives in many cases... and trying to dream a new world into being. Needless to say, this isn't easy.
Ok, let's start with the day before the full moon: today, the 5th of December. What happens today is Mars (energy, will, drive) shifts signs. He's moving from Capricorn, which is solid, grounded, cautious – to Aquarius, which is all idealism, revolutionary fervor, jolts of electrical brilliance.
This is a major energy shift, and it's made more intense by the fact that Uranus - the ruling planet of Aquarius - is in Aries, which Mars rules. This is called a mutual reception: two planets holding a dialogue with each other via each other's signs. It speaks of a sparky, combustible mental energy – suddenly we're live wires. Brains on fire, synapses glowing like fairy lights.
(neural fairy lights)
So things are all jumpy and electrical and lit up. And then we have the full moon on Saturday the 6th December (around 12:30 pm GMT), sparking everything up a notch!
This is a full moon in Gemini, a light, dexterous, communicative sign – so communication takes center stage. And the moon is facing off against the sun and Mercury (Gemini's ruling planet) in Sagittarius, which can talk as well! For hours, and about everything under the sun.
This is a hell of a lot of air and fire stuff going on, and it looks brilliant. Zingy, revolutionary mental energy, courtesy of some beneficial aspects to Uranus. What is your new status quo gonna be? What's your vision of the future; what are you dreaming up? There'll be plenty of new ideas on hand – people will be mentally and verbally on fire.
But it won't be the kind of idle, skittering, value-free thought and communication Gemini is known for - this is far more profound. The sun, moon and Mercury will be squaring Chiron in Pisces, which is about a deep and painful awareness of loss. So it's not your run-of-the-mill bullshit conversational stuff at all.
If you have any difficult conversations to be had, this should help a lot. It should be possible to go deep and to work on new approaches to existing problems without things getting too emotionally heavy or fraught. If you do run into any ugly topics, you can disarm the situation with humour and emotional generosity. Sagittarius and Jupiter are involved – we have another mutual reception between the sun in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Leo, active till the 22nd December – and this is a very good-natured, buoyant influence. It should be easy to keep things upbeat.
I really like the way this full moon looks. On a day like this you can take all your rotten past issues, understand them deeply, tie 'em up in a bag and leave them in the trash... then do a beautiful 180 degree turnaround and face into a different kind of future – something more appropriate to who you are now. It's the kind of scenario where you can look at life in all its pain and absurdity and laugh about it through your tears.
It's the sort of thing that brings out the best in people – the deepest humanity. And it is very welcome, because the rest of the month becomes considerably more fraught.
In the interests of helping you navigate the holiday season, let's do an overview of how things go down as we move toward Christmas:
8th December - Fairly tense afternoon as the moon moves through cardinal cross territory in Cancer, setting off the Uranus-Pluto square. Then in the evening, Jupiter stations retrograde in Leo. This is the start of a 4-month retrograde period – till the 8th of April 2015. It will carry through to the end of the Uranus-Pluto squares in March, and I think the message here is about having some faith in the larger design and in yourself, however emotionally charged and difficult things may get.
10th December- Venus (love, money, relationships) moves from happy-go-lucky Sagittarius into sober Capricorn – and this means she is also heading into a conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn and a square with Uranus in Aries, exact on the 20th December. Love and money matters will start feeling a lot more weighty and serious. The dreaming and planning phase initiated at the new moon in Sagittarius is coming to an end over the next few weeks – we are moving from possibilities into commitments and responsibilities.
11th December - Grand fire trine involving Uranus in Aries, the moon and Jupiter in Leo, and the Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius. This is absolutely brilliant for future-oriented thinking and communication. It also looks like a really fun day.
15th December – This is the big one: the sixth exact Uranus-Pluto square. The next (and final) exact square in this series is on the 16th March 2015. But from now till March, this square is going to be really tight...a final cranking up of the big wrecking machine this aspect represents. The imperative of radical change won't be denied – the landscape is undergoing intensive demolition and restructuring. You can work with this energy by embracing radical change in your life. Do not attempt to resist or block it.
16th December - The moon in Libra will be in cardinal t-square zone. This drives home the themes of the Uranus-Pluto square the day before, especially in regard to love, money and matters of social justice and right relationship. Pretty tense.
17th December - Mercury moves into Capricorn. Communication takes on a subdued, businesslike, pragmatic tone. Plans are beginning to solidify now. Things will be looking less theoretical and fanciful, more stark and realistic. Whatever cannot work in the real world will have to fall away.
Over the next week, we'll have Venus and Mercury heading into conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn. Mercury will conjunct Pluto on Christmas eve, squaring Uranus. This does not bode well for holiday jollity...It looks like quite a stressful time, and full of potential losses and relationship breakups.
19th December – In line with this building seriousness, the moon conjuncts Saturn in Scorpio today. Saturn will revisit Scorpio for a brief revision session next year, from the 15th June to the 18th Sept 2015, before moving on for the next 30 years. But this is nearly the end of the main part of this transit, and it's an emotional summing-up. Try to feel what the past two years of Saturn's transit through Scorpio have meant to you. What deep dark crap has been churned up? What deeply ingrained patterns have you purged yourself of? What have you learned about Scorpio issues (power, emotional intensity, shared resources, trust, your shadow)?
20th December - Venus conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn, squaring Uranus. Also, Mars in Aquarius sextiles Uranus in Aries exactly. Deep, radical, seismic changes (Uranus-Pluto) involving relationships, money, values (Venus)...and the will and energy (Mars) to be true to ourselves and as unconventional as we like (Uranus). Chiron in Pisces also sextiles Venus and Pluto: this is depth work, involving an awareness of the pain we carry, and a willingness to engage with it.
It's very stark and beautiful, and it encapsulates the themes we are dealing with for the latter part of December. If you are still clinging to behaviour patterns or relationships that don't work in the real world – time to let go. Something old has to die so that something new can be born.
21st December - Driving this theme home, we have Uranus (the liberator) going direct on the solstice. The symbolism of this is amazing: the solstice is the darkest day of the year, but also the point where the light begins to take hold again. It's like the tarot card for the 10 of swords. Something has reached the end of the line; it's utterly dead....but dawn is breaking over the corpse. One door shuts permanently, another opens.
22nd December- Here is the new door opening: a zero degree new moon in Capricorn. There'll be five planets in Capricorn: Venus, Mercury, Pluto, the sun and the moon. There'll be a big cardinal t-square involving the north node in Libra. And Saturn will be at the last minutes of the last degree of Scorpio, just about to switch signs.
I'll write more about this closer to the time, but it is intense. So serious. Time to get down to business now – no more fucking around. It's like growing up overnight – your possibilities narrow into a definite path.
23rd December - Saturn moves into Sagittarius. I'll write about this closer to the time as well, but in relation to the new moon, it reinforces the theme of the solidification of a definite path.
24th December - Christmas eve. We'll have Mercury (mind and communication) conjunct Pluto (death) and squaring Uranus (shock); also the moon moving into an emotionally jagged conjunction with Mars in the evening. This does not bode well for family peace and contentment. If you can do something mentally engaging and exciting with your family, that's a way of using this energy in a good way. Otherwise it could be arguments, slammed doors, flying crockery and exploding Christmas trees.
It's probably better not to expect everything to run smoothly and be super-fun. That way you won't be disappointed. And whatever you do, try to avoid piling any extra holiday stress on yourself. NO you don't have to drive yourself nuts with the fancy cooking, or the presents, or the attempts to please everyone. It's ok to schlump your way through this and just try to have a decent time – you don't have to enforce holiday spirit on yourself or anyone else if it ain't happening. That'll only make things more stressful.
25th December - Christmas day. Again we are looking at great mental and emotional tension. It's not an easy day, but a profound one.
I think the key to dealing with this tension is: it'll help if you can do something DIFFERENT, with or without your family, this Christmas. Create a new tradition. The old traditions will likely be fraying at the seams and ready to fall apart, and it's not going to be pleasant trying to uphold them. Or feasible! It'll be like sitting at a festive holiday table with a black hole as the centerpiece.
This one is tomorrow morning: Friday the 27th June, around 9 am (GMT).
The sun and moon will be in the moon's own sign, Cancer. Cancer is basically big mammy energy: concerned with home, emotion, food, nurturing, babies. Nice day to hang out with your family and eat comforting snacks. Nice day to not get out of bed at all if you don't have to, and just lie around eating chocolate and watching 'Moonstruck'.
I think I saw that movie with my parents when I was a kid. If I remember right, it's about a big Italian family being all Italian and arguing over dinner, eating spaghetti, stuff like that. Very Cancerian. Plus a dreamy love story, and Cher weeping at an opera. It seems like the right kind of movie for this new moon.
Wow, it's hokey. But that's ok, right?
Cancer can be hokey. Home, roots, mamma, the past...and the sentimentality that goes with that stuff.
You know what Jung said about sentimentality? That it was "a superstructure covering brutality". With Pluto in Capricorn (rotten societal structures) opposing this new moon, maybe that's a useful quote to keep in mind.
Still, it looks pretty sweet and lovely overall. I don't mean to be snarky about it.
As with the last new moon (in Gemini), Neptune is involved with this one. But Neptune is much happier in the arrangement this time. So we are looking at a very dreamy, kind, romantic influence... Good for artistic inspiration, good for calming family tensions, good for forgiving and forgetting, good for easing ragged nerves.
Let's listen to some Chopin:
Re. ragged nerves: there is still a background of high angst courtesy of the cardinal t-square. Wednesday the 25th saw the Mars-Uranus opposition hit exactitude... this energy is waning now, but it will still be pretty strong all week. And Mars-Uranus is a blitzkreig. Fury coming out of nowhere. Sudden accidents, explosive anger, nerves at breaking point. Factor in a square to Pluto, and the consequences can be profound and disturbing...life or death.
So I think this dreamy, romantic new moon is a welcome respite. If you're lucky enough not to live in Iraq, you should find it quite pleasant really.
What the hell, let's listen to ALL of Chopin's nocturnes. I guess we need them after the past few weeks.
Anyway, the weekend ahead should be nice too. The moon conjuncts Jupiter on Sunday morning (29th June), which makes for a buoyant emotional tone.
And then later in the day on Sunday we move into an exact square between Venus and Neptune. This is...Chopin's nocturnes again, basically. It's about unrequited (and therefore perfect) love, spiritual longing, pining for the ineffable: divine discontent. You can use this as a spur toward artistic creation or spiritual growth.
Venus-Neptune is also about trying to rescue people or dreaming of Prince or Princess Charming arriving on a white horse to rescue you, and that side of it is just stupid.
With Venus in Gemini, it could be about being tantalized by multiple options (Gemini) that are just out of reach (Neptune). If you're drunk in some bar on Sunday evening I'd say you'll know exactly what this aspect is about. Try to have fun with it and don't take home any loquacious charmers with substance abuse issues! Maybe don't take home anyone at all, because physical reality is only going to be disappointing, compared with whatever woozy fantasy you're entertaining.
Early on the 2nd of July, Mercury goes direct in Gemini, and you should be able to view your options with greater clarity after that.
