2009 September : Big Sky AstroBlog

Sep

24

At the Quarter Moon phase, the Sun and Moon form a scratchy square (90 degrees) aspect with each other; it’s an uncomfortable aspect, symbolizing the unconscious mind at odds with conscious will. But squares do tend to propel us forward in a way that easy aspects don’t. Conflict with others – as well as unresolved contradictions in our own natures – can be very motivating. When two planets come together in a square aspect, neither one is right. Each has a valid point of view; it’s just that the two are fundamentally at odds.

The Sabian Symbols at this First Quarter Moon (Sep. 25, 9:50 pm PDT) mention communal effort, so we know one thing for sure: The solitary energy of the New Moon in Virgo – the sign of the hermit – has given way to the awareness that sometimes, it’s necessary to join forces with others in order to move ahead. The Sun’s Sabian Symbol at this First Quarter Moon is 4 Libra: A group of young people sit in spiritual communion around a campfire. The symbol for the Moon at 4 Capricorn is: A group of people entering a canoe for a journey by water.

The question at this First Quarter Moon is not whether to seek input from others. The Sun in collaborative Libra would have given us that message, regardless of the Sabian Symbols’ messages. Rather, the question is how it should be done. Is it more productive to sit around the campfire and discuss the philosophical underpinnings of the question at hand, or is it better to follow your gut instincts and leap into action? The answer is – as always when two planets are in square aspect – that you must do both.

At the First Quarter Moon, it’s time to enjoin others in your New Moon quest. What were your New Moon wishes? What energetic seeds did you cast out into the universe? At the First Quarter Moon, you should begin to see a response to those intentions – and while some of the responses may be positive, some may not. In fact, with the Sun and Moon in close aspect to Pluto at this First Quarter, it’s likely you’re feeling pretty wounded at how your tender little New Moon dreams have been received by the cold, hard world. Your initial Plutonian instinct may be to form a posse of your friends and light some torches to avenge yourself.

Sometimes, fighting back is healthy. Sometimes, it’s a sign of looking out for yourself. But sometimes, it’s just a defensive measure to protect you from hurtful truths – and from taking corrective action that can help you later on.

So before you round up your posse, first take it all in, the hurts and worry and grief, and bring the whole package to your community. Sit with it for awhile in front of the campfire; enjoy a restorative beverage, glower at the fire, and solicit the advice and opinions of those you trust. Before you move ahead, you need to formulate a plan. The Moon in Capricorn cherishes plans.

And then, when the campfire has burned down to embers and you finally have a clear picture of what needs to be done to further your cause, grab a couple of pals and a sturdy canoe, and get paddling.

September 24, 2009 | Comments Off

Sep

24

I’ve been choosing wedding dates for couples for more than a decade now, and each year it gets both easier and more difficult. Easier, because I know what I’m looking for and have figured out how to find it quickly. But more difficult because the times themselves are more difficult – and this is reflected in our astrology. Still, even amidst the cosmic rubble of the 2010 landscape, there are still some pretty good moments to say “I do.” This article will give you an overview of the year’s high(and low)lights…. (read the full article)

September 24, 2009 | Comments Off

Sep

16

A new article and podcast for Friday’s New Moon in Virgo (11:44 am PDT):

punctuation

The Lingua Franca
We all have ideas about how the world should be, and we nearly all draw lines in the sand about what is and is not acceptable. However open-minded, evolved, and permissive we consider ourselves to be, we all have standards against which we evaluate our fellow human beings. Separating the wheat from the chaff is an important part of building a society. In astrology we call this power of discernment “Virgo.” And during the time Saturn, the planet of rules and regulations has been moving through Virgo, there has been a resurgent clamor to enshrine our personal standards in laws that everyone must follow. Unfortunately for our exacting Virgo standards – but perhaps to the benefit of humanity – Uranus has been moving through Pisces at the same time… (read the full article)

Also available as a podcast, here.

September 16, 2009 | 6 Comments

Sep

10

pondering I wish I could say that I’ve been rising to the Mercury Retrograde challenge – catching up on filing, reorganizing cabinets, dusting off and reworking old manuscripts, or something equally self-actualized. But… not so much. Yes, I have inoculated all my web clients’ Word Press installations against a heinous worm that’s making the rounds. And yes, I finally finished an article proposal I’d been working on for awhile. And okay, I did buy some groovy new file folders that inspired me to clear a semi-workable space on my desk.

But our old car is still in the shop two weeks after we took it in. The process of moving one – just one! – of our utilities into my spouse’s name (so he can prove his city residency when he, say, hauls a truckload of stuff to the local landfill) took a full week and resulted in the temporary interruption of our cable TV (a blessing?) and internet (GASP!) and the loss of huge chunks of email from our cable company’s server. Husband and I keep losing keys, books, parking passes, bills, tools, our minds.

We’re on the cusp of the Last Quarter Moon in Mercury-ruled Gemini (tomorrow evening at 7:16 pm PDT) and today, in particular, has felt like a struggle. Dana Gerhardt says of this phase, “No matter how it looks, your frustrations now result more from inner conditions than outer.” Oh, I suppose so; and yet I can’t help thinking my inner conditions would be a lot more mellow if these outer frustrations would move along and pester someone else!

On the other hand, there have been some isolated bright spots. A long-lost book, finally located. The return of several clients for followup readings. Untangling a particularly vexing, long-standing problem for a web client. The grumbling trip to a second grocery store after the first was missing necessary ingredients, and noticing something there that I needed for my recipe and had forgotten to put on the list.

These are small victories, yes – but then, I guess the frustrations have been kind of small too. Why is it so much more seductive to focus on what’s gone wrong, than it is to contemplate what’s gone well?

September 10, 2009 | Comments Off

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