New Moon & Solar Eclipse in Scorpio: Lifting the Veils

Yearling in the Garden                                                                                                                             Catherine Al-Meten

When I was a young girl, my Mother would read us books and poetry, and would play music for us. One tiny, leather-bound book she read from was the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Here are some lines written by Omar Khayyam that remind me of this month's astrological events:

"There was  door to which I found no key: there was a veil through which I might not see."  

And much of our lives, we seem to be in search of keys to unlock the mysteries of life, death, the great Unknown and ourselves. We seek to open new doors, or close old ones, often not able to do either for we too often stand between the past and the future, unable to move fully forward. This week's New Moon and Eclipse provide us with a key to open a door, and if we are smart, we will at the very least, take a peek to see what life could be if we only let it. 

Today, the Moon in the Leo makes a conjunction with Uranus in Aries.   We have blinding flashes of intuitive and visionary truth. The fiery nature of the Moon in Leo coupled with the fiery energy of Uranus in Aries, fuel our desires, awaken our deepest interests and dreams, and shake us out of any sense of complacency we may have felt. Our emotional responses may feel deeper than usual as we move closer to the time of the New Moon. Energetically, we may feel even a bit edgy. Use the energy and any surprising or sudden flashes or experiences, news or encounters to fuel your fires for  creative and artistic endeavors.  Release the need to follow or comply with expectations that do not serve the direction your life is pulling your towards.  Time to reflect, given the emotional and spiritual energy streaming into us at this time, how best to use our time, energy, creativity, love, and compassion.  

Mercury, in the last degree of Scorpio, is busily stirring things up in areas of our subconscious and life where we are struggling to release, let go of, or otherwise reach some resolution with areas of our life where we have hung on far too long or where we struggle to release and move into directions in our lives with more mindfulness and concern for our health and well being. When any planet is in the final degrees, anaretic, endings and completions are happening.  

The Sun in 4/31 Scorpio, is just beginning its month long journey into Scorpio. The North Node (gateway to the future; farewell to the past) at 7/46 Scorpio is likely to coincide with a major change of heart, mind, spirit, and direction in when the Sun reaches 7 degrees in just 3 more days. 

Venus is in 21/25 degrees Sagittarius, Mars is in 7/17 degrees of Virgo, Jupiter is at 20/19 degrees of Cancer, Uranus is in 9/35 degrees of Aries, Neptune, in 2/20 Pisces, Chiron also in Pisces at 9/22 degrees, and Pluto at 9/20 Capricorn. 

The following planets Mercury, Uranus, Neptune, North Node, and Chiron are all in retrograde phases. Covering old territory, rethinking ideas and choices we may have already made. These planets indicate a slow down and reprocessing of ideas, issues, and decisions that may be in the process of being made.  Mercury in retrograde reminds us that we might want to use our critical thinking processes when making choices, taking action, or beginning new phases of life.  

Uranus in Aries in retrograde may take us back over territory where recent changes have taken place.  Second guessing, rethinking, or changing our minds may be some of the effects of Uranus’ retro motion.  Or we may notice that aspects of what seemed like a great idea, now reveal the deeper and more complex aspects of changes that have taken place recently. 

Neptune and Chiron, both in Pisces, are retrograde, and consequently bring up issues from the past that now need tending to. The North Node in Scorpio also takes us back to decisions and changes that were made last year.  

On Saturday, the Third Quarter Square of the Moon in Leo to the Sun in Scorpio, on Saturday bringing us to a point where we need to reassess our lives a bit. The Sun just entered Scorpio on Wednesday, October 24.  Where in  your life have you been acting unconsciously or according to outmoded patterns and needs. Also a time to bring to completion, whatever has been started earlier in this lunar cycle, or earlier. Before jumping into something new, be sure you have cleaned up, reorganized, and completed what was already underway. 

New Moon in Scorpio/Eclipse. 

Later in the week, on November 3, the New Moon in Scorpio occurs (7:50 AM EST; 4:50 AM PST=also the day we move to Standard Time from Daylight Savings Time). Coinciding with the the New Moon is a Solar Eclipse.This potent New Moon and Eclipse occurs in the fixed sign of Scorpio. This New Moon focuses our attention on our unconscious desires and needs, and on those aspects of our lives where we may have suppressed or ignored. Paying closer attention to our intuitive knowledge, and trusting that it is valid, we now are moved to make changes, alter our habits and patterns of behavior and thinking, and generally, improve the ways we are living.  Having knowledge, and not paying attention to how it figures into the way we think, behave, or express ourselves, is like having food we need, and not eating it. On this New Moon in Scorpio, the call is for us to make the changes we need to improve our lives and to grow emotionally, spiritually, and intuitively.  

Since Scorpio is active in all our charts (Saturn, North Node, Sun), matters  related to our unconscious desires, intimate relationships, spirituality, psychological issues of control, especially on our deepest levels of communication.  We are deeply processing how we view, feel, experience, and live out our unconscious desires and needs.  Making intentional and deeply thoughtful choices, now helps create congruency between our inner and outer lives. 

Also affecting this New Moon  and the Eclipse are conjunctions of the Moon with Saturn and Mercury as well as Sexitles to both Mars and Pluto. Conjunctions emphasize and bring things to light while sextiles encourage and provide energy for making changes. Look at whatever areas of your chart/life the New Moon and eclipse occurs and where in your life the energy of this Moon is aspected, and you will see what it is that is being called into play. Whatever happens on this eclipse, sets off waves that will create movement, direction, and changes for the next six months or so. Pay close attention to your intuition, trusting that you are getting the information, support, and guidance you need for whatever choices you are considering or making. 

The New Moon in Scorpio reminds us, as a good friend just mentioned to me, that when we don’t pay attention and trust our intuitive hunches, guidance, or warnings, “it can come back to bite us in the behind.” Those of us who think assurance, security, and real knowledge come from some source outside ourselves, fail to understand that the Divine gifts are what infuses each of us. We are given the Divine gifts to use as tools for guidance, actions, choice, and clarity. We all have different gifts and different tools with which to decipher how to use those gifts. We meet our teachers and guides in human form, right where we are, and we always have access to Divine guidance. What we fail to see sometimes, is that we need to ask for guidance, and then discern what that guidance is calling us to recognize within ourselves, our relationships, or  our behavior within a relationship, or within a broader life journey stage of development. We get Divine guidance, knowledge, and direction through both inner and outer channels, however, no one outside of ourselves can incorporate or answer our deepest questions for us. We have to tackle those subconscious and unconscious desires, needs, conflicts, and challenges through our life work and choices. When Scorpio is at work on our subconsciousness, our unconsciousness, and through the Collective Consciousness, we feel the stirrings on all levels of our being. We may feel physical movement, tingling, pain, or fluttering, as unconscious material works its way up through our being into our awareness.  Pay particular attention to what is stirring within you, and channel your physical and emotional energy into movement and healthy purging, clearing, and releasing. 

Mercury’s Retrograde phase, which began on October 21, lasts until November 27. Use this time also for sorting, clearing, clarifying, and getting in touch what is begging for your attention.  Stirred and supported by the depth of work being done in water signs right now, coupled with Pluto’s ongoing transformative and grounding activity in our lives, we are fully capable of paying attention to those inner stirrings, those intuitive glimpses that we may normally ignore or discount.  Dreams, visions, hunches, synchronistic occurrences, not to mention the general direction your life and relationships are taking, provide you with all you need to make life-affirming, love-directed choices and actions.  

Mercury works on different levels of our being, and can sometimes feel like a battle raging within us or raging around us.  When we have conflicting patterns of belief, behavior, habit, or ways of perceiving and understanding, we need to unravel and make peace with ourselves within. It’s a bit like getting yarn tangled up or getting a rat’s nest in your hair. Unless we simply cut our the tangle, as we do when we move from one job to another, one relationship to another, one place to another, or one way of thinking to another, we need to systematically, gently, and calmly work at taking the knot apart. This period of Mercury’s retrograde phase may feel a bit like that in some areas where we are moving to make healthy changes, and where we have to undo a mess that has been made of some area of our life. Use this time constructively, to systematically and patiently allowing yourself to work through whatever tangles you have in your thinking, behavior, relationships, or work that need attention. Reconsider not only what you say but also how you communicate your ideas. Avoid being spurred to reactions of anger, holding back long enough to find constructive ways to express irritation, anger, frustration, and to avoid creating more trouble for yourself and others. 

As Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio, the real turmoil and growth is going on within us, and consequently, those who remain unaware, unconscious, or unwilling to listen to what that turnoil signals, are apt to act irrationally, impulsively, or with little control.  Be aware and maintain a level of awareness and protective alertness around those who may be lashing out from unhealed and unconscious places within themselves.  

Before the New Moon on Sunday, November 3, the week is full of interesting aspects, aspects we can use to prepare ourselves for using the energy of the New Moon to heal old wounds, prepare for new journeys, and solve old mysteries (of the inner and outer kind). 

Monday, October 28 Neptune sexitles Chiron. We seem to discover new ways for dealing with old problems or issues.  Empowering ourselves to employ our skills, knowledge, perceptions, and personal gifts to uncover, discern, and identify what needs to be altered, changed, or discarded, now seems more easily grasped.

Mercury conjoins Saturn in Scorpio on Tuesday, finding many of us seeking a place of solitude, retreat, or inner sanctum to quietly and privately discern our deepest and most hallowed thoughts, feelings, and desires. We have at our disposal now, the information that had been lacking in the past, and all the knowledge and skills we need for discerning and deciding what is best for us. Feeling the need for tangible action and results, we now are infused with or presented with what we need to help us make the best choices for ourselves. We may now find valuable counsel or sound advice from trusted sources. Conversations mark strategic and important turning points, leading us into more solid, constructive, and grounded actions, for now our actions are rooted in the depths and soundness of our own consciousness and in alignment with the Divine Consciousness. 

Mars opposes Chiron. On Thursday, October 31, Mars comes into opposition with Chiron. Someone or something may force us to confront old issues and may, if we’re not careful, open old wounds.  The energy of Mars in Virgo, may nit pick us to death with its constant and critical examination of past experiences and aspects of our being that have yet to heal completely.  Whenever Mars triggers things, it feels relentless in nature. As Mars is in the earth sign Virgo, whatever arises may have to do with our expectations and views of our intimate relationships as well as whatever house Virgo rules in your chart/life.  Just notice what feels more upsetting than usual, and apply the rule of discretion in tending to old wounds, sorrows, and losses in a safe and comforting way. Avoid feeling you have to respond or react to Mars energy overtly or publicly.  Take note, and carry the wound to a safe place for reflection, guidance, and patience where you can sort out what and how you wish to heal whatever ways you need to deal with disruptions and loss. 

Mars trine Pluto.  With Mars in Virgo trine Pluto in Capricorn, the energy of Mars (our active engagement and the energetic impulses alive in and around us), is more practically applied than with the opposition to Chiron. The earlier opposition may tear off the scab of a wound that needs healing, but Mars trine Pluto, softens the effect of Mars, and ground us in very pragmatic and constructive ways...we tend to feel we have our hands on ways to actually make progress and improve attitudes, situations, conditions or relationships that have been hurt or are in need of repair. 

Lunar Aspects Leading up to New Moon/Eclipse.

The Lunar aspects in the wee small hours of November 1, include:

Moon square Pluto, Moon opposes Uranus, and later in the day/evening, Moon seisquadrites Neptune, and Moon square Jupiter.  The Lunar aspects are just part of the parade of aspects on November 1. Uranus squares Pluto, Mercury sextiles Mars, the Sun makes aspects to Chiron, Uranus and Pluto before forming a conjunction to Mercury. Rather than trying to understand what each of these aspects means, consider the major players.

The Moon, our emotional make up, that body which causes our emotional and physical tides to rise and fall, starts us off. Notice your dreams and emotional state early in the day, and see what is rising up and around you, and what is ebbing and falling away. 

The Moon is making aspects to Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, and then Jupiter.

Pluto, the Great Transformer in Capricorn, a long-term aspect. , is that area of your life where major transformation has been taking place for the last year or so. 

Uranus, which is in the early stages of her 14-year journey through Aries, the fiery ram, represents sudden and unexpected changes and events. Whatever has blindsided or come about unexpectedly, may stir our emotions up a bit.  

Neptune, ruler of the deep unconscious and Collective Consiousness, rules the  realm of the imagination, intuition, illusion and fantasy, and subconscious desires and needs.  In the depths of Pisces, Neptune can have an effect on and be affected by unhealthy or unbalanced practices (diet, drugs, poor health habits), and our ability to fantasize, deny, or live under unhealthy delusions, can be affected if we have been ignoring some aspect of our health or well being that is putting us in dire straits.

Jupiter, is the planet that represents Abundance and in its negative form, the ‘too much of a good thing’ aspect if we’re living in a fog of denial or delusion.  We can have some pretty good rationales for not taking good care of ourselves; they all break down when under stressful aspects to any of the planets or other heavenly bodies. 

Best advice:  Notice the energies that are prevalent, and notice how you are stirred, stressed, or knocked off base emotionally during this transit. It will serve as a good model for how the Moon can trigger our emotional responses and interpretations to other events and conditions.

Solar Aspects leading up to New Moon.

Other Aspects leading up to the New Moon, all occur Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

The Sun’s aspects to Chiron, the Wounded Healer (trine in water signs) can provide some deep and healing energy if we allow it. We can always block our good by using faulty reasoning, illusionary beliefs, or fanciful denials of hard and empirical realities. Pay attention, and face the facts that are necessary for healing to take place in your life. 

The Sun sextiles Pluto, the Great Transformer, shining light and encouraging some aspect of action related to changes taking place in this ongoing process in your life.

Mercury’s conjunction with the Sun. Communication is enhanced.  We are directly aligned, body, mind, and spirit, and our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and understanding are congruent. It’s a fortuitous time, and a time when conversations, reception of energy, and profound and deep understanding can take place.  We connect on deeper levels than we might ordinarily, and this could be a time when we sense the veils have lifted in many areas of our lives. Coincidently, this alignment coincides with All Hallow’s Eve and All Saint’s Day, and the start of November when it is believed in many cultures and spiritual traditions, when the veil between the Divine and the physical world is lifted.  A time when we are more attuned to the spiritual truths and our connection and infusion with all that is. 

Mercury trines Chiron.  Healing conversations and all forms of communication are favored when Mercury forms a trine with Chiron. We respond more intuitively, and our dreams and conversations may take on a much more spiritual nature. We hear with new ears, see with new eyes, and feel and understand with compassionate hearts.  Our energetic levels are infused with expressions of loving kindness, forgiveness, and passion. 

Whatever way you celebrate or observe the New Moon, and the time leading up to and following it and the eclipse, include some act of forgiveness in your experience, and remove your own veils, patterns of behavior, and whatever beliefs you cling to instead of learning, loving, and growing toward a more whole, loving, compassionate, and kind person, meant to live in a way to love and serve others, to express the Divine through each action and word, and to be fulfilled and able to carry out your life purpose for the good of all in the way only you can do. 

Sit for a time in meditation, prayer, and contemplation, considering Loving Kindness. What can you do more of to be more kind and loving to yourself? What can you do less of? What can you do more of to be more kind and loving to others? What can you do less of?  Notice your responses to sitting with such thoughts, and ask yourself why it is difficult to sit still in contemplation of that which would unlock the door to greater joy for yourself and others? How can we use our lives to be more contemplative, forgiving, calm, quiet, and present?  Enjoy the energy and all the powerful and beautiful transits, alignments, and opportunities for feeling more infused with Divine Spirit as we observe the changing of the tides, seasons, and lunar month.  

And in your contemplation, consider the words of theologian, 
Meister Eckart,  

"The eye through which I see God is the same eye thorugh which God sees me.  My eye and God's eye are one eye; one seeing, one knowing one loving."

Full Hunter's Moon and Lunar Eclipse of Aries Moon

Bleeding Hearts                                                                                                                                               Catherine Al-Meten

Full Hunter’s Moon and Eclipse, October 18-19

This months’ Full Hunter’s Moon peaks at 11:38 PM  Universal Time, 4:38 PM PDT, and in much of the rest of the world, the Full Moon peaks on October 19, in the early morning hours (past midnight).  As we look at the Moon waxing, it becomes brighter and fuller, appearing full for a few days around the Full Moon time (2-3 days). The Hunter’s Moon rises around sunset, and unlike other full moons that rise about 50 minutes later each consecutive day, the Hunter’s Full Moon is nearest the Autumnal equinox, and therefore rises just 30 minutes later each day. This gives us a view of what appears to be a full moon for more than one evening.Because the Hunter’s Moon rises around the same time as sunset, it may appear to be more orange and bigger as you will be looking at it through the great thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere. 

For more information on the Hunter’s Moon and what makes this moon mystical appearing, visit Earthsky. 

Not only are we moving into a Full Moon, but we are moving into a new eclipse cycle, the Aries-Libra cycle of eclipses.  With the Sun in Libra and the Full Moon in Aries at 25/45 degrees, we are reminded of the pull between our need for companionship and relationships, and our need for privacy and individual expression.  Of course we need a healthy balance of both, but we often get caught up in a struggle between 2nd chakra (intimacy, relationships, productivity, and creativity) and 3rd chakra (our true north, sense of self worth, our personal code of honor, and our sense of security and safety).  This Full Moon highlights these polarities, and shines her light on how we have managed to discover a more balanced way of honoring our own needs, desires within the context of our relationships and way of living.  Whatever we have refused to acknowledge or accept, now appears to be flashing its warning signs and pointing us toward the ramifications of failing to accept the choices we have made and the choices we must make in order to honor our true nature and the nature of those with whom we are in relationship. For example, if we are insisting that someone we love see the world from our perspective, we miss the point that they are not looking at the world as we are.  A basic truism like this can do much to allow us to let go the reins we have been holding others on, or remove the blinders which have precluded our seeing circumstances, relationships, our own  needs and those of others, clearly.

The Full Moon in Aries opposite the Sun in Libra, represents Libra’s need for choice, fairness, compromise, and understanding, juxtaposed Aries’ need for self assertion, boldness, courage, and authenticity (more likely without the tact of Libra).  As this opposition between Libra and Aries on the Full Moon stresses how this area of our lives has been handled recently, we are likely to feel more emotional about issues related to troubled relationships, lost or forsaken love, and issues we’ve struggled with related to dependence and interdependence, meeting our own needs and meeting the needs of others, or striking out on our own or staying the course in a compromising situation.  

We are apt to feel the buildup and tension related to whatever area of our lives the Libra-Aries axis falls  (First house vs 7th house, 2nd house vs 8th, 3rd house vs 9th, 4th house vs 10th, 5th house vs 11th and 6th house vs 12th; look to your chart to see which axis is most affected).  As full moons are oppositions to the prevalent solar energy, this is likely to be a time of conflict or a time when we are forced to acknowledge our feelings, emotional needs, and when we will likely need to express ourselves in some way in order to relieve the pressure and deal with the buildup of repressed feelings and unexpressed emotions. 

When the Full Moon in Aries peaks, we may also benefit from insight and intuitive understanding as a result of having honored our need to make difficult choices and walk more in harmony with the new aspects we have allowed to come up in our lives.  When new knowledge, the full expression of our emotions, and spiritual insight bursts up into our awareness, we can no longer hide, suppress, or rationalize away what we have faced within our selves. 

Sudden awareness is a hallmark of this Full Moon in Aries, and a crisis of consciousness to go along with the lessons this Full Moon pours over us. In whatever area of our lives we have been struggling to balance the polarities between how we form commitments, alliances, relationships and partnerships and how we express ourselves individually and act independent of others. 

Uranus-Pluto conjunction that highlights the battle between I-thou, companionship-independence, and creates some startling, surprising, and dramatic changes and realizations as the tight conjunction forms aspects and is triggered by other cardinal energies. 

Jupiter forms a loose square to the eclipse and full moon points bringing more drama into our lives than usual. Nothing  small or plain in the ways that this Full Moon aspects life for us now.

Aries-Libra eclipse cycle.  The first Lunar Eclipse in the Aries-Libra eclipse cycle occurs on this Full Moon transit.  The Sun, Moon and Jupiter form a Cardinal T-square at the same time the Uranus-Pluto square occurs in Cardinal signs. This Cardinal energy sets off a series of crises, events, and sets off or releases a great deal of pressure into our lives, especially areas related to any actions, decisions, or behavior affected by conflicts over personal and collaborative needs and desires.  However the conflicts or disparities appear in your life or in the way you handle your own needs versus those of your partners and close allies, will now demand that you release pressure in some way. Gather the signs, symbols, and memories together into a cogent picture of what has been going on and what needs repair or alterations.  We usually get signs along the way, even in the form of not seeing clearly. What we generally do is attempt to understand the signs, messages, or insight within the narrow context of a recent event or one-off experience. 

We look for mystery when the sign are clearly meant to paint a clear picture of a larger process, perspective, or our general outlook and behavior.  For example, I may get a dream about standing outside a door, trying to unlock the door. I don’t seem to have the right key or the right combination. Rather than interpreting this as “Oh, that means I might lose my key or forget the combination for work tomorrow” , we might go further and see how that is representative of how I’m going about living my life.  When viewing the signs you get, in dreams, in daily activities and communication with others, ask yourself how this applies to the overall patterns and behavior in your life.  While we need to pay attention to the day to day occurrences and learn to trust our instincts, intuition, critical thinking, and knowledge, we also need to keep an eye on the overall patterns and behavior that repeat in the ways we view ourselves and in the way we enter into and carry on our relationships.  

This Full Moon in Aries opposed the Sun in Libra and the Lunar eclipse highlight and remove the blinders from those areas of our lives where  we may have allowed ourselves  to justify some pretty unhealthy and unrealistic practices, choices, decisions, or lifestyle choices. Observe where delusion, wishful thinking, or righteous indignation have played more of a role in your choices than clear and honest acceptance.  For some, the cost of letting go of illusions or a way of living that is based on a false sense of obligation or personal need, may become too much. 

What we try to hold down within us, causes us much greater pain and upset in the long run that if we actually act upon our need to walk more in harmony, living from an authentic sense of truth and wholeness.  It requires a great leap of faith to walk into the unknown than it does to stay in the discomfort of inauthentic choices we have made or of hoping someone else will change to meet our needs, if only. If only we do this, or that.  This Full Moon in Aries strongly suggests that waiting is no longer an option for taking care of ourselves requires acknowledging what is working and what is not, and acting to come into greater harmony within ourselves and in our relationships. What we might want to consider with this Full Moon is Joseph Campbell’s observation that “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the Universe to match and to match your nature with  Nature.” Rather than fighting against what the Universe is releasing, unfolding, or calling you to pay attention to, let yourself move forward in trust that what you need is coming to you, if only you let got of hanging on to that which no longer lives within you. 

This lunar eclipse will bare your soul to you. Whatever we have failed to see or acknowledge will become clear. Aries tends to confront rather than comply, and when thwarted in expression, will act out in anger and rage. During the eclipse, the Uranus-Pluto square is nearly exact, and Mars and Neptune are in opposition, the so-called Joan of Arc aspect. The archetypes opposing one another in this case include Mars, the Warrior opposed Neptune, the dreamer, the artist.  Which archetype holds sway over you, and how can this battle or conflict end happily? Sacrifice for the greater good and the sign of the mystical martyr. What voices are you listening to? What speaks to you at your deepest levels, and calls you to take action?  What are you willing to sacrifice for the good of transformation and healthy choices?

This Full Moon and eclipse, with the squares of Pluto-Uranus and the T-Square of the Moon, Sun, and Jupiter, the Mars in Virgo-Neptune in Pisces opposition highlight the extremes that are pulling at each other in all areas of our lives (personal and collective).  We are reaching the breaking point, and this weekend will reveal how this will manifest in our lives and in the world in which we live. What informs these same fiery, cardinal, and opposing energies, are some more softening aspects.  The Lunar eclipse occurs as a trine is formed between Uranus in 9 degrees Aries, Neptune at 9 degrees Pisces, and the North Node at 8 degrees Scorpio. This points to some deep, intuitive knowledge, epiphanies, dreams, and visions, and movement forward toward deep-seated callings that we are moving toward. Mars leaves Leo and enters Virgo this week, grounding actions and bringing some relief to the energy of Mars over the past 2 1/2 months.  In Virgo, Mars will move through the earth sign for the next couple of months, and will form a powerful trine to Pluto in Capricorn later in the next month or so.  Fruits of our labor will finally come into view. 

We are in the early stages, having just step one foot out the door of the North Node in Scorpio (Gateway to Change) into the realms of following the call of our mystical natures and meeting with the first movement, sudden events and awakenings, and shocks and surprises that move us forward. Much of this has been happening in the Unconscious areas of our being and with an infusion of Divine energy from the Collective Consciousness. It’s as if we have walked out into the light into a new world, in the areas of our lives represented by where the water signs are in our charts/lives. Early movement, sudden changes, a new door has opened, and we are now receiving the first shocks of change. What may appear to be falling apart, breaks down whatever walls remained, whatever doors have been closed, whatever beliefs and behavior have held you in place, to walk forward...with a bit of a shove from the Divine right action.  Along with this aspect comes the need to find balance between work/home and personal well being, freedom and commitment, and personal versus impersonal communication. During this week’s Full Moon rising and peaking, and the Lunar Eclipse, notice areas of your life where you are holding the pieces together by wishful thinking, unsound spirituality, or striving to make a “silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. Step out from behind the veils that cover your vision, and accept what is about yourself and those you love, and release what is no longer part of your life or worth your  time and energy.

The energy and effect of this Full Moon and the eclipse will continue to have a strong impact for the next three months. During this period of time, full of holy days and events, we have time to continue ridding ourselves of unwanted behavior, patterns, thinking, and other aspects of our relationships, work, and how we behave in those areas.  Venus is conjunct Antares (a bright star in the middle of the constellation, Scorpius). With Venus, Mars, and the Moon in fire signs, this can be a very difficult week (October 16) with a need to be cautious especially in regards to violence and women.  Venus is also squaring Chiron (the Wounded Healer), perhaps creating some heartbreak or triggering some sadness around how we give and receive love. 

As we are moving into the Full Moon time, we have great potential for healing broken hearts. On October 15, the Moon and Chiron are in conjunction in Pisces, trine the North Node and Saturn in Scorpio. The square between Chiron in Pisces and Mars in Virgo, opens our eyes to what has caused our hearts to break open, and what it will take for healing to take place, and the ability to give and receive love more fully to return.  Perhaps someone will be able to offer you sage wisdom and help pull you back onto the path that supports you more fully. Chiron trine Saturn indicates a good time to seek counsel from one wiser and older. Healing is needed, and delving more deeply into the soul learnings and in-depth needs is now necessary in order to achieve the healing needed. Taking steps now will assist as life gets more intense and full of conflict later. Chiron in Pisces sextile Pluto in Capricorn indicates an area of your life that requires healing of unresolved or unexpressed grief. The minor Grand Trine in water signs helps with this process as they bring their healing waters into the areas of your life that need healing.  Allow yourself to receive support and assistance with this process through those new people who have come into your life recently.  Or through those you have known and not yet allowed in to the deeper more difficult places within you. The Divine Eye allows for us to see more clearly, trust those who come to help with our healing process, and awaken to that which we need to see.  

Pluto, Venus, and the North Node are currently all at 8 degrees of their respective signs.  This forms what is known as the Third Eye, indicating intense focus. “This aspect figure can (in some cases) also pick things up that are not visible, as if it was a rotating radar screen, producing para-psychological abilities like clairvoyance, clairaudience or clairsentience, especially if spiritual planets (or stars!) are involved” (The Eye or Information Figure is a Huber aspect pattern. Aspect Pattern Astrology, Bruno and Louise Huber, p.195).  This aspect falls at 8 degrees of Sagittarius, so to determine the area in your life where you need to allow for intense scrutiny, look to see where 8 degrees Sagittarius falls in your chart. 

Some thoughts on conflict, love, and growth, as it seems that this is what this Full Moon, the first in a series of Aries/Libra eclipses, and the Uranus-Pluto square promise to awaken in our lives. I’ve selected some quotes that are funny, at least to me.  Maybe you will find something that rings true for you, and helps your navigate the waters and fires ahead.  

Henrik Ibsen. “To live is to war with trolls.” 

To recognize our Shadow parts is crucial to our dealing with conflict and ambiguity.  For my fellow introverts, you have to admit, this is pretty funny and somewhat true: 

Adam S. McHugh.  “When introverts are in conflict with each other...it may require a map in order to follow all the silences, nonverbal cues and passive-aggressive behaviors!” 

Dorothy Thompson.  “Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict -- alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.” 

Thomas Stephen Szasz. “In the animal kingdom, the rule is, eat or be eaten; in the human kingdom, define or be defined.” 

Lynne Reid Banks. “The very people you trusted most could become like strangers in their longing...” 

Lao Tzu. “In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.” 

C. S. Lewis. “Love is not merely a feeling. ‘Being in love’ moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep it.”

Betsy Otter Thompson.  “We wait for God to bless us while God waits for us to accept the blessing.” 

Marty Rubin. “Ideas stand in the corner and laugh while we fight over them.” 

And finally, for it does, afterall, require that we be willing to walk according to our intentions, even if that means making changes. 

Mary Ann Hickman. “There is no condition so severe that you cannot reverse itby choosing different thoughts. However, choosing different

thoughts requires focus and practise. If you continue to focus

as you have been, to think as you have been, and to believe

as you have been, then nothing in your experience will change"

Lunar and Planetary Activity: Moon Rockin' Our Being

Autumn Colors                                                                                                                                        Catherine Al-Meten

At the time of this writing, this is where the planets, the Sun, and the Moon were. Consult an ephemeris to note the daily transits of the planets. 

Sun 17/40 Libra

Moon 2/47 Capricorn

Mercury 12/48 Scorpio

Venus 3/23 Sagittarius

Mars 27/13 Leo

Jupiter  19/18 Cancer

Saturn  11/5 Scorpio

Uranus 10/14 Aries

Neptune 2/53 Pisces

Pluto 9/5 Capricorn

North Node 7/52 Scorpio

Chiron 9/50 Pisces

“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”  Mary Englebreit. 

This week’s transits and the events and times of our lives, leave many of us feeling as if we need to make some kind of changes or fix something, but we are mostly caught up in taking care of the life we have before and all around us.  We can only do so much. We are spiritual beings living a physical existence, and as such, we are both aware of the vast power and capacity of our spirit, but clearly aware of the limitations of our time and resources.  

One of our greatest powers as a human being is the power of being able to use our mind, heart, and soul.  We can use these transcendental aspects of our being to live more mindfully, more in the present, and more peacefully.  Here’s a week before us that tests us to the limits of our imagination and spiritual energy.  Allow your physical, emotional, psychological, and mental gifts to help you  ride on the spirit of your being. Use the tools you have to elevate, ground, lift up and settle down into the rhythms of your life. If that seems upside down and inside out to you, that's because this is the kind of week we may be having, and the only way to settle into it is as if you are riding a wave. 

On Monday, October 7, 2013, Venus began her transit through Sagittarius.   Concern for finances and more practical ways of seeking adventure and growth,  now take the forefront wherever Venus dwells.  When making positive aspects to your natal planets, this can open a period of time when love blooms and grows, and when  plans flower. Actions are highlighted based on where energy and thoughts have been dwelling, and where you have been working through the decision-making process for some time.  In Scorpio, Venus was waking up unconscious desires, forgotten memories, and hidden needs; now Venus in  is ready to take off and move forward on plans that are ready to set into motion.  Weddings, engagements, and long-awaited reunions are due to take place. 

Yesterday (Wednesday, October 9) while sitting in a coffee shop with a friend, I noticed a couple outside on the pier trying to take a photo of themselves. I asked if they wanted me to take a photo for them, and they did. As I stood with them, the man asked the woman to marry him, and they began talking about how much they loved one another, lost in themselves, and oblivious to my being there except as a helpmate to capture and share their magic moment. They both hugged me, and I felt so honored to be allowed in on such a magical moment in their lives.  Sudden and seemingly unexpected pronouncements and agreements are sure to come forth as Venus transits this sociable fire sign.  Venus in Sagittarius calls for smoothing the way to create the life and live more fully present in harmony wherever we are, and whatever our heart is dwelling on. 

Time for action has arrived, in matters of love and the full expression of beauty, art, and peace.  It is no accident that this week the announcement for the Nobel Peace Prize is to be made. Amid some of the worst times and experiences, there are those brave and beautiful souls who act from love, not hate, strength, not fear,  truth not lies, and compassion not utter disregard for those who suffer.  Walk in compassion for those you have been connected to, and meditate, pray for, and act in compliance with what brings the greater good and glory for all humankind; especially those with whom we have ruptured and broken relationships. 

Mercury is Conjunct Saturn in Scorpio, having just transited the North Node, showing how we are aligning to our true paths. Saturn’s tests and challenges, finds us time and time again, revisiting those distractions and distortions in our own perceptions that take us off course.  The fated encounters or draws to the ill-fated connections that are unhealthy and unbalanced, present blocks and hurdles that require us to move differently. We need to observe our own processes, and determine for ourselves, what is our true nature, and what and who we are going to listen to.  

Again, Mercury invites us to communicate about what needs to be solved, agreed upon, released, or completed. Saturn shows us where, within our deepest selves and where in the Collective Consciousness and Universal Truth, our needs and hopes remain open for healing. Mercury insists that we listen, feel, experience, from a deep place within and a strong connection to Spirit, so that we can grow and discover how to deepen and heal what needs curing in our soul.

On Thursday, October 10, Venus squares Neptune, making us susceptible to those who  might charm or entice us, but whose motives are not in our best interests. Using this aspect to express yourself creatively, is one useful way to defuse and use this energy. This can be quite a toxic aspect, so it is important to focus on walking in balance, cleansing, and relieving ourselves of any toxic relationships, conversations, or tugs to our energetic fields.

Friday, October 11, the Moon in Capricorn conjuncts Pluto. Whatever emotional energy has been stirred up this week, will force us to come face to face with any area of our life that we are needing to experience deep transformation. The ongoing transit of Pluto in the earthy digs of Capricorn, bring our lessons home to us in very real and practical ways. We walk in the shoes that we have been wearing, and we are instinctively led to the lessons that must be faced in order for our full transformation to take root.  

We make choices at this time, that help move us along toward ridding ourselves of unnecessary or outworn connections, toward what we need to begin anew. Honoring our deepest desires and needs, we now need to identify and stand firm in that which calls us to attend to and work towards. Delay is no longer an option, and we ask that you release fear and anxiety about how things will work out, and enter into agreements and commitments that propel you forward, and in some cases, lift you up out of the rut you’ve been trapped in for far too long.

When the Moon, our emotional body, rocks or tumbles into the movement and deep ruts of Pluto’s journey through our lives, we meet the parts of ourselves that require attention and alteration.  For example, if this transit is in your Sixth house, your health and well being may suffer due to the way your are living day to day. Whatever you experience as ‘long suffering’ now gives out under the pressure of the emotional weight that you’re under.  

First house issues, relate to how you appear to others and/or what your are putting forward by your behavior. 

Second house issues have to do with your self of self esteem and value. 

Third house issues relate to all forms of communication, and those with whom you are in close community.  

Fourth house issues pertain to how you define and are affected by your ideal and experience of home. 

Fifth house issues relate to your ability to experience pleasure, be creative and artistic, experience and enjoy love, and connect with children.  

Seventh house issues relate to marriage and intimate partnerships. 

Eighth house issues relate to your reputation in the world, sexuality, goods and connections to the dead and the past. 

Ninth house issues relate to travel, foreign cultures and people, as well as higher learning of all kinds. This is the journey house where we travel beyond that which we know and seek higher levels of knowing and being. 

The tenth house relates to our life calling and higher purpose.  

The eleventh house relates to our connections and networks of friends and associates. It’s the area of our chart that reflects friendship, group activities, and interactions. 

The twelfth house represents our unconscious, our private selves, and that which is hidden (we hide as well as what is hidden from us). 

What are the areas of your life that you seem to be finding hard to honor and ignore?  What is rising up in your awareness, either from within or from outside influences and experiences, that screams for your attention, or whispers for you to respect? The Moon’s conjunction with Pluto will make it hard to ignore the energy that is moving throughout all levels of your being, and in certain areas of your life.  When it is transiting a house like the 2nd house (how I come to value and esteem myself), I can expect to be challenged in some very beguiling ways.  Notice the house where Pluto is (by now you should be very familiar with Pluto-related issues and lessons), 

and notice how the Moon (emotional constitution) is affected or affecting you.

On Thursday, October 10, 

On Saturday, October 12, the Sun squares Jupiter, and the Moon makes its first quarter square to the Sun. This energy may feel edgy and lead us into an unpredictable time.  There may be some very disruptive feelings and influences, hard to pinpoint, yet strong and almost urgent in their nature. All calling us to pay attention to those areas within our thinking, behavior, perceptions, and decision making that need us to find our center of truth and stand firm in what we know we need and want.  Time to double check our plans, arrangements, contracts, and agreements, in order to align ourselves with those who can help us achieve our goals, and to honor that which we have committed to. There may be things going on below the surface or behind the scenes that make it hard to understand what is happening.  Do what you can to comfort and soothe, to uplift and respect what you do not yet completely see or understand.  That which is hidden casts off sensations and energy, and many of us feel this energy without understanding what it is attached to.  Time to do what we can to express our intentions, love, and concern in ways that assure and comfort those in need. 

Venus squares Neptune, making this a difficult time; often a time of confusion and distortion in thoughts and communication. Ease off and back out of corners you may have painted yourself into (emotionally, psychologically, socially, spiritually, and even physically).  We do not necessarily see things as they are; hidden forces are at work, and by this I don’t mean evil spirits, I refer to events, circumstances, and even levels of understanding and communication that are not clear or apparent. Sometimes we simply do not have all the information, the decision or knowledge has not yet surfaced, or the changes and decisions are still in process. Also, in communication, we never know what is going on inside someone else, and we need to back off of expecting that we will understand and be able to figure everything out or fix our lives or the lives of others. We may simply need to ride the waves of the moment, content that that is enough.   Avoid setting yourself up for disappointment. Use your imagination and intuitive fogginess to create or expend some energy.  Use some means of burning off creative energy, channeling it, or releasing it in ways that also help release emotional and physical tension and stress.  Use the stress to clear, clean, or reorganize some area of your life. Clear out what you can so you create space for new insight...insight that may come later than you wish.  Find ways to be peaceful where you are.

The Sun forms a seisquiquadrate to Neptune on the evening of October 10.  We may have lost track of our goals or felt distracted by cloudy thinking or necessary distractions. To gain a clearer idea of what we need to do and how we need to do it, we would be better off focusing our energy on spiritual, artistic, and and more meditative ways of using this energy. We  may feel at loose ends, and energized at the same time. Channel the energy into something that takes your mind off the goals and tasks themselves; things are more apt to fall into place if you take time to breathe more intentionally, move more mindfully, and take some time to relax into a more peaceful style of expression this evening.

On Friday, October 11, the Moon’s entry into Capricorn, activates the Pluto/Uranus square pushing us to make major changes and decisions (more likely about actions) that activate areas of our lives related to our careers, families, life purpose, reputation, and/or achievements.  First quarter squares of the moon are times of seeing how plans may be running into snags, or of experiencing through trial and error, what will work and what will not. First quarter squares seem to make us feel like we’re in crisis mode.  Slow down, keep breathing, and focus your attention and intentions on being mindful, present, and accepting. Observe more, listen with ease, and let things unfold without you having to fix, do anything in particular, or make yourself known, understood, or loved.  Be who you are where you are, accepting, loving, and present with your true essence. That’s good enough.

Mercury and Saturn in Scorpio stand by you as this occurs, assuring you from deep within, that you are indeed on the right and perfect path.  News or decisions about partnerships (endings and beginnings), finances, life and death issues, sexuality, or problems/conditions/situations related to someone else’s life, are now going to become clear, perhaps in something of a shocking way. With Uranus involved, whatever happens will be sudden, fast, and unexpected.  Whatever happens will manifest in a physical form; there will be clear and obvious experiences, actions, or events that will lift a curtain of doubt, concern, or mystery.  

On Saturday, October 12, the Sun in Libra squares Jupiter in Aries, activating energy and movement in a big way in the area of your life related to your home and your sense of feeling at home. Major changes coming up in some areas of your life, set off no doubt from the Uranus/Pluto square, will require major changes and movement around your home, real estate, family, security needs, and energy and time invested around mutual property of all kinds. Your dealings with a partner, clients, or any of the experts or specialists who help you with major business and decision making (lawyers, bankers, CPA, agents, etc.) will pick up.  There may be a tendency to go overboard, but there will be activity and movement, in some cases, long overdue.

On Sunday, October 13, the Moon moves into Aquarius, allowing for a more social exchange and mixing with friends. Keeping things heady and fun is called for.   Be aware that your expertise, understanding, or compassion may be something a friend seeks at this time as well; be in a position to listen and affirm others who come to you out of feelings and emotions connected to the past.  

Here’s something  light-hearted to ponder from Dr. Seuss:

“I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead, others come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me.”