Wide Open for the New Moon Eclipse

This year’s Thanksgiving may be very different than other Thanksgivings — in a good way. There will be a New Moon eclipse early on Friday, November 25 which will cast its lunar energy here on Earth for Thursday and through the weekend. It is as if the “slate is clean” and for reasons which have been evolving, we may be feeling generous, easy and relaxed about letting go of tradition, at the very least just for today.

The Eclipse will be visible from Antarctica, a place many of us have never been. I found the above photograph on Wikipedia ‘s Antarctica page. The caption reads that the pictured snow surface is typical of most of the continent’s landscape. I thought what a great image this is for a “clean slate”.

The sign this New Moon eclipse falls in is Sagittarius, a sign associated with spontaneity, intelligence and having confidence in our future. This Thanksgiving we can imagine the wide expanse of an Antarctican landscape and fill it with optimistic visions for our future. Happy Thanksgiving!

Guide to Astrological Stations and Retrogrades November 2011 – December 2012

I just finished laying out my guide to retrogrades from now till the end of 2012. Notice the first retrograde station in November 2011 is the beginning of the Mercury shadow on November 5. This Mercury retrograde will be overlapping the upcoming Mars in Virgo shadow just before Mars stations retrograde. This  may suggest that we be open to change (because of (1.) retrogrades and (2.)that the retrogrades are in mutable signs) in what we honestly (Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius) best serve and do (Mars retrograde in Virgo). There is caution not to overstep the mark. We can see in our charts where the retrogrades align to look for ideas of what we may re-think (Mercury) while we re-do (Mars).

The end of the Mars retrograde will overlap the Venus retrograde during 2012′s spring eclipses at 0° Gemini and 14° Sagittarius (on the Great Attractor). At the same time, the Uranus – Pluto square will become exact a few weeks later on June 24 at 8° Aries and Capricorn. At that point, although Mars will still be in Virgo, it will be completely out of the shadow and retrograde phase and Saturn will be turning direct on June 25. As Mars and Saturn are the rulers of the Uranus – Pluto square, it is as if the decks are cleared for  personal and collective transformation Round One.

With energy as powerful as this, peaceful protest cannot be emphasized enough, as Mars, beyond the retrograde gate will move adeptly through Libra and onto Mars’ co-ruling sign Scorpio for the second Uranus – Pluto square, September 19, 2012. Pluto will have just stationed forward on September 18, unleashing collective and subconscious powers. As Mars in Scorpio has no problem knowing what he wants and knowing how to get it, this second Uranus – Pluto square has has been granted strength which is so important for us all to channel for the good of our Earth and compassion for our fellow man and womankind.

Libra: Equality And Justice For All

The Libra scale symbolizes a thought process which can be depicted by a balance - counter balance ever flowing rhythm.

Each year, near the end of September, the Sun enters the sign Libra. This year Sun enters Libra on Friday, September 23 at 5:04 am.

That the day and night become equal in length around this time of year symbolizes a natural sense of balance we all are seeking after having looked so carefully at the Virgo details for the last four weeks.

If you find an area of your life has gotten out of balance, this is the time of year to look for ways to create balance, justice and win-win solutions for all.

Full Moon in Pisces: High-Res Invisible

A Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly opposite each other.

If you live on the East coast of the U.S., a nice way to start your week might be to wake up Monday morning before the Sun rises to see the Full Moon. The Moon will reach its peak in fullness at 5:27 am. Then, as the Full Moon sinks below the Western horizon, the Sun will rise over the Eastern horizon at 6:47 am.

This diagram shows the Moon at peak fullness, exactly opposite the Sun. The Moon is above the horizon and the Sun is below the horizon. If you are in New York, the Moon will set over the Hudson River.

Yesterday, September 10, two satellites, named GRAIL A and GRAIL B, were launched by NASA to explore the Moon and make a high resolution map of its gravitational field. The satellites will arrive respectively on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The work that these satellites will do on the Moon is timed to occur between the next two Solar Eclipses, of December 10, 2011 and  June 4,  2012. This mission was timed so that there will never be a gap in sunlight from a solar eclipse as the project runs on solar power.

As we experience the Full Moon in Pisces, this can mark a culmination of what we do not know or see but what we feel. We know that the Moon has a gravitational pull on the Earth, although we do not have the high resolution map. The invisible can often drive us to create high resolution evidence, in our search for what is real especially as the Full Moon lights up a dark sky.

Jupiter Retrograde: A World View Can Be Relative

When the astronomer Ptolomy was alive, only five planets plus the Sun and Moon had been discovered. Ptolomy believed these bodies circled around the Earth in this order: Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.

Flemish tapestry depicting muse Astronomia with astronomer Claudius Ptolemy.

Ptolomy was also a geographer and created this map of what was thought of at that time as the known part of Earth:

Claudius Ptolemy — Map of What Was Known As The Inhabited World.

Today the planet Jupiter turns retrograde. This means that from our perspective on Earth, it looks like Jupiter is not moving at all. Some astrological associations with the Planet Jupiter are long distance travel, higher education, and large systems of knowledge such as philosophy and law. When a planet turns retrograde this can signal a time to focus inward, so in this case, we may gain awareness of the world and our place in it.

New Moon in Virgo and the Aftermath of Hurricane Irene

On Sunday evening New York time, or Monday early morning European time, the New Moon becomes exact in the sign of Virgo. Virgo is the sign of the soul healer. As it is sometimes said, God is in the details. One of the greatest qualities of Virgo is attention given to details regarding health and the order of one’s natural habitat.

It is interesting that this New Moon occurs as Hurricane Irene will just have finished passing through the East Coast of the United States. It is as if all the water from the large cloud formation fell to Earth to scrub, clean and purify. Millions of people are without electricity and in some places there has been quite disturbing destruction and even death. When a New Moon occurs at a time like this, it is as if nature offers the next two weeks to help serve in a swift, practical and healing manner — in the rebuilding not only of our physical infrastructure but also the rebuilding of how we care for our souls.

Virgo Season Ushers in The Last Third of Summer

Yesterday the sun entered the sign Virgo. This begins the last third of the summer season. Plants in the Northern Hemisphere have reached their peak. We are still enjoying the local harvest of nature’s fruits and vegetables. The Moon moves into the water sign Cancer today and harmonized with the Virgo Sun. Today is an ideal day to prepare for school and to begin to prepare ourselves for the fall season, which begins in about a month. We can use this time wisely caring for our homes, our possessions our health and our soul. Enjoy the longer days as the sun moves toward the Equinox next month.

Full Moon in Scorpio on the Sagittarius Cusp

I made this illustration to show the contrast which I feel happens when the moon changes from Scorpio to Sagittarius. Scorpio can be very secretive, with a heavy vibe. In this image, the dark structure symbolizes the aspects of our subconscious minds which can feel like a prison when we are not aware of the illusion. In this dark structure is a waterfall symbolizing the wealth which often accompanies Scorpio. Lightening is seen in the background suggesting drama which can be a symptom of our obsessions. The opening of the dark structure is suggestive of the Scorpio/Sagittarius cusp and how time flows from one to the other. Whereas Scorpio has a heaviness, Sagittarius has a lightness and tends to  land on its feet when its not flying to a far off destination. The sky is clearing suggestive of the optimism often associated with Sagittarius.  Even in the face of a scary haunted house getting struck by lightening, a pack of Sagittarians may shrug their shoulders and fly off not looking back only looking at clear skies ahead.

The moon is now moving in to its exact fullness tomorrow, Tuesday, at 1:09 pm Eastern Standard Time. Scorpio can be the place where we all keep our secrets, deepest desires and obsessions. When the moon is full in this sign, as astrologers we remind ourselves to observe, let go and release, especially for the six hours after this full moon until the moon changes sign to Sagittarius.

If we find ourselves with any heavy thoughts tomorrow, fear not for only a few hours away brings us the promise of an optimistic shift toward clear skies ahead.

Full Moon in Scorpio

When Moon is in Scorpio, we can replace our obsessions with an insightful key to a secret treasure in our deepest psychology. On Tuesday May 17 at 7:09 am Eastern Daylight Time, Moon will be full in Scorpio. As I write this Sunday evening, Moon is already in early Scorpio where it will stay all day Monday and about half of Tuesday. Any emotional issues which may have been building in a kind of dramatic dark can now transform and head toward a trusting light.

A Piece of the Picture & Choices After a Full Moon

To me this photograph looks like an astrology chart. These pretty and flowery blossoms remind me of yesterday’s fleeting full moon in Libra.  The black branches are the Mars-Saturn opposition. These branches can look harsh if you just want to see flowers but if I let my eyes relax and wander around the photograph, it’s the geometric lines that keep the flow. The patterns start to look like Islamic art, which makes me think about rugs, so I start to design rugs.

This first one looked like a big, unwanted bug is taking over the carpet, reminding me about the headlines today that the U.S. is warned about the big bugaboo deficit. I take the branches and rearrange them and I find there is a strange kind of pressure from the corners. My eye keeps following the branches and my curiosity doesn’t stop until finally I come to place where my eyes can rest. This is just a pice of the picture, and it is just a place to rest or to place your feet when you wake up in the morning.

The next time you go outside and look up at the trees, let your eyes follow from one branch to the next and you can let this remind you that there are choices after all.