Dragon & Phoenix

Saturday evening, August 16, 2008. Entering point for Sun-Moon opposition

To explain, the above chart shows when the period of Sun-Moon opposition first begins (Saturday night). True astrological aspect of opposition doesn’t occur until about 7am the next morning. For all intents and purposes, we can say that “Full Moon” (as perceived by the naked eye) is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.

In a couple of days we have the Moon in Aquarius sitting opposite the Sun in Leo. Making things a little more interesting in all of this is the grouping of planets. We can see that Mercury, Venus, and Saturn are all in conjunction in Virgo (Mars is also in Virgo, however is not huddled together with these three), while Luna is in conjunction with Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius.

What I look for when I draw up a chart like this is themes and patterns – what is the energy or the vibe of the time?

The most important thing to look at in this chart is the interaction between the Sun-Moon/Chiron/Neptune oppositions. The cards I threw confirm this somewhat, essentially showing tension between our Conscious  (Sun) and Un/Sub-consciousness (Moon). The energy of the time directs us towards a desire to achieve for ourselves, to shine forth as victorious leaders and heroes (Sun in Leo & 6 Wands); however there is also a deep-seated and unconscious behaviour that takes us to places less desirable, darker and more mysterious – the 7 Cups points us to the Moon/Chiron/Neptune conjunction.

Neptune is the dissolver of boundaries, and Chiron is the wounded healer. Both planets embody the idea of the unconscious to a certain degree; they both also point to associations with deeper parts of ourself that are sensitive and empathic. Our emotional states at this time could be keys that open doorways into some deep personal healing, possibly even surrounding our relationships with our mothers (or primary nurturing parents from our childhood). Journeying to this personal “underworld” can often be fraught with dangers, and is traditionally the domain of the shaman or the Orphic hero. However, in this post-modernist world we live in, we are all capable of being our own shaman, descending into the depths of our own personal Hades to retrieve the lost treasure or person. There is another struggle going on here, that between the intellect (rationality) and the heart (emotion, intuition, feeling). Do we aim to achieve and succeed for own glory, or do we do it for others? In a sense, that is what the heroic Leonine Sun is doing: shedding light of this deep aspect of ourselves.

Why?

Well, that is usually what the times of Full Moon usually bring about: an en-lightenment, a throwing of light onto that which is obscured or in the dark at other times (the Moon of course symbolising a more primal, deeper, unconscious aspect of ourselves). As the card-throw suggests, all this is pointing to a union of opposites (the Lovers, symbolising the union of Male and Female, Yang and Yin, Sun and Moon) where the differences are reconciled in order to achieve something greater than the sum of the parts. In tantric philosophies, it was only because the God and the Goddess opened their eyes and became aware of each other that they split apart from being one, and became two. Tantra is the practice which seeks to re-unite God/Goddess (or Yang/Yin, Male/Female, etc) by re-embracing and becoming one again.

So this Full Moon time heralds a time where we may be able to catch a glimpse of what is keeping us separated. If we can see this, and deal with it in an appropriate manner, we have a very good chance of making whole our seemingly polaric parts.

What does that mean for me?

Well, the best way to see how the Full Moon affects you is to see where it occurs in relation to your own personal Birth Chart. What House is it placed in? What does it aspect with? For answers to this question, you can contact me and see how the energy of this time plays out in your life.

I am available on Thursdays and Saturdays for consultations at the Belly Belly Pregnancy Centre

I realise its a little late to be posting this, but I feel it is important to talk about the solar eclipse that occurred last Friday.

The most important thing to obviously comment on is of course its position at 9° Leo, placed in the 5th House. Eclipses are gateways, omens of new beginnings, and this one heralds a time where we should be looking at all aspects of creativity – but given the sign on this House’s cusp (15° Cancer) points to aspects of nurturing and nourishing, we should be looking closer to home: what is it that nourishes ourselves, nurtures our soul? What activities will help us fulfill our potential? Of course, creativity can take many forms, from hobbies and arts, to having children. One interesting thing that happened with this eclipse was that China was one of the best places on the planet to view the eclipse, intriguing given that the Olympics are about to begin there, an event which that nation is using to step up to the plate as being a major Global player.

There are two other things about this chart that struck me as important. The first was the spread of planets amongst two quadrants. The 2nd Quadrant finds most of the inner planets (except Mars, and including Saturn), whilst the 4th Quadrant is dominated by the outer planets. The 2nd Quadrant points to issues of internal (self) security and relationships with others, and the placement of nearly all of the inner planets further strengthens this. In contrast, the 4th Quandrant focuses on goals of public service, and contributing to humanity, and it is no surprise that the outer planets sit comfortably here. It points to a time whereby we need to focus personally and internally on our self-esteem and sense of self-security. This is not a time for us to be insecure – the time is ripe now for us to finally deal with these issues, so we can begin to bring on the creative change auspiced by this eclipse. At the same time, we need to become further involved in community-building, directing the new-found energy of self-security outwards. In this time of dwindling natural resources and unstable economic circumstances, we need to be sure of ourselves and comfortable with ourselves if we are to direct our energies to helping our family, friends, and neighbours. All of the outer planets in the 4th Quadrant speak of the changes that this time heralds.

The other noteworthy points in this chart are the aspects Chiron (19° Aquarius) has with both Mercury (12° Leo) and Venus (24° Leo) (both in opposition). This is giving us a clue to the collective healing that needs to occur between the heart (Venus) and the head (Mercury). In a sense, we can look towards our service to others as the way in which we can reconcile these aspects of ourselves; aspecst which many of us keep poles apart (as it is seen predominantly in Western culture), but in truth are interdependent and actually quite connected. The 10th degree of Leo (in which the eclipse occurred) governs the jugular vein, a vessel which connects the head to the heart. Often, stiff and sore necks show an obstruction/blockage between head and heart, and reconciliation of these often frees up that stagnation.

All of this will be couples with the partial Lunar eclipse early in the morning of August 17, where again the emphasis is on identity and personal resources as the basis of all other success in one’s life, and the need to feel secure within oneself before stepping out into the world. So the next few weeks will see all of these themes come up as our buttons get pushed.

Ideally, we need to examine eclipses and other astrological events in contrast to our own personal Birth charts. Where the eclipse occurs based upon the individual chart is important, pointing to where all these themes of change occur for ourselves. Consult your local Astrologer for more information regarding this, as it is quite enlightening, and can often reveal a great deal about our journeys in life.

Stay happy and healthy,