Poetry Hour: Neptune in Pisces

Neptune by Tony Vowles


The day has rosy cheeks and I imagine
this evening, sunset will light the sky
to a purple hue, while somewhere
hearts are aflame;
lovers' eyes meet for the first time in a bar,
having spent the day with friends
and sunshine on the riverbank.

Perhaps the gentleman will buy
her a rose or the barman recommend
a cocktail, that years later they'll still drink.
She'll wear a polka dot scarf,
hair dark and body firm from yoga;
he'll be an athlete with twinkling blue eyes,

that will remind her of the river she watched earlier,
how she dreamed, watching the boats go by
and longed to be swept up
into strong comfortable arms.

Natal Aspects: Moon in Scorpio

The Moon in Scorpio shows a highly perceptive personality.  Their instincts are often cautious and reserved - this position does not incline someone to a freedom of emotional expression.  This is not to say they do not feel at all, in fact quite the contrary, their sense is highly attuned and perhaps this is the issue - control and secrecy is often a feature with this Moon, coupled with the juxtaposition of great fear and desire.  This might be an overwhelming desire that consumes them and so letting go with abandon feels like a total loss of themselves altogether - quite a scary thought!  The dynamics of power, and sharing it with others and learning to control their own considerable force might be something they contend with often.

This is a combination of the Moon and Mars.  We see a fighters spirit here - perhaps reactive or explosive, although never quite showing it - but you know it is there, lying dormant with a kind of richness, a depth of such proportion.  The Moon and Mars also point to relationships; sexually the Moon in Scorpio may secretly desire the fight, the tussle with an opponent in order to feel their own heartbeat, that primal thud, the baseness and reality of it.  The Moon in Scorpio is a powerhouse of transformation, turmoil and change and need absolute trust and a strong emotional connection from others.

In her excellent book The Contemporary Astrologer's Handbook, Sue Tompkins writes that (and I quote) "This is an emotionally sophisticated placement and will often be found in street-wise people".  They also make the most wonderful of friends - loyal and insightful - the type of friend that really knows what's going on with you, that will fight your corner if you need support.  A superb confidant.

And if you are lucky enough to get close that complexity of theirs becomes deeply understanding and spiritual - in the sense that they know the game of winning and losing all too well - their experience is rich and so advice from a Moon in Scorpio might be worth listening to, as it often comes from wisdom born from personal experience.

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Natal Aspects: Moon in Libra

"Good old fashioned chivalry is one way to make Libra Moons feel cared for" Amy Herring

Astrology of the Moon: An Illuminating Journey Through the Signs and Houses

Yes, the Libra Moon is an aesthetic, taking great pleasure in artistry and refinement - this is the placement of 'taste' - in the sense that they expect good taste and abhor bad taste!  It is a combination of Venus and the Moon, hence this is a very feminine placement, and again, as with Moon in Cancer, not the easiest if you are a man. 

Relationships of all kinds are important - the Libra Moon is sensitive and can pick up moods easily - is is perhaps for this reason that they are quite often slightly 'standoffish'.  Some might see them as having their noses in the air, but it is more than that - any nuance in atmosphere or aesthetic affects them greatly - sets them out of kilter and so they need to right themselves, retreat into their own place of what is the right order.

Romance might not be far from their minds - they have the instinctual antennae to make connections, feel comforted by it, and perhaps without realising it, they wear their heart on their sleeves.  Libra is an air sign and so with Moon in Libra there is a tendency to intellectualise feelings - to stand away from them and observe at a distance - the Libra Moon understands relationship so well they observe them dispassionately.  This perhaps is something that likely causes them conflict in their own interpersonal relationships.

The Moon in Libra then - the artist, aesthetic, the refined articulate lover of quality, of fashion, balanced diets - the relationship expert.



Picture Copyright Billy Alexander

Venus in Scorpio : A Sinner and a Winner?

Venus moves out of her own sign Libra later today for the instinctual, emotional depth charge and intensity of Scorpio.  We've been here already of course - she entered the sign at the beginning of September and teamed up with Mars in Scorpio to turn the heat up a notch at the beginning of October.

Since then she was retrograde - furiously attempting the backward quick step out of the danger zone as Mars, Mercury and the Sun put the spotlight on through November.  Alas! Respite occurred for the lady as she flipped back into temperate and lovely Libra - and now, here she is again.  Venus in Scorpio once more drawing the final petal in of a long long journey which will eventually conclude on January 7th 2011.

No doubt this has been an intense time for many - financial explorations, relationship explorations - the taste of the red apple and the sting in the tail but, have no fear, Venus in Scorpio will redeem, and you'll feel better for it afterwards - detoxified and healthier for the experience.

To celebrate this event I offer my readers the chance to win an Astrology Blog Intimate Lover Report.  All you have to do is go to this address - register your name and email address.  That's it!  The winning ticket will be drawn from a lovely Libra mug (!) at 5pm (GMT) this Friday 3rd December 2010.  The winner will be contacted at that time via the email address provided.


So why not enter? Go on, be a devil :-)



Picture Copyright Marina Avila

Natal Aspects: Moon in Virgo

The Moon in Virgo shows a person that is emotionally articulate, detailed - very organised, particularly around their own space, their work and home.  They are often very 'concious' individuals - in the sense that they have a very attuned antennae for emotional undercurrents and this awareness of the patterns of things brings them into the role of the fixer - this is someone who will toil long and hard to put things right - on the plus side this presents itself as loyalty and commitment in relationships.

The Moon in Virgo is very perceptive of flaws generally and dedicate themselves to a sense of understanding of this lack of 'cleanliness'.  This sense of order can see them in subordinate positions, clearing away the mess and debris left by others.  There is often great skill here - an expertise in some area that has been well honed and crafted and yet they are their own worse critics, perhaps 'naggy' to a certain extent but often quite hard on themselves.

This is a combination (like the Moon in Gemini) of Moon and Mercury - the dichotomy of what the heart and emotions want to express, feel, flow with and the logical brain, the intellect and reason - with the result that there is often a conflict between the two - if reason wins out then the person can be slightly 'anally retentive', nervous, stressed and with an obsession for detail and perhaps negative.

Despite all this, there is a rather lovely humbleness and self effacing quality to the Moon in Virgo, as if they've learnt the lessons of bravado and ego - they don't need to show off and force themselves on others.  They make fine and loyal friends, organisers, administrators and have excellent abilities of transmitting knowledge to wider audiences.

Information is food for a Moon in Virgo - their working life often a barometer of their emotional condition - as is their ability to maintain their home to a standard of comfort and eating healthily - all of these things in their right place contribute to a sense of ownership of their Moon and hence a more rounded and well adjusted emotional life.

Picture Copyright Robert Proksa

Book Reviews: Astrology of the Moon by Amy Herring

"Amy Herring's Astrology of the Moon belongs on tomorrow's book shelf, not yesterday's" Steven Forrest

Amy Herring is an Evolutionary Astrologer from Stephen Forrest's apprenticeship program and provides Astrological services from her website Heavenly Truth.  In this, her first book, Amy explores the natal and progressed moon relationship offering detailed interpretations of each by sign and house, aspects between the Moon and planets and a series of extremely thorough and detailed case histories in the appendix.

The back cover refers to the fact that it is in an easy to use 'cookbook' format designed to help you quickly look up your Moon sign.  This might suggest a certain simplicity of interpretation but Amy really does go into quite a lot of detail - with six or seven pages for each placement there is a wealth of new insight and information here for even the most experienced of Astrologers and yet, her writing style is wonderfully accessible.  Amy seems to have mastered the art of writing a title that can be a useful guide on the Moon for experienced Astrologers and beginners alike - no mean feat!

What permeates through this book is a certain realism - Amy has a no nonsense approach and offers practical suggestions and activities to engage in that allows the reader to positively express their lunation - the Moon's role as an emotional barometer for our private selves, our love life and relationships and careers, and where we turn for protection, nurturing and comfort.

This book is a testament to Amy Herring's knowledge and skill and I couldn't agree more with the accolades offered by Rick Levine (Astrologer for Tarot.com), Ronnie Grishman (Editor-in-chief of Dell Horoscope) and, of course, the wonderful Stephen Forrest.  This is first class Astrology where personal choice and empowerment is offered instead of fatalism.

Additionally, and perhaps in keeping with the subject matter, The Astrology of the Moon feels rather tactile and comforting in the hand, the text clear and easy to read, and a gorgeous front cover that you would come to expect from the publishers Llewellyn.  This book would grace any book shelf and I highly recommend it.

Natal Aspects: Moon in Leo

The Moon in Leo shows someone emotionally open, positive - someone that greets others with a smile and a cheerful disposition.  This is a very creative position to have your Moon - expressiveness, a certain 'character' and a theatrical disposition that often sees them performing in some way.

This is a combination of the Sun and the Moon - the two luminaries and also symbols of male and female.  The mixture of these two archetypes shows the individual as someone playfully romantic and, with Leo being a fixed sign, very protective of others.  Hobbies and lifestyle generally are important to a Leo Moon; leisure and 'play time' is something they need and instinctively crave often for them to feel alive - there is nothing worse than dourness with this combination.

The Sun and Moon of course are very personal - there is a heritage here that perhaps might be important to the individuals own life journey and, being the two luminaries of the horoscope, there may also be a certain selfishness - their personal theatrics and 'heart' perhaps more about how they feel, or wish to feel, and less concerned about the feelings of others around them.  As already hinted at, this is a good combination for actors or performers of some kind - there the 'I' obviously needs to shine.  A Leo moon is often on a stage of one kind or another.

There can be a stubbornness here, possibly of the foot stomping variety if things are not going their way and a tendency towards childish behaviour.  They do not appreciate their 'light' being in the shade at all.  Nevertheless, their reactions and instincts to life are of the glass half full variety, often wonderfully warm and fun to be around and the type that can instantly cheer you up - herein lies the gift of the Moon in Leo.  The fire and water combination is forthright, they want to illuminate the dark places but, if anything becomes too complex where simply 'living it large with a smile' is not enough to carry situations through, they may show a certain ignorance of the chaos - retreat back into their own lifestyle and ways.  In fact, retreating into their own light is perhaps what the Moon in Leo does - this kind of withdrawal a way of protecting their valued pride and integrity.

As can be seen then, a Leo Moon needs plenty of freedom to express - a lively and fun romantic life, to be always in situations that are 'on the up' in some way.  They perhaps need to learn temperance and to not allow others to make them feel guilty about their own strong sense of self awareness.  Let it shine Leo!

Picture Copyright Billy Alexander