Full Moon in Aquarius

On 26th July at 01:36 Universal Time we see a Full Moon in the sign of Aquarius.

The Leo/Aquarius axis is one of self presentation/group presentation.  Leo is 'self oriented' - aware, expressive, joyful, playful, childlike - those very leonine qualities that shine upon the stage of life.  Aquarius takes this and orients it into a wider cosmos - its emphasis is upon discrimination of the essential self whilst recognising universal concepts of brotherhood and humanity - it takes 'me' to 'us'.  It is an axis of uniqueness.

The Sabian Symbols for this Full Moon read 'A deserter from the navy stands suddenly aware of a dawning truth: freedom is never the result of compromise' (The Moon) and 'A mature woman, keeping up with the times, having her hair bobbed' (The Sun).  This you might sense is a Full Moon concerned with opting out from restrictive commitments; freedom and rebellion.  The two planetary rulers of Aquarius, Uranus and Saturn are almost in exact opposition (the 5th and final of their oppositions) signifying interpersonal struggles and stop/go conflicts - the choices between freedom signified by Uranus in Aries and compromise by Saturn in Libra.  Further pressure comes from an exact Jupiter/Pluto Square - big power struggles, personal expression and the 'freedom to do what I want' challenged by restrictive authority, a desire to look within, change systems, structures and methods of being.  All of these conflicts could as much be our own as they are concerned with others.  With Saturn's recent re-entry into Libra we now have a summer (in the northern hemisphere) of Cardinal Grand Cross territory and things will happen!

This Aquarius Full Moon straddles the Grand Cross and provides opportunities.  Positive aspects to Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus provide something of an exit route - 'doing a runner' like the navy deserter signified in the symbol, and indeed this may be a way forward for some.  There may be a dawning realisation that there is little to be gained in the strife.  Questions that may arise at this lunation are:

Am I being selfish?  Is this for purely personal gain?  What will I leave behind if I jump?  Am I ready?

Whilst the opportunities are there for sure, the cosmos also brings up an almost exact Mercury/Neptune opposition - this speaks of mental confusion - the inherent conflict and difficulty in thinking/feeling and trying to marry the two and ultimately, make a decision about what to do.

Whatever decisions we make there will be undoubted consequences - whether we choose to hold on and 'tough it out' or jump ship.  With such an intense sky this much is inevitable.

Picture Copyright Cecile Graat

Poetry Hour: Mercury in Leo

Mercury entered Leo today for a sojourn in the sign of the Lion until July 28th.

This is rather a welcome ingress.  Mercury in Leo inclines thinking to the glass half full variety rather than half empty.  It is expressive and creative.  With so much backed up upon us at present - challenging Grand Cross and Cancer/Capricorn Eclipses, Mercury in Leo offers little chinks of light - it is not inclined to stew in its own juice.  Communication and thinking is bold and determined.

Today's ingress meant that Mercury made a Trine to Jupiter/Uranus and Sextile to Saturn, which is something to make the most of for the next few days.  Here is a poem I wrote about Leo some time ago - now seems an appropriate time to present it.  Enjoy!

The Lion and the Sun

As the Sun comes out

so the corners of my mouth curl upwards
Like the Lions tail

flicking her cubs

and the unfolding flower

draped upon moist leaf

As the light steals

and the blonde flicks her mane
It dawns upon me

that nothing matters so much

when illumination spreads
'cross face and land

And as warmth descends

trumpets roar such heavenly tune

Lions preen with paw

and bow before mightier foe

And as the Sun goes down

eyelids curtsy

and stars twinkle promises

that he will return

And the Lion hunts.

Interested in more Astrological Poetry? Then click here

Picture Copyright Guillermo Ossa

Solar Eclipse 11th July 2010 Part 2

In my previous article I delineated the Solar Eclipse of 11th July 2010 as it stands on that day.  However, there is much more to say about Eclipses and their cycles (and what is happening at this time).  Firstly, as I wrote about here, they come in families - the original Eclipse starts at either the South or North Pole and take approximately 1300 years to complete this Saros cycle.  Also, the same family eclipse is repeated every 19 years.  We would therefore expect that events as they occur now have some similarity to what occurred then.  In doing so, I present the chart of the Total Solar Eclipse as occurred on 11th July 1991.

The similarities are intriguing.  Firstly, there is again no Air represented in this chart (with the exception of Saturn in Aquarius).  It is in a see-saw pattern and Jupiter is Square Pluto.  The chart for 11th July 2010 is the same.  This Eclipse also marked a turning point in its family - the Sun and Moon are conjunct the South Node - it was at this point that this Saros cycle crossed the line to its journey towards the opposite Pole.  This was therefore a hugely karmic moment and I would expect that many people experienced some fundamental shifts in their life experiences.

At that time there was a Neptune/Uranus conjunction in Capricorn and Saturn was in mutual reception to Uranus.  This brought with it the huge rise in the Internet - the 'dot com boom' that quite quickly became a bust for many organisations.  Lots of people lost out financially around that time through pensions and get rich quick schemes in technology.  Uranus and Neptune brought change to business dealings - computing, internet, business to business dealings, customer relationship management methodologies - it brought awakening (Uranus) and it brought big failures (Neptune).

The Sabian Symbol for the Sun/Moon in this chart reads 'A fragile miss, representative of proud old blood, is wed in a marriage ceremony by a priest to an eager youth of the new order' - so, there are inflections of vows, ceremonies, contracts and a union that produced change.  The New Moon opposes Neptune whose symbol reads 'School grounds filled with boys and girls in gymnasium suits' and trines Pluto very strong in Scorpio whose symbol reads 'A quiet path through the woods brilliant in autumn coloring'.

So, we see a new cycle of relating - changes in home perhaps (or returning to new places) and new emotional landscapes.  Its wide conjunction to Chiron in Cancer suggests that perhaps not long after this Eclipse that landscape changed.  There is also a competitive element suggested - the body, exercise routines, sexuality is hinted at and a time of harvest coming to fruition.  Changes of identity and outlook beckon and perhaps there is some confusion and fear.  I would suggest however that the fears since proved to be unfounded and whatever occurred then turned out very enriching, if difficult to go through.

There is much to be gained here from the challenges we face now.  Think back to July 1991 - what significantly changed for you then? How did the process happen? Can you remember your fears and feelings at the time? And what was the end result?  You may just be able to draw some comfort from that.  Good Luck!

To read a report on the this Eclipse family click here
To read a report of the 11th July 2010 Eclipse click here
To read a report of the 26th June 2010 Lunar Eclipse click here  


Picture Copyright MShobi

Solar Eclipse 11th July 2010

Eclipses come in pairs as New and Full Moons.  Following the partial Lunar Eclipse of the 26th June we see a Total Solar Eclipse on 11th July 2010 in the sign of Cancer.  Both eclipses are from the same Saros family which I previously interpreted here, and so have the same essence around them.

The chart for this Solar Eclipse is presented below.  What is perhaps most striking is that the chart has no air signs in it (the exception being Neptune in Aquarius).  There is consequently a lack of rationalisation, communication, thinking things through and decision making - this lack of air could see attempts to compensate by trying to force it.  The elements of Water (understanding, feeling), Fire (spirit, drive) and Earth (practical, methodical) are presented in this chart.  The chart is also in a 'see-saw' pattern.  All of the personal planets on one side - the outer planets on the other.  With this, there is a feeling of opposition, conflict and the need to strike a balance - to learn by our relating.  It is also rather suggestive of things 'tipping over'.  So, let's look at the chart in more depth and see what is happening.

Sun/Moon in Cancer

The New Moon in Cancer is always a very strong lunation.  Cancer is ruled by the Moon and when the Sun conjoins it has a feeling of the celebration of Man/Woman - inner/outer - a time to create history and a time to reflect on the path that led you here.  Cancer rules family, nurturing, emotional connections - it is a place of bonding and security - with this eclipse these feelings are heightened.  The Sabian Symbol reads 'Venetian gondoliers in a serenade'.  There are strong overtones of romance here and 'letting go' - indulgence in fantasy, courting and being courted.  It is idealistic and feeds rather deliciously, that soft inner core of a Cancer Moon that at this time however, is just a seed - it's in the dark.

Mercury in Leo (quincunx Pluto, trine Jupiter/Uranus, Semi-square Mars)
'Rock formations towering over a deep canyon'
There is a lot of 'big' symbolism here.  It seems we've made up our minds and stand on the tipping point, about to take a leap.  We're thinking 'What is there to decide? Just do it'.  However, the action itself seems strangely out of reach still - we have to adjust to the practical complexities of our situations.

Venus in Virgo (Semi-square Eclipse, quincunx Jupiter/Uranus, Opposite Neptune/Chiron, trine Pluto)
'A large white cross, dominating the landscape, stands on top of a high hill'
Despite having a New Moon Eclipse with a relationship feel to it, Venus is somewhat out on a limb here - lacking in confidence, suffering in silence and not knowing how to express these feelings.  There is a mood here of being sacrificed for some plan or alternatively sacrificing oneself - self effacement, that Venus in the sign of its fall will tend to wallow in.  The development of faith, perspective and using practical methods to dig deep, explore our sense of value and judgment will help a great deal.  Be careful of being a willing lamb to the slaughter.

Mars in Virgo (Sextile Eclipse, Semi-square Mercury)
'A caravan of cars headed for promised land'
Action planet Mars here is working on the details, the plan, the route map from A to B of that leap and change promised by the symbol.  It seems that the essence of this eclipse, that new road and feeling, that 'letting go' will happen - the devils in the details as they say and the opportunity is there - we might not think it - but it is.  And we perhaps won't take the road alone either - the symbol points to help being at hand.

Saturn in Virgo (Opposite Jupiter/Uranus, quincunx Neptune/Chiron, square Pluto)
'Having an urgent task to complete, a man doesn't look to any distractions'
The meaning here is clear - focus, paying attention to the route, the map, the terrain - working on the little details will bear fruit.

The previous Full Moon Lunar Eclipse brought culmination, a heightened awareness and exposure to stress perhaps.  This Total Solar Eclipse begins the work of digging out of that trough - finding resolutions.  Relationships - learning to relate and work with others is a theme - as is gaining emotional understanding.  Learning about ourselves, our own feelings and expectations through the mirror of others.

Part 2 of this article can be found here

Picture Copyright MShobi