The Cosmic Story: Super New Moon in Libra 2020

 

The Cosmic Story: Super New Moon in Libra 2020

Balancing the Feminine & the Masculine

 

This week’s Libra Super New Moon fully engages this year’s heavy hitters – Mars Rx and Eris in Aries and Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter in Capricorn. They form a tense Cardinal T-square, an aspect that looks and feels like a drawn bow. For those of you with planets in the last 10 degrees of Cancer, you’re the target.

 

But in general, these planets continue to challenge and push against each other, so don’t feel surprised if you’re still feeling tense (who isn’t?) until October 19^th.

• Mars Rx opposes the Libra Sun on October 13^th

• Mercury goes retrograde in Scorpio on October 13th

• Sun in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn on October 15^th

• Libra New Moon October 16^th

• Libra Sun squares Saturn in Capricorn on October 18^th

• Mars Rx in Aries squares Jupiter in Capricorn on October 18^th-19^th

The Capricorn Amigos, Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter, are all moving forward again, leaving Mars as the only planet in the T-square moving backwards. Since Capricorn deals with government control and regulations, as we head into late fall, we can probably expect more shutdowns and mask-wearing. For those who are uncomfortable with looking within themselves for answers, this could lead their Mars into fighting for a lost cause or bullying voters.

 

But these Amigos are also breaking down our society, throwing what really doesn’t work anymore into the cauldron of regeneration. Whether you like the idea or not, our society doesn’t work anymore – not our governments, not our consumerism, not our corporations, not our healthcare, not our environment, not our old vision for the future. Neither left nor right realize that Mother Earth has put a hold on our whole way of living, and if we’re smart and want our kids to survive, we have to change our ways. Wearing masks is the least of it.

So with Mars Rx and Eris in Aries challenging the authority of the old Capricorn form of government, who in the US. is completely ignoring the will of the people whom it is supposed to represent, of course people are demonstrating and demanding accountability from a government which is suppressing lives and votes in the land of Liberty. We are seeing the hypocrisy behind our national story of Freedom and Liberty for all our people. The Swamp is fully exposed as its denizens work in the open to oppress the people.

An ancient warrior god, Mars symbolizes our yang, active energies. This energy can give us the courage to take a stand without going to war. Mars in Aries is searching for his identity and purpose. When Mars is retrograde, that search turns within. This is the time to grapple with our own identity, with our values and beliefs. This is the time to let go of our inner patriarchal government, those inner rules that bind us, shame us, sicken us, belittle us and try to deny our own authentic authority. Our work for the next month is to re-align ourselves with our inner purpose to strengthen our inner warrior/ess by dismantling the old operating system.

When we have no capacity to look within, we never discover who we really are. So we project our anger, frustration and fear outside ourselves, refusing to take responsibility for our actions. I notice a lot of people in the world and on Face Book pointing their fingers – He did it first! – like children laying blame on each other. We all did it, because we all allowed our government to run amok, thinking we could just sit back and let ‘Papa POTUS’ and gang take care of things. That’s how patriarchy wants it – to have all the power in wealthy, (for the most part) masculine hands. Like with the ‘little wife’, the MAN will take care of all of us.

Well, not anymore. Retrograde Mars and his sister warrioress Eris are challenging us to be courageous spiritual warriors of the Heart. And this New Moon in Libra is gathering in that energy and planting it in a seed of equality, fairness & justice for all.

Libra New Moon 2020

This Libra New Moon is a Super Moon, meaning that the Moon is very close to the Earth, creating a more powerful energetic pull from it. Stay open to what your body is feeling. Listen to it, trust it. Ask it for images. 

 

 Libra New Moon 2020

Mars is also at its closest to the Earth, opposite the Sun. So its pull is also strong. Have you seen it glowing big and red in the night sky? The gift of this strong Mars Rx is total transmutation of Mars energy if we open to it. If we can change our Mars/Yang/Doing energy to align with our deepest Self, we will achieve wonders. Since the strong Moon energy also opposes Mars Rx energy in a tug of war between our inner being and doing, our work is to integrate this new masculine energy into new habits and beliefs. Let’s make new memories!

Libra’s symbol of the Scales says it all. Libra’s life lesson is to learn to achieve a balanced perspective (Libra is an Air/Thinking sign), where we reconcile the opposites and finally see that they need each other – because they compliment each other. Each side has to hold equal weight or it won’t balance. Steven Forrest puts it this way: Libra teaches serenity. . . . The Scales symbolize that part of ourselves that is bothered by nothing, offended by nothing, shocked by nothing. It has signed a perpetual peace treaty with chaos. (The Inner Sky, p. 66)

 

We think of Libra as the sign of relationship.  And it is, but not in a romantic way, since Libra is an Air sign.  The Scales of Justice belong to Libra, who wants justice and equality in her relationships, so it deals with all our relations -- business, family, friends, the public and of course, relationships like marriage. 

 

Libra also tries to balance the relationship between men and women as well as Masculine and Feminine consciousness.  While masculine consciousness is left-brain logic and rationality, feminine consciousness is right-brain imagination and intuition.  We have to acknowledge and trust our right-brain wisdom just as much as our left-brain knowledge.  

Perhaps that’s why Libra’s ruler, Venus, takes on her courtesan persona in this sign of social interaction. Courtesans were highly educated women, witty and charming, sexual and artistic, who ‘balanced’ out the powerful male egos of patriarchy’s rulers. They did this by outshining them in intellect, attracting their sexual desires and softening their harsh realities. (Maiden, Mother/Lover, Crone)

 

But don’t get confused by her use of feminine wiles – a Courtesan is not a handmaiden. While she isn’t a poster girl for 60s women’s lib/climbing the corporate ladder, she is a powerful, witchy, courageous woman who can hold her own with words and deeds. (see Dangerous Beauty) She is the diplomat, the peace bringer, the Great Connector and Attractor.

She is Aphrodite, the Foam-Born, who arises from Mother Ocean to offer connection and love to humanity. She doesn’t have to act like a man to be equal to a man. Perhaps men feared this part of women because when we use our feminine talents and gifts, we offer men a different perspective on life from the usual masculine attitudes of competition, war and domination. A view so beautiful that women could take the war out of men with it. Perhaps it’s time for us to try this out. Instead of competing with the men, we could enchant them with our visions, our laughter and our love.

Venus/Aphrodite, the ruler of Libra, is in Virgo, the sign of the Virgin. Not the Courtesan. But we have to remember that being a virgin meant not ‘belonging’ to a man. A virgin was a free woman, who could engage in her sexuality and her intellect, her heart and her spirit, without a man trying to control her.

So the Courtesan is an apt archetype for this Virgo Venus, especially since Neptune in Pisces opposes Venus and they square the Lunar Nodes in Gemini/Sagittarius. We have to let go of old beliefs (South Node in Sagittarius) and open ourselves to many perspective on life (North Node in Gemini). Venus and Neptune join together to bring joy and artistry, self-ownership (Virgo) and spiritual wholeness (Pisces), love and imagination to the seed we are creating to plant this New Moon.

The Sabian symbol for both the Sun and Moon at 24* Libra is: A butterfly with a third wing on its left side. 

 

Dane Rudhyar says this is “the ability to develop, for inner strengthening, new modes of response to basic life situations.” In other words, we have to develop new life strategies. The Butterfly is an ancient symbol of the Soul and spiritual rebirth. But this is even more special because the Soul has achieved a whole new dimension of spiritual growth, for three is the number of process and fulfillment. This is a sign of a new strength being born within us, one that is associated with the left side, the feminine side, the unconscious, instinctual side of us. It is the spiritual consciousness of the Heart (which is on our left side). And on a very concrete level, we all need to learn new ways of being, new responses to life situations, because our society is changing.

This New Moon is conjunct the fixed star Arcturus which you find in the sky by following the tail of the Bear in the Big Dipper. Arc to Arcturus. There are many myths about connections between Arcturus and Earth. In the constellation called Bootis, it is one of the brightest stars in our night sky. It’s ancient meaning was ‘He cometh’ or ‘the One who Rules’. The Polonesians called it the Star of Gladness and Joy. For those of you with planets on this degree, it can bring honor, riches and self-determination to you. With this Libra New Moon, we can use this energy to plant the hope that we can transform our society.

 

 

Edgar Cayce, the Sleeping Prophet, says that Arcturus is the highest civilization in our galaxy. Arcturus is a 5^th Dimensional world and a prototype for Earth’s future. Those personalities connected with Arcturus become the receiver and container of the Divine Plan of Life. These people bring in the new consciousness that is developing on Earth, raising the vibrational frequencies of the Earth. They set up a new electro-magnetic field for us to play in.

Now for Mercury, the messenger god. 

 

         Hermes, Psychopomp

Here we go again. Mercury is retrograde. Mercury retrogrades in Scorpio to late Libra, from October 13^th to November 3^rd (That’s right. Election Day in the U.S. – look for confusion and disruption and changing news. But we knew that already – the heavens mirror what is happening on Earth, just as Earth mirrors what’s happening in the heavens.)

During its retrograde, Mercury always becomes the Psychopomp/Guide of Souls. All three Mercury retrogrades this year have been in the water signs of Pisces, Cancer and now Scorpio. Watery Mercury retrogrades help us get in touch with our inner feelings . . . but not our emotions. E-motion is energy in motion. Emotions come and go with our mood, the day, the weather, our energy. Feelings are more basic.

 

Feelings are one of the bedrocks of our human nature. They are the deep instinctive feeling of knowing something is true or not for you. It’s a type of watery logic and judgment. Carl G. Jung called it our Feeling Function. It is a subjective process of making decisions, so it may be quite independent of external input. In Jung's view it’s a rational function, like thinking, because it is influenced not by perception (as are the functions of sensation and intuition) but by reflection.

When our instinctive feeling responses have been repressed and pushed into the Shadow, feelings become twisted from pain, neglect or cruelty. These feelings, and the emotions that travel with them, are what we confront in Scorpio. The fear and the expectation of betrayal, of death, of terror and darkness. This is the darkness of our secret prejudices, our secret obsessions, our dark sexual desires.

When any of our deepest needs and desires are repressed, their energy turns against us, causing low self-confidence, depression, anger, fear, jealousy, delusion, obsession. Since Scorpio is the sign of death, transformation and rebirth, these feelings can and should be released, redeemed and re-birthed.

This is our work for the next three weeks. To dive deeply into our own psyches and embrace those shadowy feelings. Bring them up into the light. We’ll discover deep, long-held secrets. Look at them, name them and choose. It won’t happen overnight, but you get to unseat prejudices and vote for a new outlook, since Mercury brings us back to Libra before he resumes his forward motion and outer journey.

But it just might happen overnight this time because Mercury Rx is opposite Uranus Rx in Taurus. Water and Earth are both compatible, feminine signs and so they work well together, even in opposition. Uranus is the Awakener, waking us up to a new reality. Mercury is carrying that awakening down to the depths of our psyches (which is symbolized by that butterfly!).

The Sabian symbol for Mercury stationing retrograde at 12* Scorpio is: A latecomer to an embassy ball survey’s the scene before making an entrance. This is an image of a Renaissance court in action, creating a new social order from all different perspectives. That’s what we’re doing now, as we imagine what the new world community will create together.

With Uranus opposing Mercury, expect the unexpected. What else is new?

Blessings,

Cathy

I want to age like sea glass.

Smoothed by tides,

but not broken.

I want my hard edges to soften.

I want to ride the waves

and go with the flow.

I want to catch a wave

and let it carry me

to where I belong.

I want to be picked up

and held gently by

those who delight in my

well earned patina and

appreciate the changes I went

through to achieve that beauty.

I want to enjoy the journey

and always remember that if

you give the ocean something

breakable it will turn it into

something beautiful.

I want to age like sea glass....…

Gail Sovie

 

 

 Please Like and Share!  Thank you.

 Copyright Cathy Pagano, 2020

The Cosmic Story: Aries/Libra Full Harvest Moon 2020

 

The Cosmic Story: Aries/Libra Full Moon 2020

The Harvest Moon

 

This week’s Aries Full Moon is called the Harvest Moon, since it is the Full Moon closest to the Autumn Equinox. For several days around the time of the full Harvest Moon, the Moon rises about 30 minutes later each night rather than its usual hour later. At the Equinoxes, the Moon rises from the equator due East and sets due West. This extra light early in the evening is traditionally what gave farmers extra days for harvesting beyond sunset.

The Moon, however, is almost at its farthest point (apogee) from Earth, so it won’t be as big and bright as it sometimes is. Our soul’s light might seem far away right now during this collective transformation we’re going through, but it’s essential that we harvest what we’ve nurtured and grown this year. What have you been up to since last March? What new you, what new story, is being birthed in you now?

I’m in the midst of re-establishing my presence on the Internet to coincide with the big Saturn/Jupiter conjunction of December 21, 2020 occurring on my Aquarian Jupiter in the 9^th house. Years ago, my acting teaching told me I needed to ‘hone’ my energy. I’ve been working on it ever since, learning to weave together all the scattered strands of my interests and talents. Now I’m finally bringing it online this Winter Solstice. That isn’t the only thing I’ve harvested this year, but it is one of them. What about you?

 

 

Saturn goes direct on September 28^th - 29^th, helping us establish some outer structures to take the place of what no longer serves us, both personally and collectively. The old structures are tumbling. Look at all the challenges and changes we’re facing in the world. Some of us have pieces of the puzzle of the new story. It’s time to bring them forward.

The Sabian symbol for Saturn going direct at 26* Capricorn is: Radiant sprite dances on the mists of a waterfall. Water is a magical substance in its own right, aside from being necessary for life here on Earth. Our water shows up as we cry, as we cleanse ourselves, as we go with the flow. Having sat under a waterfall this past August, I have to say there’s nothing like it to energize us. With Saturn, an energy of form and structure, stationing here, I guess the one structure is the radiant sprite – so become the radiant being we’re all meant to be. And dance on the mists.

Mars retrograde exactly squares Saturn as it changes direction, re-shaping this Aries’ Mars and his companions Eris and Black Moon Lilith into a force to be reckoned with. This is the divine Masculine we’ve all been waiting for, the sacred-heart warrior, the Masculine force of life based in the divine Feminine (more below on this). The old masculine is dying, and this new Masculine energy arises from that dying and healing.

Soon after the Full Moon, on October 2^nd, Venus moves into Virgo, where She gathers herself, separating the straw from the gold, as we gather the harvest. This is when we embrace who we are and celebrate it.

And on October 4^th, Pluto also turns direct. Mars retrograde, reshaped by Saturn, squares Pluto on October 9^th, breaking through any last resistance to change we might have. Now we have the energy of transformation behind us, sustaining us as we step into our new story. Yes, the outer circumstances in the world are dire, but we can make it better by bringing in new energy, new ideas, new beliefs.

The Sabian symbol for Pluto turning direct at 23* Capricorn is: A soldier receiving two gold medals for bravery. Not one but two medals say that this energy will reward us if we make an important cultural contribution or act in the best interests of the world now.

Mercury, Messenger of the Gods
 

Finally, Mercury goes into its last retrograde of the year on October 13^th in Scorpio, the sign of transformation. We have to dive deeply into the underground springs of our collective discontent. What do we see in this moment? How do we see ourselves and others? The truth shall set us free. We will have to have a transformed mind and heart as we approach the US election, because Mercury turns direct on Election Day in the US, November 3^rd. Use this time to imagine a peaceful energy for that day, especially since Mercury is back in Libra, the sign of diplomacy, justice and peace, as it stations direct. (A News update: With Mercury on the degree it will retrograde back to on November 3^rd, there is a news report about Trump’s tax-dodging, which perhaps will be the turning point in this upcoming election.)

The Sabian symbol for Mercury retrograde at 12* Scorpio is: Latecomer to an embassy ball surveys the scene before making an entrance. This is an image of the Renaissance court in action, where a new social order is being created. Don’t be afraid to step into the ball.

Okay, enough about the planets. Let’s look at this Harvest Full Moon.

Aries-Libra Full Moon

When the Sun arrives at the Autumn Equinox in the northern hemisphere (and that’s where astrology developed), it is time for harvest and preparing for the darkening winter months ahead. It is also a time when we band together to celebrate life and to help each other survive the winter.

Astrologer Dane Rudhyar says that Libra is the doorway to our social self. After traversing the first 6 signs of the zodiac where we discover who we are, we enter the world and try to find our place in it. The problem most Libras make is to think they have to give up a sense of themselves when they enter into relationships. But when they do, they unbalance the scales. The secret of a good Libra relationship is the ability to listen to the other and still keep your own standpoint. Then you can mediate the right solution for both parties.

Depending on how truthful and authentic our sense of Self is, we’ll find those people and groups where we’ll experience the realm of relationships. Along with Scorpio and Sagittarius, in Libra we learn how to fit into our world. Hopefully with the Libra traits of grace and beauty, wit and discernment, courtesy and kindness.

While Libra feels most comfortable when engaged with others, Aries is always ready to strike out on his own. At the Aries Full Moon, we are reminded that we can be in relationship and yet maintain our authentic sense of self. We are also reminded that a little Libran courtesy and kindness can be used to express that authentic self.

Venus in Leo is in a flowing, supportive aspect to Mars retrograde/Eris/Black Moon Lilith in Aries, so the two rulers of Libra and Aries are in harmony. Feminine consciousness/right brain is the foundation of masculine consciousness/left brain. Their mutual fires feed each other, embracing the sudden, spontaneous Aries’ fires into Leo’s community bonfire. Their dance shows us how to work with the ‘other’ – dance with them, embrace their energy and bring it into balance within your own.

This balance depends on whether we can stay centered in ourselves while open to others. This is always the most pressing need in any relationship, isn’t it? How to create your own ‘space’ within the larger space of the relationship without becoming disconnected.

Aries/Libra want us to learn that balance. Someone (I think astrologer Stormie Grace) recently said that this balance is all about equanimity. Looking in my trusty etymology dictionary, equanimity means: "fairness, impartiality," from French équanimité, from Latin aequanimitatem (nominative aequanimitas) "evenness of mind, calmness; good-will, kindness," from aequanimis "mild, kind," literally "even-minded," from aequus "even, level" (see equal (adj.)) + animus "mind, spirit" (see animus). Meaning "evenness of temper". This is what we mean when we say Libra energizes peace, love, harmony and union. It all comes from this impartial mind, a mind open to the ‘other’.

This Aries Full Moon brings the possibility of healing to us. The Aries Moon is conjunct Chiron retrograde, embracing both the wound of not knowing ourselves and its healing. It can bring us a revelation of our authentic Self. These months of isolation hopefully gave rise to some self-reflection and self-recognition. People are more awake to their lives and more aware of what’s going on in the world. We are collectively facing our fear of death – our personal death, the death of the old economy, the death of male white privilege, the death of patriarchy. The fear this gives rise to is what’s flaming the hatred and despair so many people feel. This fear is patriarchy’s last breath.

But why choose fear? What are you really afraid of? Perhaps it’s not as real as you think, especially if you let go of your old beliefs and learn to think in different ways (South Node in Sagittarius/North Node in Gemini). We’ve been programmed to believe we are separate individuals, and that it is up to us to ‘pull ourselves up by the bootstraps’. The old Protestant work ethic. It’s wrong. It fit in well with our mechanistic, consumer mentality of the past 200 years, but it has proven to be all wrong for Mother Earth, human beings and the rest of nature. Everyone and everything is sick from the toxicity that sprang from that belief. That’s what we need to heal. We need, instead, some self-love and self-acceptance. (A big group hug!)

We’re not machines (our stress and anxiety prove that), and we don’t have to live with our ‘fear’ switch constantly ON. While the pandemic is real and grave, we can take our own health in hand and do things to help our immune system. We can creatively change our daily lives. This is the initiation and blessing the pandemic has given us if we haven’t fallen into fear.

The truth is our world has to change, it was destined to change and this is how it happened. (Symbolized by the 3 Capricorn planets and cycles: Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter.) We are leaving the old industrial age behind, which shaped our educational system to make us better workers for them. But with the recent technological advances, we are heading into a whole different kind of work and world. As we leave the old ‘I have to get a job to survive’ mentality behind, we need a new educational system that teaches us about being creative human beings and how we can contribute those talents to society. This is a good hope for tomorrow, don’t you think? Isn’t it better than what we are leaving behind?

This Full Moon opens us to our native courage to face life in an authentic way, to the knowledge that our lives have never been perfect nor easy and yet we’re still here. We have to face our fears, because the old patriarchal system operates on fear, especially the fear of death. Because it is afraid of ‘death’ – that it will have to give up its power.

It’s time to stop picking at the scab of our wounds and the trauma of not knowing what tomorrow will bring. That’s what most of the world deals with everyday. Americans, and much of the world, are coming to realize that the old constants of our lives are gone, some possibly forever, others in a changed form. Yes, cafes will stay open and we’ll still get to go to rock concerts and plays. But our minds will have changed. We’ll see and appreciate each experience more deeply because of what we’re going through now. We will have grown up.

That’s the potential for this Harvest Moon of 2020. That a nation and a world of grown up human beings will find ways to deal compassionately and communally with the passing of the old order. It must go. It will go. But it is fighting tooth and nail to hang onto its power. That’s why we have to take a stand for a new story. And let that old, deadly story die because we’ve taken all the air out of it.

Its power ultimately resides in each of us – in giving our alligence to it. This is the time to take back our authority and become the citizens we need to be if we truly want to live in a democratic society. That takes being responsible citizens, not conspicuous consumers. If we withdraw our energy from the system, it will die. So support what is important to you, because what you give your energy to will thrive in a new world.

The Harvest Full Moon occurs on October 1, 2020 at 1:05pm Alaska time, 2:05pm PDT/ 5:05pm EDT/ 10:05pm GMT.

 

 

Aries Harvest Full Moon 

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 10* Libra is: A canoe leaving narrow rapids reaches calm water. Have we steered our canoe through the chaotic months behind us without tipping over? Have we reached any kind of calm? Here’s hoping!

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 10* Aries is: A shining golden ring, engraved with magical symbols. This is the kind of confidence and self-possession that is grounded in our soul’s higher power. And with those magical symbols, it indicates that we can manifest what we need.

The Sabian symbol for Chiron retrograde at 8* Aries is: A dragon with long, flowing whiskers flys into the East wind. This beautiful, powerful symbol speaks about a person’s unique character, what Jung called individuation. The dragon also speaks to our ability, courage and determination to meet our destiny.

The Sabian symbol for Uranus at 10* Taurus is: A Red Cross nurse runs to aid a wounded man. This is a symbol of the compassion and help we can afford others as we stand up for our beliefs. This is what we have to keep in mind as we inhabit this Full Moon. That the harvest is for everyone, not just us!

Besides the Sun and Moon opposing each other, Chiron conjuncts the Moon and opposes the Sun, setting up the healing aspect of the Full Moon harvest. The only other aspects to this Full Moon are quincuoxes from Uranus. So while we want to spend our time feeling the healing, Uranus in Taurus is like an itch we can’t scratch. It winks at us in our peripheral vision, reminding us that there’s an internal revolution that needs to take place if a much needed external revolution is to happen. We have to get out of our comfort zone (so Taurus!) and do something to move our world in the direction it needs to go. Not what we want, but what serves the world.

While the Sun contemplates the Moon and Chiron, with a dash of Uranus thrown in, this harvest energy is contained by the ongoing Mars rx/Eris/Black Moon Lilith in Aries square to Saturn/Pluto/Jupiter/Pallas in Capricorn. Women will step to the foreground with the men who stand with them, as the old patriarchal culture dies. It is happening. It is here. We just need to see it through.

The other thing we need to watch for is the T-Square of the lunar nodes in Gemini/ Sagittarius to Neptune retrograde in Pisces. The process we are going through is to look at our old beliefs (SN in Sagittarius) and open our minds (NN in Gemini) to other possibilities. But we first have to confront the illusions and delusions that keep us stuck in ‘fake news’ about ourselves and about the world. If we can harness the power of the imagination (Neptune in Pisces) in service to birthing this new world, then the ideas will flow. If we fall into self-deception and ungrounded fantasy, our old belief system wins out. To really open our minds, we have to have beginner mind. A mind that is open to the musings of the imagination, which are connected to the voice of Father Spirit and Mother Earth as well as the knowledge of science and logic. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we learned to listen to Wisdom and created what was necessary?

So let this Harvest Moon shine on you and your accomplishments and acknowledge your blessings and be grateful for them. This is what harvest time is all about.

Many blessings,

Cathy

TODAY

I
Do not
Want to step so quickly
Over a beautiful line on God's palm
As I move through the earth's
Marketplace
Today.

I do not want to touch any object in this world
Without my eyes testifying to the truth
That everything is
My Beloved.

Something has happened
To my understanding of existence
That now makes my heart always full of wonder
And kindness.

I do not
Want to step so quickly
Over this sacred place on God's body
That is right beneath your
Own foot

As I
Dance with
Precious life
Today.

~ Hafiz ~

(The Gift - versions of Haifiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

The Cosmic Story: Lammas & Aquarius/Leo Full Moon 2020

Envisioning a New Future for All of Mother Earth's Children

The Wheel of the Year: Lammas, the first harvest

The culture might be breaking down but Mother Earth keeps spinning. We've already arrived at the cross-quarter holiday of the Wheel of the Year called Lammas, August 1-6 – the first harvest. So we must ask ourselves, out of our new isolation, what have we harvested personally and collectively? It seems pretty clear that the culture we've lived with for the past 70+ years is no longer viable, so who will envision where we need to go next? Let's not leave it to the politicians and corporate leaders who are eager to retain control of us, our world and their power.

This is a time for taking on our personal authority. What we feel and imagine and do is more important now than ever. As the old structures crumble, each individual in society has a chance to make a difference, which is really what democracy is all about. Let's take on that responsibility like the King who willingly sacrifices himself for the good of his people at this harvest festival.

Lammas Mask

The first harvest was always offered to the gods. We tend to forget that it is the masculine principle that continuously needs renewing. The divine feminine is the ground of life and renews itself, but as all the old myths tell us, it is the male deities who have to die for the good of their people. That's because the masculine principle tends to get stuck, or refuses to give up power, when it runs out of steam. The old culture doesn't want to die. That's the power struggle we're seeing in our society. It goes back to the myths of Saturn/Chronos, who swallowed his children rather than let them come into their power. And of course, that leads to rebellion where the old has to be overthrown, rather than having the courage and dignity to step down and transfer power to the next generation.

When things breakdown, we get a chance to 'break on through to the other side'. Or when it's time for an idea, a way of life, an old paradigm or belief to die, it means that something better can come of it if we all hold the vision. What better time than now to re-create our global society, when the virus has brought us all to our knees? If we don't do it now, we might not get this chance again.

So celebrate what we've harvested so far in our 'new normal' – a renewed love of Mother Earth, a new sense of our own authority to choose how we educate our kids or how we work, a new understanding of our need for connection and family, a realization that all that 'stuff we've been programmed to think we need isn't so necessary after all.

What can we sacrifice so that new life can come for us all?

Leo/Aquarius Full Moon 2020

This Monday's Leo/Aquarius Full Moon was seeded by the 2^nd Cancer New Moon, when we got a chance to re-examine the seeds we planted at the Summer Solstice's 1^st Cancer New Moon solar eclipse. As the Covid virus continues to bring down the American and world economy, we have to decide what we really want out of life. Many people are suffering from lost jobs and wages, and nothing viable is coming out of Washington, D.C. to justify our trust in our leaders. We are seeing our governments violently oppose our cries for freedom and human dignity. Why would we give them our allegiance if they're more concerned with corporate profits than human lives?

This is the first Full Moon in our new lunar rhythm where the Full Moon in a sign comes before its New Moon. So we're switching between different elements and stretching our understanding. From Cancer's water we're looking at Leo's fire and Aquarius' air, wringing out the dampness and bringing to light creative ideas and solutions not only for each of us personally but also for the collective.

Carl Jung said the the sign of Leo was about individuation – the need to be our own authentic selves. (He was a Leo!) Individuation is different from the idea of American individuality, which seems to mean I can do anything I want. Leo is the sign of creative self-expression, the things we create, whether our children or our art. This moment we are living in is a time of human evolution, and the only way we can do this is if we each express our unique gifts by connecting to our Higher Self. That's why everyone is asking, what is my purpose? We need to individuate to find out. We have arrived at a time when many human beings are becoming conscious of this need for purpose. This is the big evolution we face.

Aquarius is the sign of collective consciousness – the ideas of who we are as a collective culture, our tribal laws and beliefs. We can see by the absolutely devastating response to this pandemic that we are not living in a society that is suited to our personal needs. The reality is we have been living with the idea of an entitled group of people – whether kings or nobles, corporate leaders or just the wealthy – who believe they have the power to control the rest of us. It's time for us to grow up and get rid of 'big daddy'.

Aquarius is the sign of freedom and that is exactly what we have to imagine for all of us. So with this Full Moon, how are we each finding our own freedom? How can we take back responsibility for our own lives? How can we 'overthrow' those who would keep us imprisoned in poverty and need? How do we throw out the most awful idea ever thought of – the some are chosen while others are not!

The Aquarius/Leo Full Moon occurs on August 3, 2020 at 8:59am PDT/ 11:59am EDT/ 5:59pm GMT.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 12* Leo is: A dragon circling a fantastic tree from which a single golden apple is hanging. The tree of life gives birth to the golden apple of divine love. The dragon can be the dragon of unconsciousness, or it can the golden awareness of the unconscious, guarding life itself. Will we dare to claim the apple? What if we met the troubles of our time with the Hawaiian concept of Aloha – universal love. Be grateful and send out love.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 12* Aquarius is: Life's broad stairway, each landing a new grade of life. This symbol can indicate the evolution we're undergoing. It's time to realize we can all be uplifted and an upgrade – not just a minority of the 'chosen' but all of us! (The Revised Sabian Symbols by Steven D. Eardley)

During this Full Moon, two strong T-squares form. Going back to Jungian theory, Jung believed that if we hold the tension of opposites, a third way, called the transcendent function, appears. So let's see how this plays out in our two T-squares.

The first T-square, which consists of an opposition of two planets with a planet squaring them both, is between the Leo Sun and Aquarius Moon squared by Uranus in Taurus. Uranus rules the Aquarius Moon, so it welcomes this third energy. The Full Moon is open to incorporating new ideas about living and what kind of society will meet our collective needs. It's time to be innovative with how we protest, how we develop and use energy, how we learn to live creatively. Instead of rioting and causing damage to people and buildings, why not create living art? Or do guerrilla theater in the streets? The main point is to be creative and free. Like how after the 'moms' barrier got attacked the men showed up with leaf blowers to blow the tear gas back on the police.

This T-square highlights what needs to change. What are the collective ideals about individuality, especially in America? Do we really need to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps or do we need a 'village' to help us through these trying times? Uranus in Taurus demands that we seek alternative methods of securing our lives. With people being evicted from their homes because they've lost their jobs and their unemployment benefits, should we leave their welfare up to our inept government, or do we come together as communities to help and sustain their lives. Can our communities give them shelter from the storm or at least demand that our representatives do something about it? How can we as community help individuals in their time of need in new ways?

The second T-Square involves an opposition between Mercury in Cancer and the Capricorn Amigos – Pallas, Jupiter, Pluto and especially Saturn, squared by Mars and Eris in Aries. This past week as Mercury transited opposite retrograding Pallas, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn, he picked up the messages the other planets gave him about the state of the world and at the Full Moon offers them to Saturn. Saturn is about authority and we can see how our outer authorities are dealing with the disruption. It's time to become your own authority – because really, you are the author of your own life.

With Mars and his sister Eris in Aries, we get a chance to become the spiritual warriors of life. Or we can act out and just get angry like a child. It's time to put away the things of childhood and take a stand. Mars in Aries is asking us to choose how we use his energy. Are you into 'tantrum yoga' or are you asking for the courage and patience to grapple with what life is bringing to you? Remember what you've been going through this past week, because Mars has entered what we call its shadow phase, the degrees (15* – 28* Aries) that Mars will retrograde back to this fall. You'll probably be working on these same issues. Mars has hopefully come through Pisces as a spiritual warrior willing to grapple with the issues at hand.

Eris is called the goddess of discord, but really she is the warrior who stands up for what our hearts know to be true. Patriarchy has never liked people who listened to their hearts, because that frees them from patriarchy's rules. And of course, it's never like the feminine view of life which Eris stands up for.

Mercury is at the degree of the last Cancer New Moon, checking in with the Mother about what needs are being met and which one's aren't. It is conjunct the asteroid Vesta, the sacred fire priestess, who sees with the eyes of spirit and knows how to help the community prosper. The question is, will we stand up for those needs or fold to the collective pressures? If we stand with Mars and Eris, we can make a difference.

Venus in Gemini is conjunct the North Node in Gemini, giving us fresh perspectives on love, relationships and communication. Don't you miss hugs? Venus asks us to let go of our past insecurities around love and relationships and develop Psyche/Soul, our unique take on love. This is the time when we need to stay open to compassionate new ideas, changing our vision of society from winner takes all to it's time to share. It's sort of like the question King Arthur had to face – is it 'might makes right' or 'right over might'.

The South Node in Sagittarius is on the Galactic center, asking us to receive the cosmic vision and renew it. Neptune in Pisces squares the lunar nodes, challenging them to include a deeper spiritual vision in its plans and ideas.

Galactic Center in the Milky Way

This is helped by the very nice sextile between Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces. This is an aspect of the new opportunities we have to ground in a new spiritual vision that gives us hope and inspiration as well as gratitude for life. How do we let go of limiting beliefs about what Spirit is really asking of us and expand our beliefs that we are all worthy of life and love and happiness? Our old religions were built on guilt and sin and unworthiness. Let's let that go and open to a loving Spirit that wants us to co-create with it.

So go out and have some fun (Leo) with your tribe (Aquarius) maintaining good social distancing. Wear a mask that is creative and fun like you would wear on Halloween.

And the Blessings of the first harvest fill you with hope and gratitude.

Cathy

When the threads that bind a heart to the past are severed and the old ways scattered to the four winds, how do you raise a new world, a new land, a new life? You gather the bones and from them weave a new garment: its warp is the words and memories passed down from the last of the elders, and its weft is the courage and determination of those raised in the wilderness. From this fusion a spark kindles to become the light that will guide you home.

Kate Elliott Buried Heart