New Moon In Cancer 22nd June...

... and it's powered by Pluto, standing right opposite in the zodiac, in the sign of Capricorn. I've been having super-charged Pluto transits lately, which always makes me go all quiet on this blog for some reason (Scorpio ruling 3rd house of communication perhaps?), and yet now look! - a Pluto powered new moon has brought me out of hiding! :)

Reason being I saw this luverly photo and quote, posted on a forum I visit (thanks Ocean!), and it just oozed what I feel about this new moon vibe. Whenever I am feeling frazzled and fragmented by life, I find that in a good contemplate over a picture of some fabulous symmetry in nature (especially circles), the image of natural wholeness soothes and heals my furrowed brow no matter how heavily it's been on overheat from hamster-wheeling through a problem; and there is something somehow so solution-orientated and nourishing for the soul about this pic and quote that feeds the intense need for completion and fulfilment being activated by this extra-emotionally driven Cancer Moon. So here's self respect in a new light, under the dark moon phase:



"You would all be all right with who you are if you had been making your decisions based upon how they feel to you all along. But it is because you have been trying to evaluate yourself through the eyes of others...You are so hard on yourselves when you are someplace different than where you want to be. And that is what this message is all about. You must soothe yourself into emotional comfort before your desires can become manifest. You cannot hold yourself in disrespect of self and get what you want."

Abraham-Hicks, Ashville 10/23/05

New Moon In Virgo 30th August

It's happening around 9pm UK time - the moon in Virgo meets the sun in Virgo at 8 degrees. New moon's indicate new phases of experience coming into being, and with Virgo involved it means bringing definition to intentions for the future. Defining and diagnosing the intention brings more clarity, makes things more specific, and brings desires into sharper focus.

Virgo is the problem-solver when focused on the solution, but can't move beyond critic when focused solely on the problem, so assume a solution is out there, even when it seems far-fetched to do so (which draws in the polarity sign of Pisces the dreamer, symbolising the fulfilment Virgo is reaching for between now and the upcoming full moon in Pisces). Saturn sitting so close by this new moon might make it seem more sensible or inevitable to face a less than ideal reality, but thankfully uplifting Jupiter is in on this too, feeding Saturn some faith in it's own process; a process that in Virgo emphasises how reality is always a work in progress where it's safe to assume there's room for improvement on any less than ideal scenario.

New Moon Eclipse In Leo On 1st August

It's one of my fave times in the astro year, new moon in Leo, and this one's an eclipse, which makes it a doorway for events that have long-lasting significance. I know eclipses used to be considered harbingers of doom, but there's always a positive side to tap into instead, this being a universe built on the principle that light and shade are an essential part of all things. So what are the positive elements that make up this eclipse?

Well first off there's the actual new moon in Leo, the sign of 'energy follows attention', with it's shining heart and twinkle in the eye (romance, or paparazzi flashes, it's all Leo). New moon's are all about new phases, like a freshly dug garden all paused and waiting to grow, and it's the desires born of current circumstances that seed the garden; so eclipses tend to birth very strong desire for future fulfilment out of what's happening now.

Mercury (communication/information) stands right near the eclipse point, and Venus (value/worth/relationship) is in Leo too, right opposite Neptune (imagination/path of least resistance) in Aquarius. All these keywords are being expressed through the Leo vibe that runs through your life, so look how important those keywords become during eclipse time in relation to, for example, matters of the heart and art, what or who turns you on to life and presses all your favourite buttons, what or who you find entertaining, fun, fabulous, warm, starry-eyed and blingy; and of course don't forget this side of yourself and how and where it's expressing.

Meanwhile there's a punchy opposition forming between Mars (desire and the call to action) and Uranus (like lightning and a catalyst for change), on the Virgo/Pisces axis, setting those keywords up as opposing circumstances within an 'order versus chaos' theme, or a 'like clockwork' versus 'go with the flow' scenario. Mars/Uranus can be a tad unpredictable, because it can be about sudden or unexpected action, but there's a way to sense what's coming by feeling the crackling tension in the air, or the caged butterflies in the belly, where freedom-seeking action becomes the relieving anti-dote.

If I had to pick one word to define the Leo wavelength I would pick 'appreciation', just because there is so much that is sunny, special, uplifting, warm and important about that word, and even with the snarly Liam Gallagher-esque two fingered salute of Mars/Uranus, or the yearny (sometimes whiney) lament of Venus/Neptune, it's going to be the fulfilment of the eclipse-seeded desire for giving/receiving appreciation that will really move and shake the heart of a situation for months to come.

Aries New Moon And The Power Of Desire

The annual Aries new moon takes place around 5am UK time on 6th April. The energy of Aries is all about being in touch with desire, with what is wanted, and a new moon is always a blank canvas of potential, just waiting for someone with a bit of imagination to dive in and make the most of it.

The certainty of knowing clearly what you want can be ever so reassuring; unless you are certain you know what you want but are only focusing on what you don't want instead ('what if blah blah happened?', 'only blah blah can happen, given the circumstances', etc etc). That kind of imaginative thinking can squelch the life out of your favourite future daydream scenario, and it's why pure Aries energy has this innate and unapologetic self-centredness to it, allowing it to focus exclusively on what is most wanted at any time, even to the point of disregarding what others most want it to want (to cries of 'you're so selfish!').

So this is the time to feel into what you want. Not what you expect will happen, not what you worry might happen, not what others want you to make happen; it's all about feeling the irresistible and life-affirming call of your personal desire. But remember there's a big difference between 'I am most wanting to feel a sense of self worth/lovableness/appreciation, etc in this situation' and 'I want him/her/it to act differently'. Needing someone else to do something to fulfil your desire is so un-Aries (Keep it self-centred remember!)

Here's a great quote from Abraham-Hicks for some Aries new moon inspiration:

"When you know what you don't want you send out your rocket of desire of what you do want, and now you stand in a fresh new place; you want in a fresh way that you have never wanted before. And that's what life is. In that fresh wanting, you summon another dose of Energy. If you can begin to savor the mere fact that you have desire right now, and you would stop trying so hard to have that desire be fulfilled and manifested in some physical format, then you would have it".

Scorpio New Moon

This new moon takes place on the 9th Nov, around 11.05pm GMT. New moons are strongly associated with beginnings, while Scorpio is strongly associated with endings, so the beginning of the ending looks a logical theme to run with, especially with Scorpio ruler Pluto so near the end of its stay in Sagittarius.

Some people often look at astrology and the like for signs of doom to worry about, and there’s nothing like the mention of the beginning of the end to set folk off worrying we’re all headed for hell in a handbag especially when there’s an unexpected comet on the loose and 2012 is a date about to figure highly in any five year plan instead of just being a sci-fi theme or ancient manuscript reference; but what I’m discovering at the moment is that beginnings of endings can be more like a welcome light at the end of the tunnel, which is why I’ve decided to now interpret the Comet Holmes appearance as exactly that.

You see, this week was a bit of a week for me. I’ve had agoraphobia for years (which intensified dramatically once Pluto hit the 4th house cusp of my chart a while ago btw). But this week on the day that the sun hit 15 degrees of Scorpio, in fabulous aspect to freedom planet Uranus, and Scorpio ruler Mars, I suddenly ended up out and about on my own for the first time in many years, wandering around like a comet on the loose. And today I went back to the shops and stayed in there long enough to know the other time wasn’t a fluke. I was only vaguely aware of the exact astrology of now, having been all engrossed in my healing stuff for the past couple of weeks (how Scorpio in itself), so it was a bit satisfying to say the least to see the astro significance in all its glory.

If you’ve ever had a panic attack or you’ve a fear of heights, or enclosed spaces, or the dark, or the dentists, or spiders, birds, mice, love or commitment, flying/driving, life or death, etc etc, then you’ll have an idea of the kind of fear that goes with agoraphobia, and anyone who doesn’t relate at all to any experience of ‘irrational fear’, you’re either very very lucky or in complete emotional denial, and I don’t relate at all to you. It’s only now I’m realising the utter gift of this kind of experience, in the positive broadening and deepening of self-knowing that comes in direct relative proportion to the intensity of the negative experience. The balance of it feels like perfect justice. True it’s bittersweet, as I spent the best part of ten years chasing a freedom I only half believed existed, and I won’t get those ten years back (grief and loss is another Scorpio theme); but there’s no way on earth I would exchange what I’ve learnt about myself and the world as a result. Who would have thought an agoraphobic could learn anything about the outside world, but there you go.

I’m going to be writing more on this in connection to Pluto transits in particular, but wanted to mention it in connection with this new moon, because I'm feeling the joy at the moment of realising that while there’s no point (and no need) trying to be positive about whatever it is that is turning you inside out, there’s every reason to feel positive about the potential of the direction you are headed in as a direct result of the negative experience itself.

Affirmations And The Gemini New Moon

Have you tried affirmations? The process involves lots of writing out positive statements about yourself and your life situation, in the hope that the relentless repetition will wear down the subconscious, like water dripping on stone, or waves against a cliff, or Neptune against Saturn, ending up with your inner critic throwing in the towel with a despairing, ‘ok ok, you’re healthy, wealthy, and wise!’

I’m using a book at the moment that suggests writing your affirmation in the form of a question gets you better and faster results. The premise being that if the conscious mind asks, the ever creative subconscious mind goes searching for a suitable response, Google style, and because most of our inner dialogue is negative by default, the best match answers are usually drawn from the harshly disempowering inner critic pages.

For example, the common lament of ‘why does this always happen to me?’, or ‘how could I have been so stupid’, isn’t going to net soothing results. Whereas ‘why do I only seek and see the best in life’, or ‘why is it now easy to be in the right place at the right time’, is going to set your mind off in far more fruitful and practical yet magical direction. The point isn’t to get the definitive answer though; it’s more about getting the constant background ramble of thoughts flowing in a more creatively positive direction.

And it all fits right in with the current astro-weather, because it’s all very Gemini, very new-moonish, and also rather Mercury retrogrady, as the process involves reframing and rewriting your existing negative self-chat.

The book, by Noah St John and Denise Berard is here.