New Moon in Aquarius: The Quickening of Imbolg

 

'Aquarius' by Josephine Wall

New Moon in Aquarius:  The Quickening of Imbolg

Moon conjunct Sun – 1/31/22 @ 11:45pm CST

 

The Aquarius New Moon marks the beginning of the Quickening lunar cycle.  And as the Quickening stirs the seeds…we can feel the movement in the belly of Gaia.  If we are grounding with her, we become creators ourselves.  The Quickening stirs us from our previous methods and advances us forward in our projects.  We become, like the pregnant mother in her own Quickening phase, more aware of what we’re creating and that it’s not just a solo effort.  Connection increases and accelerates the process.

The Goddess, Brighid

In the lands of my ancestors, this time of year is called Imbolc or Imbolg (both are pronounced with a soft ‘b’…similar to the silent ‘b’ in ‘limb’).  Imbolc refers to the washing or ‘Spring Cleaning’ after Winter dormancy, while Imbolg means ‘in the belly’ and refers to the births that happen around this time of year if you conceived at Beltaine.  This holiday is widely celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere at the beginning of February each year with fire festivals and feasts of purification, as the first stirrings of Spring.  It is also known as Candlemas or Christianized as The Feast of St. Brigit (Brighid is the Celtic Goddess of fire, smithcraft, poetry, and healing that has been honored at this time since before Christianity).  The United States and Canada have come to adopt Groundhog Day traditions (from the Pennsylvania Dutch) this time of year, but these traditions carry remnants of Gaelic lore as well.  Specifically, the tradition of weather prediction is similar to Cailleach, the Gaelic Winter Witch known as ‘the veiled one’. 

Imbolg is a cross-quarter holiday where we celebrate in the midpoint between Solstice and Equinox.  And Astrologically, the midpoint between Sun’s Capricorn Ingress (December Solstice) and Sun’s Aries Ingress (March Equinox) is when Sun is in 15 degrees of Aquarius.  This year, that happens on the evening of February 3^rd (or the 4^th , depending on time zone).  So this New Moon is ushering in this time where we light up the hearth, purify the home, and prepare for seasonal change in our lives (quickening Spring during Winter in the North, and quickening Autumn during Summer in the South).

Snowdrop in February

However we each may celebrate (or not), this New Moon in Aquarius is conjunct the planet Saturn and the Asteroid Astraea…which may heighten a feeling of responsibility in all of us.  While Saturn inclines feelings of responsibility that have to do with structure and sustainability, Astraea (the Star Maiden of Justice) inclines feelings of responsibility that have to do with fairness and providing hope for when hope seems lost (like the figure in the Star card of the Tarot).  Together, they take measured steps to ensure both survival and advancement.  Saturn, in particular, may incline a necessity to slow down some of this quickening Aquarius energy…as we may have been collectively going ‘too fast, too soon’ over the past year on an unsustainable track. 

This Aquarius stellium is also at the apex of a T-Square pattern, feeling the necessity to take action on the tension between Taurus Uranus and Scorpio Hygeia.  This opposition between Uranus (sudden and revolutionary change, shocks, innovations, rebellion, and unusual occurrences) directly challenges Hygiea (named after the Goddess of preventative health and hygiene).  These days, we are seeing this pattern on the global scale with revolutionary energy inspiring protests that challenge the current narrative of Tech-Pharma-Government and its control over people.  There is a clear demand for freedom, choice, and a focus on truly preventative physical health measures rather than industrial health protocols focused on financial incentives that have done more harm than good.  And the dynamics of what is stirring and awakening the world has been rather polarizing and stressful.  This lunation will no doubt bring necessary change, but Saturn’s influence at the apex will demand that we handle it all responsibly and with more careful orchestration. 

Individually, these dynamics may bring awakenings to our own responsibilities.  Whatever tasks that need to get done can no longer be procrastinated or avoided.  This lunar cycle will quicken our efforts to tackle that mountain that may have seemed insurmountable in the past.  This may invite us to start on some cleansing/purification efforts (that go along with the season of Imbolc)…either in the home, the body, or even our mental state to reinvigorate our lives in some way.  It may also increase our response and engagement within our communities, bringing in Astraea’s Aquarian connection with helpful humanitarian efforts.  Whatever it may be for you, the Aquarian nature of this time offers a glimmer of hope for the changes we are making now. 

 

Moon and Sun in Aquarius 13

Sabian Symbol: ‘a barometer’

 

The symbol highlighted by our luminaries at this New Moon has much to do with planning for our future.  As Dane Rudhyar wrote of this symbol, it refers to ‘the ability to discover basic natural facts that allow us to plan in advance for action’.  Like with the Groundhog or the Cailleach, we are determining the weather of what is to come and preparing for it…but in a more scientific way (like checking the air pressure of the barometer).  The science, here, refers to Natural Law and its causal relationships…not human-made, societal laws.  In ‘checking the science’ of this symbolic barometer, we can better determine what is actually happening and what will come of it…so that we can make changes that incline better preparedness and prevention as we move forward.

 

Star card from Ciro Marchetti's Tarot of Dreams

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

 

The Dragon’s Flight into the Taurus-Scorpio Axis

'Eternal Spring' by Christina Yen

The Dragon’s Flight into the Taurus-Scorpio Axis

1/18/22 – 7/17/23

 

Recently, the Moon’s nodes shifted from our last lessons of the Gemini/Sagittarius axis to the lessons of Taurus/Scorpio. The Lunar nodes, in scientific terms, are the points where the orbit of the Moon crosses the ecliptic (which is where eclipses happen). The astrological implications of the lunar nodes are about soul encounters, karmic lessons, the relationship between the outmoded past and the creative future, and the necessary balance between what we’ve already learned and no longer need to focus on (The Dragon's Tail: South Node in Scorpio) and what we must learn now, however uncomfortable and uncharted the territory, for the growth of our souls (The Dragon's Head: North Node in Taurus). 

 

Each of us has our own natal nodes and lessons, which are a significant part of the answer to the age-old questions, ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What is my soul’s purpose?’ But the positions of the Nodes in transit affect the collective soul’s growth of our entire global community.  So while we are each having our own soul’s intentions directing us one way, those lessons are also being influenced on a global scale by the current position of the Nodes. Those who were born with North Node in Taurus will be having a Nodal Return during this transit, which happens approximately every 18-19 years. At these initiations, the soul work that arises brings us back to re-alignment with our soul’s path and offers us significant growth in our journey.

 

It helps to better grasp the meaning behind the lunar nodes if you liken it to the digestive process.  The Dragon’s Head (North Node) consumes what the soul needs, and the Dragon’s Tail (South Node) releases what needs to be processed out.  What we take in at the North Node can be nourishing, as long as we practice moderation.  And while we don’t want our habits at the South Node to be like a crutch we become dependent on…we’re not just getting rid of it.  The process is more like composting, so that you can give that South Node knowledge to others in ways that help them grow.  In the center of this process, what we may call the Dragon’s Belly, is the digestion necessary to keep it all moving.  Because when this process becomes blocked (too much consumption at the Head, too much retention at the Tail)…we tend to find ourselves in Soul Crisis.

 

Where We’ve Been…

 

Consider the global Soul Crisis we were in for the last couple years, which endured throughout the nodal transit in Gemini/Sagittarius.  There was quicksilver, mutable information flying at us from every direction, especially through the media mainstream. The media was our main source of information during a nodal journey through the signs of communication and belief. We were all consuming it in some way.  It was unavoidable, because even if you shut out the media entirely…the Global ‘Game of Telephone’ was retold to us through almost any encounter with others.  Many of us were soaking in as much information as was made available, in hopes we could find answers.  But ultimately, we were collectively blocked from effective answers (to fundamental questions like ‘what can I do immediately to protect my loved ones?’).  In this block, as information cranked up to 11, truth was withheld by old belief systems with incredible control.  Censorship was the coin of the times…though leaks of independent viewpoints were inevitable.  With the Nodal Dragon blocked up, something’s always gotta give.

 

Where We Are Now…

 

In this shift from the air/fire elements of Gemini/Sagittarius to the earth/water elements of Taurus/Scorpio, we move from lessons of information and beliefs to lessons of resources and trust.  Venus and Mars are now guiding the lunar nodes, and what we have…we have to learn how to share.  Issues of trust will come up from South Node lessons in Scorpio, and we will have to learn to let go of our deepest fears (of pain, suffering, loss, and death) so that we can take in new Taurus North Node lessons of stability, pleasure, and growth.  We now have 18 months to learn (or re-learn) how to maintain soul health by digesting the following themes…

 

New revelations of value that transform our past lessons into fertile soil for growth

 

Trusting the body to endure through crisis

 

Sharing the secrets that unburden us to embrace and appreciate life

 

Building healthy habits and boundaries that make us dependable, not dependent

 

Taking in more nourishing pleasure for our future, while releasing/composting the pain of the past

 

Nodal Keywords and Phrases for the Taurus-Scorpio Axis

 

Nourishment to ingest through the Dragon’s Head (North Node in Taurus):  earthly beauty, physical value, healthy receiving, sensuality, the worthiness of pleasure, gradual unfolding, building, tangible creation, productivity, reliable growth, dependability, security, patience, respect for boundaries, peace simplified

 

Past knowledge, karma, or shadow material to release and transmute through the Dragon’s Tail (South Node in Scorpio):  old fears of Death, desire to control, manipulative actions, power struggles, intimidation, possessiveness, emotional trauma, internal battles, ‘dark underbelly’ dwelling, destructive urges, boundaries crossed, chaos intensified

 

Now, I think we all know that the above list of karmic entanglements and shadows of Scorpio are not the essence of this water sign.  They are simply what we need to address now, together, to remove some blockages we’ve accumulated as a Collective.  The essence of Scorpionic fixed water is what this purifying release can become…like the catharsis of diving deep into water and resurfacing, rejuvenated.

 

What this digestive process gives to our world:  increasing self-worth, deepening intimacy through trust, room to grow, honoring life/death/rebirth cycles, meaningful connection with Mother Earth, artistic production with emotional depth, sensual reception, deep enjoyment, tantric experience, revitalization of life force, body acceptance, appreciation of matter, transformed relationship to money and value

 

The Personal Journey of the Soul

 

While we’ll all be feeling into these new lessons now, only some of us were born to hold this frequency on our soul path throughout life.  Many of the rest of us have our nodes in other signs, which is what we’re here to work with and learn throughout our lives.  And yet, when we are connecting with the Collective Soul directive of this time, our individual soul path is supported by working with these Taurus-Scorpio lessons. 

 

To see in what areas of life this shift affects you personally, look to the houses in your natal chart where Taurus and Scorpio are. The last time the nodes were in this axis was between 2003 and 2004. Try to remember what was going on in your life at that time to get an idea of what is to come now, after maturing since then. Astrology follows patterns, and recognizing those patterns can help you to work with the energies when they come around again.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Moon in Cancer: Emotional Support through Change

 

Art by Julie Dillon

Full Moon in Cancer:  Emotional Support through Change

Moon opposite Sun- 1/17/22 @ 5:48pm CST

 

The first Full Moon of 2022 illuminates the watery lunar realm of Cancer, where Moon feels most at home.  Resonating with the womb wisdom of this sign, Moon shines the fullness of her caring protection.  Connecting with the Full Cancer Moon is like receiving a familiar hug, especially if you were born under a Cancer Moon. 

Difficult as Capricorn season can be for many of us, this is a time when the hard-work of Saturn brings us back home to our inner circle of loved ones for comfort and emotional support.  It may have been uncomfortable in the past couple of weeks to let down our guard and just be vulnerable amidst so many changes.  Going inward has been a significant part of the process we’ve been navigating.  But Moon in Cancer shines her light on the emotional bonds that sustain us through hard times.  This Full Moon is a celebration of the nurturance that comes from those who are close to us.

There is much physical separation inherent in this time, but Moon calls to the memory of our own waters…which can communicate to and from anyone through feeling, even if many miles away.  With Cancer Moon’s psychic energy on high…the stronger the bond, the more connected we feel (no matter the distance).  Your own memories may call you to call up a loved one and check in.  Or you may find that everything you need at this time is right there at home with you.  Wherever you find yourself during this Full Moon, remember to nurture yourself with as much care as you nurture others.

Art by Lisa Evans

To help in this opportunity for nurturance, Moon is in a supportive sextile with Ceres and SednaRx in Taurus and Moon’s North Node in Gemini (transitioning to Taurus).  Soul encounters as we connect with others bring benefits of feeling cared for after crisis.  This also strengthens the protective nature of the nurturance we’re receiving from this Moon…where even if things have been looking bleak, we are comforted now. 

Moon is also in good relationship with Jupiter in Pisces at this time, through a 5^th Harmonic aspect called a bi-quintile (144 degrees).  This subtle aspect brings the celebratory feel of this Full Moon, because it increases the possibility of arriving at creative solutions to issues that were previously problematic.  A little positivity goes a long way.

Because what were feeling most is Moon’s reflection of Capricorn Sun conjunct Pluto and Juno.  We’re nearing the end of Capricorn season, as Sun will ingress Aquarius in a couple days.  And Capricorn season is a time each year when we focus on our responsibilities and how we can improve upon the ways we provide security and structure for ourselves and others.  We’re often trying to get organized from Solstice to mid-January, working on prioritizing the things we can no longer let slide.  Venus has been retrograde in Capricorn too, helping to revise what is truly valuable in our lives.

So Sun conjunct Pluto and Juno is highlighting the deep dive into lessons of commitment, especially in partnership.  Ultimately, Juno with Pluto works to empower us through crisis…but this is not without the difficult task of letting go of some of the things that just aren’t working for us anymore.  We’re changing, after all.  We’re becoming.  And we can’t become what we’re meant to become while still clinging to all that once was. 

For some, these tests of commitment during transformation will strengthen partnerships and bring people closer together.  For others, the very test they are going through is saying farewell to relationships that have run their course.  This has been the theme lately, and the theme endures beyond this lunar cycle…but Cancer Moon at her fullness reminds us that we’ll be okay.  Scary as it can sometimes be to change, and painful as these growing pains can be…we must remember to be gentle with ourselves in the process. 

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

 

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius/Capricorn: A Story of Deep Healing

 

'Caduceus' by Mario Pichler

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius/Capricorn: A Story of Deep Healing

Prologue- 12/29/21 – 1/14/22

Retrograde- 1/14/22 – 2/3/22

Epilogue- 2/3/22 – 2/23/22

 

Prologue- 12/29/21 – 1/14/22

As this story opened, Mercury was in the middle of a stellium conjunction between VenusRx and Pluto in Capricorn.  Just days away from 2021 becoming 2022, and our minds were fully engaged in the deep transformations of heart and soul through crisis.  Many of us were being pulled beyond our will to let go of things we have loved or valued for some time.

Out with the old, in with the new…we have gone back and forth with this expression for two years now as the planets continue navigating their shifts between Saturn’s signs of Capricorn and Aquarius.  Sometimes we have really gone deep into our history, dusting it off and reworking it like new.  Other times, we’re on a fast track with the new systems being incorporated into our lives, and even a couple years ago is a long-distance memory. 

But this particular Mercury Retrograde journey may take us through more of an ‘out with the new, in with the old’ perspective before we can fully move forward with a sustainable mindset for 2022.  So be ready to question everything you thought was real when this story began.

Along with Mercury, we’ll be re-thinking those Saturnian societal structures of Capricorn and Aquarius in our lives…getting very thoughtful about it…and then moving forward again with what we’ve learned. On January 2^nd, Mercury’s initial ingress into Aquarius has felt like new ideas of togetherness after separation…but the Cosmic Storyteller is slowing down now to help us rediscover something important we may have missed along our way.

          12/30/21- Mercury conjunct Pluto (1^st exaction)

          1/2/22- Mercury enters Aquarius

          1/2/22- Mercury trine North Lunar Node (1^st exaction)

          1/9/22- Mercury sextile Chiron (1^st exaction)

 

Retrograde- 1/14/22 – 2/3/22

'Wonder' by Alex Grey

Mercury stations in the 11^th degree of Aquarius, where the Sabian Symbol is ‘during a silent hour, a man receives new inspiration which may change his life’.  Of course, we may only get a glimpse of that inspiration surrounding this station.  We’re not quite ready for the full understanding of it yet.  We’ll have to retrograde back from it first before returning to it on February 23^rd. 

The collective mental pause of Mercury’s station on the 14^th is a cue from the Storyteller to focus our attention before we rewind.  I’m sure, if you’ve been following along with Mercury’s retrogrades, you may have noticed humans (including you and me, at times) being a bit more scatter-brained than focused during Mercury’s shifts.  Out of every living creature on Gaia’s earth, our attention is the most variable.  We have surrounded ourselves in so much human-made stimuli that it can become nearly impossible to focus our own minds. 

But that’s precisely where Mercury’s magical trickery comes in for these retrogrades…pointing out our thoughts, our ideas, and the way we’re communicating…then flipping the script on us so we can refocus and revise. At the initial station, we are often riddled with all the mental matter accumulated from one Mercury cycle (this one began in Libra on 10/9/21).  We’re now ready to begin releasing all that has been on our minds so that we can create some space for the next Mercury cycle (beginning in Aquarius on 1/26/22), where new thoughtseeds are planted.

As we release, we return to the sextile opportunity between Mercury and Chiron that was first introduced on the 9^th.  This sextile offers healing communication that can get to the heart of a wound and clear it out.  Be aware of the teachers around you (with Mercury, these teachers may even be quite young)…they have some healing wisdom to share with you if you are willing to listen, observe, or engage.

On the 23^rd, when MercuryRx begins a new cycle, open yourself to the messages you’re receiving.  The Sabian Symbol of the degree for this solar conjunction (AQU 4) is ‘a Hindu Healer’.  Tuning into the spiritual realm will help to clear your mind for what piece of the Collective Mind wants to come through. 

Now, with a new mindset…we re-enter the realm of Capricorn with MercuryRx.  Something we’ve seen before (perhaps time and time again) looks…different.  That’s the magic of looking at things with fresh eyes.  We’re beginning to pick up on things from the past that we overlooked.  From this retrograde perspective, we’re much more observant.

A second trine from MercuryRx to the North Lunar Node may bring us to soul encounters that deepen what we experienced the first time around (1/2/22).  This is closely followed by MercuryRx returning to a conjunction with Pluto that deepens the internal thought process, uncovering hidden gems we sped past during that initial conjunction (12/30/21).  Deep thoughts are where we will find ourselves over the couple of weeks surrounding Mercury’s direct station while hovering near Pluto.  For some, it may feel like mental crisis…but it is all part of the process of freeing the mind through necessary change.

 

          1/14- Mercury stations Rx

          1/18- MercuryRx sextile Chiron (2^nd exaction)

          1/23- Sun conjunct MercuryRx (New Mercury)

          1/25- MercuryRx re-enters Capricorn

          1/26- MercuryRx trine North Lunar Node (2^nd exaction)

          1/28- MercuryRx conjunct Pluto (2^nd exaction)

 

Epilogue- 2/3/22 – 2/23/22

Mercury stations direct on February 3^rd in the 25^th degree of Capricorn.  The Sabian Symbol here is ‘an oriental rug dealer’, a symbol that blends spirituality, tradition, and commerce.  We return here, in the degree Mercury first visited more swiftly on 12/29/21, to slow down and take some time to rediscover what the mind needs to move forward again.  There is great comfort in something woven with time-honored wisdom that calls us toward practical spirituality.  This is something we can use wisely now as we journey forward with Mercury.  But first, sit for a spell on this magic carpet before we wrap up this retrograde story.  Soak it in. Pause with Mercury to think about the journey we’ve been on.  We’ve come a long way since the end of 2021, and we learned something quite valuable.

The week following this station brings us to a 3^rd and final conjunction between Mercury and Pluto.  What first came across our minds on 12/30/21, then we revisited on a deeper level on 1/28, now has the opportunity to be integrated into our lives in transformative ways.  We may return to some deep thoughts we’d previously been mulling over, but we have new perspective on it that we can move forward with.  Soon after, Mercury is trine the North Lunar Node one last time to amplify the soul encounters that can aid our transformation. 

By the 14^th, Mercury is back in Aquarius to move the progress forward…connecting our own pieces of the New Mercury message with others in collaboration.  This opens us into the growing healing messages that can spread when Mercury revisits the sextile with Chiron on the 23^rd. 

The life-changing inspiration, that we caught a mere glimpse of in the retrograde station, returns with more clarity.  We’re ready for it.  We’ve now journeyed thrice over these 16 degrees of Capricorn and Aquarius with Mercury, and these lessons are fully integrated.  Now it’s time to really use what we’ve learned, and let inspiration guide us forth.

          2/3- Mercury stations direct

          2/11- Mercury conjunct Pluto (3^rd exaction)

          2/12- Mercury trine North Lunar Node (3^rd exaction)

          2/14- Mercury re-enters Aquarius

          2/23- Mercury sextile Chiron (3^rd exaction)

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

New Moon in Capricorn: Movement through Solid Ground

 

'The Seed' by Pawel Jonca

New Moon in Capricorn: Movement through Solid Ground

Moon conjunct Sun – 1/2/22 @12:33pm CST

 

Welcome to the lunar beginnings of 2022, where our luminaries align to initiate our Capricorn intent.  You may want to check your Soul Compass (natal chart) to see what house Capricorn colors for you.  Intention setting begins there in this lunar month. 

Whether you are in the long nights of Winter or the long days of Summer in your hemisphere, Capricorn (as Saturn’s nocturnal domicile) is inherently a cold and dry kind of energy.  This is what is known as a ‘melancholic’ temperament…which necessitates movement, circulation, and cleansing hydration to keep from getting stagnant or brittle.  Capricorn is a cardinal sign, so the initiatory energy of it is there…but those initiations move through solid earth.  So Capricorn beginnings also necessitate practicality and a little more time investment than the other Cardinal signs.  As you are making your plans for the month ahead, consider what really matters, what needs to be worked on to ensure strong foundations, or what has grown stagnant that needs new life.

'Capricorn' from Cyril Rolando's Dancing Zodiac

Aiding the forward movement is a flowing earth trine from our luminaries to Uranus in Taurus.  Uranus is infusing this New Moon with innovative improvisation for how we use the tangibility of earth energy.  The energy is progressive, inventive, and even surprising.  You may even surprise yourself on what you can accomplish this month if you put the Saturnian effort in.  Saturn in Aquarius, guiding this New Moon, is not averse to forward-thinking progress.  So even though the Saturn-Uranus square is still actively involved in the struggle between the old and the new…we’re no longer able to fully cling to the ‘old ways’ of doing things.  It is apparent we must move forward and integrate new ideas.

 

Sun and Moon in Capricorn 13

Sabian symbol- ‘a fire worshipper’

 

This degree of Capricorn is one of getting to the energetic roots of transformation to really appreciate how to manifest our will.  In fire, the death of one thing fuels the life of another.  The fire worshipper of this symbol celebrates the interaction and co-creation between Spirit and Matter that provides illumination, warmth, and fuel for our bodies.  In the cold earth of Capricorn season, such warmth and light stirs this New Moon seed to grow.  Like the fire worshipper, if we focus our attention and appreciation on the fuel that inspires us within…we activate our faith in our ability to transform.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi