New Moon in Libra: Heightened Perspective and Community Support

New Moon in Libra:  Heightened Perspective and Community Support

Moon conjunct Sun @ 2:11pm on 10-19-17

"When the wind of change blows, some people build walls while others build windmills."

-Chinese Proverb

The Mourning Moon cycle begins with our luminaries in opposition to Uranus Retrograde in Aries.  Balance between each unique individual and the relationships in our social sphere is paramount.  And this balance is supported by Uranus’s involvement in a Grand Fire Trine with Saturn and the North Lunar Node.  The Lunar Nodes have been bringing fortunate relationships with our community for a few months already...with the South Node anchoring all that sacred creative fire into Aquarian re-connections.  This aspect pattern, with a Grand Trine and sextiles to form a diamond shape, is called a Kite.  The energy of the kite is one of manifesting the creative potential of the trines by providing opportunities from the sextiles. 

While this kite is still soaring, the Sun and Moon join in Libra to provide another sextiled anchor to the Grand Fire Trine…and more opportunities to create balance in our lives.  This aspect pattern is a beneficial one to focus on, but it’s not the only energy coming through right now.  Saturn is also at the 90 degree apex (stress point) of a T-Square pattern with the Mars-Chiron opposition.  This T-square is a heavy hitter…where limitations and hard knocks arise from woundedness, anger, stress, and even violence.  Its influence is starting to wane as Mars approaches its Libra ingress on the 22^nd.  But this week, it’s what most of the world has been and will continue to be feeling like a ton of bricks.  When such a dynamic configuration of planets is pulling our focus, it can be difficult to connect to the flow of creative opportunity that the Kites hold.  So let’s take a closer look at the Sabian Symbols highlighted by the opposition in the “kite of the luminaries”.  These symbols hold clues about how best to tap into these opportunities in the month ahead.

Moon and Sun in 27 Libra: An Airplane Sails High in the Clear Sky

With the luminaries navigating us to a new cycle, a heightened perspective can be reached.  Aboard this plane is a community of different people, from different backgrounds, all on the same stretch of this journey but with different destinations once the plane lands and the moon begins waxing to fullness.  There is a clear feeling of unity with all involved, as the luminaries bring us higher and give us a bird’s eye view of the earth below.  In meditative silence while looking out our windows during takeoff, inspiration hits.  We see a bigger picture.  Our fears, our stresses, the problems that demand to be solved in our lives and in our world (so many of them at a fever pitch this year)…suddenly we can look at them objectively.  Looking outside of the box, we find the connection of it all and reveal a common thread that has been unravelling throughout the collective.  Over the intercom, the pilots play “The Mind is a bright blue sky…” and all passengers aboard this flight have a few moments of transcendent realization.   

Uranus Retrograde in 27 Aries:  Through Imagination, a Lost Opportunity is Regained

Lost opportunities happen, but occasionally they come back around (especially when they are crucial for our soul’s growth as well as our collective needs).  This New Moon presents a recurring opportunity…one that will help us through the changes ahead.  Uranus is that spark of genius that activates our imagination out of the box and aids us in realizing our ability to manifest a better outcome this time around.  You may have felt some regret lately for not having activated your full potential when you could have.  This is another chance.  Learn from the disappointment, rather than dwelling in it.  It’s nothing more than an aid to discovering what you really want and need in your life.  Often we get wrapped up in thinking of what we don’t want in our lives…thoughts that attract more heavy energies and manifestations of the same.  But at this new moon, from this vantage point we’re now blessed with, we have an opportunity to clear out what is weighing us down.  It doesn’t mean we ignore it…it means we see it differently now.  It’s an alchemical transformation happening within, if we let it.  And with a clear view, we can imagine possibilities…even miracles.  We re-connect to that Inner Child that believes in those things…and we create what we want most in our lives.

The Gift Within the Wound

It is important to note that Chiron, the Wounded Healer of the Cosmos, is being triggered into action now.  In the 26^th degree of Pisces, Chiron illuminates the Sabian Symbol of “a new moon divides its influences”…which is exactly what we will see happening at this New Moon.  Some will focus on the stress of the T-Square, while others will focus on the opportunity of the Kite.  It often depends on how your natal planets are being transited…but where your focus leans is also dependent upon how open or closed off you are to embracing change.  Under Chiron’s influence, people are realizing that the time has come to go ahead with their different projects now.  And tapping into the Kite energy is more conducive to success than if we’re staying stuck in the immovable feeling of Saturn’s current, but waning, T-Square with Mars and Chiron.  If we have gotten stuck there this week, it is helpful to remember that whatever stress arose from these squares is a wake up call for the necessary changes that must be made now.

Chiron is in an inconjunct with the luminaries at this time…and along with an inconjunct aspect to the North Lunar Node, Chiron is the focus of an aspect pattern called a Yod (also known as ‘the finger of God’…which points to this Wounded Healer energy).  Together with the support of the collective (North Lunar Node) as well as our heightened consciousness of feeling (Sun and Moon), we are being called to call out our wounds together.  The ‘Me Too’ movement that began this week on social media, calling out sexual harassment and assault by speaking up about how many of us have been affected, is a manifestation of this Chiron Yod.  It is a collective healing…and the process has started in this dark moon transition.  Unfolding from that is deeper, Scorpionic, discussion (highlighted by Jupiter and then Mercury moving into this sign of transformational healing) where even those who have been perpetrators in the past are confessing “I did” and vowing to not only change but encourage the change in others. 

We are releasing what does not work for us; clearing out what impedes true healing.  All of this is well timed as we step into the Mourning Moon phase this Thursday.  While it is the month each year that we mourn losses, release the past, and break away from what no longer serves our soul’s growth…it also stands out as a climactic point of this year of active change.  The solar eclipse in August ushered in some amazing energy…and we’ve been integrating it ever since.  Now we are at the point where those of us doing this integral work become the support system for others undergoing the most difficult of transformations.  In midwifing these changes for others, we too are transformed.  Suddenly, our purpose is clear:  every one of us is a healer.  Our unique medicines are different, but we are all here to heal humanity…which is the first step in humanity being empowered to heal the world.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

P.S.  For those of you who would like an in-flight video to aid your widening perspective on this New Moon energy, my friend Dan Furst (Captain Aquarius) of “Aquarian Airlines” has some additional information for you.  He and I met 7 and a half years ago and he was staying with us while on his book tour for “Surfing Aquarius” which was during my Saturn Return in 2011.  While we have much in common as astrologers, actors, and ceremonial artists…we each put forth very different, though complimentary, viewpoints on the energies of each lunation.  World traveler that he is, he shares a very interesting perspective on what is happening on our world stage.  If you’re interested, he has a video on YouTube for this lunation called “The Libra Black Moon”.

Jupiter in Scorpio: Enlightenment in the Deep

Jupiter in Scorpio:  Enlightenment in the Deep

Jupiter’s Scorpio ingress @ 8:20am CDT on 10-10-17

Taking roughly a year to travel through each zodiac sign, Jupiter has finished up his year of lessons on Enlightenment in Relating (Libra) and begins a new year of lessons on Enlightenment in the Deep (Scorpio) today.  As mentioned before, Jupiter and Saturn are the middle planets between the inner and the outer planets…and they can be likened to professors of higher learning in matters of society.  The social planets, between the personal planets and the transpersonal planets, teach in very different ways.  Saturn can be serious and stern, demanding that rules be followed or you’ll face very limiting consequences.  Nose to the books, kids…and take detailed notes because everything will be on the test.  But Jupiter is expansive, jovial, and allows for his students to have more freedom of thought in a very open atmosphere.  Jupiter’s emphasis is on expanding the mind beyond what the standard teacher-student relationship allows.  He encourages experimentation, as there is more than one path toward enlightenment.

This year, we move away from experimenting in the realm of social relationships and plunge into the depths of the mysteries of Scorpio.  These lessons take us to the edge of what we are used to exploring and uncover the many secrets of what has been bubbling under the surface of our society. 

Born while Jupiter was retrograde in Scorpio 35.5 years ago, I can tell you that this influence is like always being able to carry a light in the dark.  The unexplored depths of feeling, the mysteries of the occult, the unexamined taboos of a culture, the shadowy places, the scary unknowns…with Jupiter’s influence as a Guide, one learns quickly to be fearless in such explorations…diving further in to uncover hidden gems of wisdom for the rest of the tribe.  It is optimism in the face of destruction, despair, death, and darkness…as Jupiter in Scorpio natives know that the quest for truth extends deep within the ruins. 

Deepak Chopra has a prominent Jupiter in Scorpio influence in his natal chart…and these teachings can be found throughout his books.  In “The Return of Merlin”, he writes “I was very afraid in the beginning, until Master told me that pain isn’t the truth; it’s what you have to get through in order to find the truth.” This quote is very similar to what the experience is like being taught by Jupiter in Scorpio.  Other Jupiter in Scorpio natives that exemplify the illumination of the mysterious would be David Bowie, Stephen King, and Aleister Crowley (to name a few).  Fearlessly strange, we tend to walk the edges of what society deems acceptable or ‘normal’…walking between worlds in many cases…and express what is hidden just beyond the established view of what it means to be alive.

Jupiter was last in Scorpio between October 25^th, 2005 and November 24^th, 2006.  We were in the aftermath of multiple natural disasters throughout the globe (two very prominent ones that were much like what we went through recently were Hurricane Katrina out of the Gulf of Mexico and the Maharashtra floods in Mumbai).  Looking back to that time can give you clues as to what we might expect in this year of Jupiter in Scorpio.  Rebirth after death and destruction is often a worldwide theme, but on a personal level…other rebirths are often happening within.  12 years ago, I was 6 months pregnant with my first child and had just moved back to Omaha to be closer to family.  This was a huge turning point in my life…transitioning from maiden to mother.  It was precisely the rebirth I needed then…though it was pretty scary for me at the time (as I was having to discard an old belief that motherhood was not for me, and accept that my younger self was in denial of my soul’s path).  While pregnant, I re-met the man I am now married to (the love of my life, though we were just friends then).  And Alyrica Rayven was born in January of 2006 (making her a Jupiter in Scorpio native just like Mama).  A few months later, Alyrica’s biological father cheated on me (we weren’t married, thank Goddess, as I was still under the impression that I was also not meant to marry…another untrue belief held by my younger self which kept me safe until I was actually ready a few years later).  And the rest of that Jupiter in Scorpio year was spent rolling in the deep of a dark depression; the saving grace of that time being my beautiful daughter.  With a focus on exploring the mysteries of motherhood though a deep connection with my baby, I was able to transform all of that heavy energy into something pure and meaningful. 

This past full moon, I was blessed to be able to learn from Juan Nunez del Prado (a teacher of the Inka traditions).  One of the things he discussed was how, in the cosmovision of the Inka, energy is not viewed as negative or positive…but as heavy or light.  In describing sending our heavy energy (hucha) to Mother Earth (Pachamama) to be transmuted to light, he said something that resonated with me as a mother.  He said we humans are like babies.  Our systems can’t tolerate and digest heavy ‘foods’ (energies).  So Pachamama eats the heavy foods we can’t and turns it into milk for us.  She purifies what we can’t process and transforms it into the sustenance we need in order to live. 

As we may be dealing even more deeply with the heavy energies of our social systems during this year, we may find ourselves needing to purify what has been eroding our life force and weighing us down for some time.  A deep healing is needed, and it begins within all of us.  As Jupiter illuminates the darkness we need to explore now, keep in mind that the goal is a necessary rebirth.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Moon in Aries: Heart's Desire in Action

Full Moon in Aries:  Heart’s Desire in Action

Moon opposite Sun @ 1:39pm CDT on 10-5-17

A couple hours before this Blood Moon reaches its peak of fullness, Venus and Mars combine their energies in a conjunction.  The inner planets of the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine meet as one at 11:22am CDT.  There’s a Hieros Gamos (Sacred Marriage) feel to this energy…inclining us to seek that balance between our own masculine and feminine energies within.  In Virgo, the Goddess of Love acts as the Priestess and the God of War acts as the Spiritual Warrior.  The degree in which they meet is Virgo 20.  The Sabian Symbol here is “an automobile caravan”, indicating a collective effort to journey toward new horizons…following the heart (Venus) and taking initiatory action (Mars).  

Before we get into the energies of this full moon, I want to focus on this conjunction because it holds a key to being able to deal with what has gone topsy-turvy in our world (this is one of those full moons with so many energies in play that even trying to address it all would be too much of a juggling act for me right now…because I’m already feeling it all).  But this conjunction is a good focal point for personal action.  This is another chance at a new beginning in male-female relations…the start of a two year synodic cycle between these planets.  What the two energies have most in common is a theme of  ‘desire’.  Looking into what you truly desire is a good starting point for this Venus-Mars infused Full Moon.  Being able to peel away the layers of thought to reveal your true feelings is not easy for us to do.  But it is key to uncovering what you truly desire.

What is our heart’s desire?  I’m not asking for the first answer that pops into your head…or mine.  I’m not even asking for an answer.  Not because I think I know the answer already.  I don’t know anything.  I just feel everything.  

Like many of you, I grew up learning the narrative that what I feel is too much for others, or too weak, or embarrassing, or not even valid.  You come to a stage within that early experience where you close yourself off, followed by a stage of angst when you get that feeling that so much you’ve learned is false.  And then eventually, through the ups and downs of experience, you come to a place of inner knowing…your own truth.  And you are once again, as the kids say, feeling all the feels.  In the end, you may realize the ability to feel and express feelings is actually a strength.  I really hope we can all realize that anyway, no matter the ridicule we may have endured.  It’s important to understand our feelings…it’s integral to that ‘inner knowing’ that becomes our moral compass.  

Where does that knowing come from?  Not from the head…the brain…the mind.  For these larger questions we ask ourselves, we’re not going to find the answer if we think about it.  It comes from heart consciousness.  The heart is not only the first organ that forms and functions in our bodies, but it is also our most powerful transmitter of feelings.  We’re often focused on the importance of our brains…but the heart’s electrical field is 40-60 times stronger than the brain’s, with a magnetic field that is 2-4 thousand times stronger.  It is not only informing our brain, but our environment as well.  It’s torus-shaped energy field is measurable 5-8 feet around us…with the non-local field extending much farther.  So how do we make positive change in a world gone mad?  We must learn to radiate healing from our heart-center.

Venus and Mars are asking you to journey along with them to this space of resonant heart consciousness.  Leave behind resentment, disappointment, anger, sadness, and fear.  To get where you are going, you must travel light.  See where this journey takes you.

Moon in Aries 13:  “A bomb fails to explode”

So many ways this image can go.  On the world stage, any mention of bombs brings to mind North Korea…which, as a country, has been heavily aspected by the eclipses of this summer and continues to be aspected with this full moon.   But a bomb failing to explode could be good, right?  Crisis averted, for the time being?  Hope so.  On this particular axis that the luminaries are highlighting, because of proximity to certain fixed stars, it’s like flipping a coin in every situation. Prosperity or destruction?  Especially with Pluto squaring both luminaries…transformative energy is on high.  And with all other planets in play, there is a Wheel of Fortune element to it all.  The symbolism of the luminaries does suggest, though, a sense of momentary peace and protection…or even lucking out.  Unless you’re the one trying to drop a bomb, I guess…in which case your expectations might not come to fruition.  Venus and Mars would suggest that dropping love-bombs are more reliable in this cosmic climate.  What I’ve noticed so far, while trying to preemptively schedule gatherings for this moon, is that planned out preparations are not the way of this moon at all.  There is a larger story pushing for us, the characters, to be in other situations than where we thought we’d be focusing.  The plot thickens as the Author brings even the readers to an unexpected turn of events.  Gathering with community might not work out for you, or maybe it’s just me, but it’s likely because a more pressing situation will need to be defused elsewhere in your life.  Most of us were born when Eris (named after the goddess of discord) was on or near this degree of Aries.  She is so slow moving in her orbit that she’s actually still in Aries now.  She’s not all about discord of course, but she does like to drop bombs (or golden apples, as the myth goes) to shake things up.  She’s also the archetype of the powerful female rebelling against the outdated norms of patriarchal society.  My natal Eris is being activated by this full moon in Aries.  So those somewhat younger and older than 35 are likely feeling it too, to some degree.  I wish you all luck on each crisis averted at this time.

Sun in Libra 13:  Children blowing soap bubbles

This seems like a bit of a jump in themes at first, yes?  It conjures images of laughing, playing, and being filled with joy and wonder at the magic within our ordinary world.  There is also a transitory theme weaving through the opposing symbols…and one in which the bubble inevitably bursts.  There is also a protective theme at play…also momentary…of being ‘in a bubble’.  The key here, though, is to encourage that momentary instance of awe and celebration at the little joys in life…as the other energies at play may have some more heavy-hitting things in store soon enough.  It’s not a time, not yet anyway, to burst bubbles and drop bombs on others.  If anything, that would be a personal experience (having your own bubble burst, bombs dropped on you to take care of, or things not being what you wanted in general).  Count yourself lucky if you get to spend the next few days relaxing with a bubble wand in hand…and the only bombs you’re meant to defuse are tantrums from a toddler who would rather play than eat or sleep (this is a potential for me anyway, since I’ll be with my two-year old son at the time…but I’m clearly not supposed to plan ahead so we’ll see what happens).

Like I said, every planet is at play in this Full Moon dance.  If one or more is transiting your natal chart (which is likely for most of us), that will provide the main focal point of your experience of this time.  Each of the four of us in my family have multiple transits going on individually right now.  Two of which are exact with the full moon (my husband’s Venus and our son’s Uranus are both in the full moon degree).  The Venus-Mars conjunction, I feel, is the significant key to unlocking the highest vibration of this Full Moon energy though.  The Aries-Libra axis our luminaries are highlighting is a delicate balance of both Mars (Aries) and Venus (Libra) energies.  It is the axis of relationship between self and other that is being illuminated at this time.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Cat-Moon Cartomancy: Autumn Insights

The Equinoxes are the times of the year where life calls for balance on all levels…as it is equal day and equal night.  What feels out of balance calls for integration at these times.  The beginning of autumn is a time of gratitude for all that has come from this cycle that began at the Winter Solstice last year.  It’s also a harvest holiday (Mabon); a time of sharing our gifts with the world.  In the spirit of sharing my own gifts, I facilitated a card reading for all of us on the moment of the Autumnal Equinox (9-22-17 @ 3:02pm CDT, when the Sun shifted into the sign of Libra).  Every cartomancy spread tells a story…as it is with all forms of communication with the Divine.  The question I asked for us was ‘What wisdom will this season bring for all of humanity?”  The following is my interpretation of the story that revealed itself in the cards.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

-Robert Frost

Above (Universal)- Two of Wands

This cosmic energy presents two windows of opportunity.  We are given the power to create change, and with that, the power of choice.  This symbol represents the pause before making that choice.  This pause is not one of inactivity, but of active discernment.  Either way we choose, we will be moving forward.  The question is, which path makes the best use of our creative power to transform our lives?  It’s clear we want to change or create something, but the path ahead is unclear right now.  Even still, we must make that choice.  There is a fiery, trailblazing energy associated with Aries in this card that activates the courage to make quick decisions based on intuition.  This discernment is not of the intellectual mind but of the instinctual mind (located in the gut rather than the head).  Trust your instincts.  No regrets.

Right (Projective)- Uranus Initiation

The energy radiating from us all now is the unpredictable, unknowable change coming forth that is meant to shake up what has been in place for some time.  It is an initiation we’ve been going through (brought on by Uranus in Aries from May 2010 to March 2019) that, even as we’re nearing the close of this time, still surprises us in all of the breakthroughs and breakdowns in our awareness.  Since this ingress into Aries, Uranus has been a key player in many 90 degree (square) alignments, some of which were major forces of change (particularly the Uranus-Pluto series of seven squares from 2012-2015) across the globe.  We go through drastic shifts on each individual level as well, mirroring our changing world.  How we deal with such dramatic changes has also been shifting over this time period.  There’s really no way to freeze of flee, so we had been defaulting on fight mode whenever acting or reacting to periods of instability, unpredictability, or destruction.  As this Uranus in Aries energy comes to a close over the next year and a half, a new response to all these changes is emergent.  The path we forge ahead of us is the choice we are poised to make in the Two of Wands symbolism above.

Below (Global)- Divine Child

Gestating in Mama Gaia’s womb throughout all of these breakthroughs, break downs, turning points, and transformations is the collective energy of the Inner Child.  This archetype is being reborn in all of humanity…through the growing connection to the divinity within every living being. While individually our inner child archetype has different expressions...it is the Divine Child expression that is emerging collectively from the enlightening energy of our current Uranus Initiation.  The choice of creative change mentioned in the Two of Wands is why we are now called to nurture our inner child and integrate this archetypal energy into being. There is a redemptive nature to this archetype, one which is integral to taking back our own power to create meaningful change.  The Divine Child within us all sees the potential for sacred beauty in all things, and embodies qualities of wisdom and courage in the face of difficult circumstances.  Gifted with the power of imagination and the belief that everything is possible, the Divine Child makes decisions based on love and not fear…and creates the world that our children and our children’s children will need as we move into an uncertain future.  Magical and innocent as this energy is, we have also seen two distinct faces of the shadow of this archetype.  One is the shadow of depression and pessimism.  The other is escapism.  Both are reactive to all that happens that seems unfair, too challenging, or unfixable.  One is the distortion that miracles are impossible…that nothing we can do can save any of us, or the planet.  It is a cynicism that creeps in on the idealism of youth and judges as foolish and nonsensical.  The other is the distortion that energy and action are not required…which allows for retreat into fantasy and doesn’t confront the issues that arise.  One form of this escapism that has been called out lately is known as ‘spiritual bypass’ or ‘light polarization’…where lower energies are ignored and we are above it all.  Or, another form most of us know well is allowing ourselves to be distracted with our addictions, comforts, or privileges.   It is within these shadows that we are currently peering…shining the light of truth in every corner.  We are transmuting an energy of impossibility and inaction into an active manifestation of miracles…and re-membering the Divine Child within as a rebirth of healing on Earth.

Left (Receptive)- Saraswati

The energy we are receiving as an aid to this stage of our journey is an invitation to access the Akashic Records.  Saraswati is the Devi of wisdom, knowledge, and learning…with an affinity for music and arts.  Her name means ‘one who leads to the essence of self-knowledge’. Images of Saraswati often depict her wearing white on or near a white lotus, symbolizing purity, knowledge, and truth.  In her four hands she holds a book, a crystal rosary, a water pot, and a musical instrument.  The book represents universal knowledge and all forms of learning.  The crystals represent the power of meditation, inner reflection, and spirituality.  The water pot represents the purifying power to discern between what is true and what is untrue.  And the musical instrument (called a veena) represents all creative arts and sciences…her holding it symbolizes expressing knowledge that creates harmony.  One of her totems is the swan (hamsa), a symbol of pure being and of the soul’s highest aspiration.  The swan symbolizes the removal of blocks that prevent us from realizing this state as our true nature.  Release from these blocks moves us closer to experiencing our true selves…limitless beings in a state of freedom rather than our self-limited, smaller selves that we often mistakenly believe ourselves to be.  Saraswati’s swan shows us the essence behind the masks we wear.  Saraswati is usually depicted near a flowing river or other body of water, as she is also known as a river goddess.  There are many songs written as an invocation of her energy…she is known as “she who dwells on the tongue of poets” after all…but this song is one of my favorites as it combines “Jaya Ganga Ma” with “The Ocean Refuses No River”.  While listening to Sparrow Grace’s “Jaya Ganga Ma”, allow yourself to flow with the rhythm of the music.  Saraswati is associated with anuraga (the love for and rhythm of music), which represents all emotions and feelings expressed in speech or music.

Center (Soul)- Raido Rune

This is the rune of journeys, movement, and cyclical change.  It is about living in the present moment, ever guided by our inner compass.  This energy shows the directional flow of our soul…always learning, growing, and making progress…even if our physical reality presents setbacks along our path.  Raido teaches mastery of circumstance and taking the reins of our own life in order to move forward.  When we do not learn a lesson, we will inevitably cycle back to it until it is mastered.  Now is when we can realistically assess our potential and make clear decisions based on moral responsibility and integrity.  To be fully present is to journey away from unnecessary fears and past experiences that weigh us down with too much baggage.  Now is the time to scale down, lighten your load, and choose your path wisely.

I wish you all a blessed season!

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

New Moon in Virgo: Owning your Own Power

New Moon in Virgo: Owning our Own Power

Moon conjunct Sun @12:30am CDT on 9-20-17

Released from the shadow of Mercury’s retrograde (at 11:10am CDT on the 19th), the collective mind has collected some wisdom with which we can move forward into new territory in this dark moon transition.  And though the solar month of Virgo is coming to a close on the Autumnal Equinox of September 22^nd, Venus is making her ingress into Virgo at 8:15pm CDT tonight (the 19th)…which means that when the Moon and Sun conjunct, three planets will also be highlighting Virgo energy (Venus, Mars, and Mercury).  Virgo is the pure priestess energy of focus and dedication to spiritual service…much like Vesta (the asteroid that just moved from Virgo to Libra this Monday and was prevalent last month in Mercury's Retrograde station), it is the energy that keeps the sacred flame lit.  In this illuminating energy, we are inclined toward the discernment of truth.  Even as Neptune and Chiron are retrograding through Pisces in opposition to all of this Virgo energy…plunging us into the uncharted seas of the collective unconscious…we are seeking a balance within that will help us discern what is real and what is illusion.  So it’s time to ignite the fire within as we approach the colder months in our Northern Hemisphere.  What we radiate out to the world right now is what we will see shining back at us.  

Sun and Moon in Virgo 28

The Sabian Symbol for the 28^th degree of Virgo is “A bald-headed man who has seized power.”  This symbol has many facets…but whatever feeling you get at first from this image may give you the best clues for what you will personally be experiencing during this lunation.  However, let’s bring the focus to the details of this symbol (Virgo energy is good for such focus)…as it can help us zero in on how to best seize and use this power provided by our luminaries.  The main focus is on ‘power’.  What is power?  The word’s origins trace back to ‘ability’, ‘efficacy’ and ‘potency’.  It is the ability to create, decide, and act.  We all have this ability…even with other disabilities.  We all have power.  We all have the potential to use our power.  Another thing we all have is a larger environment of power dynamics that often keeps us feeling small, ineffective, unimportant, or unable to create necessary change (powerless).  But energy shifts from one moment to the next, and there are always opportunities that arise where we can seize back our power and activate our potential. 

Seize is an interesting word with many meanings.  It was originally a legal term referring to feudal property.  It is about possession…what we have and what we lay claim to.  And since we each can lay claim only to our own power…not the land, not others…the phrase ‘seized power’ has a hidden connotation that is often overlooked.  If we are seizing power, we must take back what is rightfully ours…and what is ours is only ourselves.  But first we must truly understand our own power.  Essentially…to seize is to grasp.  We must grasp our own power.  Another more formal definition of ‘seize’ is ‘to understand something quickly or clearly’.  Virgo energy, of which there is a potent amount right now, inclines us to get down to brass tacks about things.  So, naturally, we’re starting off this moon phase by separating the wheat from the chaff of what power really is, and how we can most effectively use it. 

And as if we haven’t learned enough already from bad examples of misuse of power (well, some of us haven’t learned)…there will likely be more blatant misuses of power to remind us of the obsolete power dynamics that are on their last grasp before falling away.  That ‘power over others’ rather than empowerment of ourselves AND others…it’s still clinging for life.  The best we can do is stop feeding it more power.  But that is a difficult understanding to grasp…an opportunity many of us have yet to seize.  It does seem that more and more are catching on, though. 

So the bald-headed man, then.  Why him?  There is some connotation of male domination within this symbol…but beyond our needs for gender equality, this is about revealing the head (which holds the power of the mind) and its ability to make necessary decisions about what power we have to create a change…and how to effectively use that power.   There is certainly a mental switch that must be flipped in order to activate ourselves within our own power.  We all understand on some level that thoughts and feelings can open and close doors of opportunity in our lives…we have the ability to empower ourselves or to shut ourselves down at each crucial moment where we must make decisions.  In this lunar phase, where Chiron opposes our luminaries and Neptune opposes Mercury, many of us will be feeling like escaping our wounds…and confused about what power we even have when our woundedness surfaces.  Decisiveness will likely feel like a tug-o-war of internal (Chiron Retrograde) and external (Sun/Moon) forces until we find the balance within these opposing energies.  

Chiron Retrograde in 27 Pisces

Opposite the New Moon, we have Chiron focused on the degree with the Sabian Symbol of “the harvest moon illumines a clear autumnal sky”.  It is harvest season…the Autumnal Equinox is just two days after the New Moon…and we are reaping what we have sown (but also what we have failed to cultivate).  So Chiron’s influence here either brings blessings of fulfillment for work well done…or feelings of lack for not quite getting there by this time (or both). A wound reopened at the last full moon may come to full integration through a healing process undergone in the last couple of weeks…depending on how you addressed that wound.  Chiron in this position pushes us to reveal the gift within the wound, and seize the power to heal ourselves.  In the larger scope, we will likely see plenty of wounded people in power positions, making decisions from that feeling of woundedness, lack, or the shadow of powerlessness…generally acting from this wound results in hasty aggression and a lack of compassion for others.  What we can each do, individually, to counter that is to not mirror the same reactions within ourselves.  Instead, we can recognize the illusions brought up from those feelings of separation:  powerlessness, lack, and fear…and then transmute them with the light of truth illuminated by our luminaries:  own your own power.

There is an aspect pattern called a Yod (‘the finger of God’) pointing a focus at Chiron Retrograde during this New Moon…and at the foundation of this Yod is a sextile (beneficial aspect of 60 degrees) between the North Lunar Node in Leo and Jupiter in Libra.  This sextile creates two inconjunct aspects pointing to Chiron…showing an opportunity for necessary growth through integrating energies that don’t seem to fit together easily.  It does take work to heal whatever wounds are being highlighted at this time, but it is important to make the effort. 

And speaking of inconjunct aspects, the New Moon is directly inconjunct (uncomfortable aspect of 150 degrees) Uranus…adding some irritation to the wound…which makes it more imperative to heal.  

Uranus Retrograde in 28 Aries

The Sabian Symbol for the 28^th degree of Aries is “a large audience confronts a performer who disappointed its expectations”.  Uranus loves surprises, but in this degree…the surprise is more of a disappointment from the masses that were so hopefully expecting something great to happen (see, at the end of this post, my take on the Rev 12:1-2 sign of September 23^rd for clues on how this energy of disappointment may play out on the world stage).  There is both a caution here of taking on more than we can effectively deliver and also a caution of setting our hopeful expectations too high on others.  How we handle our disappointments is crucial to understanding our own power, and understanding how it is regenerative through such growth experiences.  The manner in which we meet these disappointments in life determines our future possibilities of development and achievement.  This is about taking responsibility for our actions and how they affect others…something we all must consider when ‘seizing power’.

Mercury in 13 Virgo opposite Neptune Retrograde in 13 Pisces

Adding to the focus on the Virgo-Pisces axis, Mercury exacts an opposition to Neptune shortly before the Moon conjuncts the Sun.  This first degree after the retrograde shadow concludes is the 13^th degree of Virgo, and the Sabian Symbol here is “a powerful statesman with a strong hand supplants political hysteria”.  So Mercury is reinforcing the New Moon degree symbol about power and how best to use it.  Neptune is still in the same degree as it was during the Full Moon this month (when it was opposite the Sun and conjunct the Moon then).  The Sabian Symbol for Neptune is “an ancient sword, used in many battles, is displayed in a museum”.  For more about Neptune in this degree, see Full Moon in Pisces.  Essentially, as the two are in opposition, the balance between these opposing forces has to do with activating our inner will power (Neptune) toward ‘getting a grip’ (Mercury) on unhealthy emotional panic.  Again, as it was during the Full Moon on the 6^th, we are drawing from ancestral power to really put things into perspective and shift the over-dramatics of this time into more reasonable actions that aren’t a waste of energy.  

A Note about Revelations in a Neptunian Climate

A question from a friend about September 23^rd arose after my previous post:  Kristi said, “Thank you for this insightful article. Do you have anything to say about September 23rd? There seems to be a lot of buzz on the Internet as that being a disastrous day.”

Thank you for your question, Kristi.  I must admit, I was not aware of the buzz until you mentioned it.  It was a bit of a twilight zone even stepping in all that coverage that would have otherwise alluded me…trying to keep my wits about me to discern what is real and what is blown out of proportion. Proportion is not something we, as a human race, have a reliable grasp on.  We often let it get out of hand.  Predictions are tricky things, especially when they are misused to invoke fear or separation.  What I mean is, looking at the larger scope of things and interpreting symbolism and signs can be a transformative experience of soul growth. What is tricky is sharing that power of insight with others.  Veering from ‘the stars incline; they do not compel’ to ‘the fault in our stars’ often leads to distorted views of ‘disaster’ (which literally means ‘bad star’).

It’s why I am not a predictive astrologer.  It seems a better use of this second language of mine is to interpret and translate as an art form…so that the reader may glean their own meaning from it as one would with a piece of art. 

Those new to astrology who are more versed in their own interpretations of available biblical text might not understand fully that the cosmos teaches us both about our interconnection as well as multiplicity of outcome.  It’s a big topic to teach…and each human teacher who learns is not allowed time enough in our bodies to ever reach a mastery level.  Such is the nature of wisdom that shifts and changes in timelines more vast than we can currently wrap our heads around.  As a whole, the human race has learned very little about our own Mother Earth in our time here…and her classes should be a pre-requisite on this Earth Walk.

The same can be said for those of us relatively new to interpreting bible prophecies who are more versed in a less limited cosmovision.  I’m no bible scholar.  Use your own best judgement.  My interpretations are more from a cosmic understanding rather than a religious one.  

That being said, I have researched the supposed ‘Revelation 12 Sign’ that has been forecasted for the 23^rd.  And though I am clearly pagan, I have been known to break out my own copy of the Bible from time to time in order to research symbols (my Great Grandma gave me one with my name on it when I was my daughter’s age, to carry on my wedding day).  While the alignments of the constellations, planets, and luminaries are indeed very interesting in matching certain parts of the biblical text in Rev 12:1-2, I believe they are taken out of context, especially in the predictions of the Christian idea of the Rapture.  Those who believe they will be leaving this earth because of these astronomical alignments will likely be disappointed to still have to be dealing with the worldly turmoil we’ve drummed up as a species.  But we’ve been there plenty of times before, remember?  Some Christian teachers/preachers are so eager to leave this world behind (spiritual bypass in its most obvious expression) that apocalyptic predictions are a dime a dozen…and all of them have proven false flags as well.  The difference with this one is that it’s very clever, quite fascinating with the many twists and turns in its interpretative spin.  But Virgo is a priestess energy of pure focus, of discerning what is true and what is not, so tapping into all of this Virgo energy of this New Moon is beneficial to keep us centered while the Neptunian/Piscean confusion creates opposition.

For those of you who have no idea what I am referring to, there are some who believe September 23^rd has biblical significance based on the alignments of the luminaries, the inner planets and Jupiter, and the constellations resembling a prophecy in the Book of Revelation.  The prophecy describes ‘a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth’.  With astronomy software you can see that on the 23rd, the constellation of Virgo (the female figure of our zodiacal constellations) will have the moon at her foot, the sun on her shoulder, some semblance of a ‘crown’ of stars above her head (depending on which 12 stars and/or planets you chose to count), and Jupiter moving out of what would be her womb space after a period of time similar to the gestation of a human baby.  All of these components are true, which is why it is fascinating even as a non-Christian astrologer.  Also, as an astrologer, I give a nod to the storyline of ‘rebirth’ that parallels what the stars have been telling us about this year already. 

However, there are some neophyte discrepancies that seem to be a distortion of the cosmic truth in order to fit it into a somewhat cherry-picked box of biblical interpretation.  Firstly, such a sign cannot be seen by us humans because the sun blocks our view of all of it (you can only see it in this way through astronomy software on a computer screen).  Secondly, the main point of this ‘Rev 12 Sign’ is that the crown is supposedly made up of the 9 main stars of the Leo constellation and the planets (which means ‘wandering stars’) of Venus, Mars, and Mercury positioned above the head of the constellation of the The Virgin.  This part is a bit confused because there are actually many more fixed stars than 9 that are visible to the naked eye in Leo.  There is also already a crown constellation (Coma Berenices) above Virgo…as well as 12 other visible fixed stars always above her head in an even more ‘crown-like’ formation.  There are other slight discrepancies, but I’ll leave it at that.  The point I’m trying to make is that aside from Jupiter’s involvement being congruent with human gestation within the Virgo constellation…the rest of the alignments are relatively common (Jupiter being ‘within the Virgin’s womb' happens about every 12 years…it’s just that this time, Jupiter is there for about 42 weeks).  It is an interesting spin, but understandable, to associate Jupiter with Jesus.  Jupiter was, after all, named after the Roman ‘King of the Gods’.  Astrologically, Jupiter’s energy is often Bacchanalian (or can be, since it's very expansive and abundant).  There are some obvious correlations between the dying/reborn God-man of Bacchus/Dionysus and the later story of Jesus.  This is a stretch, but so is most of it.  Also interesting to note is Comet Borisov (which many are now calling ‘The Conception Comet’) came from the loins of The Lion and travelled through The Virgin’s womb just before Jupiter entered the womb (Immaculate Conception?). 

Whether you take all this as a sign of The Tribulation Period or not, it is always best to know who originated the idea that this is the actual sign described in The Book of Revelation.  Most importantly, what have they gained?  Aside from that, how do they reconcile what their bible says about astrology and divination?  Why would a biblical sign, then, be shown astronomically and then be interpreted as a predictive astrologer might interpret it?  This is the biggest stretch.  I have heard some say that “it’s astronomy and not astrology”…but if you take an astronomical alignment and ascribe meaning to it as it relates to humans on earth, you are practicing astrology.  Predicting dates of the ‘End Times’ based on astronomical alignments is also in the realm of astrology (not good astrology, but astrology nonetheless). 

I know, it’s difficult to live within such rigid rules of what you can and can’t do if you’re a follower of the Biblical God…or the Church’s interpretation of God.  There’s a whole lot of Neptunian confusion surfacing around this…and there will be more to come after.  Perhaps our collective power to interpret things would be best focused not on how to escape responsibility for the tribulations of our planet, but on how to not contribute further distraction and destruction and to actually midwife the rebirth and restoration with more conscious contributions to Mother Earth.  There’s a hopeful thought to consider.  “Not our problem, we’re gonna get raptured” just doesn’t seem very ‘Christ-like’.

There is some concern from Christians who hold the 'no man shall know the time or date' view of all these various End Times predictions and also from Christian Astronomers who are trying to give the facts in a climate which would rather propagate whatever is more sensational.  They worry that the disappointment that will arise after this weekend will be similar to The Great Disappointment that resulted in so many different off-shoots of the faith (which also followed a failed apocalyptic prediction).  They'd like to guard against people losing faith again because of more false flags.  I'd just like to guard against a possible scenario of Christians blaming astrology for them being 'left behind' with the rest of us.  Remember, this arose from biblical prophecy students still trying to pin down the perfect day to get the heck off of this planet...I don't even know any actual astrologers who are even propagating this idea.  We're still just doing what we do.  But even though we didn't make this mess, we'll still be here teaching the lessons we can learn in the aftermath of Neptunian mystification. Stay tuned.  

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi