Grief has been welling up lately

Neptune, god/goddess of the ocean, dissolves the barriers and defenses that block us from feeling the truth of our oneness with All That Is. Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces the Fish, the last sign of the zodiac, which returns us to the ocean of consciousness, the Source, in order to cleanse, heal and renew.

Both Neptune and Pisces are associated with grief, which, like every emotion, serves a particular function. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, “The Lungs generate grief to dissolve attachments to people, animals, and life situations that have passed from our life. Grief that isn’t expressed and released leads to disintegration of tissues (and mind)” (Ka’imi Pilipovich).

Stepping into the ocean of grief takes courage — there can be a fear that if we really dive into it, we might drown. Traditional cultures typically provide containers for grieving through ritual space, but in Western culture, grieving is not honored as an essential process for the health of individuals and the community. In fact, pharmaceuticals are now routinely prescribed to “treat” grief, as if grieving were a disorder rather than an appropriate, necessary response to loss.

Both Neptune and Chiron in Pisces over the next several years will offer plenty of opportunities to make friends with grief. And now, with the Sun in Pisces (as of late Saturday), and approaching Tuesday’s New Moon in Pisces — conjunct both Neptune and Chiron — grief may feel particularly acute.

Pisces rules illness, which for many of us in this hyper-yang “productivity über alles” Western world is the only way we allow ourselves to have down time. When the body is out of commission and we’re “forced” to stay in bed, we actually have the time and space to get in touch with and feel our feelings. (I have a pet theory that we get colds when we need to cry.)

When we don’t allow ourselves space to feel the feelings, it’s easy to go into overwhelm and depression, when life feels like it’s all too much, which is one of the shadow expressions of Pisces. From this place of overwhelm, escaping into addiction (more shadow Pisces) can be tempting. In a very real sense, it IS all too much if we’re carrying a backlog of emotional baggage while adding more and more to the load.

In the wheel of the year, the Pisces season is the time of dissolution, when we let go of the old so that we can enter the new cycle with a clean slate. Review the past, feel the feelings that come up, and dream a new vision for the next cycle, which will begin at Spring Equinox on March 19.

Every New Moon calls us inward. The night sky is bereft of moonlight, vitality is low, and we’re in that limbo space between the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next. The Pisces New Moon, Tuesday at 2:35pm PST, especially wants us to turn down the volume on outer-world activity and mental distractions, and tune into the realm of feelings. Create a safe space for yourself to feel whatever feelings you’ve been avoiding or repressing, and trust that if you go all the way through, you will come out the other side, cleansed and renewed.

To get more specific about what this New Moon means for you, find the house that contains two degrees of Pisces. The areas of life associated with this house are where you are being invited to: dissolve old attachments; renew your spirit by connecting with something larger than the personal self or ego; practice compassionate service to relieve suffering (“serve or suffer”); surrender and go with the flow; and envision positive outcomes for the greatest good of all.

- Emily Trinkaus

Note to Portland-area friends: Please join me this Sunday, February 26, at the Portland Healing Arts Fair. At 1:45 I’ll be giving a talk on the Astrology of Now — how to work with the current and upcoming cosmic energies.

Mars turns Retrograde just a day after the Chinese New Year — the Aquarius New Moon — initiating the year of the Water Dragon. I don’t know much about Chinese astrology, but was very intrigued when I read that the Dragon is associated with Mars-ruled Aries: “a positive expression of yang, the male principal, balanced by the female yin, represented by the phoenix…. Aries is Dragon’s Western counterpart.” (The Year of the Dragon)

The Dragon is the “doer” of the Chinese zodiac, and this is a year to take committed action on what was catalyzed by last year’s Rabbit. Mars Retrograde suggests that it’s best to move slowly, and ensure that you’re headed in the right direction before jumping in. The Water element of this year’s Dragon echoes the Retro effect:

“Water has a calming effect on the Dragon’s fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others. These Dragons are better equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight.” (House of Havisham)

Mars is Retrograde in Virgo — the details — asking you to get very specific and precise about your desires, inspiration and enthusiasm. Mars Retro asks: What exactly feeds your vitality and what drains you? What small adjustment can you make to allow for more nourishing self-care and more courageous self-expression? How do you assert yourself, and is that working?

Mars rules anger — an emotion that is not well understood and that few of us know how to express consciously. While Mars is Retrograde, we’re being asked to look at our relationship with anger, how we’ve used or abused or suppressed it in the past, and how we can more effectively work with the energy. Although there’s a tendency to judge anger as “bad,” from the Chinese Medicine perspective, there’s no such thing as a negative emotion. Drawing on this tradition, my friend and teacher Gilly Adkins writes:

“Anger gets us moving and is expansive. It is a call to action. It is the force that helps us overcome the inertia of stillness or stuckness or unfairness…. Anger is necessary to help us move forward and overcome obstacles that are in our way, it is natural and has a practical role to play.” (from a handout in her amazing Intimate Communication teleclass)

Virgo is the sign of perfection, and Mars’ extended stay in this sign (November 11 – July 3) energizes the urge to clean up your habits, improve your health, hone your skills, and get organized. Work and service are key topics for reevaluation. Are you using your skills and talents in the most effective and useful way? Is there a shift you can make to be of greater service? Does your job inspire you or suck your vital life juice?

If you have a copy of your birth chart and want to get more specific about what Mars Retro means for YOU, find the house or houses that contain 3 to 23 degrees Virgo. The areas of life represented by this house(s) reveal where you are being called to purify and purge, clean up the past, restore order, rethink your desires, reinspire your enthusiasm, and apply your powers of analysis and discernment.

- Emily Trinkaus

Note to Portland-area ladies: Join Dawn Thomson and me on Sunday, February 5 to explore these Mars Retro themes at our women’s yoga, writing and astrology retreat. Find the details here.

“Breathe deep into the energy and, like a surfer, picture yourself getting up on top of the wave rather than trying to quiet it. The wave is a wave, it is what it is and it is building, so no sense in waiting for it to pass, it won’t.” – David Pond, Winter Solstice Newsletter

Winter Solstice, the darkest time of year, calls us inward to meditate and reflect on what we’ve created and how those creations are serving the greater whole. As the Sun shifts into Capricorn — Wednesday, 9:32 pm PST — we enter a new season, the beginning of the end of the astrological year that began at Spring Equinox on March 20. What did you initiate then? What do you want to bring to completion?

The Solstice Sun’s square to Uranus in Aries and conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn activates the Uranus-Pluto square, which will be exact for the first time in June 2012. The Sun’s interaction with the cosmic headline of the next few years urges us to consider our personal expression of the Light within this broader context.

As 2011 comes to a close, instead of getting caught up in the hype of “What’s going to happen in 2012??” a more useful line of questioning might be: How can I be an effective participant in co-creating a peaceful, sane world? What’s my unique role to play? How can I best utilize my skills and talents, and step into my soul’s purpose?

“Belonging to a Greater Whole”

“Imagine a world in which denial of our interrelatedness is no longer an option.” – Christine Page, 2012 and the Galactic Center

The chart of the Solstice can be read as an energetic blueprint for the next three months, and Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, holds special significance. Saturn in Libra, the sign of partnership, peace and justice, says that the most practical thing we can do is to recognize our relatedness, our inherent kinship with all beings.

Saturn is forming a close trine — 120-degree angle of ease and flow — with dreamy, mystical, visionary Neptune. The Saturn-Neptune trine enhances cooperation between the seen and unseen realms, and reminds us that, as Caroline Casey is fond of saying, “the imagination lays the tracks for the reality train.”

Neptune in Aquarius asks, What’s your most inspiring, liberating dream for our collective future? What’s your best-case scenario? And practical Saturn asks, What’s one step you can take in the here and now to ground your vision into reality? Who can you partner with to increase your potential for success?

Neptune is preparing to move into Pisces in February, and in the last phase of his 14-year tour through Aquarius, we seem to be witnessing the dissolution of democracy in the U.S., exemplified by police violence against peaceful protestors, and now the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act. As I wrote in a previous post, Unconsciously navigated, Neptune the mystic devolves into the illusionist, and over the past decade, we’ve witnessed the Neptune in Aquarius shadow — the eroding of freedom and the illusion of democracy.

In an environment of dissolving democracy and increasing assaults on freedom, it’s easy to get caught up in the Capricorn/Saturn shadow — fear — and to give away our power to totalitarian police state versions of the future (see Fear and Power). When we start buying into that dream, we’re feeding it energy and helping to create it. A more useful approach would be to address the fear itself and process that emotion, which then frees us to claim our authority to write the script for a more positive future, team up with others who share our vision, and start doing the work to bring it into reality.

Saturn also opposes Jupiter in Taurus, extra-potent right now as he stations and prepares to turn from Retrograde to Direct on Christmas day. Jupiter signifies how we make meaning — the stories we tell ourselves — as well as trust, confidence, optimism and expansion. Jupiter Retrograde has invited us to reconsider the stories we tell ourselves about pleasure, money, resources and the Earth, and to realign with our personal values and priorities. The Jupiter-Saturn opposition pushes us to take responsibility for our beliefs and ideals, and strengthen our faith in positive outcomes.

Intriguingly, Venus — ruler of both Taurus and Libra and therefore the dispositor of Jupiter and Saturn — squares both planets. Venus in Aquarius wants to extend the consciousness of kinship beyond personal relationships, and out into the wider collective. Venus’s square to Jupiter amplifies and stabilizes expression of the feminine — love, connection, compassion, receptivity, pleasure, beauty and art. And her square to Saturn points to the feminine as key to liberation from fear and tyranny.

The Sabian Symbol for Saturn at the Solstice beautifully articulates the Venusian theme of connection and kinship, as well as the Neptunian theme of support from the unseen:

“A man becoming aware of spiritual forces surrounding and assisting him:  The realization, at any level of existence, that one is never alone, and that the ‘community’ — visible or invisible — is sustaining one’s efforts…. At the animal level, the whole biosphere is the community; for the ordinary human being, it is the tribe or family, the village community, the nation. As the individual expands his consciousness, he may become aware of a spiritual community…. [T]his stage should bring the realization of ‘belonging’ to a greater whole.” (Dane Rudhyar, An Astrological Mandala)

- Emily Trinkaus

Note to Portlandia friends: Join me and my amazing high priestess friend Katie Todd for Activating Feminine Power, a workshop for women starting in January. Check out all the details here.

“We think we have the right to have a say in the future, and we think the future is made in your mind.” – John Lennon

Uranus is preparing to turn from Retrograde to Direct, permeating the atmosphere with a spirit of revolution, revelation, restlessness and anxiety. The Uranus station on Friday night (11:04 pm PST) amps up the drama of Eclipse Season, which culminates just hours later at Saturday’s Total Lunar Eclipse (6:32 am PST).

The Lunar Eclipse is in Mercury-ruled Gemini, and Uranus is considered the “higher octave” of Mercury. Mercury rules the mind, perception and communication, while Uranus rules the group mind, collective perception (groupthink), and the mass media. The co-incidence of the Gemini Eclipse and the Uranus station activates the potential for a radical break from old thought patterns, from the stories that keep us locked in self-destructive paradigms.

Adding to the excitement, Uranus is stationing at zero degree of Aries (the “Aries Point”) — the highly-charged first degree of the zodiac, stirring up energy for new beginnings. Kim Falconer writes that Uranus on the Aries Point “suggests our ability to make sudden changes, rebel against dogmatic convictions and break out of the safety zone.” The activation of the Aries Point tends to correlate with world events of a game-changing nature (e.g., Fukushima).

As the Trickster, Uranus rules reversals of all kinds. In fiery, speedy, risk-taking Aries, these Uranian reversals could happen shockingly fast. What reversals do you want to animate, in your own life and the life of the collective? What’s the most liberating reversal you can imagine for yourself, for humanity, for the planet and beyond?

In its ideal form, Uranus in Aries signifies the awakening and liberation of humanity, as individuals become conscious of their own power and courageously direct that power toward co-creating a new collective future. As I wrote in a previous post: “Uranus in Aries says: in this time, each and every one of us is a leader, here to contribute to the collective in our own unique way.“

Mars the Warrior — the ruler of Aries — is also active at the Lunar Eclipse, squaring the Sun, Moon and Nodal Axis. Mars and Uranus were strong at the Sagittarius Solar Eclipse on November 24, and both planets getting our attention at these Eclipses — critical awakening points when we can shift our consciousness and open to new realities — underscores a significant cosmic message.

While Uranus in Aries wants us to take the risk of diving in and embracing our authentic path, Mars in Virgo (November 10 to July 3) says, take one small step at a time, pay attention to the details, be willing to do the hard work, and perfect your skills so you can be of maximum service.

We’re already feeling the influence of Mars Retrograde (January 23-April 13), a time for cleaning up the past so we can better navigate the future. The cosmic assignment for these final weeks of 2011 is to undo self-defeating mental patterns and refine our analytical skills so we can actually perceive what’s going on and how to respond effectively. As we head into the dramatic astrology of 2012, mental sovereignty will be key to creating optimal outcomes.

- Emily Trinkaus

And now a word from our great ancestor and ally in the spirit realm, John Lennon, who beautifully exemplifies the Peaceful Warrior and Uranian R/Evolutionary:

A Lunar Eclipse is an extra-potent Full Moon — featuring heightened feelings, revelations and breakthroughs. In Gemini the Twins, the sign that rules the mind, what’s being amplified is mental agitation and confusion, the feeling of being pulled in multiple directions at once, and fast changes that push you to rethink your assumptions. Amping up the drama, anxiety, restlessness and urge for radical change, Uranus — planet of revolution and liberation — turns from Retrograde to Direct just hours before the Eclipse.

Eclipses typically trigger old stuff and present an opportunity to break free from old patterns. Events from the past come to culmination, people from your past reappear, and issues you thought you dealt with years ago resurface. Because the planets that rule Sagittarius and Gemini — Jupiter and Mercury — are both Retrograde, this particular Eclipse season is especially oriented toward the past.

Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius (until December 13) wants you to rethink your vision for the future, reconsider the bigger picture of your life, and reconnect with your inner guidance, instincts and personal Truth. In the midst of this busy busy period of fast change, movement, adaptation and adjustment, it’s crucial to take time to slow down, turn inward, and review where you’ve been and where you want to go. Without a guiding vision for your future, you become subject to someone else’s vision, and the visions offered by the mainstream media and political leadership are not very appealing.

At the time of the Lunar Eclipse, the Moon is in a close conjunction with the South Node — yet another indicator of the past. The South Node signifies what we are meant to leave behind, a way of being that pulls us back into old, self-sabotaging patterns.

The Eclipsed Moon conjunct the South Node in Gemini challenges us to become aware of and intentionally shed those old mental “tapes” — the stories we repeatedly, unconsciously tell ourselves. I’m not good enough, I’ll never be able to…, I’ll never have…, etc. At the Gemini Lunar Eclipse on December 21 last year, an important reference point for this Eclipse, I wrote:

The shadow expression of Gemini is readily available — information overload, hyperactive busyness and high anxiety. But the higher potential offered by this Eclipse is to awaken to and release any thinking patterns, beliefs or perceptions that are keeping you from stepping into your true power. What is the old story that keeps you from living your highest purpose? (Releasing the Undesirable Story)

The North Node in Sagittarius points to the best way forward: trust your intuition and instincts, take the risk of standing in and speaking your truth, and focus on the big picture and higher vision. Withdraw your mind from the proliferation of apocalyptic scenarios, the old patriarchal order in its death throes, and dare to imagine the kind of world you want to live in. The fears, doubts, anxieties and self-talk that kick in when you attempt this exercise are exactly what want to be made conscious, acknowledged, felt and released at the Gemini Eclipse.

Navigated consciously, Eclipses are portals, opening you to new cosmic information and higher states of awareness. If you want to get more specific about what this Eclipse means for you personally, find 18 degrees of Gemini in your birth chart. The house activated by the Eclipse reveals areas of life where events from the past are coming to culmination, fruition or ending; and where you are being challenged to shed old belief systems, open your mind, and shift your perception.

- Emily Trinkaus

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts

Eclipse season started on November 10, and as we approach Thursday’s Solar Eclipse (10:21 pm PST), the pressure is high, emotions are intense, and everything is speeding up.

A Solar Eclipse, when the Moon’s shadow blocks out the light of the Sun, is a very precise and therefore uber-potent New Moon. Seeds planted and intentions set will develop over the next six months and even the next 19 years.

The Solar Eclipse is in Sagittarius — trust, expansion, adventure and risk-taking — and evokes a feeling of restlessness (and possibly recklessness). Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign that inspires the urge to break free and take a leap of faith. Use this cosmic power time to get in touch with your personal Truth, the instinctual wisdom of the body, and from this place of inner knowing commit to your highest vision for the future.

Fueling the fires of change and facilitating forward momentum, the Eclipse forms a supportive trine (120-degree angle) to Uranus the Great Awakener, planet of revolution, acceleration, innovation, reversals and chaos. Uranus’s motto is “expect the unexpected” and as circumstances shift in surprising ways, Sagittarian mutability is key — adaptability, flexibility, movement and adjustment.

Sagittarius rules The Law, the higher law of our own integrity and ethics, and the laws of society and the legal system. On the collective stage, we’re seeing the escalation of state brutality against Occupyers everywhere — an attempt, it seems, either to scare people off the streets, or incite riots as a pretext to enact martial law. Eclipses are punctuation points in the bigger story of now — humanity reclaiming its power (Uranus in Aries) and the fall of corrupt, unsustainable social systems (Pluto in Capricorn).

To get more specific about what this Eclipse means for you, find 2 degrees of Sagittarius in your birth chart. The house animated by this Eclipse reveals the areas of life where you are being called to: take the risk of acting on your instincts; renew your enthusiasm, faith and inspiration; break free from past limitations; speak and stand in your truth; and enter unfamiliar territory.

Healing the Past and Creating the Future

The Eclipse squares Chiron in Pisces, stirring up old pain that may be getting in the way of connecting with, trusting and acting on your intuition. Wounds to our instinctual, animal natures inflicted by patriarchal, religious conditioning; the implantation of disempowering belief systems; “standardized” education that aimed to civilize the wild self.

Chiron’s healing method is to simply feel, without judgment. Prayer, meditation, spending time in the wilderness — whatever helps you connect with higher consciousness and open up to a broader perspective — can bring a healing insight into these wounded places and support you in moving forward more easily.

Mars — action, assertion, passion and desire — opposes Chiron and squares the Eclipse, challenging us to do the work to heal ourselves and bring our ideals into reality. Mars is in Virgo (November 10 – July 3), calling for focus, precision and discernment in our actions, and a one-small-step-at-a-time approach.

We’re already under the influence of Mars Retrograde, which officially begins January 23 (to April 13), turning attention to the past and suggesting that we’ve got some cleaning up and completions to take care of before moving forward. Mars Retro in Virgo wants us to pare down, simplify, improve our self-care routines and daily habits, and perfect our skills so we can be of greater service.

While the World Management Team goes all out with shadow Mars — violence, brutality, aggression, war — those of us who would prefer to channel this energy more consciously have a great opportunity. Mars is forming a Grand Trine with Jupiter in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn — three powerful planets cooperating in the pragmatic Earth signs and inspiring manifestation magic.

“Small, dedicated action to the big story” is how Caroline Casey describes Mars’s trine to Jupiter. Jupiter, as the ruler of Sagittarius, is particularly potent right now, and in Taurus, we access that power by getting grounded in our bodies, living our values, and honoring the Earth. Get clear about what you want, purify your intentions, release the “stuff” (physical or otherwise) that’s in the way, and take the next practical step forward, and then the next.

Meanwhile, Mercury the Messenger — planet of communication, perception and travel — is getting ready to turn Retrograde tonight (Wednesday, 11:19 pm PST). Mercury Retro is famous for miscommunications, travel delays and technical glitches, so patience and a sense of humor can be helpful if you’re making a big Thanksgiving trek (and of course double-checking the details of your plans).

Mercury is in Sagittarius, and the higher purpose behind this Retrograde, which lasts until December 13, is to rethink your vision for the future, reconsider the bigger picture of your life, and reconnect with your inner guidance, instincts and personal Truth. Chad Woodward of Kosmic Mind writes: “If you’ve acquired a new vision or idea over the past few weeks of Mercury’s shadow, this is the perfect time to revise it, adjust it, and go deeper with it to and see how you can make it work.“

Mercury turning Retrograde just before the Solar Eclipse signifies that, as we plant seeds for a powerful new beginning, we are advised to take our time clarifying what we want to grow. Even if you’re not sure right now of the exact form or shape of your vision, you can set your New Moon/Solar Eclipse intentions for how you want to FEEL, the kind of energy you want to embody. Sagittarius specifically supports gratitude, freedom, trust and generosity. The most potent times for New Moon magic are just after the Eclipse on Thursday night (10:21 pm PST) or all day Friday.

- Emily Trinkaus

This season’s eclipses — on November 24 and December 10 — are in Sagittarius and Gemini, highlighting themes of perception, connection, communication and higher vision. We are also likely to revisit issues that were up for us during last summer’s Eclipse season, from May 25 to July 14.

Due to other commitments, I’m not able to write a full post this week, but I want to share a talk I recently gave at New Renaissance on the topic of the upcoming Eclipses, Mercury Retrograde (starting November 24), and more. Please listen for details about these exciting cosmic events and suggestions for navigating this emotionally-charged time of potential breakthrough.

Listen now (the talk is about 30 minutes):

If your feelings have been on a rollercoaster ride from the highest highs to the lowest lows and everywhere in-between, then you are attuned to the cosmic story of now. We’re approaching a particularly potent Full Moon, exact on Thursday (12:16pm PST), when the rising tide of emotions will peak.

The Full Moon in Taurus amplifies our feelings about security, survival, resources, money, values and needs. As the Moon opposes the Scorpio Sun, the Taurus-Scorpio polarity is also animated — self-reliance vs. merging; holding on vs. letting go; attachment to what’s familiar and comfortable vs. opening to increased passion and vitality.

Coinciding with this Full Moon are the stations of Neptune and Chiron, as they both turn from Retrograde to forward motion. Neptune, god/goddess of the ocean, rules consciousness, Source, the infinite, the All That Is. Chiron the Wounded Healer triggers our deepest pain, and in Pisces the Fish — the sign associated with Neptune — we encounter the pain of separation from Source, a kind of existential crisis.

When a planet stations — appearing to stand still before changing directions — the archetypes signified by that planet are living large. With the Full Moon in play, our sensitivity is amplified. Neptune stations on Wednesday (10:54am PST) and Chiron on Thursday, within minutes of the Full Moon (12:55pm PST).

The extreme feeling states of bliss, ecstasy and oneness, as well as despair, depression and grief, all fall under the rulership of Neptune and Pisces. Because the feelings can seem so overwhelming, we might be afraid that if we “go there,” we won’t come back, and then we can fall into shadow Neptune/Pisces — avoidance, addiction, denial and escapism. As Michael Meade says, “When we think we can’t handle the emotions, we lose the natural substances of the soul and begin looking for substances to replace the flow” (The Great Dance).

Neptune and Chiron have been traveling together for the past few years (see Opening to Oneness), a combination described by Daniel Giamario as “broken-hearted idealism.” As both planets start moving forward again, he says, “It’s over — full steam ahead.” We can get lost in our individual and collective pain, lamenting and regretting the past and what should have, could have been, or we can feel the feelings, and then move on.

Adding to the intensity, Mars the Warrior — desire, passion, courage and personal power — opposes Neptune and Chiron at the Full Moon. This aspect speaks to the wounded masculine in each of us and can trigger pain resulting from the times when we didn’t stand up for ourselves, when we sacrificed or surrendered our power, and when we didn’t have the courage or confidence to go after what we really wanted.

Mars opposite Chiron-Neptune also awakens our deepest longings, and, ultimately, our longing to return to that pre-embodied state of pure consciousness, to feel our wholeness and oneness with Source. We tend to project this desire onto lovers, possessions, jobs, money, etc., and when the projection wears off, we experience disappointment and disillusion. The gift of disillusionment is to help us reclaim our projections and turn our attention back to Source, to reorient ourselves toward the truth of our inherent wholeness.

Meanwhile, Venus — the ruler of Taurus — is moving into a conjunction with the North Node in Sagittarius, urging us to broaden our vision and align with a more expansive story. Venus’s meet-up with the North Node, exact on November 13, empowers the feminine principles of reciprocity, relatedness, collaboration, beauty and love.

If you want to get more specific about what this Full Moon means for you, find 18 degrees of Taurus in your birth chart. The house where the Full Moon falls reveals areas of life where events are coming to fruition or culmination; where you might get an important insight into your needs, values and/or resources; where your security may feel threatened; and where you may feel called to release an old attachment.

The Sabian Symbol for this Full Moon is “A new continent rising out of the ocean“:

The surge of new potentiality after the crisis…. When the mind has been emptied and light has been called upon to purify the consciousness freed from its attachment and contaminations, a new release of life can emerge out of the infinite Ocean of potentiality, the Virgin SPACE. What will it be used for?” (Dane Rudhyar, An Astrological Mandala)

- Emily Trinkaus

The Sun will be in Scorpio until November 22, and these themes of emotional deep-diving, purging and transformation continue. But the shift of Venus and Mercury into Sagittarius adds an element of trust, spaciousness, optimism, forward movement and future vision. Scorpio’s realm is the Underworld, while Sag rules expansion — the urge to cross borders and boundaries, explore the edges of consciousness, and open to new potentials and possibilities.

Venus, goddess of love, rules relationship, eroticism, kinship, art and beauty. Venus in Sagittarius invites a spirit of adventure, risk-taking, and faith in positive outcomes into these areas. (More about Venus in Sag in my Reviving Venus post later this week…)

Mercury is the planet of perception, connection and communication and in Sagittarius, our minds and conversations turn toward big-picture perspectives and our highest vision for the future. Mercury in Sag depends on intuition rather than rational analysis, trusting instinctual guidance as a path toward freedom and truth. Shadow Mercury in Sag looks like an over-attachment to being “right,” and resistance to other people’s ideas and opinions.

We’ll be getting plenty of Mercury in Sag lessons over the next few months because Mercury will be Retrograde in this sign from November 23 to December 13. This will be a period of slowing down forward momentum in order to re-vision your future, and to reconnect with and renew inspiration, faith and optimism. Due to the Mercury Retro “shadow,” we’re actually under the influence starting on November 5, and it lingers on until January 2.

Mercury and Venus have been traveling together since mid-October, and will be closest on November 7 — the true Halloween, the traditional cross-quarter holy day of Samhain. The Mercury-Venus conjunction in Sagittarius wants us to tell the truth in and about our relationships. What was discovered during the Scorpionic process of deep diving now wants to be revealed.

In her Scorpio New Moon report, Barbara Hand Clow writes about Mercury-Venus:

“Comprehension about the real truth in our primary relationships is going to explode: Many partners will have to deal with unresolved elements in their relationships that hold them back from supporting this huge cleansing of human history. Ouch! Do not kid yourself, we all carry these shadows, and this chart says we must clear them before they backfire on us…. As annoying as Sagittarian fire can be, it exposes the lies.” (AstroFlash!)

Mindshifts and Mending Brokenness

Last night I listened to two podcasts that seemed to beautifully reflect these current cosmic themes. The first was the initial program in the Art of Love series, hosted by Arielle Ford and Claire Zammit. Mercury rules learning, and Sag rules higher education, so it seemed like perfect timing to get new information and perspectives on relationships — Venus.

The hosts suggested three “mindshifts” about relationships — again, very Mercury-Venus. My personal favorite: “Give up the idea that it has to be hard and take a long time.” We would do well to apply that perspective to all areas of life. Sagittarius is relentlessly optimistic, and while shadow Sag can be annoyingly Pollyanna, making the spiritual bypass move of glossing over the depths and darkness, if we’ve done our Scorpio work, then we’re rewarded with the ability to take off into an expansive, exciting new reality.

The other program I listened to was the most recent Visionary Activist Show with Caroline Casey, in which she interviews artist/community activist Lily Yeh. Wow. If you want to be inspired and profoundly moved (not to mention humbled), please listen to this show. Yeh’s work is to “transform brokenness into beauty and joy” by going into “broken” places like Rwanda, Damascus, poverty-stricken areas of Philadelphia, etc. and initiating community art projects that bring people together through a healing, transformational, creative process.

Barefoot Artists Project at Kujenga Pamoja Park, Kenya

Yeh exemplifies the Scorpio-Sagittarius energy at its best. She enters the Underworld, communities that have been traumatized and torn apart, and, through the magic of making art, “the community is wrestled from the heart of darkness,” and gifted with “strength and vision for the future.” As Yeh explains, the healing that happens through the collective art project creates a foundation of trust and hope upon which practical structures and systems can be built to further help the community.

Entering the broken places, within and outside of ourselves, requires no small amount of faith and courage. Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius can help us take this risk. As Lily Yeh says, “When we feel weak and not good enough, that’s not enough of a reason.“

- Emily Trinkaus

The New Moon opposes Jupiter, whose gift is to expand what he touches — in this case, making obvious the places where we’ve become entrenched and stagnant. A willingness to dig beneath the surface, feel the feelings, and release the old is rewarded with renewed passion and the faith to keep taking the next step forward.

Adding to his power at the time of the New Moon, Jupiter is also forming a close trine — 120-degree angle of harmony, ease and support — to Pluto, the modern ruler of Scorpio and god/goddess of the Underworld. The Jupiter-Pluto trine enhances our capacity to engage with and uncover the power and wealth buried in the depths. This is a time for accessing the resources and gifts both in the depths of our own psyches, and in the detritus of collapsing social structures (Pluto in Capricorn).

Sue Tompkins writes about Jupiter-Pluto aspects:

“We are used to thinking of the unconscious aspects of ourselves, the ‘Shadow,’ as housing the more ugly elements of our psyches but… those ugly and socially unacceptable parts of us are fertile, potent and useful, and house a great deal of buried treasure. It’s rather like the compost heap at the bottom of the garden: it is composed of decaying, dead and rotting matter, stuff we have discarded; but it miraculously transforms itself into mineral-rich nutrients that can be ploughed back into the soil.” (Aspects in Astrology)

Tompkins’ analogy of the compost heap seems particularly appropriate for Jupiter in Taurus, the sign that rules gardening. While Jupiter is Retrograde (until December 25), all “re-” words apply — reclaim, restore, reconnect with, reanimate… — to Taurus-ruled areas of life — resources, talents, values, possessions, security, and our relationship with the natural world.

For deeper insight into what this New Moon means for you, find the house in your birth chart that contains 3 degrees Scorpio. Every New Moon is a power time, but the Scorpio New Moon is especially witchy, ripe for magic and ritual.

- Emily Trinkaus

Note to Portland-area friends: Two exciting astro-events this week! Tonight (Tuesday), 7:00-8:30, Mark Dodich and I will be speaking at New Renaissance about how to navigate the upcoming Eclipses, Mercury and Mars Retro, and more. And Saturday, 10:30-12:30, career coach Aubrie De Clerck and I will offer a workshop on Guidance for Embracing Your Life’s Work (also at New Ren). See the Events page for details.