Blue Moon/ Lunar Eclipse
10 Cancer 15 / 10 Capricorn 15
December 31, 2009
2:14 PM EDT / 11:14am PDT/ 7:14 PM GMT

The year 2009 is going out with a bang. We’re ending with the second Full Moon of the month, and a lunar eclipse to boot. It’s interesting timing. New Year’s Eve is an artificial construct we’ve created to mark the end of a calendar year. The holiday generates nostalgia, heightened emotions and an inclination to look back as well as think about how we’d like life to go differently. This year, the skies are fueling all of those tendencies by bringing a lot of the story lines we’ve been following (and living) since summer to a dramatic crescendo.

The Capricorn Full Moon is the first measuring point in the current Cancer/Capricorn eclipse cycle, which began with a Full Moon lunar eclipse in Capricorn on July 7 and shot us forward with the Cancer New Moon solar eclipse on July 21. This cycle is bringing themes back to our attention that we experienced during the previous Cancer/Capricorn eclipses from December 2000 – June 2002 and July 1990 – December 1992. The date with the closest connection is December 30, 2001, when a Full Moon lunar eclipse took place within a few degrees of this month’s. More recently, this past July’s solar eclipse seeded the developments that are hitting a noticeable stage of unfolding now and will continue to build until next summer.

These eclipses light up issues of emotional and financial security, tribal allegiances and the eternal balance between family and career. In the bigger picture, the Cancer/Capricorn axis defines our private and public place in the world. The questions I posed in my report on the July 7 lunar eclipse still hold: Where do we feel safe? What do we need to feel loved? What do we want to achieve in our career and what quality and amount of effort are we willing to invest to get it? Who’s the daddy; who’s the baby; who’s our family? Here are some new questions: What were your answers to these questions a year ago? Can you even recall? I assure you they are not the same now as they were then. Last summer put us through a purifying gauntlet that restructured all of those answers. We became acutely aware of what we need individually in terms of nurturance and security. The cosmos suggested in no uncertain terms that we remove from other people the responsibility for meeting our own needs and place it within ourselves. Balances of power and allegiances shifted, and many of us permanently altered sibling relationships and decided who we do and do not want to be our family.

We didn’t all take action. Some decisions went under advisement, but not for very much longer. Now we have the chance, the impetus and in many cases the assignment to revisit them. The last holiday weekend of the year will spotlight what has developed since July, within us and around us. We may learn important details that we missed or that explain last summer. And it will feel increasingly like the appropriate time to start implementing some of the decisions we made then and put on the back burner.

Commitment and responsibility are the common themes in this process. The question will be: commitment and responsibility to whom? To your family? Your job? Your relationship? Yourself? Everything will be jockeying for first place. My money’s on the last one pulling ahead. We have undergone too much evolution to do otherwise. Our egos and desires are still empowered, refined and purified by the Sun and Venus’ transformative meetings with Pluto on Christmas and December 28, respectively. As if to drive home the message, Venus and Pluto are still standing guard with the Sun in this Full Moon. Whatever happened on either side of Christmas is still reverberating and plays into the scenario of the lunar eclipse. This New Year’s will not be like the ones before. Beginning with his entrance into Capricorn on the eve of Thanksgiving two years ago, when Pluto has been active on a holiday, our personal tradition of celebrating that holiday has changed. With Venus as his date for the lunar eclipse, big blow-out parties are unlikely. We’ll either be staying at home, sweet home or attending intimate gatherings with people who are extraordinarily dear to our hearts.

The Sun is also loosely conjunct Mercury and the North Node of destiny, encouraging us to communicate and reveal our newly honed and strengthened missions to the world at large. The final, and unavoidable, call to action is the wide T-square the Sun and the Moon are forming to Saturn, the ruler of the Sun and his Capricorn companions. A T-square is a dynamic aspect pattern that pushes energy through the planet in the middle (in this case, Saturn) and draws focus to the point opposite it. The demand of this T-square is dealing with Saturn in Libra — with issues of responsibility, fairness, equality and commitment in relationships. Saturn’s ongoing square to Pluto has been forcing us to renegotiate and restructure our relationship dynamics, and that demand is part and parcel of this lunar eclipse.

The relationship issue gets one more underscore if you take into account the asteroid Juno, the patient and loyal spouse and embodiment of relationship — here’s that word again — commitment. I don’t normally work with asteroids, but am mentioning Juno’s role in the lunar eclipse because she is in exact opposition to Saturn. Juno in Aries is no doormat, all-sacrificing spouse; she may view the world through the filter of her marriage, but she is perfectly capable of operating independently of it and taking care of herself. With Juno in the picture, the T-square opens up into an aspect pattern that is more complex, at least in theory. Juno and Saturn are forming a grand cross with the Sun and the Moon, a configuration that in most cases can whip us from one endpoint on the cross to another. This time, the whipping about keeps returning us to the same issues. The endpoints of one of the crossbars have an uncommonly unified message, arguing responsibility and commitment from both the masculine (Saturn) and feminine (Juno) perspective. The question still remains, though: responsibility and commitment to whom (or what)? Since Pluto is bearing down on both Saturn and Juno, the answer is probably not to existing situations and arrangements, at least not in their current form.

We’ve reached a stage of living in awareness of the blending of our spiritual and physical existence, of the alignment of our masculine and feminine sides and our minds and hearts, of what we truly desire and value and, most importantly, who we really are. That awareness permeates our experience of the energies of this lunar eclipse. Because of it, we will choose commitment and responsibility to ourselves. That does not rule out acting with commitment and responsibility in a relationship, or your family, or your career. In fact, it is the foundation piece to meaningful, honest commitment and responsibility in them, as well as in any other area of life. With that piece in place, all your relationships and obligations, both family and career, will fall into line. For many people, this lunar eclipse will lead to a deepening of connections, by conscious choice, and by conscious recognition that a partner or a development in your home or career is a wondrous and energetic match for the person you are now. And if the revelations go the other direction, the comfort and certainty you experience in yourself will fuel the resolutions you’ll be contemplating until the Capricorn New Moon solar eclipse at the middle of next month. Either way, be prepared for hugs and frequent use of tissues. This Cancer Full Moon will be brimming with emotions and tears, of joy as well as of sorrow.

A word about the collective impact: Since the North Node is part of the Capricorn stellium, watch for signs of a shift in how our tribe defines and wields power. Expect revelations about big corporations and financial institutions, government officials and personalities that we have treated as authority figures. With Pluto active in the lunar eclipse, we could have another wave of celebrated departures, likely to be heavy on individuals that have guided us for a long time.

The Sabian Symbol for the Moon at 11 Cancer is:
A CLOWN IS CARICATURING WELL-KNOWN PERSONALITIES.

Commentary: ‘A Clown Caricaturing Well-Known Personalities’ symbolizes someone clowning around, doing impersonations (or taking on other personalities), and putting on a mask. There can be role-playing here, where someone is putting on an archetypal “face” and performing because one must, for some reason. The entire act can be masking what is really going on within them. This can end up obscuring who one truly is on the inside. This can be because it is difficult, or compromising, to let one’s real emotions or thoughts be known. Perhaps there are secrets or information that it’s best for others not to know. The ‘Caricaturing’ can take up time whilst things, or conditions, change for the better.

Oracle: Laughter is often said to be the best medicine and “many things said in jest” may be a useful thing to remember as you relax and get things back on the right track. Perhaps someone is not being real, using masks and play-acting in order to hide what their true emotions, needs or objectives are. Or, they can just be playing the fool when the situation needs a more serious response. This can be acceptable for a while, but, sooner or later, this kind of behavior can end up being both annoying and frustrating. This can also be about the need to see things objectively or from someone else’s point of view. Things may seem exaggerated and blown out of proportion. “Chameleons”, people who act differently around different people, are somewhat hard to take seriously. Are people being true to themselves in this situation? What is really behind the facial expressions and masks?

Keywords: Exaggerated responses. Wanting to entertain. Show business. Trying to be something or someone that one’s not. Putting on a face. Comic performances. Parodies of personalities. Making fun of someone. Clowns and clowning. Life imitating art. Always performing. Irony. Satire. Objective observance. Criticism. Laughter. Caricatures. Cartoons.

The Caution: Being foolish in the face of positive potential. Trying to cover up reality through buffoonery. Being constantly “on stage”. Living vicariously. Inauthentic behavior. Not having the courage to display one’s true self. Putting on a face to manipulate or fool others. Irritating behavior that wears thin after a while. Being the laughing stock.

He’s a Fool that cannot conceal his Wisdom. Benjamin Franklin

Clown and guru are a single identity: the satiric and sublime side of the same higher vision
of life. Theodore Rozak

We take greater pains to persuade others that we are happy than in endeavoring to think so ourselves. Confucius

There are no greater wretches in the world than many of those whom people in general take to be happy. Seneca

I have spent more than half a lifetime trying to express the tragic moment. Marcel Marceau

Art must discover and reveal the beauty which prejudice and caricature have overlaid. Alain Locke

There is hardly any mental misery worse than that of having our own serious phrases, our own rooted beliefs, caricatured by a charlatan or a hireling. George Eliot

Now there’s some sad things known to man, but ain’t too much sadder than the tears of a clown when there’s no one around. William “Smokey” Robinson

The Sabian Symbol for the Sun at 11 Capricorn is:

PHEASANTS DISPLAY THEIR BRILLIANT COLORS ON A PRIVATE ESTATE .

Commentary: ‘Pheasants Display Their Brilliant Colors on a Private Estate’ is an image of beauty, color and wealth. It pictures a situation of the enjoyment of life’s luxuries. The ‘Pheasants’ are beautiful as they ‘Display Their Brilliant Colors’. They have long tails and brilliantly colored plumage. People are drawn to their beauty and can be awed by their presence. That they are on ‘A Private Estate’ shows an environment of privilege and security.

Oracle: This can picture going after one’s life goals. Riches, refinement and abundance are everywhere. However, just take care: ‘Pheasants’ can be game birds, so there may be an element of underlying danger. Displays of wealth and beauty can inspire others, but they can also lead to jealousy and begrudging acknowledgments. That this place is pictured as a ‘Private Estate’ signifies that it may need to be protected, and kept ‘Private’. People who don’t belong there may be able to come and visit, but it may be that they’re really invading someone else’s space or privacy. The visitors need to show respect and courtesy and not presume that they can move in and take over. On the other hand, being ‘Private’, this place may not be truly welcoming to people; they may find it unwelcoming and forbidding in some way. There may be difficulty in keeping up with the amount of work that goes into the maintenance of this ‘Private Estate’ it may take a lot of time to look after the house and grounds. Who does the work and who appreciates the luxury? Looking after the lawn and the garden can bring a feeling of improved well-being. Regardless of whether you’re a visitor or an occupant, just going out and looking at the beauty of the place, the plants and the wildlife can heighten your day.

Keywords: Glorious houses and estates. Lawns and gardens. Statues and birdbaths. Peacocks, pheasants, swans, etc. Enjoying the riches the environment offers. Large plots of land. Nature reserves. Game birds. Aristocracy and the ruling elite. Beauty, elegance and grace. Fabulous displays of color. Parks.

The Caution: Foolish disregard of pending danger. Feeling that one has to be “on parade” or else they will be overlooked. Issues of standing out from the crowd. Jealousy and envy through things on display. Luxury and beauty or snobbery that excludes. Showing off. “Do not enter” signs.

Fine feathers make fine birds. Traditional Proverb

It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds. Aesop

It is not that the French are not profound, but they all express themselves so well that we are led to take their geese for swans. Van Wyck Brooks

Few rich men own their own property. The property owns them. Robert Greene Ingersoll

The more things accumulate the more life is wasted because they have to be purchased at the cost of life. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (a man with some 90 Rolls Royces).

copyright: K. Biehl 2009/2010 All rights reserved