2011 Aquarius New Moon

by Stephanie Azaria

February 2-3 2011
13 Aquarius 53
9:31 PM EST / 6:31PM PST/ 2:31 AM GMT

This year’s Aquarius New Moon marks the end of an era. It is the last of the type we have been experiencing since 2004, the last with an energy that blends electricity, genius and individuality with higher love, other-worldly inspiration and an awareness of the inter-connectedness of all being. Instead of encouraging us to bask in that blending, thought, this Moon is telling us to get on already and shoving us out of it onto our solo journeys.

This New Moon in Aquarius is the last one in our lifetimes that will occur with Uranus (the ruler of Aquarius) in Pisces — and the last with the ruler of Pisces, Neptune, in Uranus’ home base of Aquarius. This mutual reception between Uranus and Neptune is responsible for the electric/misty blending that has simultaneously zapped and engulfed us since Uranus entered Pisces in March of 2003, and that has colored every Aquarius and Pisces New Moon since then. Their mutual reception is coming to an end, with Uranus moving into Aries this coming March and Neptune entering his home in April.

As a result, though a New Moon sets a cycle into motion, this one has a definite wrapping-up vibe. A look backward to the spring of 2003 and beginning of 2004, when Uranus was embarking on its travels through Pisces, gives clues about what’s wrapping up. That time started us on a voyage of self-discovery, learning more about who we are on a core level and bringing that being more and more to the surface. It’s become harder and harder to live in any way that does not allow your true being expression.

At the same time that we’ve been exploring our individuality, the mutual reception to Neptune has been instilling an innate awareness of the commingling of our energies with others (and with all of life), an ability to pull guidance out of the air as if via lightning rod, and a greater experience of connection to forces that can’t be physically grasped, such as compassion, artistic inspiration and spiritual enlightenment.

What affect have these energies had on you? Think back over the past six or seven years in terms of them. They’ve played a role in how life has unfolded for you. It’s visible now, or at least where it’s landed you. Uranus and Neptune are in a close growth aspect, which provides a vantage point for seeing how you have learned to live more true to yourself and more in awareness of your connection to others.

Other aspects of this New Moon say it’s time to move on. Mars, the planet of drive and motivation, is in a close conjunction with the Sun and Moon. His proximity kickstarts the decisions, seeds and new growth that begin under this New Moon, and he is pushing each of them forward consistently with our unique and individual style. Mars in Aquarius isn’t particularly caught up in the emotions of the activity. His is a more intellectual expression of force, which can be passionate in its own way, though that’s likely to be more about the concepts than any particular person. So there could be a rough-shod quality to the activity he inspires, so focused on concepts and individuating that it loses sight of the effect on others.

The urge to get moving is also coming from Venus, the goddess of what we value — relationships, money, possessions and aspects of ourselves. She’s in a tight action-demanding aspect with the Moon’s ruler Uranus, and the pressure generated by this pair will break us from people, situations and attitudes. Some departures might be ones that our Mars-in-Aquarius focus instigates; others may be the seemingly wild card, random snaps that only Uranus can bring. As always the influence is good medicine. We may not like it going down (although we may welcome it), but it’s taking us away from people, situations and attitudes that don’t line up with our values and/or (likely both) aren’t coming along for the next stage of Uranus’ journey.

This New Moon has yet another enormous arbiter and force of change. The Nodes of the Moon are exactly squaring Jupiter, down to the minute. The new 12-year cycle that Jupiter launched on January 22, full circle from 1999, is where we are to go, and how — boldly, without hesitation (or forethought, for that matter) and enthusiastically. It’s time to let primal life force erupt within you, no matter what the temperatures are outdoors, and leap into your new direction — your personal, independent direction. What starts as a small motion has the power to catch fire and blaze a trail far beyond your expectations. The flames this sparks will kiss your closest relationships….and either ignite them or burn them out in the process.

Here is Lynda Hill’s interpretation of the Sabian Symbol for the New Moon at 14 Aquarius, reprinted with her kind permission from her book The Sabian Symbols As An Oracle, the Special Edition:

A TRAIN ENTERING A TUNNEL

Commentary: ‘A Train Entering a Tunnel’ shows the ability, in these modern times, to take the shortest and most direct route to a destination or an outcome. Years ago, we would have had to go the long way around a mountain, but now we can use many pathways, methods and “shortcuts” to get where we want to go quickly and expediently. Often, though, going into a ‘Train Tunnel’ can be a weird experience; the sunlight suddenly disappears, and it can feel as though we are hurtling through the earth to some unknown destination. This can be exciting, but also often rather disconcerting as the ‘Train’ speeds towards its destination or goal.

Oracle: You may feel the need to cut through any obstacles you encounter and to go straight ahead, regardless of any unseen hazards on your way. It may be necessary to examine whether you are operating at cross-purposes with someone. There may be a need to check the ‘Trains’ signals, to make sure that there’s not a collision with people, or complications, coming the other way. This can be particularly true if this feels like a “one-track” journey. Perhaps the situation feels like it’s never end going to end, like you’re stuck in a ‘Tunnel’, but it’s certain that it will. You are likely to have a great deal of drive and it’s probable that others are with you, or people may be depending on you, so plough on through. However, this can be a lonely journey that you’re on. It may feel like you’re going through a dark ‘Tunnel’ all by yourself, and there can be a sense of isolation. Whatever the situation, there’s a need to cut to the heart of the problem, without stopping to consider every single detail. If you feel that you’re heading down the “right track”, quickly adjusting, changing or making up your mind about some issue or problem can lead to swift conclusions and solutions. Getting stuck in the various details of the situation will probably just add to a much longer outcome than is needed. You, or someone close to you, may need to just go for it. Look to ensure that you’re not missing out on the joy in the journey though, perhaps you’d really rather go the long way around rather than through the ‘Tunnel’?

Keywords: Deep penetration. Cutting through extraneous or stifling detail. Persistence. Shortcuts to a desired end. Heart bypasses-physical, emotional, spiritual, etc. Cutting to the chase. Seeing and going for the objective regardless of side issues. Working at getting something finished or done. Near-death experiences. The need for track maintenance. Dropping all distracting considerations. Fallopian tubes. Hurried sex.

The Caution: Being overcautious. Taking the long way around OR taking shortcuts that inhibit deep penetration of a matter. Cutting through the crap. Tunnel vision. Cutting people off. Not listening to others. Having a one-track mind that doesn’t allow for detours or deviations. Severe changes in pressure. Railroading and bulldozing.

The only way round is through. Robert Frost

No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined. Harry Emerson Fosdick

Due to the current economic climate, the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off until further notice. Anon

If we see light at the end of the tunnel it is the light of an oncoming train. Robert Lowell

The most common of all antagonisms arises from a man’s taking a seat beside you on the train, a seat to which he is completely entitled. Robert Benchley

If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

RAILROAD, n. The chief of many mechanical devices enabling us to get away from where we are to where we are no better off. Ambrose Bierce

*The excerpts from Lynda Hill’s book The Sabian Symbols As An Oracle, the Special Edition, © Lynda Hill 2002, have been reprinted by permission of the author.

2011 Cancer Full Moon

by Stephanie Azaria

January 19, 2011

4:22 PM EST / 1:22 PM PST/ 9:22 PM GT

29 Cancer 27 / 29 Capricorn 27

The first Full Moon of the year is part of the current wrapping up of old business. Even though it’s not an eclipse, it feels close to one. That’s because is has both a super-sized quality in its out right and a direct connection to the Capricorn/Cancer eclipses.

The super-sized quality comes from being at the very last degree of Cancer and Capricorn, a placement that heightens the natural escalating and summing-up nature of a Full Moon. Interestingly, it’s the fourth last-degree Full Moon in a row, which accounts for the high-cresting peaks and waves we’ve been experiencing every month. (They’re not yet at an end; there’s one more to come in the sequence, next month.)

It’s also at the same degree as the first solar eclipse in the Cancer/Capricorn eclipse cycle, back in July of 2009. For that reason it’s enhancing the themes that surfaced in our lives then and showing what we have done with them in the 18 months since.

Think back to that time. Compare and contrast your then and your current attitude toward family, your mother, your children, your partner, your physical home, your career and your core identity. In the intervening months, we have been impelled to take over responsibility for our own emotional care and feeding. How has your nurturing evolved? Your ability to look after yourself?

You’ve come a long way…but there’s always room for growth, and exactly that’s in store. More improvements in self-care and –indulgence are possible now, along with more unlocking, freeing and insight. The Moon is in an easy flow with optimistic, indulgent Jupiter, who is coming to the end of his once-every-12-years stay in Pisces and on the verge of beginning a new trip around the zodiac. (He’ll enter Aries on the 22nd.)

She’s also in an easy flow with Uranus, door-opener, wild card and bringer of alternate viewpoints. Whatever you think is coming down the pike may well happen, but a lot is unfolding in ways that you didn’t foresee, couldn’t have foreseen and would never, ever have thought possible.

If you experience a rift in your emotional connections, look for the silver lining, which includes the opportunity to reclaim yourself. A responsibility, a burden, an energy drain is being lifted from you and freeing up energy for a focus that nourishes you. Sit with the healthier possibilities this opens up and admit, even if it’s only privately, that what you’re really feeling is relief.

A Full Moon in her home base of Cancer, and at the very last degree to boot, could precipitate a powerful swelling of emotion. Express it (properly, please), because it will only build in intensity if you attempt to hold it back. Shed tears – joyful, sorrowful, bittersweet – but ix-nay on self-pity. That won’t be a stretch, actually. The Sun’s out-of-sign conjunction with Mars encourages and downright insists on positive, self-furthering action – not moping, not isolating, but jumping into the fray of life and pushing yourself boldly forward.

The Sabian Symbols for this Full Moon have an eerie correlation to the current socio-political climate. They counsel a feminine approach to revolution, mid-wiving new ways of being (as opposed to resorting to violence), within the framework of the existing power structure — working for change from within the system.

Here is Lynda Hill’s interpretation of the Sabian Symbol for the Moon at 30 Cancer, reprinted with her kind permission from her book The Sabian Symbols As An Oracle, the Special Edition:
A DAUGHTER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

Commentary: ‘A Daughter of the American Revolution’ is an image of someone who stands for and is a product of change. She has promoted and adopted the changes that the ‘Revolution’ sought to achieve. ‘The American Revolution’, was a full-scale militant revolt against tradition, and the monarchy behind that tradition. The ‘Daughters’’ forefathers fought for Independence and took the “feudal system” head-on. The ‘Daughters’ stand for maintaining what has been won through this battle. They are needed to continue working and, although the war has largely been won, there are many more “peaceful” battles that must be waged in order to keep what the ‘Revolution’ fought for. They are not necessarily engaged in direct political or military activity, but offer their support to the powers that be. The alliance of their fathers’ political stance may be largely determined by their personal relationship to them, rather than their own political beliefs.

Oracle: A ‘Revolution’ is just the shakeup; it is the ‘Daughters’ (and sons) of the ‘Revolution’ that bring new ways into the world. The person pictured here is said to be a ‘Daughter’ because the way of continuing the revolution is with the feminine ways of communication, example and teaching. The ways of the “sons”, that of war and fighting, should be over and done with. That is, unless a battle needs to be fought to secure freedom from external forces once again. You may find yourself having to stand up for an ideal or a situation that demands your involvement. The difficulty is that these traditions are now predictable, conservative values. Despite any inner feelings of modern freedom, this is not how the situation now appears. However, although this image can be very conservative, can be an element of the “radical” within it. There still may be much yet to be achieved even though there has been major breakthroughs already.

Keywords: Being bound by social conditioning OR leading the charge to break down the barriers of tradition. Putting in the time to change social conditions for the betterment of all. The feminist movement. Sacrificing personal conviction to ambition. Sacrificing philosophy to a relationship that builds the ego. Inherited values.

The Caution: Supporting battles that have already been fought. False feelings of superiority. Having to be “in the club” to be accepted as belonging. Narrow-minded conservatism. Glorifying the past. Relying on the old traditions that were, in their day, radical and transforming. Rejecting one’s inheritance.

The greatest glory of a freeborn people is to transmit that freedom to their children. William Harvard

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the nation and its destiny. South African proverb

A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won’t cross the street to vote in a national election. Bill Vaughan

Dear Mr. President, There are too many states nowadays. Please eliminate three. P.S. I am not a crackpot. Abraham Simpson

It is easy to take liberty for granted when you have never had it taken from you. M. Grundler

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. John F. Kennedy

They want to be free and they do not know how to be just. Abbe Sieyes

Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world. A Course In Miracles

Lynda Hill’s interpretation of the Sabian Symbol for the Sun at 30° Capricorn is
DIRECTORS OF A LARGE FIRM MEET IN SECRET CONFERENCE

Commentary: ‘Directors of a Large Firm’ are seen ‘Meeting in Secret Conference’. The ‘Directors’ come together as there are decisions to be made and plans to be discussed and pursued. Wherever those in authority gather, they rule and govern outcomes for themselves and others. A ‘Large Firm’ can manifest in any area of life-on an emotional, spiritual or physical level.
Oracle: There can be a feeling of being out of direct control of the decisions being made by the ‘Directors of a Large Firm’. No matter how much you are on the “inside”, you may not be hearing all that is being said. Hence, there’s a need to be cautious about what you presume, or imagine, to be really going on. Are you involved in a process without really knowing the bigger picture? You may be excluded because you don’t really have enough knowledge of the system, or have the authority, to make an informed decision or to call the shots. However, you, or others, may just be “shut out”. Things kept from others can be very painful, especially when the truth comes to light. The belief that someone is spying on others, or talking about them, can lead to a sense of paranoia with suspicion of the motives pervading the atmosphere. Information may be deliberately withheld as a way of maintaining power by secrecy. Call on the appropriate knowledgeable friends or authorities, with them you may be able to iron out the details. Some may not want others to know what’s going on, or is that just how it looks from the outside? This Symbol can also be about the processing of inner issues and thoughts. Things may feel out of your control and influenced by unknown forces. Be aware of what’s happening, although you may feel as though you are being shut out, you can still make an effort to be heard or at least make your presence felt. Strategies may need to be made and carried out in the best way for all involved.
Keywords: Sharing innermost secrets. Confidential information. Masterly control. Big guys calling the shots. Being too busy to see people of “lesser” importance in your life. Rationing time. Governments and secrets. Spies. Privy Council. Planning and plotting. Having a say in things. Doors. Whispers. Records of meetings. Important meetings. Boards of directors and secretaries.
The Caution: Excluding some. Exploiting people or situations. Elitism. Being controlled by those above. Decisions being made behind closed doors. Dark rooms and huddled people talking. Concealing the truth from others. Cliques and committees. Suspicions of motives.
Immense power is acquired by assuring yourself in your secret reveries that you were born to control affairs. Andrew Carnegie

Problems can become opportunities when the right people come together. Robert Redford

Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way. Abraham Lincoln

Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity. John Dalberg Acton

A meeting is an event where minutes are taken and hours wasted. Anon

Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. Ambrose Bierce–The Devil’s Dictionary

Equal opportunity is good, but special privilege is better. Anna Chennault

You people are telling me what you think I want to know. I want to know what is actually happening. Creighton Abrams

*The excerpts from Lynda Hill’s book The Sabian Symbols As An Oracle, the Special Edition, © Lynda Hill 2002, have been reprinted by permission of the author.

2011 Capricorn New Moon

by Stephanie Azaria

January 4 2011

SOLAR ECLIPSE
13 Capricorn 38
4:03 AM EST / 1:03AM PST/ 9:03 AM GMT

The motivation just keeps coming. No lolling about in a happy holiday glow for us; no easing into activity on that new calendar. Nope, the first New Moon of the year gives us every incentive to get moving on those New year’s resolutions, not to mention that goals that we’ve been reworking for the last couple of years.

The first New moon of the year is a solar eclipse in Capricorn, and befitting its falling in January it has both a backward and forward looking air to it. This solar eclipse is at the very degree that set off this cycle in July 2009, when we had a lunar eclipse in Capricorn. Since then we have been reviewing, rethinking and rebooting the most basic foundational pieces of our lives: where and how well we feel at home in our own skin, in our dwelling spaces, in our careers and in our primary partnership(s). In the last three weeks, progress has been kicking in on all these issues, as Mars moves across all the degrees of the eclipses, while Mercury and Pluto have been dredging up secrets, confessions and primal motivations, desires and terrors.

As the New Moon lights up the degree that launched this cycle, we’ll be naturally and organically hitting a pivot point on all the issues that have been stirred. We’ve reconsidered a lot. We’ve learned a lot. We’ve been stunned by a lot. Now, what are we going to do?

Not stand still, that’s for certain We’re going to pick up the pace on our individual forward marches, without the characteristic glance to the side to make certain the expected people are coming along.

This solar eclipse is the next to last guide post in the current Cancer/Capricorn cycle. This event’s energies will carry us along into July, when the final solar eclipse in this cycle shoots us ahead for nearly the next decade.

“Shoot” is an apt descriptor for what today feels like, as well. The Moon’s ruler Saturn is pushing it along, like a board being shoved under a boulder to fling it into the air. Relationships, alliances and agreements cannot remain static. They changes they are undergoing are propelling us forward, just as the inner shifts we’ve been making for our own good are forcing rewriting of every major interaction. Don’t you feel more intact? More alone? More complete within yourself? More independently responsible for your life decisions?

Those shifts also come from the other big event that coincides with this month’s New Moon: the final meeting of Jupiter and Uranus, near the end of Pisces. These two giants blow all expectations out of the water. They deal in disrupted connections, unfathomable and unforeseeable liberation, explosions of preconceptions and a huge, hard rain of blessings and wonders. Their approach has brought, in my circle alone, instance after instance of apologies and overtures that were not previously in the universe of remote possibilities, so unthinkable were they.

Jupiter and Uranus were last conjunct at the beginning of June (in the first degree of the zodiac) and last September, near the degree of their current meeting. They’re in a grown aspect to Neptune and Chiron, bringers of transcendence and physical healing. Our views, our attachments, our enmeshments and boundaries are being dissembled and pieced back together in ways that bring balm to spirit and body alike.

Everything that happens now is indeed for the best, and for our individual and collective betterment. Everything that happens now molds the path that we will be walking, like handprints in wet cement. Everything that happens now is setting the tone for the year, for the decade and for the quality of the support structures in our lives.

What follows is the description for the degree of the New Moon, reprinted from the book Sabian Symbols:The Oracle, with the permission of the author, Linda Hill:
The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon at 14 Capricorn is
AN ANCIENT BAS-RELIEF CARVED IN GRANITE REMAINS A WITNESS TO A LONG-FORGOTTEN CULTURE.

Commentary: ‘Ancient Bas-Relief Carved in Granite’ often show gods or goddesses in scenes of life from the past. We see these icons in museums and books portrayed in photographs, statues, carvings, and other images. As it ‘Remains a Witness to a Long-Forgotten Culture’, many things can be learnt from these ‘Bas-Reliefs’ about history, cultures and their remains. An archeological dig can turn up incredible insights and answers to the way mankind used to live.

Oracle: Some things never fade. They stand as reminders of ancient eras, bringing messages, being ‘Witnesses’, from the past. They remind us of how life and civilization were in ‘Long-Forgotten Cultures’. Messages may be found in these reminders about the stability and the longevity of the foundation of your society, or possibly that of some other culture, however distant in time and space. It will probably prove to be something that resonates with you or draws you. Spiritual messages may be coming out of the past (or out of time and space), perhaps speaking through ‘Granite’, concrete or things “written in stone”. This can be very enriching and rewarding as these things can be beautiful remnants of the past, reminders of how life used to be. However, they can also be attitudes, beliefs and self-defeating attitudes that have etched themselves into our very lives and are now difficult to erase. Therefore, sometimes we must be careful not to be looking back too much as we can lose the beauty and the reward inherent in the present and in the everyday things that are around us. We can feel stuck and frozen if we’re not able to move on in the life we live in the here and now. This can also apply to the rules of our culture or the common practices of an individual’s heritage, family history or even past life experiences. These can be an undertone to current realities and times.

Keywords: ‘Anonymous immortality. Things written or carved in stone, or concrete. Permanent records. Clues from the past. Things that should be shaped and changed with the times. Pieces of art or sculpture. Things that belong in a museum. Inscriptions and carvings. Ancient civilizations and their relics.

The Caution: Limitations that don’t allow for changes. Old and outworn situations. Things carved in stone that cannot, or will not, ever change. Memories out of the past that keep one frozen in time. Feeling stuck, like no growth is possible. Frigidity of feelings because of things that have happened.

Man’s great power of thinking, remembering, and communicating are responsible for the evolution of civilization. Linus Pauling

The history of the period has been written and will continue to be written without us. The imperative is clear: Either we will make history or remain the victims of it. Michele Wallace

INSCRIPTION, n. Something written on another thing-mostly memorial, intended to commemorate the fame of some illustrious person and hand down to distant ages . . . e.g., the name of John Smith, penciled on the Washington monument. Ambrose Bierce

Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble. Benjamin Franklin

Memories are like stones, time and distance erode them like acid. Ugo Betti

History is the unrolled scroll of prophecy. James A. Garfield

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H. G. Wells

2010 Gemini Full Moon

by Stephanie Azaria

December 21, 2010

3:14 AM EST / 12:14AM PST/ 8:14 PM AM GST

29 Gemini 20 / 29 Sagittarius 20
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

Visit EmpowermentUnlimited.net for Kathy’s eclipse reading special.

And we’re off! December’s Gemini Full Moon is a total lunar eclipse that brings a couple of cycles to a head while shooting us like arrows into a new and major one. It deals very much with where we get our information and what we do with it, and it demands that our beliefs about reality, the world and each other change to match our transformed selves and circumstances.

It’s bringing to a head stories and themes that date to last June’s Gemini New Moon, but has much deeper roots as well. It is also culminating and relaunching themes we last explored from December 2001 into November 2003, when eclipses on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis last occurred. The cycle it is setting in motion will play out through May of 2013, with events in May or June and November or December in each of the years through then.

A Full Moon is always a culmination. A lunar eclipse is that, too, with exponential impact and scads of revelation thrown in for good measure. A total lunar eclipse, as this one is (it’ll be visible in North America, in Europe at Moonset and in Australia and Asia at Moonrise) is even more potent. This lunar eclipse is the most extreme of the extreme, because it is occurring in the final degree of the opposing signs.

But wait — there’s more! The Moon’s ruler, Mercury, is conjunct the Sun and traveling out of bounds — adding even more of a larger-than-life aspect to this event. His participation also prolongs the event, because he is retrograde and will travel back over the point of this eclipse in January after he turns direct.

Revelations, culminations and the inevitable misunderstandings and disclosures of mismatched sets of assumptions that come with a Mercury retrograde are all part of this event. We are coming to the logical — and in many cases illogical — extremes of all aspects of life ruled by the Gemini/Sagittarius axis — our information flow and belief systems. our electronic networks and use/reliance on technology, our attitudes about our communities and the people we see as foreigners, our approaches to learning and credentials, our relationship to the media and the credence we do or do not give it.

Over the long haul of the eclipse cycle expect to see milestone developments in political parties and agitprop, immigration, the role of social media, broadcasting (shifting away from the decades-long TV and radio model), regulation of travel (the invasive TSA screening and concomitant protests aren’t going away) and issues involving the superficiality, depth, truthfulness or reliability of information sources. The personal impact will involve some aspect of how you take in, communicate, process and master information, with the specifics depending on where the Gemini/Sagittarius axis falls in your chart.

For right now, we’re being shoved out of outmoded systems and into brave, new and uncharted territory — all of us, individually and collectively. The North Node, which lends a destined as well as public-wide aspect to the event, is conjunct the Sun. The North Node is between the Sun and Pluto the transformer, who is within close orb of the Full Moon himself. Pluto is still close enough to Mars to pull him into the mix, too, Mars who like Mercury is still out of bounds. This pile-up gives this eclipse the subtlety and precision of a scalpel. Events, realizations and revelations have the fundamental life-changing and motivating quality that we have been experiencing from the conjunction a week ago of Mercury, Mars, Pluto and the North Node. We’re seeing, hearing, realizing and speaking truths, some of which are forcing us to reexamine what we think and believe. The flip and positive side to that is that we have access to the power and ability to change our thinking — and when our thinking changes, so does our experience of reality. (Form follow thought, remember.)

The Full Moon has another indicator of change. The Sun and the Moon are squaring the Sun’s ruler Jupiter, who is moving into conjunction with Uranus. This configuration is called a t-square. and it forces action through the planet(s) in the middle and into the empty space, in this case at the end of Virgo (discernment and discrimination in thought, physical care-taking and maintenance of proper boundaries). Jupiter expands every influence he touches; Uranus shakes it up, turns it on its side and/ or shatters it. Not a formula for maintaining the status quo, at all. They are a volatile pair on their own; the pressure exerted on them by the Full Moon adds an explosiveness and inevitability to their unpredictability. We can’t stay stuck.

That’s good news, actually. Ossified, outmoding and limiting thinking is being shed; actually we’re being blasted out of it. (With Mercury being retrograde, faulty communication systems may fall apart; too, so watch your technology.) And some of the shifts are an outgrowth of Venus’ long retrograde this fall, which invited exploring the deepest recesses of our hearts, desires and values. Venus is now clearing her retrograde shadow and handing off her wishes to Mars, for him to implement as he moves through Capricorn and continues his own journey of activating the Cancer/Capricorn eclipse points (which he’s doing through mid-January). Every development that happens now is profound and directly hits the foundations of our existence — where we feel at home in ourselves and the world, as well as the nature and quality of our families and partnerships; the big and basic questions of home, family, marriage and career.

The shower of insights and new perspectives raining down on us isn’t limited to the days around the Full Moon. They’ll continue under the last of the three conjunctions between Jupiter and Uranus conjunction, which will be exact just after New Year’s (the first two were in June and September). Mercury’s retrograde will keep them on the front burner until he clears eclipse degree and moves well into Capricorn in January. They’ll last through the winter, too, since the eclipse is peaking hours before the solstice, when Sun enters Capricorn, and is effectively shining its light onto the entire season. And the set the stage and tone for the eclipse cycle that’s starting now. Life will be much, much different by the next Full Moon on this axis (and conjunct this one, with the luminaries in reverse signs), the Gemini lunar eclipse on June 15.

Here is Lynda Hill’s interpretation of the Sabian Symbol for the Moon at 30 Gemini, reprinted with her kind permission from her book The Sabian Symbols As An Oracle, the Special Edition:
A PARADE OF BATHING BEAUTIES BEFORE LARGE BEACH CROWDS

Commentary: The ‘Parade of Bathing Beauties Before Large Beach Crowds’ is reminiscent of the Miss America pageant, where the women line up in their bikinis and their finest dresses. They present themselves beautifully and work hard to make an impact with their looks and grace. Their bodies and their fresh smiling faces are not only to be admired, but also judged by others.

Oracle: In this situation you may feel as though you are only being appreciated for your superficial attractions and beauty without appreciation of your deeper purpose. However, this is what is often needed in order to gain the attention of others, particularly if they are strangers. Be aware that you are getting a lot of attention, so it is important to put on your best face and to present it with confidence as there is a potential audience that may be used to your advantage. It is not really the superficiality of the ‘Bathing Beauties’, but really of the ‘Crowds’ that is revealed here. Those putting themselves on display are doing so by choice and with some knowledge of the fact that they are trying to gain the attention, admiration and appreciation of the people watching. It is the ‘Crowd’ that is responding to basic responses which may vary from seeking simple entertainment to voyeurism. Displays of beauty and physical fitness can bring joy and stimulation from others or jealousy and derision, so be careful of what’s being revealed and whom you are revealing it to. After the process of display and attention has been achieved, there will be opportunities to relate on a deeper level. When you are able to bring the situation to a more personal and one-to-one basis some real value can be gained. Something must begin the process and being noticed for whatever reason is a good start.

Keywords: Being on show. Sheer attraction of beauty. Seeking praise. Displaying all that one has in order to get people to observe and/or evaluate. Beauty pageants. Bathing costumes and skimpy clothing. Beaches. Lifeguards. Beauty judges. Nudist beaches. Breast sizes. The mysteries of the feminine. Playing dressups. Gatherings of goddesses. Mermaids converging. The water element. Recognizing superficiality and shallow behavior. Water nymphs.

The Caution: Using superficialities to win support. Giving importance to the issues of appearance and neglecting the “beauty within”. Too much makeup. Flaunting one’s body and not employing intellect. Lack of water. Leering, jeering. Lusting after the unattainable. Feeling like merchandise. Making superficial judgments.

Beauty is in the heart of the beholder. Al Bernstein

Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. David Hume

That which is striking and beautiful is not always good; but that which is good is always beautiful. Ninon De L’Enclos

You must look into people, as well as at them. Lord Chesterfield

I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That’s deep enough.
What do you want – an adorable pancreas? Jean Kerr

Sunburn is very becoming, but only when it is even. One must be careful not to look like a mixed grill. Noel Coward

Beauty is everywhere a welcome guest. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

The ideal has many names, and beauty is but one of them. W. Somerset Maugham

You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your soul’s own doing. Marie Carmichael Stopes

Lynda Hill’s interpretation of the Sabian Symbol for the Sun at 30 degrees Sagittarius is:
THE POPE BLESSING THE FAITHFUL

Commentary: ‘The Pope’ is an image of someone who has great parental authority, an exalted position and operates with a high sense of this authority, hopefully with spiritual awareness and love. The word ‘Pope’ comes from the Latin “papa”” and the Greek “pappas”. He is dispensing ‘Blessings’ on his people; those who believe in him, his position and his cause. These ‘Blessings’ can come from worshipping a higher power with people of like mind. Dispensing the rewards of faith upon people who are committed and eager leads to an enlightening of those who receive, and also those who do the ‘Blessing’. A major voice will be heard-who is the spokesperson that will be heard by the collective?

Oracle: There is often a need to create or assign someone as the physical representation of what is believed on the spiritual plane. This person of authority performs actions that give our beliefs a feeling of reality and, in doing so, they draw the community together. When you do things that are true to your inner self there is a feeling of connection to a higher power. This feeling is like a ‘Blessing’ and is a reminder of the spiritual purpose of life. The situation or event that is the center of your question may be in need of just such a ‘Blessing’. If you are one of the “worthy ones”, you will probably receive a sign that you are on the true path. If the question relates to a group situation then it may also be that you or someone in the group needs to take on the role of a spiritual representative, a ‘Pope’, and reward the group with your words of wisdom and experience. That will help maintain their focus and motivation and, in doing so, their faith, in what they are trying to achieve. It may be important to show reverence and respect to others, as this will lead to rewards of their own. This can also represent someone having a powerful memory. A noble or regal person will remember the faces and names of huge numbers of people who surround them.

Keywords: Rituals of reverence, blessings and worship. People blessing by a sincere interest in others. Being on the inside looking out or being on the outside looking in. Recognizing the source of enormous inner riches. Rewards for loyalty. Seeking support or recognition from others. Eye-to-eye contact. Being remembered. Charisma and presence. Having an audience with someone.

The Caution: Overwhelming political or spiritual rituals. Lust for power. Negating, projecting and transferring one’s shadow to others. Not taking responsibility for one’s actions. Begging people to dispense favors and blessings. Sucking up to be accepted or recognized. Manipulating for desired ends. Nervous reaction to those of power or position. Demanding obedience. Lording it over people. Leaving people out that don’t measure up or conform. Having people at one’s beck and call.

A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study. Chinese Proverb

What I’m looking for is a blessing that’s not in disguise. Kitty O’Neill Collins

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. Ralph Waldo Emerson

You must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. Andrew Jackson

I would have made a good Pope. Richard Nixon

To err is human, to forgive, divine. Alexander Pope

See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little. Pope John XXIII

A faithful friend is a strong defense; And he that hath found him hath found a treasure. Louisa May Alcott

*The excerpts from Lynda Hill’s book The Sabian Symbols As An Oracle, the Special Edition, © Lynda Hill 2002, have been reprinted by permission of the author.