By Christine Payne-Towler
NewMoon March 29, 2006
Happy (belated) Equinox! Happy NewMoon! Happy Solar Eclipse! This one's a whopper, isn't it?
I searched around the Internet for articles to help us all interpret
this event, and a most helpful one addressing the personal perspective
can be found at http://www.zodiacarts.com/whatsup/BootsHartSpecRpt.shtml.
On the other hand, the most political and radical one I found is at http://www.astrostar.com/2006EclipsePredictions-Turi.htm
Somewhere
between these two interpretations, we might each discover the
significance of this fairly rare Total Solar Eclipse in our lives. But
try to remember (and these two sites will help), that an eclipse is a
global phenomenon rather than merely a local one, and its effects will
have a lot to do with how the planets fall into your birth chart,
and where you are in your life. For some people, it will be just any
other generic NewMoon, and they'll wonder what the big whoopee is
about. For others, it will signal huge fallout in their lives, and
years of future developments will be measured by it. We each need to
scan our own horizons to get a decent sense of the odds. (Or not! How
many generations of humans have lived perfectly fine lives without
anything more than their own eyeballs to tell them what the Moon is
doing? Most of them turned out fine!)
Quite often, too, because
of the long, slow cycles that have to come together to create such an
event, the full impact of the eclipse is sometimes not felt until weeks
or months after the few moments of the phenomena itself. This
particular eclipse is part of a set of pairs, today's event paired with
the partial Lunar Eclipse that happened last FullMoon, and the second
set next September, starting with a FullMoon lunar eclipse on September
7th, and culminating with NewMoon and Solar Eclipse at Fall Equinox.
What would be in common for everybody everywhere is the need to
evaluate what we are willing to heal, sacrifice or move on from about
our past identities (mutable Virgo and Pisces) so that we can move
forward into our futures with better focus and undivided will (cardinal
Aries and Libra). Apparently this is a two-stage process that will take
all spring and summer to get to the bottom of. Therefore, for the sake
of everybody's peace of mind, I would advise using this spring blast of
fresh energy to open up the topic and get the interior conversation
going, but don't expect to even get to the bottom of your treasure
trove of "issues" until the cycle has manifested its other half at the
end of summer.
Meanwhile,
the chart of this Aries NewMoon has its own imprint to make in each of
us, to which we will now turn our attention. The overall impression
this chart gives me is that of a photograph superimposed against its
own negative. Simplistically, it is a bucket chart, but with two
"handles", Mars and Saturn. Maybe we could call it an "open purse",
because the Mars swings one set of figures and the Saturn swings the
other, with a swath of overlaps among the outer planets that kind of
stitch the two sides of the purse together across the winter signs.
Let's see what I can do to help you understand how this could be.
The primary figure, of course, will be the one that contains the
NewMoon, as this is the event for which this chart is constructed.
Nothing so regular as a classic figure settles upon this NewMoon at 8+
degrees of Aries, but that doesn't mean the NewMoon is unaspected by
any means! Matter of fact, the NewMoon has an aspect to every planet in
this chart. But wait -- let me qualify this statement by saying that my
very tight orb system wants to exclude Saturn from being part of that
group, though those who use wider orbs will see the NewMoon/Saturn
angle as a wide but still potent trine. We will get back to the
peculiarities of this Saturn later, because he is serving as a kind of
antipode or "shadow figure" for this chart. First, let us focus on the
Lights.
The closed figure that encompasses the NewMoon also includes
the Venus/Neptune conjunction in Aquarius, the Jupiter retrograde in
Scorpio, and the Mars in Gemini. The Venus/Neptune trine crosses this
irregular quadrangle to Mars, and the slightly foreshortened biquintile
links the NewMoon and Jupiter corners. At 140 1/2 degrees, this
biqintile is technically too short, but because it's the NewMoon that
is pressing the aspect, and Jupiter is himself retrograde, the
normal movement of the planets will bring the aspect into orb before
the conjunction between Sun and Moon breaks up later in the day.
The
NewMoon/Jupiter/Mars half of the figure is a lovely triangle of
quintiles, indicating the kind of creativity that knows how to gain
energy in tight situations through inventive recombination of
known ingredients. The fact that the ruler of the NewMoon (the Mars in
Gemini) is contacting it via quintile is pretty fun, juicy and playful.
Even if worldly pressures tend to impinge (for example, the retrograde
Jupiter feeling constipated over in Scorpio), that does not preclude a
solution through imaginative re-association. This figure gives each of
us some wiggle room if circumstances appear to be presenting a blank
wall instead of an open road. One can choose to assume the
Mars-in-Gemini prerogative and mutate freely!
On the other hand,
the flip side of the NewMoon quadrangle is comprised of a square from
Jupiter to Neptune, and a semisquare from Venus to the NewMoon. The orb
of inexactitude between the Neptune and Venus, as well as the
compression afflicting the NewMoon/Jupiter biquintile, allows those two
stressful square-family aspects (which ideally total to 135 degrees
together) to be the matches for the biquintile (typically 144
degrees). Adding to the stressful feelings and slight identity crisis
that comes from yoking the square family aspects (divisions of 4 and 8)
to quintile aspects (divisions of 5), there's also the further funny
business of the Neptune throwing a septile (a division of 7) to the
NewMoon. So even though both the Neptune and the Venus are trine the
Mars (functioning like twins in relation to him), each one in the pair
is having a totally separate conversation with the NewMoon (the
"parents", symbolically speaking). Plus, both of these conversations
feel rather heavy and possibly tense. (I'll treat them each separately
farther along in this article).
Riding along "inside" this irregular quadrangle is a very tidy and regular figure made of opposition,
semisquares, a square and crossed sesquiquadrates. The nodes, the
Jupiter and the Neptune define the corners. Sometimes astrologers talk
about the square family (4ths and 8ths) as hard to bear because of
friction and confrontational tendencies, and that's something I notice
quite a bit too. But when aspects from the whole family are tied up
together into an integrated, regular polygon with every side expressing
a nice tight, unquestionable 4th or 8th harmonic, this will suggest a
source of strength that can be surprisingly resilient under pressure.
The points involved, two mystically inclined planets and the Nodes,
give an implication that the pressures of conscience might be
especially heightened at this time. Therefore, if your sense of "do the right thing"
is looming in closer than usual, don't fight the power! Let your inner
critic examine your internal logic for the state your life is in, and
if there's something you can do to make it better, then just do it. The
self-esteem you lose by not taking care of it now will be multiplied by
greater hassle and cost if you wait till circumstances move in and do
it for you. This is a case where admitting faults and addressing blind
spots will actually increase one's chances of good luck and karmic
gifts.
Here's another paradoxical indicator, this time working
through the supposedly groovy and benevolent aspect of the Trine (120
degrees, a division by 3). Even though it's a trine that links the
Aquarius planets to Mars in Gemini, there's a chance that the "problem
of Trines" will come up in this instance. Trines are generally thought
of fortunate, flowing and comfortable, indicating areas where there
will be ease of communication and a sense of agreement and approval.
However, astrologers have observed that people whose charts are
dominated by trines tend to have life a bit too easy, seem to think
that they should get their rewards without very much effort, and in
general take their blessings for granted. In other words, the support
of trines can have a weakening effect, inclining the recipient towards
laziness or lack of application. The very supportiveness of these
Aquarius/Gemini trines could make Mars feel cocky, over-assured, as if
he can do no wrong. This is generally a dangerous attitude for Mars to
take, as he's often guilty of insensitivity to the wake he leaves for
others to navigate after he has freely "done his thing".
Usually,
Aquarius expects its planets to think and respond to life experience in
a mature, sober, farsighted way that takes into account the long haul
and the greatest number of impacted souls.
Neptune sounds the depths of the collective unconscious, moving the
archetypes in the deep dreamtime, setting off powerful depth-charges
that compel us to recognize how dependent we are on the web of life and
the "powers that be", forcing us to trust in forces we cannot
individually control. Venus will try to resonate to the highest
compatible frequency, representing values that all assembled can agree
on for their goodness, truth and beauty. There's quite a high-minded
sense from these two, as if they are representing a call from that
"still, small voice within" to raise our sights and dream up a world
where the noblest and most virtuous aspects of humanity can thrive.
But
can we trust Mars to be consistent and truly match the Neptune/Venus
pair in this desire? Mars is in the youthful and spontaneous (some
would say crazy, split and irresponsible) sign of Gemini, where every
experiment is fair and no taboo can be made to stick. What if Mars uses
that trine to enable the mischievous trickster side of Gemini? What if
he decides to give himself permission, because he's the ruler of the
Aries NewMoon, and because of the supportive environment created by
these trines, to do whatever occurs to him in the moment?
Unfortunately, with the NewMoon impetus supporting Mars by quintile,
there's a good chance that the part of the self who speaks and acts
before s/he thinks might decide to steer the ship of state into
uncharted waters. We should watch our own impulses, and further, we
should remember that someone else around us might be tempted to behave
like a loose canon. In a world rife with possibilities, one of the
options might be that you get hit by randomly falling debris. Keep your
wits about you even if you are being very conservative and sober in
yourself, as it's the unexpected developments that carry the biggest
wallop!
This
Jupiter is also the only visible planet that serves as a mediator
between the two disconnected handles of this "open handbag" style of
chart, (the Mars and the retrograde Saturn). All the Outer planets also
carry energy between the two from the "invisible" outer fringes of the
solar system, but Jupiter is the planet most accessible to
consciousness for most people, and he's generally a source of hope and
optimism wherever he shows up. If Jupiter is counseling circumspection
right now, it's likely because that's the behavior that's opportune
under these conditions. Since Saturn is also a planet that slows things
down and forces us to deliberate (he's in a fixed sign too and
retrograde), there's some hope that the reflected energy heading into
Mars via Jupiter's accumulated aspects will help Mars to accept some
boundaries, recognize his limits, and not try to do everything all at
once without input.
Some will determine that the angle
between the Mars and the Saturn is indeed an aspect, a narrow
semisquare. However, that would not substantially change what I am
saying here, as that would also imply the presence of friction, drag,
or undertow on Mars, the faster moving and Mutable one of the pair.
All in all, it is incumbent upon the Mars to get the message --
teamwork, planning, and collaboration are virtues right now, whereas
flying solo without a net is to be discouraged! (Has anybody told our
government this lately?!)
Mars'
wide opposition to Pluto could show up on some people's radar, and is
therefore worth taking note of. Look for impulses that are trying to
gain the strength of compulsions, and see what you can do to distract
and release those energies randomly, rather than clamping another
equally strong compulsion down over the first one. We always manage to
attract what we pay most attention to, so if there are energies of
mind, imagination or emotion that keep returning to the same repetitive
negative cliché, try to fraction the force down and drain it away
harmlessly in a number of different directions at once. It is
sometimes healthy to laugh, to look away from the ills of the world,
and cut ourselves some slack!
Simultaneously, the Pluto
anchors a triangle of septiles and biseptiles to Neptune and the
NewMoon, so there's no question that deep collective contents are being
stirred at this time and new impulses are being sown. But one does not
dig up a seed over and over to see how it is growing! Just so, we
should allow Pluto and Neptune the space to emanate their growth
enzymes gradually and subliminally as the moon waxes and wanes through
its monthly cycle with the Sun, without allowing that Gemini Mars to
rewrite the script of "what's happening" over and over as his moods
shift.
Finally we can look straight at Saturn, and perhaps get a better
appreciation about the influence he is having in this chart. One of the
considerations I bring to the analysis of aspects is a sensitivity to
whether an aspect is applying (meaning one or both planets are both
moving towards their point of exact contact) or separating (meaning the
exact point of contact has already been passed, and the energy of the
aspect is now deflating towards disappearing). Given the rate of speed
that the Sun and Moon are traveling (1 degree a day and 15+ degrees ,
respectively), and factoring that Saturn is in the act of losing ground
(albeit very much more slowly than either the Sun or the Moon), it is
evident that this inexactitude of 4 + degrees past Trine is widening
fast. Eight hours after the NewMoon moment, the Sun enters 11 degrees
of Aries and effectively leaves any trace of Saturn's influence behind.
The moon by that time is already 6 degrees beyond its previous
position! Contrast this to the other wide-orb aspects that are present
in the NewMoon chart: Both the Neptune/Venus and the Uranus/Mercury
conjunctions are still well within orb; the Pluto/Mars opposition is
actually strengthening due to Mars' applying towards Pluto's position;
the Mars trine to Venus/Neptune is holding nicely. These aspects have
staying-power across several days, whereas it seems that Saturn is
quoting that Groucho Marx song "I only came to say, I must be on my
way, I only came to say that I am going..." (Note that in this same 8
hours, Mercury brings himself into range of Trine with the Jupiter,
which will help him gain some perspective on his conjunction with
Uranus and make outreach to a more comfortable influence. Hopefully
this will be a boon despite Jupiter's retrograde status -- see below
for more on the Mercury/Uranus conjunction.)
All in all, Saturn is fulfilling a distinct shadow role in this chart
-- he's backing away from the quickly advancing NewMoon and aligning
himself instead with the barely-moving Nodes, he's retrograde, and also
(in my time zone) he is intercepted, implying a feeling of "hiding
out". Where Mars is bright and bouncy and optimistically face-forward
in Gemini, Saturn is traditionally leaden and slow, a characteristic
that's currently increased by his retrograde in the fixed sign of Leo.
Where Mars has quintiles to Jupiter retrograde and the NewMoon, gaining
lots of energy and light in the process, the Saturn has quintiles to
Pluto retrograde and Uranus, intensifying his already considerable
occult gravity and his deep, slow-wave 'thickening' effect on the flow
of time and the process of materialization. (This is also not a closed
figure, by the way, because the space between Pluto and Uranus is too
big to be a quintile.) Where the Mars uses his primary trine to
harmonize with the idealistic Neptune/Venus pair in Aquarius, the
Saturn deploys his primary trine to lend his very fixed temperament to
the Libra/Aries dilemma of self-interest vs. pleasing others (currently
being expressed by the nodes). We have to wonder, given the previous
musings about when trines are detrimental, whether it isn't a bit
fortunate that Saturn is waning away from trine with the NewMoon right
now. Do we really want to give him more power over this NewMoon than
he is already wielding?
This Saturn seems determined to add counterpoint to the
over-enthusiastic assuredness of this Mars. He's trying to hedge Mars'
bets by exerting a damping force on Mars' airy confidence. Nobody wants
to be seen as a wet blanket, but for every "what if?" that Mars fields,
Saturn responds with a "what is!" to put the situation back into
perspective. His retrograde status might make us want to rebel against
Saturn's paternal stance, but for those who have lived long enough to
value stability and predictability, Saturn might actually offer a more
realistic ally in this chart than the flashy, over talking, hot-air
driven Mars in Gemini. This Saturn is skeptical, wary, unyielding and
demanding. Like a true adult, he's asking the hard questions and
expecting good answers. What he is losing fast in terms of ease and
harmony with the NewMoon, he makes up for via providing resistance,
like the backstop against a runner's heel in the starting blocks, or
ballast in the hold of a ship, which helps it sit a little lower and
more securely in the water. Let's think of him as Ganesh, the Lord of
Obstacles, and thank him for holding us firmly in the face of our
tendency to inflate and leave the ground.
The final mention this chart requires is a spotlight of
attention on the Uranus/Mercury conjunction in early Pisces. One could
say that the Mercury is "eclipsed" by the Uranus due to their
closeness, and the fact that Uranus receives more aspects overall than
Mercury does. Matter of fact, if one were to remove the houses and
angles from this chart (to make the chart "locationless", therefore
more universal), Mercury ends up with almost no planetary aspects other
than his conjunction with Uranus. (An "elf" to Mars is the extent of
his outreach -- pretty slim pickings!) And since Uranus is so often
the planet of crazy unpredictability, sudden shifts of course, and
shocks to the system, this NewMoon and Eclipse with this Uranus/Mercury
conjunction could symbolize a monkey wrench thrown into the electrical
grid, the communications structures, or the intelligence-gathering
capacity of one or more collective entities. At a personal level, this
might translate into the sudden feeling that a blindfold has been
loosed, a veil has been lifted, and now you are confronted with the
actual fact of something that was never before conceivable in your
reality.
There's not a closed figure that can be built from
this Uranus/Mercury conjunction, but perhaps this is a mercy. As it
stands in this chart, this conjunction represents a vortex of
white-hole unpredictability and unique transformations. The biquintile
of Uranus to Saturn suggests that those who are prepared, who tend to
expend their energies conservatively, and who are not risking security
for purposes of image could harness the effect of this conjunction to
the good.
But
also try to remember that this conjunction is happening in Pisces,
where energies for change are more often expressed through dissolution
and dispersal than by constructive building towards more complex
structures. There's a bit of a suggestion that when that Gemini Mars
blasts his trumpet to signal his expansive intent, the "walls of
Jericho" that have provided structure and safety around that spot in
mid-Pisces will fall down, revealing a soggy, melting mess where we had
expected intelligence, acuity and comprehension. It is probably the
better part of wisdom to employ this bit of good sense articulated by
our Arabic cousins -- Trust in God, but tie your camel!
On
overview, this chart suggests that the visible, noisy, and busy Mars,
which attracts most of the attention in this chart, is not actually the
prime mover, nor is he the safest place to hang your hat this month.
Even the NewMoon in Aries could be accused of irrational exuberance
given this chart's many indicators to "go deep rather than wide". If
there's anything that deserves reinforcing, it's that we each need to
wait for that slow but unmistakable echo of response from the innermost
parts of our being, before releasing any impulse energies into action
directed towards the world. Forethought, circumspection, and
self-restraint in speech and action will be the proper style to
cultivate as this spring progresses and the dominos drop. Nobody can
know what the future will bring through this eclipse cycle, there's so
much yet to be revealed. But we can each refresh that ancient mantra,
first drilled into our brains in kindergarten -- "Stop, Look and Listen
before Crossing". It is through silent reflection and internal
dialogue, accurate witnessing and careful consideration that the subtle
and more permanent aspects of current events will show themselves this
spring.
Current Phase of Moon: New and Waxing in Aries, Wednesday, March 29, in the pre-dawn hours (in the USA)
2nd Quarter, Waxing Half Moon in 15+ Cancer, Wednesday, April 5 from early to mid-morning.
Full Moon at 23+ LIbra, Thursday, April 13, late morning to high noon. Passover begins.
At this point the Moon begins to wane, or decrease.
4th Quarter, Waning Half Moon at 1 Aquarius, Thursday, April 20, late evening to near-midnight.
Newmoon, in 7+ Taurus, Thursday April 27, early-to-mid-afternoon.
TEXT LINKS:
IMAGE LINKS:
Solar Eclipse, Hubertus Wohl: http://www.kis.uni-freiburg.de/~hw/sf980226_im.html
Seven Generations , John: http://www.quinte.net/dream/cope/john.html
Slowing Down the Speed of Harm, Isole: http://www.ostpol-schwarzmarkt.de/isolenew.html
Tie Your Camel, WMoore: http://www.enhg.org/ENHG%20Newsletters/2005/04April/April2005.htm
Let it Go, Artist unknown: http://insight.orcon.net.nz/newsletter17.html
_______________________________
*Christine Payne-Towler*
Research: Esoteric Tarot, Literature and Practice; Tarot.com
Publisher, The Tarot Arkletters
Bishop, Gnostic Church of St. Mary Magdalene
Founder: Tarot University;
Author: The Underground Stream;
_______________________________
Subscribe to the Tarot ArkLetters VIA
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The Tarot ArkLetters are a publication of Christine Payne-Towler, founder of Tarot University Online. Christine offers classes, readings, and private sessions.
*copyright 2005-2006 christine payne-towler all rights reserved
Christine, this is slightly off=topic, but related to your mention of next september above.
we buy dell horoscope magazine as a convenient -albeit-shallow tool for living. the march issue one has an article about september and gwb that frightens me- first time in a long while i've felt this way. it's about events coming in the fall of 06, predicting horrible, moon-related disaster, potentially including children and as bad or worse than 9-11.
including enough of that dire tone that i want to run out and prepare for disaster. [buy rice and beans and get a spare battery for my radio and put more water jugs in the garage....]
as i said, i don't usually react this way so i can't tell if my inner resonance was "on" or ...
it's of course NOT good to let my energy leak out in fear over a potential future, esp when i am powerless to influence a whitehouse gone mad ...
so what is the step to find the balance between looking at the "ahead" and "living in the now" and not drowning in our own fears.
how does one handle this and yet evolve? i don't think it's "ostrich time" but...
blessings, L
Posted by: laura | Wednesday, 29 March 2006 at 11:57 AM
Tough call, no doubt. This dydnamic duo and most especially the later half total solar eclpise is internally complex in its exterior simplicity.
I'm especially impressed since I personally/professionally underwent some alternative realizations through the course of these events. In doing so I came up with the not so well liked answer that my discretionary spending of future time frames needed a stop gap and a release valve.
So inspite of my desire to secure the mount with a hell bent for leather, nothing can stop me advance - I held my cards and released the pressure. Having now time to realign myself and read your new moon notes I feel better, though slightly singed by the full ring of fire!
It is also worth noting that the earlier Virgo full moon eclipse (3/14) is paired with this New Moon (3/29) eclipse in Aires. These two signs in the East house (so to speak) are the Phoenix (Virgo) & the Dragon (Aires).
They respresent the classical pairing of the male/female energies of yin & yang. The quintessential couple. A symbol of harmony and of a successful harmonious relationship.
But in even earlier times before their antiquity the Dragon (initiator) was paired with the Tiger (Aquarius). However the really ancient wise ones thought better of it and later on they made the switch to the Phoenix.
The yin Phoenix (aka Rooster/hen/bird) was considered a more responsive and retiring mate for the illustrious yang Dragon. Thus down through history now long forgotten the powerful yang Tiger was replaced and a match was made in heaven!
I'm sure the Tiger was pleased to no end, not wanting to take a back seat for anyone, not even for the almighty Dragon. Noteably though in the cycles of harmony and conflict the Phoenix is by far a better match.
In getting a clearer view of this absolutely classic combo I can see now that old adage "sometimes it is best to let things fall apart so they can come back together" applies. Herein for me lies the clue to the fundamental meaning of this rather striking planetary arrangement.
I could go on to unravel this mystery but I prefer to let your rather aptly modeled money purse unfold in due time! In other words sometimes holding back is the best way to make sure gains. Thanks Christine for being so insightful!
Posted by: China Rose | Saturday, 01 April 2006 at 07:51 PM
Hi all --
I'm late to get back to this discussion, but it might be helpful to read the World Server's
Spread for April 17, '06 for some cards that start towards addressing the question of "how to prepare for a future we don't want to see coming".
I think this will be a topic that's ongoing here at the ArkLetters, because my own circle of friends includes people whose sensitivities to these issues is very high. I hope you will also note that the linkages within the ArkLetter articles often lead to sites where thinking individuals are pondering questions just like these.
Together, we can possibly muddle through. But I don't think the process will necessarily involve the 1970's style of dropping out, though I hope everybody learned something about preparedness in the runup to Y2K, and after watching the dismal results of non-preparedness via Hurricane Katrina.
Somewhere on that continuum is a place where we will find each other.
Blessings,
Christine
Posted by: christine | Monday, 24 April 2006 at 11:59 AM