Chickens and Doves - New Moon in Libra
By Leah Whitehorse | September 28, 2008
The next New Moon falls in Libra on September 29th and is exact at 9.13am GMT. Now is the time to be contemplating your relationships, considering partners both in work and play and looking at what needs rebalancing in your life.
Libra is the only sign in the zodiac that doesn’t have a living creature as it’s symbol. The inanimate object of the Scales shows that this is a sign that promotes objectivity. The head rules over the heart. As Libra’s ruling planet Venus is making her way through Scorpio, this particular New Moon is given added depth (this connection is also shown through the semi-sextile from the Sun/Moon to Venus). Mercury retrograde in Libra suggests that you may need to go over some old ground before reaching an agreement.
The Moon is applying a square to Jupiter and this cautions us to not over-react. Grand gestures aren’t called for right now, even though you might feel drawn to do so.
It is sometimes hard to understand why such a loving planet as Venus came to rule airy Libra. In Taurus we understand her as the sensual in-touch-with-pleasure figure who is governed by the needs and wishes of her body. She lies back and enjoys, feasts and delights. Libra however is a positive cardinal sign who brings out the other side of Venus; the side that understand that love is a verb, love is an action that we can make. Coupled with the scales of justice as the symbol it makes me think of unconditional love, love given to all whether they ‘deserve’ it or not. Love does not hide from the truth, love embraces truth and adjusts itself accordingly to accept it. The Scales are those that are carried by Virgo. After careful analysis comes the conclusion, the fair judgement, the coming together with eyes wide open, the loving of warts and all.
A Libra New Moon helps you make a fresh start in your relationships, but not before you do some deep exploration of yourself. If things have been rocky with you and a love partner or even a business partner, now could be the optimal time to set the seeds of good intention. This is the first new moon after Autumn Equinox so it is leading us into the dark nights of contemplation as we move towards the end of the solar year. It’s time to weigh up how far you’ve come since the new moon in Aries 6 months ago, look at what has worked and what hasn’t, what came to fruition and what didn’t. What has been your personal harvest in terms of relationships this year? As you sow so shall you reap as they say.
Whilst the big bail-out talks continue in the States there’s every reason to be suspicious as with Venus in Scorpio there can be a tendency to lies and deception but of course that never happens when big money is at stake does it! (Note heavily sarcastic tone!). At the same time, Libra’s ruling planet is giving an excellent chance to get beyond the lies, explore deeper and unlock secrets that have been clouding the issue. The moon’s last aspect before it leaves Libra will be a square to Pluto which suggests power issues will be brought to the forefront. Note that if decisions are made on a bedrock of lies right now, watch for a change of mind when Mercury goes direct again in a few weeks! An awkward minor aspect between the New Moon and Neptune may also tempt the big players to blur the truth. My eye is on Mars moving into Scorpio on the 4th October which will be happy to dig up any dirt if there’s dirt to be dug!
This applies on a personal level as well as a political one. Don’t be tempted to compromise for the sake of peace if it’s not what you truly want. True agreements can only be made when everything is on the table for all to see. A judgement cannot be reached without seeing all the evidence.
The New Moon takes place at 6.33 degrees Libra so comes under the domain of the following Sabian symbol.
“A Woman Feeding Chickens And Protecting Them From The Hawks”
This image suggests that it is time to tend to what is useful and productive in your life but it is just as important to defend what you care for. This aptly describes the two sides of Venus as earthly lover and impartial judge.
Whilst the New Moon in Libra brings partnerships to the foreground, check the house in which is falls in your own chart. This will give you an idea of which areas of life you can expect to be highlighted. Here is where you need to connect with and balance yourself in order to connect with and balance with others. Personally I feel that this is quite a complex New Moon with some slightly tense undertones but then for me it’s happening right on my 3rd house cusp which is asking me to consider how I communicate with myself. My challenge during this New Moon is to keep my thoughts balanced and not allow myself to blow things out of proportion. By keeping things in perspective I can more effectively communicate with others.
As the Sun and Moon draw together in the sky ask yourself:-
What is the truth?
How can I take action to express love?
How do I defend myself?
Does my life feel balanced?
What do I feel is unfair?
What must I protect?
In honour of Venus take yourself to an art gallery, wear clothing that pleases you, leave a love note for your partner or simply make love. Alternatively check to see if your finances balance and be on top of any legal issues.
The creature associated with Venus is the dove; bringer of peace. If each of us attains peace within ourselves imagine what could be achieved in the world at large.
Lady Justice by nyghtowl on Flickr
Dove Stencil by Sir Mildred Pierce on Flickr
Topics: Celestial Events, Libra, Sabian Symbols | No Comments »
In the Shadow of Mercury Retrograde
By Leah Whitehorse | September 14, 2008
On September 24th Mercury turns retrograde and starts to wander backwards through the sky. In my chart I have a perfect yod between Uranus, Neptune and Mercury and the trickster is the apex of this configuration in the 9th house. Added to this he is in a stellium with the Sun, Saturn and Venus, the latter making an exact conjunction with my MC.
What fascinates me with astrology is how we can be extremely sensitive to certain energies in the chart. I have what seems to be an extraordinary sensitivity to this little planet’s movements and his foxy nature both fascinates and occassionally irritates the heck out of me!
Over the last few days I seem to have been noticing him more and more. For the past few years I have strategically planned for retrograde periods, holding off dealing with making important decisions (unless absolutely necessary) and posting letters. Backing up the computer is done with religious fervour. During retrograde periods my tv has broken, my phone has died, the hard drive went on a computer - twice (!), a video was chewed to pieces, I got a computer virus and an important letter went astray. It’s therefore amusing that I have booked my holiday to Lisbon slap bang in the middle of the up and coming retrograde period and all whilst Mercury is sauntering through my third house opposing his natal position in my chart. Oh well, I do like a challenge!
It couldn’t be helped, I wanted to go away but commitments pressed me to book for later than I had hoped in the year. When a flight came up I jumped and booked (yes I have Aries on the cusp of the 9th!). Some astrologers say that there is a shadow of influence before Mercury goes retrograde. I don’t always notice this I have to admit. Usually I feel it when Mercury becomes stationary but this year I am feeling the shadow. The news has stories of a crisis with flights as budget airlines go bust, a deadly train crash in the States and a fire in the Channel tunnel. This amongst of course the terrible hurricane that has devasted so much of Texas. Part of me wonders if this is because Mars is close by to Mercury at the moment, perhaps he is ‘inflaming’ the situation?
Last night I dreamed of a neighbour I used to have who drove me to distration with constantly knocking at my door. I was then rudely awoken early by the sound of a door slamming. Throughout the day my street has been busy and noisy for seemingly no reason. People going in and out, doors banging, shouts, laughter. Sunday is usually so quiet here. All third house issues. I spent an hour trying to set up Google Calender with endless frustration because I couldn’t work out how to get the darn thing to email my home email rather than Googlemail. Finally and sublimely in an effort to cancel out the noisy neighbourhood I decided to listen to some music; only to discover my speakers on my computer are playing up. *sigh* I decided to beat Mercury at his own game and started to write this post!
Mercury energy seems to flow to me and I pick up on his moods. Aside from worrying about my holiday travel arrangements however I also know one thing will resonate with the Mercury retrograde energy . I will be travelling alone and spending much time in thoughtful silence as I wander the streets of Lisbon, drinking coffee in the sunlight, writing down my experiences and photographing the scenery. My journey abroad to revisit Lisbon, to write for a site called In Love With Lisbon seems to fit quite poetically with the astrological symbolism.
When Mercury goes retrograde it is time to turn inward and commune with your inner self. It’s time to open a dialogue with you. Mercury will be in Libra, the sign of balance so this particualar period allows you to mentally re-adjust to bring life back into balance. We all need to do this sometimes and what better time than to do so during Mercury Retrograde in Libra. As I mentioned above, it isn’t necessarily a time to make decisions, more about finding the space to listen to what your inner self has to say. Venus ruler of Libra enters intense Scorpio the same day as Mercury turns so be willing to explore deep territory. It may be particularly useful to take note of your dreams during this time as they can often say more than you can consciously communicate.
By October the 18th the energy begins to lift a little as Venus moves into Sagittarius but be very wary of leaping before you look! By the end of this Mercury retrograde you could feel that you’ve been take on a deep journey that leaves you more balanced and enthusiastic as to what comes next.
Mercury’s stationary degree is 22.7 degrees Libra which connects to the Sabian Symbol
“Chanticleer’s Voice Heralds Sunrise”.
Mercury is about to impress upon us the importance of honouring our true spirit. This is the image I shall mediatate on during the retrograde period - inbetween praying that the train isn’t late and the flight isn’t delayed!
Mercury’s Winged Sandal by killerfocus on Flickr
Cock a Doodle by Swami_stream on Flickr
Topics: Celestial Events, Mercury | 2 Comments »
Celestial Events - Sun Conjunct Saturn in Virgo
By Leah Whitehorse | September 3, 2008
As I write, the Sun is standing on Saturn’s toes and giving him a chaste peck on the cheek under the sign on Virgo. This is an excellent day to work on yourself, a time to look at anything which is holding you back; let’s get down to detail here! In the harsh light of day, the sun illuminates those fears which whilst they might not be overwhelming, nevertheless hold you back. Saturn is about boundaries and Virgo is about service. It might be a good time to re-evaluate the give and take in your relationships both at work and at home. This isn’t a time of making sweeping changes, simply step back and look at where you have drawn the boundary lines with people. Have you drawn them so far that you won’t let anyone in to help or drawn them so close that you are tripping over them every time you turn? Hard work is associated with this configuration so it’s time to get down to it for the next few days. Look to your natal chart to see which house the conjunction falls in and this will give you an idea of where to focus your energies. By Saturday the Sun moves off to play so tie up loose ends by then.
Despite the preponderance of fire in my own chart I have Saturn conjunct the MC which I experience as being very aware of time and it’s passing. I’m never late and I don’t tolerate it in others either. I often feel like days spin by very swiftly and that I don’t have anywhere near enough time to do everything I want to do. Oddly today I have found myself feeling a lot more relaxed about this and even took an hour out to sleep as I was particularly tired - something I hardly ever do! This links to the Saturn/Sun conjunction being placed in my second house which encourages me to value myself more. In this case in order to be of value (2nd house) to serve others (Virgo), I needed to take some time (Saturn) for myself (Sun).
If you are one of those people who feel like they are always running but never getting a great deal done, this is a really good time to keep a diary of how you spend your time. Doing this for a few days can be very enlightening. Sometimes we aren’t consciously aware of how much time we bleed on the phone, online, watching tv, waiting, travelling and so on. Once you have a better idea of how you’re spending your time, you can then start to analyse (Virgo) whether or not those activities are worth your time.
In the meantime, I’m off to take a look at where the next interesting configuration of the month falls in my chart - Mars conjunct Venus. Mmmm smoochies 
Topics: Celestial Events | No Comments »
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