The New Moon in Scorpio occurs at 16:01 (UT) on November 7, 2018 at 15°Sc11′.
As we look at this chart, we can see that the Nodes have just changed signs with the North Node now on the 29th degree of Cancer and the South Node on the 29th degree of Capricorn. Uranus retrograde is still squaring the Nodes from the 29th degree of Aries and Jupiter, in forward motion, is sat on the 29th degree of Scorpio. All these anaretic degrees present in this chart tell us that we are in a time of flux. This is a period which feels unstable, volatile, unpredictable. With the US elections taking place 24 hours earlier, we can anticipate that there will be big stories of loss and gain. There is powerful potential for big shifts coming.
The New Moon itself sits on the 15th degree of Scorpio. This degree is exactly half way between Autumn Equinox (0 Libra) and Winter Solstice (0 Capricorn) in the Northern hemisphere. The equinoxes and the solstices are known as Quarter Days. The half way points between these days are called Cross Quarter days. Together, they make up the 8 sabbats of the pagan calendar. The last of these festivals we call Samhain and commonly it is celebrated on October 31st, otherwise known as Hallowe’en. But astrological Samhain takes place when the Sun hits the 15th degree of Scorpio.
Samhain is both an end and a beginning, the end of the witch’s year and the beginning of the new year. Death is celebrated too as an end (of this incarnation) and a beginning (as a soul in the afterlife). With the Samhain degree illuminated, themes of death and rebirth are high on the agenda. There are things we must release to open a door to a fresh start. It’s about being open to going into Scorpio’s deep waters. Let yourself FEEL. Here is where the truth is, when all else is stripped away. With the North Node now in Cancer, gut feelings are to be trusted.
To add to the witchery in this chart, Jupiter sits on the Sabian symbol ‘Children In Halloween Costumes Indulge In Various Pranks’. As Jupiter’s action exacerbates and he is on this critical 29th degree, it’s possible that fears could get out of hand. Yet at the same time, there is the potential to see that we were just scaring ourselves. The tapping at the window was just a tree in the wind after all. I wonder too, whether there will be some kind of ‘unmasking’ during this time. Perhaps we will see some masks slip, revealing the real character behind them.
The New Moon itself is well supported by a trine to Neptune and a sextile to Pluto. The Moon’s trine to Neptune is like a direct line to the cosmos and the other side. Yes, we do have a magic wand and fairy godmother! The New Moon is on the Sabian symbol ‘A Girl’s Face Breaking Into a Smile’! There is potential for improvement. Perhaps there is something specifically for women to smile about.
We must listen closely to what our intuition says during this time. We need to make deep connections to one another, instead of vying for power. The more unity we have (Neptune) the more empowered we are (Pluto). Pluto’s conjunction to priestess Vesta suggests we intensify our focus on the outcome – like a magician directing their will to manifestation. Imagine, a coven all visualising the same result. We must concentrate on what we want, not on what we don’t want. The New Moon’s sesquiquadrate to Chiron in Pisces could trip us up if we start to focus too much on old wounds and past pain. We are not so wounded that we can’t recover. We are not so lost that we might as well give up.
Mars, co-ruler of Scorpio is conjunct Black Moon Lilith. This is the last in a series of 11 conjunctions this year (using Lilith’s True position). 11 is a master number, a powerful number. 11 is associated with Justice in the tarot. Here, Mars and Lilith are in the 11th house of the global chart in the sign of humanitarian Aquarius. Lilith doesn’t accept inequality. Her energy shows what we REFUSE to put up with. Mars shows that we can direct our rage, our OUTRAGE towards change (Aquarius). Lilith is our raw creative potential, the chaos that births stars. She is our inner witch and right now, she’s a witch with a mission. Lilith reminds us that we “we are the granddaughters of the witches they didn’t burn”* – and there’s still work to be done to secure our freedom.
WORK YOUR MAGIC – If you are in the US, please vote on November 6, 2018.
Painting – Regina Cordium by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
*On Goodreads, this quote is attrubuted to Tish Thawer from The Witches of BlackBrook.
