the Moon in Fire feels with everything. her body is full of light and flame. she is full of possibility and passion. she is creation, and art. she is emotion through action, through the sparks and flames and ashes. she burns like an ember. she burns like a star, never put out for long, a phoenix. her emotions are a blossom like a firework.
the Moon in Earth feels with her body. she traces her fingers over emotions like one traces the spines of books. she labels them. she masters them. she expresses them through gold and her hands. they carve her jaw, shape her brow. her emotions sculpt her as much as she sculpts them.
the Moon in Air appears before you as a tabula-rasa-heart. she’s the sky when it’s clear, and yet sometimes, when you least expect, that sky fills. she gathers up the emotions of others and clumps them into downy clouds - angry clouds - tearful ones. she feels, but she feels the most with others.
the Moon in Water feels from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, from her lips to deep in her soul. emotion fills her like a cup, then spills over. she feels and feels and feels. her waters stir when the earth shakes and the breeze comes and sparks alight. she feels with you. she feels for you. her passions mount like the building waves, and shape those around her just as the ocean shapes the shore.
The Sun is very closely conjunct Pluto here, and makes several other close aspects: semi-square the Moon (of course), semi-square Venus/Sagittarius, sextile Ceres/Scorpio, trine Juno/Taurus, decile (36 degrees) to Jupiter (if you’re into that kind of thing), square Eris/Aries.
The message for the Crescent Moon lunar phase is to “mobilize resources,” and the Moon’s position shows us how (sign) and where (house). Bloch and George, in Astrology for Yourself, give the Pisces key phrase as “My need to commit myself to a dream or ideal and work towards its realization” - part of which process necessarily involves “mobilizing resources,” of course. And, the Moon also makes a lot of aspects: semi-square Sun, sextile Mercury/Capricorn, square Venus/Sagittarius, semi-sextile Mars/Aries, sextile Pholus/Capricorn, conjunct Nessus/Pisces, semi-square Eris/Aries.
Looking at that series of semi-squares - Venus/Sag to Sun/Cap to Moon/Pisces to Eris/Aries - we need to remember that (per Bernadette Brady) the semi-square aspect shows “frustration leading to a null result.” There’s a lot of righteous feminine anger out there, and the fact that the timing isn’t yet right only kindles the fury more. But, we’re still in the shadow of the eclipse, and we’ll remain there until three days after the Lunar Eclipse over January 20/21. Finally, over February 4 and 5, we have a very nice New Moon in Aquarius with lots of promising opportunities. Then, the time is right.
It’s of course good to use this time of “mobilizing resources” - just think a little further ahead, think in terms of what you/we may need next month. Having a strategic target for all that rage would be a clever thing.
Aries:Agression - Arians are bold and strong but not naturally aggressive in the sense that most think. As the children of the Zodiac they can struggle to express themselves and view emotions in a somewhat immature way. They feel that revealing the soft, loving, delicate part of them that hopes and dreams in ways that no other Sign could ever is a weakness, so they cover it up with a mask of aggression.
Taurus:Confidence - Taureans can seem like the most put-together, strong, and intelligent individuals of the Zodiac but deep down they are afraid. They don’t feel secure emotionally so they put up a front of being above such feelings and are typically materialistic - objects won’t let them down or turn them away, people do. When they feel weak, alone and they need something to rely on, they fake it till they make it.
Gemini:Know-it-all - Geminis have a lot of information swirling around in their heads and they are very intelligent. But they can use this intelligence as a mask. They act like they know it all, as if their knowledge makes them better, because at times they feel like that’s all they have. And if they have nothing to offer, no one will listen to them, no one will talk to them or value them.
Cancer:Sensuality - Soft Cancerians, so desperate for love, will use their sexuality as a method of receiving attention, to make up for feeling unloved, or because their gentler, romantic view of love is not always viewed favorably by today’s society. They need love and true connections which can be stunted by the harsh world around them and lead to this coping method or front.
Leo:Pride - We all know about a Lion’s pride but very few realize why Leos put up this front. In short, it’s because they are insecure. They boast and seek to control the world around them because on the inside they are in fact self-conscious. The next time a Leo seems too abrasive or pushy cut them some slack, they are doing what they can to feel secure.
Virgo:Dependability - Virgos are dependable, don’t get me wrong, but they try very hard to be. Their biggest fear is to be useless. When they are being your shoulder to lean on, in a strange way they are leaning right back on you. They need to help others, or at least be needed by them, to feel worth something. Though they may see so stable all on their own, they truly need others but they aren’t always ready to admit it.
Libra:Perfection - Librans feel they must be perfect at all times, they allow themselves no room for error, all because they care so deeply about what others think of them. They must meet the approval of others, this is their greatest desire, so they seek to appear as perfect as possible whether perfection to them is top grades and a clean appearance or appearing as if they don’t care and are above it all. In reality they are just like the rest of us behind that mask.
Scorpio:Cynicism - Scorpios are not cynical and dark to their core, they are simply afraid to hope. They know the dark inner workings of the mind and society, so love and success can seem like a mere fantasy to them no matter how desperately they want it. Pessimism becomes a shield protecting them from being let down or worse. No matter how distant they may seem, on the inside they are still hoping.
Sagittarius:Independence - To Sagittarius, independence is perhaps the most important thing in their world so when they are in need, instead of seeking out support or someone to lean on, they pretend to need no one. Despite being social creatures who seek to communicate and learn from those around them, they can’t admit that they need someone to come home to at the end of the day, making them sometimes appear hot and cold to others. Instead of seeking out what they need, they put up a front.
Capricorn:Seriousness - Capricorns are ruled by severe Saturn so it only makes sense that they work so hard to seem strong and mature, but this is only another front. On the inside they are trapped children who often didn’t have a proper childhood - sometimes this is simply because they themselves expect too much. If you give them the chance they’ll show you just how awkward, loud, and immature they really are.
Aquarius:Intimacy - Aquarians have a complicated relationship with society. They have a lot of friends and are very social but no matter how outgoing and intimate they may seem they are truly closed off. They want to be social and popular but at the same time they are afraid to grow close to another person, to open up and share their emotions. They fear that they will always be outside looking in yet they also fear what might happen if they truly let go. So they get as close as they can and hide their fear behind a mask.
Pisces:Lightheartedness - That Pisces that always seems to be in their own little world, who giggles and never seems to take things seriously? They are burdened by thoughts and feelings beyond what your average person experiences let alone handles. Their lighthearted, unsophisticated behavior is all a front in hopes of lessening that burden. If you were haunted, would you be strong enough to bear that smiling mask?
The Mercury in Fire tongue is a flame, it can birth so many
beauties and destroy them with one touch. The mind is gasoline, churning and
swirling with such potential and tragedy and hope. The lips are a spark, prepared to set us all aflame. If we
burn, when we burn, it will be together.
When Mercury is in Earth, body and mind are one. I think therefore I
am. Each word is carefully structured with the same care a crystal holds in its
form. Each thought is forged in slow fires and sharpened as it is pushed to the
surface. Nothing is worth saying until it’s been built up, brick by brick, into
something unshakable – unquestionable.
When Mercury is in Air, the mind is ever-expanding. As above, so
below; the universe surrounds, and lies within. Expansion is the true purpose
in this world, and what is the worth of such art if it cannot be shared? Learn,
think, speak, challenge, repeat. Consume every concept, seek out every challenge.
When Mercury is in Water thoughts are like raindrops, sometimes
heavy in the darkness, and at other times light and sparkling against the skin.
They swirl like the tides, shift like the depths, and can disappear in a moment
only to reappear once more. Some will never rise from the dark. Heart and mind
are not at war, they are one, bleeding into each other, the lines forever
blurred.
Just a tricky, tricky week of many minor aggravations which seem to build upon each other. We have early on Mercury square Mars. Normally that’s fairly inconsequential as far as “bad” aspects go - basically, we shoot off our mouths a lot - but, both planets will end up aggravating Juno, who as we all know is already a little on the hot tempered side. Be very careful about communications with partners, and don’t get any kind of “I know better” or “I’m telling you this for your own good” types of attitudes! (Don’t put up with it, either - there’s a late week trine between the Sun and Juno, too, for mending fences.)
The other issue is Jupiter keying in to the Ongoing Uranus-Neptune Semi-Square, with the first of three sesquares to Uranus and the first of three squares to Neptune. This has global implications, of course. The tendencies are for too much fanaticism about individual freedom (Jupiter sesquare Uranus) and too much misplaced optimism (Jupiter square Neptune). I’m reminded of the Benjamin Franklin quote, “
We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” I think 2019 will be a year of coming to terms with that.
Void of Course Moon
Monday, January 7, 06:20 UT (Capricorn) - 06:46 UT (Aquarius)
Wednesday, January 9, 16:53 UT (Aquarius) - 19:44 UT (Pisces)
Friday, January 11, 14:25 UT (Pisces) - Saturday, January 12, 08:18 UT (Aries)
Lunar Phases
Thursday, January 10, 05:11 UT - Crescent Moon, 4:39 Pisces
Retrograde/Direct/Etc.
Thursday, January 10, 20:32 UT - transiting Eris stations direct
Ingress
Monday, January 7, 11:18 UT - transiting Venus enters Sagittarius
Aspects
Tuesday, January 8:
10:05 UT - Mercury/Capricorn square Mars/Aries, 4:55
22:52 UT - Sun/Capricorn semi-sextile Vesta/Aquarius, 18:21
Wednesday, January 9:
11:23 UT - Mercury/Capricorn (6:32) sesquare Juno/Taurus (21:32)
21:33 UT - Jupiter/Sagittarius (13:36) sesquare Uranus/Aries (28:36)
Friday, January 11:
04:36 UT - Mars/Aries (6:48) semi-square Juno/Taurus (21:48)
11:38 UT - Sun/Capricorn square Pluto/Capricorn, 20:56
18:28 UT - Mercury/Capricorn (10:04) semi-square Ceres/Scorpio (25:04)
Saturday, January 12:
13:08 UT - Sun/Capricorn trine Juno/Taurus, 22:01
Sunday, January 13:
05:18 UT - Venus/Sagittarius (6:00) semi-square Pluto/Capricorn (21:00)
11:47 UT - Sun/Capricorn square Eris/Aries, 22:59
13:31 UT - Mercury/Capricorn conjunct Saturn/Capricorn, 12:51
18:58 UT - Jupiter/Sagittarius square Neptune/Pisces, 14:22
Ordinarily a Mercury-Mars square would begin to fade after becoming exact - especially if you live in the western hemisphere, you may feel you’ve managed to sleep through the square and have nothing to fear. Unfortunately, both planets make applying aspects to Juno - our partners may want to continue the dispute long after we think everything is settled. The Sun and Vesta together give us a sense that we don’t have all the information we need to make good decisions. We could also feel a little off-kilter, a little not quite ourselves.
What’s happening when:
Lunar Phase: New Moon (initiating a new cycle/month)
