Stargazer Astrology -
Solar eclipse/New Moon in Cancer 2010
SOLAR ECLIPSE/NEW MOON in CANCER: Mon 12 July 2010, exact at 5.40am Queensland time (AEST) at 19 degrees Cancer
FULL MOON in AQUARIUS: Mon 26 July 2010, exact at 11.36am Queensland time (AEST) at 2 degrees Aquarius
Venus can now be seen as the Evening Star, shining brightly in the west for a couple of hours after sunset. Mars and Saturn are also visible in the evening sky, just above Venus. By the time of the Full Moon, all three planets will be very close together.
The New Moon in Cancer on the morning of Mon 12 July is a total solar eclipse, intensifying its power as a marker of the beginning of a new cycle.
The path of this eclipse falls across the southern Pacific Ocean, visible in islands such as the Cook Islands and Tahiti, and ending in southern South America, visible in Chile and Argentina. It is often said that the effects of a total solar eclipse are strongest where it is visible, so keep an eye on news items featuring these countries.
Although the eclipse won’t be visible here in Australia, its effects will still be felt strongly. Note the house of your birth chart where this eclipse falls, for this is the area of life where sudden change is likely to occur. If you have planets at 19 degrees Cancer, the eclipse is likely to bring changes associated with the symbolism of that planet and the house it rules.
If your birthday is close to this New Moon, you are likely to experience significant change in your life, especially around your sense of identity and purpose, beginning a new cycle for you. This may be positive change, such as achievement and recognition, or more negatively you may feel literally ‘eclipsed’, as Kevin Rudd was when he was unexpectedly ousted as Prime Minister just two days before the recent lunar eclipse.
This eclipse falls in Cancer, the sign associated with home and family, with a tenacious connection to the past. The solar eclipse/New Moon in this sign emphasizes the beginning of a significant new phase in our home and family life, and also in our relationship with the past, especially for Cancerians who really don’t like to let go of anything.
This eclipse can also represent the beginning of a significant new cycle in relation to the feminine, appropriately enough for Australia where we now have our first female Prime Minster! Cancer is ruled by the Moon, representing women, and is a water sign, emotionally attuned, sensitive and connected at a feeling level. In addition, this eclipse in Cancer directs our attention to how we nurture and care for others, and invites a new departure in this area.
Remember eclipses demand respect, so don’t take any unnecessary risks in the couple of weeks leading up to this time, and be particularly careful in the days leading into the eclipse.
Saturn re-enters Libra on Thurs 22 July, lining up for its fifth and final opposition to Uranus in this current cycle (exact five days later), which offers one last chance to integrate the two opposing forces of innovation and conservatism. The challenge since their first contact on 4 Nov 2008 (the day that saw the groundbreaking election of President Obama) has been whether to follow radical new approaches or stick with revered traditions. This last contact offers us once again the opportunity to consciously integrate these opposing forces, which means keeping what is worth keeping but introducing radical new initiatives for anything past its use-by date, together with radical reform of existing structures, creating new frameworks (Saturn) where integrity and authenticity (Uranus) are of paramount importance. The financial world is one obvious example of this kind of necessary reform, and to some extent this has been happening in the wake of the global economic crisis, but there is obviously much further to go.
Jupiter goes retrograde on Fri 23 July at 3 Aries, intensifying the tension of its square to Pluto over the next two weeks, representing the classic battle between ethics and big business, between society’s moral standards and the machinations of corporate or political power. The lunar eclipse on Pluto on 26 June had the potential to highlight corruption, and this Jupiter-Pluto contact promises to bring such issues to the fore.
The Full Moon falls in Aquarius on Mon 26 July, illuminating our collective needs, particularly at the environmental and humanitarian level. This is a time to reflect on how individuals can benefit the community, and find a balance between the personal and the collective.
With Venus now in Virgo, the focus is on analyzing our relationships and maybe even trying to improve our partners. We are likely to notice details and may be more critical during this period – aiming for perfection, the intention is purely to improve the relationship ….. Librans and Taureans will be most affected by this shift as Venus rules these signs, so don’t be surprised if they get more nit-picky than usual or seem unusually focused on tidying up.
With Mars already in Virgo, energy is directed into practical matters, focusing on improving production and becoming more efficient. Venus and Mars are now coming closer together, and both go into Libra in the second half of this lunar month – Mars on Fri 30 July, followed by Venus on Sat 7 Aug. This shift into Libra brings a major focus on relationships, combining sensuousness and passion, and a much more harmonious approach than while these two planets were in critical Virgo.
As Venus catches up with Mars, you can see them close together in the night sky from around Full Moon onwards, also very close to Saturn, which at the time of Full Moon is just above them in the night sky.
Looking ahead to next lunar month …
The next New Moon is in Leo on Tues 10 Aug, exact at 1.08pm AEST at 17 degrees Leo
… and advance notice to get important communications completed before Mercury goes retrograde on 21 Aug 10 for its usual three-week period.
With love
Chirone
copyright © 2010 Chirone Witsen All rights reserved
Stargazer Astrology -
New Moon in Gemini 2010
NEW MOON in GEMINI: Sat 12 June 2010, exact at 9.14pm Queensland time (AEST) AEST at 21 degrees Gemini.
LUNAR ECLIPSE/FULL MOON in CAPRICORN: Sat 26 June 2010, exact at 9.30pm Queensland time (AEST) at 4 degrees Capricorn
Venus can now be seen as the Evening Star, shining brightly in the west for a couple of hours after sunset.
The big news this lunar month is the planetary line-up of Pluto, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter, which becomes a Grand Cross formation when the lunar eclipse of 26 June falls right on Pluto. More on that below.
The New Moon in Gemini on Sat 12 June represents a new departure in the way we communicate and exchange ideas. This is often a time of lively debate, fascinating ideas and witty exchange. Gemini is associated with learning, so if you have been thinking about studying a subject or learning a new skill, this is a good time to put your plans into action. In the chart for SEQ, the focus is on creativity, children, and how we spend our leisure time. This New Moon is exact at 9.14pm. If your birthday is close to this date, this New Moon marks the beginning of a significant new cycle in your life in relation to your sense of identity.
With Mars now in Virgo, energy can finally be directed into the practical details of the grandiose schemes formulated (and revised!) during the long (and retrograde) journey of Mars through Leo.
The Winter Solstice falls on Mon 21 June, as the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer at 9.30pm that day. This is the shortest day of the year (and longest night) in the southern hemisphere, as the Sun reaches its northernmost point – from here on, the days will lengthen again as we move towards spring (reverse all that in the northern hemisphere, where it's the summer solstice).
The Full Moon in Capricorn on Sat 26 June is a partial lunar eclipse, intensifying its ability to bring matters into sharp focus. This eclipse falls right on Pluto, completing the Grand Cross pattern of the current planetary line-up involving Pluto, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter. This very stressful configuration is intensified by the eclipse, and the tensions which have been building for the last few months are now reaching one of several peaks. It’s been pretty eventful already, but watch the international news and observe how these energies play out.
The lunar eclipse falling on Pluto is likely to highlight matters associated with uses and abuses of power, nuclear power (or weapons, or accidents) all themes connected with Pluto. The positive use of this energy is awareness of how power should be used, with responsibility and integrity.
The Capricorn Full Moon indicates that whatever you have been working towards or planning for a long time is now likely to come to fruition, and the eclipse gives this added intensity. Wherever this eclipse falls in your birth chart (check the houses of your chart), this is the area of your life where you are likely to experience significant changes. If your birthday is around 26 Dec, or 4 Capricorn figures prominently in your chart, you are likely to be strongly affected by this eclipse and of course by the whole Grand Cross line-up.
Jupiter joining Uranus has increased the potential for explosions, eruptions and chaos on the negative side, but more positively, the invitation here is to expand our awareness, particularly of how greed - for oil, money and power – has such a destructive impact on our world. It also increases our awareness of the moral and ethical dimensions to all that is happening now.
The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Aries has the potential to bring innovative pioneering solutions to the kinds of global problems we are currently facing, leading to radically new departures in how we live our lives. The key is our level of conscious awareness and our willingness to change. We can make a conscious decision to change our ways, or we can wait until things get so bad that we have no choice.
This is a major wake-up call for humanity. In metaphysical terms, the external world is a reflection of our inner reality. At an individual level, we need to take responsibility for our part in what is happening, and start to use our personal power in conscious ways that are responsible, ethical and life-honouring.
As Uranus moves towards its opening square with Pluto, the announcement comes of the creation of the first synthetic life form. This could prove to be one of those technological revolutions that mark a watershed between one major generational group and the next, much as the 1965 Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo (the sign associated with precision and fine detail) ushered in a completely new era with the invention of the microchip. Uranus and Pluto will be dancing around each other for the next 5 years, so we can expect more revolutionary innovations to come.
If you have planets between 0 and 4 degrees of the cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn - you will be resonating strongly with these challenging energies. The key to working more productively with these energies is to become truly authentic (true to yourself), conscious of how you use your power and acknowledging your own responsibility in all that is happening now.
As Saturn and Neptune are currently making a challenging aspect in the sky, try to accommodate both Saturn’s urge for clear frameworks, plans and guidelines with the inspirational and visionary energy of Neptune. This energy is in effect for the next month or so, and is strongest around the end of June.
Uranus goes retrograde on Mon 5 July at zero Aries. The Uranus retrograde period provides an opportunity to revisit the insights you may have experienced over the last seven months, especially around becoming truer to yourself. This retrograde period gives you another chance to benefit from these insights. If your birthday is close to 21 March, you could be experiencing the negative side of Uranus which is destabilization and chaos – used more positively, this is an opportunity to bring more awareness into your life and be more authentically yourself, a classic time for breaking free of any perceived restrictions and re-inventing yourself.
Looking ahead to next lunar month …
The next New Moon is a total solar eclipse, falling in Cancer on Mon 12 July, exact at 5.40am AEST at 19 degrees Cancer. Remember that eclipses demand respect, so don’t take any unnecessary risks in the couple of weeks leading up to this time.
With love
Chirone
copyright © 2010 Chirone Witsen All rights reserved
Stargazer Astrology -
New Moon in Taurus 2010
NEW MOON in TAURUS: Fri 14 May 2010, exact at 11.04am Queensland time (AEST) at 23 degrees Taurus.
FULL MOON in SAGITTARIUS: Fri 28 May 2010, exact at 9.07am Queensland time (AEST) at 6 degrees Sagittarius
Approaching the cardinal climax
Pluto, Saturn and Uranus are inching their way towards a very tense and stressful configuration, where they will be joined next month by Jupiter and an eclipse, just to complete the picture and set the whole thing off. Headlines of chaos, dark clouds and explosive eruptions are all very characteristic of this combination of energies, at present due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland and the oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico (which I’ve seen described as an ‘underground volcano’ in its intensity), but this energy is not going away - it continues building and will reach its climax in the three weeks from the end of July to mid-August. If you have planets between 0 and 4 degrees of the cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn - you will be resonating strongly with these challenging energies and may well be experiencing some disruptions or eruptions of your own. The key to working more productively with these energies is to become truly authentic (true to yourself), conscious of how you use your power and acknowledging your own responsibility in all that is happening now.
The New Moon falls in Taurus on Fri 14 May, signalling an opportunity to begin a new cycle in our relationship with the physical world – appropriate enough given the various ecological disasters unfolding in our world right now. What’s more, this New Moon in Taurus falls exactly at the point where the current Jupiter-Saturn cycle began, at the conjunction in Taurus in 2000, giving this New Moon a highly significant connection with the current Jupiter-Saturn cycle which reaches its opposition on 23 May (more on this below).
The New Moon in Taurus invites us to connect deeply with the land, to appreciate the abundance of Nature, to acknowledge the sacred beauty of the Earth and to embody this by stepping into our protective role as her guardians. At a personal level, this New Moon is an excellent time for enjoying luxury and pampering our physical bodies, indulging in sensuous pleasure.
Taurus is associated with security in its many forms – emotional, material or financial – and this need for security (or more accurately, the fear of lack of security) can give rise to the sign’s tendency towards possessiveness and material accumulation. Expect security needs to figure prominently in the coming lunar month. Use this time to explore your own security needs and your relationship with abundance.
If your birthday is close to this date, this New Moon marks the beginning of a significant new cycle in your life in relation to your identity and your sense of self.
The Jupiter-Saturn opposition is exact on Sun 23 May
The Jupiter-Saturn cycle is concerned with social, cultural and economic trends, with the opposition stage of this cycle often bringing some kind of crisis which forces us to change our established patterns of social behaviour. Essentially we are being asked to exercise restraint (Saturn) on excessive greed (Jupiter), to set limits on what has been unrestricted expansion, and to introduce clearly defined frameworks, even regulations, into areas of life where these have been all too lacking. Sound familiar? Not just with reference to the global economic crisis but in all other areas (eg oil exploration, deforestation) where the profit motive outstrips all other concerns, especially environmental ones.
Finally free of the retrogrades!
Planets which have recently been retrograde often do not fully revert to their usual free-flowing energy until they are out of the retrograde zone, past the point at which they first went retrograde. Although Mars went direct back in April and things have started to move forwards again, they should pick up speed as it finally escapes the retrograde zone on Tues 18 May. Communications improve after Mercury goes direct on Wed 12 May, yet may not be fully functional until it finally leaves the retrograde zone on Sat 29 May.
The Full Moon in Sagittarius on Fri 28 May emphasises the difference between talk and action, focusing on the need for adventure, expanding our horizons and risk-taking. Under the influence of the Jupiter-Saturn opposition though, the spotlight is likely to be on our collective need to moderate and contain these expansive impulses. There is a bold revolutionary zeal at this Full Moon, as Uranus goes into Aries just a couple of hours after the Full Moon is exact. Uranus in Aries can awaken us to the dangers of acting in selfish and competitive ways, and may inspire completely new and pioneering ways of tackling the global issues we are currently facing.
Saturn and Neptune are both stationary on the same day, Mon 31 May, so don’t be surprised if your plans and ideas seem to grind to a halt for a week or so. Saturn goes direct at 27 Virgo, enabling us to test over the next seven months whatever we have learned about social responsibility and self-discipline during its recent retrograde phase. Meanwhile Neptune goes retrograde, softening boundaries and looking for solutions that are inclusive, reminding us that we all belong to one humanity. For the next few months, especially around the end of June, try to accommodate both Saturn’s urge for clear frameworks, plans and guidelines with the inspirational and visionary energy of Neptune. This is Saturn’s last period in Virgo for the next 30 years - it re-enters Libra on 22 July.
Looking ahead to next lunar month …
The next New Moon falls in Gemini on Sat 12 June 2010, exact at 9.14pm AEST at 21 degrees Gemini.
With love
Chirone
copyright © 2010 Chirone Witsen All rights reserved