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LEO NEW MOON - 1 August 2019

7/29/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Exact at 4.11am BST
 
This New Moon should lighten things up a bit after the intensity of Eclipse season! The energy has now shifted from emotional Cancer to spontaneous Leo, with the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars and Juno all in this playful, enthusiastic sign. New Moons are a time of planting seeds for the month ahead, and whatever is gestating in our consciousness around this time will tend to blossom and grow as the month progresses. Leo asks us to focus on what brings us our greatest joy. Like the playful child, we are encouraged to listen to our hearts and follow where they lead us. As we follow our joy and trust our hearts to point us in the right direction, so we will hopefully find ourselves walking down the path that was meant for us, towards our destiny. In the words of Joseph Campbell : “If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.” This is the gift of a Leo New Moon.
 
Eclipse season has brought endings and new beginnings, and a sense of starting a new chapter. At the same time we have had Saturn on the South Node, causing us to confront ourselves in no uncertain terms and recognise how the past it repeating itself, both personally and collectively. Just to add to the mix, on Friday 19 July retrograde Mercury slipped back into Cancer, the sign of the past, our childhood, our family and our emotional foundation. This has the potential for us to gain a lot of emotional understanding from taking a trip down memory lane, whether it be from looking through old photos, letters, or thinking about people we haven’t heard from for ages, or even hearing from people from the past whom we have unresolved business with. Old hurts, unresolved emotional issues and grievances may resurface to be acknowledged, sat with and accepted or even released.
 
The timing of this retrograde in emotional Cancer is very interesting, because while we are embarking on a new chapter, before we can fully move forward it seems that we are being asked to look back and clear the past. Saturn on the South Node may ask us to look our past honestly and without a filter, potentially facing up to some uncomfortable material and recognising how we might be repeating certain unhealthy patterns. This is a valuable process, as we take responsibility for all that has been before and then let go, stepping forward with integrity and a clean slate. Mercury will be turning direct on the day of the New Moon but will remain in Cancer until 11 August. In the few days before and after Mercury turns direct there is more chance of misunderstandings to occur, especially in Cancer as it is such an emotional sign. Things we say could be misinterpreted and taken more personally than usual, so it is important to be clear and concise in the way we communicate, not to mention kind and considerate of one another’s feelings.
 
There is a lot of helpful , loving, compassionate  energy around for this New Moon, which is a beautiful thing! Venus, the planet of love and relating, is sitting right next to the Sun and Moon in Leo, bringing the potential for some playful, passionate, romantic, loving and heartfelt interactions with our loved ones. Leo is that part of us that likes to feel special and unique somehow and can also encourage others and make them feel like they are the centre of our universe. Of course Leo is also the part of us that needs attention and validation when we feel insecure, so it is important to be mindful of this potential with so much Leo energy around in the next couple of weeks. With Mars and Venus in this expressive and creative sign, we are very much encouraged to follow our hearts’ desires and walk down the path of joy. During this New Moon we might like to contemplate what kind of life we would like to create for ourselves, and to be really playful with the process.
 
Bountiful Jupiter is also forming a harmonious aspect to the Sun and Moon, which could give us a much needed boost of faith and hope. Jupiter is also in Sagittarius, a fire sign, so there is certainly the potential for a good dose of enthusiasm and inspiration, not to mention a sense of somehow being guided in the right direction. Fire has an infectious quality, so hopefully some of Jupiter’s optimism and generosity of spirit will “catch like wildfire”! Chiron the Wounded Healer is also forming a helpful trine to the Sun, Moon and Venus, which could really help us to bravely and honestly face some of our deeper wounds and also have tolerance, compassion and understanding for the wounds of others. Indeed, during this time we could have some incredibly healing experiences within our relationships, potentially bringing up some quite challenging material in a kind and loving way.
 
Uranus is squaring off against the Sun, Moon and Venus, however, which could mean that we are thrown the odd curveball or two. Uranus in Taurus is taking us through a process of stripping away anything that may be stagnant or stuck, shaking up any area of our life where we might be playing it safe for the sake of security alone. Taurus is the sign of material security and our value system, while Uranus is the maverick, the planet that abhors stagnation and will quite happily unsettle our sense of safety and security if is preventing our spiritual growth.  We could experience some kind of wake-up call during this time that upsets the status quo and reminds us that nothing stays the same forever. Change is inevitable and our sense of safety and security should come from within, rather than from whatever we cling to in the physical world. There is an air of unpredictability that comes with a Uranus transit that ultimately brings a sense of freedom but which can certainly rattle our cages! Anyone who has personal planets close to 5° any of the fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius may feel this energy the strongest.
 
The Sabian symbol for this New Moon, at 9° Leo, is: “Glass blowers shape beautiful vases with their controlled breathing”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The need to involve one’s most spiritual and vital energies in the creative act if it is to produce significant and beautiful new forms. The breath represents the power of the spirit, animator of all living manifestations. Because the glass blower uses his breath to shape the glass vessels, he is a fitting symbol of how deeply any creative individual has to involve his total being in his creation.” This feels like an invitation to connect to spirit and use the power of our souls in a controlled manner to shape our lives or situation into something meaningful and worthwhile. It is important to let go of the past and any fears we may have, so that whatever goes into the act of creation is pure and unfettered. This feels like a spiritual and passionate act of intense focus which is asking us to pour our heart and soul into whatever we are creating for ourselves right now. No half measures!
 
The Nodes of the Moon in Cancer and Capricorn are providing the current backdrop, prompting us to question where we belong, where our home is and how we can take better care of ourselves on an emotional level. With the South Node in Capricorn we are being shown all too clearly what responsibilities we may be carrying that feel too heavy and how our work life may be taking over to the detriment of our family life and emotional health. Similarly we may become all too aware of how trying to keep everything under control and put up a capable front or stiff upper lip might not actually be serving us at all. Maybe there is another way which allows us to take down the walls and show a bit of vulnerability, being more inclusive of others allowing them to shoulder some of the load. How can we nourish ourselves better? Where are we supposed to be now? Who are we if we take the trappings of our careers and the layers of societal conditioning away? What does it actually mean to be a successful human being?
 
The Eclipses will have brought these issues up to the fore, and the focus is on creating a life that makes us feel emotionally rich rather than what society deems a “successful life”. This Leo Moon is a chance to have a little fun and to play around with what we might want for ourselves and, like the glass blower, to breathe our heart and soul into whatever we want to create. New Moons are a very powerful and potent time for setting intentions for the month ahead, and this one is no exception! As Joseph Campbell said, we just need to follow our bliss and not be afraid, and if we do our path will surely reveal itself to us. It is very important right now, with the help of Mercury Retrograde, to clear the past and release ourselves from any fears, unhealthy patterns, attachments or unresolved emotional material that may be impeding us from stepping towards the life we were meant to live.
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
My website: www.amybirdartandastrology.com
 
Image: Follow Your Heart, by Donna Coburn
 

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CAPRICORN FULL MOON / SOLAR ECLIPSE - 16 July 2019

7/13/2019

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Picture
Exact at 10.38pm BST, 5.38pm EDT
 
Eclipse season is well and truly upon us with this powerful, transforming and potent Full Moon/Eclipse in Capricorn! There could be a high degree of emotional intensity accompanying this Moon, with our emotions rising like the tides and swelling like the waves. Eclipses can bring major endings and beginnings, whereby one chapter ends and another begins.  With the North Node currently in Cancer, the theme of this Eclipse season is on us finding a sense of home and belonging and finding our roots. This can, of course, mean uprooting! We are being prompted to contemplate and even make big decisions around what truly nourishes us and what represents home. The last Eclipse, on 2 July, would have started the process off, and this one calls us to bravely face our fears and make a deeper commitment to whatever decisions we made then. This Moon is in Capricorn, after all! Capricorn is the sign of responsibility, commitment, maturity, integrity, discipline and control, so these are all issues and themes that could come up for us during this time.
 
The Cancer/Capricorn polarity is very much in the spotlight at the moment, with the onus on us all to find some balance between the energy of the two signs. During this 18 month period, from November 2018 until May 2020, we are invited to leave some of the less desirable qualities of Capricorn behind.  Do we have a need to maintain a sense of control to feel safe? How are our behaviour and decisions still influenced by our conditioning, or by fear? Do we tend to suppress our emotions rather than allowing others to see we are hurt or in need or help? Do we tend to put up a capable front, holding it all together rather than allowing others to see that we are struggling?  How might we allow the sense of responsibility to weigh us down and hold us back? Do we tend to retract, withdraw or put walls up out of fear? Ultimately we are not in control, so holding on too tightly or trying to steer from a place of fear doesn’t allow us to flow in the right direction and can cause us to make the wrong decisions. Likewise, sometimes our sense of duty and responsibility can go too far and cause us to take on more than is healthy for our emotional wellbeing.
 
The Cancer North Node shows us that we don’t have to shoulder everything on our own and that is ok to admit when we can’t cope or need help. It is far better to share our feelings and risk being a bit vulnerable rather than putting up walls and pushing people away because we are scared. People love to feel needed anyway, and a problem shared is a problem halved!  While Capricorn represents societal expectations, our career, outer success and the “rat race”, Cancer invites us to contemplate what we need for our emotional wellbeing; what nourishes us and makes us feel fulfilled and whole on the inside. What is true success in terms of being a human being, when you take societal expectations and pressures out of the equation? Is it measured by the job we do and the things we own, or by the love that surrounds us, our quality of life and our relationships? What is more important to us? Are we supposed to work all the hours of the day and not have enough time to spend with our loved ones? How can we better take care of our needs and nurture ourselves more? Indeed, how might we soften a bit and allow others to take care of us too?
 
Venus in Cancer is sitting right next to the North Node during this Moon. Eclipses involve the Nodes of the Moon and signify an important time in our destiny, so any planet sitting on the North Node of the Moon will help to pull us forward on the path to our true destiny.  This destiny is also linked to the sign and house that hold the North Node in our natal chart, as they represent what our soul yearns for in order to grow in this lifetime.  However, we also resist that which we yearn for, as it calls for us to step out of our familiar South Node tendencies and patterns.
 
With Venus, the planet of love, attraction, beauty and relationship activating the North Node, there is a sense that love will show us the way. Ultimately if we act and make decisions based on love, rather than fear, we are bound to be guided in the right direction. Interestingly enough, Saturn is sitting on the South Node, as is Pluto, making us all too aware of the old patterns that might hold us back from moving forward and keep us bound by fear. It couldn’t be clearer – do we choose fear or love? Do we stay in our old patterns and make decisions from a place of fear and contraction or do we open our hearts and trust that we are being guided in the right direction?
 
Luckily Neptune is lending a helping hand with a harmonious trine aspect to Venus, which helps us to put our faith and trust in love and go with the flow. Neptune helps us to see past each other’s walls and protective barriers and relate to one another’s true spirit and essence.  While Saturn on the South Node could cause us to get stuck in fear, desperately clinging to a rock in the river out of a need to maintain a sense of being in control, Neptune is the water that simply allows us to flow gracefully around whatever obstacles may be in the path until we get to wherever we need to go. And sometimes what looks like a disaster is actually a blessing. We are invited to see the magic, beauty and wonder of life and trust the process, no matter where it may lead us. We are encouraged to open our hearts, let go and see where the flow of the river may take us. Neptune and Venus urge us to surrender and to allow our hearts to show us the way.
 
It is very interesting that we have Mercury Retrograde at the same time as Eclipse season. While some of us may be experiencing big shifts and changes as a result of the Eclipses, Mercury encourages us to reflect on our process and any decisions we may be making, and to consider all of the implications. We are asked to take a step back and make sure we have all the information we need, dotting our “I”s and crossing our “T”s before Mercury goes direct on 31 July. It is important that we make an effort to be very open and clear in our communication, so that we avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications. When Mercury shifts back into Cancer on Thurs 19 July, we may be prompted to consider the emotional implications of whatever we are currently facing. It is all part of the process, and sometimes it is very important to go back over the same ground in order to solidify things and make sure that we have looked at it all from every angle. There may be something important that we haven’t noticed; a missing piece to the puzzle. Similarly, while Mercury Retrograde can cause delays, often there is a very good reason for it that may reveal itself later as a gift.
 
The Nodes of the Moon certainly are getting a lot of action at the moment! With Pluto, Saturn and the Moon all straddling the South Node, representing the past and the old, entrenched, familiar patterns, habits and fears, there is a sense of us having no choice but to face ourselves and to see these old patterns exactly as they are. However, we may still find ourselves in their grip if we are not careful. Luckily Venus and the Sun in Cancer are on the other end, next to the North Node, calling us home and helping us to take a leap forward in our destiny. Pluto and the Moon are sitting very close together during this Eclipse, which could bring up some very intense and powerful emotions and compulsions  for us to contend with which come from a very deep place inside of us. This has the potential to be a deeply transforming Full Moon and Eclipse, helping us to face some of our more deeply entrenched emotional patterns and confront our greatest fears. Capricorn invites us to commit deeply to the process and to take responsibility for actions and responses from a place of maturity and integrity. The only control we have is over our own response to whatever comes across our path.
 
Much Love
 
Amy
Xoxo
 
Picture: Elbow River Rocks 4 by Madeleine Arnett
 
 

0 Comments

    Amy Bird

    I love writing about the Moon and the effect it has on us all, both collectively and personally. We all look at the same Moon and feel her energy, albeit in different ways. It reminds us that we are not alone and there is something very comforting about that!

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