Grand earth trine and Moon trine Neptune: Don’t struggle

Today is Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011. The Moon is in Libra until about 2:48 pm EDT, when it enters Scorpio. We’re still in the thrall of the grand earth trine Eric wrote about on Monday, in his post on the Virgo New Moon and Hurricane Irene. Venus has moved out of the equation, but the Virgo Sun’s trine to Jupiter in Taurus is not exact until tomorrow and Pluto in Capricorn is still in the mix. Prior to the storm, Gary Caton noted that “Earth signs are focused on resources, and of course much of the East Coast will be faced with taking a practical inventory of what is and isn’t working.” This is bearing out, as several areas of the East Coast are dealing with a lack of usable roadway by which to get emergency supplies to towns still cut off by floodwater.

This storm moved a lot of earth, and that movement of earth continues as crews work to create temporary emergency roads in the short term — such as in Vermont — and face the daunting task of long-term repair of roads, bridges and buildings. In the Northeast, as much as possible needs to be done before winter snowstorms begin. This may only be the first day of September and technically still summer, but there is a tremendous amount of work to be done in some areas — and mountain regions get snow early.

Personally, I’m still fascinated by the role earth signs have played in what seemed superficially to be a week about water and air. It’s easy to think of earth signs as stable and solid. But then, Rob Hand has described the grand trine configuration as a “very strange and difficult arrangement of planets”; Eric likened it to a closed circuit or vortex like the Bermuda Triangle — where things go in but don’t come out; and Gary described it as being a bit like quicksand: if you get stuck in it, struggling will only sink you faster. Given that quicksand analogy — and the way my day has been going as of this writing — I found it helpful to know the grand earth trine is still in effect. If you too are still feeling its inertia, compounded by Mercury still in shadow phase and moving slowly, don’t struggle against the sucking vortex. You’ll actually have better success and feel better if you relax a little.

There’s another aspect today contributing to the possible sense of a nebulous emotional cloud floating around: the Moon, in the last degree of Libra, is trine Neptune in the last degree of Aquarius at 1:35 EDT, though we’re feeling it now. Neptune has a dreamy, somewhat subconsciously emotional quality, and of course the Moon is associated with our emotions — as well as with water, by way of its ruling Cancer. But both of these planets are in air signs, and the aspect is a flowing (sometimes said to be enabling or self-reflexive) trine. It’s as though this sense that usually belongs in our gut has become conceptual — and the disconnect is hard to grasp and articulate.

Gary explained to me yesterday that in electional astrology (the kind used to plan an action or event), you look at the last aspect the Moon makes before it changes signs as an indicator of the final outcome. This trine to Neptune is the last aspect the Moon makes before entering Scorpio. So what does this mean? Well, partly that depends on your current experience of this aspect and Neptune in general. You may feel it as ecstatic bliss, in which case feel free to keep going with that feeling and go for whatever is on your agenda. Or you may be feeling it as severe disillusionment, but don’t panic if that’s the case. In fact, refer back to the quicksand analogy of the grand trine and try just relaxing into an acceptance of how you’re feeling instead of pushing it.

Think of it like the technique of “planned ignoring” often used with children and dogs: if a behavior is not actually bad enough to need correction, it can actually work best to ignore it. You not only save yourself some energy, but you also avoid feeding and encouraging what is unwanted with your attention.

Just in case that sounds a little too carefree for your comfort level, there is a minor planet on either side of the Moon-Neptune trine to help out. The first is Pallas Athene, hanging out in late Capricorn. This is a mental and strategic planet, Capricorn is the sign of structure, and the Moon makes a very helpful sextile to it just before the trine to Neptune. This could be a great opportunity to give yourself a reality check. Pull yourself out of a funk over a situation by making lists of pros and cons, for example.

Shortly after the Moon trines Neptune, it also trines Chiron in early Pisces. The light is going to shine today, helping you to focus your microscope on the details of that nebulous cloud. It may show you more clearly some things you need to heal, such as washed-out internal bridges and roads to lost parts of yourself. The mental-emotional fog will lift — just don’t let the trine keep you so caught up in the details of old wounds that you forget the big picture and your desired goal: moving forward. And if you have made any of those lists mentioned, Chiron will likely help you put that documentation to good use as you rebuild on solid ground.

Amanda Painter with Gary Caton and Eric Francis

Notice and choose: in fresh horoscopes weekly and twice monthly, the current sky speaks through your Sun and rising signs. Eric unfolds the themes in Planet Waves subscriber edition and Planet Waves Light so you can notice your patterns and choose consciously.