Today is Monday, Jan. 9, 2012.. The Cancer Full Moon occurs early this morning, at 2:30 am EST. You may have felt the energy build over the weekend in the form of heightened emotions, and that may continue though the day – though with a particularly existential edge to it.
This Full Moon is activating a pair of aspects involving Eris, that planet representing identity chaos that we’re still getting to know. The Sun (in Capricorn), our representative of ‘Self’, is making a square to Eris in Aries. We know that squares create an internal tension that asks us to act in some way. If you have been basing much of your sense of identity in your worldly achievements and other external, physical markers, it’s likely starting to feel uncomfortable. Kind of like something keeps tugging at the corner of your attention, but every time you look at it squarely, it scatters out of focus – yet you know your attention belongs there somehow.
Meanwhile, the Full Moon is conjunct Varuna in Cancer, which in turn is square Eris from the other side of the wheel. This is a slow-moving aspect that, as noted by Eric, “describes the theme of the war on women we’re seeing dramatized in national and some local politics. Varuna has a theme of ‘the equalizer’ and Eris includes the theme of ‘the castaway woman’, and cast-off womanhood in general.” And gosh, one of our most prominent feminine archetypes (the Moon) is amplifying this little-known planet’s energy out from one of the zodiac’s most feminine signs, ruled by the Moon.
In part, Varuna (named for a male, pre-vedic creation deity) seems to be a force we invoke personally to mediate when human nature runs counter to the impersonal laws of nature, or when the order of society is at odds with cosmic order. Varuna seems to be associated with the second in each of those pairings. And so far, in just the last 12 months, we have had two Moon events closely associated with the Varuna-Eris square. Since Full Moons are felt very palpably by people, we’d love to hear from readers whether you notice any repeating themes within your own life between now and the days surrounding April 11, 2011, when a quarter Moon lined up perfectly – as well as mid-July, when the lead up to the Capricorn Full Moon also activated this square.
Politically speaking, last April that quarter Moon alignment with this square occurred just as Congress was debating the possibility of ending the Title X Family Planning Program in order to reduce the budget deficit. Enacted in 1970, it is the only existing federal grant program entirely devoted to providing comprehensive family planning and other related services.
It is no secret that the conservative Republican agenda involves denying sexual and healthcare rights to women, even to the extent of determining what two consenting adults can do in the privacy of their own bedroom (laws of humans vs laws of nature?). And now that insanity and hypocrisy is again in the spotlight, courtesy of the circus known as the Republican primary season. Act Two of this spectacle takes the stage tomorrow in New Hampshire, with the Republican poster boy for projecting unprocessed sexual shadow material – Rick Santorum — having ‘won’ the first round last week.
In the midst of this setup, Eris stations direct while simultaneously making a quincunx to her mythological brother Mars. A quincunx (also known as an inconjunct) aspect is one of awkward, challenging adjustment. In this case, Mars (‘I Am’) is in earthy, grounded Virgo, urging you to perfect and analyze yourself, while Eris (Who am I?) is in Aries, challenging you to find yourself in the very sign of ‘I Am’. You may find yourself asking, ‘Am I really who I think I am?’ Between this Mars-Eris quincunx and the Full Moon, there may be a feeling of things about to go out of control, or some background anxiety. So pay attention; note these sensations if they come up, see if you can trace them deeper, and let us know what you learn. This is how we start to piece together what these newer planets mean in astrology.
Rounding out today’s three-ring identity circus (circuses are fun, right?) is the Sun making a trine to Mars. This one will be applying for the next three days, so feel around for it while it’s charged up by the Full Moon and then keep following the thread through Thursday. This may be the outlet of the whole configuration, since trines are relatively easy, flowing aspects. Both Virgo and Capricorn favor precision, and Mars is slowing down for its station retrograde later this month. See how specific you can get when it comes to what facet of your self-perception you direct some healing energy toward today.
Oh – and be ready for some surprises. Mercury, newly in Capricorn, is square Uranus in Aries, shaking up the cardinal cross via the Aries Point. Don’t look now, but the political clowns are on their way into the big top, and they’re going to be talking a blue streak.
Looking for insights on how this week’s astrology affects your personal Sun and rising signs? Try out Planet Waves Light, our streamlined horoscope service. For deeper cultural context and astrological investigation, the premium Planet Waves subscription includes the same horoscopes, plus extensively-researched articles on Fridays.
…….natal Pallas/Hades conjunction (9 Taurus 10th) is right on top of natal Varuna (who lives at 11 Taurus) and exactly square natal Pholus (9 AQ) (my DC is exact conj Varuna at 11o)….
I’m thinkin’ that the sextile between Pallas and Pholus is a welcome relief more than anything….
Then there’s considering transiting Pallas is exact on natal Chyron at 18 AQ and Mercury is participating in the broadstroke at 24 AQ.
Nothing going on in Virgo -“except” that this is an intercepted 2nd house opposing intercepted Sun – 8th house Pisces.)
Feeling what? The “nagging” is my small quiet self pointing to a buried feeling that perhaps the time to paint – and “be an artist” – is now, not later….
My drive to be something “business-like” is feeling rather distinctly like a fish out of water these days. Which leaves me in an eye-of-a-storm feeling……like I must let the swirling confusion just continue on without me, not within me — until I find what I am looking for…..
Tthere is so very much going on – so much chaos – because there are so many choices, that my small quiet space is asking for focus, for finding the one point, the one point that IS me – and moving steadily toward that light.
Thanks All,
xo
Great post, and so spot-on with the ongoing theme in my life right now.
I should introduce myself, as this is my first post. My name is Gerald, and my chart reads as Libra Sun/Moon/Mercury/Venus, Virgo Mars and Cancer Ascendant.
Last April, I was living in San Francisco, had just moved into a fabulous new apartment a month prior, and was coming up short of my one year anniversary in The City when my home burnt to the ground. That time was utterly devastating, but I was in good spirits considering I had made some really good friends and my community banded together to raise funds for me and my roommates to begin our recovery process. It was inspiring, to say the least. Anyway, my family had been trying to convince me to come home to get back my footing, but I was determined to finish Personal Trainer certification at a private school in the Bay- let’s just say things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to. By August, I was exhausted, feeling isolated, essentially homeless and ready to go back to San Diego (home). At this point, I was forced to quit my job and return broke and more depressed than ever, literally a shell of myself.
My relationship with my family has been troubled for years, but started improving in the past few- more specifically, my relationship with my mother (whose birthday happens to be today! A Capricorn with a Virgo Ascendant, Aries Moon, and tons of Sagittarius in her chart) and her conflicting beliefs about my sexuality and queer lifestyle.
The past several months have been incredibly healing- it’s been a process of really letting down my guard with my family and becoming myself around them again. My relationship with my mother has been particularly notable, as the biggest difference I’ve noticed is that her critical and overbearing nature has been replaced by an extremely gentle approach. In turn, I’m learning to relate and communicate with her (and others) in ways that feel more organic and less defensive and that are aligned with my spirit and sexuality.
I should also mention that I am signing the lease and moving into my new apartment (which interestingly enough, is right next door to the apartment I left when I moved to San Francisco nearly 2 years ago) on Friday, which I’m thrilled about.
The tone and structure of this post seem extra accessible for someone who’s not totally in the know about all of the various aspects and relations of the planets. It’s full of explanations and a little more oomph to be derived from context. Thank you.
I also like how the post itself asks questions, again making this whole process more accessible. With asking the questions, it really puts to the point what’s going on, the types of things to look for. As opposed to how other posts have seemed a little more etheric and harder to grasp for me. I understand that perhaps this combination of planets lends to more of a working type of explanation rather than a dissertation, but right now, this kind of post works for me.
As far as repeating themes from April and July… In April, I was in the heavy throes of recovering from my car accident. I stood up for myself at my then-job and told my bully of a boss that I’d be taking some time off to recover (something she wasn’t allowing me to do). She alluded to firing me for doing so (I was a contractor, and thus had no rights), but she didn’t (at the time). I took the weekend of my birthday off to go to a spa and although the trip up was excrutiating, the spa was needed and helped a lot. In July, I got laid off for from that job. I chose to see it as a gift, because I may not have chosen to leave until things got Much Worse. Looking to resonances for my current life… I’m happily settled in to my new job, although things keep changing (people keep moving out of my team, my job has morphed into something it wasn’t at the beginning, we’re delivering the first solid draft of my document tomorrow). I had some peculiar dreams last night, more along the lines of nightmares. I was searching for a me who was lost in the snow and ice, my cats were sick (including the one who has since passed away), there were ants in my house and were biting me (last year, I got bit by fire ants a number of times, on my feet… come to think of it, that may have been in July), there was a wasp who got into the house which I was terrified of, it then turned into a guy who started out as an overweight bully and slowly shifted into a smaller and faster, more cruel guy, and stung me in my hand with basically a poison dart, as I was trying to defend myself. Woke up crying sometime around 3am, with my hands hurting and my head pounding, and couldn’t really get back to sleep.
Monday has been a Monday, full of traffic, spilling things, and a little crazyness. A nice mini-respite was catching the beautiful Moon as she was setting on the horizon, hazy and luminous.
you know, i was wondering why this full moon seemed fairly mellow for me, given that it’s in cancer, which is my asc. but maybe the fact that it’s sextile my sun (sun trine my sun) accounts for the relative emotional ease?
I mean great blog. Got distracted by work (ha!).
Yes – thanks for the great post. And thank you Be.
I mean everyone’s contributions. PW rocks. 🙂
BE, I checked the SO’s chart against what you provided … isn’t this fun. He has natally in Aq: Mercury 13, Moon 14, Sun 17, Chiron 22, AC 26. His Venus is transiting at 23 Aquarius. Checking on his late Virgo, I find there… wait for it… transiting Mars at 21, 7th house. Pluto is the only natal resident of his 7th, though it’s well away at 3 Virgo.
Love your observation about the moon shining light on things. Their three teenage children (2 are over 18, one still a minor) are a factor in the stew here. I think I’ll advise SO to take the “we are all family” tack with his ex the next couple of days, make an emotional appeal to her to spare the children by putting aside the pointless drama.
This is why I love astrology. 🙂 Great stuff, BE, very much appreciating all the contributions to the discussion today.
thanks be! Your details are like, so awesome. The beat goes on, eh?
This is for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeaogXcPaxM&feature=related
🙂
hugs,
HS
glad to know this post resonates, but want to remind everyone that a couple other writers had a hand in this, too! these are very rarely solo efforts these days.
🙂
And here’s the rub, which would be Eris of course. She’s made up her mind and is moving forward now. She’s also still got that active sextile to Venus, but now Pallas-Athene has woven herself into that aspect as she has reached 18 Aquarius. These goddesses, all 3 of them are still putting their focus, an irritation factor, on to Mars. That would be the yod Len first told us about. Mars may be in a trine to the Sun, who will give Mars a go-ahead (signs of a feather flow together) but also the Moon is sextile Mars and lo and behold, it forms a yod with Pallas. Now SHE’S getting pressured right back from Mars, along with Moon. It really IS a 3 ring circus now. So what we have going in our charts at 21+ Virgo and what we have going on in the vicinity of 18 through 24 Aquarius (Pallas conjunct Venus) is being prodded to take action. It’s not just a full moon that’s making us feel crazy.
Still, we must consider the sextile between Pallas-Athene and Pholus. In the full moon chart they form a yod to the Cancer Moon, via their quincunxes to her. Now this is going to be more subtle and will take a back seat to Eris squaring Sun and Mars trining Sun. Why do Pallas-Athene and Pholus want the Moon to take action? What are they seeking?
The Moon is shining as much light onto the subject as she can. We are”all family” might be one of the themes today. We have our differences, yes, but we are connected in harmoneous ways too. . . me, the moon, to Mars, Mars to Sun, Pholus to Eris and Eris to the goddesses Venus and Pallas-Athene. There is discord but there is also agreement.
The Moon will trine Juno today. Gary Caton says Juno represents the overeall principle of connectivity. Yes, Juno squares Venus and Pallas right now, but she also trines Ceres. The beat goes on. The knots of personal discord and lack of balance must give way to the powerful demand that we raise our sights and our consciousness to a level where the air is rare and polarity dissolves. Neptune prepares to join Chiron in Pisces where much of what troubles us today will get dissolved and resolved. It remains a baby-step process, this evolution business.
be
Hmmmmmmm… the theme of perceiving a slight and throwing an apple “bomb” into the crowd oddly mirrors the dealings my SO and I have been having with his (diagnosed bipolar and non-medication-compliant) ex-wife the past several days. Complicating the picture, she’s dealing with a 12th house Saturn transit setting off her 12th house Mercury which is square to Mars. Timely words today, thanks.
oh yeah, the full moon. That would explain why I was so tired but couldn’t sleep last night. This Mars placement is starting to have this charged up feeling to it, wanting to act and kick me in the butt. The problem (the protection??) lies in the dialogue of Mercury in a new sign (wait!), Neptune’s fog (we’re not done yet in this Aquarius sign!), and Saturn’s (you have more stuff to clean) mantra. And Jupiter is all like, yeah whatever dude, go for it!
Oy….
HS
Checking my archives………..last April, there was an ideological/communication, scism within a political/astrological blog………..I gathered up the rejected Eris’s into a new blog, have been diseminating articles and links since. T Eris is conjt. my N Saturn in the 11th H…………… Also had a disagreement with a long time friend who’s NN conjunt my 29o Pluto Cancer. With Narcissus conjunt her 1o Pisces Sun. she didn’t just burn her bridge she Nuked it.
Last night I had another conflict with a friend also NN 29o Cancer. (Now T Saturn is sq that position) ( over my lack of conforming skills) She is realizing her destiny very well, utilizing her S node skills, participant in community building town Govt. participation….the town itself, with is under heavy aspects with it’s N 22o Cancer Sun,19o C Venus, 10th H 1o Capricorn Moon………on the IC, prog. Sun 8 Capricirn, progr. Moon 25o Sag conjunct GC……..ASC 0o Libra under seige from T Uranus! & holey moley, Natal NN 23o & Pallas 23o & 24o Virgo 12th H. Town Manager, Sun Cancer degree unknown.
We have already weathered a settlement on a lawsuit by the USDA, over discrimination in the affordable housing unit the USDA was funding. ( It was the local teabaggers who stirred up that pot!)!
That drive I took last week at your suggestion Len, was very nurturing, found a new painting subject for come Spring.
Thank you Amanda for bringing clarity to the fog once again
Amanda,
Tank you for a wonderfully chiseled photograph that portrays one of my favorite and most deeply imbedded natural tableaus.
Thank you for reviving the Varuna-Eris square and making a cogent connection to the culmination that a Full Moon implies. This is not only well timed with events but a valuable service to readers. Because Varuna-square-Eris is (as you put it) a slow moving aspect, we are obligated to keep an eye (or “both eyes when we can spare them”) on the long term issues they imply.