Dear Friend and Reader:
There are actually eight seasons in the year. Each of the traditional four seasons is divided in half, for a total of eight, six-week mini-seasons. We reach the turning point within one of the official seasons when the Sun’s apparent position is halfway between an equinox and a solstice; that is, when the Sun reaches 15 degrees of any one of the fixed signs, which happens Monday. The fixed signs or the signs of the fixed cross of the heavens are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Memorize them! They are the core of the zodiac.
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Here is a page from the old Astrology Secrets Revealed series that explains this in some more detail. Here is a Google search that will give you about a day’s reading if you’re still curious.
What’s interesting about Monday’s New Moon is that it occurs with the Sun exactly on the cross-quarter. As the Earth orbits the Sun, it moves through the seasons in an extremely predictable cycle. The Moon’s cycle is slightly off that kilter: there are 12 signs of the zodiac per year and approximately 13 lunar cycles per year. So the lunation cycle is always gaining a little time on the solar cycle. (This is why the Jewish holidays and Easter slide around the calendar — they are planned based on the lunar months.)
Monday’s New Moon is exactly at the midpoint of Taurus — precisely between the spring equinox and summer solstice. This rarely happens; I have not had a chance to ask one of my more technically competent friends to figure out how often this happens, but it’s rare enough. The obvious question is the significance of this astrologically, and it’s in two parts. One part is that we get the “symbolism” (lacking a better term) of the precision. Though there are many ways to time Beltane and it is traditionally May Day (the 1st), I recall from many past lives as a devoted astrologer to the High Priestesses that you time the rituals by the positions of both the Sun and the Moon.
Beltane is the holiday about balancing the male and the female, and it’s a beautiful metaphor to have them exactly together on the cross quarter. There is a deep seeding moment here, and as I (and my colleagues Rachel and Jude, who have written tomorrow’s lead essay in Planet Waves) have suggested, you can use it to your benefit and that of your community. If you don’t think that there is a connection between celebrating Beltane and cultivating prosperity, I suggest you give it a try. This is not magical thinking, which I shun at every turn. Rather, this is about as practical as planting seeds in the spring and harvesting them in the autumn.
The second half of the equation is a bit more technical. If you’ve been reading Planet Waves for more than 10 minutes, you’ve probably heard me talk about the Aries Point. This is the first degree of Aries and by extension the first degree of Cancer, Libra and Capricorn — that is, the cardinal points, collectively. As shorthand, all four are called the Aries Point, though I’m developing separate delineations for all four of the points. They are, however, closely related. They are all associated with big events that link the public and private orders of reality. Glance at this piece called The Personal is Political for some additional insight.
To make a long story a bit longer, the Sun and Moon form a conjunction exactly 45 degrees from the Aries Point on Monday. Astrology is based on math. Beneath all the signs, symbols, aspects, cycles, archetypes and the whole freakin’ cosmic flea circus is a lot of math (ask anyone who programs an ephemeris). In the maths of it all, anything related to the 90-degree aspect is (for some odd reason) supreme our plane of reality. That means half of 90 degrees (45 degrees), it means double 90 degrees (180 degrees) and it means 135 degrees (90 + 45 = 135). Don’t glaze over from the numbers, this is as easy as playing with Legos. Be thankful you don’t have to figure out what time Eris is conjunct 1992 QB1.
So when we get a big alignment on the Aries Point or one of its derivatives (Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) or when you get an alignment at one of the cross quarter points (15 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius), you get some potent energy moving.
What do you do about it? As your astrologer, I recommend that you get the energy going. Do it however you can. For example, drum, dance, go outside, have sex, masturbate, make art, make fire, get your friends together, have a party, clean your fish tank, plant the garden, forgive the debts of people who owe you money, give gifts, say yes in general, call your therapist and see if you can get an appointment for Monday and clean out a psychic closet, forgive someone who has given you a hard time in the past, cast divination, take the day off…you get the picture.
Remember that this is the day of balancing the male and female energies, the basic polarity we contain, express and (as it works out) struggle with in the physical world. Part of this game can involve shifting the energy of a monogamous relationship specifically by opening it up in some way. You will not keel over and croak, I promise you. The chances are your relationship will get more intimate, not less so. You can confront your jealousy and make a tangible commitment to letting go of your attachment that you demonstrate in action and not merely in words. This will help get the energy moving, flowing and growing. This, in turn, helps you manifest, create and develop prosperity, which in turn you share in some way and keep the exchange going.
You can help the process by sending loving energy toward lovers (i.e., people in couples); wishing hot sex for people besides yourself (shock them pleasantly and SAY the words); keep your own energy fresh and sexy and smile back when people send you a lusty glance; encourage your partner to share his or her fantasies and cheer them on; and say yes in general. If you are single, you have a few choices here. One is to fire up some unusually hot selfloving. Dare yourself to go places you don’t usually go. Get with a mirror or two. Write your fantasies out and let someone see them. Submit a contribution to Solotouch.com, the hottest website on the Internet because it’s written by real people. Get out your digital camera and make some racy photos of yourself and dare yourself to share them. Call up someone who has been propositioning you and feel the energy out — this would be a great time to say yes. If you don’t want to marry the person, explain your offer, that this is a one-time gig in honor of the Goddess. Yes, practice “safer sex” but get wet! Sex is all about water.
Notice if you feel guilty or “impure” for any of this. Notice whose voice it is in there. This is called shadow material, and it will often arise where sex and love are present. Resentment, anger, guilt, fear and/or fear of diseases are all part of the same negative thought complex that blocks energy, vitality, intimacy and prosperity. If you are struggling with any of this, remember that you are part of nature. You have a right to exist. Go beyond the struggle for self-esteem and jump right to self-awareness. If someone judges you or if you fear they will; stand strong in your life force.
You are alive, just like a tree, a bird or a skunk, and you not only have a right to exist: you actually do exist. This is not debatable, it is a cosmic, scientific, spiritual and practical fact.
All hail the Beltane New Moon!
Aspects for Friday 02 May 2008, courtesy of Serennu.
Sun (11+ Taurus) sesquiquadrate Galactic Center(26+ Sagittarius)
Sun (12+ Taurus) opposite Hidalgo (12+ Scorpio Rx)
Sisyphus (14+ Libra Rx) sextile Great Attractor (14+ Sagittarius)
Amor (1+ Taurus) trine Saturn (1+ Virgo Rx)
Vesta (5+ Aries) semisquare Chiron (20+ Aquarius)
Pallas (22+ Aries) conjunct 1992 QB1 (22+ Aries)
Mercury (29+ Taurus) sesquiquadrate Sisyphus (14+ Libra Rx)
Hidalgo (11+ Scorpio Rx) semisquare Galactic Center (26+ Sagittarius)
Mercury (29+ Taurus) quincunx Juno (29+ Sagittarius Rx)
Vesta (5+ Aries) septile Nessus (14+ Aquarius)
Venus (2+ Taurus) conjunct Asbolus (2+ Taurus)
Mercury (0 Gemini) sextile Aries Point (0 Aries)
Mercury enters Gemini (direct)
Venus (2+ Taurus) quintile Chiron (20+ Aquarius)
Mercury (0+ Gemini) trine Arachne (0+ Libra Rx)
Sun (12+ Taurus) septile Uranus (21+ Pisces)
Friday Oracle returns June 06, 2002 – Gemini weekly
I recognize you may feel like you’re under enormous pressure. There has not been a solar eclipse in your sign for nearly a decade and Monday’s is quite impressive combining forces with Saturn Pluto and an odd grouchy point called Hades. For the past year or more cosmic influences have conspired to mature temper and focus your soul. But you’ve never been called upon to go more deeply toward the roots of what has held you back in life. You may not like it when you find it but you’ll like it a lot when you leave it behind. Yet at this time there is no forcing anything. You can only let your life unfold. And it will.