{"id":25121,"date":"2010-05-13T06:07:20","date_gmt":"2010-05-13T11:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=25121"},"modified":"2010-05-13T06:07:20","modified_gmt":"2010-05-13T11:07:20","slug":"starting-over-in-the-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/daily-astrology\/starting-over-in-the-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting Over In The Dark"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Len Wallick<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Today is the New Moon at 23+ degrees Taurus. On the East Coast of the United States at 9:04 pm, 6:04 pm Pacific. That’s when the Sun and Moon form a conjunction. That means that they are in the same sign at the same degree of longitude. This happens once a month in most months.<\/p>\n

If Luna’s orbit around Earth were in the same plane as Earth’s orbit around the Sun, every New Moon would find the luminaries not only at the same longitude but also the same latitude. Thus every such monthly conjunction would be a solar eclipse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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However, that’s not the way it is. The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is at an angle to the ecliptic, another name for the plane of our planet’s orbit around old Sol. As such, Luna’s path intersects with the ecliptic only twice a month. Once on the way to going below it (at the South lunar node) and once on its way to rising above our orbital plane (at the North lunar node). When the Moon is in or very close to this node at the time of conjunction we actually have a solar eclipse. That’s why they are relatively rare. The last one was on mid-January of this year. The next one will be this coming July 11th.<\/p>\n

The lunar nodes are more than just where eclipses can take place. They are perhaps the most important hypothetical points on an astrological chart. By hypothetical point, one means that there is no mass there. No chunk of rock or ice, no giant ball of gas. Periodically, however, an object could intersect while passing through on its elliptical journey. More often these points combine to form an aspect to another moving thing and bring their cachet to the combination. Karma, consequences, attachment, or release for the South node. Dharma, creativity, responsibility or embrace with the North.<\/p>\n

Like nearly everything on an astrological chart, the nodes move. Perpetually in retrograde. Eternally separated by 180 degrees. In opposition forever. After about a year and a half the nodes transit into a new pair of signs. entering in the last degrees, leaving in the first. It’s been almost a year since the nodes moved from the Leo-Aquarius axis to where they are now, in Cancer and Capricorn.<\/p>\n

When the nodes change signs, something curious happens. The New Moon takes place just a few days (or hours) before the Sun moves on to the next solar house. This is significant because one of the few things all schools of astrology agree on is the symbolism of a New Moon. It’s a germination, a seminal moment, the beginning of a new pattern that will develop as Luna waxes. When the Sun quickly transits from the conjunction to a new energy field, however, that pattern often does not get a chance to jell before it shifts.<\/p>\n

As time goes on, the nodes progress backwards slowly, day by day. Incrementally, month by month. Back through the degrees even as the day of the New Moon moves back ever more deeply into a sign. Today is seven days before the beginning of solar Gemini. So we have a week for both luminaries to be on the same page. That makes a difference. We are beginning to feel it now. It will progress as the year continues, giving us a place to be and an ambiance to dwell in. It will come in handy.<\/p>\n

So if the New Moon is a new beginning and we are now in a period when its germination has time to take root, what does this mean for the near future? Before we check other planets, let’s check in with ourselves. Solar Taurus is a time to stop, look around and take it in a bit. It hosts the mid-point between the Vernal Equinox and the Cancer solstice. How many of us however, have had the chance to honor this middle season? How many of us have been hunkered down or running around? That might indicate how to begin. Feel the ground with your feet. Examine it with your eyes. Look gradually up toward the horizon, then the sky. Take it in. Breathe it out. Spare a few minutes for simply living today.<\/p>\n

Just as our eyes would rise from our feet to the skies, let us feel the same beginnings with the personal planets. Mercury is direct now. Slow, to be sure. Still deep in the echo phase, yes. Continuing through its storm period, probably. But direct in an Earth sign, Taurus. Accelerating towards a solstice. If that’s not looking up from the bottom, one might ask what is.<\/p>\n

Venus, the ruler of Taurus is also looking upwards. On a merry chase, its new mission. Rising higher in the western twilight with every passing evening. Slowly but surely gaining ground on Mars. And wouldn’t you know it they will conjoin in Libra, the sign Venus rules, on the August evening when Venus reaches its highest elevation in the Western sky. No kidding. For real. So, in the midst of of our present fatigue, concurrent with our confounded rage, germinating from the tension and the polarity, and initiating even as are tempted to see an end, a happy meeting is being born under our very noses. All we have to do is witness. Hang around, why dontcha? Watch it grow and bear fruit. Who knows what could happen in the meantime? Sure is a good excuse to catch a break at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

Appreciate this coming week for the now. Know we can trust where it is leading. Take heart in the expansion it implies. Believe the promise of the season. If there are burdens, push back on them. If there are shocks, rebound. Stay with us through the phases of this new lunar cycle. It will lead us where we want to go if we accept and remember that we know where that is.<\/p>\n

Offered In Service <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Len Wallick Today is the New Moon at 23+ degrees Taurus. On the East Coast of the United States at 9:04 pm, 6:04 pm Pacific. That’s when the Sun and Moon form a conjunction. That means that they are in the same sign at the same degree of longitude. This happens once a month … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":537,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25121"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/537"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25121\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}