{"id":26523,"date":"2010-07-06T05:59:29","date_gmt":"2010-07-06T10:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=26523"},"modified":"2010-07-06T08:56:39","modified_gmt":"2010-07-06T13:56:39","slug":"walking-with-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/daily-astrology\/walking-with-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking with the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Something is up with the Moon. Something mysterious and auspicious. Most obviously, it is on its way to conjoin with the Sun on July 11 in the sign Cancer, precipitating a total eclipse. Along the way, however, there are some other intriguing synchronicities, especially today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Before proceeding, propriety dictates that one must acknowledge Tracy at Serennu.com<\/strong><\/a> (the ephemeris master) for the source material upon which the next few expository paragraphs are based. [Eric has added some thoughts as well.]<\/p>\n

The point around which the Moon orbits does not correspond to the exact center of the Earth. Rather, it is a common center of gravity. Still located within the Earth but about 2,800 miles away from the core, it is called the Earth-Moon barycenter<\/em><\/a> or center of mass.<\/p>\n

We last heard the term barycenter<\/em> at Planet Waves during the “is Pluto really a planet” conversation in 2006. Pluto and its largest companion Charon (not Chiron, rather Charon<\/em>) orbit a common barycenter that is outside either planet. Therefore, Charon is not Pluto’s Moon but rather its binary co-planet<\/em>. In the first proposal to create the dwarf planet category, Charon was named as a dwarf planet of its own. That proposal lasted for about a day. [Here is a link to that discussion<\/a>, though you will need a product key to open it. I will add a bit of text in a comment below.]<\/p>\n

The Earth-Moon barycenter is inside the Earth<\/em>, therefore our Moon is a moon<\/em>. That is the definition.<\/p>\n

In addition the Sun — being very large in comparison to the Moon — actually exerts a greater gravitational influence on Luna than our planet does. Then there are the lesser but measurable influences of other bodies in the solar system (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, etc.), which have an effect. The net result is that the Moon does not trace a smooth, regular elliptical orbit around the Earth. Rather, both engage in some significant wobble and wiggle as they dance. It is not chaos but it is complex.<\/p>\n

Let’s interpret for a moment. The Moon in astrology represents the emotions. Here we see the way in which every object in our solar system affects the motion of the Moon and therefore plays on our emotions.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In an attempt to smooth out the irregularities, such points as the lunar nodes (the two places where the Moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic<\/a>, and therefore tell us where an eclipse will happen<\/em>) and the lunar apogee (furthest distance from Earth) have two locations in an ephemeris. These are like orientation points that help describe the Moon’s orbit, and help us predict where things will happen.<\/p>\n

There are two versions of the lunar nodes: the true node<\/em>, incorporating the irregularities; and the mean node<\/em> averaging the wobble out to a smooth curve. There will often be a discrepancy of one to three degrees between the mean and true node.<\/p>\n

The lunar apogee (not used by most astrologers, and generally not cast into charts) has a true and mean position as well. The difference between the mean apogee<\/em> and osculating apogee<\/em> is usually even greater, often in entirely different signs. That is fascinating stuff but not for today.<\/p>\n

Today, the mean and true nodes in Capricorn come within eleven arc minutes of each other at 11+ degrees of that sign. Even more astonishing, the mean and osculating apogee come within four arc minutes of each other in the first degree of Pisces. This is a rare alignment of lunar elements. I realize this is heady, but see if you can appreciate the variables involved.<\/p>\n

It is as if the Moon has come into near perfect tune, resonating with a pure harmonic as if to sound a heralding note. To what end this call? Remember — there is a total eclipse of the Sun happening on Sunday (representing another kind of perfection, clearly part of this story). Perhaps an examination of today’s lunar aspects can give us an additional clue as to what is up.<\/p>\n

A volatile lunar sojourn in Aries coincided with the 4th of July holiday weekend in the United States — our revolution, and Moon-in-Aries people have a touch of revolt and innovation to them (Betty Dodson, Jerry Garcia, Salvador Dali). Early this morning or last night, depending on where you are, Luna made ingress to the sign of Taurus. And it didn’t waste any time. In the very first degree it formed an empowering sextile with Chiron, which is conjunct the lunar apogee, otherwise known as Black Moon Lilith.<\/p>\n

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Black Moon Lilith is the pink object on top of the pile, and Chiron, also in pink, is the second from the top.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Note that the mean lunar apogee has a name: the Black Moon Lilith. So the way you would describe this is that the Black Moon Lilith is conjunct Chiron.<\/p>\n

In modern mythology, Lilith was Adam’s first wife. Her refusal to submit to dominance by the masculine led to her ostracism. Combining the rage that comes from injustice with a persistent refusal to go away quietly, the myth demonizes any woman who will not acknowledge a male supremacist doctrine. Note, this is a modern myth that emerged during Medieval times [please see first comment below].<\/p>\n

In astrology, Black Moon Lilith is one of the abstract, hypothetical objects with location but not mass<\/em>. It corresponds with the theoretical apogee of the lunar orbit, the expected point of widest separation between the Earth and Moon. But by the time the Moon actually gets there, the point has moved<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This might symbolize the estrangement experienced by the mythical figure as well as the strong, polarizing feelings that would result from such an experience. Or, it symbolizes the way in which the myth seems to hold no water in our society. So there is indeed some dark stuff there but there is also the redemptive power that is conferred to any who suffer unjust punishment.<\/p>\n

At the moment, the mean apogee and the true apogee are in a conjunction<\/em>. This is not shown in charts; to see it, you have to look at the planetary tables.<\/p>\n

Here is an interpretation. United together in conjunction with Chiron, in Pisces, the mean and osculating apogee create an intense focus that implies a transcendent spiritual awareness of karma. At best, that can encourage a detached and holistic approach to correcting imbalance in a system. At worst, the pain can become the cause with a corresponding need to lash out and punish. With a sextile to the Moon, a grounded approach is encouraged but not a foregone conclusion. It’s a matter of perception, response and values. It’s a reminder that astrology is not destiny.<\/p>\n

We choose. Choose well.<\/p>\n

That’s a big one but the Moon does not stop there. Indeed, it’s just the beginning of a long day’s journey into tomorrow. Hours after its sextile to the conjunction of Chiron and Lilith, it forms a precise, lush and sensual grand Earth trine with Pluto in Capricorn and the asteroid Eros in Virgo. This aspect allows each of us to take our own measure of ourselves.<\/p>\n

To what extent are we in touch with our sexuality as felt in the body? Have we allowed our feelings to be dominated by our analytical tendencies? To what degree have we sought liberation from that? How closely are we connected to the Earth of which we are a part? What part of our erotic life is available for sharing and how much is repressed? Are our values and motives shaped by our affirmation of life as a first premise or is that connection sacrificed?<\/p>\n

A trine hands it to us on a sliver platter. But if we are still preoccupied by Luna’s sextile to the Lilith-Chiron conjunction, that opportunity will pass. The Moon moves quickly. As the day passes it will briefly conjoin with three asteroids in Taurus: Industria, Persephone and Arachne. In common they give us reason to contemplate how circumstance does not dictate choice, rather how choice creates circumstance.<\/p>\n

Finally, at the end of the day, Luna forms an Earth trine to the conjunction of its own true and mean node in Capricorn, in a sense, looking back on the lunar eclipse near this point back on June 26. In an equal sense it’s looking forward to the solar eclipse with a sextile to the south node in Cancer. Looking back to the point of dharma (North Node), looking forward to the point of karma (South Node), resolving the opposition is not a contradiction. It is being in the now wherever we are in the process.<\/p>\n

So perhaps that’s what the Moon is trying to tell us. See each day as a part of the whole process of working out our lives. Take each step as a preparation for the next. Be aware of your relationship to the past and to the future; to what you’ve done, and what you will do, and recognize the moment between is the moment of choosing. Be present to the moment but move forward so as not to miss the next. And finally, know that the result of the journey will not be a result of the circumstances and opportunities, but what we do with them.<\/p>\n

Offered In Service. With Eric Francis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Moon’s journey on this day serves to inform the longer journeys we are witnessing. The retrograde station of Uranus yesterday served to meaningfully unite the shorter continuum of the eclipse cycle with the longer continuum of the cardinal t-square.<\/p>\n

Today, retro Uranus is already manifesting itself with an unlikely synchronicity: the conjunction of the mean and osculating apogee on the same day as the conjunction of the mean and true lunar node. On top of that, today’s lunar journey starts with an encouraging aspect to the first and ends with an empowering aspect to the other. Thus connecting the harmonics which are temporally concurrent though spatially separated. This resonates with the temporal resolution of an initial opposition that was the lunar eclipse. Its a resolution accomplished gradually over two weeks, present to the now each step of the way, closing with a conjunction that will be the solar eclipse.<\/p>\n

In between and along the way today, the Moon encounters tension and challenge and tests of perception and response such as the cardinal t-square entails. Today’s lunar journey gives us a manageable sample that can serve as a model for the overwhelming journey of a tumultuous decade. It helps us to evaluate and prepare ourselves for what is to come so long as we don’t allow each moment to have more than its weight.<\/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\/26523"}],"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=26523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26523\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}