Contemplations on Spirit
'In this blog I contemplate the means to understand one self and the motivation that moves us to unfold in heart and soul.'
October's Libra Lunation - Tropical zodiac
Today, as I write this, Venus stands still. At 8 degrees Scorpio in the tropical zodiac she comes to a halt and turns around, to move retrograde in the weeks ahead. A stationary planet is a sensitive point: for a moment everything pauses, and in that very stillness something becomes tangible. I wrote about this earlier.
Now I am looking ahead, to the moment of the new moon on October 10th.
The lunation of October 10th
At 17u in Amsterdam, the sun and moon form an exact conjunction at 17 degrees Libra. When we cast a chart for that moment, we can say something about the period up to the next new moon on November 9th. In astrological terms, we call this a lunation.
The great T-square that is still active today between Mercury, Mars and Pluto shifts on October 10th to retrograde Venus, Mars and Pluto. This is an important field of tension between two personal planets and Pluto, and it will be strongly felt during this lunation.
Venus retrograde - our capacity to relate
The theme of Venus - affection, harmony and relationships - will come strongly to the foreground for many people through her retrograde motion. The viability, relevance and sustainability of our relationships. Our needs within them, and whether or not those needs are met.
But it goes further than that. Venus is the awareness within us that seeks to unite opposites and create harmony. She is quite literally our capacity and our need to relate. This shows in our relationships with others, but also, and above all, in our relationship with ourselves.
What do we enjoy? What gives us a sense of equilibrium and balance, and how do we answer our own needs in this? Is life - and the way we relate to ourselves and to life - still fitting, fulfilling and relevant?
Enjoyment, having fun and experiencing comfort are expressions of experiencing harmony. How do we live this out, and where can we come closer to it? First of all to ourselves, and from there to others as well.
A precondition for equilibrium, harmony and balance is also financial and material security and prosperity. This too calls for evaluation and reflection during this period. This is the question Venus retrograde asks us.
Sun and moon merge in Libra
The new moon in fact underlines this theme. The sun - our life light radiating from within, our vitality and our sense of direction and leadership - merges with the moon: our emotional experience, our sense of safety, the place where we recharge and feel nourished and held, so that there is a power to give form.
Both come together in the cardinal air sign Libra, whose central theme is relating. How do we relate to ourselves and to the other, and do we truly understand and hear one another? Who am I in relation to the other, and is there enough common ground to create a sense of connection?
Who am I, beside you?
Saturn retrograde in opposition - patience and endurance
The sun-moon conjunction in Libra forms a wide opposition with Saturn, currently moving retrograde through Aries. A retrograde Saturn can bring vulnerability: a sense of doubt, delay, and of being unanswered or inadequate.
Endurance is an important Saturn theme, as is responsibility for our own actions and the conscience (together with Jupiter) to handle this with integrity. Do we have a clear view of our own capacities, in the broadest sense of the word? Then this retrograde Saturn in opposition emphasises patience and long-term commitments. If we have less sight of what we are capable of, Saturn can be quite a challenge: feelings of insecurity and doubt are amplified, and there may be delays, even distance.
What is built to last cannot be hurried.
Jupiter in Leo - meaning and visibility
At the moment of the new moon, Jupiter is in the sign of Leo, conjunct the dragon's tail (the South Node). He forms a sextile with the new moon, bringing a need for meaning and expansion.
Jupiter, too, is strong in Leo. This means his expansive force can come into its own, connected to the sun and moon through a harmonious aspect - the sextile. The conscience, and the awareness of how much endurance matters, can thus be taken up with vision and insight in the new period of this lunation.
Jupiter in Leo in aspect to the sun and moon asks: am I visible? Do I have enough reach, and with how much flair do I let that visibility shine? Do I follow the example of others, or am I the one making a constructive impact?
Whoever shines gives others room to do the same.
The T-square - Venus, Mars and Pluto
Back to Venus, who at the moment of this lunation forms a T-square with Mars and Pluto. Two powerful archetypes that can both bring tremendous intensity.
Mars has ample strength in Leo. In a positive sense, he can give this lunation the energy to build relationships beautifully, in a fiery and enthusiastic way. But the same Mars can also be the force that tests our patience - the very patience we need so much right now.
Mars opposes Pluto, retrograde in Aquarius. Pluto is a slow, collective "planet" concerned with the dark regions of the psyche. Pluto asks us to bring tensions to rest by leaving no stone unturned, and shows us our shadow sides. Here too, personal development plays an important role.
When we have the courage to look ourselves honestly in the eye and face the shadow sides of our own behaviour, this lunation becomes a period of growth. It gives us a push in the right direction - provided we stay willing to be honest, with ourselves and with life, and with all the relationships within it. Not only our relationships with other people, but also our relationship to money, hobbies, work, study and enjoyment in general.
What we dare to see in the depths no longer has to ambush us from behind.
Pluto stationary - and a Yod with Venus
October 15th, Pluto comes to a standstill to turn direct again, retracing the same path once more. Pluto stands still at 3 degrees Aquarius. It goes without saying that anyone with a sensitive point in their chart around 3 degrees of the fixed and/or air signs will feel this especially strongly.
In every chart, Pluto also moves through a particular area of life. There, a kind of root canal treatment often seems to take place: only once all the proverbial inflammation has been removed can a new life be lived.
We can cast a chart for the moment of this station as well, and several important points stand out. The recurring connection between the three outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto is active. The sextile between Uranus and Neptune forms a Yod with retrograde Venus in the sky that day. This places extra emphasis on the theme that is already at play this lunation.
Uranus and Neptune are both retrograde, which means they are close to the earth and carry a lot of strength. Both form an inconjunct (quincunx) with retrograde Venus in Scorpio. This is a strong indication to stay alert.
Uranus asks us to break through and renew the limiting, outworn form. Neptune brings merging: on the one hand this can bring empathy and compassion, on the other confusion and misunderstanding. Both form an undermining aspect of tension with retrograde Venus, putting our capacity to relate under scrutiny this month.
All of this is connected to the stationary Pluto in Aquarius, which asks us to lay all our cards on the table and brings the skeletons out of the proverbial closet. In Aquarius this also concerns our connections, but from a more humanitarian angle. Is there room for balance, autonomy and equality? Is there mutual understanding and empathy, or is there doubt and confusion, even lies?
This asks for a great deal of courage, resilience and compassion. First of all towards ourselves, and towards life in general.
What stands still in the depths returns purified.
A tough nut to crack
A tough nut to crack, then. And of course relevant to everyone in their own personal way: in relation to their own birth chart and the sensitive points within it that are being touched.
Thanks for reading xx
Melanie
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