Scorpio Energy, A Taurus Full Moon Building & Mercury Retrograde Approaching

   Are you ready to look at the depth of your own needs, emotional or otherwise? With the Sun in Scorpio opposing the Moon in Taurus tomorrow afternoon, there is a lot of energy that will be dealt with, having to do with personal values, possessions and the earth. Fixed water (Scorpio) and fixed Earth (Taurus) relate to stuck or stored emotional (water) or physical (earth) energy - think resources. When someone, or something, else stirs up those intense feelings of gain/loss or security/the unknown it's better to fully dive into your "stuff" than to try and avoid it.

   What you keep in the bank, your pantry or your heart, are all forms of stored energy - like a battery, waiting to be used. The Full Moon in Taurus highlights the security you feel, aka your comfort zone, and it can show you where you are stuck or being stubborn. Tauruses tends toward practicality and comfort and while their loyalties are strong, they can fall into the "I won't budge from my beliefs, or these are my things" category. The Sun in opposing Scorpio shines the light on these attitudes through deep feelings of shared resources or values and how secure you actually feel. Wherever you have Scorpio and Taurus in your birth chart is where you will experience this polarity.

   The Sabian Symbol for the Full Moon at 7 degrees of Taurus is "The Woman of Samaria at the Ancestral Well." Dane Rudhyar says the keynote here is the meeting of the traditional past and of the creative spirit pointing to the future. Paraphrasing Rudhyar here: In the Jesus mythos, he met a Samaritan woman at an ancestral well who was not only part of a tribe despised by the Jews, but was unmarried and considered on the fringe of her own society. As religious history records, it was to this woman, who had already repudiated any narrow subservience to the old order, that Jesus could reveal he was the Messiah, "I am He". The old order never is open to the new Revelation until it has accepted disorder in the name of that power which subsumes all forms of order... Love. A new factor transcends the collective past and reveals a new quality of being which renders old patterns obsolete!

   There is so much relevance in this one symbol that we can relate to today and I won't presume to know what it means for you by pointing out my interpretations. I just offer it to you for your contemplation. Another symbol to consider is the Sun's position at the opposite point of the Full Moon. Before I even looked it up in Rudhyar's Astrological Mandala, The Cycle of Transformations And its 360 Symbolic Phases, I had written the first paragraph about diving into your "stuff". Here is the Sabian Symbol for 7 degrees of Scorpio: Deep Sea Divers and the keynote here is the willingness to explore the hidden depths of all experiences and to search for primordial causes. Rudhyar says this is the coming to terms with the collective Unconscious and its contents and it symbolizes a quest for "under-standing", for what lies under the surface waves of daily living. Isn't this interesting and timely?!

   So we have the power, determination and confidence of the Sun to dive deeply and the receptivity, sensitivity and intuition of the Moon to transcend the collective past for a new revelation and a new way of being in the world! Another thing to consider here is the Moon's comfort in the earth sign of Taurus; the Moon after all, is a satellite of the Earth and has sway over the ebb and flow of her tides and our emotions. How can you access the vitality of the Full Moon in a transformative way that allows you to move forward and not get stuck in the past? One way is to identify your comfort zone and what you need for your self-worth and to take care of your physical needs on the earth. Then, unflinchingly, dive into what it is about your own desire nature that is either holding you back from your own truth or that you are afraid of asking for because you worry your needs won't be met.

    Let's look at some of the other planetary factors that are in effect now. Venus, symbolizing love, beauty and values, moved out of Virgo this morning and into Libra for a less critical and more balanced view of what we need in relationships as well as how we can maintain our finances in a more even manner. Surrounding ourselves with the beauty of nature and appreciating the people in our lives that we feel good with are another of Venus' objectives through November 21st. Be careful not to overdo with finances or going to extremes in your associations and this can be a very enjoyable time.

    Mercury moves into Sagittarius for a broader world view tomorrow, but goes retrograde in motion on November 7th, returning to inquiring Scorpio on the 14th. If you must buy a new car or computer (they have a tendency to break down during Mercury retrograde...) do your research first and try to resist buying anything or signing contracts until after the 26th when Mercury turns direct again. In the meantime, know that people on soapboxes may make a BIG noise to distract you from thinking for yourself! Oh, and in case you didn't notice, it's Election Day on the 6th, so we'll see if Mercury turning retrograde that evening adds to any confusion over clear communication, counting of ballots, etc. let's hope any snafus are cleared up by the time Mercury (also known as the Messenger of the Gods) moves forward.

   Enough for today. Those of you in the Northeast with an eye to Hurricane Sandy's approach may be interested to know what Astrometeorolgist Carolyn Egan has to say about the impact in New England. You can visit her site here: http://www.weathersage.com/

   Remember to keep your head in the stars and your feet on the ground. I might also add today, keep an ear to the ground as well~

  
  

Libra New Moon And The Chanticleer's Voice

   New Moons are seed times and today's new moon in Libra heralds the possibility of new beginnings, especially in relationships. The energy increases as the moon waxes to Full, but we plant our seeds in the dark, not seeing the thin Crescent until 2 or 3 days later. There is much to be considered here. Libra is the halfway sign of the zodiac, teetering at the fulcrum of the seasons and reminding us to consider what is not only timely for ourselves, but for others as well. As the Cardinal Air sign, Librans seek harmony and balance, preferring to schmooze  and keep the peace instead of upsetting the apple cart. We can use this energy to interact and socialize with our partners as long we consider both their needs and desires as well as our own. The danger here is bending over backwards to please others and not getting our own needs met!

  The Sabian Symbol for 23 degrees of Libra is The Chanticleer's Voice Heralds The Rising Sun With Enthusiastic Tones. A rooster crowing at the break of dawn announces the new day and those who rise with the Sun may be enthusiastic in trying to get others up and moving. It's great to be excited, but you don't want to become annoying to others not needing to be disturbed. Let your own confidence carry you into this new lunar period while allowing your significant others to experience their own joy. This isn't to say you can't speak up when needed, just be aware that you are responsible for your announcements and they for theirs. Some reading this will have news they want to share and others will be waiting to hear your news.

   Another important thing to know about this lunar phase is that Scorpio has a lot of sway over this New Moon chart, as it it the rising sign and Saturn is newly moved into Scorpio, conjunct the Sun and Moon, giving added weight to the need for balance. Saturn will focus our attention on joint and shared values, resources and projects for the next two and a half years as it travels in this Fixed Water sign. Co-rulers of Scorpio, Mars and Pluto, both interact with Uranus in fiery Aries, bringing triggers to uncover secret motives and/or hidden treasures. It could be interesting trying to maintain harmony with so many possibilities for change.

   This can be an extremely rewarding time if you are first honest with yourself, then in your relationships. Watch out for crowing too loudly as you attempt to make an informed decision in your life. First put on your detective hat and do some sleuthing to get as much information as possible for making the best choice possible when it comes to finances and shared resources. Better to be sure of who you want to be enmeshed with, at least for the next month and possibly a lot longer, because you don't want to regret your commitments with the Lord of Karma (Saturn) in Scorpio.

   Remember to keep your head in the stars and your feet on the ground.

Getting Personal At The Last Quarter Moon

   Do you feel it yet? There's something in the air and it's not just the leaves falling from the trees. With the three inner/personal planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, having all shifted into new signs this past week, the energies are expressing themselves in new elements and modalities that we are experiencing as subtle changes in our daily lives.

   Let's look at affectionate Venus which moved into the critical Earth sign Virgo on Wednesday. As a receptive energy, Venus operates best through attraction, but in this analytical sign, she may become too focused on perfection. A wise use of her power of gentle persuasion would be to engage others in setting up a budget by pointing out where money has been going for the last several months. Also, organizing and beautifying your environment, as well as putting the gardens to bed for the winter, are other ways to effectively utilize the Venusian energy as she expresses herself in practical Virgo.

      Mercury's move on Friday, into secretive Scorpio for the next three weeks, signals a time to put on your detective hat and uncover hidden mysteries or find misplaced items. The hidden treasures may be in the deepest recesses of your being, so take time to have an inner dialogue with your more knowledgeable self. Also, the answers to long-held  questions may be revealed during the following weeks. If you need to research the worth of something and/or do some comparison shopping before Mercury goes retrograde in November, this would be the time to do that. As Mercury's job is to oversee the coming and going of thoughts and information, agreements, etc. you really want to do your homework before complying with someone else' terms. Does what you have to pay or exchange for what you want, make sense fiscally and emotionally?

    Now that Mars has left one of his favorite states of being, Scorpio, and moved into Sagittarius on Saturday, let's hope that the Martian intensity of aggression and determination will be tempered by traveling through the more upbeat territory of Sagittarius. Mars in Sag expands vision to include a wider spectrum of ideals and belief systems or seeks to expand horizons through travel or study.  It also brings the desire to experience adventure at the drop of a hat! This new fiery expression gives a boost to projects that may have met a stalemate while Mars gathered battle scars in fixed Scorpio. No more time for sulking as you look to the future and apply some elbow grease with all the drive and determination Mars has to offer; just avoid taking up arms or proselytizing and losing track of your goal. 

   Today's Last Quarter Moon, a square aspect between the Sun in Libra and Moon in Cancer, signifies a challenge to accept what has been brought to light at the Full Moon while we prepare for a new start at the Libra New Moon on the 15th, in a week. The Moon is at home in watery Cancer so we need to pay attention to our emotions while finding some kind of balance for ourselves out in the world under Libra's influence. This might be a good "sick" day for some people to lay low and take care of themselves, but for most of us, we need to take care of tidying up the loose ends that have to be finished before we can have a clear path to the next Lunar phase. Make this week, which starts with 2 days of Leo's sunny Moon influence on Tuesday and Wednesday, for expressing oneself joyously or creatively and moves through Virgo's organizing days Thursday and Friday, finishing up the week Saturday and Sunday in Libra, about keeping things on an even keel as we enter the dark of the Moon just before rebirth next Monday.

  As always, remember to keep your head in the stars and your feet on the ground!