A Full "Corn" Moon is a glorious sight. |
Sometimes it’s important to set aside the tangled
complexities of outer planetary cycles and how they all relate to each other
over generations in leaders, events and so on,
and simply take time to bask in
the light of our Earth’s lovely neighbor and satellite—the Moon. Mundane astrology focuses so intently on outer
planetary affairs that it’s often easy to lose sight of the all-important lunar
cycle and what it can tell us from month to month.
So that’s what this short post will tackle; a quick
consideration of what Lady Luna has seeded in our public discourse in the past month and what we can
likely expect from what’s left of this August-September lunar cycle. Before we
consider the charts, let’s map out the timeline, with all charts cast for
Washington, D.C.:
New Moon August 18, 2020 – Sun-Moon
conjunct at 26°35’ Leo
Full Moon September 2, 2020 –Sun-opposite-Moon
from 10°12’
Virgo-Pisces
New Moon September 17, 2020 –Sun-Moon
conjunct at 25°01’
Virgo
We’ll examine charts for the first two dates here. We’re
including the August New Moon because
that will give us some perspective on the “agenda” for this lunation—i.e., the
dynamics that have worked towards “fullness” in today’s Full Moon . Obviously, depending upon the location of a lunation
chart, those dynamics will express themselves differently (no, D.C. is not the center of the Universe, thank
Heavens!).
One quick reminder:
in a mundane context (which we’ve established by setting these lunation charts
in the United States capitol), the lunar cycle reflects the ongoing
interactions experienced by the People (Moon) in relation to their
Government (Sun). It responds to the emotional times, often reflected these
days in our streets and (as always) in social media. It reliably captures the
“tone” of that month in the news and often reflects actual news events in some
way. This critical Sun-Moon relationship takes on many forms, depending upon the
nation and its system of government, but in the U.S. we would expect there to
be a certain democratic (small “d”) give and take between We the People and our
Government—particularly the president, but not limited to him. A mundane Sun represents
not only the nation’s Executive branch, but the nation as a whole, thus taking
in a great deal more than one man’s activities or influence in the national
scheme of things.
So there’s a shorter-term rhythm to our life in society
that interacts with the many other cycles we are forever responding
to—importantly, the Sun and Moon don’t circulate in relation to
each other in a vacuum: they interact with other planets during any given
lunation and reliably trigger events
that express those longer-term cycles in our daily lives. We’ll see examples of how this works ahead.
But, before we get too caught up in all this, let’s
consider the charts. We’ll begin with the August New Moon because even
though it’s past, it establishes the context for what we’ll be experiencing in
this latter half of the current cycle.
A rare "black Moon," this New Moon was the 3rd of 4 in one season. |
Chart #1: New
Moon, August 18, 2020, 10:41:31 p.m. DST, Washington, D.C. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node. All charts cast, courtesy of Kepler
8.0 Cosmic Patterns software.
The New Moon period
that set the tone for our current lunar cycle was marked by the DNC (Democratic
Party) Convention on one hand, and with Trump’s unrelenting campaign
to vilify mail-in voting on the other. This campaign was not just talk,
unfortunately—this mid August period was also marked by a major outbreak of
concern regarding how Trump’s fund-raiser friend and Postmaster General
appointee Louis DeJoy was imposing
new rules on the Post Office that would effectively slow down the mail,
just as we’re all trying to come to grips with voting in November, in the midst
of a pandemic. In other words, that period was about powerful figures
expressing themselves via communications media in ways designed to influence
the public.
No surprise, the Sun-Moon conjunction launching this
cycle fell in fiery late Leo, conjunct Mercury (also in
Leo), and forming one point of a grand trine with Mars-Eris
(Aries) and So. Node (Sagittarius).
This was a new, multipurpose dynamic that suited Trump’s
bombastic, angry approach to swaying public sentiment (this lunation point
conjoined his natal Mars-ASC, chart not shown), and it certainly facilitated his
desire to impose his will on all of us through our institutions (the Post
Office in this case), but this lunation also suited the DNC’s creative approach
to communicating their Election message and to officially nominating November’s
key players, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. To do so, they called upon several
high-profile Democratic “Lions,” including (but not limited to) Michelle and
Barack Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton (who was coincidentally celebrating his
74th birthday during the Convention) , Jimmy and Roslynn Carter, Andrew
Cuomo, Jim Clyburn, Bernie Sanders – if not Leo Suns by birth, all of
them, certainly fiery characters in their own ways (many from the Pluto
in Leo generation).
It’s relevant that this lunation point also opposed
Sibly Moon—as mentioned earlier, the People, in a mundane chart. Interestingly, a record number of those
People were vigorously demonstrating
on our streets at that time, with Trump’s Leo Mars fully engaged in trying to
vilify them and inspire violence against them , as well. Unfortunately, his
efforts have produced an outpouring of violence involving self-appointed right
wing “militias” who are taking the law (as they see it) into their own hands in
many protests settings.
Attempts to justify Kyle Rittenhouse's actions in Kenosha sparked further protest. |
When 17-year old Kyle Rittenhouse showed
up in Kenosha, WI, toting a rifle he was not legally registered to own (and
which he allegedly went on to use in killing two protesters), he was only the latest in a trend
represented by more than 497 instances of
militia vigilantism in the past year. That’s troubling enough, but also key
here is the way the Police forces in various states have been enabling (or
certainly not stopping) these armed groups. From WAMU NPR:
“Police often deny links to
extrajudicial groups. But a recent report from the Brennan Center for Justice
highlights links of varying severity between police, white supremacists and
militias. These ties have been discovered in Alabama, California, Connecticut,
Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia,
Washington and West Virginia.”
This disturbing revelation certainly fits with the more
authoritarian dimension of a Leo lunation, but of course, there are other
planetary cycles chiming in on this trend, which is why it hasn’t been confined
to this one month period of time. It’s certainly being illuminated during this period, however: this is a good example of
how a lunation can trigger dynamics that are already in motion, but perhaps not
top of mind at the time. It’s also a good illustration of that fiery grand
trine we see in this chart (between the lunation, Mars-Eris (Aries) and So.
Node (Sagittarius).
Of course, Mars is feeling his “oats” in Aries
here, which doesn’t do anything to moderate that militant, macho energy
flooding our streets, and a Sagittarian So. Node suggests that
there’s a strong “default” energy afloat these days that will go after what it
wants and isn’t likely to back down in the face of reasonable argument. The Gemini
No. Node is counseling a more
reasonable approach, but with Trump’s Sun-Uranus-No. Node (Gemini)
also falling in that vicinity while his Mars (Leo) works to dominate, the
“cues” people are picking up on are scrambled. Those who want to hear “attaboy”
from the White House aren’t likely to listen to more reasonable voices.
Saturn-Pluto-MC-Jupiter conjoin ( all except
MC Rx in Capricorn), with MC-Jupiter Rx widely conjunct Pallas (Rx, Capricorn).
These heavy, but somewhat stagnant retrograde Capricorn energies have
been with us for a long time and most of the time they register like a dull
ache in a tooth we’ve been neglecting, but in this chart they are elevated in
the 9th, and conjunct MC, they reflect how the
U.S. is projecting itself in the world these days. Trump’s approach to foreign
policy is clearly more demanding and punitive than it is diplomatic or
cooperative, so very much in keeping with Saturnian Capricorn. This raises
questions regarding the much-hyped UAE-Israel
Agreement Jared Kushner apparently finalized this past August (on the 14th,
just before the lunation) for Trump. I’m not familiar with the entire
agreement, but experts seem to think there’s very little in it for Palestinian
interests because it requires no real commitment from Israel to stop annexing
Palestinian territories.
So, not the Middle East peace deal that’s really needed in
the end, but one that probably suits Trump’s desire to help his long-time ally
Netanyahu politically. Apparently, the UAE has been coaxed into opening their
diplomatic relations with Israel despite their long-standing defense of
Palestinian interests, so I guess there’s one success here: the Trump
administration has succeeded in dividing Arab states against one of their own
and has further isolated the occupied Palestinians, who do have an ancestral
claim on their lands. When all this came
down on August 14th, the Capricorn energies we see at the top
of Chart #1 were pretty much in the same degrees, and Mars was also already in
late Aries,
so this square has been calling the shots for some time now. When we
consider that the August 18th Leo lunation sextiled Capricorn Saturn-Pluto
(both Rx), we see aother example of ways in which lunations interact
and express ongoing transits.
Returning to our domestic issues and Chart #1, it’s easy to see with the Mars-Eris square
to this Capricorn stellium that violence and disruption are
being seen as a means to an end right now, and that’s a trend that is likely to
persist because Mars turns Rx on September 9th and
will thus prolong its volatile stay in late Aries. More on that in
another post, soon.
Finally, Uranus (Rx, Taurus) rises in this
chart, conjoins the ASC (Taurus), sextiles chart ruler Venus (Cancer) and
trines
Pallas (Rx, Capricorn). There are forces afoot that are militating for
Justice, with a capital “J,” but unfortunately they don’t seem to be in our
official Department of Justice. This quest to hold the Justice Department
accountable for doing its job and not simply
acting as Trump’s personal law firm is meeting and overcoming some challenges—the
Pallas-Venus
opposition (Capricorn-Cancer) and Uranus-Venus sextile that accompany
this suggest that powerful, significantly-placed women (like NY attorney
general Letitia James) are key
players in this dynamic.
And of course, there’s the nomination of Sen. Kamala
Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate—see here and here for much more on her and her astrological “fit” for that role.
Last, but certainly not least, it’s also significant that we just celebrated
the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage on the very day of this lunation! This amazing
coincidence—considering how Trump is trying his best to suppress the vote this
election—also speaks to the strong, but somewhat subtle Venus dynamics in this
chart. Simply put, She rules!
In folklore, sturgeon are most easily caught during this Full Moon. |
A Full Moon for
volatile times
In their less fortunate expressions, Full Moons are often
associated with peak experiences and outbursts that have been building up over
time. These can take the form of serious outbursts of anger, violence and
unrest. Protests in which the people are clearly fed up and feeling that “Enough
is enough!” fit into this category, as we’re seeing play out on our streets
nearly every day. The majority of protesters are absolutely peaceful, but the
emotionality and attention gained by such collective efforts never fail to
attract some individuals who are simply there for their own satisfaction and
could care less about the aims of the protest. Unfortunately, during a Full
Moon, we’re likely to see more of these latter types, right along with the
armed militias that use those few violent actors as a pretext for their
vigilantism.
Rewinding to the original intent of the protests (it’s
been twisted every which way but Sunday), they began in response to the heinous
execution-style killing of George Floyd in May of this year. This killing
inspired a well-justified backlash against Police practices that routinely
target Black individuals with excessive force. Since when does any civilized society support and
encourage police abuse tactics of the sort we’ve seen in recent police
killings? Choking and crushing the life out of a person with an officer’s knee?
Shooting people in the back who don’t just lie down and submit to police
apprehension for routine traffic and domestic stops? It’s hard to see why criticisms of these
tactics are even controversial—would the white people among us expect to be
treated this way by the police? I raised five sons in my life, and never once had to worry that the police
would kill one of them in the course of a routine traffic stop.
One community near me decided to attack an alleged problem head on. |
In other words, there are legitimate reasons for Black Lives Matter protests on our streets, and it
would be a gross injustice if the aims of those protests end up being crushed
by Trump’s desire to take political advantage of them. There are sane, reasonable ways to reform Police
practices that should be as good for police officers as they are for citizens
of all colors. Calls to “defund the Police”
have understandably rattled a lot of cages, of course, but very few of those
who object to this idea are actually discussing what that would mean in practical
terms. We will always need Law enforcement agencies, but the seemingly
never-ending list of Black individuals being killed or maimed by Police
officers is starting to remind too many people of the bad-old days of KKK
lynchings in the South, and for good reason.
And now, with renewed Trump/GOP efforts to suppress
voting across the nation—always targeting those in disadvantaged populations—there’s
a palpable sense among Black Americans that the few gains they have made as a
people over the past 50 years are being quickly rolled back and lost. Add to
that their increased vulnerability to COVID (due to the inaccessibility of
decent health care) and Trump’s seeming complicity with that, why wouldn’t they be upset?
With that in mind, let’s examine the chart for this surely
impactful Full Moon.
Chart #2: Full
Moon, September 2, 2020, 1:21:55 a.m. DST, Washington, D.C.. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node. All charts
cast, courtesy of Kepler 8.0 Cosmic Patterns software.
Sun opposes Moon (Virgo-Pisces); Moon rules
and trines Cancer ASC, conjoins MC-Neptune (Rx, Pisces) and sextiles Uranus (Rx,
Taurus). In other words, this is
a very Moon-driven chart, suggesting
that People’s movements will find expression. These expressions will vary in
their credibility and/or intent: Neptune’s capable of inspiring the
highest and lowest of ideals and behavior (the poisoning of Putin opponent Alexei Navalny comes to mind) because we project our own spiritual
states and ethos into the ways we treat all
of Creation, especially including those who feel like “Others” to us. In my
observation, most of the systemic ills that plague us (including COVID, at the
moment) are heavily influenced by Neptune in the sense that there’s
always a twisted view of reality at the heart of the darkest moments.
With COVID many have been deluded into thinking we can simply ignore it and it will go
away—just like believing that our Black neighbors and community members will
somehow stop worrying about their children being killed if we just look the
other way and leave it to the “authorities.” This Cancerian chart,
supported powerfully by Venus trine Neptune (Cancer-Pisces)
asks everyone to consider what we would do if our own
children were at stake.
Venus also opposes Saturn-Pluto (Capricorn) here,
shaking us out of Neptune’s seductive fog and suggesting that we need to channel Neptune’s uplifting energies into practical
solutions and institutional structures that work for everyone. Falling down the
“rabbit hole” of delusion will do nothing for anyone, yet with Mercury
(Virgo), ruling the 3rd house of mindset and the 12th
of hidden, possibly conspiratorial influences and opposing Neptune, there
will be those who succumb.
It’s worth noting here that the Progressed Sibly Sun is
now at 15°+Pisces (chart
not shown), conjunct this lunation chart’s MC, and the Progressed
Sibly Moon is now sitting just 2 degrees from this chart’s Saturn,
at 27°+Capricorn. This
interesting combination certainly reflects where we find ourselves as a People
at the moment—experiencing Saturnian hardship and limitations,
while our leader (Progressed Sun) openly
flirts with deluded conspiracy theories for the sake of his own power.
Obviously, these progressed points will be only slightly different by Election
Day, but Progressed Moon will reach 0°+Aquarius
by then, so there could be a change of tone afloat in our public
discourse.
Protesters find themselves in the eye of a political storm. |
Final thoughts
The trends we’re seeing these days in the news and as described above will tend toward
some kind of short-term resolution between now and the next New
Moon on September 17th, at 25°+Virgo.
Mars in Aries will still be a factor, but since it will be moving
retrograde, still square Saturn-Pluto, perhaps there will be some Congressional scrutiny
of the militant groups we’ve been seeing on the streets. We’ll save that chart for
future consideration, but suffice to say here that it feels a bit less volatile
than the ones we’ve examined here.
Meanwhile, all the best to families trying to get their
kids back to school – Happy Labor Day, y’all!
Be safe! |