The Lunar Planner: This Month's Lunar Theme

A Greater Vision

Our Aug 4/5 New Moon in sidereal Cancer conjoins Acubens, the claw of the crab, and lies over the head of Hydra the water serpent. Nearby is Dubhe of Ursa Major, the Alpha star of the Great Bear.

Cancer, commonly the crab today, is also the Egyptian Scarabaeus, an image that articulates the theme of humanity's emergence from darkness, dogma, and delusion and our reawakening back into light. The Scarab is an appropriate mythical figure, as no one knows the exact time of the emergence of the beetle from its snuggle in its own dung because it does not seem to follow any natural cycle in nature. This theme also applies to our individual emergence from the family nest or from the collective consciousness that we co-create. Pluto is particularly empowered here, due to its exaltation at ~18° sidereal Cancer, and works as an opener by destructing that which limits our greater spiritual growth.

Acubens, Alpha Cancer, indicates entrapment in dogma. This can be the current political / religious beliefs of the times, as well as that created by our personal belief structures--the ideas we have about our lives and experiences we have in our lives. Acubens indicates a tenacious hold and stubborn resistance to release the patterns we hold that keep us entrapped in our limiting life scenarios.

South of Acubens lies the head of Hydra composed by Delta through Zeta Hydra and Pulsar CP0834, which create Hydra's head. Zeta Hydra and surrounding stars indicate a multifarious undermining source of destruction (every time Hercules took off one of Hydra's heads, it immediately grew another). The conjunction of Acubens and Zeta Hydra reveals that the repetitive undermining experiences in our lives are manifest from our own tenacious belief structures.

In the northern heavens is Dubhe, Alpha Ursa Major and Merak, Beta Ursa Major, the two brightest stars of the Great Bear. At this time in Earth's precessional cycle, a line drawn from Dubhe through Merak leads directly to Earth's current North Celestial Pole (near the star, Polaris, of the Little Bear, Ursa Minor). Merak and Dubhe represent the alignment of personal will and divine will in allegiance to the evolutionary fulfillment of Earth's polar precessional cycle--to the fulfillment of evolutionary cycle of the soul.

The stars of the Great Bear also represent the world powers. The theme of the great Bear is torn. Part of the Bear is of the fallen world powers, those of a totalitarian, controlling oppressive rule. Dubhe and Merak are of the integrous part of the Great Bear, that which is oriented toward a greater vision, for that which is truly nourishing for humanity, for that which is focused toward our evolutionary fulfillment.

Dubhe embodies the willingness to fight for a greater vision beyond the accepted political-religious dogmas of the human world that keep humanity in darkness and delusion, and against the controlling global forces perpetuating that dogmatic rule. At a personal level, Dubhe asks us to do all we can to achieve the greater vision that we hold for the unfoldment of our lives--for the true nourishment, fulfillment, and freedom we seek. Dubhe asks us to emerge from our own personal dogmas (our belief structures) and our limiting life patterns that keep us bound in life scenarios that are less than those we truly want. Dubhe supports us to create a new and better future rather than merely staying reactive to the limitations we have already created and reinforce with our existing beliefs.

Mercury's New Synodic Theme

Mercury began its retrograde in the previous lunar cycle (July 22). Now, on this New Moon, Mercury is at the middle point in its retrograde. It conjoins our new moon and thus plays a significant role in this lunar cycle. Hours after the New Moon, Mercury begins its new 116-day synodic cycle. Before discussing that, I would like to clarify a common confusion many people seem to hold about Mercury retrograde periods or planetary retrogrades in general. Mercury retrograde is not a bad thing or something to dread, a time where nothing works. It simply offers a time of redefinition, a time of shifting gears with the logistical aspects of our lives. The first half of the retrograde is a time of letting go of Mercury's previous 116-day theme and the second half provides a time of engaging in the next. The entire few-week retrograde period is a ideal time for negotiations, re-writing, re-organizing, re-defining, and clarifying the logistical aspects of our lives so we can move in a new octave of our life experience. Learning to participate in attunement to Mercury's retrograde process (and those of the other planets) is a part of creating a harmonious rhythmic flow in the unfoldment of our lives, just as living in attunement to the lunar spiral of growth.

Our New Moon's conjunction with the start of Mercury's new synodic cycle indicates that a part of our lunar cycle is about redefining the logistical aspects of our lives that free us from our undermining belief structures, behavioral patterns, limitations, and entrapments, and that support us to achieve the greater visions we hold. As Mercury returns direct later in the lunar cycle (on the Gibbous Moon of Aug 15-16) we can then begin to move forward based on the redefining, negotiating, and clarifying we have done during this Mercury retrograde period.

Our last Mercury synodic cycle theme (presented in the March lunar cycle under "The Exaltation of Mercury") was about getting in tune with and following the natural synchronisity expressing in our lives and in the world around us and trusting in the foresight we had of the potential future to come.

Mercury's new 116-day synodic theme is set by the stars opposite our New Moon in mid-sidereal Capricorn--the location of the Mercury-Earth conjunction as seen from the Sun. Generally speaking, this Mercurial cycle is about grounding, making real, and concretizing. The stars in this part of sidereal Capricorn expound upon this theme.

Armus, the shoulder of the fish-goat, Eta Capricorn, brings awareness to our need to take personal responsibility for our reality and for our material nurturing and physical well being, not only for our selves, but also for our immediate and extended families. Armus is also of legalities and negotiations. Conjoining Armus is Albali, Epsilon Aquarius, which marks the Capricorn-Aquarius overlap--where the Aquarian influence begins to be felt in mid-sidereal Capricorn. Albali of Aquarius extends Capricorn's zodiakal quality from personal level motive to a sense that our responsibility to care for must be mutual and embrace the needs of our friends and soul families.

Armus and Albali also conjoin the SMC X-1 neutron star / black hole in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC and LMC) are small galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. We might think of them as our galaxy's young, although not necessarily birthed from the Milky Way, they are being cared for by our galaxy. The Small Magellanic Cloud resides quite south in ecliptical latitude on the border of Toucan and the more southern Hydrus (not to be confused with Hydra the Water Snake).

Julius Schiller (like others who "have sought to alter the sky figures") combined Hydrus, the Toucan, and the Small Cloud as his biblical constellation Raphael (Allen)--a mythical articulation I think fitting here.

Raphael is "the Shining One who heals." In Hebrew, Raphael meant healer and guardian of the Tree of Life, which more appropriately can be taken as knowledge about natural law. Raphael, also considered to be the angel of the Sun--correspondingly the essence of the solar fire and solar plexus--brings life to the body through the administration of proper physical remedies. In this light, we have the "angel of science and historical knowledge." Raphael was said to have presented Noah with a book of medical knowledge. Knowledge of science and law is fitting to the later half of sidereal Capricorn--the Aquarius /Capricorn overlap.

Raphael is said to be quite gregarious, both the chummiest and funniest of all the angelic flock. He is often depicted chatting merrily (rapp-ing) with some unsuspecting mortal." ("Angels, An Endangered Species" by Malcolm Goodwin, Simon and Schuster, 1990.) This loquacious quality, also articulated by Tucana, is an aspect fitting to this part of Capricorn.

Within the Small Magellanic Cloud is the neutron star / black hole SMC X-1 of Tucana, which conjoins Armus of Capricorn. It lies at the southern edge of the Lesser Cloud at 66S29 and actually lies south of an arc drawn from Alpha Hydri to Beta Hydri, as if it were in this constellation. SMC X-1 embodies the essence of both constellations. In this light, Schiller, in creating one constellation, Raphael, from both Toucan and Hydrus, although tainted with religious overtones of the times, is not such an odd envisioning at all.

SMC X-1 is an eclipsing binary neutron star, with a visible magnitude of 13.3 that emits a high level of X-rays. SMC X-1 has an X-ray eclipsing period of 3.9 days with a pulse width 0.7 seconds long.

SMC X-1 of Tucana, in black hole fashion, creates a dimensional portal where diverse concepts and fragmented ideas can be assembled into a coherent expression. The ability to coalesce this fragmentation into a coherent expression can be the challenge here, and often leads to excessive mental chatter, but this coalescence does happen whence the chatter is surrendered, which can then be expressed as a theme that unifies what was once before seemingly unrelated pieces. The image of a lawyer in a courtroom amalgamating a set of fragment information over many days into a coherent closing statement also articulates this theme. (I acknowledge P. Sedgewick for aptly summing this one up, and only add an expounded statement.)

As a young galaxy being raised by a parent, the SMC and associated SMC X-1 black hole seem to adsorb and become witness to that which occurs for the incarnate soul, acting much like a library. The adept individual can access this black hole and bring forth a reportage of soul's accumulated experience gathered over time, thus comprising soul's personal history--a Saturn-Capricorn theme.

Cygnus X-1, an eclipsing X-ray binary-star system, with an X-ray eclipse period of 5.6 days, lies in the northern heavens on the galactic equator, almost equidistant between Albireo and Sadr, in the neck of the Swan. Cyg X-1's placement on the galactic equator provides opportunity to access and express from a mature soul-level awareness. Cyg X-1 inspires us to surrender the personality-based motives, cloaked facade maneuvers, and religious fanaticism common to earlier Capricorn and access, participate from, and express the greater maturity and truth of a soul-aware awakened being cognizant that we are not victims at the mercy of forces outside of self but that we co-create the dramatics in our lives and must take responsibility for doing so.

In typical black hole fashion, this is an all or nothing deal. Cyg X-1 provides opportunity to graduate from victim consciousness. Either we surrender the duality-based shenanigans where we play seducer or seduced, aggressor or victim, of being entrapped unable to change our lives and take responsibility for our reality, or we remain ignorant of the higher octave (of Saturn-Capricorn) available to us and live under the lock and key restrictions self-imposed.

This is the ecliptical band of hard knocks, of law, courts, psychiatry, and all that is of mental justification in jurisdiction of the offenses and defenses of human experience. It is where we must get to the whole truth and nothing but the truth, to learn how both parties co-create incarnational experience in the world of dualism from a deep resonance within, even when one appears to be victim of the other. It takes two to tango--the theme of the neck and beak of the Swan--in mutual agreement at soul level, although this may not be apparent at the incarnational personality level, leaving us to think we are victims of non-consenting and forced participation.

Here at mid-Capricorn, Cyg X-1 demands we look behind the human facade and graduate from the who did what to who, the sue me sue you blues, from this side verses that, and to take mutual responsibility for the games we play and lives we choose. Here we can learn to own our experience and to seek a mutually benefiting solution. Cyg X-1 demands we look at our transcendent issues underlying our life experience--any judgment, grief, or anger carried that perpetuates our experience and that averts our attempts to responsibly create our lives the way we want them to be.

When the historical awareness offered by SMC X-1 is combined with the trans-personality awareness offered by CYG X-1 expressing through Albali, Armus (and Al Nair, the head of Aaron), a matured awareness becomes available that transcends our current dramatic moment, and with it a responsibility to use that awareness to serve the greater wellbeing of all involved.

Also conjoining Armus and Albali is the Saturn Nebula. Its influence both diffuses the details and inspires a reformation of our awareness into a structured plan or concretized presentation.

…a bit long winded - in Toucan style!

Dreams, Visions & Ideals

Just before the Crescent Moon of Aug 8, Neptune, in the midst of its retrograde, begins its new 367-day synodic cycle, also in sidereal Capricorn but a few degrees further in ecliptical longitude than Mercury's. The Earth-Neptune synodic theme is set by Al Nair, Alpha Gruis and the stars of Delphinus, the dolphin star system.

Neptune is of ideals, dreams, soul wisdom and vision, but also of veils and illusions. Neptune is of mysticism and the transcendental. Neptune's ever-shifting and swirling atmospheric surface (changing within days) makes Neptune a dissolver into universal awareness. Neptune presents veils, cloaks, and fog, and requires discernment or we can be led complacently into delusions and sublimation. Neptune also inspires a propensity toward image, media, and the arts; is of movies, performances, and the glamorous.

Neptune's qualities aid to dissolve the veils of egoic personality and to express our true soul intelligence and purpose. Neptune produces universalism and idealism that inspires others, also the ability to see the true meaning imparted beyond the semantics of words and language, the ability to read mythical (picture) language. It also stimulates transcendental awareness, para-perceptual abilities, and clairvoyance.

Like Uranus, the transcendental resonances of Neptune are only active in advanced stages of conscious evolution. In its lower resonance, drugs, specifically synthetic chemicals and smoke, which block the higher aspects of clear Neptunian consciousness, become attractive. Although used consciously, they can serve to open such awareness, perpetuated, drugs only create delusion and a false sense of empowered awareness rather than opening the higher neurological vision centers in the brain in a permanent and empowered way. Thus, in its lower resonance, Neptune can lead us to project our own illusions and a false personality, a shallow façade or mask often hiding something we do not want to look at in self--a form of our own denials and self-delusion. This lower resonance can also create an inability to discern (kidney/bladder), perceptual problems, and eyes problems such as cataracts, myopia, etc. Here there is avoidance to look within to realize a greater universal truth, our soul intelligence, purpose, and incarnational mission. Instead there is an impressionable attraction to followings, gurus, religions beliefs, the phenomenology of the paranormal, martyrdom / savior complexes, and drugs. There can also be strong mental fixations and neurotic behavior associated with hiding, running, and escaping; an obsession with mirrors, looks, and image accompanied with a fear of nakedness or to show real self.

Gruis the crane enters the ecliptic from the south as an underling and eloquently supportive influence especially to the last decan of sidereal Capricorn. The stellar influence of Gruis brings brilliance in grammatical arts, is a contributor to the excellence in law and associated disciplines requiring articulation of the written word or law. Gruis as the stork, is carrier of bodies of knowledge, information, and news associated with new life and new beginnings. Al Nair embodies the wisdom and knowledge itself. The Toucan's loquacious and gregarious qualities also underlie Gruis as well contributing to the expressive and articulate nature of this area of the zodiak.

The last decan of Capricorn is of libraries, courts, publishing houses, or literary agencies where any legalities are formulated or concretized. Here lies the constructive character of Saturn, which is at home in Capricorn. Al Nair, Alpha Gruis and the northern Delphinus constellation mark the beginning of the last decan of Capricorn (where Neptune now resides). Al Nair conjoins Alpha and Beta Delphinus, Sualocin and Rotanev of the northern Dolphin star system. The Dolphins are angelic guides who make safe passage for the wayward. Alignments with Sualocin can indicate the need to allow ourselves to be led and / or expressing the guiding nature for others.

Another mythical image that nicely articulates the qualities expressing here is by astronomer Jullius Schiller who combined the Crane with the Phoenix as "Aaron" the High Priest (revealed by Allen). In its entirety, this greater "constellation" then encompasses the last decan of Capricorn, all of Aquarius, and into the first decan of Pisces. Aaron thus stands under Fomalhaut (of Pisces Aus), with his amulet of the messianic mission (the Anka, Alpha Phoenix), in support of the people; and under Achernar (end of the river). Aaron, the articulate high priest, applying his wisdom, underwrites the essence of Fomalhaut (future vision of an evolved humanitarian based society) and stands for the humanitarian vision and quality of life that Aquarius expresses. Aaron is instrumental in freeing the people to walk the river of life.

In this imaging, Alpha Gruis, the primary star of Gruis, is Aaron's head, which embodies the pure wisdom (wise-dome) and knowledge of the high priest. Alpha Gruis is also called "the Bright One," and as Aaron's head is of the crown and third eye chakras. Alpha Gruis conjoins (synthesizes with) the way-showers of the Dolphin star system, Delphinus. Alpha Gruis brings a capacity "to know" the way through the labyrinth of law, a way from the past, from what has been established.

Neptune moves slowly through the ecliptic, thus there is only a couple degree change between one synodic theme to the next. This movement serves us in our evolutionary unfoldment by slowly dissolving veils of illusion that we hold within our consciousness and motivating dramatic creative expression that makes those veils visible in the world. The movement of the Earth-Neptune synodic cycles through the first twenty degrees of Capricorn occurred over the last ten years.

Our last Earth-Neptune synodic cycle, which began last August, conjoined Cyg X-1, presented above, helping to dissolve egoic-driven motive and open a more genuine and responsible expression for humanity. Its current movement into the last decan of Capricorn, into the Aquarian influenced area of Capricorn, serves to help dissolve veils that have kept a greater sobering truth and wisdom from humanity, also those that have kept us in exclusive modes of life that isolate and judge rather than those that embrace our deeper-level commonality, humanity, and responsibility to each other as one human family. Perhaps we will see this shift expressing in the multi-media arts and entertainment industries over the next several years--leaving the egoic macho militaristic who-could-kill-who-first war type entertainment (movies and news) common to Neptune's movement through the first decan of Capricorn, and the current law and order global-police themes common to Neptune's movement through mid-Capricorn--as motivation begins to shift from egoic and personal interest to motivation to right what had been wronged and to ensure the betterment of all.

Expanding on the Theme

The hours before the Crescent Moon provide a time when we relinquish patterns of the past that would limit our creative ability to expand on the theme now unfolding. The Crescent Moon is the time when the sprouting seedling sloughs off its protective coat of the past, and emerges in its new expression. As the Crescent Moon unfolds, the growing phase of the lunar cycle begins as we start to amalgamate our personal creativity with the original lunar theme.

Our Crescent Moon of Aug 8/9 in early sidereal Virgo conjoining Super Galactic Center, the halo of the Virgin, brings attention to our spiritual origins and original intent, and inspires spiritual-based creativity.

Initiate Action

The First Quarter Moon of each lunar cycle draws an external stimulus to initiate action as we move from the inspirational quarter of the lunar cycle into the action quarter. Our external stimulus occurs on Aug 12, in the 24 hours before the First Quarter Moon. Our action moon of Aug 12-13 lies in sidereal Libra conjoined the asteroid Ceres and Zubeneschamali, the northern claw of the Scorpion. In contrast to the southern claw, Zubenelgenubi, which is the karmic seat for incarnating souls and of entrapping life scenarios, Zubeneschamali is the dharmic seat, here with Ceres inspiring action that supports our active movement into that which is truly nourishing. To learn more about Ceres, see The Asteroids#Ceres.

Attraction & Involvement

The 24-hour period just before the Gibbous Moon is a time of perseverance, of pushing through in the midst of the action quarter of the lunar cycle. It is during this time (Aug 15/16) that Mercury completes its retrograde period and we move forth with the new Mercury synodic cycle discussed earlier. The Gibbous Moon is when the pressure releases and we enter the pollinating phase of the lunar cycle, which begins a social and communicative time of magnetic attraction. Our Gibbous Moon occurs on Aug 16 in festive and inspiring mid-Sagittarius. The Moon conjoins Facies, M22, a principal globular cluster of stars in Sag asking us to stand naked and reveal our greater truths. Facies demands we "look at self" and step out from the facades and the self-created illusions we hide behind--to fess up and to be real.

Vision, Enthusiasm, & Realization

The Full Moon marks the point of coition in the lunar cycle, the climax, the point of excitement and celebration. The hours leading up to the Full Moon provide a time of "vision and enthusiasm." The time just after Full Moon is a one of "realization of the lunar month's theme," a time to kick back and relax to allow our realizations to surface in consciousness.

Our Full Moon occurs on August 19 (with our festive Full Moon eve occurring on Aug 18) just into the first couple degrees of refreshing sidereal Aquarius, which embodies the seed essence of sidereal Aquarius: vision and creativity, unpredictability, original and innovative, living for the well being of all humanity, supporting humanitarian pursuits especially in the arts and sciences.

Manifestation & Demonstration

The hours leading up to the Disseminating Moon is an accelerated and busy time of last minute preparation that leads into the birth point in the lunar cycle, the time of bearing the fruit in the cycle. Our Disseminating Moon of Aug 22 resides on the Lunar North Node in sidereal Pisces and conjoining Alpheratz of Andromeda. The Lunar North Node alignment supports us to move forward, out of our comfy cozy patterns of the past, those easy to fall back into. Here Alpheratz, the head of the chained princess, requires we address any naiveté we may have about psycho-emotional forces that keep us chained in confused or entrapping situations and the physical and emotional clarity required to move forth into our awaiting destiny.

Time for Change

Our Last Quarter Moon of Aug 26 in sidereal Taurus brings our inner need to initiate change as we move into the last quarter of the lunar cycle. The moon lies just past the Pleiades and under Zeta Perseus, the foot of the hero, and just before conjoining with Juno, asteroid of covenant relationships. The foot of Perseus, (created by the stars Atiks, Omi Perseus; Zeta Perseus; and the intense neutron star, X-Perseus) inspires us to claim our personal power to infuse the awareness gained from our initiations in life and to manifest our purpose and destiny in the physical world. To learn more about Andromeda and Perseus, please visit "Andromeda, Perseus, and the Royal Family."

Focus to the Future

The Balsamic Moon marks the time in lunar cycle when we coalesce the experience of the lunar cycle into its seed essence, which will then sprout through the theme of the following lunar cycle. It is when we turn our attention from this lunar cycle in anticipation of the next to come. The hours before the Balsamic Moon provide our time of coalescence while those after mark the time when we turn from looking back over the past cycle and look toward the future cycle to come. This Balsamic Moon occurs on Aug 30 in the last few degree of sidereal Gemini conjoining Pollux

In astrological antiquity, Pollux portends eminence and renown. Pollux can be considered the ambassador, orator, link, and liaison regarding more spiritual or extraterrestrial matters, here supporting new connections, partnerships, and relations.

Our next New Moon occurs on Sep 3 in mid-sidereal Leo--more to come then.