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The Lunar Theme for the
May 16, 2007 New Moon

Sculpting Our Lives

The Lunar Month of
May 16, 2007 - June 14, 2007

Nick Anthony Fiorenza

Copyright © 2007 Nick Anthony Fiorenza, All Rights Reserved

Astronomical Myth is a "picture language," imagery that articulates the qualities of cosmic intelligence expressing throughout the greater heavens and through our lives. We are not separate from the greater heavens, from the stars and planets around us, or from our beloved Earth, but are intimate parts of this dynamic, continually unfolding heavenly symphony. This entirety is our cosmic consciousness, the totality of our being. To explore the greater heavens and the heavenly cycles is to explore that which we are--our embracing consciousness and our spiritual evolution.

The stars would not be in the heavens
if we were meant to walk in darkness.

Please remember that the purpose of the Lunar Planner is to learn to live in the experiential awareness of the present. Although the material below can provide philosophical context for your personal experience, the New Moon is the ideal time to experientially "tune in" to get your unique new lunar month theme. Then, consciously participate with the changing Lunar Phase Characteristics in the unfoldment of that theme in your daily life using the Lunar Calendar and Lunar Planner Introduction (links at the bottom).

New Moon Phase Characteristics

The New Moon

This New Moon of May 16, 2007 occurs in the first degree of sidereal Taurus. The Sun will remain in sidereal Taurus throughout this lunar cycle, with the next lunar cycle to start in late sidereal Taurus. The sun does not change signs this lunar month due to the "Solunar Sidereal Synchronization," which intensifies these few lunar cycles we are currently in.

Although the nature of each sidereal sign changes throughout the sign, the first degree of a sidereal sign embodies the totality of that sign yet to unfold. Sidereal Taurus is of Earthy matters: of building, business, construction, the home and family, property, stability and balance, is fixed in its ways, is industrious, persistent, determined, laborious and of the bourgeois. Earlier Taurus has more initiative, is more creative, seeding of ideas, whereas later Taurus is more tenacious, tends to challenge, is bull headed, sluggish, even stuck in perpetuated antiquated battle.

Perseus and Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini stands in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.
Bronze, 18 feet high 1545-54.
Image Credit: © 1999 Mary Ann Sullivan (photographed on site)

Perseus expresses through the first decan of sidereal Taurus. Perseus was born of immortal Zeus and the mortal princess Danae whose father, King Acrisius of Argos, locked her in dungeon in fear of a prophecy that if Danae bore a son, he would kill the King. Zeus enters the dungeon as a 'golden shower' impregnating Danae. When King Acrisius finds Danae with her son Perseus, he locks them in a wooden chest and puts it out to sea. The chest drifts to the island of Seriphos and is found by the brother of the island's king, Polydectes. Polydectes takes them in and raises Perseus.

Perseus is later led off on a diversionary mission to slay Medusa by Polydectes who had designs to force Danae to marry him, but during his initiatory journey, Perseus slays Medusa, claims his personal power, and fulfills his destiny to save and marry princess Andromeda, then accidentally kills his grandfather King Acrisius, fulfilling Acrisius's fate. Perseus returns to protect his mother Danae from the attempted forced marriage with Polydectes, the Seriphos king. He creates a city and rules a kingdom that bores the Persian world. He and Andromeda bore a family. Hercules was descendent of Perseus and Andromeda through their son Electryon. (Robert Graves, et. al.)

Our New Moon theme of May 16, 2007 is revealed by the principal star Algol, Beta Perseus; and Alpha Caelum, the sculptor's chisel.

Algol, Beta Persei, marking the cusp of sidereal Taurus, is the head of slain Medusa held in the hand of Perseus, also the Arabic Demon Star. Of the Gorgons, Medusa, who is crowned with seven snakes for hair, represents the chaotic and aberated self-defeating forces within self, driven by fear. It is fear that freezes us in our tracks, the force that turns us to stone. Perseus cannot look at Medusa directly lest he turn to stone. He instead uses his shield to see her reflection. This mythically articulates the need to look at that which we hide behind to see the demon apparently outside of self--created by our own fear.

Algol indicates an initiatory and experiential process is required or is at hand. This process begins by slaying our deepest fears to claim our true personal power, or be forever frozen in our tracks unable to claim our fulfillment and complete our greater soul purpose. Alignments with Algol can draw a relentless assault of experience that can block or divert us from our purpose until we realize the monster is but within--the fear based reflection of self. Algol forces us to look at self rather than at the apparent monsters in the outer world--to recognize they are of our own projection, to own and embrace the demon within. Slaying Medusa (our fear) establishes an inner neurological order that in turn allows us to become soul integrated and empowered as master of self. Our hero Perseus establishes order.

Conjoining Algol from the south and also contributing to the first few degrees of sidereal Taurus is Caelum, the sculptor's chisel. Caelum articulates the need to forge through matter, the laborious methodical experiential process required in the physical world to overcome our trials and manifest our visions. Caelum articulates the initiatory sculpting of our lives, chiseled away at a bit at a time just as the sculptor chisels rock to reveal the sculpture waiting to emerge.

Also influencing our theme is the newly discovered super-massive-nova SN 2006gy, which resides in the Galaxy NGC 1260 in Perseus. Although SN 2006gy is about 2° past Algol in sidereal longitude, it resides at the same ecliptical latitude as Algol (22° north of the ecliptic), thus strongly synthesizing with Algol's theme. SN 2006gy was recently presented in the Lunar Planner Forum: Stars and Constellations. The timely coincidence of SN 2006gy's appearance with our Algol lunar theme suggests an intensification of Algols' theme in our lives.

When massive stars exhaust their energy (burn up), they typically collapse under their own gravity into a point of singularity, creating a black hole. In this case the explosion was so extreme, it appears that the star was obliterated as its matter blasted outward into space.

Stellar explosions, like our sun's own solar-flare activity, create stimulus for growth, stimulus for the illumination of consciousness. In astrological speculation, I can only look at this as intensifying Algol's theme--in two ways: perhaps as the intensification of fear on the planet, and for those who are ready, aiding to eradicate fear's immobilizing effect, shattering it to smithereens.

This lunar month's theme asks us to slay the fears we hold that keep us from sculpting the lives we envision or be frozen in our tracks. Sidereal Taurus provides a wonderful business energetic, provided we take the physical actions required to manifest our visions.

Crescent Moon Phase Characteristics

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.

Like in our last lunar cycle, the Moon and Venus conjoin on the Crescent Moon, but this time in an even tighter conjunction (the conjunction occurs 1.5 hours to the Crescent Moon). Again, we are inspired to live true to heart, beauty and rapture in life, and to relinquish any fears that may limit our heart's true expression, to claim the beauty and abundance life has to offer.

Fear is the emotional tone associated with the Heart / Thymus chakra. It is fear that not only shuts the heart down, but also the immune system, which is neurologically controlled by the Thymus gland (reflexed to the spleen).

Our Venus Crescent Moon of May 19-20 now occurs in the latter part of sidereal Gemini and conjoins Sirius of Canis Major and Canopus of Argo Navis. Sirius is the impetuous and blazing great world teacher, often bringing dramatic lessons or events of global proportion. Canopus is the helmsman of the Argo, revealing the need to take charge, to take the helm for our lives, not only on a personal level but also for the evolutionary direction we are steering our world.

Venus and Moon make a beautiful twosome in the western evening sky, just after sunset.

Chiron Retrograde

The Centaur Chiron begins its retrograde on May 21-22 in sidereal Capricorn. This starts the disengagement phase of the previous Earth-Chiron synodic cycle that began on July 30, 2006, and which was presented in the June 24, 2006 Lunar Cycle.

The new Chiron cycle will start in the midst of its retrograde on Aug 5, 2007, it becoming a significant one due to its alignment with the lunar nodes.

First Quarter Moon Phase Characteristics

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.

The First Quarter Moon of May 23 in sidereal Leo conjoins Megrez of the Great Bear; Gamma and Alpha Sextans; and the Vela Pulsar on the sail of the Argo.

Time to plot a new tack on our journeys in life.

Megrez requires the need to look at things from a different or askew perspective to see what is otherwise not seen from the other side or alternative perspective.

The sailor's sextant is a navigational instrument used to determine the "vertical" position (angular distance) of the sun, moon or stars from the horizon. The sextant reveals the need to reorient self so we know our position so we can plot our course, and take a new tack on our journeys in life. On a greater scale, this can be in regard to changing allegiance of our energies from the outer world, self-sacrificing to diversionary forces or currents in the world around us, to the vertical integrity of our inner soul / source directive and truth. On a mundane level this can be in regard to changing our fundamental approach or path in life, to establish our position so we can plot or take a new tack toward our goals.

Argo Navis, classically, is the ship in the story of Jason and the Argonauts, a version of Gilgamesh and his fifty Sirian warriors. The Argo lies reverse in the heavens, stern to the east, bow to the west, along the galactic equator, thus associated with that which moves retrograde in the heavens, the greater precessional process on Earth, the evolutionary cycle of the soul. The stars of the Argo generally are associated with evolutionary matters for the entire planetary system, and for all souls' evolutionary growth and fulfillment.

The Argo is divided into several sub-constellations. The stars of the sail of the Argo, Velorum, are of subtle evolutionary currents, forces, and portals transcendent to the stage of the temporal world.

Underlying the first half of sidereal Leo and the northern dynamics of Ursa Major and the world powers is the essence of the Sail of the Argo, Velorum. A trinity of galactic oriented x-ray sources reside here, the Vela Pulsar (Vela X), the Vela X-1 neutron star, and the Pup-A Super Nova Remnant. These entries lie between Suhail al Muhlif, Gamma Velorum and Suhail Lambda Velorum, all which lie upon the galactic equator--with Pup-A conjoining Suhail al Muhlif. Although the arc distance between these stellar entries is only several degrees, because of their southern placement, their influence fans out through the entire first half of sidereal Leo contributing significantly to the early Leo theme. Of the Argo, and because these stars and x-ray sources lie upon the galactic equator, they are of soul's transcendent evolutionary purpose and mission.

The Arab Suhail articulates the nature of the Sail of the Argo--of the elegant and subtle evolutionary currents guiding the plane (ship) of the soul. "Suhail, among the Persians, is synonymous for wisdom; as in the Al Anwar i Suhaili, the Lights of Canopus. Also a personal title taken in Arabia as a symbol for what is brilliant, glorious, and beautiful--and even by the Arab nomads is still used when referring to a handsome person." (Allen). Hence the general attractiveness of the true Leo.

The Vela Pulsar, an extremely old Super Nova remnant conjoining Alpha and Gamma Sextans and expressing through the Sextant's theme, has a fundamental frequency of 11.2084065685 Hz., which translates to a color harmonic of 3800Å-- a high spiritual violet, bordering near UV. Pulsars in general are navigational beacons for the soul, constantly providing an inner message or reminder for those attentive to such subtleties. Although the Vela Pulsar can create somewhat of a spiritual serenity, much like we might have relaxing on a sailing ship in a light breeze, there demands the preparedness and alertness to leap into action as the increasing gales and changing currents require. The Vela Pulsar reminds us to remain serene but alert and preserving along our journey, to continually plot our position and adjust our course so we can arrive to the sanctum we seek. The Vela Pulsar reminds us to set our direction based on the underlying evolutionary currents rather than on the winds of the moment, the diversionary and transitory surface breezes, to plot the path on our long-term (soul's) direction. If there is any pulsar equated more to the maturity of the old soul (old salt), the Vela Pulsar is it.

Our First Quarter Moon challenges us to look at things from an askew perspective, to take a new tack on our journeys in life base on the messages and subtle currents attempting to guide us.

Neptune Retrograde

Neptune begins its retrograde in sidereal Capricorn on May 24-25. This starts the disengagement phase of the previous Earth-Neptune synodic cycle that began on Aug 10, 2006, and which was also presented in the June 24, 2006 Lunar Cycle.

The new Neptune cycle will start in the midst of its retrograde on Aug 13, 2007.

The nature of planetary retrogrades in the context of synodic cycles is presented in: "Synodic Cycles and Planetary Retrogrades."

Gibbous Moon Phase Characteristics

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. 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 May 27 in late sidereal Virgo, in the womb of the Virgin and conjoins Alpha Volanits; Eta Carina, and the Eta Key Hole Nebula in Argo Navis.

"In celebration of the 17th anniversary of the launch and deployment of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers is releasing one of the largest panoramic images ever taken with Hubble's cameras. It is a 50-light-year-wide view of the central region of the Carina Nebula where a maelstrom of star birth - and death - is taking place. The immense nebula contains at least a dozen brilliant stars that are roughly estimated to be at least 50 to 100 times the mass of our Sun. The most unique and opulent inhabitant is the star Eta Carinae, at far left. Eta Carinae is in the final stages of its brief and eruptive lifespan, as evidenced by two billowing lobes of gas and dust that presage its upcoming explosion as a titanic supernova." Image and Caption Cedit: NASA / Hubble Space Telescope

Explosive Eta Carina is Lord of the Waves (the Akkadian Ea (Ia), the Sumerian Enki, chief god of the city Eridhu--he who warned Noah), foreteller of impending catastrophe, and instructor of the way through such evolutionary transitions. Eta is also associated with the Sirian amphibious fish-man "Oannes," who taught the Chaldaeans, both esoteric science and that which would civilize their lives, from building cities and temples to agricultural technique. (Robert Temple, "The Sirius Mystery" / Blavatsky, "Isis Unveiled") Eta embodies the esoteric Theosophical Gnostic wisdom behind what to most is merely the mystery of life or unfathomable acts of God. Eta brings awareness to our responsibility for Earth's safe evolutionary outcome.

From an Earthian perspective, Eta Carina is the most luminous, massive, and energetic star known in our galaxy--estimated to be 100 times the mass of our Sun, and to radiate five million times more energy than our Sun. A gas shell surrounding Eta extends 4000 times the size of our solar system.

The super-massive-nova SN 2006gy in Perseus was equated to Eta Carina in our own galaxy in recent press-releases due to the similarity of extremely massive stars going into a super-violent explosion as highly unstable Eta is expect to do at any time.

Alpha Volantis and Eta Carina support our explosive emergence into a new realm of life, to pierce our existing perceptional bubble--perhaps forewarning us of our need to do so on our own, or ultimately be forced to do so.

Vesta's New Synodic Cycle

Vesta, in the midst of its retrograde, begins its new 500-day synodic cycle in sidereal Scorpio on May 27, 2007. Earth and Vesta lie just before Antares, heart of the Scorpion, the location of our upcoming Full Moon. Earth and Vesta conjoin Han (Zeta), the knee of Ophiuchus and the Bright Reflection Nebula IC4603 also in Ophiuchus. Vesta is north of the eciptic on the leg of Ophiuchus.

The theme, to unfold over the next 500 days, suggests we get clear, focused and committed to take a responsible stand for our safe evolutionary transformation. This is especially related to taking responsibility for our own heath matters, healing, and regeneration verses the established drugging of humanity approach that merely suppresses symptoms and causes more toxic chronic degenerative conditions for our entire species. Has conventional medicine become the epidemic?

Vesta, on the leg of Ophiuchus and conjoining Antares, is about standing in our personal empowerment, being responsible for our reality (and for its transmutation), and demonstrating clear and focused intent to create the reality we envision.

Full Moon Phase Characteristics

Disseminating Moon Phase Characteristics

Manifestation & Demonstration

The hours leading up to the Disseminating Moon generally 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, of claiming its gift.

The Disseminating Moon of June 4 resides in early sidereal Capricorn and conjoins Alpha and Beta Indus.

Indus, a southern constellation directly under the first decan of sidereal Capricorn, was recently added in the early 1600's by German astronomer Johann Bayer, of Augsberg. Bayer articulates the qualities of this constellation as a nude (native) man holding arrows in both hands, (without a bow). In Chinese astronomy, Alpha Indus is the desert Persian. (Allen)

Indus refers to the keepers or stewards of sacred land; such beings are most often highly astute and specialized, able to comprehend the intimate relation to the unseen forces guiding our lives and the natural world in which we live. They often use ceremonial magik and prayer. Indus articulates the capacity of those who are attuned to the Earth and heavens, particularly the primordial skills of any indigenous people, like those typically associated with a Native American elder, Aboriginal, Persian or Desert Arab.

Indus indicates a shamanistic way of life, one having an intimate understanding about the relationship between the space and time--the natural cycles that govern life. Indus indicates the essential attunement required to the heavens and the land--the astronomical-Earthgrid relation. Indus understands our connectedness to the land, and the importance of the location in which we live, our "places of power" that support our wellbeing and purposes in life. This also alludes to why military installations are often found on or near sacred sites, strategic locations on the Earthgrid.

Our Disseminating Moon is also opposite Venus, which is also quincunx to Pluto. The triangulation requires a creative, even cunning solution to manifest our Hearts' desire in the opportunity for growth that this lunar cycle offers. It shines focus upon our locations, strategies and maneuvers required to move forward.

Last Quarter Moon Phase Characteristics

Time for Change

The Last Quarter Moon creates our "inner need to initiate change" in the lunar cycle as we move into the cycle's last and transitional quarter.

Last Quarter Moon occurs on Jun 8 in latter sidereal Aquarius conjoining Pallas and Uranus. Either we spitefully withdraw due to our own limiting judgments or we apply our creative intelligence beyond any righteous attitudes and make the radical changes we realize we need to make, breaking from the conformity of the past.

Conjoining fortuitous Homan of Pegaus, a lucky star, and Beta Horologium of the Pendulum Clock--again insinuating this to be an auspicious time for radical change, and reminding us that the clock is ticking away. Homan supports our capacity to rise above all difficulties that may arise and achieve our mission.

The Moon immediately conjoins Pallas and Uranus within hours after Last Quarter. Do we withdraw from making change based upon judgment that change is allying our energies to either this side or that, to black or white, or do we break from the conformity of the past by applying our creative intelligence and choose a path beyond duality's paradox.

Pallas and Uranus will make their actual conjunction on the crescent moon in the next Lunar Cycle. This Pallas-Uranus theme (judgmental withdrawal or creative radical change) has been building since the Mars-Pallas-Uranus-North-Node alignment occurring in late April 2007, in the previous lunar cycle.

On a more transcendent level, this Pallas-Uranus (geocentric) alignment is part of the completion of a much longer Pallas-Uranus synodic cycle that will occur in late 2007, whence we begin a new Pallas-Uranus synodic cycle. The changes we are initiating now in our lives are a part of this longer-term completion.

Our current Pallas-Uranus synodic cycle began in Oct of 2002 in early sidereal Aquarius, the humanitarian waterman, asking us to expand our interest to include more than ourselves and immediate families alone. It completes in late Oct of 2007 in late sidereal Aquarius, where a new cycle beings conjoining Homan--the theme of this last quarter moon.

Balsamic Moon Phase Characteristics

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 180° from looking back over the past cycle and look forward toward the next cycle to come.

The Balsamic Moon of June 11 occurs in sidereal Aries and conjoins Alphirk, Beta Cepheus and Caph, Beta Cassiopeia.

Alphirk, Beta Cepheus, brings empathetic support, a door easily opened in the physical, but only manifesting after a long and arduous journey through the initiatory fires of life. Alphirk is a demonstrable force working though the world that actually lifts us from the struggles of life, or alters conditions in a way that otherwise would be impossible through our own power alone. Alphirk is sometimes indicative of a male in an authoritative position offering aid.

Conjoining is Caph, the palm of Queen Cassiopeia’s hand. Caph expresses a gentle and tender ability to be a true guiding and stabilizing force. Caph provides an in-between or holding place, and indicates the need for arbitration, meeting, and compromise in the midst of our conflicts and struggles in life. Caph offers a truce, even honoring what appear to be irreconcilable differences. Caph provides a calming force, bringing the composure, level-headedness, and emotional balance that are required to come to this place in-between. Most always, some type of conflict is a necessary prerequisite to come to this receptive place of the Heart. Caph is sometimes indicative of a female in an authoritative position offering aid.

Support is there during the initiatory trials we encounter along our journeys in life if we are but willing to acknowledge them and allow them into our lives by getting any righteous or arrogant sand washed from our eyes that otherwise keeps us blind.

Mars & Eris

Mars conjoins Eris in late sidereal Pisces on June 12-13, the day of surrender in the luanr cycle - just before the next New Moon - providing a wonderful opportunity to intuitively and experrientitaly learn more about this significant new dwarf planet's influence in our lives - pay attention. More about Eris can be found here: Asteroids#Eris.

Our next New Moon of June 14-15 occurs in late sidereal Taurus--more to come then.