Moonwalk: Capricorn

© 2011 by Joyce Mason

All Rights Reserved

Until I watched the goofy movie, The Men Who Stare at Goats, I hadn’t realized the vast variety among these practical, climbing creatures—often depicted as four-legged trash mashers who will eat anything and everything, especially tin cans. (This is a myth. Apparently, goats eat almost anything but tin cans and cardboard. I’m disappointed to learn I can’t acquire one to do most of my recycling.)

There’s a scene in the movie where a bunch of goats, being used for some mighty strange military experiments into the paranormal, are “sprung” from their coop and confinement. The mass exodus of goats was a fashion show of coats, colors, and personalities. Further research verified; there are over three hundred distinct breeds of goat.

Is This Moon Made of Goat Cheese or Blue Cheese?

The proud owner of a Capricorn Moon myself, I thought a stroll down my own lunar lane would make this the easiest of all my Moonwalks. Not really! I’m one kind of Goat Moon. There are many others. I decided this was my chance to explore my herd and hope you’ll be as fascinated as I am by these often-comical looking creatures. Some other goat characteristics to contemplate for their application to Capricorn Sun and Moon: Both male and female goats have beards and horns. They are visually androgynous.^[1] All breeds have a woolly undercoat in winter for which Angoras are bred. (If you think Cap Moons aren’t warm, you just haven’t gotten to know them well enough for a hug while they’re wearing their undercoat!)  Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. (Think of the application to long-term relationship potential.)They’re used for milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. In the 20^th century, they even gained popularity as pets. Goat milk products, especially cheese, are very “in” where I live, especially among people who have cow milk allergies. However, most people simply prefer the unique taste and texture of goat cheese, often packaged under the French word for goat, chevre. ^[2]

With apologies to the traditionalists among you, I have never found it helpful to know my Capricorn Moon is in detriment. I don’t want my planets to sound detrimental, to fall down (be “in fall”) and possibly bruise themselves, or to afflict or besiege me. The Moon is our emotional life, mother, our habits and how we nurture. Those kinds of labels depress me, especially applied to such important areas of life. Alas, being Saturn-ruled, a tendency toward depression can sometimes go with the territory of a Cap Moon. However, this must be taken in context with no presumptions made that anyone with this Moon sign needs to run to the nearest shrink for a prescription of Zoloft, Lexapro or the latest Serotonin uplift du jour.

Don’t rule it out, if it’s truly needed, but rely on Saturn to help you make a good executive decision about what feeds and heals your emotional life. Since Capricorn is an Earth sign, explore all the alternatives offered by your own element—herbs, homeopathy, and flower essences, too. Donna Cunningham has some excellent material on this issue and specific flower essence suggestions in her classic book, The Moon in Your Life: Being a Lunar Type in a Solar World. According to Donna, Cap Moons can become depressed as a habit to avoid anger. Another Cap habit worth turning around is working even harder when feelings surface in order to avoid them. ^[3]

Cap Moon: Chief Executive Officer of Feelings

As I’m sure I’ve shared more than once, my own Moon squares Neptune, Venus, and Sun. Imagine what that does to stir up my lunar life. My Saturn-ruled Moon saves the day by putting some brakes on raw-nerve feelings evoked by Neptune. My Cap Moon helps me put free-floating, constant sensations into some order and context. Without the grounding my Goat Moon brings, I’d definitely need some of those drugs. Even if you need them, long- or short-term or wonder if you do, never fear. Ultimately, Capricorn Moon will teach you how to run your emotional corporation and to sort and stack up your feelings in a way you can bank on. You can become a powerful executive when it comes to managing emotions. Achievements in emotional growth might actually become your forte.

What, you don’t think emotions shouldn’t be “managed?” Think of the trouble they get you into when you blurt things out in the wrong context or blow your top in a way that’s permanently alienating. Or “declare yourself” in a relationship way too soon and scare off the one you want to woo. One of the biggest things my Cap Moon has taught me is to be more cautious about what I share since my Moon square Neptune is likely to blab everything and be more transparent than tule fog is translucent. Tule (too’-lee) is the dense layer of ground fog we experience in and around Sacramento in winter. Hmm, no wonder the opening photo of the Goat more prominent than the fog around him appealed to me!

Baby Goats Are Called Kids

You’ve probably heard that Capricorn tends to be old when young and young when old.  When I think of how that applies to the realm of feelings, this Moon sign tends to be wise before his or her time—and a kid at heart the closer s/he gets to the finish line of life. (Isn’t it odd that our pet name for children, kids, was borrowed from the name for baby goats?) A childlike nature is not a bad benefit to look forward to, since none of us is getting any younger except at heart.

"Only the fool hopes to repeat an experience; the wise man knows that every experience is to be viewed as a blessing. " ~ Henry Miller (Sun, Mercury, and Venus in Capricorn) 

What Cap Moon Knows Is for You to Find Out—and Appreciate

What the Capricorn Moon wants most of all is to be respected for either wisdom or authority. That doesn’t necessarily mean s/he’s either a wise guy (gal) or authoritarian. S/he simply wants you to appreciate his or her hard-earned knowledge and how you can both benefit from it. The workaholic tendencies of Cap Moon come from that need to “prove himself” or have others recognize what she has achieved. Capricorn is one of the signs where the native begins to focus on his or her role in the community. The Cap Moon wants to create an orderly, beneficial existence for everyone that relies on one another. We often connect this Saturn-ruled sign with father or paternal energy, just as its opposite sign, Cancer, is considered the maternal archetype. Naturally, variations occur across genders. There are wonderful, nurturing male Cancers and terrific businesswomen Capricorns—by Sun, Moon or other planets. (Cap Sun Dolly Parton comes to mind.) Keeping this to its archetypal “ideal male” energy only, the evolved Cap Moon will fulfill the role of loving father—a provider, a fair disciplinarian, someone to look up to (there’s that acknowledgment), and someone whose wise counsel is sought when a kid is in trouble. Yes, the still-struggling Cap Moon can be a control freak, stingy with emotional expression, and a father who grounds you for months at a time. The coolest thing about being a grown-up is that we can decide how to “run” this energy! The habits for which Capricorn is famous, if not infamous, can be nudged to the side of positive. Habits are habits, and if you have a Cap Moon and knee-jerk routines or compulsions that you don’t like, you can replace the content of your habits or corral them in a different direction. (Capricorn also rules the knees, ergo knee-jerk reactions. You have dominion!)

What to Do Under Cap Moon

Saturn and Capricorn often get bad press, but they are as necessary to wholeness as every other piece of the zodiacal pie. Once you make peace with Saturn, you’ll see how he can be your greatest ally. Foundations, discipline, good habits and order will be imposed upon us (usually at a Saturn transit) when we won’t develop our inner Saturn. Saturn dumps from our lives forms that no longer fit and helps us build on new ground. Even if it doesn’t feel good in the process, these changes are ultimately a boon that keep us going in the right direction on our journey to fulfillment. Here are some ideas to begin to develop that better relationship with Saturn and the planet it’s associated with, Capricorn.

Begin under this New Moon in Capricorn to see the complementary pair of Moon-ruled Cancer and its opposite, Saturn-ruled Capricorn. Just as the Lights can be seen as a male/female pair in Sun and Moon, Cancer and Capricorn also have a male/female and mother/father polarity—better said a complementary nature. If you have planets in either of these signs, begin to notice how they balance each other. Find the “good” that both planets do for you and how each helps the other not to overdo some of the tendencies that can go out of control for either Cancer or Capricorn such as smothering (nurturing to a fault) or overeating for Cancer or becoming a work machine or too rigid for Cap. Capricorn is depicted alternatively as a sea goat and a terrestrial goat—one reflecting its water complement the other honoring its earthy, hooves-on-the-ground nature.

Where does this New Moon at 14 Capricorn fall in your chart? What house/area of life is it lighting up? How do you need to, first, acknowledge yourself in that area of life? How can you bring the positive characteristics of gentle but firm discipline, order, good habits, and new foundations to this area of life? Can you let the business of others appreciating you come to you naturally instead of craving it so much that you are dancing as fast as you can all the time?

Finally, look for other “new visions” of Capricorn. Here’s an excellent start on The Oxford Astrologer.

This Capricorn Moon – January 4, 2011

Click on chart to enlarge

On this New Moon Solar Eclipse, the Sun/Moon and Mars square Saturn in Libra. The pressure’s on to come to terms with the ruler of Capricorn. That way, we won’t feel like Saturn is Sr. Mary Meanie whacking us with another kind of ruler. (My childhood parochial education was so Saturnian!) The tension of this square begs resolution, especially with a whole tribe of planets in Goat facing their archetypal “father.”  If you’ve got issues with parenting, authority, or the powers-that-be, watch yourself face them on the climb to the top of Capricorn’s proverbial mountain for a higher view. Mercury in Sag helps you rev up for the trip and think like an adventurer. Use the strength you acquired in 2010, grappling with the Cardinal T-Square of Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto, to help you deal with any tensions with authority figures and conservative viewpoints.

Back to where the New Moon falls in your chart: New Moons already mark new beginnings. Eclipses add yellow highlighter to the concept of new starts. Coinciding so close to the calendar New Year, a time when many people set new goals, can make this a red-letter month and year for achievement. (Cardinal birds are red; the color often associated with the Cardinal signs, including Capricorn. Seeds planted in the week of the New Moon/Solar Eclipse take on added meaning by mid-year. Sow well.

You’re probably relieved to done with Mercury Retrograde during the holiday season. Mercury will still be in its shadow phase until mid-January, going forward in the sector of the zodiac it visited recently while traveling in reverse. With Mercury square Jupiter and Uranus in the New Moon chart, Mercurial pursuits are likely to be largely unpredictable. You might want to postpone short trips, public presentations, buying a new cell phone or computer until the third week of January, all the better for electronic devices with Sun in Aquarius.

Venus in Scorpio is “channeling the outer planets” this lunar month, ^[4] all of them except its own ruler, Pluto. Relationships have prominence for now, and they are not lightweight. In square to Neptune and Chiron, deception, escapism, and pain from old relationships are likely themes. We don’t just have a relationship with our present partners. We have relationships with them and all their past partners—and vice versa! While one part of Venus in Scorpio might enjoy that somewhat kinky ménage with its high drama, another part of that planetary combo, the one with the proverbial Plutonian jealousy, would like these other people out of his face or to have her lover all to herself. The trine to Jupiter/Uranus in Pisces pours expansion and excitement into the mix. Relationships can be wildly up-and-down this month with much to learn on the ride. The powers that bring us growth and change are riding with relationship this month, where we can grapple with ourselves most effectively, if sometimes painfully, in the mirror of those we care about most.

The large cluster of Capricorn planets carries a “need to achieve” under this New Moon. If we remember it’s really “seed to achieve” at a time of new beginnings and that the mountain takes time to climb, we’ll have a month in tune with what the sky is hinting.

A Few Closing Notes from My Capricorn Moon

Here’s some “astro-memoir” I hope will help illustrate the positive side of Capricorn Moon and help you put into perspective Saturn’s square to the Cap New Moon this month.

I like rules and am normally not comfortable breaking them, including the speed limit and the law about declaring every ounce of income on my tax returns.  When my fiery niece was just a tot—a stellium-in-Aries—she was all over the place and did not listen to her mother or grandmother. Only me. Her mother/my sister-in-law used to ask, “How do you do that?” I was loving but firm and I stated in an authoritative voice what she could and could not do. I did not yell like grandma. I did not repeat the same thing incessantly, as her mom did, in the same tone of voice, that became easy to tune out. Not only would my niece stop short to listen to me; she looked relieved that someone had finally helped her find the off switch. Setting boundaries is a form of caring, especially from Cap Moon.

My niece showed me a part of myself. As a Uranus square Sun, another part of me wants to chuck all the rules, but my Cap Moon is relieved to know my boundaries. Within this lunar-defined space—that usually does not feel confining—anything goes! I feel free to express my feelings and to nurture others inside this circle.

Another lesson: My first career in social work involved advising parents of children with developmental disabilities how to help their kids reach their maximum potential, despite their physical or mental challenges. The issue of discipline was huge. It is so easy to indulge a child who has limitations and to make their “birth package” an excuse for not being firmer and having reasonable standards of behavior. (Do you see a parallel here for your inner parent if you have an “afflicted” chart?) Of course, lack of behavioral rules only leads to bratty children no one can stand. That compounds an already challenging role as a parent to a child with special needs. (Who would want to provide the respite care these parents often so desperately need?)

We say the greatest things we can give our children are roots and wings. That’s  Saturn and Uranus. The analogy I still love from my child development days: How would it feel to enter to an intersection with no traffic signals?

Enjoy all the signals this month: stop, go, caution. Remember that the yellow or caution light always precedes a change in movement, whether stop or start. Are you as amazed as I am that these rules for safe travel are universal? To disobey them isn’t just to risk a big, fat, expensive ticket and a possibly increased insurance rate; the results could be devastating.

Let this Cap Moon introduce you to your inner yellow light and how it can save the day—or at least get you to where you’re going in one piece. If you have a Cap Moon, know your intuition is especially strong when sensing the need for caution. This is a gift and a godsend, especially in today’s world of chronic change and uncertainties. It's a lot like having a good dad who always has love and protection at the ready.

~~~

Photo Credits: Goat in a Fog © Leonikonst  and Corsican Goats in a Field (France) © Bean38 | Dreamstime.com

NOTES

[1] Goats, Answers.com 

[2] Goats, Wikipedia

[3] Donna Cunningham, Being a Lunar Type in a Solar World (Weiser: 1982), p. 98. If you’re not already a regular visitor to Donna’s blog, I highly recommend Sky Writer. For environmental considerations, all Donna’s newer books are e-books and can be purchased from Moon Maven Publications.

[4] The Outerplanetary (Extraordinary) People series on The Radical Virgo speaks to the idea that individuals with the outer planets prominent channel change. 

Thanks to Café Astrology for the Henry Miller quote.

Related Post:  In case you haven’t had your New Year’s laugh yet, read ZodiYuks: New Year’s Resolutions from Aries to Pisces

Are you a New Moongram reader? This month’s special, available to people on the New Moongram mailing list only, is $50 off a New Year’s Reading with Joyce. Her normal $150 fee is $100 through February 1. To join the mailing list, click on the icon in the upper right of the sidebar.

Moonwalk: Leo

© 2010

by Joyce Mason

"The man on this card doesn't need to speak

to communicate strength, passion and commitment.

Sometimes he is robed like a priest or shaman.
Intense and intuitive, he is a force to be reckoned with."

 ~ Interpretation of the King of Cups,

 parallel to the King of Hearts, tarot.com

As I started thinking about this post, I had a royal epiphany. I realized that four out of five of the most significant men in my life all have—or had—Moon in Leo. (Thought bubble: Wonder what that says about me?) Leo Moons are the Kings of my heart, and the King of Hearts card reminds me of them.

My father, brother, first boyfriend/now husband, plus the man who had the most lingering impact on me from my late teens and for decades afterwards—all Leo Moons. I never thought about it till now (and I wonder why not.) Or if I did, I forgot. (I hate to admit I’m getting to an age where I forget a lot of details and am happy to leave their cataloging to much younger Virgos and Capricorns.) Sometimes I have actual moments of clarity about my Neptune conjunct Mercury square Moon and how it explains why I can miss the obvious about myself.

On investigating this mystery further, I noticed that my men’s Moons lie essentially between 13-18 degrees Leo, the tiny arc of Leo where my Pluto (14) and Saturn (18) are placed. Eek! I only recently managed to figure out why I tend to have a tumultuous inner growth cycle during the summer, especially in August. That’s when the transiting Sun is lighting up my 4th house and those particular planets.

I share this with you because we’re taking a Moonwalk, and I think it’s only fair to tell you what I’m finding on the my own lunar surface, so you can check to see if you have a similar phenomenon going on. This will give me plenty to do all summer, figuring out what gives with this den of Lions in my life. Back to you:

It says a lot about your own Moon to discover the Moon placement and nurturing patterns of the key players in your life.

If you have your own den of Lions, flock of Rams, pen of Bulls or whatnot: you might want to look at how they’re alike and different. My pride of four is split right down the middle, as far as how they’ve supported me emotionally—two did and do a fabulous job (husband and father). The other two brought me the greatest majority of my pain (brother and great love/boyfriend). Obviously, something “colored” these Leo Moons differently.



What Color’s the Moon?

Both my Leo Moon Men who’ve nurtured me well have Saturn aspecting their Moons—by square (dad) and conjunction (husband). My anti-nurturers—“Keane” [1] (the boyfriend I barely ever got over) and my wild, flamboyant brother (he was both a hoot and hell on wheels): They have Pluto and Mars closely conjunct their Moons respectively. Keane’s Pluto/Moon is right on my own Pluto. This explains why love tended, at least in my early life, to be a big, sticky ball of wax, a goo of enmeshed pain and pleasure.

It also explains why I, personally, love the Leo energy most when it’s “toned down” to a certain degree. After all, I have Capricorn Moon, Saturn ruled—I learned at my daddy’s knee how to keep my Moon from taking over the land. As an ultimate irony, I was at the library recently and a history video on Greece caught my eye. I had been showing my husband how his Leo Moon conjunct Saturn might work in his life with the use of the Astrodeck. [2] When we watched the movie on Greece, it had a scene with a caged Lion. “That’s your Leo Moon conjunct Saturn!”


This Leo Moon

Now that I’ve digressed a lot (in other words gone wherever the Moon lured me), let’s talk about this New Moon on August 9, 2010 and how it rules the Kingdom of Feelings. The Sun/New Moon conjunction is at 17 degrees Leo 25. (Glad I’m writing this ahead because, as you know, I’ll be “processing” while the Lights are shining in my usually dark Pluto/Saturn Zone.) I’m using a chart from my own general geographic perspective. While Sacramento might be the Capitol of California, San Francisco is the Capitol of the Left Coast. It has a resonance with the Uranian energy of astrologers, so it feels like the city to use. Click chart to enlarge:

As you can see, not much can escape the Big Change Line-Up in the Sky, including this lunation. The closest aspects to the Sun/Moon are sesquiquadrate Jupiter and Pluto and semi-square Venus and Saturn. The semisquare (45 degrees) and sesqui (135 degrees) are geometrically related as 1/8th and 3/8ths of the zodiac circle. They have similar qualities: irritation, frustration, delays, testing, impeding, constricting or resisting. (This sounds more like a hazing by my brother and ex-beau than a hug from my father or husband.)

This is a good time to remember that growth comes from discomfort. Not too rocky aspects mark this lunation— more like pebbles in your shoe. Efforts to expand or transform are not likely to come easy this month. Relationship issues may be scratchy and feel stuck. Of course, these aspects do come with the backdrop of the Cardinal T-Square. Don’t let them become the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Leverage them as another exercise in not resisting change or enforcing your own timing or outcomes.

Here’s where the Leo warmth can suddenly make it all seem all worthwhile. (Is someone watching a Mary Tyler Moore rerun in the background out there?) Same with the Leo sense of humor. There is nothing like a Leo’s acting goofy in the middle of a fierce “discussion” to diffuse the heat completely. If this month seems a little annoying in parts, draw on these talents brought to you by Leo Moon:


Cool Leo Qualities

Adopt some of these positive Leo qualities in this month’s endeavors:

Warmth, charm, charisma, childlike, fun, entertaining, generous, sincere, paternal, enthusiastic and creative.

(Where do I buy a gallon of that?)

It’s not too late to sign up for my first New Moongram for more information on this month’s Leo New Moon! Click on the top of the sidebar to sign up or click here to learn more .

Living on the Upside of Leo


As I state in Living on the Upside of the Zodiac #2:

“Look at me!” Leo says, as she exudes the rays of the Sun and selfhood with no Ray-Bans or sunscreen. Here is both the danger and the cure. Leo must avoid believing she is the Sun itself with all its power—and around which the rest of us mere earthlings are lucky to revolve, if she deems us worthy. Creative spark is the ultimate drug, and if Leos hold onto the Sun energy with possessiveness, they become mean kings of the jungle: self-centered, proud, overbearing, bossy, intimidating, grandiose, and demanding of constant flattery (kiss my ring or whatever!).

Now that I’ve covered some ideas about Lion lunation do’s and don’ts, here are some ideas to optimize your experience this month.

A Few Leo Moon Rituals and Experiments

In addition to your usual Moon rituals, like looking where 17+ Leo falls in your chart, here are some special suggestions for Leo Moon:

• Become a Leo Moon for a Day by dramatizing your feelings. Be creative. Put on a play for your family. Deliver a singing telegram to the door of your beloved. Be showy.

• Shine your feelings on issues like a solar search light. How does “feeling like the Sun” (the Moon in the Sun’s sign) bring light what’s hidden in a situation?

• Buy or make a lion’s mask. What does it feel like to be a lion?

• Ask yourself every day, until the Full Moon, how does the Moon in the Sun’s sign turn life on its ear? (Examples: It brings the inner outward; it is a male archetype in the most feminine of planets, the Moon.)

• Watch a movie about lions, and imagine feeling part of the pride. What do you learn from “feeling Leo?”


The King of Hearts

Did you know that the tarot is older than playing cards? Playing cards were derived from the tarot, not the other way around. (One of the first psychics I ever saw used a standard playing deck to “read.”)

Leo Moons will always be the Kings of my Heart. (I keep finding more of them!) Their positive qualities of smoldering strength, playfulness, and air of self-confidence have lit up my life in its darkest corners. I’ve been able to overlook most of their less desirable qualities, such as attention getting, bossiness, pride, and the ability to intimidate because their gifts are so great.

And so may it be for you during this Leo New Moon cycle.

~~~

Photo Credits: Jeu de Cartes 56© Nathalie P - Fotolia.com and African Lion © Riaanvdb ~ Dreamstime.com


NOTES

[1] I like to change the names to protect the innocent and guilty alike—and people's privacy.

[2] Astrodeck by Soliton is a fabulous deck of “flash cards” with key words for the planets, signs, houses and aspects. It is sadly out of print, and the company is out of business and thus far untraceable. If you can find one on eBay or at a used book store, grab it! And if you have one you don’t want, I’m collecting spares. I’ll happily buy it from you. What makes Astrodeck such a great reference is having a reminder of the full-range of keywords. We do get stuck on our faves, especially when we've been doing astrology a long time. Here’s to variety, my favorite spice.

Moonwalk: Cancer

© 2010 by Joyce Mason

All Rights Reserved

 

A new moon teaches gradualness, and how one gives birth to oneself slowly. ~Rumi

The moon is calling me! I’ve never felt much pull until now to write about the Moon. I figure we have plenty of astro-experts who have already covered it well from Donna Cunningham and her classic Being a Lunar Type in a Solar World to Dana Gerhardt and her MoonCircles. Several of my astrologer friends do monthly New Moon updates, including Larry Skybear’s New Moon Astro-Alert and up until recently, Johnny Mirahiel’s New Moon LA for people living in California’s Southland. There is continuous coverage of the Moon and the lunation cycle in the astrological community, much like the 24/7 news on CNN.

But Spirit is tapping me on the shoulder, reminding me why I probably have something unique to say about the Moon. I’ve lived in lunar overdose all my life with Moon out-of-bounds. While I’m no expert in declinations, I was intrigued by Steven Forrest’s article on the subject in The Mountain Astrologer (June/July 2010). I was especially fascinated to learn some of the common characteristics of people with out-of-bounds (OOB) Moon. For us OOBies, at least one planet, in my case, the Moon, is located at a declination greater than 23-degrees, 28-minutes North or South. I resonate to all nine characteristics Steven mentions for people with Moon out-of-bounds, but I think the ones I like best are being a bold, groundbreaking genius, a theological outlaw, and a zany character. (He said genius; you know a Virgo hates to brag.) From my personal experience with OOB Moon, I’ll offer a poem:

Moon Out-of-Bounds

Big silver breast,

You suckled me dry

I cannot imagine

a planet

with a pair of you.

© 2010 by Joyce Mason

joycemason.com

Lunar Issues/Voyages

All my “life issues” are about mother, mothering, abandonment, nurture, food, emotions and all the things you’d expect from a Capricorn Moon square Neptune, Venus and Sun, sextile Chiron. One thing I’ve learned under all this lunar pressure is to trust my Moon, even though I can honestly say she didn’t feel very trustworthy in the beginning.

The Moon is my directional device, my God/dess Positioning System (GPS). This lunar GPS operates through my feelings, sensations, inklings and sense of “just knowing.”

My GPS has led me to reunite with all my lost loves and to embrace everything meaningful in my life. Now it’s asking me to write about the Moon and it’s influence on us—whether or not I feel like it, regardless of whether or not it scares the sap out of me! To be so “out there,” talking feelings! Come with me on a journey of radical trust! Fly me to the Moon.


How This New Feature Works

I’ll write the Moonwalk monthly near the New Moon, usually a few days ahead, giving you plenty of time to contemplate things I “channel” about each Moon sign or features of this particular lunation. Since I’m following feelings as my rudder, the format will be flexible. I’ll cover the sign, starting appropriately with the Cancer New Moon on July 11, 2010—the Moon “in its own sign.” Other than that, there may be poems, metaphors, mythology, references to other great Moon resources, synchronicity and surprises. You’ll be the first to know, along with me, as we step out of the lunar module for our monthly exploration.

New Moon Rituals

First, this is a great time to reacquaint readers with Dana Stone’s New Moon Manifestation Ceremony. My goal is to do this ritual or some form of it on every New Moon, and when I can get from intention to action, the results are always transformative.

Second, I look at where the New Moon falls in my astrology chart every month. The July 11, 2010 New Moon is at 19 Cancer 24. I note which house it’s visiting and any aspects to natal planets. I take this into consideration when setting my monthly goals for the current Moon cycle.

I would love to hear your New Moon rituals! Now, let’s launch this first Moonwalk with another poem. (I love the synchronicity that the actual first walk on the Moon was a Cancer event—July 20, 1969 at 9:30 pm Houston time.)

Moon Rising

Inner life is nocturnal

a cat who comes alive

when ink blobs the sky

star mice twinkle in catnip galaxies

cattin’ ‘round the universe

while we sleep, a trance

perchance to spin dream reals

in our night movies

Then light fall

cat goes comatose

finds a large patch of light

through a window

to charge its solar panels

while it sleeps through its day/your night.

To really understand yourself

you must be reborn

on the cusp of catnip

and capture sunlight

in your fur.

© 2010 by Joyce Mason

joycemason.com

The Sun/Moon Relationship

“Moon Out of Bounds” and “Moon Rising” are poems from a new book I’m writing. I think “Moon Rising” offers a visceral way of experiencing the New Moon when the Sun and Moon are in their most intimate embrace at the same degree during the birth of the new moon cycle. A cat is feminine, lunar, and nocturnal, but she recharges herself while she sleeps, absorbing the Sun through her fur. Her absorption of light represents the relationship of our Moon to our Sun. We feel our way through life and experience its daily rituals, small cycles of ups-and- downs and our moods through our Moon. Yet, we need to absorb our Sun, as if it were light penetrating our skin. We must do this in order to have the energy to do what can sometimes be extremely draining—to live by the light of the Moon. That’s why cats sleep so much, and why Moon-emphasized people eat so much—to refuel as much as to comfort. To live by instincts and moonlight is very physical from an energetic standpoint. There’s nothing like the Sun to replenish it. When this poem came to me, it spoke to me of yin/yang balance, of why men and women and the masculine/feminine need each other. The complements of these two energies power the world.

New Moons are new beginnings—new births. It takes a man and a woman—male and female energy—to give birth to a baby. Some goes for the embrace of Sun and Moon, representing male and female, in the monthly lunar cycle. When eclipses are involved, it’s a birth of major significance. Perhaps you are giving birth to a king, queen, prince—or a future President of the United States! Metaphorically speaking, that is, but for some people on earth, it may even be literal.

Need a visual? There’s a nice tutorial on Molly’s Astrology about eclipses, complete with an animated sketch showing how lunar and solar eclipses are formed.

July 11 New Moon in Cancer/Solar Eclipse

Here's a fantastic article on eclipses from one of my favorite astrologer/writers, April Elliot Kent. It’s called Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn: Eclipses and the Narrative of Change. While it refers to the last eclipse and the Cardinal Climax when the Cardinal T-Square temporarily “got Cross,” it’s a great read, if you haven’t seen it already, on several scores. First, to talk about where we’re going this month, it always helps to know where we’re coming from, where we’ve been. (You know how Cancer loves history!) Second, April offers some deeply insightful thoughts on eclipses in general and she delineates how an eclipse might feel when it aspects the various planets in our charts. Third, April has other lunar articles that complement this post.


Solar Eclipses. Any eclipse makes a lunation more powerful. Solar eclipses are a seeding time, when we plant important intentions that “set” till the Full Moon, over a period of about two weeks. These particular intentions tend to be important, and their significance is palbable for six months or more. How the seeds sprout and flourish becomes increasingly obvious. Solar Eclipses are a time to set important, major personal growth goals.

If there’s something you ache to achieve or set right, the Solar Eclipse may pack the wallop to be your magic wand of manifestation.

July 11 Solar Eclipse. This Cancer eclipse calls for seeding in the areas of family life, popularity, the public, women’s issues, safety, security, roots and heritage, emotional issues, food and comfort. In this string of lunar subjects, what resonates to you? Or is there another one I haven’t mentioned? Take a moment to meditate on it. When you know, write one or more simple affirmations of what you want to manifest this month that will reverberate for the next half year. These are your seeds. Keep them somewhere you can be reminded of them often. At the Spring Equinox each year, my Solsisters group and I actually put our strips of papers in seed packet envelopes to keep on our altars or desktops as a reminder of what we’re up to on the emotional front of our co-creative process.

Cancer Moon

In High Signs 1: Living on the Upside of the Zodiac, I identified containment as the key Cancerian issue. Cancer Moon must find a safe container for all her feelings. This invisible bowl or goblet is the Holy Grail of our inner life, regardless of Moon sign. If you have Moon in Cancer, this container is of utmost importance. The bigger the emotions (water signs or aspects to Neptune, for example), the bigger, safer and more secure your vessel must be to hold all your feelings.

The container is what makes it safe to express emotions. For anyone to express him- or herself optimally, whether in relationship or that juicy relationship to All That Is we call creativity, a sense of boundary and containment must be firmly felt.

While Moon is considered traditionally in “detriment” in Capricorn, it’s my Capricorn Moon that taught me the lesson of containment. With my Moon out-of-bounds and under siege by several squares, the Saturn rulership of my Moon, famous for providing structure, is the only thing that keeps me off street corners bawling my eyes out and making a fool of myself in public. (That Neptune square Moon makes me wish I had invested in Kleenex, because I cry at the drop of a hat—a sad newspaper story, over my TV characters, and let’s not talk about how it triples if I have even one glass of wine.)

The right partner, home, friend, or down comforter—a precious cat or dog—all can act as containers.

During this kicker, Cancer, Solar Eclipse New Moon: Learn about your container. What holds you? What makes you feel safe? Where do you lack the Holy Grail in your inner life?

Maybe one of your seeds to sow is to find a pot to bliss in.

Isn’t the free flow of feelings heaven? And isn’t “heaven” the ultimate safe haven?

~~~



Photo Credits: Solar Eclipse © Argus456  and Cat Enjoying Sunshine © Noonie, both by Dreamstime.com.

Your Comments on this new feature are important to me. I’d love to hear if you find this of value. If yes, I’ll admit my Moon is a good navigator for the 4,865th time! If not, I’ll write about Mars, Mercury—or something else.

Notes:

Opening Quote. Thanks to Lee Abramson  of Rumi Music  (@LeeAbramson) for sharing the opening quote on Twitter. It became the catalyst for this article and series.


Finding Your Declinations. Most astrology software programs offer a report for every chart that indicates the declinations of the planets. I use Solar Fire. Declinations are in the Chart Analysis Report, one of several columns with mathematical information on each planet’s position, along with details like Latitude and Right Ascension. Any planet with a declination higher than 23o 28’ North or South is out-of-bounds.

Time reference for the first Space Walk is from Scholastic Teachers.

Remember! Radical Virgo 
Summer Values!

• Two Chiron E-Books for $9.99

• $25 off all Personal Consultations



Through Labor Day (6-Sep-10). Details on post Summer Reading Two-Fer Special.

New Moon Manifestation Ceremony

Toolbox – Rituals

By Dana Stone, Guest Author

Note from Joyce: Each month we have a Golden Opportunity to capture the energy and natural cycle of the Moon. The lunar cycle is our vehicle to create what we want in our lives for the next 28 days. By putting forth our desires at the New Moon, the time of new beginnings, we align with heavenly forces to co-create what we want to manifest. Our desires ripen at the Full Moon, when they peak to fulfillment. Then we watch those desires wane as we absorb their resolution into everydayness. Other issues soon surface and drift to the front burner for the New Moon Treatment!

Dana Stone is not only my dearest friend of 30 years, her metaphysical know-how and this New Moon Ceremony, in particular, are invaluable to me. Enjoy Dana’s recipe for getting what you want out of life, and more insight than a Full Moon could ever illuminate.

Items needed to create your sacred circle:

· 1 white mini-candle
· 1 red mini-candle
· White sage wand (or incense preferred)
· Earthen (clay) or crystal bowl filled with spring water
· An offering (a piece of fruit, coins or article of clothing etc.) for donation
· Bound notebook or creativity diary
· Colored pens, pencils, paints, art objects, pictoral magazine clippings
· One to four tarot decks or oracles

Here are the basic steps for my New Moon ceremony (about 60- 90 minutes long):

1. Smudge or sage your sacred space in a large circle.

2. Center yourself, see and open your seven chakras.

3. Light two mini-candles: one red to energize and one white, representing wisdom and vision. Say an invocation prayer of gratitude for all blessings past, present and future.

4. Sit quietly and reflect on what is most important to you right now in your life and what you would like to create or have manifest in the next 2-3 weeks. Focus on the end in mind. Where do you want to be or what you want to have changed or manifested in your life?

5. Write down what you'd like to manifest in the current moon cycle. The more specific and clear, the better. (For example: I want to be clear on my passion and purpose, without hesitation or reservation; or, I want laser clarity on the next steps I must take to discover my passion and purpose.)

6. Next, make two colorful drawings: one reflecting or representing how you are feeling now and one reflecting or representing how you will feel when you manifest or achieve your goal. Your drawing can be abstract, a picture of or impressions of your goal, creating or coloring in a mandala, making a collage--whatever comes to mind and occurs to you spontaneously.

7. Now, while holding your intent on the goal or manifestation, in your mind and in your heart, shuffle four different tarot decks. Draw one tarot card from each deck (or select four runes), to aid you on each of the four levels of body, mind, spirit and emotion. (All four tarot cards can also come from one deck or you can use a deck representing each level of awareness...follow your intuition...do what “feels” best!) I interchangeably use SARK, Voyager or Motherpeace decks for the body and spirit. Goddess Cards and Medicine/Animal cards work well for the mind and emotions. However, I often switch them around, or I'll introduce another deck that I am attracted in the moment.

8. Next, reflect and write about the impressions, messages or insights that you receive from the cards or runes images in your notebook/ lunar diary. Write freely and do not stop writing for at least 5-10 minutes.

9. Place the four cards or runes on your altar or nightstand so you can stay focused during the next two weeks on your creation. This visual reminder also allows more awareness and insight to filter through your consciousness and your dreams.

10. (Optional) After reflecting on the cards or runes and recording information obtained, I pause to allow a musical representation come to me. I jot down whatever comes to mind. It can be a song, lyrics, or one or more vibrational notes. Initially, what you hear or what comes to mind may or may not make sense, but the lyrics, notes or rythym are usually clear by the Full or Disseminating moon. If nothing immediately comes to mind during the New Moon Ceremony, do not force it. Often the music or song will come to you in another way…usually in the dream state.

11. Finally, write a clear affirmation for your manifestation, say a prayer of thanksgiving and drink the water in your bowl, imagining the flow of your wish and its outcome into each cell of your body. (Optional: use the water as the base for a flower essences combination.) Do not blow out the candles and allow them to go out naturally.

12. Give the offering as guidance or insight directs, at the first available opportunity.


© 2009 by Dana Stone. All Rights Reserved.

~~~

Dana Stone is an International Coaching Federation Certified Empowerment Coach with over 30 years of successful managerial and executive leadership experience. A graduate of the University of California, Davis, she holds several leadership and teambuilding certifications along with extensive training and experience in energy principled therapies including metaphysics and quantum healing. Her unusual combination of executive leadership and experience in the intuitive healing arts enhance her value as a catalyst and coach in both business and personal matters. Dana brings a unique perspective and blend of art, science, business and intuition to help all clients achieve personal and professional success." Visit her Astral Coach website.

Photo credit: NEW MOON © Zuboff Dreamstime.com

Next New Moon: Apr. 24 at 8:23p PDT. Adjust for your time zone in the US or World.

DREAM DATE: Don’t forget Joyce’s appearance on Paranormal Connection on Monday, 9:00 pm PDT.