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It's a subtle difference, I admit, but it's there nevertheless. Life's psychological rhythm has a different sequence, depending on whether the New Moon in a particular sign forms first, followed about two weeks later by the Full Moon in that same sign ... or whether the Full Moon forms first, followed then by the New Moon in that sign.
Knowing where to put your attention and when simply helps you navigate your way through life's currents, eddies and slipstreams more easily. So, this is a situation where "details count" ... and so do the nuances of where Life's energy is trying to lead you -- and the rest of us.
This is what the New Moon looks like to an Astrologer.
In Astrology, the New Moon forms when the Sun and the Moon are conjunct in the sky. That is, when the Sun and Moon occupy the same degree and minute of arc in the celestial circle of the Zodiac. On the paper chart of a horoscope, this is shown by the alignment of these two cosmic citizens in the same sign and house (and degree and minute of arc). In the real world, this moment of conjunction signals a literal union of personal ambition and willpower with emotional commitment and heartfelt desire.
It brings a powerful focus of energy -- a monthly concurrence of who you are and how you feel -- to one of the twelve important areas of life contained in the circle of a horoscope. You can learn more on The Celestial Event of the New Moon here.
There are 13 new moon cycles in a calendar year. The occurrence of each new moon (which marks the beginning of the cycle) rotates backward through the numerical days of each successive month. That is, each new moon occurs a day or two before the numerical date of its predecessor.
This is what the Full Moon looks like to an Astrologer.
The Full Moon, as you might imagine ... and according to lore and legend ... depicts a set of conflicting impulses or desires. It is the confrontation of Sun energy -- what you and your self-image are working on now -- with Moon energy, which represents an opposing set of interests and values acting on your emotional center, and kicking up feelings you can't ignore or push away rooted in the powerful desires of your subconscious.
The Full Moon represents the metaphorical and psychological equivalent of being torn between two masters, unable to serve either fully. It is the very definition of inner ambivalence. No wonder it drives people crazy.
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behind a central life theme
When the New Moon for a sign forms first in the sign -- before the corresponding Full Moon opposition for that sign, Life's natural rhythm invites you to consolidate your personal focus and emotional commitment behind a single set of issues -- the natural concerns of the sign where the New Moon occurs.
When the New Moon forms in Aries, for instance, you're working to experience and develop your self-awareness, your independence, your initiative, your pioneering spirit. All of these are Aries concerns. For a couple of weeks once a year, we devote our spiritual focus to examining, experiencing and fortifying them -- to keep them in working order as part of our conscious character.
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Nature seems to understand that we're apt to become so involved in this project, we go overboard in our dedication. We become a little TOO self-centered, too bossy, too pushy, too unconcerned with how our behavior and choices can affect those around us. Untempered Warrior energy can be mighty offensive, even dangerous.
And so, Life, with its built-in system of checks and balances, presents us with the counterbalancing invitation to remember our manners. It reminds us to try to be more cooperative. It shows us that diplomacy is not a skill to toss carelessly in the trash -- because having other people around can sometimes be a good thing. We don't want to completely ruin our connection to partners, allies and mates by being total jerks.
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This change of consciousness comes with the Full Moon in Libra opposing the Sun in Aries -- impressing on us the message that we are not alone in the world. Other people have rights -- including the right to respect and courtesy. Other people with their presence supply us with their own valuable gifts -- things we can't easily supply for ourselves. Companionship. Other points of view. A second pair of helping hands. Reinforcements when a struggle that has us in its grip gets intense and nasty.
These themes play out again and again throughout the year in each of the Zodiac signs. And this sequence of imbalance-and-rebalance feels very natural and logical to me. Perhaps it does to you, as well. As I said, this is the pattern when the New Moon forms first, followed about two weeks later by the corresponding Full Moon time of reassessment and adjustment.
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But a reversal of this pattern plays out, too. Sometimes the Full Moon comes first -- followed two weeks later by the appropriate New Moon in the sign. Under this drama, the split concerns, the division of our loyalties arrives first, and after we've wrestled with this problem for a while, we make up our minds to come down solidly on the side of the sign's natural concerns -- if only for the comfort of feeling whole and unified again.
This natural rotation does give us the chance to view our Life's concerns from both sides of the river -- from both our consolidated perspective and from the schizophrenic place of feeling torn in half -- and having to heal the rift. It's a rhythm that comes to us over and over, literally forwards and backwards, as the years roll on.
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I have to admit the New Moon / Full Moon sequence feels more natural to me. Unity dissolving into polarity. Focused awareness ... followed by expansion. I resonate more easily to that logic. But then I was born under the New Moon in Aries. That's exactly what my Natal Chart says is "me."
The other way around, Life presents you with a problem ... the division that needs a resolution. Choices demanding some kind of reconciliation. Polarity folding into unity. Sure, that's a cycle that works, too. Undoubtedly, some people prefer it to the other.
And so Life in its wisdom gives us all our own way part of the time, and asks us to learn something foreign part of the time. Stretch a little. Hone new skills. Step outside our comfort zone -- and grow. I agree. That works for me, too.
If you've always known there was more to Astrology than Sun Sign material and the three line daily horoscope in the newspaper, climb aboard and follow this blog. You'll find a world of wisdom detailing how you were designed to work with life ... and why you are the way you are -- all in quick-to-read, easy-to-digest-and-remember, written-in-plain-English essays that offer plenty of food for thought.
Little by little, I'm doing a set of articles that talks about all the elements in your horoscope and what they have to say about you. If you "know something" about Astrology -- or know something about your chart placements, that will help you get more from this material.
If you don't ... well, this is one place you can learn. We all have to start somewhere ... because we aren't born knowing this stuff. Meanwhile, if you've never seen your horoscope ... and don't have a clue how to work with it, maybe it's time to find out. There are lots of "chart services" on the internet -- some of whom produce decent, readable charts "for free" and some are so awful and confusing that even I can't read them easily -- and I've worked with charts for decades.
One extremely user-friendly chart site is here: AstroLabe. I recommend them if you want a simple, easy-to-read chart. I think they even give a reasonable little interpretive reading of your horoscope as part of the package. You'll need to know your birth information -- day, month, year, time and geographical place. Without all that your chart will have limited accuracy.
Or, if you want to get serious and really talk about this, upvote this post and start a conversation in the comments section sometime in the next six days from the time of publication. We'll go from there depending on what you want to know.
Questions about any of this? -- Upvote this post and talk to me in comments. It's a terrific way to build value for yourself and the community ... and it will give me ideas of what to write about in future posts. Believe me there is lots to say about the way The Sun, The Moon -- and all the other elements in a horoscope, all the other components of Astrology -- work together to interpret you and your story -- and what it all means to the person you've become.
Although sometimes the background pictures in our visual essays support the topic and text, they don't always. Sometimes the connection is clear. Sometimes it's symbolic and subtle. Sometimes, there's no connection at all.
The scenes depict landscapes and natural features, buildings and wildlife. They were chosen because they show something lovely or interesting ... or simply because the photo appealed to me.
Our spectacular and remarkable planet is changing at astonishing speed. Rarely are these changes for the better. Few people seem to know ... or care ... or have the will and power to do anything about this. It may not be long before the world humans have known and lived in for centuries is forever lost. We certainly won't be able to make repairs as fast as we destroyed it.
So a few years ago I began collecting pictures of the way things were ... and still are for now, a record of the beauty we have while it is still ours to love and honor.
The photos here are part of that collection, with sincere thanks to the artists who saw these moments ... and with their cameras ... preserved them. All of us at Enchanted Spirit are profoundly grateful to them for their generosity and skill ... and for the added grace, depth and dimension their art brings to ours.
Original images used under this Creative Commons license or this Creative Commons license and modified by added text.
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