A Relationship-Oriented Last Quarter Moon

The Last Quarter Moon taking place early on Wednesday morning, in the first degree of Pisces, is interesting as it coincides precisely with the Sun's entrance into rational and intellectually curious Gemini. We have a therefore far greater ability and inclination than usual to apply the logic of left-brain solutions to our currently multiple dilemmas — as symbolized by recent outer planet transits reflecting radical transformation at both social and personal levels. On the other hand, the Moon in Neptune's sign of Pisces reflects a different talent, one that we require in equal measure, to see everything from this numinous and otherworldly perspective, wavering as though glimpsed through an underwater garden patrolled by strange fish, where paradox seems no longer impossible but rather just an ordinary part of the landscape. We therefore might need to practice staying as rationally aware as possible while still remaining open to the fundamentally paradoxical nature of our soul-level inner world.

As the Sun and Moon thus collide in square formation, we have another mighty cross-current represented by the ongoing mutual reception of Venus and Mars, these two symbols of feminine and masculine, Yin and Yang, located in the signs of their respective rulership, Libra and Aries. Mars having just stationed to forward or 'direct' motion two days earlier, also in its closest approach to the earth of the last six years, is tremendously emphasized now. Found in the tenth degree of the relationship-oriented sign of Libra, Mars also makes a quincunx or inconjunct aspect to the mystical other-dimensionality of Neptune, in Pisces, near the quarter moon. The current astrological theme would seem to include a good dose of the shape-shifting and fuzzily distorted thinking symbolized by Neptune, a time when "logic and proportion have fallen soggy dead" as declared in Gracie Slick's phrase from the sixties anthem "White Rabbit," in contrast to smug, straight-ahead, black-and-white ratiocination. Meanwhile, Venus, in the sign presided over by Mars, is a bit stressed out and highlighted by aspects with outer planets as well, notably a semi-square with Neptune and an inconjunct with the limiting factor represented by Saturn.

Since Venus is prominent in the chart of this Last Quarter Moon, along with Mars, and because this lunar phase is philosophical in nature, all about reassessing where we have been, as well as where we are going, and why, the time period of the next seven days leading up to the Gemini New Moon involves meditating on the concept of relationship motivation with significant others in our lives versus independent action. With Neptune so involved we are also being asked to plumb the very depths of ourselves in order to better define the question and to seek out the glimmer of an answer. We all need each other, in both obvious and subtle ways, and yet we need autonomy as well. Too much of either and we lose something precious in the process. It is, in general, a delicate balance that you may need to strike, as you consider what relationship in your life means to you, and how to make it work, and as you strive for the highest and most complete understanding of yourself, at all levels.

The Sabian Symbols for this Last Quarter Moon present an interesting view of the unconscious factors deep beneath the surface areas of our lives. These might be central to the exploration of how, really, our relationship dynamic is going. For the Sun in the first degree of Gemini we have: "A glass bottom boat reveals undersea wonders," which Marc Edmond Jones likens to a "high competence in the estimation of life's potentials." We would of course also think of Neptunian undersea thought process and the necessity of considering the profound as well as the more superficial portions of our experience. For the Moon, "A public market." This is an obvious symbol for the everyday world that flows alongside our deepest and most subtle internal awareness, the opposite of privacy. Indeed, just as with issues of relationship versus independence, if we are to progress in our understanding of ourselves at these deeper levels that we all aspire to, we need both. We need the comfort and the humanness of the madding crowd that constantly surrounds us, and yet we also need the solitary depth of our own unique individual experience.

A Relationship-Oriented Last Quarter Moon

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Chart for the Last Quarter Moon on May 21, 2014

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