A First Quarter Moon of Difficult Grace

Saturday's First Quarter Moon is a potentially difficult and almost certainly enlightening lunation, with relationship communication emphasized. Venus in mid-Gemini is aspected by the Sun and Moon, and Mercury, ruling Gemini, is also stronger than usual as, moving quite slowly, it regains its Zodiacal longitude that it lost during its recent retrograde. Communication is important in relationship, as we all know. Only by sharing the point of view that you have, even though it differs from that of another, can there be any hope of resolution. If on the other hand you stuff your actual reaction for the sake of peace, the act of suppression might come back later to haunt you. In the co-evolution that we are all currently engaged in, it is important to be on the same page, or at least to be aware of the page that the other is on. And this concept applies equally well to countries, or to nationalist groupings.

This quarter Moon configuration also brings back a touch of the current Uranus-Pluto interchange by virtue of the aspects that it makes to two powerhouse planets. They were most recently triggered by the cardinal cross configuration of late April, and are now 4 degrees from exact, although still active. They will come together for one more exact hit before the end of the year. The Sun and Moon in this current configuration make a T-square to Pluto, and widely aspect Uranus as well, and therefore once more bring in these two powerful planetary archetypes in combination, the hallmark of this intense decade. The transformational evolution implied by the collision of these outer planets is truly revolutionary, not only for the society that we live in but also for ourselves individually. Each one of us is on his or her own time schedule with respect to the potentially massive changes that we are in the midst of, and in regard to our growing recognition that we need to make them.

Saturn is actually coming into the picture of Uranus and Pluto as well, during this month of July only, and in particular at this time of increased tension in the lunation cycle. This is via a yod to Venus from Saturn and Pluto as well as the inconjunct that Saturn makes to Uranus. This symbolism lies in the heart of what seminal 20th century astrologer Dane Rudhyar called this phase of "crisis in action," or the timing when in response to events we must actually make a move, and go "all in" if necessary. The presence of Saturn tells us that in order to be realistic about our chances we must redouble our efforts to get to the next level of what we are attempting. If we want to actually make something happen in our lives in a way that is consistent with our highest principles and our best regard for who we, at base, truly are all about, then we have to show up for that. In spite of possible future lives in other times or different dimensions we have only this one life to get it right for ourselves and for subsequent generations.

The Sabian Symbols as usual have something to contribute; for the Sun in the 14th degree of Cancer we have the numinous symbol of "a very old man facing a vast space to the northeast." Rudhyar comments that the northeast is the direction from which arrive the cosmic impulses that drive us in our higher manifestations. We are each, somewhere inside of ourselves, that wise old man, facing the vastness of the enormous changes that are in process. The Moon's, for the 14th degree of Libra, reads "A noon siesta." This symbol reminds us that, when the going gets tough and we have thrown at the situation just about everything we've got, it's OK to just give ourselves a break. We do need to relax and recuperate when necessary, while storing up the energy to enable us to have the stamina to take on the next challenge. Blessed be.