A Last Quarter Moon of Realignment, Miracle and Wonder

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Henry Seltzer of ASTROGRAPH.COM

These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long-distance call.
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all.

The way we look to a distant constellation
That is dying in a corner of the sky...
These are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.
- Paul Simon

Tuesday's Last Quarter Moon comes at an exciting moment in the lunation cycle that began on July 4th, and at quite an interesting time in American politics as well. Everything seems to be up in the air right now, almost literally. This lunar phase in any case represents a reassessment of existing conditions along the lines of a new perspective, what noted 20th century astrologer Dane Rudhyar called a "crisis in consciousness," when what has come before this moment in time gets to be viewed from the more experienced perspective supplied by the information gleaned from the cycle thus far. And to bolster the concept of taking a fresh look at what we have going on, both individually and within our larger social groupings, we have also a close trine between Mercury at 23 Leo and the Uranus- Eris conjunction, their midpoint just a few minutes of a degree different, providing another good dose of the trickster emblem of sudden events leading to unexpected enlightenment, together with the addition of the Feminine Warrior archetype of Eris, oftentimes seen as disruptive, and yet whose more significant meaning is a realignment of values in the direction of deep soul intention, thus paving the way for individual and societal change.

There is also in this Last Quarter Moon configuration a strong declinational aspect between Moon, Uranus and Neptune, just as Saturn, in a collision of antithetical signifiers, is also closely squaring Neptune. The Neptunian symbolism in combination with Uranus leads to a powerful stance that allies itself with a higher sense of reality beyond the physical plane, that place from whence magical possibility, in the guise of angel guidance, makes its point of contact with the human condition. Even though the nay-saying limitation of Saturn is definitely in the picture also, so that what we have going now is far from smooth sailing, still there is the overriding sense of the wonder of creation, when we can remain open to it. As astrologer Caroline Casey tells us, the cosmos is ready, willing, and more than able to come to our assistance; it is just that spiritual etiquette requires that we first have the grace, and the courage, to ask.

So as we head into another big week for American politics, with the whole world watching, one take-away from this configuration is that the series of unlikely happenings that we have seen thus far is likely to persist. Of course it is also the case that we can elevate ourselves above the seeming contradictions and polarities of these fractious times if we have the will to do so. The strong presence of Uranus, aided and abetted by Neptune and Eris, makes for a powerful indication that unexpected events will continue and that they might yet have, in the end, an ultimately beneficial effect. In an election season that is shaping up to be the strangest in U.S. history, it is hard to imagine what else can happen, but one thing is certain: the surprises are far from over.

The Sabian Symbols for this Last Quarter Moon are informative as well. They are, for the Sun, in the 5th degree of Leo, "Rock formations at the edge of a precipice," reminding us perhaps of how close we are as a society to falling over a cliff. Marc Edmund Jones calls this "a symbol of reality in crisis, offering a challenge to [us] until action or decision becomes an immediate necessity." He goes on to provide food for thought by stating that "personality only achieves its stability at the threshold of the risks that it is willing to take." For the Moon in the same degree of Taurus we find, in another rather dire wording: "A widow at an open grave." This would seem to indicate the challenge that we collectively have right now that we find a new life going forward, having come though an exhaustion of other possibilities. Jones remarks upon "the need for inner and constant return to every enduring value achieved by the self, [releasing] all outworn elements of experience." Indeed, in the face of a largely dysfunctional society, it may be high time to put this attitude into action.