New Moon Approaching – Photo: astrologyally.com
New Moon Approaching
As we allow this post-holiday second week of July to play itself out, I’m reminded that there’s a new moon approaching that will arrive this Friday evening at 9:16 p.m. EDT. As always, because a new moon (also known as the dark moon) is exactly conjunct the Sun, then whatever sign the sun is in, the moon is too. Thus, this will be a Cancer new moon because the Sun is in Cancer too.
Please forgive me if my explanation is too basic for you. But for the longest time, I never really paid attention to the technicalities of what makes a moon new or full, or what a conjunction, opposition, square, or trine of planets (and the luminaries: Sun and Moon) means. And even after all the books I’ve read, readings I’ve had, and podcasts I’ve listened to, I still need to stop and think about it. So when I’m moved to write about astrological stuff in my posts, I like to explain it as best as I can so you can visualize it.
Thus experiencing a new moon this Friday evening means both the Moon and the Sun are in the sign of Cancer. And among other attributes, Cancer is the sign in which the Moon is very much at home. It’s a sign that is intimately connected to our emotions, nurturing, care and compassion – and the concepts of family and home.
As with all new moons, it marks a new beginning. The time of a new moon is the best and most powerful time to plant the seeds of new ideas or ways of being, start new jobs, begin new projects, strike out on fresh new adventures, and set powerful intentions.
Other Players, Too
As I’ve written about a number of times already (and linked to a number of astrologers who’ve explained it a lot better than I can even synopsize), this year’s theme, if you will, has been centered on Saturn ‘squaring’ Uranus. In point of fact, these two massive planets exactly square each other three times in 2021. The second of these three exact squares was on June 14th, and the final square will occur on December 23rd.
Saturn is the planet associated with rules, foundations, laws, patriarchy, the ‘way things have always been done,’ and structure.
It’s also associated with shame and ‘shoulds,’ which kind of makes sense. If we don’t follow the rules or do things the way they’ve always been done (or the way we’ve been told), then those in a position of power to punish or judge us can heap guilt or shame on our heads. It’s important to note here that we hold the power of shame and guilt over our own selves – just as much as any external authority can wield it against us.
In the wider world, Saturn can represent the foundations of society, our government, ‘The Law,’ hierarchies of power, etc.
As I mentioned, Saturn is squaring (or another way of looking at it is challenging or provoking) the planet of Uranus pretty much all year, but we had a direct ‘hit’ on June 14th and we’re still feeling the effects of that because these outer planets move so slowly. Uranus is associated with radical transformation, sudden illumination, explosive shifts or changes in perspective and is often depicted in association with lightning. When these two planets are in square aspect to each other, it’s not hard to see where this could lead.
My Feeling
I have to laugh when I write ‘my feeling,’ since the sign of Cancer is all about feelings. But it feels to me as if this new moon is asking us to acknowledge those places in our lives where some major shaking of foundations has taken place – and to decide how and what we want to start building anew. What seeds do we want to plant that will replace those old structures, foundations, beliefs, or stories that we told ourselves (and based our lives upon) that have essentially been shaken or, in some cases, struck by lightning and blown up.
It feels really important that we all give ourselves the chance to sit quietly, take stock and honestly look at what has left us or fallen down or away in our lives over the past six months (representing the first two of the three squares of Saturn and Uranus).
And we need to ask ourselves: what do we want to plant after we clear away the rubble? It feels especially important for us to pay attention to our emotions as we engage in this reflection. What do we want to feel as we move forward? Who will we consider to be our ‘family?’ What do family and the foundations family represents mean to us moving forward?
I’m mentioning this now because the new moon isn’t until Friday. I don’t know about you, but I need a few days to really sit with this and make some choices.
(T-144)