NEW MOON2/8/05 1:29 p.m. at 20 Aquarius 16
Sabian: A woman disappointed and disillusioned.
Chandra: A beautiful woman dressed in white. She is wearing a large silver crescent on her head. The crescent is pointing upward.
Polarity symbols (Leo)
Sabian: Chickens intoxicated.
Chandra: A holly bush covered with berries. It is in the snow.
The Leo/Aquarius issue being dealt with here is the polarity of self-seeking / Self-seeking, of being attuned to personal desires or being attuned to universal laws.
In the New Moon symbols we see this polarity pictured at its extremes. Both picture women - the feminine, intuitive self. But the first has lost her way; she is disillusioned, life has had one disappointment after another. She has lost her Self. The second is, for those who are acquainted with lunar mysteries, a portrait of a Lunar Priestess - a woman who has found her Self and become empowered by it.
The Leo symbols carry on this theme in two very different pictures. The first seems a ridiculous, almost cartoon, picture. Yet I have seen drunk chickens! They had fed on the mash left from making applejack, and were definitely inebriated! The rooster tried several times before finally managing to land on the chicken coop roof so he could herald the rise of the setting sun! Then he tumbled off the roof, passed out! Yet, we know there is a deeper meaning behind this Disneyesque picture. One of the meanings associated with the chickens (especially so with the cock) is that of awakening. As they are birds, this would be the awakening of spirit. However, these chickens have opened too much and let Spirit totally overpower them - much as the maenads were overcome during Dionysian celebrations.
The evergreen holly flowers in July and bears fruit throughout the winter months. The specific mention of snow shows this is the holly meant. Teutonic tribes considered it sacred to Holle (whence its name) or Hel, the underworld Goddess of death and rebirth. To the Celts it was so holy that even a medieval English carol says "the holly bears the crown." The Druids considered it the female counterpart of the male mistletoe (its red berries were the Goddess' menstrual blood as the mistletoe's white berries were the God's semen) and so used it at Winter Solstice as a symbol of continuing life. In the Greek Dionysian cult, female holly got paired with male ivy, and both were used at Winter Solstice, even after Christianity became the major religion. (The Council of Bracara in 563 C.E. ruled no Christian should bring holly in the house at Christmas as it was a heathen custom, but the practice continued.). The people felt as a symbol of continuing life, it was a necessary power to draw on at the coldest, darkest time of the year. It was an affirmation that life would continue, that the Spiral of Life would go on, that rebirth would follow death.
Taking all these ideas and symbols, we can see the impetus for this cycle is to seek the Self. We are given two pictures of what this can lead to - the power-filled Priestess and the holly, the assurance of rebirth. This is emphasized in that both are female symbols, symbols of the Intuitive Self.
The danger of opening too soon, too fast, to Self is pointed out in the chicken symbol. One must not get lost in ecstasy, but keep things in balance.
The danger of seeking only self, not Self, is clearly shown in the New Moon Sabian symbol.
Lonsdale puts the possibility of this Moon in these words (for the Aquarian Chandra symbol): "In the dance of time, there comes a fresh cycle where the high feminine spirit comes into her own. She is the Queen of Heavens, yet she belongs in the Earth. And as she comes to herself, she brings the worlds together, repolarizes and articulates the power of love."
May we each strive toward that goal this New Moon.
FULL MOON2/23/05 2:54 p.m. at 5 Virgo 41
Sabian: A merry-go-round
Chandra: A banyan tree that creates an entire forest
Polarity Symbols (Pisces)
Sabian: Officers on dress parade
Chandra: An Inca chief wearing many emeralds.
The polarity changes here to Virgo/Pisces, the Existence Axis. Virgo is concerned with everyday realities; Pisces, with Otherworldly realities. In these symbols they equate to liner and cyclical.
Most of us are familiar with the carousel, the circle of animals - often horses - moving up and down. Many carousels had brass rings hung high which, if captured and turned in, entitled one to a free ride. Some scholars trace the idea of the carousel back to the mystery/morality scenes that were mounted on wagons and moved in a large circle while lords and ladies observed from a pavilion in the center. Whether this is true or not, the carousel does present a metaphor of human life. We ride our dreams (horses often symbolize the dream world), sometimes moving up, sometimes failing and falling down, but always going on, hoping to 'grab the brass ring' and have our dreams come true. It is an engaging symbol of our cycle of life.
The banyan tree is a highly unusual tree. It starts with a single trunk; but as it grows, it drops down growths that root into the soil and also become trees, still connected to the central "parent" tree. The single banyan becomes a circular grove. For this reason it is reverenced by Hindus and planted around their temples.
In the Pisces symbols we see an emphasis on the 'masculine' mode. the linear mode. Both use men as symbols of worldly success - military officers and an Incan emperor. These men have reached pinnacles of power. The officers are expressly moving forward in a straight line ("on parade"). The Incan's power is emphasized by his wearing emeralds, the costliest of gems.
As often happens, we see the polarities "flip" in these symbols. We would expect the '"linear" symbols in Virgo and the '"cyclical" ones in Pisces, but the opposite happens. This is always a signal that the message is to balance these two polarities. One must recognize the cyclicity of life, yet one must also strive for "linear" goals. One must balance Otherworldly effort with Worldly striving.
Thus, even when we gain our Selves, we must still meet our worldly obligations. As the old Buddhist saying goes: Chop wood, Gain enlightenment, Chop wood.
Looking Further:
The New Moon is heavily aspected: conjunct Mercury and Neptune, sextile Pluto and the North Node, trine Jupiter, square Ceres, and quincunx Saturn! Added to this, we have Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Juno, as well as the Sun and Moon, in Aquarius!
Taken as a whole, this emphasizes the importance of our goal for this lunar cycle: to connect with our Higher Selves, to become like the Priestess-bringing our self and Self, the mundane and spiritual together.
The aspects to Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, North Node and Jupiter all help this quest: Mercury lends its mental power, Neptune aids transcendence, Pluto helps us deepen our innate power, and Jupiter always helps spiritual quests. The North Node sextile is balanced out by the trine to the South Node, of course, but the fact the New Moon aspects the Nodal Path intimates that this lunar cycle has evolutionary consequences, both for us as individuals and for humanity. The square to Ceres suggests we may be distracted by family concerns or health issues, while the Saturn quincunx says adjustments in our sense of duty or in our prioritizing may need to be made.
At the Full Moon we find Juno and Uranus tightly conjunct the Sun (and, of course, opposed the Moon). Most people connect Juno only with marriage, which is a mistake. Juno also has to do with "keeping accounts" (whether dollars, favors one owes or to "settle scores" with someone) and the "marriage" of self and Self or human and Deity. Keeping the whole lunar cycle in mind, one can see the latter type of marriage is what applies here, underscoring the theme of the full cycle - balancing self and Self, spiritual and mundane, cyclical and linear. Uranus suggests that we must find our own unique path in doing this - and may find it uncomfortable at times!
All in all, this is a very powerful cycle for us to progress on our Higher Path while also making our way in mundane reality.
© Kasey Kester - 2005
