NEW MOON May 8, 2005, at 17 Taurus 52
Sabian: A woman holding a bag out of a window.
Chandra: A woman with hundreds of breasts.
Polarity symbols (Scorpio)
Sabian: A woods rich in autumn coloring.
Chandra: People holding hands around a table. One candle is burning in the middle of the table.
The theme for this lunar cycle takes an unusual slant for the Taurus/Scorpio polarity which deals with resource and power issues. Here the issue is resources, but the emphasis is on resources used for others.
The Taurus set of symbols deals with individual service. The use of "woman" denotes nurturing, whether by a male or female. The Sabian symbol is that of humble, everyday service - cleaning house. The Chandra symbol shows that sometimes people are "called upon to give something beyond them and to do so selflessly... to know only that there is somebody...who must have sustenance and inspiration."
The Scorpio symbols show people pooling resources. Jones calls it "high ministry of service...brought to its genuine fruitage by the eternal and illimitable resources on every hand." The Chandra symbol depicts some type of ritual. Lonsdale describes it as "Gathering in the name of a greater vision. Pooling resources, tapping what each does best, both inside the self and in soul links with others."
This New Moon asks us to serve, whether through mundane tasks or through spiritual means, whether alone or in a group. No type of service is "higher" than the other. The important thing is to do for others.
FULL MOON May 23, 2005, at 2 Sagittarius 47
Sabian: Two men playing chess.
Chandra: Clouds overhead seen in a reflecting pool.
Polarity Symbols (Gemini)
Sabian: The garden of the Tuileries.
Chandra: A dense thicket of brambles surrounding a magic castle.
Gemini/Sagittarius often deals with the mental plane, as it does here. We often see Gemini as "lower" mind and Sagittarius as "higher" mind. Here that distinction disappears for each set shows the mind used in a practical way and in a spiritual way.
The Sagittarius Sabian symbol plainly shows a fine use of the rational mind. The Chandra symbol shows a means of meditation used by many different cultures through the centuries - gazing into still water, sometimes, as here, into a special reflecting pool built for that purpose.
The Gemini symbols continue the contrast. The Sabian symbol depicts man's "ability to bring all his capabilities to some graceful and exquisite self-expression."
The Chandra symbol is more complex. The brambles are the "externals, obstacles, postponements [that] absorb your mind." The castle is the "magic" place we reach in meditation or the "aha" moment. It is where we manage to find the Eternal Now.
The message here is to balance the rational and spiritual elements of the mind. In the New Moon symbols we found both mundane and spiritual service. The Full Moon symbols underscore we need to be in both spheres. Both say both spheres are good.
Looking Further:
The New Moon squares Neptune, the planet of service. While the square pushes us to serve, it also cautions us to not sacrifice ourselves unwisely.
© Kasey Kester - 2005
