THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST NEW MOONS WE’VE HAD IN A WHILE!
NEW MOON, 8 LIBRA 15,
September 30, 8:11pm EDT, 5:11pm PDT
October 1, 12:11am BST, 7:11am AEST

Image: Makemake, illustration by author for PLANETARY GODS AND GODDESSES COLORING BOOK.

[A second New Moon in a month is called a BLACK MOON, not to be confused with Black Moon Lilith! This Black Moon is not occurring everywhere, as the calendar has already flipped into October from Europe to Australia. But it sure sounds right that the U.S.A. is experiencing a Black Moon! [That’s about as political as I’m going to get about the current reality show.]

This NEW MOON is accompanied by JUPITER, newly in the sign of The Scales. Big planet JUPITER is known for such concepts as Justice, Wisdom, Universal Law, Grace and Benevolence, now to be applied in Libra, the premier sign of relationship and balance, of how ideas, things and people relate to each other. Libra is the sign of the Scales. Lately these Scales have been tipped to extremes, with a polarizing effect that stretches us beyond any balanced level. It feels like the elastic band should already have snapped. Perhaps that’s what we are seeing in this global chaos and breakouts of violence. Perhaps this New Moon will bring things more into balance, a feat likely to require listening, discussion and mediation. Is compromise possible, or even desirable?

Negotiations on all levels—personal, societal, global—will be gearing up in this next 12 months. Jupiter moves into serious dialogues with Pluto and then Uranus in late November and then through the summer of 2017. In the meantime, we can start talking about what needs to happen, what will be of greatest benefit. Let’s at least hear some GOOD news to balance out all the anxiety-producing media hits. For such good news, we may have to look closer to home, tune into our own personal networks and look for such. There is a lot of good news to enjoy, in simple acts of kindness, moments of beauty, laughter and serendipity.

Libra is about choices and how we make them. Take a measure of your choices. What are they based on? Anxiety and fear or personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. More choices appear as we look for solutions out of the box. It’s often a matter of what we are willing to believe.

Here’s some good Cosmic News from the outer solar system! Dwarf Planet MAKEMAKE is in early Libra, joining in on this new lunar cycle. It’s one of the new Kuiper Belt Objects discovered in the third millennium, with an orbit of 310 years around the Sun. Many of these objects are being named for indigenous creator gods. We need them! Such ancient knowledge is arising through many such gods and goddesses giving their names to new astronomical discoveries, moving us beyond the Greco-Roman mythic paradigm into another realm of collective consciousness. This is one of the most significant things to happen to astrology —not to mention astronomy— in a long time. It’s challenging to wrap our minds around.

A complex and mysterious creator god, Bird-Man of the Rapa Nui people from what we call Easter Island, Makemake offers unusual options that come from a keen observance of undercurrents overcurrents. This tiny island in the middle of the Pacific is in a crossroads between South America and Polynesia, a place rich with sea life, birds riding the wind and the lure of sea-faring. Hundreds of huge, mysterious stone heads look out to sea with an inscrutable gaze, with suggestions of esoteric power and ritual meaning. Some have bodies buried in the ground as much as 30 feet down. What is this about? It’s a beacon of a place, like a remote lighthouse beckoning us to ask questions and open our minds to original answers. Are you ready for such a voyage?

I am eager to learn more of Makemake (mah-kay-mah-kay). A number of astrologers are putting out good information. I found this extensive article by Alison Chester-Lambert to be especially interesting. She recently journeyed to Easter Island. http://www.midlandsschoolofastrology.co.uk/makemake_great_sea_spirit_of_easter_island.html

MARS, just into organized Capricorn, is squaring the Jupiter/New Moon. There’s lots of energy that indicates a time to DO something, to move your situation along. Other people are likely involved. As Mars moves further into Libra, it, too, will enter into the global discussion with the outer planets. Design some plan of change-making action to implement in the last half of October, when Mars conjuncts Pluto and squares Uranus. It will be very interesting to see what is happening at that time.

Mars is at its best in this earth sign, taking all past experience and accomplishments into consideration to respond to the current situation. Personally, use your experience to forge a plan and move along it. Don’t take for granted that things are going to be working the way they have been. We are moving beyond that, leaving old systems, rules and habits behind. This is a pragmatic, “let’s-get-it-together” mode of action, with a forward movement that can be inventive, savvy and strategic. Simple, basic, effective is the key. Take care, stay vigilant and grounded. Measure each step you take.

NEPTUNE and the SOUTH NODE of the MOON in PISCES are slowly floating toward each other. This suggests increasing dissolution of what we tend to define as reality. Give yourself plenty of time to come back into balance during and after each day, to maintain your equilibrium. SATURN in SAGITTARIUS and NEPTUNE in PISCES continue to challenge each other. Neptune is dissolving old Saturn realities, boundaries and beliefs, while Saturn seeks to maintain forward momentum in a direction that harnesses the waters for a positive outcome. Pisces and Sagittarius agree on vision, imagination, idealism. How to find a common vision we can all agree upon—that is the argument in such a time of polarity.

Libra is an aesthetic sign that appreciates beauty and proportion. It takes MEASURE of all things, comparing and contrasting, weighing both sides to come to an understanding. When we measure something, we are determining size, amount or degree by comparing it to a known quantity, often using a measuring device. On another level, MEASURE also to means to consider carefully, as in measuring one’s words or actions in relation to the current situation. MEASURE also refers to a plan or course of action taken to achieve a particular purpose, as in “I am going to take measures to address this situation.”

Take a clear measure of what is meaningful for you in relation to your life. This is the conversation worth having. We are likely to find we have a lot more choices than we think we do. Let’s collaborate to find the best solutions and move on it.
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