The Libra New Moon ? A Time for Discernment

This New Moon, taking place in the 23rd degree of Libra early on Monday morning, brings us fresh energy at an important time, as we shift seasons into fall and winter from the easy weather of the summer months. Within our collective organizations we are also shifting, as the school year begins, the responsibilities of the holiday season near, and in America in this year particularly, the presidential season looms. The Day of the Dead, celebrated in America as Halloween, also approaches and we might be reminded that at this time of the year the veil between the worlds seems to thin, so that we are subject to the intrusions of the numinous into ordinary affairs.

This symbolism is reflected in the powerful configurations that accompany this New Moon energy of late Libra. Saturn, having moved into Scorpio, contacts numinous and otherworldly Neptune by trine, while the New Moon forms a quintile aspect of 72 degrees to Scorpio's ruler, Pluto, residing in Capricorn. The mutual reception of Pluto and Saturn enhances their interaction and reflects the transformational nature of these times - when familiar structures are falling apart; presumably in order that they might be reconstituted nearer to our collective heart's true desire.

The Moon parallels Neptune, and the Sun parallels Saturn, so that both the practicality of the Saturnian impulse and the free-wheeling numinousity of Neptune are each given a boost by the light of this New Moon, while their trine remains within about half a degree of exact, and while their interaction pulls closer to the earth the mystical and creative energies of the unknown darkness within the psyche. Primitive societies were frightened of old by this energy, known to them as the influence of ancestors and spirits of all kinds, and sought to propitiate these dark powers with ritual, certainly one valid way to respond to these energies — and one that is carried over into the religious institutions of our own day. Just as Saturn allows these spiritual powers to become more tangible, Neptune also takes Saturn away from its earth-bound center into fantasy. This is a time when we must beware of the dangers of self-deception and of the confusion that arises when we idealize a situation too completely so that we miss the signs pointing to intelligent caution.

There is certainly also a positive side to the creativity implicit in Neptune. Contrary-wise to the above, we can see our dreams actually begin to manifest once we have the wisdom to recognize our true path and the courage to pursue it. It is therefore vitally important to carefully look into whether we are dreaming true or false, as we face the challenges of this powerful year of change. The Sabian symbol of this New Moon degree is "A chanticleer rooster greets the dawn" and we might take this as a symbol of the soul, tuned to cosmic realities that are not entirely visible, yet still able to respond to these subtle signs with fervor and enthusiasm even though the outcome is far from clear.

This is above all a time for discernment; a time when everything is on the line, for good or for ill. We all of us must choose, and go to our own deep center as we do so. Hopefully we will do our best to choose life - for the planet and for our society and for ourselves - so as to further the evolutionary purpose working itself out though each one of us.

The Libra New Moon ? A Time for Discernment

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Chart for the New Moon on October 15, 2012

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May 2024