A New Moon of Major Structural Transformation

Friday’s mid-day Pacific Time October 16th Libra New Moon, taking place later in the afternoon or evening for the east coast and Europe, is another powerful lunation, perhaps even stronger than these last few significant cycles. The next New Moon of mid-November is even more potent. We are therefore in for it, as individuals and in collective terms, for these next sixty days, at least, right up to the end of this rather insane year. The joke goes that future generations will make this 2020 number, far from representing perfect vision, rather an adjective of disaster: “Everything was going ok when my car suddenly went all 2020 on me!”

The reason for this current lunation being extra-powerful, bringing the Saturn-Pluto situation to a head, along with the strong presence of both Uranus and Neptune, is that the New Moon degree of 23, almost 24 Libra is precisely square to Saturn-Pluto, and to Pluto individually, being also in a tight opposition of less than ¼ degree to Eris in Aries, greatly heightening the tension. This intense T-square to Saturn-Pluto, whose midpoint is almost precisely 24 Capricorn, brings the combination of these dramatic outer planet archetypes, active all this year, to even greater prominence this month. The astrological indication would be that the very structure (Saturn) of our society, and of our individual lives as well, is undergoing massive change (Pluto). This is while also the conservative side of the political (Saturn) is empowered (Pluto). There is as well the progressive backlash to that, greatly amplified in response.

For each one of us – as individuals – it is a case of letting go, and then letting go again, and then keep on letting go. This refers to certain parts of our habits, and of our lives, that we must do away with because no longer actually serving us. This is a painful, and yet a necessary process. Necessary, that is, if we are to continue to evolve as human beings on a peaceful planet.

Along with the extremely potent placement of Saturn-Pluto, with Eris in square, there is quite a lot of Neptune in this New Moon configuration as well. This gives an element of uncertainty and of questionig what is real. What is the fake and what is the news ? What is the true true? We find Neptune, in this Libra New Moon configuration, closely opposed by Venus, the ruler of the Sun-Moon placement, and in close sextile to Jupiter at a similar degree of Capricorn. Additionally Uranus makes a septile to Neptune of less than one degree. And we do see signs of Neptunian uncertainty in the current zeitgeist.

To illustrate this point, there is a US Republican administration stated agenda that the coronavirus doesn’t much matter, that no steps to restrain it need to be taken; go ahead an open up the economy; large gatherings and back to school. Meanwhile, as hospitals are filling up with Covid patients, and as 700-800 Americans are still dying every day, and as a winter third wave seems to be emerging, there is the Democratic presidential candidate saying that masks and social distance are vital to contain the spread. Which of these antithetical positions is the right one? Discrimination must be employed.

It is also interesting to note the strong presence of Uranus in these current astrological skies. In particular, retrograde Mercury is opposed, as it was when the retrograde began. Then, too, the Full Moon from Oct 1st closely aspected Uranus. Additionally, the Full Moon at the very end of October is in partile conjunction with Uranus! This highlighted Trickster presence indicates that surprises abound, along with potent intuition that can sometimes tell you truer than ordinary logic. As Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter has it, “Once in a while you can get shown the light/ In the strangest of places if you look at it right.”

The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon has also something to contribute. For the 24th degree of Libra (which is 23 +) we have, “A third wing on the left side of a butterfly.” This unusual symbol in fact goes quite well with strong Uranus, indicating an unusual, even a unique, perspective. The left side, sinister in Latin, indicates as well the intuitive, or hidden, the occult. Marc Edmund Jones references, “the illimitable potentiality of both (hu)man and his (or her) world, and of the practical fruits of their efforts whenever they retain their own unconditional uniqueness.” Indeed, we all have our individual and uniquely specific talents, as we can come to these, discovering them deep within ourselves. This is made manifest as we can make the internal commitment to bring them out, and to allow them to be available to others, to our society at large, and to the world that we all share.

A New Moon of Major Structural Transformation

TimePassages Standard Edition

Chart for the New Moon on October 16, 2020

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April 2024