Framing the new Moon
As soon as there is limit there has to be conflict. Things bump into each other in a defined space, time constraints cause you to think if you are going to vacuum the floor or complete an article in the 30 minutes left before your grocery shuts down for the morning... structure and consistency put their weight on, and limiting, spontaneous action. The affinity between limitation and conflict is expressed astrologically in the fact that Mars is exalted in the kingdom of Saturn, Capricorn.
And now, try to imagine a tree without the inner consistency of its trunk, a dancer without a solid centre of gravity, music without time. The tree would never grow fruit as she's beaten by the whims of the elements, the dancer would sway like a drunkard, dissolving like a puff of smoke; and music would be a mere collection of different sounds without the structure that time gives it.
When we use the expression “everything under the Sun” we might be overlooking the fact that our world is actually “everything under Saturn”. Wise philosopher and gift to humanity, Jiddu Krishnamurti, frequently asked the question of whether it is possible to live without conflict. And as in all his questions, the search for an answer is an exploration of what it means to exist as a human being in this wonderful Universe. It is not possible at this time for the realm ruled by Saturn to be free from conflict, simply because it is a realm that is defined by limit and the necessity of choice. But it is possible to learn Saturn's lessons, and give up the conflict with reality.
The Players
- Scorpio is traditionally ruled by Mars. Modern astrology gave it to Pluto.
- Pluto is currently involved in a move from Capricorn to Aquarius which will take place in January 2024. This, without exaggeration, is one of the most consequential astrological events in our lifetime.
- Capricorn is ruled by Saturn. And so is Aquarius, before modern astrology decided that rulership of the sign actually belonged to Uranus.
The reader will notice that the transition that Pluto is making from Saturn's realm to Uranus's realm has already happened, historically, within Aquarius. I am referring to the change in rulership. This re-activates the Uranian principle in a special way, and brings to the present the mythological clash between Saturn and Uranus. Modernity could be consistently described in terms of its preference for the Uranian principle and its unhappy relationship with Saturnian reality. What we are now discovering (perhaps we should have never forgotten it) is that the Uranian principle is no less tyrannical than Saturn's. The discovery of Uranus coincides historically with the independence revolutions of France and America, as well as the Industrial Revolution in England. All these revolutions have become tyrannies in their own right, or perhaps they were always already so. Uranus is linked to (new) technology, and we all know how well that is going. It is not enough to exchange one prison for another. Let's do better this time.
The Quality of our Awareness
The main matter is not who is ruling. What matters is the quality of the awareness that animates the archetype, whether the archetype is Martian, Saturnian, Uranian or Plutonian.
While Pluto is plodding its way into the kingdom Saturn once lost (and Saturn doesn't forget), Mars recently entered the kingdom he once lost to Pluto. Mars, as it happens, is conjunct this new Moon, making it a key planet. It is also moving very fast, keeping pace with the Sun for most of the month, which boosts its power exponentially. This can manifest problematically, as in fact we now see, and it will continue to do so, unfortunately. The quality of our awareness matters most. If it is hatred that drives you, then it is a great time to destroy your perceived enemies. But Mars in Scorpio is a huge asset if focus, precision, and hard work is your intention, and you are acting in the spirit of giving. It's a treasure for the Peaceful Warrior. The question is whether or not we are fast enough to stop the automatic mechanisms within our psyche from hijacking this precious and direct energy, and instead of fighting everyone and living like a boiling kettle with no switch, we become free to use this energy consciously, according to Awareness.
A look at the chart
The red lines on the chart indicate a loose (but active) T-Square, in which all these boys, with the notable exception of Pluto, are involved. It also happens that the new Moon is involved in the T-Square. This aspect pattern is very challenging, and in this case very unpredictable. Pluto is in both a subtle and a direct involvement with it. The lord of the underworld, working in secret (as he likes), is touching Saturn's sore spot, rubbing in his loss... and is playing the subtle role of the ruler hosting his own kingdom's previous ruler (Mars in Scorpio).
Additionally, in a way that enforces and brings to completion these subtle relationships, Pluto is in a harmonious aspect to Mars, the new Moon, and Uranus. You can see this on the chart by looking at the blue lines. The noteable exception here is Saturn, who remains restrained (as he likes) in the T-Square with no obvious redeeming 'harmonious' aspects. But this is an illusion as we shall see, one that is being exploited by those who want us to lose hope.
A Way Forward
During times like these one must be careful not to sound like a prophet of doom, while also avoiding to sugar-coat the reality. What is happening in the world and what the astrology points to is in no way nice, easy or comfortable. As Pluto makes its way out of Capricorn, Saturn's structures know that the end is near. They therefore turn rigid, unpredictable, and brutal; like a cornered rat. As Pluto enters Aquarius in the months to come, the cracks in the hegemony of the system will become more and more apparent. Since it is Uranus who is at work here, we know it is going to be surprising and unpredictable. It also brings a feeling of urgency that should be respected and handled carefully. The breaking down is a necessary step to the breakthrough.
As humanity is squeezed into dropping its pride and deep-seated illusions, the Peaceful Warrior works with Awareness, and therefore Light, and therefore Truth. He learns how to deal creatively with loss, lives in response to the promptings of the spirit, facing his fears. In so doing he learns to act with less self-interest. Venus, the goddess of love, is very nicely aspected to Pluto and Mercury. Much positive and deep transformation will become available through creating and relating
Saturn in Pisces indicates a golden opportunity to bring our earthly structures out of the egoic stronghold. Since most of us, despite of our best intentions and deep-seated inherited illusions, know very little about what love is, we are allowed to work with our fears. This transition from fear to love is the essence of it all. Astrologically this is expressed in the chart through Neptune, who keeps figuring, lunation after lunation, as the vital connection that can easily be missed. Saturn is in Neptune's kingdom, and the god of dreams connects Saturn to Pluto through an alternative harmonious route. He gives Saturn a way out, a motivation. For us this means the opportunity to bring about an inner structure that propells us out of fear into love, from the lower to the higher vibrations of Pisces. And the path through which this happens is the one in which we follow our dreams, not as leaves at the mercy of the wind, but with consistency and order.
We close with the Sabian Symbol for the degree of the new Moon in Scorpio:
Obeying his conscience, a soldier resists orders
Ro-Wan
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