New Moon with Mercury in late Scorpio opposing Uranus

On November 20, the Sun and Moon met in late Scorpio. This New Moon is particularly special, so I am compelled to share some thoughts.

Firstly, the New Moon (Moon-Sun conjunction, in the same degree of the zodiac) occurs at the same time as the Mercury retrograde cazimi. When Mercury is retrograde, the small swift planet passes in between the Earth and Sun. During its cazimi moment, Mercury is at the same zodiacal degree of the Sun. This moment is the halfway point of the retrograde, a symbolic renewal of Mercurial purpose in the royal light of the Sun.

So we have a New Moon seeding our next 4 weeks that is deeply infused with the magick of Mercury. Furthermore, this Moon-Sun-Mercury combo is opposing Uranus. Uranus has recently re-entered Taurus for one last jaunt in the bull (this retrograde wraps up a chapter of change & liberation that began in spring of 2018).

Late Scorpio might be home to the most intensely human experiences we can have here on Earth. I’ve observed people with activated late Scorpio placements (particularly 26-29 degrees) choosing and experiencing things like: early death of a parent; extended periods of celibacy; heartbreak & betrayal; and multiple deaths in short periods of time.

Late Scorpio is the threshold that must be traversed prior to total regeneration and renewal. Early Scorpio offers desire and magnetism, a strong pull toward something or someone outside of ourselves. Mid Scorpio offers bonding and entanglement and merging with that outer object. Late Scorpio is where we recognize how the deep desire and relationship have altered us, and how we must untangle ourselves to become truly free.

Late Scorpio is where water begins its transition to the fire of Sagittarius. As we analyze and probe the particles of water, they begin to separate and rise into flames. The plunge comes first though!

The Uranus influence on this New Moon emphasizes this lunation’s stunning potential for freedom and release. With so many planets retrograde and chapters closing, this is your invitation to forgive, let go, and purge.

For me, that looks like cleaning out clutter and closets. What does it look like for you?

There is so much SPACE for NEW coming.

Further testament to this story of endings & beginnings come from examination of Mars and Venus. Scorpio is ruled by Mars, and Venus in particular rules over late Scorpio, so both of these planets reveal truths about this lunation’s direction and potential.

Both Mars and Venus are entering their ‘death’ phase, where they meet the Sun for purification, renewal, and later, a visible shift in phase (from morning to night time appearance for Venus, and vice versa for Mars).

That both co-rulers of the New Moon are invisibly speeding and fading into the glow of the distant Sun point toward the need to sit in the unknown. Grasping and forcing and trying are not in the current cosmic flow! Chill on that meat hook and just be for a moment, baby.

Engage with this potentially painful part of the process first. Scorpio territory holds emotions of instinct and heartbreaks but Mercury cazimi here is a piercing truth.

We can be ruthless yet compassionate in knowing what is truly dying from our lives.

Where might we need to stand apart from others in holding true to our budding sense of values?

What conversation might be had to close one chapter?

Who might need to be forgiven?

Wishing you a lunation rich in truth & release.

Please share your thoughts, feelings, experiences in the comments!

Why Hallowe'en Demands a Dance

Summer's bright tight light is long gone. Your skin is pale, dry...becoming more so with each passing, condensing day. Days that shrivel and shrink. The colder weather sets your face in a pattern of determined yet tired lines, seducing you into a shielded enjoyment of the Sun's rays from a safe, cozy seat in your home.

With the beginning of autumn came the promise of renewed focus and productivity. Shrugging off summer's carefree frivolity, you made your lists, stocked your cupboards, and replaced your strappy sandals with durable boots.

But autumn is winding and its peak is truthfully a valley. Descending, descending. Plans and goals of autumn are now empty, grey, stark. Void. The hard work of the harvest has passed and the life that remains is just...hard.

Or maybe it's you that is hard. 

Crusty layers of fatigue, insecurity, and fear now clothe your once-bright summer body, with each shield comes another dull dimension of protection. Layer upon layer, we shield ourselves. We protect ourselves.

Curiously, as the peak and valley of autumn steadily descends upon us, the barrier between worlds thins. Fading and disintegrating. The presence of beings, entities, and the dead presses into us in steady and subtle waves.

So we pile on another layer of safety, rounding our backs to carry another burden and furrowing our brows to deal with another disappointment. In this hardened state, we deem ourselves safe. The noise of the waves of the dead can be insulated, right? Closed bodies and clothed auras protect us from the steady pressing of their voices.

Safer to drown in the known layers of drudgery and responsibility than to disrobe? Getting naked in this rising sea of chitter chatter opens our gaze to the pulse of the beyond.

So, we lurch onward, twisted and pulled through the bowels of the year trying to remain hard and protected in our layers as the nutritious juices of our play and plans from seasons past is sucked from our beings.

Whatever we believed ourselves to be dies, decays, and feeds what truly remains. Our eyes dart, nervously, upon the dancing gossamer veil. We silently beg to be disrobed but wrenching fear twists and corrupts the body.

Make me naked again, let me feel the truth of this time of year.

Remind me of how close we all are to one another, to death.

The veil thins and our fear offers a false barricade, but there is no reprieve, no escape from the tunnels of digestion and decay.

Instead, dance through the layers and vigorously shake off the sticky grip of safety's lies.

Embrace the dead and the gone. Feel your tender nudity as you slip under and become squeezed and starved through the tunnels of autumn.

Hallowe'en, a time of contact between dead and alive, a sober reminder of just how close we are to death and decay, a reunion with those who gave us our blood, our motion, our life.

Dance off the layers and be naked. Dance off the dull layers and be translucent. Dance with the others and remember your thirst, your hunger for the blood that enlivens you.

 
***Art by Laurel Bustamante***