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SATURDAY APRIL 10, 2010 – Gaze deeply into a clear, dark desert sky from a comfortable camp chair then let noted astronomy lecturer and sky photographer Dennis Mammana take you on a fascinating tour of the night sky with both eye and telescope.  What a truly remarkable way to round out a desert experience after a great dinner and an excursion through the Borrego Badlands.  Camp will be at the historic Clark homestead site among ancient Tamarisk Trees and sand dunes.  This is a rarely visited place at the foot of the beautiful Santa Rosa Mountains which glow red at sunset.  To see examples of nighttime sky photos visit Dennis’ online gallery at dennismammana.com

TOTAL PROGRAM (-22 HOURS):  $175.00 ADULTS – $90.00 KIDS 12 AND YOUNGER.  (TERRAIN THAT’S RELATIVELY SMOOTH WITH JUST A BIT OF WALKING.)

Program includes all camping gear, gourmet chuck wagon dinner, full  hot breakfast, and a bonus excursion through the Borrego Badlands to the breathtaking overlook of Font’s Point.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.   Meeting time is 12:00 noon at California Overland office.
1-866-6-EXPLORE OR 760-767-1232

Ready for another new wrinkle? In my previous New Moon commentaries I’ve thrown into the pot a new ‘location,’ (the Southland) and a different house system (Whole Signs) than those in common usage. Now I’ll raise you the Parallax Moon. Please click HERE for a summary of explanations for these choices, or not, and then we’ll get back to discussing this Libra New Moon chart, which looks like this:

Libra is symbolized by the scales of balance, representing fairness and justice. It is perhaps no coincidence that the United States’ Supreme Court begins each new session on the first Monday of October with the Sun is in Libra. Mercury is also in Libra at this New Moon reinforcing the opportunity to think through our relationship issues, attitudes, decisions, and judgments. And while Libra energy has a strong need to connect with others, we need to be comfortable in our relationship with ourselves. When life is out of balance, adjustments are necessary in order to balance the scales, and this New Moon will give us a chance to assess how best to accommodate those adjustments with the focus on our relationship with ourselves and our intimate relationships with others, as well as all jointly-held financial arrangements.

The almost exact trine (120°) between the Sun/Moon combination and Neptune is perhaps the most dynamic aspect, aside from the New Moon conjunction itself, in this chart. This combination suggests an over all picture of creative energies which find difficulty in being carried to fruition. Nevertheless, this combination is often indicative of a keen psychic awareness that can find a creative outlet in ideal or artistic pursuits.

The 4^th House Emphasis

Let’s start with the four planet, plus Pallas, stellium in Libra. As one might suspect, this indicates a lot of focus on Libran things. As such there is a heavy emphasis on relationships this lunar month. Interestingly, Venus, Libra’s ruler, is the final planet in this stellium and the ruler of the Taurus 11^th House of our highest hopes and ambitions. This is all the more reinforcement of the importance of relationships now as they will be in high focus, although like the vacillating nature of Libra, any final resolution of those issues is likely to be deferred for the moment.

In this chart, erected for the Southland, the stellium falls in the fourth house. As you may know, this house represents everything that relates to the foundation and roots of our existence. This includes ancestry, parents in general, and fathers in particular, the home and emotional environment as well as the beginning and endings of all things, including the vulnerabilities of old age and the process of death. Deb Houlding tells us that the ancient Egyptians considered that it represented our “point of transformation” between the beginning and end of life and as such, our Spiritual Source.

Another point of interest in this chart related to the 4^th house is the fact that Saturn (28° Virgo) is conjunct to our Southland’s IC (Immum Coeli) at 27° Virgo. Saturn, the Earth planet at this sensitive point, directs our attention to things at “the root of the root” of ourselves. As the New Moon itself falls in the 4^th House, this period will be an excellent time to look at things we take seriously, especially as they relate to our innermost issues of ‘Self Identity’ and the ‘home’ which we have created for ourselves thus far.

Meanwhile, over on the opposite side of the chart, we find that Uranus is stationed at 23° Pisces, the degree of the fixed star, Markab, and a degree of sorrow and tragedy. Considering that this is an opposition to the IC, there is the possibility of a sudden and unexpected impact on those things related to the roots of the Earth here in the Southland, and that’s as gently as I can say the “E” word. This suggestion is also supported by Pluto’s position, squaring both Saturn and Venus. Representative of things deep beneath the surface, and in the Earth sign Capricorn, Pluto’s position indicates that we may indeed see some Earth shaking experiences in the outer world as well as in our Venus ruled our relationships.

This New Moon’s Sabian Symbol

According to Lynda Hill’s interpretation, “The Libra new Moon promises some interesting insights and realizations. The Sabian Symbol is Libra 25: The Sight of an Autumn Leaf Brings to a Pilgrim the Sudden Revelation of the Mystery of Life and Death. This Symbol can indicate an insight into something that can change the course of one’s life.”

Linda also looks at any Sabians’ “following degree” (she calls it the ‘Quest Degree’), and suggests that it indicates the energy immediately on the way that arises from the action of the specific degree. Now in looking at the Parallax Moon position, you’ll recall, it moved the Moon’s degree to 25 Libra 59. That is close enough for me to want to add it in looking at the suggestions for this New Moon:

Libra 26

An eagle and a large white dove turning constantly into each other.

As Linda suggests, the image represents the appropriate balance (Libra) between Strength and Love and indicates the importance of being firm but kind in pursuit of that “…change [in] the course of one’s life.” The Mystery of Life and Death spoken of in Libra 25 is just that of the trans-form-ation from one ‘form’ to another, from a state, for instance, of disenchantment to one of complete fulfillment. And it’s that kind of change that this New Moon’s energy can help effect for us.

Scroll down a click and read Lynda’s complete message here.

Jupiter Direct

As an extra added bonus, for this month’s New Moon, Jupiter will have turned direct on Wednesday the 14^th. It will mark the first New Moon since May with this “Greater Benefic” in forward motion. For those of you counting, it means that we’ve seen 146 days of Jupiter being less than its better outward self. Actually, it implies that the emphasis has been upon inner awareness and inner growth. Jupiter retrograde is more spiritual and philosophical, marking a period of time that was not particularly conducive to initiating material activities. Now, with it finally direct, you can go ahead with your plans to move things along in the material world, although the most optimal time for such activities won’t come until after next January 5^th when Jupiter finally reaches its retrograde station at 27° Aquarius.

Johnny Mirehiel is a 40-year student of spiritual, metaphysical and astrological ideas. Internationally known as the discoverer of the astrological chart of the Harmonic Concordance, he is a member of the San Diego chapter of NCGR and he has been accredited by The International College of Astrology as both an astrological practitioner and teacher. He now plies his trade in the high desert of Southern California.

This New Moon is in late Virgo, the sign that is all about the necessary things we have to do to maintain daily life in a body, like seeing to our physical health, eating right, getting enough rest and exercise, and paying attention to the details of our daily routine and work.  Virgo is also a highly intellectual sign, as it is governed by Mercury, the planet most associated with our thinking.  In this respect it is also about our powers of perception and discrimination.  It is meticulous, discriminating, down to earth, practical and very hard working, but can also be hyper-critical, petty and nit-picky.  As it is an Earth sign it is slow to change and can throw a wet blanket on other people’s enthusiasm. Normally, under Virgo’s influence we are able to sort through the complex factors that tend to confuse us so that we may achieve clarity of purpose.  However, this can not be considered a “normal” New Moon.

Another Saturn/Uranus Face Off

In the first place, the Sun/Moon conjunction is joined in a partile (exact by degree) conjunction to Saturn at 25° Virgo while at the same time the trio is exactly opposite to Uranus at 25° Pisces.  This Saturn/Uranus opposition has been with us since last November, on Election Day as a matter of fact.  This one is the third of a five opposition series that will last until late July of next year.  Now, Saturn and Uranus often manifest as radically different energies, with Uranus representing progress and Saturn representing the status quo.  For the moment though, Saturn will hold sway as it is joined by the powerful force of the New Moon.

Add into this potentially volatile mix the fact that, at the time of the New Moon, the retrograde Mercury is also in Virgo, one of the signs it rules, at 29°.  This last degree of any sign is important because it is the final or “summing up” point of the sign.  Here, Mercury is returning to that penultimate degree of the sign it rules, asking us to re-think the issues that were on our minds some three weeks ago, in particular as they pertain to the stress of our personal Saturn/Uranus conflict between the old and new.  Unfortunately for those of us with a sensitive Mercury, the retrograde will be in effect for the whole of the month, and then some.  In a sense, this is a final chance for us to sit on the fence before deciding on which side to jump.

On a strictly mundane note, this New Moon does not promise a rapid advancement in the area of (Virgo ruled) health care reform that is the topic of such heated debate in this country at the moment.  While Saturn restrains the energy of the New Moon, retrograde Mercury clouds thinking.   Lynda Hill, notes that the Saturn/Uranus opposition represents “…the old guard…trying to scramble their way back – almost using ‘castration techniques’…in an effort to destabilize and undermine the new President.”  It seems that Mr. Obama simply chose the wrong time to pick this fight.  Where is Joan Quigley, Ronald Reagan’s in (White)house astrologer, when we need her?

Quintiles Galore

Quintiles, and their closely associated aspect cousins the Bi-Quintiles, first appear in Western astrology in the work of Johannes Kepler.  They are based on the division of the 360° arc of the circle by 5, giving aspects of 72° and 144° respectively.  They are also associated with what both Kepler and Da Vinci called the “Divine Proportion,” and when five of them are found, sequentially, they create a 5-pointed star, which in turn is associated with the planet Venus,¹ the archetypal Feminine creative and fecund energy.

In image above showing the chart you should be seeing the gold colored aspect lines denoting the Quintiles in the chart.  As you can see, there are several of them that, when taken together can be seen as a coherent aspect pattern know as a Quintile Yod.  As such, they provide an interesting contextual background for this New Moon’s sowing and the challenge to meet the age-old conflict between the reluctance to change and the drive to do so depicted in the Saturn/Uranus opposition.

For many years now, I have been convinced that the (Bi)Quintiles (144° & 72°) are major aspects which belong right beside the traditional “big five,” where they take up  their station at the appropriate place in the 1 through 6 sequence, i.e.,  (1) Conjunction, (2) Opposition, (3) Trine, (4) Square and (5) Quintile  (6) Sextile.  It is clearly prominent in regards to the planet Venus as the five stations of a Venus Cycle inscribes a Pentacle against the backdrop of the Zodiacal Belt and is therefore associated with the archetypal Feminine creative and fecund energy.

Astrologers Robert Hand and Bil Tierney both refer to the importance of Quintiles in character analysis.  Referencing John Addy’s work on harmonics, both have noted a certain destructive quality to the Quintile series, based on charts of such notable bad guys as Robespierre and Hitler.  However, they also note that there is a positive and creative quality inherent in the aspect.  Hand, for instance, says that he associates the five-series with transformation and “…the fundamental energies of change [and]…ability to turn creative inspiration into concrete end-products.”² Tierney tells us that in the early esoteric schools of astrology “…the quintile was considered to symbolize an aspirant’s creative soul alignment with the Will of the Cosmos, suggesting that quintiles have occult, transcendental undertones.”³ He further suggests that the Quintile quintiles fulfill their lofty universal potential once we have struggled to become more self-realized.  Both authors speak of a drive and determination to create associated with the Quintiles.  Yet another perspective, offered by A.G.S. Norris, tells us that “…the quintile aspect is of …importance in delineation from a spiritual point of view…”⁴ In short, the Quintiles instill the spiritual drive to create a transformative and positive transcendental experience emerging from the energies of the interacting planetary pair.

The Quintile Yod, first identified contemporarily by astrologer Rick Levine, is the outstanding planetary aspect pattern in this month’s New Moon chart.  Occurring no less than five times in the chart, these Quintile Yods are composed of the Quintiles between Mars (14° Cancer) and the Sun, Moon and Saturn, each at 25° Virgo, with each of those points forming Bi-Quintile aspects to Jupiter (18 Aquarius) and Chiron (22° Aquarius).  The BiQuintiles, in particular, are seen as an aid to developing creative powers, which can find original solutions and throw a positive light on issues that initially appear problematic.  Here they focus our thoughts and feelings on that inner source of creative talent, in which the joint, serious-minded and creativity energy of the triple conjunction and the active dynamic of Martian energy all work and play nicely together.

Taken together these Quintile Yods suggest a call to action combining our Will, Emotions and serious-mindedness of purpose to bring forth a creative manifestation of a rare spiritual and healing energy to serve as the antidote for the stress inducing Son, Moon, and Saturn opposition to Uranus.

The New Moon Sabian

The Sabian Symbol for this NM is found at 26° Virgo:

“A boy with a censer serves near the priest at the altar.”

Although not as central to the Mass as the priest, the altar boy nevertheless serves an important function in that ritual.  The focus here is on the duty that he serves.   Key words for this symbol are duty, simple tasks done with devotion, chopping wood and carrying water, burning incense and candles, rituals, and apprenticeship.  Once again, I would direct your attention to Lynda Hill’s excellent page on the currently active Sabian symbols, here.

The Pluto/Chiron Septile

This aspect, which we saw in last month’s Southland New Moon, is still in effect here, and will remain so throughout this New Moon cycle.  It continues to offer:

“…the combination of grandeur and nobility that Jupiter represents and the potential of healing inherent in Chiron’s symbolism.

As such, this Septile holds the harmonically resonant background “chord” for the new and transformative, grand and noble creation of Ourselves.

At times like these it is especially helpful to be centered in your own inner self in order to be able to withstand the current turbulence and to be able to catch the crest of this New Moon’s creative energies.  The challenge this month is to be our enlightened selves in spite of the incessant yammering of the extremely nit picky perfection-seeking Virgo mind.

(c) Johnny Mirehiel

1. For a more detailed discussion of the Grand Quintile aspect pattern, please see this essay.
2. Hand, Robert, Horoscope Symbols, Para Research: Gloucester, MA, 1981, p.132.
3. Tierney, Bil, Dynamics of Aspect Analysis, CRCS Publications: Sebastopol, CA, 1983, pp. 46-7.
4. Norris, A.G.S., Transcendental Astrology, Samuel Weiser, Inc.: New York, 1970, pp. 205-13.

Johnny Mirehiel is a 40-year student of spiritual, metaphysical and astrological ideas. Internationally known as the discoverer of the astrological chart of the Harmonic Concordance, he is a member of the San Diego chapter of NCGR and he has been accredited by The International College of Astrology as both an astrological practitioner and teacher. He now plies his trade in the high desert of Southern California.

Direct Station of Venus Exalted in Pisces: Susan Boyle – by Robert Blaschke

For each of us, there is a powerful degree in the zodiac that remains charged, or filled with life-giving power, throughout our earthly existence. This degree is that of our prenatal solar eclipse. Susan Boyle’s prenatal eclipse occurred on February 15, 1961 at 26° Aquarius. Remarkably, now that she has become a worldwide symbol for the hope and faith required to never give up on one’s dream, we see that the upcoming conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune in late May, itself an alignment of hope and transcendence, will fall precisely on Ms. Boyle’s prenatal solar eclipse. When the prenatal solar eclipse is calculated for Susan Boyle’s place of birth, the 20th degree of Pisces is rising, and the Galactic Center degree in 26° Sagittarius is culminating. From Charubel’s The Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolized, (3) we find the all-important rising degree symbol for 20° Pisces to be: An angel blowing a trumpet….
Read the article

Robert will be our featured guest on Saturday, October 3 for a workshop on the Lunar Nodes & Life Purpose – don’t miss it! His last workshop for us sold out, so be sure to preregister to save your spot.

Lynn Hayes at Beliefnet: Thoughts on Pluto as it retrogrades today

Shelley Ackerman at Karmic Relief: Weekly Update

Robert Wilkinson at Aquarius Papers: A Shifting of the Cosmic Tides As Pluto Goes Retrograde, New Moons and Full Moons, and the Grand Irrationality

Dana Gerhardt at Mooncircles: Pluto stations retrograde

A man rings a talk-back radio station distraught. He has just broken a terracotta pot and feelings of upset-ness, rage and guilt flood his body. He can’t understand what is happening to him. Yet twelve months ago his wife had died and the terracotta pot was the last item they had bought together. How would you, as the consulting astrologer, deal with such a man if he came to see you? How would you deal with his illogical fear that his known world was shredding before his very eyes?
Read the article

Darrelyn’s March 14 workshop will delve into the intriguing connection between astrology and handwriting (see her article on the topic at the Astrological Association’s website – NOTE: PDF format and opens in a new window). Don’t miss both these events – sign up for both and receive a discount! More information here.

President: Pam Ciampi

Vice-President/Publicity: Janet Carrol

Treasurer: Cheryl Gaston

Membership: Tamira McGillivray

Website/Newsletter: April Elliott Kent

Our goal is to improve our response next year by offering an option to vote by email or by snail mail. Thanks to all who participated, and we appreciate your continued support!

The Study Group is FREE for all members, but registration is required. If you haven’t signed up and would like to join the group, email Pam Ciampi.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Around the web:

Mooncircles.com - Dana Gerhardt and Friends

StarIQ - Jeff Jawer (scroll down for Full Moon report)

Beliefnet.com – Lynn Hayes