A Last Quarter Moon of Relationship Intensity and Transformation

Monday’s Last Quarter Moon in Libra represents quite an important juncture, because at 18 plus degrees of Libra and Capricorn, the Moon and Sun closely aspect, by square and conjunction, the positions of Venus and Pluto, emphasizing a rare triple conjunction of Sun, Venus and Pluto all within one half of one degree in the sky. Because Venus is so close to the Sun she is considered to benefit from being “in the heart of the Sun” also known as cazimi. Pluto is a mere 27 minutes of a degree away. This signals a darkly transformative time of Venus, when we will be uniquely empowered to look beneath the covers of all our relationships, and as well, of ourselves in our core issues. Mars in Scorpio also participates, being in precise sextile to this position of Pluto. This brings the potential for anger erupting, as does a volcano, by a sudden release of pressure. If such moments do arise, it is useful to remember that “you are never angry for the reason that you think you are,” and therefore it is incumbent upon you to strive for greater joy and harmony by examining whatever it is that might be going on below the surface layers of your psyche. Coupled with the close Venus-Pluto conjunction, greatly emphasized by the Sun and Moon in square, you can well appreciate how issues of interpersonal relationship might take center stage for you over the course of this pivotal day and subsequent week.

That this triple conjunction is in the sign of Capricorn has an added significance, because ever since the Winter Solstice of last month we have been feeling the elevated presence of Saturn, Capricorn’s planetary ruler. This means that while things have gone much more slowly than perhaps we would have liked, even in the midst of the strong presence of expansive Jupiter in the recent January 6th timing of his conjunction with Mars, it is also true that important and long-lasting lessons were learned by the time we finally got it right. This entire month and even year brings an enormously thoughtful process to bear regarding what is the practical consequence of each of our actions. We are meditating on how these might impact society, and how the society can be improved so that it might better function. This is the higher octave of Capricorn, namely to be found in the forward-going evolution of the surrounding culture.

All the planets line up within one half of the chart, increasing the intensity of this moment in time. The Moon in Libra is also applying to an opposition with Eris, representing a spiritual warrior energy for soul purpose. Eris remains in conjunction with Uranus, thus encouraging revolutionary action in order to express your deepest intention, no matter what conventional thinking might dictate. In this way, there comes to exist a symphony of efforts aligned separately, and yet somehow also synchronized globally, forming a set of seed values for a better world.

The Sabian Symbols for this Last Quarter Moon make for a nice counterpoint to these philosophical musings. They are, for the Sun in the nineteenth degree of Capricorn, “A child of five, with a huge shopping bag.” In this symbol we might be able to discern a familiar emblem for the New Year, with all its hopes and dreams intact, and with a long list of what is needed in order for us to grow as a tribe, a nation, and a world. Marc Edmund Jones references “the spiritual stewardship of mankind, as expressed in his inherent sense of responsibility for the welfare of others, and his desire to serve his community to the extreme of his [or her] particular range of skills… the total of his [or her] potentialities… an effective breadth of participation in everyday living.” For the Moon, in the same degree of Libra, we find, “A gang of robbers in hiding.” Except for the connotations of criminal activity, this is a nice symbol for hidden talents awaiting their full-on manifestation. It is perhaps because these potential powers might run against the grain of current consensus thought that the idea of the outlaw emerges, and we are reminded of Bob Dylan’s 1960s dictum, that “to live outside the law you must be honest.” Jones states, “This is a symbol of [a person’s] freedom of spirit and soul in a complete … deviation from their normal impulses or attitudes, dramatized here on the side of practical self-fulfillment.” Indeed, when we take the reins of our own personal evolution firmly in hand, we must beware of common tendencies on the part of others of lack of trust in what we are ultimately all about. When we thoroughly know ourselves, we go ahead anyway, and then our divergence from prevailing conventional attitudes is a good part of the fun.