Pisces New Moon 2025: Minor Planet Report

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Pisces New Moon: 28th February 2025, 00:44 UTC, 9+ Pisces

As the final sign of the zodiac, Pisces symbolically represents the last stage in the journey from individual to collective, from mortal to divine; though in practice it is virtually never that simple. Multiple cycles must pass, numerous quests undertaken, before we susceptible humans are ready to shrug off our material attachments and don the cloak of eternal light and wisdom.

Like all the signs, Pisces contains its own supports and pitfalls. At its best, it facilitates our connection to the best of ourselves, of life, spirit and the sacred, putting aside the demands of ego to clear the path to enlightenment. In its less exalted forms, it can sow confusion, substituting the artificial and simplistic for the real and complex, lies for fundamental truths.

There is a large selection of bodies in Pisces at this lunation, which implies we need to take extra care when trying to discern what is real. As when Mercury is retrograde, now is likely a good time to double-check our information and keep the facts close at hand. This New Moon also occurs in a tight semi-square to Eris, reminding us that self-knowledge and following our inner truth may help clear up any mist in our line of vision. Meanwhile, Venus in Aries is perhaps a reminder that love and vulnerability too are forms of courage.

Scorpio New Moon 2024: Minor Planet Report

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Scorpio New Moon, 1st November 2024, 12:47 UTC

Let's face it: the forthcoming U.S. presidential election is – to put it mildly – causing some tension. This lunation chart reflects the uncertainty and unease many of us are feeling, in large part thanks to a configuration between Mars, Pluto and Juno, known as a T-square, in the often fraught final (anaretic) degrees of Cancer, Capricorn and Libra respectively. It seems to me this aspect pattern represents in vivid colour our collective sense of urgency, our anxiety for it all to be over with, and our dread of the worst case scenario.

I will hazard one prediction. I think the regressive side of this particular fence is finally running out of footholds in society writ large, and a defeat at the polls will signal its downfall amid the ascent of a kinder, more egalitarian culture. The very close sextile between Jupiter (which might naturally stand for the Harris-Walz team, being the god of joy) and Chiron suggests potential for deep healing.

As a Brit, I recognise that I'm on the sidelines here and can have no idea what it's like actually on the ground. I feel for anyone who is scared, under threat or already hurt by the Christofascist horror show. But in case it helps: the trine between Mercury and Mars suggests a release valve for anyone feeling desperate or forlorn: namely, take courage, be clear and speak your truth.

I am convinced that good will prevail; it's just a question of when. I think there's at least a fighting chance for a victory on Tuesday. Much love to you all.

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Libra New Moon 2024/Eclipse: Minor Planet Report

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Libra New Moon/Annular Solar Eclipse, Wednesday 2nd October 2024 at 18:49 UTC, 10+ Libra

With the equinox now several days behind us, we reach the second eclipse of the current pair, which takes place alongside a configuration involving nearby Mercury, plus Ceres and Uranus. If recent weeks have been characterised by delays and frustrations, this event may provide a much-needed dynamic boost. Even if we have to give the starting push, once the astrological momentum takes over, we could find ourselves covering a significant distance in a markedly short time. Be sure to keep both hands on the wheel.

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Some minor planets involved

Aspecting New Moon (conjunction or opposition)

• (5) Astraea – Large S-type bright main-belt asteroid, named for the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity and precision. Not to be confused with Asteria, the goddess of the stars, in myth she became the constellation Virgo, and her scales Libra; she was also the last of the gods to reside among humans, and may return some day, bringing with her a second Golden Age. Astrologically, this body might represent balance, justice, innocence, idealism, vision and what is seen^[1], fair trade^[2], persistence, renaissance^[3], difficulty letting go and blocked closure^[4].
• (57) Mnemosyne – S-type asteroid with orbital period close to a 2:1 commensurability with Jupiter. Greek Titan goddess of memory and mother of the nine Muses by Zeus. May signify recall^[5], remembrance^[6] and, perhaps, their roles in creative work and transcendence.
• (260) Huberta – Cybele group member and outer main belt asteroid rich in carbon; identified with St. Hubert of Liège (c.656-727), who established ethical rules on hunting that are still followed to this day. He is patron of archers, trappers, hunting, dogs and forest workers; mathematicians; metal workers and smelters. Correspondences are likely to signify conservation, ethics, longstanding changes and effects, gradual development and/or careful testing, and new beginnings.

Lunar Eclipse post on Substack

Just a quick heads up: there's a new post on my Substack. Short and sweet. You can find it here.

Happy eclipse season,
Theano

Virgo New Moon 2024: Minor Planet Report

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Virgo New Moon, 3rd September 2024, 01:55 UTC, 11+ Virgo

With Mercury safely back in direct motion, Tuesday's New Moon might feel like a convenient springboard from which to take a huge leap back into action. That said, it's probably worth proceeding with unusual care. Accompanying the lunation is an incredibly tight Mars-Neptune square. This is one of the more delicate configurations (to put it, well, delicately).

Proactive yet impatient and sometimes rash (and, in Gemini, highly strung), Mars likes to push ahead without necessarily understanding the circumstances in which it moves. Neptune, meanwhile, loves to spread a fog over what it influences and sow confusion – making rapid action tricky, and possibly liable to mishaps. To complicate matters still further, Pluto has now retrograded back into Capricorn for a brief farewell visit, before finally settling into Aquarius in mid-November.

All this indicates caution and attention to detail as the most prudent course; in addition, ensuring that any loose ends are firmly secured. As the next lunation will bring us into eclipse season, soon enough we could well find matters developing at speed, without any additional propulsion required; now is the moment for checking the seatbelts.

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Capricorn Full Moon July 2024: Minor Planet Report

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Full Moon in Capricorn (Moon opposite Sun), 21st July 2024 at 10:17 UTC, 29+ Capricorn/Cancer

Here we are with the second of two Capricorn Full Moons, in the final (anaretic) degree of the respective signs, with the Moon also sextile Neptune at the end of Pisces. The energy in this area can feel unsettling and somewhat volatile, as we are in the process of shifting from one sign to the next. That said, it can be useful for tying up loose ends, and bringing matters to a satisfactory conclusion. If Neptune makes you feel rather off-balance or confused, take as much time as you need to find and/or ground yourself. The important things in life are rarely instantaneous.

One other configuration stands out in this chart: a Finger of the World (see this page for an in-depth discussion of this and other aspect patterns) between Mercury, Uranus and Ceres. This aspect pattern contrasts with the Finger of God, or Yod, in that the latter indicates a sense of fatedness or unavoidable events, whereas the former relates to what we can do for ourselves. Potentially, the combination of these planets is suggestive of how we can use our minds, intellect and/or inventive means to nourish and nurture our wellbeing.

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Quick update

Hi all

Just wanted to share a couple of articles on the Cancer New Moon. Firstly Amanda Moreno's incredibly beautiful writing for The Astrophile; secondly, my own rather more prosaic piece, Eleusis Moon, also over on Substack.

Wishing you all a pleasant July.

With love,
Theano

Capricorn Full Moon June 2024: Minor Planet Report

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Capricorn Full Moon (Moon opposite Sun), 22nd June 2024, 01:07:40 UTC, 1+ Capricorn-1+ Cancer. (Note: this is the first of two Full Moons in Capricorn this year; the second will be on 21st July, in the final degrees of the respective signs.)
Lunation takes place close to cardinal points; Sun conjunct the centaur (8405) Asbolus within 3', and other minors

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Some minor planets involved

Conjunct Sun

• (127) Johanna – Large main-belt asteroid named for Jeanne d'Arc, the young Frenchwoman who became a national hero defending her country against the English. The asteroid shares its discovery degree with Chiron, and its correspondences involve numerous similarly honourable and pivotal figures, apparently serving to associate it more closely to its namesake.
• (968) Petunia – Main-belt asteroid named after the flower genus, which is related to tobacco, tomatoes and chilli peppers, among others. These and other connections are suggestive of a Martial or combative aspect; there is also a fertility element expressed through the discovery degree.
• (8405) Asbolus – Centaur crossing the orbits of Saturn and Uranus; the mythical creature was a seer who predicted the critical battle with the Lapiths but, once intoxicated by the smell of Herakles' wine, also led the other centaurs towards it and thus helped cause the fight. The name Asbolos means 'sooty' or 'carbon dust'. Various sources^[1] offer indications including: intuition, psychic ability, seriousness, intensity, mysteries, difficulty receiving compliments or advice, pessimism, heaviness, solidity and consistency.
• (19521) Chaos – Kuiper belt object, possibly a dwarf planet, named for the Greek concept of the primordial void. Themes may include unlimited potential^[2], anarchy, disarray^[3], "spiritual laws that support personal freedom and free will"^[4], Robin Hood style figures^[5], orderliness amid confusion, and mellowness^[6].

Gemini New Moon 2024: Minor Planet Report

Basic details and main features

Gemini New Moon (Moon conjunct Sun), 6th June 2024 at 12:37:31 UTC, 16+ Gemini
Venus is conjunct the New Moon at 16+ Gemini
New Moon is sesquiquadrate Pluto at 1+ Aquarius

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Some minor planets involved

Conjunct Moon and Sun

• (29) Amphitrite – Large, stony asteroid named for the Greek sea goddess and wife of Poseidon; when she at first refused his advances he sent the dolphin god Delphin as his messenger, who persuaded her to agree to the marriage. Waves/being washed away^[1], "tides of fate and fortune"^[2] or "the evaluation phase of a relationship"^[3] – in addition, the discovery degree Sabian draws attention to the life-giving property of water, possibly both to quench thirst and as the necessary ingredient for most living things to survive and procreate.
• (227) Philosophia – Named for the subject of study. May relate simply to philosophy itself, or (broadly) spiritual practices^[4]; the Sabian and other associations imply the act of cognitive exploration as a form of preparatory skill or foresight, as well as the importance of joy to our existence.
• (413) Edburga – Exact name origin is unknown, but there were a number of Saxon women by this name alive between the 7th and 10th centuries, some of whom became saints^[5]. Two themes stand out from the correspondences: the Sabian speaks of the will and its role in shaping character; the closest resonance match is with (14) Irene, one of the Horai, goddess of peace and the season of spring, who is also connected to abundance. Potentially the reconciliation of these lies in making the best of what one is given.
• (639) Latona – Roman name for Leto, the mother of Artemis and Apollo; member of the Eos family of asteroids in the outer main belt. Associations are indicative of the aura of nobility, blessedness and dignity characteristic of Leto in myth. The discovery Sabian likewise speaks of beatitude. Her very nature seems to command respect and reverence.

Through the Fire

We're in for quite the interesting April, astrologically speaking. Mercury is now retrograde, in which state it will remain for another three weeks from today. On Monday, we get the total solar edition of the latest eclipse cycle; while the early morning of 21st April (UT) will see the conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus.

There's a lot to unpack in all of this, and a variety of angles from which one might examine the meaning. Monday's New Moon, to take one example, will be precisely (as in, to the arc minute) conjunct Chiron. This is unusual enough in itself to be worthy of extensive comment.*

Chiron is a relatively new discovery, spotted in 1977. Its approximately 50-year orbit is highly eccentric, unlike those of the major planets. It spends several years travelling through some signs, and zips through others within months. As an astrological phenomenon, it adds a whole layer of complexity to signification of human growth, representing a deeply psychological and emotional element of reaction to hurt, healing and transcendence.

Pisces New Moon: Keeping the Dream Alive

Tomorrow's New Moon in Pisces is surrounded by a mass of celestial points, which seems reminiscent of a crowd huddled together, waiting - for change, for a message, for the next shoe to drop, etc. In some circumstances, that is indeed all one can do, and we are often primed to consider the great acts that forge future epochs as beyond our reach.

Yet in among this large astrological grouping are markers* that indicate very lucidly our agency and power, and our ability to wield them - especially if we work together.

Intermission

Hi everyone

I'm taking what I hope will be a brief hiatus for this lunation, while I concentrate on healing from a rough few days. Meanwhile, here are Amanda Painter's horoscopes, which, as usual, are spot on.

Much love,
Theano

Horoscope for Cancer Full Moon 2023

Greetings one and all. Since these are somewhat behind schedule, I won't wax too lyrical on the general chart for the lunation, which took place at almost exactly 33 minutes past midnight GMT this morning. I'll only say this: remember that every human being is family, and that nothing has lasting meaning which does not serve our whole species, and indeed all life on Earth. Love is the ingredient that makes everything beautiful.

Without further ado, here are the horoscopes.

Horoscope for Sagittarius New Moon 2023

Hi folks. Having established myself (hopefully with some permanence) in new premises, I have finally been able to return to this blog. Apologies for the lengthened absence. It has been A Time. However, onward we go.

Tomorrow night's New Moon in Sagittarius is accompanied by two outstanding phenomena: firstly, Mars will be conjunct the Great Attractor: a point in deep space that is ostensibly exerting a pulling force on our galaxy and those surrounding it. Secondly, within a few hours of the lunation, Mercury will station retrograde in Capricorn.

The net result of these factors may be a sense of being drawn in various directions, unsure of which is the best course. You might feel tempted to move quickly on a matter that actually needs more thought and more extensive information before an appropriate decision can be made. As with any Mercury retrograde phase, additional details are likely to reveal themselves in time. It's almost always worth exercising a little patience.

Horoscope for Leo New Moon 2023

This year's Leo New Moon is tightly square Uranus in Taurus, which configuration suggests a potentially abrupt feel to whatever might be commencing for us at this point. I get the impression things have lately felt rather stagnant for a good few of us, so you might feel a bit of a jolt as they get moving again. Hopefully it'll come as a relief all round.

Without further ado, here is your horoscope for the approaching lunation.

You Are Holding the Thread

This Monday, 7th August, is another of the cross-quarter days among those pivotal moments in the turning of the seasonal wheel when profundities tend to make themselves more apparent, just for a whisper.

The one in question is known to some in the north of the world as Lammas or Lughnasadh, the first fruits harvest (its equivalent in the southern hemisphere being Imbolc). It's usually celebrated around the first of the month, but astrologically it occurs when the Sun reaches the midpoint of Leo - exactly halfway between the Cancer solstice* and the Libra equinox**.

In astrological symbolism, the solstices and equinoxes occur as the Sun enters each cardinal sign. Cardinal signs represent initiation, pioneering, leadership - the first to set foot in new territory. Thus at these moments a new season commences. At the cross-quarters, the Sun is in the middle of a fixed sign. This indicates continuation as well as manifestation: the culmination of the seasonal forces in action.

Comfort Zone Ejector Seat

It's almost time for that impressive astronomical light show otherwise known as eclipse season. First is a hybrid solar eclipse, taking place on 20th April at 04:12 UT; this is followed up by a penumbral lunar eclipse on 5th May at 17:33 UT*.

Astrologically, these phases can be pretty intense, as if time were compressed and everything happening at once; the decisions made during them can be far-reaching and potent. In order to harness the power of an eclipse window, it is useful to understand where we are in our present life, where we seem to be headed, and where we would like to be - in every sense. As possessors of free will, we are capable of turning certain circumstances to a variety of possible accounts. For the two weeks in question, that ability may get an extra boost.

Vernal Verification

We're about to encounter a busy week in sky lore. The equinox* (spring in the north, autumn in the south) arrives on Monday, with the Aries New Moon right on its heels. Then on 23rd March, Pluto ingresses Aquarius for its first visit since 1798. Meanwhile, as I'm writing this, Mars is a gnat's tarsus away from leaving shadow phase**, and will enter Cancer on 25th March.

All this may feel rather like a runaway chain reaction, psychologically speaking, involving an urge to brush off the dust and get right to action. New astrological year; new moon; new everything, it would seem; what is to hold one back? The equinox chart suggests, however, that it's probably worth taking a moment to size up the situation. Perhaps not everyone needs an especially long moment, but some form of analysis, pre-planning and/or discernment is apparently being called for here.

A Celestial Reveille

Something pretty special is due to happen in the skies this week.

First, a bit of background. The Earth year, depending on which part of the planet you inhabit, has certain seasons at certain points. In much of the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) is around 21st or 22nd December. The summer solstice is halfway round the year from that, usually on 21st or 22nd June. The spring and autumn equinoxes take place between those times, in March and September respectively. At corresponding latitudes in the Southern hemisphere, these times are reversed: summer in December, winter in June, and so on.

The exact date and time is not always the same, because the seasons are aligned not with the Gregorian calendar but with certain points in the Earth's orbit, which cause the Sun's latitude from our point of view to appear as far North or South as it can be, or (in the case of the equinoxes) right on the equator.

Astrologically, the solstices and equinoxes, from December onwards, correspond with the Sun's apparent entry into the (tropical) signs of Capricorn, Aries, Cancer and Libra respectively. These four are known as the cardinal signs, those that commence their seasons - associated with pioneering, leading and pushing forward.