by Robert Wilkinson
This article covers significant aspects, degree symbols, and other important factors in this month's Pisces New Moon chart which will show us a new life order and challenge us to get clear about what we want to see made manifest in the next life chapter. Remember the call, get a new view, and be patient as new magnetism is structured. Here we see a bigger view of what's ended and why.
This Lunation, along with the inner planets, continues sign concentrations within the usual "anchoring" span occupied by slow moving planets. This slow, steady pulse runs from Saturn in Scorpio through Pluto in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces to Uranus in Aries. In this New Moon, there is a huge cluster of planets in Pisces, showing that area of our charts will be very intense and active for the next few weeks.
In a curious occurrence, the “Bucket” Jones Pattern effectively has two “nozzles” at present. Jupiter in Gemini has been a primary nozzle for quite some time, since it’s been outside the occupied span. However, due to where Saturn is right now, it also serves as an “alternative focus” for the rest of the energies.
They are each fairly far away (a sextile, or 60 degrees) from their nearest neighbors, indicating they operate as “independent agents,” so to speak. Saturn at the beginning of the span, as well as Jupiter at the end of the span, each and both serve to focus energy.
Saturn is the nozzle for, and focuses Capricorn through Gemini; Jupiter is the nozzle for, and focuses Scorpio through Aries. Students of the craft should take note, since each are equally in play, but involving very different energies focused through very different signs. They both involve us learning to being open to whatever they're about.
So What is a “Bucket Pattern” and how does it work?
This type of spread, with all the planets in about half the signs with one outside that span wide enough to be a handle, creates a “Bucket” Jones Pattern. The energies of the occupied half are focused through the “handle,” or “nozzle,” in this case Jupiter and Saturn are termed “focal determinator,” and represents the way to greater effectiveness, the cause to be embraced, the lack to be filled, or the way to use the total energies of this time in a focused manner.
Based on where Jupiter is relative to the other planets shows the pattern to be more impulsive, and “inclined to respond to an immediate rather than future promise.” Those who are focusing Saturn will be more cautious, and focused on end results.
Dr. Jones states “the bucket type indicates a particular and rather uncompromising direction in the life effort.” This pattern gives “interest in a cause,” with executive tendencies that will adapt allegiances to maximize results of the effort. He says “the bucket type at its best reveals the real instructor and inspirer of others, and at its worst the agitator and malcontent.” This is the larger planetary pattern within which we’re all trying to do what we do.
We are also told this pattern is more about finding an effective release for energy within social settings, but also about the self imposing its pattern on society rather than adapting to what is there. It’s about focused intention. So all of us can expect some sort of focused attention on the houses where we have early Gemini and early Scorpio.
Of the traditional 10 planets, there are 7 in Water, 1 in Air, 1 planet in Earth, and 1 in Fire. That shows a heavy emphasis on feelings and direct experience while flowing through a larger feeling-field, with relatively little focus on interacting, gathering information, getting things done, being efficient and practical, and organizing things so they are in our “enlightened self-interest.” The deficiency of Earth, Air, and Fire shows very little inspiration, warmth, thinking, and practicality, so it’s really a very peculiar time where feelings will run high at the end of the year cycle.
That means we’ll have to continue to be inspired via our own uniqueness and the ongoing revolution in self-awareness that we’re all going through during this time of Uranus in Aries, and find practicality in seeing to the core of things and “refining wilderness” in our inner and outer affairs. And of course, Jupiter in Gemini offers us ways to learn and discover, but we do have to get focused. As Venus leads this Lunation, it makes the area in our charts where we have mid-Pisces of extra importance, and indicates a time to bless the passages, put ourselves out to a public however that’s appropriate, and find a deeper compassion while saying goodbye to whatever.
Air and Earth are cool, Fire and Water are hot. With so many planets in Water, it will be a time when emotions run high. It could bring a sense of a vaster time frame, a sense of finality at the threshold of a new “law of life,” with feelings of being connected on deep and vast levels. This is a time to recognize what you feel, and move that deeper and vaster feeling into seeing that a new life order has already presented itself. Now is the time to finish the review of what call you heard and how you answered.
Wherever we have Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces, and Aries is going to be highly active, due to the presence of 9 planets in that 146 degree span. The 34 degree span between Neptune at 4 Pisces and Uranus at 8 Aries is particularly active. If you have a planet anywhere in that area of the zodiac, you’re going to go through major changes in the part of your psyche represented by the planet and the part of your external affairs symbolized by the house it’s in.
The general theme is that we already “heard the call to a life renewal,” and now get to review and reflect on how we have succeeded in meeting that new way of life. We shall continue to navigate through psychic “traffic jams” to get new information about that call we’ve already heard, and find a new way to express ourselves while getting more clear about what we want to see made manifest in the future.
Through past understanding and practice, we have begun to demonstrate a higher level of social functioning. Ultimately, over the next few weeks we can see how we’re living differently than we were while saying goodbye to old ghosts and confusion.
Since Saturn in Scorpio is one of the “handles” of the Bucket pattern, you may want to regard Saturn in that position as symbolizing a type of “bone regeneration,” or the elimination of all in our skin and bones that would block our ability to meet and greet others at a higher level of dignity, reserve, and “civilized” behavior. This shows us a long wave elimination and regeneration work each of us is doing in our own ways and times.
On a final note about Jones Patterns, Saturn will be leading its part of the occupied span for many months to come since it’s a long time until the inner planets are in Leo, Virgo, or Libra. Along with Jupiter, it will be a focus for the energies set off by the other transits through the Spring. However, by May-June, the larger pattern will alternate between Bucket and Locomotive, but once Jupiter and Saturn are in trine, a lot of what we’ve been dealing with that seems unfocused and spread out will stabilize.
Important Aspects
Remember that in reading a Lunation chart (as well as a horary, inceptional, electional, or any event chart) the forming aspects show things to come, while separating aspects show things already past. This New Moon makes only two forming aspects, while the other planets make several important productive and stabilizing forming aspects.
The only forming aspects the Lunation makes are the conjunction to Mars and quintile to Pluto. The conjunction doesn’t occur until both Mars and the Sun are in Aries, showing this is somewhat of an “end of the end” type of energy. The quintile to Pluto shows high specialization or unique gifts and circumstances that will cut to the core of what’s going on.
Besides these major aspects, other forming aspects include Mercury conjunct Neptune, Venus conjunct the Sun and Mars, Mars conjunct Uranus (out of sign) Jupiter in an incredibly powerful Yod with Saturn and Pluto, echoing what we went through in December, and the ever-looming Uranus square Pluto indicating the hard edge to our times.
As noted in previous articles, Jupiter being the nozzle of the Yod squeezed a lot out of our lives so we could refocus on whatever Jupiter in Gemini indicates in our charts. Those sacrifices that helped us expand in some way have now led us to a major turning point in the Sag, Aquarius, Aquarius, and Pisces areas of our lives via the house affairs where we have Gemini and Scorpio.
The separating aspects show reality already experienced, or things already set into motion. Aspects of note are the Moon conjunct Venus, and Mercury conjunct Venus square Jupiter trine Saturn and sextile Pluto. Once Mercury goes direct in motion, it will again make all these aspects over the next few weeks.
Other separating aspects include Venus trine Saturn, conjunct Neptune, and sextile Pluto, Sun trine Saturn, Mars quintile Jupiter and Pluto and sesquisquare Saturn, and Jupiter sextile Uranus. Taken together it shows we’ve come out of an extremely stabilizing and productive period and now have only a few more weeks before these are cemented in consciousness as a part of our sense of evolution and not merely a promise of the future.
The Sabian Symbols for the New Moon
A New Moon sets the seed forms for what the following 4 weeks will demonstrate. This Lunation falls at 22 Pisces. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.
The symbol is “A man bringing down the new law from Sinai.” According to Rudhyar’s notes from the Marc Jones class, this degree is one of “Man’s success in meeting the challenge of a new order,” “Codification of new values,” and “holding oneself to highest standards.”
In the Astrological Mandala, he says this degree involves "the need to bring down to the level of everyday existence the clear realizations made manifest in a great “peak experience.” He states this degree shows us “the basic principles upon which …. A new ritual of living should be founded,” and “represents a descent of formative and structuring power, a divine Revelation.”
He continues that this symbol is revealed knowledge, where the point of this is “What do you do after you have a peak experience, an inner revelation? The keyword MANDATE is appropriate, but the basic problem is how to fulfill it in the right spirit.”
He says it falls in the span of Protection, and it's the second degree of the emotional-cultural level of the scene of Perpetuation in the Act of Capitalization. So for this month we’re being taught how to embrace a new way of living, new values, new standards, and “bring down to everyday life” some revelation we’ve had, or will have, over the next 4 weeks.
According to Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, the degree is one of “the eternal authority implicit in the very fact of (our) ideals, and of a spiritualization of experience through the religious insights of human society and the institutions it has created for the common welfare.” He states “the inspired prophets of each age have been custodians of an enduring morality,” where we each can find a higher law at our own “mountaintop.”
He continues “Right is dramatized as a personal responsibility for the course of events.” He offers us the keyword of MANDATE. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is "self-sacrifice and a determination to further the ultimate upliftment of all.”
So we enter a spiritualizing time, where we find a mandate to fulfill a newer, higher law of our lives. This will show us a new way to live, and a new way to make a greater contribution to all. This will yield unique insights about the core of things, enabling us to cut to the chase as we close out old life chapters.
Other Influences
Pluto, the Cosmic Purifier, will be in Capricorn for many years. It continues to teach us deep lessons about practical, organized economy of energy and efficiency in sprouting seed forms of the new "laws of our lives" we can relax into. 2012 was mainly about being organized in finding and demonstrating ways to get beyond fear and radiate harmlessness and mature fellowship with Nature, whether your own, another's, or Nature Herself.
The next 4 weeks continues to be a time to open to new ways of viewing how to claim our divine power and express it creatively and without fear as we explore the natural laws underlying manifestations, and see Nature Herself as a laboratory where we learn about how our system is constructed. We can “pierce through appearances” to see the magic at the core of things, and through a “keen vision” can find or demonstrate a “universal living touch.” This sets a threshold pattern for what will surface in August as a search for a Mystery.
As noted in previous articles in this series, due to the effect of the very strong Gemini eclipse of June 2011 being activated by Jupiter in the recent past through the Spring of 2013, we are still being liberated from the ghosts of the past and letting go of burdens we no longer need to bear.
Having found what we've been looking for and opened to new ways of doing our Being, we can be more natural in our search for deeper insights into meaning and processes as we reach out to new and more complex vistas of potential interactions. The Gemini Solar Eclipse of 2012 was also important in continuing the process of letting go of the ghosts of the past, along with opening us to newer, deeper insights even as it shut down even more of the Gemini areas of our lives. I’ve added links to those articles at the bottom of this one so you can check out how it continues the pattern of the 2011 Gemini Solar Eclipse, and adds a new dimension of understanding what’s ending and why in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Jupiter in Gemini continues to invite us to open to new ideas, new perspectives, and new ways of seeing what’s fair and what isn’t. We have been learning how to take the patience we cultivated while Jupiter was in Taurus between June 2011 and June 2012, and since then have had opportunities to open to alternative ways of understanding new discoveries and new interactions that will rapidly open between January and June 2013.
Be open to new ideas and perspectives, new ways to learn and see the higher truths all around you. Jupiter accelerating allows us to see various ways to discover and adapt to our expanding vision so we can become more versatile in becoming part of the "corrective force of Nature Herself."
In practicing our unique individuality we can become the answer to some collective need, whether large or small. This is the time to do, learn, or communicate something through careful aim that hits the mark with unerring accuracy. Adjust, sacrifice, get focused, and move into the end game of letting go of the past!
In this Lunation Jupiter is now moving direct quickly, showing us a tide has turned and it’s time to quicken to the quest! We can now take what we reviewed of the truths and visions of 2012 and see new ways of communicating with others and new ways of interpreting what we’ve been discovering since June 2012.
So this accelerates the remainder of our Jupiter in Gemini adventure that lasts through June. Everything happening has the stationary direct degree as the platform underneath all that we reach out toward during 2013. The degree is “An old fashioned well,” and we are told it’s a degree of “personal self-renewal and simple organic integrity.”
It’s where we take in and give out the substance of who we are, and are compensated for our efforts. It promises self-reliance and “uncompromising faithfulness,” inner assurance, poise, and holds the promise that if we can sense what is hidden that will nourish us, and then do the simple effort to bring it up to the surface of our lives, then we will find “a fundamental trust in and cooperation with life.” This will be the foundation for all that develops between now and late June.
As noted in a previous article, this Lunation is the sixth New Moon with Saturn in Scorpio. We have now cultivated a new strength over the past 6 months, come to a philosophical completion, and finished repairing or reconstructing something so that some final dues are now paid and old karmas left behind. We are growing into a new intensity, focus, emotional depth, and greater maturity relative to shared values, shared resources, deeper ability to commune with others as well as Nature and Spirit, and getting a more structured connection and a more powerful Spiritual linkage with others and ourselves.
We’re shifting the pattern of Feeling-Thinking-Deciding with this New Moon. The past two have shown that specific pattern of leading with feelings, then finding ideas and information, and then making decisions. Now the order of feeling and thinking have reversed within the pattern. This New Moon shows that over the next 4 weeks we lead with thinking infused by feelings, and then feel our way to decisions and actions. Then we need to go find ideas, information, and new visions that can help us find a new way to experience our feelings.
So we’ll be seeking information and or a vision that may have echoes in the past, after which we’ll “feel our way” into new experiences, getting hunches about decisions and the need for action. After we come to the fundamental fact that allows us to decide and act on that decision, we’ll naturally find new information and views which lead us to new experiences. So lead with thinking, see how the vision or information is related to the past or is a new iteration of that view, then move through the feelings and experience of that vision into a new action.
We’ve now moved into unknown Pluto zones, and can see life as a science experiment as we navigate the “traffic jams” in the collective field. We are all being awakened by spiritual energies originating from “the East,” and are seeing new beginnings, new ideals, new ways to imitate, and new ways of approaching the mystery of our existence. Play to the ideas and skills you’ve discovered since last Summer, finish the next phase of overcoming fear, and move out of lesser attitudes and behaviors by cultivating a higher way of relating to others.
In January and February, we were given techniques to shortcut our process of evolution in some way. First through Mars, and then through Venus, we were taught how to get a vision, find a plan, and execute it in the right time, quickening our evolution in significant ways. Now we get to remember that we have heard a call to renew ourselves, and can evaluate our success in meeting a higher order of life, or see how we have to meet a higher order of life if we are to succeed at what we want. As with last month, eliminate all that doesn’t serve your highest social and cultural expression, and be versatile as you learn to navigate the flow of the many tides at work in this time of Pisces.
Here are the previous articles about this Mercury Retrograde New Moon in Pisces:
New Moon in Pisces Pt. 1 - What’s Happening in March-April 2013
New Moon in Pisces Pt. 2 – How Will This Mercury Retrograde Lunation Affect Us?
Besides the 2011 Gemini Solar Eclipse that triggered the Grand Irrationality for years after, we’ve also had a couple of other Solar Eclipses since then that continue to affect all of us. Here are the articles explaining the "Ring of Fire" 2012 Solar Eclipse in Gemini still playing out on the world stage and in our lives in major ways!
Astrology in May 2012 - On The Threshold of an Annular Solar Eclipse at 1 Gemini
The Solar Eclipse at 1 Gemini May 20-21, 2012 Pt. 1 - Who Does It Affect and for How Long?
The Solar Eclipse at 1 Gemini May 20-21, 2012 Pt. 2 - How Will It Manifest?
The Solar Eclipse at 1 Gemini May 20-21, 2012 Pt. 3 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means
Since November and December 2012 brought inner planet transits very close to the degree of the November 2011 Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius (which is still in full force), and the Gemini Eclipses have opposed that Sagittarian Solar Eclipse, here are some links for you to compare and contrast how they are similar and different:
The Solar Eclipse at 3 Sagittarius November 24-25, 2011 Pt. 1 - Who Does It Affect and for How Long?
The Solar Eclipse at 3 Sagittarius November 24-25, 2011 Pt. 2 - How Will It Manifest?
© Copyright 2013 Robert Wilkinson
Dearest Robert,
Thank you, as ever, for the deep wisdom.
I didn't consider it ideal that a new pope is being elected during Mercury retrograde until I read that the conclave is taking place under the Sabian symbol 'A man bringing down the new law from Sinai'!
Peace.
Posted by: Esther | March 12, 2013 at 03:36 PM
This has already been a revealing merc rx who is now passing over my natal chiron again, it doesnt help that Uranus is in square of my 8 cancer merc, I am mentally exhausted, fortunately my philosophical flow is inclined to be inspred so it skips the need to think at the same time, in fact its beneficial for the thinking to be out of the way, still like many I am tired and looking forward to a bit of oomph...hoping this new moon and new burst of life will hit the spot :)
Posted by: debbie | March 13, 2013 at 12:00 AM