by Robert Wilkinson
This article covers significant aspects, degree symbols, and other important factors in this Scorpio New Moon chart. This Lunation opens the door to getting it in gear in a big way, and marks a point of overall favorability in the year cycle.
As you understand by now, different months bring us different Jones Patterns, depending on the position of the Moon and the inner planets relative to the outer planets. These patterns operate their own independent influence, regardless of which planet is in which sign.
Currently, the outer planet occupied span begins with Jupiter in Scorpio, and proceeds through planets in Sagittarius, Capricorn, Pisces, and Aries. This is a hemispheric distribution, with all the outer planets in about half the signs (excluding TransPluto, since Jones didn’t use it in defining his patterns). That means the pattern du jour is primarily influenced by the position of the inner planets, shifting the pattern every so often.
As I offered in part 1, now that all the inner planets are moving through the span defined by Libra through Aries, for the next few months we’ll mainly have a Bowl Pattern, except when the Moon is in Gemini, Cancer, Leo, or Virgo. The Virgo New Moon was the last to feature a Locomotive Pattern until June 2018, though we will have a Locomotive at the early January Full Moon in Cancer, with the open trine between the Moon and Jupiter in Scorpio.
The Bowl is now an ideal pattern, since all of the planets are in half the zodiac, with the other half unoccupied. This is important, since it will dominate the next 4 weeks.
The Bowl Pattern and how it works
This type of spread, with all the planets occupying approximately half of the signs with an empty half opposite the occupies half, creates a “special type of conscious selfhood,” which Dr. Jones says “marks the Bowl type of temperament. He goes on to state “Fundamentally it is an extreme self-containment,” which “holds things, and a Bowl individual is one who always has something to bear.”
He goes on to state that with the Bowl, “the whole dynamic of man, his total power of achievement, arises in his instinctive realization that he is set off against a definite part of the world, that there is a complete segment of experience from which he is excluded in some subtle fashion. The Bowl not only holds something, but also places whatever it holds into relationship with a larger consideration.”
Dr. Jones continues that “the occupied segment of the Bowl horoscope reveals the activity and organization of the self, since planets are significant according to their place by sign and house, and the unoccupied segment becomes a challenge to existence, or the need and emptiness to which the native must direct his attention. The outstanding characteristic of the Bowl temperament is its marked sense of what is self-contained in contrast with what the self cannot hold, and this take an everyday form in an advocacy of some cause, the furtherance of a mission, an introspective concern over the purpose of experience.”
He concludes his explanation of how the pattern works with “The Bowl native always has something to give to his fellows, whether literally or psychologically, whether constructively or vindictively, because his orientation to the world arises from division; that is, frustration and uncertainty. The leading planets, determined in exactly the same way as for the Locomotive pattern, give a point of application, and shows where and how the native seeks to carry out his mission or gain his everyday justification for existence.”
He brings up another important point of analysis, as he states “the leading planet is of secondary importance in the Bowl pattern, unless it is found in a strong opposition or cosmic cross. The fundamental attack on the problems of life by the Bowl individual is indicated more significantly by the tilt or house-position of the Bowl-segment.”
He concludes this section by stating “the Bowl character is definitely more self-expending, or self-seeking, and more practically interested in what things mean and what they are. It continually throws the emphasis from the signs into the houses. It a general way the Bowl tends to ‘scoop up’ things and initiate experience when the position of the leading planet ranges from the fourth cusp, up and over the ascendant, to the Midheaven cusp, and then inclines to “capture” things or consummate various phases of life when the leading planet is placed similarly from the tenth angle down over the descendant to the nadir.”
With Mars in Libra leading this Bowl pattern, it shows us the need to balanced action, just use of force, and reasonable, moderate approaches based in a sense of perspective and fairness to open our planetary experience. Libra weighs, judges, and apportions, trying to find a balanced approach to finding the perfect equilibrium in each situation. Doing needed repair and/or reconstruction work is the key to success.
In this New Moon, the most intense occupied span (in this chart Jupiter, Venus, and the Lunation) is 4 planets in 17+ degrees, making that the major focus. Adding Mars, Mercury, and Saturn bookending the Scorpio stellium, and the expanded specific emphasis is the span between Mars at 17 Libra and Saturn at 27 Sagittarius. This involves 7 planets in 69+ degrees, showing a LOT of activity wherever this span falls in our chart.
This month we have the 10 traditional planets occupying 6 signs, showing a closing hemispheric distribution with an intense cluster noted above. This month we have Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Pisces, and Aries represented, with no planet in the other signs.
The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon
A New Moon sets the seed forms for what the following month will demonstrate. This Lunation falls at 27 Scorpio. It is said that the last third (decan) of any sign deals with the individual, mental, and spiritual levels of life, and being the third decan of Scorpio it has a sub-influence of Cancer. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.
The symbol for the 27th degree of Scorpio is "A military band on the march." In the original notes from the Marc Jones class on the symbols, Rudhyar says this is a degree of desiring to impress others in some social way, and "materialization of normally subjective values."
In the Mandala he goes on to say this is a degree of "the aggressive glorification of cultural values," where either we're showing others or they're showing us the value of some achievement. Here cultural excellence is demonstrated in dramatic ways that can sway others, creating feelings of social unity.
He continues that this degree juxtaposes "natural spontaneity and instinctive adjustment to nature" with a more assertive and perhaps domineering "pomp." He says this degree falls in the Span of Appreciation, Act of Group Integration, and Scene of Faith on the Individual-Mental level.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of "the human spirit's continual desire to avoid everyday trivialities and drabness" as it moves toward enduring goals. Here self-affirmation moves us beyond lesser experiences, where we realize "things of worth" are gained through a "thoroughly self-mobilized effort."
He offers us the keyword INTREPIDITY, and says when positive, this degree "is a dramatic capacity for drawing events to a focus and directing their course successfully to what might have seemed impossible ends."
So the theme of this New Moon shows the Light for the next 4 weeks is illuminating our power to demonstrate what we value in dynamic social forms, where we can bring things to focus and find success when we least expect it. This Lunation will show us how, why, and what we want to attract or repel, eliminate and/or regenerate, with the purpose of bringing forth our magnetism and/or desire in highly dramatic exhibitions.
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 section covers only forming aspects.
As mentioned in part 1, the Lunation chart has a mixed bag of aspects, mainly favorable. There are only three significant frictional aspects at work, those being Mars square Pluto, Jupiter semisquare Saturn, and Uranus semisquare Pluto.
The first shows we have to find cooperation for things others may not understand while getting behind inhibiting factors and not letting things spin out of balance through impulsiveness or self-indulgent behavior. The second requires us to embrace creative challenges, not get discouraged, and make sure our values and ambitions are aligned and supporting each other.
The third, Uranus semisquare Neptune, has been with us a while and will continue to be with us a LONG time! This anchors a very frictional configuration that is kicked into play whenever planets pass through mid-Virgo and late Libra specifically, and more generally, any of the late degrees of the Cardinal signs and any of the middle degrees of the Mutable signs.
The energy of the the ongoing Uranus semisquare Neptune indicates a LOT of tension and friction in the atmosphere, creating a grind for us wherever we have mid-Mutable and late Cardinal sectors. I believe this semisquare is entirely behind the inner hard choices all of us are considering right now in how our individuality fits into the collective atmosphere, and why there is so much friction between the transpersonal Uranian forces and the transpersonal Neptunian forces at this time.
During recent transits of these zones, a “Rhombus Diamond” octile was created. This creates a “cutting, grinding, and polishing” type of energy that is frictional and can lead to awareness and the ability to act productively even in impossible conditions.
As I told you in the Rhombus Diamond articles, we can expect solar flares and plasma eruptions, warping in the electromagnetic field, breakaway impulses, sideways explosions, and all equivalent human behavior symbolized by these octile aspects testing our clarity. It has presented all of us with certain questions. What is your role as you would define it? Reject timidity and uncertainty, and find your place in the larger scheme of things.
Again, this shows long wave friction which will be set off any time any planet moves through the middle degrees of Sagittarius or the late degrees of Libra and Capricorn, in play through the end of 2017 in those signs. I’ve given you several articles about the Rhombus Diamond configuration and how it works, as well as which resonant points are activated every time a planet opposes Uranus and sesquisquares Neptune. Please take a new look at those articles, since the semisquare will be strong through December, and again in early 2018.
The Lunation makes a novile to Mars, a vigintile with Jupiter, and a semisextile with Saturn. Because it’s in the last degrees of Scorpio, like last month’s New Moon at 27 Libra, it is another “anticipatory” New Moon, where new transformational adventures will open once a threshold is passed.
Other inner planet forming aspects include Mercury Novile Jupiter, conjunct Saturn, trine Uranus, and semisextile Pluto; Venus conjuncts the Sun, quadranoviles Uranus, and sextiles Pluto; and Mars opposes Uranus, biquintiles Neptune, and squares Pluto.
Outer planet aspects are very favorable overall! Jupiter is semisquare Saturn, trine Neptune, and sextile Pluto; Saturn trine Uranus is brought back into focus through Mercury; Uranus and Neptune make no aspects to planets outside their orbits.
Partile separating aspects are few, but strong! The Lunation is just separating quincunx Uranus and septile Pluto, Mercury to its sextile to Mars, Mars to its quintile with Saturn, and Uranus semisquare Neptune and trinovile Pluto. All these are so tight as to be active, though separating.
The seeds of transformation and adventure are to be found in Mercury’s conjunction to Saturn and trine to Uranus, since it brings the entire Mercury cycle for 2017 to a glorious conclusion! This last conjunction to Saturn in Sag brings the Fire trine back into prominence, opening favorable zones in late Fire and Air signs. Venus and Jupiter in favorable aspect to Pluto indicate a great time for eliminating the old, moving into deeper waters of feeling and experiencing, and purifying the process so the adventure may continue without goop interrupting the journey.
So for the next few weeks, specialization is indicated by the Lunation vigintile Jupiter, Mars biquintile Neptune, and Saturn quintile Neptune, with spiritual aspects represented by the Lunation novile Mars, Mercury novile Jupiter, and Venus quadranovile Uranus.
The novile (9th harmonic), septile (7th harmonic) and elftile (11th harmonic) series all feature spiritual aspects. All novile series aspects represent gestative energies that can lead to great spiritual realizations. Septile series aspects in this New Moon, they represent forks in the road of destiny, while the elftile series aspects represent issues requiring we resolve some sort of duality by making a leap of faith to attain a form of mastery over that type of duality.
The quintile and biquintile (5th harmonic) and related 10th (decile and tredecile), 15th (quindecile), and 20th harmonic (vigintile) aspects are all specialization aspects. You can find more by going to Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Pt. 1 – Quintile, Tredecile, Decile, and Biquintile, and Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Part 2 – The Quindecile and the Vigintile.
You can find out more about the spiritual aspects (septile, novile, and elftile series) by referencing this brief overview of the Spiritual aspects, complete with glyphs for all of them.
Element Balance
We just did another significant element shift, and this Lunation features very little Air and Earth, a good dose of stable Fire anchored by Mercury and Saturn trine Uranus., and a preponderance of Water. Of the traditional 10 planets, in this chart there are 3 planets in Fire signs, 5 in Water, 1 in Earth, and 1 in Air. This element spread is extremely one sided, with Fire and Water dominating the atmosphere. So we have a deficiency of practicality (Earth) and relatedness/communication element (Air), with increased and more varied inspiration (Fire), and huge excess of feeling/experiencing (Water).
Air and Earth are “cool” elements, while Fire and Water are “hot” elements. With this distribution, things are extraordinarily feeling-based, where we must remember a fundamental scientific fact. Fire and Water make for a very volatile combination that creates steam power when focused or fogs and mists when uncontained. This is especially true of the “Distributive Fire” of Mercury in Sagittarius combined with the major Water pressure with 4 planets in Scorpio! Keep the boiler hot, but don't let it explode!
Because Venus leads the Sun from Scorpio, the Light is being led by a VERY intense Warrior Woman unhappy with being in the sign opposite her home. As it is one leg of the mutual reception governing the backdrop to all the other planets except Neptune, it is very strong at this time. Here Mars in Libra helps somewhat, but Venus is by far the stronger energy of the two.
The current sequence at present of Deciding, Feeling, and Thinking
We’ve been through several different sequences over the past few months. There are six patterns, and each has their strengths and weaknesses. As a process of moving through events, this New Moon has shifted again, showing that over the next 4 weeks the most effective “firing sequence” for approaching life and experience involves leading with our feelings, then deciding, then thinking.
This pattern leads with feelings, and then makes decisions and acts based in those feelings. While it is tempting to move back into more feeling after the actions, after we make our decisions and/or act, it will be important to get new information to come to a new vision or understanding. Once we get the right view or understanding, then a new feeling-experience will naturally arise that points the way to the next action.
So when you are moved by a feeling or experience, it will naturally lead to decisions on the basis of those feeling experiences, which should be followed by a search for new information, new ideas, new interpretations, and new views. We’ll be “feeling our way” into new experiences, then deciding and acting on the basis of those feelings. After a decision or action, then we’ll have to find newer, more up to date information, facts, and understanding so we can get a new vision.
So learn and teach through anecdotes, seeing how others handled things practically, or how you handed things practically in the past. Let your thinking and communicating and envisioning follow your actions, and let your feelings follow a new understanding, a new perception, or a new view.
Summing Up
Now that we’ve been through a solid year of Saturn in Sagittarius trine Uranus in Aries, we’ve stabilized our unique forms of heart expression, love, or creativity, and learned how to move out of the old into the new with calm confidence. We now have had opportunities to structure “the future in the making” into our life evolutionary process while “escaping from a narrow destiny.”
Much has been quickened since last Spring, and we have been eliminating all that would prevent our spiritual Self from demonstrating itself with ease. This is the penultimate New Moon of the Saturn in Sagittarius era, promising a blessing to each of us in 2018. It all depends on how we’ve trained to put things together since January 2017.
This is the second New Moon with Jupiter in Scorpio, and you can bet that as Jupiter transits the Venus and Lunation positions over the next 11 months, many things promised by this Lunation will become blessings, opportunities, and liberating factors in life. It will be punctuated by Mercury’s conjunction with Jupiter within a degree and a half of this Lunation degree. As Mercury will retrograde and go SD at that same degree, pay attention to what is set into motion these next 4 weeks!
Because of the Bowl, things may seem very “divided” in many ways, but keep referencing your inner equilibrium as you retire from recent dramas and contemplate those in the past that gave you the wisdom and peace you ARE today. This New Moon intensifies the emerging adventure in transformation! Be balanced in your approach to things and see the beauty, point out the beauty to others, and facilitate the beauty in all things and interactions.
This one requires that we “put on the show,” more as a dress rehearsal for other shows to come in the near and distant future. Repair what needs repairing, throw out what needs to be thrown out, give away what no longer symbolizes your values, and build lines of communication, between parts of your inner self as well as with others in the world.
This one takes us deeper. See when it’s time to go inward to preserve your energy, and see what you need to sustain your outreach. Mars will be triggering many things related to this Lunation by January, when we will all know what we’ve done well that has contributed to our sense of having transfigured our lives over the past year.
With Mercury in its shadow zone conjunct Saturn trine Uranus, it will be an excellent time for structured learning that opens doors to different truths, perspective, and futures. While Mercury conjunct Saturn can bring a seriousness to the atmosphere, in Sagittarius there’s just enough structure to see and embrace the adventure in moving into the future! Saturn is showing us the way to express our individuality in unique ways, taking materials and shaping them so they reveal something of our special gifts to our world. As these are still in a “protection before the manifestation,” show patience and understanding when your heart is challenged to move into a greater Love and Wisdom.
Magic is in the air, and many will understand how their emotional stress since the Summer helped them to a blessing after the death of useless ideas and responses. We have all experienced “spiritual linkage through emotional distress” in some way these past 6 months, and now our personality has access to our Higher Self through referencing the heart or creativity. Things thought to be lost can be found in the next few weeks, leading us to a greater, more timeless Wisdom.
Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend
Because Saturn is important as a stable leg of the Fire trines happening during these months, as well as the current focus of Mercury via its conjunction, we are still in a time when we can see how to blend past and future together and craft our future destiny. We have just finished a season of stabilizing Electric Fire with Distributive Fire by Friction, and learned to express it in loving, creative forms of Solar Fire between July and September during the Grand Fire trines. This is the next step in understanding the movement of Fire in our lives this past year!
You can learn more about mastering the Saturn and Uranus part of generating your future destiny by taking a look at my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. Saturn helps us give form and structure to our quest for Self-realization, and in Sag, brings an “expansive structure” to the Uranian energies infused with concentrated doses of spiritual energy that is making our spiritual life come alive.
Our inner Saturn gives us the power to take command of our lives and destiny. Saturn shows us those things we must master to become spiritual adults and fulfill our purpose for being alive on Earth. By knowing our Saturnian strengths, we can overcome fear and any sense of victimization or powerlessness.
It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers, and gives the reader the power to understand why some things happened when they did. Throughout the book, it offers ways for us to “make friends” with this part of our existence and take command of our destiny. As you read each chapter, you’ll become more aware of all the factors assisting Soul growth through understanding how our Saturn lessons relate to Dharma (our Highest Spiritual Function) and various types of karma, both those we cause and those which are "Sacred Wounds" leading us to a greater compassion and understanding.
This is a book you will reference many times for many reasons, and each time you pick it up you’re sure to find undiscovered gems of insight on each page. This book can help you throw off all the attitudes and memories which have held you back from finding and living the life and purpose you’ve been searching for since you were young. Welcome to the journey of self-discovery, and finding your power to live your life on your own terms, fulfilling your reason for being alive as an Eternal having human experiences!
Please order your copy today! You can go to the Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend page and order your copy of either the paperback or the ebook. It's also available as an ebook on B&N's Nook. I’ve been told that people who live overseas can get their copy much faster by going through Amazon. And if you would, please write a review on the Amazon site, since the more reviews, the bigger the boost on their site.
© Copyright 2017 Robert Wilkinson
Thanks Robert for this New Moon posts.
Blessings be to all.
Posted by: Nic | November 20, 2017 at 04:48 AM