by Robert Wilkinson
This article covers significant aspects, degree symbols, and other important factors in this Sagittarius New Moon chart. This Lunation continues to take us both within and without, getting a feel for deeper relationships and experiences and a more potent magnetism. Feel the regenerative energy and take this moment of “cosmic pause” to refresh your view and sense of adventure you’re already on!
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 early Sagittarius, and proceeds through outer planets in 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 Jones pattern in the sky is primarily influenced by the position of the inner planets, shifting the pattern every so often.
At this point, Mars is in Pisces, inside the outer planet span. Jupiter rules the Lunation, augmenting the theme of expansion. The inner planets now occupy early Scorpio through mid-Sagittarius,, creating a “Bowl” Jones pattern, opened by Venus in Scorpio and closed by Uranus in Aries.
Long term, as Jupiter closes in on its conjunction with Saturn during the next few years, there will be times when most of the planets will be compressed into very narrow spans centered in Sagittarius and Capricorn. Though the outer planets have been expanding out to a wide spread these past 20 years since the last Saturn conjunct Uranus, the outers are now compressing, with Jupiter and Saturn headed to a karmic rendezvous with Pluto and Neptune over the coming years. Due to the compression, the New Moon in Aquarius will be the first "Bundle" in many years, even though it's wider than ideal. By early 2020 we will have more and more “Bundle” patterns, since the planets will all be within a 120 degree span.
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 Venus leading this Bowl pattern, it shows us the need to be well-balanced, reasonable, diplomatic, and always in good taste to open our planetary experience. Lead all interactions with a sense of moderation and peacefulness. As Venus is in “exile” in Scorpio, it will be more intense than peaceful, and offers us a deeper feeling experience with people and life. As Scorpio is a Water sign, keep it fluid, never lose your natural “state of Being,” and depending on the situation, move from solid to liquid to gas as you open doors to experience.
The Outer Planets Anchor the Pattern of Half the Sky
In the past 5 years, Jupiter has at various times been the nozzle or handle for recurring Bucket patterns, focusing energies through Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio. When we haven’t had Bucket patterns, Jupiter has also been the leading edge of both Bowl and Locomotive configurations when no planets have occupied Leo, Virgo, and Libra. This will resume once Venus conjuncts Jupiter in Sag, making that sign the energy to open experience.
At this time, Jupiter is moving closer to the occupied span involving Saturn, Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus. As it will still lead the outer planet occupied span through December 2020, Jupiter continues to play a major part in how we enter or focus other planetary energies. It's why sometimes these past few years have seemed like a wild ride, an adventure, a quest, and more!
Saturn continues to be the second planetary “pulse” of the occupied outer planet span between Sagittarius and Aries, and has receded in its rulership of the other planets until they re-enter Capricorn. For now, Jupiter is currently the ruler of every other planet in the sky except Saturn and Pluto. That indicates in all areas ruled by all the planets, if we want any of them to operate differently, we must use Jupiter. Want to “move Mars?” Use Jupiter. Going through a Uranian awakening experience? Use good Jupiter skills you’ve developed, and you’ll do fine. With Jupiter and Saturn trading rulership over the other planets at this time, you may want to check out the section on the dance between Jupiter and Saturn in Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, since as we learn the place and function of these two social-cultural heavyweights, we perfect our personality and take command of our lives.
In this New Moon, the most intense occupied span (in this chart Mercury through the Lunation) is 4 planets in 17+ degrees, making that the major focus. If we add Venus in Scorpio and Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn as bookends to this span, we expand the range to 7 planets in 77+ degrees, keeping an intense focus in that area of the zodiac.
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 16 Sagittarius, and it is said that the second third (decan) of any sign deals with the emotional, social, and cultural levels of life, and being the second decan of Sagittarius it has a sub-influence of Aries. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.
The symbol for the 16th degree of Sagittarius is "Sea gulls watching a ship.” In the original Jones class notes from The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar says this is a degree of “the moments of pause which sustain and presage change” and “alert readiness to act; or distress at not knowing what lies ahead.”
In the Astrological Mandala, he goes on to say that this degree symbolizes “the easily acquired dependence of psychic desires upon the stimulation of social circumstances.” He states the sea gulls “symbolize the more wild and normally untamable energies of the human soul” but are “domesticated” because they are dependent on “the by-products of (our) adventures within the realm of the unconscious (the sea).”
He goes on to offer “natural instincts feed on the reactions … of the socially conditioned mind-ego,” and how human ambition, dominance, and societally cultivated dependence can dominate the landscape of our lives. He says this degree is the initial degree in the Span of Detachment, Act of Group Integration, and Scene of Transference on the Actional level.
Dr. Jones says this is a degree of “the spirit’s demand for its full share in the privileges and rewards of human society,” and our “realization that (our) personal interests are served only as (we) maintain an unceasing vigilance in (our) own behalf.” He speaks of the “continual and wholly impersonal give-and-take in every phase of life’s overall economy, so that what loses its usefulness in one respect will gain an immediate high potentiality in another.”
He offers that what we fail to claim for ourselves “is promptly surrendered to the devices of someone else.” He says the keyword is ALERTNESS, and when operating in a positive manner, this degree is our “gift for recognizing every opportunity at hand.”
So the theme of this New Moon turns on the Light of some sort of expansion in the realm of Distributive Fire illuminating our need to take a break while being ready to act, examining our dependencies to see which ones are conscious and which are unconscious, so that we may be vigilant in tending to the “privileges and rewards” due us. It’s important not to get stressed when you don’t yet know something, and remember that every withdrawal of your energy from one life area opens the potential in another.
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. Partile separating aspects show what’s been going on in the Now. This section covers only forming and partile separating aspects.
As I mentioned in the articles on Mercury going direct, this New Moon chart features a LOT of spiritual aspects, as well as some major octile frictional aspects! We have a tremendous number of 8th and 11th harmonic series aspects, with just enough 5th and 10th harmonic aspects to keep it interesting.
Forming (and closely partile separating) frictional aspects include The Lunation square Mars and Neptune and sesquisquare Uranus; Mercury quincunx Uranus; Mars is semisquare Uranus; and finally, there are NO outer planet frictional aspects except Jupiter semisquare Pluto and Uranus semisquare Neptune.
Favorable aspects include the Lunation vigintile Mercury, quindecile Saturn, and decile Pluto; Mercury quindecile Venus, vigintile the Sun, tredecile Mars and Neptune, and conjunct Jupiter (out of sign); Venus is quintile Pluto; Mars is conjunct Neptune; Jupiter is biquintile Uranus; and Saturn is tredecile Uranus.
Saturn tredecile Uranus is exceptionally serendipitous, and promises unique gifts, circumstances, and events perfect for demonstrating our talents and gifts. It will most powerfully affect the houses where it falls in our charts, as well as degree zones around 2-6 Sagittarius/Gemini, 8-12 Capricorn/Cancer, 14-18 Aquarius/Leo, 20-24 Pisces/Virgo, and 26-30 Aries/Libra. If you have any planet or important point in these zones, expect unique and special developments perfect for who you are.
Spiritual aspects are numerous and powerful! We see Mercury novile Saturn and septile Pluto; Venus is novile the Sun, quadraelftile Mars and Neptune, and bielftile Saturn; Mars is trielftile Jupiter and bielftile Saturn; Jupiter is elftile Saturn and triselfile Neptune; Saturn is bielftile Neptune; and Uranus is trielftile Pluto.
Mercury going stationary direct septile Pluto sets a variation of The Grand Irrationality into play. Expect ideas and communications to put you at a “fork in the road of destiny” in the Gemini, Virgo, late Scorpio, and mid Capricorn parts of your lives. Also affected are any planets or important points near 26-30 Scorpio, 18-22 Capricorn, 9-13 Pisces, 1-5 Taurus, 22-26 Gemini, 13-17 Leo, and 5-9 Libra.
Special Configurations in Evolutionary Astrology
As we are now done with oppositions from the inner planets to the outer planets for many months except at the Full Moons, we have already experienced this year’s various “Axes of Awareness,” showing where “the Tensions of Opposites” will play out in our charts and the world. In recent months we’ve had awareness along the late Aries-Libra and early Taurus-Scorpio axes, and before then, the Cancer-Capricorn, Leo-Aquarius, and Virgo-Pisces axes.
Each of these oppositions had one or more planets in an angle to both polarized planets, showing the vectors of building and specializing energies of that “Axis of Awareness.” And of course, the oppositions in late Aries-Libra anchored the octile-driven “Rhombus Diamond” configuration with intense “cutting, grinding, and polishing” energies wherever we have those zones, as well as the middle degrees of Pisces and Virgo.
The waxing Uranus semisquare Neptune marks a crucial point of shift in the opening of their very long wave cycle. Uranus semisquare Neptune is an indicator of our unsettled times, and specifically impacts those with planets near the late degrees of the Cardinal signs and any of the middle degrees of the Mutable signs.
This very frictional energy has been with us a while and will continue to be with us a LONG time! That aspect anchors a very frictional configuration that is kicked into play whenever planets pass through late Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn and mid-Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. It is especially powerful when a planet transits mid-Virgo and late Libra.
As the planets make various octile aspects to these Uranus and Neptune, those phase shifts generate a LOT of tension and friction in the atmosphere, creating a grind for us wherever we have mid-Mutable and late Cardinal sectors. This semisquare is indicative or the hard edge all of us are going through as we try to find 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.
Last Autumn, this “Rhombus Diamond” octile was created during the transits of the mid-Virgo and late Libra zones. Again, this is a “cutting, grinding, and polishing” type of frictional energy that can lead to awareness via the opposition(s) and the ability to act productively even in impossible conditions. We just went through this again a few weeks ago.
As I told you in the September 2017 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.
Explaining Harmonics
While I explained the spiritual aspects in an earlier paragraph, we now take a look at the specializing aspects, since they are in abundance! Of the specializing aspects, we have 2 vigintiles, 3 quindeciles, 2 deciles, 1 quintile, 1 biquintile, and 3 tredeciles. Of the spiritual aspects, we have 2 noviles, and a huge number of Elftile series aspects! We have 1 elftile, 3 bielftiles, 3 trielftiles, and 1 quadraelftile, which is the most I’ve seen in a very long time.
As they interlock and involve Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, it’s clear that the need to make leaps of faith to attain forms of life mastery are in the air these next 4 weeks! Affected zones include 1-5 Scorpio, 4-8 Sagittarius, 7-11 Capricorn, 9-13 Aquarius, 12-16 Pisces, 15-19 Aries, 17-21 Taurus, 20-24 Gemini, 22-26 Cancer, 25-29 Leo, and 28 Virgo-2 Libra.
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 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 – The Quintile and Biquintile, and Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Part 2 – The Decile, Tredecile, 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 and Who’s Leading the Sun
This month we have the 10 traditional planets occupying 5 signs, showing a skewed distribution with a heavy emphasis on Fire and Water. We have 4 in Fire (inspiration and warmth) and 4 planets in Water (feelings and experiencing), with 2 in Earth (practical grounding), and none in Air (relatedness and communicating), showing a feeling-oriented month ahead, with some practical grounding to the restless inspired Fire and Water. As there is no planet in an Air sign, you’ll have to find interactivity and a sense of relatedness within rather than from external sources. This month we have Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Pisces, and Aries represented, with no planet in the other signs.
Air and Earth are “cool” elements, while Fire and Water are “hot” elements. With this distribution, things are extremely hot, with just enough Earth to keep things from flying off into space! We have equally heavy planets occupying the rulership of their elements, those being Jupiter in Sagittarius, Saturn in Capricorn, and Neptune in Pisces. No one planet is in full control, as each exerts a widespread influence, though as I pointed out in part 1, Jupiter is now extremely strong, as it is the final dispositor for all the other planets except Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto.
Since Venus’ Inferior Conjunction with the Sun, we finally have a planet leading the Sun. We now have Jupiter leading the Sun, so it becomes the planetary energy we need to approach the Greater Light.
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. This New Moon gives us a new pattern!
As a process of moving through events, the most effective “firing sequence” for approaching life and experience over the next 4 weeks involves leading with our feelings, then thinking, envisioning, communicating, and getting the information and understanding we need to make decisions and follow through on our vision with action. This pattern approaches life through what they feel, with the feelings leading to understanding and a vision of what to act on.
While this pattern is tempted to move back into more feeling after the information is acquired, in order to complete the sequence in an integrated way, after we find the information that gives us a new vision or understanding, to make our decisions and/or act. Once we do what we have to do, or are decisive about some important life action to be done or not done, then a new feeling-experience will naturally arise that points the way to the next action.
When you are moved by a feeling or experience, it will naturally lead to ideas, visions, interactions, and understanding. Once we’ve felt our way to a vision or understanding, then it will be important to make a decision and act on it. Once we’ve moved everything forward that one step, then a new feeling-experience will naturally arise that points the way to the next view or information needed to again move it forward one step.
So go with the flow while opening to deep and vast feeling experiences, since these will lead you to information and understanding. When your understanding leads to a clear vision, then see the fundamental fact, or act that must be done to move it all one step forward. Let your feeling and experience follow your actions, and let your mind follow your feelings into new views and understanding that can help you make decisions that you’ll act on.
The Sagittarian Promise
2017’s Fire trine between Saturn in Sagittarius and Uranus in Aries stabilized unique forms of heart expression, love, or creativity, and launched the final phase of our “escape from a narrow destiny” begun in the Summer of 2016. We’ve been quickened since the Spring of 2017, and in 2018 Jupiter taught us to eliminate all that prevents our Spiritual Self from coming forth with ease. Saturn in Capricorn continues to show us “promises to keep, and miles to go before (we) sleep,” to quote the legendary Frost. We trained in 2017, and each has reaping a promised blessing in 2018. With the current transits through Scorpio and Sagittarius, the promise of the past year and the next year is finally beginning to manifest in concrete ways.
Jupiter is now done with its transit of the various Scorpio eclipses, Lunations, and planetary station points, bringing forth blessings, opportunities, and liberating factors in life related to those events this past year. It now has begun to transit past Sagittarius eclipse, Lunation, and planetary station points, so whatever was “bound up” or “cocooned” in Scorpio will blast off into infinite space as Jupiter moves through Sagittarius!
The North Node was in Sagittarius between March 2011 and August 2012. Whatever was removed by the Eclipses of that period created space that will be filled with new Jupiterian material this next year. Longtime readers will note that June 2011 Solar Eclipse was VERY powerful, and helped us break loose from “ghosts of the past” over the 3.6 years it was in active operation. We also had a Solar Eclipse in early Sag in Nov 2011 and early Gemini in May 2012. All of those voids will open to a new Sagittarian promise.
Summing Up
We are still in the process of a long term major transformation period, and we have now completed the 2018 last look back at various areas of our lives during the “tag team retrogrades” since March. We’ve been expanding into a long cycle of allowing our highest Truths to transform our everyday lives, The Spring of 2018 brought “dignified withdrawals” and a new set of lessons about overcoming fear and getting rewards for cultivating kindness. And we’ve had “defeats” that spelled true spiritual victory.
While many old areas of our lives are in active “shut down” mode associated with Solar Eclipses from the past few years, since June we’ve also pulled back from our old projections and no longer like the same things we used to. We’ve all had to plan anew in some way, and see the hidden signature of things. The Summer and Autumn gave us opportunities to reunite with people, memories, skills, and parts of our past, all parts of “the power of our spiritual ancestry” we’ve been learning about the entire year.
Of course, all of this is conditioned by the larger framework of the outer planet transits weaving the matrix we all live within. For the past several years, and for several years to come, Jupiter is in the closing phase of its long cycles with Saturn, Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus. Many things are naturally coming to harvest, for better or worse, in the larger world.
So be at peace with your memories of what was and what never was, and see the integrity you’ve embraced through your understanding of “the movie of your life.” We are now in a phase of learning to act within the Dreamscape after our radical transformational period when Mars was in late Aquarius, and now are at the beginning of a new phase in collective consciousness.
At this time in history, we’re almost always dealing with some sort of 7th harmonic irrationality. We’ve recently had The Grand Irrationality in full action, and this New Moon continues the configuration with Mercury septile Pluto, marking yet another point in our collective “fork in the road of destiny.” And though it’s no longer septile to Pluto, Mars urges us to find our “camouflage,” and wear our inner wealth with elegance.
For a quarter century, Neptune and Pluto, followed now by Uranus and Pluto, have symbolized the greater “irrational times” we live in, with a lot of things making no sense at all. Just remember that often success is found by not losing our cool when everyone else is, so that when the storm is past we haven’t made things worse, and may even have made them better!
So we enter 4 weeks of “the pause that refreshes,” where we need to be alert and ready to act while not falling into distress at not knowing what’s next. Jupiter shows us the way to a greater Life and Love, where Cupid is in the air and the backdrop to almost every other planet.
Attune to your invisible helpers, cooperate in building whatever the community is building, and focus on your connection to “the One” which holds all things together. See how your integrity has brought you the abundance you have, which is the way to heal into your Higher Self. You’ve found your places in the Cosmic Choir. Just remember the choir rules you’ve been taught these past 18 months, and sing your part within the One We Are All Together.
Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend
Because Saturn is in its home sign of Capricorn, it is the final dispositor of all planets transiting Capricorn and Aquarius from now through 2023. It was a ruler of the Aquarius eclipses, making it an important factor for the next few years, and dominated the period between March and November 2018 because Mars transited Saturn-ruled signs during those months. It will still be powerful for months because of the transits of Capricorn and Aquarius coming from late December through late March 2019.
Add that it’s done a very interesting dance with Uranus all of 2018, and their mid-2018 Earth trine taught us how to anchor the inspiration of 2017 in grounded ways, blending past and future together and craft our destiny. In 2017, we stabilized Electric Fire, harmonized with Distributive Fire by Friction, and learned to express it in loving, creative forms of Solar Fire that Summer during the Grand Fire trines, as well as every month when the Moon was in Leo. 2017 was the next step in understanding the movement of Fire in our lives, which in mid-2018 yielded an entirely new Earth understanding!
You can learn more about the Saturn-Uranus “dance of individualization” by taking a look at the material in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. Saturn helps us give form and structure to our quest for Self-realization, and in Capricorn, will help bring an “organized personal 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. 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 even those with little or no understanding of astrology will benefit from understanding why they had to make certain choices at crucial times shaping their lives in profound ways.
Each time you read any section of this book you will find new insights about your power to steer your personal evolution. You will understand how to throw off all the attitudes and memories which have held you back from finding and living the life and purpose. Through your journey of self-discovery, you can find ways to live your life on your own terms, and fulfill your purpose 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 on Amazon and this should be all you need to order your copy. The ebook is available through Kindle. And if you would, please write a review on the Amazon site, since the more reviews, the bigger the boost on their site.
© Copyright 2018 Robert Wilkinson
Thanks Robert, not only great information but also beautifully written.
Blessings be to all.
Posted by: Nic | December 06, 2018 at 05:19 PM