The New Moon in Libra
The Moon starts anew at 24° Libra on October 16 at 2:31pm Central Standard Time.
On the third Friday of October, we will receive lovely lunation number 2 out of 3 for the month (this year, October has 1 new moon and 2 full moons!) Looking at the astrological chart for the very moment of the new moon can tell us a lot about what this new moon cycle will bring and teach us. So often we talk about Libra in the terms of “love” and “partnership”. Which are completely on-brand, but wait - there’s more! In this lunation, we’ll be called to balance out extremes within ourselves as we find usefulness in difficulty, and self-refinement in strife.
In the astrological chart of the new moon, we have the luminaries opposing Mars retrograde in Aries and squaring Saturn & Pluto in Capricorn: a-less-than-effortless planetary collaboration. We are also looking at Venus - the planetary ruler of this new moon - in Virgo, just one sign over from the luminaries in this chart (for those of you who use minor aspects, this is a wide semi-sextile). Venus will also oppose Neptune in Pisces creating a need for idealistic comfort but difficulty achieving it. Nevertheless, Venus in Virgo manages to find value, refinement, and use in not only the helpful, but also in the inconvenient. Tensions in our predicaments, while not exactly pleasant, do allow us to grow as they show us where there is work to be done. The predicament, in this case, is how this new moon is in hard aspect to the malefic planets: Mars, Saturn, and Pluto*. And the lesson of the Libran scales is to find the weight in the good and the bad, and knows how to balance between.
The sun (our identity) and the moon (our emotions) are forced to face new ways of shining and new ways of feeling, as existing ways aren’t flowing and functioning as they usually are. The opposition to Mars, who is retrograde, creates a battle of will and desire, but difficulty asserting the self and trusting ones own instincts. This brings a lack of confidence and frustration resulting from feelings of unfair compromise. All the while, Saturn & Pluto form T-Squares to these planets (90° angles to both Mars & the Sun) furthering our difficulty to stand in our power and find authority over the workings of our lives. Sensations of shame, guilt, and pessimism may wash over us as we catch ourselves unable to improve our current standing. And to incorporate the Venus-Neptune opposition, boundaries with others may be hard, and generosity and kindness may be taken advantage of. Over the weekend, we will have to use a careful balance of discretion, and surrender.
Libra, as the sign of balance, is a dualistic sign that allows us to see the contrast between light and dark and how this dichotomy within ourselves creates vastness - yet wholeness - to our being.We will likely see our true range throughout this lunation, for better or (likely) for worse. As we step into this new moon cycle, you may have to rethink parts of your identity as you take a hard look in the mirror and assess the internal and external struggles you currently face. How are you not functioning optimally? How are you not being fair to yourself, or others? Venus in Virgo wants to remind you to find use in this experience - to see these less-than-ideal circumstances (Neptune opposition) as a way to bring about greater effectivity. Use this as a learning opportunity to deepen the relationship with all facets of yourself, finding out new things about your needs, your tendencies, and your shadows. Meet yourself along those darker edges and ask yourself how you can improve - doing so to be a greater advocate for yourself and provide greater service to others. It may be hard to see or accept how we could be doing things better, but Venus in Virgo herself will support the work you are doing; and equally but less obviously, Saturn and Pluto are here to assist as well (Saturn loves discipline and Pluto brings metamorphosis). The search for a new perspective is echoed by Neptune’s ability to enlighten our consciousness and Libra’s archetypal tendency to see the other side of the same coin.
Using astrological aspects as a lesson tool: if we were to only have happy moments (trines and sextiles) we would move through life as coddled beings, never pushed into growth by difficult situation. Squares and oppositions may be unfavorable in the moment but absolutely serve a greater purpose. Here we experience tension which invokes growth. By nature, living-beings avoid this type of stress and we instinctually push ourselves out of discomfort in one of two ways: using tactics of defense or escape to self-preserve (think fight or flight), which may equal immediate relief, but does not bring new skills for us to utilize the next time we find ourselves in discomfort; or we use tactics of surrender and strategic reform: accepting where we are at as a learning opportunity for growth & new perspective, facing our struggles head on to find meaning behind the struggle. This can show us ways to refine our skills so we can bring about better results the next time around.
And while this new moon isn’t ideal for manifesting your wildest dreams, we can set intentions to call in greater perspective. How would you like to move through this new cycle with a better handle on the difficulties life throws your way? With this new moon, how can you commit to seeing your unideal circumstances as growth opportunities? Are you willing to do the work?
*Pluto isn’t technically a malefic, because the concept of malefic v. benefic planets is rooted in traditional astrology and Pluto wasn’t discovered and used until the development of modern day astrology. We can, however, draw conclusions that Pluto transits & aspects are less-than-favorable (but not without great lesson).
New Moon Blessings to you and yours.
Xoxo, Maple Eastwood
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