In the Pacific Time Zone, the New Moon will occur at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, October 16. This New Moon finds the Moon and Sun in conjunction (0°) at 24° of Libra. To further clarify how this New Moon will impact you on a personal level, locate 24° of Libra in your birth/natal chart. The issues associated with that house are going to be most influenced by this New Moon’s presence.
Oh my! This is a powerful New Moon! There is so much that could be said, but I’ll do my best to keep this brief so everyone has time to read it.
However, this is first! I was about to start writing when Spirit came to me and told me to include the following messages. They repeat what I often tell you, but it was clearly coming from the other side this time. They urged all of us to remember two things:
- Yes, the following information may sound challenging. This is likely going to be a difficult time period for many of us. However, we should remember that astrology is about possibilities and potentialities. Very little is “fated” in our life script, and the rest is up to our free will choices. The Law of Attraction can influence those possibilities and potentialities. What we expect to have happen is usually what will be drawn to us. Because the vast majority of our life is up to us, they urge us to focus on the positive and expect the best, for ourselves, those around us, and our society.
- They also wanted me to remind everyone that part of living a spiritual life is understanding that we are all eternal souls that have come to a classroom that we call Earth. We are here to learn and grow as souls. For those of us who are awakening to our spirituality, we are learning to look at all experiences as life lessons. Although it can be challenging at times, they wanted me to remind us to look at any challenges through the lens of, “What is my personal lesson in all of this?” or “What is my soul wanting to learn from this experience?”
Now, let’s talk about this New Moon in Libra. Normally, this lunar event under the sign of Libra is a time of peace and harmony. That is definitely not the case with this year’s event. The Sun and Moon in Libra are in opposition (180°) to Mars in Aries. Mars is still in retrograde until November 13, which turns up the heat on those firecrackers that we discussed last time. (If needed, I encourage everyone to read [or review] what I’ve written about this Mars event in the Moon Update from September 17 and even more about it in the last Moon Update.) However, our familiar trio of planets located in Capricorn (i.e., Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto) are squaring (90°) both ends of this opposition between the Sun-Moon and Mars. This forms a t-square configuration (right triangle), with the planets in Capricorn being in what is referred to as the “focal position.”
T-squares always indicate challenges that lead to needed change. I describe t-squares as similar to a burr under the saddle on a horse. That burr will cause the horse to buck! All 6 of these planets are located in signs in the cardinal modality (Aries, Libra, Capricorn), so this is referred to as a “cardinal t-square.” The cardinal energy means that actions and reactions are going to be quick, dynamic, and immediate. The focal planet (or in this case planets) in a t-square give an indication of how best to deal with the energy. Given they are located in Capricorn, this tells us that we are well advised to focus on activities that are grounded, practical, and responsible (all Capricorn qualities).
If we can calm down our bucking horse, then the groundedness of Capricorn might support us in tapping into the Libra energy of the Sun and Moon, which is cooperative, diplomatic, and able to see another person’s point of view. The challenge is that over-heated retrograde Mars in Aries may want nothing to do with diplomacy. Knee-jerk reactions are very possible.
I think we can all agree that there’s a lot of frustration and anger in the world right now, which is typical when retrograde Mars is located in its own sign of Aries. We all need to do our very best to breathe and not react to what is going on around us. Remember, Mars in retrograde means it’s a good time to reconsider and reevaluate our plans and actions. If we can calm down, then this retrograde phase could help us think before we act (or speak). However, this could be frustrating because it may feel like we simultaneously have one foot on the gas and the other foot on break!
The good news is that this New Moon may mark the peak of the energies that we’ve been dealing with for the last few months. Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto are all no longer in retrograde and are moving direct again. In fact, both Jupiter and Saturn are now moving toward the sign of Aquarius, which will bring in new, progressive energy. Although there will still be some reverberations from all of this structural change, we will likely see a lot of very positive changes during 2021, especially if we have done the work of allowing structures in our lives and in our society to be dismantled so that new structures can be created. But for right now, it may feel like we are in the middle of a hurricane, with a lot of debris flying around us. New things are coming, and there is great hope for the future; but for now, we need to continue the dismantling process. And after that, we will also need some time to clean up all that debris before we truly begin anew. But the new IS coming! Have faith!
During the time of the New Moon, Venus is in opposition (180°) to Neptune. The lower expression of this pairing can include problems balancing our relationships and/or finances. This challenge is largely due to not being able to see things clearly due to the influence of Neptune, which is located in idealistic Pisces. Venus is still in grounded, earthy Virgo. This may provide us with the realism we need in order to recognize when we idealistically might be seeing what we want to see or hearing what we want to hear. This may not be the best time to make decisions about our relationships or finances. But, if we can tap into the higher expression of these two planets, we have the potential to access energy that is compassionate and forgiving. The Virgo influence also tells us that being of humble service would be a good place to express some of that pent-up Mars in Aries energy.
One final note: Mercury is in an opposition (180°) to Uranus at the time of the New Moon, which could leave us feeling more distracted than usual. We could also get easily overstimulated, and our communication may feel muddled. However, this aspect could also help us be more open-minded than usual and more willing to another’s point-of-view. Some of us may also be given “spiritual downloads” during this time. We may not be able to immediately access all of the downloaded information, but trust that it will provide useful insights at a later time.
Right before the Libra New Moon (Tuesday, October 13), Mercury begins its next retrograde phase, which ends on election day in the USA (Tuesday, November 3). As I explained in the last Moon Update, “As with all retrograde periods, it’s an important time to turn inward. Given it’s occurring in Scorpio, it’s an opportunity for all of us to look deep within our psyches for the answers that we seek.” When Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio, it’s often a period of deep introspection, and there is the potential for healing and transformation. However, we may also see hidden truths being revealed. Revelations are entirely possible. We definitely seek to understanding our own motives or the motives of others.
On Thursday, October 22, the Sun moves into Scorpio, where it will remain until November 21. I wish I could say that this is going to help, but that’s doubtful. Given Mars is still in retrograde until November 13 (i.e., remember my analogy in the last Moon Update of a firecracker inside a pressure cooker), the typically intense emotions and frequent power struggles of Scorpio could become explosive. The lower expression can be jealousy, vindictiveness, and manipulation, which is not a great set of adjectives given today’s societal stresses that are causing behaviors and reactions that aren’t always for the highest good of all involved. (I refer you back to the 2 messages from Spirit at the beginning of this Moon Update.)
A few days before the next Full Moon on October 31, both Mercury and Venus will move into Libra. This will occur on Tuesday, October 27, and these planets will remain in Libra until November 11 and November 22, respectively. Mercury in Libra often brings rational, diplomatic approaches to our relationships. This can potentially improve our negotiating skills, but this placement can also leave us feeling indecisive. Venus in Libra brings with it a charming but cool detachment. We may feel like we want to avoid any unpleasant situations, but this placement does increase our willingness to negotiate and find compromises where previously none seemed to exist. Having these two planets in Libra, which is the sign of the peacemaker, could help us deal with all of the combative energy moving through our lives. Perhaps they will soften the energy a little bit in the final week leading up to the election day in the USA. Let’s use the Law of Attraction to manifest that!
Overall, this Libra New Moon is asking all of us whether we can maintain the dignity, objectivity, and graciousness of Libra while firecrackers are going off and various structures in our lives are being dismantled. That’s a tall order! In several ways, this New Moon might be described as the “hottest” time period of an already steamy year. We need to use all our skills to maintain our equilibrium, humanity, and sanity. Mars in retrograde needs an outlet, so be sure to exercise in order to avoid any implosion or explosion. All of the Capricorn energy means we need to be responsible and focus on practical matters. Libra is an air sign that focuses on balance. It may be helpful to observe our breathing (air sign) to make sure its balanced. Imbalances in our breathing are often the result of emotional triggers. When we notice an imbalance, we can use the objectivity of Libra’s energy to analyze what is going on, learn something from this experience, and possibly even begin to heal and create a better balance in our life.
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THIS BLOG POST WAS WRITTEN BY
- Anne Reith, Ph.D. (AnneReith.com)
- For information about Dr. Reith’s downloadable ebooks and meditations, feel free to visit her online Store
SOME INFORMATION TAKEN FROM
- The Mountain Astrologer (magazine)
- Various online sources (e.g., www.cafeastrology.com)
REMINDER
- New Moons and Full Moons often influence us for the 3 days before and 3 days after the actual event.
NEW MOON
New Moon at 24° of Libra
- Friday, October 16, 2020, 12:30 p.m. PDT
- Friday, October 16, 2020, 3:30 p.m. EDT
- Friday, October 16, 2020, 7:30 p.m. GMT