Buckle Up Buttercup, we have a wave of energy to kick off this New Moon cycle. Before we get to the new beginnings of the Libra Moon, it helps to know the list of ingredients that is in the recipe. The Moon, Venus and Mercury Retrograde are all going to cross the exact trine with Pluto the first couple days of this cycle. The Moon lines up with Pluto first before the New Moon officially arrives at 2:54pm pst. Then Venus travels that path late Sunday night and Mercury follows up by Tuesday. Why does that matter, you may ask?
Well the Moon represents what we love and fear losing. It highlights our mind and our original programming. Venus is our desire nature, what we attract and what delights us. Mercury is the winged messenger that can go anywhere. Out of the whole of the symbolic gods, he is the one who can safely travel to all parts of the world and come back. He is our storyteller, meaning maker and a liar.
With a New Moon in Libra, just barely in Libra, we move out of the personal cycle of who we are and out into the cycle of the ‘other’. Yet who we are directly impacts our connections. This is when we really see the effects of that Truth. Thanks to social media, at no time in history has it been so easy to know what is going on globally. At least some version of it. There’s where the story has become an us versus them against in epic proportions. Man against nature, church against state, left against right. Which factors in to this Moon Cycle. How, you may wonder? Let me illustrate what I see for you.
There we are as the adult that stands in our mirror. Except there are blind spots and missing parts of our understanding, like holes in Swiss Cheese. Those are the places where the adaptive child takes over with conditioned responses. Something triggers you (the Moon), you tell a story around it that is more influenced by past events than current ones (Mercury’s lies). You react according to your conditioned response, not your whole self in order to protect what you love and fear losing. Yet you keep drawing in things that look like the pattern you already know (Venus). This Moon Cycle highlights the dark underside that informs that pattern.
This pattern ‘Make Over’ we are in now is emphasized by enough Astrology to make your eyes glaze over. The outer planets, which stand for generational shifts play a big role and they are retrograde. All the retrograde planets suggest turning your gaze inward first. Include how your inner world impacts your outer world, day by day this cycle. While the Sun moved into Libra, this Moon Cycle has a pile up of planets in Virgo, the sign of wholeness. Before you can truly belong to a cause, a job, a relationship, you need to know you belong to yourself as you are right now. Then adjust for how you show up for the world around you.
Which is a good reminder, not to confuse perfection as the goal. Don’t worry about the holes, put your eyes on wholeness instead. Any conflict going on around you is absolutely your mirror for internal battles. Even when people project their monsters on to you, there is a small element of truth there as the hook. Be brave and look at it your part in things and right size it. Rarely is an emotional response due to you alone. Map your underground landscape. While it may feel confrontational, a more accurate landscape is a kindness. It will be revealed one way or another. So when you participate you take an active role in shaping what you discover. That’s real power, the reworking of the uncovered truth. The Cards and Stars will help.
Thank you,
Lisa Greenfield
Given that it is such a bumpy New Moon and yet rich with discovery potential, I’m moved to share a special offer. You may purchase a half hour reading for over 25% off for the next five days and then it ends. You have up to six months to do the reading, so if you want to purchase any as gifts for the upcoming holiday season, feel free to do that as well. (Limit four per person).
Get your Libra New Moon Astrology/Hand Analysis/Tarot reading update here. Let’s see where this Mercury Retrograde and eclipse cycle lands in your chart and what your hand shows us about how to use your strengths to pull up your weaknesses. Looking forward to it!
9/25 Libra New Moon Judgement
How fascinating that this card appeared for the New Moon. One of the meanings of this card is to face challenges head on and make the necessary changes. That sounds just about right, doesn’t it? Necessary changes get a boost from a coming Mars in good aspect with Saturn. This helps us see the big picture on where our actions do not serve our goals. No matter how tempting it is to fire off a smart reply to someone right now, it is a short lived victory and not a long term gain. Cutting words or actions separate us from each other. You can be on point with out driving the dagger in verbally.
Now in some cases this may be just what you want. Still, there are ways to do it that leave people with some dignity. Humiliating someone, just because you can, does nothing to make the world a better place to live in, ever. And there is a part of you that knows if you don’t control your impulses to be unkind, then you can’t expect it from others. When you consistently can raise the bar and behave better than you may have been treated, your unconscious can feel that you make it a kinder, better world with your choices. There is a strength that flows from this choice that can be a real game changer.
When you use your trauma or another’s bad behavior to retaliate the same way you don’t improve your inner or outer world. Cheap displays of ‘power over’ are like sugar addiction. You always need to feed it or the crash comes and you feel worse than you did before you ate it. Whereas when you choose to improve a situation, no matter how damaged it is now, you signal improvement is possible. You’ll get practice these next two weeks, to choose which one you want. Be kind to your fear brain and the stories it wants to tell. But don’t let it write the ending. Make necessary changes, be the author of what comes next. Your world will only improve when you do.
9/26 Queen of cups
Early morning brings the meet up between Moon with Pluto, right in line with this deep emotional waters of the Queen of Cups. Mercury and Venus are heading into Pluto’s path as well. Pluto promises riches when you are willing to go into the dark to face your shadow side. It helps to remember that the emotional state you are in has much to do with the story you tell yourself about whatever happens. Now the promise of good fortune is also part of this Queen, when you are willing to do your work. Where this counts is when you can honestly look at your past pain and suffering and see your part in whatever happened.
This is NOT a blame game, or a way of saying you deserved ill treatment or trauma. Rather, it is confronting what you do with the trauma you experienced. How much power do you still give away trying to protect yourself now from the pain then? You survived whatever happened. You can learn from it and recover. Or you can use it as an excuse to let your emotions run away with you in current time. Take a good look at the power dynamics of those old hurts. What went into the equation of power imbalance and vulnerability that led to pain?
In some cases there was a real imbalance, like when you were a child and adults were the offenders. In partnerships, where do you see yourself as less powerful? The nature of connection and vulnerability is another’s ability to hurt us. The difference is when you know it’s the last thing they wish to do versus a feeling of deliberate intent to cause pain. We have to clean up our own revenge impulses or we will see them in everyone else.
If you don’t adjust your own, then we all live in a world where and eye for an eye leaves too many blind people. Own the spaces where you hurt and all the baggage that lives there. Have compassion for yourself and then take back command of how you act on what you feel. Bit by bit, the tide comes in on great good fortune as you learn to do just that. Pace yourself…
9/27 the emperor
The Emperor is about the difference between control and command. The first is brittle, rigid, punishing and unforgiving. The second is fluid, creative and adaptable. This is one of those days where you will likely meet your adaptive inner child. Be kind and yet be firm. There is so much missing from a child’s perspective. Yet you’ve formed response patterns around that story or belief. While you want to be gentle with the triggered you, you don’t want to hand it the keys to the car. It helps to remember we decide things on emotional basis then defend it with logic. (Sorry to inform those of you who think you make rational decisions, research shows otherwise) Investigate what is underneath the emotional response when you get triggered.
This card says choose to be the adult in the room. Mars is in an easy aspect with Saturn, which blesses efforts to change. This way you get to embrace all the different elements that are you and bring them to the table. You can try things without fear of a crash and burn, trust yourself to feel out what is best for you in this moment. Be honest about where fear and scarcity are running the dialogue in your head. Drop into what you feel and what does that feeling want. Dig deeper. Are you asking today’s circumstances to level a playing field from the past? Because if you are then you are probably creating an unbalanced situation.
If you are on the receiving end of this treatment be kind and hold your ground. You aren’t responsible for fixing past rights and wrongs. However there is an opportunity to create something better for each of you than you knew in the past. Just knowing that this dynamic is playing out gives you an improved perspective. Acknowledge those scars are part of each of us. Then work with what these scars are now to improve the present, not the past. This way you spend the energy to build instead of just bringing things level.
9/28 empress
We get another grab bag of ups and downs today as the Empress pairs off with yesterday’s command training. When these two cards show up together it signifies a marriage of some kind. Wether it is your head and heart pairing up, your body and mind, your intuition and anything you do, wholeness is the goal. The Empress knows there is no shortage of opportunities. Endless abundance is highlighted, and indeed it is all around you. The unexpected bounty may quite literally erupt out of nowhere.
If you point to current food shortages, gas shortages or any other missing elements I hear you. Except that the old adage, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ applies here. When systems break down, we invent new ways to work with what is available. Now is a particularly good time to be inventive. Wherever you experience a lack, try a new view. See it as an opportunity to bring your best game to the situation and come up with a work around. You may surprise yourself with what comes out of it. Who knows who else may contribute to the effort either, unless you try. Give it a go and see what happens. What have you got to lose except a scarcity mindset?
9/29 ten of cups
Venus enters Libra, the sign of partnership and joins the Sun there. This Ten of Cups is a good symbol of the ‘next level’ partnerships that bring great joy and satisfaction. And you need to face challenges to get there. With the moon opposite Uranus, you may well have to choose today between love and fear. Which one will you ultimately act on today? Remember fear overestimates the threat and underestimates you. That is a survival tactic. So whatever threat you come across today, adjust the story to its proper proportions.
Let the emotions come up so you can understand what stories live there, collected over the years. Be the adult in the room, call on your inner Emperor and mind your tongue. Sharp words, even when apologized for later, are like nails in board. The apology may pull it out but it leaves a hole. Too many of those and you have more hole than you have boards in your relationships. Also good to remember is your can right or you can be in relationship. Which one matters more. Being right needs a winner and loser. Being in relationship brings what is right for each person. There is wholeness present. Abundance lives in that scenario. You decide.
9/30 ten of swords
This card is one of the darkest in the deck. Yet when it is paired up with the Judgement card that kicked off this Moon Cycle, the two combined mean the worst is over. Your job now is to live in the new. It can be difficult to relax and allow good things to be a more normal experience. Yet that is exactly what this card points out as necessary. Especially when you still see a world in change crisis. If you let the mind keep telling the story, it will keep you in a hellish loop of your past trauma with a need to escape or prevent more. Because what is familiar it knows how to survive. That’s what it does. Except the trauma loop is not true in the present.
So you have to take command of your mind and you get some real help today with Moon and Jupiter letting bubbles of optimism rise to the surface. The Moon is in kind aspect to the Sun and trines Chiron, which both support you telling yourself a much better story now. A story that is more accurate and whole than your fear brain would have you see. Remember the worst is over. It won’t be like the past because you learned from it and are doing better because of what you learned. Make that your touchstone and use it whenever fear wants to grab the wheel and take you down old, awful paths. No thank you, right…
10/1 prince of wands
This hearty Prince is the bravest and boldest of the Knights. He represents our courage, curiosity and also our impatience. Slow down today, please. With the Moon opposite Mars it is easy to fall into harsh reactions, sharp words and outbursts. Remember the nails in the board. Weave some of yesterday’s optimism into the fabric of your day along with a dash of patience and persistence. It isn’t enough to promise great things, you want to be sure you can deliver on what you promise, most of all to yourself.
Trust is built with one choice, then another over time giving you information to rely upon as you create new stories. It’s all too common for our fear brain to have us overdo so that you cannot succeed, only to point out that you failed and need to stop trying. This can be an effective way to curtail expansion without seeming to do that. Go for it, go big or go home shouts your fear brain. Well, it’s not as sexy to take it a step at a time but that’s exactly what gets you the long term results you trust. Balance your courage, impatience and forward momentum. When you pace yourself it’s kinder to your nervous system. A great growth strategy includes even the part of you that would self sabotage. You just don’t let it run the show.
10/2 prince of cups
This is the second prince in a row and speaks to a little underbelly we don’t like to look at too closely, malicious schemes. The aspects today encourage practical consideration over flights of fancy. But oh, how our imagination loves to paint monster faces on others and use that as an excuse to enlist support to fight the monster. The smarter you are, the better you are able to rationalize why you need to tell others your monster story and have them see it the same. Except there aren’t as many monsters as we think. Mercury goes direct today to help you retell your story in a way that balances power to where you are now.
I have a rule, I only share my nightmares of others with people who love the person discussed or can hold a neutral, compassionate view. My goal is to support the frightened child who saw a monster with people who will help me turn the light on and show me what is real. I’m not interested in people who want to hunt and kill the monsters. In fact I have friends who actively go monster hugging with me. Like the monster Bumble at the end of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,(the animated Christmas story) the Bumble’s teeth have been pulled and he only wants to help put a star on the Christmas Tree.
Check the places in you that want to assemble an army to protect yourself against the bad guys. This is where malicious schemes are born. You can object to bad behavior and ask for (require) better behavior. You don’t need an army to help you. This approach also acknowledges that we can change. It requires you find and implement healthy boundaries, while respecting those of another. Once again, this is a learning curve. It may take a little practice separating a real threat from a perceived one. But it helps if you remember that somewhere, someone may have painted a monster face on you. Wouldn’t you appreciate a chance to change that perspective? If you do, then see where you can begin to offer it safely. That is the offer of affection this Prince holds.
10/3 chariot
Victory is yours and the Chariot is here to announce it in all capital letters. The Moon is in a supportive aspect to Uranus today, giving you a taste of freedom from those old thoughts, beliefs and limitations. The Moon has Neptune and Mercury helping lend a hand as well, so you can envision a much more appealing reality you wish to create than the one your fears would have you living. Keep in mind we decide things on emotions (stories) then defend it with logic. Revisit the emotion and marvel at your logic while being open minded to new insights.
The really big gotcha comes tonight as the Moon meets up with Pluto, with the promise of riches when you face your demons and rise to the challenge. Your fears paint a picture you don’t want, and your imagination and lived experience can inform one that you do want. It helps to realize that fear always goes to work on your greatest strengths, not weaknesses. Because the strengths have you expanding into the unknown. Let fear be your neon sign saying ‘power stands behind this fear’. Each time you face a decision, remember which fork in the road is best for YOU. If you make a mistake, catch it, correct it and keep moving. You’ve got this…
10/4 ten of pentacles
This is the third ten in the moon cycle and speaks about the transactional world we live in today. But there is a catch. It is all too often a win/lose mentality. The more you get, the more you are the winner. We see companies doing that at the expense of the environment or the people they employ. We see countries doing that with trade agreements. The invitation is to consider a broader definition of a win. Are you creative enough and secure enough to look for a win/win/win solution. One where the participants and everyone else benefits from whatever is created.
It makes me think of the company Volvo back several decades. They came up with three point seat belt as the safest option in crash tests. But instead of patenting it for revenue, they chose to make the world a safer place by sharing the technology for free with other car companies. They figured more safe consumers a worthy enough goal to forego profit. Are you willing to look for those kind of opportunities? Or can you ask for them in whatever you create or consume? That is the promise of this Ten of Pentacles, which heralds riches but with a karmic pay off attached. Find a way to make it a blessing for all, and we live in a world where more are blessed.
10/5 ace of pentacles
The Aquarius Moon squares off with Uranus today, making yesterday’s enthusiasm dim a bit. Then she heads into a meet up with wise old Saturn. These speak to the theme I keep repeating for you, one step at a time. Uranus helps us shake off those old fears and Saturn knows, they ‘won’t go gently into that good night’. Which is why this Ace highlights focus on where we put our feet right now. One step, then another, then another. This way we have time to course correct, learn from the feedback of our choices.
Adjust accordingly and benefit from the information we gather along the way. I can picture the dialogue in my head. ‘Yes, I’ll have more of that and no, I don’t think I need to do that again in a hurry.’ I’m assembling, cataloguing and savoring the moments. Yes even the uncomfortable ones have something to offer me. I like knowing that. I love reviewing the progress and savoring the expansional adjustments. It feels like my feet after a long winter, spreading out on the bare ground with all the sensuous delight of warming earth and sweet grass. I invite you to take a moment and delight in your progress.
10/6 queen of swords
This sharp eyed, sharp tongued queen is perfect to represent the meet up between Mercury and Pluto today. Remember Mercury is the one god who can travel safely into the hell realm and back out without any problem. So the meet up of these two helps you see where the mind can keep you alone, gathering information to keep you safe, but isolated and away from any real adventure. I call her the Air Traffic Controller. This is the part of us that knows the importance of keeping all that data from 360 degrees coming in while applying it to ensure the planes land and take off safely.
Again, though, this safety approach to life keeps you in the tower and not on any planes. Where have your fears locked safely in information overload and overly responsible? There is a world to explore if you can leave the tower and get on a plane. Trust that you can find good people to take their turn in the tower. Make it a goal to assemble your team of people, so you can enjoy what the world has to offer with support at your back. This is a powerful way to use this potent aspect. Insist your brain help you find people who are good enough (progress not perfection) to trust in the tower while you board your plane.
10/7 seven of pentacles
We wake from unsettling dreams that can help work out old issues. Give your mind directions to use whatever you dreamed for your benefit, whether you remember them or not. This Seven encourages us to see our life as a garden. We do the work of tending, watering, weeding but then let the plants do their part, the Earth do its part and the Sun do its job. It’s a collaborative effort and helps keep things in perspective, especially where timing is concerned. You don’t expect to pull fruit off a tree you just planted the seeds for yesterday, right?
It is also a healthy reset that you can only be responsible for so much. Then you have to let the rest unfold. Keep your eye on your tasks and mindset. Trying to control when something blooms is wasted effort and if you force it, you can ruin the bud. Use your imagination, savor the details and find ways to enjoy the harmony of efforts. You won’t have any shortage of opportunities to delight when you approach the day this way.
10/8 four of pentacles
The Moon wanders through the last degrees of Pisces before rolling into optimistic Aries and a meet up with Jupiter today. Pluto stations direct, although it still isn’t moving much at all. This Four of Pentacles is the invitation to be grounded yet not boxed in out of habit. Why not list the challenges you’ve faced the last two weeks ahead of the Aries Full Moon tomorrow? In big and small ways, you’ve navigated the terrain of a changing world in this latest Moon Cycle. Give yourself credit. This is trust building for your inner dialogue. Don’t miss an opportunity to high five yourself in the mirror for fears faced, bumps overcome and decisions made.
Don’t worry if things didn’t go as planned. Think of it as a balloon being blown up. You want the right mix of helium to help you lift off, but not so much that you pop it before it can fly. So lift your spirits, acknowledge the missteps and learn from them how to feel what balance is for you. Balance is a state of harmony not a finish line you cross. Review, redirect, get the facts better assembled so you can pull the teeth on Mercury’s lies that have you at the mercy of anything or anyone. Once you know how to do that your mind can take you anywhere safely. Which is why it takes practice and patience to expand in all directions at once. You’re already doing…
