Tempering, Racing, & Singing
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Tempering
At the First Quarter Moon (July 27, 2020, 5:32 am PDT), the Moon in Scorpio – a simmering water Moon, warmed by Mars, Scorpio’s ancient ruler – is tempering the Sun in fiery, joyful Leo.
A joyful toddler (Leo) runs through the backyard yelling “Mama! Look at me!” His kind, loving mother has had a tough day (Scorpio). At that very moment she’s on the phone with the assisted living facility where her ailing, aging mother lives; she is receiving the news that her mother will require skilled nursing, and wondering how they will afford it. Her nerves strained, she snaps at her son: “NOT NOW!” He stops in his tracks. Tears begin streaming from his eyes. It’s a tiny moment; years later, most likely neither he nor his mother will remember it. But his heart will never forget. Forever, expressing himself will require tremendous bravery – because now he’s learned that not everyone will applaud. But that courage will make his light shine even brighter.
“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone—any person or any force—dampen, dim or diminish your light.” – Rep. John Lewis
A relay race
Jupiter last connected with Neptune in late February, just as the COVID-19 outbreak was becoming a pandemic. It’s been a wild ride since then, and this week, as Jupiter and Neptune make the second of three sextiles (July 27, 9:07 am PDT), concerns about the virus and the response to it have only intensified. (In astrology, Jupiter amplifies matters; Neptune is connected to infectious disease.) Jupiter’s Sabian symbol at 21 Capricorn is, A relay race. It’s a reasonable metaphor for the transmission of an illness. And since Jupiter and Neptune are both retrograde, it feels as though progress in containing the virus is moving backward.
But a relay race also suggests a team that succeeds by relying on one another, with each playing their part. Jupiter and Neptune will meet once more on October 12. Let’s hope that it finds us moving once and for all in a hopeful direction.
“Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year… Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”― Rep. John Lewis
Demonstration
Back on May 13, Venus turned retrograde at 21.50 Gemini; within two weeks, the Twin Cities erupted in violence after the murder of George Floyd. Since then, police, demonstrators, and ultimately the National Guard have clashed in cities across the United States, taking a sharp turn in Portland as Mars entered Aries on June 27.
This week, Venus revisits its retrograde point while squaring Neptune (July 27, 2020, 10:47 am PDT). Simultaneously, Mars enters the shadow of its upcoming retrograde period (Sep. 9-Nov. 14) as it’s squared by Mercury (July 27, 2020, 2:46 pm PDT). All this tension points to a critical week for social justice, debate about the pandemic, and the ways in which we’re becoming disillusioned with some of the people closest to us.
Neptune in Pisces is the king who rules over vulnerable populations. And with Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto interacting with Neptune this year, it’s not surprising that two of society’s greatest struggles center around those vulnerable to illness and those marginalized by social injustice. As the natural ruler of Libra, symbolized by the scales of justice, Venus has called for fairness, consideration, and moderation this summer. The call has largely been unheeded. Now is the time to pull together, so that we may rise to the occasion of Mars’s ferocious autumn.
“We are one people, one family, the human family, and what affects one of us affects us all.” ―
The prima donna singing
Mercury opposes Jupiter (July 30, 2020, 7:17 am PDT) and trines Neptune (July 30, 2020, 11:44 am PDT) this week on the Sabian symbol: A prima donna singing. Both the regal bearing of a prima donna (Jupiter) and the beauty of her singing (Neptune) are represented in this aspect, and Mercury conveys the music and its message. Look for prominent women giving strong voice this week, and we ourselves may be called to speak out clear and strong about what we feel and believe.
“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” – Rep. John Lewis
Understanding
As Mercury opposes Pluto (Aug. 1, 2020, 3:52 am PDT), I’m reminded of the difference between grasping something with your mind and understanding it with your body. An intellectual understanding and willingness to talk about the huge issues we face – disease, personal rights, social justice – are a good place to start. But unless we’ve faced these things ourselves, faced life-threatening discrimination, watched a loved one struggling to breathe under a knee or on a ventilator – our understanding is limited. Today, we’re invited to enter the frightening, Pluto underworld that many of our fellow humans call home. Listen and watch, and tell the story.
“Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option — for peace cannot exist where justice is not served.” — Rep. John Lewis
When the bough breaks
The Sun squares Uranus this week (Aug. 2, 2020, 4:19 am PDT) on the Sabian symbols Children in a swing in a huge oak tree and A woman sprinkling flowers. Back on April 26, the First Quarter Moon in Leo activated these same symbols. Doesn’t it seem like a lifetime ago?
In astrology, the Sun symbolizes sanity, the sense of self and sovereignty that comes with a healthy ego. It’s the self we take for granted, our default settings, our governing principles. A healthy Sun gives us a strong platform from which to launch out into the challenging business of building and maintaining a life.
The Sun tells us that there are Things We Do and Things We Do Not Do, by virtue of being who we are. “I’m not good with technology,” might be one of these rules, or, “I’m terrible at saving money.” But this week’s Sun in Leo square Uranus opens up the idea of Self for a brief, spontaneous rumspringa. Even if your life is quite predictable in the age of quarantine, allow this quick transit to throw you slightly off course, just enough to wake you up. The swing breaks, or Mom yells at us to get away from the flowers she just planted. It’s time to adjust your settings a little bit. Let the unexpected thing become a Thing That You Do.
“To truly revolutionize our society, we must first revolutionize ourselves.” ― Rep.
Writing and collages © 2020 April Elliott Kent
Jen and I offer a mini-lesson on the qualities of the
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