LIBRA NEW MOON - 1 October 2016

LIBRA NEW MOON – Saturday 1 October – exact at 1.11am BST, Friday 30 September, exact at 8.11pm EDT.

There is a lot going on during this Moon, as the Sun and Moon are forming aspects to five significant planets! The New Moon in Libra highlights our relationships and signifies new beginnings and seeds being sewn in the way we relate to others. Libra is the sign of balance and harmony and helps us learn to relate to each other as equals, whereby we listen to and really take in the needs of the other person and in turn have our needs met. This is the sign of compromise and cooperation, where we become aware of the relationship itself as an entity in its own right and make sure we tend to it, much as we would care for a garden. On the one hand we have the needs of the two people involved, but also the need to honour the relationship itself and sometimes make sacrifices for it.

Relationships can be a rather uncomfortable mirror at times as our partners, friends or family members reflect back to us the parts of ourselves that we may prefer to deny. All too often our intimate relationships trigger old, unconscious, unresolved wounds or patterns of relating formed in childhood that tend to replay in our adult lives.  This can be painful to experience but can also help us to grow enormously if we are open to growth, that is, rather than merely defensive or reactive! We all have wounds, as it is hard to get through childhood without the odd emotional battle scar or two, so it is inevitable that we will have to confront them at some point or other, especially within our intimate relationships. Libra asks that we learn to handle whatever comes up with grace. This sign very much values fairness and justice and can always see things from the other person’s perspective.

Jupiter has just entered Libra, where he will remain for a year, and is sitting right next to the Sun and Moon for this lunation. Jupiter is the planet of growth and expansion, so we may well find that this New Moon brings the potential for amazing growth within the realm of our relationships. Growth can be either easy or challenging, however, and with Pluto and Mars forming a square to the Sun and Moon there is definitely the potential for some triggering, poking and prodding to be the catalyst for the growth! Jupiter can help us to make the most of whatever comes up, as he helps us to extract the lessons and see the blessings in any challenges we may face.

In order to really grow we must be willing to face ourselves and to really acknowledge and own our shortcomings, rather than blaming others, and Jupiter in Libra can really help us to do that. Not only that, he gives us a sense of humour about the whole thing, which is truly invaluable! When facing challenging moments while relating to one another he reminds us to be able to laugh at ourselves and see the absurdity in the situation. It doesn’t have to be taken so seriously! He helps us to rise above any petty concerns and see the bigger picture, which is invaluable. This Moon, and indeed this year, could really help us to be the best we can be within our relationships, though of course we must also be willing to put in the work.

As Jupiter is the largest planet, he tends to exaggerate the energy of the sign he is in, and in the case of Libra he will be expanding any tendency towards compromise, balance, beauty, equality, diplomacy, harmony, listening, cooperation, team work, justice and peace. Of course, all of these traits have their shadow and can be taken too far, so we must watch out for too much people pleasing, or not being able to say no. It could also highlight any tendency we have towards enmeshed, unhealthy or co-dependent relationships. This could be a good opportunity to recognise where we either over assert ourselves or allow ourselves to be walked all over. Relationships are such a delicate balance between the needs of the two people involved! It’s so easy for imbalance to occur, so it is very important to be mindful. Another thing that Jupiter in Libra could do is bring people across our path who can help us to move forward and grow in some way, and vice versa.

Pluto and Mars are both forming squares to the Sun and Moon, which brings the potential for deep change and transformation on a soul level, as long as we are able to face ourselves honestly. Pluto has just turned direct, so he is quite strong at the moment. He tends to poke and prod and bring about profound change, especially if we are resisting whatever we need for further growth. It could be that we are forced to dig deep within during this Moon and face up to some rather uncomfortable truths, but if we can face them honestly and bravely then we have the capacity to really help our relationships. We have the chance to release ourselves from old, stuck patterns and recognise where we are holding ourselves back from achieving the balance we desire.  He can also highlight any imbalance of power in our relationships. The ruler of this Moon, Venus, is also in Scorpio, which is the sign ruled by Pluto, so this strengthens the possibility for us to achieve some kind of inner transformation through our relationships. Certainly our relationships will take on a more intense and soulful tone while Venus is in Scorpio, as this is a very emotional sign without an ounce of superficiality! It wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t attract the odd soul connection or two during this period, so it’s important to be alert and open.

The strongest aspect that the Sun and Moon are making is to the Neptune/South Node conjunction in Pisces, which is very close to being exact now.  This conjunction, in connection to our relationships, can show where we are living in a fantasyland and are unable to see people or things as they really are. This Moon could highlight our tendency to put the rose-tinted spectacles on and not face up to what is really going on, even though deep down we know something is not right. Neptune and Pisces are very adept at escapism and avoiding reality! It can also show where we might tend to play the victim and not be accountable for the part that we play in whatever happens to us. It is important to remember that a relationship involves two people who are both responsible for creating whatever dynamic unfolds between them. It takes two to tango, always! Again, this aspect also brings the potential for people to pop up who we have known before, whether in this lifetime or in previous incarnations. I have a strong sense that we need to very open and alert to any signs or people who come across our path who seem somehow familiar. This is a very karmic time, methinks, when we can attract some mutually beneficial soul connections.

Saturn is forming a positive aspect to the Moon, helping us to stay grounded in reality. He is also forming a square to the Nodes of the Moon at the moment, which could make us quite aware of how our beliefs are holding us back from moving forward and manifesting the life we really want. I have been contemplating this idea a lot recently, that if we are supposed to setting conscious intentions for what we want for ourselves and how we see our future, then what do we do about any unconscious beliefs that we have that we somehow don’t deserve it, or that it is not possible? It seems that we all have a multitude of utterly unconscious beliefs that send us in completely the opposite direction to what we consciously desire! These beliefs, or agreements with ourselves, were often formed when we were so young that we can’t possibly remember where they have come from. Saturn in Sagittarius could make us acutely aware of how we sabotage ourselves through these limiting beliefs, which could be quite uncomfortable but which will ultimately help us to flow in the direction of our heartfelt desires instead of resisting them.

Something else to be aware of is that the Nodes are in Virgo and Pisces at the moment, which is the healing axis. The heaviness of Saturn bearing down on the nodal axis could bring up considerable sorrow and grief as we release the pain of the past. We don’t need to know what we are letting go of; it is enough to simply release it. It is a necessary purification process.  This aspect has been building for the last couple of weeks and peaked on Monday and Tuesday, so it is still very strong. It could help give us enough of a kick up the bum to start working towards making our wishful daydreams about how we want to live our life into an actual reality!

Yes, there is a lot going on for this Moon! New Moon in Libra certainly signifies a new chapter within the realm of our relationships.  It does seem like a very karmic time, when we have the chance to set some positive intentions for ourselves and our relationships and also to release ourselves from old, outworn patterns of relating that keep replaying and any unconscious beliefs that might sabotage us. We could notice people popping up that hold the key to some part of our growth and evolution. We could find ourselves pondering what we really, truly want for ourselves and what we need to do on a practical level to achieve that. It starts with clarifying our intention and setting the energy ball rolling in that direction, while releasing any resistance that we might have to actually getting what we want! It is also possible that we know exactly what we want and need, yet are not brave or motivated enough to actually move in that direction. Sometimes, however, what we think we want is actually not what we want at all! I am reminded of the saying “Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans”.  Let’s see what might be around the next bend in the river!

Much Love

Amy

xoxo

Picture – Libra by Yuhon (Deviant Art)