Astro-logical Forecast for Monday 7/8/2013: Mind the Void; New Moon in Cancer

Happy Monday!  Have you noticed that the  Moon went void at 7:44AM ET, where it will drift aimlessly until 6:48AM ET Tuesday? If you extended your vacation by one extra day, good for you! Otherwise, take care of what is routine today; enjoy a bit of wandering and do not stress out over any crises that arise. They are likely much ado about nothing. Certainly that was the case for Rick Perry, who had everyone all abuzz for about five minutes when he announced over the weekend that he was making a big announcement…today…during an all-day Moon void.  And what was the big news? That he is not running for re-election. Watch this space for further…oh…was that a squirrel I saw out the window? We’ll get this work week started on Tuesday.  The only other void you need to plan for is on Thursday from 3:54PM – 6:12PM ET — no big deal.

The New Moon in  Cancer officially began today at 3:14AM ET, offering us an opportunity to re-set  intentions and goals for the next lunar cycle.  Around the 15th, on the First Quarter Moon, we can expect a challenge to those goals, with appropriate adjustments made. At the time of the Full Moon on the 22nd (which is another Supermoon & thus more potent than the usual Full Moon), we can expect illumination on the success or failure of our goals for the cycle. If we succeeded, we can consciously release our success into our reality; if we failed, we let go of whatever did not work. After the Third Quarter Moon on the 29th, we can review our achievements, tie up loose ends and get ready to begin another New Moon on August 6th.

This New Moon occurs at 17 degrees of Cancer and it is in a loose, separating alignment with the status quo-disrupting Pluto and Uranus. Moon is generally very happy to be in Cancer, the sign it rules. In Cancer, the Moon seeks to fulfill a need for emotional/homeland security; this month we can expect that need to be challenged by other needs for freedom (Uranus) and/or power (Pluto) that are in the recent past. Got that?

In the New Moon chart, mental Mercury is conjunct the Sun and Moon, suggesting this month will be notable for an intensely emotional/intuitive approach in mindset and communication, marked by idealism. Given that Mercury is retrograde, we can expect plenty of that thinking to be concerned with reviewing issues from the past (a positive potential of Mercury retrograde), or flat-out sloppy and misinformed (a downside potential of Mercury retrograde). An absolutely perfect Mercury retrograde activity was described in this article from the Sunday NYT — about a summer camp for grown-ups: no cell phones or computers of any kind; not even your real name is used on these true “get-away-from-it all” REtreats. I highly recommend you make some serious down time for yourself between now and the end of July — and if I disappear for a day or two this month, now you will know why.

Venus, referring to social expression – arts, women, money — is in a lovely trine to rebel Uranus, encouraging us to play outside of the norm of our usual social haunts. Mars, symbolizing our need for action, is at the tail end of Gemini, fast approaching the Aries Point and expansive Jupiter in Cancer (on the 13th and 21st, respectively); we can expect big, bold moves — of a physical kind and also those that seek to preserve security. By the end of the month, Mars will engage with the Uranus-Pluto square, and this is when we can expect more jarring headlines, likely involving forceful, even violent efforts (the downside) and technological breakthroughs (upside).

Meanwhile, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune — in the water signs of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces — continue on in a tricky Grand Trine pattern. I say tricky because on the one hand, this “law unto itself” pattern can accomplish a lot. Jupiter and Saturn working well together can be great for business. Throw in nebulous Neptune and you have the potential for dreams to become real (the potential upside). But what kind of dreams?  This heavy emphasis on water — including the Sun, Moon, Mercury (and soon, Mars) favors the emotional/intuitive over the rational, as in actions stemming from gut feelings — not the logical mind. And the potential downside of any Neptune influence is a blanket of fog/illusion/delusion. Think about that, before you react emotionally to news or other communication.

The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon at 17 Cancer continues the theme of knowledge we had for last month’s New Moon.  Last month, the symbol was “a large archaic volume reveals a traditional wisdom”, which coincided with The Guardian and the Washington Post reporting that private contractors working for US intelligence agencies were capturing communication logs and hacking into computers all over the world, OK’d by a secret surveillance court (FISA) and allegedly in violation of the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution. Who should have access to such a “large volume…of wisdom”?  That’s a good question.   The symbol for 17 Cancer — this month’s lunation —  is “the germ grows into knowledge and life”. Turning once again to Sabian Symbol guru Blain Bovee for insight, we are advised to consider ideas and projects at a very tender, vulnerable stage — as seedlings. Bovee suggests that a germ of an idea is something to be tended carefully — perhaps with a certain reserve — until it can fully blossom. Certainly many seeds can be planted at this time. You will feel this “germination potential” more than most if you have a point or planet at 17 degrees of Cancer, Libra, Capricorn or Aries.

Another significant pattern of this New Moon is Saturn being stationary direct at 1:12AM ET.  What does that mean? Avid readers of this forecast know that Saturn refers to structure, authority, ambition and necessary controls. Projects involving these themes that have been held back during Saturn’s retrograde, which began on February 18, may now begin to move forward…but .slooowly.  Why slowly? Because right now Saturn is stationary! It will begin to pick up speed and move forward over the next few weeks. Patience, lest ye be frustrated even further by trickster Mercury retrograde in your haste to move forward. In your own personal world, you are feeling the weight or urgency of Saturn’s move forward if you have a planet around five degrees of Scorpio, Aquarius, Leo and Taurus. Just ask Liz Cheney, now exploring a Senate run in Wyoming, or so this story suggests. Or Eliot Spitzer, the former governor of New York who resigned  in 2008 after his association with certain prostitutes was revealed. He’s just announced a run for public office in New York.

Ms. Cheney (7/28/1966 — time unknown) would be feeling Saturn’s push on her idealistic Sun-Mercury conjunction at 5-6 Leo. She has Venus at 8 Cancer and Mars at 11 Cancer; both are being supercharged by the Uranus-Pluto square. We would expect assertive action and social expression that could be empowering, forceful, transformational, liberating and/or a disruption of the status quo. Certainly there would be opportunities to gain prominence. And — lucky Liz — with her natal Jupiter at 18 Cancer and the Sun at 5 Leo, she could anticipate many favorable opportunities for expansion over the next 12 months.  Plus, at 46, she’s at an age when — astro-logically speaking — she could be getting serious about a new development in her career. In Spitzer’s case (horoscope here; time unknown), transiting Saturn is right on top of his natal Neptune at 4 Scorpio  and square his charismatic Venus-Mars conjunction  at 4-5 Leo. Other aspects also suggest a need to go public with an ambition at this time. There’s likely more going on — which we would see if we had birth times…coincidence or conspiracy?