Today (or tomorrow, depending on where you live) is the new moon in Libra, the beginning of a fresh 28-day lunar cycle. As lovely Luna meets Sol in the sky, a seed is planted, an egg is fertilized, and new urges emerge. In the sign of Libra, the seeds contain new blueprints for relationships. With Jupiter’s influence over this new moon, the dreams contained in our seeds are big and hopeful!
Compared to the volatility of the eclipses that graced the last couple lunar cycles, this Libra new moon appears much sweeter, more spacious, and optimistic. Indeed if you poke around the Internet for astrology articles, you may find people describing this new moon as one of the luckiest of the year! After all, Jupiter is the great giant of our skies who throws down lightening bolts of truth and faith to all who believe…
Even though this airy new moon enjoys Jupiter’s expansive touch, a deeper probing of the planetary energies reveals much more complexity, nuance, and challenge than a quick mashing together of astrological keywords can provide...
balance, fairness, luck, new opportunities, epiphanies, miracles
While all of these keywords do tap into Jupiterian and Libran themes, they can mislead us with a false sense that everything will work out perfectly with minimal effort.
Jupiter’s darker side is to make huge promises, to continually seek for something bigger and better, and to fall prey to the ‘grass is always greener’ syndrome.
Anytime Jupiter is emphasized in the sky - like he is during this new moon - revelation (the revealing of truth) is certainly a possibility.
But Jupiter is one part of this new moon web, so he cannot deliver epiphanies on his own. The ability of Jupiter to reveal truth and to produce new opportunities for growth depends on multiple factors, so let’s go there.
Jupiter, Luna, and Sol are all in Libra, the aesthetically pleasing and pleasantly scented palace of Venus. Venus, as Queen of Libra, has a strong influence on how Jupiter’s promises are delivered.
And where is Venus?
Venus is in Scorpio, the underworld, where all that we have grown too attached to, too familiar with, is stripped away. In Scorpio, Venus’ urge to bond with others and to enjoy the sensual, earthly existence is challenged because Scorpio is ultimately a sign of letting go.
So in Scorpio, Venus demands connections that are deeply intimate, painfully honest, and ultimately self-preserving. Alongside Venus is Juno, the goddess of devotion and commitment, and Lilith, the wild, erotic feminine - I wrote about these energies earlier this year, read it in full here. Basically, Juno is the perfect wife and Lilith is the tempting vixen that threatens a closed union.
Venus-Juno-Lilith in Scorpio involves sticking around when things get rough and painful, letting go of self-righteous rage, forming healthy yet flexible boundaries in relationship, and accepting our diverse range of emotional and sexual urges so they do not leak out as distorted stereotypes and manipulative tactics. Venus is soothed by Neptune as well, opening up our exploration of these feminine archetypes with compassion and alluring dreaminess.
So while Jupiter certainly infuses our Libran new moon with opportunities for hope and growth, we’ll need to dive into deep and potentially uncomfortable waters to get there.
Our desire to go deep is fortified by courageous Mars and regenerative Pluto in Capricorn. Mars is strategic and effective in Capricorn and as a symbol of our ability to go after what we thirst for, Mars is now able to initiate focused action that expresses our unique desires and gifts in a way that is actually useful and constructive to society.
The relationship between Mars and Jupiter is especially tense so it is helpful that Mars is in a mature phase. When Mars and Jupiter clash in this manner, our drive to produce visible results can interrupt the more subtle truths that are streaming through. Jupiter says MORE and Mars says FASTER and they are speaking to each other from rather awkward positions.
Picture a conversation between a cunning, well-trained soldier with a strict agenda, and a gracious yet overbearing, advice-giving life coach. The life coach shares strategies for clearer communication, advising us on how we can take our partner’s point of view into perspective. The soldier scoffs at this tedious process, deeming it rather pointless.
To find some common ground between our relentless drive to take important action and our dreams of harmony and growth in relationship, we could look to a wise old woman: grandmother Saturn. She is inclined to listen carefully to the life coach’s advice while providing time-tested kernels of wisdom in return and gratefully, the solider holds a deep respect and reverence for grandmother Saturn.
Saturn brings us obstacles, requesting that we commit and endure.
The new moon lands in the first third of Libra, a place of the sky that houses a star called Diadem. Diadem as part of a larger constellation and mythology tells a tale of a powerful, beautiful Queen who cuts off her flowing locks of hair and gives them to Aphrodite in exchange for a promise that her beloved return from battle alive.
In the era of this myth, long hair on a woman signified social power and status while short hair signified disgrace. When the Queen chooses to cut off her locks, she consciously reduces herself in the eyes of society. This decision is a sacrifice, a giving up of something treasured and valuable in exchange for something that one deeply longs for, in this case, a reunion between lovers.
Even though this new moon occurs in the beautiful, airy sign of Libra, surface level commitments and empty wishes won’t cut it. Neptune contacts the new moon as well, emphasizing the sacrificial element.
Feel deeply, listen for what rings true, take measured action, and be willing to give up something of genuine value to bring your miracles to life.
***Image credit unknown; found on Tumblr***