We move into the First Quarter with a complex, contentious, and tense chart.
The Moon is conjunct Pluto, applying to Pluto’s early Aquarius from the end of Capricorn. This Pluto stations direct after a long, slow retrograde. He’s moving very slowly and intensely.
There’s a Grand Cross in the cardinal signs linking the Moon, the Sun in late Libra, Ceres in late Cancer, and Chiron and Eris in late Aries. This First Quarter Sun and Moon link to personal challenges (Chiron) and the world’s challenges (Eris), then to Ceres’ fierce maternal protectiveness of what is good in this world.
Venus moving retrograde through early Scorpio squares Pluto precisely, marking how deep our descent journey has become.
Mercury, in deeply perceptive and insightful mid-Scorpio squares a beleaguered Jupiter at the end of Leo and trines protective Ceres.
Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus maintain their shallow triangle of sextiles with a trine.
The Sun forms one corner of a mystic rectangle with Chiron and Eris, plus the North and South Nodes of the Moon, at the other three corners.
How can we read this as a pattern, or at least as interlocking pieces of one puzzle?
Start with Aquarius. Pluto in the first decon beckons us into exile. When we are disenchanted with where we are, the unknown can become compelling.
This Moon feels caught in a mess of conflicting demands. Interlocking systems of power claim to offer security, but feel increasingly like control. Looking ahead to Pluto as the conjunction tightens, maybe exile would be better. Can we break free?
The North Node at the end of Aquarius says, yes. Yes, we can break free. It won’t be easy, but it is possible. Do we accept the challenge?
Opposite, the South Node in late Leo is accompanied by Jupiter. This is an overburdened Jupiter, doing his best in terrible circumstances. The South Node is the place of release. What aspects of Leo do we let go?
This First Quarter arrives on October 18. Today, October 17, is No Kings Day throughout the US. In France, Spain, England, and around the world, demonstrations call for reforms to support education, housing, health care, and other basic services while cutting back corporate profits. Entrenched power structures face challenges.
A Jupiter–South Node conjunction at the end of Leo could easily adopt “No Kings” as its slogan. Not anti personal autonomy, creative, and expression, but against the consolidation of power and wealth in the hands of a small international elite.
The Moon at the end of Capricorn focuses our question: How do we relate to power? How are we complicit? How do we extract ourselves? What can we build for the future?
In the presence of Pluto, these are deep, foundational questions. Venus retrograde is also interested. Who are we, at our core? What are our most important values? Can we build a new life and a renewed world?
The Sun at the end of Libra, with Mercury in Scorpio can help us work through this difficult terrain.
Title adapted from an image by Alpha Perspective on Unsplash
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