- Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means -

This article covers significant aspects, degree symbols, and other important factors in this New Moon chart. This marks a turning of the corner on what began earlier this year while giving us the chance to enjoy life and see the beauty all around us. We’ve already transcended our old life, so take every opportunity to “imitate the future unfolding.”

The first decan of Cancer is where we turn a corner to secure something or move in a new direction more to our needs. We’ve definitely launched into a new sub-era and a new way of Being due to the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter in Aries. Now we are introduced to Cancer energy by the Sun, which will be understood and appreciated in different ways this Summer.

Because of the potential for generating momentum at this time, make as much progress in these new directions as possible before the late Summer and Autumn square between Saturn and Uranus, which promises a return of old conflicts challenging us to know what’s pertinent and disregard the rest. Add Mars slowing to retrograde in late September, and we have a perfect storm for things crashing to a halt or spinning out in too many directions this Autumn..

This Lunation helps us learn to practice a higher way of living in some way. This is the very beginning of the transitional period between now and March 2023, since the Mars RX and shadow zone transit will hold up the Cancer energy from manifesting until next Spring. This month we adjust to secure what we’ve grown toward in the dawning Aquarian focus in our charts. This time will be extraordinary for finding “seed knowledge” while being more thoughtful in our choices and reactions.

Long Term Effects of the Capricorn and Aquarius Compressions

We all had important long wave Capricorn cycles set into motion in early 2020, and even more important long wave Aquarian cycles between March and December 2020. If you want to know more about the four year sequence of The Great Compressions of Early 2020, 2021, and 2022, that article explains that in January through March 2020 we experienced the second of four consecutive compressions of planets. The first was in early 2019 when all the planets were bundled in about one third of the sky, called a Bundle pattern, which is the rarest of all. While the inner planets transited through all the other signs after that, we again hit maximum compression again in March 2020, and then expanded through the rest of the year.

This clustering happened again in 2021 in the last half of January into early February, with maximum compression was around January 19-21 when all of the planets were within a 101 degree span, creating a very intense zone of activity wherever we have late Capricorn through early Taurus. Four planets in Aquarius and two in Taurus made for a very crowded house, with 10 distinct energies occupying less than 1/3 of the total space.

This year we hit maximum compression in early March, with all planets between 28 Capricorn and 12 Taurus, only 104 degrees. In June we left the Bundle, and at this time the span extends between Pluto at 28 Capricorn and the Lunation at 8 Cancer, a 159+ degree span.

As all the inner planets are between Mars at 26 Aries and the Lunation at 8 Cancer, that area is most active in our charts at present. Though there will not be a compression in early 2023, there will be one more in early 2024.

Depending on the position of the Moon and the inner planets relative to the outer planets, different months bring us different Jones Patterns. These patterns operate their own independent influence, regardless of which planet is in which sign.

Currently, the outer planet occupied span begins with Pluto in late Capricorn, and proceeds through Saturn in Aquarius, Neptune in Pisces, Jupiter in Aries, and ends with Uranus in Taurus. (We don’t include TransPluto, since Jones didn’t use it in defining his patterns). Now that the inner planets are in Aries, Gemini, and Cancer, they’ve made their conjunctions with the outer spiritual triad, and set all their year cycles into motion.

In this chart, the planets are distributed in three primary signs, each one a conjunction. Mars and Jupiter span early and late Aries, Venus and Mercury span early and mid-Gemini, and the Lunation is in early Cancer. This month the most intense span begins with Venus at 8 Gemini and ends with the New Moon at 8 Cancer, with four planets in a 30+ degree span, making that the focus in our charts. Because we have 6 signs represented between Capricorn and Cancer, we now have a perfect Bowl patterns.

So What is a “Bowl Pattern” and how does it work?

This type of spread, with all the planets occupying approximately half of the signs with an empty half opposite the occupied half, creates a “special type of conscious selfhood,” which Dr. Jones says “marks the Bowl type of temperament. He goes on to state “Fundamentally it is an extreme self-containment,” which “holds things, and a Bowl individual is one who always has something to bear.”

He goes on to state that with the Bowl, “the whole dynamic of man, his total power of achievement, arises in his instinctive realization that he is set off against a definite part of the world, that there is a complete segment of experience from which he is excluded in some subtle fashion. The Bowl not only holds something, but also places whatever it holds into relationship with a larger consideration.”

Dr. Jones continues that “the occupied segment of the Bowl horoscope reveals the activity and organization of the self, since planets are significant according to their place by sign and house, and the unoccupied segment becomes a challenge to existence, or the need and emptiness to which the native must direct his attention. The outstanding characteristic of the Bowl temperament is its marked sense of what is self-contained in contrast with what the self cannot hold, and this take an everyday form in an advocacy of some cause, the furtherance of a mission, an introspective concern over the purpose of experience.”

He concludes his explanation of how the pattern works with “The Bowl native always has something to give to his fellows, whether literally or psychologically, whether constructively or vindictively, because his orientation to the world arises from division; that is, frustration and uncertainty. The leading planets, determined in exactly the same way as for the Locomotive pattern, give a point of application, and shows where and how the native seeks to carry out his mission or gain his everyday justification for existence.”

He brings up another important point of analysis, as he states “the leading planet is of secondary importance in the Bowl pattern, unless it is found in a strong opposition or cosmic cross. The fundamental attack on the problems of life by the Bowl individual is indicated more significantly by the tilt or house-position of the Bowl-segment.”

He concludes this section by stating “the Bowl character is definitely more self-expending, or self-seeking, and more practically interested in what things mean and what they are. It continually throws the emphasis from the signs into the houses. It a general way the Bowl tends to ‘scoop up’ things and initiate experience when the position of the leading planet ranges from the fourth cusp, up and over the ascendant, to the midheaven cusp, and then inclines to “capture” things or consummate various phases of life when the leading planet is placed similarly from the tenth angle down over the descendant to the nadir.”

Pluto at 28 Capricorn is the leading planet on a degree of hearing our inner spiritual voice as it brings us understanding from the spiritual field. Of course this will be happening on the deepest levels of self-purification, so see the beauty of integrity. With the Lunation closing, we finish experience by seeing how to find the joy of living a higher life. This leads with individual and spiritual group performance, and closes with emotional and social decisions which help us consolidate something by reorienting.

The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon

A New Moon sets the seed forms for what the following month will demonstrate. This Lunation falls at 8 Cancer, and it is said that the first third (decan) of any sign deals with the actional, physical, and material levels of life, and being the first decan of Cancer it has a sub-influence of Cancer with an added dose of Venus. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.

The Sabian Symbol we’ve been given for the 8th degree of Cancer is “Rabbits dressed in clothes and on parade.” In the original notes from the Marc Jones class on the symbols published in The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar says this degree is one of “Reaching out to participation in a higher order through imitative behavior,” “willingness to grow,” and “self-exploitation.”

In The Astrological Mandala, he goes on to say that this degree is about “the tendency in all forms of life to imitate higher forms as a stimulus to growth.” He offers that one way to develop higher consciousness is through identifying with others who are already at “a superior evolutionary or mental level.” Whether this is pretending, imitating, or mirroring the actions of another, it is one of the 7 primary learning and teaching techniques as outlined in the article The Seven Different Types of Learning Styles.

He speaks of this identification with or imitation of a teacher is always present at the start of “all learning processes.” He says this degree falls in the Span of Expansion, Act of Stabilization, and is the synthesizing degree of the emotional and social levels of the Scene of Decision.

Dr. Jones says this is a degree of “the upward reach of consciousness towards spirit,” and our need to make sure “in all worthwhile experience that events in some fashion make their continual and stimulating contribution” to the values we’re building. He speaks of “the habiliments of higher implication are always available for a lower life to wear experimentally,” and sharing what it as yet cannot assimilate.

He offers “the real is established as it is dramatized,” and offers us the keyword APPROPRIATION. He tells us that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is “unlimited assurance in any projection of self into a superior dimension of reality.”

So the specific theme of the next month involves us seeing how to grow by reorienting toward spirit or a higher level of Being. When in doubt, “imitate” your highest Self, be your best in every way, and you will become that to whatever degree you are able.

Important Aspects

Remember that in reading a Lunation chart (as well as a horary, inceptional, electional, or any event chart) the forming aspects show things to come, while separating aspects show things already past. Partile separating aspects show what’s been going on in the Now. This section covers only forming and partile separating aspects.

We now have all the planets in about half the signs, and as I spoke of earlier, we have 2 in Aries, 2 in Gemini, and the Lunation in early Cancer. That means we approach a time of the year when we will begin to have all kinds of wide angle aspects, unlike the first half of the year, when right up to last month there were no major aspects wider than a trine, with most no wider than a quintile.

The Lunation is vigintile Mercury, semisextile Venus, quintile Mars, square Jupiter, septile Uranus, biseptile Neptune, and quadranovile Pluto; Mercury is septile Mars, quintile Jupiter, trine Saturn, elftile Uranus and square Neptune; Venus is semisextile the Sun, semisquare Mars, quintile Jupiter, biseptile Saturn, and quintile Neptune; and Mars is vigintile Jupiter, sextile Saturn, semisextile Neptune, and square Pluto.

Outer planet aspects feature Jupiter semisquare Saturn, novile Uranus, and quintile Pluto; Saturn makes no other aspects; and Uranus is as usual septile Neptune and tredecile Pluto.

As you can see, there are very few frictional aspects, each of which is a release angle for some extremely favorable aspects between the other planets. There are literally no “unrelieved” planets, promising a very productive, specializing, and favorable time this month.

Special Configurations in Evolutionary Astrology

Interestingly, we have only one evolutionary configuration in play, that being the Grand Irrationality. We also have a few other configurations to be aware of.

The Lunation is septile Uranus and biseptile Neptune, triggering the Grand Irrationality, bringing all of us to a crucial fork in the road of destiny related to how we clean out our mind and perceptions so we can do what we have to do in our own way. The evolutionary configuration known as the Grand Irrationality is anchored by Uranus septile Neptune, and is a long wave configuration affecting all of us for the past 30 years. At the present time, choices and changes are triggered for those who have planets or points near any of the 7 affected “hot zones” around 2-6 Aquarius, 24-28 Pisces, 15-19 Taurus, 6-10 Cancer, 28 Leo- 2 Virgo, 20-24 Libra, and 11-15 Sagittarius.

Here we note that the high specialization and gifts promised by the Lunation quintile Mars is released through the square to Jupiter, and Jupiter’s favorable sextile from Mercury, sextile from Venus, and quintile to Pluto are all released through the Lunation. So even though Jupiter has two squares and a semisquare, it’s still an extremely favorable planet which is challenging us to integrate our breadth of interests by being clear about how we want to represent ourselves to our world in a way that we can keep the momentum in our own hands.

We also have Venus biseptile Saturn, showing emergent forks in the road in some of our relationships. Saturn is teaching us to be less reflexive and more volitional in our responses, and Venus is getting us ready for an entirely new way of understanding people and our interactions. Those most affected have planets or points near 23-27 Aquarius, 15-19 Aries, 6-10 Gemini, 27 Cancer-1 Leo, 19-23 Virgo, 10-14 Scorpio, and 2-6 Capricorn.

Explaining Harmonics

This month we have a mixed bag of aspects in the various harmonic series with a heavy concentration of spiritual aspects. In the 7th harmonic aspect series of “destiny,” we have 4 septiles and 3 biseptiles. In the 10th and 24th harmonic specialization series, we have 3 vigintiles, 5 quintiles, and 1 tredecile. The 9th harmonic gives us 1 novile and 2 quadranoviles. This month we drop from 9 aspects in the 11th harmonic faith series to 1 elfile.

The novile (9th harmonic), septile (7th harmonic) and elftile (11th harmonic) series all feature spiritual aspects. All novile series (9th harmonic) aspects indicate things which need to be put on the shelf for a while, or that which has been gestating can now move forward. They represent gestative energies that can lead to great spiritual realizations. Septile series aspects represent forks in the road of destiny, while the 11th harmonic elftile series indicate that faith is required to deal with transcending some dualities, issues and points of evolution where we confront the need to resolve some sort of duality by making a leap of faith to attain a form of mastery over that type of duality. This series tests our faith.

The quintile and biquintile (5th harmonic) and related 10th (decile and tredecile), 15th (quindecile), and 20th harmonic (vigintile) aspects are all specialization aspects. You can find more by going to Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Pt. 1 – The Quintile and Biquintile, and Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Part 2 – The Decile, Tredecile, Quindecile and the Vigintile.

You can find out more about the spiritual aspects (septile, novile, and elftile series) by referencing this brief overview of Astrological Aspects – the 7th, 9th, and 11th Harmonic Series Aspects and their Symbols.

Element Balance and Who’s Leading the Sun

This month continues a dramatically shifting imbalance in the elements, with the 10 traditional planets occupying 7 signs and a balance between cold than hot. We have 2 planets in Fire (inspiration and warmth), 2 planets in Earth (practical grounding), 3 in Air (relatedness and communicating), and 3 in Water (feelings and experiencing). This month we have all signs between Capricorn and Cancer represented, with no planet in the other signs.

Air and Earth are “cool” elements, while Fire and Water are “hot” elements. With this distribution, it’s equally as cool as it is hot, with a bit more air and water. See how ideas and feeling are related while keeping it caring and interactive.

Because the New Moon falls in early Cancer, Mercury in mid-Gemini is the “Gateway to the Light.” By finding “seed knowledge” which is the technique for spreading information the world needs, we’ll find the entry to the potential illumination seeing how to “imitate” that wisdom in new forms.

The current sequence at present of Deciding, Feeling, and Thinking

We’ve been through several different sequences over the past few months. There are six patterns, and each has their strengths and weaknesses. This Lunation shifts the pattern from the previous Lunation and begins a new one. As a process of moving through events, the most effective “firing sequence” for approaching life and experience over the next two weeks involves leading with our feelings, then then thinking and searching for a new vision or understanding, and then making decisions and acting on them.

This pattern leads with feelings, and then searches for information to confirm or deny those hunches. With Mercury stationary direct in Taurus, see the core of what you’re trying to understand, with an eye to how it fits into your spiritual understanding and service. After you’ve allowed your feelings to move you into a search for meaning, information, or a vision, then reduce everything to a simple fact based on which you can make a clear and simple decision you can act on.

Those with deciding/doing at the end of their pattern always need to remember they are on a journey of ten thousand decisions which allow them to take it one step at a time. During this time period, open to a deeper feeling-knowing, but strive for objectivity and a new view or understanding of whatever presents itself. Then when you’ve considered the information or vision from enough angles, make your decision and take the single step to move everything forward that one step.

So when you are moved by a feeling or experience, it will naturally lead to a quest for new information or a new vision or understanding. Once we get the view or understanding we need, then make your decision and act accordingly. You will find a new feeling-experience naturally arises after the decision and/or action, which will naturally lead to a quest for even more information or understanding.

Summing Up

This New Moon in Cancer encourages us to find the beauty in reaching out to become a higher level of awareness by cleaning out our mind and being more volitional and less reflexive. We’re now consolidating our forward momentum while continuing to discover facets of how it can be skillfully utilized to fulfill our Aquarian ideal. Have fun as you embrace the learning process, and take the opportunities to demonstrate your unique skills while having unique interactions with others. We’re now living in new ways, so take a new look at the beauty of your unfolding Self!

Use the momentum to make quick progress while remaining receptive to the Ageless Wisdom streaming out via Jupiter. Do what you have to do with optimism and precise action, since there is work to be done between now and September, when things begin to slow down. We are now in a time of testing our ability to utilize spiritual power effectively, this month through challenges to reach up to a higher level of awareness which is also emotionally accessible.

During the coming few months many who have trained will begin to be able to “know at a distance,” and send constructive thoughts to those who need it. The safety is found in embracing the new and get it done quickly and efficiently. If you’re discontent, follow it into the attack of your mind and clean it out, letting in new ideas and some spiritual sunshine. Go forward or withdraw, based in the situation. We’ve ended a lot which has opened the doors to new beginnings, so keep letting go of lesser things to receive greater blessings and gifts than we previously imagined.

In 2020 we entered a transition phase in human history. While we still have to function within the Capricorn cycles we began in 2020, we also have crossed the threshold of an era unknown to humanity since the 13th and 14th centuries. Even then, we were still in the depth of the Age of Pisces, so the awakening of new ideas then were relative to the old era, whereas what’s coming involves wave after wave of Aquarian energies, pushing us to the coming Great Age emerging in the second half of this century.

The long wave Aquarian pulses were initially set into motion by the Mars conjunct Saturn at 1 Aquarius on March 31, 2020, marking the initiation of archetypal Aquarian preliminary structures offered by Saturn. The promise and potential of the new Aquarian pulse then began to expand into a greater social and cultural vision beginning at the Jupiter conjunction with Saturn, the Grand Mutation of the Solstice also at 1 Aquarius. So we have 20 years of Aquarian energies set into motion by that conjunction!

As noted, when Venus and Mars conjuncted at 1 Aquarius in March 2022 it gave a new impetus and new expression to the Aquarian structures which took shape in 2021. The next time Mars transits Aquarius will be in February and March 2024, when it conjuncts Pluto at 1 Aquarius in February about 3 weeks after Pluto’s first ingress into Aquarius. That begins the Pluto in Aquarius “generation” of the 21st century which lasts until 2043. As there will be a Jupiter conjunction with Pluto at 15 Aquarius in 2033, we’ll see the “expansion of the Angels of the Age of Aquarius” at that time.

2021 opened a new adventure for all of us, and the long term “metamorphosis” we went through showed us what the beginning of the coming Age of Aquarius is about. Last year helped us remember we are Beings of Light, a Superstar shining the Light of our Eternal Love into our world. We’re now expanding that promise and we’ll see developments related to this evolutionary leap beginning this month.

New groups of Spiritual communities formed last year and will continue to form this year, and those which are Aquarian in nature were “lifted on the wings of angels” in 2021. Trust the process. We are learning not to play to the generic confusion, irrationality, and misleading notions. Revolution is in the air! And when you find things and people of eternal worth, value them with all your heart.

Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend

Saturn continues its long term occupancy in its home sign of Aquarius. While we’ll still be focused on the group work set into motion last year, we are now experiencing Saturn’s late Aquarius qualities. It was a major influence in the 2018, 2019, and 2020 Eclipses, continuing its years-long power behind events.

Because Saturn plays such a large part in our lives, if you haven’t gotten your copy already, please give yourself the timeless gift of my book, Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. This book shows you the way to take command of your power to steer your life in a conscious way, using Saturn’s strengths and skills to master life on your own terms. It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers, and will help you understand how your life experiences assisted your Soul growth and your power to change negative karma to positive karma. Each time you re-read any part of it you’re sure to find undiscovered gems of insight helping you throw off attitudes which frustrate your ability to live your higher Purpose on your own terms.

And now, on a related note….

Because Venus is offering us extraordinary opportunities of discovery on the social and emotional level, and in process of “fermenting a new set of relationships” for all of us, I want to recommend getting a copy of my newest book, The Magic of Venus: Friendships, Soul Mates, and Twin Flames. If you want to know more about Venus and why we like or don’t like the people and things we do, this is the book for you! It explains why we attract who we do and how to create better relationships in the future. You will understand the foundations of long term healthy relationships and friendships, why Soul Mates come into our lives, and how to know the difference between a Soul Mate and our Twin Flame.

It has chapters on the qualities of each sign’s natural mate, the qualities of Venus in each sign, and when crucial choices and changes are made, affecting who we attract in the future. It was written for both astrologers and lay people, and as it has a thousand gems for better relationships, with self, others, and Source, please consider getting your copy by going to the link above! (And when you’re done, please leave a review on Amazon, since it helps the book and all other books on astrology as well!)

Part 1 on this New Moon

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

© Copyright 2022 Robert Wilkinson

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