Well, this is the last official New Moon of the summer. To many, summer ends on Labor Day, but the official ending is always at the Autumn Equinox which occurs this year on September 22^nd at 8:09 pm PDT. This is the exact day when the hours of light and dark are equal. If you think about it, there is nothing arbitrary about this fact at all. It is a fact based on the measurement of time and is expressed as exactly 12 hours of sunlight in an official 24 hour day period where the day begins at midnight. The only other day of the year when this occurs is Spring Equinox. Dividing the year into 12 equal parts based on the Solstice and Equinoxes is both a reflection of the practical science and the inherent spirituality that comprises Astrology.

Western Astrology is based on this ever changing distribution of sunlight. Given that the Sun is the source of life, in the material sense, for life on our planet, it can be easy to see how there is an inherent spirituality woven into this emphasis on the solar cycle. Many romantically assert that there should be 13 months based on the Moon and so on. Yet while that might work well with the average of 12 New Moons + 12 days each year, it would take attention from the Solstice and Equinox dates. Thus the Moon would take on greater importance than the Sun. As wonderful as the Moon is and as important as is the Lunation Cycle, the light that the Moon reflects is that of the Sun. The Sun and the Moon are technically called the “Luminaries” in Astrology and are given almost equal weight. Yet, it is hard to give the Moon as much importance as the Sun, simply because it is a Moon and the Sun is a star. Astrologers do pay attention to the Moon’s sign and position and the phase it is in at the moment of first breath which is the official time for the casting of a natal chart. Yes, these and other factors like what sign is on the 4^th House Cusp, which is the House Cusp officially ruled by the Sign Cancer, (in the Natural Zodiac where Aries is the 1^st Sign) which is ruled by the Moon and which House Cusp the Sign of Cancer and the degree of that sign occupies in the chart.

The Moon is linked to the ethereal and to psychic realities, ancestry, roots, family, nurturing, food, nutrition and so on and that is certainly important. Yet the Sun is the spirit in Astrology and naturally is the focal point of any chart. It is the spirit and is linked to self expression via the ego vehicle. While the Moon is silver the Sun is gold. Some believe that we should focus on the Moon but there is reason to believe that this is a backward notion. The division of the year by 12 is not only convenient, it is natural and offers an accurate and balanced division of the year based on the solstices and equinoxes. I tell you these things partially to remind you that the notion of dividing the year into 13 is simply not practical or even a good idea. Some say we are locked in by the solar 12 month division. But if we followed the lunar, the New Moon, for example would always fall on the same day of the week. So it can at least be equally argued that such a reality would lock us in even more deeply yet.

So, the sunlight on the planet based on a circle or cycle divided by 12 is simply practical and inherently spiritual in as much as it represents an archetypal principle. Consider doing the following exercise to gain an experiential understanding of the simplicity yet inherent spirituality, knowledge and power hidden within the division of a circle.

Take a sheet of paper and draw a circle starting on top and moving in a counter clockwise direction. Use a compass or a round object like a plate. Once your circle is complete, take a moment to consider that it is symbolic of a complete cycle, and it is also symbolic of a sphere. Now draw a horizontal line across dividing it in two hemispheres, upper and lower - a symbol of duality. On the upper write words like yin or female or light, for example. On the bottom hemisphere you can list opposing matching words like yang, male and dark. Continue to list opposing words in opposing hemispheres as long as you like and discover how much reality is based on these polarizing forces. Next draw a line through the middle from top to bottom. In doing so, you will have actually drawn the symbol for our planet earth - the cross of matter encased by the circle of spirit. This symbol is a reminder that the spirit in not only within, we are surrounded by it. It is commonly called the human aura. In quartering the circle you have also drawn the symbol for the 4 Elements, Fire, Earth, Air and Water, the 4 Cardinal Directions: North, West, South and East, and you have also the symbol for the 4 seasons.  Archetypal symbols are best understood as having many layers of meaning. Next, imagine the Cardinal Point on the top of your circle symbolizes Winter Solstice, the next one to the left side is Spring Equinox, the point on the bottom is Summer Solstice and point on the right is Autumn Equinox. Next, divide each quarter into three and you will have the beginning, middle and end of each season. Then, put the sign Capricorn on the top cardinal point, with Aquarius following to the left and each successive sign at each point. If you follow the natural Zodiac, you will see Libra on the right Cardinal Point which is symbolic of the Autumn Equinox and the fourth season.

From this simple exercise you can learn many things. Principle among them is that Astrology is linked to the geometry of archetypes as a fundamental feature of daily life and is hardly a mere question of whether or not we are ‘influenced by the stars’. The real fact of the latter common confusion is that we share an intimate and intrinsic primary relationship with the planets in our solar system, and the Sun and Moon. It is not simply a question of whether we are ‘influenced’ or not, it is more actually a reality of relationship. I will bring more attention to this theme next month with the New Moon in Libra.

The CHART for this New Moon in Virgo seed (I trust by now you can understand that each New Moon represents its own seed cycle) hosts Mercury retrograde and Venus and Mars still in close conjunction in Libra. The conjunction of any two planets is symbolic of a seed that offers its own unique evolutionary growth theme. The moment when the exact conjunction occurs represents the whole picture and the inherent theme characteristics of the conjunction. Sometimes the conjunction occurs 3 or more times. This occurs when one or both planets turn retrograde. It is more common with the far planets but can occur with the closer ones as well. When it does, the evolutionary growth themes linked to the conjunction of two planets takes on greater complexity. On very rare occasions, the conjunction involves 3 or 4 planets. A case in point of two planets forming multiple conjunctions is Jupiter and Uranus. The first recent conjunction occurred on June 8 2010 and at 0 degrees Aries. I wrote quite a bit about this back in May, June and July so if interested, link back to those New Moon Newsletters by following the link near the top of each Newsletter. The next of the 3 conjunctions between these two planets occurs on September 18^th at 6:07 pm PDT. In this case, both are retrograde and in the sign of Pisces. (See CHART) They will actually form a third and final conjunction for this round and this will occur on January 4, 2011. (See CHART)