Archive for July, 2012

New Moon in Cancer — July 19, 2012, 04:24 UT

Friday, July 20th, 2012

“Sail on Silver Girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine”
– Paul Simon

The Moon was new in its home sign Cancer early this morning European time. The luminaries squared Saturn and formed a quintile aspect (72 degrees) to Mars, which both are in Libra. Mars in turn is currently forming a tight T-square with Uranus and Pluto, connecting the Cancer New Moon to the long term aspect of our era, the Uranus-Pluto square.

The Moon in Cancer can be moody and timid. The current aspects can make us prone to explosive behavior. But the Cancer Moon also wants to protect and take care of others.

South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela celebrated his 94th birthday yesterday. Mandela is an anti-apartheid icon, who spent 27 years in jail for leading the liberation movement against apartheid. He was persistent, he didn’t lose his vision. He has dedicated his life to freedom and democracy. Mandela’s Cancer Sun is in conjunction with asteroid Libera. Libera is an ancient Roman fertility goddess. Her name is the feminine form of Liber, and it means The Free One.

Mandela’s Sun-Libera conjunction opposes his asteroid Astraea in Capricorn. There is saturnine persistence in Astraea’s energy. In Greek mythology Astraea is a personification of justice. During the Golden Age she lived upon the Earth. During the Iron Age the wickedness of humanity drove her away, and she ascended to heaven to become the constellation Virgo, and the scales of justice she carried became the constellation Libra. Astraea didn’t give up easily; she was the last of the immortals to live with humans. According to legend, Astraea will one day come back to Earth.

In the New Moon chart asteroid Astraea is in the same degree with Mars, giving determination and helping to achieve our goals.

The United Nations has declared July 18 as “Nelson Mandela International Day”, not only to honor Mandela’s contribution to world freedom, but to inspire people globally to take action for better world. We all are able to do good for others. Each one of us has the power to make an impact.

Mandela has said: “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.”

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

These ideas crystalize in the symbolism of two minor planets, Karma and Varuna, conjunct the New Moon in Cancer.

Varuna is a large classical Kuiper belt object and a potential dwarf planet. The Hindu deity Varuṇa presided over the waters of the heaven and of the ocean and as the guardian of immortality. Quoting astrologer Eric Francis: “The energy of Varuna is that which is too large to comprehend, but which somehow touches us personally.”

Eric’s keywords for Varuna include the great equalizer. He thinks Varuna as something that works on our own level and responds in a direct way to real human needs. “I think of Varuna as a force that we invoke personally; we ask for the help of this seemingly invisible energy, and it responds,” he writes. You can read Eric’s article here:

http://www.planetwaves.net/smallworlds/contents/planets/varuna.html

Karma is a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1953 at Turku by a Finnish astronomer Liisi Oterma. Karma means the law of cause and effect. Our action, and also our lack of action, has consequences. Good deeds create good. Each individual can have a positive effect on others around them, and thus has the ability to transform the world.