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Welcome to Luna Nueva

       The February 28th Full Moon @ 09º47' Pisces/Virgo           [9:38 a.m. MST]

One Ocean, One Nation, One World

I spent the last two months in southern Baja, Mexico, walking the beaches and swimming in the turquoise sea. Returning to Colorado was bittersweet. As much as I loved watching whales breach and spout, the Sun rise over a shimmering horizon and pink-orange clouds turn into towering blue-white electric light shows, I missed my home, my family and my friends. I felt ready to come back home to a reliable Internet connection, our Thermapedic mattress and the independence of my own SUV. Ha! So, now, I’m back and it’s ice and snow, firewood and down parkas, watching TV, typing my columns and surfing the net.

I’m amazed at how life always happens in the present. I’ve learned a lot from our three dogs in that regard. They never skip a beat when it comes to having fun, taking it easy or getting excited about food. I wonder if they miss the ocean and the breaking waves, but I know better. They are totally content right here, right now - happy and healthy in the present moment, loving the snow, chasing the ravens or lying at my feet.

The 09º47’ Pisces/Virgo Full Moon on Feb. 28th @7:38 am MST reverberates with the message of the Present. It is here we live and breathe, laugh and love. It is here we realize that there are no borders between the past and future; there are no boundaries between soul and spirit or heart and mind. Our bodies are vessels for experience, emotion and thought. We all breathe the same air, drink the same water and see the same Sun set below the elusive western horizon. The stars and planets have no prejudice or discretion when it comes to shining their light. The full Moon rises the same in China as it does in Colorado. We are all living one day at a time – actually, one moment and one second at a time - together here on planet Earth, in the present, dreaming the Dream in the Now.

And Pisces is all about dreams, illusions and spirit. Virgo is form and substance, order and shape. Pisces is chaos and divine inspiration, surrender and imagination. Virgo is organization and work, service and health. It’s about practice and routine, daily schedules and self-improvement. Pisces wants to dissolve and transcend, escape and merge, lose the ego and return to the Source. In Pisces, we discover that we are droplets of water in a communal sea, one ocean, one nation, one world, one creation – indivisible - pieces and particles of the Great Mystery, divinely inspired and ultimately One.

This week’s Pisces/Virgo Full Moon – like all lunar fruitions – brings issues to light in a balancing act of mental and emotional experience. Look for illumination of the alpha and omega, the end and beginning, the magic of death and the miracle of birth. Jupiter conjuncts the Sun in Pisces as the fruition peaks, highlighting the spiritual truth of oneness, reminding us that everything and everyone is connected, born of the same cosmic source and made of the same cosmic stuff. We are asked to rise above parental, religious and societal conditioning in the all-encompassing light of you-are-me and I-am-you. There is no self and other, we are One.

And then, amidst all this merging and transcending, Venus and Uranus - also in Pisces within four degrees of each other - encourage change and excitement, new life and fresh vistas, particularly in regard to relationships and individual world views. Sudden breakups and breakthroughs come via desires for truth and authenticity, aligning personal values with external conditions. Finally, Mars stationary retrograde @ 00º55’ Leo has us ready and waiting to pounce when it comes to all matters of the heart. Clear your head and clarify those intentions, purify motives and prepare for an extended journey on the romantic road of personal self-expression and creative pursuit when it resumes forward motion on March 10th. Good luck, and may the Force of the ever-evolving Source be with you!

 The December 2nd Full Moon @ 10º15' Sagittarius/Gemini  [12:31 a.m. MST]

The November 16th Scorpio New Moon comes to fruition just past midnight on December 2nd in Sagittarius/Gemini, rather than Scorpio/Taurus, delivering us an out-of-sign polarity Full Moon, an always rather tricky and intriguing lunation. Because New Moons are all about planting seeds of intention and desire and Full Moons are all about harvesting the fruits and results of our labors and actions, we consciously or unconsciously participate each month in an ongoing, recurring lunar cycle of method, manner and manifestation.

When we are party to an out-of-sign polarity fruition, we deal with the manner, method and manifestation of the quincunx aspect, aka the inconjunction. Astrologers come to know this planetary aspsect as one that requires vision and adjustment. Everything looks perfect, the piece looks like it will fit exactly into the puzzle, the people appear to be perfectly matched...

But, wait! Not so fast, it's just not that easy. The arrow is just slightly off the mark and misses the bulls-eye. The guy you thought was a new, great platonic friend wants to jump in bed with you. The job that advertised for creative self-expression turns out to be all about service.

Two weeks ago, the fresh Scorpio lunation asked us to delve deeply into our darkness, purge the demons and cleanse the soul with spiritual courage and heartfelt fortitude. We were encouraged to face our fears, banish doubt and go to war armed with the weapons of free will and divine providence. If the Full Moon had come to fruition in the Scorpio/Taurus polarity, we would be harvesting fruits of the physical and material rather than the mental and spiritual. We may have even had some sort of financial pay-off, monetary gain or loss. 

However, a lunar fruition in Sagittarius/Gemini delivers fire and air, inspiration and curiosity, big ideas and common denominators. We must take all the binging and purging, cleansing and scouring, light, illumination and intensity of the last two weeks and readjust our vision. Instead of expecting results that we can touch and feel or see and hear, we must accept what comes with an open mind and happy heart. This is the laughing and joking polarity, that of the trickster and coyote, the actors and actresses of life. This is where the players become shamans and shape-shifters, where metaphysical mysteries challenge the old Scorpio ways of suspicion and doubt. Fear of betrayal must not distinguish the light of hope and faith. Sagittarius is all about truth, Gemini is communication. Both deliver information. Lower mind and higher mind, lower self and higher self. As above, so below. 

Medicine and magic, discovery and exploration. It's time to consciously invoke the Higher Self and cultivate generosity of spirit. Open your heart and put your best foot forward. While we are forever responsible for the effort, we must let go of our attachment to the outcome and let the Universe provide. Trust the cosmos and stay on the path. Onward Cosmic Traveler! May your journey be one of Love, Light and Laughter. Vaya con Dios...y la diosa!

The November 16th New Moon @ 24º34' Scorpio

We start this lunar month with a late degree Scorpio New Moon. This translates as a time for delving deeply into our emotional soul with the intention of illuminating darkness; reaching in to those places where we hide our demons and feed our fears, where we're in denial and nurture doubt, where we feel most vulnerable and insecure.

Scorpio devours and consumes, it loves intensity and depth. As always, New Moons herald new beginnings and fresh starts. Because this Scorpio New Moon takes place in the middle degrees of the last decante, it focuses upon our already established thinking and behavior patterns - patterns that are firmly rooted in the soil of present and past life karma. Patterns that take form in the womb and early days of life, patterns that reflect family-of-origin modeled behavior and patterns based on survival. Scorpio is the sign most associated with secrets, privacy and the underworld.  It's where we experience potential or actual betrayal, obsession and compulsion, temptation and ultimate seduction. Co-ruled by "malefic" planets Pluto and Mars, this fixed water sign is notoriously characterized as strong, power-fueled emotion that generates from the deepest reaches of the soul and psyche. It has the capacity to destroy and demolish whatever comes in the way of its identified desire, is fiercely commited to its path, and is willing and determined to do whatever it takes to fulfill its passions. This is where we find the predator and the prey, as well as the perpetrator, the victim and the savior.

Scorpio and Pluto represent our past life pain and our current life capacity to purge that pain via feeling our feelings, facing our fears and courageously delving in to the darkness of our envy, anger and resentment. It is here we discover the roots of our individual and shared social psychosis, as well as the building blocks of our real and imagined physical, emotional and psychological pain, discomfort and dis-ease. The areas we feel most strongly about - our passions - are often where we are most scared, where we are hanging on "for dear life" and are least willing to let go.

Mars represents our primal, basic instincts. It's our drive to survive. As the modern ruler of Scorpio, Mars emulates ancient ruler Pluto's purpose in ways that we can see and feel - every day and every moment of our lives. Mars is the ego, the "me" and where we either fight or take flight. It's the way that we are instinctively attempting - the doing and action part - to get our soul's needs met. It's our motivation and desire quotient - it's what we compulsively pursue. 

The 25º Scorpio New Moon encourages us to arm ourselves for battle and wage the war of self-discovery by tapping into our deepest feelings and emotions, identifying our passions, facing our fears and committing to a daily practice of purging the demons via meditation, self-examination and right action. By embracing and fanning the divine spark within we fuel the fire of spiritual illumination. We become spiritual warriors - the Buddhist bodhisattva - recognize the power of an open loving heart and make a commitment to the awakening path. Good luck and may the power of the warrior be with you!

The November Full Moon gives us all a chance to examine motives and clarify intentions. Scorpio loves to play detective, go beneath the surface and expose the workings of the underground. Hidden power and secret agendas intrigue and entice, obsessions reign and passion rules. It is here we are called to shine light on inner darkness, purge demons and illuminate higher self awareness. 

Meanwhile, Taurus is the practical, patient, persevering sleuth, asking us to show up on time and simply get the job done. Here we complement intensity with determination and suspicion with proof. Water Scorpio utilizes emotional, psychic intuition as earth Taurus gathers actual physical, material evidence.  

Then on the more abstract, intellectual plane, we have the ongoing convergence of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius, encouraging us to think globally, act locally and cultivate expanded world views. The obsession of Scorpio and the tenacity of Taurus are being tempered with a fast-changing global economy and an awakening collective consciousness that no longer allows us to isolate, dictate and control. So...we are forced to grow, perhaps kicking and screaming, but grow non-the-less.

Also at work, in our daily lives and rounds, we have a hot Mars in Leo fannig egos and fueling the desire to feel special, pushing individual agendas in front of collective needs. On the upside, it  stimulates personal creativity, motivating us to express ourselves in positive, productive and artistic ways, providing excellent channels for the powerful thoughts and feelings we are bound to feel brewing in the subterranean fields of soul and the enlightened land of spirit. 

Because the Aquarius/Leo axis squares the Scorpio/Taurus polarity, this lunar fruition is likely to be one that forces us to face challenges, deal with crisis and - ultimately - see the forest for the trees. Good luck and may the awesome power of our transformative collective metamorphosis awaken the angels within and without. As above, so below. Happy Full Moon!

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The October 17th New Moon @ 24º 59' Libra

Prayers and Blessings for
Peace, Balance and Harmony...

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October 4th Full Harvest Moon @  11º 10' Libra/Aries

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September 18th Luna Nueva/New Moon @ 25º 59' Virgo 

The Virgo/Pisces axis of the September 4th Full Moon illuminates the polarity between what we dream and what we do. Hopes, dreams and visions, fantasy and imagination are all subjects in the Pisces kingdom. And across the deep, shining sea lies the land of Virgo – terra firma upon which the workers work to build the dream and manifest the vision, one day and one step at a time. 

Pisces listens to celestial music, floats on clouds and swims in oceans of emotion while Virgo hears the hustle and bustle of progress, critiques the process and improves the product. Virgo is the sign of analysis and logic; Pisces is the sign of intuition and mysticism. Virgo corresponds to physical embodiment; Pisces relates to spiritual transcendence.

Throughout the Virgo zodiac month, we are called upon to focus, simplify and consolidate. We are asked to discern and sacrifice, take responsibility, cut the fluff and eliminate excess. It’s all about cleanliness and organization, self-esteem and self-improvement, good deeds and nutritious diets. Health is wealth. It’s a time to show up and get the proverbial job done.

As the Virgo Sun opposes the Moon moving through Pisces, we reflect upon where we are today – in this present moment – and whether or not we are actually working on making our Piscean dreams come true. Are we making progress or lost in illusions of grandeur? Are our egos out of control or are we simply connecting with the mysterious force of a higher calling? Is it denial and delusion or true desire and ultimate destiny?

This lunation provides plenty of room for analytical thought, critical discernment and practical action, but it gives equal space to romantic yearning, creative musing and otherworldly experience. Balance your head with your heart, practice compassion and loving-kindness, see the forest for the trees and stay on the path. Embrace the rosy glow of sunset, the twinkling stars of twilight and the mystical magic of following your dreams – just don’t forget the maps!

Happy Full Moon!

 Aug. 20th Leo Luna Nueva/New Moon @ 27º31' Leo

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Luna Nueva: Summer Eclipses

I just logged on to my blog and realized I hadn’t posted an entry since June 24th – two weeks prior to the first of three consecutive eclipses we’ve experienced this summer.

Since my first encounter with astrology as a young girl in my Grandmother’s boudoir, I have been skeptical of the actual, scientific powers of the planets and their seeming ability to affect things here on Earth. And yet, I was and continue to be intrigued by the amazing synchronicities and undeniable truths with which I have been presented regarding planetary cycles and astrological aspects. 

Not posting on my blog since two weeks prior to the July 7th lunar eclipse is another case in point. I was, in fact, subject to sudden busy-ness at our tree farm and ranch. Calls and orders for readings tumbled in. Michael Jackson died. The 4th of July came and went, along with a little family. Then my husband and I prepared for and took off on a two-week camping trip to Idaho, during which a good friend was killed in a bicycle accident on Lizard Head Pass near Telluride the same day my husband took a bad fall on a mountain trail on the Middle Fork of the Salmon and twisted his ankle. Then back home, a memorial service and catching up…

Eclipse energy eclipsed my plans and projects and propelled me into the metaphysical world of shifting sands, rising tides, strong emotions and morphing realities. I am more aware today than ever of the transience and uncertainty of life. I embrace the beauty of this day and the mysterious magic of living in the moment. I am grateful for my health, my wealth, my sanity, my sobriety and my serenity. I feel the power of my Heart and the nurturing wisdom of Mother Nature, the Mother of us all. The world has changed, and still, I know I am blessed.

If you have also been strongly affected by this particular eclipse window – Cancer/Capricorn moving into Leo/Aquarius – don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. The Cosmos has no bias or prejudice – it’s an equal opportunity employer – and we’ve all had to deal with some transformative issues regarding home and family, mother/father, child and parent, emotional security and feeling loved and nurtured vs. achieving goals, accepting responsibility, facing reality, growing up, taking charge and awakening to what we can and can't control.

Now, as we approach the third and final eclipse of summer – the Aug. 5th 13º 43’ Leo/Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse [@ 6:55 pm MDT] – feel the power of your heart and let the love flow. Good luck and may the courage of the Lion and the knowledge of the Waterbearer be with you!

The Cancer New Moon/Total Solar Eclipse

July 21, 2009 [29º 27' Cancer] @ 8:35 p.m. MDT

****My humble apologies! A summer vacation and sudden passing of a good friend has temporarily "eclipsed" my entries for Luna Nueva. Will return soon!

The Cancer/Capricorn Full Moon Lunar Eclipse

July 7, 2009  [15º 24' Cancer/Capricorn] @ 3:22 a.m. MDT

Wow! The July 7th Full Moon lunar eclipse totally eclipsed my entry for Luna Nueva this time around.

 Cancer Luna Nueva/New Moon

June 22, 2009 @ 01º 30' Cancer at 1:35 pm MDT 

I have to admit, I love New Moons. There is something mysterious, intriguing and deeply moving for me about the darkness of the night skies preceding a fresh lunation. The stars stand out like diamonds against the vast blue-blackness of deep space - celestial points of light that have guided and enticed mankind for millennia, in their greatest grandeur - void of competition from the Moon. They twinkle and glisten, beckon one to spirit, invoking humility and grace.

And then, a few evenings later in twilight, a thin, delicate crescent of the Moon appears low above the western horizon. The deep, intimate union of the Sun and Moon bears form in the birth of another lunar cycle.

On June 22nd, at 1:36 pm MDT, the Sun and Moon come together in the conjunction aspect of a New Moon @ 01º 30’ Cancer. Following shortly after the Summer Solstice – one of our annual cardinal points of initiation and change - this fresh lunation is a call to action regarding self-nurturing, self-care and inner growth. It’s a checkpoint of the self – the first square to the primal Aries birth and survival instinct of Spring Equinox – and one which evolves from Taurus [primal sustenance] and Gemini [primal thinking] to Cancer [primal caretaking]. It energizes our maternal instincts and asks for food, comfort and security – physical, emotional and spiritual.

The essence of Cancer, according to Stephanie Austin in the June/July 2009 issue of The Mountain Astrologer is “to generate and sustain a nurturing environment for nascent forms. The fourth sign has long been associated with the Moon, the element of water and the emotional body.” I especially like her choice of the word “nascent,” as it qualifies the essential vulnerability of energies or entities in the process of emerging, being born or starting to develop.

All Cancer New Moons deal with nurturing life, providing physical care and emotional comfort. But, due to the early degree of this lunation -and its close proximity to Summer Solstice - we are dealing with especially fragile and baby-like energies. It’s as if we are working with the primal clay of matter, substance in need of shape and form. We can actually use our hands, our heads and our hearts to nurture and shape our actual, virtual, physical and metaphysical creations via thoughts, words and deeds. Pay attention to feelings and emotions, as these are the keys to the unfolding treasure of self-nurturing, the keys that provide us with the ability to sustain healthy and happy relationships and experiences. Follow intuition and be kind and gentle with yourself and others.

Gemini/Sagittarius Full Moon

June 7, 2009 [17º 03' Gemini/Sagittarius] @ 12:12 pm MDT

I discovered in the Mountain Astrologer magazine that in Tibet, the Full Moon in June is a time of celebration honoring the birth, life and passage of the Buddha - one of humanity's great teachers and living examples of loving-kindness and compassion. I was delighted to read this as I had just been invited to join a Buddhist study group in our small, local community and, as a result, had consciously opened my heart to the Buddha's path. It seemed especially cosmic and appropriate for me - this particular Full Moon also happens to fall on the exact degree of my Ascendant/Rising Sign. Hallelujah! What fun to feel personally involved and directed by the cosmos - after trying to take my own astrological advice and "go with the flow", "look for the signs and omens", "read the handwriting on the wall" and be open and willing to step through the Jupiter, Chiron, Neptune door of spiritual encouragement and hopeful enlightenment, heal wounds with forgiveness and love, understanding that we are all One. Se la vi, what can I say. Homage to amida Buddha!

Please go to the Alacazem Astrology Column page for more on this celebratory Full Moon lunation. Happy Buddha, baby!

More Information

I'll posting a video on each New Moon and writing exposes on each New and Full Moon lunation. Please let me know how and if you experience the Moon in its monthly and yearly cycles. I'd like to hear from you!

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Questions?

Email me at:

 cynthiaz@alacazem.com