Floating under the eager Moon

Dates and times are given for Pacific Time Zone.

Mermaid and Manfish, by Claudia Fernety

Jonny had just returned from the post office with a disappointing piece of mail, the latest aggravation in the long, bureaucratic nightmare that has been his transition to retirement. But he also came bearing a spot of happiness: a pre-birthday parcel for me from my sister! Excitedly, I ripped it open… and found a package meant for somebody else, sent in error by a well-meaning eBay vendor.

Sigh. It’s been that kind of Mercury Retrograde (Mercury stationed on July 25). Mercury is the god of mail and commerce, cars and buses, computers and fountain pens; all the happy little cogs and wheels of life that we take for granted when they’re running smoothly. If you live a fairly unscheduled life and have a sense of humor, Mercury’s Rx hijinks are generally not much more than mildly annoying. But while I’m not normally the sort of Mercury Rx alarmist who warns everyone to take cover for the duration, I’ll be happy to see the end of this one when it turns direct on Aug. 18 at 9:25 pm. Will all your emails and eBay packages finally make it to their intended destinations? That may be too much to hope for – as I noted last week, a lot of other planets are still retrograde! – but improvement is a reasonable hope.

Our two lunar phases this week are the Crescent Moon, which begins on Aug. 14 at 9:28 am, and the First Quarter, beginning on Aug. 18 at 0:48 am. The Crescent is an eager phase, ready to take hold of an idea or inspiration and wrestle it to the ground. The New Moon brings a rush of new energy, but not a lot of clarity. At the Crescent phase, we see a glimmer of light and are ready to rush ahead with determination and passion – and woe-betide anyone who gets in our way!

Watching the lunar phases carefully over the past year has brought me to a different understanding of them. For years, I’ve told students, clients, and readers to set intentions at the New Moon, but I now think that’s probably wrong. Astrology can certainly help us understand where the New Moon affects our charts and lives, and bring a little clarity; but it’s not until the first light of the Crescent Moon that we’re really ready to wish for something specific. This Crescent Moon begins in Libra – so be sure you’re following your own passion and not someone else’s.

It’s a generally happy Moon this week, aside from squares to Saturn (Aug. 14) and Pluto (Aug. 15). So by the time we get to the First Quarter Moon in Scorpio on the 18^th, the wheels are well oiled and ready for us to move forward with all due speed toward a particular goal.

The biggest event of the week is a trine between Jupiter and Neptune (Aug. 19).  Here’s what I wrote about this combination in my book, Astrological Transits: “It’s time to face your fears. All the secrets and disappointments that you strive to hide away are brought out into the open, and Jupiter will help you make friends with, heal, and generally overcome them. Your fears are potentially your greatest source of strength, and as transiting Jupiter touches Neptune by any aspect you come closer to claiming that strength. You may feel as though you have been thrown into the ocean without knowing whether you can swim. Paddle too hard, and you’ll go under. Now is the time to stop struggling and float a little.”

Well, that’s good advice, April-from-four-years-ago. It’s good advice now, too, except for the eager, hungry Crescent and First Quarter Moons, and Mercury, newly released from detention and ready to tackle his inbox. But then, life is all about balance and compromise, isn’t it? Maybe we should just plan to paddle for awhile, then float for a bit.

© 2018 April Elliott Kent

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