New Moon Symbolism

Happy new moon.Looking up into her body now, we will see only the vastness of potential available to us (at least, in the northern hemisphere).

Maybe that’s what’s bugging me.

What? Why would infinite potential bug me? The prospect of unknown opportunities -  whole new realms of mystery waiting to be discovered… These concepts are spiritual jackpots to the philosophical journeyer. So why the bugginess?

I think it’s because of the endless-openness our new moon proposes.  The new moon symbolism speaks to us of an emptiness that is unfathomable. Our ancestors knew it, and we know it too, on various levels.

New moons remind us of the void, the gaping hole that is nothingness. The first step. Another beginning. A new revolution.

With so much change going on in our lives, yet another new beginning can seem overwhelming (particularly on a cosmic level which will compound our mundane levels of change).

What’s more, a sense of empty-ness tends to prompt one to start finding stuff to fill the void. Consider that sentence – it’s vague, but astounding in it’s implications.

Is this true for you? If a sense of empty-ness is detected, do you go about trying to “remedy” it by filling the void?

I do. My Western socialized mind runs to fill up – not empty out.

So, when encountering the newness proffered by her highness the Moon, I sometimes find myself anxious and edgy – scrambling around trying to do, do, do, (gathering up, filling up, plugging the holes) instead of be, be, be. 

Whether we’re filling the void with thought or things, there’s a time to cease the stuffing.  This is that time.

Being is what the new moon, in her infinite wisdom would have us do.

This new moon, I invite you to join me in the following:

• just be.
• stop stuffing.
• swim in the void.
• relish the beginning for what it is: Freshness.
• settle in the emptiness (resisting the urge to fill it).

Some other pages on the moon symbolism you may find interesting:

Moon Symbolism

Native North American Full Moon Symbolism

Following the Moon Through the Zodiac

 The moon  is constantly on the move.  We can follow the moon and its motion through the zodiac with a goal to feel the personality of each phase.

If we consider the zodiac as a circular template (like a wheel), the we can get a visual of the moon making its rounds through each of the 12 sections of this zodiac wheel.

A good ephemeris  can guide you through the path of the moon, letting you know within which astrological sign she’s moving.

I also recommend Llewellyn’s 2009 Astrological Calendar which indicates which sign the moon is visiting on each day of the month and year.

Once you’ve established the moons course through the zodiac wheel, you can get a feel for the symbolic personalities for each day:

~Aries: A great time to initiate new projects for the short-term. 

~Taurus:  A good time for starting long-term projects, particularly around the home.

~Gemini: A time for brainstorming, communication and travel.

~Cancer: A time for tending to relationships, emotional support systems and matters of the home.

~Leo: A great time for self-reflection, self-improvement and indulgence.

~Virgo: Time to tidy up, and clean up those loose-end details that have been neglected.

~Libra:  Time for social fun like dinner parties with a balanced group of engaging people.

~Scorpio: A period for enhancing psychic perception, getting in touch with your intuitive side.

~Sagittarius: A time for creativity and imagination. Also a good travel time.

~Capricorn: A time for responsibility and getting your affairs in order, especially financial.

~Aquarius: A time to shake things up, make some changes and break away from the routine.

~Pisces: Another great time for intuitive enhancement.  Also touch base with your dreams and feelings during this time.

Image credit: www.purplemoon.com. I’m not affiliated with them, but thought the design on this zodiac wheel sticker they offer for sale was fantastic for this post.  So, I linked the image to their order page where you can purchase the sticker.

Symbolic Retrogrades: Nothing to Panic Over

The term “Symbolic Retrogrades” is my personal understanding of the meaning of retrogrades according to the participating planet and it’s own symbolic meaning.

That said, what is the symbolism of retrogrades?  

Observed from Earth, some planets look as though they are traveling backwards in the sky.  And so, initial symbolism of retrogrades includes:

• Delay
• Recession
• Withdrawal
• Regression
• Hesitation  

Of course, the planets aren’t really moving backwards. 

Picture two cars on a highway.  One car is moving faster than the other, and passes the other car.  Both cars are moving forward, but the car that was passed looks like it’s moving backwards because the other car has moved ahead of it.

Same thing in the fast lane of planetary orbits.

So, if a planet is being passed on the cosmic highway, we could say that puts the energy of the planet in a reflective position.  That planet is in a position to observe all that flows before it. 

Using this example, the planet in the ”slow lane” (going retrograde) takes on symbolism’s such as:

• Pensive
• Reflective
• Observant
• Contemplative
• Different Perspective

When I first encountered the retrograde phenomenon in my studies, I was intimidated by some of the connotations a retrograde holds.

However, with a little more contemplation devoted to the subject of retrogrades, and a little common sense, I was able to find a different perspective on the retrogrades. 

Rather than subscribe to a slightly panicky view of retrogrades, I invite you to consider the softer side of the subject. 

• The side that steps into a different phase of time. 
• The side that allows events to take their natural course as we step back to watch what happens.
• The perspective that quietly observes the unfolding of events in  calm assurance that we are indeed moving forward in progress.
• The perspective that we are “just in time” for all that we do, and we can afford this span of calm reflection.

When we recognize everything in our Universe is always moving forward, it puts a positive spin on our outlook, doesn’t it? 

I hope you’ve enjoyed these thoughts on symbolic retrogrades.  Other pages of interest:

• Symbolic Planets
• About Astrology
• Zodiac Signs and Meanings
• Celtic Moon Astrology
• Nature Symbols
• Symbolic Sun
• Symbolic Moon

List of Planet Names & Their Evolution in Time

• Sun = Shamash
• Mercury = Nabu
• Venus = Ishtar
• Mars = Nergal
• Jupiter = Marduk
• Saturn = Ninurta
• Moon = Sin

(Uranus, Neptune & Pluto were not quite visible to the Babylonian star-gazing methods.  Also, although the sun and moon are luminaries, they are considered influencial, and are classified as planets in the astrological mind-set).

Babylonian astrology became popular to the ancient Greeks who embraced the Babylonian body of work on the subject and adopted the framework as their own.  So much so, they renamed the Babylonian god planets to their own nomenclature:

• Shamash = Helios
• Nabu = Hermes
• Ishtar = Aphrodite
• Nergal = Ares
• Marduk = Zeus
• Ninurta = Kronos
• Sin = Selenê

The Romans later re-established the planet names in Latin, these are what we know and recognize today.

Other pages of interest:

Symbolic Planets

About Astrology (brief)

Astrology and the Tarot

Good Things Come in Seven’s (blog)

Symbolism of the Days of the Week (blog)