I love making my astrology journal and creating interesting pages that are zodiac themed.
At the moment I’m using a Leuchtturm1917 journal. I chose the one with a yellow cover as I like that.
Moon Phase Keywords Page
On this page, I’ve listed the eight Moon phases.
The lunar phases in order are:
New Moon
Crescent
First Quarter
Gibbous
Full Moon
Disseminating
Last Quarter
Balsamic
I’ve drawn how each phase appears like when you look up at the Moon.
At the New Moon, the Moon is all dark and you cannot see the Moon.
At the Full Moon the whole of the Moon is illuminated, and you can see it clearly in the night sky.
Moon Phase Keywords
The Lunar Cycle
The Sun and Moon’s Synodic Cycle
The Moon takes one month to orbit the Earth.
The Moon phase cycle, known as the synodic cycle, starts at New Moon when the Sun and the Moon are conjunct.
This happens once every month.
At New Moon, we cannot see the Moon as it is close to the Sun
The Moon starts to grow in light every day in the waxing part of the cycle.
Around day fourteen it reaches the Full Moon when we can see the most light from the Moon.
It begins the waning part of the cycle reducing in light back to the New Moon.
The Light and Dark of the Moon
The Moon is mainly dark for half of the month and mainly light for half of the month.
The darker half is during the last quarter, balsamic, new moon and crescent phases.
The light half is the first quarter, gibbous, full moon and disseminating phases.
This light/dark difference is symbolic and has much to say about the meaning of the Moon and its phases.
Lunar Phases in the Chart
The lunar phases are based on the angular relationship between the Sun and the Moon.
If the luminaries are in aspect to each other, the aspect between them must be considered highly in the chart interpretation.
Moon Timing
The synodic cycle is around twenty-nine and a half days.
The Moon is in each phase for around three and a half days.
The Moon is in each sign around two and a half days.
Planetary Phases
The planets also have phases shown by their relationship to the Sun and particularly the inferior planets Mercury and Venus.
Eight Lunar Phases
There are eight lunar phases, four in the waxing period and four in the waning period.
Even if the Moon is not in aspect to the Sun, it will be in the phase shown below.
Each phase begins at the exact aspect and runs through until the next aspect.
Lunar phases are closely related to the aspects between the Moon and the Sun.
Moon Phases and the Growth Cycle
The cycle of the Moon can be symbolically correlated to a plant’s life-cycle.
It can also be related to the yearly solar cycle and the seasons.
This correlation shows the driving essence of each lunar phase which is expressed through individual charts.
New Moon Phase – Germination
The seed is in the dark, underground and germinates.
It is a delicate time, and it can be touch and go if the seed and plant will survive.
It is the beginning. Winter Solstice – December 21st.
Crescent Phase – First Leaf
The fresh sprout breaks through the soil into the light and the first leaves form.
During this time the little seedling grows and strengthens. Imbolc – February 1st.
First Quarter Phase – Roots and Growth
Stronger roots appear to stabilize the plant.
Fast growth happens as the plant strives to reach full potential.
Bigger leaves form and branches thicken.
The Vernal Equinox around March 21st and the start of spring in the northern hemisphere.
Gibbous phase – Buds and Blossom
The plant starts to bloom as buds and blossom form showing potential.
The plant is now established, and you can see what it will become.
This time relates to Beltane around May 1st when the Sun is at 15 degrees Taurus.
Full Moon Phase – Flowers and Fruit
The flower becomes the fruit. The plant puts forth its full sweet bounty.
The fruits of its efforts are available for all to see.
The fruit ripens.
The summer solstice is around June 21st and signals the start of summer in the northern hemisphere.
Disseminating Phase – The Harvest
This is the harvest phase where fruits are harvested.
It is the culmination of the plant as it gives up its bounty to others.
This relates to Lamas around August 1st and when the Sun is at 15 degrees Leo.
Third Quarter – Decomposition
Now the planet begins to decompose and withers.
The leaves fall, and the remaining flowers make seed pods for next year.
Seed pods explode as the plant casts forth its life potential for the next cycle.
This is known as the fall or autumn equinox around September 21st and signals the start of Autumn in the northern hemisphere.
Balsamic Phase – Rest and Lying Fallow
Seeds become buried in the dark and bulbs stay hidden underground.
The plants rest.
Nothing is happening as the ground lies fallow.
The wait.
This relates to Halloween on October 31st and when the Sun is at fifteen degrees Scorpio.
Four Waxing Moon Phases
In the waxing half of the Moon’s cycle, the four phases are new moon, crescent, first quarter and gibbous.
During the waxing half of the month, the light of the Moon is growing.
New Moon
Instinct
You see life through your own eyes, and not the eyes of others.
Subjective
You are subjective and struggle to see another person’s point of view.
Starts projects
You enjoy beginning new projects. You are good at starting jobs but not so good at finishing them. You have lots of energy and are independent.
Emergence
You have the potential to emerge and do good things. At this stage, we don’t know.
Self-involved
Concerned with your life and your issues.
Crescent
Forward
You feel compelled to move forward in your life.
You can do this when you have a strong foundation underneath from which to launch.
Self-belief
You have an opportunity to grow in your belief in yourself.
As your life unfolds and expands, you will become more comfortable with the feelings you have about your future path.
Eager confidence
You will probably face the future eagerly.
In time you possibly will develop inner confidence.
First Quarter
Forceful
You perhaps have the forcefulness of youth, and there will likely be much subjective activity throughout your life.
You prefer to lay a good base for your future and will take action to make this so.
Growth and building
You are likely to construct your own plans to suit yourself.
Your life is expected to be filled with lots of personal growth and experiences with which you can build a firmer foundation for your personal future.
Strong-willed
You are usually strong-willed, and some may even say ruthless.
Crisis in action
You have controlled energy expenditure which comes in bursts, and much can be done.
Gibbous
Contribute
You generally have a desire to contribute something of value to society.
You probably understand broad concepts and may have an impulse to clarify and work towards your personal goals or for a cause.
Overcome
You are an individual who can overcome obstacles.
You have a youthful approach to life.
Perfection
There is effort spent to get better at what you do.
Four Waning Moon Phases
The four phases in the waning half of the Moon’s cycle are full moon, disseminating, last quarter and balsamic.
During the waning half of the lunar cycle, the light of the Moon is diminishing.
Full Moon Phase
Clarity
You can see the other person’s point of view, and it is clear to you. You are very self-aware. You can discriminate between truth and lies.
Illumination
You can see the big picture and use broad strokes. It is all quite clear to you now.
Mature
You are supremely confident and have a mature outlook on life. You are realistic and accept things as they are.
Relationships
You can build fulfilling relationships confidently. You approach life through an adult’s eyes, and there are no illusions.
Disseminating Phase
Transmit information
You are likely to have the desire to transmit what you have learned through both study and your personal, worldly experiences.
Probably you quickly disseminate ideas to pass on to others.
It is as though you are on a crusade to share your learning.
Knowledge dispersal
Perhaps you wish to spread your wisdom and knowledge with other people as a disciple would. You can probably use demonstration as a tool to impart your grasp of situations.
Convey Awareness
It is vital for you to let others know what you know and share your beliefs with them. You wish to make contact.
Last Quarter Phase
Objective
This indicates that you are fundamentally objective and can pass on your experience and sow seed for the future.
Crisis in consciousness
You may spend much time reorienting your outlook. You may have a crisis in consciousness and be able to change your beliefs into concrete thoughts. Old values become useless.
Pioneer
You perhaps can be a pioneer in your day, and, with time, posterity will appreciate you.
You may be tiresome and stubborn.
Readjustment and Reorientation
You may feel it has all come to naught and that it was not worth the bother.
A transformation emerges as you process life’s cycles.
Balsamic Phase
Release
You can become released from issues.
You are likely to be visionary and have a confident belief in the future.
Sacrifice and surrender
You may be called upon to sacrifice something in your life as a martyr perhaps.
You need to surrender to the karmic cycle of life.
Closure
You are good with the closure of both relationships and situations but will mourn for what has past.
Forecasting interpretations can get complex. Reading transits quickly become confusing and it may seem like they’re out of focus.
You may start following Jupiter as it transits through your chart and Jupiter will offer growth opportunities as it passes by.
But what happens when it makes an aspect with another planet?
If Jupiter is square Saturn does it play out the same way for us all?
We all have our own charts and this is what makes the difference.
Take Jupiter square Saturn. These two planets bring the concepts of expansion and contraction together.
Whether you will experience expansion or contraction in your life depends on your chart. It matters whether Jupiter or Saturn is stronger in you natal chart.
Is either of them your chart ruler or do you have Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius or Pisces as your rising sign?
If one planet in a aspect rule your chart they’ll be stronger for you in general and will express themselves in your life in a clear way.
Cycles appear at all times. When you are on an up swing with one planet you may be on a down cycle with another.
The ability to see the difference between a transit from one planet which may or may not be overshadowed by another is the skill of reading transits.
Jupiter square Saturn is different for everyone. Don’t make the mistake of thinking one size fits all but understand what each planet’s energies are about.
Read each transit by itself and follow along with the cycle so you will have a better understanding of how to forecast.
Measuring planetary strength
Apart from the actual aspect involved to understand the strength of the two planets in a combination is the first step.
As the slower moving planets form and release aspects with each other it is good to know which one of the pair is a more important planet for you.
Pluto is important for you if:
You have Scorpio rising
The Sun is in Scorpio
More than three planets are in Scorpio
Pluto in the first or eighth house
Pluto is your final dispositor
Neptune is important for you if:
You have Pisces rising,
Neptune in the first or twelfth house
The Sun is in Pisces
More than three planets are in Pisces
Neptune is your final dispositor
Uranus is important for you if:
You have Aquarius rising
Uranus in the first or eleventh house
The Sun is in Aquarius
You have more than three planets in Aquarius
Uranus is your final dispositor
Saturn is an important planet for you if.
You have a Capricorn or Aquarius ascendant
The Sun is in Capricorn or Aquarius
You have three or more planets in Capricorn or Aquarius
Saturn is your final dispositor
Saturn is in your first, tenth or eleventh house.
Jupiter is an important planet for you if:
You have Sagittarius or Pisces rising
Your Sun is in Sagittarius or Pisces
You have three or more planets in Sagittarius or Pisces
We have experienced several challenging planetary placements in recent years. I am of course referring to the Uranus Pluto square which has had astrologers and laymen alike buzzing with excitement.
Enter the Jupiter Uranus fire trine.
Whilst it is typical that we have both easy and challenging aspects within the zodiac at any one time, it is the individual and combined mixture of flow and resistance between the planets making the aspects that shape our lives.
That Uranus appears in both aspects (square Pluto and trine Jupiter) is telling. He seems to want to fit in and stick out at the same time.
We can live with this.
Aspects
One way to interpret an astrology chart is by a technique called aspects
Astrological aspects are the angular distances between the planets.
Every planet has a measurement in degrees with the other planets but only certain angles are noted in astrology charts.
By dividing the circle of 360 degrees by any whole numbers we get the aspect angles.
The Trine Aspect
If you divide 360 by 3 the result is 120 degrees (360/3=120) and this is the size of the trine aspect.
Two planets that are 120 degrees apart in the zodiac will be in trine to each other.
The aspect degree does not have to be exact but can be within 8 degrees (the orb) either side of 120.
So when the two planets become between 112 to 128 degrees apart they are considered to be trine to each other.
Transiting Jupiter Trine Uranus
When the slower planets like Jupiter and Uranus trine each other it is to be noted.
It is a phenomenon that only happens around every six years then there is a gap of seven years before the next trine.
The elemental sequence is fire, earth, air then water. With two trines in each element, one waxing and one waning trine. Then it slowly shifts into the following element.
The Jupiter Uranus Synodic Cycle
Jupiter and Uranus have a fourteen year synodic cycle.
This means they are together and Jupiter (which is quicker off the mark) races off around the zodiac as Uranus moves forward slowly. Jupiter will catch up with Uranus around fourteen years later.
In 2010 Jupiter was conjunct Uranus at zero Aries. They will next be conjunct in 2024 at twenty-one Taurus.
Looking further forward in 2037 22 Cancer direct and in 2038 at 20 Cancer retrograde.
This shows the conjunction moves around either 30 degrees when at the retrograde three pass conjunction, or around fifty-one to fifty-four degrees and fourteen years during a one pass direct conjunction.
Because there is a trine in place for such a long period, when planets pass through the other fire sign of Sagittarius, they will create a fire grand trine when they trine both Jupiter and Uranus.
The most frequent planet to do this is the Moon.
It will provide huge opportunities and original approaches to how you can use that planet in Sagittarius.
The trine from Jupiter offers good things in line with your natal planet being aspected and the trine from Uranus offers unique and up-to-date solutions which allow things to move forward with ease and flow.
Get fired up!
Fire is all about inspiration. It gets the juices flowing and everyone hot under the collar. It gets people raving about things and issues. It creates fireworks and burning issues. We can get incandescent and want to burst. We are filled with bright ideas and get excited about anything with fire in it like dragon’s breath, candlelight, torches, barbecues and camp fires.
To remind you the Fibonacci sequence is a pattern in numbers where the previous two are added together to result in the next number in the sequence.
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…
One plus two equals three, two plus three equals five, three plus five equals eight and so on.
It can be drawn as a widening spiral. This shape is found in nature in plants and animals and can be clearly seen in the nautilus shell chambers and in the head of a sunflower.
The numbers build on the past sequence to create the future patterns.
It seems to me that this reflects a natal chart as it begins to progress and develop by building on what has gone before. The progressed chart unfolds over time from a base point in time i.e. the natal chart.
Situations that occur in life must have been in the natal promise to start with.
Fibonacci aspects
Conjunction (1)
Opposition (2)
Trine (3)
Quintile (5)
Semi-square (8)
Baker’s dozen (13)
Missing Ptolemaic aspects
In this sequence of numbers we see that the square (4) and the sextile (6) do not appear. Nor will the semi-sextile (12) aspect.
So what?
Well, astrology is a system of patterns and symbols.
We happily take chart divisions from one to twelve and for the simple reason that every number is represented.
We are also ok to extract the hard aspects in the eighth harmonic (1, 2, 4, 8) and call them manifesting aspects.
Surely if the Fibonacci sequence occurs in nature and so is part of the Earth experience should we not consider this group of aspects in a particular way?
Quintile
Perhaps because the quintile aspect is found in the Fibonacci list that is our first clue. Quintiles are closely associated with your creativity and genius.
13th Harmonic a Baker’s Dozen
What about the thirteenth harmonic?
Keywords transformation and values. This is not an aspect that is widely used in general astrology but can it be somehow associated with the meanings of the others in our sequence, maybe following the quintile theme?
I’m not sure, but using the Fibonacci aspects in a particular way as a group is a theory that has been buzzing in my thoughts for a while now. I wanted to put these ideas out there for consideration.
Mars is all about action, energy and competing. Saturn favours control, form, strategy and concrete results.
The imagery is of the young guy in a red shirt honing his skateboarding techniques in the hard landscape of the city park.
How many times has he tried this jump?
Who is watching? His competition, the other young guys, or the pretty girls?
Mars Conjunct Saturn in the Signs
Every two years Mars moves around the chart and catches up with Saturn.
Traditionally Mars was known and the lesser malefic and Saturn as the greater malefic. It is probably not politically correct to use these phrases anymore and yet there is some truth in the labels.
We look to the ruler of the sign that the conjunction is happening in to understand what is going on.
As two planets join forces in a sign one planet will be better placed than the other and its energy can be accessed easier.
Mars will compete with Saturn and when Mars is applying to the conjunction it will rise before Saturn.
After the exact conjunction Mars will rise after Saturn.
Saturn spends about two years and three months in each sign (depending on retrograde periods) so sometimes a conjunction is repeated in the same sign twice.
Mars and Saturn will be conjoined next in April 2022 in at around 22 degrees Aquarius.
Find which house the conjunction will occur in your birth chart as this is the house for this conjunction.
Mars Conjunct Saturn in the Houses
First house
Start a diet. Mars is great for beginning things and with Saturn in your physical body sector, you can control your body size.
Second house
Start a mad-money plan. Decide you have a limited amount to spend on whatever you want and stick to it.
Third house
Take a course that will build on your strengths and bring you closer to your life goals. You can achieve good marks now.
Fourth house
Family dynamic relationships can benefit from you breaking down borders with close members for everyone’s benefit.
Fifth house
If you have kids they may need some guidelines this week as they test your patience. Make plans to give birth to your creative expression.
Sixth house
Sweat it out on the weights at the gym. This is a chance to expend energy to form your muscles and tone your long term health.
Seventh house
If you have been held back in asking someone on a date you now have the courage. If in a relationship you could thrash things out for mutual benefit.
Eighth house
If you are holding yourself back now is a time to examine any limiting strategies and bring things into the open.
Ninth house
There may be travel frustrations. You may experience difficulty if you are writing exams now because you have the desire to rush.
Tenth house
Promotion and putting yourself forward is favored now. Actively engaging in your career path is a good strategy.
Eleventh house
Competition is high. You want to win but perhaps at the expense of your team. You may be singled out and put forward as the front man or woman to represent your group.
Twelfth house
Your energy may be at low ebb. It is probably good to rest if you can. The best way to handle this period is to make master plans-of-action to be used later.
