Last night, in the last hours of Balsamic Moon, my Circle met to plan Samhain and we closed our evening by going out to the stone circle where we used falling leaves (as suggested in last month's column) to blow away that which we'd resolved to release within our lives. No Moon was in the sky above us, but in the crisp, coldness of the the night air, the stars were so very bright—a zillion of them! The New Moon we could not see was in the very last degrees of Libra as she conjoined the Sun, and this morning, she's moved into Scorpio, sign of death and rebirth. The season of death has begun, the veil between the visible and invisible worlds is thinning. It's an optimum time to be open intuitively. Mercury and Jupiter are conjunct in Scorpio on this first day of New Moon blending intuitive wisdom with an expanded sense of logic and reason. Saturn, demanding responsibility, is also in strong play, in a tight square to the Mercury-Jupiter conjunction. By the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Moon will conjunct Jupiter, then square Saturn and then conjunct Mercury, as her final aspect in Scorpio. Need I tell you how powerful a ritual to adjust your personal scales of balance could be at this New Moon?

Ritual for New Moon in Libra

This is one probably best done alone, unless perhaps you feel you'd benefit from working with a close friend or small group in which there's the honesty and trust to tell each other what's obviously out-of-balance but denied. You know, though, and can find a better point of balance alone, too, with trust in Spirit. First, think of a high stress situation in your life. Stress is all too often a result of our own imbalance in how much time and attention we give to a particular activity or relationship, at the expense of other things that are also very important to us. We can use a meditative ritual to reflect on what can be done to reduce the stress while still fulfilling what we consider to be our rightful responsibilties in the matter.

Light a single candle for the New Moon and call:

Stand or sit in meditation with hands to each side, palms up. The logical left brain controls the right hand, and the intuitive right brain controls the left hand. Let's then think of the right hand as holding the physical reality of the stressful situation, and the left hand as holding your feelings about it. For example, on the right: What has to be done? How much must I do myself? What time is involved? What else is impacted by it? On the left, in each case: What are my feelings about this? Now, imagine your stressful situation held in your cupped hands, both of them. It is stressful because your hands are full, too full. Which hand is heavier at the moment, the right or the left? Open yourself to Spirit and you will sense the answer. When you realize which hand is heaviest, you are on your way to a solution. Look at each aspect of the heavy hand. If it's your feelings that are "heavy," then think logically about whether those feelings are really warranted. If you feel resentful, angry, fearful or whatever, why? What could you change within you to let that go. You've apparently accepted the physical reality—that's not heavy. So what can you change in your feelings. Even a small change could make a big difference: "as within, so without." If you smile, the world tends to smile back, but if you frown, it frowns. If on the other hand, it is the reality that is weighing you down, then use your intuition to seek a change you could make. Do you really have to do what is causing you anxiety? Is there some other way the obligation could be fulfilled? Could your time schedule be adjusted? As a solution comes to you, in either case, the heavy hand will seem to lighten a little. When your two hands are feeling balanced, the ritual is complete. Trust what you have learned, and resolve to make the necessary changes. Thank the Goddess for her guidance.

First Quarter Moon, October 29, 4:25 pm EST, 6 Aquarius 19

This is the first day of "fall back," the return to Standard Time for this year in the USA. Mercury turned retrograde on October 28th, and very early this morning, Neptune is stationary direct. Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter are all in Scorpio—quite a stellium for babies born now! Because of Mercury's station, the conjunction with Jupiter still holds, and is square the Saturn-Neptune opposition. All this makes for a LOT of fixed energy, and I am reminded of the late, great Dr. Zipporah Dobyns' imagery of a "fixed dilemma" casting the planets as cars all rushing into an intersection, meeting at dead center, bumper to bumper, and nobody will budge an inch! Only Taurus, of the four fixed signs, is sitting this one out, since there's no planet in that sign. One wonders if that sign, holding back from the fray, might hold some key as to what we could do with this ritually. The Bull is noted for (usually) taking a calm and steady approach, and that may be well be needed, especially if the retrograde reflects unwanted delays. Still, this is Moon phase known as the "crisis of action." We are not supposed to hang back here—it is a time for decisions and forward motion. Saturn-Neptune, at best, is manifestation (Saturn) of what we visualize (Neptune). The opposition calls for balance, and Mercury, though retrograde, is still conjunct Jupiter, expanding common sense. Mercury square Saturn, if we project the positive, can energize concentration, and Mercury square Neptune can visionary. The Jupiter-Saturn square may correspond to something that was also particularly significant in your life in last December and June, when those planets were in square before. This is the final square—a time for resolution of the matter. Let's use Taurean calm to call upon the Guardians of the four directions for direction as to how to proceed:

Meditative Ritual Preparation for Action

Center yourself with: "As above (reach high above, and feel the energy) so below (touch Earth, and feel her energy), as within (touch hands to your heart), so without (circle slowly with arms outstretched in knowledge that whatever comes out from within you affects your world), as the Universe, so the soul (cross your hands over your heart in respectful silence for a moment.

Turn to each of the four directions, and as you do, hold your hands out toward that direction, and bow in respect, as you say the phrase for each:

To the East I turn for clarity
To the South I turn for energy
To the West for intuition true
To the North for strength to see it through.

Raise your hands high, then to the ground, then to your heart and outward once again, while turning in a slow circle, as you say:

As above, so below, as within, so without, as the Universe, so the soul.

Silently thank the Four Directions and Spirit for their energies in your life and then sit comfortably for at least 15 minutes of silent meditation to listen for the voice of Spirit within for guidance.

This is the astrological Samhain, when the Sun comes exactly to 15° of Scorpio. Dane Rudhyar characterized the 15°fixed halfway points between the equinoxes and solstices as maximum points of power from which the energy of momentum is released. To augment even more the "power point" of this Samhain, November 7th is also with the Full Moon phase. So celebrate on Oct. 31st, if you wish, or on the convenient Saturday, Nov. 4, when Full Moon is also overhead—I'll be doing both, enjoying my granddaughters on Trick or Treat night, and working with my Circle on Nov. 4—but it would also be well to take advantage of that max energy of Nov. 7th for an extra solitary rite. Click here to go to the Starcrafts store website in San Diego for my article on the lore of Samhain with a plan for solitary ritual and an incense recipe. Arrow back to return to this site.

Full Moon, November 5, 7:58 am EST, 12 Taurus 58

I'm still running late this cycle—just too much going on lately. Apologies for last minute posting, but there's still the weekend for a great Full Moon rite. You may be combining that with your celebration of Samhain this weekend. My Circle will meet for combined Full Moon and Samhain rite Saturday evening, Nov. 4. This is actually the optimum time for Full Moon, as it's the closest applying aspect when the Full Moon will be clearly visible in the time zone where I live. But, if you'd like to do Full Moon separately from Samhain, here's a idea you might try:

A Fairie Rite for Full Moon

Find an attractive jar with a lid and gather a selection of the following herbs, at least one for each element. You will need a mortar and pestle to grind the herbs to powder.

Salt of the Earth, or Epsom salts, could be added to your mixture to provide a bit of sparkle.

Combine the herbs together on the night of Full Moon. Grind the herbs as you chant:

Put the fairie dust mixture in your jar and then, if at all possible, go outdoors where you can see the Full Moon overhead.  Sprinkle a little of your fairie dust into a ring just big enough for you to stand within. Within your fairie ring, draw Earth energy up from beneath your feet, through your body and into your open jar. Now, hold your jar of fairie dust up to the Moon, drawing down Her energy and light into it. Be at peace and give thanks for what you have received. Now close the jar and keep it in a special place to use again whenever you feel the need for an assist in connecting with Spirit. Then, begin by sprinkling a little fairie ring, knowing that its Full Moon charge will help you center.