Tag Archives: Moon

Saturn Chasing the Moon

How can we forecast long-term trends with astrology? I wondered what took my grandmother away from her home in the U.S. for nine years during World War II. She had lengthy transits of Pluto and Neptune through houses, but their aspects changed and didn’t seem the most descriptive of her situation. Her progressed Sun in Sagittarius in her 4th house would show the developments in her home situation, including foreign travel, but that’s a longer trend. She also had Saturn chasing her Moon.

Since the progressed Moon’s cycle through the signs and Saturn’s transit cycle are similar (around 28 or 29 years), some of us will experience extended periods of time with Saturn repeating the same aspect to the progressed Moon. This, too, is such a long-term influence that it may be tough to categorize.

Saturn opposed my progressed Moon for over 20 years. For me, the period coincided with career development, important decisions, a lot of hard work and important housing issues. I also researched my family genealogy, broke an ankle and had minor surgery. I lost my father and became a caretaker for my mom. The symbolism is clear, but these are also typical life events that many of us will experience in a 20-year period.

My grandmother Ida’s cycle started in 1935 with Saturn in her 7th house opposite the progressed Moon in the 1st, and didn’t end until after 1948, with Saturn in the 1st and the Moon in her 7th (lasting about 13 years, nearly half a Saturn cycle).

Ida’s natal Moon was in the 12th and Saturn in Pisces in her 8th house. Both might relate to events she couldn’t control. There’s no close connection between the two planets, but they’re widely inconjunct (over 3-1/2 degrees apart), not the most comfortable aspect.

Ida had been away from her native land and family members for about six years when her progressed Moon began to oppose transiting Saturn. She never gave us convincing reasons why she didn’t come back to New York before her visa expired. Though when back in Germany, her mother wasn’t well and she also had no great affection for her husband in the U.S. She worked on the family farm and later had jobs as a mail carrier, waitress and housekeeper. World War II brought major limitations: food shortages and life-threatening situations. Her mother and two brothers died during this time. Ida finally got back to New York in 1947, but a year later her husband had a stroke and died, leaving her with little money and an infant to raise. The final two exact passes of her progressed Moon to transiting Saturn came later that year.

Most people won’t experience dire events like these. And because of its length, the transit Saturn-progressed Moon cycle is somewhat unwieldy for astrologers to interpret. It nests within many other cycles and we need to do a lot more research to understand how best to describe it.

See my previous post for more information on Ida’s natal chart and her experiences as a refugee and displaced person.

The Moon: Fact and Symbol

We’ve come to know a lot of facts about the Moon, but its astrological – symbolic or metaphysical – meaning is completely at odds with science. It’s a good example of how differently astrologers and materialists see the world.

Scientists see the universe in terms of physical characteristics. The InfoPlease encyclopedia talks about the history of our knowledge of the Moon’s physical characteristics – from Galileo taking a closer look with his telescope in 1610 to the Moon walk in 1969 and beyond. The Moon has no atmosphere, though there may be “water ice” in its soil, according to space probes. Most of it is made up of powdered rock and rubble, with craters from meteorite impacts. It is “an essentially static, nonevolving world.” In other words, it’s dead.

Dr. Luke D. Broughton (1828-1899), a homeopathic physician and astrologer advised us that, “God appears to have made the world upside down, and things appear inverted to men as well as to babies, the first time they look at them; and men, like babies, have to learn to see things aright.” The symbolic meaning of the Moon isn’t apparent (and may even be considered “occult” – secret, concealed or not easily recognized).

Astrologically, the Moon’s meanings are the virtual opposite of its scientific, physical attributes. We know it symbolizes our emotions and feelings. We look to the Moon in the horoscope to answer questions about fertility, birth and growth. And it’s often associated with life-giving waters, cycles and women.

We might say that the scientific view of the Moon is totally left-brained (using logic, facts and numbers) while the astrological one adds right-brained thinking (focusing on the creative, intuitive and emotional meanings). Scientists derogatorily think of our use of symbols as “magical thinking,” since they see no connection between meaning and the world around us.

Everyone sees meaning in different things in life, but it’s a shame that science is often so dismissive of astrology – they cut themselves off from worlds of understanding. While we know that we live in a vibrant, animate universe.

New York City and Uranus

In January, New York City announced wireless access on all subway platforms, and the new Second Avenue subway line opened. These sound like Uranian innovations, and transiting Uranus is beginning to heat up the City’s Moon, closely conjoining it from April 2017 through early 2018. What can we expect? Let’s see what happened last time.NYC skyline 1931-33

Uranus previously conjoined the NYC Moon at 26 Aries 40 from mid-1933 to early 1934. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, a Republican supporter of FDR’s New Deal, was elected on a reform ticket as the City finally broke away from the Tammany Hall political machine. This seems appropriate since Uranus conjoining the Moon suggests a definitive turning point and new ways of doing things. Similarly, Federal Prohibition was repealed on 12/5/33 and the corruption that accompanied it also began to be driven out of the City.

The Moon also relates to the home and property, as well as larger-scale projects for entities like cities. There were important developments in housing and transportation in ’33-’34. Public works projects were begun, such as Knickerbocker Village, the first Federally funded apartment complex for low to middle income people. The Uranian principles of modernization, reorganization, circulation and electrification combined as NYC transit also expanded at that time; additional subway lines to Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens were opened. Greater New York

Looking ahead, it appears that developments in transportation will continue. There’s also been some progress made in affordable housing recently (see this New York Times article). Uranus’ influence suggests that innovative programs might continue to help. Mayor Bill deBlasio has made affordable housing a priority of his administration. He is up for re-election in November of 2017.

Uranus is often unpredictable. As we approach its exact conjunctions with the NYC Moon, other surprising innovations should develop.

Greater New York came into being on January 1, 1898 at 12:01 AM.

Pop Astro

Astrology got a lot of press in the 60s, but in 1967 the familiar song, “The Age of Aquarius,” had it wrong. “When the Moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars” is nothing but New Age gobbledygook! Any astrologer knows that Jupiter only heightens Mars’ war-like nature.

But we now have Echosmith’s song, “Bright,” which makes much more astrological sense. The singer is in love and says, “Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?” Very appropriate since Jupiter may bring us luck and help expand our lives with a new relationship.

She goes on to say that, “I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right, ‘cause now I’m shining bright.” This line captures the warm, happy feeling of being in love that the emotional, dreamy planets, the Moon and Neptune, can convey. The singer says, “I get lost in your eyes,” and “You make what doesn’t matter fade to gray,” both of which we may associate with Neptune’s ability to heighten our senses and transcend physical reality.

I guess we’ve progressed a little in the last 45 years! “Bright” is about observing the night sky (astronomy) but also the underlying suggestion that the planets are influencing our lives (astrology!). And the symbolism the lyricists chose is perfectly appropriate.

Lauren Becall and New York

Lauren Becall died on August 12, 2014 at her home in the Dakota Apartments. While best known for her success in Hollywood, she was born in Manhattan. Her Moon in Aries closely conjoined NYC’s Moon, making her a quintessential New Yorker: she resonated with the City and lived here for most of her 89 years.

Becall’s family was Jewish, from Poland, and she grew up in the Bronx, Brooklyn and the Upper West Side. As a teenager, she studied acting and ballet and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan. She modeled and was discovered through a Harper’s Bazaar magazine photograph, going to Hollywood at 18. Her films didn’t always succeed or garner rave reviews but she enjoyed marriage and a family with Humphrey Bogart. She returned to Manhattan in 1958, where she spent the rest of her life.

Becall’s Aries Moon gave her a tough, no-nonsense side, but she could also be charming. In her interviews and autobiographies, she was typically Aries – blunt, honest and direct. She was impatient with the public’s continued interest in her partnership with Bogart decades after his death.

Lauren Becall starred on Broadway beginning in 1959. She won Tony Awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman of the Year in 1981. Her prominent Moon gave her a big splash while young and often attracted media attention, but her more substantial success occurred in her 40s and 50s. Saturn opposed her Aries Moon in the 10th house and squared her Ascendant, and Saturn may delay things.

Becall’s Moon and the angular houses of her horoscope line up with NYC’s angles, showing a significant connection. In relationships, this often signals a prominent influence on one another. NYC’s Ascendant and Jupiter in Libra conjoined her 4th house, providing her with a lovely and expansive home base. Her Moon opposite Saturn fell in NY’s angular 7th and 1st houses. Her first house Venus in Leo fell in the City’s 10th, showing how her attractive appearance initially brought her success in NY. Her natal Pluto in Cancer was behind-the-scenes in her 12th house, but tightly conjoined the City’s Midheaven. So her inner angst and personal struggles were very much aligned with the fabric of NY and the City provided a showcase for her strengths. She never seemed spoiled by success or deterred by misfortune; rather, she often reminded us that life is what you choose to make it.

Lauren Becall was born on 9/16/24 at 2:00 AM according to her 1978 autobiography.