We step into the Disseminating phase of this waning lunar cycle with the Moon in Pisces tightly conjunct Neptune. We drift on hidden tides.
This Moon–Neptune pairing is wonderful if you love dreams, visions and magical encounters. It’s less wonderful if you’re on a tight deadline to complete a highly detailed, intricate project. No matter what your plans, this is not a time for substances of any kind. Anything we ingest will have an outsized effect, including medicines.
The Moon–Neptune conjunction is tightly sextile Pluto. Our visionary experiences are likely to go deep, bringing encounters with the chthonic forces that are Pluto’s domain. Stay safe out there.
This invitation is reinforced by Venus, who has entered the descent phase of her retrograde cycle. July 25, Venus became close enough to the Sun that we can no longer see her. She will not reappear until after her cazimi, when she separates from the Sun. She’ll be visible around August 24.
Venus squares Uranus in Taurus. Her journey has as its goal the discovery of an authentic self, just as the goddess Inanna did when she let go of each mark of status and power on her descent.
Meanwhile, the Sun squares Jupiter. We confront the connection between the Sun’s power and warmth, and life on Earth. We may rely on technology but can no longer afford to ignore the overwhelming importance of a healthy Earth to our well being.
On August 7, within this Disseminating phase, we reach the astrological point of Lughnasadh with the Sun at 15º00’ Leo. This is a festival of first fruits, as the hungry summer months end and berries and grains ripen. Its mythology embodies another descent story.
Liughnasadh is named for Lugh, a bright, solar god of many talents. He created the festival to honor his foster mother Tailtiu, a queen who worked tirelessly to clear and prepare fields to feed the people. It’s said her efforts exhausted her and she gave her body to the earth.
Like Inanna, but in a different way, Tailtiu went down beneath the ground. There she found herself, and created fertile lands.
Mercury is separating from their opposition to Saturn, but remains within orb. We are still figuring out what it all means.
What must we do to realign our technologies to be sustainable?
Mercury, Sun–Jupiter, and Venus–Uranus are ready to look at what needs to happen on the ground, literally. Moon–Neptune and Saturn, all in Pisces, remind us we are also sustained by the stars, by our dreams and visions, by what inspires us.
During this phase, we walk with feet firmly on the ground and our eyes and hearts in the cosmos. It might feel disorienting and weird, but in the end, it’s the only sustainable path.
