New Moon in Libra – October 8, 2018; 8:47pm PDT
The New Moon is always a time to begin. With the New Moon in Libra, that might be a new relationship, a new business, or even a new way of honoring ourselves. Although Libran energy always wants to keep the peace; the ensure balance and fairness in relationships, this New Moon is in a challenging aspect to Pluto which adds intensity and issues of power, control, manipulation, jealousy, and possessiveness into the mix. This energy is emphasized because Venus, the ruler of Libra and the New Moon, is in the greatly penetrating sign of Scorpio, which is ruled by Pluto. Venus is also widely opposed by Uranus, the planet of freedom and independence, so we have some very clear themes of control and dominance vs freedom and independence during this New Moon. That’s a lot of astrology-ese to say ‘Heads up! Intense relationship time coming’!
Added to the intensity of this New Moon, we have Venus retrograde, which began October 5th and continues until November 16th. When a planet is retrograde, it encourages us to ‘go back over’ the principles of what that planet represents. Venus is the planet that is associated with love and relationships, and is also linked to what we value, both internally and externally. So, during Venus retrograde we may spend time reviewing our relationships and what they mean to us. Are the needs of both parties still being met? Is there sufficient freedom within the relationship for both parties to evolve? We may also be reviewing what we value in life, beyond relationships. Are we true to ourselves? Are we speaking our truth? Have we stepped into our power? When Venus is retrograde, often, a lover comes back from the past into our life, sometimes even from the ‘deep past’. This is the onset of a karmic relationship and will produce a sense of strong familiarity with someone you’ve never met before. This will be especially true if the New Moon is interacting with the South Node in your chart. The last time Venus turned retrograde in these degrees of Scorpio and Libra was in 2010. What was happening for you then, romantically or financially? This retrograde period may be an echo of that time.
During this New Moon we have five planets in Cardinal signs; the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto. This is strong initiating energy and is pushing us to start something new. Where this energy falls in our charts is where we feel the need to begin a new project, a new love affair, a new attempt at independence the most strongly. On a personal note, I have chosen this New Moon time to launch my new book. As a part of the initiating energy, the New Moon is the perfect time to set intentions for what we want to manifest in our lives. Think about what intentions you would like to set for this New Moon. If you can tie the intentions to where the energy falls in your chart even better. This gives us all an added boost to draw the desired manifestation towards us.
The Libra New Moon combined with Venus retrograde can shift how we view relationships. When Pluto and Uranus are involved we may have the tendency to make hasty decisions during the retrograde period that we may regret once it’s over. Be patient! It’s important that we give ourselves time to let the energies assimilate into our bodies before making any major changes. Regardless of our gender, Venus retrograde offers an invitation to reconnect with the feminine way. Take time in the next few days to relax, to turn inward and allow your inner most being to reach for something that adds sparkle to your life. If that’s a new pair of strappy red sandals, so be it!
… Beth Lauderdale, Evolutionary Astrology
