So many people I’m talking to feel overwhelmed and exhausted, myself included. I knew we had an astrological event today, so I did some checking around, both on the web and with Spirit, and this is what I came up with:

The New Moon itself is in Cancer, which is an emotional sign. One of its signature notes, according to Molly Hall, is a complete loss of objectivity (sound familiar?).  It’s also about resolving family issues. We are also being asked to stop our Cancerian dreaming and put into action all the things we’ve learned about ourselves since June 1st. So a lot of learning has been going on, especially about ourselves and our family (both blood and chosen), so it’s no wonder we’re all feeling a bit drained.

A lot of astrologers are talking about alchemy, about big changes. Heck, I knew that, I’ve been saying that for a while. But this eclipse is the completion or resolution of a two-year chapter that began in mid-2009, according to Pat at RealAstrologers and Astrogrrl.Whatever challenges we’ve been facing is resolving and we now only have a few weeks of clean up to look forward to. This energy has required us to move in a different direction, though, and we may still be getting acclimated to that, or we may even still be trying to figure it out.

This particular eclipse is also the start of a new chapter (or Saros Series), lasting into 3237, the theme of which is about completing large endeavors. Because of the long cycle involved, this applies not just to individuals, but to nations and the planet as a whole. According to Bernadette Brady, “At a personal level hard struggles begin to resolve, old thorny issues begin to untangle and the too-hard problems start to become clear.”

Stephanie Gailing at Planetary Apothecary suggests that the position of Saturn in all of this offers us the opportunity to create a structured plan for the changes that are coming in, so that we know where to focus our efforts. Since the only things we have control over, really, are our actions and reactions, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Feeling overwhelmed? Make a plan. Just be prepared for the Universe to help you make some course corrections if you’re not quite on target.

For those of you who will most likely wail, “but what does this mean for meeee?” go check out Simone Butler, who has some basic predictions based on your sun and rising signs.

If I were writing a New Moon ritual for tonight, which I’m not this month, I would borrow from Dana Gerhardt, who always has the most delightful characterizations of the astrological archetypes. This month, she really brings in the light-heartedness that so many of us are lacking. I think that’s where the exhaustion is coming from – we’re letting ourselves be heavy. It’s time to laugh, be bubbly, bring some effervescence back into our lives! Go do something impulsive today, play on a playground, roll down a hill, blow on a dandelion head…

And breathe. Deeply and fully. Allow the energy of the breath to loosen up all those tight spaces in your body and emotions. Breathing eases us through much difficulty.

Blessings,
Ayamanatara