WELCOME BACK RIDERS OF THE ASTRAL STORM! I won't say too much about the current astrology here since I cover most of it under the card I've pulled for this New Moon, the 9 OF WANDS. But I'd like to encourage readers to reply in the comments section of this post with any articles or links to groups/organizations you feel would be helpful in navigating the current climate. I'd also like to say a very Happy (Belated) Birthday to Amy Von Harrington, a dear friend and the magician who created the tarot deck that I pull cards from every New Moon.
NEWS
A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC ! It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.
The monthly Dimes Horoscope is now available online through VSCO!
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.
THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!
new moon in the sign of the centaur, what's it for, on shore, eagles soar, lion's roar, what we choose to ignore, blood and gore, folklore, it rains it pours, down on all fours, open pores, slamming doors, wind on the moors, peace dove, stars above, all my love,
--MW
Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...
9 OF WANDS
I want to be right all of the time. I want to do only right things and say only right things. The truth, that I cannot be right all of the time, that I will inevitably say “wrong” things and do “wrong” things, I find is a painful compromise of being human. I first came to an understanding of my burning desire to be right when I began training at the Rape Victim Advocacy Program to be an MVP (Mentor in Violence Prevention) as a teenager. After an introductory meeting our trainer asked my friend and I if we had any questions or concerns. We both confessed we were afraid of inadvertently saying something that might be harmful to a trauma victim. The trainer’s brow furrowed for a moment and she looked as if she found it hard to swallow. Finally she said, “Trust your intention to help.” After the training I realized why it had been so difficult for her to respond or offer comfort to our concerns. We learned that it was quite easy to say the “wrong thing,” and that the supportive or healing response, even for those who had experienced similar traumas, wasn’t necessarily intuitive. Certain words or questions can fall sharply on an open wound. I didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing if it meant causing pain to someone else and yet saying nothing at all could be just as harmful.
The New Moon exact at 4:18am (PST) on Tuesday the 29th is in the sign of Sagittarius. Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, is occupied with the search for truth and meaning. Jupiter is now in Libra, the sign of balance, fairness, justice and peace. The New Moon forms a square with Neptune, which recently passed over the South Node, signaling the end of an old dream or delusion. The New Moon in Sagittarius joins Juno, the asteroid associated with marriage and partnership. In Sagittarius Juno indicates a partnership of difference, a partnership between individuals who have vastly different experiences. The square to Neptune presents a challenge to this marriage, it says, in order to forge these partnerships we must become conscious. The New Moon and Juno also square the North Node in Virgo suggesting how we might proceed. Virgo is the sign of health and healing. Virgos are often accused of being particular, choosing their words carefully. Virgo also represents staying present in the moment. Now is the time to choose our words carefully, to be particular, because some words heal and others harm.
In the days following the election I remember talking to many (mostly white) people and hearing them say that while they were devastated by the results, they also thought the protests that ensued created a sense of unity. I nodded along at first. It did seem reasonable that this moment should somehow unite those of us opposed to Trump, his policies and appointments. Later I made a mental retraction of my premature nod. I went to several protests and what I felt most strongly was how fragmented we all were. The illusion entertained by many of us, white and liberal, that we were all on the same ride together, had come to a screeching halt. Looking around, seeing Latinos, Muslims and Blacks it was painfully clear that we had not all been impacted equally by the results of this election since we were never treated as equals to begin with.
Our experiences in this country were vastly different and yet we all there to protest a Trump presidency. In bell hooks’ essay, Killing Rage, hooks says, “During the time of my life when racial apartheid forbid possibilities of intimacy and closeness with whites, I was most able to forget about the pain of racism.” But now, hooks says, “Close to white folks, I am forced to witness firsthand their willful ignorance about the impact of race and racism.” I, myself, am prone rush to a happy ending, to get to the “good part” where we are all marching together as a unified whole, but that would negate all that is now bubbling to the surface after the band-aid was ripped off.
As we come together in protest and as the Sun and Moon meet in the sky, it may become clear that the road to healing and solidarity will be paved with difficult emotions. Staying present with pain is challenging, we instinctually want to escape, detach, space out (shadow Neptune). As Buddhist teacher Tara Brach said in a recent talk, we need to pay attention “because there’s such a tendency to act from the habitual, old states of mind where we respond to what we perceive as hatred with blame aversion and hatred.” She goes on to quote her friend and colleague, Ruth King, as having said immediately following the election, “What is happening requires that we look, feel, understand and respond, but don’t get too far ahead of now. Now is enough to digest. Let grief transform you, then make a conscious choice to be a light.”
The 9 of Wands, the tarot card I’ve pulled for this New Moon in Sagittarius is actually considered by many to be a Sagittarian card. It is the light of hope after a period of darkness that is made available by a willingness to stay with the emotional intensity and pain of that moment. The 9 of Wands represents consciousness, awareness that often comes as Ruth King says, by allowing grief to transform you.
