This Lunar Cycle
Excited to commence an eclipse-free sabbatical in Le Spa du Scorpion, Luna slips from her starry peignoir into the homely embrace of a - surprisingly warm - spring water pond. Sol’s luscious golden curls sway with anticipation as he spreads his arms for a tender cuddle. Alas, the discomfort of a shared gut feeling abruptly steals their mirth and some disgruntlement arises as the lifting haze reveals the contours of a hairy personage sitting just a couple of feet away.
“Here comes trouble,” Sol groans. By means of vengeful ideations complemented by bass-toned muttering, Mars is “processing” his recent confrontation with provocateur Uranus. “His fury could turn the Arctic Ocean into a hot spring bath,” Luna whispers in Sol’s ear.
Now, at the very end of his synodic cycle with the Sun, Mars is like a phoenix, primed to burn and impatient to rise from the ashes. We might share his frustration if something fails, but we’ll also feel his invincible strength that allows us to focus on our priorities. Should we fall short, there’s no shame in getting back on our feet to try again. On Nov 17, 9:41 pm PT, at 25° Scorpio Mars will be conjoined by the Sun, marking his rebirth. Starting over is what Mars does well. His motto “In order to create, I must destroy” is the dramatic version of the simple truth that you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs. How many do you think you’ll need?
“I may not lead the most dramatic life, but in my brain it's 'War and Peace' every day.” - Rufus Wainwright (Moon and Mars opposite Uranus)
“Wait until you meet one of his drones and you’ll understand”, Mars defensively spouts. He points his finger at a noisy Taurean tourist, excessively equipped with the latest tech gadgets. “That glasshole went too far! He should keep all of his cyber-drone-laser-bioengineering BS to himself!” Agitated by his recent confrontation with Uranus, Mars is about to explode. “You must be stuck in 2014. They’re not Google glasses, you idiot! They’re the latest DJI Goggles,” Uranus disdainfully declares.
Sol’s gaze shines a light on a legion of buzzing drones in the distance. “Yep… There goes our quiet getaway,” Sol sighs, lovingly planting a kiss on Luna’s cushy cheek.
“Okay, everybody out of the water,” Ares commands. Luna looks at him in disbelief. “But…” “No buts! Come on, get out! Safety first!”, exclaims Ares firmly. He’s a man with a purpose.
When the Moon opposes Uranus, all sense of security is lost. Uranian unpredictability exacerbates the discomfort already felt in Mars’s Water sign, where our Lady of Fortune is said to be in her fall. Mars, the overseer of this New Moon in Scorpio, finds himself curiously impacted by forces that are beyond his control, as he is caught between an opposition to Uranus and a trine to Neptune.
Primarily relying on their instincts, our Scorpio trio unexpectedly receives assistance from Neptune, who appears in the form of a translucent ghostlike figure in a distant fog. Enigma closes in, surrounding them in the form of a waterfall of whispering emotions. Their intuitive actions and reactions are informed by a deep feeling of oneness, and an intense knowing that reaches far beyond what the mind is able to imagine. Neptune, playing his role as a celestial choreographer, lets everyone’s individual movements spiral together into a synergetic dance of transformation.
A sudden breach in our familiarly fixed reality reveals layers upon layers of new and mysterious insights that force us to leave behind former certainties and focus on the task at hand. Scrumptiously infused with the magic of dreams, our cooking skills have the potential to conjure up a delicious omelet. But when the reluctance to surrender to the moment grabs a hold of us, we need to remind ourselves that what we resist is likely to persist.
“A feud should live a full and colorful life, and then it should die a natural death and be forgotten.” - Paul Newman (Mars trine Neptune)
Shielded from the clashing commotion in the realm of the Scorpion, Mercury in Sagittarius is writing a clever love letter to Aphrodite. She looks as pretty as ever in her Libra sanctuary, a safe space between Virgo, the sign of her fall, and Scorpio, the sign of her detriment. Their untroubled interplay provides a welcome distraction from all the drama, reminding us that happiness is a gem residing at the center of perceived trivialities.
Consider this…
Venus is just separating from an antiscia with Neptune, further emphasizing the impact of the Lord of Obliquity on this new lunar cycle. A secretive, quixotic conviction and unwavering idealism silently streams through the underbelly of the main storyline. This alluring and possibly duplicitous undercurrent may keep us in fool’s paradise. Even if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it may not be a duck at all!
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Brief Chart Exploration
Iconic martial arts celebrity Bruce Lee radiated an unparalleled intensity. His chart offers us an exceptional opportunity to gain insight into the nearly impenetrable realm of a Scorpio mind. Despite the fact that all but one of his natal planets are located on the inauspicious 6th house – 12th house axis, Bruce teaches us a great deal about overcoming obstacles and how to step into one’s personal power.
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” - Bruce Lee
In this chart, the mysterious 12th house stellium in Scorpio appears to be an inspiring but hidden undercurrent, molding Bruce’s life through several great challenges that his well-dignified Mars gladly accepts. But let’s start with Bruce’s Sun in Sagittarius. In a tight adherence to the degree of the ascendant, the Sun sheds light on his father’s instrumental influence. Often a reliable signifier of a person’s father, the Sun, here in the 1st sometimes has the ability to let a person embody the internalized image of the father, the physical father, as well as the idealized father figure.
“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.” - Bruce Lee
Perhaps Bruce found out how to be his best self through the example of his father. The 1st house, describing Bruce’s character, is ruled by Jupiter, who also happens to be the domicile ruler of the 4th house that is traditionally associated with the father; the synergy between Bruce and his father is clear.
Bruce’s father was a famous Cantonese opera singer. He brought his wife with him for an opera tour in Chinatown, San Francisco, and this is where Bruce was born. Much of Bruce’s life path is paved by his father, who taught him the fundamentals of Wu-style tai chi, and who introduced him to the world of cinema, leading to Bruce’s career as an actor. By the time he was 18, he had already appeared in 20 movies.
This chart is a great example of how our fate can be intertwined with other people’s fate, because the father-son influence flows both ways. Bruce’s birth weaves an interesting karmic strand into his father’s life. Jupiter, as I mentioned, represents Bruce’s father, as well as Bruce himself. Just separating from his conjunction to Saturn, retrograde Jupiter is now on his way to oppose Mars. In other words, Jupiter is in a very tight malefic enclosure. Among many other expressions, this condition describes Bruce’s parents turning back to Hong Kong four months after Bruce was born, only to witness the Japanese attack on Hong Kong in 1941, putting an end to Jupiter’s freedom to travel.
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The 6th house of Bad Fortune was known to the ancient astrologers as a place of “low-birth”, which means that one is exposed to immediate hardships, setting one up with adversity before having done anything. In Bruce’s chart, the 6th house tells the story of the discrimination he faced several times in his life for reasons that were completely beyond his control. His mother was not 100% Chinese which is why he was initially rejected from training with the grand master of Wing Chun, Ip Man. The rule in the Chinese martial arts world was not to teach foreigners. Later in his life, he was confronted with similar prejudice as he tried to make it in Hollywood. He found it extremely hard to find work, which is indicated by the 10th house ruler Mercury residing in the 12th house, and the ruler of the 2nd house of livelihood and finances in the 6th house.
However, the 6th house always is a very Mars-y colored space, testifying to a tireless fighter mentality. What happened? He did receive training from Ip Man, and he did become a movie star! When Jupiter and Saturn are together, you can bet that things start shifting sooner or later in someone’s life. Bruce certainly became a major influence in the movie industry, bringing awareness to the beauty of martial arts.
“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” - Bruce Lee
While introducing martial arts to a broader western public, he also received criticism and even threats for sharing some martial secrets with westerners. It’s obvious that in many ways, Bruce was caught between a rock and a hard place. On a very concrete level, the malefic enclosure in the 6th house of illness and accidents points to a bad injury that hurt his back. Whoever told Bruce he would never be able to train again, severely underestimated him. Bruce took the time to create a very strict regimen for himself and formulated his philosophy.
“Are you going to let the obstacles in your life be stumbling blocks or stepping stones? Choose the positive. You are the master of your attitude.” - Bruce Lee
Although Bruce majored in philosophy, like most Sagittarius rising people he needed the freedom to create his own life philosophy. In a way that is typical for this Jupiter-ruled sign, Bruce incorporated many different teachings into one unified philosophy.
The enclosure also describes his untimely death. At the age of 32, he died from an allergic reaction to the tranquilizer meprobamate. Helm ruler Jupiter, representing his body, is with the god of death, Saturn, who happens to be the ruler of the 2nd house, which is associated with anything that we ingest. Even in death, Saturn is adding some controversy, as many of Bruce’s followers believe that he was cursed or murdered.
I hope to make some time to go deeper into some timing techniques for this chart, so make sure to subscribe to Astrum Opus. In the meantime, I welcome your thoughts, questions, and comments!
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With love,
Michelle