Cleansing the Third Eye -and- Gemini New Moon

On the morning of May 22nd, the Moon meets Venus for the second time since she became the morning star- continuing the chakra meditation known as Inanna’s descent, by cleansing the Third Eye chakra.  The first Moon-Venus conjunction was with last month’s Taurus New Moon(read that article for an in-depth explanation of the Inanna’s Descent meditation and how it relates to the astronomy of the relationships between Venus, the Moon, and the Sun).

This week, Venus finally catches up with Isis and Athena after her retrograde in Aries.  Isis the illuminator and Athena in battle mode were important players in Pisces and Aries throughout Venus retrograde.  The synthesis of their energies at this moment is electrifying.  After the Moon passes Venus, Isis, and Athena, it perfects an epic T-square from the opposition of Pluto in Capricorn and Persephone in Cancer.

In August of 2016, Persephone crossed the summer solstice point and entered Cancer. In November she stationed retrograde and returned to cross the summer solstice point again. Now after stationing direct, she finally meets her abductor Pluto in the confrontation of opposition.

The myth of Persephone, Pluto, and Ceres tells the story of the seasons, so the contacts to the world axis are deeply meaningful. I wrote all about the meaning of the Persephone cycle, and her extended transit across the summer solstice point last year in my article Summertime Persephone.

Oppositions climax cycles that began with conjunctions; Persephone conjunct Pluto last occurred on January 24th 2014, within days of Venus retrograde in Capricorn conjunct Pluto, also conjunct asteroid Psyche, and Jupiter in Cancer opposite them all. Now Jupiter is in Libra squaring Pluto and opposing Venus, and Venus is T-square to Persephone opposite Pluto, with another epic triple conjunction.

Persephone and Pluto, at 19 Cancer/Capricorn, are each conjunct a companion asteroid at 17 Cancer/Capricorn: Pluto is joined by Juno, and Persephone is joined by Prometheus.

 

 

Juno has just stationed retrograde so her conjunction to Pluto is incomplete, but she stays within 3 degree orb of Pluto for two months without actually completing a conjunction.  In August, she stations direct at 2 Capricorn and then finally crosses Pluto in November, separating quickly, well into Aquarius by new years.  A fascinating encounter between the Queen of Heaven and the ruler of the Underworld. While their identities and themes are starkly polarized (Female/Male, Heaven/Hell, Boundaries/Intrusion, etc)  their effect on each other in pragmatic Capricorn feels positive. Pluto in Capricorn is about the elimination of obsolete institutions, and Juno’s Capricorn retrograde will give us the opportunity to create new foundations for healthy boundaries as the foundations of the past lie in ruins.

 

Prometheus has been Persephone’s companion throughout her Summertime experience, entering Cancer and stationing retrograde and direct in synchronicity with her. And just as Juno’s feminine essence corrects the tendency for Pluto to be an overbearing yang monster, Prometheus lends his sacred yang to correct the weak and withered yin that is possible with Persephone in Cancer. The most compelling interpretation of the myth of Pluto abducting Persephone to me is the idea that we can’t be innocent forever. If we refuse to engage with our shadow, our animal nature, our blood memories, we will be pushed into experiences that literally force us to face it. So rather than think of Pluto as physically penetrating Persephone with rape, to see Pluto as that force that initiates us into our underworld selves. The innocence of Persephone in Cancer is emboldened by asteroid Prometheus, whose willingness to take risks is rooted in a deep sense of compassion and responsibility.

 

The balance of male and female on both sides of the opposition along the Cancer-Capricorn axis bends along the squares to the Moon and triple goddess conjunction in Aries- this is the method by which we recalibrate the lens of our third eye.  Venus and Athena together again in Aries brings a fresh burst of wisdom from our child-selves,  Isis blesses it with her ecstatic lovelight.  As the Aries Moon transits through, warping the lens, we declare our intentions to cleanse our third eye.

Jupiter is at 13 degrees Libra, and due to his motionlessness position he generously receives the tension of the T-square.  I think I am biased because my natal Jupiter is in Libra retrograde motionless stationing direct, but I am so comforted and soothed by the energy of Jupiter right now, calm and steady in the sign of balance.

Two days after Inanna descends through the second gate on her journey to the underworld, asteroid Sekhmet in Pisces completes her conjunction to Neptune, which is so meaningful that it requires some epic explanation, so I wrote a separate article for it, Sekhmet and Neptune.

The next day, May 25th, we have the Gemini New Moon at 4 Gemini, while Venus in Aries transits between Isis and Athena, exacting her square to Pluto.  The new moon is relatively unaspected, with a wide conjunction to Ceres, who is opposite Black Moon Lilith, the mean lunar apogee.  If there is such a thing as a supermoon new moon, this is it: the new moon that falls closest to the lunar perigee in 2017.  This gives it a cutting intensity that is underscored by the proximity of Ceres and Apophis in Gemini; Persephone, Venus, and Pluto in T-square; Sekhmet conjunct Neptune; and the grand trine between Uranus in Aries, the north node in Leo, and Saturn in Sagittarius.  This is a dark and stormy new moon, especially considering that Gemini has a reputation for whimsy.

This is Sekhmet’s first conjunction to Neptune since the beginning of 2015, which marks the end of her bizarre series of retrogrades that have crisscrossed half the zodiac since then.  As she meets Neptune during the Gemini New Moon, right after the cleansing of the third eye chakra, she strengthens us to keep it clear even as the difficulties of Venus square Pluto, and the shake-ups of Saturn trine Uranus, might drag our attention towards our dissatisfaction and frustrations.  The greatest lesson Sekhmet has revealed to me is how to stay open, yet protected.  While I can’t transfer that life lesson in a blog post, I think that the concept of being safe without closing oneself off should be the basis of the intentions we set under the Gemini New Moon.