Auntie Moon

Hexagram 51 of the I Ching has a message about tonight’s New Moon in Aquarius which occurs at 9:31pm (EST). The Hexagram is “Thunder Over Thunder” and has been called Turbulence, The Arousing, and Explosiveness by various translators of the I Ching.

Carol K. Anthony in A Guide to the I Ching translates this Hexagram as “Despite the rumblings of shock, we should keep our attitude neutral and disengaged.” Thomas Cleary in The Taoist I Ching translates the hexagram in this way:

Thunder is developmental. When thunder comes, there is alarm, then laughter. Thunder startles for a hundred miles, but does not lose spoon and wine.

In other words, don’t drop your wine glass when the thunder clap startles you. Laughter breaks the nervous tension.

So what does all this have to do with the New Moon?

Neither the Sun nor the Moon are especially “comfortable” in Aquarius. Classic associations of fall, detriment, and exaltation place the Sun in Aquarius in its detriment because it’s opposite the sign ruled by the Sun ~ Leo. Leo wants to be center stage, the star of the show. Aquarius doesn’t care much for the diva; she’s more about all those faceless people out there in the dark of the audience, the masses.

The Moon finds some discomfort in the detached, logic-based Aquarian mindset. Luna wants to feel, dammit! (She can forget that a thinking mind can dispel irrational feelings and fears.)

Sometimes there’s a third wheel in the Sun/Moon soiree called a New Moon. Tonight it’s Mars.

Here’s the line-up of planets in Aquarius for the New Moon, illustrated with the Ukiyoe Tarot. Aquarius is represented by The Star. The Tower (Mars) is the fellow responsible for the thunder clap and Neptune is the guy holding the wine glass that’s not to be upset. Luna (The High Priestess) will join hands with Neptune and move on into Pisces ~ where she’s more comfortable ~ on Friday. But tonight, thunderstorms are in the forecast.

This isn’t meant to frighten. It’s just a little heads-up on the thunderclap and shock of lightning that may strike. If you’re struck by lightning, discharge all that Aquarian electricity with laughter. Break the tension! Then relax. Enjoy your wine. Even though The Hanged Man is completely toppled, the wine glass remains unspilled.

Tomorrow ushers in the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. Kwan Lau tells us in Secrets of Chinese Astrology that “The Fire Star (Mars) rules the Palace of the Year of the Rabbit…rabbit people tend to avoid conflict altogether, but it comes to them from the bullies of the world, who see them as easy victims. Luckily the bullies are often mistaken, as anyone who ever tried to chase a rabbit knows.”

The path of a fleeing rabbit is not unlike the path of lightning in The Tower card. Catch ’em if you can!

The rabbit and hare are symbols of the Moon and we tend to think of them as cowering, frightened little creatures. With a Mars/Moon conjunction, that rabbit might look more like this:

If this New Moon has you feeling vulnerable (Neptune), unappreciated (Sun in detriment) or a bit disconnected (Moon in Air), let the thunder of Mars awaken your spirit. Rouse yourself! Feel the electricity in the air!