Lynda Hill's Sabian Symbols

Two Heads Looking Out and Beyond The Shadows: the Virgo Full Moon

Hearing both sides brings enlightenment. Believing only one side brings obscurity. Vincent Wei Chang 

I don't understand you. You don't understand me. What else do we have in common? Ashleigh Brilliant

Do I contradict myself? Very well; I contradict myself. Walt Whitman

Doubts are more cruel than the worst of truths. Anonymous

The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears this is true. James Branch Cabell

We don't see things as they are. We see them as we are. Anais Nin

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. Helen Keller

The Virgo full Moon, occurring on February 28 in the United States and March 1 in Australia, is a wonderful one as Jupiter is very closely aligned with the Sun and opposing the Moon. This configuration can bring all kinds of good luck, abundance, joy and celebration. Yet it presents us with an interesting challenge; how to integrate duality in its many forms, but particularly duality of observation. The Sabian Symbol is Virgo 10: Two Heads Looking Out And Beyond The Shadows.

This speaks of duality of observation or thought, being able to see all sides of a situation, fear being the opposite of faith, people peeking and peering, secret service and government agencies, gunfights of the old west, trench warfare, the media, the press, paparazzi, spies, private detectives, conspiracy theories, crossed eyes, eavesdropping, voyeurism.

Quite the thing to really skew the view, eh? The artist Magritte who painted the picture above seems to have had quite a perspective on the duality inherent in this degree. Looking out and beyond the shadows could have people relating to each other like this - another painting from Magritte. It all depends, of course, on what your perspective is. This degree often shows people not getting it together in their thoughts, plans, observations, beliefs, attitudes or expectations. As there are "two heads" pictured here, it can be hard to get a grip on what needs to be done in order to move forward, or it can be people checking out each other from afar, often surreptitiously or people observing exactly the same thing yet coming to very different conclusions. Seeing both sides of a situation can result in difficulty in making up one's mind. Losing the ability to make firm decisions and the loss of faith can open the door to fear. Regardless of potential confusion, it is beneficial in some respect to look at every possible aspect of the situation you are in. This may provide an understanding of just how another person may feel or react. Remembering that this is a Virgo full Moon, with the propensity of Virgo to analyze things to death, combined with the Sun in Pisces, the energy could lead to deliberating too long ending up in agonizing indecision that can be a great time waster or lead to missed opportunities. 

On the other hand, this degree can show the ability to read people or situations, working out where reality stops and 'the shadow' starts. This means that with careful observation, one can work out what's really going on, what's your's and what's their's, etc.

Speaking of what's theirs, the Moon quickly moves onto the next degree: Virgo 11 - A Boy Molded In His Mother's Aspirations For Him. This speaks of the challenge of living up to other's expectations, being an individual versus taking on the shape others would have you be. Some keywords include: being directed on the journey or shaped against one's will, DNA, inherited values, following in the family's footsteps (or not), parents as patterns.

Observation is definitely on the cards as the degree of the Sun carries a similar type of image. Further, Jupiter is smack on the Sun. The Sabian Symbol for the Sun and Jupiter is Pisces 10: An Aviator In The Clouds. The Sun and Jupiter opposing the Moon can bring strokes of good luck, being in the right place at the right time, expansion, abundance, joy and wonderful warm feelings. The trick is to believe in the goodness of life and the possibilities that lay before you. The following quote from Susanna Moodie sums it up quite nicely:

Ah, Hope! What would life be, stripped of thy encouraging smiles, that teach us to look behind the dark clouds of today, for the golden beams that are to gild the morrow. 

Keywords for this degree include: Elevated views, always seeing the best in people and things, peace and tranquility, the longing for transcendence, not seeing limitations, being in a refined "head space", mastery, flight, planes, pilots, avoidance of time constrains, Pollyanna attitudes, free flights of fantasy and escapism, the need for accurate navigation, being in charge of the controls, seeking higher truths, maps, compasses, global satellite positioning, clouds, mist and fog, hang gliding.

Helping along the emerging need for clarity is the degree of Mercury, the ruler of the full Moon in Virgo, on Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From a Chrysalis. This speaks of slow building of confidence, coming out into a fuller participation with the bigger picture, growing up and out, emerging from the dark, leaving yesterday behind, becoming more and more beautiful, finding one's feet or wings, metamorphosis, huge changes in the works, giving up struggling, the drama of a new life unfolding.

Spreading one's wings certainly compliments the Aviator image of the Sun and Jupiter, and getting clear about one's objectives, dreams, ambitions and reality is emphasized by Venus on Pisces 22: A Prophet Bringing Down the New Law From the Mountain. This shows the revelation and channeling of new information, truths being revealed, thoughts, ideas, guidelines, laying down the law, new resolutions, new pathways of living and being, the Ten Commandments, legislation, social justice messages, people of the book. 

Mars is bringing some interesting challenges as it is still retrograde - has been since Christmas, and will be stationary on Leo 1 for a few weeks. The Sabian Symbol for Leo 1 is A Man Is Under Emotional Stress and Blood Rushes To His Head. This will be a testing time for many as patience is likely to be a bit thin on the ground. There are, as always, good sides to this Symbol, especially if you're paying attention to where you're putting your energy. It can imply ambition and getting fired-up about something, but also charging off in all directions at once, events coming to a head, too much excitement, too many plans, too much pressure... but then there's the shove that's often needed to get yourself out of your own way. I imagine that many will be relieved and pleased when Mars gets going again on March 10 (slowly but surely) and starts to bring relief from the frustration and feeling stuck that so many are feeling. Many thoughts, emotions, events and problems could have gotten out of hand over the last week or so with Mars having been on Leo 2: An Epidemic of Mumps. This can have situations getting out of control, gossip, rampaging issues that need calming down, the desire to have time out or the need for "immunization"... all in all a very strong station of Mars on two Symbols that can have one's head exploding (which is not always a good look). 

Messages of hope, trust, faith and redemption come through the north node on Capricorn 20: A Hidden Choir Singing During A Religious Service. Listening to the background messages, possibly of voices not heard or noticed before. This can speak of voices from "nowhere", melodies from the past, the voices of the women and the men coming through the halls, bringing joy and inspiration. What messages do you hear? Do they hold substance or are you finding difficulty in really listening, hearing, receiving...

The trick is to employ Jupiter with all the promises of abundance, expansion, freedom, joy, hope and rewards that come from Jupiter aligning with the Sun and opposing the Moon. By staying with the feeling that all will be well, this full Moon can be a wonderful opportunity to sort out what needs to be sorted out.

Measuring Emotional Responses: February's Valentine New Moon

Humanity is moving in a circle. The progress in mechanical things of the past hundred years has proceeded at the cost of losing many other things which perhaps were much more important for it. George Gurdjieff 

The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools. Confucius

One's suffering disappears when one lets oneself go, when one yields - even to sadness. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary. Mark Twain

How much has to be explored and discarded before reaching the naked flesh of feeling. Claude Debussy

We boil at different degrees. Ralph Waldo Emerson

With 5 planets in Aquarius (counting Lilith), February's new Moon is a doozy - it's one of idealism, color, love, vibrations, things in the air, our wounds, the stories that run through our minds, the need for clarity and with a touch of the propensity for confusion. Occurring on Sunday February 14, this new Moon in the minds of many will be colored by the fact it lands smack on Valentine's Day. Most years, depending where we are in the leap year cycle, the Sabian Symbol for the Sun on Valentine's Day is Aquarius 27: An Ancient Pottery Bowl Filled With Fresh Violets. This is totally in rhythm with the inherent and underlying meaning of Valentine's Day; the need for beauty, simplicity, sensitivity, care, love and sharing (more on this later).

This year, on Valentine's Day, the Sun is on the degree before; Aquarius 26: A Garage Man Testing a Car's Battery With a Hydrometer. This speaks of situations that have "boiled over", bringing all to a stop, breakdowns and the need for repair, checking water levels, anticipating future problems, the need for good batteries, cars being serviced, checkups and tuneups, bringing forward movement to a halt. 

It can show the need for testing our earthly vehicle for its road-worthiness... how are you traveling in the health department? How are your emotions? Do you get to say what you feel? Do you gauge what's going on or do you let others take the lead while you adjust your levels constantly? Performing the necessary checks and balances to ensure the smooth running of our lives is part of the everyday maintenance of society, our appliances and ourselves. The "Garage Man" could be "Testing the Battery" because there is a problem he needs to analyze or he could be performing routine preventative maintenance. Certainly it is better to keep an eye on things before they go wrong. However, we can find ourselves being too vigilant, keeping a watchful eye on outcomes rather than cruising along and trusting our own emotional levels. 

This is quite a special Valentine's Day (acknowledging that it's actually a commerciall construct) as this year Chiron and Neptune are smack on the new Moon. The Sabian Symbol for Chiron and Neptune is Aquarius 27: An Ancient Pottery Bowl Filled With Fresh Violets. Such a Valentine's image of love, simplicity, sharing and caring and containment. So, how are you going around this story? Remember that Chiron is "the Wounded Healer" and the stories we tell ourselves and Neptune can be the dream or the nightmare... are you looking after yourself, your emotions, your sensibilities, or are you doing the 'what ifs' and the 'how to's' and the 'if onlys'. 

So, here we have the Sun, the Moon, Chiron and Neptune all within one degree of each other. This speaks of gentleness and caring, sense and sensibility, responses and responsibility and the necessity of being true not only to others, but to yourself. How is your emotional measure? How 'topped-up' emotionally are you and those with whom you share your journey?

Lilith - the Dark Moon and the woman who would not be subjugated by Adam (who would not 'just lie down and take it' - on any level) - is on Aquarius 15 right up to this new Moon. The Symbol is quite telling: Two Lovebirds Sitting on a Fence and Singing Happily. This speaks of faith in love or waiting for signs of commitment, friendship and companionship, issues of fences, borders and barriers, showing love for all to see, mating for life versus failing to commit, sitting on the fence, complaining about relationships, waiting to see what the other will do, being stuck in a situation when one would rather fly off and be free, having a fixed position, not wanting to comply with the other, neighborhood disputes, noises from next door... On Valentine's Day, Lilith flips onto Aquarius 16: A Big Businessman at His Desk. This can speak of needing to take care of business, get things done, be organized, make money, be 'managerial', all the way to situations where things are 'business as usual' (which can drive one bats). 

Mercury, the ruler of communication, thoughts, thinking and getting one's mind clear is a rather interesting Symbol - it's on Aquarius 6: A Masked Figure Performs Ritualistic Acts in a Mystery Play. This speaks of rituals, shamanism, archetypes of personality, putting on a show, portrayals of performances that don't always add up, the unmasking of someone, comedy, banditry, mystery, drama, acting, smoke screens, doing the technical but not the emotional, saying or doing things because one "should", having alternate personalities. With this Sabian Symbol, Mercury is likely to be one confused bunny. The "Mystery Plays" can be hard to pierce, often being a front for a bigger agenda - the trick is to see past the performances and into the hearts of those in the "Play". 

Venus is at Pisces 4: Heavy Traffic on a Narrow Isthmus Linking Two Seaside Resorts. This can have people running back and forth, going with the flow or experiencing 'road rage', plans for arrivals and departures, traffic backing up, detours, packing and unpacking, luggage, travel itineraries, impasses, nervous systems, constant phone calls, switchboard jams, heat and smog. It can show situations where people are in one place and want to be in another, bringing an interesting interaction all the way to annoying indigestion as one finds it hard to settle or to know exactly where someone or something is going to be. After all, where is the real party when there's so much to-ing and fro-ing?

Mars is on Leo 5: Rock Formations Towering Over a Deep Canyon. This speaks of old structures and deep hazards and the choice of taking chances or standing still. Mars can have us walking very close to the edge, painting ourselves into a corner, having to leap into the void or doing a 'Geronimo'. Do you stand with your back to the wall with the whole gamut of experience reaching far out in front of you while you wonder what the risks are of leaving safety?

Uranus, the planetary ruler of this new Moon and the ruler of Mercury, Lilith, Chiron and Neptune, is on Pisces 25: The Purging of the Priesthood. This brings up issues of revealing the truth of people for who and what they truly are, cutting people off, throwing out things that don't measure up, forced retirements and redundancies, payouts at the end of employment, dismissals, opting out for moral reasons, being fired (or being fired up about people not living up to expectations), holes left where someone took up a lot of space, etc. Needless to say, some will fall from grace over the next month or so. However, some will take their rightful place in the scheme of things as others either vacate their positions or seats, or, there's a change in the guard. The Purging of the Priesthood asks you what, or who, do you want in life... are you operating under old strictures, with the same old reasoning, with the same people that have perhaps let you down again and again?

The trick now is to regain faith and Jupiter, the planet of abundance, faith, hope and many good things is on Pisces 7: Illuminated By a Shaft of Light, a Large Cross Lies on Rocks Surrounded By Sea and Mist. This speaks of the need for renewed dedication after loss, looking for signs of hope and recovery, coming to terms with loss or failure, important and substantial sacrifices, being devastated by events, finding your way through the dark, etc. Jupiter here can bring back that hope - but on this degree after periods of loss it can strip away trust and the belief in the goodness of life.

The image of the cherubs with the heart and butterfly wings fits perfectly with the Sabian Symbol of Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From a Chrysalis. This degree will be a focus of energy in the coming days, weeks and months as first the Moon, then the Sun, then Chiron and Neptune will all be going over this degree. It seems certain that we're emerging from our shells, from those things that have bound us, to a more perfect representation of what and where we're meant to be.

Combining the beauty and simplicity of the new Moon on An Ancient Pottery Bowl Filled With Violets with the need to rebuild hope through the Shaft of Light degree of Jupiter, we can see how beauty, simplicity, joy, love and acceptance are the right tools for measuring our emotional responses and finding those things that are near and dear to our hearts.