Full Moon in Cancer- Unchained

Tortured victim screams in pain by Emerson Quinn, CCL

Peace is a lie.

Not the most optimistic way to start this festive Full Moon, but allow me the chance to explain why this is a good thing, and how the philosophy that Darth Vader and the Sith followed is your map for success this lunation. That’s right, this is a Star Wars thing. Deal with it.

Anyways, “Peace is a Lie, there is only Passion”. This is the start of the Sith code, the antithesis of the Jedi code, which starts out: There is no emotion, there is Peace. That may be a great ideal to strive for, complete control over one’s emotions, but it is one that is difficult to say the least. Even more dangerously, this way argues for stasis, the status quo. When you are in that mentality, you are against the forces of the universe- You resist change, growth, and the natural order and flow of life. You cut yourself off and remain apart. You lose ground to Time and Change every day, and that is a fight that you cannot win. When you reject Peace, your enemies become complacency, stagnation and outdated mentalities. You live a more energized life, far more in tune and aware of your surroundings and the natural energies of the cosmos, like this current Astro. On the surface, it feels dull and peaceful, boring even, but undeneath, things are brewing, threatening to bubble over…

The Sun and Moon- As we gather together to celebrate a myriad of holidays, all of which are offensive to someone out there, you must not lose sight of yourself and your needs. Your situation no longer feels like it is sustainable, because it isn’t. It is unraveling around you, in ways visible and invisible. Part of you knows this, but you are more than willing to write it off as holiday blues or some such nonsense. NO! That is your Passion, crying out to be heard and acted upon. The next part of the code, “Through Passion I gain Strength”, echoes this- When we ignore our passions, we sap away our vitality, which weakens us daily. The cumulative effect of this is crippling. We subjugate our passions, denying our deepest wants and desires to continue our banal, mediocre lives. Why? Why do we accept this as our reality when we could become so much greater, so much more than what we are? When did you give up on your dreams? And what would it take for you to believe in your ability to bring them into form again?

Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter- “Through Strength I gain Power”- At first glance the third line of the code seems to be at odds with the grouping of stars in this segment, but give it some thought. Yes, the line is simplistic at first, but is it really? Through your strength, and its continued use, you gain more power to affect change in your life and the world around you. Strength is your path to change, and you must constantly seek to improve yourself and grow your strength. This is fortuitous, as this stellium is all about power, whether it be Mercury’s mental prowess, the tsunami of broken hearts Venus leaves in her wake, Mars’ militaristic might, or Jupiter’s  place at the head of the pyramid, looking down onto the rest. Right now you must find and honor what makes you stronger as a person, and you need to work and hone that until it is your weapon to affect change in this world. It is also time to look toward the future- you have to make changes in your life, drastic ones. If you stay on your course you will die, a little more each day until there isn’t anything worth living for. Everything here already sucks so much, why in the seven hells would you want to drain your life of any joy and vitality as well? Let your passion lead you to new paths, which will remove less than ideal factors from you and your life, which will only make you stronger. The clarity from this will make the way forward much easier to see. Caution is advised however: now is not the time to be implementing these changes, it is a time of reflections and plotting. Action comes later.

Saturn and Neptune- These two have been dominating the recent Astro, and don’t expect that to change anytime soon. No, we won’t wake up from their hangover until we hit the summer and get tossed straight into the insanity that I have been talking about all year. But another time for that. Your next precept is “Through Power I gain Victory”- Again, another seemingly simplistic idea that belies its true nature. Over time, as you honor who you are as an individual, having found what separates you from others and allows you to excel and honing it, helping you to find your place in the world, you achieve your goals and win, shutting up those hateful voices trying to tear you down, both within and without. More important in this precept, and with the code as a whole, is the embracing of strife as a factor for growth and change. Think of it like a pearl. A bit of dirt gets under the shell of an oyster, and irritates it. The oyster tries to insulate itself from this, as it hurts like hell! The oyster is hurting where it is most vulnerable, and it tries to cover the pearl in its stomach juices, which harden and over time, become a pearl, smooth and perfect. To get there however, you need that speck of dirt which gets past your armor, and you need to suffer for a while. Hell, I don’t need to tell you anything about suffering- We have all been there. Some of us still are there, and can’t see a way out. What this precept and the Astro behind it are telling you is that the end goal is to improve your worth. Now, I preface this by saying I am wholeheartedly against the idea of suffer now to be rewarded later- that isn’t what this means. This is Saturn and Neptune telling you that one day, this will make sense and you will see why things had to be the way they were. To your part, Victory at all costs is only to be used as a last resort- there is far more value in a worthy victory, in which you prove what exactly you are made of. The conditions are set, and your path leads you forward…

Uranus, Chiron and Pluto- And straight into the biggest challenge, and the end of the code- “Through Victory my chains are broken”. I get chills every time I read that line, it is so crucial. Through this lens, it is revealed that victory and success are not the end goal- it is our freedom, our ability to live on our own terms, without being subjected to the whims and wishes of others- Working toward your own dreams, your own goals and plans, instead of building their monuments. In the end, this is the only thing worth doing, because it is whatever YOU want it to be. Doing this allows you to reach your fullest potential, unfettered by anything that would hold you back. This is the Cardinal Crisis in a nutshell. The worst may be over, but all of the pieces are still there, and you can still use them to affect change, but without the sword of Damocles (or lightsaber in this case, I suppose) hanging over your head! There is still time on this clock! You are not locked into anything yet! You can still say fuck it, drop everything, and run as fast and far as you can to build a brand new life. Sure, there are consequences, but there are also consequences to NOT living life on your terms. Which will you be more regretful of on your deathbed?  When your life flashes before your eye as your breathe your final breaths, will it be worth watching? Only you can make this call.

The Future is waiting for you. Are you ready to meet it?

New Moon in Sagittarius- Frontiers

Malloreigh Superhero by kris krüg, CCL

Oh, my heroes and villans, is this going to be a good one! This is the pure, raw energy of Saggo in New Moon form! The trademark of this moon is the wild hope you feel, that you can overcome the obstacles that have stood in your way all year long; That this is YOUR moment, finally! And it is, don’t get me wrong: But it’s not quite what you think this time.

This moon is all about pushing your boundaries, getting to new horizons and exploring frontiers. These are not physical destinations, but rather mental and emotional depths. In fact, this has an extremely Piscean/ Scorptastic feel to it, BUT without the drama of either. All the best of those two, plus the best of Saggo, with none of the bad of the three? Can it be so? Well obviously not. If it was I wouldn’t be bothering to write this. What this is, is an opportunity; You are challenged to plumb the depths of your soul, face the most disgusting and foul parts you can find, and purge them from you. This you must do before 2016 (Aries Season), and the amazing thing is, it’s not even a Herculanean task right now! This moment in time is your best chance to do this, and the stars are on your side. You have the cosmos backing you, if you are only brave enough to jump into the darkness and do the dirty work. You have to make the choice.

The Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Chiron and Pluto- Wow. This is a veritable powder keg of Astro. Surprisingly, its also mostly dormant. I want you to change that. You are going to be the one to push that big red button and blast open a hole. Notice that these are the main players of the Cardinal Crisis. You are going to channel the last 7 years (Holy hell. It’s been 7 years.) into this short time period. Every lesson, every high, every defeat and every moment where you felt like the only logical course of action was either to go on a murderous rampage or turn that rage onto yourself; Every bit of it is going to be needed before 2016 is done. This is where you are going to step fully into yourself and your personal power.  Controlled demolition is the name of the game:  There is a thorn in your side that has been festering since Saturn in Scorpio- Right around 2013. You’re going to excise it, since it’s already infected you. It is ruining your life, tearing you down and keeping you from reaching your fullest potential. This can no longer be allowed, as we have a BIG year coming- Especially the summer. While you’re at it, ditch every external influence that whose benefit no longer outweighs their cost. You will need every moment of this time, and it will go quickly. Do not waste it.

Mercury- All on his own, Mercury is the key to getting out of Hell. That never changes, but what is changing this time is that you are going to need to work with him to break IN rather than out. You will be making the conscious effort to go down into your own depths, and shovel out the merde that is there. Your mission is to scrape off the layer of muck and grime that you have been hiding behind for years. That was the easy way out and you’re not doing that anymore. It has served its purpose. There is only an ember of your inner fire left (or so it feels to you) but that is more than enough to become a blazing inferno, with a little work and care. Taking the steps to do so will be noticed by others, and you will help each other achieve more in ways that you couldn’t before. Start with what you love to do, but don’t have time/ whatever bullshit excuse you make not to do it anymore. This is how you get back to your path. You will get back home, I swear it to you on my life.

Venus, Saturn, and Neptune- These are the undercurrents of the astro, its driving force. Neptune is your ideal, where you want to be “When all this is over”; Venus is the unrefined, untamed, raging storm that is you now- Which means that the way to get from the one to the other is Saturn. Stifle those groans people, this is just the start of that long process. We’re still a long way off from that particular crescendo, but you need to know that that is the backdrop of the astro. Sure, it’s not as sexy as The-World-Is-At-Stake chaos that was the Cardinal Crisis, but this astro has even greater stakes: You. Think of this process as the origin story for the superhero (or supervillan, no judgment!) you are becoming.  You will become more and more aware of the amount you control your life and circumstances by the day. The cosmos is about to take the training wheels off, and we’re going to see if you’re ready to ride!

Full Moon in Gemini- The Rhythm of Rebellion

Untitled by Santiago Sito, CCL

Good god, its holiday season again?  Ugh, here I am still trapped in Leo season… What happened to this year? Seems like just a week ago I was lounging by a pool under the SoCal desert sun, and now its too cold for a bro-tank (which doesn’t stop me from wearing one, mind you!) and I have to deal with my family again?! #IsItAriesSeasonYet?

I don’t have much of a preface, so let’s just jump in to it like so much gravy, shall we? Besides, since when is Saggo about subtlety and buildup?

The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Saturn and Neptune- Okay, just breathe you guys. Yes this is a lot, but you can handle it. The lead up to this is exhausting, mostly because of Saturn-Neptune draining Mars’ vitality. The way out with this is through- Saturn is your champion, stick to your routine, put in your work and get shit done, even if you need to over-caffeinate and potentially get something far stronger than caffeine. Hustle and get rewarded, that’s the promise of Mercury. Once this hits, however, you are looking at a whirlwind of activity and drama that doesn’t stop til Cap Season. Maybe longer, because the cardinals are anything but boring in these times.  All this will of course coincide with a hellaciously bad Thanksgiving for those who celebrate this week- Everyone will get offended, you will drink too much and end up with your foot in mouth, and the exact topics no one wants discussed will be dragged out. This pallor will not last long, however, and everything should go back to normal within a week. Things will be forgiven but not forgotten, so be wary. Just remember its Saggo season, and we’re all a bit bombastic right now.   

Venus, Jupiter, Chiron, Uranus and Pluto- Now to address the elephant in the room- No, you don’t feel as though there is anything to celebrate right now. That is normal. Shit is terrible in this world. I personally explode with rage every time I see something pop up onto my news feed, thinking “My god, it can’t get any worse than this” but lo and behold, I am proven wrong DAILY. Usually hourly, in fact. How are you supposed to celebrate in the face of so much overwhelming bullshit, which no one seems to be willing to scoop away? First, realize that everyone else around you is probably feeling the exact same, and is also frustrated that they cannot figure out a good outlet to express the frustration, same as you. Don’t run from it. Look into the abyss as much and as long as you can handle. Know what is happening around you, and don’t shirk away. Be authentic. Then, for step 2. THIS IS FUCKING SAGGO SEASON. Put on your stupidest gear, act like a fool and channel Jupiter! Party! Do it as an act of rebellion, the single greatest one you can manage right now. In a world that is trying to destroy our spirits daily, spit in its face and slay the house down! Dance like mad, with every step a reminder of a terrible act, an atrocity in every beat. Do not forget, but honor the wronged with every laugh and smile. Mourn through melody.