Balsamic and New Moon

August 17 Monday
The Cancer Moon entered her balsamic phase last night. It’s time to brew up a new vision for the next monthly cycle. Set aside a portion of the day to think carefully about your spiritual journey. Cancer can have strong feelings of inner wholeness; yet easily be hurt or panicked out in the world. Other forces are urging the crab to come out of the shell and test how open it can be to everything. Even if only for a moment, we are called to act as if we are in a pristine world that totally reflects the divine. In such a place there is no need for shelter or boundaries.

August 18 Tuesday
The Moon is voiding herself of Cancer’s tribal lineage, and just after 7 am, MT, she returns to the exact degree of the last Solar eclipse, reminding us to release any remnants of our heritage that prevent us from evolving. At 7:57 am, the Moon moves into passionate Leo. We may be aroused by the feeling of powerful changes taking place in our internal spiritual fire. There’s rebelliousness afoot today that may show up in outbursts of independence or ostentatious displays of impatience to strike out into new territory. It’s not yet time to maneuver there. Be patient!

August 19 Wednesday
With this Leo Moon there is an enthusiastic sense of better things to come, of being connected to some sort of excellence! If we have made improvements in our lives, pleasing to our souls and not necessarily to the part of us that’s attached to the popular culture, we may find plenty of space for inventiveness. Leo may saturate this area with our love, light, and intensity, heightening a sense of being in one’s element. Our hearts’ resolve for keeping alive what is most essential is fed by the promise of the new Moon tomorrow. She symbolizes the ongoing process of unfolding potential.

August 20 Thursday
A New Moon cycle began at 4:02 am, MT, in the sign of Leo, suggesting we look at how much we can do as creative individuals, that expresses our soul and spirit. How far can we go out on a limb to manifest our true spiritual selves that are varied yet exist in harmony together? There are universal principles to guide us, and some cultural, tribal ones to test us. The Moon also went void of course after meeting the Sun this morning, snuffing out the brightness of Leo and allowing new inspirations to arise. At 8 am, the Moon moves into Virgo, clearly delineating the kinds of changes possible in this cycle.

August 21 Friday
Sudden radical thoughts and changes of mind permeate the early morning with this Virgo Moon. As the day progresses, feelings get subdued. Our minds may be attuning to some fresh ideas about our lineage and how to articulate them so that one’s ancestral tree becomes part of a master plan for navigating the here and now towards some specialty. We can each call the shots that put some issue of our past to rest and empower us with responsibility for our future. Listen to MoonWise tomorrow on the worldwide web at ksfr.org from 2:00 to 2:30 pm, MT, for the weekend Moon Minute.

August 22 Saturday
The Moon moved into Libra at 9:12 am, MT. This sign is keenly aware of social conditions, and today we may easily recognize our familial and cultural traditions in ideal terms. Or at least in ways that help us get through rough times. The Sun moves into Virgo at 5:39 pm, symbolizing a refinement of the theme of this cycle having to do with the ramifications of our creative diversity. On Sunday at 12:03 pm, the Moon enters her crescent phase, emphasizing a need to find one’s place to shine, or at least notice how one does that over the next three days. Rebuilding those skills may help in beginning a new stage.