SHADOW PLAY: READING FOR THE SCORPIO WANING QUARTER MOON

Embrace your shadow and be led into the light, says Jennifer Racioppi in her reading for the Scorpio waning quarter moon…Artwork: Bethany Harper-Walsh

scorpio waning quarter moon art by bethany harper walsh the numinous

Waning Quarter Moon :: January 19, 2017 :: 5.13pm EST :: 0 degrees Scorpio

As the moon sheds her light, she invites us to shed barriers to our truth. Waning moon cycles help us connect deeply with our intuition so we can eliminate what’s not working within and access our marching orders before the next New Moon. This particular waning moon phase feels extra potent—as Mercury clears his shadow it represents a rare time in the sky when there are NO planets in retrograde. Things may happen fast. Embrace change, and allow the process of dissemination to bring you closer to your truth as we prepare for the upcoming new moon in Aquarius.

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:: THE SUN::
The sun in community driven, alternative-minded Aquarius, asks us to transcend the boundaries of our limited thinking and embrace new ways and new beginnings. As we enter the post-Capricorn phase of 2017 (Capricorn represents our drive and determination to be our absolute best) the sun in Aquarius ushers us into our internal revolution. Aquarius represents rebellion and revolution—so no wonder we no longer feel driven by the discipline of the Capricorn sun. If you feel keen to shaking things up, explore it! The Aquarian influence might just lead you to something better. Embrace your friends, have fun, and don’t shy away from technology while the sun travels through Aquarius until Feb 18th.

:: THE MOON::
In astrology, the moon represents our subconscious and our feminine side. With the moon moving through the fixed water sign of Scorpio, our attention drifts inward. Psychological truths and secrets pull us into our emotional depths. It behooves us to allow our emotions to rise to the surface. Bust out your journal and get your secrets off your chest. Embrace your shadow side! Indulge your sexuality while embracing intimacy, and exploring the shadows of your mind.

:: THE SQUARE::
With the sun in the fixed air sign of Aquarius squaring the waning Scorpio Moon, we can expect to feel a bit at odds with ourselves. On the one hand, we have the Aquarius sun asking us to embrace our community, and to push forward with agendas for change. Yet the moon in Scorpio drives us deep within ourselves. While the Aquarian influence wants us on social media connecting with our tribe via technology, the Scorpio moon prefers a journal, and perhaps a cathartic conversation with a close friend who guards secrets like a rabid watchdog. It’s up to us to reconcile our need for privacy and intimacy while staying connected to our tribe this quarter moon.

:: THE MESSAGE::
It’s by investigating our shadow that we find our light. With one week before the Aquarius New Moon, and all the planets direct, this waning moon phase provides us a precious opportunity to look within and clean out any resistance before we embrace the first New Moon of the new year. The moon in Scorpio urges us to pull back and look within—as uncomfortable as this may feel. Remember, the moon moves fast and soon she’ll be in upbeat Sagittarius, making a great and resourceful sextile. Until then, she travels through Scorpio, a place she goes to deep to excavate an essential truth. Don’t resist the darkness this Scorpio waning quarter moon—it’s leading you precisely where you need to go.

For more Moon wisdom or to book a coaching session with from Jennifer visit Jenniferracioppi.com

DREAM PROJECT: THE STORY OF THE DUST II ONYX TAROT

When Courtney Alexander couldn’t find a deck that spoke to her on a soul level, she decided to create her own… All images: the Dust II Onyx tarot

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I had been reading and learning about the tarot for around two years, when I pin-pointed an issue I hadn’t been able to put my finger on. I had a hard time finding a deck that really spoke to me. I’d discovered so many decks, my favorites being the Wild Unknown and Fountain Tarot. And although the art was beautiful, there was still a disconnect for me at soul level.

Because, being a fat/black/queer woman there wasn’t a deck I saw myself in. I agonized for months over how to express the depth and diversity I wanted to see, and the idea to create my own deck—Dust II Onyx—began rolling around in my head.

Then life happened. I lost my job and found myself spiraling into anxiety and depression. This directly following an intense nocturnal vision. I had gone to bed as normal, but woke in the middle of the night thinking someone was in my apartment. Once I realized there was no one there, I attempted to go back to sleep.

At this point I slipped into a lucid dream. I heard noises again and when I got up to investigate, a shadow figure appeared in front of me—who I read as being my six-year-old nephew. When I went to turn on a light, I felt an intense sensation hit my belly, and I woke up with a yell.

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The following morning, I went to work completely shaken and lacking sleep, as well as still feeling the strange sensation in my stomach. I tried to go about my day as normal, although something felt different. That evening I received a phone call telling me not to come back in.

Although losing my job was stressful, I saw it as an opportunity to visit family. So I made a trip to my hometown and saw my nephew while I was there. We shared a moment, where we were dancing and singing together. Then he laid his head on my belly, and he turned his face towards mine with his eyes closed. His face had the most blissful look I had ever seen.

In the moment, I actually wondered if I could be physically pregnant—because of the dream and this experience with my nephew. But looking back I truly believe that my dream had been the moment of conception of the Dust II Onyx tarot.

By now, I had been mulling over art for my deck for a few months, and still hadn’t got a clear vision of how I wanted it to look. Then another dream came to me, twice! And in this dream I saw an intensely gorgeous black portrait, which has gone on to become the chief inspiration behind my deck.

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I began the work using my current knowledge of tarot and plenty of my own intuition. The imagery that comes forth is as new to me as it is for the readers who will use this deck, and it is coming from a place that feels far beyond my conscious mind.

Dust II Onyx was created from my desire to make artwork that resonated with my soul, and has become a work I want to share with others. I consider it an honor to create this deck and I look forward it being a tool for beautiful and transformative experiences for each and every reader.

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To fund the production of this deep and powerful multi-media collage collector’s tarot, Courtney is running a Kickstarter campaign through October 17 2016. 

For more information visit Dust2onyx.com and facebook.com/dust2onyx. You can also preorder your deck on Kickstarter

 

CONTRUBUTING TO THE SITE: NUMINOUS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY LENA DUNHAM…HERE COMES YOUR SATURN RETURN

Turning 29 today, Lena Dunham is staring down the barrel of her Saturn Return. What kind of a cosmic shift could this mean for her – and her generation? Kimberly Peta Dewhirst checks out Lena’s chart…

Hannah Horvath by Lizzy Anderson via Behance.net
Hannah Horvath by Lizzy Anderson via Behance.net

It’s Lena Dunham’s 29th birthday today – you know what that means? Time for Saturn Return to make its entrance and shake things up in this star’s life.

However, the planet of hard knocks hasn’t done a full turn of Lena’s astrological chart quite yet. In fact, 2015 sees Saturn retrograde, just like Mercury, so Dunham won’t have her official Saturn Return until late in November.

Still, it’s the run up to this heavy astrological transit that can be the most grueling part, and she could already be feeling the tremors…

So, what can she expect?

The Saturn Return is a notoriously testing time marked with a ‘letting go’ of the things that no longer serve us – that goes for jobs, relationships, living situations or anything that needs to change. We become aware of both our limitations and our inner strength, and this pushes us to commit and step up to the plate, or relinquish control, depending on our personal circumstances.

But we all have a Saturn Return.

It’s the time when we really start to take responsibility, looking hard at the situations we know aren’t working, taking matters into our own capable hands, now that we’re that bit more mature. It’s a natural shift into adulthood, and it’s at this stage we instinctively feel better equipped to take life more seriously.

Collage by Seana Gavin
Collage by Seana Gavin

Thankfully this happens all of its own accord, however many wouldn’t describe the process as ‘painless’. It can be HUGE for some people, with major milestones or events occurring roughly between the ages of 28 and 30. For others it’s marked more subtly, and it can often depend on how Saturn behaves in the person’s own natal chart – meaning how it is aspected, and whether its restrictive energies sit comfortably with the individual.

 

For example, someone with a strongly watery chart (lots of Pisces and Cancer) might not fare as well as those with personal planets in Capricorn for example, ruled by Saturn meaning more familiarity with this energy.

And I know what you’re thinking – what about that friend who still doesn’t seem to have grown up after 30? Don’t worry about him or her – Saturn will come round again at about 57 years old, so they’ll get another chance to learn those lessons!

Sadly we don’t have a birth time for Lena, so we can’t see exactly where the planet falls in relation to the overall dynamic of her natal chart. However we do know that she has an un-aspected Saturn (Saturn has no relationships with the other planets in her natal astrological chart – it doesn’t ‘trine’ or ‘square’ or ‘oppose’ the other planets), and that it’s also retrograding.

A retrograde planet indicates an awkwardness with the themes of the planet and Lena might struggle with Saturnian issues – she could be overly anxious about fulfilling her responsibilities, she could feel nervous in formal situations, she may have lacked real structure growing up.

fauxscape by brian bell featured on thenuminous.net
Fauxscape by Brian Bell via Behance.net

 

The nature of the planet not connecting to the others in the chart points to a sense of disconnect, resulting in an overcompensation through work achievements, lots of self-discipline and a somewhat serious nature. Lena also has Mars in Capricorn, which emphasizes these characteristics again – no wonder the girl’s done good with her career!

Another factor that colours her Saturn Return is that it’s occurring in Sagittarius, the sign that rules higher education, philosophy, long-distance travel and truth. This will add a flavor to the type of experience Lena – and her whole generation -will undergo as their coming of age. Perhaps there will be restriction around international expansion, or she could be pushed to speak out about her principles, and forced to get more serious when she speaks up.

Throughout her Saturn Return (which is exact between 26th November and 4th December) Neptune in Pisces will be squaring Saturn, forming a 90-degree angle. The hard lines of Saturn could be blurred, there could be some scandal or a previous disillusion could be cleared up and set straight.

The positive outcome of this astrological transit is that with Saturn’s guidance we become an expert in the field where the planet appears, and the remaining forces in our lives feel far more solid on the other side.

Those born between November 1985 and November 1988 share this astrological hallmark – Saturn in Sagittarius – with Lena.

You can identify the position of your Saturn by creating a free birth chart and identifying the symbol that looks like a cross over a ‘h’- ♄