Archetypal Astrology, Tarot & Counseling by Maud Gemmeke
The New Moon arrives 12.07 am ET / 06.07 am CET on November 15th and will be at 23 degrees Scorpio. With the Moon in the sign of her fall, there’s a bit of discomfort to be felt. Though the Moon does well in other water signs, in Scorpio the waters are a little too dark for her taste. Scorpio adds to the intensity of emotional life. The Moon is in her fall in Scorpio and exalted in Taurus. Scorpio and Taurus form a polarity, an axis.
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The Full Moon arrives at 8 degrees Taurus on October 31st at 10.49 am ET / 3.49 pm CET. This Full Moon is exactly conjunct Uranus, also at 8 degrees Taurus. This Full Moon is a major astrological event. At least for some individuals (yours truly is one of them), depending on your personal chart. Even if this Full Moon is not major for you personally, it’s still a major one for the human collective. And there’s some interesting archetypal meaning to be found in this celestial event. This article is a long one. I wanted to explore the archetypal astrology of this Full Moon and share it with you. Be ready for stories of powerful women. The stories of the very first women, our ancestors, our Mothers.
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This coming New Moon has some Eros and Thanatos vibes. Most people know Eros and Thanathos to be the instinct for life and the instinct for death, as described by the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. He named these instincts after the Greek God of Love and the Greek God of Death.
Eros is the Greek God of love. He is a winged God and is the son of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite and Greek God Ares. Aphrodite is the Goddess of love and beauty, and Ares is the God of war. Eros has the ability to make mortals and Gods fall in love by shooting them with his bow and arrow. Eros is portrayed as nice, compassionate, loving, and full of life. This is how Eros came to represent the instinct of life in the works of Freud.
Thanatos is the Greek God of death. He is the son of Greek Goddess Nyx and Greek God Erebus. Nyx is the Goddess of the night and chaos, and Erebus is the God of darkness. Thanatos is associated with violent death and would be called upon by Gods who wished to inflict death upon one another. Thanatos often manifested anger, violence, and aggression. This is how Thanatos came to represent the instinct of death in the works of Freud.
As a teenager I was into black and white analogue photography. I’ve developed numerous of photos in darkrooms. Even though I haven’t been in a darkroom (or adobe photoshop) for years (I don’t even own a camera anymore), I’m still very much a lover of photography. I especially love black and white portrait, fashion and nude photography. I have a weak spot for the works of Helmut Newton. A true artist, known for kink photography. The photo that I choose on top for this article is quite virtuous. Most of his work captures not just Eros but also Thanatos. I guess that’s another reason why I love his work so much: I’m a lover of the dark, taboo and hidden while at the same time I adore beauty, softness and light. Photography is an art that plays with light and darkness. Its essence is capturing light and capturing darkness. In honor of Helmut Newton and to share with you Eros and Thanatos vibes / kink photography, here’s some more work of one of my favorite artists:
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The Full Moon at 9 degrees Aries arrives on October 1st 5.05 pm ET / 11.05 pm CET. The Full Moon is under the ruling of Mars, with Mars present at 25 degrees in his home Aries while retrograde. Mars has been setting things on fire lately. Literally burning forests down. Mars has poured down some frustration and aggression on Earth. Mars is known to inflict pain. When Mars is retrograde, the pain comes unexpectedly. Mars his motives are hidden. Moving retrograde deep into Aries he needs to retrace his steps, he needs to do a thing or two over and/or try to set something straight or change something from his past. Since Mars stationed retrograde, about three weeks ago, he has caught some speed again. Now moving faster and deeper into Aries. Mars is burning down everything he meets on his path.
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The New Moon in Virgo arrives on September 17th 01.00 pm CEST at 24 degrees Virgo. The ruler of the New Moon is Mercury. On the moment the New Moon arrives Mercury is at 17 degrees and 26 minutes in Libra. At that moment Jupiter is at 17 degrees and 26 minutes in Capricorn. Mercury exactly squares Jupiter on the moment of the New Moon. This makes this New Moon a threshold. Into what, you might ask?
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Yaasss this is a gorgeous New Moon! There are no hard aspects to this New Moon. We haven’t had a New Moon without hard aspects (or eclipses) in a long while. This New Moon is great for intention setting. Especially when it comes to insights that you’ve gained during the month of August. Use the ideas, knowledge, feelings, dreams that might have come to light around the Full Moon earlier this month. Or use the insights that you gained in the days leading up to the New Moon: Mercury passes through the heart of the Sun (trine Mars), only a couple of days before the New Moon arrives, bringing us clarifications and insights.
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The Full Moon arrives on August 3rd at 05.59 pm CEST at 11 degrees Aquarius. The Sun is at home in the warmth of Leo. The Full Moon will be opposite of the Sun in the cold of Aquarius. Leo and Aquarius are two sides of the same coin. Both are strong individuals, in their very own ways.
Leo is expressive and charismatic. The Lion roars and performs. Leo likes to be adored and acknowledged for the power and the beauty that Leo possesses. The Lion puts himself in the center and is the leader in the savannah. Leo is ruled by the Sun, the strongest luminary and the star that all planets travel around. Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, the planet that is furthest away (of all planets visible for the naked eyes). While the Lion puts himself on stage and likes to be adored, the Water Bearer couldn’t care less about adoration and puts herself outside the group. Leo is creative, passionate and warm. Aquarius is a revolutionizer, detached and cold. The Water Bearer is the humanitarian of the zodiac; a lover of humans while standing apart from the group. The Water Bearer is the odd one; we recognize the Aquarians in society often by their tattoo’s, funky clothing, unique interests, metaphysical wanderings and/or rebellion and activism. The courage of the Water Bearer is found in daring to stand apart, either by choice or nature. Aquarius doesn’t want to suit the masses. The Water Bearer carries gallons of love and is the one that serves humanity by activism and serving communities and good causes; while at the same time feeling distant from or actively distancing herself from those communities.
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Eclipses act like portals that want to realign us with our destinies. Triggering fated events or decisions. If you believe in fate, anyway. As human beings we often ponder on the big why question. Why am I here? And following: Is there a reason? Is all fate? Is all chance? Is there autonomy? Astrology is a practice and art that is developed and based on the registered correlations between what happens in the heavens above and what happens on earth below. This doesn’t mean that astrology states that planets dictate our lives. This doesn’t say anything about determinism. It’s up to every astrologer to decide for her or himself what to believe or not believe in. It is also up to you to decide what you believe in…
I see birth charts as snapshots of the cosmic energies present at the moment of birth. Every human being is an unique expression of the cosmos. As a humanist I wish to empower people and especially my clients. I firmly believe in autonomy. I also believe in fate and karma. I do not believe that planets dictate life on earth. I rather see the events above as reflections. The more I study astrology, the more birth charts I read, the more I’m in awe of life and the universe. Things are often to coincidental to be coincidental.
The study of astrology has made me understand that everyone is here for a reason. That reason is reflected in the birth chart. Eclipses want to remind us of the reason, especially if the eclipses happen near significant points in our charts. The question on meaning in life is the most awesome question to ponder on and at the same time it is the most torturous question one can ask.
I want to remind you that your life has meaning. And it is hidden in your birth chart. This year, 2020, is a fucking intense weird apocalyptic year. You will get through it. There is meaning to it. You are here for a reason. Don’t forget it.
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