By Kirsti Melto | Lunations


New Moon in Cancer -- July 14, 2007, 12:04 UT. Chart by Solar Fire.
THE NEW MOON at 21+ degrees Cancer conjuncts cubewano Varuna at 17+ degrees Cancer. The Moon and Varuna are in parallel conjunction. If two bodies share the same degree of declination, that is, they are at the same distance from the celestial equator (either north or south of the celestial equator), they are said to be parallel. In chart interpretation the parallel aspect is said to have the same force as a conjunction, and a maximum orb of 1 degree only is permitted. In the New Moon chart the Moon and Varuna are sharing exactly the same degree of declination to the minute (25n21).

Varuna is named for a mighty pre-Vedic creation deity, and it was the first planet beyond Pluto ever named. Wikipedia notices that "later art depicts Varuna as a lunar deity, as a yellow man wearing golden armor and holding a noose or lasso made from a snake. He rides the sea monster Makara."

The energy of Varuna is said to be that which is too large to comprehend and to have some attributes of the 12th house. Varuna also deals with the punishment of liars and those who violate contracts. Eric Francis has described Varuna with the words "the great equalizer." He has also written:

One thing we can reasonably say about Varuna is that he exists on a very large scale and has the feeling of being so far beyond the human realm that he might as well be a deity-alien in a different dimension. But he's not; we know his name, we can see him in our charts, and we can get a feeling for where we are bringing that quality of totally-beyond energy into manifestation in our lives.

In July 2005 a New Moon occurred less than a degree away from Varuna. Eric wrote at the time:

There are those moments when a planet making a close conjunction to a lunation can evoke the feeling of that planet in a palpable, even overwhelming way. The nature of the planet reveals itself before our eyes.

On a personal level and really on a collective one, we have the question of how far we will go, and what we will do to others, in order to feel 'safe.' We do so much in the name of alleged security; I speak to personal conduct as well as to cultural. This is a major theme of the long passage of Varuna through Cancer, which lasts through -- get this -- December 2012.

Asteroid Astraea is conjunct Varuna at 17+ degrees Cancer. In mythology Astraea was a personification of justice. She was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age. As mankind became wicked, she was the last to stay on earth. Zeus then placed her amongst the stars as the constellation Virgo. The scales of justice she carried became the constellation of Libra. The Theoi Project mentions that Astraea was identified with both Dike the goddess of justice, and Nemesis the goddess of rightful indignation.

Last July the New Moon occurred square Astraea and Eric wrote:

She is a little reminder -- we've lived in other very messed up times in history. Indeed, history (the real thing, not what you read in books in school) is usually the story of how messed up it all is, and how well we do despite it all. Humanity perseveres. As a member of humanity, you have that option, as long as you remember who and what you are.

The Sun and the Moon form a very exact T-square with Echeclus in Libra and Eris in Aries. In the chart cast for The Hague, Netherlands, Echeclus is rising. Echeclus is a small centaur planet which has also been designated a comet. Asteroid Hidalgo -- the asteroid which deals with themes of rebelling against hypocrisy -- and centaur planet Chariklo are conjunct Echeclus. 1992 QB1 is conjunct Eris. 1992 QB1 was the first object which was discovered beyond Pluto.

The Sun and Moon are sextile cubewano 2005 FY9 at 21+ degrees Virgo. As I have mentioned before, 2005 FY9 is the apex of a Yod pattern (150-150-60 degrees) which took shape already in April and will hold till late July. The other members of this Yod are Neptune in Aquarius, and Eris and 1992 QB1 in Aries. Another Yod is formed by the Sun, the Moon, 2005 FY9 and Neptune as the apex. Asteroid Bacchus is now conjunct 2005 FY9. The New Moon is sextile Sedna in Taurus, trine Uranus in Pisces and biquintile Quaoar in Sagittarius.

Mercury in Cancer forms a septile aspect to Saturn, a quintile to Eris, a biquintile to Nessus, a biquintile to Hylonome and a quincunx to Pholus. Mercury stationed direct on July 10, but it is currently still in its echo phase.

Venus in the last degree of Leo is about to enter Virgo, which happens about six hours after the New Moon on July 14. Venus is in conjunction with Saturn, Orcus and asteroid Atlantis. Atlantis carries a theme of abuse of information and technological power.

Venus is in a septile aspect to Echeclus in Libra, square Pholus in Sagittarius, square Hylonome in Scorpio, trine Pluto in Sagittarius, trine Asbolus in Taurus and quincunx asteroid Amor in the first degree of Aries. Amor is the asteroid related to unconditional love. Amor is in direct motion but it will station retrograde at the Aries Point on July 16, the same day that retrograding Pluto conjuncts the Galactic Core.

Venus is opposite cubewano Teharonhiawako, a recently named binary Kuiper belt object which was discovered in 2001. It was named after a creator deity of the Iroquois Nation. The companion object is named for his twin brother Sawiskera. The naming -- the latest of the newly discovered planets -- took place in April 2007.

Mars in Taurus is conjunct Ceres and Thereus, novile Cyllarus, quintile Teharonhiawako and square Chiron. Ceres squares Chiron and Nessus. Chiron sextiles Quaoar. Juno sextiles Quaoar, trines Chiron and squares Varuna. Vesta is in conjunction with Pholus in Sagittarius.

Jupiter-Ixion conjunction is in a semisquare aspect to Chariklo, sextile to Nessus and opposite to Chaos. Asteroid Apollo conjuncts Chaos.

Saturn sextiles Echeclus in Libra and Cyllarus in Gemini. Saturn squares Sedna, trines Eris and Pluto and opposes Neptune. Hidalgo in Libra sextiles Saturn. Amor at the Aries Point forms a biquintile to Saturn.

Asteroids Kassandra at 17+ degrees Pisces and Pallas at 19+ degrees Pisces are in conjunction with Uranus. Uranus sextiles Sedna, squares Quaoar, trines Varuna and opposes Logos and 2005 FY9. According to Eric, "Kassandra is the syndrome wherein nobody believes you if you tell the truth but everyone believes you if you make up stories. ...People believe stories more than they believe the truth, which is why stories are such an important conveyor of truth."

Neptune sextiles Eris and squares Sedna. Asteroid Achilles is conjunct Neptune. Echeclus and Cyllarus are trine Neptune.

Asteroid Lilith is in conjunction with Pluto. Pluto biquintiles Sedna. Cyllarus opposes Pluto. Pluto is also receiving a sextile from Chariklo, a square from Amor, a trine from Asbolus and a trine from the stellium in Leo formed by Saturn, Orcus, Atlantis and Venus.

Eris = 21+ Aries
2005 FY9 = 21+ Virgo
The Galactic Core = 26+ Sagittarius


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