Clay Aiken: New Moon Baby

The Lunation Cycle: New Moon/Full Moon and Everything in Between

Skybar22

When the Sun and the Moon are at the same degree of the Zodiac we have a New Moon. On June 25th a new lunation cycle begins as this conjunction of the Sun and Moon (New Moon) takes place at 4 degrees of Cancer. Cancer is the sign ruled by the Moon so we can expect to be stirred by our more watery nature as this month unfolds. It's a good period of time to get in touch with what we feel and how we nurture ourselves and others.

On the earth we are impacted by the cycle of the Moon in different ways. Women experience a monthly cycle and the tides are controlled by the phases of the Moon. Since the human body is made up of a great percentage of water, the Moon has an effect on our emotions and feelings for the Moon in astrology represents our habitual responses to life and our feelings. The Moon also symbolizes the mother principle or nurturing instinct.

From our perception the disk of the Full Moon appears to be about the same size as the disc of our Sun. In astrology the Moon deals with inner feelings and the Sun with outer expression and innate potential. We hear much more about our Sun signs and all of the newspaper articles on astrology focus on that. However, our Moon signs are also very significant as are the other planets and the signs they are in when we are born.

The solar/lunar cycle is the prototype for all angular relationships (aspects) among the planets as they travel around the Sun and move through the zodiac. As the Moon waxes, it forms a 90 degree angle (square) to the Sun and then halfway through the cycle it reaches the 180 degree angle (opposition) and that is the Full Moon. At this time the Moon is reflecting as much of the Sun’s light as it can. The waning Moon continues the cycle forming another square and then returning to form the next new moon (conjunction). And so it goes, month after month. Each lunar cycle begins in a sign of the zodiac related to that month. So the New Moon of late June or July is in Cancer and the next New Moon is in Leo and so on around the wheel of the Zodiac. Full Moons fall in the opposite sign of the Sun so that when the Moon is full during the month of Cancer, it will fall in the sign of Capricorn and during the month of Leo it will be in Aquarius and so forth.

The coming month will take us into another Mercury retrograde period. Before the next Full Moon on July 10th, Mercury retrogrades on July 4th and will not go direct until July 28th. Mercury retrograde can be experienced as frustrating because the planet of communication appears to be moving backward in the heavens. Pay attention to these dates and see what this brings up for you. Generally, things tend to break down and all sorts of communication problems arise. The message is to go with the flow, keep impatience in check and see what the cycle is trying to teach you. Rather than pushing forward, it is a time of reflection and possible reworking that which is not quite ready to be put out there. For each person, this energy will be experienced differently so it really depends on one’s personal birth chart.

Mercury retrogrades in the sign of Cancer, the same sign as the new moon. In fact, because of Mercury’s position in the solar system, it never gets too far ahead of or behind the Sun in Zodiacal longitude. Therefore Mercury will always be one sign ahead of the Sun or behind the Sun or in the same Zodiac sign as the Sun. Its cycle is very interesting and I’ll share more about that next month.

Also of interest this month is the retrograde motion of 3 other planets. Uranus went retrograde on June 19th at 15 degrees of Pisces. That exciting, unpredictable energy is now backtracking until November 20th of this year. Neptune and Pluto continue to be retrograde as well. On July 6th Jupiter goes direct after several months of being retrograde. It’s in Scorpio and will move into Sagittarius by December of this year. I’ll share more about that as the time approaches.

The Full Moon takes place on July 10th in the sign of Capricorn which is opposite Cancer. Cancer and Capricorn are cardinal signs, as are Aries and Libra. This is known as the cardinal quadruplicity. The cardinal signs are signs of action. They begin the four seasons on earth. Aries: Spring, Cancer: Summer, Libra: Autumn, Capricorn: Winter. The Sun entered the sign of Cancer on June 21st, the summer solstice.

Relating this to Clay
Each of us is born during a lunar phase. Like everything astrological, the phase of the Moon gives us some information about the basic character of the individual. Clay was born shortly after the New Moon in Sagittarius so he was a new moon baby. Both Moon and Sun are in Sagittarius making him a man who has great promise for continual seeking and expansion of his inner and outer self. New Moon babies have the seeds of the future in their psyches and if nurtured the potential is incredible for one continually reaches one level only to strive for the next level. There is dissatisfaction in standing still for the new potential is always stirring in the psyche. Sagittarians usually love higher knowledge and if they nurture their interests, they become seekers of higher wisdom. Long distance journeys, traveling and higher education are part of the domain of Sagittarius as well as philosophy and religion.

As this lunation cycle begins, Uranus is retrograde and squaring Clay’s Moon. That is a long term effect as discussed in the last blog entry so the unexpected and surprising energy continues to influence his chart, although as mentioned above, Uranus is retrograde. Saturn is conjunct Clay’s Jupiter in Leo and this bodes well for Clay as it stabilizes his fire and creates a steady grounding to help contain the fire from burning out of control. Mars is also in the fire sign of Leo and Mars is the energy of assertion/aggression. It is the planet of action and is comfortable in Leo as it rules another fire sign, Aries. As it trines Clay’s Sagittarian planets, the energy flows outward in a creative stream of action and heat. Whatever happens, it is a great time to step out and be noticed.

As I mentioned, Mercury will be retrograde from July 4th through the 28th. Clay is no stranger to Mercury retrograde as he was born during a Mercury retrograde period. Things may not go as planned but it does not mean they won’t go. I always like to remind people that Mercury was retrograde during the final 3.5 weeks of American Idol 2. Clay was clearly on fire during that time and had some amazing performances which established him as someone who continually raised the bar. I don’t know how this energy will unfold for Clay but it will be interesting to watch if, in fact, he reappears with something new. If not, then it also fits with the need to be patient while retrograde Mercury helps to retrace and put on the final touches to any project that may be overdue. With all this positive energy created by the trines, I do think we will see some major movement this month and with Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius going direct and making an exact 90 degree angle (square) to its own natal position, the energy is there for action and expansion as well as challenge (square). It is all too unpredictable but it’s also exciting. The key to Mercury retrograde is patience so remember that as this month unfolds.

During the next several months, the energy will continue to build for Clay. He is coming into some fiery trines and conjunctions which bode well for this new phase of his career. Stay tuned for next month as I will discuss how the natal conjunctions in Clay's chart relate to the New Moon phase.

Thanks Skybar22. We'll all be looking forward to next month's New Moon.


In the meantime, here's a little refreshment before you read the next part of the blog which deals with genealogy. I took this video of Clay singing Unchained Melody at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City during the last show of the Juke Box Tour in 2005.

US National Archives and Records Administration: Diamond in the Rough

There are tons of great resources for researching your ancestors. You could probably spend almost as much time researching resources as you could researching your ancestors.

One of the resources here in the USA that I’d like to talk about this time out is the National Archives and Records Administration housed in Washington, DC. Here is what NARA has to say about themselves:

Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.

Those valuable records are preserved and are available to you, whether you want to see if they contain clues about your family’s history, need to prove a veteran’s military service, or are researching an historical topic that interests you.

That cuts a pretty wide swath. And if you’ve ever seen the National Archives building in Washington, it is massive. Every time I go in there I feel like I should leave a trail of breadcrumbs so that I can find my way out.

The NARA is a particularly valuable resource for genealogists because of the vast amount of information that can be used in ancestral research. The records come from just about every branch of the Federal government. A sampling of these records includes census records (open for viewing from 1790 to 1930), military records, military pension records, immigration and naturalization records, passport applications, land records, and bankruptcy records.

The records that are most commonly used by genealogists are census, military, immigration and naturalization, (including ships’ passengers lists) and land records. Many of these records are online through other database sources, or through agreements with third party providers and the NARA. Records like pension records or military records usually have to be accessed in person at the center. My next blog will talk about accessing my husband’s ancestor’s Civil War Pension records at the National Archives, and what a treasure trove that turned out to be.

NARA has a host of informational tools, learning tools, and finding aids. You can learn about all of the holdings in DC as well as what is contained in the regional archive centers around the country. You could literally spend a week on the site and still not have read everything there is to read.

Viewing records in person in Washington is an experience, from a variety of perspectives.

From the time you enter the building, you realize that they take their work seriously and this is a no nonsense facility. Bags are searched on the way in and out, in order to make sure that nothing it taken in to harm records, and no records are removed. Computers are allowed, but in some areas, especially when viewing actual records, purses and other bags, etc. have to be checked at a locker. Pens are not allowed – only pencils. You have to pay to make copies, but the cost is reasonable. You have to put in a pull slip to request certain records and a staffer will retrieve them for you, but it usually takes at least an hour.

The microfilm section is enormous. I have never seen so many microfilm viewers in one place in my life. Everything that is on microfilm can be retrieved self-service. The trick sometimes is to know what film you need and what drawer it is in. But there are staff around who will answer questions and plenty of finding aids to help identify what film is needed and the drawers containing the films are clearly marked.

I usually end up spending the entire day there, and by the time I check out at closing, I am exhausted. Sometimes I’m exhilarated, too, because I’ve just removed another brick in that wall that keeps getting in my way.

Next time I’ll talk about my experience with Civil War Pension Records, and how the story they told was juicier than any dime novel.

MommaJudy

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