Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means

This article covers significant aspects, degree symbols, and other important factors in this Libra Lunation chart. We have shifted from a Fire to an Earth emphasis in the Jones pattern, with Venus now front and center ruling this New Moon. As this Lunation makes a perfect quintile to Jupiter in Sagittarius, the theme of the next month is “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

This month puts the focus on the sign Libra. Because Venus in its home sign of Libra rules every planet not in their home sign, Libra holds center stage and dominates the energies. This is the sixth Lunation outside the outer planet occupied zone, and all the planets are now converging toward their karmic rendezvous in January and March!

Earlier this year we had all the planets bundled in about one third of the sky. They’ve now expanded again into two thirds of the sky, creating a classic Locomotive Jones pattern. However, while the July pattern opened and closed with planets in Fire signs, as I just noted since last month we have the opening and closing planets in Earth.

As you understand by now, different months bring us different Jones Patterns, depending on the position of the Moon and the inner planets relative to the outer planets. These patterns operate their own independent influence, regardless of which planet is in which sign.

Currently, the outer planet occupied span begins with Jupiter in mid-Sagittarius, and proceeds through outer planets in Capricorn, Pisces, and early Taurus. This is a fairly narrow distribution, with all the outer planets in a little over a third of the sky (excluding TransPluto, since Jones didn’t use it in defining his patterns). That means the Jones pattern in the sky is primarily influenced by the position of the inner planets, shifting the pattern every so often.

Mars At the Far Side of the Occupied Span

Between December 2017 and April 2018 we literally had no non-lunar oppositions. Between late October 2018 and early May 2019 we had only one non-lunar opposition, between Venus and Uranus in early December. As oppositions bring awareness, we were in a time of compression rather than awareness.

Mars began this year’s run of its oppositions in early May with the opposition to Jupiter. In June it joined with Mercury to oppose Saturn and Pluto as the Sun and Venus opposed Jupiter. So we went from months of no oppositions to a season of many oppositions!

We are now in the backstretch of oppositions to the outer planets, with all the inner planets and Mars done with their September oppositions. This year’s oppositions will be complete in October and November with the oppositions to Uranus. By December we will again be in a long run of no non-lunar oppositions, with all the planets in half of the zodiac. By early March 2020 every planet will be compressed into a span of about 108 degrees, which is an extremely rare occurrence!

Applying this to your chart, oppositions are great for producing integrated greater awareness and the ability to use that energy to achieve what we need to in our own planetary matrix. Each of these oppositions makes many aspects to your chart; the sextiles and trines to your planets will help you understand and stabilize those energies, and the quintile and related specializing aspects show unique processes which can be used according to your need through planets which square them.

Because Mars is at the far side of the occupied outer planet span, it is a major player in all Jones patterns created in 2019 before it again disappears in the occupied span in 2020. At this time, all the planets are widely spread out in 6 signs with an empty span of 140+ between Taurus and Virgo, creating a classic “Locomotive” Jones pattern. This shows how the energies are to be approached, and how the sequence of any activity unfolds from beginning to end.

So What is a “Locomotive Pattern” and how does it work?

This type of spread, with all the planets occupying 2/3 of the signs with an empty third, creates an imbalance that leads to power if we can find the compensatory “weight” to make things move forward smoothly rather than rock side to side creating friction. Target what is needed, and provide compensatory energies accordingly.

As Marc Jones put it, “this type of horoscope reveals a balance of this sort in the life. A third part of things… consisting of a free span in experience, is set against a two-thirds part, embracing a related but limited span in experience…. The basis of the dynamic is found in the native’s resulting strong sense of a lack or a need, of a problem to be solved, a task to be achieved in the social and intellectual world around him.”

Dr. Jones states “The temperament reveals a self-driving individuality, an executive eccentricity that is not … unbalance but rather is power. It exhibits a dynamic and exceptionally practical capacity which is neither the broad universality of the Splash pattern, nor the special obsession with some particularly narrowed aspect of experience characteristic of the Bundle people.

He goes on to state “The Locomotive classification is … moved more by external factors in the environment than by aspects of its own character. The point of application for the powers of the self is shown … by the “leading planet,” or the one of the two in the empty trine which forms its aspect clockwise in the zodiac, irrespective of any distinction as “applying” or “separating.”

Whereas last month Mercury in Virgo was the leading planet and Uranus in Taurus the closing planet, this month Mars in Virgo is the leading planet. Find appropriate spiritual-educative Virgo initiatives to approach life and experience through refining your plans, paying attention to details, and following through on what you know is true for you.

As Virgo opens, embrace experience with an eye to humility, practical discipleship, forms of service, and divine discernment. Because the leading edge is Earth, approach experience with practicality. Because the closing planet is also in Earth, it implies that after all is said and done, you’ll find simple enjoyable grounded ways to awaken to a new ways of life and expressing your genius or uniqueness.

As the Locomotive keeps things out of balance, Mars in Virgo is now the front end to finding the way of initiating activity that must be accompanied by a compensatory “weight” to keep things moving forward rather than sideways. The more we work with the imbalances by making small but important practical adjustments, seeing what’s core and what’s peripheral, the easier it will be to navigate the imbalances in this pattern and come to a different way of finding the assistance we need to keep things grounded.

With Virgo leading, be willing to get moving on whatever you need to when it comes to work and duty. We will be having a LOT of activity in our Virgo sector over the next year, and it’s just begun. The more you can learn about this “Divine Discipleship” sign the more you’ll be in harmony with your Soul. With Taurus closing, find a harvest of enjoyable individuality as you take a new look at joining with other to build some bridges you’ll need as you awaken to a “new quality of life rendering the old patterns obsolete.”

The Outer Planets Anchor the Pattern of Half the Sky

At this time, Jupiter is direct and beginning to close the occupied span involving Saturn, Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus from its current width of 137+ degrees. Jupiter will continue to lead the outer planet occupied span through December 2020, when it conjuncts Saturn at 1 Aquarius and we enter a new 20 year and 200 year era! So last year, this year, and next year, Jupiter plays a major part in how we enter life experience. It's why sometimes these past few years have seemed like a wild ride, an adventure, a quest, and more!

Long term, as Jupiter closes in on its conjunction with Saturn late this year and next, there will be times when most of the planets will be compressed into very narrow spans centered in Capricorn. Though the outer planets have been expanding out to a wide spread these past 20 years since the last Saturn conjunct Uranus, the outers are now compressing, with Jupiter and Saturn headed to a karmic rendezvous with Pluto and then Neptune over the coming years. Due to the increasing compression, by early 2020 we will begin to see more “Bundle” patterns than we’ve seen in many years, since at times the planets will all be within a 120 degree span.

Saturn continues to be the second planetary “pulse” of the occupied outer planet span between Sagittarius and Taurus, and trades primary rulership of the other planets with Jupiter depending on where the other planets are. When the inner planets transit Sagittarius and Pisces, Jupiter comes to the front; when the inner planets transit Capricorn and Aquarius, Saturn takes center stage.

Since April, Jupiter and Saturn surrendered their dominance to a number of shifting rulerships and dispositors. As I mentioned in part 1, the Lunation is ruled by Venus in Libra, continuing our run of four “Final Dispositors” during these months.

Want to “move Mars?” Use Mercury ruled by Venus. Want to move Uranus? Use Venus. Want to move the Sun? Use Venus’ natural Libra expression.

In this New Moon, the most intense occupied span (in this chart the span between Mars and Mercury) is 5 planets in 26+ degrees, making that the major focus. As this is the most intense cluster, there are no adjacent planets we can add to expand the range of an intense focus in that area of the zodiac.

The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon

A New Moon sets the seed forms for what the following month will demonstrate. This Lunation falls at 6 Libra, and it is said that the first third (decan) of any sign deals with the actional, material, and physical levels of life, and being the first decan of Libra it has a sub-influence of Libra. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.

The symbol for the 6th degree of Libra is “The ideals of a man abundantly crystallized.” In the original Marc Jones class notes on the symbols published in The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar says this is a degree of “Inevitable confrontation with the concrete results of one’s ideals,” “lessons to be learned from it,” and “willingness of heart.”

In The Astrological Mandala,, Rudhyar offers this degree is about “the need to visualize clearly one’s dreams or ideals in order to make them truly effectual.” He speaks of the need for clear formulation of an idea if we are to see it made manifest, where “the process of interior visualization can be quite essential, except in the case of a creative individual who has become a totally pure channel for the descent of spiritual Power, and a clear lens through which the Archetype … can be projected without distortion wherever needed.”

He goes on to state that it can also mean “the creative act is less direct” where we project what we’ve seen in our mind. He tells us “it’s a phase of interior formulation in preparation for a creative projection of ones ideal or concepts.” He says this degree falls in the Span of Expectation, Act of Group Integration, and Scene of Transfiguration on the Emotional-Cultural level.

So this second degree counterpoint symbol shows us the illumination of a) the need to clearly formulate what we want to see made manifest, and b) the results of previously held ideals. This is a social or emotional transfiguration, and we can see Light and power in seeing the equilibrium of the pulse of evolution, and understand that whatever our heart holds as desirable will eventually be made manifest.

Dr. Jones says this is a degree of “experience as the practical or everyday substantiation of inner insight and conscious understanding,” where “idealistic reality is to be found to be sheer escapism if ever taken by itself or given any authority on its own account.” He also says it is “the sole dynamic for the human spirit whenever any individual actually stands face to face with (their) opportunity.”

He offers that our “being has its beginning in the meaning with which it is endowed.” He offers us the keyword PERSONIFICATION. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is “power through the full employment of imagination for the discovery and development of human potentiality.”

So this Lunation indicates these next 4 weeks point to the Light of Divine Justice revealing our ideals made manifest in clear ways, as well as any deficiency of concentration which has distorted what comes forth. We are being transfigured in significant social and emotional ways, so concentrate, don’t be light-minded, pay attention to your “power of imagination to discover and develop your potential.”

Important Aspects

Remember that in reading a Lunation chart (as well as a horary, inceptional, electional, or any event chart) the forming aspects show things to come, while separating aspects show things already past. Partile separating aspects show what’s been going on in the Now. This section covers only forming and partile separating aspects.

This Lunation has a huge number of aspects, some of them extraordinarily favorable. As noted earlier, the big news is the Lunation quintile Jupiter while also biseptile Pluto, activating the Pluto leg of the Grand Irrationality. We shall indeed know some truths which shall set us free!

Most of the friction is provided by the Lunation quincunx Uranus and Venus quincunx Neptune and square Pluto. These will bring hard adjustments and sacrifices of things and people who are deflecting us or preventing us from achieving something. The Lunation quincunx Uranus pushes us to clarify what we’re dedicated to as we learn skill in adjusting to what has awakened. Venus quincunx Neptune shows many will move in a different atmospheric direction, rebelling against old dusty parts of their mind and thinking.

Venus is exactly sextile Jupiter while square Pluto. Build through the energies of the middle decan of the Fire and Air signs, and release what is built through productive Aries and Cancer energies. When it comes to turning away from certain things and people, remember you don’t need permission, and don’t need to get sentimental. Figure out how to move on your own initiative to whatever you care about, or whatever you feel you need to nurture. Action leads to personality integration and focused potential.

This is the final Jupiter square Neptune for many years! As Jupiter again sesquisquares Uranus, and Uranus is again semisquare Neptune, this sets the Rhombus Diamond energy into motion, providing friction which can help us be “polished to perfection.” This has been a feature for most of this year, so take a look at how you’re more perfectly shaped and expressed than even a year ago. It has mainly shown up in houses and planets involving early Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, as well as mid-Gemini, mid-Virgo, mid-Sag, and mid-Pisces.

Besides the aspects already mentioned, forming (and closely partile separating) inner planet aspects include the Lunation conjunct Venus, trielftile Saturn, and quadranovile Neptune; Mercury is vigintile the Sun, binovile Saturn, and biquintile Neptune; Venus is conjunct the Sun and pentelftile Uranus; and Mars is binovile Jupiter and tredecile Saturn.

Outer planet aspects include Jupiter quindecile Saturn and elftile Pluto; Saturn is sextile Neptune and conjunct Pluto, and Uranus is again semisquare Neptune, associated with the general friction in the collective atmosphere, and biseptile Pluto, again triggering the Grand Irrationality.

Special Configurations in Evolutionary Astrology

As you’ve read in other articles, Uranus is also involved in a “bottom tone” of friction in the collective consciousness because of its long wave semisquare to Neptune, anchoring the octile-driven “Rhombus Diamond” configuration with intense “cutting, grinding, and polishing” energies wherever we have the very early degrees of Taurus and Scorpio, as well as the middle degrees of Pisces and Virgo.

The Rhombus Diamond configuration was perfected this year in early September when the Moon is in Scorpio was semisquare Venus in mid-Virgo, opposed Uranus, and sesquisquare Neptune at the same time as Venus opposed Neptune and sesquisquared Uranus. Since then and into the future, it will be perfected every time the Moon and Ascendant are in early Scorpio and mid-Virgo at the same time.

As you know if you’ve been reading this column for any length of time, the waxing Uranus semisquare Neptune marks a crucial point of shift in the opening of their very long wave cycle, and is a major significator of our unsettled times. This very frictional energy has been with us a while and will continue to be with us a LONG time! That aspect anchors a frictional configuration that is kicked into play whenever planets pass through early Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, and mid-Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. It is especially powerful when a planet transits mid-Virgo and early Scorpio.

As the planets make various octile aspects to these Uranus and Neptune, those phase shifts generate a LOT of tension in the atmosphere, creating a grind for us where they fall in our chart. This semisquare is indicative or the hard edge all of us are going through as we try to find how our individuality fits into the collective atmosphere, and why there is so much friction between the transpersonal Uranian forces and the transpersonal Neptunian forces at this time.

In September 2018, the “Rhombus Diamond” octile was created during the transits of the mid-Virgo and late Libra zones. Again, this is a “cutting, grinding, and polishing” type of frictional energy that can lead to awareness via the opposition(s) and the ability to act productively even in impossible conditions.

As I told you in the September 2017 Rhombus Diamond articles, when it’s active we can expect solar flares and plasma eruptions, warping in the electromagnetic field, breakaway impulses, sideways explosions, and all equivalent human behavior symbolized by these octile aspects testing our clarity. It has presented all of us with certain questions. What is your role as you would define it? Reject timidity and uncertainty, and find your place in the larger scheme of things.

Explaining Harmonics

This month we’re back to a large number of spiritual and specializing aspects. Of the specializing aspects, we have 1 vigintile, I quindecile, 2 quintiles, and 1 biquintile. Of the spiritual aspects, we have quite a few, including 3 biseptiles, 2 binoviles, 2 quadranoviles, 1 elftile, 2 trielftiles, and 1 pentelftile.

The novile (9th harmonic), septile (7th harmonic) and elftile (11th harmonic) series all feature spiritual aspects. All novile series aspects represent gestative energies that can lead to great spiritual realizations. Septile series aspects represent forks in the road of destiny, while the elftile series aspects represent issues requiring we resolve some sort of duality by making a leap of faith to attain a form of mastery over that type of duality.

The quintile and biquintile (5th harmonic) and related 10th (decile and tredecile), 15th (quindecile), and 20th harmonic (vigintile) aspects are all specialization aspects. You can find more by going to Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Pt. 1 – The Quintile and Biquintile, and Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Part 2 – The Decile, Tredecile, Quindecile and the Vigintile.

You can find out more about the spiritual aspects (septile, novile, and elftile series) by referencing this brief overview of the Spiritual aspects, complete with glyphs for all of them.

Element Balance and Who’s Leading the Sun

This month we have the 10 traditional planets occupying 6 signs in an extraordinarily skewed distribution. We have 1 planet in Fire (inspiration and warmth), 4 planets in Earth (practical grounding), 1 in Water (feelings and experiencing), and 4 planets in Air (relatedness and communicating). This month we have Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Pisces, and Taurus represented, with no planet in the other signs.

Air and Earth are “cool” elements, while Fire and Water are “hot” elements. With this distribution, things are extremely cool, practical, and grounded with a huge dose of “relatedness.” It should be good for getting a lot done, especially for those who can make checklists of what to do and when, in a specific order, to accomplish a clearly formulated vision.

Because the New Moon falls in Libra, Mars in Virgo is the planet currently leading the Sun. That makes for great precise ordered actions, the ability to follow through on duties and obligations in organized ways, and indicates the next month will help us refine our understanding of our individuality. This is the Warrior planet in competent service as a gatekeeper of the planetary energy we need to approach the Greater Light. Be open to seeing your Divine Service, see how you can become more perfect in your understanding of what service is and is not, and be quick and precise in your responses, paying attention to details and order.

The current sequence at present of Deciding, Feeling, and Thinking

We’ve been through several different sequences over the past few months. There are six patterns, and each has their strengths and weaknesses. This New Moon brings a new pattern.

As a process of moving through events, the most effective “firing sequence” for approaching life and experience over the next 4 weeks involves leading with our decisions and actions, then feeling and experiencing what we’ve just done, followed by thinking, communicating, and envisioning the next thing to be done. This pattern is very strong, and leads with decisive action. After the decision or action, it’s followed by feeling and experiencing what those decisions and actions mean on deep levels.

Ideally, those deep feelings then can lead us to a new vision, a new understanding, or a communication that can lead us to a different view. This pattern is very capable of getting things done and feeling immersed in the action, but needs to get to a new understanding or new vision before making the next decision. Old ideas must be cast out or reconsidered, and the understanding must be based on newer, up to date information and not an old way of thinking.

So make a decision and act as needed, and after the decision or action, sit with the feelings and experience them, bringing them to the surface of your consciousness and get clear about what you’re feeling and why. After you’re clear about what you’re feeling, then go get new information and update your perceptual files and what you think you know, or what’s being communicated. That will lead naturally to a new set of decisions and actions.

The Sagittarian Promise

2017’s Fire trine between Saturn in Sagittarius and Uranus in Aries stabilized unique forms of heart expression, love, or creativity, and launched the final phase of our “escape from a narrow destiny” begun in the Summer of 2016. We’ve been quickened since Spring 2017, and in 2018 Jupiter taught us to eliminate all that prevents our Spiritual Self from coming forth with ease. Saturn in Capricorn continues to show us “promises to keep, and miles to go before (we) sleep,” to quote the legendary Frost.

Jupiter is now solidly in Sagittarius and on its way toward many different long wave cycles to be set into motion in 2020. This year it expanded the promise of previous Sagittarius eclipses, Lunations, and different planetary station points. Whatever was “bound up” or “cocooned” when Jupiter was in Scorpio has now blasted off into infinite space as Jupiter has moved through Sagittarius!

The North Node was in Sagittarius between March 2011 and August 2012. Whatever was removed by the Eclipses of that period created space which has been filled with new Jupiterian material this year. Longtime readers will note that June 2011 Solar Eclipse was VERY powerful, and helped us break loose from “ghosts of the past” over the 3.6 years it was in active operation. We also had a Solar Eclipse in early Sag in Nov 2011 and early Gemini in May 2012. All of those voids have opened to a new Sagittarian promise.

Summing Up

This Lunation is the first one in a long time with a lot of Air sign planets, helping us feel more relational and idealistic. This is a Lunation which will help us harvest gifts and blessings based in the ideals we’ve visualized and strived to make real in our lives. This year has been one of Divine Grace and many blessings due to the configurations, and the coming month will show us the power of karma to bring forth good things and people while eliminating those we no longer need in our lives.

The past month we built solid life structures, or shored up the ones we’ve built before now. We’ve been in a time when angels and divine help are in the air, as well as redemption and forms of trained creative expression. We continue to train to use power in different ways which will become part of our awakened new life in 2020.

This is the time to recalibrate whatever we need to. It’s also a time to see the consequences of past actions and inactions, and to contemplate future consequences of current actions and inactions. Some will be “brought to account” for their “obligations to society.” Some will be busted, and others will see justice. This is a time to cultivate new heart strengths, and small “mutations” which can show us dues we’ve paid which have transformed us.

Play as needed knowing you are protected in some way as you take small steps into the future which is transforming at lightning speed! Get a good perspective on what to let go of as you see duties to be fulfilled in the future. Build bridges, and allow your skills to be refined by your experience. We are now in a time of social rebirth, where we need to participate with others in “high moments” of life where we celebrate a shared collective feeling.

A new love and vision has now taken flight in our lives, and our past sacrifices have brought us new power and new ways to focus our spiritual intention. Jupiter continues to be the oracle of the omens of things to come, and Saturn is our coach, training us to do group work in the future.

Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend

Saturn in its home sign of Capricorn for the first time since 1991 makes it the final dispositor of all planets transiting Capricorn and Aquarius from now through 2023. It was a major influence in the Jan-Feb and July-August 2018 eclipses, as well as the more recent January 2019 eclipses, continuing its years-long power behind events.

Saturn continues to hold court in its home sign of Capricorn, and many things came to the surface through the Summer oppositions which helped us mature and grow this Summer. As Saturn is training us for group work to come next year and beyond, remember that as you make inner Saturn your friend, you’ll overcome fear and be able to embrace your higher Destiny.

If you’re wondering what that would look like, if you haven’t already, please consider getting a copy of my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. Saturn helps us give form and structure to our quest for Self-realization, and in Capricorn, will help bring an “organized personal structure” to the Uranian energies infused with concentrated doses of spiritual energy that is making our spiritual life come alive.

It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers, and will help you understand why some things happened when they did. Each time you read any section of this book you will find new insights about your power to steer your personal evolution. You will understand how to throw off all the attitudes which have held you back from finding and living your life and purpose, and fulfill your destiny as an Eternal having human experiences!

Please order your copy today! You can go to the Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend  page on Amazon and this should be all you need to order your copy. The ebook is available through Kindle and Nook. And if you would, please write a review on the Amazon site, since the more reviews, the bigger the boost on their site.

Part 1 Here