Tag: New Moon

Midsummer Stardust

by marlowpurvesnet, posted in Astrology, Astrology Classes, Astrology Classes ONLINE, Cambridge, Summer Solstice, Cancer New Moon, Spiritual Astrology

We’ve seen the Summer Solstice, the longest day, come to its zenith over the past weekend. Solstice means ‘sun standing still’. In June, here in the northern hemisphere, we enjoy the longest days before tipping into the inevitability of declining light. Though we often conflate Solstice with Midsummer they are, in fact, different days and serve to ‘bookend’ the stillness between the tangible effects of the lengthening and the shortening of sunlight hours.

There are four days between the Solstice (0 degrees of Cancer) and Midsummer. Solstice is associated with the Alchemical Marriage or Hieros Gamos. At this time we are offered an invitation to be still, a kind of cosmic ‘Pause’ button. Shakespeare took full advantage of the languorous liminal time to enchant us with the story of lovers, magic and deception invariably resulting in union and re-union.

Today, Midsummer, is doubly interesting, as it not only marks the ‘end of the enchantment’ but (this year) also coincides with the ignition provided by the New Moon. A new moon marks the very beginning of a new cycle, occurs when the Sun and Moon occupy the same degree of the zodiac. We are awakened from our sleep into the emergence of a new dream, new possibilities…

With an astrological eye we examine the placement of all the planets at the new moon to glimpse the flavour of the upcoming weeks, a kind of snapshot of the energies at play in the world. As this new moon falls in the sign of Cancer, a focus on home, family, nurture, fun, security and protection is likely to occupy our thoughts.

Cancer, being the first of the water signs, means that our intuitive nature will never be far from our awareness, so finding a way to acknowledge our emotions without being swept away by them is going to be particularly important, as there is a great deal of tumult and change occurring in the world right now. This particular moon is an encouragement for us to turn within and to honour our feeling nature while taking care not to get caught up in external events. It is not a passive phase, on the contrary, Cancer heralds a time of active introspection and recharging.

If you are interested in learning more about astrology and how it can inform your world every month, please join me for Stardust – An Introduction to Astrology – an Online course.

Commencing Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025

Six sessions of two hours+ each, during which we will cover the History of Astrology, Planets, Signs, Houses and Aspects, the building blocks of an astrology chart.

Sessions are live and will be recorded to ensure an interactive experience.

Each participant will receive a copy of their birth chart to use as a platform for the course.

There is also an opportunity to join an ongoing group (online) as part of developing community that will extend beyond the course.

Cost is £250 (Early Bird Price £225 before August 23 – New Moon in Virgo!)

Contact me at info@marlowpurves.net to register!

Spring Equinox and The Solar Eclipse

by marlowpurvesnet, posted in Astrology, Creating Ceremony, Spiritual Astrology, Spiritual Awakening, Uncategorized

In the words of Bob Dylan… “I feel like I’ve been through a kind of thing, man”

As ever, the poet is succinct and on task. These past few weeks have been FULL of an un-precedented amount of clearing; letting go of old and out-worn identities, habits, relationships – you name it! Lots of colds and flu’s cropping up, landing us in the no-man’s land of lurghie as our bodies re-tune to the change in season and energies which have been heralded by the conclusion of the seven-part out-playing of Pluto square Uranus over the past three years. So much has been revealed!

Here we are poised on the very brink of a whole new ‘thing’.

Tomorrow is Spring Equinox and is a particularly unusual one as it coincides with a Solar eclipse.

The astrology is important as it points us in a direction that will piggy-back on the energies of this time.

I’m going to speak to these two phenomena separately, with the understanding that nothing happens in isolation and so are inextricably linked with one another.

The Spring Equinox occurs at 0 degrees Aries, every year, without fail. This year it falls on March 20 at 10:45pm GMT. The equinox is when we enjoy the experience of perfect balance, equal day and equal night. It is an invitation to find balance, peace and to mark the crossing of a threshold into new life, growth and development. We are emerging from the primordial soup and collective unconscious of Pisces into a self-actualizing, focused, goal-orientated Aries expression.

Typically in our celebration of the wheel of the year we pause and acknowledge the shift in energy.
So, we’ll pause now and prepare to take ACTION. Actions that typify this festival are cleansing and clearing, not ‘just’ through reflection and metaphorically, but also physically. This is the time for a Spring Clean, time to open the cupboards and take everything out; review it. Has our food, our sustenance literally passed it’s ‘USE BY’ date?! Are these clothes still an accurate expression of who we are now? Is that project, long forgotten at the back of the shed, still relevant?

Emerging from Pisces and the watery, mystical world of creativity and illusion is always a bit of a shock. Nature is burgeoning and we are feeling the pull of longer days, warmer winds. Our noses are drawn inexorably above the parapet! It’s been a brutal winter, in some ways, such a lot of turbulence and the heaviness of the winter months has weighed us down. Time for a good clear out! Rousing us from a dream-time, our bodies may be feeling a little achy, unused to movement and the on-rush of sap. When ‘cleanses’ are embarked upon, fasting aids in the re-tuning of our digestive systems and enables us to process the new life force, on all levels. It’s a perfect opportunity to re-assess ourselves, our lives and our vision for the coming year.

The actions that take place at this time of year are not limited to clearing and cleansing though, this is also a time to avail ourselves of the yielding earth and to plant seeds in anticipation of a harvest at the Autumn Equinox.

What seeds will we plant? What have the past months of dark, quiet, dream-time brought forth to be transformed into matter? What have you dreamt of?

Inevitably, when I prepare to celebrate the Turn of the Wheel, I discover something that I have never considered before. My revelation for this Equinox is about the God, Mars. Associated with March (natch!) and war; strife, blood shed, anger and force. I’ve never chosen to invest too much energy with this deity. Lately, I’ve been challenged to really get to grips with the value of this ‘killing machine’. I have discovered however, that though I always thought of Ares (Greek) and Mars (Roman) were interchangeable, it emerges that they were slightly different, in motivation, if not expression. Ares is, in fact, a God of War and fulfills the profile of war-monger and brute. Mars, on the other hand, was originally an agricultural God who rose to prominence ‘in defence’ of his dominion, land, crops and community. I am splitting hairs, but it occurs to me that there is a very different quality to this expression.

So, how do we harness the energy of Mars; sheer, passionate force dedicated to protection and preservation of that which sustains us? When I ask this question I can see how we could immediately be drawn into a border skirmish resulting in the kinds of wars that are waged over resources and territory. For the purposes of this Equinox, I invite you to re-imagine an expanded version of what ‘sustains us’ and by that I mean our environment, nature, the planet or (an aspect of) The Goddess. Delicate, vibrant, nourishing, beautiful and powerful, our planet, as an embodied expression of the Goddess, is calling forth her consort, Mars, to battle those forces that would decimate her, to restore balance. It is only through the dynamic inter-action of the feminine and masculine that new life can be created and sustained.

A super-charged opportunity to manifest presents itself and looms large in our energetic and cosmological field at the moment. It is the Solar Eclipse combined with a New Moon in Pisces. This ‘event’ will take place at 9:36am GMT. It will be visible in parts of northern Europe.

A New Moon is associated with new beginnings and the seeding of intentions for growth and development, when it is found in Pisces it usually has an artistic or spiritual flavour. Meditations on what it is that we are wanting to ‘grow’ and harvest at the full moon (in two weeks time) are a powerful way to set our internal compasses in the direction of manifestation. When the sun is in Pisces and is eclipsed by the moon there is also a very strong emphasis on service (an attribute of Virgo), as in service to ‘the other’. Eclipses involve the occultation of the sun and as such have a longer journey to make to reach it’s optimal state. The essence of this occurrence is that we have the usual effect of seeding new projects/intentions but, energized and extended in significance AND in time of ripening. |The Piscean influence will be felt as spiritual and faith-based ventures will emerge.

Take time to ‘tune in’ to your quiet self, be mindful of what you wish for and be prepared to ACT on it in order to yield an abundant harvest!

Blessed Equinox and Eclipse Everyone!