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what's new?

Kia Ora. Greetings from Minerva!
Welcome to our what's new page. Updated monthly, with an image map of the heavens at New Moon, and a New Moon story from creative cronies 2012 astrological moon diary. Click on the following links for info on Neptune Coming Home from the 2012 planetary dance story in creative cronies moon calendar. And further down the page, the Transit of Venus story.

pisces new moon

Chart calculated for 11.34 am Wednesday 22 February 2012, Auckland, NZ

Seven Pisces planets are above us in the Southern Hemisphere now. The Moon and Sun are within the close embrace of Neptune, Pallas Athene and Chiron. This prompts trusting that we have the right healing words to share, that we feel moved towards compassionate action that gives courage and strength to another.

However, Mercury's opposition with Mars on the 24th suggests this may not come easily. On the 28th, Vesta moves into Aries, joining up with revolutionary Uranus on March 4. Chase passions that inspire you. Work alone if you need to. Especially if you want to avoid confrontation. Mercury in Aries from March 3 conjunct Uranus and Vesta on the 6th and 7th could be verbally abrasive, yet also be the source of exhilarating new ideas. Mercury begins a month long retrograde period on the 12th, and although communications and short distance travel may get fraught, the messenger's retrograde periods are great for accessing usually elusive insights from the unconscious mind.

Venus opposes Saturn on the 5th, momentarily highlighting areas of lack or limitation. Then the goddess of love and beauty takes off those tight shoes and relaxes comfortably into her home sign of Taurus. Venus, Taurus and the 2nd house describe our personal resources and the values we hold dear. What does your heart really care for or desire? On the 14th Venus trines Pluto and conjuncts Jupiter. The beauty and abundance of nature may seem especially radiant. Take a moment to smell the roses. Perhaps anything is possible when we are in states of deep appreciation and gratitude.

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aquarius new moon

Chart calculated for 8.40 pm Monday 23 January 2012, Auckland, NZ

The first New Moon of 2012 is in the Zodiac sign often depicted pouring cosmic waters on to humanity. Aquarius helps us find our own unique path, attuning us to inner guidance and divine purpose. Planets at the cusps of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces suggest we are being called upon to improve communications, invoke peace and healing, and be devoted in meditation or spiritual practice. Mars in Virgo is retrograde from January 24 to April 11. Efficient and industrious in a sign known for it's attention to details, Mars will provide many opportunities in the next 11 weeks for us to reconsider and redefine plans before putting them into action. Ceres and Uranus signal urgent desires for freedom, independence and self-sufficiency, which in turn link significantly to our physical well being.

Mercury is in innovative Aquarius from the 28th, squaring Saturn on the 27th, Jupiter on the 29th. Zipping through this friendly open sign, Mercury rapidly processes information and generates farsighted thinking. Relationship goddess Juno squares Neptune, then goes into Sagittarius on the 30th. Time to explore the barriers we impose on relationships. Juno will be in Sagittarius or Scorpio for most of 2012, so clarfying the visions we share with loved ones would be a good way to make the most of this idealistic and intellectually stimulating transit. May to August last year, we had our first taste of Neptune in Pisces. This year, from February 4, for better or worse, the planet of universal oneness is now in it's own sign for the next 15 years, taking psychic sensitivity to new depths.

Both Venus and Neptune usher in a new consciousness for humanity in 2012. We can be very afraid, or we can choose Love, fully believing we can face whatever comes our way. On February 8 Venus into Aries assumes her feisty, confident persona. Her aspects to Uranus and Juno on the 10th set the stage for strong self interest and potentially rewarding relationship clashes. Saturn seems reluctant to leave Libra, the sign it is exalted in. On the 8th the great teacher goes retrograde until June 25, making final careful bids for fair play and equality. Another warrior for justice, Pallas Athene, goes into Pisces on the 12th. Compassion is her wisdom here, her modus operandi non violent resistance. Mercury also goes into Pisces conjuncting Neptune on the 14th suggesting a flow of inspiring ideas. The Sun into Pisces on the 19th and conjunct Neptune on the 20th enhances opportunities for limitless creativity and deep soul healing, individually and collectively.

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neptune coming home

Tethys, Neptune Coming Home image by Auckland artist Sue Ashmore

Neptune has many feminine characteristics and entices us into formless, timeless dimensions with no boundaries. Associated with the vast changeable ocean, the womb of life, Neptune immerses us in Divine Oneness and Universal Love. This planet inspires art, music, dance, poetry, dreaming, mysticism and spirituality. Neptune is the higher octave of Venus, both planets representing Love – from the very personal to the universal.

Neptune Coming Home refers to Neptune entering Pisces, the sign it resonates with. Since Neptune's orbit is 165 years long this is the first time this giant blue-green planet has returned to Pisces since its discovery in 1846. In 2010 Neptune passed over its discovery position of 26 degrees Aquarius. These returns suggest a coming home of humanity to the feminine principle of interconnectedness, our true creative potential and our whole, non-dual selves.

Saturn conjunct Neptune at the time of Neptune's discovery in September 1846 marked the beginnings of the two dominant economic structures of communism and capitalism. Aspects from transiting Neptune to the discovery position coincide with the uprisings of minority groups, the first wave of feminism, anti-slavery and workers rights. For example, during the opposition from 1926 to 1927, there was the Harlem renaissance of black culture, the Russian revolution, and women winning the vote in the USA. At the time of the square, 1968 to 1969, flower power blossomed and a second wave of feminism flooded the world.

From 2010 to 2011, Neptune's return to its discovery position birthed: a third and hopefully final wave of feminism; a struggle to end racism as the cross cultural melting pot makes it more difficult to discriminate; and the death throes of the capitalist-communist dichotomy. Chiron escorting Neptune across the discovery point invites the healing of all systems. The original Saturn/Neptune conjunction emphasized the body, our own personal bodies, our collective social and political bodies, and the body of the planet that sustains us. For the last 165 years we have been materializing dreams, making them solid without realizing the true reality of nature. We now know that everything is energy in flux, ever changing and interconnected. Chiron makes us hyper-aware of the cost to fragile systems, from global ecosystems to personal immune systems. Until recently spiritual awakening was only available to an enlightened few. Now it seems the door is open to many ordinary individuals who are tapping into the natural evolutionary transformation to universal consciousness.

Looking at the individual signs in Creative Cronies 2012 Moon Calendar and Moon Diary, we are considering Neptune, Chiron and Venus influences. This combination emphasizes Oneness and the subtle absorption in collective healing love. We need to heal all our aspects of our being and these correspond to the elements of the signs. Aries, Leo, Sagittarius – Fire: Healing the spiritual body's alienation, separation, spiritual numbness. Discovering absolute trust, spiritual strength, psychic awareness and belief in universal love. Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn – Earth: Healing the physical body's disease, tension and physical pain. Being connected with the whole body including the aura, the pineal gland and the chakras. Gemini, Libra, Aquarius – Air: Healing the mental body's habits of anxiety and illusion. Developing intuition, daydreaming, fantasy, imagination, creative vision. Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces – Water: Healing the emotional body's fear of the unknown, loss of self and emotional anguish. Transcending fear, accessing cellular memory, harnessing emotional power and energy.

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2012 transit of venus

One of the most exciting events coming up in 2012 is the Transit of Venus on June 6 from around 10am to 4pm NZ Time. This is a one-off opportunity to see such a wonder in our present lifetime. Venus transits come in pairs eight, years apart, so there was a Venus Transit in 2004 preceeding the 2012 Transit. The next pair of transits will be in 2117 and 2125. There's lots more info about the Venus Transit in the 2012 Moon Calendar. Go to Astrology to read a snippet about the Venus effect on your Sun Sign.

2004 Venus Transit photo by David Cortner www.davidcortner.com

Creative Cronies Moon Calendar Productions PO Box 46 118 Herne Bay Auckland 1147 New Zealand Ph (NZ) 09 378 0704 mooncal@ihug.co.nz www.mooncalendar.co.nz