New Moon in Capricorn

January 2007

Sabian Symbol: "A Woman Reading Tea Leaves"

Tea pot is on, the cups are waiting, favorite chairs anticipating.
No matter what I have to do, my friend there’s always time for you.
And there is no trouble so great and grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.
(Bernard-Paul Theroux)

This week's new Moon is a reflective, rather contemplative one, and one that has us wanting more answers to life. The Sabian Symbol for this Moon is Capricorn 29: A Woman Reading Tea Leaves. This Symbol has us wanting to find answers, to feel that we have a sense of guidance, an understanding of what's coming or clues to issues we've been asking questions about.

‘A Woman Reading Tea Leaves’ shows someone looking into a cup and being able to see and ‘read’ signs and meaning in things that most people would never stop to notice or know how to make sense of. The patterns in the cup “speak” to the woman. There’s no way of knowing how good she is at interpreting what she sees: She may be a very experienced reader, with a great depth of clairvoyance or intuition, or she may be trying to see how much she can ‘read’ into the ‘tea leaves’ in a simpler, or experimental way.

Where there is tea there is hope.
Sir Arthur Pinero

The art of tea is a spiritual one for us to share.
Alexandra Stoddart

The text for Capricorn 29 from my book 360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With the Sabian Oracle:

You may be open to the ability, or the need, for seeing meaning through the catalyst of the simplest of everyday events. It seems clear that you will receive messages about your situation if you are open to “seeing” the signs. The Symbol of the ‘Woman Reading Tea Leaves’ shows that such simple things as the ‘Tea Leaves’ in the bottom of your cup are able to give indicators and clues as to what’s coming up in the future or in your life right now. One has to put aside skepticism and be able to embrace trust and an intuitive knowing in order to be able to listen to the messages that are all around you. Just be aware that this situation doesn’t lead to looking for clues to things everywhere you look. You can lose the gift of enjoyment and spontaneity if there is no discrimination about where, and how often, you look for guidance and answers. Don’t take everything verbatim, as the answers that are given in this situation are often rather symbolic and may need thoughtful interpretation. This may picture a situation where you are able to see these meanings, or it can show that another will perform this for you. Whatever, looking at things from a different perspective can reveal previously hidden information and truths, often in the simple things around you in the everyday world.

Keywords: Symbolism opening pathways to the spiritual center. Seeing the signs. Seeing signatures in small things that others miss. Intuition and clairvoyance. Creative visualization. Tea leaves and coffee grinds. Non verbal cues. Rituals. Tea and sympathy. Fathoming the depths of simple things. Predicting the future. Seeking guidance and changes of fortune.

The Caution: Reliance on superstition or esoteric advice. Constantly seeking assurance. Taking things literally, not symbolically. Looking for answers or significance everywhere. Small rewards for talents that should be more respected.

Of course, we could be the 'reader' of the tea leaves, or the one 'receiving the reading' and we are probably both. Friends and counselors can often see what's going on and what the possibilities are in our lives far better than we can. Others see our talents and gifts, and, when this degree is around, they will often have a word or two to say to provide comfort, insight or encouragement. Naturally, we in turn often play this role for others.

Whichever end of the stick we're on - the giving or receiving end - it's as sure as eggs that we're currently looking for clues.

This New Moon holds a strong possibility of people being able to assemble the pieces of the puzzle so they find those answers they're looking for. Many report that they've been 'in the dark' about what's going on, the world situation, their personal lives and their futures. Life has had a certain uncertain quality about it as Neptune has been hammering home the message of Aquarius 17 lately. The Sabian Symbol for Aquarius 17 is A Watchdog Standing Guard Protecting His Master and His Possessions. With Neptune, the planet of illusions, delusion as well as profound insight, has been clouding issues, it's often felt that by 'letting our guard down' we've opened ourselves up to some unstability, unsuredness and a measure of operating in the dark. The 'dark', of course, is often where the 'light' comes in to situations, people and events; we learn to let down that guard and learn to trust and accept and trust again. This has been one of the lessons of Neptune over the last several months.

Neptune has recently also passed over the degree of Aquarius 18: A Man Being Unmasked at a Masquerade. Hiding behind 'masks' won't work now as we are being asked to be our true, authentic selves. The need to emerge from behind facades to fully embrace our potentialities and to also see others (and events) for what they truly are brings more rewards than continuing to be the 'Watchdog'. We have to drop our vigilance, our suspicions and our uncertainties and move into the light.

Venus and Neptune in this New Moon are both together on Aquarius 19: A Forest Fire Finally Quenched. Venus, the planet of relationships, money and beauty and all its rewards, conjuncting Neptune is now putting us on notice to get over those things that have held us hostage and to move on in our lives. Lessons have been learnt, realizations have been realized and it's time to embrace a calm 'knowingness', as insights into the struggles of the recent past gain some perspective through the lens of the Woman Reading Tea Leaves. Looking for clues just got a whole lot more interesting.

The search for answers has the karmic South Node adding fuel to this fire as it's on Virgo 18: Two Girls Playing With A Ouija Board - another 'insightful' degree. Here, the mirror of relationships provide us with more clues, more information, more answers.

Chiron, the Wounded Healer entity in our solar system, has a message that is likely to have many seeking answers and finding them, but the messages could get skewed if too much expectation is placed on either one's self or others. It's Aquarius 10: A Man Who Had For a Time Become the Embodiment of an Ideal is Made to Realize That as a Person He is Not This Ideal.

My keywords for this degree are: Staying true to oneself. Ideas that look great for a time, but lose their gloss. Lost opportunities. Waking up just in time. Depression. Self-esteem issues. Projections of personality. Not clearly seeing people. Realizing that people have changed. False expectations. Falling off the pedestal. Finding one's core identity.

The Cautions include: Clinging to false feelings of fame. Not accepting that things have moved on or changed. Disillusionment and disappointment. Losing one’s faith. Religious questions and doubts. Aiming too high. Reversals of fortune. Idols and idolizing. Self pity. Giving up. Being slammed by others.

Chiron and Neptune's messages seem to be about accept 'disillusionment', whether it's about one's self or others, as a healing. We are seeing through illusions now and we are likely to see that the Emporer is indeed naked; our expectations become our mirrors and we see things more in all their naked glory.

There are incredible opportunities for 'self disclosure' here. Where are we mirroring others, trying to live up to often very difficult standards instead of pursuing our own visions and staying true to ourselves?

Mercury, the planet of communications and rational thought, seems to hold the solution to the dilemmas briefly outlined above. It's on Aquarius 7 for this New Moon: A Child Born Out of an Eggshell. The Keywords and the Cautions from my book hold these things for your consideration:

Keywords: Transmutation. The birth of a new creative original impulse. Incubated ideas coming to fruition. Genetic engineering. Invitro fertilization. People beyond their time. Mutations. Seeking the unusual. The unexpected birth. The desire to have children. The nurturing egg. Emerging in a unique way. The matrix and the casket. The struggle to break free. Genetic engineering. Indigo children. Children that seem unrelated to their parents. Adoption.

The Caution: Being different only to follow fashion. Afraid of new ideas. Lack of support. Spoilt and naive attitudes. Rebellion. Uneasiness. Prejudice and racial stereotypes. Refusing to believe even what the eyes can see.

Mercury is asking the questions: What are you giving birth to? What is your vision for a new you? What 'masks' have you stripped (or need to be) from yourself and others? What potentials are you giving birth to?

It seems there is a lot of looking for clues going on, given the above. Perhaps it's time to have a cuppa with a good friend, to seek guidance from someone who can hold you hand and see the beauty that shines from you.

Perhaps it's time for you to have a reading with Lynda! :) I promise to put the kettle on.

Personal message for you from the Sabian Symbols

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