Photo by Lubaina - Sunrise at Titicaca Lake
New Moon in Scorpio & Mercury Retrograde ~ Kālī Shakti and Diwali
What can I say about this new moon in the first decan of Scorpio? What can one say about the kind of energy that unrelenting and ruthless in its desire for truth?
I will describe the energy surrounding this new moon with a story.
Recently, during my travels to the amazing sacred valley in Peru, I started feeling and invoking the goddess Kālī in my Yoga practice. I didn’t go looking for her…she found me. Through my asana practice and mantras, she hunted me down and looked me straight in the eye. The archetype of the divine mother Shakti in the form of Kali is relentless. She is the goddess of death and destruction.Her most well known origin story is that when Durga was in a battle with these demons, she got so angry that through her anger Kālī was manifested into the world out of her third eye.
This is significant because Kālī while known for her fierceness and wildness, ultimately stands for the archetype of transformation, of destroying our ego and the illusions that stand in the way of us realizing our true selves. In the battle Kālī defeats all the demons including the one that kept cloning itself with each drop of its blood that was spilled. She licked up each drop with her long tongue..symbolizing to me the defeat of the false constructions created by our minds.. and in her rampage she couldn’t be stopped until her consort Shiva lay down in corpse pose at her feet (hence Savasana), and when she looked at his eyes, she was calmed. Her thirst wasn’t quenched, she merely came into balance. Shiva here symbolizes the Purusha, the unmanifest self. And together they represent the Yin-Yang duo of the dissolution of the ego so our true being can shine through.
This is the kind of transformational energy you are dealing with under this Scorpio new moon, ripe with its opposition to Uranus, created sudden flashes of intuition that lead to spontaneous (albeit sometimes erratic) changes. The new moon is conjunct the fixed Star Syrma, which relates to “the heavy personal responsibility which is implicit in the occult questing and acquisition of spiritual power.” So this new moon will cause us to look at our dark side, our shadow selves, and if our ego is somehow enmeshed in our spiritual journey, this new moon will make it very apparent to us.
The other thing to make note of, is that this new moon occurs during on the beginning of the shadow period of the Mercury retrograde (the shadow period started October 11th, so if you’ve noticed some weird stuff, blame it on Mercury) which starts on…halloween! This Mercury retrograde is quite spooky in its nature, it will be in the sign of Scorpio, and as it stations retrograde, it will be conjunct Venus, the goddess of love, romance and money. Venus in Scorpio is very much Kālī energy in our love lives, in that all the contractions within us that keep us from experiencing the fullness of love in our being, will be revealed. Mercury will station retrograde conjunct Venus on the star Toliman, which is located in the wound on the thigh of the Centaur. Constellation Centaurus is Chiron made of stars. All this to say that while it may not be easy, this Mercury retrograde will bring with it an amazing opportunity to heal deep wounds from past relationships. It might even provide the chance to reconcile relationships that have turned sour.
Remember that Scorpio rules sex, death, the occult and joint finances. Those with strong Scorpio or eighth house planets will be the most affected by this retrograde, although depending on where it falls in your personal chart, you will feel it’s effects in your life and environment. This retrograde followed by the new moon in Scorpio, is about intensely personal relationships and their impact on agreements like a loan, will or mortgage. Proceed with caution in all matters of joint finance, especially with a spouse or significant other as things are unlikely to go smoothly. Conversely, there could be unexpected boon from these areas as well, especially if old wounds are healed, which is why during this time it is very important for us to focus on our spiritual lives, staying present and conscious.
One last note about the energy surrounding this retrograde — on a more global scale, we are likely to see some chaos (what?!? Haven’t we had enough already) surrounding finances, as well as some shady and unpleasant things coming to light. Think of this as a global opportunity to purge some dark $h!t, the process might be painful, but as a collective we will be better off for it once it’s done.
So prepare for the new moon tonight with courage and openness. Be willing to go where angels fear to tread, and you won’t be disappointed. And guess what? Tonight’s new moon is bringing in Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Diwali is celebrated after 20 days of Dasara, during which effigies are burnt of the demon Ravana, an ode to the victory of the god Rama who defeated this demon with the help of Hanuman and rescued his goddess Sita from his captivity. Diwali then signifies the triumph of light over darkness, and isn’t this is a brilliant omen? So let these planetary alignments prepare you to burn away the Ravana within, so that your true self of light can shine through.
I will describe the energy surrounding this new moon with a story.
Recently, during my travels to the amazing sacred valley in Peru, I started feeling and invoking the goddess Kālī in my Yoga practice. I didn’t go looking for her…she found me. Through my asana practice and mantras, she hunted me down and looked me straight in the eye. The archetype of the divine mother Shakti in the form of Kali is relentless. She is the goddess of death and destruction.Her most well known origin story is that when Durga was in a battle with these demons, she got so angry that through her anger Kālī was manifested into the world out of her third eye.
This is significant because Kālī while known for her fierceness and wildness, ultimately stands for the archetype of transformation, of destroying our ego and the illusions that stand in the way of us realizing our true selves. In the battle Kālī defeats all the demons including the one that kept cloning itself with each drop of its blood that was spilled. She licked up each drop with her long tongue..symbolizing to me the defeat of the false constructions created by our minds.. and in her rampage she couldn’t be stopped until her consort Shiva lay down in corpse pose at her feet (hence Savasana), and when she looked at his eyes, she was calmed. Her thirst wasn’t quenched, she merely came into balance. Shiva here symbolizes the Purusha, the unmanifest self. And together they represent the Yin-Yang duo of the dissolution of the ego so our true being can shine through.
This is the kind of transformational energy you are dealing with under this Scorpio new moon, ripe with its opposition to Uranus, created sudden flashes of intuition that lead to spontaneous (albeit sometimes erratic) changes. The new moon is conjunct the fixed Star Syrma, which relates to “the heavy personal responsibility which is implicit in the occult questing and acquisition of spiritual power.” So this new moon will cause us to look at our dark side, our shadow selves, and if our ego is somehow enmeshed in our spiritual journey, this new moon will make it very apparent to us.
The other thing to make note of, is that this new moon occurs during on the beginning of the shadow period of the Mercury retrograde (the shadow period started October 11th, so if you’ve noticed some weird stuff, blame it on Mercury) which starts on…halloween! This Mercury retrograde is quite spooky in its nature, it will be in the sign of Scorpio, and as it stations retrograde, it will be conjunct Venus, the goddess of love, romance and money. Venus in Scorpio is very much Kālī energy in our love lives, in that all the contractions within us that keep us from experiencing the fullness of love in our being, will be revealed. Mercury will station retrograde conjunct Venus on the star Toliman, which is located in the wound on the thigh of the Centaur. Constellation Centaurus is Chiron made of stars. All this to say that while it may not be easy, this Mercury retrograde will bring with it an amazing opportunity to heal deep wounds from past relationships. It might even provide the chance to reconcile relationships that have turned sour.
Remember that Scorpio rules sex, death, the occult and joint finances. Those with strong Scorpio or eighth house planets will be the most affected by this retrograde, although depending on where it falls in your personal chart, you will feel it’s effects in your life and environment. This retrograde followed by the new moon in Scorpio, is about intensely personal relationships and their impact on agreements like a loan, will or mortgage. Proceed with caution in all matters of joint finance, especially with a spouse or significant other as things are unlikely to go smoothly. Conversely, there could be unexpected boon from these areas as well, especially if old wounds are healed, which is why during this time it is very important for us to focus on our spiritual lives, staying present and conscious.
One last note about the energy surrounding this retrograde — on a more global scale, we are likely to see some chaos (what?!? Haven’t we had enough already) surrounding finances, as well as some shady and unpleasant things coming to light. Think of this as a global opportunity to purge some dark $h!t, the process might be painful, but as a collective we will be better off for it once it’s done.
So prepare for the new moon tonight with courage and openness. Be willing to go where angels fear to tread, and you won’t be disappointed. And guess what? Tonight’s new moon is bringing in Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Diwali is celebrated after 20 days of Dasara, during which effigies are burnt of the demon Ravana, an ode to the victory of the god Rama who defeated this demon with the help of Hanuman and rescued his goddess Sita from his captivity. Diwali then signifies the triumph of light over darkness, and isn’t this is a brilliant omen? So let these planetary alignments prepare you to burn away the Ravana within, so that your true self of light can shine through.
Want to know what the stars have to say to you? Book an Astrology Reading with me to find out what guidance the stars have for you and your life.
Want to do a meditation under the New Moon to tap into it's energies?
Check out this Sound Healing Water Meditation by Lubaina
