"Ego takes everything personally. Emotion arises, defensiveness, perhaps even aggression. Are you defending the truth? No, the truth, in any case, needs no defense. The light or sound does not care about what you or anybody else thinks. You are defending yourself, or rather the illusion of yourself, the mind-made substitute. It would be even more accurate to say that the illusion is defending itself."

—Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

Venus rules this week's Taurus Full Moon (5:19 AM PST 13° Taurus/Scorpio) while crossing the degree of last month's Venus ruled Libra New Moon (October 21, 5:24 AM PDT 28° Libra). Clearly, the Venusian desire for beauty, harmony — and perfection — is a powerful, guiding force at the culmination of this lunar cycle. Venus squares Jupiter at the beginning of the week and also opposes Chiron. The idealistic desire for balance and caring connections to others is overwhelming. However, when this idealism is challenged by [...]

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

—Martin Luther King Jr.

Decisive, productive action requires considered, well-balanced 'judgement'. Tuesday morning's Libra New Moon (5:24 AM PDT 28° Libra) provides us with excellent capacity for such judgement. Following the New Moon, we make a distinct shift from Libra's discerning balance and judgement into a much more decisive and determined environment. The Moon quickly moves into Scorpio, after the New Moon, to make a demanding but transformative square to Pluto. The Sun follows up [...]

"In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth."

—Patti Smith

The current lunar cycle 'culminates' this week with an Aries Full Moon (8:47 PM PDT 14° Aries/Libra) on Monday evening. But this lunar cycle continues to confound even with the culmination. There aren't any apparent 'straight lines' between the beginning of the lunar cycle at the 'particularly dark' Virgo New Moon Solar Eclipse (September 21, 12:53 PM PDT 29° Virgo) and this week's Full Moon. With the Sun and Mercury in Libra, we may have believed we'd like to find compromise. But uncertainty and [...]