Libra New Moon– 2023

By Tracy Cook

Where should my focus be during this next 29-day cycle? 

When we draft a chart for the new moon, we get a sense of the energy that will be up for processing for the next 29 days.  

Okay what is this cycle about?   Ring a ding ding.  Your authentic self is calling not just for you but also for your relationships. 

Libra New Moon 

October 14, 2023

10:55am PDT

21 Libra 08   

Welcome to the 2023 Libra New Moon & Solar Eclipse 

This New Moon Solar eclipse is tied to the earlier eclipses in April and May.   The Aries -Libra cycle (with a little leftover Taurus Scorpio) does not wrap up until March 2025.   

Here are the eclipse dates:

April 19, 2023 – 29 Aries 50 Solar Eclipse

May 5, 2023 – 14 Scorpio 58 Lunar Eclipse 

Oct. 14, 2023 – 21 Libra 08 Solar Eclipse 

Oct. 28, 2023 – 5 Taurus 09 Partial Lunar Eclipse

March 25, 2024 – 5 Libra 07 Lunar Eclipse 

April 8, 2024 – 19 Aries 24 – Total Solar Eclipse (Across Americas) 

Sept 17, 2024 – 25 Pisces 41 Lunar Eclipse 

Oct 2, 2024 – 10 Libra 04 Solar Eclipse 

March 14, 2025 – 23 Virgo 57 Lunar Eclipse

March 29, 2025 – 9 Aries 00 

The Aries Libra eclipse cycles tap self and others.  Aries energy asks us to focus on independence and self-agency.    It is a time of finding the oomph to get up and do for our self or carve a new path or a new frontier.   At the same time, the Libra eclipse, reminds us to look at our partner and ask.  “Hey, I’m doing this, are you in?”   Of course, the partner may be doing the same thing and asking if we are in.   

In previous reports we have discussed how solar eclipses are tied to the lunar nodes which repeat in nineteen-year cycles.   The last time the north node was in Aries was from April 2004 -May 2006.  During that period: 

Facebook launches, NASA lands rover on Mars, a lot of terrorist sieges including the Madrid and London bombings and the Beslan school terrorist siege which killed 333 students & staff.  We had several very large earthquakes including the Mega thrust earthquake and catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami.  Also, Hurricane Katrina hit the USA.   There was the death of Pope Paul and the launch of YouTube and Twitter.   Iran generated grams of enriched uranium & Saddam Hussein, a ruthless tyrant goes into a trial which leads to his death.  

Obviously, in that period we see examples of the warring nature of Aries but also there is evidence of new adventures (very Aries) manifesting with tech entrepreneurs.  There were medical breakthroughs including the first ever face transplant.   It is important to note that today’s eclipse is very close to the same degree of the eclipse in October 2004 which included a pronounced Israeli Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip.   Sigh.  

So what about this Libra new moon eclipse chart?  

The chart for this new moon eclipse has the following tight aspects: Sun/Moon conjunction Mercury, Sun/Moon quincunx Uranus and Sun Moon oppose asteroid Chiron.   Pulling out a bit wider the Sun/Moon square Pluto.  Additionally, the ruling planet of Libra is Venus, which is opposed to Saturn. 

Normally we would focus first on the aspects with the planets but in this case, let’s start with the Sun/Moon opposite to planetoid Chiron.        The myth of Chiron is a tale of a wise centaur (half man/half horse) who is wounded and cannot fix himself, but Chiron can help others.   In Aries the lesson stresses the importance of knowing self, being a leader but at the same time being aware of others.  While Aries is full of fire and personal action, the wound that needs healing is recognizing that personal endeavors are more important and richer when they are done with others in mind.  The last time Chiron was in Aries was 1968-1977.  If you look back to that cycle it was a pronounced period of righteous fights for independence often in context of those who had a long history of being marginalized.   Having Chiron aspect this eclipse suggests that there will be ‘fighting for something’ themes all during this 29-day Libra lunar month.  It does not mean every day has a skirmish but there will probably be more than usual and the fights that will be healing are when they tap serving the greater good.   Try to thicken your skin this lunar cycle as fights based on thin skinned reactions will not be particularly rewarding.   Just sayin’ 

All eclipses are connected to new and full moons near the north and south nodes.   Given the north node is in Aries, we are seeing the theme of Chiron in Aries repeated in these eclipses.    On this Libra eclipse the Sun and Moon in Libra are near the south node and opposite the north node in Aries.   This eclipse reminds us of the power of give and take.  Those folks who double down in self-interest will benefit when they remember who is standing with them.   For 29 day we may be asked to remember, who is that person that stands with me?  For sure a partner can be a spouse.  But partners can be the person you do this thing for or that thing with, they are your partner in ______.     This is the eclipse to remind us of the power of negotiation.   On this 29-day lunar cycle you may need to draw boundaries.  “I can do this only if you do ____”.    Or I am going to do this because of _____.  Explaining your choices may be valuable.    However, the framing should be for equity and the sharing of insights which will give the other person better understanding of what makes you tick.  Avoid the dark side of Libra which is doing things for shallow reasons like it looks good if I do _____.  Also try if you can to avoid doing things based on tit-for-tat motivations.     

As we discussed it takes 19 years for the nodes to go through the 12 signs and by far, the eclipses with north node in Aries and south node in Libra are the most important aspects to tackle any co-dependency issues.  This is a great eclipse to go to an ALANON or CODA or ACA meeting.  Also, if you only see your value based on your partnerships, then you will be challenged during this eclipse cycle. This is the eclipse for your authentic nature to show up.  There are two people in relationship, are YOU showing up?   Or is it the person that you think should be showing up?   Use these 29 days to exercise your authentic self.  

The Sun/Moon conjunction Mercury emphasizes a lot of connecting this 29-day cycle.   Meeting up, phone calls, texting, there will be a lot more desire to hear from others and seek their knowledge and get input.   Actions based on being fair and balanced will be important.   No doubt we will all be finding our inner diplomat and putting him/her to work.   We will also be thinking a lot about what brings us balance.  Our minds will be fairness.   Equity.   Our brains will be on and we may be surprised if we find inequities in our life that we missed before.   This 29-day cycle it will be very clear who is doing all the work and who is not.     

Sun/Moon quincunx Uranus.  Ah, here comes the topsy turvy energy.   The quincunx aspect is not harsh like a square and not easy like a trine.    Quincunx poke at us, we get a feeling for action, but it is not clear what to do.  A quincunx is not a head-on energy.   It comes at us from our blind spots.  A quincunx irritates.   Libra wants harmony and balance at all costs.  The problem is when Libra pays too much to keep things nice.  

Uranus is the planet of things that are odd and weird, and the planet of immediate change.  Uranus shake things up.  It is a lightning strike.  The problem is Taurus hates change and holds on tight at all costs. 

Since Venus rules Libra and Taurus, it may be our values who will be getting the poke.   For 29-days we may feel something we value get challenged, possibly by something out of the blue.   Or something that normally has been solid could feel unstable.   We may have to make quick changes due to some weird circumstance.  By the end of this lunar month, we may have lightened our load in some way that we never planned but could be important as we move forward. 

Sun/Moon square Pluto this aspect is wider in the chart but as the days grow closer to October 21^st when the aspect is exact, we will feel the pressure intensify.   Since 2008 we have had several Libra New Moon charts that formed a square with Pluto in Capricorn.   Libra versus Capricorn is a challenge.  Libra wants everything nice, and Capricorn wants only things that are useful.  Libra will keep something around even if it does not function because it looks good.  Capricorn will put career ahead of relationships because work brings money and prestige.   This year is the final chart where the Libra new Moon gets into it with Pluto.  In 2025 they will form an out of sign square, which will be a bit different.   Globally, this 29-day cycle we will see pressure to find fairness in corporations and big government.  Equity issues in business and government will be up for all to see.  Also, things that have looked nice but are not functioning at their best will be exposed. This could be personal or global.  We could see something in the news that points out cracks and fissures of something that everyone thought was great but in truth was a mess.   Relationships that are only staying together for appearances may also be exposed.   With Pluto we are always put on notice that as hard as it may be to do it, there is growth when we let something die so something new can be reborn.   

Additionally, Venus oppose Saturn on the Libra New Moon chart speaks again to those things we value.  In general, whenever Venus and Saturn form an aspect, the best answer is usually: LESS IS MORE.   We want to save our money.   We don’t want to be frivolous and spend it all over the place.  We crave discretion.  We want to use our money for something valuable.  We are serious about love.  Serious about creativity.   Serious about play.   Serious about beauty.   Because Venus is in Virgo and Saturn is in Pisces this aspect speaks a lot about faith.  Virgo is nervous and insecure.  Pisces knows there is something more but cannot always talk about it.  A strong intuition guides Pisces.   Saturn in Pisces is still a fresh experience.   We are not that far  into the sign since this is a two year experience.   We are still finding a new level of seriousness about faith and things that we can’t see.   During this 29-day cycle we may find new skills that shore us up when our faith seems shaky.   

Saturn station Direct 

November 4, 2023

12:02 am PDT

00 Pisces 31 

Mar 11 2023     3:05pm    Saturn enters shadow 00 Pisces 31 

Jun 17, 2023    7:42am   Saturn station retrograde 07 Pisces 13

Nov 3, 2023      9:47am    Saturn station direct 00 Pisces 31

Jan 17, 2023     7:00am     Saturn leaves shadow 07 Pisces 13 

Earlier this year on March 7, Saturn left Aquarius and entered Pisces where it will be until 2026.    Pisces is the final water sign and connects to dreams, creativity, mysticism, spirituality, vulnerability, and compassion.   Given Saturn is the hardworking planet this could be a two- and half-year period of productive creative growth for Piscean endeavors.  It can also be an important period for humanitarian causes with concrete solutions.   

But how we get to concrete successes, which is what Saturn is always seeking, might start with Saturn’s calling card of frustration, sadness, weakness, and depression.    These emotions can be true of any sign Saturn enters but it is extra pronounced in vulnerable Pisces who can feel overwhelmed even on a good day.   Some of you may have felt these emotions since it entered Pisces in March.   However, what we know is that by the end of the Saturn’s journey in 2026 there will be important results.  Saturn takes hold of something slippery in Pisces and then shapes and modes it into something that can last.  Such was the case in previous treks by Saturn in Pisces. In the 1870s during the early days of what would become the art Impressionist movement or the film industry in the 1930s and certainly the world wide web in the 1990s, all were shaped during Saturn in Pisces.  Saturn brings a practicality to any sign including ephemeral, dreamy, sensitive, slippery Pisces.       

Since June 17 Saturn had its first retrograde in Pisces.    For those people who have been feeling melancholy or pessimistic about something in their life or in the world, the retrograde could have stirred up the darker feelings.   But Saturn retrograde is not prone to collapse into the emotions or lean into ‘what’s the use.’  Instead, Saturn seeks solutions.   How did you find solutions?  Were you sharing your vulnerabilities with others?    Did you seek professional help (very Saturn)?  Did you fold in a therapist?  How about a new doctor?  If your business was wonky did you get a lawyer or financial advisor?   How did you structure self-care and find ways to restore your body, emotions, and psyche?    Between June 17 and November 3 did you use Saturn retrograde to look and find your inner self help team so you could stay on track, strengthen your resolve and in the end support your ability to tap faith?    More will be revealed as 

In conclusion:  

Astrologer Stephanie Austin in her report really hit the nail on the head about working with the nodes and Chiron.   She writes 

“The Sun, Moon, and Chiron are conjunct the South Node in Libra and opposite Chiron in Aries, emphasizing the importance of clear communication, and how words can heal or harm. Good communication involves not only listening without interrupting, but doing what helps people feel really heard. According to a Harvard Business Review study, good listeners can make the person sharing feel safe and supported by holding an intention to help rather than to win an argument, asking questions that kindly and constructively challenge assumptions, and offering feedback and/or alternatives to consider. For more, read Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman’s article What Great Listeners Actually Do here.

In the words of Stephanie,  may we all be good listeners and not just win arguments.  

See you in Scorpio! 

The 8 phases

Libra New Moon 

21 Libra 08

October 14, 2023 

10:55am PDT 

New moon: Plant seeds, make calls, activate, start projects.   Activate something that will ideally lead you to more.  This is the phase where INTENT is critical.  Even if the results are not immediate, the intent is there.  You may not have all the answers or road map, but you should put out your Intent.

This focus:    Relationships that are authentic begin with you being authentic.   How are you craving authentic experiences with others?  How are you supporting your life so that it is more balanced?  How can you improve your relationships by showing up and being real?   Where do you need to exercise better negotiation skills?  How are you considering what is fair?     

Special note:

10/14: Mercury oppose Chiron.  It is vexing to consider independence and how to lean into it.  How to mentally wrap our brains around self agency is difficult but perhaps necessary.  

10/18: Sun oppose North Node Indepedence, cutting new paths challenged by relationships.  What can be negotiated? 

10/18: Mercury oppose North node.  Getting our brains around independence going our own way is challenging but still considering it is important.  What can be negotiated with relationships? 

Crescent Moon Phase

October 18, 2023

6:48am PDT  

Crescent:  We will receive information, we will research a bit more, perhaps get feedback on stuff that we planted on new.  Perhaps get some information that will help down the road on a seed we planted a while ago.  We can collect some data now.  Even if you think you are not getting information, stop, and re-look at everything.  Who called you?  Even the silliest things when they come up during Crescent are note worthy.  A parking ticket.  An argument with a spouse?  A refund check from the phone company?  All of it needs to be considered a message from the universe.  How can this information help you?

Focus on: What are you learning about being a bridge?  What are you learning about the power of opinions?  What are you learning the power of things that are ‘foreign’? How are you leaning into philosophies?   How are you finding balance by expanding your world and knowledge? 

Special Focus

10/19:  Mercury conjunct Sun.  Balance, negotiations, seeking diplomacy in personal and world events highlighted. 

10/20:  Mercury square Pluto.  Thoughts of anger and depression, even rage.   Lots to process.  Watch your words. 

First Quarter Moon 

September 21, 2023

8:29 pm PDT 

First quarter: We do more actions based on the information that we just received.  Or we feel our instincts guide us on something.  We pursue again.  We make another call, or we see someone. We mail something.  We stir the pot again.  This can be a time when we realize that the goals, we planted on new need more action from us, perhaps actions that involve breaking away.   Are there people who say they have our best interest in heart but fear us growing away from them?  Maybe we need to get help from others not the usual suspects.  Some independence may need to be exerted. 

Focus on:  How are you taking actions that tap your executive abilities?  How does being the leader give you balance?  How does being the boss fill out something that has been missing?  What are you learning about status?  The good and the bad about it?  What actions can you tap on the executive level? 

Special Note

10/21:  Sun square Pluto.   Relationships are stressed.  What is leaderships versus what are partnerships?   Negotiating can be difficult.  Peace at any cost feels off in personal and world matters. 

10/21:  Venus trine Jupiter.  Love feels expansive.  Values feel uplifted.  Expansion of values.  Opportunities.  

10/21:  Mercury enters Scorpio.  New cycle of thinking begins, it is intense, black and white thinking, strategic, lasered.  

10/22:  Mercury trine Saturn.  Conservative thinking, restrained thoughts and communication is highlighted can bring movement as well.     

10/24: Sun trine Saturn.  Restrain that promotes well-being and strong relationships and faith.  

Gibbous Moon

October 25, 2023  

5:20 am PDT  

Gibbous:

We refine our information.  We pick and choose, we discriminate, and we organize to be ‘Virgo’ like.  We sort through details.  Have we missed something?  How are we sifting through the information?  Go back and make sure something hasn’t been neglected.  Refine our actions.  

Focus on:  How are you refining your faith? How are you refining your spirituality?   What are figuring out about your intuition?   How does all of this need attention if it has been neglected?  

Special focus

10/28: Mars opposite Jupiter.  What actions can you take that release stuff that no longer is valuable or serves a meaningful purpose?  Opportunities come when we cut out things that don’t work.   Actions based on death with rebirth are highlighted.  

October 28, 2023

Partial Lunar Eclipse 

1:24pm PDT

5 Taurus 09 

Full Moon:  We make the needed adjustments on the things we planted. Usually, emotions are up and running and for those people who perhaps did not utilize the new moon and the rest of the waxing moon, this is when emotions can get the better of us.  There can often be a big emotional break, for no other reason than to get back on track.   Some partnership will offer up some balance.  The moon is bright and full and there is no room for shadows, what is reflecting on you?  

Focus on:     How are you rigid?  How are you strong from the ground up?   Where are you stuck?  How are you connected to your values?  What needs your attention that can be built upon bit by bit? 

Special focus 

10/28:  Mercury oppose Jupiter.  Thinking that wants to be generous but is perhaps challenged by lack of resources.  Communication about structures that are not solid.  But opportunity can be found.

10/29: Mercury conjunct Mars.  Explosive thinking. 

10/31: Venus trine Uranus.  Creativity comes from out of the blue.  Money, love, values get support in an unusual manner.  

Disseminating

November 1, 2023

2:48am PDT       

Disseminating: Share information; find a teacher or someone who has more knowledge. Perhaps there was a big ol’ blow out on the full and one feels in need of support and help, this is the phase to reach out to one who knows more. This is when we find a rabbi or a minister or therapist who gives us more insight.   And of course, you too may be ready to teach and share your own information.  

Focus on:   What are you sharing that is speaks to connectivity?  How are you sharing advise to neighbors or siblings?  How are you communicating knowledge that helps or bridges concepts or things that seem disparate?

Special focus:

11/2:  Sun oppose Jupiter.  Opportunity can come but avoid going too big, too much risk or extravagance.  Less is more.  

11/3: Venus oppose Neptune.  Values feel fuzzy.  Insecurity.  Faith is challenged by facts on the ground. 

11/4: Saturn station direct (00 Pisces 31) (see above)

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Last Quarter Moon Phase

November 5, 2023 

1:36am PDT    

Last Quarter moon:  Now we do the final adjustments to the seeds we planted on new. The final call, the final letters to send, we follow all the trails that came up that still make sense.  And we let the other parts lay fallow. It is a time of action but wise action.  It is a time for living “The serenity prayer” 

God, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change Courage to change the
things I can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference.

Focus on:

How are you motivated by strength?  How are you a hero or heroine?  What actions do you need to take that speaks to your self-esteem?  What actions do you need to take that speak to your heart?  

Special focus 

11/4: Mercury oppose Uranus.  Thinking and communication that shakes things up.   Out of the blue information that can be provocative.   

11/5: Daylight savings times ends, and standard time begins in USA

11/6: Venus trine Pluto.  Creativity is highlighted.  Transformative opportunities.   Values get a boost when something is released.  

11/6: Mercury trines Neptune.  Inspired thinking and conversation that taps faith.  

11/8: Venus enters Libra.  Venus begins a journey that focuses on partnerships, balance, beauty and the power of negotiations.  

11/8: Mercury sextile Pluto.  Creative thinking.  New ideas come as old ideas are released.  

11/9: Mercury enters Sagittarius. A new cycle of thinking that is adventurous, philosophical, broad in approach.  

Balsamic Moon Phase

October 09, 2023 

3:43am PST 

Balsamic:   We let go.  By releasing we can prepare for the new.  

Focus on:  How are you releasing wishy-washiness? How are you releasing passive aggressiveness?    

Special focus:

11/10:  Mercury square Saturn.  Tense discussions, dark thoughts, faith feels challenged.   Being broad feels misguided.   

11/11: Mars opposes Uranus.  Disruptive actions that come from out of the blue.  Earthquakes.  Tech is challenged.

11/13: Sun opposes Uranus.  Disruption.   Resources feel assaulted perhaps from out of the blue. 

11/13 : Mercury sextile Venus.  Creative, fresh thinking that supports love, money and values.  

November 13, 1:27am PDT  (20 Scorpio 44)