moon — luna mare donna

Understanding astrology is fascinating, fun & seriously enlightening!

Your natal chart is a depiction of the astrological positions of planets, asteroids & stars at the precise moment of your birth. Most of us are familiar with our “Sun sign”, but there is so much more to know! A basic natal chart shows the positions of the Sun & Moon, called the Luminaries, plus the eight main planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto. Astrologers add layers to the chart with asteroids Chiron, Ceres, Juno, Pallas, Vesta, Eris, the two Liliths, Magdalena, Gaia & others. There are important points in a chart, too, including the “angles” - Rising Sign/Ascendant/AC, Descendant/DC, Midheaven/MC & Imum Coeli/IC - plus the North Node & South Node of the Moon, Pars Fortunae, Vertex, Anti-Vertex & the Galactic Center. Fixed Stars & thousands of other asteroids can also be added to a chart.

Each of these planets, points & asteroids resides in one of the twelve astrological signs & in an astrological house. A precise birth time is necessary in order to determine the correct placement of the houses. Without a birth time, you can usually still get a fairly accurate idea of the sign of each of your main planets. However, having an accurate birth time gives you a precise & complete chart. See the resource section below to find sites you can easily & quickly get your free astrology chart.

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Every 28 days or so, the Moon cycles through all 12 astrological signs, spending about 2 1/2 days - 60 hours - in each sign, moving 1 astrological degree every 2 hours. The energy of the Moon, although always inherently feminine & emotional, varies somewhat according to the sign the Moon is in. When a woman follows & attunes herself to the daily shifts of the Moon, she begins to embrace & flow with the magic that is the Moon.

The Moon waxes & wanes, typically with one New Moon & one Full Moon each month. Occasionally, there are two Full Moons in a single calendar month, with the second lunation called a Blue Moon, hence the expression “once in a blue moon”. Occasionally, the Moon interacts with the Sun in a Solar/New Moon Eclipse or a Lunar/Full Moon Eclipse. Total Eclipses have greater influence than Partial Eclipses. The Moon is always a powerful force for a woman, but Moon rituals are particularly meaningful during New Moons & Full Moons, even extra during Eclipses, because the energy is magnified at these times.

Each New Moon & Full Moon falls in a particular astrological sign, bringing out the energy of that sign. To enhance the power of a Moon ritual, we focus on the essence of the sign the Moon is in, meditating on key words & phrases, the ruler, modality, season, colors, crystals, flowers, metals, tarot cards & body areas associated with that sign. We flow with what intuitively rises into our awareness in the moment, too.

The Moon is always about connecting to our feminine intuition, really listening to what She has to say. She appreciates us giving her time & sacred space to be heard & honored. As we honor the Moon, we honor ourselves as the Sacred Feminine. Through these sacred rituals, we are nourished & empowered.

Getting acquainted with the cycles of the Moon is an amazing & evolving experience. You can do Moon rituals by yourself or in the company of other women, indoors or outdoors. They can be quietly meditative, fun & raucous, or something in between. You can envision & psychically connect to women from other times & millennia past, who performed rituals to honor the Moon & the Sacred Feminine. Imagine they are with you now & allow the collective power of their feminine wisdom to express through you in the present moment.

The Dark Moon occurs in the hours just before & just after the New Moon. The hours prior to the New Moon are particularly important for cleansing, purifying, releasing, banishing, completing projects, tying loose ends, rest & quiet. This is not the time for planting seeds just yet, rather a time to prepare the soil. This is the darkness, the ending of the cycle. The best crystals for the Dark Moon are, no surprise here, dark crystals & grounding crystals - smoky quartz, hematite, black tourmaline & obsidian.

The New Moon occurs when the Sun & Moon are conjunct = together in the same sign & degree. It is a time for planting seeds, fresh starts, new beginnings & initiating projects. The energy is awakening. The darkness represents the soil of the Earth from which a new sprout soon arises. Just after the New Moon, set your intentions, plant the seeds of your hopes, dreams & desires into the deep fertile Earth. Honor the Sacred Feminine & the planet each day, with both quiet meditation & bold action. For the next two weeks following a New Moon, the Moon waxes, nurturing those seeds.

The Full Moon, when the Sun & Moon are opposite each other at the same degree, is a time of harvest, manifestation, culminations, completions, closures, turning points & intentions coming to fruition. The energy is peaking. The illuminating light reveals what was hidden. Then the Moon wanes once again.

Watch for the seeds of intention planted at the time of a New Moon in a particular sign to come to fruition six months later at the corresponding Full Moon in that same sign. This is true for each New Moon & corresponding Full Moon in the same sign.

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Understanding some basic astrology helps you to interpret your natal chart & also to get the most out of your Moon rituals during the year.

The 12 astrological signs have a certain astrological order:
- Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.
Each astrological sign is either:
- masculine or feminine
- fire, earth, air or water
- cardinal, fixed or mutable
- spring, summer, autumn or winter

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Tarot can be a lovely addition to your Moon rituals.

The High Priestess Card is the card of the Moon & is perfect for any Moon ceremony.
Each sign is represented by a Major Arcana card, so that is a nice card to use, too.
You can add to your ritual the Queen cards linked to the sign the Moon is in:
- for fire signs, Queen of Wands
- for earth signs, Queen of Pentacles
- for air signs, Queen of Swords
- for water signs, Queen of Cups
Of course, you can always use or draw other cards, as you wish.
There is a plethora of beautiful decks out there. Find one that resonates.

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It is nice to collect & have on hand a set of beautiful images that remind you of the goddess, some of fire, some of earth, some of air, some of water. You can use these images to invoke the Sacred Feminine for your Moon rituals or anytime you desire to connect to these energies. Pinterest is a perfect place to do this. For some ideas, check out our luna mare donna Pinterest boards - the sacred feminine, elegance, muses & all the other boards. Clarify what makes you feel most in attunement with the goddess. Having a gorgeous journal or grimoire in which you record the cycles of the Moon, your notes on mythology, astrology, tarot, crystals, herbology, spells & such, as well as your thoughts, feelings & experiences of the Sacred Feminine most certainly enhances the process.

*Remember to always be cautious in general & in particular with fire & near bodies of water when doing Moon rituals.

tarot & astrology resources

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The Tarot Lady
thetarotlady.com

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Astrodienst
astro.com

the main astrological website used worldwide by both astrologers & novices

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Cafe Astrology
cafeastrology.com

another great place to learn astrology & to get a free basic chart with an explanation of aspects, plus daily horoscopes & ephemeris charts for daily positions of the planets

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Guiding Star Astrology with Kesenya Moore

guidingstarastrology.com

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The Dark Pixie Astrology

thedarkpixieastrology.com

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Mystic Medusa

mysticmedusa.com

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South Florida Astrologer

southfloridaastrologer.com