Daykeeper Journal: Maya del Mar's Moon Report

by Maya del Mar

LAST QUARTER MOON IN SCORPIO, Sausalito, CA, Feb. 17, 2001. (Refer to Calendar entry for February 14.) Weekly moon phases are always turning points in the month’s moon cycle. Summing up the work of the cycle is a major feature of the last, or fourth quarter, phase.

This is the cycle of Aquarius, and its message is emblazoned in dramatic form in colorful Mexico.

On the one hand we have an 8-hour get together of two presidents, replete with security paraphernalia, private helicopters, amenities, and a horseback ride, like the conquistadors of old. Pres. Fox welcomes GW to his ranch, as one patrón to another.

On the other hand we have the Zapatistas preparing for their journey to Mexico City to talk about peace with the government, and equity for the Indians of Mexico. President Fox has told them he does not want them to come, but they are gathering a group of 1200 supporters, and the President will not be able to deny them a voice.

The Zapatistas are marching with the guidance of Mars in the travel sign of Sagittarius. Mars in the sky is now heading towards Pluto, the power sign of government, and the two will converge to make sparks in mid-March, when the Zapatistas are due to arrive. (Read Sky Show in this issue. Pluto is invisible to us, but it is near red Antares.)

Aquarius is about breaking through stale old patterns of hierarchy (Capricorn) which become oppressive. In Aquarius there is a need for social freedom and individual empowerment. February is a month of politics and reform.

It is a month when the "left" asserts itself in the face of the prevailing "right." Struggle and revolution are part of the action.

We are seeing this struggle with two big issues In California, energy and free speech radio, neither one yet resolved.

However, the voice of the people has been very effective in both cases. It appears that the State of California is making a big turnaround from placating the utilities to paving the way for public power and beginning to support renewable power.

KPFA in Berkeley, the last big (and maybe small) free speech, listener-supported, radio station in the nation has been under siege from corporate interests in the East. Now California lawmakers are stepping into the picture, and there is renewed hope for its survival.

We may have an Aquarius month, but Saturn, guardian of the establishment, is the strongest influence at this last Quarter. Saturn now dominates the heavens. (Saturn is, in fact, a co-ruler with Uranus of Aquarius.) Saturn is now in late Taurus, hanging out in the same area of the sky for months, fortifying itself with Taurean determination, ready at this Moon to take off its gloves.

Saturn is further strengthened by being near the degree of the trend-setting Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in Taurus of last May, and thus carries the vibes of that "great benefic," Jupiter, along with its Saturnian authoritarianism. Jupiter is very much an establishment energy, confident of its rulership, and connected with institutions such as religion. It is so confident in its top dog role that it can also be reckless, feckless, and arrogant.

In addition Saturn conjoins the fixed star Algol, which strengthens it—for better or worse.

It is worse for the Palestinians and Israelis, where conflict is escalating.

It is worse for the Iraqis, whom the U.S. is bombing in a new area, close to Baghdad.

It is worse for the Japanese fishermen whose boat was smashed by a U.S. submarine.

It is worse for labor, for the poor, for people of color, for women, and for all "minority" groups, as the administration clarifies its goals and chooses its personnel.

It is worse for the independence of the Web, with the Napster decision.

It is worse for the earth, with the new administration working quickly to undo past environmental regulations.

It is worse for the impartial rule of law in the U.S. with Bush’s two picks for deputies to Attorney General John Ashcroft, whose own record is extremely racist. One is Larry Thompson, who advised Clarence Thomas during his Supreme Court hearings, and devised the strategy which discredited Anita Hill’s testimony against him. The other is Theodore Olson, who appeared before the Supreme Court in December and secured the 5-4 ruling that ended Florida’s recount and gave Bush the presidency.

It is worse for the Western Hemisphere. Bush’s visit with Fox has the major purpose of solidifying his support for FTAA, the Free Trade Area of the Americas. This is an expansion of NAFTA to include 800 million people. Since the passage of NAFTA there have been several groups working on it behind closed doors, none of them from labor, environmental, or human needs groups. The scheduled Summit of the Americas in April in Montreal will unveil FTAA.

It is worse for world security with the U.S. pushing ahead with missile defense.

But better for "defense" contractors.

Better for the wealthy.

Better for the corporate oligarchs.

Better for tight corporate control of the media.

And most importantly, better for motivating movements for human justice and dignity.

It becomes ever more clear that our light needs to shine.

Networks aimed at improving the public good are growing like bamboo. People are becoming much more conscious of where and how we live, of who we are, and our needs. Seeds of individual empowerment are being planted, and are sprouting.

During Aquarius time people often find a cause to uphold. We have seen plenty of choices this month, as well as kindred communities with whom to share.

This is the month when we commit to our path of light for the next year.

This Quarter Moon, with Sun, Moon, and Saturn late in the fixed signs, represents an important culmination. These are all sensitive degrees, and include eclipses since August 1998 which have influenced changing power centers, including our own power centers. Particularly important dates are November19, 1998, August 19, 1999, and May 18, 2000.

Notice what was special for you around those times. Those highlights indicate the current path in which you are evolving.

This, now, is the Last Quarter, where we choose what to hang onto and what to let go of. We also perfect our new vision of our future.

Since this is Aquarius time, that vision will include greater personal independence, and contributing to a better society.

For me personally, this means a recommitment to my work.

FULL MOON, Sausalito, California, February 11, 2001. Reread the Full Moon entry for February 7 in the Calendar. This Full Moon period carries a dynamic Mercury retrograde in Aquarius, and is chacterized by Uranus in Aquarius. It was set in motion by a New Moon (January 24) conjoined Neptune in Aquarius.

Aquarius, Aquarius, Aquarius, but individualized for each of us with the generous light of Leo Moon and the keen perception of Mercury.

Aquarius is independence, the truth of self, personal integrity. Aquarius is also the flow of electrical energy. And it relates to the body politic.

For those of us with birthdays during this time, it means we represent the mood of this month in our very identities, and will especially carry it as a theme for the next year.

I was sick at the seed-planting New Moon. For me this meant going inside, rearranging my brain patterns and my perceptions, and realigning my energies. My whole self is still involved In this process.

At the same time northern California was enduring power blackouts. And the one listener-supported radio network in the nation, Pacifica—especially its senior station, KPFA in Berkeley, is in the process of being hijacked by the corporate world.

Seems impossible, but it’s happening. Just like hijacking a presidential election seemed impossible, but it happened.

By Quarter Moon I was feeling much better, the California Legislature had approved a temporary $10 billion bailout of the utility companies, and the State of California had become a power broker.

When Mercury turned retrograde on February 3-4 I had the intention to spend more time out walking and less time at the computer. Full Moon was a peak of moving away from my computer-centered life, out into the wider community.

Aquarius is a sign of friendship, and at the same time many dear dear people have been coming gracefully and lovingly into my life—family, friends, students, clients, and new sympatico connections.

During this time I—along with many others—have been extremely disturbed about the pillaging of earth and people by global corporate plutocracy, and, like others, I’m beginning to be more socially activist.

In general, this Full Moon has been for me a time of re-evaluating who I am, and how I make my fullest contribution to myself, my family, and the larger society.

I realize that all I’d like to do is simply impossible, and sorting priorities in terms of who I am now (at 73) is my current retrograde-review effort. So is accepting my limitations. Opening to help is another part of this equation. And help is truly pouring in.

This Mercury-retrograde time is a review period for all of us. Various phases of its completion occur on February 12, February 14, February 23, February 25, and finally mid-March, a super-energetic time.

AQUARIUS NEW MOON, Sausalito, CA, Jan. 28. Read the New Moon description of January 24. Also read the Mercury-Uranus description of January 22, which sets the tone for the new national Administration.

The energy crisis dominates news in the U.S. Energy is Aquarian—indicated by those wavy lines pouring down from the pitcher in the Aquarius image. The idea is that energy is our birthright, free from the heavens in unending supply. See lead article for more on this.

The struggle between the old corporate power and the rising people power is strong during Aquarius time.

In Davos, Switzerland the World Economic Forum opened. This is a powerful group of 3000 rich white men from the United States and Europe whose aim is to plan the future. I heard an interview of one of the Forum’s spokesman. When asked what they were planning for the world’s poor, he said in all seriousness, "We want to bring them computers."

An alternative group, Public Eye on Davos, also met in Zurich. They discussed exciting ideas, such as equity, protecting local communities and diversity, ecology, and human rights.

Non-violent protestors at Davos received barbaric treatment from the police, and the upshot of the conference is that people all over Switzerland are in an uproar about the police behavior. Police wanted to spray the protestors with fertilizer, but local farmers wouldn’t supply them with it because they favor the protestors.

In Porto Alegre, Brazil, the Davos group’s opposite number, the World Social Forum, met at the same time and discussed social issues. Meanwhile, also in Brazil, members of a landless peasants’ group staged a mammoth sit-in at a Monsanto plant, even occupying hallways and offices. They were protesting biotechnology, as people are doing all over the world at Monsanto plants.

In California, to the contrary, it was cave-in time. The Air Resources Board in California stood up to the auto industry a month or so ago, with a mild electric car mandate. Now, with the new Administration, they rescinded even those requirements.

Joseph Kabila is sworn in as the new President of the Congo Democratic Republic. Whether or not he embodies his father’s brutal heritage, there will surely be revolt against that heritage.

This is an earth-shaking time, literally. There were many large earthquakes around the world, all of them dwarfed by the mammoth shaker in India, 7.9 on the Richter, with hundreds of aftershocks, some of them up to 6.0. There were many thousands of deaths. People from around the world are voluntarily working together to bring relief.

Also, in the wake of the spate of recent quake disasters, there is much discussion of how IMF policies of exploiting the land and impoverishing the people, along with corrupt governments and developers, are among the main causes of this scale of disaster.

Disruption is Uranian, and community for a common social purpose is Aquarian. Earth itself is Taurean.

And for me. I got sick, and have been home alone resting, sleeping, reading, and writing. I don’t like being sick, but I have been enjoying the time and the solitude. This New Moon, and the January 8 Lunar Eclipse, were both in my sixth house of health. That’s basically the house of re-alignment, and I always feel an internal re-alignment with illness. I always emerge renewed.

go directly to Crystal's Moon Meditation
for the January 24 New Moon