~ By Simone Butler · February 6, 2013
www.mooncircles. com
“If our true nature is permitted to guide our life, we grow healthy, fruitful and happy…yet 98 percent of us die before we taste THE NECTAR OF OUR MAGNIFICENCE.” –Abraham Maslow
When first studying astrology in the early 80s, I attended a weekend workshop at Zipporah Dobyns’ rambling old Victorian house in a slightly seedy part of Los Angeles. One of astrology’s late, great geniuses, Zip cut quite a figure in her flowery mu-mu, fuzzy bedroom slippers and broken cat-eye glasses held together with tape. She held forth for hours, correlating numbers and symbols at a mind-boggling pace.
At lunchtime, Zip’s daughter Maritha Pottenger – herself an accomplished astrologer – took pity on my novice self and perused my chart. “Ah,” she exclaimed, “the freedom-closeness dilemma!” And suddenly my life came into focus. A pile of Gemini and Cancer planets, with Uranus conjunct my Sun – no wonder I was so skittish, wanting love but scared to lose my independence. And, at last I understood why I resisted being pinned down long enough to bring anything to fruition.
Thanks in part to the inspiration of teachers like Maritha and Zip, I stuck with astrology long enough to gain a degree of mastery. And I have learned how to manage the air/water combo so that it (usually) doesn’t spin out into a tsunami or scatter my passions to the wind. But I will admit that in yoga class my Uranian self is still bothered when someone invades my personal space by putting their mat too close to mine!
We’ll all be learning to master the freedom-closeness dilemma at the February 9 Aquarius New Moon (11:20 p.m. PST). The Sun, Moon and Venus will be in airy, independent Aquarius, with Jupiter recently direct in windy, restless Gemini. And, Mars will be traveling near Mercury, Neptune and Chiron in watery, intuitive Pisces, while Saturn and the North Node continue to swim through the deep waters of Scorpio.
With nearly all the planets in air and water signs, how do we balance our heads and hearts? One clue is found in the symbol for Aquarius—the Water Bearer. The life-giving water that Aquarius bestows is more like spiritual sustenance, or what Maslow calls the “nectar of our magnificence.”
The psychologist, famous for his theory of psychological health based on fulfilling innate human needs and ultimately gaining self-actualization, notes that happiness lies in permitting our true nature to guide our life. Aquarius represents the true nature we all share—loving, heart-centered, free. I thought of this recently as a friend described taking her one-year-old foster daughter to a community center where people of different backgrounds were gathered. The little girl toddled from one person to the next, many of whom didn’t speak English, hugging them and kissing their cheeks. She was spreading the love instinctively, regardless of skin color, nationality or creed.
At this Aquarius New Moon, make sure you’re not part of Maslow’s 98 percent who fail to taste their own magnificence. Express your uniqueness and your love. Be creative. Send a note of appreciation or buy someone a cup of coffee. In the evening, list and reflect on the positive things that happened that day. If practiced regularly, these techniques will rewire your brain for happiness and make you feel more connected.
© 2013 by Simone Butler
