THE LUNATION CYCLE:
PART TWO
For July 14
Since time immemorial, man has been watching the changing Moon in
the night skies. He has seen it run the gamut from invisible through
various crescents, to a full circle, through the reversal back again
to invisibility. He has watched the cycle repeat and has used this
Lunar Cycle to measure time.
Astrologers, knowing the astronomy of the phenomenon, have described
portions of the cycle in such terms as "Sun conjunct Moon,
Sun square Moon, and Sun opposite Moon." The master astrologer,
Dane Rudhyar, has codified the Lunar Cycle and has provided astrological
meaning to the changing relationship between the Sun and the Moon.
He called it The Lunation Cycle.
Dane Rudhyar taught us that there are differing personality characteristics
and attributes associated with people born during the different segments
of the Lunar Cycle. He did this by splitting each quarter of the cycle
in half, resulting in eight segments of 45 degrees each, and by describing
the personality characteristics of each segment, as follows:
NEW MOON TYPE: This is the first of the eight segments, and
describes a person born at or shortly after the New Moon, with the
natal Moon ranging from zero degrees to 45 degrees past the Sun. In
astrological terms, the Sun-Moon relationship ranges from a conjunction
to a semi-square. This individual is impulsive, impetuous, emotional,
subjective, and self-centered. He has little objectivity and might
remind you of a baby. He will not be ignored, and lets you know that
he is there.
CRESCENT TYPE: This is the second eighth, stretching from 45
to 90 degrees past the Sun. Forty-five degrees is a semi-square and
ninety degrees is a square. This position in the soli-lunar cycle
gives the person self-assertiveness. He seems to follow an inner mission
to achieve. He has faith in himself and is less self-centered, but
is still not objective.
THE THIRD EIGHTH: Rudhyar called this the First Quarter type;
Charles Jayne called this the Second Quarter type; I call this the
Third Eighth to avoid confusion. The Moon is now from 90 degrees to
135 degrees past the Sun. Ninety degrees is a square and one hundred
thirty-five degrees is a sesquiquadrate. This individual proves himself
in a time of crisis, in a time calling for forceful activity. He has
managerial ability and a drive to build the framework for structures
yet to come. He has a strong will and is starting to be more objective.
THE FOURTH EIGHTH: The Moon is now 135 degrees to 180 degrees
from the Sun. The fourth eighth starts as a Gibbous moon when it is
three-quarters visible and continues until the Moon reaches the point
where it is exactly 180 degrees from the Sun. At that point it is
a Full Moon and is entirely visible. This individual wants to make
a contribution to society. This is a person who is always asking,
"Why?" This is a person intent on growing and understanding.
This person has a goal to which he dedicates himself.
THE FIFTH EIGHTH: We have reached the Full Moon, and now the
Moon starts to Wane. In the fifth eighth, the Moon is from 180 degrees
to 225 degrees past the Sun. At the end of this eighth, the Moon will
be sesquiquadrate the Sun, approaching the Sun. At the Full Moon,
the light from the Moon is at a maximum, so, symbolically, there is
clear seeing and understanding. The person born during the fifth eighth
segment is therefor objective and usually psychic. This person's attention
is given to relationships.
THE SIXTH EIGHTH: Here the Moon is from 225 degrees to 270
degrees past the Sun. In astrological terms, the Sun-Moon relationship
ranges from a sesquiquadrate to a square. In the sky, the beginning
of this segment looks like a Gibbous Moon, but it is reversed. The
sixth eighth is called a Disseminating Moon, and the person whose
Moon falls here is a Disseminating Type. This is a person whose whole
life is devoted to showing what he knows or what he has just learned.
He does not try to project himself, but rather his ideas, his beliefs,
his experiences. Because he is a disseminator of ideas, he can become
a powerful teacher, writer, or a crusader for his cause.
THE SEVENTH EIGHTH: The Moon here ranges from 270 degrees to
315 degrees past the Sun. In astrological terms, the Sun-Moon relationship
goes from the last quarter square to a semi-square as the Moon approaches
the Sun. The Moon wanes from 90 degrees to 45 degrees from the Sun.
What appears to be most important to this Lunar type are his beliefs,
ideas, principles, and consciousness. These people sometimes feel
that they must uphold their principle at any cost. This, of course,
makes them appear inflexible. But they see themselves as pioneers
or reformers.
THE EIGHTH EIGHTH: The Moon in this eighth moves from 315 degrees
to 360 degrees past the Sun up to the next New Moon. This Balsamic
Moon covers the last 45 degrees of the cycle. It appears in the sky
like an inverted Crescent and can be seen just before Sunrise. The
person whose Moon falls in this eighth feels that there is something
greater than himself which needs attention. He feels that he has a
special destiny to fulfill, even when he does not know what that destiny
is. He senses that he is bringing many things and relationships to
an end. Those whose natal Moon lies near a New Moon have little objectivity.
This is the final phase of the Lunation Cycle.
Practicing astrologers know that no one technique completely describes
the personality. Humans are complex, and their environment is complex.
The Lunation Cycle is a powerful tool and it provides information
over and beyond that provided by a conventional analysis of a horoscope.
The reader is encouraged to re-examine his own natal chart in light
of the Lunation Cycle.
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