15 Oct Cut the Kids in Half ~ New Moon in Libra – October 16th, 2020

Morning bell

Light another candle

Release me

On October 16th, 2020 the New Moon in Libra arrives. This is a fertile moment to recalibrate your spirit and soul to the celestial energies of the zodiacal season. 

With the New Moon in the final decan of Libra, the scales of justice will be weighing upon an increasingly complex array of polarities. The planets are making very tense aspects, something that is reflected in the social unrest and discord that has become so emblematic of this year.

In fact, since the Civil War, there has probably never been a less Libran season for the United States. The country seems to be in the midst of a great societal divorce, complete with false accusations, turning the children into pawns and using attack-dog lawyers to try and take it all! 

Clothes are on the lawn with the furniture

Without much polite conversation or diplomacy to be found, this New Moon in Libra will ask that you find the strength within yourself to show respect for your opponents and use higher wisdom when it comes to approaching conflict.

Release me

This New Moon will test your center of balance, revealing where your opinions may be grossly illogical or prejudiced. This refinement of your thinking is a gift, indicating that you are ready for a higher caliber of reasoning. 

The sensitive Libra Moon observes how the collective addiction to conflict is tearing the world apart. Challenged by some very malefic aspects, this New Moon will highlight personal struggle and the wider existential crises that can easily throw you off balance. 

I wanted to tell you, but you never listened. You never understand

Dark moods edge the boundary between amnesia and paranoia. The mournful anxious feeling in the air is beautifully evoked by Radiohead’s song Morning Bell, which was recorded twice, appearing on both Kid A and Amnesiac.

There has never been another band like Radiohead for creating a majestic Orwellian soundtrack to a dystopian present. In the 90’s they were largely an alternative rock band. 

But at the dawn of the new millennium, their album Kid A dove straight into the dark waters of digital sound. It is the haunting music of Chapel Perilous, as cold as the light of a distant star. Morning Bell describes a claustrophobic inner world, swallowed in the half-formed ramblings of a recurrent nightmare. With impressionistic lyrics, unusual time signatures and delayed cacophony, the song evokes the pain of an unanswered prayer. 

Release me

Release me

please

Like this New Moon in Libra, the song is laced with angelic beauty but is agonized by conflict. It is a song that surrenders to the ache of loss, slipping beneath the surface into the unknown.

The conflict that plagues this New Moon in Libra will arise from an opposition from Mars retrograde in Aries. Many peace talks and compromises will be thwarted by belligerent hostility. 

I wanted to tell you, but you never listened

You never understand

And this oppositional energy will be further darkened by a t-square to Jupiter, Saturn, & Pluto in Capricorn.

A glass, a gun, a bullet for us will make

Everybody wants to be a friend and nobody wants to be a slave

The t-square to Jupiter may amplify darkened moods, casting your vision of the future in a long shadow. The t-square to Pluto will tap into the underworld, stirring the collective with unconscious forces that are possessed by fear and loathing. 

The lights are on, but nobody’s home

Everybody wants to be a slave

But the t-square to Saturn will provide the New Moon in Libra with the gravitas to endure this test of character, offering the key to wisdom. 

Good judgement requires Saturn’s skills of patience, discipline and focus. It is Saturn that can contain outbursts of emotion so clear decisions can be made. Though you may feel slowed down by pessimism, the Saturnian influence can help you maintain the sanctity of your own mind.

Nobody wants to be a slave

The imperative at this New Moon is to judge matters for yourself. And this process will be supported by the independent streak that emerges from the opposition between Mercury retrograde in Scorpio and Uranus in Taurus. 

The lights are on…

Mercury retrogrades break from traditional thought patterns, bursting the dams and flooding into new terrains of the mind. With Uranus involved, this breakthrough will be explosive, liberating your mind from outworn formulas and assumptions. This is the energy that inspires  conversions, paradigm shifts, and flashes of sudden insight!

Liberation is often followed by alienation. Leaving the herd behind can be painful. But the illumination you receive during this New Moon will remain an invaluable gift for your soul’s evolution.

Light another candle

The Libran principle of good judgement stirs collective evolution, blossoming into refined manners and better understanding in society. For example, in ancient Greece, the great arbiter and judge of all complex matters was the Oracle at Delphi. She heard all kinds of cases involving adultery, theft and murder.

But she judged people upon their intentions and their level of awareness, rather than by their actions. In her judgments, accidental murders were completely forgiven. This was a great departure from the bloodguilt laws of the ancient world that punished all types of killing indiscriminately. 

One of the greatest legends that describes the use of good judgement comes from King Solomon in the Old Testament, who is famous for having prayed for wisdom rather than wealth. And it is Solomon’s story that is referenced by Radiohead in the lines…

Cut the kids in half

Cut the kids in half

The story describes how two women arrived at court, each claiming to be the mother of the same child. As a wise ruler, Solomon had to discover their true feelings. So he asked a soldier to draw a sword and suggested cutting the baby in half so each woman could have an equal share.

The false mother loved the idea. While the true mother threw herself upon the child, begging for his life to be spared. And so Solomon returned the child to his true mother and arrested the kidnapper.

Like everything in sacred scriptures, the Judgment of Solomon is a metaphor, meant to convey higher truths. This story represents the wisdom to be discovered in every soul.

Solomon’s palace is your own mind. The King himself is your spirit. The child is your soul. And the two mothers represent the tension between truth and deceit; gratitude and envy. 

Thus, the Judgment of Solomon urges you to be wise, uplifting the true mother within, the part of you that knows true love rather than selfish desire. By uplifting this in yourself, you also inspire that principle to become elevated in the world around you. 

The lights are on but nobody’s home

Everybody wants to be a friend

In this time of political turmoil and social alienation, rather than expecting others to share your views and adopt your beliefs, focus on demonstrating wisdom and integrity that holds up under pressure. Use discernment as Solomon did. What is driving you to cut your own soul in half? And what inspires the willingness to sacrifice to maintain wholeness?

The power of good judgement is the ultimate gift of Libra, whose scales are always adjusting and responding to the weight of the world. During this time of conflict, do not feel helpless. As the story of King Solomon describes, wisdom chooses love, never division. And that choice is always yours to make.

Much love,

Rachel