NEW MOON IN SCORPIO (18 degrees) 03:04 pm PST, November 9, 2007

The consequences of our choices are particularly momentous during this New Moon in Scorpio. It marks a spiritual crossroads. Will we stay in the old ruts? Are we stuck in the drama of our duality? Do we want the red pill or the blue? Scorpio energies push us to venture beyond the Matrix, beyond all that we have been programmed to believe. The human ego wants to have a fixed identity, remain within the familiar, and feel in control. Scorpio calls us to step into the unknown and release what we have outgrown - a job, a relationship, a belief system, a way of seeing ourselves and the world - whatever has become stifling to our soul. Scorpio teaches that there is no death, only transformation, the eternal change of form. Letting go is not inherently painful; it's the holding on, the clinging to the old out of fear that causes suffering. What is dead or molting in your life? What is ready to be born? You can accelerate your personal evolution by initiating new beginnings in unique and unusual directions. Have faith in your inspirations and take action!

A rare Grand Trine (an easy and favorable configuration) is created by the Sun/Moon in aspect with both Mars and Uranus (all in the element of Water). This indicates a time of intuitive awakenings, inspirations, scientific breakthroughs and inventions for the betterment of mankind, the environment, and to help facilitate the evolution of human consciousness.

Neptune in Aquarius squares the Sun and Moon, thinning the veils between the worlds and heightening intuition, ideals, and illusions. This aspect (termed a "crisis in consciousness" by Dane Rudhyar), mandates a shift in perception and orientation. Neptune helps us to recognize the underlying unity of all things; the remembrance of our divinity and enables us to better see fear as a doorway rather than a wall.

Mars, the co-ruler of Scorpio, also plays an important role at this time with its approaching station retrograde on November 15. Unlike the outer planets, which retrograde each year, a Mars retrograde occurs only every 26 months. Mars's retrograde doubles its time in Cancer, the sign most concerned with feelings, family, our heritage, country and the feminine. While retrograde in Cancer, Mars urges us make peace, with our past, with our family and neighbors, to reassess our primary needs and strategies, and reduce unhealthy habits, interactions and environments as much as possible.

Mars will appear to move backward until January 30. 2008, when its apparent motion turns direct at 24° Gemini. The shadow point, when Mars returns again to 12° Cancer, is on April 4, 2008.

Yet another factor adds to the intensity of this time in our evolution. November 18 marks the beginning of the Fifth Night in the Mayan Galactic Underworld, which lasts until November 12. 2008. According to Carl Johan Calleman, author of The Mayan Calendar and the Evolution of Consciousness, this period corresponds to political power struggles, economic changes, and an increasing breakdown of the materialistic paradigm - all very Scorpionic themes. That this period is ruled by the Mayan God of Darkness, Tezcatlipoca, further emphasizes the alchemical challenge of these times and the necessity for us to embrace spiritual rather than material values.

Watch your dreams closely. Schedule extra quiet time for yourself; meditation, creativity, and all manner of inner work are especially potent at this time. On the day of this New Moon, light a candle, set your intentions, and keep in mind: "At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable." (Christopher Reeve)

PLAN YOUR OWN NEW MOON CEREMONY. Give yourself some quiet time in meditation to see where you need to seed new ways of becoming. List these areas within your life you want to change. What areas do you want to break free from the norm and become more productive and discerning? The NEW MOON is the time to manifest the personal attributes you want to cultivate as well as the tangible things you want to bring to you. Possible phrasing: I now manifest ____ into my life. I am now _______ . Remember, think, envision and feel with as much emotion as possible, as though you already have what you want. Thoughts are things and the brain manifests exactly what you show it in the form of thoughts, visuals and emotions. The Buddha said, and I am paraphrasing, "We are the sum total of our thoughts up to today. " If we want to be different then we must change our thoughts. "If you always do what you've always done then you'll always get what you've always got." CONSCIOUS CHANGE is the key.