Over the last few days, #metoo posts have dominated my social media feeds. So many of my friends took a bold stand and spoke out against sexual harassment and assault online. TBH, at first I thought, wow, so cool—I support that, and simultaneously, I am going to pretend that I didn’t see that because I am not sure I want to participate in this. You see, my journey on this path began as a really small girl when I experienced recurring sexual violations. I know how pervasive sexual assault is first hand. I spent much of my adult life healing this. I wasn’t ready to speak out about it on Facebook.
Yet, seeing so many other women do so, I couldn’t ignore it. Each and every time I witnessed another woman post “me too,” I felt, well… like a coward, knowing that I was simply waiting for the #metoo’s to stop so I’d be spared thinking about this.
But, they didn’t.
Because it doesn’t just stop.
Having experienced sexual assault, I understand how unrelenting these experiences become. I experienced first hand how they degrade a sense of confidence and feel like shameful secrets that erode health and well-being. I witnessed how complicated it can be to speak out.
Will they believe me? Did I cause this? There must be something bad within me to have created this experience.
“We are only as sick as our secrets.”
As a gynecological cancer survivor who surrendered her entire reproductive capacity to live before even turning 20, I also understand the devastating side effects of repressing these sorts of experiences.
As a student of astrology, I also see this movement reflective of the fact that Jupiter just moved into Scorpio.
Jupiter the biggest planet in the solar system, helps us to grow, opulently. He just moved into Scorpio, a sign that tackles the taboo, deals with sex and shame. Of course, one of the biggest (and hardest) stories would break about the misuse of power, misogyny, assault and violation days before Jupiter made his way into this sign. And since then we’ve witnessed a massive outpouring of women speaking out.
It’s time to heal our shame.
As Jupiter travels through Scorpio until November 8, 2018, we can expect to see a tremendous amount of healing when it comes to our sexual and reproductive health. We can expect secrets to be revealed. We can expect to see a shift in power dynamics. (I say this as a white woman. Women of color: I can only imagine what you’ve been through.)
New Moon in Libra, Jupiter and Uranus: Radical Truth and Justice
As I look at the new moon in Libra, the first new moon since Jupiter changed signs, I see how this particular lunar cycle supports coming out of closet, shaking off oppression, and standing up for personal values (and the right to be!).
Unlike Scorpio, who probes for the truth, and brings shadow to light, Libra strives to keep the peace. Yet, similar to Scorpio, Libra embodies a fierce drive towards justice. Righteousness even. Even with its steady hand in favor of equanimity, it fights for what it believes in.
So this new moon, happening at 3:11pm EST at 26 degrees, is a particularly potent new moon, and has a few challenging aspects. For starters, Uranus—the planet of change, breakthrough, and surprises—directly opposes the Sun and Moon in Libra, suggesting that we need to expect the unexpected this new moon, and potentially even throughout this entire lunar cycle. Change-making, revolutionary Uranus opposite the Sun and Moon means it’s time to let go of what’s not working as we concretely commit to our values.
Saturn, the planet of discipline and work, squares this new moon, too. Suggesting that our soul work is upon us.
However, with Jupiter, the planet of good fortune, good luck, and abundance so close to Mercury—the planet of communication—communication is favored, especially truthful communication. This helps us to feel gains in our relationships. We can go deeper to enhance intimacy when it comes to our sexual relationships (and non-sexual relationships, too). This new moon, Venus is also in Libra (a sign that she rules), supporting matters of the heart tremendously.
Go ahead and be brave this new moon.
Set intentions for positive relationships and allow yourself to feel/be guided. You may need to release something (or someone) that’s not serving you. As we celebrate the only new moon in Libra in 2017, now’s the time to cultivate and celebrate beauty in our lives, get deeply in touch with our personal values, and for the love of God, surrender what’s not working to the Divine. After all, we can’t do it all alone. Align with your values. Nothing else matters, other than what matters. Fiercely commit to you.
Now over to you.
How has the #metoo movement impacted you? What are you claiming for yourself this new moon? What are you releasing? Leave me a comment below! I’d love to hear from you.
Also, if you haven’t checked out my FB Live with Kate Northrup you can do so here. And Origin is open. I am the resident astrologer for this program, so please do check it out.
5 Comments
Susan 10/19/17
Thank you for sharing your response to the #metoo movement. I thought I was the only one. I posted, then retracted, then posted again. Every time I saw a new #metoo I was overwhelmed with fear and sadness. Sometimes I don’t think even other women understand the pervasiveness of sexual assault when you are little.
jracioppi 10/19/17
Definitely not the only one. It’s be really intense and healing. Right here with you.
Juliana 10/20/17
It also happened to me. I posted and then retracted, only I didn’t post it again, I don’t know I kind of felt I vulnerable and exposed when I posted that, and I’m a very private person, so I didn’t want my life out there and then I read this story about how the #metoo movement sort of put pressure on women who have experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment and how they didn’t owe anyone their story if they didn’t want to share. I did feel a little pressure, but at the same time I have experienced sexual assault and I do feel the need of sharing my experience and of healing. Communicating heals. I’m just not sure if the #metoo movement is enough well thought…
Julie Sichlau 10/19/17
First of all thank you so much for this beautiful blog and your unique astrology insights. I read your emails with great compassion. Today I posted a #metoo on my Instagram. I too felt first wow and then distancing from it. Not because of shame, maybe because I did not know how to phrase it. But it came out with the new moon. Happy new moon to all of you 🌑🙏🏼
#metoo. It is not that I don’t want to take part in this worldly wording of hurts and emotions exposing the deepest secrets of the darkest stories we all take part in. It is not because I’m ignorant or absent in the way that we can heal through the process of acknowledgement. I do and I too have words to be expressed and feelings to show. I am a girl, a woman, a female gem who have been sparred for the anger, resentment and impotence of the masculine will and abuse against women. Am I lucky? Am I alone? Maybe, maybe not. Does it matter?
I want to put into words how important it is for both men and women to understand the depths of the darkness and the support we can bring to the collective. As women we too have an obligation to care for our sons and our daughters, providing the most loving and secure childhood, teach them about respect and equality, show them affection and compassion to build their own qualities of self-love, worthiness and foundation for being capable of love. We all share the same need for loving and being loved. We all have a sacred purpose and obligation for sharing more love into this world.
Today, in the darkness of the new moon we will be put in even closer contact with our emotions. Deeply hidden secrets will reveal themselves. The feeling of emptiness and fear of the unknown prevail and reserves of your emotional energy illuminated. Take good care of yourselves loved ones. Go out and be in the darkness and allow what rises show you how to heal you. I am whole, holy, sacred and sovereign. I love, cherish and accept myself as I am now. And so it is. You are whole, holy, sacred and sovereign. Love, cherish and accept yourself as you are now. And so it is.
Shelly 10/19/17
#metoo