Category Archives: Full Moon

24 September 2018 Full Moon: Healing the Self

22 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects

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By Bjørn Krogstad, Norwegian artist – Own work, Bjørn Krogstad, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18257892

The Full Moon falls at 1 Aries 59 at 7:52 PM Pacific time on the 24th. The FM is just past perfecting a semi-sextile to Uranus, and forms soon after contacting both Hygeia and Chiron. Our realization or culminating situation at the time of the Full Moon is a healing one, a stance that readies us to either express our own original or unique character, or to successfully join the group (both Uranus). Falling in Aries, the focus is on ourselves, our actions, our responsibilities, the role we play, the example we set–and the square to Saturn-Vesta tells us that what happens here has real world consequences to those people and things we honor or are committed to (and yes, if we count the Sun, we have a Cardinal T-square, which by its very nature demands we do something, adding strain to an already-stressful situation).

The Full Moon is in loose sextile to Mars-South Node in Aquarius, and, in the other direction, a tense, 29 degree Juno in Taurus. Our attention is pointed toward a certain tension first implied with the square to Saturn-Vesta: the intellect believes it knows the course to take, based on past experience and learning, but material matters introduce an element of stress, a sense that personal empowerment may be lost, or not enough to meet challenges, and that dealing with real-world issues may threaten our priorities and those matters to which we’re dedicated. The Full Moon energy offers direction, in the sense that it says, ‘See? You really are healed, really are stronger than you thought, really are capable of exerting your Will. Be confident; go forward. I shine the light on how to proceed.’

Mercury, along with the ever-present-in-opposition-to-a-Full Moon-Sun, opposes and yet is moving away swiftly, suggesting the mind flees, distracted by others or by the beauty it finds (Libra), and yet part of what the Full Moon supplies us is the sense that using feeling, emotion, intuition is the most effective way to gain knowledge at this time, to see which way to go–so that a less-than-focused mind isn’t really an issue.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Comedian Reveals Human Nature’. This says to me that the tragi-comic nature of the Universe may speak loud and clear at this time. We may find our healing or revelatory culmination delivered with irony, humor, pathos, or a sense that we are both heroes because of and victims of our own humanity, and that we may need to take a step back from events in order to really see. The Sabian for the Sun reads like a high-falutin’ version of this post: ‘The Transmutation Of The Fruits Of Past Experiences Into The Seed-Realizations Of The Forever Creative Spirit’. So, said either way, we are seeing a point of readiness, one that generates tomorrow.

The Aries ‘I Am’ coalesces under the Full Moon influence; what we are becomes apparent, what we have to work with at a personal level is clear, and what action to take, or role to play, sits before us, a product of the healing we have undergone, found by acute attention to our feeling state, ready for us to embrace.

Full Moon in Pisces 26 August 2018 The Effect of Fairy Tales

25 Saturday Aug 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Finger of God, forecast, Full Moon, Pisces, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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The Full Moon is sesquiquadrate the close conjunction (only three minutes apart) of Venus and Zeus in Libra, making me think maybe this is about coming to some realizations as we try to find the ‘set point’ for relationships, earnings, ambitions, passions, or some matter ruled by Venus in the natal chart. Falling in Pisces, the Full Moon brings a conclusion, ending, or shift to a new emphasis, one flavored by the imagination, delusions, deceptions, ideals, and what they have (or have not) created in the life. We look at relationships, desires, and ambitions in that ideal form we’d hoped for, and with the culmination energy see what has come about in real-world terms. The Full Moon allows us a window into the effect of our own personal fairy tales, what they’ve actually wrought, and how far from (or close to) the dream we hold they actually are.

The distance may not be all that far–or relationships, desires, and ambition considerations may all fall behind a more pressing concern, related to matters of the natal House in which the FM falls. An ending here could push the state of interaction or want to the back burner–where it could simmer through the coming month, perhaps arriving via the unconscious as it orchestrates things behind the scene in anticipation of the next New Moon.

The Full Moon may wake us up by ending some illusion. ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ By John Collier 1920 {{PD}}

The Full Moon in Pisces perfects on the 26th at 4:56 AM PDT at 3 Pisces 12. It seems to me that all the contact to Uranus and Saturn, with the Full Moon hovering just between at the rough midpoint, suggests a kind of measuring of action v. stasis, revolution v. what’s established, being original or following tradition (and this measuring probably started as early as the 22nd, as every day since has felt like one where our character and conduct was weighed in the balance). In looking at ourselves, we’ve laid the groundwork to look out at what we value, at our relationships, and at what we want–and the Full Moon delivers a conclusion, realization, or makes obvious an ending–then it’s up to us what we do with it.

The artist’s daughter, Effie, as Red Riding Hood. By John Everett Millais 1863 {{PD}}

The Full Moon’s sextile to Saturn catches the Black Moon Lilith point at the midpoint, and the Full Moon sextile to Uranus catches Chiron more-or-less at the midpoint, and this suggests a lot of peripheral influences on what manifests at the Full Moon–or is that a chain reaction, with wounds and those things we’ve ignored or been in denial about exerting a distinct but hard to pin down influence on proceedings? In any case, the energy of change and stasis each occupy the far ends of a fulcrum made up of the Full Moon point, with matters of hurt, rage, denial, and the demand for Self-respect tipping the scales toward either keeping things as they are, or throwing them into chaos.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘Heavy Car Traffic On A Narrow Isthmus Linking Two Seashore Resorts’. This speaks of the difficulty and confusion, the sheer stress and polluting presence, of communications and the interests that drive them. We’re all trying to have a good time, but it’s not going so well as everyone strives to have her or his message reach its destination.

For the opposing Sun the Sabian is, ‘Black And White Children Play Together Happily’. The origin of all this tension is the ideal of having everyone, no matter how contrasting the individuals seem on the surface to be, getting along and enjoying life. So, all the turbulence caused by the Full Moon influences have their roots in a wish for harmony and equality–not such an impossible dream, at all.

Michelangelo Buonarroti {{PD}}

These ‘peripheral’ energies do form a Finger of God, providing us with an answer, when we wonder what the point of having our fairy tales washed in a stark dose of reality really is: it’s found in the sextile of Chiron to Black Moon Lilith, as base of the Finger, apex the Sun. Our wounds and our denials must be abandoned, if we’re to find a way to interact successfully; harmony (the Sun Sabian) is, in the end, something we must deliberately create ourselves.

It’s worth noting that Mars will go direct just a little over 24 hours later, suggesting that what we learn at the Full Moon must be ruminated on, just a bit, before we take action. Consider that 27 hours or so a ‘cooling off period’, allowing you to process, and to look carefully, before you leap.

23 August 2018 Healthy Assertion

22 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by in astrology, Configurations, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects, Saturn in Capricorn, The Daily Word Image

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Actors in a confrontation on a verandah. Colour woodcut by Kunikazu, early 1860s CC BY 4.0

What does healthy Self-assertion look like to you? We may think it has something to do with flexing our muscles, declaring our power, or marking our territory, because it kind of feels like we need to do that–but we should know that, at least today, we would be doing that only for ourselves, and possibly putting others off in the process. It may feel as if we’re required to make choices that compromise us and that threaten our personal power, status, or reach. In reality, the issues will center in being willing to bend enough to honor our own values and commitments–so you see, it’s an internal issue, at essence, one where the unbending ego insists it’s being wronged, when what you’re really called to do is live up to your own obligations and ideals–walking your talk, if you will (Juno semi-sq Hygeia, Vesta sq Ceres)

Over the next few days, we have an Earth Grand Trine with the Sun, Saturn, and Uranus. Our attention goes to sudden, instantaneous changes to our reality picture, to obstacles, barriers, restraints, rules, and perhaps most importantly, to results of the passage of time and past efforts–and with the Moon approaching Full (perfecting AM PDT of the 26th)  those results, coupled with the signature endings of a Full Moon, are likely to feel too restrictive, like a dead-end, like something has closed in on us. This is specifically because of the Sun’s current approach in trine to Saturn–as if possibilities and alternatives simply slip away–and we see it, spotlighted, before us, our awareness likely exaggerating the importance or the effect itself. ‘I’ve got no choice’ may become the refrain for those operating unconsciously. For the rest of us, however, there’s hope. If you’re not happy with what you see developing around you, you may want to gather energies and intent to be dedicated at the time of the Full Moon; these should focus on what you want to create for the future (Pisces Full Moon quincunx the North Node). Just something to think about in the run up to the Lunar event.

Sometimes the old man (Saturn) and the radical (Uranus) can really get into it. Jar depicting combat-ETHAM 036790-P8190744-gradient
By Rama and one more author CC BY-SA 3.0 fr

Today’s word image is an astrological aspect: Saturn trine Uranus–let’s make that any natal relationship between the two. In the birth chart they offer a small recipe for stasis, balance, and energy flow and expenditure in the life; they can also delineate the internal individual relationship between the spirit of radicalism, modernism, and chaos and ‘What Is’, as well as one’s likely relationship to ‘the Group’ and response to authority. I have the trine natally, with Uranus ruling my Ascendant and Saturn my 12th (Whole Sign)–and certainly, I’ve seen the flow of unconscious (and sometimes Cosmic) material into my interface with the rest of the world–and it’s here we may note that Saturn is ancient ruler of Aquarius, drawing the two, no matter how disparate they seem, as much more alike than we may realize–for what happens to the revolutionary, once the revolution is over? If you’ve got a connection between Saturn and Uranus, and you’d like my comment on it, please place your comment on this post, tell me what signs they’re in and Houses they rule, and what the aspect is between them; I’ll offer a few words or more on the relationship. Comments will be answered publicly only. Please use the comment function, not my email, and don’t send birth data–this is only the shallowest dip into potentials in honor of the current configuration, nothing more.

The Eclipses of July-August 2018

02 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by in astrology, eclipse, forecast, Full Moon, future events in the sky, Lunar Aspects, Lunar Eclipse, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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Photo By Naposaurus 2013 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Here are the general forecasts for the eclipse set coming late this summer. Notice that the first two seem strongly connected; I fully expect events around the initial Solar one to lead directly to the events of the Full Lunar one that follows at the end of July.

The Partial Solar eclipse of 12 July 2018 (7:48 PM PDT) falls at 20 Cancer 41 as the Moon, Earth, and Sun align on the same plane, allowing the Moon to ‘eclipse’ the normally dominant Sun at their New Moon meeting. This event also sees Earth, which of course is always opposed the Sun, conjoined Pluto, making its opposition to the New Moon eclipse the centerpiece of the aspect picture; asteroid Zeus forms a T-square with the Sun-Moon-Earth-Pluto axis, and Ceres is semi-square the New Moon. A Solar eclipse, this one in Water, is a new beginning, and that can come gently, like a tide lapping at the shore, or fiercely, like a wave crashing on the beach—but in either case, it brings change, which may slowly pull the sand from beneath your feet, can knock those feet out from under you, and/ or could even wipe the landscape clean in a tsunami, leaving you in an entirely new place. Change, then, is expected, and with Pluto opposed the event and conjoined the Earth, the very ground on which we walk, we may want to be highly attentive to the mix of Water and Earth, emotion and the material, flow and static states, in our world.

This event in a Water sign also emphasizes the emotional component eclipses already carry, as they are mainly Lunar events, with the Moon playing the pivotal role, either in blocking the Sun’s light from us (a Solar eclipse) or acting as the screen on which we observe the blocking of the light (by the Earth, as it moves between Moon and Sun) in a Lunar eclipse. This Solar eclipse event doubles down on the emotional, psychological, and intuitive potentials, making us all naturally hyper-sensitive to the atmosphere around the New Moon. Symbolically this speaks of, in the case of a Solar eclipse, emotions themselves causing a blockage between the material world (Earth) and ‘What Is’, including purpose and intent (the Sun). The block is meant as a disruptor, a point at which the usual view just can’t be adopted, as the light in which we view things is suddenly radically different. We keep this in mind as we look at the particulars of any eclipse event, as consciousness about the larger scenario illuminates the smaller details of the single occurrence.

Here we have the sheer power of Pluto aligned with Earth—and of course this kind of aspect always makes me think of earthquakes or volcanoes—most likely of a personal, symbolic nature, and this directly opposes the meeting of Sun and Moon on the ecliptic, so that we have Earth-Pluto, a material or physical power situation, that is receiving no light, as the Moon prevents it. That suggests that at or following the eclipse we face a real-world challenge that we’re prevented from understanding by our own emotional response.

Too, the challenge puts us in a spot: not only is our authority to respond at issue (Ceres), but we see conflicts with our goals, ambitions, and/ or desires (Zeus). The Sabian symbol for the eclipse is, ‘A Famous Singer Is Proving Her Virtuosity During An Operatic Performance’. This not only speaks of the individual need to express ourselves in a way most characteristic of us as unique individuals—to ‘sing out’—with the eclipse challenge one of performance: show us your stuff! In the context of the eclipse, what we see is that the ability to convey who we are, our strongest and most authoritative identity (Ceres) expressed in an earthly venue (Earth-Pluto) is endangered by our extreme emotional response (the eclipse), which blocks an objective assessment of the situation.

The Earth moves, and we react—and that stops a clear understanding of what’s actually happening, and so of knowing what’s actually affected. The change that happens here is serious, but not necessarily permanent; we may do best to see it more as inevitable reform, events or revelations that present us with personal power and ‘territory’ issues we hadn’t yet faced, and conflicts with ambition fulfillment we hadn’t yet acknowledged. Taking that tack tells us that what elicits our emotional reaction at the eclipse could’ve been anticipated, if we’d realized the extent to which these matters, goal achievement and our power reach, needed our attention to begin with.

The Total Lunar eclipse of 27 July 2018 (1:19 PM PDT) falls at 4 Aquarius 44, forming just after contact to, and still within orb of, a retrograde Mars; the Full Moon is also in wide sextile to Chiron and wide square to Uranus, with the latter, ruler of the eclipse itself, forming a T-square with the Sun-Earth-Moon-Mars axis. The only other aspect made is a sesquiquadrate to Venus in Virgo. A Lunar eclipse is a Full Moon, and this one occurs in the crisp, intellectually-oriented, forward-thinking sign of Aquarius, suggesting the event delivers revelation or understanding. Since it’s conjoined Mars, what appears could be the consequences of our own choices or actions, as instituted at the inception point of the previous Solar eclipse/ New Moon, or it could be that what we come to understand drives a current choice or action, with consequences still to be seen. That preceding Moon opposed Pluto, suggesting a power situation revealed, and this Full Moon may be the personal response to it, something driven by our intellectualization of the events that we then act on or choose according to, as we see the outcome of the New Moon start.

The results as manifested at this Lunar eclipse point have the potential for wounding or for calling forth skills (Chiron), but in either instance they show the need to express the individuality, or to accede to the group (Uranus), and all of this is likely spurred by difficulties surrounding relationships, finances, or Self-worth (Venus).

The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘A Council Of Ancestors Is Seen Implementing The Efforts Of A Young Leader’. This suggests that the authority and experience of those who came before plays a vital role in showing us which direction to take; that is, we learn from the past, especially from the experiences of others, appropriate considering eclipses always fall near the Nodal axes, with this Lunar one conjoined the South Node.

Since this eclipse seems so directly connected to the one preceding it, we’ll forgo our usual inspection of the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon, since in this case our ‘source’ is the New Moon that came two weeks before. Instead we move on to the next and final component of this eclipse set, the Solar eclipse in Leo.

The Partial Solar eclipse in Leo falls at 18 degrees, 41 minutes on August 11th at 2:57 AM PDT. This event is conjoined Pallas—ah! ‘new wisdom’ is the result of the past two events—with the aspects offering a subtle picture of what it is we’ve gained. A new start in Leo is about ourselves and our identity, and those facets of the individuality that allow us to ‘shine’; the aspects made by the eclipse describe the nature of our attributes, the ways in which we can make our uniqueness known. What begins at this time also has an air of the practical about it, or a sense of skills possessed—but no matter what, a situation that allows us to be our Best Self.

The eclipse-Pallas sextiles Zeus and catches Ceres at the midpoint, even as it semi-squares Venus. This suggests that it’s in the act of reaching for ambition or desire fulfillment that we both gain authority and power and learn what needs to change in relationships or finances in order to make ‘it’ happen. Should we count this as base to a Finger of God, with a loose Neptune apex? Maybe, if we consider that what we likely need to do to fine-tune the ambition picture is rid ourselves of delusions, or utilize our creativity—that’s what can make the whole thing work together.

The eclipse is also apex to a loose Fist of God with base of Saturn and Chiron, and quincunxes Pluto. As apex, the eclipse promises that resolution of conflicts between the reality picture or reasonable restraints applied to our effort, and our own skill set or wounded nature (the latter possibly referring to unreasonable restraints that need removal), offers a ‘New You’, a  fresh expression of identity or purpose, and that this is also an expression of our own wisdom and gifts (Pallas). The contact to Pluto simply tells us adjustment is needed, whether we want to gather power, make a change, eliminate, or transform.

There’s also an Earth Grand Trine that hooks into the eclipse by degree: Ceres (semi-sextile), Pluto (quincunx), and Juno (square). This implies the eclipse may be a spark of sorts, putting into motion material matters that, one and all, are concerned with power and power expression. No matter what else is in play at this time, this Grand Trine reminds us that there are some very real material stakes here, and that even the most innocent of moves holds an ultimate goal of gaining or solidifying the ability to make the individual Will felt and impactful.

If we really want to get loose with things, we can also see that the T-square formed by Juno’s hard angle to the axis  becomes a Grand Cross if we pull Jupiter into the equation. This may remind us that individual development doesn’t happen in a vacuum; others to whom we reach out, look for reactions and interactions, and to get a measure of our own empowerment are part of the picture, and must be taken into account, especially when we think about how beliefs, knowledge, and the capacity to reach out and to accept what we consider ‘foreign’ all shape not just our potentials for success, but our view of our own adequacy, as well.

The Sabian symbol for this New Moon eclipse in Leo is, ‘A Houseboat Party’. That promises a celebration, once we’ve dealt with anything that’s not working on our path forward to Self-expression—but we should also note the party of the image is afloat—that is, hovering on the surface of the water, the symbol of feeling. That tells us that beneath the joy engendered by successful realization of our gifts, skills, and most unique qualities lies a body of emotion, one that it’s entirely possible to sink into, even to lose our joy to. That implies that after this sequence of eclipses we might have a whole new set of emotions to explore—and maybe entirely new feelings related to how we see ourselves (Leo).

Full Moon 27 June 2018 Holding Back, Holding Court

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects, Sabian Symbols, T-Square

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By Ronnie Robertson – Compass Head moon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56612161

The Full Moon perfects at 9:53 PM PDT of the 27th at 6 Capricorn 28, just after both Earth and then Luna have swept past retrograde Saturn, which should be considered conjoined the event. The energy for this FM is withdrawn, passive, spurring reticence and uncertainty, as it falls directly after Mars’ stationary retrograde pause and in cautious Capricorn. The atmosphere is charged with suppressed, misdirected, short-circuited, stunted, repressed, rule-bound influences, and yet we are invited to survey our handiwork, to examine what we’ve built, and to assess how we need to modify our approach to create what we want in the future, and specifically, how we might want to ‘hold court’ , positioning ourselves to make the most of our individuality, to ‘shine’ (quincunx North Node in Leo).

We may meet the results of our own, Self-imposed discipline, our hard work, or conversely, we see where we should have applied effort. The Full Moon puts the reality picture under a spotlight, one that tells us, quite literally in some cases, the lay of the land. The event axis also forms a T-square with asteroid Hygeia; this dynamic promises either/ or choices presented by the Lunar culmination, neither of which will be truly supportive of us! (the squares–I’m defining health in its broadest context.) So where does that leave us? Knowing where we stand, which is invaluable, with the ability to assess how effective we’ve been, and to see how to modify our efforts for future success (that ‘place’ where we can ‘shine’). Not glamorous, but plenty useful.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Veiled Prophet Speaks, Seized By The Power Of A God’. Wow! We might not expect such an elevated meaning from these modest Full Moon aspects, but that’s the essence of a veil, isn’t it? We have to make an effort, however slight, to see what’s behind it, and to be willing to reveal our own prophetic nature (that is, pure intuitive nature).

Saturn is ‘the Old Man’, certainly a stand-in for a serious, old world kind of god, and the image itself casts us, the individuals basking in the Full Moon glow, as channels for revelation. Do we see that in the chart? We do, if we look at the conjunction of Earth, Moon, and Saturn. That suggests that both material matters, the actual physical surroundings as well as the reality picture overall, will speak to us of divine (that is, spiritual) information, and we’ll have another channel for this via the emotions and intuition (the Moon).

For a Full Moon we also look at the Sabian symbol for the Sun: ‘ Two Nature Spirits Dancing Under the Moonlight’. This suggests that our own celebration of the natural world is what instigates the emotional culmination of the Full Moon. We connect to the Cosmos (consciously or not) and receive our message (the information channeled through us in the Full Moon symbol).

So, listen to your feelings, listen to those interior whispers, and look around you; the world will surround you with symbols, with messages, with meaning, and your own inner wisdom and feeling can translate that into language that makes your situation and state apparent, and the potentials for your future crystal clear.

See the general outlook for the day here, and the chart for the Full Moon, below.

 

Full Moon in Sagittarius May 2018 ‘Torn Veil’

28 Monday May 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects, Sabian Symbols, Sagittarius

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Vilhelm Hammershoi – ‘Interieur mit Rueckenansicht einer Frau’ – 1903-1904 {{PD}}

The Full Moon occurs on the 29th at 7:20 AM Pacific time at 8 Sagittarius 10, falling trine to the transiting North Node and sextile the South one–and that makes a Mystic Rectangle with the Sun-Earth-Moon axis. Keeping our 2+ or – degree (or less for minor contacts) orb, we also see the FM semi-sextile Saturn and semi-square Black Moon Lilith–otherwise, this event is all on its lonesome. The interesting point is that the only ‘solid’ aspect the Full Moon makes is to Saturn, and that’s a minor interaction–all else is with calculated points, intangibles made up of energy, mathematical points derived from the movement of other solid bodies, giving the points a ‘once removed’ quality. That suggests that this Moon is a kind of ‘shadow Moon’, one that exerts a more subtle, nuanced, or ephemeral effect than the usual Lunar event–and those are cast with reflective light as it is, emphasizing that these connections and the influences they represent are probably more tenuous, even insidious, and more difficult to discern, than we realize.

At the same time, even as the effects seem to creep up on us, we can look to the natal House where Saturn is currently transiting, and/ or the House it rules (these will in most systems be one and the same, or sometimes the next House to the one it’s currently transiting, possible with Placidus, for instance, since Saturn’s in its own sign) for matters where the Full Moon may show through material issues. It’s like the fabric of the unseen world, the veil that separates material from non-material, is torn right where Saturn is, letting what we’re intuiting, sensing, or feeling spill through to take physical form.

What spills through with a Full Moon in Sagittarius is knowledge–and if not delivering the facts, it may deliver an event that bolsters, defines, or alters our faith, or our outlook toward the foreign or the social–and any or all of these will present things that, factual or not, will read as facts in our world, will inform the landscape. It’s important to remember for any Lunar event that it’s likely to be an emotional one, aside from any physical occurrences, and doubly so as the FM contacts its own points of extremity (the Nodes), and well as the Earth’s energy counterpoint within its ellipsis, Black Moon Lilith. This suggests that what we learn will be charged with emotion, and possibly emotion that we have denied, repressed, or that is closely bonded to rage–and this all acts on the psyche, which orchestrates the material world around us, bringing a point of manifestation at or very near the Full Moon point (or potentially, though less likely, at some time through to the next New Moon).

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Mother Leads Her Small Child Step By Step Up A Steep Stairway’. The conscious mind is the mother, leading the way, the small child those less-conscious impulses, and energies more closely connected to the primal Self. The stairway, of course, is life, learning, going both forward and ‘up’, to a higher understanding–just exactly what the contacts promise for this FM. The opposing Sun Sabian is, ‘A Quiver Filled With Arrows’. That is an image of pure potential–and what is knowledge but that with which we’re ‘armed’ in our daily life? Use what you know at this Full Moon, and be open to acquiring more information–it’s there to be had, and some of it will appear in material form, up to us to ‘handle’.

Over the years people have written me on occasion, wanting to know why I use such close orbs for New and Full Moon discussions, and why I don’t talk about other aspects in force at the time of these events. I keep the picture crisp and clear to aid understanding; I think we muddy the waters when we want to analyze aspects kitchen-sink style, talking about everything in hopes that we hit something. Though nothing manifests in a vacuum, so to speak, we have to be able to tell influences one from another–otherwise we run the risk of believing we’re attending to a matter, when we might be missing its source completely.

Have a lovely week!

 

Full Moon in Scorpio April 2018 ‘Your Money Or Your Life’

27 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in astrology, Full Moon, Grand Cross/Grand Square, Moon, Sabian Symbols

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Photo By G.Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com)/ESO – https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1802a/ CC BY 4.0

Is this Full Moon really as dramatic as that stick-up line in an old movie? Yes, and then again, No. This Full Moon is likely to feel highly charged, in the sense of seeming as if a great deal depends on how things go, on which direction we decide to jump–but that’s just a feeling, fostered by a culmination in Scorpio (at 5:57 PM PDT on the 29th) that is in relatively close square to the Nodal axis, the North end of which is conjoined Ceres. Yes, I’m aware the Nodal axis at any one time is the measurement of the points where the Moon crosses the ecliptic, with the North Node being the point when the Moon crosses into the Northern ecliptic hemisphere and the South Node the opposite, and all as defined from our viewpoint here on Earth–and so, the Nodes aren’t bodies at all, which some astrologers do not count as acceptable components of configurations–but I do. I see them as charged points in space, and so meaningful when aligned with other points or bodies.

Back to the Full Moon’s participation in a Fixed Grand Cross, with Sun in Taurus, Moon-Earth in Scorpio, North Node-Ceres in Leo, and South Node in Aquarius, which I anticipate lending the Full Moon its sense of dynamism, importance through potentialities, and even fatedness, should we feel this Cross as a swirling maelstrom rather than a compass pointing (and so urging us to move) in four directions at once. We may be confronting (the squares) our personal future direction and power situation (NN-Ceres in Leo) as well as the ways in which our once-future oriented approach has become dated and passé (SN in Aquarius). This Full Moon illuminates our personal caves, digs down into the figurative Earth beneath our feet, shines a light on what’s normally dank and wet and hidden, dark, mysterious, and perhaps alluring because it’s unknown, and shows us how this must change, evolve, or be reformed in order to reconcile what we want (Sun in Taurus) with what we are compelled toward, intuit, love, and already have (Moon-Earth in Scorpio), with the consideration that these Moon-Earth attributes must change (Scorpio), in order to allow us to move forward effectively, with our power, agency, and autonomy intact (NN-Ceres).

A sextile to Saturn by the FM tells us that this is an opportunity–how? you ask: the real world restrictions and restraints imposed by ourselves or others on us have created exactly the right physical conditions for us to see and then alter those areas that the FM reveals as requiring change. The Moon’s emotional component supplies a sense of urgency, while the Moon’s placement tells us that nothing less than our own personal evolution is on the table. Sorting need from want deals with the stress questions imposed by the Cross, even as it answers that question, ‘Your money or your life?’ through the Sun’s assessment of what we want to gain, accumulate, and find comfort in. What at first feels like a hold-up becomes a chance to evolve, another Scorpio specialty. Looking deep and willingly making needed change, we can have both what we need materially (‘money’) and what we value spiritually (‘life’).

The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, ‘A Fellowship Supper Reunites Old Comrades’, while the Sabian for the Sun is, ‘A Red Cross Nurse’. Both are images of care, the camaraderie of mankind, and healing. This suggests that if we can get beyond the sense of urgency and fear, we can see how beneficial, offering repair to relationships and feelings, the circumstances of reform highlighted by the Full Moon can truly be.

Bonus: those with a natal placement 8-11 degrees Gemini will find their natal energy at the apex of a Finger of God with base of Saturn-FM. This suggests what is acted upon for the individual will be related to that natal energy, and/ or to the subjects of the House it rules in the natal chart.

Excellent work on finding your ikigai from Astrologer Jem Neal–

And we’ll end with a quote from Mignon McLaughlin:

Your money, or your life. We know what to do when a burglar makes this demand of us, but not when God does

Full Moon in Libra March 2018 ‘Being Willing’

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Horoscope, Sabian Symbols

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Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema ‘The Bible Lesson’ {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 5:36 AM Pacific time of the 31st at 10 Libra 44 at the Sabian degree for ‘A Professor Peering Over His Glasses At His Students’. Ah-ha! This Moon will be instructive, and the Lunar energies will be responses to and responding to our own understanding and accomplishment–that is, how much we’ve learned. There’s an element of judgment, of assessment, to what occurs, that echoes ‘lessons learned’ at the Virgo Full Moon of the 1st, and takes them to a new level–be ready to receive your grades!

The FM is square Mars-Saturn, with Mars still to perfect conjunction to Saturn. The Full Moon effect both arises from our real-world actions and generates them; we see the consequences of restraint, and we may see specifically that actions or choices driven by emotion will affect the reality picture, and may have down sides or restrictive components we haven’t anticipated. The FM is also trine the South Node point, suggesting the past easily ‘flows’ into the present; connections are obvious, and allow us full rein to continue or reject their influence. Too, if we pair the FM with the North Node by sextile, we see a loose Finger of God with apex Hygeia in Pisces (though Neptune could be apex if the FM had occurred just a day or two later, at this point it’s no cigar). The current Finger tells us that emotion plus our current life direction are the fundamentals that determine our health–an obvious formula, but one worth becoming thoroughly conscious of, as we are not perceiving the state of health (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual) and those things that affect it as clearly as we may believe (Hygeia in Pisces).

Winslow Homer ‘Kissing the Moon’ 1903 {{PD}}

With the Full Moon falling in Libra, we know that central to events will be interaction with others; behaviors, choices, relationships are all interdependent, and so inextricable, one from another. What ends or comes to completion at this time is related to our relationship to one or more entities to which or to whom we feel emotional connection; the issue then becomes what feelings or intuitions we are willing to acknowledge about those others, with FM events offering a denouement that offers at least partial answers to our questions.

This Moon is also opposed a retrograde Mercury and sesquiquadrate Sedna, suggesting that we may not have access to coherent thought around the Full Moon experience, and that access via instincts will be difficult if not impossible to accomplish. It may be that, after assessing our relationships in the light of FM events, we must look into the eyes of others in order to make contact with our own feelings. The question, ‘Is it you or is it me?’ may be vital to gaining deeper knowledge of our relationships and of our causal part in them.

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘The Ruler Of A Nation’. That implies that big events, or the choices of those far above us in influence, will factor in to Full Moon circumstances. Or, as ruler of our own ‘Nation’, we may be looking for conformity across the relationship spectrum, for an easy thread of likeness with which to bind all those who populate our world. Though the wish for this is understandable, it’s not necessarily desirable; one thing the Full Moon in Libra ought to show us is how varied the characteristics of each of our many relationships, how particular and specially-attuned they are to various parts of our own Beingness. To lose that variety by adopting a uniform attitude (symbolized by ‘The Ruler’, a kind of Archetype, in the image), or by expecting our personal ‘Nation’ to blend homogeneously to suit some idea of who we are, we lose the broad spectrum of potentials and talents that are stored within our own personalities, celebrated in our innate contradictions and pecadillos, and brought forward within a rainbow of interactions. That Aries Sun makes us feel more solitary, more separate, than we really are, but it’s only in embracing the way the individual fits, puzzle-piece like, into a relationship, that we discover the best in ourselves, as well as the many different ‘shades’ that Self comes in.

I’ll be completely unavailable starting afternoon of the 28th, through evening of the 1st, Pacific time. Have a great Full Moon!

 

Full Moon in Virgo March 2018 Seeing Inside the Machine

27 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Horoscope

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Charles Hoguet ‘By the Windmill’ 1870 {{PD}}

The Full Moon occurs at 4:50 PM PST March 1st at 11 Virgo 22. A Virgo Full Moon promises we’ll get the details, that we’ll receive an accounting, that the means of production (to borrow an old, reddish phrase) will be clear, and all of it allows us to make critical decisions, to apply a discerning eye to what culminates, concludes, or reaches a ‘full’ point of assessment, creating a need to be judged so that the next step can be taken, or at least mulled over. With a FM in Virgo, we see inside the machine–but the Moon is central to what happens, so does the machine see inside us as well, via our emotions or an intuitive exchange of information or ideas? Yes, it does, and this allows the machine to read us, to shape what it creates according to our spiritual orientation, our imaginings, our ideals, our beliefs.

The machine, of course, is the Universe, but we’re unlikely to recognize it as such. The FM opposition to Neptune (meaning the Sun and Neptune are conjoined, perfecting two days or so post-FM) suggests we look out from our emotional or intuitive ‘read’ of the Full Moon experience and we see whatever it is we want to see–or at least, what we see takes a form that is meaningful to us–as this may appear to be an accident, a shock or surprise, or something foisted on us by the group, a modern concept or convention that we are required to follow, if we don’t want to be left behind, if we want to remain a part of the Collective (Sun-Neptune in Pisces, FM sesquiquadrate Uranus). For those focused on the Virgoan energy, this may present a time machine, of sorts, where a review of the past shows how we got to the present, and in certain ways offers a ‘do-over’; for those focused on the opposing Piscean energy, this may present a timeless machine, losing the particularity of the Full Moon within the larger Cosmos, a kind of ‘seeing and realizing All at once’ experience.

The FM also trines the Black Moon Lilith point, and with generous orbs we could call this an Earth Grand Trine with Pallas; this points us toward the nature of the material effect we might get from the FM event. It suggests that what we’ve ignored, denied, or been enraged over (BML) is a factor in what culminates at the Full Moon, and that ultimately this delivers a balanced material result that is wise, practical, or both (Pallas). What we see in material terms is a response; what we’ve done, or not done, is made apparent, and in some form, judged.

Gertrude Käsebier ‘The Bride’ 1901 {{PD}}

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘After The Wedding, The Groom Snatches The Veil Away From His Bride’. It’s the ‘Big Reveal’; what did our past efforts bring us? And immediately our critical faculties kick in, assessing what we’ve got. Maybe pleasing, maybe not, but we must consider that perhaps the very act of judgment isn’t pretty, either, and perhaps beside the point, as the action’s already complete.

We also look at the Sun for a Full Moon. ‘In The Sanctuary Of An Occult Brotherhood, Newly Initiated Members Are Being Examined And Their Character Tested’. Maybe this Moon is a kind of lesson, one that reminds us our sanctuary is found within the machine, not in some rarefied and separated corner of the Universe. Certainly, how we respond to what we’re presented with will say a great deal about character and attitude. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that it’s all a spiritual experience; the material and physical can overwhelm us through the senses, driving out consciousness of the spiritual underpinnings beneath. So, the Full Moon becomes a point of personal reckoning, a statement about our relationship to All-That-Is, on top of any worldly results gleaned.

Support the blog through donations (a dollar or two per month recurring is super-groovy), through reviews or ratings at GoodReads or on my facebook page, or through purchasing my books, currently only available here–wishing all an enlightening Full Moon experience, and sending much gratitude–Thank You, Readers!

 

Lunar Eclipse 31 January 2018 Emotional Intelligence

29 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, Finger of God, forecast, Full Moon, Horoscope, Lunar Eclipse, Sabian Symbols

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‘Moon Over Dresden’ By Johan Christian Claussen Dahl 1826 {{PD}}

The Lunar eclipse of 31 January 2018 occurs at 5:27 AM Pacific time at 11 Leo 37, just two minutes past exact conjunction to asteroid Ceres, and acting as apex to a loose Finger of God with base of Black Moon Lilith (which is a point, of course, not a body) and Neptune; the Full Moon is also sesquiquadrate Chiron, but everything else is outside the orb for a Lunar event, even when that event is an eclipse.

Falling in Leo, the Full Moon suggests a completion, ending, or the consummation of something related either to the House matters in the individual chart where the eclipse occurs, or to the identity, the lion’s roar that makes a statement about who we are, and particularly about where our heart lies (Leo rules the heart). We are, then, at the time of a Full Moon, full of feeling, and this time that’s about ourselves, and how we fit into the emotional landscape.

An eclipse is an extreme; this one is apex to a Finger, which points to a blending of the creative, imaginative, spiritual, or delusional with those matters too long ignored, denied, or that have enraged us, with the result being the Lunar event, the Lunar extremity, the culmination or revelation with who we are at the center of it all. Facing what we’ve avoided in a creative way, or with a spiritual viewpoint, shows us who we are, especially emotionally; we could say that this Lunar eclipse reveals the state of our emotional intelligence, setting the stage for our responses through the coming six months, to the next Lunar eclipse.

The Lunar event happens conjoined Ceres, suggesting that the event itself is an experience of our own strength, the extents of our authority, or involves the overseeing of others or the negotiation of a particular situation. Ceres also implies the potential for the eclipse to bring a health related event, such as an allergic reaction; we see Ceres prominence right now with the virulence of the flu in the US. Ceres always speaks of power and Nature, and the relationship for the individual between the two; in this instance, the Lunar event carries this message within the Leonine expression that arises from Black Moon Lilith (the ignored, avoided, denied, or enraging) and Neptune (inspiration, the spiritual, the creative, the confusing, the deceptive).

Nature might make a statement at the Lunar eclipse, something concerning those things we’ve ignored or denied (climate change, anyone?) and what we’ve created of a Neptunian nature (to include pathogens fostered in a lab or inadvertently in an ever-warming environment). This may signal the rise of the seas, even though it will play out over time—or it may say that we might finally connect emotionally (the Moon) with Mother Earth in a meaningful way, one that moves us to save Her, emotional intelligence of another kind altogether.

Add to this a difficult aspect to Chiron, symbol of our primal wound, and of those gifts we possess that can offer healing to others (and since 2012, to ourselves, as well). The tension of the Finger, shown by the quincunxes, is channeled into the Lunar response, which itself is in conflict with something of a Chirotic nature: our wounds, someone else’s wound, or the deep need to share a healing skill, which may not be acceptable to others (this latter reflects that dynamic where someone has an issue, says they desire healing, but will not let go of their wound—often it’s too much a part of the identity, and in this case, the feeling nature may gain its sense of shape, depth, and even personal relevance—Leo–from this wound). Or, the exercise of creatively dealing with what we’ve avoided may unavoidably cause wounding or pain, to ourselves or others. In some way the wound impacts the Lunar expression, which is one of power or its lack, or of the relationship to Nature. It’s nothing short of what weaves us into the world, the Cosmos, ourselves as much a part of Nature as what we observe outside us.

Oda Krohg – ‘A Japanese Lantern’ 1885 {{PD}}

The Sabian Symbol for the Lunar eclipse is, ‘An Evening Party Of Adults On A Lawn Illumined By Fancy Lanterns’. This is a symbol of a kind of luxury, the freshness of a summer lawn, lanterns in the darkness, the company of other mature individuals, the sense of earned respite and relaxation. The scene carries a quality that may transport an adult back to childhood, or foster romantic sensibilities; in any case, the implication is that life is going well enough that the struggle can be set aside, at least temporarily, that Nature can be appreciated in a state (darkness) that we usually avoid—so in that way, suggests harmony with the environment, and a sense of security that allows us to move outside normal parameters. In the context of the Lunar eclipse, this might imply that whatever comes forward here makes a kind of statement about the individual (Leo) and their place within the natural order (Ceres), and that this is dictated by that interplay of Black Moon Lilith and Neptune, potentially drawing the Lunar result from the individual temperament (BML) and the spiritual orientation (Neptune).

With a Full Moon we also look at the Sun’s Sabian: ‘On A Vast Staircase Stand People Of Different Types, Graduated Upward’. As the body that generates the light that creates the Lunar phases in the first place, the Sun symbol offers hints as to the origins of the Lunar event. Here we see a kind of representation of humanity, with the implication that we are evolving ever upward (no matter how it looks down here on earth!) The staircase, of course, invokes the hackneyed metaphor of life as a climb, each step a movement upward, to a more advanced position—but that isn’t how life works—every step doesn’t take us up, it may not even take us forward—so this symbol may at bottom question suggest we set aside our assumption that we are ever evolving upward. We are ever evolving, true, but the path isn’t a straight one, so we should dump the metaphor in favor of just accepting the ride, rather than trying to measure how high we stand on the staircase.

And what about all that hyperventilating about the rarity of this Full Moon?