Full Moon : wisestars.net

Jan

17

Filed Under Cancer, Full Moon, capricorn | 3 Comments

I woke up last week to the phantom smells of coffee, toast and bacon. Like Proust’s madeleines, these familiar breakfast aromas evoked a remembrance of things past, calling to mind early mornings at my grandparent’s house in the Central Valley of California. I’d wake on these long ago days to find my grandmother in pink curlers at the kitchen table, lightly spreading toast with margarine and blackberry jam. My grandfather would be frying bacon on the stove, making Folgers coffee and pouring out bowls of his beloved grapenuts.

Sitting at their round, glass-topped table, I’d happily munch on my toast, crunching blackberry seeds between my teeth, safely immersed in the predictable comfort of a familiar breakfast ritual. Smelling my dream smells, those cozy moments from my childhood returned in sharp focus, and for a moment I was once more surrounded by the nurturing warmth of my grandfather in an early morning kitchen.
There’s nothing like having Venus in Cancer to bring back nostalgic moments from the past. Since Venus in Cancer rules my own Libra rising chart and is amplified by sitting in the power point of the tenth house, I’m particularly prone to sentimental feelings for times gone by. When I began studying astrology in my 20’s, I wasn’t too surprised to discover that I shared this placement with my beloved grandfather, an army cook and later a representative for the food and restaurant union. Two Venuses in Cancer, unique in a family of air and fire Venus’, we happily bonded over our deep love of food, family and tradition. These admirable traits co-existed with a few more troublesome Venus in Cancer tendencies: moodiness, possessiveness, and a penchant for sweets. But at least in my family of origin, there was someone who truly understood my heart of hearts, one crabby water Venus to another.

As the Full Moon in Cancer approaches (exact January 19, at 1:21 pm pst), our attention, whether we have planets in Cancer or not, is drawn to “memories, dreams and reflections” ala Carl Jung. Opposing the Capricorn sun, which demands a pragmatic, realistic approach, the moon in its ruling sign of Cancer calls us to dig deep down inside, taking some time and space to immerse ourselves in our own process of remembrance. The polarity and pull of these two opposites, one, earthy Capricorn, pulling our attention outward to the external world of achievement and accomplishment, and the other (Cancer), demanding that we feel our feelings and let our imaginations drift, may create some tension, but this lunation also has the potential to reveal where there are imbalances in our lives so we can self-correct.

Jupiter in Pisces trines this Full Moon, lending us the ability to be more compassionate and forgiving. We can draw on the “big love” vibe of Jupiter in Pisces now to soften and smooth over any rough edges that may separate us from others.

Full Moon in Cancer

This Full Moon calls on us to integrate the water and earth energies of Cancer and Capricorn, bringing heart into our work and applying a practical “can-do” attitude to our dreams.
Without Cancer, Capricorn is dry, lifeless and lonely, concerned only with success and achievement. Without Capricorn, Cancer is lost in a sea of emotions, helpless to act in the world and forever childlike.

January’s Full Moon occurs as the transiting nodes of the moon live out their final days in the signs of Capricorn and Cancer (the transiting nodes move into the Sagittarius/Gemini polarity in March). The North and South node of the Moon are like compass points, directing us all towards the energies that we need to grow, and helping us understand where we’ve just come from.

The North Node, which is currently in Capricorn, directs our collective attention towards hard work and survival. As a group, our evolving story now is to move away from the dark side of Cancer: nostalgic impressions, immature emotions and blood ties that bind us to destructive, rather than life affirming, tribal loyalties. The South Node in Cancer represents the past, or energies that have been developed to a peak and are now dying away. If we cultivate the more negative Cancerian qualities, we can grow weak and helpless, like fish trying to swim against the current.

The Full Moon helps us to acknowledge and see more clearly how the archetypes of these signs play out in our personal lives.
We’re reminded of Cancer’s positive qualities: the life giving nurturance of the Great Mother, the lush bounty of imagination that is available to us all, family memories that sustain and nourish us. But we’re also cautioned to stay focused on the Capricorn mission of conserving our emotional energies so that we can do the work necessary to reach our goals, without being distracted by emotions that may leave us shipwrecked.
So whether you experience your own Proustian Madeleine moment, reveling in the remembrance of things past; or, you decide to set forth with determination towards the future, digging in like the Capricorn mountain goat, this Full Moon promises to shine light on where you stand in the cycle of time, calling to you “like the wild geese, harsh and exciting–over and over announcing your place in the family of things.*
*From “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

Sep

22

Filed Under Aries, Equinox, Full Moon, libra | 3 Comments

Let’s dance/put on your red shoes and dance the blues
Let’s dance/to the song they’re playin’ on the radio
Let’s sway/while colour lights up your face
Let’s sway/through the crowd to an empty space
David Bowie

Last week I had a dream in which I danced an unusual version of a square dance. Surrounded by others, twirling and whirling in circles, my partner and I danced. I felt confident and happy even though I didn’t know the steps, because the man who I danced with led me with such skill and grace.

When I described this dream later at my dream group and mentioned how effortless my dream dance had been, someone made the point that there is an art to following as well as leading, and suggested that part of the reason our dance went so smoothly was because I knew how to follow.

The Fall Equinox and the Full Moon in Aries that occur tonight (September 22nd 8:09 pm pdt) and tomorrow morning (Full Moon exact September 23 at 2:17am pdt), perfectly highlights this interplay between leading and following. Now, as day becomes perfectly balanced with night, we transition from enjoying the bright light of the sun, to embracing the growing darkness that peaks at the Winter Solstice. The leader (light) has now become a follower and the follower (darkness), has stepped forward to lead.

In astrology, Aries is the sign of leadership. Bold, brave and confident, the ram faces life head on, stepping off into the adventure of life without doubt or hesitation. Libra, Aries’ opposite sign, is a natural follower. Effortlessly attuned to others moods and needs, Libra is the perfect helpmeet, ready to accommodate, negotiate and mediate.

Combine the energy of the Equinox, with the Full Moon and add in transits to Pluto and Saturn this next week and the final result may see us all engaged in a crash course in leadership, with some of us leading and others trailing close behind.

Though the Aries archetype certainly plays a part in this planetary story, Saturn’s prominent placement in Libra especially highlights our need to pay greater attention to the art of following. Saturn solidifies and adds weight to whatever it touches, grounding us in the lessons of whatever sign it happens to be transiting through. In this case we will be growing more and more aware of the particular Libra attributes that we each need to develop.

Following is one Libra quality that may appear to come naturally, without much thought or effort. But when Libra becomes Saturnized, it may be necessary to take another look, to get serious, to “grow up“ in regards to the issue of following. Pluto’s transit through Capricorn also squares the Sun in Libra now, adding even more depth to our awareness and forcing us to ask questions that may uncover the more shadowy parts of our Libra nature:

“Do we resist following others lead, or do we instead mindlessly go along with whoever seems to be in charge?How do we hand over our decision making power to others, letting them set the pace, rhythm and timing of a dance we’re not sure we even want to do?

What does it mean to gracefully yield to life? Is it hard for us to let go of control (Capricorn) of a project, relationship or problem and hand it over to someone else to deal with? Or how do we fight against a leader who we intuitively know is doing a good job,but whom we resist simply because we‘re having a hard time changing and letting go?“

Learning how to follow means knowing who or what we want to follow and also making choices about what kind of dance we want to be engaged in. To follow well, we must be receptive and open, ready to respond and yield with grace. To follow well means sticking with the commitments we‘ve made and seeing them through to the end.

The planetary square dance that has been taking place all this year changes steps now, as the Saturn/Pluto square eases off. But this Full Moon, which comes so closely on the heels of the Fall Equinox, is a potent reminder of the lessons we’ve learned. We have a chance now to not only integrate and understand the changes we’ve experienced, but also to make last minute adjustments and emergency repairs to our plans.

As the scales pause in a breath of perfect balance tonight, take a moment to meditate on your own dance of life. Is it square or is it round? Are you leading, following or dancing alone? Maybe it’s time to change the steps or learn new ones. Or perhaps you even need a new partner and a different beat.
The Fall Equinox offers us the chance to stop and notice how we move into the approaching darkness, feeling gratitude for what we have and taking stock of what we might need to gather before winter approaches.

Dec

1

Filed Under Full Moon, Gemini | 1 Comment

December 2009 is a busy month in the sky above (not to mention the earth below), as the planets change signs, moving forwards and backwards and clustering together in all kinds of interesting arrangements. The kicker is a Full Moon eclipse in the sign of Cancer (the second of two full moons this month), taking place on New Year’s Eve. So what does this high octave rearrangement of the cosmic forces mean for you and for those you love?

As Venus settles into Sagittarius tomorrow (December 1^st) and the Full Moon lights up the sign of Gemini (also December 1^st), this is as good a time as any to embrace the sacred art of storytelling.

As an astrologer, part of my job is to weave a story of power, possibility and hope for my clients using the threads of their natal charts as the basis for the important themes and cycles that will shape their lives. But ideally, I can go even further and encourage people to track the movement of the stars and planets on their own, in this way they can begin to weave their own stories about their charts and their lives.

So think of my “star story” for December as a template for you to work with, a way for you to begin to develop your astrological literacy and move forward in the direction of shaping your personal planetary narrative.

The starry landscape of December is a paradoxical story, one that tells of change and awakening, but also stops and starts. Uranus, which goes direct after a five month retrograde period, is like an arrow shooting outward into the Piscean realm of imagination, creativity and spirituality. We now are free to explore the realms of possibility, having received the steady hand and focused attention of Saturn in Virgo, as it opposed Uranus in Pisces over the last year. Jupiter, the ancient ruler of Pisces and the modern ruler of Sagittarius, the archer, is further accentuated now as Venus joins the Sun for a month long visit with this expansive and optimistic fire sign.

So at first glance it would seem that all systems are “go, go, go”, yet mid-to late December, brings us a bit of a “no, no, no” vibe, slowing down our flying arrow of change and asking us to reconsider, regroup and re-energize both our thoughts and our actions. As Mars in Leo goes retrograde from mid-December until March of 2010, we have to keep our hands on the reigns of our desires. This will be a time to really explore whether our hearts are driving our will or vice-versa. Mercury retrograde in late December adds to this internalized energy, encouraging a time of introspection. We’re asked to put the breaks on now and slow down a fast moving vehicle, curbing its speed and directing a force and power that may at least appear to be out of our immediate control (Saturn/Pluto square).

This landscape of planetary possibility during the Winter of 2009-10 is only the backdrop for a larger story, a collective cosmic tale that may shape and effect your own personal narrative, but which also has a power all on its own. As you track the movements of the stars and planets in relationship to your natal chart, use your imagination to integrate the archetypes and myths of the sky into the day to day events of your life. As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, ask yourself, “What is the story that you want to tell around the Solstice fire? What is the story that gives your life meaning?” The story that warms you in the dark? This is the story that will help you keep your inner fire and light alive through this season of darkness and this is the story that is yours alone to tell.

The Star Stats

December 1

Full Moon in Gemini

Uranus in Pisces (23 degrees) goes direct

Venus moves into Sagittarius

December 20

Mars in Leo goes retrograde (19 degrees)

December 26

Mercury in Capricorn goes retrograde (21 degrees)

December 31

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Cancer (10 degrees)

Jun

7

Filed Under Full Moon, Saturn | Leave a Comment

This month brings us a Full Moon in Sagittarius, with the Sun and Moon both forming a square to the planet Saturn. When the Moon’s Sagittarian hopes and the Sun’s Gemini questions meet the cool and logical analysis of Saturn in Virgo, fear and anxiety can arise, as we began to question our faith and optimism in life.

But longtime readers and astrology afficiandos know that though Saturn can sometimes seem like the “bad guy” of the zodiac, the ringed planet is also the most effective teacher when it comes to helping us give boundaries, structure and form to our dreams and visions. The cost of Saturn’s grounding, stabilizing energy is the currency of: commitment, hard work, self-discipline and focus. When we are undergoing the transits of Saturn to our personal planets, we can feel somewhat limited, constrained or blocked. That is, until we bite the bullet and begin to work within the structures of this ringed planet.

On a collective level, Saturn’s influence on tomorrow’s full moon may cause us to develop a more serious attitude to our beliefs and hopes for the future. We may become more aware of the hard work we need to undertake to manifest our goals, and possibly feel constrained or even depressed by any challenges we see ahead, letting Saturn’s shadow side overwhelm us.

If we want to try and glean the best results from this full moon we can choose to “homeopathically” take on the characteristics of Saturn in Virgo. To “dose” yourself with the Saturn in Virgo medicine, look to those areas of your life that could use more: focus, details, planning, organization, time management, health maintenance, and precision.

You may on the other hand be “overdoing” Saturn in Virgo, and need a dose of Sagittarius energy: play, optimism, expansion, adventure and education. Or perhaps Gemini is your special brew right now: communication, connection, listening, questioning, and integrating.

*Look to planets and house cusps between 13-19 degrees of Virgo, Sagittarius, Gemini and Pisces for amplified effects of this full moon, and also the house in which this lunation falls for more details on how it plays out in your personal life. Also, you may have noticed these themes and issues have already made a strong presence in your world, if this is the case, the Full Moon tomorrow is your opportunity to use the light of awareness that the moon offers to see more clearly. Though things might feel strained or at a peak of energy now, this will subside as the moon shrinks down again. Look to the two weeks following this Full Moon for resolution, answers and understanding.

Mar

10

Filed Under Full Moon, Pisces, Saturn, virgo | 1 Comment

You stand there, and I’ll stand over here, exactly opposite you. What do you see? Notice any differences? Similarities? What about me both irritates and intrigues you? What makes you want to change, stretch and grow? How are you feeling inspired to create or motivated to destroy?
In astrological parlance, an opposition is an aspect that showcases the differences between two signs, highlighting the extremes of each sign involved. Oppositions are known as “hard” aspects, because the energetic they create can be tense and stressful. Yet oppositions also have the potential to blend and integrate completely different energies in a new way that creates a more wholistic, complete expression than if each sign were on its own.

An opposition is both a challenge and an opportunity. Are we willing to stretch and grow? To take a little Fool’s leap and do something different?

This Full Moon in Virgo offers us up a distinct menu of choices with an opposition involving the Sun, Uranus and Saturn. In one corner we have the Moon in Virgo, signifying our collective mood and the feeling tone in the air right now. With the Moon in Virgo, we are interested in the details of life, the mundane, the practical. Our bodies, our health, our dry cleaning and all the little errands that once completed, will make our lives run just a little bit more smoothly.

The Moon in Virgo lasts for another day or so, and occurs with the planet Saturn, which will remain in Virgo until the Fall of 2009. Saturn next to, (or conjunct), the Moon, makes us particularly alert to and aware of Saturn’s qualities at this time. Saturn is the planet who teaches us about: patience, commitment, persistence, stability, structure and tradition. But also, limitation, fear, constriction, anxiety and endings.
We feel Saturn today, like a breath (or perhaps a big wind), swirling around us, we are attuned to Saturn’s presence more sharply. Look to Virgo planets, or the house cusp of Virgo in your chart to see where this lunation falls and gain more clues as to how it effects you in particular.

*(Remember that the effects of this full moon will be felt up until the next New Moon in March in Aries.)

But the Moon and Saturn are just one part of the story. For the full picture we need to turn to the planets opposing the Moon and Saturn. So if we look to the other side, and the far, far reaches of space, we can reach out to those planets sitting directly opposite the Moon and Saturn, and there we find two rather interesting characters: the Sun and Uranus.

There they are, sitting side by side….Can you see this funky duo? The Sun, who lights up our lives, feeds our soul, and gives us a sense of meaning and purpose? The Sun shines, radiant and alive, full of potential. There close to the Sun, by about two zodiacal degrees, is the wackiest planetary body in the zodiac, that trickster, fool and radical change expert, Uranus. So there they are, these two powerhouse planets, moving in their own special way, vibrant and alive, and shimmering right now with a watery Piscean light.
The sign of Pisces brings us closer to god, and god in the Pisces sense is whatever that means for us individually. This isn’t some kind of organized religion thing, there’s no intermediary, no morality, no right and wrong. We either feel it or we don’t with Pisces. Pisces is pure faith, devotion and mystery. Now imagine what that means with Uranus dancing through this sign right now (and for the next year or so, as we near the end of Uranus’ cycle through Pisces). Pretty weird right? Maybe unexpected in a completely perfect way, as we sense a certain “rightness” in what is coming to us at this time in our lifes. We can’t explain, delineate or define it, really. Not to ourselves or anyone else. This is an experience that must be felt, intuited, gently grasped. This is not Virgo’s clarity, order and routine. This is different.

So they stand, face to face, or back to back, opposite. Earthy and real and practical, getting the work done, Virgo says, I’ve got a purpose, I know how to help, let me do my work. Pisces says, I inspire, I seed the work you will do in the world. I bring, the magic, mystery and life essence, the spark that feeds the flame of creativity and life purpose.
Right now Virgo and Pisces are doing this opposition dance, offering us the chance to feel and witness the differences between them, to see ourselves stretch out between these polar opposites, and to imagine what it means to alchemically blend these energies in a new form, a new way. As we respond to the challenge, we have the potential to use both the span of our vision and the work of our hands to together create the future we imagine.

Apr

19

Filed Under Full Moon | 4 Comments

Full moon in Scorpio/April 20, 2008 at 3:25 am pdt

Spirit versus Matter. Are they compatible or conflictual, or perhaps a bit of both? The full moon tomorrow morning highlights our awareness of the differences between these two modes of being.
This lunation is the first of two full moons this month, both in Scorpio. With the sun newly in Taurus, the earth sign ruling sensuality, finances and accumulation of resources, our attention is focused on those areas of life that are right in front of us. Anything that can be touched, smelled, tasted, heard or seen is important now.

Scorpio, which rules the unseen, and energetic patterns rather than physical ones, calls our attention also, particularly in the emotional and spirit. We may feel torn between what we think is real, and what we feel or intuit as real.

Perhaps you have had a strong feeling lately that a particular relationship, job or project would turn out a certain way, and yet you see no signs of your inner knowing manifesting in the outer world. Feelings of self-doubt and confusion are a natural outcome of this process, and to be expected given the current planetary weather.

With Saturn, the planet of physical manifestation, retrograde since earlier this year, many of our outer plans may seem on hold. Saturn retrograde is a time to do the work that our spirit demands, even if we are not reaping the external rewards. When Saturn goes direct the first week of May, we may see more of the results of the spiritual work we have been doing made manifest in the outer world.

Until then it is important to continue finding the balance between what can be seen, and what can be felt, and trusting in the truth of both these ways of being.

Nov

21

Filed Under Full Moon | 2 Comments

This Saturday’s full moon could also be described as a “fool moon”, with the Sun having newly entered the buoyant fire of Sagittarius, and the moon at it’s peak in the jester like air of Gemini. This combination has the potential to lead us into places both unexpected and potentially “foolish” if we ignore the demands of Saturn in Virgo, which squares this placement. Coming so soon after Thanksgiving, the Gemini full moon introduces the holiday season with its siren call of over-consumption, family dynamics and familiar stressors, so this moon could tell an old story of temptation leading to folly.

Alternately it is possible to use this dynamic energy to shape a questing, adventurous and curious focus, that also contains a sharp attention to detail, practicality and service. By performing this juggling routine, balancing and keeping contradictory forms moving and flowing, we are able to work with the lunar cycle in a creative and proactive way.
The Sun and three of the four outer planets (Saturn, Uranus and Pluto) are in mutable signs (Pisces, Virgo, Gemini and Sagittarius), and so we are experiencing a collective journey together, learning about bridge building, merging and synthesizing. The full moon emphasizes our understanding and awareness of this mutable nature. Mutable is changeable, flowing, moving from one extreme to another, creatively blending sharp polarities into new forms, forms that are more easily understandable and accessible.

As we navigate this mutable terrain, going more deeply into the essence of mutable nature, we may find ourselves surrounded by echoes and synchronicities that support our understanding of our own mutable signs. Identifying the planets that are in mutable signs (Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo and Pisces), in our charts and observing their behaviors is one way to stretch and grow in response to this full moon.

Sep

26

Filed Under Full Moon | 1 Comment

Experiencing the potent, buzzing tension of paradox can be exciting and creative or stressful and chaotic. This full moon in Aries (September 26, at 12:45 pdt), is likely to have you feeling all of this and more as opposite signs and opposite planets interlace with the light and dark polarity of the Equinox. Bringing us a peak awareness of diversity, this fiery Fall Equinox moon evokes: Venus/Mars, war/peace, beauty/strength, alone/together, single/partnered, Spring/Fall, self/other, love/lust, Yin/Yang, Shiva/Shakti, and hunter/gatherer.

Showcasing the most quintessential expression of masculine and feminine energies, the Libra Sun and Aries moon calls for reflection and awareness of our primary mode of being in the world.
Each of us, no matter what our gender or sexual orientation carry these energies within us, manifesting them in different ways at different times. We may cycle through particularly masculine periods in our lives, and then enter into a more feminine awareness, or come into points of balance between the two. It is a rare individual who is able to hold these two expressions of energy in perfect balance at all times. Noticing what your pattern of male and female expression has been throughout your life and what it is currently, can be a powerful way to work with the present lunar phase.
This moon echoes back to Spring Equinox 2007 (March 21), when the Sun was in Aries and the Moon was in Libra. Reflecting back to your own balance of energies, activities and interests at that time, and noticing how your particular mode of expression has shifted since then can be helpful. Are you experiencing life from a softer more Yin perspective, allowing events to unfold naturally, responding gently and magnetically attracting what you need and want? Or are you taking charge, passionately expressing your desires to others, and fiercely focused on your goals and projects? How have things shifted since the Spring, for you and your community?
The Spring Equinox was a time of new beginnings, when we welcomed the great surge of life force energy into the world, celebrating the fragility and innocence of life. Fall Equinox is a time to honor what has grown since then, to notice the distinct personality and essence that has been shaped through mistakes and victories, and to appreciate the diversity that is inherent in different life forms, as we prepare to enter the darkness once more.
As the great white globe of the moon hangs in the darkness of the Autumn sky, use its light to reflect on the paradox of life that exists within you, witnessing your own inner diversity and honoring the fullness that you bring to life.