Full Moon in Pisces

(from Pakeezah. Oh, let's watch some Bollywood!)


This is tomorrow, the 29th August, around 8 pm GMT. Maybe you can feel it already.

It's a big, dreamy, romantic moon – conjunct Neptune, meaning the emotional tone will be idealistic, deluded, sacrificial, suggestible, ungrounded. Drunk, actually.

The moon and Neptune will face off against Jupiter and the sun in rational, detail-oriented, pragmatic Virgo.

So we are looking at the need to balance practical, everyday, earthly reality with big swirling emotion, romance and potential delusion. Grounding ourselves in the everyday while feeling way out at sea. It's a very seasick kind of vibe.

Nice influence for artists and musicians – you can use this to give dreams and intuitions an actual form. Anyone spiritually inclined, or in a helping role or profession, should also benefit. But the danger here for many of us is that dreams and delusions will overwhelm our sense of reality.

Overall this looks like a tough full moon to me. Neptune is a confusing, disillusioning influence, and Virgo can worry like nobody's business...plus Saturn, now grinding his way onto the last degree of Scorpio, will be loosely squaring the full moon, adding an undercurrent of darkness, psychological pain, guilt and deep compulsion. And having Jupiter involved magnifies all this. Fun stuff!

Best case scenario – this is about dreams that can come true, given enough mental seriousness and attention to detail.

Worst case scenario – this is about worry, fear, emotional instability - and just generally feeling kind of seasick. Guts all knotted up with free-floating anxiety and dread.

And the worst worst case scenario, with so much Neptune, is getting in way over your head, screwing yourself over, drowning in your anxieties or addictions.

Personally I think this is not particularly comfortable cosmic weather unless you're comatose drunk or full of Valium - but beware drink and drugs, because the hangover for this one will be the Fear all right. With Jupiter (luck) in health-conscious Virgo, you're better off focusing on what's healthy and avoiding boundary-dissolving substances.

The motto of the Virgo-Pisces axis is 'Serve or Suffer'. So if you're feeling lousy and caught in painful mental/emotional loops, a good way to feel better is to focus on what you can do for others. With Jupiter in Virgo, pragmatism and quiet, unassuming service to others are favoured. These are sure-fire ways to transcend your worries right now.

And there is no shortage of suffering in the world, it's useful to remember. Much of it is particularly horrific these days.

Re. seasickness – this is literal for many, and puts most people's troubles in perspective:

European refugee crisis

Porous national boundaries, death at sea (Neptune), a lot of fussy bureaucratic anxiety (Virgo), and people willing to go through hell to get away from the hell they're living (Saturn in Scorpio). It all fits.

Anyway, on a less literal level, the full moon makes me think of this card in the Tarot:

Something will have to be sacrificed for the greater good here. It's not about getting what you want. It's about what serves everyone best; what serves life best.

The guy on the card is Odin, sacrificing his physical comfort for mystical illumination in a kind of symbolic death. Jesus on his cross is another example of transcendent human sacrifice.

And all the refugees in those Mediterranean coffin ships represent absolute sacrifice as well.

But the sacrifice required of you may not be so intense. It could just be a bit of your pride. Your story, your opinions, your rigidities of thought, your anger, your defensiveness. Maybe your conceptual apparatus is getting an overhaul about now. I'd say, roll with it - even if it feels like not having any ground under your feet.

Virgo's ruler, Mercury, is currently in Libra and conjunct the north node. It's a good time for seeing all sides of a story, particularly in terms of relationships – the aim here is fairness, justice and balanced relationship.

And Venus will be retrograde in Leo till the 6th September. Again, the theme is balancing, reconsideration, cautious delay, careful preparation for future success in love and money matters.

Starting new relationships or business ventures under a Venus retrograde is generally held to be bad luck, so waiting till she goes direct on the 6th before committing yourself is probably a good idea.

We also have Saturn grinding his slow way through the end of Scorpio – and this speaks of frustrated desire, blockages and delays...also deep fear.

Saturn will leave Scorpio for Sagittarius on the 18th September - not too much longer now! It should lighten things up a bit. (Unless you have refused to deal with your shit – in which case you'll be living with it for quite some time. Decades, actually. It's very harsh, but karma's a bitch.)

Anyway, frustrating as delay and blockage might feel, you can use the next few weeks - and the next week in particular - to ensure you have read the fine print on any interpersonal (or actual) contracts you're thinking of signing. This includes major purchases and new creative projects.

With Saturn in Scorpio, you can open yourself up to a world of long-term hurt by being careless or light-minded about energetic transactions and mergers. (Keep in mind that love and money matters are all about energetic transaction and merger.)

That's not to say there's nothing nice going on! Venus and Mars will be exactly conjunct in Leo on the 1st September, trining the moon and Uranus in Aries. This is a fiery, “expect the unexpected” influence for relationships. Anything could happen! People will be feeling revved-up with desire, and impatient.

The conjunction is in uncomfortable aspect to Pluto in Capricorn. Some skeletons in the closet coming out to play, maybe – some very tense power dynamics at work. It looks emotionally fraught, frustrating as hell... but exciting and positive overall.

I do think, under these skies, that delay and caution will serve you well. Jumping headlong into anything is not a great idea – especially with a full moon as emotionally ungrounded as this one.

Remember: take the time to read the fine print. We are trying to see clearly and lay strong foundations here, in order to create structures that can work in reality. That process takes the time it takes, not the time we might want it to take.

Being swept off your feet may sound very romantic and exciting, but it's not the best way to go right now.

New Moon in Leo

This is on the 14th August, 4 pm (GMT).

It looks beautiful. Big shiny happy new cycle opening here.

Leo is the sign of creativity, fun, romance, generosity, open-heartedness. And the sun and moon in Leo will be conjunct Venus in Leo – this is just a big burst of joy and creativity.

Sun, moon and Venus trine Uranus in Aries – so be open to new opportunities, new creative and romantic openings, new opportunities to have fun and to be happy. It's a party kind of sky.

The weekend ahead should be lovely. And the month ahead looks pretty nice as well.

That is not to say it's just simple, uncomplicated party time – but when is it ever? Saturn in Scorpio squares the new moon, meaning whatever gifts are involved here, they are heavy, karmic ones. Not to be taken lightly. Commitment and work are involved here; there is nothing flippant about it.

But Mars in Leo also trines Saturn at this new moon, meaning there's a lot of energy to put toward working toward the objectives we deeply want. And by deeply, I mean deeply – like heart-and-soul-level.

What do you really want for your life; what would it take to be happy? Not just surviving, but really alive?

First song on that video (“standing in the sun”) is what it's about. (Though it's worth watching the whole thing cause she's adorable.)

“I would like to see you live / standing in the sun, standing in the sun. / Not survive but really live.” 

Well, what would that take, for you? What would it even mean? What practical things would you have to do, or change?

Remember, Venus is retrograde, and this amplifies the theme of recalibrations, reconsiderations, laying the proper groundwork in love and money matters. The new cycle we are beginning requires that we be absolutely true to ourselves and to our hearts – and to our self-respect. We are going to get things right this time.

That means getting the details right: Jupiter is in Virgo now, and for the next year. This is helpful, as far as seeing clearly and paying attention to the small stuff. It's much more grounded, humble and down-to-earth than Jupiter was in Leo - much more conducive to ordinary, everyday happiness.

It is sort of a tough placement for Jupiter, as he is all about the big picture and Virgo is about the little details – so Jupiter in Virgo can be pedantic at worst, not seeing the wood for the trees. But the best way to use this is to attend to details, serve others, take care of health and physical routines, and stay humble and focused on the little things that keep the whole show running.

This year - and for the month ahead, certainly - happiness is not about the big gamble, the grandiose gesture, the overblown emotion. It's about what works in the real, everyday world. Our luck and happiness (Jupiter) will be attendant upon taking care of our ordinary, routine lives and health. And also on humbly serving others, in whatever capacity we can.