This is tomorrow: Thursday, the 12th January, 11:34 am GMT.
OK, it looks painful and shocking.
I haven't been a big fan of these Cancer full moons, the past few years – despite the fact that the moon is at home in Cancer, her own sign.
The problem has been the now finished (but still potent) Uranus-Pluto square. Having these jolting, ruthlessly transformative energies hitting that soft, gushy, moody Cancer moon is just a recipe for hurt feelings, destructive outbursts and emotional trauma. Especially family trauma.
That's what we're dealing with here. Be nice to your mother please - she's under a lot of pressure.
The chart of this full moon is a cardinal grand cross, an intensely uncomfortable aspect pattern that demands change. The aspects are very tight. And our sensitive Cancer moon is under heavy fire from Uranus in Aries (rebellion, abrupt change), the sun and Pluto in Capricorn (illumination of structural rot) and Jupiter in Libra (the need for justice and balance, especially in close relationships).
Jupiter in Libra may sound like a benign influence, but if you keep in mind that Jupiter magnifies whatever he touches, you are looking at some potentially over-the-top emotional reactions here. Also power struggles, and abrupt relationship changes and re-balancings. Plus some cruelty, courtesy of Mars square Saturn. All in all, it's not pretty.
But at best, this looks like a necessary catharsis to me. Mars is applying toward conjunction with Chiron in Pisces (exact on the 17th January), and Mars and Chiron beneficially aspect the full moon. This is a big emotional outpouring – a bloody mess, basically – that must be acknowledged. You're allowed to feel hurt, to cry and to mourn your losses. It's not self-indulgence but emotional necessity.
Turning pain into art – or faith, or boundless compassion for all suffering – is also an option, with Venus exactly conjuncting Neptune in Pisces for this full moon. This is a beautiful, gentle, dreamy influence. Unfortunately it can also translate into romantic delusion and victim-saviour dynamics in relationships – but given the harshness and violence of this sky, I think it's nice to have so much soothing Pisces action going on. It's anodyne; it softens the blow.
We had a coldly realistic new moon in Capricorn a couple weeks back. It was not a feel-good scenario, but I did think it was a flash of illumination about the road ahead. Now at this full moon in Cancer, the view comes clear – we see exactly what we're dealing with and what must be done. Again, it is not a feel-good scenario. It's ugly. But it is workable.
Mercury is direct again, trining the north node in Virgo, and about to enter no-nonsense Capricorn a few hours after the full moon – and all this speaks of sober, bleak, no-nonsense insight that can be directed with immense practicality. You know the stark truth now, so what are you going to do? It's pretty clear you can't keep doing what you've been doing.
The cardinal grand cross denotes forced change. We are not going to be able to sail through this without adapting to radically changed circumstances. There is no pretending the changes away. They have to be worked with, and it hurts. The future isn't what we thought it would be.
But all the Pisces stuff in the sky says: at least we can try to be compassionate and kind to each other, and have faith that this mess serves some larger design. Jupiter in Libra adds that we should strive to stay fair, diplomatic and balanced, and to be generous in our dealings with others. And Mercury in Capricorn and the north node in Virgo are advising absolute pragmatism: doing what needs to be done to adapt, whether you feel good about it or not.
This is exact tonight, the 20th July, at midnight (GMT). The sun in Cancer opposes the moon in Capricorn.
Cancer is private, moody, domestic, emotional, creative; Capricorn is status-oriented, focused on outer achievement, authority and public persona. So a full moon across the Cancer-Capricorn axis will tend to highlight issues of inner life vs. outer life:
-inner self vs. public persona
-home and family vs. work life
-emotional truth vs. money / career / status
-feelings and needs vs. responsibilities
-nurturance and gentleness vs. order and discipline
Because these signs have to do with matriarchal (Cancer) and patriarchal (Capricorn) values, family issues are likely to be highlighted.
So how do you, personally, navigate this stuff and integrate these polarities? That's the question this full moon shines a bright light on. The odds are, something in your work-life / public-private balance is changing pretty rapidly right now, or has to change. Or your family dynamics may be shifting in unexpected ways.
Full moons are always a bit fraught, and this one is no exception. The sun and moon are in cardinal (initiatory, action-oriented) signs, and both square Uranus in Aries, which is an explosive, impatient, erratic influence. It looks frustrating – Uranus wants to rebel and break free, but Cancer and Capricorn are quite conservative and attached to the status quo.
Emotional control and pragmatism will be pretty important in dealing with this kind of energy. I think these will be on hand, courtesy of the moon in Capricorn. This influence can be repressive and depressing, but it is also very sober, grown-up, grounded and realistic.
We have seen plenty of eruptive violence on the collective level in the past few weeks. Much of it relates to Cancer-Capricorn themes: homeland (Cancer) and order (Capricorn).
I hope we don't see more violence this full moon – hopefully having the moon in Capricorn will lend a bit of stability and sobriety. It does look violent though – like a crackdown.
(human kindness)
Collectively and personally, we are dealing with the aftermath of the transformative Uranus-Pluto squares of 2012-2015. These set populist anger and desire for change against a rigid and corrupt status quo, with very unpredictable results. The landscape has altered - often in shocking and disturbing ways - over the past few years. The dust hasn't settled yet.
Compounding the confusion, we have a Saturn-Neptune square now – and this is about the dissolution of whatever we took to be stable and secure. Also, a corresponding mood of unease and free-floating dread.
Fragmentation and chaos are the order of the day, the future is lost in fog, and people are scared – and angry. Under these circumstances, extremist and reactionary movements gain traction. I think things will get worse before they get better, and it will take a good while.
It's not a cheery prospect, but it is what it is.
Some Yeats:
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.”
Anyway, how do we deal with this frightening collective stuff, and with the smaller-scale ways these influences play out in our everyday lives? The sky does indicate a way through.
1. Jupiter and the north node are in Virgo, and have been for the past year. This is about a humble, service-oriented, systematic focus on the details of everyday life.
-So: you could take out the garbage, walk the dog, cook the dinner, clean the house, honor your commitments, do the small stuff that needs doing. Keep your head down and your mind on the task at hand. This sort of thing is very beneficial and grounding right now.
2. Venus and Mercury are in Leo, just past an exact conjunction but still conjunct for the full moon. This is a beautiful, loving, heart-centered influence on our minds, communication and relationships. Both planets are beneficially aspecting Saturn in Sagittarius, which, at best, is about realistic vision, taking the long view and having a sense of proportion.
-So: you could let your words and actions be governed by kindness, generosity and faith in the future, not hatred, cynicism and reactionary fear. There isn't going to be much of a future otherwise.
3. Finally, Mars (now direct in Scorpio) is beneficially aspecting the full moon, and we still have a grand water trine in effect, involving Mars, the sun in Cancer and Chiron in Pisces. This is painful emotional force and insight that can be easily directed toward compassion, forgiveness and healing.
-So: you could let pain and frustration open you up to the world instead of closing you off.
I think what we do and how we behave in our small lives has a huge ripple effect on the collective. It's the only real influence we have. So this stuff is very important.
Anyway, it's a well-balanced full moon overall – harsh, angry, childish and emotionally reactive on the one hand; but steady, realistic, kind and grown-up on the other. You can pick which side of the equation you want to be on.
This is today, the 7th April, around 12:20 pm GMT.
Oh man. It's such a zinger. Just in time, too.
Our last new moon, in Pisces, ushered in a swampy, drunk kind of 28-day lunar cycle – quite dank and depressing really.
Well this new moon is the antidote. It's a powerful, charged-up new start.
A new moon in Aries is the start of the whole astrological year. It signifies beginnings in all their rawness and urgency. And this one is a bit more raw and urgent than usual!
The sun and moon will be conjunct Uranus in Aries, planet of shock and rebellion. They'll also be squaring Pluto in Capricorn, which is about restructuring, hidden corruption coming to light, death and transformation.
We are past the historic, transformative series of exact squares between Uranus and Pluto (2012-2015), but those heavies are still in square aspect, and this new moon sparks it off again.
Under the Uranus-Pluto square over the past few years, a lot has changed. For better or worse. Think of your life, your self, in 2012 – and now look at you, four years later. Did you ever think you'd be this person?
A lot has been absolutely blown to bits; a lot has been re-built from the scorched earth. And the restructuring process is ongoing – the future isn't what it used to be, and we all have some adaptation to do.
Anyway, whatever way you look at it, this new moon will be a deep jolt. Especially if you have planets or chart angles in the cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn) - something is going to shift in a lasting way.
A deep jolt, and possibly nasty – Aries is warlike, and with Pluto involved, things can get pretty dark. I guess it won't be the calmest month on the world stage – but that's the norm now.
But nevermind the world stage. We are dealing with Aries, sign of the self – so this is all about YOU.
What do you want for your life? Not for anyone else, not for the planet, not for your highfalutin' ideals. For YOURSELF. What do you really, actually WANT? What kind of future do you envision?
Because by now you must know: nothing is going to go according to plan! Nothing is going to be quite what you'd expected.
Maybe you need a new M.O., because the one you had pre-Uranus square Pluto just doesn't cut it anymore. You don't believe the same things as you did, you don't want the same things. You're not the same person.
This new moon looks like a really good time to look at what you really, truly, deep-down want, going forward – and to set your intentions toward that end.
New moons are magical. Setting intentions at a new moon is a powerful thing. This is when you plant your seeds. The act of clarifying and articulating a desire is like planting a seed – something is bound to come of it.
But Aries new moons are super-special, because they set the tone for the entire year ahead. Meaning today at the new moon, you can set your intentions for the year ahead and expect them to carry a charge.
Ask yourself: what do I want for ME? What do I need? What has to change completely? What baggage do I have to drop?
Aries has an association with selfishness, but this is really not about being selfish. It's about being true to yourself. Your deepest desires are in you for a reason, and it's bigger than just you. Desire is how destiny manifests itself. What you want, what you're drawn to, what you value, what you love – that stuff creates the shape of your life.
This lunar cycle really does look to be about desire. We have Venus (love and money planet) in Aries, where she is a total warrior for what she wants. She's beneficially aspecting the new moon's dispositor, Mars in Sagittarius. There is a lot of sparky desire-driven energy here.
Mercury (mind and communication) has just moved into Taurus, where he is preoccupied with practical, earthbound reality – and also matters of pleasure, desire, contentment, self-esteem, ownership. This is a calming, stabilising influence on our minds and communication – useful when we are dealing with so much fire and drive. It'll help us to look at what we want in the light of reality, and see what is actually possible (and healthy) vs. what is not.
Plus Saturn in Sagittarius beneficially aspects the new moon – and this is about having a vision for the future.
Clearly, this is not about short term anything. It's about the long haul. That's why I think this is a really good time to set intentions for the future – with Saturn involved, your intentions will carry weight. Maybe write them down. Jupiter and the north node are in systematic Virgo, so list-making is favoured!
It can be pretty difficult to clarify what we actually, deep-down want. It can involve some psychological excavation. You have to cut through layers of things you think you want, that were programmed into you by your culture or family or social circle.
We are looking to get down to the core of what actually drives us here. What lights you up, engages you, makes life vital and meaningful for you? It's different for everyone.
But this is not about superficial desire. It's about the deepest levels, and it may involve stuff that is buried or taboo for you. There's a need to excavate – who are you really? What are you really about?
And to purge all the stuff you're carrying that isn't really yours and has nothing to do with what you actually want out of life. No more distractions, no more drama.
Sing it Mary J!
This emphasis on depth work has to do with Pluto's involvement – now at the new moon, and also at the full, which will be on the 22nd April, in Pluto-ruled Scorpio.
Scorpio is about psychological depth, the taboo, the Shadow. Also, desire in its most primal, compulsive form.
Driving home this focus on the depth stuff, we'll have the sign's two rulers, Pluto and Mars, both stationing retrograde just a few days prior to the full moon in Scorpio. There is a deep inward focus here, and it will be in effect all through the summer, as Mars retrogrades through Scorpio.
So yeah – this month definitely looks like it's about focusing True Will.
Aleister Crowley was an unsavoury human being and largely full of shit, but I think he was right on this score: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law”.
But first you have to dig out what it is you really want – not what you think you ought to want. Not what would please your parents or your friends or even your ego.
If you can identify what really drives you and be drawn by that lodestone, provided you're not harming anyone, you can't go far wrong.
Anyway, I really like the look of this month, though it's quite violent and intense! And fraught. The usual cautions apply. Expect some kind of depth charge / jolt this new moon, especially if you have planets or angles in mid-degree Cardinal signs. Something is going to shift in a lasting way, and it's likely to be uncomfortable. Don't be surprised if it's nasty - there are some hidden agendas at work here. But whatever hits you or erupts out of you, it won't really be out of the blue. This has been building for some time.
Mind yourself and don't fight anything out to the death please. Don't blow yourself up, or anyone else. It'll be easy to overdose on rage.
Also, we are dealing with a mutable t-square now, involving Neptune in Pisces, Mars and Saturn in Sagittarius, and Jupiter and the north node in Virgo. This influence will be in play for nearly the rest of the year. It looks pretty jangled and confusing to me – like it'll be hard to know what's true.
I guess this makes it all the more important to clarify your deepest intentions and desires now. Like, now. TODAY.
This new moon is Monday the 8th February at 2:38 pm GMT.
OK, so it looks like a jolt – a big reboot. Aquarius is liberating, progressive, erratic and shocking – like a lightning bolt. Abrupt, good at sudden beginnings and endings. Freaky oddball electrical energy, like a dragon made out of lightning.
Plus we have Mars in Scorpio squaring the new moon, adding a surge of uncomfortable emotional drive and irritation. This is the kind of thing that makes you want to jump out of your skin or break something.
There is a deep push for personal freedom and authenticity encoded in these aspects. Something - maybe everything! - has to change.
Also there's the potential for a lot of stupid viciousness and power struggles, if the necessary freedom and changes are blocked.
Recall the full moon in Leo two weeks ago. Drama drama drama! Plus, messes that must be dealt with, revelations, shocks, hidden things coming to light.
OK, so this new moon is a continuation of that theme.
As of this past week, Venus is tangled up with Mercury and Pluto, and squaring Uranus. This represents a value shift, a jolting re-assessment in love and money matters - maybe as a result of whatever has been brought to light over the past few weeks.
Sudden shifts - endings and beginnings - are likely in relationship and money matters at this time. The shifts could also be in your values. The status quo just won't cut it anymore, with these aspects - deep structural change is needed.
Something new and strange wants to happen! So if you're dealing with intense frustration at this time, it might be worth asking yourself: "how am I boxing myself in; how am I failing to be fully true? How am I blocking change and progress and dragons made of lightning?"
The Venus-Pluto conjunction is about dead loves coming back from the grave, true love and commitment, romantic obsession, betrayal, manipulation, addiction, toxicity – human bondage in all its best and worst forms. Also sex, money, power, control, possession. There's nothing light about it, especially in sober, serious Capricorn. You add in the square to Uranus, and it's Indian soap opera time.
OK, so hopefully your life is not as intense (or dumb) as all that, but you get the picture.
Happily, Jupiter in Virgo sends beneficial aspects to Venus, Pluto and Mercury. This affords some buoyancy, cosmic benevolence, perspective and humor to situations that might otherwise be very fraught and gloomy.
We also have Saturn in Sagittarius beneficially aspecting the new moon and Uranus in Aries, and this grounds and stabilises the tense, erratic energy. There's a real future to be built.
And there's plenty of balance on hand. Whatever new direction you're headed in, whatever your vision for the future, whatever you have to change about your circumstances so that your life looks less like an Indian soap opera - it is entirely possible to make your dreams a reality. It will just take focus, planning and sustained work.
The right way to deal with the power surge of this new moon is to channel it into things that support freedom, authenticity and progress for you and your wider community. No hidden agendas, no manipulation, no passive aggression. Everything out in the open, fair and egalitarian and objective.
The worst way is to use all this jolting electricity to shock, hurt and manipulate. There's plenty of potential for that here. Aquarius can be cold to the point of cruelty, and Mars in Scorpio knows exactly where to stick a knife for maximum damage. Both of these signs are fixed: they don't back down.
It's like a dinosaur battle in Jurassic Park - intensely violent and reptilian. Needless to say, if you find yourself in the path of any dinosaur battles, best not to get involved. Best keep the hell away, if you can. Dinosaurs are not rational and they don't care if you become collateral damage.
If you are the dinosaur battling it out, I don't know what to tell you - except, nobody wins; nobody prevails. With Jupiter and the north node in Virgo, it pays to be humble and to keep a low profile.
The really nice thing about this new moon is that it represents a new direction: a surge for freedom, a shedding of old restraints, and a fierce drive to be yourself in all your freaky glory. You get to shed something that's been draining and dogging you.
Wherever this falls in your chart is where you'll feel a lightning bolt of clarity and personal authenticity. There's really no reason to stifle your true self anymore – what have you got to lose? The world needs everyone's weirdness.
Bearing this out, Lilith, taboo 'mother of demons' and emblem of the dark feminine, is beneficially aspecting the new moon - and this is good for women especially, but it supports everyone's suppressed wildness. Go ahead and speak your mind, say what you really think and feel, be your real self and not the respectable facade you think you should be. Cut loose and be true - "be the change you want to see", as they say.
But at the same time, remember the message of Jupiter and the north node in Virgo, and Saturn in Sagittarius. Perspective, humility, good boundaries and grown-up behaviour, please.
Full moon in Leo, sign of the rock star, is exact tonight: 24th January, around 2 am GMT.
It's fairly dramatic. A Leo moon needs drama and creativity and romance. It needs to be in the spotlight, being seen and appreciated.
So I like it that this is happening over the weekend. Tonight will be a good night to put on your bling and go out looking for trouble, if you're brave or crazy like that.
“Drama” is said so dismissively, mostly. But it's drama that keeps life interesting. Does anyone really want a life completely free of it?
I doubt it. In any case, some drama is called for here, and you can't fight the cosmic weather.
There is a dark edge to it. Something explosive and deep is liable to be revealed. Something dangerous and hidden may come to light.
And publicly: the sun in Aquarius is very group-oriented, and the moon in Leo wants to be the center of attention. Mars in Scorpio will be loosely squaring both – this is about deep, hidden agendas. Manipulations and machinations.
So something dark or hidden may come to light, in public, and it may be quite shocking.
It's like the songs above: someone's got the Ace of Spades up their sleeve. Someone's a Blackstar.
Kind of a futuristic film-noir vibe: something is not what it appears to be, maybe.
Re. revelations: we have Aquarius's ruler Uranus in tight square to Pluto and Mercury. And Mercury is about to go direct the day after the full moon, conjunct Pluto. (Mercury stationed retrograde, recall, at 1 degree Aquarius on the 5th January.)
This full moon is all about the import of the Mercury retrograde. Since mid-December, something deep, serious and life-changing has been under consideration and re-consideration. Now we have the answer / culmination. Pluto is involved, so there's nothing frivolous about what may come to light.
It's a radical change of mind, maybe. An insight that leads to a reassessment of the ground of your existence, maybe. Satori – or a life-or-death message. A commitment.
Or maybe you just hear something that hits you at a deep level, with the force of unvarnished truth. Maybe you are forced to accept something you've been avoiding. Maybe some important matter will be decided, finally; or some painful honesty will come your way.
Lilith (taboo female energy) is involved, opposing Uranus and squaring Pluto and Mercury. So this is a message from the shadow all right. The kind of thing you don't want to look at – but can't look away from.
Love and money planet Venus moves from free-wheeling Sagittarius to security-minded Capricorn just a few hours ahead of the full moon. Venus in Capricorn requires love you can bank on and a solid bottom-line – dependability and realism in love and money matters. Again, we are dealing in unvarnished truth here.
And Saturn (reality) in truth-seeking Sagittarius drives the message home: no pretense.
Saturn trines Uranus. Meaning there is a future to be built here – a real one, though it will take work.
And retrograde Jupiter conjunct the north node in Virgo re-iterates this: WORK. Anything worth having takes work. Humble, quiet, systematic work – and absolute realism.
With the south node in Pisces, we are being pulled at hard by dreams, delusions and the longing to escape mundane reality. But recall the reality-based theme of the new moon in Capricorn a couple weeks ago: there is no escape. There is real work to be done, and no conscionable way to evade it. The only way out is through.
This full moon is the culmination of the cycle that began at the new moon, and it looks like it involves some kind of revelation. Communication / information that reinforces the theme of absolute realism. Hard truths you have to work with.
I'm thinking of scenarios like: finding out all the piping in your house is faulty and will have to be replaced, and it's gonna clean you out financially. Or realizing the person you love is a little deficient in the character department, but you're too heavily invested to leave. Or dealing with long term illness, unemployment, difficult family or work situations – you name it. Maybe there are sacrifices to be made for love or money that you'd prefer not to be making... but there's no way out. You're in too deep.
None of this shit is just gonna vanish and disappear – you can't positive-think your way out of it. No “manifesting abundance” here, or any kind of new-age crapola like that. You will have to work with reality, and you'll get back what you've given. No more and no less.
Opportunities exist, but they may not be quite what you'd dreamed. A new direction is entirely possible, but it must be worked for. Stark realities exist, that must be accepted and dealt with. This is just life.
It's not that magic and loveliness aren't available...Just that it's a time for focusing on essentials.
With the moon in romantic, party-loving Leo: facing the music and dancing comes to mind here. "There may be trouble ahead..."
Or Churchill on the eve of World War II:
“The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences.”
Intensity alert for the next few weeks. We have Mercury direct conjuncting Pluto and squaring Uranus all next week. This is a depth-charge to the mind: a fucking torpedo actually. Whatever this full moon brings to light is going to have far-reaching import.
Then we have Venus moving to conjunct Pluto, exact on the 6th February – with the moon conjunct both of them. Old loves coming back from the dead, maybe. Tests, endings, resurrections, deep soul commitments, shattering losses, serious gifts, obsessions. Emotional intensities off the charts.
We have a new moon in Aquarius on the 8th February, and it looks like a zinger. I'll write about it closer to the time.
And we have Jupiter and the north node travelling together in Virgo for the next month and a half. Meaning the path – and I can't state this strongly enough – is attention to the little details, service to others, humility. Quiet, unassuming, systematic, ordinary WORK. No victim shit allowed; no escapism or self-pity. Whatever mess you are dealing with – literal, interpersonal, financial, health-related – the only way out is through.
This is tonight, the 10th January – around 1:30 am GMT.
The holiday season happens while the sun is in Sagittarius, which is about bounty, jollity and excess (among other things). But a new moon in Capricorn signals the end of the festivities. Time to take the shiny decorations down and get back to work.
Capricorn is about sober reality, discipline and achievement - so it makes sense that we start implementing our New Year's resolutions around this time. It's when we set intentions for the year ahead, and embrace austerity after the excesses of the holidays.
This return to sobriety is especially in evidence this year, with the sun and moon conjuncting Pluto, which speaks of deep, focused intent and a will to transform.
Also, we have Mercury retrograding through Capricorn, and this is about serious mental consideration. Mulling things over, seeing reality with sharp clarity. Communication that cuts to the bone.
And Saturn – Capricorn's ruler – is conjunct Venus in Sagittarius. This is about limitation and commitment in love and money matters. With Saturn and Venus in Sagittarius, a sign that loves freedom – and also squaring Neptune – there may be a longing to bolt, to escape, or to blot reality out altogether. Keep in mind that escape is not actually a viable option here. You have to work with what is being presented to you; there's nowhere to run.
Bearing this out: Saturn in Sagittarius is disposited by Jupiter in Virgo, which just went retrograde yesterday – and is conjunct the north node in Virgo.
Saturn and Jupiter are basically opposites. Saturn is about contraction, focus, duty, limitation – while Jupiter is about expansion, exuberance, fun and hope. What we are looking at with this new moon is a deep and intense focus on the Saturn side of the equation – while Jupiter's influence is blocked. In other words, party time is over. There are deep and intense burdens and commitments to be taken on, and you'd best put your head down and get on with the work. No escape.
There is just a hell of a lot of blockage, restraint, discipline and focus on the small-picture stuff here. It might feel tremendously heavy and depressing and bleak. On the plus side though – there is the power to see clearly and get things done. And with Pluto and Uranus involved (Pluto conjunct the new moon, Uranus squaring) – there is the potential to restructure things at a deep level.
Maybe your finances are shot to hell, and you have to do some serious belt-tightening. Or maybe your liver is shot to hell and/or you need to start a new health regimen. Maybe you're doing the dry January thing – and with headlines like this, we're being frightened into collective sobriety this new moon.
Or maybe it's time to commit to a new project or to a relationship, or a career change, or whatever.
Whatever you're taking on, rest assured there is plenty of follow-through available. Capricorn is about perseverance. You keep at something despite the obstacles (which often have a lot to do with your own fears), until it is achieved.
The sun will be at 3 degrees Capricorn, the moon at 3 Cancer.
The Cancer-Capricorn polarity is about home and family life (Cancer) vs. outer achievement, career and persona (Capricorn). Private vs. public; the inner, emotional life vs. the outer persona. Vulnerability vs. control.
The moon is in her home sign in Cancer, so she's comfortable there. Plus she'll be well aspected at the full moon: harmoniously aspecting Neptune (compassion, emotional openness) and Mars (great emotional energy and force). So it might actually be possible to get along with your crazy family on this holiday so fraught with family tension.
I hope so. Best wishes to all.
But here's the inevitable doom part: Uranus and Pluto are squaring each other tightly, and Uranus will go direct later Christmas night – just as the moon moves into Cardinal t-square territory against those two heavies.
Be prepared for some kind of emotional eruption or jolt. Uranus direct provides the zap, and Pluto the deep, manipulative nastiness. Mercury in Capricorn is involved, so very harsh words may be said. Mars in Libra is also involved, amping up the irritation.
This comes post-Christmas dinner, when everyone's sitting around all semi-sloshed after their sherry trifle, exhausted from the effort of trying to stay civil. Perfect time for some nasty barb to be flung, or for some deep dark family secret to be aired.
This fraught atmosphere continues into the day after Christmas, as the moon moves to square Mars in Libra and oppose Mercury. Fighting words, words that can deeply wound.
I am not trying to be negative here – this is a heads-up. If you're aware this is the atmosphere, you can hopefully do something to mitigate it.
In this case, I think the best way to mitigate it is represented by Jupiter and the north node nearing conjunction in Virgo. Humility and attendance to little details; serving others. You could go into the kitchen and do the dishes. You could put all the leftovers in little goddamn color-coded Tupperware containers. You could bring the dog for a walk.
Mercury in tight-lipped Capricorn will also be harmoniously aspecting Jupiter, the north node and Venus – you can use this to communicate truthfully, practically and with kindness. Or you can just tell a lot of terrible jokes – this looks like a good influence for terrible jokes. Mercury in Capricorn has a way with deadpan absurdity.
Anyway, if you can't say anything funny (or helpful, or practical, or healing), you don't have to say anything at all. There's just no point.
There is the potential for truthfulness and deeply comforting talk with these aspects – but there's also a lot of emotional upset going on. So things could go either way – or both ways. With Uranus direct, you can expect some kind of shock. It might be liberating, if you keep it in perspective. But with the moon (emotions) under fire, it's likely to register as hurtful.
Regarding perspective (a theme now, with Saturn in Sagittarius): it has been a hell of a year, so maybe cut people some slack.
The calendar year kicked off with an incredibly intense full moon in Cancer on the 5th January, and the moon's monthly transits of Cancer since then (and really for a few years previous), have been a recapitulation of that energy – another kick to the gut, more or less – as she squares Uranus (shock) and opposes Pluto (death).
The final exact pass of the Uranus-Pluto square was back in March – so we are standing in a changed landscape now, for better or worse. There isn't any going back to how things were.
And then we had Saturn in Scorpio for 3 months this year, dragging us through some dark psychological debris. There isn't any unknowing what we've learned.
And then, late last month, we had the first round of the Saturn-Neptune square we'll be dealing with for the next year. The scales have fallen from a lot of eyes; the ground is dissolving beneath a lot of dreams.
There isn't much energy left for bullshit. It's safe to say, astrologically this has been a heavier year than most, and people are tired and shell-shocked. For many it's been hellish. Full of great gifts and surprises, sure – but the losses and betrayals have a way of impacting us harder.
And now the year is ending with another Cancer full moon on Christmas day, a day that holds the accumulated ghosts of Christmases past. It's bittersweet – an emotional summing-up of what this year has meant.
So I guess...the kinder we can be with each other, the better. The humbler and more honest we can be, the better. No one has had it particularly easy, and no one needs any more nastiness at this time.
But the nastiness will probably be pretty easy to come by. Easy to fall into, in a reflexive, emotionally reactive way.
Relationship planets Venus and Mars are both in signs where they don't function well: Venus in nuke-em-all Scorpio, Mars in passive-aggressive Libra. And the moon is under fire in Cancer, as we've seen.
And the south node – the place this story will tend to get stuck – is in Pisces. Which means it's much easier to sit around feeling depressed and victimised then to focus on what we can do practically to help others. Even though helping others and being grounded and practical is the exact way out of this morass of self-pity and chaotic emotion.
Granted, some scenarios have become untenable. There are some people you just don't need to have dealings with, whether they're family or not. If they're family, it makes everything harder – you might just have to suck it up and humour them this Christmas, but it sure doesn't mean you have to do it the rest of the time.
Hell, they might not like you either. Big deal – not everyone has to like each other.
Anyway, a shift is coming. Venus leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius on the 30th December, and this should lighten the relational friction up considerably. And then Mars moves to Scorpio, a sign he rules, on the 3rd of January.
And we will also have every planet in the sky moving direct! For the brief window between Uranus direct on Christmas till we start a Mercury retrograde on the 5th January – and then a Jupiter retrograde on the 7th – everything will be moving forward. So it's full speed ahead. New horizons are opening up.
So whatever emotional claustrophobia is going down this Christmas – remember it's fleeting. It's just a mood! Better days are coming. And you don't have to let yourself be dragged into it. You can go out to the kitchen and sort the recycling or something. Or make everyone watch “Airplane”.
Something very deep and intense – and healing – is going on here. Deep emotional insight, deep communication.
And as Mercury is in magical, witchy Scorpio, conjunct the moon – this is not necessarily verbal communication. It's a knowing that runs deeper than words – a kind of chthonic snake-wisdom.
There is great potential for regeneration and transformation here. New moons represent pure potential and new beginnings, and this one is in Scorpio, the sign of death, rebirth, intensity and transformation – so it looks like a rebirth to me. A fierce jolt of magical, regenerative energy. A second wind, just when you thought you couldn't take much more of this “life” crap. Power and knowledge coming from a very deep, silent, internal source.
The sun, moon and Mercury will be conjunct in the mid-degrees of Scorpio. And aside from a tense-looking inconjunct to Uranus in Aries, this new moon is very well aspected – it is supported by Pluto in Capricorn (deep restructuring), Chiron in Pisces (the wounded healer) and Jupiter in Virgo (humility, service, attention to detail).
So there is absolutely the potential for deep psychological healing here – of yourself or others. Granted, Uranus in Aries inconjunct the new moon means there will likely be some shock and upheaval associated with this. But mostly it looks very profound and beneficial.
I keep thinking of Hexagram 49 from the I Ching in relation to this. It's about revolution, which is compared in the hexagram to moulting. Shedding the past like an old skin.
I'm thinking also of the magical stones traditionally called serpent's eggs -- because there is really something very earthy, concentrated, snaky and Kundalini about this energy.
Or the Omphalos of Delphi, the ritual center that the Oracle of Delphi spoke her prophesies from. (She was also associated with snakes – her official name was “Pythia”: pythoness.)
Or the Black Stone of the Kaaba, the holiest of holies in Islam, and a very female (and sexual) looking power-object.
Yes, that is really what it looks like.
And here's a snake-dance for you, while we're at it:
Anyway, you get the idea. Deep, chthonic, witchy power. Intense, dangerous, secret, female – what the serpent promised to Eve. It's the kind of thing that can kill or cure - a pharmakon. But this new moon mostly looks like a curative to me.
I think this is a good set-up for recovering any energy or power you may have lost over the last while – especially if you feel you've hit rock bottom. Scorpio is a sign that needs to go to the absolute depths in order to regenerate and recover power. It is about power coming via the acceptance of degredation and pain, uncomfortable as that sounds. “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom”, per Blake. If you feel all cleared out and exhausted, this looks like your turning point.
Scorpio is also about purgation. What do you purge? Whatever drains your vitality - be it a habit, a situation, a relationship. Whatever dead (and deadening) crap you are still dragging around with you.
It has been a draining year for sure. I don't suppose it'll be getting any easier, so getting rid of the deadwood now is a good idea.
Neptune, big dreamy whirlpool headfuck planet, will resume direct motion on the 19th November, and Saturn is bearing into a square with Neptune, exact on the 26th. The Saturn-Neptune square is something we'll be dealing with into 2017. Saturn in Sagittarius demands fidelity to the truth – while Neptune dissolves the boundaries between 'true' and 'false'.
So this is some disillusioning, depressing energy - the big dissolve. More draining suckage.
You think you have solid ground under your feet? You think you're a solid character, you think you're incorruptible? You think you know reality from unreality? Ha!
We are written on water.
“so ingenious are the arrangements of the state of flux we call our moral history are they not almost as neat as mathematical propositions except written on water –” -Anne Carson
Keats's grave
What do you believe, what do you base your perspective on, what do you hold true and moral? My god, it's getting kind of hard to know anymore, isn't it?
Is there a design, a larger perspective in which your life has meaning? Is it something you can have faith in? Can you build a future on it?
And did you ever imagine your life would turn out like this? It must be some kind of dream, right? Could it get much weirder? Is there anything solid in this phantasmagoria?
I really don't know. What an interesting movie it all is though – if you have the stomach for it.
“No it's not going to clear up is it or make sense or come out into the open somewhere this welter of disorder and pain is our life.”
--Anne Carson again
And yes it is -- it's our life and it's messy. I suppose it has to be.
Messy few months ahead: we are headed into a Uranus square Pluto redux this holiday season. The old dynamo of destruction will be forming a close square from December to February. These planets won't square exactly again, but this is a reminder of the pressure-cooker we've been through over the past few years.
Plus Mars and Venus will be filing through Cardinal t-square territory in Libra over the next month. This is a real firing-line, and I think it will be tough on relationships. And just in time for the holidays – what fun.
It doesn't mean things are gonna be awful. Just pretty intense. But they've been intense forever now, so big deal. You're not going to be bored, anyway.
Re. relationships: the north node finally moves out of relationship-oriented Libra, where it has spent the past 18 months, a few hours after the new moon. It moves into Virgo, joining Jupiter there.
The dispositors of the nodes, Mars and Venus, will be conjunct the north node as it shifts signs. This looks like a big alchemical wedding at the end of the long and bizarre fairy tale this year has been. It's a big deal; too weird and improbable to gloss over.
This is where you quit ditzing around and sort out your relationship karma – you get real about what you're doing, who you're travelling onward with, what you value. What (or who) you want to 'marry'.
It's a choice-point, maybe. A commitment. Fateful, not to be taken lightly.
Anyway, it's not about anything or anyone being perfect – you must know that by now. 'Perfect' doesn't exist and if it did, it would be pretty dull.
It's about what you can work with and trust in – what is sturdy enough to go the distance, however uncomfortable it might sometimes feel.
(Most of the happily married people I know fight and bicker constantly. It's like harmony requires conflict and periodic blowouts. Notice there is a volcano behind the couple on that card.)
Anyway, this looks like a new start for real – or a decisive ending. Pretty heavy stuff, especially coming as it does exactly at the new moon – and a new moon in Scorpio to boot, a sign that is all-or-nothing, black or white, on-or-off. No bullshit, no pretending, no dithering, no leading anyone down the garden path. This demands radical honesty - with yourself first and foremost.
Re. the node change: the north node in Libra was about a need to attain balance, harmony, fairness, justice and right relationship. With the south node in Aries, this effort was undermined by knee-jerk rage and conflict. Selfishness and war were the path of least resistance. We've had 18 months of this and frankly it has been a pain in the ass.
Now we're moving on from this heavy focus on interpersonal relationship. With the north node shifting to Virgo (and the south node to Pisces), the arc of the story for the next 18 months is about attending to daily reality, staying humble and focused on the small stuff, taking care of others, keeping the whole show of everyday life running – even as reality dissolves beneath our feet.
This is the same theme as the Saturn-Neptune square that's happening over the next year and a half. The sky is really driving home this theme of the dissolution of what we took to be solid and secure. It applies to the collective and also to people in their little lives – which are microcosms of the collective really. I think it's fairly serious, sobering stuff, and it will be hard to navigate.
But it will be interesting, for sure. Interesting times.
OK, so this is an intense and really stressful full moon. Maybe you can feel it building.
Today (1st May) the moon in Libra is tangled up with the Uranus-Pluto square, which is still in effect, though loosening. This is a jagged and disturbing emotional tone. Painful, eruptive, explosive...
People will definitely be on edge heading up to the full moon, which happens early on the 4th May, around 4:40 am GMT.
A full moon in Scorpio shines a stark light on what is viable in your life vs. what is unviable. It should be pretty damn clear. Full moons represent culminations or endings, and that's exactly what we're looking at here.
The moon at 13 degrees Scorpio (intense desire, emotional unrest, transformation) will be opposite the sun in Taurus (comfort, habits, values, self-esteem), and both will be in exact square to Jupiter in Leo, which amps up the intensity and tension. Ugh.
This looks like a very uncomfortable reckoning, especially as far as love and money stuff is concerned. Commitments and contractual obligations will be cemented and solidified – or ended.
It's kind of a life-or-death thing. What's viable, you commit yourself to. What's unviable – you let go of or amputate, painful though this may be.
It's very simple...but also hard as hell. It can be as grindingly difficult as breaking a long addiction.
Breaking an addiction is a good way of looking at this scenario, actually. We have Taurean comfort-seeking and habit coming up against the Scorpionic imperative for transformation and purgation, and something's gotta give.
Look back to the new moon in Scorpio in October of last year – that was the start of this cycle. What began for you then, or ended? What kind of psychological roller coaster have you been on for the past half-year, as we moved through the last of the Uranus-Pluto squares?
Basically, if you are still holding onto things that are draining or harmful – well you'll have had a good six or seven months of wake-up calls and revelations by now. Longer, probably! You can't really pretend not to know any better anymore, can you?
This full moon is a culmination and a cut-off point.
That's not to say we'll be done with the particular Scorpionic issues it raises...We still have some psychological reckoning to do, as Saturn heads back into Scorpio from June to September of this year. This is about the karmic fallout – the consequences. Or the processing period and recovery.
Scorpio issues revolve around sex, death, emotional intensity, trust, power, pathology, the Shadow. Also debts, shared resources, inheritances.
Energetic transactions, basically – and these can be emotional, monetary, physical. But you'll know what belongs in your life by the way it makes you feel: what gives you energy vs. what depletes your energy. If something – a habit, a relationship, a situation – consistently drains and devitalises you, it has to go. Or if leaving it is impossible, it has to be transformed somehow...
But please rein in your illusions that situations or people can be transformed if they have consistently disappointed you. With Scorpio, the most viable option is usually amputation. Cold turkey, yo.
Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, and retrograde Pluto in Capricorn supports the full moon with beneficial aspects – this is about internal reckoning, depth work and restructuring. Neptune in Pisces (dreams, compassion, intuition) also offers support – so it looks like there'll be compassion, hope and faith on offer. This is all nice, given the level of discomfort and intensity we're looking at.
Saturn is now at 3 degrees Sagittarius, moving backward toward Scorpio, which he'll hit in six weeks. We'll have Mercury in Gemini (hyper communicativeness) opposite Saturn (blockage) for this full moon, and both will be squaring dreamy, delusive Neptune in Pisces. And this looks tough. Blocked or deceptive communication; communication hitting a wall. A requirement for truth and free expression, or for absolute clarity – denied. Negotiations hitting an impasse. Anxiety, depression and the inability to think straight. Mental confusion.
I dunno – the whole thing just looks hard. Like something very deep and of far-reaching importance has to be hammered out and decided – and the emotional imperatives driving this are huge. But actually solidifying anything via thinking or communication will be difficult, with this Mercury-Saturn-Neptune square going on.
In circumstances like this, where you can't necessarily trust people's words or your own thinking – it's best to go with your gut instinct. If you feel like someone is lying to you or obfuscating, they probably are. If you feel you might be deluding yourself, you probably are. Don't talk yourself out of what you know deep down.
A Scorpio moon can be a ruthless bullshit detector, with great instinctive insight into people's deepest motivations and trustworthiness. It's a kind of tingly spider sense. That bodily knowing is much more reliable than verbal communication right now – so trust it.
Here is a link to hexagram 47 of the I Ching - it seems relevant. The hexagram is about fated adversity and constraint - a situation where words won't change anything, and you have to stake your life on following your deepest intuition and will.
This full moon setup also reminds me of the Tarot card for the 9 of wands:
It's like a line drawn in the sand. An energetic blocade - and the willingness to defend what you value. And what's at issue is crucial - this is a matter of psychic survival, and of safeguarding your will to live.
This is on the 18th April, around 8 pm GMT. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, so a new moon in Aries is like the real New Year. So happy New Year!
The sun and moon will be conjunct at 28 degrees Aries, and they will be pretty much un-aspected by everything else in the sky. This is self-contained and intense - a big burst of fiery will, courage and absolutely self-focused energy.
Mars (will, drive, energy) - the dispositor of the new moon - is now in slow, steady, realistic Taurus. He is conjunct Mercury (mental energy) and squaring Jupiter (expansion, enthusiasm). He is also in harmonious aspect with Pluto.
This is the will and energy to get a job done, and to get it done properly. Bravery and energy combined with realistic thinking and unswerving will.
I like this a lot. New moons are about new beginnings, and whatever you initiate at this new moon – be it a new project, a situation, an intention – it will have real sticking-power and force behind it. The force that through the green fuse drives the flower.
Appropriately, the poem linked above is about the life force containing a death drive as well. Pluto – which symbolises death, rebirth, metamorphosis and transformation - goes retrograde the day before the new moon (17th April). This is about a deep, relentless and internal process of transformation. Self-transformation - as we are dealing with Aries, the sign of ME! in all its raw urgency.
It's not pretty - it's actually kind of nauseating.
“First, the caterpillar digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues. If you were to cut open a cocoon or chrysalis at just the right time, caterpillar soup would ooze out.”
Did you think metamorphosis was supposed to be all adorable and sweet, like in a children's book? Ha!
Transformation on this order is not a 'nice' process. It's primal, disgusting, gruelling – also relentless and intense. This is Plutonic depth-work. Self-digestion.
Like the phoenix, which resurrects itself by destroying itself...
(by FJ Bertuch)
On a psychological level, this is like the Dark Night of the Soul, or the Nigredo in alchemy – the place you come to when you've burnt out on what you used to believe in and are forced to look into the darkness and unknown in yourself – because there's nowhere else to look, everything external has broken down as a source of meaning.
This kind of breakdown is necessary for growth (see here), but it's about as pleasant as the caterpillar-to-butterfly transformation detailed above.
OK, I don't mean that we're all gonna be digested alive or have to go through the Dark Night of the Soul...though plenty of people will need that kind of inwardness, pressure and darkness for their further growth.
But I do think some kind of internal reckoning is required, for just about everyone - and that's what this Pluto retrograde is about.
We've come through a very trying time over the past few years - the Uranus square Pluto years (2012-2015). The pressure for deep, systemic change in our lives has been intense. Many of us have been through some crazy shit, and things will never be the same again. It's like the aftermath of a natural disaster. The scales have fallen from our eyes in potentially traumatic ways...and we may have lost things we thought we couldn't live without.
And here we are, still alive! And what was strong enough to survive has survived. Look around you – look at what in your life is still standing, still functional, still sustaining you. Of course nothing is permanent, but whatever has stood the test for you over the past few years has to be pretty damn strong. Whatever wasn't strong enough will be gone.
I think externally, things will be settling now. We will not be dealing with the same levels of external shock and urgency.
But internally, there is a need to process the changes we've been through – to come to terms with all this upheaval on a personal level. And to not slack off in our efforts to get clear of old conditioning.
It's like, you have a house that's been half-destroyed by a tornado, and it's looking pretty bad. You are not gonna be able to do a patch-up job here. You will probably have to strip it down to the foundations, and then assess the stability of the foundations before you rebuild – maybe even re-cast the foundations. And what you build will be entirely new. Even if you re-use old materials, you're not going to build the same house.
Or you may have found yourself in a new world, building a new life. And maybe structurally, this new life is sound! I hope it is. Because you are going to have to be looking at the structural integrity of it – all the stuff you mightn't have wanted to think about, in the initial euphoria of newness and change – till the early autumn of this year. It's not as easy to establish the new as we might like. It can take a lot longer than we thought it would.
But we have Pluto retrograding through Capricorn till September 2015, through territory he was in during the final Uranus-Pluto square...and we also have Saturn (karmic necessity) grinding backward through Sagittarius and into Scorpio, sign of psychological depth and healing. Pluto and Saturn will be in mutual reception again (each in the others' sign, fostering an easy dialogue between these energies) from mid-June to mid September.
Saturn will finally leave Scorpio (till 2041!) on the 18th September, a few days ahead of Pluto stationing direct on the 25th September.
So basically, these two heavyweights will be working in concert to facilitate psychological depth work, restructuring and processing – it's very important this summer. Especially coming as it does after the revolutionary and historic Uranus-Pluto squares.
Remember external change is just not good enough. More than that will be demanded of us. There is a level of deep psychological insight and realism demanded, before you can fully inhabit the place you're standing now – and before you can move forward.
Reinforcing the "reality check" theme, we'll also have Venus (now in sparkly, hyperactive Gemini) involved in a fairly painful t-square with Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Sagittarius for the new moon. With Venus involved, this has to do with relationship and money matters especially – but also self-esteem and values. We are looking at dreams vs. realities in these areas – longings and delusions (Neptune) vs. pragmatism and boundaries (Saturn). And some potentially painful disillusion and loss.
“In a relationship, whenever we sense unease -that point where it doesn't suit us - a big question mark should shoot up as to what is going on with us. How we can practice with the unease? I am not saying that all relationships should be continued forever, because the point of a relationship has nothing to do with the relationship itself. The point of relationship is the added power that life gets in working with it as a channel. A good relationship gives life more power. If two people are strong together, then life has a more powerful channel than it has with two single people. It's almost as though a third and larger channel has been formed. That is what life is looking for.It doesn't care about whether you are "happy" in your relationship. What it is looking for is a channel, and it wants that channel to be powerful. If it's not powerful life would just as soon discard it. Life doesn't care about your relationship. It is looking for channels for its power so it can function maximally. That functioning is what you are all about; all this drama about you and him or her is of no interest to life. Life is looking for a channel and, like a strong wind, it will beat on a relationship to test it. If the relationship can't take the testing, then either the relationship needs to grow in strength so that it can take it, or it may need to dissolve so something new and fresh can emerge from the ruins. Whether it crashes or not is less important than what is learned.Many people marry, for instance, when nothing is being served by their relationship. I am not advocating that people dissolve their marriages, of course. I simply mean that we often misinterpret what marriage is about. When a relationship isn't working, it means that the partners are preoccupied with "I": "What I want is . . ." or "This isn't right for me." If there is little wanting, then the relationship is strong and it will function. That's all life is interested in. As a separate ego with your separate desires, you are of no importance to life. And all weak relationships reflect the fact that somebody wants something for himself or herself.”
Remember the north node is in Libra, sign of balance, harmony and right relationship - so relational issues are highlighted. I think the above passage is one of the most useful and interesting perspectives on relationships I've read, and it's directly relevant to the themes of the new moon - so I'll leave you with it.
It's quite an emotionally raw and jagged scenario. Full of potential relational conflict and harsh words that can never be taken back – so please be very careful what comes out of your mouth, and try to abide calmly with whatever crazy aggro shit other people say to you. Try to stay rational, balanced, polite and civilised. Try to do the decent thing, even when the people around you are acting like infantile dickheads.
I expect it'll be kind of hard to do. The path of least resistance here is rage. And in some cases, it will be justified.
If there are things you really must say in the interests of justice, or in order to expose shoddy relational dynamics – well that's one good use of this energy. Just be quite sure that you really want to be rid of whatever (or whoever) you're verbally blowtorching – and permanently. If you're not entirely sure about it, hold back! Words have the potential to be explosive, traumatic, painfully blunt and incisive...and final (and this holds true for the next week or so, as Mercury in Aries transits the Uranus-Pluto square).
Full moons represent endings, and this one is an eclipse, meaning it is a supercharged ending. It involves the Aries (me) and Libra (we) axis: self-will vs. partnership. So it is inherently about relationships. We are closing the book on a lot of corrupt, manipulative, imbalanced relational dynamics here. They might be social, familial or one-on-one...but some kind of ugly interpersonal conflict is likely to erupt. If you have planets or chart angles in the mid-degrees of the cardinal signs especially (Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn), be prepared for a jolt.
The moon in Libra will be conjunct the north node (karmic direction) in Libra – so ultimately this story is about a deep need for peace, justice, balance and right relationship. Reciprocity. This need is the focus of the story: the goal.
But the full moon is also bound up with the now-finished, but still potent Uranus-Pluto square – so superficial harmony and whitewashing just will not do. Not when there are deep, insidious wrongs and grievances to be addressed. The shitty dynamics need to be followed to their roots – and that means dealing with some very uncomfortable feelings and entrenched mental habits.
The painful relational patterns we find ourselves stuck in have deep roots, and we mostly play them out unconsciously. Some of them we can trace to our families, and some go back further: they are archetypal and collective. But it's never only about the current scenario or person that's triggering you – it goes a lot deeper.
So whatever issues crop up for you this full moon, remember that the real point is not getting rid of the person or the situation – though you may have to do that; it may be well past time to do that.
It's really about recognizing, working through and transforming the pattern.
What deeply-ingrained, instinctual relational story - familial or societal - are you playing out? Do you want to keep on doing this?
And how do you stop being a puppet in this drama? How do you change the story or reinterpret it, so that you're no longer just reading out your lines like a robot – you're improvising something new, creating something new?
“Relationships are our crucibles of transformation these days, with the north node in Libra. Libra (ruled by Venus) is the sign of balance, harmony, fairness, partnership and right relationship. It is about bridging polarities – 'marrying' them into a workable whole. So that is what we're trying to achieve in this story – balance, peace, workable relationships, justice. But the way things are set up, getting there involves a fierce fight. The south node, representative of what we are trying to move away from, is in Mars-ruled Aries – and this can be about self-will, anger, war, going it alone. Selfishness: 'me' as opposed to Libra's 'we'. This is the path of least resistance now, and it means self-sabotage is an ever-present danger. For the past few months, we've had the Uranus-Pluto square mixed up in a cardinal t-square with the nodes of the moon in Aries and Libra. This is an aspect pattern forcing radical change and upheaval, in relationships especially. There is a definite gender theme to it – there are historical injustices and imbalances in relationships that need to be examined and addressed. We don't get to blindly continue the same old gender-based power dynamics and games, going forward – the rot underlying that stuff has become a lot more obvious than it used to be. People are just not having it anymore.”
This full moon looks like an end-point for relational issues we've been dealing with since the start of this year – mid-January to be specific, when the nodes of the moon in Libra and Aries lined up with the Uranus-Pluto square. (Well actually, for a lot longer than that. For our whole lives maybe. But things are likely to have come to a head early this year, forcing changes to our deeply ingrained patterns.)
The dispositors of the nodes – relationship planets Mars and Venus – are now in Taurus. This is a grounded, realistic, settled energy – meaning things have been solidified or decided. The course is set – Taurus holds stubbornly to its plan of action and powers its way calmly through obstacles.
You can draw upon this background calm and resolve if you start feeling overwhelmed by the tensions of this full moon. Remember the important thing is to stick with what makes you feel happy, stable and secure in yourself. If you have that internal sense of groundedness, it's a lot harder for others to drag you into their power plays and dramas.
Anyway, overall, this doesn't look like a fun full moon– but it does represent closure, which is a nice thing to have.
And after we've put this shit to bed, we do have some good things ahead of us. Jupiter in Leo resumes direct motion on the 8th April, after a retrograde period that started on the 8th December of last year - this is a big jolt of luck, happiness and creativity.
The summer ahead is colored by a trine between Jupiter and Uranus in Aries – meaning we have an open road before us, full of happy possibilities. Travel, excitement, creativity, romance, adventure, woo!
And we are officially FINISHED with the Uranus-Pluto square series, thank Christ. That jarring, hellish energy will be waning from here on in. Things are settling into their new order.
There are just a few loose ends to be tied up before we can properly move on, and that's where we're at now with this full moon...
You may not even need external conflict to attain the closure on offer. It may be enough to deal with this in yourself – to put whatever this is about for you to rest in yourself.
But it does look likely that there'll be interpersonal drama going on, so please stay aware and careful.
"Maat represents the ethical and moral principle that every Egyptian citizen was expected to follow throughout their daily lives. They were expected to act with honor and truth in manners that involve family, the community, the nation, the environment, and god."
It's no different for any of us today. There are moral laws at work in the world, and we transgress these at our peril.
And with Saturn retrograding and headed back into Scorpio (June-September of this year - I wrote about it here) - matters of social justice take on an added weight and importance. You will get back what you've given. If you've done harm, karma's going to be a bitch.
Do as you would be done by - it's that simple and basic.
This is on the 20th March, 9:30 am (GMT). It's a total solar eclipse – symbolic of a supercharged new beginning – and it takes place at the very last degree of Pisces, the final degree of the whole zodiac, symbolic of the very end of a cycle. So it's beginnings and endings again. Death and rebirth. It's a scenario very reminiscent of the new moon in Aquarius last month – a reiteration of that theme.
But that was the prelude. This, coming just after the final Uranus-Pluto square on the 16th March, is about life in the aftermath zone. Uranus (shock, upheaval, revolution) and Pluto (death, rebirth, transformation) are only a few seconds past their exact square in the chart of this new moon, so although the square will be loosening from now on, we are looking at a month colored by the high intensity and pressure of the final square.
It's like after a big earthquake - the aftershocks keep rolling through for a while. The shocks may be interior ones, or they may be in your external life – or both! But we are looking at unsettled situations that remain in flux for the next month, amid a sustained pressure for radical change. The dust won't really settle till mid-April.
Here's a link to hexagram 51 from the I Ching – all about shock, and how it wakes us up.
If you're feeling almost insane with the internal and external pressure, hang in there. Pay attention to the wake-up calls and revelations you're being hit with – and they're coming thick and fast these days, right? Don't tune out. Keep working to shoot yourself clear of your old patterns. We don't get this kind of opportunity for deep, systemic change – really ever. Ever. Many of us will never have it again.
Think about the last few years – the years of the Uranus-Pluto square (2012-2015). What can you never go back to? Where are you standing now, after the hurricane has dismantled your old life? What are you moving toward?
(NYC post Hurricane Sandy)
We have a big stellium in Pisces right now, and dreamy longing, blurred vision, regret and addiction to the past will be cheap and easy fixes for the next month. Let's not indulge in that stuff too much, tempting though it may be! It's one thing to process and release old pain – another thing entirely to wallow in it.
Try to keep the focus on where you're headed, not on what you've lost. There's no going back. But what's ahead of us could be very interesting...
The sun hits zero degrees Aries – the Aries Point, the start of the zodiac – around 10:45 pm (GMT) on the 20th. And suddenly it's spring! Anything could happen. We'll have Jupiter in Leo beneficially aspecting Uranus in Aries for a good while – all through the summer. All kinds of happy accidents and sudden windfalls are possible. So keep the faith, keep moving forward... even if things feel kinda hopeless and stuck right now. Remember life can turn on a dime.
Mercury in Pisces is just past exact conjunction with Neptune right now – this is a dreamy, poetic, otherworldly mental influence. He will move to conjunct Chiron in Pisces on the 24th March, and this can be about painful but necessary thought and communication. It can be great for dissolving old mental habits and conditioning - but it can also be the hangover to end all hangovers.
It's a brief influence anyway – Mercury moves fast. He will enter Aries on the 31st March, and this should be clarifying, as far as our mental processes and communications are concerned. The Piscean veils of insinuation, illusion and doubt fall away and we'll be able to see and communicate the obvious with blunt simplicity. (And with Mercury moving into the Uranus-Pluto square during the second week of April – well it looks like the obvious is damn well going to get communicated. Like it or not!)
Venus entered Taurus on the 17th March, and this is a stabilizing, grounding influence, especially in relational and money matters – something has been decided at the root level, even though it might not entirely feel that way yet. Stick to your values, whatever happens. Hold to what makes you feel happy, satisfied and secure in a deep-down way.
Mars will enter Taurus on the 31st March, and that should further stabilize and ground our energy and will, and help us to stick to our guns. With Mars and Venus in calm, steady Taurus – the explosive relational issues we've been dealing with over the past few months should start to settle.
We'll have a very fraught full moon eclipse in Libra on the 4th April, and this looks like a point of closure for those issues to me. It will probably come as a relief on some level, but Jesus - it doesn't look fun. Aaargh. I'll write about it closer to the time.
Anyway, nothing to do (ever) but keep moving forward. May the force be with us all.
Some dreamy Pisces songs for ya:
A "checking out & moving on" song:
And here is some cheese! Hair metal & power ballads will pull us through, if nothing else can!
