Full Moon in Gemini

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This is tonight, the 14th November, around 12:05 am GMT.

The moon in Gemini will be facing off against the sun and Saturn in Sagittarius. Both these poles will be squaring Chiron in Pisces.

As Chiron is about wounding, this looks painful. As Saturn is involved, it looks harsh. As Gemini and Sagittarius are involved, this has to do with thought, information, communication and truth vs. fiction.

What do you really know? What's true? “Post-truth” has entered the lexicon this year. The idea that news is faked is no longer a conspiracy theory – it has become the news. People cherry-pick their sources to support their established opinions, social media has enabled us all to block out voices we don't agree with, and reality TV has supplanted reality.

Where do we go from here? The future looks grim. How does collective life operate, post truth? Is reality to be controlled by whoever or whatever we feel like believing (facts be damned)?

Joseph Goebbels:

“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words can be molded until they clothe ideas and disguise.”

In a way I think it's a heartening development that the concept of “fake news” has become real news. At least we're all aware we're being flagrantly lied to.

The problem is, where do we go from here? What stories can we actually have faith in, when our sense of collective reality has been wounded to this extent? Planning for the future requires knowing where you're standing now – but who knows that anymore?

Leaving aside the collective, what does this dynamic look like in your own life? Where have you lost faith in the future, where do you no longer believe the story you're telling yourself or being told?

It's likely something will come to light at this full moon – some new information or revelation that helps you put things in proper perspective. Expect it to be a harsh reality check. Truth is not exactly a feel-good element in this scenario – it is sobering and painful.

Mercury (thought, information, communication) is the ruler of Gemini and dispositor of this full moon. He is currently in cold, sober, reality-based Capricorn, and edging toward Pluto – and this speaks of a drive to get to the bottom of things; to face the unvarnished truth.

Mercury is stationing retrograde on the 19th December - as if to underscore this theme of analysing the facts and getting the story straight. The retrograde runs till the 8th January and brings him back to the late degrees of Sagittarius, which is all about the stories we tell to make sense of the world. He will station direct as the sun conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn. Some harsh truths – especially relating to corrupt power dynamics in the collective, and in your own life – are likely to be illuminated.

It's not all grim though. We have Mars in Aquarius (the will to try something different) and Uranus in Aries (a fiery drive to be true to ourselves) in mutual reception, and helpfully aspecting each other right now. Both are also beneficially aspecting the sun, moon and Saturn this full moon. This speaks of paradigm shifts and revolutions - energy, anger and will being directed toward progressive channels. It's not a time for sitting on your hands and isolating yourself – there are new associations and realities to be built, to replace the stuff that is no longer credible. It's exciting and unpredictable!

Also, we have Venus in Aquarius, which is a drive for freedom and novelty in relationships. With Jupiter in Libra, relationships are a theme, but Venus in Aquarius abhors staying stuck in the same old relational ruts. She wants space, candour and equality, and she's into unusual, improbable pairings.

So we have a lot of Aquarian influences pushing us to find new modes of inhabiting reality, relating to others and envisioning the future right now. Be ready to embrace shock and upheaval this holiday season – change is in the air, and it's necessary.

Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, stations direct on the 28th December, in exact opposition to Jupiter in Libra and sextiling Venus in Aquarius. This is a big zap to relationships of all kinds – obviously we can't keep doing the same old shit and replaying the same old dynamics. This is about clearing the air, being radically honest and objective, striving to find a new kind of balance.

To sum up: this full moon looks like a bit of a drag – a bubble-burster for sure. You'd do well to work with this. Let your bubble be burst. Reality has to be faced, and there is work to be done to create the kind of future you want. That involves dropping your illusions and self-pity and getting out there, joining with others, forming new associations and embracing change. We are not really “post-truth” - but the old realities are torched and it's time to try something new.

Here is a crazy relevant article published just at the full moon: "The case for despair is made. Now let's start to get out of the mess we're in".

Please be aware that the north node is still in Virgo – keep your focus on what's practical and realistic. The south node is still conjunct Neptune in Pisces, and Mars will be moving to conjunct Neptune by the end of the month. I've been talking about the difficulty of knowing what's true these days – well it's sure to be extra-difficult for the rest of the month. So please try to stay grounded and be aware of the possibility of deception. That includes self-deception.

Plus: big substance alert! Take care with drink and drugs. Also with romantic idealism, delusion, self-pity, nostalgia, despair... All poisons under these circumstances. We are not going backward to the way things were - we are trying to forge a new paradigm here. Facing harsh reality is a necessary step toward this.

Full Moon in Leo

RIP Bowie:

and Lemmy.

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.

Full Moon Eclipse in Aries

This is on Monday the 28th September, 3:50 am (GMT).

We are in the middle of a tough week, and we're headed towards an intense and difficult full moon.

It's a supermoon, meaning the moon will be at the closest point to earth in her orbit, and will therefore appear freaking huge.

It is also a lunar eclipse, the fourth in a much-hyped tetrad of “blood moons” which some people believe heralds the end of the world, as in the Book of Revelations or some such shit.

Well I don't think it'll be the end of the world. But it does look quite violent. And as eclipses represent supercharged culminations or endings, the effects of this one will be long-term. So it's good to approach this with caution.

But before we look at it, let's look at the week leading up to it. What a crazy week.

We had the equinox – the balance-point of light and dark, the hinge between seasons – on the 23rd September (Wednesday), as the sun moved into Libra, sign of balance and harmonious relationship. And straight into conjunction with the north node at 1 degree Libra. Meaning Libran themes of balance, fairness and relating to the Other are paramount right now. This is the aim of the whole story, remember. It is about relational harmony and balance, even as everything is falling to shit around you. Civility and basic manners will get you far.

They will be needed, as we have all kinds of mental and interpersonal misunderstanding and nastiness going on right now. This is courtesy of retrograde Mercury in Libra, in lousy aspect to Uranus and Pluto. The Mercury-Pluto square was exact on the 24th September (Thursday) – and on the same day, we had Pluto, king of hell, stationing direct. Painful.

This is the sort of thing that incites verbal nastiness and suspicion. Or obsessive, stinging doubt and worry. Very mentally uncomfortable and lacerating stuff.

So there's just some very ugly, painful and dangerous – but potentially honest and transformative – thought and communication going on here. These influences are in effect (and culminating) at the full moon. And remember this full moon is in Aries, a fiery, warlike, impulsive sign. So there is the possibility of verbally eviscerating people, blowtorching your relationships all to hell...Or setting things on a new footing via radical honesty.

We also had Mars moving into Virgo in the early hours of the 25th (Friday), straight into a square with Saturn in Sagittarius. This Mars-Saturn square speaks of extreme frustration and potential cruelty. You put it together with the Mercury-Pluto stuff, and it's the perfect set-up for all kinds of nastiness. This can be internal (in your own head) or interpersonal – but there's so much pressure involved in this, it might feel like your head's in a vice. Or you might be on the receiving end of nastiness coming from other people.

Again, civility and basic manners will get you far with this. Seeing all sides of a story, not just your own prejudices. Fighting for accommodation and compromise, instead of fighting to 'win'. With the north node at 1 degree Libra, the story is supposed to be about 'we', not 'me'.

OK, and here's something kind of amazing about this eclipse: it involves a massive and very interesting clash of female archetypes. The sun in Libra will be conjunct Lilith (the lunar apogee) and asteroid Juno; the moon in Aries will be conjunct Vesta.

As we've seen, the north node in Libra is about a focus on relational issues - so these should be all lit up at this time. And the relationship story, as influenced by these three female celestial points, is a real wife vs. mistress dynamic. Or Madonna/whore.

Juno is named after the long-suffering and perpetually enraged wife of philandering Jupiter, king of the gods. She represents the good wife and mother: the woman who stays within the bounds of established patriarchal order and gets served a shit sandwich in exchange for her fidelity, over and over again. In the mythology, Juno's fury at Jupiter's recurrent betrayals was directed in extremely cruel ways toward his conquests, not at him. (Nevermind that these 'other women' were often actually raped by Jupiter.)

Lilith on the other hand represents a bitch goddess or outlaw woman – someone who cannot be held within patriarchal norms, who refuses to submit to any authority save her own, and is ostracised and demonised for her independence. Classic temptress / mistress stuff here. This is the one who lures men to their doom...a representation of dark, uncontrollable, wild feminine power and rage.

So these two opposite, but equally angry, destructive and powerful archetypes of femininity are hanging out together in Libra, the sign of balance and interrelationship. And on the freaking equinox to boot, the balance-point of light and shadow, the time of year when the day and the dark become equal. And at a full moon eclipse. I think it's all highly significant!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Plus we have Vesta conjunct the moon in Aries, and this is another powerful female influence. Vesta was the goddess of hearth and home, and keeper of the sacred flame. In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins were women specially chosen to tend Vesta's temple fire, the heart of the city of Rome. They took a vow of celibacy for 30 years, and were freed of the ordinary obligations and strictures put upon women in a rigidly patriarchal society. They were highly respected and independent – as long as they kept to their vows. Because the life of the city was thought to depend on their sexual purity and integrity, Vestals who transgressed their vows were scourged and buried alive.

So we have these three very powerful archetypes of femininity bound up with the eclipse – but all three are to some extent defined by their relation to patriarchal structures of control over women. They are also defined by their relation to their own sexuality, and by how female sexuality is contained and controlled within patriarchal structures.

We have Juno, the married one who outwardly is highly revered and respected because of her association with a powerful man – she gets to be freakin Queen of Heaven after all. But inwardly she's frustrated, dishonored, hurt and furious at his infidelities – and she takes her jealous rage out on other women.

We have Lilith, the dark temptress who could not give a fuck about marriage or respectability or 'belonging' to a man – but she's also defined by her bitterness and destructive rage because of her treatment by men.

And we have Vesta, the sacred virgin, whole and complete unto herself, independent and respected – as long as she renounces her sexuality in service to the patriarchal state.

It's all very interesting! These archetypes, when you look into them, are a lot more alike than they might seem at first glance. They are all images of dishonored or feared (or tightly controlled) female power.

And with Pluto in Capricorn (representing rotten, corrupt old power structures which must fall away or be transformed) squaring this full moon, maybe it's a good time to look at how we are all affected by these constricting gender dynamics. Things have to change. The 'good' wife, the 'other woman', the saintly Madonna – these are shitty roles for women to be caught in, and they put women at odds with each other in a destructive way. They don't serve men too well either: they prevent men from seeing women as actual, complex human beings.

I keep thinking of this movie. Saddest thing ever:

Or this one:

Or this song:

Anyway, all in all, a very powerful and intense eclipse - for women especially. Potentially very shocking, cruel and hurtful thought and communication - but it can also liberating.

I think the sacred hearth-fire imagery associated with Vesta is a key thing to focus on. As Vesta is in Aries, which has to do with selfhood, I think it's all about defining your own internal core of meaning / value / intergrity / autonomy. What do you hold pure and inviolate; what fires do you devote yourself to keeping lit, no matter what? What is sacred to you at your core, and how do you protect and nurture it?

If we can keep the focus on what keeps our internal heart(h) fires lit, it should be easier to transcend the rage and darkness associated with the Lilith/Juno stuff.

Anyway, beware of nastiness directed toward you or coming out of your mouth – maybe cut people some slack this week, because this moon will be stressful enough. And remember your manners (Libra). Basic civility is pretty important right now.

New Moon in Leo

My last post was about shifts and endings. Well we are in the thick of them now, heading up to the new moon in Leo on the 26th July. And I guess I underestimated just how heavy and dark these weeks would feel: how much revision they would entail of old issues.

I left out some important shifts and influences, because I didn't want to run on too long. Let's look at them now.

For one thing, Mercury moved from flighty Gemini to emotional Cancer on the 13th July, and he's now facing off against Pluto in Capricorn. This is a dark and brooding mental focus – intense thought, a preoccupation with the past, mental and emotional profundity.

And Venus left Gemini and entered Cancer on the 18th July, which deepens the general emotional tone. It's kinda mushy-gushy, dreamy, vulnerable (and defensive) weather out there, till mid-August.

Venus is moving into an opposition with Pluto in Capricorn as well: the opposition comes into full view two days after the new moon (28th July). Venus-Pluto aspects are about power plays in relationships, manipulation and control issues, love and money...also the ghosts of dead relationships coming back to haunt you and generally screw with you. Great fun.

And then we had Saturn going direct in Scorpio on the 21st, followed by another important shift: Uranus went retrograde the day after Saturn direct, in lockstep. One forward, one back. Very tight inconjunct aspect between them: Saturn at 16 degrees Scorpio; Uranus at 16 degrees Aries, exact almost to the minute.

So...karmic necessity (Saturn) grinds onward, while personal metamorphosis (Uranus) moves underground and inward.

All of it seems to me to signify a very tight, uncomfortable focus on personal psychological issues, blocks and blind spots – it's laser-like really. A painful sort of inwardness and inertia courtesy of Saturn direct and the Uranus retrograde. A sense of entrapment, whichever way you move. And the Mercury–Pluto and Venus–Pluto oppositions described above, swinging into place like lead doors. Nowhere left to look but into the heart of darkness.

Well you're supposed to look into it, that's the point. Think about what came up for you around the 21st July, as Saturn began moving forward again. What buried old muck did he churn up for you? What skeletons did you see grinning from the closet?

HI!!!

There's your focus: you know where the rot is. You can't move forward in your life without wrapping that stuff up and giving it a proper burial. The Uranus retrograde in Aries, sign of new beginnings, drives this point home. This is about a shift that has to happen at root level, deep beneath the surface.

And yeah, it is fucking uncomfortable, as signified by the exact inconjunct aspect between Saturn and Uranus. How do you move forward, when you are dealing with this level of psychic damage?

It's easy to minimise the difficulty involved...to talk glibly about the necessity of detaching from the past and moving on. But how do you move on with a ten-ton weight attached to your heels? How do you move at all?

--Well I guess you just do. Nothing else to be done. You have to.

You can easily get stuck in your own issues here, unable to move forward or back. But remember this is about regeneration and transformation. If you feel stuck, try to think of it as a kind of dormancy. Changes are at work: important underground ones, out of your conscious control.

A caterpillar encased in a chrysalis is in a stuck position as well, and to an outside observer it looks like nothing is happening.

Rest assured, there are deep changes afoot. You probably know that already. If your life hasn't been dramatically upended over the past few years, you're in a minority.

We are 5 squares into the series of 7 exact squares between Uranus and Pluto, which began in June of 2012 and will end in March of 2015. We are a little less than 2 years into Saturn's transit of Scorpio, which will end in December of this year (with a brief revision period between June and September of 2015). And nobody gets out of this period unscathed or unchanged.

Granted, change is always what's happening – but the hallmark of these years is the level of psychological depth and trauma involved. The difficulties and losses people are dealing with are profound – there's really no going back. The landscape will be permanently altered, coming out of this.

Uranus square Pluto machine - see here

Anyway, it may feel like we are stuck down in the trenches, struggling through the muck right now, but we have some hopeful, shiny stuff underway. 

For one, the sun moved into Leo yesterday evening (22nd July), straight into a conjunction with Jupiter. This is a big jolt of energy and enthusiasm, much needed. 

And then we have our new moon in Leo on the 26th July, around 11:30 pm GMT!!

It's a fiery portal and a new beginning. Sun and moon in Leo conjunct Jupiter: this is fun, exciting, full of drama and bravado. It's Jupiter in Leo's big opening night – you'll get a sense of what this energy will mean in your life over the next year. 

It'll be Saturday night in GMT-land, and it looks like a lot of fun. A big, glitzy, happy, trashy night. Are we gonna put on our bling and go out looking for trouble? Yes we are! 

SPARKLE JELLY SHOES!!

Except going out looking for trouble is really kind of a bad idea. You probably won't need to look. Staying out of trouble will be the achievement, on a night like this. 

Because Jupiter ('the great benefic') is involved, I am determined to see this new moon as a good thing, even though the sun-moon-Jupiter conjunction makes no easy aspects with other planets. In fact it makes a very tense aspect with Mars, which will have ingressed into Scorpio just ahead of the new moon. And yeah, this can go badly wrong.

Leo and Scorpio are both proud, fixed signs...hard to budge. Jupiter conjunct the sun and moon in Leo can mean inflated egos; squaring Mars in Scorpio we might see some OTT ego-driven drama and nastiness. A stupid fight where neither side will back down. 

(Leo smackdown mode)

Given the amount of political conflict going on around the world right now, the mood of this new moon doesn't bode well. On a more local level, it looks like a big bitch smackdown... or cokeheads fighting in a nightclub.

Don't be part of anything like that, if you can avoid it. If ever there was a night to STAY AWAY from the cocaine, this would be it. Saturn direct in Scorpio means - heavy consequences.

(Rick James providing some object lessons.)

Let's think our way a little deeper into Leo, because for the next year, this energy is a focus. 

Leo gets associated with pride, ego and exhibitionism...and these things have a bad rap. But on a deeper level, the sign is about individual personality as an expression of the divine. And in that light, there's nothing wrong with a bit of pride. If you, in your individual life, are actually a once-off expression of the divine, a never to be seen again work of art (and you are!) - well you ought to be holding your head up high.

Leo's ruling planet is the sun, which no one would ever accuse of being egotistical or an exhibitionist. It shines because that's its nature – it has to radiate its essence outward. Same as you, this year - you have to shine. Guilelessly, like a damn care bear.

AAARGH!!

Leo is about play, romance, children, innocence, fun...and art. What kind of art are you making of your life?

It doesn't have to be art in the traditional sense. Anything you do that is truly an expression of your own nature is a kind of art.

And you have to express your nature - that is your job on Planet Earth. To do you. No one else can, and no one else ever will. 

And really, the stakes couldn't be higher, with all this Uranus-Pluto and Saturn in Scorpio stuff going on. Being true to your own individuality and expressing yourself are actually matters of life or death now. No one profits from people's conformity to a rotten social order. No one profits from you keeping your mouth shut, your art hidden, your heart locked down.

This is about art and free expression as a means of personal and societal salvation. 

Come on baby won't you show me what you got / I want your salvation!

Some relevant quotes:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” --Martha Graham

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” --Gospel of St Thomas

--Well yes, it's heavy. But don't let it make you all grim. Jupiter's transit of Leo should be more fun than we've had in years, and this new moon will hopefully be the start of something fierce and adorable. Like kittens.

Obligatory cat pic time!!

(More Leo smackdown)

(kittens!!)

(smackdown.)