Full Moon in Libra

This is on Tuesday the 11th April, about 7 am GMT.

The moon in Libra will be conjunct Jupiter and opposing the sun conjunct Uranus in Aries. Both these poles square Pluto in Capricorn.

This is a cardinal t-square and it's about CHANGE, ready or not. There is intense pressure, and also intense frustration here – it looks to me like being pushed through the birth canal.

Not so comfortable! You can pretty much guarantee that despite the Libran emphasis on harmony and justice, things are not going to be harmonious or just – they are going to be tense and overboard. Efforts to maintain an amicable façade will be severely tested. People who've had it up to here with appeasing and being tactful and polite – and getting shit on for their efforts – will be breaking out.

We do have the moon conjunct Jupiter for this full moon, which is usually a feel-good aspect. But in this case, the moon is also squaring Pluto, which is a feel-bad aspect. And opposing Uranus, which is a leave-me-the-fuck-alone aspect. So it really looks to me like Jupiter will magnify the emotional tensions of this full moon more than he'll mitigate them.

And the tensions have to do with self vs. others, war vs. peace: how much do we give others, how much do we appease, how hard do we try to please others at the expense of our own needs? What price social harmony? What are we actually getting out of keeping the peace, and is it worth it? Wouldn't it be easier to just quit interacting with these assholes – or to stop trying to keep them happy all the time? Or to be honest about what we feel for a change, despite the disruption it'll cause?

That kind of thing. And something I'm seeing with Jupiter in Libra (and this cardinal t-square): the energy dynamics of social interactions are highlighted, and bad social etiquette meets with less indulgence than usual. By “bad social etiquette”, I mean egotism, grandstanding, monopolising conversation, expecting attention and respect from others without giving it back. Energy and resources are feeling pretty limited these days, so people who drain us are harder to tolerate than usual.

At bottom, it's a question of our resources and our values. This is the theme of the Venus retrograde, which is in effect till the 15th April; and also of the Mercury retrograde which started on the 9th April and continues till the 3rd May. We are reassessing what we value and want, with an emphasis on what is practically feasible. Can we continue to please others at the expense of our own needs, going forward? Or do we value our own self-determination, even if it's at others' expense or costs us important relationships?

There is a balance to be struck between self and others here, and it looks tricky. Especially given the current condition of relationship planet Venus, dispositor of the full moon. She's retrograde, conjunct Chiron in Pisces and exactly squaring Saturn in Sagittarius, and this is painful.

It's an aching sense of deprivation and poverty and loss, especially regarding love and money. Real heartbreak, unattainable dreams.

Well what we can't change must be accepted, though acceptance is hard. It's time to give up waiting on a miracle - or Prince Charming, or the lottery - and to accept reality. But it's going to feel like crap.

Anyway, under the circumstances, there's not going to be a lot of energy or patience to spare for social niceties, and tempers will be frayed. Cutting people some slack is a good idea – you don't know what kind of heartache they're dealing with. Cutting yourself some slack is also a good idea. You don't have to be perfect, you don't have to please everyone, and you don't have to throw yourself into difficult situations out of a misplaced sense of obligation .

New Moon in Aries

This is on Wednesday the 28th March, around 4 am GMT.

There's a lot of pep in it! We have a stellium in Aries, sign of birth and raw energy: the sun and moon, plus Venus, Mercury and Uranus.

New moons signify new beginnings, and Aries is the start of the whole zodiac – the kickoff point. So a new moon in Aries is always a fiery new beginning, and a great time to set your intentions for the year ahead.

What do you really want, going forward? Where is your desire leading you? What's of value to you; where do you find your happiness?

It might take a bit of radical honesty with yourself to find out, and please be aware that there might be some major hurdles and blockages on the road toward it. There's a real need for caution and looking before you leap here: Venus is retrograde, Saturn will be retrograde as of next week, and we are also headed into a Mercury retrograde – and all these retrogrades have to do with clarifying our desires and values before heading off into uncharted territory. A radically new direction is called for, but that doesn't mean you can just shoot off heedlessly. You'll have to think about what you really want and lay in some practical foundations for the new life you want to build.

So it's worth asking yourself: exactly what is driving you and where do you want to be going? Where would you like to be this time next year? What practical measures will you need to put in place now so you can get there?

The new moon will be at 7 degrees Aries with retrograde Venus in Aries conjunct at 3 degrees. Venus is about what we love and value – so this really is all about desire.

But with Venus retrograde till mid-April, getting what we want is not so straightforward, and will likely involve some soul-searching and adjustment. Venus retrograde is not a time to rush after anything. It is more a time for careful reconsideration of what we actually love and value – especially re. relationships and money. Planning and long-term thinking are called for here. (And please hold back on major purchases until she stations direct on the 15th April!)

For this new moon, we'll also have Mercury conjunct Uranus in Aries (exact 26th March) – this is about new ideas, shocking information and communication, radical and abrupt departures from the status quo, sudden brilliant clarity. It might be that what you once valued no longer means a damn to you, or people / scenarios you've invested in prove not to have been worth your energy. Whatever form this takes for you, the value-shift will be brought home with abrupt force – and the necessity of figuring out what makes YOU happy instead of rushing around pleasing others will be highlighted.

All this Aries energy is very fierce and impatient, but it is currently disposited by Mars in Taurus, which grounds the reckless forward drive and stabilises things. This is useful! With Venus in Mars-ruled Aries, and Mars in Venus-ruled Taurus, we are looking at a very beneficial mutual reception between primal desire and pragmatism. New ventures and relationship / money prospects can be undertaken with patience, realism and an eye to the long-term.

We also have a Mercury retrograde in Taurus coming on the 9th April. Again, this is about pragmatism and rethinking our love / money / values – it really is a huge theme this month. Mercury will station direct on the 3rd May, conjunct Uranus... So this retrograde has to do with new directions opening up, followed by a period of  practical consideration, and later, resolution / insight.

Give yourself time to process new ideas and information this month – don't rush into new commitments until you've thought slowly and deliberately about the practicalities involved. Be content with slow, incremental progress. And remember, you definitely don't want to be finalising anything or signing contracts until after Venus stations direct in mid-April. Hold off.

For this new moon, we also have retrograde Jupiter in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn (exact 30th March). Again, this speaks of a deep restructuring of our value systems, especially around love and money. There is a need for fairness and reciprocity in our dealings with others, and it will be pretty obvious when that need isn't being met: it's harder than usual these days to maintain relationships based on unbalanced power or energy dynamics. Jupiter in Libra wants a fair exchange, and Pluto in Capricorn intensifies this into an issue of resources and survival. You have to be getting back something equivalent to what you're giving, otherwise it's an unsustainable drain on your resources.

It's not exactly a recipe for light social interaction. And let's not forget, Jupiter in Libra is stressed to the max right now. He is part of a cardinal t-square involving Mercury, Uranus and Pluto. It's pretty hard to stay even-tempered and civil under these circumstances – our politeness and forbearance with others will be severely tested, especially as we head up to the full moon in Libra on the 11th April.

Another test: Saturn will station retrograde on the 5th April, in square to Venus and Chiron in Pisces. This looks quite painful – there's a real sense of poverty and loss here. What we most want will feel desperately out-of-reach, and this sense of deprivation will be in effect till the end of the month.

But after that, the Saturn retrograde brings us to a much sunnier place: we will have a grand fire trine between Saturn, Uranus in Aries and the north node (which moves to Leo in early May). This is a big energy shift, and it will hold for much of the rest of this year – an easy flow between creativity, self-determination and new visions for the future. Brilliant ideas, amazing new options, and we will NOT be doing the same old shit again, no thanks!

So there's a new world under construction, kicking off under this new moon in Aries. Just keep in mind that things don't always work out as fast as expected or stay within the budget. There will be severe blockages, and these will be pretty apparent over the next month. But they're not going to be around forever - a shift is coming. And for now, blockage will give you a chance to lay in some careful groundwork.

Remember anything worth building takes time and consideration. Patience is a virtue, have it if you can. With so much Aries in the sky, patience will be hard to come by! But it's absolutely necessary this month. However edgy and impatient you may feel, you can't rush this kind of major change.

Full Moon in Virgo

This is coming up on Sunday, 12th March – about 3 pm GMT.

This full moon in Virgo - the sign of order, precision and hygiene - looks medicinal and astringent to me. It's a wound-healing moon. The wounds being healed are mental ones: confusion, delusion, addiction, self-deception, laziness of thought.

The new moon in Pisces a couple weeks back looked like a confused, angry mess – well here is the corrective. A dose of harsh reality.

Try to hold still – this may hurt a bit. It's for your own good though!

The sun at 22 degrees Pisces will be conjunct Chiron and Mercury. This denotes a painful, messy sense of unease – a wound to our minds and to our sense of collective reality. I'd say this has to something do with all the “fake news” stuff in the news lately. It has become very hard to know what to believe, and our confusion is being cynically manipulated for political ends.

But this has been a theme across the board, from the collective level to the individual. Look at your own life: what lies have you been telling yourself, how have you been evading reality, how have you manipulated and decieved others, how have you colluded in your own manipulation by others?

I think at this full moon, the extent of the cover-ups, obfuscations and distortions of reality will be coming clear. Information is bound to come to light that puts hidden things into proper perspective. We will be seeing through the lies and bullshit – lord knows we've had enough of listening to blatant liars discounting all criticism of their behaviour as “fake news”. Facts are facts.

Mercury in Pisces will be exactly square Saturn in Sagittarius for the full moon. This is harsh but credible communication – the voice of moral authority cutting through the smokescreen.

We'll see how it plays out on the world stage. But your own stage is where this really matters: if you've been zoning out, not facing reality, pretending life is whatever you want it to be and facts equal feelings – here is your wakeup call. Reality is reality, and it doesn't care about your feelings or your victim-story. This is harsh, astringent clarity, like disinfectant being poured on a wound. It's meant to wake you the fuck up, so please don't be resentful.

If someone calls you out on your shit or tells you you're being sloppy / lazy / careless / delusional, there's no point getting all indignant and defensive. The point is to heal the wound, remember. That means addressing the underlying pathology instead of denying or defending it.

Taking criticism on board in important here. With the Mercury-Saturn square, you can trust the information you're given – people are not going to be spouting off for the sake of it, or trying to wound you out of malice. They will be trying to convey their observations in order to help, and out of an uncomfortable desire for fair-dealing and justice (courtesy of a tense inconjunct between sun-Mercury-Chiron in Pisces and Jupiter in Libra).

The take-home message here: ignore criticism at your peril. We all have bad habits, and sometimes we all need a bit of a shove to show us what needs changing.

Listen to your inner critic as well. You know deep down what you have to get rid of.

It's important to remember that at a Virgo full moon, we are at the midpoint of the Pisces lunar cycle. Pisces is, at best, about acceptance and letting go – releasing, forgiving, forgetting – so that energy can flow freely instead of remaining stagnant and congealed.

Virgo is what helps us to clear out all our rotten gunk and blockages. You can take this literally and use this energy to organize your living space and get rid of whatever is cluttering it up – or you can apply it internally to clear your mental and emotional garbage. Or both!

The point is, we need to make some space for the new moon in Aries, which is a fiery rebirth – a time for focusing on new prospects and what we really want for the year ahead. (It comes on the 28th March this year). You can't really think about starting anything new when your life is cluttered up with old garbage! So this is clear-out time.

A caution about new prospects though: your dreams have to line up with what's actually possible and practical. There are hard limits here – you can work with them but you can't make them disappear. With both Venus and Jupiter retrograde, don't jump headlong into new ventures, especially ones involving relationship and money. Hold back until you have a clearer perspective. I'd say that'll be mid-April, and it's unlikely to feel so great – Venus goes direct on the 15th April conjunct Chiron and in square to Saturn. Bear in mind that your hopes may not measure up to the realities, or may require a lot more work and committment to fulfill than expected.

But don't let it get you down too much. Take the long view and plan to work toward the life you want in a methodical, stepwise way, and you'll be on solid ground.

PS- Venus retrograde is traditionally held to be a bad time for making important purchases. You'll regret your impulse-buys. Remember we are in a phase of clearing out here, not adding to the clutter of stuff we don't really need.

New Moon Eclipse in Pisces

This is on the 26th February at 3 pm.

It's an annular (“ring of fire”) solar eclipse - the second and final eclipse of this eclipse season. The next round of eclipses won't be till August. Eclipse season represents a time of supercharged change.

Pisces, as the last sign of the zodiac, has to do with endings – and we have a big stellium in Pisces right now. But new moons are symbolic of new beginnings, and we also have a very charged-up stellium in Aries, which is about birth.

So the symbolism here is very much about death and rebirth – endings and beginnings. We are looking at permanent endings here, but we are also looking at fiery, supercharged new beginnings. One door shuts for good, another door opens.

OK, that's all very well, but the death-and-rebirth process this new moon ushers in is unlikely to feel clear-cut. There may be intense delusion / nostalgia / confusion / deception going on, making it hard to know what the hell is happening.

Or else the true import of what's happening may be clouded or hidden – we'll look back and say “this marked the turning point!”, but it'll be impossible to understand it in the moment. The meaning will only come clear in hindsight.

That's because the eclipse is happening close to the south node. And the south node in Pisces is very swamplike – we are vulnerable to all kinds of self-deception, delusion and addiction here. Also illness: Pisces dissolves boundaries, allowing energy to leak out and contagion to leak in.

Having the sun and moon near the south node in Pisces indicates delusive egotism (sun) joined up to emotional hypersensitivity (moon). Plus the sun and moon are conjunct Pisces' ruler Neptune, which further confuses matters. And Mercury, which has to do with our minds and communication, is newly in Pisces too, and tied up with the eclipse. Meaning our brains are going to be underwater, and not too helpful in reasoning us through this or parsing truth from falsity.

Put it all together and it's a recipe for mind-fuckery, victim shit, deceit, muddled thought, addiction, self-delusion, stagnation, depleted reserves and generally feeling like crap. I could try to put a better spin on this – Pisces can be beautiful, dreamy, magical, spiritual energy. But in the context of this new moon, it doesn't look so pleasant. It looks like a big leaky mess.

Don't believe everything you hear. We are sure to be lied to and emotionally manipulated on a grand scale this month, and it's going to be hard to know whose version of reality to trust. Focus as much as you can on what you know to be factually true – and steer clear of reasoning that is informed by wounded emotion, unverifiable beliefs or sentimental nonsense. I expect it'll be easier said than done.

Don't believe everything you think or feel either. Try to fact-check yourself and to take a broader view than the personal. The risk of self-delusion here is high. (One particular danger is of using victim shit as a smokescreen: people will be taking on the mantle of outraged victimhood in order to minimise or excuse their own bad behaviour.)

Also, please be very careful with boundary-dissolving substances (alcohol, drugs) and addictions – you can fuck yourself up much more severely than usual at this time – and maybe irreparably.

That's because in addition to the Pisces south node stuff, we have some ultra-violence going on in the sky: a cardinal t-square between Pluto in Capricorn, Jupiter in Libra and Mars and Uranus in Aries. Sudden shocking accidents are likely. Things can turn in a second and there'll be no going back – remember we are dealing with permanent endings here. So unless you want to blow-torch your life, extreme caution is advised.

This cardinal t-square is tough. Mars conjuncts Uranus the day after the new moon, and both exactly oppose Jupiter in Libra. It looks like an abrupt breaking point – for relationships especially.

I could view this more positively, as a psychological breaking point for relationship hangups and dysfunctional patterns. I do want to look at it positively! Maybe you'll get free of something that's been weighing you down forever.

Positive or negative though, it looks uncomfortable. It involves Mars, who is impetuous and violent, and Uranus, who is abrupt and shocking. Jupiter in Libra may moderate these two or inflame them, we'll see. But the scenario reminds me of the story about the straw that broke the camel's back.

“Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge...”

Not pushing people when they're close to the edge is a good idea here!

Anyway, please be careful this month. Be careful driving. Be careful drinking. Be careful drinking and driving. Be careful with machinery and electricity. Don't plug anything in while you're sitting in the bath. Keep your wits about you and try to avoid stupid drama. That won't be so easy, with Mercury zoning out in Pisces – but please try. These are dangerous days. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, etc.

This emphasis on caution is reiterated by our Venus retrograde, which starts on the 4th March. She'll move backward from 13 degrees Aries toward 26 degrees Pisces, resuming direct motion on the 15th April.

This is a rare enough event – it happens about every other year. It's a time for evaluating our relationships and thinking about what we really value. Powering full steam ahead in love or money matters is not advised until the retrograde ends.

Because this retrograde takes Venus back into square aspect with Saturn in Sagittarius, it will probably involve a depressing sense of blockage, delay and deprivation – especially around mid-April. Don't try to push your way though. Blockage, delay and deprivation are absolutely real here, but also unavoidable. Also relatively temporary, so there's no point freaking out! You can work with the reality instead of getting depressed about it.

OK, and while we're talking about working with reality - I know I've been harping on about the north node in Virgo for ages, but it's very important - especially at this confusing mess of a new moon. This is no time to slack off on the Virgo stuff.

Virgo stuff is about taking care of everyday tasks, sticking to routines and health regimens, attending to details, doing the mundane stuff that needs doing daily. Also helping others as much as possible, and keeping our minds on what's practical. Right now, that's our path through the fog.

Service, discrimination, humility, pragmatism, attention to reality! Virgo stuff can actually be lifesaving as we head into the atmosphere of swirling deception and rage that characterises the month ahead – so please keep doing your Virgo, as much as you can. Even if the most you can do is wash a few dishes. It's not nothing. It's grounding and it helps.

Full Moon in Leo

This is on Saturday the 11th February, around 12:30 am.

It's a partial lunar eclipse. We're in eclipse season now – a time of intensified change and weirdness, as I'm sure everybody can feel. It's worth watching what shifts irrevocably over the next couple of weeks as we approach the new moon solar eclipse in Pisces on the 26th February.

This full moon represents a quickening of the drive for change – it looks impulsive, fiery and brave. Pretty exciting and energising! Also romantic, which is nice for the weekend before Valentine's Day.

There's a lot of air and fire in the sky at the moment, and it's all working together well. What do you get when you add air to fire? A big sexy conflagration is what! Or fireworks.

Obviously this kind of combustibility can be dangerous, given the current political situation. But this full moon looks beneficial overall – especially for harnessing anger at injustice toward building a new vision for the future.

The new moon eclipse in Pisces in two weeks' time is a different kettle of fish – it looks much more confused and traumatic. So I think it's a good idea to make use of all this clarity and energy while we have it. Put yourself out there, try something new, meet new people, take a risk or two. And commit yourself to something: a project, a cause, a vision of the future, a relationship. Be brave and put your heart on the line - that's how to work with this energy. With Saturn involved and the north node in Virgo, patience and a willingness to do the necessary work will pay off.

For this full moon, we'll have a beautiful grand fire trine between Saturn in Sagittarius (truth-seeking, realistic enthusiasm), Uranus in Aries (collective anger, the desire for personal authenticity) and the moon in Leo (showmanship, creativity, romance). All this speaks of burning idealism and enthusiasm that can be easily directed toward making constructive changes in your life and in the collective.

We also have a mystic rectangle harmoniously joining up planets in air and fire signs: the sun in Aquarius, Uranus in Aries, the moon in Leo and Jupiter in Libra will all be hitched together. This is a constructive melding of creativity, bravery, anger, fair-mindedness and the desire for change and liberation.

We are firing on all cylinders these days. Huge societal changes are underway. And in our individual lives, we can embody the broader societal changes we want to see.

Anger at injustice (Aries) and courage (Leo) are important tools here, as is collective action (Uranus). And also taking the long view and defining what we stand for (Saturn in Sagittarius). The associations we make with like-minded people these days are very important - they will define us in enduring ways.

OK, but I have to end with some warnings. There are a couple of yods in effect at this full moon. These are tricky, volatile aspect patterns, and they speak of irreconcilable differences and instability. Plus we are at the midpoint of an Aquarius lunar cycle, which is zappy and weird by nature. Plus we have a ruthlessly transformative cardinal t-square going on till April. Plus we have a bunch of planets (Venus, Mars and Uranus) in hotheaded Aries, and Mars moving to conjunct Uranus for the new moon in Pisces – which looks like an emotional blitzkreig, I have to say. Plus it is eclipse season, which is about change on steroids.

In other words we are in a time of massive upheaval, in case you haven't noticed. And we can expect further shocks, revelations, drama and upheaval at this full moon. But the nice thing is, it will all be ultimately beneficial and workable – and it doesn't look like it'll feel so bad. We've had some shitty-feeling moons lately, and there are some more ahead. But this one looks exciting and hopeful for a change, and that's something to be grateful for.

New Moon in Aquarius

This is on the 28th Jan 2017, at 12:06 am GMT

The sun and moon will be conjunct at 8 degrees Aquarius, and not strongly aspecting anything else. So this is kind of a jolt.

Aquarius is about newness, upheaval, shock, revolution. We are getting an overdose of that stuff these days.  This new moon opens a month where we're set to get zapped some more.

I probably don't need to tell you that all this turbulence is more gut-churning than exhilarating.  We're all feeling it. It is profoundly disorienting and destabilising.

Like this over and over...

But please remember - it is necessary. Change is demanded, and change is the opposite of being comfortable.

Anyway, this is another not-exactly-feel-good new moon. Venus is conjunct Chiron in Pisces, which is achy-breaky-heart stuff to the max. It looks like a deep sense of loss to me, or dreams that feel impossible to realise. And as Venus has to do with values and finances as well, we are also looking at broken ideals and money suckage.

Compounding these themes, Venus will be squaring Saturn exactly at the new moon. This is about harsh limitations in love and money matters – what you want may be blocked or delayed in some way, or denied outright. Or a relationship or financial situation may not live up to expectations.

So we are looking at deflation, depletion and a sense of let-down: our dreams and ideals don't match up to cold reality and it's painful. SAD.

(The Venus-Saturn square hits DT hard, by the way. I don't suppose he's feeling so great these days. The harsh realities of his new dream job are probably becoming clear to him...and I bet he's feeling more than a little unloved.)

On the plus side of Venus-Chiron-Saturn, it can be good to know exactly where you stand. It's reality, and it's something solid you can work with. Just don't expect it to feel good!

Troublingly, the collective mood is about to shift from disappointment, confusion and inertia – to action and rage. Mars is on the very last degree of Pisces at the time of this new moon – traditionally one of the most unlucky degrees of the zodiac, associated with death, permanent endings and self-destruction. Those associations will persist in phantom form through the month ahead, as this is happening at the kickoff point of the new moon.

But a few hours after it, Mars shifts signs and enters 0 degrees Aries – the Aries point, the explosive start of the whole zodiac. And this looks like an upwelling of energy and aggression to me – one that will intensify in the collective over the next month as Mars moves toward Uranus in Aries. The Mars-Uranus conjunction will be exact on the 26th February, and exactly opposing Jupiter in Libra as well, with both these poles squaring Pluto in Capricorn. We'll also have Venus in Aries as of the 3rd February.

So very soon and quite suddenly there will be a lot of cardinal fire in the sky – and this means energy and fury. I think we are bound to see some shocking expressions of collective rage here. Staying balanced, civil and nonviolent in an atmosphere of upheaval is going to be a major task.

Speaking of Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter – they have been in cardinal t-square formation since November, and this is not going away for a while. Jupiter stations retrograde in Libra on the 5th February, keeping him in hard aspect to Uranus and Pluto into April. Not only does this intensify the harshly transformative effects of Uranus and Pluto, it acts as a constant strain on our goodwill and our ability to be civil toward others.

A cardinal t-square is a stressful aspect pattern that demands change and adaptation – in this case, the changes are seismic, profound and explosive. That's obviously where we're at, at this new moon in the sign of revolution.

For this the new moon, Mercury in Capricorn will be involved in the t-square, conjunct Pluto. This conjunction will be exact on the 29th January, and it's about bedrock, ugly truths coming to light – despite people's attempts to pretend we are “post-truth” and facts no longer matter. Lies and liars will be outed this month, likely in shocking fashion.

We'll know more at the full moon in Leo on the 11th February – and the weeks leading up to that look very intense. But whatever happens or is revealed, be aware that we're in for a bumpy ride. Change is what people want, and change is what they'll get. But the pace and intensity of change is something no one can predict or control. February is a wild horse.

You'd do well to harness this energy in order to make necessary transformations in your life - in a very systematic, pragmatic way. Remember we'll have the north node in quiet, disciplined Virgo till May. The way through the chaos is still about humility, taking care of practical details and serving others.

So please keep doing your Virgo! And your Jupiter in Libra as well, which is about being generous, balanced, polite and fair in our dealings with others. Staying civilised in the midst of uncivility, in other words.

It will be hard, when all you want to do is punch a fascist.

Unfortunately, the sky does indicate that punching fascists is not the way forward right now. As ever, when dealing with Aquarius, it's worth asking yourself: "What would Spock do?" (Spock - calm, humanitarian, rational and detached - is my idea of the perfect avatar of Aquarian energy.)

Time out!

Full Moon in Cancer

photo by Samuel Aranda

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.