I just reread the New Moon in Cancer piece to refresh myself on this lunar cycle’s themes. If you recall I said we all would confront something. Never did I consider that I would fulfill that prophecy myself! Strange how we all think “It can’t happen to me.” So take a moment and think back over the last two weeks. What truth have you been confronting in your life?
This action-packed month has been brought to us by a T-Square involving Mars opposite Saturn both square Uranus in Taurus. This is a confrontation between the old and the new, the struggle to break free from fixed patterns and meet the challenges approaching from the future. The Full Moon on Friday July 23rd, at 7:36 pm Pacific Time can bring us more clarity.
Full Moon in Aquarius
At the Full Moon we not only get illumination, we get some major energy shifts. The opposition occurs with the Sun at 1+ degrees of Leo. The Sun entered Leo on Thursday morning. This shift from the emotional waters of Cancer to the fire of Leo is energizing. Leo is the Sun’s home and the sign of the heart. Leo represents youthful passion. You know how deeply adolescents fall in love or find a cause dear to their hearts? That’s Leo energy. It is highly creative, playful, joyous and heart-felt. In Leo we let our inner child out to play and the adolescent remember her dreams.
The Moon is in Aquarius, within a single degree of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction point on the Winter Solstice of 2020. This conjunction was a shift from 200 years of Earth signs into Air and initiated a 200-year cycle of world building and reconnecting with our humanity. Things move faster in the mental realm so we are experiencing an acceleration of change.
Moon is also sandwiched between Pluto and Saturn reprising the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of January 12, 2020. The Moon visited Pluto earlier in the day, so she is beaming Plutonian revelations upon us. We may see a bit more of the bigger picture as Pluto releases more secrets. Pluto is about empowerment. The conflict within our society is a reflection of the split in our own psyches. What Plutonian taboo is holding you back? What passion beckons you and arouses fear? What part of your past are you afraid to examine? What bubbles of illusion are ready to pop? Empowerment comes from confronting truth, which sets us free.
Luna meets up with Saturn on Saturday morning – Saturn’s day. Will we run into obstacles, discover new limitations, feel the constraints of time, or perhaps gain another degree of wisdom and maturity? Saturn is a hard task-master, but its intent is to teach us the very lessons we need to improve the quality of our lives. Freedom without responsibility is reckless and self-serving. Saturn in Aquarius is asking us to leave our self-centered focus behind and concentrate on what is good for the whole of humanity. This is the crux of our evolutionary shift – awakening to our interdependence and maturing beyond self-interest.
The conjunction with Pluto is “out of sign” meaning that the two bodies are within a few degrees of one another, but Pluto is in Capricorn while the Moon has moved on into Aquarius, reinforcing the theme of letting go of the past and moving into the evolutionary flow. Out of sign oppositions offer up multidimensional experiences. We are dealing with all four elements and thus the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions of our being are engaged. As you will soon see, out of sign aspects are abundant at this Full Moon.
Minutes away from the Moon is Chariklo, another reprise of the Saturn/ Pluto conjunction on January 12, 2020 which inaugurated a shift of empowerment and a new world order. Chariklo was right on the same degree that day. I labeled Chariklo the “Florence Nightingale of the Heavens.” She was the mate of Chiron, the one who cared for him while he mentored others. Chariklo is a midwife and is standing by in this time of transformation to assist our rebirth.
With all these references to the defining event of 2020, it is clear that this Full Moon energy is part of the big shift. Pluto, Moon and Saturn are all in the USA 2nd House asking us to reevaluate our priorities. What is truly of value to us? When we strip down the superfluous in our lives, what survives the cut? The USA natal South Node is also in the 2nd House. This is our karmic challenge as a nation – to heal the wounds we have inflicted in the past so we can get about our destiny of forming a more perfect Union and proving to the world that Democracy works and humans can put aside their self-interest and work together for a common cause.
So much is on the line this year. It’s an overwhelming task, especially given our current societal rift, but we can all contribute by maintaining a positive outlook, shoring up our faith, refusing to listen to negative ego self-feedback, and keeping our hearts open – deliberately choosing love over fear. Yes, that leaves us vulnerable, but the oxymoronic truth is vulnerability is our greatest strength. It is when we surrender our illusory control, and allow divine wisdom to guide us, that life becomes filled with magic, wonder and ease. We can’t make it happen, but we can allow it, by getting out of the way, releasing what isn’t true so that truth can set us free.
Venus and Mars
Venus and Mars made an exact conjunction on July 13th. If you haven’t read that post, it’s on my website. They are still within 6 degrees of one another in the USA 9th House. Mars is at 26 Leo and Venus is at 2 degrees of Virgo. Another out-of-sign conjunction. After the wild abandon of Leo, we get more serious in Virgo. We’ll discuss this sign in great depth through September, but in a nutshell, Virgo is the discerner and marks the end of the 1st half of the Zodiac, which is about the shift in consciousness from child to adolescent to young adult. Virgo energy wants to examine the content of our experience, sift through to find the nuggets of wisdom and value, spot the dysfunctional hitches in the system, discover room for improvement and deepen our devotion to growth and awakening.
Virgo is a utilitarian sign, very useful for improving the quality of our lives. Venus is now asking us to focus on our feminine side, on the energy of Being. Part of getting real is integrating the feminine and masculine sides of ourselves to create a balanced life. Life with no play is drudgery. Life under constant pressure is punishing. A life of addiction is paralyzing.
Venus is helping us discern the experiences that were truly of value to us. They always involve the feminine qualities. We remember moments of great love, beauty and inspiration. These are Venusian gifts and only happen when our hearts are open and we are willing to receive. Venus reminds us of the gifts and delights of being human – the fun of discovery, the sensuality of our five senses, the ability to touch one another, the humor and laughter, and the power to create something solid out of our imagination. How cool is that?!
Venus is rising in the western night sky. Look for her every night and notice how she rises higher, becomes brighter and remains longer in view. This is an opportunity for all of us to let more of her grace and beauty into our lives. Be conscious of pleasure. Allow leisure. Just BE and observe what is coming up from within. Receive it all with open embrace – even the scary and grief-stricken pieces of our lives. There is such poignancy when we allow all of it into consciousness and begin to see the evolutionary path we have traveled.
Mars remains in Leo until July 29th, wanting to play and enjoy life before getting back to work. The masculine energy is wonderful but it can become a driving force that makes us victims of our routine and the expectations of our culture.
Hygeia
Between Venus and Mars is the asteroid Hygeia, the guardian of our physical health. She is there to help heal the rift within the masculine/feminine duality. It’s time to make another push for female equality. We need to nudge the paradigm now while Uranus is supporting change and Venus is ascending.
The Patriarchal Paradigm raised its ugly head this week when the Olympic Committee ruled that the Norwegian beach volley ball team must wear bikini bottoms instead of the shorts they brought. The women argued that bikini bottoms were a hindrance to performance. That as they dive in the sand it gets in their pants. Imagine how uncomfortable that must be – all that chafing! But the authorities said “No! You will wear bikini bottoms!!” and proceeded to fine them. We know the real reason men watch women’s beach volley ball, right?
You wouldn’t believe all the rules they have for bikini bottoms – the cut, the skimpiness, even the width of the connecting piece at the side. It’s positively a throwback. Makes me think of the endless debates accompanying the formation of the Old Testament. Old men making laws and arguing about everything including the mandatory length of a woman’s skirt.
Back to Hygeia. The imbalance goes all the way to the top but the way we shift it is from the bottom up, by consciously healing the separation of energies within. Venus and Mars are meant to be the expression of Divine Love, an inner union that forms our psychic foundation. Hygeia, nestled between Venus and Mars, suggests that health issues may be a result of imbalance between the Feminine and Masculine. She is there to help heal the rift.
Jupiter
The Grand-daddy of out-of-sign aspects is Jupiter which lies on the threshold of Aquarius. He is leaving behind his foray into Pisces and going back to complete his transit of Aquarius. At 00 Pisces he makes a quincunx to the Sun adding a large dose of spiritual energy to this Full Moon. At the same time, Jupiter is quincunx Vesta, the asteroid of devotion at 2 degrees of Libra. These three planets form a Yod – a Finger of God pointing to Jupiter, as if to say “The answer lies in Faith.” In Pisces, it’s about surrendering control and trusting the unknown.
When Jupiter returns to Aquarius he leaves the emotional waters of Pisces, just as the Sun did when it moved out of Cancer. Aquarius helps us find objectivity which will allow us to re-evaluate our experience. What is our relation to the collective? I know mine isn’t great at this moment but I trust Jupiter will provide some suggestions over the next few months.
Jupiter is also opposite Venus, Hygeia and Mars, blowing up the picture so we can see it better. Relationships may get more intense. Ignored issues may surface, but all with the intention of finding inner peace and self-love. It’s time to clear the air, remaining objective and being willing to listen, to communicate, to not take it personally, but to analyze together the health of our partnerships. This would make a huge contribution to a loving collective resonance.
You probably will not hear from me for two weeks. With Uranus on my natal Saturn, I need time to sort some things out in my life. I’ll definitely be back for the New Moon in Leo on August 8th. In the meantime, have some fun.
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