“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.” William Blake
Isn’t it wonderful that as we flow into the Christmas/Holiday season the Sun is radiating Sagittarian energy, sparking our dreams and quickening our hearts with anticipation and hope? At the New Moon the two luminaries were opposite Sedna, way out in the Ort Cloud patrolling our new outer limit and keeping us on the path to enlightenment. Sedna planted seeds of change and evolution. What will sprout from these seeds? What signs can we perceive on the Full Moon?
Every Full Moon is about illumination and in Gemini it can be truly enlightening. So let’s look at what the Heavens reveal about this Gemini Moon.
Full Moon in Gemini
The star of the show is the very close conjunction of the Full Moon with Mars. As the Moon comes into perfect alignment with the Sun on December 7th, 8:08 pm Pacific, at 16:02 degrees of Gemini, it occults the planet Mars. Sounds spooky! But let’s examine the metaphors more closely.
The Sun is in Sagittarius, having just crossed our natal Ascendant – a rebirth of our nation – and is beginning its transit of our First House. This House is about identity. It represents the beginning of something new. Think about a newborn infant. It doesn’t conceptualize, can’t speak, and is completely dependent upon a caregiver. It just exists, responds to clues about its needs from its body. It is instinctual – Lunar.
As a population facing the future, we are like this infant, born with great potential, but ignorant of it. We just are. So who are we and who are we becoming? These are the big questions posed at this Full Moon, which is reflecting our spiritual potential back to us. We’re not interested in appearances here. We want to know the essence of our identity. First we consider our Ascendant – Sagittarius. We are dreamers, idealists, seekers of truth and wisdom. We aim for the stars and envision daring concepts like freedom, equality and prosperity for all. We are myth makers. (If you want to read my analysis of the USA chart and our identity as a nation, check out my series “What’s Going On.”
This Full Moon brings us a lesson about right use of will. The Moon is conjunct Mars in the 7th House. Moon is Feminine, soulful, mutable, instinctual, internal, receptive, emotional, sensitive and impressionable. Mars represents the Divine Masculine, action oriented. Mars is the joyous thrust of life into manifestation. It is the agent of creation in our physical world. It makes things happen. It brings the dreams of Soul into matter. Mars is our will. Venus is our desire. When they are balanced, in right relationship, Mars executes its will to manifest the desire of Venus. The Divine Masculine wants to serve, protect and provide.
Interesting that the Moon actually occults Mars. While it sounds like a Halloween movie theme, it simply means that the Moon and Mars are at the same declination – their orbits are so closely conjunct that the Moon can make Mars disappear, temporarily of course, as she passes between Earth and the Red Planet. This tells me that we need to allow our receptive feminine energy to take the lead. We are feeling our way toward a new identity, a new mythology, a new paradigm which will form the context of our future creations.
Gemini is about perception. As an Air sign it operates on the mental plane, thus associated with reading, thinking, studying, gathering information, drawing conclusions and forming opinions. Can you see how crucial it is that we gather the right information so the doors of our perception are cleansed of dogma, conditioned beliefs, ancestral attitudes, and reactive patterns?
The Moon can show us our reactive patterns. I had a great lesson in this area a few days ago. I went to an appointment with a new doctor. I spent several hours filling out paperwork, collecting records and information, bagging all my supplements and medications. When I arrived, early, I tried to enter the building but the door was locked. I was barred. So I banged on the door. I peered into windows for any signs of activity. Nothing.
I returned to my car thinking I must be too early. I waited half an hour and returned to find the door still locked. More banging, more frustration, more judgments about them for not caring enough to call me, more panic about getting my needs met. More blame toward the idiot who forgot to unlock the door. I finally gave up and returned home. I called the office several times and left urgent messages. I worried. I began to envision the worst and search my mind for alternatives. I was stressed, angry, fearful and hurt actually, that I made all that effort and they couldn’t care less. I fumed, I pouted, or I should say my ego did all of that as I watched.
All’s well that ends well. After a series of phone exchanges with the receptionist, who accused me of missing my appointment (further irritation), the doctor agreed to come in to see me on Monday. All that fret, all that angst. It contributed nothing but stress. What worked was my dogged Mars. I was determined to get what I needed. Furthermore, I was committed to treating everyone with respect, to not dumping my anger on them, to not blame.
I share this story because I got to witness my choice for the right use of will. When our will is thwarted, we usually turn it over to the ego to run all of its old tapes. During the days surrounding the Full Moon, we will have ample opportunity to witness our Mars. Remember the Moon is reactive, vulnerable. We call upon Mars to defend us, but if we let the ego take charge, we get angry, accusative, self-righteous, and if we let it get out of control, it can end up in violence.
I find it significant that the Full Moon lands on Pearl Harbor Day. December 7th, 1941 is “a day that will live in infamy,” so said President Roosevelt. This aggressive attack by the Japanese launched us into World War II. I am not suggesting that war is imminent. The synchronicity simply points out the danger of a runaway Mars. Perhaps this year we can create a day that will be celebrated as the beginning of peace on Earth.
If we can pause, reflect, and choose to let our feminine side seek connection, rather than separation, we can trust the outcome. Mars, guided by our higher selves, working within our principles, is effective, not only getting what we want, but doing no harm.
I ran across this interesting quote from a fellow named Charles M. Blow. He said,
One doesn’t have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.”
Apropos of a Full Moon in Gemini. Understanding is what Gemini seeks. Empathy is a function of the Moon. Mars and Moon are illuminating these themes to reveal the balance required to exercise right use of will. Understanding by being receptive to new information and empathy by allowing ourselves to feel into the impact we are having on others.
A few facts about the potency of Mars right now. Adam Gainsburg has studied both the Venus and Mars cycles intensively and developed a way to understand the phases of their synodic cycles which begin when they are conjunct the Sun. The sign of the conjunction forms the context of the whole cycle. Mars began this cycle in Scorpio on October 7th, 2021. As co-ruler of Scorpio, it works on themes of shadow, transformation, death and resurrection. Pluto has been wending his way through Capricorn dismantling outworn institutions, revealing the rampant corruption in the shadows of government and finance. Pluto works on a collective level. Mars is a personal planet and has been digging in Scorpionic soil for the last 14 months, bringing up our own shadow material, not to terrorize us, but to set us free.
At this Full Moon, Mars is in his very brief Transcendence Phase. Adam suggests that the three days, from December 6th to the 9th, we have the opportunity to transcend “our current inner masculine identity for the vast spaciousness of consciousness itself. Loss of a containing self-image engenders new contact with our transcendent, primordial consciousness.” In other words, let’s not be too hasty in our search for meaning. We are in a liminal period of transformation. Our work now is to witness, pay attention and cultivate emotions that elevate our energy frequency. Anger, fear, frustration operate at very low frequencies. Compassion, caring, gratitude, peace and joy lift us up, allow us to transcend, and form the context of the future we are creating.
We transcend by lifting up and out. We are mired in a dysfunctional paradigm, burdened with conditioned information that describes a world we don’t want to live in. At this Full Moon, we don’t have to struggle with material reality, we can lift our consciousness up and out of it. We can see the Unity behind our Duality, we can feel our oneness instead of our separation. And if we allow our intuition full rein, we can feel the pulse of humanity on the brink of an evolved state of consciousness.
All of that may sound like hyperbole, but that is exactly what is called for. To add even more significance to Mars at this time, it is “Out of Bounds.” On a playing field that brings disqualification, but in this case Mars has escaped the 23-degree distance within the orb of the ecliptic. Mars is out there exploring new territory and in Gemini he is gathering the resources we need for our next step. Sky’s the limit. Dare to dream that big.
This Full Moon is considered by some astrologers to be a game changer. This is indeed a new beginning and the canvas is blank. What ideal world would suit our spiritual identity? What amazing new world will the Age of Aquarius bring? What opportunities have we never even dared to consider? All signs point to a Renaissance, an explosion of creativity and wonder. The joy of discovery, learning to work together to put things right in our world. A world of love and good will, generosity and acceptance, celebration and joy.
I hope that excites you. It thrills me. So let’s look at the other whispers in the USA chart.
Super Heroes and Other Influences
Mars and Moon are semi-sextile Uranus in Taurus only two degrees away from the North Node. Mars is scouting out the territory, mapping a path to the future we desire. Uranus is lending flashes of insight and the Great Attractor is drawing us through the portal.
The Sun activates the portal of the Great Attractor on December 6th, just as Mars reaches its penultimate point of transcendence in its Scorpio phase. At this time it is closest to the Earth, hence more influential. In other words, we have unlimited energy at our fingertips which we can put into imagination, first step of invention. It is also at its brightest and is visible for the most hours of the day. This is super-hero Mars, who in his Divine Nature, serves and protects humanity.
While Mars is exploring, we can begin to feel into our own New Masculine. What and whom do we serve? How can we protect vulnerable humanity and the glorious Earth upon which we are dependent? If we were a Super Hero, what power would we have and how would we use it?
As we begin to recognize our new self, new individually, new collectively, we activate the tractor beam from the Great Attractor. I know this may sound fanciful to some, but reality is not just created out of our own will. It is created by the Future. Literally the Future is in communication with our present – it all exists in a vast roiling sea of potential call the Quantum Field. We throw our dreams out into the Void and the Great Attractor begins to pull us toward them. Doors open unexpectedly. We make chance acquaintances. Synchronicity abounds. All we have to do is follow the clues, let ourselves be drawn by our own glorious dream and make choices in keeping with the future we want.
This Full Moon happens at a magical cosmic moment. Take advantage of it. Let yourself be lifted.
Jupiter enters Aries on December 20th, the day before the Solstice, and the celebration of the return of light and love. Jupiter makes a mad dash through Aries in just 5 months. Aries is about beginnings. It is ruled by Mars, hence my focus on right use of will. The pace will pick up and we will be bombarded with opportunity – new ideas, new projects, new goals. Doors will open briefly, so we need to be on the alert. We don’t want to make rash choices, but we don’t want to be out to lunch when opportunity knocks.
Venus is at 27+ degrees of Sagittarius conjunct the USA natal Selena, or White Moon, symbol of our spiritual path. This tells us to follow the wisdom of our hearts.
Mercury is conjunct our natal Ixion. When Ixion aligns with right use of will, he ignites our passion, encouraging us to take the path less trodden, to think outside the box, dare to challenge norms, question the validity of ancestral wisdom, go against the consensus. This is how great discoveries occur.
Chariklo, compassionate and caring consort of wounded Chiron, is conjunct our South Node. So much social healing can happen in this season. At the same time, Saturn is moving into conjunction with our natal Chariklo at 22 Aquarius, preparing the way for the new structures of a caring society.
Juno is conjunct our natal Sedna in Pisces, reminding us that we are in relationship and must commit to collective spiritual goals. This is a big challenge but we have 2600 years of the Aquarian Age to work on it.
Pallas Athena is conjunct our natal Mercury helping us transform information and perception into wisdom.
Neptune stationed direct on December 4th at 22:39 Pisces, making its final close opposition to its natal placement. As Neptune moves through the final decan of Pisces, certain questions will come to a head. We are taking back our spiritual power and responsibility, no longer seeking some outside authority to intercede with the Big Guy in the Sky. We are growing up. America has been an adolescent society for centuries. Now we are on the threshold of Spiritual Adulthood in which we take full responsibility for ourselves and our impact on others. This is the prerequisite spiritual state of consciousness out of which we create a better world. Neptune has been reminding us of our Oneness. We all have faced the challenges of the past six years. We all have suffered, been afraid, been ill, lost loved ones, despaired over our nightmare reality. 2023 will bring in some fresh air.
We have a New Moon in Capricorn on December 23rd, two days after the Winter Solstice. I’ll try to post early. I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving. We can take that spirit of gratitude into the holy days. It will serve us well.
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