Full Moon in Sagittarius: BIG Dreams, BIG Ideas, BIG Moon!

A Dreamer's Moon

Full Moon in Sagittarius
Lunar Eclipse and Lunar Perigee
May 25, 2013 12:25 am EDT

Full Moons bring illumination, something we sorely need after the intensity and challenge of recent weeks. It hasn't been all bad––we've celebrated beautiful births as well as grieved deaths, seen miracles in the midst of tragedies––but it's definitely been intense.

So looking ahead to a Sagittarius Full Moon should be a jolly time. Sag is the party sign, right? Sag never met a stranger, the eternal optimist. And all those Gemini planets! With all those ideas floating around, and connections being made, it's got to be good,

It is good. In fact, a Full Moon in Sagittarius looks at the world and thinks, it's all good!

The intensity, though ... that's going to continue. This isn't the whew-it's-all-behind-us-let's-let-our-hair-down party. This is the wow-we-made-it-this-far-what-comes-next? party.

Plan for BIG DREAMS at this Full Moon. The Full Moon arrives just after midnight in my time zone (EDT), meaning she'll arrive during the night of May 24 on the West Coast, and in the early morning hours of May 25 in Europe. (Farther away time zones boogle my mind, I'm afraid.)

Neptune, planet of dreams and visions, squares this Full Moon from her home sign, Pisces. Saturn is also in the frame, trining Neptune from Scorpio and inconjunct the Gemini Sun––he adds depth and shadow.

If you work with dreams, don't miss this opportunity for deep dream travels and exploration. Even if you don't pay much attention to your nigthtime adventures, put a notebook and pen next to your bed tonight––big dreams, vivid dreams, amazing dreams will be happening.

Watch for BIG IDEAS at this Full Moon. Both Sag and Gemini are idea signs, ready to offer solutions, plans, advice, whatever, at the drop of a hat.

In addition to the Gemini Sun, Mercury, Venus and asteroid Lilith are tightly conjunct in Gemini, with Jupiter nearby. There's either serious brainstorming or major league flirting going on here, maybe both.

Need to generate creative solutions to intractable problems? This Full Moon could turn on the lights big time ... except ... we need to be alert for the Shadow side.

Neptune's square means things could get confusing and foggy, and the rose-colored glasses might be on. The Gemini party could generate so many ideas, it's impossible to sort out which are worth pursuing.

Another downside is the possibility of staking out a position and insisting we are right, we have the answer, we know the way. Sagittarius is prone to certainty, even when it's not warranted. And take a peek at Mars––he's in late Taurus, conjunct cerebral Pallas Athena, and also conjunct the Sun, so he's right close in, opposing this Full Moon.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by circumstances, options, new, people, it could be tempting to put your foot down and declare, this is where I take my stand! I'm right, forget about everyone else! An understandable response, but do try to resist going there. Not, I might add, by resisting the thoughts. Instead, notice where your mind wants to go, and use that as a springboard for reflection.

Because one thing this Full Moon could illuminate for us is where we're ready to be sure, where we've decided we have it all figured out. While I'm not advocating tossing all our values and convictions out the window and starting over, it's good to be aware of those areas where we think we're done. Because, you know, we're not. Just sayin'.

... light the lights ...

This is a BIG MOON. Sagittarius is a supersized energy, expansive, inclusive and, yes, optimistic. This Full Moon falls the day before a lunar perigee, one of the times the Moon is closest to Earth. So, while this Moon won't be quite as super as next month's Full Moon, it is a supermoon, larger than usual.

This Full Moon also comes with a lunar eclipse, emphasizing her power. Eclipses add oomph, influencing events for six months or so, and also punctuating the long-term saros cycles.

This Full Moon also draws in the Uranus–Pluto square, with Uranus widely trining the Moon. We're linked in to the major movements of our time, and could feel that connection strongly.

So, if skies are clear, we'll see a big, bright, gorgeous Moon sailing overhead tomorrow (Friday) night. Even if she's hiding behind clouds, of the physical or the Neptunian kind, her presence will be felt. It's a night for celebrating life in all its blooming, buzzing confusion.
    

Hope and the Waxing Moon: The Thing with Feathers

Waxing Lunar Cycle Following the New Moon in Taurus

Hope is the thing with feathers ...

Crescent Moon in Cancer
May 13, 2013 11:12 pm EDT
First Quarter Moon in Leo
May 18, 2013 12:35 am EDT
Third Uranus–Pluto Square
May 20, 2013 7:02 pm EDT
Gibbous Moon in Libra
May 21, 2013 5:07 pm EDT
Full Moon in Sagittarius
May 25, 2013 12:25 am EDT

The New Moon arrived in calm, peaceful, stable Taurus ... so why do things feel so squirrelly-crazy-flaky-weird?? I've heard this question in various forms over the last week, so let's be up front: It's ain't the Moon.

On May 20, we reach the third in a series of seven squares between Uranus and Pluto that began in 2012 and continue through the Spring of 2015.

These two powerhouses keep shifting as one, then another, turns retrograde and direct. This is the defining astrological aspect of these years, setting the zeitgeist, the frame, the water we're swimming in.

Uranus stands in fierce Aries energy for revolution now. Blowing things up, burning them down, and getting to the fiery core. Who am I apart from any conditioning? What does my radically free and sovereign self look like? On a larger scale, what's true? What's right? What needs to happen?

Pluto stands in heavyweight Capricorn for fundamental, alchemical transformation. Where Uranus in Aries is lightning, Pluto wields a crowbar, or maybe an archeologist's pick and trowel. Dismantling artifice, exposing falsehood, uncovering what's really going on, removing defenses. What does my soul look like, long for, and need? Who can I become when I arise from the ashes? On a larger scale, are the foundations firm? Where they're rotten, let's dig it all up and start over.

This is, to put it mildly, kind of intense. These are polarizing energies. Extreme position-taking and finger-pointing. No fence sitting here.

And yet, this waxing Moon takes us through landscapes that are upbeat, playful and fun. Really! World going to hell in a handbasket? Check. Personal crisis and transformation looming? Check. Serious work to be done? Check. So, OK, who knows a good joke?

Tomorrow (May 13) at midnight, the Crescent Moon arrives in the sign of Cancer, her home base. This edgy semi-square between Sun and Moon will feel not edgy at all, as the Sun along with Mercury, Pallas Athena and Mars offer grounding and calming energy to the deep emotional space of the Moon.

Dreamers, take note: These are wonderful nights for strong dreaming. This Crescent Moon is conjunct Vesta, lady of home and hearth, and part of a Grand Trine in Water with cosmically connected Neptune in Pisces and karmic Saturn in deeply insightful Scorpio. Have questions you want to ask the universe? Now's the time.

Venus has moved into bright Gemini, looking for connections and messages. She joins Jupiter, whose been hanging in Gemini for a while, heralding the coming shift as everyone reluctantly leaves the Taurus garden party for some flirty Gemini networking.

At the First Quarter Moon on May 18, Mercury has popped into Gemini too, brightening thoughts, bringing scintillating ideas. The passionate Leo Moon challenges the placid Taurus Sun: It's time to play! Express ourselves! Shine!

That same Leo Moon activates the almost-here Uranus–Pluto square, throwing out sesquiquadrates to both, creating a Finger of the World pointing right at her. If we're feeling a sense of impending doom, the Leo Moon turns it into something creative and passionate: great art comes of great challenges. If we're rising the wings of transformation, the Leo Moon celebrates with fiery expressions. More great art, more heart-opening wild rides.

The Leo Moon is part of another Finger of the World, for the Sun is sesquiquadrate Pluto. Yep, the alchemist sits at the top of his own world, drawing both luminaries into his transformative enterprise. It's not enough to sit and wait (as Taurus might prefer). It's time to engage, create, express, act.

The Pluto–Uranus square is exact on May 20. I'm not an astrologer who looks at world events, and so leave predictions to others. I note, however, the presence of hope, Emily Dickinson's thing with feathers that is sweetest in the gale.

The Gemini party has begun, with the Sun at 0 Gemini, Mercury and Venus conjunct, and Jupiter and Lilith there as well. The Moon is in Libra, sign of diplomacy and mediation, trining the newly-energized Sun.

These are excellent energies for finding solutions, innovating, connecting the dots. Playful trickster energies, able to avert disaster by finding the loophole, the hidden clause, the secret way out. This is the energy of good humor, the kind that sees the genuinely funny side when we take ourselves too seriously.

The full sail of the Gibbous Moon arrives May 21, reflecting many of the same energies of the day before. The Libra Moon has moved, and now there's a Grand Trine in Air, with the balanced and harmonious Libra Moon trining Juno (goddess of fair partnerships) in far-seeing Aquarius and the Mercury–Virgo conjunction in Gemini.

May 25's Full Moon in Sagittarius will have her own post later on. I'm including her here to say we're heading toward one of the most celebratory, generous, inclusive Full Moon illuminations you'd want to see. The energy supporting innovation, tricksterish problem solving, and light-hearted play continues strong.

Are these challenging times? You bet they are. Are we crushed by the weight? Heck, no! We're rolling up our sleeves, connecting with each other, finding new and fun ways to solve old problems, and laughing at ourselves the whole time.

It's a trick of perspective that's not really a trick, because it hides a deeper truth. Sometimes we can do with sleight of hand what can't be accomplished with direct action. Sometimes great art emerges from great struggle. Sometimes a good laugh can open up doors, soften hearts, and save the day.

Go for it!
    

New Moon in Taurus and Solar Eclipse: Nourishing Earth

Gaia!

New Moon in Taurus
Solar Eclipse
May 9, 2013

The New Moon is on her way, bringing energy to transform our relationship to this world. Many parts of the northern hemisphere are (finally) experiencing Spring.

We're entranced by warm breezes, the scent of lilacs, the intoxication of forest paths lined with wildflowers, and birdsong. The idea of relating to this world seems wonderful, natural, and easy ... of course we want to!

Do we really? Maybe, maybe not. Let's look:

Taurus is the sign that celebrates Earth, the natural world, and the body. As in, our body, the one we live in. Taurus loves the ordinary things of life––food, drink, good company, and also dishes, laundry, and fixing the sink. The blooms on the lilac, also digging in compost.

This New Moon arrives in the middle of this year's eclipse season, bringing us a solar eclipse––which means the Nodes of the Moon are lined up with the New Moon herself. This is another powerhouse grouping, too, with Mars, Mercury and Pallas Athena also in Taurus.

The alignment of the Nodes means the North Node, the place we're meant to be heading toward, is opposite the New Moon in shadowy Scorpio. Which means this New Moon isn't limited to celebrating the natural world. We're also asked to look at the shadow side of that relationship.

At this New Moon, we're invited to set intentions and make wishes in areas like self-nurturing, abundance, sensuality, and healthy growth. These are lovely wishes to have:

• I wish to bring abundance into my life.
• I intend to find ways to care for myself in healthy ways.
• I wish to appreciate the beauties of the world, and bring colors, textures, sounds and tastes into my life that I love and that nourish me.

Bluebells in Spring

These are all good, wonderful, strong Taurus New Moon wishes.

And ... our journey with this New Moon will tell us something about whether we really mean it, and where we get hung up. Because, you know, that Scorpio North Node is part of the story too.

So, we all know we need to be grounded. What does that mean, though? We need to have our feet on the ground, not spend too much time in our heads, and find our center.

Yet when we're grounded, we can't fly. When we're rooted, we're rooted to the spot, frozen, unable to move. We have a long legacy of not liking earth very much, from the world's major religions through some Enlightenment thinking, and New Age ideas that focus on what is higher, lighter and transcendent. Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am" ... not "I have a body, therefore I am."

Today's media-mediated society delivers constant messages about not liking our bodies. Women get more, but men get it too: The need to look right, smell right, eat right, because if we don't, well, then we won't have love, money or health.

This Taurus New Moon says, let's calm waaaaaay down and just be. That Scorpio North Node eclipse point adds, let's notice what's really going on with all that messaging.

How can we really feel "grounded" if our goal is to transcend? How can we connect in healthy ways with the Earth who is the literal ground of our being, if we're constantly feeling not enough-ness?

That saying "We're not bodies that have a soul, we're souls that have a body" misses, I feel, an important point: We are embodied.

Our souls, our spirits, our minds, our emotions are all expressed in and through and with our bodies. Whatever happens before or after or elsewhere, while we're here in this life, it all happens with this body.

New research on mind-body relations makes it ever harder to tell the difference. Our minds are clearly not limited to our brains. Our minds exist throughout––some would say, in every cell of––our bodies. We are integral and whole. It would be really cool if we could embrace and love all of us.

At this New Moon, I'm proposing a change in language. Let's not get grounded, let's experience the nourishing qualities of Earth. This is a wonderful time to deeply feel the way the Earth feeds us, caresses us, supports us, energizes us. It's a great time to experience how our bodies are part and parcel of that feeding, caressing, supporting and energizing. Just the way we are.

Today is the Balsamic Moon, moving us into the last days of release and preparation. The strong Taurus presence is already in the sky, helping us find our way home. For the next few days, we're invited to let go of whatever gets in the way of our experience of this one precious life, on Earth, in a body.

Then, with the New Moon, we can say "ahhhhhhhhh ... I love this life!"