Blue Moon: Swimming in Cosmic Tides

The Wind Rose of Jose Aguiar

Full Moon in Pisces: August 31, 2012

The Full, Blue, Pisces Moon arrives Friday morning. This powerfully sensitive Moon will make her presence felt before and after, so have your dream notebooks and mini flashlights ready.

Any Full Moon in Pisces would be sensitive, as Pisces is the most empathic sign in the Zodiac, and the Virgo Sun also has finely tuned antennae. This Pisces Full Moon will feel larger, stronger, more intuitive, more emotionally connected––and potentially more seductively confusing.

This Full Moon is in aspect to all of the outer planet powerhouses: conjunct Chiron, widely conjunct Neptune, sextile Pluto, semisextile Uranus. With the Virgo Sun prepared to take detailed notes, this Full Moon offers amazing opportunities for divination and intuitive work of all kinds.

Whether you receive messages in dreams, read cards or runes, or journey in various ways, this Moon will fill your sails and carry you far.

Mars in Scorpio adds another layer of intensity to this Full Moon. Scorpionic Mars, Pluto in Capricorn, Moon and Chiron and Sun in Virgo, trining and sextiling each other offer deep insights into individual psyches or external situations, strong psychic connections, and powerful sexual connection.

Uranus is at the apex of a Yod formed by the Sun and Mars. This supports the intuitive strength of this Full Moon, and opens possibilities of quick action or sudden changes.

The Moon is also at the apex of a Finger of the World, as Venus in emotional Cancer and Saturn in balanced Libra square each other and form sesquiquadrates to the Moon. This offers insights into relationships, along with strong feelings about whatever those insights are.

The patterns surrounding this Full Moon point to strong appetites, signalling care needed for those with addictive tendencies. This is not the time to overindulge in alcohol or recreational chemicals, and it's possible prescription medications could have an unusually strong effect.

Whichever way you look at it, we're likely to feel highly sensitized.

Staying grounded is vital. Look to the Sun in Virgo, with support from Pluto in Capricorn, to maintain a solid tether to the Earth plane. Virgo is sometimes viewed as an overanxious pencil pusher, but in times like these, having a presence who remembers important details, cares about our health and safety, and pays attention, is a good thing.

Structure, established practices, safe and sacred spaces, protective guides––these support experiences with the Full Moon energies that bring new information, even wisdom, into our lives. So, dive in to dreams, visioning, journeys, any experiences that offer healing, growth, joy and connection. Be compassionate with old wounds and strong emotions. Take a compass.
    

Gibbous Moon: Steadfast

strong foundation, solid base

Gibbous Moon in Capricorn: August 27, 2012

The Gibbous Moon arrives tomorrow (Sunday) evening, that big-bellied, almost-but-not-quite full Moon brightening the evening sky. This is the square-and-a-half that asks, are we ready? Are we prepared? Is everything in place?

This Gibbous Moon is in Capricorn, sesquiquadrate the Virgo Sun. A challenging angle, and yet what a stable, grounded combination this is. If we need structure, discipline or commitment on our way to this Full Moon, look no further.

The Moon is not considered to be happy in Capricorn, the sign of its detriment, and yet there's an essential dignity here as well. (And Capricorn love dignity, not to mention traditional systems.) The Moon is the triplicity ruler of Earth signs in a nighttime chart, which this chart is in my time zone.

The Sun rules the first 10 degrees of Virgo, reckoning by decans, and so, at 5 degrees gains some essential dignity too.

This is a steadfast Moon, a word from Old English that means "standing your ground." This Moon has feelings, but will not allow sentiment to cloud judgement, or avoid a difficult task because it might upset people.

This groundedness is a good thing, because the cosmos is full of murky energy right now.

Pluto, Chiron and Uranus are all at 7 degrees, aspecting each other in Capricorn, Pisces, and Aries.

At the Gibbous Moon, the Sun is a scant two degrees away, illuminating the ongoing wrestling match between tectonic transformation (Pluto) and volcanic revolution (Uranus), with Chiron flowing aid to both sides while avoiding the line of fire.

Mercury is point man between Pluto and Uranus, at the apex of a Finger of the World. Time to distinguish between courage and bravado, heart-felt passion and dramatic bombast.

Neptune continues to square the Nodes of the Moon, with a trine from Mars in Scorpio increasing both the pressure to do something and the inability to see clearly what needs to be done.

The Moon is at the apex of a Yod with Mercury and Ceres at its base, highlighting the need to keep our feet on the ground. our eyes on the prize, and our mouths shut unless we've considered carefully what we need to say.

The Moon also opposes Venus in emotional, Moon-ruled Cancer. Traditional values, security, home and family come to the fore. Again the Moon focuses on practical steps to help reach our goals, rather than dissolving into anxiety and reactivity.

The soon-to-arrive Full Moon is in Pisces, surrounded by energies that will increase sensitivity, intuition, empathy, and (potentially) confusion. With this Gibbous Moon, we're reminded that structure protects and strengthens.

We have the chance to test what's underfoot. Heading toward quicksand? Now's the time for a course correction to reach solid ground.
    

First Quarter Moon: Lost in the Woods

...following the appointed path...

First Quarter Moon in Sagittarius: August 24, 2012

We are on the journey. The beginning feels far back, though if we count the days, it's not that long ago. We've tried to stay on the path, but a fog's come up. Suddenly we can't see anything. We're not sure which direction we came from, or which way we're headed.

It's the First Quarter Moon, testing our commitment to the New Moon journey. Will we turn back or forge ahead? Will we give up where we are? What are the options?

Ahhh, options! Now, there's a word to conjure with. What, indeed, are the options?

The Moon is in Sagittarius, conjunct the destiny point that is the North Node. This is us on the journey, optimistic and ready for adventure.

Mysterious Neptune squares the Moon and the Nodes. This is the fog, which doesn't seem quite like a normal fog, does it? There's something otherworldly about this; we feel the hairs on the back of our neck rise. What was it the old woman at the crossroads said, and where's the talisman that gruff captain pressed into our hand as we left the ship?

The Sun has just moved into practical Virgo––that way help lies. The Sun in Virgo also squares the Moon and the Nodes, and opposes Neptune. This Virgo Sun can shine a light through the Neptunian fog. Virgo is great at remembering advice, making plans, and finding handy solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

...As long as we don't lose heart. Virgo can become fearful, jumping at odd sounds, convinced we're not up to the challenges ahead. Faced with Neptune's confusions, Virgo can lose her grip on practicality and descend into chaos, or find false comfort in rearranging deck chairs.

How can we hold on to our goals and move forward?

Here's Mars, new in shadowy Scorpio, the sign he ruled of old. Mars is sextile the Sun, semisextile the Moon, and trining Neptune––clearly, he has a role in this tale.

Mars in Scorpio is the master tactician, able to pierce any mist and find the right path. This Mars is also a wizard with arcane lore at his fingertips and surprises up his sleeve.

Mars is the dark stranger, and we need discernment to know whether to follow or avoid him.

Meanwhile, Venus in Cancer finds herself at the apex of a Finger of the World, sesquiquadrate to the Moon/ North Node, and to Neptune, as they square each other. She might look like a damsel in distress, and all the while she carries a reminder to listen to our hearts, listen to the wisdom of the past.

Venus is the grace-filled guide. Through compassion, a way will be found. Always share your bread with birds and animals.

Mercury in Leo forms a semisextile with Venus, the faithful page who turns our trials into poetry. There are reserves of courage here, finding the song to sing in the darkness that will lighten our hearts and renew hope.

Meanwhile, Pluto and Uranus still square each other, creating depth and intensity to bring the most mundane happenings into realms of high drama. Saturn in Libra, a worthy sage, forms a creative quintile to Pluto. This is a sign that magical action is possible and alchemical change is underway.

At this First Quarter Moon, we are challenged, but our strength is growing. If we keep our spirits high and take practical action, we are quite likely to find we're surrounded by magical helpers who wish us well.

We are the heroes of our own lives.