Full Moon/Supermoon @ 9 degrees 16' tropical Aquarius
August 1, 2023
11:32 AM PDT
2:32 PM EDT
August begins exactly alongside a Full Moon/Supermoon in tropical Aquarius. This is the second Supermoon of 2023, a slightly larger and brighter than usual Full Moon. This is also the first of two Full Moon's this month, the second (on Aug 30) is what is culturally considered a "Blue Moon." While Blue Moon's do not have much astrological significance (they are based on the Gregorian calendar after all), Supermoons are at least visually and psychically more potent.
Aquarius has taken on such cultural significance since the late 1960s, most notably due to the idea of the astrological ages and the notion that we're entering (or have already entered) the "Age of Aquarius." It's such a fascinating subject I'm devoting an entire book to it (look out for it next year). Astrologers often conceive Aquarius as a radical, independent, and revolutionary sign based on its modern association with Uranus.
This quality and potential certainly exist within the sign's archetypal field. Still, it is also a sign traditionally ruled by Saturn, a planet more closely aligned with conservatism, tradition, and conformity. I see Aquarius (as all things in astrology) as inherently paradoxical, since it appears to embody both a Saturnian and Uranian nature. By the way, Saturn isn't limited to its conservative or "status-quo" expression but is also an archetype that relates to our ability to grow up and individuate and thus gain autonomy and independence in the world. There is quite some overlap here in symbolism.
As I see Aquarius as highly complex, there is one central theme I pull out of it relating to how we culturally and individually relate to authority. Authority is one of those inevitable "death and taxes" realities we all deal with as humans, and it's, interestingly, a hot issue of our times. With this Full Moon, we might find ourselves dealing with a culmination or crises relating to themes of authority, such as stepping into an authoritative role or being the recipient of authorities' demands (possibly more so in the guise of peer or social pressure).
Since Saturn rules both Capricorn and Aquarius (and thus, both signs deal with authority), the difference between Capricornian and Aquarian authority is that Aquarius deals with how we collectively consent to authority or culturally decide that something or someone "out there" has the right to claim it. Authorities then are endowed with the ability to dispense valuable knowledge, wisdom, and moral conduct (also attributes of the Aquarian sign).
With this Full Moon squaring Jupiter (who was mythologically a king of the Gods), here again, we find ourselves entangled in an authority imbued drama with this lunation. While probably not the kind of oppressive authoritarian drama of Saturn/Capricorn, still, there is an element within this Full Moon that prompts our attention to where we claim authority in our lives and, most importantly, who or what we look to as authoritative.
Alongside this, there is likely to be a realization related to knowledge or wisdom we're receiving or giving to others, as well as opportunities and "open doors" for truly embodying it all and making it part of our everyday, practical experiences. Alongside Venus' retrograde cycle, there is also some potent magic, creative mojo, and innovative leaps happening beneath the surface.
And with Jupiter's approaching conjunction with Uranus (exact next spring), we do have that sense of something revolutionary emerging from the surface, yet it probably all isn't that clear at the moment. For now, the Aquarian archetype highlights a larger vision, one that was once in the future but may be more a reality of the moment, like some future plan construed of our knowledge and wisdom base may be more within our grasp. With that, we might feel more confident in where we go from here.