Mindful Wanderings: Full Moon in Virgo 2022

Forest Wander from Cross Lanes, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 27 degrees Virgo 40'

March 18, 2022

1:18 AM PDT

4:18 AM EDT

This month's Full Moon occurs just before the equinox (March 20) and strikes an opposition with Neptune, Jupiter, and Mercury in Pisces. There is an energetic tension and balance at play between the myopic, earth-bound focus of Virgo and the alluring idealism of Pisces. Here, the higher road invites us to discover how both ends can find fulfillment and integration without getting lost in the forest or swept out to sea.

The Full Moon archetype often correlates with reaching a moment of completion in various situations. That can also manifest as a breaking point, crisis, or the full emergence of a potential. In Virgo, that might relate to pragmatic skills, the development of competence, and organizational strategies. It could be easy to get consumed entirely in a detail-intensive project or laboring away with a sequence of tasks.

However, the other side of this Full Moon desires transcendence. Jupiter and Neptune are getting closer to their April conjunction, a unique meet up in Pisces that doesn't occur too often. It's magnifying and expanding creative possibilities, a more nuanced sense of reality, and enlargening the ability to dream. This can be deeply nourishing, especially for those starving for some spiritual sustenance.

As the Full Moon dissipates over the next few days, the Piscean lineup comes back into complete focus. Use this Virgo Moon energy to sharpen your attention and priorities so that you can stay grounded over the coming weeks. Yet, immersing yourself in the imaginal could help augment and clarify the actual, so allow yourself some time to wander.

Something Extraordinary: New Moon in Pisces 2022

Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 12 degrees 07' Pisces

March 2, 2022

9:36 AM PST

12:36 PM EST

Our first New Moon of March (there are two this month) occurs in tropical Pisces and features a conjunction with Jupiter and (widely) Neptune. The dominating Piscean archetype stands in sharp contrast to exact alignments of Venus/Mars/Pluto in Capricorn and Mercury/Saturn in Aquarius.

The main feature of this New Moon is the pile-up of planets in tropical Pisces. While Neptune is not in a technical orb with the New Moon itself, its closeness to Jupiter reins it into the lunation picture. There may be an odd sense of rising optimism and expansion alongside this New Moon. The strangeness of that feeling is due to the somber energies dominating the background.

To overlook the seriousness of things that must be faced or dealt with, especially responsibilities and critical tasks, would draw one into the negative face of this New Moon. The combination of Jupiter/Neptune in Pisces (which will exact April 11/12) can seriously amplify all diversity of escapist or otherwise delusional tendencies in individuals and groups of people. The latter is the most likely as Pisces and its ruling planets are fundamentally transpersonal archetypes.

Additionally, collective emotions can run high alongside this New Moon and over the next month or so of Jupiter/Neptune's conjunction. Something to be extremely wary of is the tendency to get swept up in emotional reactiveness or, worse, collective delusion as a result of imagery or information which may not accurately reflect reality. Be mindful of this danger within your personal life and your interactions with the broader society and world.

However, the more positive face of this New Moon lies in the potential to bridge creative, spiritual, or visionary impulses into deeply meaningful and constructive tasks or projects. The confluence of critical conjunctions (Venus/Mars/Pluto and Saturn/Mercury) alongside a New Moon represents a series of powerful and essential beginnings that will have lasting impacts if utilized consciously.

The challenge is staying on task, especially for those deeply committed to specific deadlines and heavy responsibilities. Jupiter/Neptune's building conjunction is not so much concerned with concrete reality; in fact, it is deeply interested in that which lies beyond or otherwise supercedes our perceptible world. Such a dip in the numinous and transpersonal can be profoundly healing and inspiring but also holds the potential to be dangerous for those lacking a secure grip on their physical existences and limitations.

Yet overall, this New Moon is a dynamic transpersonal gateway, an opportunity to put into motion something that could benefit more than our personal needs or desires. While we may be led here purely by our desires for ego fulfillment, it is most likely that the end result is quite the opposite. Keep this in mind as you take those initial steps alongside and beyond this New Moon. Realize you are a part of something truly extraordinary and greater than yourself.

Getting Brighter: Full Moon in Leo 2022

Yellowstone National Park from Yellowstone NP, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 28 degrees Leo

February 16, 2022

8:57 AM PST

11:57 AM EST

February's final lunation is a Full Moon in tropical Leo. It occurs at the bendings (square the Moon's nodal axis) and features an inconjunct with Pluto and Mercury. Additionally, this month's lunation culminates alongside an exact alignment of Venus and Mars in Capricorn. It offers a humility check for excessive ego aggrandizers. Yet, for those on the opposite end (feeling unjustifiably unworthy or meek), this lunation is potentially empowering.

As with all Full Moon's, a culmination, breakthrough, or completion takes place on the personal and collective level. It highlights the polarity of Leo and Aquarius, the tension, and the complementary nature between the needs/desires of individuals and those of larger communities (groups, organizations, and institutions).

Occurring at the bendings, a powerful transition is taking place alongside this Full Moon, one that compels us deeper toward our personal and collective destinies. Leo's aim is so often playful and creative as it urges us to pursue and cultivate joyfulness. Indeed, if we truly follow our soul calling in life, we feed what makes us most passionate. Such passion radiates outward and nourishes the surrounding communities when consistently tended to.

Leo is ruled by the Sun, the archetype of purpose, values, and ego fulfillment. However, the Sun's placement in Aquarius, the sign of its fall, draws those energies toward an objective or destiny larger than one's self-interest or personal satisfaction. This isn't to say that we should ignore the need for fun, rest, or enjoyment around this Full Moon, but that most likely, the breakthroughs emerging now are directing us toward the transpersonal.

Pluto's inconjunct to the Full Moon might emerge as a burdensome inability to ignore heavy truths and realities such as systemic corruption or personal suffering as a byproduct of structural violence. Such things are beyond any individual to change by themselves, though each contribution adds to collaborative solutions. Also, Pluto's presence here can be a somewhat nagging irritation to excessive self-assuredness, in which case, humility is the answer.

Overall, this lunation can be a moment in which choosing to shine our light contributes to a larger whole. In times such as these, it's easy to feel that our creative efforts, talents, or visions are insignificant, but nothing is further from the truth. You belong here. You have a place, and what you have to bring into this world matters and is needed. When we each shine, the world gets brighter, and that's what is so critically needed.

Nurturing Truth: New Moon in Aquarius 2022

USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 12 degrees Aquarius 19'
January 31, 2022
9:46 PM PST
February 1, 2022
12:46 AM EST

January's second and final New Moon occurs in tropical Aquarius and features a conjunction with Saturn and a square from Uranus. While occurring at the end of Venus and Mercury's retrograde cycles, this monthly reset might still feel slow going yet also like a critical break with the past.

After the convergence of Mercury and Venus retrograde, many paths have altered, perceptions changed, and new/renewed attractions have emerged. Venus retrograde's "change of heart" attribute has likely shown up in numerous ways, deeply altering the nature of our desires and relationships.

This New Moon might feel like a gradual thaw as things take their time getting back to normalcy. Aquarius is a fixed sign, and along with Saturn's conjunction, this New Moon supports taking initial steps toward building a more solid and sustainable future. The Aquarian archetype imbues this lunation with a sense of looking forward, onward, and collaboratively at what lies ahead.

However, Uranus' square adds an element of chaos into the flow, deeply challenging ideas, knowledge, and collective visions that have entrenched themselves in the broader culture. This New Moon is the beginning of the end of many group-think mentalities and a challenge to integrate radical perspectives into mainstream narratives.

Step through this New Moon with caution, a willingness to tackle a challenge, and an openness to alternative routes as they emerge down the road. While new potentials are emerging, especially those that can dramatically liberate us from the past, they will take some time. Therefore, nurture your emerging vision and be willing to let it change and evolve. Nothing quick or easy will come from this New Moon, only what is true and lasting.

Feeling into Truth: Full Moon in Cancer 2022

Dzikra Imron, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 27 degrees Cancer 51'

January 17, 2022

3:49 PM PST

6:49 PM EST

Our first Full Moon of 2022 occurs in the tropical sign of Cancer and includes an opposition from Pluto in Capricorn. Additionally, this lunation occurs at the confluence of two inner planet retrogrades: Mercury and Venus. Combined with the sometimes nostalgic nature of Cancer and the backward motion of retrograde planets, many features from the past can emerge alongside this lunation vying for completion, resolution, and awareness.

It might feel as if a lot has suddenly come to a standstill, snag, or moment of indecision. We're also moving into the peak of the lunar cycle, which can dissipate building momentum and crises over the following two weeks. Use this lunation for careful reflection, revision, and reconsideration. The retrograde flow is helpful for a review and contemplation of directional changes rather than forcing things to happen.

Pluto's opposition to this Full Moon represents the intrusion of collective and personal shadows, urging us to acknowledge blindspots and neglected realities. Cancer's intuitive and emotional nature combined with Pluto's opposition can heighten sensitivity and bring forth unexpressed feelings and impulses. The emergence of uncomfortable truths and perceptions is also likely when Pluto dominates.

The Cancer archetype highlights the need and desire for connection, kinship, nurturance, and belonging. Pluto's opposition can shed light on how our access to those dimensions has been blocked or stifled due to fear, ignorance, or culturally systemic factors. Yet, the other face of Pluto is the freedom and empowerment that comes from facing the darkness, embracing honesty, and speaking our truth.

While a potentially difficult Full Moon, the bright side to this lunation is its ability to deepen our most critical bonds and bring to light a more honest perception of events and situations that have been building for some time. It is hard to ignore the truth when it becomes so painfully obvious. For some, this is liberating and even validating. The fruits of dedicated shadow work and keen investigation are ready for harvest. It's time to acknowledge all that you've gotten right as much as you've missed.