Power in the Dark: (Another) Full Moon in Capricorn 2024

Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 29 degrees Capricorn 09'
July 21, 2024
6:17 AM PDT
3:17 AM EDT

July's Full Moon is the second to occur in Capricorn this year and it culminates at the tail end of Mars and Uranus' alignment in Taurus. Combined with the Full Moon's placement at 29 degrees and its conjunction with Pluto, there is some instability here, along with powerful intensity. 

A Full Moon aligned with Pluto can bring many previously subjugated, repressed, denied, or secretive elements out into the open. Known as the anaretic degree, the 29th degree of a sign symbolically suggests an "explosive" quality in which a major shift is about to take place, especially on the collective level. 

The combination of Capricorn and Pluto (in Aquarius) can suggest a transpersonal breakthrough, culmination, or achievement resulting from sustained and committed effort toward a larger cause or movement. Yet also, the shadow of this lunation can reveal hard truths or unacknowledged blind spots in relation to our objectives and ambitions in the world.

Neptune's sextile to the Full Moon suggests that opportunities for uncovering the truth and glimpsing behind the veil may be more easily accessible in the days around this lunation. Both personally and collectively, this Full Moon brings much into view, allowing us to clear the air and unload what we've been desiring to express. 

From a larger vantage point, this lunation can highlight seemingly subtle yet powerful transformations in life direction, career focus, and other future objectives. It can direct us to issues beyond our self-interest or shed more truthful light on the meaning and direction of our ambitions. Emerging signs and realizations should not be ignored. Pluto is powerful medicine, and it reflects a desire to understand better the root causes of our life circumstances and their broader spiritual context. 

Solidifying Bonds: New Moon in Cancer 2024

Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Haltern am See, Westruper Heide -- 2015 -- 8306-10” / CC BY-SA 4.0

New Moon @ 14 degrees Cancer 23'
July 5, 2024
3:37 PM PDT
6:37 PM EDT

July's New Moon in tropical Cancer squares the nodal axis and aligns with the fixed star Sirius, a bright, color-changing binary star system that had immense significance in antiquity. In the northern hemisphere, the Sun's passage and further distancing from Sirius in the summer months (when it reaches the last degrees of Cancer) results in Sirius's heliacal rising (when it rises before the Sun in the predawn sky). 

In ancient Egypt, Sirius' heliacal rising correlated with the Nile River's annual flooding and marked the start of the Egyptian calendar. Sirius was also known as the "dog star" due to its presence in the constellation Canis Major and featured, via Greek cultural syncretism, as one of Orion's hunting companions (a remnant of the Egyptian's association of Sirius with Anubis, a dog-headed deity). The "Dog Days" of summer are also associated with Sirius' heliacal rising in the northern hemisphere, which corresponds with the hottest summer months (July-August). 

In the Thema Mundi, the symbolic "birth chart of the world," a chart used as a rationale for the Hellenistic astrological system, Cancer corresponds to the first house and Ascendent, perhaps connected to the enduring significance of Sirius and the Egyptian reverence for this star and the summer celebrations related to it. Sirius is actually least visible right now while obfuscated by the Sun's presence beside it. Yet, as a notable object that was related to new beginnings, fertility, and prestige, it adds some significance to this New Moon as a powerful seeding and starting point.

Especially as the last New Moon before Mercury's next retrograde cycle (August 4 through the 28th), this is the most auspicious, mobilizing, and forward-directing New Moon of summer, the only one free of the complexities and detours that often accompany Mercury's retrograde cycle. Additionally, with the Moon powerful in its home sign Cancer, this amplifies both the New Moon's potential and the Cancerian archetype. 

Cancer is classically a cardinal water sign connected with domestic and familial significance. A sign of healing, nourishment, and bonding, this New Moon favors and blesses inward, intimate, and creative endeavors and can bring us closer to people and experiences that further secure our place in the world. This is a good time to connect more deeply with family, friends, or one's chosen tribe, or may synchronisitically relate to a new beginning or transition in these areas. 

Lastly, the New Moon's square to the nodes and trine to Saturn suggests also a time to gain perspective on all that we've accomplished and experienced this year. This is a time to reflect on and feel our way through current projects, goals, and ambitions and realistically consider what we can or cannot take on and pursue here. Ultimately, go with your instincts, intuition, and what feels right as you move ahead. 

Pushing Through the Fog: Full Moon in Capricorn 2024

Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 01 degrees Capricorn 07'
June 21, 2024
9:07 PM EDT 
6:07 PM PDT

June's Full Moon occurs in tropical Capricorn following the solstice and the Sun's ingress into Cancer. It highlights the cardinal axis and more specifically the Aries Point Axis (the first two degrees of cardinal signs and the last two degrees of mutable signs). It is also the first of two Capricorn Full Moons this year, with the following occurring at 29 degrees on July 21. 

The cardinal archetype is catalytic. This suggests a definite dynamism to this lunation that's helpful for pushing past certain boundaries and obstacles that have been difficult to breach (or that we've been too reluctant to go beyond). 

Capricorn is a pragmatic and often focused sign, and under this Full Moon, it can spotlight specific objectives and endpoints we've been trying to reach or accomplish. However, Neptune's square can show up as an unnerving lack of clarity, uncertainty, or confusion that can lead to distraction or disenchantment.

This Full Moon can bring about a brief but poignant reassessment of what we're ultimately aiming for or whether we have a clear and realistic strategy. It can represent the difficulty of articulating or grasping what does not yet have a definitive form. A dream, vision, or ideal can more harshly meet the limitations of the moment. 

Yet, a theme to consider over the next two years is that the greatest dreams that were realized were the result of a deep commitment to them. Faith is important, but more so is the consistent effort and unwavering support required to materialize what has never been realized. 

While this Full Moon can symbolize a breaking point that can deflate or collapse certain ideals, delusions, or unrealistic goals, it's also a landing point in a larger process that challenges us to keep pushing for clarity, understanding, and truth. Pushing reality's boundaries is never easy, but staying in the fog can be just as difficult. 

A Critical View: New Moon in Gemini 2024

Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 16 degrees Gemini 18'

June 6, 2024

5:38 PM EDT

8:38 PM PDT

We enter June with the New Moon in tropical Gemini. It features a prominent conjunction with Venus and a notable and challenging square from Saturn in Pisces. A New Moon in Gemini, especially with its ruler Mercury in the same sign, is a mental and perceptual reset. New ideas and conversations are beginning to emerge, and ongoing dialogues are reaching a critical testing and evaluation.

With Venus' conjunction to the New Moon, creative projects, relationships, and material affairs get especially highlighted and brought into more focus. This is a perfect starting point for beginning a challenging conversation, course, book project, research endeavor, or for improving communication skills and proficiency.

Saturn's square is a reflection of a call to take on a mental and perceptual challenge, to push ourselves further in our understanding and ability to generate more effective rapport in personal and societal relationships. Gemini's weakeness can be a tendency to get overwhelmed in excessive stimulation, facts, or data. Indecision or even moral ambivlance can ensue when entrapped in the intellectual crossfire.

This New Moon also has the benefit of helping to narrow choices, priorities, and focus. It is a time to get more realistic about objectives and relational commitments. The higher end of Gemini is also its innate curiosity and ability to comprehend complex and nuanced issues and situations. Consider also how this New Moon can assist in better understanding a different viewpoint or perspective through asking questions and opening ourselves to uncomfortable conversations.

Ultimately, the New Moon is a personal and collective starting point that can reflect the need to take on new challenges that can significantly alter our understanding of a situation or even result in a transformation of worldview. Hard work will be required of any relationship or task we take on here, but if it is worth it, we can build and sustain powerful communicative threads that will improve how we see the world.

Holding the Dream: Full Moon in Sagittarius 2024

Jernej Furman from Slovenia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 2 degrees Sagittarius 55'
May 23, 2024 
6:53 AM EDT
9:53 AM PDT 

May's Full Moon in tropical Sagittarius strikes an opposition to Venus and Jupiter's exacting conjunction in Taurus, bringing a wave of potential progress and expansive opportunities, marking a significant contrast to the last several lunations, reflecting a more hopeful and optimistic moment.

The Sagittarius archetype doesn't play small, and with its ruler Jupiter aligning with Venus in her home sign, Taurus, the expansiveness of this sign is notably enhanced. The downside is a tendency to go overboard in numerous potential ways, where the problems of too much of a good thing can become undeniably apparent. 

Yet, after some restriction, restraint, and limitation, this Venus-Jupiter alignment and Full Moon may feel far more freeing. It can gift us with increased vision and perspective on a variety of life areas. Most notably, there can be an opening of opportunities and increased understanding within existing and emerging relationships, financial matters, creative projects, and collaborative endeavors. 

With Neptune's trine and Pluto's sextile to the Full Moon, there's a reassuring ability to gain clarity and perspective on issues that have been previously obscured or difficult to investigate. This alignment instills a greater degree of confidence in acknowledging the truth, and many blind spots are being momentarily illuminated now. 

Undoubtedly, this Sagittarius Full Moon can correlate with a brief period of spiritual, psychic, and existential expansion, during which the big picture is more within our field of vision. We may be prompted to reach beyond certain inhibitions or past hesitations, expanding what's available to us and our ability to attain it. 

Sprouting Revolution: New Moon in Taurus 2024

Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 18 degrees Taurus 02'
May 7, 2024
8:22 PM PDT
11:22 PM EDT 

May's Full Moon in tropical Taurus helps solidify projects, events, and current issues as well as ground potential ideas, realizations, and insights that have emerged through the eclipse season/Mercury retrograde overlap the past month or so. 

While its alignment with the now separating Jupiter-Uranus conjunction adds some unstable volatility to emerging directions and events, it reflects a collective and personal desire to move toward greater freedom, autonomy, and individuation in all we're currently involved in. 

We can consciously utilize this New Moon as a grounding point and launch pad for setting off into directions that serve more authentic needs and relieve heavy restrictions and limitations that have held us back for far too long. 

The reflections of the Jupiter and Uranus conjunction, while fading out in July, will get significantly sharpened under this New Moon and following two weeks. And with Venus, the New Moon ruler, empowered in Taurus, this is a time to augment, innovate, and define our material conditions more clearly.

This New Moon in Taurus is a powerful opening for expanding income flow, health, and bodily enhancement, as well as grounding ourselves more firmly in solid and self-affirming relationships. While the peace and stillness of a typical Taurus New Moon might get overpowered by sporadic flashes of revolution and revelation, we are definitely touching more solid ground compared to the past several weeks. 

A Deeper Power: Full Moon in Scorpio 2024

Full Moon @ 4 degrees Scorpio 18'
April 23, 2024
4:49 PM PDT
7:49 PM EDT

April's Full Moon in tropical Scorpio breaks us entirely out of eclipse season. Still, it keeps the intensity high with Pluto's square and the Full Moon's placement in the depths of the Scorpio archetypal field. With Mercury about to station direct (April 25), there can also be an inundation of high stimulation and information overload, making for an unstable, eventful, yet interesting lunation.

This Full Moon presents us with a fascinating collective crossroads, marked by the precise Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, Mercury's direct station, and Mars' impending shift into Aries. While some actions may still feel obstructed or uncertain, this lunation serves as a potent transition, inviting us to start implementing the insights, revisions, and shifts in perspective we've gathered over the past few weeks. This is a time of potential growth and change, offering a unique opportunity for personal transformation. 

With the Full Moon ruler, Mars, currently mired in the Neptunian fog and the infinite expansiveness of the Piscean void, we can easily get pulled far beyond our boundaries and intended desires under this lunation. Neptune and Pisces are seeking to redirect the ego's focus towards more transpersonal issues and concerns, and a breaking point can be reached, allowing for a more transcendent purpose or mission to emerge.

As we navigate the days surrounding this lunation, it'll be beneficial to surrender more to the flow of creative, spiritual, and even humanitarian energies. By allowing ourselves to be guided, we can better confront the forces and impulses that surpass our ego's limited perception. This is a time of challenge and growth, where we're encouraged to rise above the haze of fear and mental blockages, unlocking a more profound truth, purpose, and power. 

Be Fierce: Total Solar Eclipse in Aries 2024

Justin Hawkes, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Total Solar Eclipse @ 19 degrees Aries 24'
April 8, 2024
11:20 AM PDT
2:20 PM EDT

Solar eclipses can correlate with profound transitions in our lives, both significant beginnings and endings, which seem to unfold simultaneously. Especially for those living where the eclipse is visible, it can correlate with emotional amplification and confrontations with numerous hidden and unconscious aspects of ourselves and the external world. These can be dramatic periods, but also highly revealing and liberating, especially if we attune ourselves more inwardly to the unconscious mind.

With this eclipse, we are met with a barrage of seeming contradictions. The Aries archetype, ruled by the planet Mars, desires to assert and take willful action. As a north nodal eclipse, we are compelled forward into the future to free ourselves of numerous dependencies and unhealthy attachments. Yet, Mercury is moving deep into its retrograde cycle, bringing up the past and throwing the mind into reflection, revision, and potential hesitation. 

Additionally, Mars will be heading toward a conjunction with Saturn in Pisces that exacts within a day of the eclipse on April 10. This is not a time in which we should take careless or impulsive actions. We should be mindful that whatever we implement and launch now will not likely align with the ego's ideals and expectations. This is a time to focus our shifts more internally and trust that dramatic changes of attitude, perception, and emotional expression will eventually trickle into our external experiences. 

Additionally, the eclipses' exact alignment with Chiron, and wide conjunction with Mercury retrograde, and the dwarf planet Eris suggest a further amplification of wounds and vulnerabilities. If we're not careful, we can easily get swept up in the internal and external chaos of the moment and lose sight of the bigger picture. 

Yet, these symbols also speak to the ability to heal and integrate unfinished business, to learn deeply from the past and utilize our pain and suffering to motivate us toward courageous action in the world to pave the way for a new order and way of being. Reflect on what has been holding you back from your fierceness and ability to claim your destined place in life. Sometimes, going back and turning inward can counterintuitively push us further forward. 

Seeds of Hope: New Moon in Pisces 2024

Bertrand Paris Romaskevich, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees Pisces 16' 
March 10, 2024
1:00 AM PDT 
4:00 AM EDT 

March's New Moon in tropical Pisces stands at a symbolic collective and personal crossroads. This is the last New Moon until May 7 that we can utilize for the stable initation of new projects and various endeavors. Eclipse season and a Mercury retrograde cycle in April will very much destabilize preset plans and lead to a period of much revision and readjustment. 

However, the Pisces archetype itself is a more go-with-the-flow type of vibe, one in which we're unlikely to feel an urgent need or desire to make something happen if it isn't already in motion. In fact, that's a good way of conceiving of this New Moon, as a time to check in with what we're attempting to make real in the world and attune ourselves to current processes and how best to rework them over the next two months. 

Sitting at the midpoint of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction (an alignment that exacts in early 2026 as I have written about here), this New Moon also connects us more deeply with our dreams, ideals, and future expectations. Naturally, that can also bring disappointment, disillusionment, or discouragement, since the combination of Saturn-Neptune represents the merging of what we imagine and what's realistically possible. 

Perhaps it's best to think of this New Moon as a bit paradoxical experientially. There is the reality of the moment and a confrontation with its genuine limitations and yet an equally profound emergence of hope, faith, and a glimpse of something more on the horizon. 

However we are moved and shifted by this New Moon, there is a choice between locking ourselves into one end of a polarity or embracing a synthesis where we accept what's real but continue to dream and embrace exciting new possibilities. Consider what new moves and changes you can make to transform those less-than-ideal realities into more positive outcomes that can blossom further down the road. 

Rising Wise: Full Moon in Virgo 2024

Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 5 degrees Virgo 23’

February 24, 2024

4:30 AM PDT

7:30 AM EDT

February's Full Moon occurs in tropical Virgo. The Virgo and Pisces polarity both deal with idealism, yet they do so in different ways. Virgo's ideals are often more readily attainable in the so-called real world, while Pisces' interests lie more so in the abstract and imaginal.

Both Piscean and Virgoan ideals are realizable in some way, but they often need direction and a container to focus their potential. Saturn's opposition to this Full Moon can represent the awareness of such needs, or it can correlate with some discouragement or even disillusionment.

Alongside this Full Moon, we're likely to feel the weight of certain realities more than usual since Saturn's opposition to the Moon can be felt as a kind of reality test. A Full Moon in Virgo is a culmination, breaking point, or crisis in relation to our efforts to attain some ideal or make a dream or vision real in the world. Yet, along the way, we will likely encounter certain obstacles, setbacks, or limitations that dampen our spirit and idealism.

This Full Moon represents a moment to check in with the ultimate objective, dream, or vision you're trying to make real. Anything too impractical or abstract in the Piscean sense might need to be scrapped or at least heavily revised. Yet, for those dreams and objectives that continue to hold your passion, this Full Moon is simply a reality test that can be mastered through humility, determination, and commitment to growth.

Jupiter's trine to the Full Moon and waxing conjunction with Uranus also suggests that breakthroughs and new potential lie on the horizon, even amid failure or a perceived disaster. We can always use setbacks and limitations as sources of wisdom and catalysts for growth and future change. While sometimes hard, attempting to reach an ideal is ultimately worth the maturity and strength it gives you.

A New Way Forward: New Moon in Aquarius 2024

Ted.ns, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees Aquarius 40'
February 9, 2024
2:58 PM PDT 
5:58 PM EDT 

February's New Moon occurs in tropical Aquarius and makes a square to the Aquarian modern ruler, Uranus, bringing forth an archetypal current of instability and mounting pressure to willingly initiate vital changes. Aquarius is a fixed sign, and true to its traditional Saturnian ruler, it is a sign that likes to preserve a stable awareness of the world and its future potential. 

Science and other collaborative forms of knowledge acquisition (Aquarian-like activities and institutions) seek to make predictions and thus attain some sense of certainty about the universe. However, with this New Moon, anticipate more uncertainty in relation to arising matters and new endeavors. If clinging to the Aquarian shadow, there is more resistance to letting that certainty go and a stubborn refusal to accept new ideas and possibilities. 

Aquarius is, however, a paradoxical sign (as are all astrological symbols). As we shift into this New Moon, it may be wise to consciously acknowledge where change is needed and willingly move confidently into the unknown. The high end of the Aquarian archetype is a willingness to defy the status quo and embrace a more radical or unconventional course or purpose. With Uranus' square, the less treaded pathway is more relevant now than ever. 

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Change is in the air with this Aquarian New Moon (pun intended as it is an air sign). Uranus' square to this lunation emerges as a dynamic symbol for a catalytic shift occurring within the collective psyche over the next few days and weeks. As Mercury, Mars, and Venus move through Aquarius this month, they also strike squares with the building Jupiter and Uranus conjunction, catalyzing some much-needed but potentially tumultuous change and instability. 

The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction peaks at the end of April and will correlate with a rising wave of cultural and political resistance to the status quo, opening new possibilities to unearth radical discoveries. This is one of the most creatively potent world transit conjunctions, and a powerful opportunity to push yourself into new adventures. 

In contrast to the Saturn-Neptune conjunction phasing in toward the latter part of this year and into 2025 and peaking in 2026 (which I have written extensively about here), the Jupiter-Uranus alignment gifts us an opportunity to rise into new potentials and break free of some restrictive patterns and blockages this year. Embrace this wave of inspiration and opportunity while the window is open. 

Mars and Venus also align with Pluto as they shift into Aquarius over the following week. While there is an opening for deeper intimacy and authenticity, a magnification of certain blindspots and pitfalls in relational interactions can become problematic. Wherever idealism and wishful thinking take over, use more discernment and realism. However, a greater awareness of true compatibility and relational needs is always useful for future interactions. 

The tarot card I pulled for this New Moon is the Five of Wands. Most versions of this card depict several men in battle, yet there is often an air of confusion and uncoordinated effort, with wands coming from multiple directions. Often, this card can symbolize the midst of conflict or a struggle to attain some desired action or goal. Harmonically, the 5 relates to the square aspect in astrology, which the New Moon receives from Uranus--a symbolic struggle or challenge. 

Aquarius and its classical and modern rulers (Saturn and Uranus respectively) also strongly correlate with an inherent conflict between an old and a new order. In the original Greek creation myth, Uranus was the first oppressive patriarch who usurped the ambitions of his progeny and was eventually castrated by Cronos (Saturn), thus losing his authority and power. 

Later, Cronos/Saturn himself meets a similar fate when deceived by his son Zeus (Jupiter) while attempting to devour his children to prevent his own inevitable dethronement. The conflict between generations and the fight against an oppressive old order is a consistent theme throughout the Western world and is embodied in the Aquarian archetype.

Perhaps it reflects a dimension of this New Moon that highlights such conflict within ourselves and our own lives and the persistence and motivation required to "stand our ground" and keep fighting for greater freedom and autonomy. Use this New Moon as a catalyst to push you further toward a unique individualistic pathway. Naturally, we will meet resistance and challenges to our ideas or personal style, but such is the price for staying true to ourselves and our dreams. 

Creating the Future: Full Moon in Leo 2024

DEATHSCOOTER, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 5 degrees Leo 14'
January 24, 2024
9:54 AM PST 
12:54 PM EST 

Our first Full Moon of 2024 occurs in tropical Leo, culminating into a dynamic t-square with its opposition to Pluto and square to Jupiter. Firstly, such a configuration during a Full Moon climax suggests the emergence of tension and the need for some significant closure, conclusion, or resolution. T-squares can feel particuarly pressing or heavy, correlating with the need to make certain choices or take important actions. 

Pluto, recently back in Aquarius, pressures us collectively and personally with a required confrontation with the deeper truth of an issue or situation. There is likely an awareness that putting off certain matters will no longer work. Pluto demands that we face reality more squarely (pun intended) and honestly, especially regarding certain objectives and prospects for the future. 

The higher integration of the Leo/Aquarius polarity is realizing the nuanced and paradoxical nature of being true to ourselves and contributing to a larger collective purpose. Where does our personal, spiritual mission intersect with the larger human or global community? Are we neglecting personal needs for some group purpose, or conversely, can we do more to expand our reach and influence? 

From the perspective of Leo, we're the main character in the drama of life.  In its shadow, this can lead to a solipsistic or narcissistic orientation where empathy and compassion for others cease, and all that matters is a personal perspective or need. A childlike world insulates us, and all criticism or opposing perspectives are silenced. Such is the growing architecture of today's social media spaces. 

Yet also, Pluto in Aquarius will awaken us to the horrors of uncritical groupthink and blind obedience to consensus. The seeming polarity of cultural narcissism and things like fascism or totalitarianism actually feed and depend on one another, and both are predicated on the eradication of authentic community and both personal and collective purpose and values. 

With this Full Moon, there is likely to be some acquisition of awareness of where we might fit into some larger collective struggle, what we can do to heal, offer solutions, or perhaps how we can delve into our creative potential and power and bring forth a new vision. Perhaps what emerges is not so complex, but rather a need to enact some change for better situating our personal lives within the context of the current collective reality (whether economic, political, or cultural) and both its limitations and opportunities for greater expansion.

Clearing the Way: New Moon in Capricorn 2024

Enoch Leung, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees Capricorn 44'

January 11, 2024

3:57 AM Pacific

6:57 AM Eastern

Our first New Moon of 2024 occurs in tropical Capricorn and is highly supportive of stepping out and initiating some formative moves in critical endeavors. Especially if you've felt impeded the past few weeks, this Capricorn lunation is a focal point of dynamic renewal that synchronizes intentions and willpower for future goals and ambitions.

With Mercury clear of its retrograde cycle and as we shift into the waxing lunar phase these next two weeks, you'll find that several obstacles will be lifted, and enthusiasm will rise. However, in the dark of the Moon, it's also possible to feel at a decisive crossroads where narrowing options and possible pathways are needed.

With the New Moon squaring the Moon's nodal axis, this also represents a decisive junction where it can be just as important to hone in on a strategy as it is to take deliberate actions. Additionally, while Mercury is direct, there may be some lingering need for reflection and recharging. Inward shifts are as powerful as those we make happen in the external world.

The most powerful aspect of this New Moon is a trine with Uranus, suggesting that the new doors opening are potent portals for accessing greater freedom and liberation from oppressive circumstances. There is more choice here than pressure to act, but the path is clear for those seeking to integrate fresh routines, experiences, and possibilities.

Directed Curiosity: Full Moon in Gemini 2023

Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 4 degrees Gemini 51'
November 27, 2023
1:16 AM PST
4:16 AM EST 

November's Full Moon in tropical Gemini is also our transition into the final Mercury retrograde cycle of 2023, starting alongside the New Moon in Sagittarius December 12/13. Featuring a t-square with Mars and Saturn, this Full Moon carries a challenging integration and suggests taking time to integrate and process culminating thoughts, ideas, perspectives, and incoming data and information. 

The Gemini/Sagittarius polarity deals archetypally with our personal and cultural conceptions of the everyday world and how we navigate it. Additionally, in relation to Gemini and its ruler Mercury, communication and information dissemination are highlighted, bringing all these themes into a fulcrum. Considering Mercury's retrograde station in just two weeks, it might appear that there's more than a usual amount to think about, reflect on, and process. 

As a mutable air sign, the Gemini archetype is notorious for overthinking or bringing extra options to the forefront. However, Saturn and Mars' hard aspects to this Full Moon relate to the need to clarify, limit, solidify, and set boundaries. As such, this Full Moon is likely to bring about some tension related to how we see and understand the world, likely through a clash or incongruity with competing worldviews. 

Leave some extra space for making revisions and adjustments to anything finalized or conclusions drawn alongside this lunation as a lot can change and get reshuffled over the following month. Thus, moving through this lunation might be easier with some flexibility and an open mind. Closemindedness, dogmatism, and an inability to accommodate alternative perspectives can represent this lunation's shadow end, leading to unnecessary disputes or misunderstandings. Strive to listen more and understand rather than being on the defensive. 

A Subtle Revolution: Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Taurus 2023

Михайло Пецкович, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

October 28, 2023

1:24 PM PDT

4:24 PM EDT

This month's Full Moon in tropical Taurus is also a partial lunar eclipse predominately visible in Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. As Full Moons, partial lunar eclipses represent extra significant culminations, breakthroughs, and resolutions on both the collective and personal levels. The often rapid and substantial changes and transformations of the past few weeks reach their crescendo under this lunation, bringing various processes and endeavors to a fulcrum in time.

While typically associated with stability, simplicity, and consistency, the Taurus archetype has been undergoing a profound shake-up due to Uranus' current transit through this sign. Additionally, Uranus' building conjunction with Jupiter early next year amplifies the revolutionary breakthrough potential emerging on the individual and collective levels. It represents a brief yet significant moment of pushing past restrictive boundaries and limitations, making significant leaps and progress, and embracing innovative ideas and creative solutions.

This Full Moon/eclipse's proximity to Jupiter infuses this Full Moon/eclipse with expansiveness and emerging new horizons. An eclipse in Taurus is likely to correlate with notable changes on the material level, dealing with monetary, bodily, or other resource-related shifts. It pulls our attention to our capacity and potential to be self-supportive and grounded in the real world.

Yet, with the building energies behind Jupiter-Uranus, the pragmatic dimension this eclipse touches upon is anything but prosiac. It's unearthing an exciting liberation of our capacity to make tangible changes in our life circumstances and freeing up space for new ways to be embodied and connected to the Earth.

A Delicate Dance: Annular Solar Eclipse in Libra 2023

Sophia Calderone, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 21 degrees Libra 08'

October 14, 2023

10:59 AM PDT

1:59 PM EDT

This month's New Moon in tropical Libra is also an annular solar eclipse that will be visible across portions of the western U.S. and South America. An annular solar eclipse is when the Moon does not completely eclipse the Sun, leaving a ring of light around it. Eclipses are most notable and significant for the regions in which they're visible. However, eclipses are symbolically relevant for the whole planet, symbolizing a more powerful than usual New Moon.

As such, and within the context of the Libra archetype, this New Moon/solar eclipse represents a potent restart, a new beginning, and seeding more broadly within relationships, partnerships, and interpersonal interactions. As a south nodal eclipse, it highlights certain shadows and blindspots we must address with those around us, within our commitments, and with those we entrust. With Venus currently transiting Virgo, consider ways to achieve more balance in the duties, tasks, and responsibilities we share with others.

Consider the point at which noble and well-intended servitude can become draining or unhealthy or whether hard work and efforts are being channeled in the right place. With Mercury aligned with the New Moon/solar eclipse and a t-square dynamic between Pluto, Chiron, and Eris, this eclipse can open challenging but important dialogue needed to sort out imbalances, grievances, and unexpressed thoughts, feelings, hurts, and needs. Libra, the sign of the scales, is all about correcting lopsided situations and challenging ourselves to see things from a more empathetic and nuanced perspective.

On the collective level, and in consideration of many current events, we can anticipate an amplification of long-standing wounds, crises, and divisive issues. Eris, the chaos goddess of strife, discord, and division, correlates with an empowerment of antagonisms but exposes an underlying unity or common interest. Over the next few years, the higher road of Chiron's encroaching conjunction with Eris can be an opportunity to begin healing critical cultural and interpersonal divisions through exposing and more deeply understanding hypocrisies and their root in unhealed generational trauma.

Libra ultimately reveals that no single organism or community is entirely autonomous. All things are interconnected and thus interdependent. The greatest challenges we face in life are finding ways to embrace our innate need and right for independence and individuality while acknowledging that we're better off supported and working together toward common interests. What stands in the way of that? Discovering that might begin with asserting needs and personal perspectives and, through honest dialogue and reflection, finding new ways to come together while respecting required boundaries.

In the Flow: New Moon in Virgo 2023

Florian Siebeck, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 21 degrees Virgo 58'

September 14, 2023

6:40 PM PDT

9:40 PM EDT

This month's New Moon in tropical Virgo occurs alongside Mercury's direct station and the end of Mercury's retrograde cycle. However, Mercury stations often correlate with the amplification of Mercurial themes such as the inundation of information flow, communications, and high stimulation, all of which could lead to overlooking critical details or technological glitches with so much going on.

Yet, the Virgo archetype, expounded via its ruler Mercury in its home sign Virgo, emphasizes those more essential points. Still, it might be wise to be more redundant and critical under this lunation to avoid any revisions later on. After several weeks of revision, we are beginning to regain our regular momentum under this lunation. We are now planting the seeds of greater efficiency, competence, and high-level service, so don't feel the need to avoid what needs to get done.

In fact, aside from Neptune's opposition to this New Moon, there is a positive flow of Earth sign energy via a grand trine between the Sun, Moon, Uranus, and Pluto. Neptune's opposition can signify the challenge of pragmatically integrating our ideals and visions in the real world, and it can be a potent conduit for bringing loftier aspirations more firmly into our grasp.

This is a powerful lunation moment where new outlets for greater service, competence enhancement, and self-improvement may emerge. The challenge is not getting too stuck on the ideals, and knowing when good enough is better than striving for perfection. Additionally, maintain a realistic grasp of what you can or can't take on. The urge to escape and deny looming deadlines is also possible with Neptune. However, so, too, is a healthier balance between hard work and downtime, and beginning new attempts with that can go a long way here.

Grounding the Vision: Supermoon in Pisces 2023

Full Moon @ 7 degrees Pisces 25'
August 30, 2023
6:35 PM PDT
9:35 PM EDT

August's second Full Moon (Blue Moon) in tropical Pisces is also the brightest Supermoon of the year. Due to its closer proximity to the  Earth, it'll appear slightly larger and thus brighter than an average Full Moon. While a Moon in Pisces can highlight emotional needs, intuitive perception, and idealism, the Moon's conjunction with Saturn adds considerable realism, rationality, and pragmatism.

Saturn's transit through Pisces, as well as its building conjunction with Neptune (most potent from 2024 through 2027) can, in its highest expression, relate to the challenging process of bringing the ideal into the real. There can also be quite a lot of disillusionment and disenchantment to sift through to get there since subjecting our dreams (and beliefs) to criticism, revision, and reality-testing can be a sobering and sometimes painful process. 

Also, no matter how wise we might think we are, there's always something we're deluding ourselves about. Sometimes, this is just essential to the human experience. We're all, to some degree, in denial about our mortality or our degree of sanity. Other times, we invest a lot of faith and belief in narratives about how things should or will be, and, similarly, in putting far too much trust in experts and external authorities to help us feel safer in a perceivably dangerous world. 

This Full Moon represents a fleeting but magnified glimpse into a larger process embodying many of these themes, and it can quickly recede in a few days (or simply become less conscious). Yet, this could be an excellent time to check in with our ideals and how we're doing with bringing them down to earth, as well as the many ways we might be deceiving ourselves with too much investment in naivete and fantasy. 

Events might conspire to bring about such insights while also revealing the extent of our emotional and intuitive maturity. Saturn's presence always represents something we can only learn in living through it, but also those moments where rewards and gratification emerge from knowing when to choose or act differently based on previous experiences. Ideally, some progress is tangibly felt or perceived here as related to our manifestation efforts, and a little humility will keep us more firmly grounded. 

Emerging Horizons: New Moon in Leo 2023

New Moon @ 23 degrees tropical Leo 17'

August 16, 2023

2:38 AM PDT

5:38 AM EDT

August's New Moon in tropical Leo aligns with Venus retrograde and makes a square to the building Jupiter and Uranus conjunction (which exacts early next year). As with most New Moons in Leo, there are likely to be some creative sparks emerging alongside it, and with Venus, the emergence (or re-emergence) of significant relational themes within an array of romantic, platonic, or professional connections.

Now past the midpoint of Venus' retrograde cycle, we are collectively imbued in the karmic and serendipitious space that is Venus retrograde. These cycles are mysterious periods of subtle yet powerful transitions and transformations that largely impact us on the heart level. In other words, the emotional and aesthetic dimension is expanded, calling us to more deeply clarify what is most aligned with our inner nature.

In Leo, there is an inevitable amplification of the need to be seen and acknowledged, as well as the recognition that joy, play, and sponteneity deserve a rightful place in our life experiences. With this New Moon, anticipate some renewal of these themes or the slow and subtle start to bringing more of our talents and potential into the light.

Yet, expect a more profound confrontation with what doesn't feel right or resonate with our preferences, inner nature, and overall life path, as we are clearing away those things that aren't true expressions of our hearts. Jupiter and Uranus' square also correlate with a catalytic impulse to push outside the limits of creative and expressive boundaries, to reshape the flow of our life experiences toward the cutting edge of what's possible. With this, anticipate a need to challenge what's comfortable in relationships and creative endeavors to bring forth novel potentials and horizons.

Where We Go From Here: Full Moon/Supermoon in Aquarius 2023

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.