the full moon in aquarius is exact on friday july 31st at 3:43am PDT, marking the midway point of the current lunar cycle we are in that began with the new moon in cancer on july 15th (the day that NASA did the pluto flyby). that new moon was square uranus and this full moon is in uranus-ruled aquarius- so the rebel, revolutionary and Great Awakener features prominently throughout this lunar cycle. the best thing to do when uranus is showing up is stay open to the unexpected and embrace change and evolution. yet at the same time we have to be aware of the tendencies towards impulsivity, restlessness and Unconscious actions taken that can have serious consequences. when we are Unconscious of an archetype within ourselves we tend to meet it in our lives as fate- such as someone in our lives creating upheaval or doing unexpected things (which is what uranus does). we can also Unconsciously act uranian energy out by creating chaos and drama in our lives- the kind that we will have to pay for later. working with uranus consciously is obviously highly recommended- as when we do that we can use uranus’ energy to liberate ourselves, shift our lives to a new frequency and clear out dead wood! (so keep that in mind as you navigate the last two weeks of the lunar cycle ahead)
this full moon in aquarius brings Light to our feelings, needs and attachments to freedom and independence. with the sun in leo opposite the full moon in aquarius there’s a need to find balance between ME and WE, self and other, interconnection and independence. if we are too focused on others and what they need or demand of us- or if we are too focused on ourselves and what we need or want- this full moon will bring the imbalance to Light. the full moon is conjunct ceres- the Great Mother asteroid Goddess- illuminating parent/child dynamics and issues from childhood that may be cropping up in our present day lives that need addressing. because uranus rules this lunation, sudden and unexpected feelings, emotions or information can come to Light in home/family situations, related to the past or past lives, or in emotionally connected relationships in our lives. at first this may seem like it comes out of nowhere but if you dig deeper you may find that the foundation has been shaky for a while and there were signs that something was about to erupt.
the full moon also triggers the neptune/juno opposition which was exact on july 25th (and was in super aspect all week long last week). in the full moon chart retrograde neptune in pisces is opposite juno in virgo and they both link up with the full moon in aquarius (the moon quincunxes juno and semisextiles neptune). the neptune veil of delusion, confusion, deception and illusion may have made itself known last week in relationships, financial situations and partnerships of all kinds. we need to be very aware of where we are deluding ourselves or in denial about something in Love or money situations OR where we are allowing others to delude or deceive us. the tendency of neptune is to idealize and fantasize. seeing what is possible is one thing- but we need to also see what is present in the here and now reality. the potential we see in a situation or relationship may not be realized for 10 more years or 10 more lifetimes and our decision today to involve ourselves in said situation or relationship needs to be based on the reality that is presenting itself TODAY. with the full moon illuminating this dynamic there can be more things up at the time of this full moon that relate to whatever was confusing, illusory, fantasy-based or overly idealistic last week- so pay attention and allow uranus (the ruler of the full moon) to connect you to your Higher Mind so you can see the whole picture clearly, not just seeing the little pieces of it that your ego wants to see or avoiding the pieces your ego does not want to see ;)
looking at uranus, the ruler of this lunation, in the full moon chart is insightful. he is currently in aries- waking up the collective individuality and need to express anger, take a stand or take action. of course he can be excessive and impulsive- so we need to temper our uranian impulses with some strong, masterful saturn energy (interestingly saturn is the ancient ruler of this full moon- which i will speak to shortly). uranus is just separating from his square to mars which was exact on saturday july 25th, the day venus went retrograde. he is also just now picking up speed from stationing retrograde the next day on july 26th. the slowest the planet is- the more strong it’s energy is. right now we have 3 planets in slow motion- venus, who just stationed retrograde on the 25th, uranus who just stationed retrograde on the 26th and saturn who is about to station direct on august 1st. with so many stationary planets- there are many energies vying for attention right now. yet because uranus rules this full moon (as does saturn)- he is a strong focusing energy in the full moon chart. because all of his aspects are separating there’s a good chance whatever sudden, unexpected things happened have already occured and at the full moon we are working to digest this and integrate it into our daily lives. these unexpected things could be great- like winning the lottery or getting the new job that will radically change your life- but they can also be not so great- like deciding you need to leave some aspect of your life behind, or something/someone doing the leaving and the severing of attachments that follows suit. luckily uranus is trine to mercury- so the Higher Mind and lower mind are working together right now and helping us to see the Bigger Picture so that actions we take or sense we make of it comes from a place of understanding it all, not just looking at only one piece of the puzzle.
looking to the ancient ruler of this lunation is also insightful. saturn is in the last degrees of scorpio and he is slowing to a stop to station direct on august 1st. uranus is about change, freedom and evolution- while saturn is about tradition, responsibility, grounding and maintaining. these two bodies stationing within a week of a each can create a push pull within us. on the one side we want freedom, change and liberation and nothing better hold us back! yet on the other hand we are worried about destabilizing our lives and losing our sense of safety, security and comfort at the same time. saturn in scorpio is one of the hardest task master placements of all the signs because saturn forces us to see, own and master our shadow and shit while in scorpio. saturn entered this sign in october 2012 and he exits at the tale end of this summer (exact september 17th). with saturn stationary in the full moon chart there is a focus on the health and integrity of structures, traditions, obligations and commitments in our lives. we need to get clear on where dogma, restriction and constriction may be tethering us to the past as well as what we may be holding onto out of fear or sense of lack which keeps us from moving forward. with saturn in deep and intense scorpio, some of our deepest, darkest fears can come up to be faced right now. and with saturn stationing in tandem with uranus there can also be some deep lessons and learning around when to hold on (saturn) and when to let go (uranus). this is unique for everyone- and to find the answer for you (not the answer that everyone else thinks is your answer) requires that you dive deep and confront the fears that keep you from discerning your own Truth.
in the full moon chart saturn is square to recently gone retrograde venus- a defining signature of the whole venus retrograde journey. we are being asked, and maybe forced, to deal with what is not working in our lives, relationships, financial situations and more. this is a heavy energy that forces us to take off the rose colored glasses and deal with reality. yet this energy can also help us to clear out what is not in alignment within and without so that moving forward we will have a more solid foundation upon which to build our lives (relationships, finances and more). saturn is also heading into his square to jupiter- exact on august 3rd. jupiter square saturn creates a push pull between expansion and contraction, positivity and reality, luck and hard work. this kind of astrology can make us feel like we splayed on a cross. if we do we are damned, if we don’t we are damned. yet the key may be in finding options that you have not been looking at. it may not have to be this or that- there may be a both/and answer for you to discover down the line. what is important is to stop defaulting to one or the other in excess. too much jupiter in leo and we are self aggrandized, overspending and narcissistic! too much saturn in scorpio and we are only seeing shadow, cannot see the Light and we are way too intense. finding the middle point that works for you is key in finding the answers you seek to find balance in your life!
two asteroids stand out in the full moon chart. the sun in leo is conjunct both eros and diana- all three of which are opposite the full moon in aquarius. eros speaks to the passion of the Soul and diana speaks to the wild place within us that is sacred and where we are owned by no one. put the two together and we have imagery of passion for independence and freedom- and the full moon in aquarius speaks to this since uranus is the rebel, revolutionary and rebel. uranus aspects to relationship planets in the natal chart can make long term commitment difficult- but not impossible. the key for someone with a natal signature like this is to be in relationships that give one freedom, that are based on friendship and common morals/goals and that are not about the old paradigm (where people own each other and relationships need to last forever or they are considered unsuccessful). eros and diana with the full moon shine a Light on where we are honoring or not of our own sacred spaces within (and our need for space). yet they can also point to where we overdo this need for space at the expense of our relationships. again- balance is key and working to find that balance during this full moon is highly recommended.
one other important thing to take notice of regarding this full moon is the fact that this full moon marks lunar lammas- one of the four seasonal quarter days/fire festivals in the wheel of the year calendar (which is a calendar attuned to the seasons). lammas is the midpoint between summer solstice and fall equinox (or in the southern hemisphere it is the midpoint between winter solstice and spring equinox). it marks the midpoint of the season of summer (or winter in the south)- that time when the Light starts to dwindle after the height of the sun (aka the longest day of light) that was the summer solstice. lammas is also known as lughnasad after the god lugh, the sun king. his height of the sun’s power was summer solstice and now he begins to wane and this celebration is of his impending death (moving towards the sun’s lowest point at winter solstice).
lammas is traditionally a time of harvesting the grain. the first grain reaped would be made into the first bread that would then be broken and taken as a sacrament (the christian tradition adopted this from the pagans and called it communion). lammas is a time to honor the passing/waning of Light as well as the harvesting of grain. if you live on a farm your life revolved around these natural cycles- but in today’s day and age with artificial Light and body clocks that often are at odds with the natural cycles and seasons- tuning into these seasonal holy-days can help you get back in tune with nature. of course we can also work with lammas symbolically- as it is a time to take whatever we have been growing in our lives to harvest. all that we have worked hard for will show it’s reward now- and similarly all we have cut corners on or got lazy with will show their consequences. it’s also a great time to get clear on what has come to pass in your life (situations, relationships, ideas, beliefs) so that you can give thanks, say goodbye and offer them to the fire.
there are three variations of lammas- lunar lammas which occurs today and always happens at the full moon in aquarius each year (which changes year to year). another one is solar lammas which occurs at the precise midpoint between summer solstice and fall equinox which is 15 leo. solar lammas falls on august 8th this year- which also happens to be the lion’s gate (stay tuned for an astrology blog on this topic). solar lammas can be august 7th, 8th or 9th depending on the year and if leap year is involved. and last but certainly least is calendar lammas- which is never changing (this always occurs from sunset august 1st to sunset on august 2nd). this one is actually not really tuned into any cycles of nature at all- lunar or solar. some say that the powers that be made certain holy-days fall on days of the calendar that were not in tune with the cycles intentionally so that the power of the elements and season was not being accessed. i personally pay attention to the lammas window- which runs from today july 31st to august 8th- as well as lunar and solar lammas. the last one i pay attention to is the calendar date ;)
this full moon can bring great illumination around our emotions, our need for space and freedom, as well as confrontation with our fears around holding on too long or letting go too soon. taking time to drop into what is trying to be illuminated for you- within and without- is recommended. for more info on how this full moon Lights up your chart check your weekly horoscopes (read for sun sign and rising sign).
full moon blessings to you…
~dh