the full moon at 27’40 capricorn on tuesday july 19th is exact at 3:56pm PDT, marking the midway point of the current lunar cycle we are in that began with the emotionally intense new moon in cancer opposite pluto on july 4th. that lunation initiated us into new cycles that are predicated on the death of the old. if we have been facilitating our own death processes- working to rid ourselves of beliefs, attitudes, karmic patterns and situations that no longer serve our growth- then this full moon could bring illumination around the new structures that are now taking form in our lives. on the other hand if we have been resisting change- fighting, kicking and screaming to hold onto what no longer serves us this full moon could be about us really facing and owning what needs to be let go of right now.
the most powerful aspect configuration this full moon makes is a kite- with a Grand Water Trine formed between the sun in cancer, mars in scorpio and chiron in pisces and the full moon at the apex of that Grand Trine. Grand Trines bring amazing opportunities and with the water element involved opportunities for emotional clearing, healing, catharsis and release are possible right now. deepening into our intuition and having more trust and faith in life is recommended- as this formation is seeking to show us that in the ashes of the old the new has the capacity to rebirth itself. of course holding onto the past till the bitter end will only serve to keep the new from anchoring in- so taking stock of where we are holding on too long and where it’s time to let go is key.
with the full moon in capricorn at the apex of this Grand Trine- our crystalized, rigid emotions and desire to keep things under wraps, under control and clamped down does not serve. we are reminded of this when we see that the full moon is square to uranus and eris- the Great Awakener is shaking up the roots and foundations of our lives and the Goddess of discord and chaos is having things fall apart so that something better can fall into place. we truly are in a breakdown phase that can lead to some pretty profound breakthroughs- but right now it may be hard to see the Light at the end of the tunnel. being willing to go into all our emotions- anger, rage, disgust, pain, suffering, wounding, betrayal, hurt and more is the only way to move all the way through and beyond. if we stay stuck in these emotions or if we repress them they lodge into our bodies and subconscious and they Unconsciously run us and wreak havoc in our lives.
the full moon triggers the saturn/neptune square by forming a semi square to both and being at the exact midpoint between saturn and neptune. the push pull between truth and lies, reality and illusion, facing things and checking out is strong right now. apathy, depression, anger, rage- fight, flight or freeze- these are all natural responses but for the most part they are not healthy responses particularly if we stay stuck in them and don’t allow them to move through us. the moon in capricorn can help us to man (or woman) up and own our piece in things. the over idealism of sadge and pisces (where saturn and neptune are) need to be balanced with some pragmatism, practicality and assessment of reality. seeing the potential of people, situations, countries is wonderful but if you cannot also see the reality of where these people, situations, countries are actually at today and what their capacity is in this now moment then you not living in or dealing with the present moment. the moon in capricorn can be a reality check- of honestly seeing what the Truth is- in others, in ourselves and the world around us. painting pretty pictures over the not so pretty truth will not change things- but getting stuck in apathy or depression or anger because of the reality of things also won’t change things. we are called to instead find a middle point- a place where we can see what is and still say motivated to create what can be. we can see the shadow and also hold space for the Light. to me this is the journey of aligning with both Love and wisdom, forgiveness and discernment, compassion and fierce Love that is willing to take a stand!
saturn rules this full moon and saturn aspects almost all of the planets in the chart. yet with most of his aspects being tense the reality check energy is definitely exacerbated and we need to check any tendencies we have to bury our heads in the sand, ignore/deny reality, shut down because we just cannot deal with the reality of ourselves, others and the world around us. luckily saturn trines mercury and venus- anchoring the mind and the heart into new awarenesses and deeper commitment to seeing reality, dealing with reality and meeting what IS on it’s own terms. from this place we are then able to start moving towards what is possible, one step at a time.
it’s interesting to note that eris, the Goddess of discord and chaos, stations retrograde 3 1/2 hours before the full moon. we have the fierce Dark Goddess who calls out the shit and the shadow and throws it in the face of those who want to ignore it and deny it in the most powerful position in the chart. she is here to shine a Light on what needs to be seen. she is here to illuminate the shadows. her medicine does not taste sweet and because of that it has a way of shocking us back into reality so that we stop playing the victim or the martyr and instead start standing in our power and our capacity to shift dynamics in our inner and outer lives.
there are a few asteroids to take note of in the chart- most notably the juno/ceres opposition. my dear friend michael o’reilly (neptunecafe.com) wrote the following about the juno/ceres opposition:
“Juno enters Scorpio on the 7th and is accented the rest of the month by an opposition to Ceres in Taurus. This combination puts stress on partnership dynamics, especially where money and children are involved. Financial arrangements between former partners and current situations may need to be re-negotiated. Unconditional support for partners and children vies with territorial instincts and potential jealousy, especially from the 9th to 13th, and 21st to 24th.”
juno is heading into conjunction with black moon lilith on 9/11 and they just did this dance on 5/29 as well- so i would add the fierce Dark Feminine into the mix with juno and ceres which could be an explosive combination. the Dark Goddess shines a Light on the shadow and shit- and she is not above raging, intensely emoting or destroying that which is no longer healthy and supportive. in addition asteroid lilith and dark moon lilith (two of the 3 faces of lilith with the 3rd being black moon lilith) is conjunct the full moon!!! the Dark Goddess is all over the full moon chart- asking us to face and own where we play the victim and tyrant and then choose to not deny our rage or pain but to use it to consciously destroy the old and consciously birth the new!
vicki noble has this to say about the Dark Goddess: “The Dark Goddess is no lightweight. She promises trouble, an end to form as we have known it, the death of the ego… She is impersonal, yet she erupts from deep within the human psyche with unexpected passion and rage. She is transformation in the extreme, and her power is regenerative and healing. Like a trickster, she frees us from the trappings that bind us to our tiny personal worlds; like a knife she cuts away all that is unessential and not truthful. She shatters structures, disintegrates the personality, destroys form. She liberates and saves, heals and frees. Now is her time and women are her vessels.” the astrology right now speaks to the need to harness this forcefield of energy so that you are creating and destroying consciously and constructively- rather than unconsciously, reactively and from a place of ego trying to fight to stay alive.
i also am noting an energy of the Divine Feminine arising- and the aspect of Her that is awakening in us right now is not the peaceful, placid, eternally forgiving, coddling mother/maiden energy. what is awakening is the warrior, the destroyer and the gate keeper. you may have heard of the triple goddess- maiden, mother, crone- but have you heard of the hidden 4th face of the Goddess? she only comes out of hiding when things have gotten dire and it’s time for her to step in and rebalance the scales. she IS the force behind destruction and creation. she is beyond life and death and resides in the spaces in between. she is the liminal space portal between the death of the crone and the birth of the maiden- and she is hard to define or see but when you are facing her you are are facing the gatekeeper who will face you with your biggest ego fear that keeps you small and holds you back from the next level of your evolution (she does this for the collective as well). i am feeling this energy awakening on the planet- it’s much like kundalini activation that comes in and blasts through all the stuck places in your energy body (which let me tell you is not a walk in the park by any means). this is awakening that comes by way of baptism by fire. it’s powerful and it’s an energy that can be harnessed for profound and irrevocable transformation.
the star sparks degree for this full moon (from ellias lonsdale) is SO INCREDIBLY POTENT!!!! this degree speaks to calling up all the disowned, projected shadows and clearing the ancient decks. this degree and full moon challenges us to ‘take on and take up all the understuff (aka shadow), see it though and be done with it. the hardest part is to be done with it.” he goes on to say “We come to realize that we can release any and all blame, as we see the whole picture and cease demanding that it should have been otherwise. All is as it needs to be.”
this full moon has the capacity to help us see the perfect storm created in our personal lives, relationships, collective/political situations and more. and it has the capacity to help us find the center of the storm AND to fully realize that we created this storm for a reason. it is perfect as it is because it has a purpose to serve our awakening, healing and evolution. the moment we learn the lesson we no longer need to learn by these same kinds of stressful dramatic circumstances. much of humanity is still at the level of needing to be awoken by being confronted by deep and dark shadows- by fighting against some outer dynamic. we open our hearts when planes crash into buildings and someone opens fire on a school yard, an airport or a movie theater. yet a quantum shift is available if we so choose to take it. we can learn to awaken in other ways. we can open our hearts and live from an open heart first and then we won’t need dire circumstances to break our hearts open. we can see through a glass darkly or we can take the fine film of dust off the mirror and see things for what they truly are.
may this full moon illuminate the shadows and also illuminate the Light. may you use this lunation for integration, rather than segregation, within and without. blessed be!
~divine harmony
p.s. cathartic means “providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions; causing catharsis”. this is a great time to connect into the totem animal cathartes aura- also known as turkey vulture (a personal totem of mine). cathartes aura means the golden purifier- and this animal comes into help us eat and digest the death of the old so that we can clear out the toxicity of the past. in the wild unknown animal spirit deck the vulture is said to do ‘the dirty work that no one else wants to do (to) clean up our messes. the vulture appears when there’s a situation that needs to be purified or brought back into balance.’ she goes on to say’ what you thought was a mistake or tragedy is a blessing in disguise’. tune into turkey vulture and be willing to do the dirty work to clean up your messes, purify yourself and bring yourself and situations in your life back into balance!
Capricorn 28 A mirror covered with a fine film of dust
Seeing through a glass darkly. Remembering the way it’s always been. Consciousness glued to the scene of past visions, old cycles, everything that has gone on previously and seems to be repeating itself all over again.
Doubt coloring all perceptions. Self-judgment hounding the viewer. A bias against the self and all it’s old familiar worlds and those who people those worlds. Suspicion. Seeing the worst, looking for flaws.
An introspective frequency. So many inner voices saying, “this is what you’re like,” “there it is again.” Susceptibility to the influences of negative opinion, belief, assumption.
Yet the need here is to constellate all this, to work it out. The self is given over to a greater task. This involves the collective purging of ghosts. The self takes these things on as it’s own. But the burden of responsibility lies with us all.
It is a reckoning, a calling up of shadows, a bearing of the soul. It is the clearing of the ancient decks. Sometimes it gets tangled up in these wastelands. For it is so fascinating and compelling to be in on the bad news that we have all been so very lost for so long.
The task is graphic and explicit. Take on and take up all the understuff, see it through and be done with it. The hardest part is to be done with it. We get caught in the cycles and keep on looking in that rear view mirror.
There is an awakening possible amidst this shadow task and it’s endless ripples. We come to realize that we can release any and all blame, as we see the whole picture and cease demanding that it should have been otherwise. All is as it needs to be.