Full Moon in Aquarius

After a month of traveling for work, I'm glad to be back to writing some astrology!

This Thursday, August 15, we will move through the Full Moon in Aquarius. The Full Moon is a time of climax, things coming into full visibility or prominence, shining a light into different areas of our lives with new clarity and illumination. Aquarius, a fixed air sign ruled by Saturn, is associated with innovative thinking, zooming out for a broad view of the world and the future, and holding firmly to ideas and perspectives that may not yet be widely held but which will shape the foundations and structures of worlds to come. With Saturn, the ruler of the Full Moon, in Capricorn, this phase of the lunar cycle might be clarifying some part of a larger process of breaking from traditions, establishments, and old ways of doing things in order to lift off into the perspectives we will need in the futures we are shaping together.

This Full Moon in Aquarius is catching and reflecting the light of the Sun in Leo. The Sun rules Leo, and Leo loves to be seen and celebrated and loved for its brilliance and uniqueness. The Sun in Leo is no doubt teaching us about showing up more fully as who we know ourselves to be, allowing ourselves to radiate and shine, bringing into the world those gifts that only we can bring. We might be finding the places where we are really in our own elements, where we have the capacity and resources to sustain our own fires, nurturing those around us with our light and warmth. The Full Moon asks us to take this light, the radiance and brilliance of our unique gifts, and find how they fit within larger, more expansive perspectives of our collective world. How do you hold to the shining integrity of your truest experience of self, and also maintain that devotion to who you are within a world of others?
This reminds me of Brené Brown’s description of “true belonging”: “True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”
This Full Moon asks us to not only come to more clarity and loyalty to who we know ourselves to be, but also to find how doing so allows us to contribute more effectively to future worlds capable of embracing our differences as a fundamental organizing principle.

Just as the Moon moves into its Full Moon phase, Mercury is clearing its retrograde shadow. Mercury stationed retrograde at 4º Leo on July 8. Even though Mercury has been direct since July 31, it’s now finally moving beyond the path that it reviewed and retraced throughout its retrograde. We're finally able to integrate and put into action what we learned through Mercury's retrograde. It may feel as if you're finally putting words to realizations that have been forming over the last five weeks. It may be that you finally feel the boldness and assertiveness to speak truth that so far you've been holding inside. It may be that you're finally feeling ready to have important conversations that have been a long time coming. If you know your natal chart, this shift in communication will likely take place in the areas of life occupied by Cancer and Leo—the parts of the sky through which Mercury moved retrograde—with implication for the areas of life occupied by Gemini and Virgo—the signs that Mercury rules.

Lastly, Jupiter stationed direct this week, on Sunday, August 11. Jupiter has been retrograde since April 10. Jupiter retrograde doesn’t tend to bring the same kinds of disruptions we associate with something like Mercury’s retrograde, but this may have been a period of delay or preparation. Jupiter is in Sagittarius, one of the signs that it rules, for a few more months—until December 2. Jupiter is one of the most supportive planets in the sky, signifying abundance, expansion, and growth. Wherever you have Sagittarius in your chart, that area of your life might feel like it’s being unleashed or released to flow, expand, and grow in new ways. The question is: how can you harness and channel this forward momentum and potential to create experiences of abundance in your life over the next several months? This will particularly be in the areas of your chart/life occupied by Sagittarius and Pisces.

As with all astrology, how this Full Moon and Mercury and Jupiter’s direct motion will show up will be particular to your chart and your life.
If you’re looking for support in using astrology as a tool for your own self-actualization, direction, and healing, I’m starting to book sessions for September and October. You can find more information about booking a session here.