CAPRICORN FULL MOON – Thursday 28 June, exact at 5.53am BST, 12.53am EDT.
 
This is a very powerful Full Moon because Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, is also sitting right on top of the Moon. This is a double whammy of Capricorn energy! While the Moon is the feminine, the mother, the Matriarchy, Saturn is the masculine, the father, the Patriarchy. And they are both joining forces, entwining, during this Full Moon. The Sun is currently in the emotional, nurturing and sensitive sign of Cancer, and will be opposing the Moon in the controlled, authoritative and responsible Capricorn. During a Full Moon we are asked to find the balance between the energy of the two signs, although in this particular case the balance seems to be tipping towards Capricorn. We could become all too aware of how we have repressed or supressed our emotions, as old grief could come rising up for us confront.  The Moon represents our emotional nature, and Saturn/Capricorn represents the conditioning influence of culture and society, which teaches us to rein in our natural instincts and can restrict us from expressing our emotions. While Cancer represents our more vulnerable, feeling nature, Capricorn encourages us to hold everything in and keep a “stiff upper lip”.
 
This Moon could represent some kind of rite of passage, whereby we are forced to “grow up” in some way. The higher part of Capricorn asks us to become responsible for our actions; to be accountable somehow; to act responsibly and with integrity. It is a very karmic sign, so we may be forced to take responsibility for our past deeds, actions and intentions, whether they be “good” or “bad”. We might be asked to stand up and be counted, stepping into our personal authority in some way. Capricorn asks for discipline, commitment and patience when it comes to reaching our goals in life. As such, this Moon might involve some kind of initiation, or a maturing process, whereby we really step up to the plate and take responsibility for ourselves and our path and place in the world. However, with Saturn sitting right on top of the Moon we could also experience the limiting, inhibiting, controlling side of Capricorn, and be forced to face the negative side of judgement and the guilt that it can produce. Feeling judged by others never feels good, but all too often we are our own worst judge, mercilessly condemning ourselves and expecting ourselves to meet impossible standards that are utterly unfair.
 
Saturn and the Moon are not the most comfortable of bedfellows, and in Capricorn we could definitely feel the weight or burden of our parental and societal conditioning. While Cancer and the Moon represent our softer, more emotional and nurturing nature; the part of us that wants to take care of other and also be taken care of, Saturn represents strict corrective discipline, asking us to parent ourselves and hold it all together. When is it more appropriate to allow ourselves to express our natural emotions and when is it better to hold them in? Did we receive the message early in life that emotions are somehow “messy” or “not allowed”? Have we been allowed to fully grieve the losses in our lives, or did we feel that we had to pull ourselves together and get on with it? And if so, where are those emotions stored now and how are they affecting our lives and relationships? Where to we have a tendency or need to control ourselves or others? What will happen if we loosen the reins a little? Are we afraid of being vulnerable? These are all questions that could come up during this moon.
 
Chiron is also challenging the Sun, Moon and Saturn during this Moon, so it is quite possible that old grief or sorrow could come up, or any emotions that we have bottled up or buried might feel heavier and more present than usual. When natural emotions have been suppressed, repressed or controlled too much due to parental or societal conditioning then it can cause feelings of depression, futility or pessimism. Chiron’s influence could cause such feelings to come bubbling up to the surface, and it is quite likely that we could feel quite vulnerable as a result. And Capricorn doesn’t like feeling vulnerable! We are being asked to take responsibility for our insecurities and wounded nature and to recognise where we have been hurt by school, societal rules and regulations, authority or restrictive and repressive parenting. This could also be a time for healing the father wound. Not to mention the many wounds inflicted upon us by the many lifetimes living in a male-dominated, patriarchal society.
 
The Sabian Symbol for Saturn, at 6° Capricorn, is: “Ten logs lie under an archway leading to darker woods”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The need to complete any undertaking before seeking entrance to whatever is to be found beyond”. There is a sense that the fallen logs represent old, outworn structures in our lives; the past, and that they are somehow obstructing our path ahead. Facing up to the material represented by the logs could enable us to push them aside and go deeper, or it could be that we are not supposed to be able to see while lies beyond yet. First we might have to deal with whatever we have accumulated along the way and recognise what is no longer useful to us. What is blocking our path? What karma have we accrued that might be stopping us from moving forward? What memories do we need to face up to in order to go deeper? What old material is preventing us from seeing our way? What do we need to complete before the next phase can begin? How do we prepare for the next step?
 
This Moon certainly has a serious feeling to it, as if we are being forced to face up to something; to step into our authority and take responsibility for ourselves somehow. It is time for our inner parent to come to the fore. It’s time to grow up and be counted. The Cancer/Capricorn polarity brings any family issues to the forefront of our consciousness and forces us to recognise how the conditioning we have received has shaped us. It is interesting that Mother Moon and Father Saturn have joined together for this Moon. It feels very significant. The masculine and feminine/father and mother joining forces.  Not to mention a double dose of Saturnian energy to force us to face up to ourselves! The good news is that there is a harmonious trine aspect building between Saturn and Uranus that could be very helpful in releasing us from the past and liberating us from any old patterns of conditioning that are keeping us stuck or holding us prisoner. This trine will be exact in August, but the energy is building now. Uranus helps breakdown any old structures in our lives and awaken us to our true nature and potential, beyond who we have been told we ought to be. This Moon could represent the first step in the process, helping us to see what limits us and how we hold ourselves back. It definitely feels like some kind of growing up initiation or process.
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Picture: Capricorn by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
 

​ARIES NEW MOON – Monday 16 April, exact at 2.57am BST, Sunday 15 April, exact at 9.57pm EDT
 
This Moon is a powerful one indeed, with some very volatile, revealing and potentially destructive energy involved. This New Moon is occurring in the first sign of the zodiac, and so it represents the beginning of a new phase of development. This is a time when we should leave whatever isn’t serving us behind in the dark of the Moon and set intentions for what we seek for ourselves moving forward. Whatever we are thinking, doing or contemplating during the New Moon has the potential to ripen and blossom as the Moon moves towards the full phase two weeks later. This New Moon is in Aries, the sign of independence, anger, assertion, honesty, enthusiasm, domination, courage, action, aggression; a sign that is very impulsive and tends to act first and think later. Aries is that part of ourselves that has the courage to try new experiences in order to find out who and what we are. He also demands freedom to follow his own path and has a deep fear of entrapment. Aries instinctually acts on his desires and is very adept at taking care of his own needs. This is the energy of this New Moon. Combined with the other planetary influences, there is an impatient and potentially explosive energy to this Moon that could set a ball in motion that might be hard to stop.
 
This New Moon is sitting smack, bang between Uranus, the Great Awakener, Rebel and Revolutionary and Eris, the goddess of chaos, strife and discord. Uranus has a very erratic, unpredictable energy that has the potential to bring sudden change and unexpected events that seem to happen “to us” but are in fact a reflection of a need within us to change the status quo and release stagnation or blockages. Of course, this also brings the possibility of sudden outbursts of anger, aggression or violence, as Uranus is in Aries, the warrior sign, after all! Whatever comes up during this time could surprise or shock us, but ultimately it will help blast us out of our ruts and bring everything out into the open. This is where Eris comes in, because she is the whistle blower and is ever ready to expose artifice and hypocrisy. Eris is well versed in the art of revenge and could help reveal the truth of the matter, bringing about a sense of poetic justice. With Eris revealing the truth and exposing our shadows for what they are, and Uranus bringing some kind of wake up call, it could be hard to hide during this Moon!
 
Just to add to the story, we also have Mars, Black Moon Lilith and Pluto joining forces in Capricorn! This is an ominous combination, as Mars is the warrior planet, while Black Moon Lilith has the capacity for volcanic eruptions of destructive anger, intense passion, emotional manipulation and disordered aggression. Pluto is the planet of power, transformation, death and rebirth, and in Capricorn has been slowly but surely exposing the rot within our power structures, destroying them as they stand so that something with more integrity can take their place. It’s a work in progress! It is interesting that this combination of such powerful energies is occurring in Capricorn, the sign of government, authority, society and rules and regulations. There is something quite primal about this mix of the God of War, the Dark Goddess and the God of the underworld! On a personal level this could bring some very raw emotions to the surface, including rage, jealousy or the searing pain of rejection. The darker side of our humanity could show itself during this time, but I suppose that it is less dangerous if it is out in the open, rather than sabotaging us from the unconscious realms!
 
Mars and Black Moon Lilith are very close together for this Moon, and this ferocious, raw, wild, passionate and potentially destructive energy will peak on Thursday 19 April. Mars then moves on and joins Pluto on 26 April, which could help us to have the courage and motivation to move past our limitations, aligning our personal will (Mars) with our higher will (Pluto). However, if could also bring acts of violence, fury, rage and aggressive abuse of power, causing us to act very compulsively, as if driven by an invisible force. Black Moon Lilith will finally catch up to Pluto on 18 May. The Dark Goddess and the Lord of the Underworld could definitely bring up some primal emotion, raw sexuality, power struggles and also potential empowerment. It certainly seems as if the dark could come out into the light during this time, exposing what might usually be suppressed or hidden below the surface, so it is important to practice self-awareness and be willing to be really honest with ourselves.
 
As I mentioned in my last post, Chiron the Wounded Healer is currently at the very end of the very last degree of Pisces, which is the very last degree of the entire zodiac, signifying the very end of a cycle of development. It seems to be a good opportunity to dive into our pain, face our shadows, confront our core wounds and do some honest, heart-felt self-examination and healing. Of course it is not easy to face the really painful stuff and find compassion and forgiveness; it is easier to blame others for our wounded natures, or stuff the pain away, numbing it with alcohol, food, drugs, cigarettes, anti-depressants, sleep, television or whatever else helps us not to feel. Pisces rules the collective unconscious, and so, as Chiron is reaching the very end of Pisces we could feel, all too acutely, the pain of the whole world and all of life; the humans, the plants, trees, animals. Humanity as a whole is deeply wounded right now. It is hard to deny it.
 
When a planet moves from one sign to the next there is generally a big energetic shift. This is even more so when it moves from Pisces to Aries, as it is shifting from the very end of the end to the very beginning. When Uranus moved into Aries, for instance, the tsunami happened in Japan. Pisces is a very peaceful, sensitive, empathetic sign, while Aries is a very dynamic, assertive warrior-like sign, so it will be interesting to see what occurs as Chiron moves from one sign to the other; from water to fire. This shift will happen on the 17th, literally the day after the New Moon!  Uranus is also approaching the end of his stay in Aries. This unpredictable, revolutionary planet will move into earthy Taurus on 15 May. It will be interesting to see what might happen in the last few weeks of the Great Awakener’s stay in this dynamic, aggressive sign. He certainly gave us a few shocks when he went into Aries, so we will see what unrest he can stir up now! While Uranus in Aries can bring freedom, rebellion and liberation, there is no doubt that there is the potential for unresolved or supressed anger being triggered or unleashed, sudden, selfish acts of reactionary aggression and provocation of war.
 
The Sabian symbol in which Black Moon Lilith and Mars are joining forces is very interesting. This is what Dane Rudyar says of the symbol for 18° Capricorn: “The Union Jack flag flies from a British warship.” The protection afforded to individuals and groups by powerful institutions in charge of maintaining order.
This symbol reflects conditions prevailing in the past when Great Britain‘s fleet was policing the seas under the international principle of the freedom of the seas. Times have changed, but the concept remains valid. Power is required to maintain social order and relatively peaceful interpersonal as well as international relationships. Alas, this power can easily be misused under the pretext of preserving “law and order.” Justice and compassion must balance social power, and especially the power of privileged groups. Where this symbol appears, the need for protection may be in evidence – or it may be a warning against using power for selfish advantage.
This symbol brings to us a realisation of the ambivalence of POLITICAL POWER, its value and its dangers.”
 
The symbol for Pluto is also interesting: “By accepting defeat gracefully, a general reveals nobility of character.”
“The realisation that one may grow through defeat as well as, and perhaps more than, through success.
This symbol presents us with the possibility of turning apparent external defeat into an inner spiritual achievement. We have recently seen how totally vanquished nations (Germany and Japan) have leaped forward and achieved great economic success. Much depends on the quality of the will and the inner integrity of the person.
With this symbol we find what seems to be a paradox, but the spiritual life is always paradoxical. The great sinner can become the most renowned saint, and a medieval Pope a criminal. What matters most always is INNER STRENGTH.”
 
This Moon certainly holds the potential for the unexpected to occur. It feels like power and feelings we didn’t know we had could be unleashed, like a pipe or a dam bursting. With both Chiron and Uranus about to change signs, it definitely feels like we are going to experience a big shift, both personally and collectively. The darkness could come out into the light, no longer hidden by any kind of façade. There is a sense of the truth being exposed, and it might not be pretty but it could be very liberating indeed! Mercury is also turning direct in Aries a few hours before the New Moon, so direct, honest communication is both essential and likely. Of course, the impulsive energy of Aries does mean that things could be said or decisions could be made that are rash, ill thought out and that we can’t go back on. However, at least the retrograde cycle will be over, which lessens the potential for miscommunication and misunderstandings to occur. Interesting times! Let’s see what the next few weeks brings us!
 
Much Love
 
Amy
Xoxo
 
Image: Moon Goddess Dark Chaos  by Immanuel Velikovsky

Exact Friday at 12.51am GMT, Thursday at 7.51pm EST
 
This Full Moon falls on the healing axis of Virgo and Pisces. As such, it has the capacity to be deeply healing for our lives and relationships. There is a huge amount of Pisces activity at the moment, with the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Neptune and Chiron the Wounded Healer all in this sensitive, impressionable, empathetic sign. As such, there is the potential for really connecting with others; seeing past their faults, “wrongdoings” and flawed humanity and connecting with their true essence and spirit. This, of course, can be very healing, as walls and protective barriers dissolve and open-hearted relating takes their place.  Pisces represents unconditional love, compassion, empathy and helps us to recognise that we are all in this together and come from the same melting pot.
 
All of this Pisces activity does also bring the potential for confusion and chaos, whereby what we thought was real turns out not to be so. Pisces does have the ability to create smoke screens and make everything a bit unclear and foggy! It blurs the line between the mundane world and the world of spirit, so all is not necessarily as it seems when Pisces is in operation. Pisces is the part of ourselves that prefers to see life through rose-tinted spectacles, which is all well and good until something knocks them off and reality hits us over the head! With all of this Pisces activity we are very likely to be having a very active dream life at the moment and they could be a source of amazing guidance if we pay attention to them.
 
The Moon is in Virgo, opposite the Pisces Sun and Neptune, the ruler of Pisces, so we are invited to find balance between the energy of the two signs rather than veering too far in one direction. While Pisces can quite easily cause us to go off into fantasy land, only seeing what we want to see, Virgo invites us to use the art of discernment and look at things in a more realistic light. However, one of the dangers of Virgo is for us to become so aware of our lacks, imperfections and faults that we analyse ourselves to death and are much too hard on ourselves. This is where some Pisces balance comes in, because she reminds us that we are perfect in our imperfection and are loved unconditionally by God, Creator, the Divine. Virgo represents the principle of humility, but takes too far this can cause feelings of inadequacy, shame, humiliation, inferiority and cause us to mercilessly criticise ourselves and our shortcomings, becoming our own worst enemy. It is all very well doing the work on ourselves and being willing to see how we can improve ourselves, as long as it doesn’t go so far that we take the blame for everything.
 
Pisces urges us to have some compassion for ourselves and our loved ones, seeing the true beauty within instead of blaming, shaming or finding fault. We are all just flawed humans, with our wounds and imperfections, doing the best we can with the tools we have been given. All we can do is keep working on ourselves, and beating ourselves up or self-flagellating simply isn’t the way to go! Virgo can create crises that make us all too aware of where we are going wrong and what needs improving, but while a bit of self-analysis is helpful, it can so easily tip over into worry, anxiety, shaming and taking all the blame for something that maybe isn’t completely our fault. Virgo is very good at the art of discrimination, helping us to recognise where we may be deluded or under the spell of illusions. As such, this time could mean that the rose tinted spectacles come off and we are finally able to see ourselves and whatever situation we are in as they really are, rather than the fantasy we have created. This could be very helpful indeed.
 
With Jupiter in Scorpio at the moment, about to go retrograde on the 9th, we are certainly being given the chance to peel back layers of illusion and face up to the darker parts of our make-up that we would usually prefer to deny or that are simply hidden from our view, “eclipsed”, or some kind of blind spot. Jupiter is forming a minor, helpful aspect to this Moon, but more importantly he is currently in harmonious aspect to Pluto, the planet of soul, power, transformation and the ruler of Scorpio. This combination has the potential for a huge amount of soul growth if we are willing to delve deep into our psyches and be brutally honest with ourselves about what we find there. It may not quite fit in with the pretty picture we have painted about ourselves, but if we don’t face up and allow ourselves to see the truth then it will just be there, operating in the shadows, controlling the show. A great deal of emotional honesty is required here, but the rewards will be great. We will be better able to see the whole picture, rather than just the pretty parts.
 
Saturn, the Lord of Karma, is also forming a harmonious aspect to the Sun and Moon during this lunation, and over the past few days has been helping us to see ourselves in a more realistic light and to take responsibility for our actions. His presence further compounds the sense that layers of illusion are being peeled back and that whatever “spell” we have been under is lifting, revealing things as they really are rather than however it seemed. Saturn encourages emotional maturity and a willingness to be a grown-up and take responsibility for our part in whatever situation we find ourselves in, rather than merely seeing ourselves as a victim. This is not to say that we should judge ourselves too severely, or fall into the trap of self-flagellation and guilt, but rather that we should be willing to “own our stuff”. Saturn teaches us a lot about the law of cause and effect, so we could be better able to see how the past has served to bring about whatever situation or state we find ourselves in now. The layers are being peeled back.
 
An interesting configuration is forming for the Moon, which will be exact on the 4th of March and holds the potential for a great amount of either wounding or healing. It could go either way I suppose.  We have Mercury, Venus and Chiron the Wounded Healer all coming together in the same degree of Pisces, which could bring about conversations which have the capacity to really get to the heart of the matter, helping us to see each other as we truly are and allowing one another to see our true essence and spirit without any barriers or walls. There is the potential for such compassion, tenderness, kindness and true forgiveness, as we come from a place of unconditional love and open-hearted acceptance. Such amazing healing can come from this place, as the defensive walls melt away and we surrender to our true feelings, allowing others to see the tender, vulnerable parts of ourselves that we might usually be afraid to show. Of course there is the potential for our defences to be lowered so much that we allow others to say or do something to wound us, but that is the risk we always take in trusting another human being. Better to trust and be disappointed once in a while than never to trust at all.
 
The Sabian symbol for the Moon, at 12° Virgo, is: “After the wedding, the groom snatches the veil away from his bride”, about which Dane Rudyar says: “The Keyword is UNVEILING….. an unveiling of mysteries, long protected by secrecy”. This symbol brings the feeling of us no longer being unable to hide behind any veils, in the form of pretences, or delusions, or illusions. The act of snatching a veil away could force us to remove any walls or barriers between us that may be preventing from really seeing one another and seeing each other’s true essence; our truth. It also forces us to stop hiding from ourselves and removes any pesky blind spots. There is no hiding anymore. This symbol corroborates all of the other planetary energy of this Full Moon, reinforcing the sense that the layers are being peeled back and the veils of delusion and illusion are being lifted. What is being revealed to us is anything that has been shrouded because we have been unable to see it until now.
 
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.”
From “The Great Wagon” by Rumi.
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Picture by Mark Hansen