The ancients saw the moon as the universal Goddess, the Mother, ruling our bodies, emotions, and daily life- the world of materiality, its ebbs and flows, cycles of growth, death, and rebirth. Full moons are times of ripening and culmination. The seeds we plant, both good and bad, bear fruit during this time.
Several years ago, I was living in Los Angeles during a particularly difficult time in my life. I would often take long walks at night through my Echo Park neighborhood, around the lake ringed with palm trees. I would watch the moon slowly fill out, growing a bit larger each night, til it came to perfect fullness. I had a sense I was being witnessed and accompanied as my own currents of emotion and understanding waxed and waned. On the nights the moon shone bright in a perfect sphere, I felt a pulsing aliveness coursing through my body.
I was in a place at that point in my life where I felt as though I was both too much and not enough. Too emotional, too sensitive, too angry, not accomplished, not compliant, not disciplined...the list felt endless. But under the light of the moon, I received a different message. I heard that everything had its purpose, and would ripen in its own time. The Moon, that ancient symbol of Goddess, of Mother, held me in her gentle, steady gaze and reflected back to me the truth of my own perfection.
This Saturday’s full moon is in Scorpio, the watery, Mars-ruled sign of hidden depths. Like an eerie lagoon with creatures lurking in the depths, Scorpio represents the places where we hide the things that scare us. The things that scare others. The things we believe are too much or not enough. The moon illuminates as her gravity pulls them to the surface, troubling the waters. But with Mars in the Moon’s sign of Cancer, the two planets make a mutual reception, ultimately working together. And with the Sun opposing the moon from the earthy, fertile, feminine sign of Taurus, whose ruler, Venus, has just taken up residence, this lunation ultimately carries a signature of healing and growth.
Trust what arises for you during this time, whatever it may be. Let the Moon hold you in her presence as the feelings, thoughts, sensations, and emotions rise to the surface. Trust that they have a purpose. Welcome them, allow them to do their work, and when you’re ready, let them go. Take Rumi’s advice:
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
On Monday the planet Mercury moves into a configuration with the Sun known as cazimi- meaning “in the heart of.” When a planet is cazimi, its powers are heightened and magnified by the sun. Together, cazimi, Mercury and the Sun ingress into Mercury’s sign of Gemini early Tuesday morning. This is a bold, auspicious beginning to Gemini season, and Mercury’s powers to facilitate exchange- exchange of ideas, communication, and commerce- will be at their height. This could be a great time to write that story, connect with others around that great idea, or finally take some steps toward starting a new venture.
I’ve written mini-horoscopes for the full moon. If you know your rising sign, you will probably find that horoscope most accurate, as it will more accurately reflect the house positions in your natal chart. But if not, you should still find some resonance with your sun sign reading.
Aries Sun and Rising
Your eighth house of death, shared resources, and other people’s money is being activated by Saturday’s full moon. Tensions and resentments around your partner’s finances or family legacies may surface. You may be reminded of debts or taxes owed, or you may struggle to make decisions regarding shared money. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed, and don’t make any big decisions for the next day or two. This is a good time to examine and release your emotional patterns around money and how it plays out in your relationships.
Taurus Sun and Rising
With the sun in your first house lighting up the moon in your 7th, your relationships are in the spotlight. You may find hidden patterns or dynamics in your partnerships coming to light, or noticing the faults in others you had previously overlooked. Stay grounded and loving, knowing that minor irritations will pass. When you can hold the truth of who someone is, warts and all, with compassion, you create the conditions for healing. When this transit is over, you can take a deeper look at what you’ve learned and decide what’s worth keeping, what’s worth working through, and what needs to be let go.
Gemini Sun and Rising
This moon lands in your sixth house of illness and hard work. No fun, I know (I’m a Gemini rising). Take the time to pay attention to the toll your work and your habits have been taking on your health. You may find yourself feeling a little sluggish, or having unexpected aches and pains. If you can, lighten up your schedule and give yourself some time to rest, repair, and reflect on how you might better support your body and your health. Are there habits and routines that are undermining your wellbeing? Unexpressed emotions being carried in your body? By taking this time to reflect you can allow any discomfort and dis-ease to become an opportunity for deeper healing.
Cancer Sun and Rising
With Scorpio your fifth house of joy, pleasure, creativity, and procreation, this full moon is a fertile time for you. Don’t be afraid to plumb the dark depths of your experience for inspiration. Take time to nurture yourself and your sensitivity during this transit, and trust the difficult feelings. You may want to journal, draw, paint, or make music, even if that doesn’t come naturally to you- you might be surprised at what emerges. For you, Cancer, everything that is hidden may eventually be revealed as the seed of something new.
Leo Sun and Rising
This full moon rises in the place that grounds you- your fourth house of parents, home, land, and ancestors. You may experience family secrets being exposed, discovering hidden water damage in your home, or learning more about where you come from. If you do ancestor work, this is a powerful time to connect with yours. Whether or not your Scorpio waters are roiled, know that this transit allows you to draw on your deepest resources- the power of untold generations, loving and hoping and dreaming you into being.
Virgo Sun and Rising
The full moon lands in your third house of neighbors, siblings, extended family, and communication. Hidden emotions and motivations may rise to the surface in your everyday relationships. Long-simmering disputes may come to a head, things left unsaid may finally be spoken, and what was peaceful on the surface may be revealed as anything but. The more you can keep yourself grounded and calm, the more your discerning, analytical nature will be of service. Trust that anything difficult that arises is merely truth being revealed...and remember that in the end, truth is what sets us free.
Libra Sun and Rising
The Scorpio full moon is lighting up your second house of personal finance and resources. You may find yourself reaping the benefits of a financial decision made earlier, or receiving communication that prompts you to take stock of your income and spending habits. It would be wise to take some time to look at your emotional patterns around money- do you spend too much in order to feel good about yourself? To be accepted by others? Do you avoid opportunities to earn because you fear failure? Do you pursue financial gain at the expense of your own deeper desires and longings? Whatever is hiding in the depths, this full moon is an opportunity to bring it to light and find some balance.
Scorpio Sun and Rising
This full moon shines its light right on you, illuminating all the parts of yourself that have lain hidden beneath the surface. Use this time to show them some extra love. You may feel some tension with other people as they trigger uncomfortable or difficult emotions. Can you learn to give yourself enough time, and space to pay attention to and trust what is arising within you? Anger, fear, sadness, longing...whatever you may be feeling, trust that the feelings arising from your body have valuable information to impart. The more loving and accepting you can be toward your hidden depths, the more you may find others reflecting that love and acceptance back to you. Don’t be surprised if someone gives you the gift of making you feel truly seen.
Sagittarius Sun and Rising
Scorpio lands in your twelfth house, the place where we tend to get knocked off course, carried away from our purpose in life, and this full moon is here to illuminate your self-sabotaging behaviors. This is one of the hardest things to look at. Do you have have unacknowledged jealousy? Anger? Desire? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of these emotions. It’s only when we let them hide beneath the surface that they are able to undermine us. This Saturday is an opportunity for you to let your darker impulses come to light before they pull you under.
Capricorn Sun and Rising
Your 11th house of friends, community, and vision is in for a shake-up as the more difficult aspects of human nature come to light. You may feel tensions or experience betrayal, frustration, or backbiting in your friend group this weekend. All relationships have their ups and downs, and only time will tell whether the difficulties that are coming up signify deeper fault lines or merely energy that needs to be aired and cleared. Stay compassionate, and remember that none of us can ever be defined by our worst moments.
Aquarius Sun and Rising
A full moon in your 10th house means your career or reputation may experience some bumps. This is a great time to reflect on whether what you devote your time and energy to is really in alignment with your deepest desires and values. Perhaps it is, but you haven’t been showing up in the way you’d like to lately. Create a safe space for yourself to feel into whatever emotions and thoughts are coming up, without judgement, and trust that they have something to teach you.
Pisces Sun and Rising
With Scorpio in your 9th house of spirituality and higher mind, you are no stranger to the insights and breakthroughs that come from the depths of feeling. You likely take to the murky depths of Scorpio like the deeply intuitive Piscean being you are. This is a time of heightened feeling and perception, and you know how to mine that for wisdom. Dive deep, have fun, and remember that not everyone is as well equipped to handle this transit as you are.