Quick Full Moon Insights

by with One Comment Astrological Insights

In two days we will be having the full moon in Pisces and I’d like to write a few words about it.

One of the things that I like about lunar cycles is exactly that – it’s cyclic motion. Just like the seasons, when autumn begins and we reach out for our warmer coats or fluffier blankets, we could also align ourselves with the monthly lunar cycle to a certain extent.

In the last full Moon, the second one in Aquarius this year, we witnessed some interesting configurations in the sky. There was a grand trine involving Saturn in Aquarius, the North node in Gemini and Venus in Libra and I wrote a little about potential reconciliations etc.

Well, we will have an almost grand trine again involving Saturn and the North node, but this time with Mars in Libra instead of Venus.

Last month we also witnessed Mars forming a trine to Uranus and now we will see Venus coming to oppose Uranus – there seems to be some kind of theme there.

What comes to mind is somehow connected with relationships, communication of needs and assertion.

If last month, with Venus in Libra, I was thinking about reconciliation, this time seems like our individual needs could be a little more under the spotlight. Venus and Mars are in mutual reception, that is, in each other’s rulership sign, and this also indicates some potential for working creatively with conflicting desires.

Mercury will be forming a trine to Jupiter, a pretty tight one, and this could be tremendously supportive of clear and rational communication. We can express ourselves in a more considerate (Mercury in Libra) and focused on growth and the greater good of all involved (Jupiter in Aquarius). We can see the bigger picture if we try.

Mind you, Mercury is in its shadow period and will be retrograde from September 27, so we might have to rethink and renegotiate some of the conversations we have during this full Moon. Best to try and be flexible.

And not to forget that both Mars and Venus are in the sign of their detriment reflecting a need to be cautious in our relationships in general – especially as the Moon won’t be too far from Neptune indicating the potential for some degree of confusion.

With Venus in Scorpio (the sign known for an all or nothing approach) applying to oppose Uranus, it is best to not make any hasty decisions for the next few days or you could regret. Work with whatever comes up, acknowledge and observe it. Mars in Libra can also be talking about rational actions rather than being impulsive.

We are preparing the ground for when Venus goes retrograde in December this year.

This full Moon could bring great opportunities for becoming more aware of how you truly feel about your values, relationships and what you’re passionate about (all the Venus in Scorpio stuff), as well as finding creative mediums to express yourself and get acquainted with those desires. Make the most of it by avoiding creating unnecessary drama.

Wishing you all a beautiful and empowering full Moon.

Second full Moon in Aquarius

by with 2 Comments Astrological Insights

We are one day before the full Moon, how are you all feeling?

The last new Moon, on August 8, was forming a square to Uranus, a destabilising aspect reflecting much disruption and sudden changes for this lunation.

Tomorrow’s full Moon is the second one in Aquarius this month. The first took place at the early degrees, and this one now is at 29, the crisis degree, pointing out to closure and a turning point of some kind. In horary astrology, when the ASC-DSC axis is at 29 degrees of a sign, things are taking their course and there is nothing one can do about it, its somehow too late.

Emotions might be highlighted as usual during the full Moon, but I feel that in this case we somehow have a larger framework to place them.

In sabian symbols, according to the mindfire website, the last degree of Aquarius is connected with ‘A spiritual brotherhood, in which many individual minds are merged into the glowing light of a unanimous consciousness, is revealed to one that has emerged successfully from his metamorphosis’

I love this image and I think it is pretty fitting with this full Moon in the Leo-Aquarius axis. The individual journey and transformation is, I believe, of paramount importance for healing the collective. In the next couple of days we can tap into and have insights about the individual/collective journey and where we are at with it.

Carl Jung said: ‘Reason becomes unreason when separated from the heart, and a psychic life void of universal ideas sickens from malnourishment’. This is another great quote encapsulating a potential path for integrating the opposition between Leo and Aquarius – the need for being in touch with our hearts and, at the same time, to realise that we are all part of the collective psyche too.

Interestingly, there are also a couple of aspects which I have a very good feeling about during this full Moon.

First the Moon will be conjoined to Jupiter, perhaps reflecting the potential for warmth and expansion, and if you are having a hard time at least you will be able to learn something from it. Considering full moons as the culmination in the cycle, this could also be reflecting a lot of insights and a sense of revelation.

There will be a grand trine in air involving Venus in Libra, Saturn in Aquarius and the North Node of the Moon in Gemini (note Venus and Saturn powerfully in rulership!).

Bernadette Brady has said that trine transits, in her view, remove obstacles, and I think that this grand trine could help with reconciliations, communication and a sense of responsibly sharing with others. Because Saturn is retrograde, it could reflect going back on something, this time in a more harmonious way. Grand trines in general always make me think of beauty and harmony, even more so with Venus in Libra taking part in it this time, and cooperation is another word that comes to mind with this configuration.

Put it simply, with Jupiter conjoined the Moon and this grand trine in air, we could have breakthroughs of all kinds and, at the same time, are more inclined to reach a consensus with others. (which could be tremendous healing after the powerful disruptive Uranian energy of the last weeks).

Mind you, Mercury is coming to oppose Neptune, so if you do decide to communicate something important make sure to choose the clearest way possible.

Mars in Virgo will also be forming an exact trine to Uranus in Taurus – reinforcing the feeling I have that this could be a much more balanced and creative time regarding individual urges and caring for others. Positive and intuitive actions can be taken in this process.

Wishing you all an empowering and insightful full Moon!

Uranian new moon in Leo today

by with 6 Comments Astrology and meInner life

As Saturn made its way back into my 3rd house again recently, I have been feeling this strong urge to express myself through writing. I also realised, once more, how much I actually love words and playing around with them.

Today is the new moon in Leo, with a waning square to Uranus in Taurus. I don’t know about you people, but I have been struggling a bit with the disruptive energies reflected by that particular configuration. Interestingly, I do have a Sun-Uranus square in my natal chart, shouldn’t I be more familiar with that type of cosmic weather?

I guess this logic makes sense, but it is always important to see the natal chart as a whole, and the Sun-Uranus square in my chart is actually part of a t square which involves Chiron in Gemini in the 7th house and Mars in the first.

Ouch!

Yes, charged disruption, restless feelings, behaviours that although outdated have proven to still be extremely compelling. All of that fuelled (perhaps fuelling at the same time) by miscommunication with others.

But that have also thrown me back to writing. I find tremendous solace in the written word. I have the time and space to express myself more accurately, more eloquently, sometimes even poetically… a real achievement to my analytical mind.

Transiting Saturn isn’t only back in my third house, but it is also applying to trine my Chiron in Gemini (with north node conjoined it right now!). Yes, maybe this is a time where I can work with communication blocks differently.

Obviously, with the nodes activating my natal super charged Uranian configuration, I also sense this to be a big time, a great opportunity for me to rethink/reset some of my patterns. Why do I have this extreme urge to do what I want, when I want, and I don’t take a no as an answer? Or the voice in the back of my mind that wants to sabotage intimate relationships by being uncompromising in a disguised manner? It is daunting to see this side of myself in comparison to my moon in Libra and Venus square Neptune, all those two want to do is compromise all the time.

A tug of war within.

But now, with this new moon square Uranus, I believe this is an interesting time for setting intentions regarding expression of the Uranian dimension of our charts. I somehow really think about the Sun-Uranus people out there as the new moon takes place in Leo.

Everything in the chart seems to be charged with tremendous power (some configurations more than others, of course) and it is our job to fine tune it. It is our job to use awareness to direct that power.

Surely it is challenging to do that constantly, but I believe that consciousness it’s like a muscle. The more we train it, the stronger and more present it becomes.

So I will be using this new moon to envision how I could express that strong urge to be my own man in a more creative and conscious manner, somehow, and hopefully, less taxing on my connections. Perhaps more active on my astrology work and less urgently and compulsively expressed in my private life. I feel this is what the alchemists have talked about, about how nature isn’t finalised but requires our conscious dedication to transform the lead into gold.

The archetype of the magician…also the trickster, hence the difficulty…but I believe it is possible… Happy new moon everyone.

Decisions, decisions: some food for thought

by with No Comment Astrological InsightsAstrology and me

This post is born from a mixture of different insights I’ve had in the last couple of weeks. One of the things I have been thinking about is the importance of making choices as part of the process of maturation. Then again, how can I talk about maturation without thinking of Saturn?

Impossible.

I have the feeling that our choices in life need the support of our natal Saturn in order to be sustained and also for us to take responsibility no matter what the consequences of those choices are.

As someone with a lot of mutability in my natal chart, making choices have always been a bit challenging.

What if this is not the best way to do it? What if that isn’t the right place for me? What if…

Thoughts go round and round my head. The result was usually either decisions being made impulsively in the spur of the moment (the mars-uranus thing in Sagittarius) or avoided at all costs, allowing the ‘world’ to make them for me.

As I get more and more aware of the importance of having a gravity centre well placed within myself, I realise that I need to be the one in charge of my destiny. I have to be the one who consciously choses, the one who ponders on consequences and gains or losses.

When I was working as a child minder one of the moms I worked for was a life coach. She, as a Gemini Sun, would always give me some interesting food for thought, and one of the main things she felt was really important was to teach her daughter how to make choices. I always had to give the girl (when possible) two options, for example, if she preferred her sandwich cut in squares or triangles that day, that kind of thing.

As I observe the current transits I think about the sextile between Saturn in Aquarius and Chiron in Aries, both currently retrograde, reflecting the perfect time for reassessing how we make our choices and how we face the consequences (willingly or unwillingly). Saturn is also opposite the Sun and Mercury in Leo at the moment, another interesting trigger being revealed by the symbols.

How authentic can we be if we are scared of our individual power?

With the lunar nodes in the Gemini/Sagittarius axis also being involved in the configuration I have the feeling that this is big, it is major. Communication then becomes of paramount importance, our world view as well, and how supportive or prone to self sabotage is our expression. Because the south node is in Sag and its ruler just recently popped back into Aquarius, I tend to think that Saturn in Aquarius is more about inner structure and responsibility whereas Mercury (ruler of the north node) in Leo is reflecting the importance of knowing yourself more and communicating more freely and creatively. The focus right now is on self awareness, self love and respect.

Leo at best.

If we communicate in a non violent way and our ideas are still not well received, then maybe it is time to move on and find your crowd – find the people that will be supportive of who you are becoming.

The next new moon in August 8 will be in Leo, square to Uranus in Taurus, and still opposite to Saturn. Much disruption can happen when we decide to be ourselves unapologetically, just bear in mind that we don’t need to create more drama than necessary. Know who you are, know your values and stand by it solidly but respectfully of others’ differences. During this lunation cycle we can make choices that will support the development of individual integrity and self expression, lets make the most of it!

A little on the current Saturn-Uranus square

by with No Comment Astrological InsightsSearch for home

Finally I am coming here to publish my first post since I got my new website. Excitement!

Transiting Saturn square Uranus keeps doing its thing to my MC-IC (plus my natal Saturn) and I can really see the need for coming out into the world in a more authentic and creative way. What is my social role? Also, the question that has been following me for years now, where is home?

In general, when we think about a square between Saturn and Uranus we think about a clash between tradition and progress. From the perspective of mundane astrology this configuration reflects a lot of social unrest for example.

But what does it mean from a more individual perspective?

I think that issues between progress and tradition are playing out within each one of us. The next question to be asked is, are you naturally more of a Saturnian or Uranian character?

Our natal charts will reflect where our preferences are, what kinds of energy we feel more comfortable expressing it. For instance I do have a powerful and prominent Uranus which then relates to how much Saturnian lessons I am having at the moment. I guess that if I had a particular preference for Saturn, Uranus would be prevailing as a transit right now because of its relationship with the unknown in my psyche.

Do you see what I mean?

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about fear as a way to see where your growth is, and a similar principle works here. For instance, if you are more familiar with discipline and structure and tradition, Uranus will be reflecting a time where more balance is needed via exploration, uncertainty and some sort of awakening. On the other hand, if sudden changes, impatience and a low boredom threshold has been the rule, this is the time for you to build a little staying power, patience and discipline.

The midpoint between Uranus and Saturn right now is 28 degrees Pisces – the place where some kind of integration can happen between these two principles is, at best, connected with compassion, empathy and serving a higher source. Pisces as the last sign of the zodiac, and with a natural connection to the 12th house, reflects the place where some transcendence can occur. The place where we intuitively know that there must be more to life than its material and ego driven aspects.

I also just thought that 28 degrees Pisces is the degree of Venus’ exaltation! Another pointer to resolving the conflict through unconditional love, creativity, and the importance of relating. Interdependence pops into my mind now.

If you have natal planets at 28 degrees Pisces, or any of the mutable signs (Virgo, Sagittarius or Gemini), it gives further clue for how you can best integrate the conflict reflect by the Saturn-Uranus current square.

Have you checked where this transit is falling in your natal chart yet?

Full Moon in Scorpio, my favourite…

by with 3 Comments Astrological Insights

I wanted to write something quickly on the coming full moon in Scorpio happening this Tuesday.

Usually I find that full moons in Scorpio reflect a powerful time of release, of becoming more painfully aware of our unhealthy attachments and, hopefully, willing to let them go. And this one is not going to be much different.

First, the full moon is happening not only in Scorpio but also a day before Pluto turns retrograde, which will go on until October 6th – reflecting that over the next few months, we could go deeper in self-reflection and pondering about all the plutonic themes (rebirth, death, power, powerlessness, attachment, addictions, tabus in general, etc). Where are you at in your process of empowerment? Where do you still feel powerless? Are you giving your power away willingly? These are some of the questions worth asking ourselves now…

Second, interestingly, the moon and mars will be in mutual reception (although in fall, they will be in each others signs – Mars in Cancer and Moon in Scorpio) and I see in the symbolism the potential for intuitively working on our boundaries and cutting cords that are disempowering.

There will be great emphasis in Taurus, (with Sun/Uranus/Venus/Mercury), and that could also point out to greater realisations about our true values – do you feel valued in your daily dealings and relationships? If not, this full moon demonstrates a great time for cutting what does not serve you anymore, dynamics that do not nourish your values, places and people that don’t belong in your life any longer.

Both Sun and Moon will be applying to square Saturn at 12 degrees Aquarius, and as the apex of an opposition, Saturn here could also be reflecting an important part of the process – As we become more aware of the old, of the power struggles and issues that need to be solved in our lives, we will do well in pondering and not rushing into taking action impulsively. Saturn is in rulership in Aquarius, and one of its best potentials relates to detachment and willingness to have a bigger perspective, a heightened sense of fairness and social justice, and rationality in general.

I have the feeling that Saturn here is asking that we don’t take things so personally and move on with dignity and maturity.

No need for creating more drama.

Another message symbolised by Saturn’s placement is the potential for withdrawing projected security – you can provide your own sense of security, no need to keep old attachments in exchange for any false sense of safety.

The coming full moon could be a very creative and empowering time if we make space for it and not get caught in the emotional debris and intensity.

Wishing you all a wonderful and magically empowering full moon! 🙂

Full Moon in Aquarius and Authenticity

by with No Comment Astrology and meSearch for home

Im not sure how I missed out the fact that the coming full moon will be exactly conjoined my natal IC in Aquarius this coming Monday.

I guess that when you start studying astrology you become so keen that you never miss something like that, but once you have been studying it consistently for a few years, you then start to take the fast moving transits a bit for granted. Or maybe you just realise that every month there will be a new moon, and a full moon, etc…

But lunations do trigger long lasting transits, solar arc directions and secondary progressions. They have a way of emotionally intensifying whatever it is that you are going through.

I am working on my last assignment before my masters’ thesis and it happens to be a sky journal, a piece of phenomenological research on my observations of how the weather affects me emotionally. One of the themes that came up from the exercise is the awareness of a strong connection between weather x culture, home and belonging.

Lots of food for thought and it amazes me that for my last essay I am doing such a personal piece of work which enables me to explore an issue that feels so urgent to me right now. What and where is home? All of the internal work that took place during the transit from Pluto to my natal Moon still hasn’t given me the answer. I feel closer to finding it out maybe, but the concept of home still eludes me…

Back to the full moon though.

I have the feeling that this full moon will be triggering and challenging to reveal the amount of authenticity in our lives at the moment. Are we really in the right place? Are we really being ourselves in whatever situation that we are going through?

The full moon will be square to Uranus in Taurus and Venus (ruler of Taurus) might have some clues on how to solve the dilemma represented by this t square. Venus is in Gemini and very close to the North Node, so allowing people the space needed to find out what they need to find out, rationality and open communication afterwards might be what we need. Perhaps there is something that we will need to communicate regarding the process that Venus retrograde was reflecting earlier this year as well. Also these days Venus formed the last of 3 squares to Neptune (which started in May), and some resolutions regarding previous confusion might be a possibility with this full moon as well.

What are your values, what is important to you in order to feel loved? Are you happy with the flow of give and take in your relationships or are you giving more than receiving? And if that’s the case, why? These are some of the questions worth asking ourselves now..

Grounding under the Full Moon

by with No Comment Astrological Insights

In less than a week I will be back to the UK from Brazil and I have mixed feelings.

One side of myself is almost relieved and looking forward to having my english life back for a while, meeting my friends over there, going back to my usual diet, etc… but on another, I feel deeply sad to leave this reality behind. The warmth, and by that I mean human warmth, is so great here… being a sort of nomad isn’t easy…

Well, enough of that for now, Im here to talk a bit about the energies of the coming full moon at 19 degrees Virgo which will be happening on the 9th of March.

As I stare at the astrological chart for the moment of the full moon one of the first two things that calls my attention is the Sun conjoined with Neptune in Pisces, and Venus separating from a tight conjunction to Uranus in Taurus.

The feeling I have regarding this full moon is that during this month’s lunation, we will be working and made more aware of our illusions and longings on one hand, and our need for total freedom on another.

A quiet longing to merge is in conflict with a very disruptive and individualistic impulse causing separations.

The longing theme has actually been following us this whole lunation cycle as the New Moon couple of weeks ago was in Pisces and also pretty much close to Neptune, did you notice anything in your life? Here in Brazil the new moon happened exactly during carnaval, a huge Dionysian holiday where people feel free to exaggerate in doing just about anything they feel like doing! Obviously one of the main thing that happens during carnaval is that people drink a lot, really a lot. They go crazy, and this might have something to do with this neptunian energy which longs to transcend boundaries and go back to the source.

As I think about this I can imagine the energy of Uranus giving us the impulse to separate and cause disruption. How do we balance them both?

I think about all of those planets in Capricorn when I ask myself this question.

Being grounded, focusing on your work and how can you best be of service (after all this is a full moon in Virgo!), how can you bring your dreams to fruition? Are they feasible? A reality check at this point could do us good.

Personal responsibility is another very important theme that can be of great help in the dilema.

Also, we can probably tap into precious insights under this full moon as Mercury will be stationing to move forward in the late degrees of Aquarius, enhancing vision, understanding and rationality.

Move forward with your projects, and happy full moon.

 

Aquarian New Moon thoughts

by with 3 Comments Astrological InsightsProfessional Astrologer

Im coming here to write a little bit about the coming new moon in Aquarius which is happening tomorrow, the 24 of January, but before that I wanted to mentioned that one of my articles has been republished at the astro.com website after being published by the IAM infinity astrological magazine. That was such a surprise as I really didn’t expect it would happen, at least not for now. But what a wonderful surprise! If you haven’t seen it and would like to read just go on the website and my article should be in the main page on the Infinity Astrological Magazine section.

(Im finding my current Solar return to be quite accurate with the stellium in Virgo in the 3rd house and me enjoying being super busy with writing! Also, probably, obviously Saturn and Pluto transiting my third house as well might be reflecting something about this process…)

Going back to the new moon analysis… it will be taking place at 4 degrees Aquarius and separating from a square to Uranus at 2 degrees Taurus. I see this as a double whammy, twice a similar idea connected with the aquarian/uranian archetype. New beginnings relating to our differentness, where we are outside the box and don’t quite feel that we belong. I also think that all of this weirdness can have an important role in the collective, and this is also another characteristic of Aquarius, focusing on the group.

We do have to consider, because it is a square between the Sun-Moon with Uranus, that rebelliousness is also part of the picture here. Not wanting to be told what to do or how to behave, etc, and perhaps during this lunation we could do with cultivating patience not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

I love to think that by the end of this year Saturn and Jupiter will be meeting in the sky in Aquarius, reflecting the beginning of a long cycle between these two planets in the air signs, and this new moon could be a great opportunity for insight into the bigger changes we will be witnessing this year, and perhaps even to get in touch with ideas of how can we best play our part in this process. How can our uniqueness (Leo-Aquarius axis) contribute for a healthier balance in the group?!

Another thing that caught my eye when I was looking into the chart for the new moon is an applying square between Venus and Mars. Venus will also be heading towards a conjunction with Neptune and this makes me think of issues with boundaries here, the balance between give and take is a little out of sync. Because Venus in Pisces and Mars in Sagittarius are both ruled by Jupiter which is currently in Capricorn and ruled by Saturn, I feel that being rational in order to balance and better manage boundaries is necessary here. Responsibility, focus, commitment are all words that Saturn in Capricorn stands for, so I feel that these are very important to be included in your new moon intention’s list.

The symbolism points out to blending what you believe in with commitment and action taken rationally.

Happy new moon to you all!

Scorpio New Moon trick or treat!

by with No Comment Astrological InsightsAstrology and me

Once more trying to keep up with information on lunations…

Truth is that because it’s so cyclical it somehow bores me to write about full moon-new moon stuff.

But never mind that, because I do understand the importance of cycles (I feel that a huge part of astrology’s benefit is enhancing awareness on life’s cycles!) and I also understand how much easier is for us, in general, to connect meaning with the lunar cycles rather than the other planetary ones.

So here it goes…

This month’s new moon (which happens in the early hours of the 28th of October) resonates a little with my restless tendencies of natal Uranus in the first house (hence the boredom I talked earlier…) as the sun and the moon in Scorpio will be forming an exact opposition with Uranus in Taurus.

As I stare into the astrological map of this new moon I realise how much Mars and Venus are prominent in each other’s rulership sign: Venus in Scorpio (the sign ruled by Mars) and Mars in Libra (the sign ruled by Venus).

Traditionally they both are in fall, which would be interpreted by some people as an unfavourable position. Venus, which talks about our values and capacity for sharing and loving would feel uncomfortable in suspicious and protective Scorpio. At the same time, Mars which is about how we fight for what we want is less direct in Libra, the sign associated with relationships and sharing.

The way I see this interesting mutual reception between these planets during the new moon, is reflecting a need to work creatively within our capacity to relate and relationships themselves.

An echo of this idea is the axis of Scorpio (Moon and Sun) and Taurus (Uranus) which talks about, amongst other things, intensity and attachment (either emotional or physical/material), and with Uranus making its presence in the mix, I feel that challenges on letting go will feature strongly here.

Possessiveness or impulsiveness on breaking loose from someone could be part of the drama during this month (lunation). The old conflict, which I have written about in here a few times, between freedom and commitment.

A few years ago, during a very challenging time in my Saturn Return (which by the way is in Scorpio!), I read the book ‘Eastern body, Western Mind’ by Anodea Judith and had a great insight into the theme I believe this new moon to be about. The author linked this split with the second chakra and she talked about how the soul needs commitment and the spirit needs space and freedom. According to her the secret is in balancing these two needs because if we identify with only one side then the other person naturally compensates by playing the opposite. So, the more I want someone to commit to me the more the other person craves his freedom.

During this new moon I have the feeling that it is a great time for setting intentions for healing and balancing our two needs, being conscious of them both and not fully projecting one side of it into our significant other in order to avoid extreme situations.