When All We Can Do Is Wait
I received an update from the Peace Corps about my legal clearance.
It was not a pleasant feeling at all to receive news that I’d have to wait a little longer for a decision to be made about my legal clearance. There is already a lot of anxiety associated with moving to a new country for two years so this added uncertainty is looming above me like an angry rain cloud. People on Peace Corps Reddit and in our WhatsApp Group Chat do their best to quell my fears but even just typing a few lines about it has me nauseated and uncomfortable. My mom tries to talk me out of the malaise by assuring me that I will be cleared. She means well but the truth is that nobody can be certain right now. There are a few others in my cohort that also received this generic email. Its unnerving.
I know that I am not the only one that is experiencing emotional dysregulation. I don’t only share these feelings with my fellow prospective PC volunteers. We are all in this together. As a collective we are moving through the darkness before the dawn. Soon enough the truth will be revealed.
This Moonday (intentional spelling) on August 19th there is a full moon at 27° in the sign of Aquarius. You may hear that full moons are the time when we reach the harvest, when we let things go, and when we prune things away. Every time we reach this part of the lunar cycle, the light of the sun reflects at its greatest intensity. There is a spotlight on our emotions, our routines, and our physical bodies and we are encouraged to reflect on these areas of life.
Full Moon Basics
This particular Full Moon involves a configuration of Sun opposing the Moon from his home sign of Leo. This means the ideal or the plot of the story is dignified. The Sun operates effortlessly in his firey temple of Leo, which can manifest as creative self expression, boldness, and courage. These are all themes of Leo.
The Moon on the other hand is in Saturn’s airy domicile of Aquarius. An Aquarius Moon is interested in ideas and in determining what is real. It is inventive and based in lofty ideas of serving the collective through acts of service. When the Moon is in Aquarius, it is discerning and objective but also experimental and perhaps even a little rebellious. I associate air signs with the central nervous system because we breathe in oxygen which powers all of the circuitry in our bodies. Information is moved about and between these networks. That is why I believe we all feel we are on the precipice of a big breakthrough. Our nervous systems are activated but how it will arise in our lives is a bit unpredictable given the influence of Uranus (which I describe further in just a moment).
Because this is a full moon, we know that the Sun and Moon oppose one another from our geocentric perspective, and oppositions are of the nature of Saturn. This means that there is something isolating or polarizing about these areas of life that are indicated by the Sun and Moon. Two planets reveal something about each other when they are configured this way. I think of it as two separate parties that have completely different ideas for how to move forward, so much so that it doesn’t even seem like they want the same thing at all. There’s more to be said about Saturn because that is the planet ruling over this Full Moon, but first more details on the lunation and aspects to it. Keeping in mind that Sun in Leo is loud, proud, and leading a crowd, while Moon in Aquarius is very much the black sheep/non-conformist archetype.
To recap, the Moon will be in Aquarius and the Sun in Leo. The Moon rules our physical body, our emotions, and routines. We often find that the Moon can pertain to our own mother, the Great Mother, or more broadly the general environment or setting of the play. The Sun rules the ideal to which we strive, is often associated with the father, and can be understood as the plot of the story. This tension can lead to stress but also offers an opportunity for growth and balance if the conflicting energies are harmonized.
Let’s take a moment to consider aspects to the Full Moon before elaborating on the influence of Saturn.
Uranus Brings Change
The Sun and Moon will oppose one another on the day of the Full Moon and will also be positioned in what is referred to as a T-square with Uranus in Taurus. Imagine the top of the ‘T’ connects the Sun and the Moon at both ends and the leg that goes straight down is where Uranus is positioned in relation to both. It is called a T-square because both planets in the opposition are square to the third planet in the configuration. In other words, the Sun is square to Uranus and separately from the opposite side of the zodiacal wheel, the Moon is square to Uranus. As I’ve already said, oppositions are tense and I will add here that squares are of the nature of Mars and that means conflict. All three planets in this transit are at 27° of their respective signs. That is pretty remarkable because that means this is an exact T-square, almost to the minute! The overall energy of this T-square is fixed because the planets are in Fixed signs, but Uranus with this kind of exact impact will not allow for things to stay the same.
Uranus is the planet of shocking revelations, of rebellion, and Earth-shattering news. When Astrologers see that Uranus is involved in a transit like this, we can be certain there is no way to predict what could happen. We simply say expect the unexpected. While it may be true that we never really know what the future holds, Uranus amplifies that with some sort of completely out of the blue circumstance. It is a wild hair.
In the Earthy Temple of Venus, Uranus is an earthquake that completely levels the place to its foundation. This Full Moon will likely bring a surprise that requires the unforeseen release of something. That could be a release of tension by the way, it doesn’t necessarily have to be negative, but it is almost certainly not going to be what we thought it would be. It could be something to do with our finances or things that we value because Uranus is in Venus’s house. Venus is unfortunately not in the best position to play host, and we will get more into that as we discuss the dignity of the other aspecting planets that will influence this transit. Starting with the Ruler of the Full Moon, Saturn.
The Ruler of the Full Moon in Aquarius
Saturn rules this Full Moon because Saturn’s Airy masculine temple is Aquarius, the Waterbearer, and that is the sign the Moon is in for the lunation. So not only is there a small hint of Saturn influence from the very nature of an opposition, but Saturn is also the planet that is in charge of the house within which we find the Moon. Saturn is often associated with restrictions, limitations, discipline, responsibility, and the passage of time. He represents challenges, hard work, and the need for patience and perseverance.
Saturn isn’t the Moon’s favorite of all hosts but he also isn’t in his favorite sign either. The Planet of Discipline entered into Pisces on March 7, 2023, which is the feminine Water domicile of Jupiter, the Planet of Expansion. Since he made an ingress into this house, I have been describing this as swimming in the ocean with a weighted vest. Saturn is drowning in all of the imagination and emotions of Pisces, which is often described as a very spiritual and dreamy sign. Since Saturn is the King of Feigned Appearances, all of the daydreaming is really bringing up the question as to what is real and what is fantasy. Its maddening!
This describes the Host of the Full Moon but it only scratches the surface to consider the position of Saturn. We will also want to consider how the other planets are aspecting the Ruler who is drowning in a weighted vest to see who is providing an inner-tube (or cinder blocks).
Aspects to the Ruler of the Full Moon
At the time of the Full Moon, Saturn will be in an opposition to Venus in her fall of Virgo and square to Jupiter in his detriment of Gemini. Notice that constitutes yet another T-square that is part of the energy of this Full Moon. Also, both benefics are experiencing this diminished dignity while aspecting the most malefic of the malefics. If it weren’t so tense it would be comical. No one is really all that happy with their placement for this Full Moon except the Sun who is at home in Leo. This presents to me in my mind as, “Ideally, we could all just get along…” and the entire room groans. Let me break down what it means for Venus and Jupiter to be in these debilitated positions and then I will briefly mention how Mars is playing sidecar to Jupiter for the Full Moon.
Venus is in Virgo, which is an earth sign associated with practicality, detail-orientation, analysis, and a focus on improvement and service. Virgo energy is often meticulous, critical, and concerned with efficiency and correctness. Technically speaking, Virgo is opposite the sign of Pisces which is Venus’s exaltation, and this is why she is considered to be “in her fall”. She is far away from her favorite place. Speaking more in themes, Virgo’s analytical and perfectionistic nature can inhibit Venus’s natural inclination toward easy-going love, beauty, and pleasure. There is the sense that she is walking on eggshells or skating on thin ice. Instead of expressing love and attraction freely, Venus in Virgo might focus more on the practicalities of relationships, finding flaws, or seeking perfection. However, it can also bring a grounded and thoughtful approach to love, where affection is shown through service and care rather than grand romantic gestures which is emphasized for this transit by her opposition to Saturn, whom we associated with objectivity.
As for Jupiter, when a planet is “in detriment,” it means that the planet is in a sign opposite to the one it rules, making its energy less effective or more challenging to express. Gemini is opposite the sign Sagittarius, which is the firey domicile of Jupiter, and that means Jupiter is far away from home. Gemini’s energy is often focused on details, gathering information, and exploring a variety of ideas rather than sticking to one philosophy or belief. Jupiter is associated with big-picture thinking, philosophy, and the pursuit of truth and meaning. This can sometimes manifest as self-righteousness and self-aggrandizement. I’ve described the gaseous giant in Gemini as the feeling I experience at a Renaissance Fair, and so that square with Saturn emphasizes the need to see through the facade of all the fanfare.
Mars accompanies Jupiter in Gemini and pretty closely aspects both Venus and Saturn in the same T-Square configuration. Mars is the masculine principle of dividing and conquering. Words like “cutting” and “martial” immediately come to mind when I think about Mars. Mars in Gemini is buzzing about with ideas which can lead to running on fumes. It feels as if we are adding exhaustion to this ticking time bomb of a Full Moon and that contributes to this feeling of malaise. Combining Mars and Jupiter is magnifying this exertion of our precious mental energy. From my experience, it feels like there’s just too many possibilities to consider and my mind is shorting out from all the potential.
What does it all mean?
For each and every person this will mean something different, but I imagine it as we just found a ticking time bomb. There’s about 3 minutes left on the countdown. Its just long enough to do nothing and just enough time to find a place to wait it out. Soon enough the truth will be revealed. The answers will come to light. The way forward will be illuminated.
We can look to Gene Key 30 or Hexagram 30 to navigate this Full Moon because that is where Luna is positioned.
The good has been and has yet to be. Hold your fire and keep it close to your heart. Let your light shine bright no matter whom or what may try to dim it. Remember you are an incredible human being but you are only human. You are not an island. You aren’t alone, you are never alone. It will feel tense and disorienting but keep your sights set on your lighthouse and your guides will get you there. Decide where that is now. Adjust your compass to the general direction and don’t be afraid of getting blown off course. Take the setbacks in strides and never stop believing in the Good. This, too, shall pass. You are building this vessel for greatness.
