August 1 - Aquarius Full Moon

 

Full Moon 

9 Aquarius 16

August 1, 2023 

11:31am PDT  

 

 

There will be two full moons in August.   The first one is August 1 in Aquarius, the second one is August 30 in Pisces.    That second one is of course a blue moon.   These full moons are also part of a series of supermoons when the moon is closest to the earth.  You can read more about the supermoons from an astronomy POV and from an astrological POV. 

 

Fire and air go very well together.  The oxygen from air keeps the fire alive and the heat from fire warms up the frigidity of oxygen.   Fire sign Leo and air sign Aquarius serve each other on a full moon.    Intellectual Aquarius can be the smartest sign in the room, but it is big hearted Leo who understands the EQ of a room.   Aquarius can describe a hug; Leo will give the hug.   On this full moon, the Sun in Leo and Moon in Aquarius are in square with Jupiter in Taurus forming a fixed sign T square.  This is a tension filled three-day full moon.  However, it may or may not be loaded with transparent, in-your-face drama.   The fixed signs are slow to move, they rely on being grounded.   They don’t always show their cards.   But the tension is still there, even if it is subterranean, like the San Andreas fault.    Tension can bring literal and figurative quakes.   How can we find our center if we want to shake?   That is the question on this full moon.  

 

The tension may be connected to Venus, which is currently retrograde in Leo, shining a light on our values and how we find pleasure.   Falling in love, being creative, letting our heart skip a beat upon seeing a pleasing visual which could run the gamut from a nice piece of art to a smiling baby to a loved one entering a door.  Whatever warms us is our hearts is informing us.  Perhaps the placement of this Aquarius full moon during this Venus retrograde is reminding us how we are loving and how we are loved?   There may be a hurdle given Venus is in square with Uranus.   Uranus asks about the price of freedom.   Are we free to love the way we want to love (Leo)?  Or is that path not practical (Taurus).  Are we feeling lazy and just taking the path of least resistance (Venus)?   Or Is Uranus stirring us to be provocative for no other reason than a stubborn (Taurus) desire to be contrary?   Provocative for the sake of being provocative can be a lonely corner of the world.   Or is the provocation coming for a real need for something different?   Is saying YES being brave?  Is saying NO being brave?   The key is strength to be brave.   

 

Back to the T-square, while Jupiter with its massive size suggests ‘bigger is better’ this is not the full moon to lean into big.   Instead use the Mercury oppose Saturn to be measured with our thoughts and words.  Let Mercury in precise Virgo guide our thoughts and Saturn in Pisces inform us through intuition.     While we could feel tension there is no need to voice every anxiety.   Breathing and moving the body in a simple and easy manner is wise.   Don’t over strain the body.    Also, take care to not overspend. 

 

We have crossed the halfway point of the year and are heading into the middle of the Venus retrograde, on this Aquarius full moon with the help of Sun in Leo we have the ability to ‘read the room’.    Get quiet, let Leo talk to you about where actions are needed.   Take a beat and ponder what is really happening.   There will be tension and if things are too heated, we can use our cool intellect to get to a place where we can figure stuff out.    

Astro for Week: July 30 - Aug 6

 

Gibbous Moon

July 30, 2023  

 

 

Gibbous:

 

Focus on:  How are you refining your ability to expand?  How are you refining your ability to be a bridge?   How are you refining your opinions and philosophies?   

  

Special focus

8/1: Mars trine Jupiter. Big actions meeting big ideas.  Getting up and doing for practical applications of big ideas. 

8/1: Mercury oppose Saturn.  Conservative thinking rules the day.  Less is more in communication and thoughts.  

 

August 1, 2023

11:31 am PDT 

Full Moon

9 Aquarius 16 

 

 

Full Moon:  We make the needed adjustments on the things we planted. Usually, emotions are up and running and for those people who perhaps did not utilize the new moon and the rest of the waxing moon, this is when emotions can get the better of us.  There can often be a big emotional break, for no other reason than to get back on track.   Some partnership will offer up some balance.  The moon is bright and full and there is no room for shadows, what is reflecting on you?  

 

Focus on:    (Separate Post) 

 

Special focus 

 

 

 

Disseminating

August 4, 2023

3:53pm PDT       

     

 

Focus on:   What advice are you offering that speaks to faith?   What are you sharing with others that taps humanitarian issues?   How are others sharing wisdom that you had not considered?   

 

 

 

Special focus:

8/6: Sun square Jupiter.   Being bold versus being practical.  Being big may be off point with values.   Being stuck may be off point with being bold. 

 

Astrology for the week of July 25 - July 30

 

First Quarter Moon 

July 25, 2023

3:06pm PDT 

 

 

 

Focus on:  How are you taking action that taps deep reservoirs?  How are you tapping intense power?  What action are you taking that rely on a transformation?   What needs to die in order be reborn?     

 

 

Special Note

 

7/27: Mercury conjunct Venus.  Talking about values.  Hearing other speak their values.  Truth is there to be seen.  

7/27: Mercury trine North Node (see above) 

7/28: North node square Pluto (see above) 

7/28: Mercury enters Virgo 

 

 

Gibbous Moon

July 29, 2023  

6:01am PDT  

 

 

Focus on:  How are you refining your ability to expand?  How are you refining your ability to be a bridge?   How are you refining your opinions and philosophies?   

  

Special focus

8/1: Mars trine Jupiter. Big actions meeting big ideas.  Getting up and doing for practical applications of big ideas. 

8/1: Mercury oppose Saturn.  Conservative thinking rules the day.  Less is more in communication and thoughts.  

 

Astrology for the week of July 17 - July 24

 

We start this week with Cancer New Moon.  See separate post. 

The first three days of the week are the new.  As always we plant seeds on new moons.   Actions based on emotions and feelings are critical during Cancer New Moon.    The moon rules Cancer and is therefore at home in this new moon.  Emotions and feelings give us hints on actions we need to take.  This is not the week to ignore feelings.   However, collapsing into emotions is not recommended.   Feeling the feelings and riding them like a rapid is more to the point of a cardinal new moon.   Use them to get you where you need to get.   :) 

Between July 21 - July 28 there are a lot of aspects with Pluto and the North Node.  This will speak to needed changes both globally and personally (for some).    Watch what comes up to see what your emotions tell you and consider a sensible plan of actions.  The focus will be on transformation and singular actions that are based on strength and independence.      

 

New moon: Plant seeds, make calls, activate, start projects.   Activate something that will ideally lead you to more.  This is the phase where INTENT is critical.  Even if the results are not immediate, the intent is there.  You may not have all the answers or road map, but you should put out your Intent.

 

This focus:     What are you learning about your feelings?  How are your emotions driving your actions?   How are you letting the emotions ride through you?   What directions are you getting from your feelings?     How do you process the ups and downs of your feelings?  How is family motivating your actions?    What is the GPS heading you can take from your emotions?  

 

Special note:

 

7/17 :  North Node enter Aries 

7/20: Sun trine Neptune.  Creativity and inspiration.  Humanitarian actions are pronounced.  Feelings are connected to something spiritual or bigger.    

7/20: Mars oppose Saturn.  Actions born from practicality.   Being willing to say no but still taking care of business. 

 

 

Crescent Moon Phase

July 21, 2023

2:20 pm PDT  

 

 

Focus on: What are you learning about your calendar?  What are you learning about how you prioritize your schedule?  Who gets in the book?  What gets in the book?   What are you learning about daily discipline?   What facts and data are coming up for your appraisal?   

 

 

Special Focus

7/21 Sun oppose Pluto (see above)

7/21 Sun square North Node (see above) 

7/21 Mercury trine Chiron.  Communication that assists finding personal strength and courage to stand up for self.  

7/22 Venus station retrograde 28 Leo 36 (see above) 

7/22 Sun enters Leo.   

7/22 North Node square Pluto (see above)

7/23 Mercury square Uranus.   Communication can be on the fritz.  Brilliant ideas may be a little too difficult to process.   Thoughts feel ‘off’.  

7/25 Pluto square North Node (see above)

Cancer New Moon. July 17, 2023 11:31am - Ride the Rapids

 

Britanica Cancer.  Illumination of Hours. Italian c 1475 Pierpont Morgan Library NYC. 

July 17, 2023 

11:31am PDT 

24 Cancer 56 

There is a lot to this 29 day lunar cycle that is warm and lovely.  But do not let the cozy trick you.  There are forces at play that are asking for changes and independence.  Can we do it?  Sure we can.  Will it something get sticky?  Yeah, sure.  But as long as we follow our emotions and not collapse into them we will be okay.   :)   Read my full report HERE.  

July 17, 2023 - True North Node Enters Aries

 

July 17, 2023

12:59pm PDT

North node enters Aries 

 

The lunar nodes are not planets or asteroids or any kind of planetoid.   The nodes are points that are calculated from Sun, Moon, and glorious Earth.   Earth, the planet, does not come up a lot in astrology but to be clear the nodes are a big deal.   There are two nodes which oppose each other.  The north node is where we are heading, and the south node speaks to what we are releasing.      It takes about 18.6 years for the nodes to go through the zodiac, which they do by going backwards.  The nodes dictate the biggest show on planet Earth in the form of eclipses.    In broad strokes, when the north node is in Capricorn and the south node is in Cancer the solar and lunar eclipses are in January and July.  When the nodes are in Gemini and Sagittarius then the eclipses are in June and December.     On July 17, the true north node moves into Aries with the companion south node in Libra which means the fall and spring get the eclipses.     Here are the dates for this cycle: 

 

Solar eclipse at 21° Libra 07' on October 14th, 2023, at 10:55 am PT

Lunar eclipse at 5° Taurus 09' on October 28th, 2023, at 1:24 pm PT*

Lunar eclipse at 5° Libra 07' on March 25th, 2024, at 12:00 am PT

Solar eclipse in 19° Aries 24' on April 8th, 2024, at 11:20 am PT

Lunar eclipse in 25° Pisces 40' on Sept. 17th, 2024 at 7:34 pm PT *

Solar eclipse 10° Libra 03' on October 2nd, 2024, at 11:49 am PT

 

*There is always overlap between the axis, this fall we have one last round of the Taurus cycle and a year from this fall we will get a pre-show of the 2025 axis of Pisces/Virgo.   

 

The last time we had the Aries Libra axis was 2004-2005.   When the north node is in Aries, we need to tap the strengths of the first fire sign.  We seek new, fresh, independence, freedom, and self-driven abilities.   During this period, we lean into personal agency to guide self and offer leadership (sometimes under stress).   The north node in Aries calls for tapping a fire in the belly.   This should be a spirited cycle.  With all node cycles, we often see vacuums appear, and the exact answer can be found though the actions of the north node.  During that last north node Aries period, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and a whole world watched to see if anyone had the mettle to step up and lead.  After twenty years, historians have well documented what was lacking in the responses from city, state, and oval office.  The south node speaks to negative side of Libra.  Which is superficial, wishy washy, hand wringing, standing on the side lines for fear of committing.   Or turning away from those things that are harsh because it seems too ‘hard’ to resolve.   The key of course is to put others before self and find the self-initiative to lead.  

 

Those folks with planets around 21 degrees of Libra, Capricorn, Aries, and Cancer are put on notice for the October 14^th eclipse.   You may need to step up courage and face something head on but and here is the rub, still be diplomatic!    Ah, the challenges.   

 

Watch the news between now and then and see how stories line up with the Aries Libra node placements.   

 

For those folks who have not read about their own personal north and south nodes in their natal chart, I recommend Astrology for the SOUL by Jan Spiller.    Jan was a gifted astrologer and left us way too early.  Her work on the nodes was seminal.   Much can be unlocked when we work with our natal nodes. 

Astrology: Week of July 9 - July 17

 

Last Quarter Moon Phase

July 9, 2023 

6:47pm PDT    

   

 

Last Quarter moon:  Now we do the final adjustments to the seeds we planted on new. The final call, the final letters to send, we follow all the trails that came up that still make sense.  And we let the other parts lay fallow. It is a time of action but wise action.  It is a time for living “The serenity prayer” 

 

God, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change 

Courage to change the
things I can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference.

 

 

 

Focus on:

How are you taking actions that speak to your independence?  How are you taking actions carve a new path for you?  How are you tapping your self-determination?   

 

 

 

Special focus 

7/10: Mars enters Virgo

7/10: Mercury opposite Pluto.  Thinking that needs to shift and change for better evolution may pop up today. 

7/10: Mercury enters Leo 

7/11: Mercury square both nodes.  Where is independence growing?  How is our childlike thinking holding us back? 

7/11: Mars trine both nodes.  Actions are supportive of independence.  

 

 

Balsamic Moon Phase

 

July 13, 2023 

12:06pm PDT 

 

 

Balsamic:   We let go.  By releasing we can prepare for the new.  

 

 

Focus on:  How are you releasing you’re your mental traps?  How are you releasing mental cul-de-sacs that go nowhere?  How are releasing anxiety?  

 

 

 

Special focus:

 

7/14: Sun sextile Uranus.  Creative and fun that create innovative results.  Break throughs that are emotionally satisfying.  

7/17: Mercury square Jupiter.  Thinking that is too big, too great. Too much ego.   

7/17: North node enters Aries   

 

July 17, 2023 11:31am PDT  24 Cancer 56  

 

 

 

Capricorn Full Moon: July 3, 2023

 

Capricorn Full Moon

11 Capricorn 19 

July 3, 2023

4:38am PDT 

 

 

As Full Moons roll out each month there are some that are more serious than others.   Capricorn who sees the glass half empty can be a bit negative.   However, this year, the Moon is uplifted by a Mercury opposition (conjunct Sun) and Saturn sextile the moon (trines Sun).  This is a great full moon to relax into the Cancer Sun.    Cancer connects to family, fun, food, and cozy.   Leaning into our creativity, our hobbies, and our gentle nature helps replenish our psyche which then propels us to deal with responsibilities, career, and goals.  

 

This three-day lunar Full moon in the USA is centered around the national holiday (July 4) where a lot of people will be enjoying time away from work.   This is kind of perfect for this full moon chart.  Mercury brings in lots of ideas, communication, and the power of pivoting.  It is hard to get stuck on this full moon with Mercury in relationship to both the Moon and Sun.   Saturn which rules Capricorn is in joyful aspects with both Sun and Moon again suggesting a lightness to the three-day cycle.    We may find solutions (Saturn) to hurdles that make practical and efficient sense (Capricorn) that are emotionally (Moon) soothing (Cancer) and inspiring (Sun).  

The Sun also sextiles Jupiter which also trines moon.   This is a great three days to travel.  Jupiter loves to expand its world.   Either trips on the road or trips to the library.   Getting new perspectives can be as easy as driving to different corner of your town or finding a super cool Ted Talk.  Big ideas and big philosophical opinions are easy to tap when they are inspiring.   There is a generosity of spirit during these 3 days of the Full Moon.  

 

This Full Moon is connected to the new moon in Gemini two weeks ago.   We are halfway through the Gemini lunar month where we are learning to adapt.  We think we are starting the day one way and then we seem to be doing all kind of things that were not on our ‘to-do’ list when we woke up but are very satisfying.    

 

Be open, enjoy what unfolds and replenish your psyche.   This is the moon to have fun being practical and celebrating the ordinary.   

 

To my fellow Americans, Happy USA Birthday.  You don't look a day over 245.