July 21 6:17 AM EST
There is a bit of a disruptive, chaotic, karmic quality to this full moon. It’s as though things that unfold over the next several weeks could feel both shocking and unexpected, yet also inevitable. This is for several reasons.
First of all, the moon is full at 29 degrees of Capricorn, the anaretic degree. The final degree of any sign has a “hail mary” quality to it, where it’s like everything that has been unable to be expressed comes rushing to the surface in one final attempt before the sign changes. So in this case all kinds of emotional material (moon) is coming up. And especially material that may have to do with our feelings about Capricorn matters such as business, politics, administration, patriarchy and institutions. This applies at both the personal as well as collective level. Not only are there sure to be things in the collective that people are feeling emotional about, but within our own business and administrative lives, we could have reached a crucial stage with something. Here in the final degree we may be feeling ready to “wrap something up” so that the new can be born.
This is especially true since this is the 2nd full moon in Capricorn this Cancer season. The first one occurred at 1 degree of Capricorn on June 21st, and at that time we may have been recognizing the need to adjust our boundaries and responsibilities (Capricorn) so that they are more indicative of how we are willing to spend our emotional energy and resources (Cancer). We have gotten lots of messages about that over the past 28 days between the two Capricorn full moons. Especially, perhaps, around the time of the new moon in Cancer on July 5th. Cancer does not overthink things, its responses come from gut instinct and emotional programming. Quite simply, if something “feels” off – there is a retreat, a withdrawal. Then it’s up to the energy of Capricorn, Cancer’s opposite and complement, to sort out the logistics based on these updated emotions. So we are now in the 2nd phase of that process.
Another reason this feels like a strong, karmic, and possibly surprising full moon cycle is because there are TWO very powerful out of sign conjunctions, including the full moon itself at 29 degrees Capricorn conjunct Pluto at 0 degrees Aquarius. The nature of the two planets involved makes it a very powerful conjunction, since Pluto has to do with deep change and transformation. But also the nature of out-of-sign conjunctions in general as having a kind of “confusing” quality to them. It’s as though the two planets conjunct are highly influencing each other, but are also oriented in very different directions. With Pluto at 0 degrees Aquarius, the same degree where the 20 year Grand Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter occurred in 2020, there can be no mistaking that this is a very important time for “the collective”.
The second potent out-of-sign conjunction is between Mars at 0 degrees Gemini and Uranus at 26 degrees Taurus. The intensity of this conjunction is also strengthened by the nature of the planets involved, as well as the signs. Uranus in Taurus (since 2018) has been disrupting the status quo. When triggered in transit by Mars, this goes up another notch. And Mars in the sign of multiplicity, Gemini, wants to throw as many options on the table as possible. Mars in Gemini wants to not only intellectualize (Gemini) about ideas and potentials, but to actually take action and explore them (Mars).
So we could be feeling a bit “trigger happy” now. Things that have been on the back-burner or percolating could finally feel like they are ready to get thrown into the ring. Again, the moon at 29 degrees says “it’s now or never!”.. which isn’t necessarily true but there can be that feeling of urgency, stoked here by both Pluto and Uranus.
These two mega-conjunctions, between moon/Pluto and Mars/Uranus, are also both straddling earth/air elements and as such are trine to each other. This earth/air transition is an important one since it echoes in many ways the macro transition that we are going through as a collective, as we come out of a period of several hundred years of Earth sign dominance, and are at the cusp of moving into an Air sign dominance. I discuss this in greater detail in an extended post I wrote about Sedna moving out of Taurus and into Gemini as reflective of this shift. If you want to zoom way out and look at some of these macro themes and timelines the Sedna in Gemini post is worth a read.
But here now, during this full moon and the upcoming two weeks when it is most strongly activated, we are again being asked to choose between what feels like it needs to be ‘put to bed’ from our past, and what feels like it is helping us blaze a path towards our future. These answers come from within. Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn and hence the ruler of the full moon, is at 19 degrees of Pisces and retrograde. When Saturn is retrograde it is asking us to look inwards and recognize our INNER AUTHORITY. Especially in any situations where again, Capricornian themes of business, work, structure, institutions, or VIPs are at play. We must assess, and reassess, situations from within rather than looking for the answers “out there”, or giving our power away to others.
But there will certainly be no shortage of people and opinions trying to get our attention from “out there”. Both Mars and “go big or go home” Jupiter are in the sign of communication, Gemini, after all. So there is lots of ‘messaging’ coming at us from all sides. And in our personal lives as well, there could be all kinds of people and correspondences ‘popping up’. Returning to that Saturnian inner authority and discernment helps us recognize which of these conversations to give our attention and energy to.
Likewise, both Venus and Mercury are in brave and bold Leo during the full moon. This is amping up the drama and continuing to keep things feeling like the ‘stakes are high’. And in a way they are, again we are straddling the new and the old in many ways in our personal lives and in the collective. And making important decisions. We are tying up loose ends and making fresh progress. But getting swept up in the drama can hinder, or confuse, us. It’s wise to come back to the core lessons of Saturn in Pisces for this 3 year period (2023-2026). This will help us remember that shifts that are taking place should be geared towards getting us back in alignment with our highest soul expression, in right relationship with the energetic laws of our reality, and restructuring our internal operating systems. These full moons may present us with situations that provide opportunity to “try out” these new ways of handling old situations or dynamics.
It is worth mentioning also that Mercury is now in its shadow zone for its upcoming August retrograde. Mercury goes retrograde on August 5th at 4 degrees Virgo, and retreats all the way back to 21 degrees Leo before going direct on the 28th. During this Capricorn full moon Mercury is at 26 degrees of Leo. Mercury will hit this degree going retrograde on August 18/19. Interestingly, this is the exact time as the NEXT full moon- the full moon in Aquarius! This brings a new layer of significance to Mercury. So the conversations we are having around now will be ongoing, and especially highlighted again during the next full moon as well. September 6th is Mercury’s final pass over 26 degrees of Leo, and we will likely have some resolution or clarity by that time. But Pluto will also retrograde back to 29 degrees Capricorn between September 1st and November 19th. So perhaps unsurprisingly, the things that are stirred up during this 29 degree Capricorn full moon will remain active throughout the next several months.
Saturn is the planet of karma, so again, while some situations can feel unpredictable or chaotic now, we may be comforted by remembering that there are ‘bigger forces’ at work here than just what we see on a day-to-day level. The upheavals, upgrades, and pivots all serve a purpose. Again both on a personal and professional level. When we can remember that we may even be able to ride the waves of change with an air of excitement and trust flowing through us. And that flow and openness can potentially catalyze wonderful new potentialities in our lives.
*art by @benny_productions
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