Everywhere on Earth, the Moon is lighting up the night skies, visible against even the brightest cityscape, reflected in oceans, seas and lakes, and making its presence known in our consciousness. So palpable is the Full Moon that a recent scientific study has proved the observation of many astrologers — that ‘normal’ sleep patterns change during this phase of the Moon’s cycle, and people tend to stay up at night.
This lunation, exact Thursday at 7:21 am EDT (in effect, overnight Wednesday to Thursday in most of our readers’ time zones), has many unusual attributes. The Moon has a special resonance with Pisces, since it has a profound influence on the tides.
This Full Moon is in the last sign of the zodiac, and taking place at the end of a mutable sign (the Sun is in late Virgo, another mutable sign). It’s the last Full Moon of Northern Hemisphere summer (autumn in the south). As such, it heralds the change of season, which takes place just three days later. This is the week that day and night finally balance out, as the Sun has been moving in a southerly direction along the horizon (toward the equator) since June 21.
The Full Moon is exactly square the Galactic Core. That is, the Sun and the Moon align at a 90-degree angle to the heart of our galaxy, which is in late Sagittarius. This may give the week a mystical feeling, as the Sun is already well within range of the GC, picking up its ‘behind everything’ sensation. The Galactic Core can be elusive; in a sense, it’s the essence of cosmic mystery, fitting nicely with the Pisces theme.
There’s one last attribute of this event that’s pretty special: the Full Moon is conjunct a newly-discovered planet called Salacia. By new I mean discovered this time of year in 2004, orbiting our Sun just a bit beyond Pluto. Salacia was the Roman goddess of the calm sea. She’s associated with the salt in ocean waters, and was a nymph with whom the god Neptune fell in love. But she eluded his desire, for a while, anyway, until he sent a dolphin to go get her — and then they were married and she became the Roman goddess of the sea.
I’ve never written about Salacia; this is one of those moments where we may get to see what she’s about. The symbolism of a conjunction to the Pisces Full Moon and contact with the Galactic Core is too beautiful to miss.
Since these new discoveries have a way of manifesting literally when they’re blended with solar-lunar events, it’s encouraging that Salacia is the goddess of the calm sea — we could use some serenity. What’s also interesting is that from the myth, she has an elusive quality that reminds me a bit of the Galactic Center. Yet that elusiveness might be the enticing erotic beauty (salaciousness) that is rare to actually touch and taste, or so it seems.
The presence of both Chiron and Neptune in Pisces, while technically not part of the aspect pattern, is still significant. We have a full-on oceanic moment, with many, many reasons to think about the safety of our oceans, what we put into them and what we take out of them. (Recent news from the Fukushima front has not been happy.)
The Moon is currently in Aquarius and will ingress Pisces at 9:58 am EDT Tuesday. It will travel through most of that sign before it opposes the Sun in late Virgo. Since we are nearing the equinox, that means the Sun is getting ready to change signs; it will ingress Libra at 4:44 pm EDT Sept. 22.
Other aspects this week include a conjunction of Venus and Saturn in Scorpio. This is an unusual conjunction, as it brings together two of the rulers of Libra in the next sign over, shifting the emphasis from air to water. It may add a serious emotional cast, darker in color than Pisces, but also add tangible meaning and depth. Be aware of transitions into the unknown and the unfamiliar. Saturn is on the North Node, and the Scorpio points are part of a grand trine in the water signs — the other points being Jupiter in Cancer and Neptune and Chiron in Pisces. As I’ve written before, for these and other reasons, we’re in a very watery year.
There is a suggestion here that something big yet subtle is trying to come through to us with this Full Moon. Like all things of a Piscean nature, it’s often necessary to use your intuition to find out what it is. That requires a softer kind of listening. The manifestations of this event might not be super-obvious: Salacia did hide from Neptune, till he sent his dolphin messenger to summon her — so watch for the messenger.
— Additional research and writing: Amanda Painter
Hi, Eric,
Salacia’s Greek correspondent is Amphitrite (asteroid 29.)
The tendency to manifest literally has been showing itself for a month already.
Amphitrite came to my attention last full Moon – the 2nd chance in Aquarius – which was on my 50th birthday. I was in Bimini (the location of Atlantis according to Cayce) swimming with wild dolphins – as Neptune in 4+ Pisces opposed Orcus in 4+ Virgo which was exact conjunct my natal Atlantis conj Uranus…
I woke up in the middle of the night crying over an old love, called Delfos. I had previously looked up his personal name asteroid and only found Delphine, which didn’t seem to make any significant pattern in my chart. This puzzled me, because that love had been so different from anything else either of us had experienced, we thought it was love from the stars in some special way.
On the night of the last full Moon, it occurred to me that what I had to look for was a constellation. I couldn’t find it at astro.com but googling revealed that there had just been a Nova explosion in Delphinus, the brightest Nova in the last 5 years. I then looked for the individual stars, and…Bingo!
Alpha-Delphini, Sualocin, at 16 Aqu 53 is exact, same minute, opposite my name asteroid Flavia at 16 Leo 53. Alpha-Delphini is also exact at his AC conj North Node.
The rest of the patterning then also revealed itself. My natal asteroid Delphine,which previously hadn’t related to anything much, was exact trine my natal Amphitrite, while his Amphitrite (sq his AC conj NN) is exact opposite his Delphine and his Salacia is exact opposite Flavia. My Salacia is conj my South Node while his Orcus is just a couple of mins from my North Node. And on and on. It’s so redundant it’s almost a joke, also the exact patterning involving the other marine characters Neptune, Poseidon, Orcus, Atlantis….Salacia and Amphitrite seem interchangeable.
When we first got together, asteroid Delph at 27+ Leo was exact conj my Sun, and Orcus at 28+ Leo exact opposed this Aqu full Moon…Back then Neptune was passing through Delphinus – right between Epsilon and Beta-Delphini…opposed my name asteroid Flavia at 13 Leo which was at the exact same place back then as it was now at this 2nd full Moon in Aqu, when Atlantis was also conj Delphine….
Finding the Delphinus connection was so beautiful, and such a confirmation of the felt knowing back then that this wasn’t normal earthly love, it was something else…the special joy we felt, I now recognize, was just like connecting with dolphins. 2nd full Moon – 2nd chance indeed! What a birthday present!
Don’t know if my story contributes in any way to your delineation of Salacia’s and/or Amphitrite’s beyond being a confirmation of a pattern involving dolphins. They keep calling me – in a couple of weeks I’m flying back to Bimini for more!!!
New pic looks good, Eric. Dolphinic/Delphinic!
I would not I’ve never used Salacia, to tell the truth I do not think in the trans-Neptunian. Everything I know that tonight I make a funny dream with my cat. The dream is in connection with water, Neptune, Moon symbol of the unconscious.
The square of the full moon with the Galactic Center makes me think that we are feet and linked hands attached in our reality with the impossibility of escape, we must cope without alternative evidence. Salacia goddess of the sea can turn into Mermaid to enchant the fishermen but also the dreamers the moonlit nights. It is a kind of werewolf marine. The mirage of the full moon for the one or the one that indulges in the sinking… Salacia goddess of the sea, can identify with the illusion of Māyā, since wife of Neptune is still less immersed in romantic stumbling we need quickly abandon to find the source in the fountain… 😉
Amazing everyone!
Adding on: Dolphins: Gregory Bateson’s icon for Play, which he saw as the highest form of intelligence in his theory of the Ecology of Mind. This full moon feels like a BIG cue for us to develop Dolphin Mind: play, creativity, echolocation, intuition, spontaneity, sacred delight. Dolphins known as “the clowns of the sea.” Think sacred clowns whose role is to make sure that we are all acting in ways that will secure the joyful thriving of all.
Venus conjunct Saturn in Scorpio with this Full Moon in Pisces feels to me like we are being called to the cosmic Venus, offspring of Gaia, who held the sacred cosmic balance in her hands. The Libra scales as the cosmic balance moving into Scorpio, the ultimate diagnostician of the zodiac, feels to me like giving us our diagnosis: we are out of balance with the sacred cosmic balance.
The toxic as above, so below of climate change carbon in the atmosphere mirrored in the deadly acidification of the oceans that has been alarming scientists increasingly since Jupiter moved into Cancer, as we should expect (oh, yes, a very watery year, and a lot of that water will be our salt tears). The Venus-Neptune-Saturn in Scorpio plus North Node w/ full moon = illuminating our cosmic destiny as a species, and we need to “get to the bottom” of how our political and cultural structures are tragically out-of-balance, driving us toward extinction.
Salacia as ‘oceanic biophilia?’ It is elusive by nature and we need to chase it, seek it? Salination/Desalination of the ocean as an emerging issue?
Personally speaking, with my Scorpio Sun at 5′, I am feeling this lead up to the North Node-Venus-Saturn conjunction and the full moon in Pisces as something of a “destiny lock” for my life. What I’ve been waiting for. And what a second Saturn Return, I think, is ultimately all about: Do you do what you have finally figured out you were born to do, or not?
This moon is my Yes, I am. The foundations are in place. Time to launch. Never really felt that before. A welcome grounding in the shifting tides of humanity’s fate.
Eric, given the violence in the Navy yard hours after you posted this, your mention of the dolphin messenger is important. Revisit your interview with Dale O’Brien at the conference last year: http://planetwaves.fm/united-astrology-conference/
Venus and Eros dove into the depths, turned into dolphins or fish, and brought the calm of the depths of Oceanic/Galactic LOVE to the Chaos and destruction in the battle between the Gods and the Titans. Venus and Saturn trine Chiron is the saving grace.
Your conversation with David Tresemer on the Venus transit updates this myth and the healing theme of Love. Venus aspecting and activating her native element of water, and Salacia touched by the full moon is light shining on the calm waters. Calm below, calm in the middle (surface) and calm above in the realm of the galaxies.
Both of these interviews are amazing with healing medicine, and everyone can benefit from a listen at the link above.
A few years ago I made art about the dolphin and mermaid. They have a certain meaning in my personal mythology. Now in this full moon I am going to revisit that imagery and see what new is revealed.
A bow of gratitude to you. Peace.
For anyone flinching over the Navy Yard shootings in Washington DC this morning, the time was 8:20 AM and the Mercury opposition to Uranus was across the horizon; ascendant-Mercury, descendant-Uranus. Mercury is moving into position for its sextile with Mars at 12 Leo and Mars is trine the U.S. Sibly ascendant (12+ Sagittarius), For now I’m inclined to think there is no terrorist involvement, and am looking at it as part of the aforementioned Seesaw planetary pattern we are in. The Moon (family) in Aquarius had just passed her opposition to Mars (aggression, guns), and Jupiter (expanded) in Cancer (family) was very close to the MC. My something (intuition, gut?) says this incident is in someway family related.
That’s partly because Mercury is on the ascendant and he symbolizes siblings (among a million other things). Mercury sextiles the U.S. ascendant (12+ Sagittarius) as well as sextiling Mars. In a chart for this AM’s shootings, the U.S. ascendant falls in the 3rd house of siblings. Mercury and Mars form a yod with Chiron in Pisces and Chiron is conjunct the asteroid Osiris. Osiris in myth was killed by his brother (before Isis resurrected him) and Chiron can symbolize wounding or wounded, among other things. Chiron (and Osiris) fall in the 5th house of kids in the shootings chart for this morning.
The Seesaw is very much activated now; Moon (was) opposite Mars, and Mercury is/was opposite Uranus, linking the two sides of the chart, the conscious (inner planet) side with the Sun, and the unconscious (outer planet) side with the Moon. The Sun makes no major aspects, the closest would be a quincunx (10 degree orb – acceptable for Sun) with Neptune (unclear).
Transiting Chiron and Osiris (in the 5th) are square the U.S. Sibly ascendant (in the 3rd) that Mercury sextiles. The chart for the shootings today is ruled by Venus (Libra rising) who is at 6+ Scorpio and she squares the U.S. Sibly north node (6+ Leo) of progress and south node (6+ Aquarius) of ease but no progress. Yesterday afternoon the Aquarian Moon squared the Scorpio Venus. Because Uranus (transiting) is on the descendant of the shootings chart it appears unexpected to the rest of the country, but in this chart Uranus rules the 5th house of children. Uranus trines Mars. Uranus and Mars both trine (grand) the U.S. ascendant at 12+ Sagittarius which falls in the 3rd house of siblings (and uncles) in the shooting chart.
Until we learn more, I’m going with some kind of family dispute, probably triggered yesterday (Moon square Venus), where family is divided (unconscious vs conscious) over some matter that has spilled onto the world stage and might add fuel to the gun control legislation that has languished in Congress (Pluto in Capricorn on the IC of the shootings chart). Pluto (on the unconscious side of the Seesaw) sextiles the transiting north node and Saturn and Venus (on the conscious side of the Seesaw) and they form a yod with the U.S. Uranus at 8+ Gemini. U.S. Uranus at the apex/point of the yod is stimulated, if not prodded into action.
U.S. Uranus is being squared by the progressed U.S. Sun (becoming more conscious) in Pisces which is conjunct the U.S. Sibly Ceres (mothers who lose their children) who is conjunct the U.S. Nessus (trickery) adding to the squaring of U.S. Uranus. These are just pieces in a puzzle of course, but I suspect the overall effect is to keep the ball rolling in making the public more conscious; more active in making changes in laws (and values) that promote evolution for the whole of us.
be
I can’t believe they chose such an auspicious day. They are “parbuckling” (as we all learned the right word is) the biggest (or one of) cruise ship in the world that an inconsiderate captain let sink – about 2 years ago – just in front of Isola del Giglio, a tiny beautiful island in front of Tuscany, Italy.
Pictures (and live, in case you are intereted) here: http://www.corriere.it
I find it really exciting! The team is USA-Italian, 500 people from 24 countries working. The megadirector is Australian.
Look at it as the sraightening of something that had gone completely off course, something veeeery heavy…
Ah, Eric, nice picture! 😉
Thank you be for adding so wisely and informatively to Eric’s piece…it is especially helpful to me.
Blessings
Er, full moon.
Portland Oregon: where young people go to retire. Probably because their kidneys are whacked from a lifetime of drinking caffeinated sodas, coffee, and beer. Maybe it’s this new moon revving up, maybe it’s Chiron in Pisces sextile my Sun- internal sensations become more vivid over repeated exposure to internal martial arts. I can feel my kidney screaming at me to quit feeding it coffee and beer, a knot of muscles in a spiral pattern through my ribs whose center is inside my left kidney. Ouch. Getting better the further I flow from my last contact with coffee and beer, yesterday and the day before. I’ve been finding it really easy to stop doing harmful things lately. I think it’s a side effect of internal sensation. I can feel what I’m doing to myself.
And thanks for the wonderful Erik Satie – will put this on tomorrow as I work, to calm me down….
What a beautiful coincidence, Daniel! You have a lot of synchronicity happening at the moment – that’s a lovely indication of how much you’re opening up and coming into your own. Many thanks for your blessings – I’ve got a tough ride ahead of me, great colleagues and boss but there’s a lot to learn, really quickly, and I find some of the things pretty hard to grasp. It’s bringing up a lot of fear, but there’s awareness around it too., and it also makes me feel alive and challenged to grow. Good to have all this wateriness here.
Wonderful article Eric. Thank you! A beautiful start to my week already.
Lizzy, it’s funny, I was just listening to La Mer this afternoon and it was finishing up as I started reading this. When I came to the part about Salacia, this came on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM5aEOfyrk8
It took me a few seconds to clue in, but nothing is ever out of place in my experience. Very calm indeed, and no one does it better than Francine. Many blessings on your new job.
Eric, I love your new profile picture! You’re adorable.
So glad you said this Eric. . “making it’s (the Moon’s) presence known in our consciousness” because the Moon has been key in a planetary pattern called the Seesaw, where (in this case) the 3 outer (unconscious) planets of Pluto, Neptune and Uranus are on one side of a chart (full moon chart in this case) and all the other inner (conscious) planets are on the opposite side. The Moon will be on the side of the outer planets. These patterns (of which the Seesaw is only one) espoused by Marc Edmund Jones are determined by looking at only the traditional 10 planets/luminaries.
Since a Seesaw pattern requires a minimum of 60 degrees (size of a sextile) empty space opposite another empty space greater than 60 degrees (preferably 90 degrees), the fast moving Moon will begin to break up this pattern by September 20 when she moves past her conjunction with Uranus (who is separated from Jupiter by more than 90 degrees). There is some part of us that is responding to (and related to) the unconscious energies (symbolized by the outer planets) in this full moon which is seeking to find balance or become equal with the consciousness symbolized by the Sun and other inner planets.
Venus on the other side of the Seesaw pattern will pass her conjunction with Saturn after the full Moon and begin to decrease the empty space between Saturn and Pluto (the 60 degree side). This will further erode the Seesaw pattern as the required empty space diminishes. Because this pattern affords us the opportunity to see both sides of a conflict, and because this pattern has been quite stable for months (with the exception of the Moon who passes from one side to the other) it looks as if the universe wants to help us absorb (Moon) unconscious imperatives subliminally, as beleclaire and nilou have suggested. On the world stage this has played out through the Syrian chemical weapon situation. There are other examples, and no doubt our personal situations have also been influenced by a subtle persuasion to compromise.
After leaving their “zones” the Moon and Venus will be opposite one another in the Libra Equinox on September 22, with the Moon conjunct the south node in Taurus and Venus conjunct the north node and Saturn in Scorpio. As ambassadors from the unconscious (Moon) and conscious (Venus) sides of the equation (the Seesaw pattern), and by lining up with the nodes that represent the way of the past (south) and the way to the future (north) it appears to be a time of resolution of conflict. But before the Equinox happens, we have the Full Moon and that includes a conjunction between Venus and Saturn starting a new cycle in which to solidify our values through the emotional senses. It is the 3rd and last Full Moon to carry this ongoing Seesaw pattern.
In Thursday’s Full Moon event, the Pisces Moon, Venus in Scorpio and Salacia, are all symbolizing water/feelings, and by being symbolic of the feminine side of the duality equation, they are pressing home the balancing theme you spoke of as represented by the Sun at the Equinox. This surely must be a universal effort to balance the conscious with the unconscious as well as the yin with the yang, and the day with the night. With Venus and the Moon opposite each other and tied to the nodes at Equinox, it also marks a point to reflect on our values vs. our feelings and whether or not to move forward or cling to the past. It’s decision time once again.
be
Thank you, Eric. Absolutely sublime.
nilou
Thank you for this great piece Eric, as Lizzy says exquisite and lyrical
…”something big but subtle is trying to get through”..YES I am feeling this. It is like being led down a new path and having to gently leave all the past behind. Its good, having to let go of fear and doubt and trust the process in a very different way.
This all spells ‘erotica’, with a capital E
*Saturn and Venus are presently conjunct my sun
Thank you for this exquisite, lyrical piece dear Eric – matched by the wonderful photo. We’ve suddenly plunged into Autumn here and first day of new job – really feels like going back to school after summer hols, plus feeling very weird indeed. But helped by your (very Piscean) words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls4NoLQQUPY