Under the Moon: Hour of Awakening

“Full Moon Motion.” Mixed-media by Lanvi Nguyen.

Dear Friend and Reader:

WE ARE HEADING into an exciting Leo Full Moon, exact Sunday at 1:28 pm EST. This is one of those charts where, in the past, I would be tempted to say that we are looking at some significant collective event. All the markings are there.

The Full Moon happens right at the midwinter cross-quarter — about a degree away from the midpoint of the solstice and the equinox. That makes it an Aries Point event, at the intersection of the private and the collective.

This has a diversity of names, including Imbolc (meaning, in the belly of the stars), Candlemas (the Catholic version), Midwinter Holiday and for some, the beginning of spring. All of these are based on Northern Hemisphere traditions. (Here is an old article about it.)

The T-Cross or Grand Cross

The Leo Moon and the Aquarius Sun form a 90-degree angle to revolutionary, shock-oriented Uranus (which is in Taurus). That pattern is a T-cross, which can feel unstable or like it’s seeking fulfillment in a tense and unpredictable way.

Simplified chart for the Full Moon, showing only the T-cross. See the complete chart here. Note, I have flipped AM/PM accidentally, though you will get the idea.

Whenever you see a T-cross (also called a T-square), ask yourself what is going on in the 4th leg. There is always something there, which is a good reason to explore the minor planets; that’s what it will be.

There is interesting and influential stuff in the mid-Scorpio region, the missing leg, which completes a grand cross. These points include the slow-moving super-Neptune called Poseidon (spirituality, truth, enlightenment); the messenger goddess Iris; and another slow-mover, an African fertility goddess out in the Kuiper Belt that I will abbreviate as Mbaba, who, in Zulu culture also assists in the making of decisions.

So while the 4th leg of the square (where you might seek to resolve the tension of the T-cross) does not contain ‘major’ points, it is saying: pay attention to the sublime. There is a message, as indicated by Arc Iris, the goddess of rainbows. There is a decision to make, indicated by Mbaba and the strength of the whole aspect pattern.

There are many people who wold prefer to plug in and disappear entirely from involvement in the world. But as long as you have a body, you cannot really do that.

“Aquarius Into Pisces. Expression No.011.” Mixed-media by Lanvi Nguyen.

But What Actually Matters?

In the external world, this is a pattern that could hint at “big news.” However, the problem is that nobody knows what’s significant any more. The theme of full digital conditions is “everything, all at once” and “everything is really urgent.”

Leo Full Moon chart. View larger.

That reduces everyone and everything to being either perfectly insignificant, or of undetermined significance. This is a problematic situation because it makes it difficult to prioritize, and also is an enticement to pretend everything is a lie.

Another, um, issue with the digital environment is that nothing is real. It’s all a mirage of bits, bytes, pixels and electricity. If you want to know where people’s minds are at, look at what is happening with the most advanced AI programs — now going mainstream — and stuff like the wholly illusory “metaverse.”

There are many people who would prefer to plug in and disappear entirely from involvement in the world. But as long as you have a body, you cannot really do that. The physical body is still beholden to physical laws, unless a deeply faithful state of being has been attained. Digital products only mock spiritual gifts; they are not the same thing.

A simulation implies a copy of something. Of what? Well, the digital world is a simulation of the real one, that much we know. It’s the one where the Earth can be flat and where people can catch computer viruses.

“Aquarius Into Pisces. Expression No.006.” Mixed-media by Lanvi Nguyen.

The Idea of Living in a Simulation

Still, we are gradually being convinced we live in a simulation or fantasy world. This is a whole region of thought on the internet that I hear about at least a couple of times a week.

I recently received this from a public relations firm representing the Global Architect Institute, which seems to be a branch of “intelligent design” theory.

“The Simulation Creationism Theory, combining the Simulation Hypothesis and the concept of Creationism, suggests that the Lord has put us in the simulation to study life on Earth, a concept that has swept many Christian followers in a short period, as can be seen by the Institute’s Facebook page activity.”

They are pitching me to get on Planet Waves FM and of course I eagerly accepted their offer.

A simulation implies a copy of something. Of what? Well, the digital world is a simulation of the real one, that much we know. It’s the one where the Earth can be flat and where people can catch computer viruses, and where you can tap your device with your elbow and exactly the right pizza shows up at your door 20 minutes later.

Under such conditions, we might propose that nothing really matters, as long as there is toilet paper on store shelves. This is why I’ve hidden a 24/7 webcam in the paper products aisle at my local Hannaford supermarket, so I can keep an eye on this important issue. The demand for bathroom tissue is the ultimate proof that the physical world still exists.

The astrology is calling you inward, but digital consciousness, which incorporates the influence of television, has taken over the inner senses.

“Aquarius Into Pisces. Expression No.002.” Mixed-media by Lanvi Nguyen.

Inwardly is Another Matter — but Where is Inward?

Inwardly, however, the Leo Full Moon offers a little jolt of awakening. It’s that innermost hankering that is trying to get your attention, keeping you up nights.

The astrology is calling you inward, but digital consciousness, which incorporates the influence of television, has taken over the internal senses. So there are relatively few people who understand that you can turn your awareness within and experience another universe than the one you see dramatized before you.

Given the strong emphasis of Uranus in the aspect pattern, you may be wondering when the quake is coming. But within your mind, that would be a discovery, a revelation or an idea with some real power. Most of those go wasted; they are never even experimented with.

Interior life has been taken over by devices. We walk around with our memories storied in a little half-pound box. This same box helps us find someone’s house, communicate telepathically, and entertains us whenever we want.

Yet this comes at a cost to all of the inner senses: common sense (the ability to solve basic problems), sense of humor (a form of intuitive intelligence), memory, imagination, and many others.

We could say this is part of human nature, but not all of it. Most people are a lot smarter than they give themselves credit for. It’s convincing to believe that they only use 5% of their brains. They sure act that way most of the time.

From The Trouble with Physics by Lee Smolin.

The Emphasis on Entrenched Ideas

I am just finishing a book I’ve been reading through the working on the 2023 annual project and beyond, about the history of physics from the early 20th century forward. The book analyzes the ways in which science in general and physics in particular are stacked against both new ideas, and the people capable of having them.

I’ve been reading this to try to make sense of the mentality of virology, which is another theoretical science, and I’m learning a lot. The entrenched system of peer review (of both papers, and the hiring of new academic faculty) is not only biased and corrupt, it’s designed to serve the old thought structures and all that has come before, rather than favoring anyone who can think in an original way.

We could say this is part of human nature, but not all of it. Most people are a lot smarter than they give themselves credit for. It’s convincing to believe that they only use 5% of their brains. They sure act that way most of the time. Imagine what would happen if we aspired to use 10% of our mental power.

And Pluto is about to arrive, and pretty much the stage is set for some kind of significant disruption of the digital, mental and social environments, which are now inextricably connected.

“Aquarius Into Pisces. Expression No.004.” Mixed-media by Lanvi Nguyen.

Pluto is Coming to an Aquarius Near You

One would think that the mental realm would be the most flexible, creative and spacious, but somehow it does not work that way. For most people, it’s one of the most cluttered, chaotic and stuck dimensions in existence. It’s also subject to all kinds of massive errors, most of which could be avoided with better intellectual discipline and ethics.

Aquarius, one of the most important signs of ideas and the mental environment, is a fixed sign, and it can take quite a bit to get it out of its preexisting patterns. This Full Moon can be a moment of transcendence, or of extreme discomfort to those who prefer to resist.

And Pluto is about to arrive, and pretty much the stage is set for some kind of significant disruption of the digital, mental and social environments, which are now inextricably connected.

Will we learn, grow and change? I am fond of what is attributed to Native American wisdom: you cannot awaken someone who is pretending to be asleep.

With love,

Eric signature

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