An Aquarius Full Moon takes place just before 11:30 pm EDT Wednesday night. A Full Moon is in opposition to the Sun. When anything opposes the Sun, Earth is in between. It is a reality you can see. Weather and sight lines permitting, watch the Leo Sun set Wednesday, then turn around to see Luna rise in the East. The astrology of a Full Moon is consistent with the reality, all of us together, symbolically between illumination and reflection. Each of us, however, must turn around so as to perceive our place. The literal and figurative source of illumination is the Sun.
The real Sun is the source of daylight. The symbolic Sun, the donut-shaped glyph on a zodiac chart, is consistent with that simple reality, representing the evident light of consciousness. From its Leo home, the Sun’s archetype of consciousness is expressed through self.
Through the elemental fire associated with Leo, the self, aware and in expression, shows itself to the world. The purpose of showing yourself to the world is to make others aware of your existence and participate in a greater whole. In the greater whole you find, or make, your place. From your place, you derive your personal identity and sustenance, while making your contribution to the identity and sustenance of others.
From its fixed quality comes Leo’s concern with sustenance. Sun in Leo is literally about manifesting the initiative of the Cancer solstice, elaborating the season to its ultimate expression. Figuratively, solar Leo is about extending the conscious self. In human experience, air is the most immediate requirement for sustaining a fire and community is the means by which self survives through exchange. That’s where the Aquarius Full Moon comes in.
Opposing Leo from the other side of the zodiac is the fixed air of Aquarius. Earlier this year (in reference to Pisces and Virgo), Eric wrote that opposing signs are “not even really opposite; they are aspects of the same thing, and in this way a polarity of two signs — any two signs — works as one entity.” Aquarius works as one entity with Leo in several ways.
First, Aquarius, like Leo, is a fixed sign. That means both signs have the same role in the scheme of seasons: extending them. From that role comes a common concern for making things last. Consistent with that concern is how the respective elements associated with Leo and Aquarius work together.
Jonathan Cainer has noted that “Fire needs air. Without it, no matter how much fuel it has, it cannot survive.” That observation is as evident as the Sun. What elemental air receives from fire is less obvious, more subtle. Jonathan goes on to observe that “It’s the heat that it seeks.” Heat provides the energy to get air moving. In the case of how Leo works with Aquarius, it’s the heat of expressed self that gets the collective moving.
What Leo is to the self, Aquarius is to the collective. In opposition, they work as one entity through the exchange of air and fire. An Aquarius Full Moon, therefore, is also an exchange. It is an exchange of consciousness by virtue of reflecting the Sun’s light.
The real Moon is only visible when it reflects the light of the Sun. Luna is therefore symbolic of consciousness in reflection, a different form of awareness, illuminating the inner world. A Full Moon represents the fullest illumination of the inner world. In Aquarius, that reflective consciousness is expressed through the collective.
The Aquarius Full Moon is therefore an opportunity for each of us to be present to self as reflected in everyone else. At the same time it is a chance for all of us to appreciate that any sense of ‘us’ originates within each one. It is as evident as the Sun that any one of us alone would have a difficult time surviving alone in the wilderness. What is less obvious, more subtle, is the importance of each self. From each of us comes the warmth the whole world needs to get moving. To both reflect on the obvious and be illuminated by the subtle, all any of us have to to do is turn around to see the light on both horizons. It’s there, literally and figuratively, for all of us to see together, all at the same time, and perceive our place.
Offered In Service
Len is available for astrology readings. You can contact him at lenwallick [at] gmail [dot] com.
Thank you Len 🙂 moon 🙂 sun ))))))))))))))
I had an interesting trilogy of dreams last night, and interestingly as Venus embarks on new ground alongside these trines and the FM even. The first, I dreamt of my childhood cat. I was petting its stomach and he got really into it. He then started to spray and well, ejaculated wildly. Next dream, I was with an older woman in bed who was beautiful and open with me. She allowed me to be with her and touch her, exploring freely as much as I wanted. I thought in the dream of how I liked touching my mother on her back when I was a young boy swimming in a pool. Something about water on a woman’s skin. Final dream, I was making love to a girl my age in a really deep and loving way, something I haven’t had in a while. I also had an orgasm, which was amazing amazing (we actually came together). So, really powerful night, and passionate!
Just wanted to share that.
Paolo
Oops – Cuno Hoffmeister was an astronomer, NOT an astrologer. Hopefully, the USNO will not have a hit put on me.
be: Thank you so very much for your generous and perceptive comments, especially your follow-up with Paolo. What a be-autiful job of connecting the Full Moon to the Venus-Saturn trine and to the big picture of the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square. What a pleasure to read! You leave me in awe at both your insight, artistry and wit with every one of your comments.
Lunesoleil: Thank you. The asteroid Cuno is named after Cuno Hoffmeister, the astrologer who discovered it. It is a near-Earth asteroid with an orbit that also crosses that of Venus and Mars. Its pass on May 2012 was its closest until 2093.
Chief Niwots Son: It is an honor to know that my service is useful to you. Thank you.
Len- thank you for the clear words. I appreciate your response to Paolo, and the piece of info you shared about the Venus-Saturn trine marking the completion of Venus’ transit through her retrograde shadow, and opening to new experiences. This feels really significant for me given the depth of inner experiences since April, and the new experiences coming into my life this very week.
Cuno ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Cuno
I had not seen your comment as what women’s intuition Len it cannot be explained. I got the idea to revisit your article unconsciously after having spotted that you had left a comment…
The asteroid Alice 291 is amazing I have my son who has lived its retrograde phase in the sign of Cancer, he as Alice in the country of the wonder he fell into the hole and discovered a fascinating and fabulous world with the tool of astrology that he discovered on the basic plan.
I know 4183 Cuno, I did research no mythological reference, but a series of possibility in a dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cuno
Thank you for your enlightenment Len 🙂
Thanks Len for your wonderful article wishing you a bright full moon 🙂 🙂
Be, I thank you for deepening this and for also shedding more light! I am trying to connect the dots in my own life, so this depth is very helpful. I have Uranus in Libra (1st) direct opp to Mars/Chiron conj in Aries at the 20 degree mark. I have a lot of cardinal action. So while I feel like a chess player in a pinpong competition, I also refuse to get swept away. There are definitely things I see more clearly recently, and others which are taking more time to emerge – and both seem linked to self worth. Okay, thanks for the extra help and insight!
Thank you Len, for this subtle reminder that when we think we know “the truth” about something, we should view the scene from a different perspective; turn around as you often say. Looking at the same moment or place or memory from a different vantage point will reveal important details to be considered in the whole of things. It is said that nothing is black or white, but rather, various shades of gray.
Paolo, I’m assuming you have Uranus in Aries on the ascendant now rather than the descendant. If so, are you noticing the connections between events (aspects in clusters) more than before? Uranus does gift us with a keener awareness when it transits the first house; things sort of just pop into our heads about new ways to do things or to connect one thing to another. As for relating the belated (from May) exact trine between Venus and Saturn to the Full Moon on Wednesay night, Thursday morning, there ARE aspects to connect them.
So here you are looking at the Venus trine Saturn in connection with future events, while I’ve been connecting it to previous events, such as the Venus occult Sun in June. In fact, all events/aspects are connected linearly; some major, some minor, but all are important in the scheme of things. That being a shift in consciousness. Big ones make an immediate impact on our consciousness and the small ones provide the connections we hardly notice. Just like people make a difference – all people, aspects between planets serve a purpose too. To inform.
Looking at the connection between the Moon and Venus we have a sesquiquadrate (135 degrees with orb of 3 degrees) part of the same family as the square and opposition. “These aspects bring dramatic occurrences into the life that demand immediate attention, work and practical action”. . .and. . “often bring irritation and frustration in actions and fulfillment of desires.” (The Minor Aspects by Frances Sakoian and Louis Acker) Venus is trine Saturn and Saturn forms a quintile (72 degrees with an orb of 2 degrees) to Pluto. The quintile belongs to a family of aspects that divide a circle by 5, 10 and 20, therefore are harmonic. They relate to the higher synthesis of the 4 basic elements into a 5th element of Ether. They are aspects related to the use of the spiritual will and transcend physical limitations. They provide an ability to understand the inner relation between seemingly isolated sets of circumstances. (info from “The Minor Aspects”).
So Moon connects to Venus who connects to Saturn who connects to Pluto, and we all know who Pluto connects to. . . Uranus in Aries. And apparently, Uranus directly connects to you if you have him transiting on your 1st house cusp. If he’s on the 7th house cusp well, that might be me! We are all connected and sometimes we just need to turn around and get a different view.
be
Dear Len, I thank you for answering my questions, I really appreciate your words! Amazingly helpful indeed. I will also look up the website and see more of what you point towards.
Thank you kind sir!
Huffy and Judity: You kind words are received with gratitude beyond words. Thank you.
Paolo: Thank you for your question. They are each good questions and may my service be worthy of them. The air trine from Venus to Saturn is huge. First, it comes just arc minutes before Venus (in direct motion since June 27) reaches the point where it stationed retrograde on May 15. Second, it is functional now. Hence, the trine is a punctuation that concludes a Venus retrograde cycle that (because it included a transit of the Sun) will not repeat for more than a century. In one, wise word, the sense of this particular Venus-Saturn trine is sobriety. Yes, there is the easy flow of a trine that modulates the potential excess of Venus while moderating the stern inhibition of Saturn. Yes, there is the probable stability of grounded detachment unusual for an air sign aspect. Most of all, however, Venus trine Saturn from Gemini to Libra emphasizes the benefits of a clear head, unburdened by distortion, capable of unprecedented perception. With such clarity, the most volatile subjects can be both considered and discussed without getting carried away and without fear. Real work can get done. Sobriety is a good place to be, there are fewer eggshells underfoot and clear skies overhead. By the time of Wednesday night’s Full Moon, Venus will have separated from the exact trine, moving on to new things (like an opposition to the Galactic Core) for the first time since April, but the aspect will still be within orb, encouraging us to see clearly as we move in suspension between the luminaries. May it do so for you. May you be able to help others awaken to the experience. As to the population of your first-to-seventh house axis, i would encourage you to check the serennu website and enter your birth data (you will need to know the time in Universal Time as well as the longitude and latitude coordinates) for a comprehensive ephemeris that contains many smaller objects by default. As the proficient and practiced astrologer Alex Miller would tell you, the asteroids can be very revealing. To the many objects you get by default on the serennu ephemeris i would suggest you add two numbers (separated by commas, but no spaces) under “additional objects”: 291 (which is the MPC number for the asteroid Alice – many thanks to Lunesoleil for bringing that to my attention) and 4183 (which is the MPC number for the asteroid Cuno, which made a close pass to Earth during the May 20 annular solar eclipse and which opposed the Sun at the Cancer Solstice) – those two are not in your first or seventh house, but are worth a look for how they aspect both your natal chart and transiting planets. No house is truly empty in my experience. With more than a quarter million objects catalogued and named in the solar system, there is something waiting for you along the first of two axes between the realms ruled by Mars and Venus, functioning to work as a single entity. What you find could change your life.
An artful piece on the polarities, dearheart. Yet another reminder that it is the whole of the wheel — the whole of creation — in relationship to itself, at play. Lovely, Len. Thank you.
Thank you Len, for this look at this upcoming Thurs!
I have a couple of questions (I’ve posted elsewhere but haven’t been answered) that I’m hoping you could shed some light on.
I don’t think I’ve seen a mention of the Venus trine Saturn aspect happening right now and was curious, if it is happening so close the FM, is it not part of the same event? How would that relate to it if at all and what might that look like? That would go for the Sun trine Uranus too I suppose, of which you described last week. This would appear significant.
And finally, I have my 1st and 7th house on the 8 degree of Aries/Libra where Uranus is hanging out. I have no planet there, but was curious about this and if it is something to feel for significance.
I hope these questions are appropriate and serve to open a dialogue for others.
Paolo
“…all any of us have to to do is turn around to see the light on both horizons. It’s there, literally and figuratively, for all of us to see together, all at the same time, and perceive our place”. Such a wonderful image, Len. Thank you for this lovely piece.