Today is Friday, July 15, 2011. With the Moon finally reaching its full phase at 2:39 am EDT, we had the first lunation in six weeks that was not some form of eclipse. But you may not have found recent days to be any less prickly, either personally or politically; witness the US budget standoff. The deadline for deciding whether or not to raise the country’s credit limit is August 2 — when Mercury stations retrograde — which means Congress is playing high-stakes chicken.
As the day goes on we’ll see if the Full Moon breaks the stalemate, now that Obama has put on his spurs, six-shooter and sheriff’s badge and told House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, “Don’t call my bluff.” Between the wild west White House and some prickly inter-personal exchanges lately, I think the Pima tribe was onto something when they dubbed this “The Moon of the Great Cactus.”
Whatever they had in mind, the image is perfect since we tend to externalize Full Moon energy, and cactuses — for us, at least — are all about those sharp bits on the outside. Cactuses present a clear boundary between inner and outer; that is less and less so in the interpersonal human realm. It’s a concept that has been called into question more and more since the eruption of the Internet in recent years. In fact the Rupert Murdoch / News of the World scandal is proving beyond doubt, and with a particularly Capricorn twist, there is no distinction between public and private anymore.
This is an uncomfortable place for most of us to be. But as many have noted, one way to make being seen or being known for who we are less traumatic is to present ourselves authentically to all people in all situations. I’m not saying that what reporters did at NoTW is okay or that the victims of their tactics should not be upset. I’m saying being angry that someone was snooping and feeling ashamed of who we are or what we’ve done are two different things.