Super Full Thunder Moon in Capricorn

On July 12th we will experience a Super Full Thunder Moon in 20 degrees of Capricorn at 7:25 a.m. Why is it called a super full moon? A super full moon occurs when the moon's closest approach to the earth, aka the lunar perigee, coincides with the phase of the full moon. This causes the moon to appear bigger and brighter while increasing the likelihood of natural disasters. The Indians called the July full moon the Thunder Moon because of the frequent thunderstorms. I'm sure no one can argue with that logic after the weather of the past week!  I decided to use the pool in my building on July 7th and within ten minutes I received notifications on my cell phone of thunderstorm and tornado watches!  We had neither, but it did start pouring rain within a few minutes.

How is this full moon going to play out astrologically? We will be dealing with themes of balancing emotional security and home life with outer accomplishments and personal achievement. Ideally we will be trying to achieve stability and success while searching for deeper meaning in what we have created. Once again, I would like to give credit to fellow astrologer Molly Hall for her astute observations in this week's About Astrology. She commented that this full moon is about persevering through a crisis of growth, growing in personal authenticity, and honoring our commitments because Capricorn is tough love personified.

Relationship dynamics will also come to a head with this full moon because it sets off a mini Cardinal Grand Square this weekend. Mars, Ceres, Vesta and the north node in Libra will all be squaring the sun and moon. Mercury will be re-entering the sign of Cancer on the 12th as well, amping up the emotional tone of communication and providing an opportunity for us to review issues from late May and early June. Then Mercury continues to move forward in Cancer and leaves its shadow period by July 16th. But we can count on some planetary assistance in the relationship department because Mars in Libra conjuncts the north node, our soul's mission, and trines Venus in Gemini. I love those trines; they are literally hugs that provide support and encouragement in resolving relationship issues.

Personally, I think that the moon in Scorpio on July 7th set in motion the highly emotional tone for this full moon. It prompted me to post these two tweets on the7th:

"Cancer Sun trining Scorpio moon brings increased emotional sensitivity which can lead to generosity or jealousy and manipulation."

"Scorpio moon trining Neptune in Pisces elicits compassion but don't become a victim. Moon's trine to Chiron puts us in touch with our wounds."

Of course, the moon in Scorpio always directs emotions inward and people will have a tendency to react to psychological slights with a desire for revenge. On July 7th transiting Venus in Gemini was inconjunct Saturn in Scorpio, so that brought out more of a "stinging" tone to relationships because adjustments were needed. For many of us that may not have played out and the Scorpio stinger undoubtedly prevailed.

Another piece to this full moon is that Pluto in Capricorn is rising above it.   The moon enters the sign of Capricorn late on July 10^th and we should definitely feel its effects on Friday, July 11^th when the moon conjuncts Pluto.  There will be tension in the air and this is not going to be a lightweight full moon! 

The moon in Capricorn can have a depressing tone because it is ruled by Saturn, which emphasizes the learning of difficult lessons. I have a Scorpio friend who has a natal moon in Capricorn and she has noticed that depression looms for her when the moon is in Capricorn.  I hope that she can be free of that heavy depression during this full moon; perhaps she will be able to let go of that pattern.

As for me, this full moon will conjunct my natal Chiron in the 4th house and the Sun will conjunct my midheaven.  I am fully aware that this can bring up old wounds by contacts with people from the past to facilitate healing.  I am trying to focus on the concept that this will teach me to move through to the other side of pain. I am also trying to capitalize on that Capricorn energy and Sun in my 10^th house this weekend by formally announcing my Reiki Open House on July 20th to promote my career as a healer.  I have also been getting a few requests for my astrological and tarot services, so Jupiter in my 10^th house is definitely working its magic.  It started when transiting Jupiter in Cancer conjuncted my natal Uranus in the 10^th house last week, proving that astrology works.  Yes, I would like even more business, but I can’t be greedy.  I can definitely sense a shift in energy and I think that when Jupiter moves into Leo next week the pace will quicken.  Jupiter does have a lot to do with hope and faith, so I have to keep the faith and trust my inner guidance that all is unfolding as it should.

If you are feeling confused during these challenging times, please consider getting an astrological reading to obtain more insight and assistance in the healing process. Check out my services page on this site at:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/services-offered.html

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for my daily astrological insights at:

https://twitter.com/danceofphoenix

Full Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius and Neptune Retrograde

The full moon in 22 degrees of Sagittarius was exact at 12:11 a.m. on Friday, June 13th on the east coast but I would bet the farm that most of us have been feeling its effects since Monday, June 9th when Neptune stationed retrograde in 7 degrees of Pisces. There was a foggy feel to the day that had a tendency to play out in either heightened idealism or disillusionment.

Why is it called a Strawberry moon?  According to the Indians, the month of June with its 30 days represented the short season for harvesting strawberries.  It is extremely rare that this full moon falls on a Friday the 13^th, a day rife with superstition.  We won’t have another full moon on Friday the 13^th until August 13, 2049.  So, with this full moon and Mercury retrograde, you can definitely expect the unexpected and prepare to clean out your life both literally and figuratively.

We may finally have Mars direct, but last week Mercury went retrograde and now we have Neptune retrograde until November 16th. Neptune retrograde forces us to review the condition of our soul, and for many of us, to let go of our need to rescue others by developing the faith that they will find the strength to overcome their own challenges. And don't be surprised if dreams become even more vivid over the next few months; that is part and parcel of Neptune's territory.  We cannot forget the re in retrograde and what it stands for: reassess!

Saturn in Scorpio has been playing a huge role in this week's planetary activity. On Tuesday, June 10th the moon in Scorpio conjuncted Saturn in Scorpio. This inspired me to tweet: "Big reality check today as moon conjuncts Saturn in Scorpio. No escape from doing the work to transform our toxins." It must have resonated big-time for a lot of folks because it garnered 254 views and quite a few retweets and favorites.

Astrologer Henry Seltzer aptly named this week's full moon as "The Painful Progress of the Sagittarius Full Moon" in his astrograph.com newsletter. This full moon opposes Mercury in addition to the Sun, inconjuncts Jupiter in Cancer and squares Chiron in Pisces, forming a T-square.  Henry likens it to being on a shamanic path because of the difficult changes we are going through and I couldn't agree more.

I googled shamanism and found a beautiful definition on:

www.shamanic.journey.com

that I would like to share:

"Healing is the most important function in shamanism along with prophecy as well as addressing the condition of the soul for healing to occur in the first place."

Venus in Taurus also opposes Saturn in Scorpio, which is trining Chiron in Pisces and this supports the theme of uncovering prior wounding.  Indeed, it is an opportunity to explore underlying difficulties in our relationships that prevent them from reaching their full potential.

The full moon falls in my third house and Neptune is stationing retrograde in my fifth house.  How is that playing out for me?  Well, I am trying to put myself out there in the community more in terms of developing my business by engaging in some creative behavior.  I would like to have some more Reiki clients, but I realize that no matter what you say or write about it, unless you have experienced Reiki, you just don’t understand it or how it can benefit you.  During the last two years when I was extremely stressed out from my job, I would do Reiki on myself every morning in the bathroom to destress.  This week I started thinking that a lot of people get that feeling of dread on Sunday at the thought of going back to work on Monday.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do something for yourself to prepare for the work week and balance your energy so that you are in a calm, relaxed state?  So I asked the owner of the acupuncture clinic that I work at if I could host a Reiki event on a Sunday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and offer 10 free chair Reiki sessions that are ten minutes long.  My usual sessions are twenty minutes and include a chair and a shikibuton where the client gets to lay down and receive treatment.  She agreed to it and it will be held on July 20^th, when Mercury is finally out of its shadow retrograde and Saturn is stationary direct.  It seems like Saturn has been retrograde forever, but in reality, only since March 2^nd.  It feels like forever to me because Saturn’s retrograde station began on my Venus and will resume direct motion three degrees away from my Sun. 

Transiting Pluto in Capricorn is still in my third house within striking distance of my north node, so it is high time that I make myself more visible to the community.  This does not come naturally to me, as I am a bonafide introvert, especially with Saturn in the first house conjunct the Sun. 

And did I mention that I work at a community clinic that offers acupuncture, herbal medicine and Reiki? This just seemed like the perfect way to harness the energies of the third and fifth houses.  Just in case anyone does want to learn more about the benefits of Reiki, check out this link:

http://everyonesacupuncture.com/what-reiki-can-do-for-you/

On June 14, 2014 we will revisit the themes of April’s Grand Cross with Mars in 12 degrees of Libra squaring Pluto in 13 degrees of Capricorn.  But this time Mars is direct this time (don’t you feel like you need a score card to keep up with all of these retrogrades?), so we can expect more cosmic support to implement those changes we have been contemplating.

In addition to Reiki, please consider getting an astrological reading to obtain more insight and healing during these challenging times. Check out my services page on this site at:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/services-offered.html

Please feel free to follow me on Twitter for my daily astrological insights at:

https://twitter.com/danceofphoenix

 Happy Friday the 13th and Full Moon!

Mercury Square Saturn and Health

Mercury in Aquarius is still in the retrograde shadow period until March 21^st, and I felt it in a big way this week.  I would attribute the majority of its impact to the square between Mercury and retrograde Saturn in Scorpio on March 10^th and 11^th.  Mercury in 22 degrees of Aquarius squared Saturn in 23 degrees of Scorpio, and it was intense.  I know that a common description of this aspect can be problems on the home front, and this played out big time for me this week.  Saturn in Scorpio conjuncted my natal Venus, which is never a fun transit.  It also conjuncted my progressed Black Moon, which triggered all of my worst fears about losing someone to death when a loved one spent 5 ½ hours in the ER after experiencing shortness of breath.  I was with him for 4 ½ excruciating hours until we knew that he would be admitted to the hospital.  All they could tell us was that he had fluid in his lung and an enlarged heart that was only working at 15% capacity.  He would need further tests which would need to be performed at another hospital and medication, dietary changes and an outpatient rehabilitation program in the future.

What was happening with his chart that day?  I generally like the moon in Cancer, but not so much that day.  For starters, it squared his north node in Libra in his 6^th house of health  and the moon squaring Uranus aspect that day was right on his ascendant.  Transiting Mars in Libra was conjunct his moon in the 7^th house and lest we not forget Saturn, it was conjunct his Ceres in Scorpio in the 8^th house.  He really needed to be taken care of that day or he could have died.

I’m not through dissecting that moon in Cancer squaring Uranus in Aries quite yet. The moon in Cancer, which was also conjunct Jupiter that day, happened to be conjunct my south node in the 9^th house.  Was there ever a day that faith was required! 

Mercury and Saturn did not play well together this week.  On Tuesday I received an email from a friend who had sprained her ankle while running for a bus.  Her exact words to me were: “What’s up with the stars????”

While Mercury was still squaring Saturn on March 11^th at 2:14 a.m., the sun in Pisces trined the moon in Cancer, which also trined Saturn in Scorpio. That water trine brought some much needed emotional stability before the moon moved into the sign of Leo at 10:09 p.m.  I felt much calmer and more centered in spite of the emotional chaos in my life.  I actually managed to do a tarot reading for someone that proved to be a source of comfort and support.

On Wednesday, March 12^th the moon in Leo trined Uranus in Aries, which was a big improvement over the moon squaring Uranus on Monday.  I wound up running into an old friend by accident, which was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.  So there is some proof that unexpected things can be beneficial and pleasant.  On March 13th, the moon in Leo inconjunced Pluto, Chiron and the sun, not so good while squaring Saturn and opposing Mercury.  How did this play out?  Well, my loved one got the news that he has severe blockage in two arteries and may need bypass surgery.  So Saturn was in play once again, indicating that restructuring of his health habits and routines was in order.  Saturn loves to deliver wakeup calls which can appear harsh, to say the least, but sometimes it is necessary.  In the long run, this may turn out to the best thing that ever happened for him in terms of extending the quality and length of his life.

And this weekend we have the full moon in Virgo, the sign of health.  On Sunday, March 16^th, we have a full moon in 26 degrees of Virgo.  I love what the great astrologer Isabel Hickey said about the Pisces/Virgo polarity: “Serve or suffer.”   I don’t know about you, but I prefer serving to suffering any day of the week!