by Robert Wilkinson
This practical, idealizing, intensifying, and productive Full Moon illuminates the light of tender care for what we value within the realm of a higher duty expressed in ways that make the spiritual a reality. Many will be abruptly shaken free and mobilize toward a higher, more noble way, with great opportunities to choose action more carefully and altruistically rather than merely from instinct. This Full Moon fulfills the Solstice New Moon!
This Full Moon occurs at 8:53 pm PST, 11:53 pm EST January 4, and 4:53 am Greenwich January 5. It falls at the 15th degree of Capricorn and Cancer, showing the light of fulfilled personal responsibility and power expressed in caring, sensitive, nurturing ways. This one will mobilize us, with the maximum pressure behind us and some bright skies ahead!
This one gives a multi-faceted understanding or coordination of the initiatives of last month’s Full Moon that activated us, with themes related to being “liberated from adverse conditions” through “spectacular events” that led us to full mobilization. These liberations will become part of our lives in an integrated way in the last half of January and the first half of February.
As with last month’s Full Moon, this one continues the theme where some will receive a form of “Cosmic visitation,” and transcendence is in the air! Just remember there are many ways to understand and describe an experience, so try to avoid letting old patterns prevail over liberating ones. This one intensifies the future oriented action that began in early December that is completely future oriented.
Also, last month was our last Full Moon with Saturn in Scorpio until next June, and this Full Moon is the first of many with Saturn in Sagittarius. As Saturn rules Capricorn, it becomes very important in this lunation. We’ve now all but finished our lessons around structuring our magnetism to learn how to give and receive without clutching or antagonism.
Today’s Full Moon post has some changes. First, I just don’t have the time to compute the rising signs around the world, so that part gets dropped in this article. If enough of you want me to compute some of the global Ascendants in the next Lunation series, let me know, Today we’ll do an overview of the Lunation and some of its primary qualities. In parts 2 and 3 we’ll cover Sabian Symbols, aspects, distributions, and patterns.
Because the New Moon preceding the Full Moon always represents the seed forms that are brought to surface at and after the Full Moon, please check out the recent New Moon articles The New Moon in Capricorn Pt. 1 – What’s Happening in December 2014 and January 2015 and The December 2014 New Moon in Capricorn Pt. 2 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means.
An Overview
This Full Moon materializes the spiritual in some way. Besides being in a string of Full Moons that are transfiguring, this one is also mobilizing, quickening, intensifying practical, and visionary. Though the Sun conjunct Pluto septile Neptune is barely separating, it’s still close enough to place the Grand Irrationality front and center! Add that the Full Moon is barely separating off the T-square with Uranus, it’s clear that we’ll all need to find balance, a well-rounded perspective, and a sense of moderation.
In general, this Full Moon will bring tenderness, and also visions of larger service and messages that show us how to get to our “spiritual homecoming.” There are relative few aspects in this chart, almost all of them productive. This one paves the way to a broader life and view.
Saturn now opens new perspectives as it begins its long stay in Sagittarius, the sign of truth, philosophy, law, spirituality, distant visions, and future possibilities. It’s on a degree of intensification, and at this time of the year, leads the occupied segment in Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries. That makes seeing duty and responsibility in terms of personal truth and how these are helping or hindering your future as the primary lessons to be learned now.
Is the Grand Irrationality A Factor in this Full Moon?
The Grand Irrationality, along with the other non-rational configurations that happen off and on, indicate that we’ve been living in an era of very heavy decisions determining the future destiny of humanity since 1993. In this Full Moon, we shall see the seeds of far-reaching change and transformation vitalized, with the end of old ideals coming and new ideals suddenly seen via social interactions.
So yes, the Grand Irrationality is in play via the Sun conjunct Pluto septile Neptune. The Grand Irrationality is a long wave configuration set into motion every time a planet makes a conjunction, septile, biseptile, or triseptile to Neptune and Pluto. Septile series aspects show us points in time when our future destiny is precipitated by critical choices made in the present.
Because these involve the outermost spiritual planets, they show a long wave evolutionary crisis for the entire human race. Since 1993, at one point or another, everyone on Earth has experienced a nonstop energy of having to choose, at the bottom of our beings, the path to evolution or devolution, progress or regress, love or fear, joy or control. It’s why things have been so weird, irrational, and hard-edged.
There are two old articles at the bottom of this post about it, and I’ll compose something more in the near future. I’ll also be covering this configuration in great depth in the class I’m creating on 2015 – A General Overview for all Signs. For now, the current seven “hot zone” spans that trigger the Grand Irrationality are approximately 6-10 Leo, 27 Virgo-1 Libra, 19-23 Scorpio, 11-15 Capricorn, 2-6 Pisces, 23-27 Aries, and 14-18 Gemini.
We’ve now returned to a time of the year when Neptune is again in septile to Pluto, which is the main aspect anchoring the Grand Irrationality. Right now Neptune is 52 degrees and 11 minutes away from Pluto, so they’re definitely in septile, and the configuration will be triggered over the next few months every time any other planet transits any of the 7 zones listed above.
So now the Grand Irrationality gains strength as we move through Autumn and Winter, and will again lessen in strength in the late Winter into next Spring and Summer. As I’ve explained in other articles, that means that in the Autumn and Winter (in the Northern Hemisphere) they operate as a simultaneous “pulse,” since they’re both aspected near the same time. But in the Spring and Summer we experience it as a rolling influence, with first Pluto aspected, and then Neptune at some time after that, depending on which planet is doing the aspect to these planets.
Important Factors
This Lunation brings us a mixed bag of aspects which I’ll discuss in parts 2 & 3. On the harmonious side, we have Mercury conjunct Venus, quadranovile Jupiter, sextile Saturn, and quintile Uranus, all very positive and harmonious influences. We also have Sun biquintile Jupiter and semisquare Saturn, Mars semisquare Uranus, Jupiter trine Uranus and biquintile Pluto, Saturn square Neptune and novile Pluto, and the eternally present and now very exact and tremendously powerful Uranus square Pluto.
Ordinarily Jupiter is the handle of the combination Bucket and Locomotive Jones patterns in play most of the time. That makes it a huge player in how we do what we do most of the time. Jupiter in Leo makes for an adventure in courage, spontaneity, and self-expression, so face forward and move on up and out! All that we felt, all the emotional intelligence we learned, and all we got clear about regarding what nurtures our growth from June 2013 through June 2014 when Jupiter was in Cancer, is now able to be the source of great fun and a lot of love!
However, this chart is neither a Bucket nor Locomotive, which is very peculiar since that almost never happens at this time of year. Due to the spread, this chart is more of a Splay, where the planets jut out at odd angles.
So What is a “Splay Pattern” and how does it work?
This month is fairly spread out in terms of planets in signs, since the 10 planets occupy 7 signs and are fairly spread out irregularly around the zodiacal wheel. When planets are all over the map, and don’t fall in any sort of coherent distribution in the signs, it creates a “Splay” Jones Pattern. As Marc Jones put it, “the arrangement is neither even nor symmetrical,” revealing “strong and sharp aggregations of the planets at irregular points.”
Dr. Jones states “This suggests highly individual or purposeful emphases in the life, where the temperament juts out into experiences according to its own very special tastes.” This pattern “makes its own anchorage in existence,” and has a quality of “rugged resistance to pigeonholing, either in the near conventional compartments of nature, or in the idea-pockets of associates.”
He goes on to state this pattern gives a “persistent emphasis on individuality,” and the “spokelike emphases of the planetary groupings” are random, but have a “tripod” footing and approach to life circumstances. He says this pattern “reveals a very intensive personality who cannot be limited to any single steady point of application.” This temperament is “particular and impersonal in its interests,” rather than “universal-impersonal” or “particular-personal.”
This implies that affairs will be diversely spread out, some will not mesh well with others, and there will be a “hub and spoke" quality to what happens these next 4 weeks. This spread shows a wide diversity of things going on that promotes individuality.
We’re now done with many things from the past, gone deeper into how we experience everything, and now, having tamed and trained our lower nature, can put it to use, and maybe even inspire others. We now have a new resoluteness (and hopefully patience), and are able to “put on the show” in the emotional-social realm to release powerful creative heart energies. This month’s Moon in Cancer will put the focus on Jupiter skills and truths we cultivated between August 2013 and May 2014, so that we may a higher spiritual truth materially real in some way.
As Jupiter is now on a degree of “a carrier pigeon” we can find and/or deliver the message we are trained to offer to others. We’re now reviewing degrees Jupiter has traversed since early September, and for the next two weeks, pay attention to what message you have to give to your world, and express it playfully, creatively, and spontaneously. Demonstrate your training, and put on the show!
Is the Sun Following the Moon, or the Moon Following the Sun?
This is the eighteenth Full Moon where the Sun falls in the same sign to the Sun at the previous New Moon. We’re now in the “normal” pattern we last experienced between September 2010 and June 2012, which will continue through early 2015. We are no longer in the “reversed pattern” we dealt with between June 2012 and August 2013, where the Full Moon Sun was in a different sign than the previous New Moon.
As I've explained in previous Full Moon articles,
... the Full Moon being in a subsequent sign than the previous New Moon indicates that what is released as realizations in the Full Moon period actually "prepares the ground" for the coming New Moon seed. Strange reversal of function, since you would think the New Moon provides the seed for the next Full Moon. But this set of Lunations works the opposite way....Another way to look at this is the Sun sign of the Full Moon is the same as and precedes the Sun sign of the next New Moon, reversing the usual way Lunations work. So the fulfillment of the Full Moon sets up the next "seed" to be revealed at the next New Moon....
So Sept 2010 through May 2012 we had the New Moon Sun in the same sign as the subsequent Full Moon Sun every month. This shifted in June 2012, when we had a New Moon at 1 Gemini in late May, a Full Moon at 15 Gemini-Sag in early June, and another New Moon at 29 Gemini in late June. That began the sequence of the New Moon Sun at the end of one sign, with the following Full Moon Sun in the next sign.
So June 2012 began the reversed experience from the “normal” New Moon-Full Moon cycle. We had an illuminated form shown to us at the Full Moon, followed by the Sun being in the same sign as the previous Full Moon. This is fulfillment followed by similar Solar seeds of potential while reversing the natural process.
That ended in August 2013, and we’re again in a sequence where the Full Moon Sun is the same sign as the previous New Moon Sun. To illustrate, the January 11, 2013 New Moon Sun was at 22 Capricorn, while the next Full Moon Sun was at 8 Aquarius. The February 10, 2013 New Moon Sun was at 22 Aquarius, while the next Full Moon Sun was at 8 Pisces.
Continuing through the Spring, the March 11, 2013 New Moon Sun was at 22 Pisces, while the next Full Moon Sun was at 7 Aries. The April 10 New Moon Sun was at 21 Aries, while the next Full Moon Sun was at 6 Taurus. The May 9 New Moon Solar Eclipse was at 20 Taurus, while the next Full Moon Sun was at 5 Gemini. The June 8 New Moon was at 19 Gemini, while the next Full Moon Sun was at 3 Cancer.
This “reversed Sun sign” phenomenon ended then. In August 2013 we had a New Moon Sun at 15 Leo on August 6-7, and then the Full Moon Sun at 29 Leo. In September we had a New Moon Sun at 14 Virgo, and then we had a Full Moon Sun at 27 Virgo. In October we had a New Moon Sun at 12 Libra, and then a Full Moon Sun at 26 Libra.
In November, we had a New Moon Solar Eclipse Sun at 12 Scorpio, and then a Full Moon Sun at 26 Scorpio. In December, we had a New Moon at 11 Sagittarius, and then a Full Moon at 26 Sagittarius. In January 2014, we had a New Moon at 11 Capricorn, and a Full Moon Sun at 26 Capricorn.
The New Moon of late January had the Sun at 11 Aquarius, while the Full Moon Sun was at 27 Aquarius. The New Moon in late February/early March had the Sun at 11 Pisces, and Full Moon Sun is at 27 Pisces. The New Moon in late March had the Sun at 10 Aries, and the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse had the Sun at 26 Aries.
The New Moon Solar Eclipse in late April had the Sun at 9 Taurus, while the Sun at the Wesak Full Moon was 24 Taurus. The next New Moon Sun was 8 Gemini, and the Full Moon Sun is at 23 Gemini. The New Moon Sun at 6 Cancer was followed by the Full Moon Sun is at 21 Cancer.
Recently, the Partial Solar Eclipse New Moon was at 1 Scorpio, and the following Full Moon Sun was at 15 Scorpio. Last month’s New Moon was at 1 Sagittarius, and the Full Moon Sun was at 15 Sagittarius. Two weeks ago the New Moon was at 1 Capricorn, and this Full Moon Sun is at 15 Capricorn. So this continues the pattern of the “natural” order of Lunation Suns, offering us seeds shown in the first half, fulfillment in the second half.
From Here We Go On
The next two weeks require openness, willingness, positivity, humor, flexibility, determination, and self-mobilization. There is tremendous potential for brilliant and unique flashes of creative insight, with not much gear grinding. Again, due to Venus, many will get a “cosmic visitation,” where you can act in a way that contributes to a greater future. Keep finding the humor, joy, and irony in situations as you dance with creative ways to express yourself, your skills and talents, and your heart.
The lesson of the Summer was seeing how to withdraw with dignity from people and circumstances that have been wasting our time. For some, a huge expansion through sacrifice as we learned to trust “the God Within.” This Full Moon shows us the way to greater organized discipline, ability to care for things in mature ways, and precision in self-expression. In parts two and three, we will explore the Sabian Symbols, aspects, and other important chart factors.
This is the second Full Moon chart that anticipates events in February related to the coming Mercury retrograde. Last month Mars was at 2 Aquarius, and this month Venus is at 2 Aquarius. That is the exact degree where Mercury will go stationary direct after its late January and early February retrograde period.
If you want to know in advance what to expect when Mercury is retrograde in Aquarius, if you haven't already gotten your copy, you may want to go over to the Amazon or Barnes and Noble ebook websites and get a copy of the new 2nd edition of my book A New Look At Mercury Retrograde. It was written for both astrologers and laypeople, and has just about everything you could want to know about Mercury retrograde, from how it works, what it means, celebrities who have it in their charts, historic events that happened during Mercury retrograde, and what signs are involved in future Mercury retrograde periods.
By knowing more about 2014's Mercury retrograde periods in Pisces/Aquarius, Cancer/Gemini, and Scorpio/Libra, you may see patterns in what was going on in your life, what you were taking a new look at and why, and how this "looking back" influenced your choices as you moved through the past year's events. And of course, you will have the advance info on 2015's Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra. Here's the link to where you can order your copy of the new edition of my ebook, A New Look at Mercury Retrograde.
For more about the Grand Irrationality:
Astrology in November-December 2013 - The Grand Irrationality Affecting Everyone
Astrology in late November and Early December 2013 – In the Heart of the Grand Irrationality.
© Copyright 2015 Robert Wilkinson
hmm...well on Dec 30th I was told at work, that I was being replaced in a week.....
so needless to say....I am definitely ready for a "cosmic vistation" and some insight!
Posted by: christy | January 03, 2015 at 07:31 PM
Thanks Robert. Interesting and clear. Ready for the next post on this Full Moon.
Blessings be
Posted by: Nic | January 04, 2015 at 10:16 AM
Thank you so much for your responsible work, Robert. What I love with your work is that you emphasize the spiritual meaning of transits. You are not limited in interpretations of lower levels. Happy NEW Year.
Posted by: Kate Minogianni | January 04, 2015 at 01:43 PM
Thanks again, Robert, for all your efforts. We rally appreciate you. People also need to say thank you to your patient wife, who allows you to spend so many hours writing for all of us.
Posted by: dcu | January 04, 2015 at 04:44 PM