by Robert Wilkinson
This distributive, disciplined, clarifying, and task-oriented Full Moon illuminating truth and larger vistas of understanding occurs on Nov 25, 2015, at 2:44 pm PST, 5:44 pm EST, and 10:44 pm GMT and falls at the 4th degree of Sagittarius and Gemini. As with all Full Moons, use the light of the Scorpionic purification you’ve been seeing and expressing since the New Moon, and give it form and focus to fill any residual void left over from June 2011.
Today’s Full Moon post will be an overview of the Lunation and some of its primary qualities. In parts 2 and 3 we’ll cover the Sabian Symbols, aspects, distributions, and patterns.
We’ve now been in many months where the Full Moon Sun is not the same as the Sun sign of the previous New Moon. I’ll explain the importance of this later in this article. 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 Scorpio Pt. 1 – What’s Happening in November-December 2015 as well as The New Moon in Scorpio Pt. 2 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means.
An Overview
This Full Moon will shine a new light on the Saturn in Sag lessons of January through May 2015, while renewing the yearly Sun-Saturn cycle by anticipating the conjunction of these two planets on Nov 29/30. This will help us all see what disciplines and responsibilities open doors to our future, but it will require a sober approach without unnecessary heaviness or narrow thinking. This will be a training and learning two weeks, with renewals and an intensification of our feelings to come.
This is a Lunation that requires precision and organization to actualize its promise. Because of the mutable T-square made by the Sun and Moon both square Neptune, keep it clear and simple. We’ll all be facing issues around what roles we’re playing and which ones we’re not, and need to find clarity about the details of any given plan or work. That's why simplicity is a strength during the next two weeks. This is an experimental Full Moon, and opens a more mature understanding of broader things.
We’re definitely in the Jupiter in Virgo era, kicked off by the Sun conjunct Jupiter at 4 Virgo in late August and reinforced by the Mars and Venus conjunctions to Jupiter in late October. This shows opportunities for those who have a precise plan and a way of executing it, so take a broad view of future possibilities that may take some time to come to completion.
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. To refresh you, 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.
This Lunation does not directly trigger the Grand Irrationality, since there are no septile-series aspects made to Neptune or Pluto, though the configuration will be triggered the last 10 days of December when Mercury conjuncts Pluto and septiles Neptune around the time that Venus in Scorpio septiles Pluto and biseptiles Neptune. Until then, we’re merely dealing with Saturn square Neptune, another major influence in these confusing and weirdly unreal times.
Because this configuration involves Neptune and Pluto, 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.
At this time, the current seven “hot zone” spans that trigger the Grand Irrationality are approximately 10-14 Leo, 1-5 Libra, 22-26 Scorpio, 13-17 Capricorn, 5-9 Pisces, 26-30 Aries, and 18-22 Gemini.
In recent months we’ve been out of the time period of the year when Neptune is in septile to Pluto, which is the main aspect anchoring the Grand Irrationality. Right now Neptune is still 53 degrees and 09 minutes away from Pluto, so they’re again close enough to be in septile, and will be triggered in the configuration during those times mentioned above, as well as each time the Moon is in one of those 7 zones.
At this time, the Grand Irrationality gains strength as we move through Autumn and into Winter, and will again lessen in strength in the late Winter into the 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 forming aspects which I’ll discuss in parts 2 & 3. In this chart, there’s only one septile-series aspect, the Jupiter triseptile Uranus. This promises significant choices and forks in the road where they fall and rule in our charts. We also have some intensely frictional minor aspects (don’t know why they’re called “minor” when they can induce times of inner crisis!), as well as the very powerful mutable T-square the Lunation makes with Neptune, pulling in both Venus and Saturn in 4 points of a Great Octile.
In this Full Moon, the span occupied by the inner planets (in this chart Mars in Libra through Mercury in early Sagittarius) is a wide spread of 60+ degrees, and includes two signs. That makes Libra and Sagittarius very active these next two weeks. This month we have the 10 traditional planets occupying 7 signs, in a widespread distribution.
This Lunation, along with the inner planets, creates an occupied span that includes Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Pisces, Aries, and Gemini, with an approximate 1/3 span unoccupied between the Moon and Jupiter. That creates a “Locomotive” Jones chart pattern, where we lead with Jupiter in Virgo and close with Moon in Gemini.
So What is a “Locomotive Pattern” and how does it work?
This type of spread, with all the planets occupying approximately 2/3 of the signs with an empty third, creates an imbalance that leads to power if we can find the compensatory “weight” to make things move forward smoothly rather than rock side to side creating friction. Target what is needed, and provide compensatory energies accordingly.
As Marc Jones put it, “this type of horoscope reveals a balance of this sort in the life. A third part of things… consisting of a free span in experience, is set against a two-thirds part, embracing a related but limited span in experience…. The basis of the dynamic is found in the native’s resulting strong sense of a lack or a need, of a problem to be solved, a task to be achieved in the social and intellectual world around him.”
Dr. Jones states “The temperament reveals a self-driving individuality, an executive eccentricity that is not … unbalance but rather is power. It exhibits a dynamic and exceptionally practical capacity which is neither the broad universality of the Splash pattern, nor the special obsession with some particularly narrowed aspect of experience characteristic of the Bundle people.
He goes on to state “The Locomotive classification is … moved more by external factors in the environment than by aspects of its own character. The point of application for the powers of the self is shown … by the “leading planet,” or the one of the two in the empty trine which forms its aspect clockwise in the zodiac, irrespective of any distinction as “applying” or “separating.”
Jupiter in Virgo is the leading planet in the Locomotive. Take the humor, vision, and heart strengths you cultivated when Jupiter in Leo was the leading planet of the Locomotive in 2014, and find ways to reclaim that power and vision in a practical form. Be willing to experiment and be educated, or be experimental when called to educate another. Improve your effectiveness in forms of group interaction and training, since the next two weeks we can improve our social cooperation and effectiveness.
We can use the Jupiterian vision and optimism in precise ways to initiate concentrated Virgo actions. Because the leading edge of the Locomotive is in Earth and the closing edge is in Air, keep opening to a simple, grounded practicality and enjoyment of life, and close cycles of activity with a willingness to see things from many points of view.
As the Locomotive keeps things out of balance, Jupiter at the front end is the means to find ways of initiating activity that must be accompanied by a compensatory “weight” to keep things moving forward rather than sideways. The more we work with the imbalances that can lead us to effective action to ground the process while adapting to acquire future needs and protective devices.
As we open the span of experience with Jupiter in Virgo, and close the span with Moon in Gemini, this is when we can see the Light of what we’ve learned while Saturn has been in Sagittarius, and focus that vision, truth, or adventure so it expresses the promise of when Jupiter was in Gemini a few years ago. With the Moon closing the span, much that we capture in our adventure will take care of some basic needs. Again, because it's in Gemini, there may be a need to keep everything as simple as possible.
Is the Sun Following the Moon, or the Moon Following the Sun?
We now continue the pattern of the Full Moon Sun falling in a different sign than the Sun of the previous New Moon. We’ve now completed the “normal” pattern we last experienced between September 2013 and September 2014, and are now in the “reversed pattern” we last experienced 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....
The first New Moon in the new pattern had the Sun at 30 Aquarius in February 2015, with the Full Moon Sun at 15 Pisces in March. The second New Moon was the Solar Eclipse at 30 Pisces, with the following Full Moon Sun at 15 Aries. The third had the New Moon Sun at 29 Aries, and the Sun at the next Full Moon at 14 Taurus. The fourth had the New Moon Sun at 26 Gemini, and the last Full Moon Sun is at 10 Cancer. The last New Moon was at 20 Scorpio, while this Full Moon Sun is at 4 Sagittarius.
So we’re in the heart of “the other” natural pattern, and will return to the pattern of the “natural” order of Lunation Suns beginning in June 2016 with the New Moon in Gemini and the subsequent Full Moon Sun also in Gemini. Since the New Moon offers us seeds in the first half of the month’s lunar cycle, and fulfillment in the second half, and we’re still in the stage of different Sun signs at the Lunations, this one takes the “Seed Light” of focused magnetism represented by Scorpio and comes to a Full Moon illumination through the clarity of Taurus.
See you in the near future with parts two and three, where we will explore the Sabian Symbols, aspects, and other important chart factors.
A New Look At Mercury Retrograde
Though Mercury is now moving forward, quickening in its journey through Sagittarius. By December it will begin to slow down, preparing to go retrograde in early January at 2 Aquarius, guaranteeing all of us a “cosmic visitation” that will galvanize us to action. While that sounds very dramatic, you can bet you’re going to mobilize in the area of your chart where 2 Aquarius falls. We’ll begin to experience the retrograde effect very strongly by 19 December, when it enters its retrograde “shadow zone.”
That’s why if you haven't already gotten your copy, you may want to buy a copy of the new expanded 2nd edition of my pioneering book A New Look At Mercury Retrograde, the 2015 winner in its category of The Indie Spiritual Book Awards.
The first major work on Mercury retrograde ever written, it offers in-depth information about Mercury retrograde people, Mercury retrograde in the various signs and houses, and what the entire Mercury Retrograde phenomenon is about. If you want to know what we can expect from the coming Mercury retrograde in Aquarius and Capricorn, or 2015’s Mercury retrogrades in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra, or the others in any other sign and the influence in the houses, it’s all in there.
By knowing more about 2014's Mercury retrograde periods in Pisces/Aquarius, Cancer/Gemini, and Scorpio/Libra, as well as 2015’s Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius, Gemini, and 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 past events. And you can get a heads up by taking a look at the coming 2016 Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius/Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn/Sagittarius. It’s all in the book!
Here's the Createspace link to the page where you can purchase a paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde, and here’s the link to where you can order your copy of the ebook copy of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde.
© Copyright 2015 Robert Wilkinson
Thanks Robert, as usual very clear and as usual looking forward to parts 2&3.
Blessings be to all.
Posted by: Nic | November 24, 2015 at 12:34 PM
Hi Robert, do you consider the midpoints as important areas of our chart where transit/ eclipse/ "hot zone" span can trigger/activate them as if it was a natal planet?
Thank you!
Posted by: Maggie | November 25, 2015 at 03:44 AM