by Robert Wilkinson
This Full Moon is extraordinarily dynamic, with lots of activity in the air! This is an extremely positive and spiritual Eclipse, capable of yielding many varied realizations across all sectors of reality. Gifts and serendipitous circumstances await those who find their place in the Cosmic Choir! Make courage your strength, and truth your shield, and let your light shine!
As long as we still have Jupiter in Libra and Uranus in Aries, the big lesson is to find a balanced expression of our “Lover-Relator” archetype. Jupiter is now direct and will form an opposition for many weeks to come. The “tension of opposites” of this axis can lead those on a path of Self-realization to live their uniqueness in an elegant, balanced way.
The primary line of opposition in this activating, frictional Full Moon is the Eclipse itself, flanked on both sides by Venus in Cancer opposed Pluto in Capricorn, and even though it will be “frustrated” by Mercury going retrograde, we also have Mercury opposition Neptune. Thus we have FOUR oppositions capable of bring wide and varied realizations, but also a lot of polarity. There is great strength to be realized when we learn how to manage the heart fire of Leo, and at its best, the Moon in Aquarius shows us broad and wide universal truths.
An Overview
We have a serious number of incredibly harmonious and specializing aspects at this Full Moon eclipse, implying that after the gear grinds of a month ago we can now open our hearts to the fullness of inspired loving creativity and authenticity shown by the Grand Fire Trine. This will mobilize our hearts toward more authentic self-expression, and many will see a greater “civilizing” force they will follow in the future.
Whereas last Full Moon there were literally NO harmonious aspects, and nothing but frictional ones, in this Eclipse there are literally NO frictional aspects, and lots of harmonious ones! I don’t consider oppositions as necessarily frictional, since they impel us to see both sides of any situation and come to a broader view of the totality of the issue revealed in the opposition. Even the quincunx from Mars to Neptune will bring favorable adjustments, given both Mars and Neptune have very strong supporting harmonious aspects from other planets.
To go from the last Full Moon with no favorable aspects to this one with nothing but favorable aspects is beyond extraordinary. And it should bring a sense of relief to those of us who have had to mobilize in various ways to overcome inertia or deal with challenging things that have disrupted our rhythm or routines. This Eclipse will open us to many new beginnings, with love and inspiration in the air!
Of primary importance are the number of spiritual aspects at work, which we’ll discuss in the next article on this Eclipse. And to remind you, Mars is triseptile Pluto, triggering the Grand Irrationality! I explained the affected zones in part 2, so check it out, since destiny is on the move for the next several months.
Why Are Full Moons So Important?
At a Full Moon, that which has opened since the previous New Moon surfaces in a public form, and heads toward the culmination and fruition symbolized by the second half of any cycle. First half, birth into form and field. Second half, culmination and completion of the purpose of that cycle.
That’s why it’s important to regard the New and Full Moon charts as “God’s Footprints in Time,” since one follows the other in an unending sequence of births of newer and newer seeds. The New Moons show us the seeds that will flourish under the reflected light of the Full Moon.
Full Moons heighten feelings, due to the opposition of the Moon and the Sun. As noted, this particular Lunation has 4 close oppositions, offering us all many opportunities across a broad spectrum of life to become aware of various opposing views, and hopefully, other points of view that resolve the “tension of opposites” and allow us a greater awareness of how to move opposing arguments into larger perspectives.
Dispositors - What's the Backdrop to the Energies?
The Moon is in Aquarius, making Saturn in Sag its worldly ruler, and Uranus in Aries its spiritual ruler. The Sun is in Leo, its home sign, making it the ruler of itself (of course!), and the Moon its spiritual ruler. Saturn in Sag is ruled by Jupiter in Libra, which is ruled by Venus in Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon. This creates the “chain of dispositors” involving the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. Mercury is in its home sign of Virgo and rules no other planet, making it a “standalone” final dispositor of itself. The Sun is the final dispositor for Mars and Uranus, and as usual, Neptune is also a standalone final dispositor of itself.
So this month we have no mutual receptions, one chain of dispositors involving a bunch of planets that don’t resolve in a final dispositor, and three final dispositors, which is very rare at any given time. You can find out more about dispositors in general, chains of dispositors, and mutual reception by going to Astrology Class – What Is A Dispositor and What Is Mutual Reception Between Two Planets?
The Sabian Symbols for the Full Moon
This Full Moon falls at 16 Leo and Aquarius. It is said that the middle third (decan) of any sign deals with the emotional, social, and cultural levels of life, and as the Lunation is in the second decan of those signs, invokes a sub-influence of Sagittarius and Gemini.
The Sun is the Light, while the Moon gives form to that Light. With the Sun in Leo, we are illuminated by expressing our hearts, naturally and creatively, shining the Light of Love to our entire world so it lights up and everyone knows they are part of that Light. Leo is strong, courageous, and playful in its natural expression. Leo is the fifth sign, and externalizes in creative ways the emotional grounding and centering we experience in Cancer in personally relevant ways after the mental explorations of Gemini.
The Moon in Aquarius shows the Light of Leo will take form through the Aquarius qualities of seeing a higher broader vision, a greater group effort to benefit future generations, and an impersonal view of the process of bringing the greatest good to the greatest number. Aquarius sees the future, as well as truths that apply to all of humanity. Aquarius takes the power, responsibility, and public gravitas of Capricorn and ennobles it within a great vision for some section of humanity. This Full Moon will show us how to express the Light of Release in focused forms of Management.
Since the Moon always focuses the light of the Sun in specific forms, the degree symbols for both are important. The Sun degree is the illumination or enlightenment of the Lunation, whereas the Moon shows us the potential forms that enlightenment will take. Though I’ve given you a sense of what this is about up to now, here’s where we go into detail.
The Solar degree symbol for the 16th degree of Leo is “Sunshine just after a storm.” According to Rudhyar’s notes from the Marc Jones class, this degree is one of “A return to values after a major life crisis,” “cleansing power of suffering overcome,” and “Mastery of strain – or indifference.”
In the Astrological Mandala, he says this degree involves “the surge of life and love after a major crisis,” where we see “how brilliant the light after the long ‘night of the soul’.” He offers that this is release, “light and life singing in the cleansed and refreshed mind, flooded … by the waters of feeling.”
He states this “reveals consciousness at its most inspiring moments of enjoyments,” having “peak experiences” in multiple realms of experience. He says this symbol is one of “the joy and power of new beginnings,” and falls in the Span of Interpretation, and is the first degree of the actional level of the Scene of Release in the Act of Stabilization.
Dr. Marc E Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of “personal stability” through psychological recuperation. He states “here is nature’s inevitable return to enduring values … after every major issue of life.” In this degree we find “consequent opportunity for self to regrasp itself and to enlist every element of its environment in some new effort or fresh approach to experience.”
He goes on to say that “Everyday stress and strain are found of high use, either as a clearance or a reconstruction in all human affairs.” He offers us the keyword RECOVERY. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is “exceptional steadiness of perspective and fidelity to individual responsibility.”
So we enter a time of illumination through the joy and power of new beginnings, either after the Eclipse removes what we no longer need, or through the recovery of a form of stability that allows us to regrasp life in some important way. This is the Light empowering forms of “regenerative returns,” brightening our perspective about our duty to ourselves.
The Lunar degree symbol for the 16th degree of Aquarius is “A big-businessman at his desk.” According to Rudhyar’s notes from the Marc Jones class, this degree is one of "the central control of operations needed in all organized enterprise,” “the head function,” “surety in decision,” and “management.”
In the Astrological Mandala he goes on to say this is a degree of "the ability to organize the many aspects of an enterprise involving a large group of human beings.” He offers that this symbol relates to the New Age ideal of humanity learning to use collective power harmoniously and for the welfare of the greater good, which has “never been achieved and only very rarely attempted.”
He goes on to say that this symbol relates to “modern large-scale management and systems analysis,” regardless of how these are to be applied in the personal life. He states this symbol “introduces the concept of management … at this period of the cyclic life process,” which may need to be reformulated if we are to fulfill our spiritual potential, and offers us the keyword “organation,” as in our being part of a “life organism.” He says this degree falls in the Span of Perspective, Act of Capitalization, and Scene of Management on the Actional-Physical level.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of "personal stability through organizational powers,” shown by “an efficient participation in everyday affairs.” He offers that we must tend to our fundamental interests “through the ebb and flow of circumstances” if we are to maintain our “position or advantage” in our life affairs.
He states we are “genuinely successful as (we) remain undisturbed within (ourselves) through the ramifying vicissitudes. Personality is developed as it is challenged to prove itself.” He offers the keyword ACCOMPLISHMENT, and states that when operating positively, the degree is "effective self-realization through achievement of consequence.”
From these symbols it seems we can see the light of finding “the joy and power of new beginnings,” whether at the beginning, middle, or end of a period of self-regeneration, expressed through managing something about our lives in an organic way that leads us to a self-realization as well as some “achievement of consequence.” We can find illumination in releasing and demonstrating heart power in actions, expressed through a self-maintenance that isn’t thrown off balance by the “vicissitudes” of life.
TransPluto, Divine Mother, Neptune, and the Polarization in the Collective Atmosphere
In the Full Moon charts of 2009-2012, Neptune was in a very close opposition to TransPluto, the planet symbolizing Divine Mother Energy. That’s a major factor in why things became so polarized during those years, teaching humanity compassion and the need for Viveka, or Divine Discrimination. This has offered all of us opportunities to join together in the Great Mother and realize our interrelatedness on a feeling level with All-That-Is.The energies of Divine Mother will only grow stronger throughout this century, and these will be demonstrated each time the planets make significant aspects to TransPluto. In this chart TransPluto is again in direct motion at 1 Virgo, giving us another experience of the initial step into this new Virgo era where Divine Mother takes center stage and shows us the long term future of humanity. As it is also still conjunct the North Node (which still occupies the 25th degree of Leo), we are all being pulled toward a greater liberation from ego, a greater compassion, or a redemption we’ve wanted for a long time, this time via heart energy and sharing it with others so all may know a greater group magnetic attraction.
We now have entered a period of revisiting the lessons of the last times it occupied 2 Virgo, and we now confront another phase of our “liberating ordeal.” The first time we went through this “liberating ordeal” was between October 2014 and mid-January 2015, at which time it retrograded back to 1 Virgo. It re-entered 2 Virgo in early September 2015, and stayed at that degree until February 2016, when it retrograded back to 1 Virgo.
In mid-May it went stationary direct at 1 Virgo, and then re-entered 2 Virgo in early August 2016. It remained at this second degree of Virgo until the end of March 2017, after which it retrograded back to 1 Virgo where it was until a few days ago. As you can see, we’ll be dealing with themes related to 1 and 2 Virgo for a long time to come.
In terms of the larger Era, we’ve now ended the TransPluto (Percephone, Parvati) in Leo era that we knew from September 20, 1935 through July 4, 2014. The transition period where this planet danced at the last degree of Leo and first two degrees of Virgo began October 2011 and ended July 2014.
Interestingly, because the NN is now in late Leo, the line of greatest development is the degree TransPluto occupied off and on between August 1996 and June 2000. It was at 25 Leo during Aug 1996 through March 1997, July through October 1997, January 1998 through September 1998, February 1999 through August 1999, and March 2000 through June 2000.
On July 4, 2014, TransPluto left Leo for many centuries, and entered into Virgo for the next century. Because 2 Virgo symbolizes “a liberating ordeal” and the planet occupying that degree symbolizes Divine Mother energy, I would think that would mean we all have been and continue to be tested to allow compassion and understanding to come forth as humanity stands at the crossroads of time.
Of note is that Jupiter conjuncted TransPluto in August 2015 in Virgo, beginning a new 12 year cycle of how these “Divine Mother energies” will manifest. It also began a new long wave era, since Jupiter will conjunct TransPluto in Virgo every 12 years until the 22nd century!
Related to this, Venus went stationary retrograde exactly conjunct TransPluto in late July 2015, setting up Venusian manifestations of Divine Mother that will show each and every time 1 Virgo is transited. That means the Venusian Divine Mother promise of late July 2015 was expanded, or set into motion somehow, by Jupiter's transit of 1 Virgo in mid-August 2015, and then took expression due to Mars’ transit of that degree in late September 2015, and found “beauty of form” when Venus transited it in early October 2015.
Those two conjunctions have dominated the Virgo landscape in our charts since then, and were given new value, new power, and new understanding with the inner planet transits over those early degrees between late July and late August 2016. The Mars-Jupiter cycle set into motion in October 2015 in mid-Virgo will continue through their next conjunction in mid-Scorpio January 2018.
The first two degrees of Virgo have been activated again in 2017, since Mercury made its first conjunction to TransPluto this year in late July. This was the first of several conjunctions with TransPluto this year. The Sun will enter Virgo and transit these degrees around Aug 22-24, followed by Mercury’s retrograde conjunction to TransPluto between Aug 28-31.
Mars makes its conjunction Sept 5-6, followed by Mercury in direct motion making its third conjunction Sept 9-11, with closure this year coming from Venus’ conjunction on Sept 19-21 at the time of the New Moon at 28 Virgo. (Interestingly, that New Moon degree is in the span of the multiple Mercury-Venus conjunctions with Jupiter in late August and early September 2015.)
So we’ve officially entered a different Spiritual Era that will last through July 2107, when it leaves Virgo for good and re-enters Libra for the first time in many centuries, also after a few years of dancing on the cusp of Virgo and Libra. I offered you a bit more about this vast spiritual energy field in Astrology in the Age of Aquarius - Transpluto, a.k.a Divine Mother, Parvati, and Percephone.
See you soon with part 4, covering aspects, planetary sequencing, and other important factors in this Full Moon!
Previous articles in this series:
© Copyright 2017 Robert Wilkinson
Fascinating - thank you! I have Pluto natally at 2 Virgo, and transiting my moon this year at 19 Cap. This full moon also coincides with my Jupiter return at 17 Libra, and Saturn conjunct natal Venus at 21 Sag. Interesting times! May the full moon bring you all good things, Robert.
Posted by: Lainie | August 05, 2017 at 05:47 PM
What a spiritually uplifting post, Robert!
I'm not too happy with the next Solar Eclipse coming with its 29 degree pattern which bats me around all over the place, but I can't wait for your explanation which is always so positive and encouraging.
Thank you and blessings,
Sue
Posted by: J. Sue | August 06, 2017 at 07:51 AM