Later today we enter the Gibbous phase, the last lunar phase before the Full Moon eclipse.
We’re now in eclipse time, so we’re paying attention rather than trying to get things done, watching for messages and omens, and being open to what may be ready to leave or wishing to enter.
The Gibbous phase is a square-and-a-half between the Sun and Moon, an awkward, challenging aspect. A heads up. A challenge to something we thought we’d handled already.
Most planets in the sky are in the later degrees of their signs, including the Sun, and there are many conversations going on there.
The Moon and Mars are in early degrees, along with the asteroid Ceres and the Nodes of the Moon. This smaller group points us toward the eclipse.
Mars is in the Moon’s sign of Cancer, ruled by the Moon. We’re exploring how we do emotion. How we act on feelings. However measured and calm we believe we are, Mars in Cancer will point out where emotions drive our actions.
This Mars is out of bounds,. The urge to act on feelings is a bit off the charts. Mars out of bounds is often the outlaw, acting outside the rules of society. Gangster or Robin Hood? Either can be true.
The Moon in Aquarius is austere, approaching emotions from a cerebral place. In the first decan of Aquarius, we’re in a place of exile, either forced out of our familiar life, or choosing to leave it behind.
We’re pushed to consider how we work with (or against) our feelings. Do we isolate, creating an emotional exile, perhaps even from ourselves? Do we go into a me-against-the-world place, feeling shut out and isolated?
The Aquarius Moon and Cancer Mars could lean into an angry or sad withdrawal from those we believe have failed us (which could include the world at large).
Exile can also be a conscious stepping away. Retreats of various kinds can illuminate our inner state in new and valuable ways.
Can we withdraw in a contemplative way, be with ourselves, allow our emotions to come forward, so we can understand ourselves better?
