The Full Moon in Sagittarius arrives Saturday, May 21. Here in Ireland, the time will be 10:14 pm. Back home in Indiana, it will be 5:14 pm. For other time zones, adjust accordingly. This Full Moon will definitely call for adjustments.
As Sun enters bright, energetic Gemini, the grounding Earth energy we felt at the Taurus New Moon is still with us: Venus and Mercury remain in Taurus. In fact, we still have a Grand Trine in Earth, with Mercury in Taurus, Jupiter in Virgo, the North Node in Virgo, and Pluto in Capricorn. We may want to connect consciously to the steadiness this Grand Trine represents.
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This is the time of the Gemini Sun, the transition from Spring to Summer. In Gemini, we gather data. Ideas. Shells. Glitter. Stuff. Whatever comes to hand, we’ll collect. We’re intrigued by random juxtapositions. We look for new connections. There’s a lot happening, and we’re not sure what it means.
The Moon in Sagittarius opposes the Gemini Sun. Both signs are explorers. Both travel, seeking new experiences. Where Gemini reaches out to bring in more, Sagittarius seeks to understand more. One dance of opposites at this Full Moon is the pull between information and understanding. Do we have enough to go on? Are we using what we already know wisely? Open-ended Gemini fears hardening of the categories, the danger of premature closure. Philosophical Sagittarius values organized systems of understanding and searches for meaning.
This all sounds rather intellectual. However, our Sagittarius Full Moon sits together with Mars. A Moon-Mars conjunction at a Full Moon can signal explosive energy, especially in Fire signs. Except, Mars continues to be retrograde, not really moving at all. What should we be looking for in this situation?
How each of us experiences this Full Moon will depend on how we’ve been coping with the Mars retrograde so far. Some of us have been intensely frustrated. We’ve been feeling a strong desire to do something, move, get things done, and we can’t. If we sit in frustration, the Full Moon could trigger a blow up.
Some of us have been managing to work with this strong dose of retrograde energy. Instead of forcing outward movement, we focus on inner shifts. We’ve been letting things percolate. We haven’t been pushing against the grain. If we can chill out and practice patience, the Full Moon can reveal where the blocks are. In the light of the Full Moon, we could get a good look at the inner and outer circumstances keeping us from moving where we want to go.
A few of us were born with Mars retrograde. We’re doing just fine, thanks. In fact, we are probably getting more done than usual and experiencing success. This Full Moon will illuminate what’s working, and what’s not.
Saturday’s Full Moon will not be a good time for confrontation. Avoid conflict if possible. If anyone gets in your face, stay calm and deescalate. If arguments can’t be avoided, at least avoid rash decisions. Waiting two or three days to let the dust settle will be much better. There, I’ve put the cautionary note out, clearly stated.
That said, there is plenty to learn from the Sagittarius Full Moon. Venus is a strong presence, close to the Sun and moving into her own opposition with Mars. She is close to the end of Taurus, one of her own signs, where she is strong. She is one of the slow energies in the sky right now, but hers is the slowness of appreciation, sensuous pleasure, and peace.
Venus, at this Full Moon, can also bring us into contemplation of what is painful. She will be conjunct Algol, the fixed star called The Demon, considered by the ancients the most evil star in the cosmos. So, death and disaster? Maybe, maybe not. Algol sits in the forehead of Medusa, in the constellation of Perseus. This is Perseus who rides Pegasus, a Sagittarian sort of guy. The hero has sliced off the monster’s head. Oh joy.
But is Medusa a monster? Or is she instead one face of the female power the patriarchal world finds so intensely threatening? Another dance of opposites at this Full Moon is the balance (or lack thereof) between male and female power. We see this starkly in the world today, as men grasping tight to a vestigial form of patriarchy introduce more and more measures to control and denigrate women. Meanwhile, gender roles and rules are shifting. Or, rather, we are able to see that what we thought was a fixed binary is something else entirely.
Algol is a binary star: not one, but two. The star appears to wink as the twins rotate. The here-and-gone effect is thought to be the source of its evil rep. This Full Moon, in which yang Mars sits with yin Moon, yin Venus sits with yang Sun, and everyone is moving to oppose everyone else, reminds us we each carry all gender combinations within us. We may only express one in this lifetime, but we are multitudes.
There is a strong focus on the earliest degrees at this Full Moon. Moon at 1 Sag, Sun at 1 Gemini, Mars at 2 Sag. We also see asteroid Lilith at 0 Scorpio and asteroid Juno at 2 Scorpio, semisextile the Moon and Mars, and inconjunct the Sun. These “difficult” (read: powerful and angry) female energies will not be forgotten. Too much has been shoved down. We also see asteroid Pallas at 4 Pisces, squaring the Full Moon. She, goddess of cool logic, could help calm the explosiveness of the Full Moon, except she’s in intuitive but often vague Pisces. She could make grievances appear larger.
There’s also a strong focus on the middle degrees. The Grand Trine in Earth happens from 13 through 18 degrees of the Earth signs. Then we have Neptune, who is doing something quite interesting. Neptune is at 11 Pisces, opposing Jupiter. She is also just barely close enough to sextile Pluto and Mercury, and widely square the Full Moon. Neptune bridges the Full Moon and the Trine, bringing them in touch with each other. Another dance at this Full Moon circles around what is “real.” Is the physical world real? Is our wider consciousness more real or less? Is the flare of fiery emotion real? Is the calm of patient contemplation more real? Much depends on our own mental and emotional states.
As always, check your birth chart to see where this Full Moon falls. My Astrology Resources page will point you to where to get a copy of yours. The location of the Full Moon will also show you where Mars retrograde sits in your chart. This is where you might be experiencing delays and blocks. This is the area that will be illuminated by the Full Moon.
It is trite to say we live in a time of great change. At this Full Moon, we will be challenged to keep calm in the face of whatever shows up. Outer conflict, inner conflict. They are both faces of dis-ease, of places where things are not going according to plan. Gather more date with Gemini. Search for meaning with Sagittarius. Be open to learning. Join the dance.