Tuesday, May 29, the Full Moon in Sagittarius arrives. Exact at 10:19 am EDT, the Moon will appear most full on Monday night.
We’ve had a tumultuous spring. So it’s worth saying that this Full Moon offers respite and perspective.
We’re not home yet, but we’re about to have an encounter on the road. If we approach this with open minds and open hearts, we’ll feel encouraged, energized, and (potentially) enlightened.
Sagittarius is an adventurer. Imagine you are traveling. It’s been a long day on the road and you’re feeling tired and discouraged. Your funds are low. This trip is harder than you expected.
You stop for the night at a humble inn, a five star hotel, a primitive campground, the location doesn’t matter. All you want is a good night’s sleep, but somehow your attention is caught by a compelling figure. This man—wait, no, this woman—seems to glow. There’s a charisma, a larger-than-life quality about her.
She waves you over to her campfire, her table, her spot at the bar, wherever, and offers you a drink. As tired as you are, you accept. She is that compelling.
She asks about you. You shrug, there seems little to say. So she begins telling stories of her travels and her life, which are so fantastical your logical mind thinks they can’t possibly be true, and yet you believe her completely.
You stay up far too late. She finally, gracefully, leaves and you sleep deeply. The next morning, you wake refreshed, your spirits high. You are ready for whatever comes next and excited to continue your journey.
This is Sagittarius.
Now, think back to the New Moon in Taurus we experienced two weeks ago. This was an intense time, as Uranus landed at 0 Taurus just a few hours after the New Moon, followed by a Mars—Uranus square.
What wishes did you make, what intentions did you set, at that New Moon? Some of the stories we’ll hear at this Full Moon will look back to the New to see what has happened since then.
The illuminations will focus as much on what we’ve accomplished to make those dreams become reality, as on what the universe has given us.
This connection between what we do and what happens to us is highlighted in the supportive connections between the Full Moon and the Nodes of the Moon.
The Moon is at 8 Sagittarius and the Sun at 8 Gemini. The North Node is at 9 Leo, the South Node at 9 Aquarius. This creates a pattern of trines and sextiles. This is all supportive and energizing, but the questions are still there: What do we need to see about where we’ve been and where we’re going?
Mars sitting at 4 Aquarius adds a push to action. He is conjunct the South Node and opposite the North, pushing us to resolve whatever is getting in the way of having our wishes. He wants to see movement toward the North Node, something a far-ranging Sagittarius Moon loves.
That push to action could be vital because there is a Grand Trine in Water that might prefer to float. Neptune at 16 Pisces, Jupiter Rx at 15 Scorpio, and Venus applying to both at 11 Cancer: These three form a deeply creative, lyrical, poetical, insightful connection that would love to dive deep but wouldn’t necessarily move forward.
Still, the Full Moon could bring strong dreaming. Pay attention, since the dreams could point back to those New Moon wishes or speak more broadly to where we are on our life path.
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But we cannot forget Uranus newly in Taurus. If we tried, Uranus would certainly find a way to remind us. He is an archetype you don’t want to be turning your back on.
And guess what? He has indeed found a way to make his presence felt.
A note here: I do not work with the fixed stars. I am intrigued by them. I want to learn more. However, when a Full Moon sits directly on two opposing stars that are two of the four royal stars, also associated with archangels, we ignore them at our peril.
When the two royal stars involved are Antares and Aldebaran, who are the central stars in Scorpio and Taurus, we might recognize that Uranus did indeed find a way to take center stage at this Full Moon.
A second note: How is it possible, you might ask, that a Full Moon in Gemini and Sagittarius falls right on royal stars in Scorpio and Taurus? This is what precession is all about.
The north-south axis of the Earth wobbles. It wobbles very, very slowly, but wobble it does. Those four royal stars used to mark the solstices and equinoxes and were called the Watchers of the Sky. Due to the wobble, they don’t mark those positions today.
A very long time ago, Western astrology decided to remain a seasonal astrology, keeping the tie between the astrological signs and the seasonal changes. Astrologers knew, of course, this meant the signs would no longer match the constellations they were first named for. This was deemed to be a good trade off.
In contrast, Vedic astrology followed the star positions. This is why your chart will look very different when cast by Vedic and Western astrologers.
It’s also why science writers love to periodically and gleefully claim that astrology is wrong because it doesn’t follow the actual constellations. But staying with the seasons was a choice, not a mistake. We know all about precession.
Back to Antares and Aldebaran.
Aldebaran is the central star in Taurus, the Watcher of the East associated with the spring equinox and the archangel Michael. Antares is the eye of the Scorpion, the Watcher of the West, associated with the autumn equinox and the archangel Uriel.
Both have a character similar to Mars. They are red, fiery, can be rash, might point to violence, but also convey great physical strength, heroism, and power.
Keep this in mind as we hit the road again.
As you continue your journey, you find you cannot forget the charismatic woman who told such amazing stories the night before.
Her tales included magnificent successes and crushing defeats, each somehow experienced with relish and acceptance and the knowledge that the wheel would turn again.
You realize she, whatever else she was or has been, is a philosopher, a wise woman, with much to impart the careful listener. At your next stop, you ask about her. Had anyone met her? Did they know anything of her?
No one admits to anything. But as you go to your room for the night, a shadowy figure pulls you aside. She is a queen, he tells you. She is a sorceress. She appears and disappears. You have been blessed, he says. Remember her.
This is the Full Moon in Sagittarius. When she comes, we welcome her. We listen. We watch. We remember. We will learn something significant.
To understand more precisely what messages may be coming to you, check your birth chart. Where are 8 Gemini and 8 Sagittarius?
Not only do these two mark this particular Full Moon, they show you where Aldebaran and Antares fall in your chart.
Check what is in the same House as these two. Look to see what the Full Moon is aspecting, touching in some way. These are the clues that can unlock the significance of your messages.
No matter what, though, look for the magic. Listen to the stories. That’s where the gold will be found. That’s how we know where to go next.
I use Unsplash for almost all my photo illustrations. All astrological charts are my own. The images in this post include the title, created from the photo of the open road by Rory Hennessey, the photo of the maps by Andrew Neel, the queen by Mohammad Metri, and the road over the ridge by Alex Siale.