Full Moon August 2018 - Practical Magic

Can we all hear a collective sigh of relief? Yes, we can - the Eclipse season is over, and things are starting to look a bit less threatening. This Sunday's early morning Full Moon in Pisces is like a soothing balm spread lovingly over a raw wound, and we all will feel its effects.

The Full Moon is the ideal time to purge that which no longer serves you, and to sow the seeds you planted at the New Moon. Since we have no strong negative aspects to this lunation, we can expect that the mystical waters of Pisces will wash us all in its peace. It's interesting to look at the astrological chart for this, so I've posted it below. You'll see that there is a triangle shape formed between the Sun, Saturn, and Uranus. Sextile aspects turn this triangle (Grand Trine) into a Kite. This is most favorable.

The Sun is trine Saturn, which speaks of achievement and recognition. Things will seem well-balanced, and this is a good time to listen to the wisdom of the elders. The Sun is also trine Uranus, which increases intuition and insight. Coupled with the Moon rising in Pisces, this makes a perfect time to work on your psychic and occult abilities. Moon is conjunct the fixed star Sadalmelik, which also bodes well for adding to your psychic toolkit. Saturn is trine Uranus, as well, and that's good for career prospects, increased self-confidence, and learning technical subjects. Perhaps now's the time to study astrology?

We mentioned the star Sadalmelik, one of the more important stars in the galaxy. Arabic for "Luck of the King", it's an indicator of success and favor for those in authority. The Moon is also conjunct a second star, Fomalhaut, another important star. Known as one of the four royal stars of ancient Persia, or as one of the Archangel Stars of the Abrahamic religions, Fomalhaut represents the Archangel Gabriel. It is said that this star can cause malevolence and havoc, and can either be good or bad depending on the aspects. Luckily, the influence of the planets aspecting this moon, it bends toward benevolence.

All in all, this is an auspicious Full Moon that highlights a need for security, which will manifest as motivation and inspiration to develop skills and abilities. Rely on your inner strength and curiosity about the mysteries of life to understand belief systems that may be different than yours. This will help bring about healing, which we all need so much. In addition, you'll be happy to know that Mercury stationed direct on August 18, and Mars will station direct on August 28.

The Tarot card that resonates with this lunation is Eight of Cups. The stone or crystal that will help you is Blue Lace Agate, for it's tranquil effect. Also, you may find Rainbow Moonstone beneficial, as well as Labadorite, for their moon related and magical qualities. It's always a good idea to perform a ritual cleansing on the Full Moon with either sage or Palo Santo. We have both at Hoopla! Emporium, in addition to incense, essential oils, and candles. Come see us! Until the New Moon, blessed be.

August 2018 New Moon In Leo Partial Eclipse - The Crossroads

Led Zepplin's song, "Stairway To Heaven" gives us all a glimpse on how this New Moon and Partial Solar Eclipse will affect us. Here are the words in the son that particularly pertain:

"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
don't be alarmed now, it's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
there's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder....."

Yes, indeed, we all do wonder just where we're headed, how we're evolving, how we interpret life, and if we're on the right path. We also wonder, if we acknowledge we're on the right path or going in the right direction, what the ultimate culmination of our efforts will be. Luckily, this New Moon in the regal sign of Leo will give us the light and energy we need to do so. Conversely, the wild energy surrounding this New Moon/Eclipse can bring things to light that we've been ignoring, burying, or otherwise felt confused about.

As the last eclipse of the season, it will stimulate creative development and expression as part of a rebirth. The sign of Leo is known, of course, for grandiose posturing, but in this lunation, Leo is portraying the loving nurturer. This is due to the New Moon's proximity to the fixed star Merak, in the side of the constellation of Ursa Major, and the asteroid Pallas. Also, because of its conjunction to Mercury in retrograde, the major themes will be thinking, contemplation, deliberation, discussion and debate.

Speaking of retrograde Mercury, there are several other planets in retrograde - Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, Mars, Uranus, and Neptune. Their influence on this New Moon/Eclipse doesn't go unnoticed. According to the Astrology King, "it suggests disagreements and arguments about ideas and beliefs about power and control issues between people, groups of people and nations. Asteroid Pallas conjunct the eclipse will focus debate on feminism and politics." Mars and Mercury will station direct by August 27.

As a whole, there is a strong vibrational energy surrounding this New Moon and Solar Eclipse that will show things in greater clarity. It's an illuninator, shedding light on areas of our lives that have felt confusing and obscured, as mentioned above. In order to take advantage of this opportunity to illuminate our own individual paths, it's recommended that you take steps to energetically cleanse yourself and your space. You can accomplish this with burning sage or palo santo, using a sound bath, or a combination of both. Crystals to use for this lunation are Jasper, Pyrite, Carnelian, Citrine, and Tiger's Eye. After cleansing, bring in positive energy with incense, or a ritual of cord cutting and blessing. For instructions on how to do this, see this page.

Enjoy this New Moon and Solar Eclipse - it'll be visible in the northern parts of the U.S. only, unfortunately, but its effects will be felt worldwide, and last for up to six months. Until next month, blessed be!

Jaunuary's Blue Blood Full Moon And Lunar Eclipse

The Sun is in Aquarius, the Full Moon is in Leo, and we also have a full Lunar eclipse occurring at 11 degrees Leo. Because of the Procession of the Equinoxes, though, this Lunar eclipse actually sits between two fixed stars in the Cancer constellation. The result is this is really more of a Cancer eclipse than a Leo. Cancer rules home and family, mothers, housework, and comfort. We can expect to feel more caring and responsible as a result.

Reinforcing that theme is the eclipse's very close conjunction to minor planet Ceres. Ceres rules motherly love, female issues, family bonds, and relationships. Ceres also rules what we refer to as modern motherhood, comprised of working mothers and single parenting whether female or male. Nurturing, multi-tasking, powerfully outspoken, and extremely emotional, this lunation will highlight social discussions and political debate in regard to parenting styles, custody rights, maternity leave, childcare and equal pay. Seems pretty timely, doesn't it?

The discussion we'll be having will be very illuminating, too, due to the fact that the Sun itself is in Aquarius, and Mercury, the planet of communication, will move into the sign at just about the same time as the Moon does. Expect fresh news, and we're advised to pay attention to facts.

The Moon or Ceres or both represent the women, mothers, working women and single parents. The Sun represents the dominating men, politicians and religions. The Sun also represents the role of provider as opposed to nurturer. So finding a balance between work and family will be another issue highlighted by the January 2018 total lunar eclipse. Sun opposite Moon and Ceres means you will need to think about the polarities in your life relating to parenting and the roles of women in families and society. Balance between family and work, children and career, or between looking after yourself and nurturing others. The key to finding the right balance is trust and faith in yourself and in your belief system.

This is also the ideal time to purge and release any old issues you perceive as holding you back from your goals. According to Jamie Partridge, the Astrology King, "Like a regular full moon only stronger, a lunar eclipse focuses your attention on intimate relationships, your home and your family. A total lunar eclipse has an even stronger influence on your private life. Sun opposite Moon qualities of emotions and instincts reach their peak at a lunar eclipse. This lets you take an objective and balanced look at your close relationships. Because you will be in touch with your own needs and intentions, you will clearly see any relationship imbalances causing disharmony." This total Lunar eclipse represents resetting your emotions, and clearing away the baggage of the last six months. It promises a heart-clearing, path-altering and ultimately self-affirming burst of emotions, predominately involving nurturing and relationships.

Highly Strung

October's Full Moon is called the Harvest Moon due to the fact that this is the first Full Moon since the Fall Equinox on September 22. Did you know that we haven't had a Harvest Moon since 2009? It's true! The October Full Moon is also called the Hunter's Moon. Whatever you call it, be prepared, because this one's real interesting.

We suppose we can call this Full Moon the most aspected this year - here's a list of what's impacting this lunation:

Moon opposite Mercury
Mercury and Sun Quincux Neptune
Sun square Pluto
Moon square Pluto
Venus conjunct Mars
Venus square Saturn
Mars square Saturn
Venus trine Pluto
Mars trine Pluto
Jupiter opposite Uranus
The Full Moon falls on the fixed star Alderamin in Cepheus the King

That's quite a list, and it would take forever to run down each aspect with you. Leave it to say that due to all these conflicting influences, we should all pay attention to how we communicate. There's a huge push of Mercury energy coming with this Moon and Mercury is the communicator of the Zodiac. Because of the negative influence of Neptune, we may become susceptible to (I hate to say this) fake news. Possible scenarios include self-deception, paranoia, lies, manipulations, and lack of understanding. Try your best to avoid negative people and negative influence. Only trust people you really know so you do not fall victim to lies, deception, fraud or gossip. It is important to keep up positive self-esteem but there is always a balancing act with these quincunx aspects. Too much pride would lead to a fall, just as too much self-pity will lead to failure.

Sun square Pluto and Moon square Pluto make this a very intense Full Moon. Their square to Pluto can involve compulsive and destructive behaviors. Just remember, whether you are the instigator or the victim of jealousy, manipulation, bullying, or abuse, challenges can be turned into an opportunity to transform and evolve. Transformation and evolving, then, are the crux of this lunation, particularly for your close relationships. A carrot to get you through all this is the Venus/Mars conjunction, which will increase your charisma and popularity, and make socializing more enjoyable and exciting. This is also a great time for creativity, so feel free to start that next art project.

Our best advice is to take advantage of your opportunities and avoid the potential pitfalls, so you can enjoy the next two weeks and use the intense passion of this full moon to get motivated and work hard on your goals. We'll check in next month to see how you did!