Full Moon In Taurus October 2018 Sweet Surrender

The Moon became full just about a half hour ago, in the bountiful sign of Taurus. A full moon occurs when the Sun is opposite the Moon, and tends to highlight our lunar-influenced emotions and instincts. Full Moons are a perfect time to purge unwanted or negative energies, and to harvest seeds, or intentions, planted during the New Moon. 

Because the sign of Taurus likes to hold onto things, you might find a bit of difficulty releasing anything this lunation. Never fear - the Sun entered the sign of Scorpio yesterday, and Scorpio has no trouble at all showing us what needs to be discarded. Scorpio knows that nothing in the material world lasts forever, so it’s obsessed with stripping things down to the bare bones and getting to the root of what really matters. 

Taurus is also known for being the sign of what's comfortable and familiar, and anyone who's dealt with Taurus personalities knows that above anything else this sign craves stability and endurance. What this Full Moon will show us that if our roots remain firmly planted, we can and will weather storms and seasonal changes. 

There are two unhelpful aspects affecting this October Full Moon - it's conjunct Uranus and opposite Venus. Uranus adds unpredictability, upsets, and impulsiveness. Remember, also, that Venus is also retrograde, adding to the uncertainty of this phase. Luckily, this is all tempered by the Moon's favorable aspect to Saturn - it turns unexpected changes into opportunities and relationship uncertainty into reassurance and commitment. That brings us full circle, back to Taurus' love of stability. 

While this Full Moon carries some very intense energy and seems volatile, maybe shaking up some relationships, it will also show us where we need to set stronger boundaries and practice more self-love. We think it will also manifest our desire to remain rooted while the storm swirls around us, and that's always a good thing. Blesssed be. 
 

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.

Full Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse July 2018 - Goat's Head Soup

This should be an exciting occurrence for our moon watchers - a Full Blood Moon and a total Lunar Eclipse all in one! This particular Moon is rising tomorrow in the astrological sign of Aquarius, but when viewed, is actually smack on the head of Capricorn the Goat. And just to shake things up a bit more, it has a conjunction (planets and points that form a conjunction are energies that are united - they are blended; therefore, they act together) to Mars; a T-square (aspect pattern is formed when points in opposition also form a square with another point. The pattern resembles the letter T when viewed in the chart) with Mars that's square Uranus (figure that one out!); and a trine (a term for when the powers involved are in harmony, so that they stimulate one another to increased activity and success) to Saturn.

What all this means is that there will be some crazy Mars energy flying around, with some help from the Uranus square that will be hard to rein in without the influence of steadying Saturn. We also have the influence of the stars in the head of the Goat - fixed star Gahib and the two stars in its horns, called Giedi. Ancient astrologers gave meaning to these stars. Gahib portends “success in business but retires under a cloud, favorable for wealth, influential position but scarcely realizes ambitions, trouble through opposite sex, deserved criticism and censure.” The Giedi portend “peculiar events, unexpected losses and gains, sometimes great good fortune.”*

It looks like a mixed bag this lunation, with heavy emphasis on the Mars/Uranus square. There may be some emotional fireworks for those susceptible to Mars energy (those born in the sign, and those whose moon, ascendant, or significant houses are in Mars). The lunar eclipse makes this stronger, and, because of the extraordinary length of this eclipse (1 hour 23 minutes), the effects will last longer than others. This will be an emotional time, with many feeling short of patience and prone to outbursts of anger. It will require Herculean feats of energy to calm down, and even when out of direct conflict. 

Keep in mind, however, that Mars is still in retrograde. So, while this Moon and eclipse brings upheaval and emotional stress, the palliative backwards motion of Mars, along with the help of Saturn, the promise of purging our unwanted negative energies and resolution of issues brought forward will be realized. As our friends at Darkstar Astrology explain, "trust, composure and persistence are needed and inner demons will have to be faced. As with all T-squares, once worked through, the rewards from this lunar eclipse July 2018 will be well worth the effort." As an added bonus, Mercury goes retrograde today, July 26. Go out, have fun, be cautious, guard your words, and be aware that impetuous actions might bring unintended consequences. We'll see you next month, and until then, blessed be.



*Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, Vivian E. Robson, 1923. p.168. and p.157





















 

Both Sides Now - New Moon And Partial Solar Eclipse In Cancer

In Southern California, the partial solar eclipse at 7:47 pm can't be seen, but it sure will be felt! Are you ready? Combined with a New Moon in the sign of Cancer, with an opposition to retrograde Pluto, and blessed with a grand earth trine, this New Moon is poised dispense a dose of good cop/bad cop, astrologically speaking.

The bad news, other than the New Moon's nickname of "Hades Moon", is that the Solar Eclipse falls in the decan that contains the twin stars of Castor and Pollux. This translates to volatile moods, extreme passion, and bi-polar energies that make it hard to make a decision. A Solar Eclipse can bring an awakening or a shocking revelation that upsets you. Castor is known for prominence in occult matters, government work in foreign affairs, serious accidents, blows, stabs, shooting, evil disposition, rape, murder committed or suffered, imprisonment, banishment, and decapitation. Wow!  With the Eclipse's proximity to these stars, and the fact that it's in opposition to retrograde Pluto, it's a wonder we don't just skip July altogether, right?

Retrograde Pluto is kind of a dark horse because it represents a time of reflection about power and control in your life. Are you being manipulated or abused in some way, or are you trying to control someone? If the former, now is the time to make a stand up for your rights. Let go of the people who are controlling you (read on for more encouraging advice). If you're the controller, it's time you let go of that behavior. Surrender your power and control to a higher force, and trust your instincts and spirit guides.

It'll be very interesting to see how these darker forces of this lunation affect what's happening in our country's already bi-polar political scene, and on the world stage. Just know that there's another aspect to the New Moon/Solar Eclipse today - we have two lovely Grand Trines to help save us all!

A Grand Trine is a planetary pattern composed of three or more planets in a chart located at the vertices of an imaginary equilateral triangle. Usually all three planets are in the same element, and this time we've actually got two - one dominated by water signs involving the Sun and Neptune, and a Grand Earth Trine, involving Venus, Saturn and Uranus. This is auspicious, because although you may feel like you're drowning in watery feelings and emotions, it can provide stable yet flexible containment that helps you shape your watery energy into something constructive, productive or useful. This is the time to transform whatever's holding you back from happiness and success. Hard work and determination will unleash the potential held with the Grand Trines to help prevent a personal crises.

Pictured above is our altar in the store, decorated with items helpful for this New Moon/Solar Eclipse. You may notice, elevated in the center of the floral wreath, an antique carved soapstone  horse, which is a nod to this Moon's affinity to horses. Surrounding the wreath are crystals of Moonstone, Labradorite, Mookaite Jasper, Citrine, Selenite, Sunstone, and Smokey Quartz. We also have locally sourced altar salts from Violet Maven, a red candle from Coventry Candles, a bottle of Divine Protection essential oil blend, and a Sage & Lavender smudge stick from Wolf Spirit. All these items are available in store, along with other various sage combinations, Palo Santo, incense, and essential oils.

Our best advice to getting through this tumultuous New Moon and Solar Eclipse is use this period to break any bad habitual behavior and use it as a cosmic "reboot". Until the Full Moon, blessed be!

Rebel Moon - New Moon July 2017

 "You see, war is not the answer / For only love can conquer hate." - Marvin Gaye, What's Going On


July's New Moon enters at O° Leo, and we all pretty much know what the sign of Leo is famous for - creative, passionate, generous, warm-hearted, cheerful, humorous, and brave. Leo can also be arrogant, stubborn, self-centered, lazy, inflexible, and loud. Because this Moon phase is primarily influenced by Mars, we get to mix Leo's brashness with Mars' war-like, aggressive traits. Mars, the God of War, is the ruler of Aries. In astrology, Mars is the planet of energy, action, and desire. It is the survival instinct, and can be thought of as the “leftover” animal nature of man. Mars is the push that gets us out of bed in the morning, our drive and desire nature, and our active energy. When we are “acting out” our Mars, we are assertive, directed, forthright, and adventurous. On the negative side, we can be impulsive, rash, impatient, aggressive, and forceful. The combination of these two aspects of this New Moon cannot be ignored or glossed over - it's going to be messy! This is a new moon about energy, action, sex, sports, anger and war. A secondary influence comes from the planet Uranus. A tense aspect to this planet of change and excitement makes Mars more explosive, unpredictable, violent and dangerous.

With the upheaval going on right now on our American political stage, the influence of this New Moon has been given a spotlight. Whatever your age or political affiliation, I'll bet you've never experienced anything remotely like it, and I think that we'll be able to say that about this Moon phase after the fact. Our friends at Astrology King put it like this: "The July 2017 new moon will test your patience. The annoying little things that people do will be more irritating than usual. You will have to take extra care not to upset already angry and mean people. There will be an increased danger of assassinations, revolutions, military assaults and war." Uh oh, grab a seat and pass the popcorn!

Mars square Uranus gives a strong urge to break free from restriction and rebel against authority. A tendency to act rashly without regard for the consequences can lead to disruption and even violence in your life. Awareness of this dynamic energy can instead lead to inventive and creative breakthroughs and a reinvigorated personal life. One thing that will get us all through this weird phase, and it's your creativity! As dire as the astrological predictions sound, this is a great time for artists to battle pent up negative emotions by immersing themselves in their talents. Whatever it is you do, now's the time to get doing - paint, sculpt, dance, sing, and dance the troubles away. Hard work can be used as another outlet. If you have a home or office that needs deep cleaning, now's your chance!

The July 23 new moon influence lasts for four weeks up to the August 21 Solar Eclipse. The best time for making a fresh start and for beginning new projects is during the first two weeks of this new moon cycle. This waxing phase of the Moon lasts from July 23 to the August 7 partial lunar eclipse. We'll talk about the eclipses in another blog post, but remember, whatever this New Moon stirs is likely to be only half the picture as more energy is going to be revealed in August.