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





















 

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!