Full Moon Astro-Tarot: Duty and Desire
We're in the midst of a few days of intense planetary energies, with a full moon so close after the Equinox. The seasonal shift is powerful, we've had strong winds and lots of rain here in London. Last week I finished a major project and promptly got ill, nothing major, just enough to make me slow down and take stock of my next move. The Equinox and the full moon bring a culmination point, a time to check in with what we have harvested over the past months and where we are headed as we turn into the dark season (at least here in the northern hemisphere). The full moon in Aries is conjunct Chiron and forms a t square focused out through Saturn in Capricorn, so there is lots of cardinal energy around, giving us the impetus to act. Aries is all about action, often without thinking, but the t square with Saturn might make getting started difficult as if something or someone is holding us back. The full moon may bring any clashes or conflicts we have with authority to a head. We are asked where is our power, how are we using it and where are we giving it away? It asks us what motivates our actions. Is it duty, desire, or conviction? Are our actions meaningful or habitual? The power of Chiron the spiritual warrior encourages us to seek meaning, to put our personal actions and desires into the context of the collective. With the Sun now in Libra, this full moon might also trigger relationship issues. Our work-life balance might be called into question, especially if our devotion to work or to material matters is getting in the way of making meaningful connections with other people.
Once again, I've pulled some tarot cards to give some insight into how this full moon energy might be working for us.
Moon conjunct Chiron Aries - How can we best express our inner spiritual warrior? - Eight of Wands
The Eight of Wands always bring movement, action, a sense of speed. In this deck (the Greenwood) this card is called hearthfire, the heart-fire of our homes and our selves. This full moon asks us to act as our heart desires, to follow our passions and fight for the cause we believe in. The movement needs to come from an emotional connection, a soul connection. We are asked to consider what is at the centre of ourselves, and how we are expressing that.
Sun in Libra - How do we find ourselves through other people? - Page of Arrows
There's a heart in this card too, in the archway seen in the distance. We find ourselves through others (always the journey of Sun in Libra) by making heart connections. We share ideas and truths, honestly and openly, ready to learn even - especially - from those who seem most different to us. Intellect isn't enough, there needs to be empathy too. The three birds suggest different viewpoints, an acceptance that everyone's journey is different and equally valid. I get a sense of travelling together from this card, in this context. We are walking the path together, building shared experiences and learning from each other.
T square to Saturn in Capricorn - How are we balancing duty with desire? - Death
This goes deep, this is where there is work to be done. As a collective, there's something that needs to be released, to be allowed to die. It might be our ideas around duty, how or why we conform to the rest of society, or to some internalised "they" who seem to hold all the authority. This card asks us to look beneath the surface, to strip back to bare bones. Why do we do the things we do, in the way that we do them? Is it habit, conformity, conviction? A transformation is needed, in the way our society is structured. Pluto in Capricorn has been telling us that for some years now. I think there's something here, for those of us in the UK, about Brexit, about what this process is showing us about our society and how on earth we might find a way through. So much about the situation needs to be allowed to die - politicians digging their heels in pathetic attempts to hold on to power or a refusal to see that they are beaten, seeing the Libran "other" (immigrants, emigrants, people who hold different views to us, whatever we see as "not us") as bad or negative. The charts for both England and the UK have Sun in Capricorn. I'm still feeling my way into what the astrology of it all means, how it might play out. It's hard to see a positive outcome, but the Death card always brings the promise of a new dawn.
Moon conjunct Chiron Aries - How can we best express our inner spiritual warrior? - Eight of Wands
The Eight of Wands always bring movement, action, a sense of speed. In this deck (the Greenwood) this card is called hearthfire, the heart-fire of our homes and our selves. This full moon asks us to act as our heart desires, to follow our passions and fight for the cause we believe in. The movement needs to come from an emotional connection, a soul connection. We are asked to consider what is at the centre of ourselves, and how we are expressing that.
Sun in Libra - How do we find ourselves through other people? - Page of Arrows
There's a heart in this card too, in the archway seen in the distance. We find ourselves through others (always the journey of Sun in Libra) by making heart connections. We share ideas and truths, honestly and openly, ready to learn even - especially - from those who seem most different to us. Intellect isn't enough, there needs to be empathy too. The three birds suggest different viewpoints, an acceptance that everyone's journey is different and equally valid. I get a sense of travelling together from this card, in this context. We are walking the path together, building shared experiences and learning from each other.
T square to Saturn in Capricorn - How are we balancing duty with desire? - Death
This goes deep, this is where there is work to be done. As a collective, there's something that needs to be released, to be allowed to die. It might be our ideas around duty, how or why we conform to the rest of society, or to some internalised "they" who seem to hold all the authority. This card asks us to look beneath the surface, to strip back to bare bones. Why do we do the things we do, in the way that we do them? Is it habit, conformity, conviction? A transformation is needed, in the way our society is structured. Pluto in Capricorn has been telling us that for some years now. I think there's something here, for those of us in the UK, about Brexit, about what this process is showing us about our society and how on earth we might find a way through. So much about the situation needs to be allowed to die - politicians digging their heels in pathetic attempts to hold on to power or a refusal to see that they are beaten, seeing the Libran "other" (immigrants, emigrants, people who hold different views to us, whatever we see as "not us") as bad or negative. The charts for both England and the UK have Sun in Capricorn. I'm still feeling my way into what the astrology of it all means, how it might play out. It's hard to see a positive outcome, but the Death card always brings the promise of a new dawn.