Full Moon Astro-tarot; everyday magic
The full moon in Virgo awakens the axis of dreams and reality, the wishful and the practical. With an awkward aspect to Saturn in Aquarius reminding us that lockdown and restriction are still a reality for most of us, we’ve also been given, here in the UK, a “map” which will hopefully bring us out of all the restrictions. So here exactly is the balance of this full moon - the practical detail of Virgo and the hopes and wishes of Pisces. After almost a year in some kind of lockdown, it’s hard to resist the temptation to dream, to wish for whatever it is we’ve missed most during this pandemic year.
Both Virgo and Pisces are deeply aware of the need to make sacrifices, knowing that what we need or want as an individual is not necessarily what is right for the collective. We’ve all made sacrifices, this last year. We’ve all experienced loss, even grief, some much more deeply than others of course. For all of us, life has shrunk down to the bare essentials. The gifts of Virgo - everyday magic, spirit embodied in the mundane, an awareness of ourselves as of the earth, of nature - have become central to us in a way they maybe never have before. Not collectively, not for so long, not for several generations. Perhaps at this full moon - still in lockdown, at least here in the UK - we can bring our conscious awareness to illuminate these energies, to our own everyday magics.
Peace and the moon…
I’ve been remembering too what I was writing at the full moon in Virgo this time last year, as the pandemic was just moving to the forefront of our awareness. For weeks we were lectured about washing our hands, while the government faffed about (because they’re not good for much else, right?). Purification and cleansing is another key Virgo theme and the full moon in Virgo heralds spring cleaning season. In the Christian tradition, Lent is a time of sacrifice and abstinence, a kind of spiritual detox, and we can carry this energy into our own practice as we clear away the detritus of this long hard winter. This full moon calls us to refine, to integrate, to synthesise - what do we carry forward from this extra long season of enforced hibernation, into the rising energies of spring? What do we release and leave behind? At the risk of repeating myself yet again, this collective reset brings an opportunity, however painful, to let go of old mindsets and false promises.
So here’s some wisdom from the Oak, Ash and Thorn tarot for the full moon;
Sun in Pisces - How can we best connect with everyday magic? - Justice
Two major arcana cards, both associated with balance. Magic comes from right action, from finding our place in the great balance. Connecting with everyday magic means connecting with what is most fulfiling to us, what allows us to find our inner balance as well as what’s right for the rest of the world.
Moon in Virgo - What are we in the process of refining? - Temperance
Well, this is a card of refining, really. Of healing and creativity too. We are refining how we balance it all, action and response, doing and being. How and where and why we direct our energy. Virgo always counsels moderation, just as the Temperance card does, protecting what is most precious to us as we
Moon quincunx Saturn - How can we best balance individual and collective needs? - Page of Wands
The most challenging question gets the most playful answer. Maybe it’s time to let go of all the worrying, all the fear, all the anxiety. To make the best of each moment, as it comes. And to notice the spring, to let ourselves awaken with it, to meet this new world with curiosity and creativity.
All of these cards carry a lighter energy than I might have expected at this point, even Justice. There is movement here, subtle but definite. I might have expected the first card and the third to be the other way around, the playful Page bringing everyday magic and the stern wold demanding right action. Subtle connections, intertwined energies.