This Full Moon offers us a rich opportunity to delve into the deeper meaning of the events in our lives. With the Sun conjunct Jupiter in Sagittarius, Jupiter’s ruling sign, and Mercury not too far away, our thoughts turn to the big picture. Jupiter rules the larger, spiritual picture of our lives. Whether we consider ourselves spiritual or not, we all have a world view, a way of seeing our experiences in a larger context. Jupiter rules our sense of optimism, and our ability to think beyond the visible horizon to possibilities not yet manifested. With Mercury now retrograde, our thoughts are definitely turned inward, away from more outer concerns and more toward our inner world.

The Full Moon, however, is always a pull of the opposites, it’s the tension inherent in this lunation. The Moon in Gemini can think of a zillion ways of objecting to the optimism of Jupiter/Sun, many of them are based in emotional undercurrents, often with roots of insecurity or doubts. Thus, our task is to bring the opposites together. We need the fact-finding efforts of the Gemini energy, but also we need to rise above our present limitations if we are to grow and avoid stagnation.

In a T-square (forming right angles) to the opposition of Sun/Moon is Mars, in the not-so Martian sign of Pisces. Having just entered Pisces on Nov. 15th, Mars in this sign tends toward a more imaginative approach to taking action. As it affects us all, we may all find that our emotions are much more on the surface now than they’ve been in a couple of years (Mars last entered Pisces Dec 2016 – January, 2017). This is an excellent time for any kind of depth work, as well as any artistic expression which allows us to connect with what’s going on emotionally, especially when shared with others. Pisces is a mutable (changeable) water sign, and rules the tear ducts for good reason, we are prone to feeling extremely sensitive now to the slightest emotional triggers around us.

Mercury is also square Neptune (at a challenging 90˚ angle) the ruler of Pisces, in this chart. Especially with Mercury now retro, we may have trouble communicating with others, our words may not come out the way we want them to,  and we may be rather more absent-minded than usual. There is a good use for this energy, as there is for any aspect astrologically. Since Jupiter and the Sun will be together for the next five days or so, and Mercury, too, this is an excellent time to receive insight through meditation, walking in nature, being quiet, and sharing supportive time with friends.

With Venus in opposition to Uranus now, (exact Nov 30) there is a presence of newness in the arena of our relationships. This may take the form of desiring more freedom in a bonded relationship, or a desire to try something new and exotic with our partner, or simply a desire to meet new people. In many ways, this can work to free up old habits of relating, and to welcome new life-blood into our lives. Venus is no longer retrograde, having gone direct the same day Mercury went retrograde. She is now a morning star, and if you are up just before sunrise, you may see her shining very brightly in the eastern sky. Venus’s prominence now places more emphasis upon what we feel rather than what we think about, or what we talk about. And as we sink more into our feeling states, we are more likely to be able to connect with the deeper parts of our psyche. Our cognitive minds (Mercury) are wonderful tools, but they can only refer to experience after it has happened, they do not directly encounter experiential reality.

So with all of the very internal and feeling-based energetic influences now, it’s best to not spend too much time trying to “figure things out” but instead to allow yourself to witness your feeling states without trying to do anything about them. Then they can shift and move into something else. Our practice now for the next two weeks is to value the presence of heart energy within us and in those around us with whom we can resonate on those levels. The heart is where the deeper meanings reside. Mercury will be going direct December 6th, the same day as the New Moon. Until then, “Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream; It is not dying…it is not dying.” – The Beatles