Full Moon in Virgo: Finding True North

The Full Moon is a time of culmination in the lunar cycle when the metaphoric seeds that were planted at the New Moon have grown and blossomed and are now bearing fruit ready for harvest. The Full Moon in Virgo, opposite the Sun, still swimming through Pisces, brings our awareness to the processes of purification, our orientation in tending to life’s nitty gritty details, and the polarity (or perhaps paradox) of mundane life amidst the Great Mystery of our existence. Virgo is a mutable earth sign, and Pisces is a mutable water sign, so when the Full Moon falls on this axis there is an opportunity both for being open to the possibility and opportunities for change, yet also attempting to stabilize amidst the topsy-turvy feelings that can come up when things are too much in flux. Add to that a whopping dose of Neptune (located in the sign of his rulership in Pisces, plus conjunct AND parallel the Sun) and we have ourselves a vast, numinous, and oceanic atmosphere for this Full Moon time. Neptune’s wisdom helps us see into the ethers, opening our perception to just how gorgeously magnificent and miraculous our universe – and our place within it – can truly be. This opening and expansion in awareness can also sometimes create a state of confusion or feeling lost at sea, especially when that larger than life energy comes into contact with areas in our psyche or system which are, for whatever reason, resistant or contracted against full acceptance of Universal Love.

We have even more activation of Pisces with Mercury and Venus finding themselves there, in conjunction, at 22º and 23º and approaching the position of Chiron, the Wounded Healer at 27º. While Venus is exalted in Pisces, giving us all a nudge toward grace in our interpersonal dealings, it is not as favorable an environment for Mercury, where it’s is in its detriment and fall. This could appear as heightened awareness around issues with our mental states or communicating with the people we love. It may feel as though the truth of what we wish to communicate keeps falling through our fingers. Words and thoughts divorced from empathy fail us, and misunderstandings rooted in mismatched values can create conflict. Mars also finds himself in Sagittarius in a very close square to Venus and Mercury, so there could be added dimensions to these communication breakdowns of frustration, harsh words, or big angry mountains made of innocent, misconstrued molehills. There is an invitation for us to lead from our heart, and allow our minds to rest, lest it keeps grasping at straws. It requires great courage to speak from the vulnerability of our heart space – especially when rejection or judgment can send us into a spiral of old pain and wounding – yet allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and transparent with those we love most can be profoundly healing.

Many other connections and aspects are made by Mercury and Venus to outer planets in this Full Moon configuration in the 20-27º range, including Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto, and Eris. This is rather intense, and intensely transformational. Many areas of our lives may be touched by this lunation – like raindrops on the water’s surface, many waves and ripples from different areas will be informing and affecting one another. It can be extremely challenging to find our true North when the seas are stormy, yet it is through these rapidly changing times on our planet that we are most directly asked to bring our faith, passion, capacity to change, ability to envision and to innovate, and our bravery to stand in our truth. We must, through personal integrity, find our way forward together.

The pair of Sabian symbols that correspond with the degrees of the Sun and Moon in this Full Moon chart also speak to concepts of purification and living in integrity. For the 11º + Virgo Moon (the twelfth) it is “A bride with her veil snatched away,” symbolizing the invitation to be choiceful about what we say and how we relate to one another. This could refer to uncovering the Mystery, getting to the heart of the matter, and yet also has the feel of an attack, similar to the subject material of the currently very active #MeToo movement. Marc Edmund Jones, writing at a much earlier time, has, in words that echo today, “Implicit in the phallic symbolism is the necessity that an individual [remain aware of] his choice [and his] capacity for profiting from [regard for] the consequences.” He goes on to warn against “unfounded self-esteem or contempt for moral values.” For the twelfth-degree Pisces Sun the symbol reads “An examination of initiates,” which signifies living in alignment with our spiritual ideals and aspirations. Jones comments, “Every seeker for immortal understanding must be self-dedicated to values far removed from the gross appetites and transient jealousies of [their] fellows.” Indeed, we must be ever-watchful and aware of the potential ensnarement of excessive worldly attachment, seeking instead our own greatest potential in order to serve the highest good of the collective, and of ourselves.