The Painful Presence of the Virgo Full Moon

With Monday's Full Moon in Virgo we come to an important turning point in our journey toward greater self-knowledge and integration. This moment in the lunation cycle represents some sense of culmination in what we have been attempting in the two weeks since the New Moon of February 9th, and is accompanied by a Pisces line-up involving six planets, including the Sun. Although one of these, Venus, is not officially in Pisces until evening-time, she hovers on the very brink of entrance into the magical sign of Neptune's rulership. With Venus in the final degree of Aquarius, we are absorbing the lessons of detachment in relationship, the other side of the coin of merging and connecting. Venus coming into Pisces represents a different flavor of relating - we come into closer connection with spiritual purpose, and with the angel inside ourselves and in each other. This is indeed a special and a very mystical period of time. The Sun is in conjunction with Chiron, the Wounded Healer, with the Moon opposed, while Mercury completes its turn to retrograde motion in conjunction with Mars, also in Pisces, promoting inner work over outer activity.

The Full Moon also makes a T-square to Jupiter in Mercury's sign of Gemini, promoting an optimistic mental attitude, together with the spiritual energy for active contemplation, another chime with Pisces and Neptune. Neptune itself resides in early Pisces, near Chiron and the Sun. Mars in close conjunction with retrograde Mercury completes the sextuple of Piscean planetary energies. Then, too, since Mercury is beginning its five-week cycle of retrograde motion and the regaining of its lost zodiacal ground, returning to where it started on the weekend of February 23rd, there is a strongly meditative element expressed all through this last part of February and on into March and April. Mercury remains in Pisces until mid-April, stationing direct on March 17th and only escapes its retrograde shadow on April 6th.

Mercury was conjunct Chiron last February 10th, and then makes further exact hits on March 8th and March 29th. It could be that events that disturbed you somewhat in the early part of the month could return in the next to haunt you in an even more poignant and memorable manner. With Chiron so involved over this next monthly cycle, the realizations that come to you over this period are very likely to partake in an extended meditation on the essentially wounded nature that is an important part of us all. This fundamental component of our human condition is often overlooked or brushed under the rug of awareness. You do not want to look at painful subjects. It is vital for your healing however that you no longer avoid the issues that may have been buried away deep inside, but instead have the courage to reflect upon and more steadily gaze at whatever is subtly disconnected within your own dark places.

The Mercury Retrograde period, especially in Pisces, is a useful one. Although it is frequently given a bad rap in our goal-oriented society of doing and still more doing, this important stretch of time-out leads to meaningful deliberation and contemplation. You do well to recognize that taking space for yourself is actually permissible and even necessary. As you do so, you might reflect that along with the prettier aspects of your character, also the lonely and disconnected parts of yourself need looking after and being able to feel more welcome in the affectionate grasp of your understanding, and as well, of your heart's embrace.