Greetings!
Today we have the full moon, with the moon in the mutable air sign of Gemini, conjunct Mars retrograde, opposing the sun in the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius. This is the last full moon of the calendar, but not the zodiacal one, and because of this, it carries some significance. What makes this full moon unique is that Mars is retrograde in Gemini, where it has been for a month and will continue to be for a bit yet. We also have an out-of-sign conjunction between Venus in Sagittarius and Mercury in Capricorn, adding another layer of complexity to the equation. Conjunctions, of which there are two prominent ones during this full moon, are when the energy of two planets are blended together, so the effect is that of emphasizing and even distorting the traits of both. The conjunction of Venus and Mercury tells us this is a good time to communicate with loved ones in a loving fashion, especially when it comes to asserting direction, control, and authority, while at the same time not restricting the freedom of expression of one or the other. Outside of romantic relationships, this conjunction tells us this is a good time to speak from a place of confidence, but while doing that, make sure that people are allowed to be themselves. This is also a good time to execute communication in the workplace and revisit short-term investments rather than long-term.
The Mars retrograde conjunct with the moon paints a much different picture. Mars retrograde is an interesting situation. On the one hand, this is a time when you might need to reassess where your energy is going and why. However, part of this discussion also entails strengthening your connection with the masculine divine, learning to be proactive, aggressive, and generative, and communicating that to others. The conflict comes in through the door of the opposing Gemini/Sagittarius axis. Gemini can be more diplomatic than Sagittarius, but Sagittarius is more honest and direct. Gemini’s attention spans flit from subject to subject, while Sagittarius is all about focus and singularity. Sagittarius energy is also the energy of freedom, whereas Gemini energy vacillates away from that sometimes. Of course, the key is to find the middle ground between the two approaches, but that is a conversation for another time. The conversation for now, though, is that of cutting to the heart of the matter: variety or singular focus?
That’s really what it comes down to right now. What are you doing, and why? Are you focused? Are you too scattered? Yes, variety is the spice of life, but if you engage in too much variety, then you no longer have a quality bar of comparison to use when it comes to identifying the pleasure of variety. For example, you discover a new favorite food dish, so you indulge in it often, but when you indulge in it too much, it is no longer the new and great thing that you thought it was. Now, what started out as variety, has become the norm, so it has lost its appeal. This happens quite frequently to those with strong Gemini energy, and as I am sure you see, that is a bad thing. While Sagittarius is all about focus, it can also lack variety, making it a “basic bitch” kind of energy, so you can see how necessary it is to have a strong balance of the two, variety and focus.
One of the better ways to handle this situation is to focus on the lessons of the Mars retrograde. When does variety become “basic bitch?” If you engage in too much variety, then you really don’t have a strong platform to stand on in life in general, but if you don’t engage in variety, then life can get stale and boring, even if it is not by the standards of other people. And just for those of you who are thinking it, all signs can be basic bitch, and it’s a shame that in this century and millennia, I have to say that, but queue serra serra. The trait of Mars retrograde that has to do with aligning with the masculine divine tells us that now is a time to decide how, when, and why you will be proactive. How will you generate things in 2023 or even during this holiday season? Yes, you can look at your past to see how you’ve done up to this point, but what about now, and what about the future? If the old ways work, then so be it, but if they no longer work, then it is time to try new ways. The time for excuses and disempowered thinking is as over as the calendar year. In other words, if you want different results, change your methods.
And that last sentence really sums up the difference between Gemini and Sagittarius. Sagittarius will tell you how it is, and I don’t necessarily mean strictly from their point of view. They will give it to you fairly objectively, which makes them a real pain in the ass to deal with because tact, to them, is a choice. As a dearly departed friend of mine taught me many years ago: “Sagittarians do not have a malicious bone in their bodies. The tongue is not a bone.” (Hail Ruth Williams, wherever you are!) While Aries and Leo are the fire signs that get a lot of attention for being, well, fiery, in a lot of ways, Sagittarians are fierier than them in this regard, but their optimistic natures tend to put people off, and really, well, that’s a good thing! Heavy Gemini energy is usually a good thing, too, unless it spreads someone too thin or causes one to not develop a stable, solid foundation for life. Geminis are also generally more diplomatic than Sagittarians, but the rub here is that sometimes diplomacy is no longer the solution. Conversely, for Sagittarians, sometimes truthfulness is not the solution, either.
I am reminded of a common meme on social media right now, and I don’t remember the exact wording, but the essence of it is a call-out to all of the people that claim to be “brutally honest” (But are, in fact, just using that as an excuse to be jerks). Essentially the meme says, “Everyone knows about brutal honesty, but what about compassionate honesty?” So, if you or a loved one, or someone you know, suffers from brutal honesty, first check to make sure that they are just direct and not using that as an excuse to be a jerk. More often than not, at least here in the USA, they are just jerks masquerading as truth-seekers and speakers, so while this is good because it makes it easier to identify the jerks in the crowd, it can also be bad because you have to decide whether or not to put in the work to figure out if they are jerks that are playing pretend, or if they are just blunt (This line of thought is indicative of the current Mars retrograde).
And BTW, in the name of full transparency, I have three planets in Gemini, three planets in Sagittarius, and a degree in journalism…
Besides all of this, happy holidays! This is the season of celebrating another flip of the calendar and of counting our blessings, so let’s collectively make the most of it.
Namaste,