Greetings!

Today, we have the full moon, with the sun in the fixed fire sign Leo and the moon in the fixed air sign Aquarius. This is a supermoon, too, meaning that the energy in the air is stronger than normal. But there is a lot more happening than just that. We also have a Mercury retrograde, and a challenging aspect pattern present called a T-Square, which is manifesting in two different ways. A T-Square is a challenging and pressurizing aspect pattern, and when present, it tells us that things are not rolling along smoothly right now in various ways. There are two manifestations of this pattern right now, doubling the intensity. One of them includes the sun and the moon, but the other does not. Let’s break them down for a closer look.

The first T-Square is in mutable signs, meaning it is fluid and tends to flow. This pattern occurs between the Mars and Jupiter conjunction in Gemini, Saturn in Pisces, and Venus in Virgo. Venus in Virgo is opposing Saturn retrograde in Pisces, and both of those are squaring the Mars Jupiter conjunction in Gemini. An opposition is a tense aspect, and squares denote challenges. The Venus Saturn aspect tells us tension may be present regarding money coming to you through the workplace and your spirituality. If you’re highly spiritual, this aspect could mean challenges are present when it comes to focusing and producing results from your spiritual and creative visions. To wit, this means that now it may be a challenge to be practical, productive, and grounded with how you use your spirituality to improve the quality of your life. Or perhaps too much time has been spent focusing on creativity and spirituality, and not enough time on the physical world. Both of these squaring Mars conjunct Jupiter tells us that the friction and impetus for change comes from people you know, but this is also where you can get the most help. So, to summarize, this full moon is about challenges that have to do with work, practicality, spirituality, and balancing all of this with friends and small talk.

The second T-Square is happening between the sun in Leo conjunct Mercury retrograde, the moon in Aquarius, and Uranus in Taurus. A fixed T-Square is different than a mutable because it doesn’t relent. It is always present, so there is no rest from it. The first two parts of this have to do with the opposition between the sun and the moon, and when this is Leo and Aquarius, the tension present is the conflict between the individual and the group. We see this play out all the time in the media; people want their individuality recognized, regardless of whether or not it is healthy. Uranus in Taurus is the wild card. Uranus is the planet of individuality and has been passing through Taurus for quite sometime, but it is also the planet of rebellion and the unexpected. Taurus is the sign of the physical world, as well as food, money, and hard work, so when you have Uranus there, it tells us that unexpected events in the physical world are influencing people’s quest for individual expression, but is also bringing out the rebellious nature so many people have. Whereas the way to handle the mutable T-Square is through undergoing the life, death, rebirth process, the way to handle the fixed sign T-Square is by staying consistent and living what you believe, but not rigidly closing your mind to the voice of others.

These aspect patterns tell us that eight of the main eleven chart points in astrology are embroiled in challenges, so if you have been feeling the stress and tension, this is where it is coming from. The challenges are everywhere, quite literally, with very few astrological signs escaping the pressure.

Now that the stage has been set and we can put the technical talk aside, let’s turn our attention to what can be done about it. Most of the people reading this are meeting challenges and tension in their lives right now, so almost all of  us are feeling it. There is a lot of focus on the conflict between the self and the group, and finding the balance in between. Society caters to the needs of the many, not the few, and I share this insight here in the hopes of promoting humility. The Mercury retrograde influence is telling us that now is the time to review your beliefs and practices to see if you are wrong about somethings. Another good practice to engage in at this time is that of being grounded and practical, rather than delusional or escapist with your mindset. I have seen too many people ignore physical world issues because it hurts to face them, so if possible, do your best to not be one of those people.

This is the time to find the balance between the individual and the self. This is also the time to practice introspection focused on humility. It is only an ignorant person that thinks they are right all the time, but then again, it is also an ignorant person that thinks they are always wrong, too. The point I am making here is that yes, there are challenges present in many parts of society right now, but one thing is sure: how things have been approached is not working, so it is pointless and ignorant to keep doing the same old same old. Approaches may have worked in the past but they are no longer working, so the smart thing to do is find new perspectives and approaches to deal with people and society, while at the same time being true to yourself, and yes, this kind of attitude can be done. The self and society are not mutually exclusive. “As within, so without,” after all.

Namaste,