Greetings!

Today we have the full moon, with the sun in the cardinal water sign of Cancer and the moon in the cardinal earth sign Capricorn. This is an interesting full moon because it is happening at twenty-nine degrees of both signs. Twenty-nine degrees is known as the anaretic degree, and when there is an emphasis on this, it tells us that cycles are coming to a close. The cycles that are ending are those that have to do with the family, close friends, your career, occupation, and overall direction in life. Mars just moved into Gemini as well, meaning it was at a final degree in Taurus yesterday and it is trine Pluto in Aquarius. These three points have come together to give us a very intense weekend, one that focuses on traditions, the family, and established social structures. Even though the moon is in Capricorn, it is also conjunct Pluto, which gives it an extra bang, so to speak. Pluto is the higher vibration of Mars, so we find fire, activity, energy, aggression, conflict, and competition are all strong at the moment, and this can play out existentially or mundanely. Also of note is that Neptune, retrograde, is at twenty-nine degrees Pisces, which is revealing the ending of cycles that have to do with spirituality and how emotions are handled. As you can tell, the essence of the planets right now is on endings. I mean, look at it: Mars, the sun, the moon, and Neptune are all at the anaretic degree! Egads!

So, what does all of this mean? In short, it means “out with the old, in with the new,” regardless of our opinions about that. I know a lot of people like to look back to years gone by because rose-colored glasses say they were golden years, but they really weren’t. Yesteryear was good for some people, but not others, so it is an opinion to think that everything was golden before now. To take that view shows naivete and ignorance, and I would like to think that if you’re reading this, you’re not that ignorant. This full moon kicks off a very intense August that is all about revisiting topics and cleaning up messes, and this full moon is the bang that starts August’s party off. Whether or not you want it to happen and whether or not you like it, it’s time for the old to go.

The crux of the matter here is to be analytical. Just because this full moon is all about “out with the old, in with the new” doesn’t mean that EVERYTHING from the past has to go. We can get rid of some things and keep others. After all, to think that everything should be thrown out is the equivalent of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Some things from the past were good, while other things were not. Some things from the past were good for some people and bad for others, while some things from the past were bad for everyone, or good for everyone, for that matter. I point this out because the underlying lesson is that you can’t just make broad decisions. You have to go in and micromanage what you don’t like and separate the wheat from the chaff.

So, what can do you during this time? The first thing is to prepare for August, because August is going to be a rollercoaster. It won’t be as bad as July, but it will still be a rollercoaster. The difference between July and August is that July was chaotic, but August will not be. Rather, August will be unrelenting, so in that way it will be consistent. Consistently challenging. The second thing you can do during this time is to be there for others who are not as prepared as you are for the moment and what is upcoming. A third thing you can do is get involved with the world around you. I’ll touch on that now.

The biggest thing holding us back from an evolutionary perspective is a fear of the unknown and a fear of the visionary. Being a Pisces, I know all about that. The average person, and the masses in general, fear the future for reasons that are rooted in ignorance. The masses fear what they don’t know or don’t understand. They also fear ideas and people that come along and say: “Hey, here’s a better way to do things.” I get it. People work hard to establish comfort in their lives, and in order to embrace what we need, we have to step out of our comfort zone to do so. But, as you can tell from this full moon and as you’ll see in August, it doesn’t really matter what you or I think; change is happening whether we want it to or not, so it is smarter to be the one in charge rather than reacting to it.  I don’t know about you, but I prefer to be proactive rather than reactive, and that is a subtle theme during this full moon. You can either sit on the couch and cry, or you can do something about it. I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of tired of hearing people complain and then not doing anything about it, and to be clear, when I say “doing something about it,” I am referring to getting involved in politics, humanitarian causes, social causes, and all kinds of community involvement, because that is where the work needs to be done.

I know all of this may be a lot to take in, but to help you with that is the upcoming conjunction between Mars and Jupiter as they travel through chatty Gemini together. Gemini is an adaptable air sign which means it is good for brainstorming. It is also a good time to connect with others to get things done. Yes, the Mercury retrograde will play a large role in this, but I believe we can collectively rise to the occasion to better life for all of us-not just our friends and family, but also the strangers we meet or haven’t met yet. I hope all of this makes sense and helps, because its pretty intense and there are no signs things will be lightening up soon.

Namaste,