I Am Divine, And So Are You, Under the Full Moon in Leo
HERE WE ARE at our monthly full moon. The sun illuminates the moon fully at 12:53 PM EST on Thursday, January 25th. When the sun and moon oppose each other, it means that the sun and moon are in opposite signs of the zodiac, and so there are opposing themes at play within us.
The sun represents that which is central in our lives. After all, it is the centralizing “star” in our solar system. The sun is moving through its monthly progression in Aquarius, the sign of the water-bearer. Aquarius often gets mistaken as being a water sign because of this, as well as its water-glyph; however, Aquarius is an air sign. The water element signifies reaching many people (like air does) with the nourishing, life-giving and life-sustaining powers of water.
Aquarius is the sign of the people. One human family. Aquarius governs those at the top, at the bottom and every one in between. Aquarius, being an air sign, is uplifting and hopeful that just like air is widespread and always available, so are hope, faith and belief.
Because Aquarius is an air sign, it governs the mind: specifically our beliefs. Those which we have inherited, been taught, and invented all on our own. The mind is a fascinating thing because despite how far science and technology have advanced, the brain remains a largely unknown frontier. There is mystery in the human body. There is magic. Science can feel sometimes like magic, too; that is why Aquarius also represents science and innovation.
When the sun is in Aquarius from January 20th-February 19th we centralize the nature of our connection with others, whether that is one of judgement, passivity, care, action, comparison, etc. We are also more aware now than at any other time during the year of the idea that “if one of us is suffering, then I, too, suffer.” Why? Because Aquarius knows that the air I breathe is also the same air that you breathe, and the same air that humans have breathed since the dawn of man.
The aspects that the sun currently makes to other planets will flavor this full moon. The sun and Pluto currently sit within five degrees of each other. Pluto just moved into Aquarius where it will begin its 20-year journey after being in Capricorn since 2008 (minus a retrograde Pluto will take from September 1st-November 18th). Because the sun aspects Pluto so closely under this full moon, events taking place today and tomorrow might offer us a glimpse into the next 20 years.
Pluto governs the uncomfortable, unclear and yet powerful forces that be. Think about death, which is a classic association with Pluto. Death is certain and yet involves the unknown. We also know that death can be a powerful agent in transformation and change. Death promises new life, always.
And so right now we are aware of the ways in which death impacts us as a human family, especially as there is so much access of information via technology. We are more connected today as a human family than we have ever been thanks to technology. And it seems to me that we are also hyper-aware right now of the ways in which technology will either advance us as a human species or threaten our very means of existence. My guess is that it will be a bit of both, and that it will be imperative to impart strict rules, guidelines, regulations and morals around technology, space travel and artificial intelligence over the next two decades.
The full moon offers a helpful counterpoint to all of this *ahem, BIG, potentially very unsettling and yet potent energy* that is ripe with opportunity for change: change that impacts not just one of us, but ALL of us. The moon is a celestial body that represents underlying physical needs and desires. Leo is the sign of passion, aliveness and creativity. And that moon in Leo might beckon you to lean into that flame that contains your will to live. Can you connect to that alive energy within? That childlike sense of playful imagination, creativity and lust for life? Relating to our inner child is one of the fastest ways to reconnect with our sense of purpose for being here. You might imagine the last time you felt truly alive with wonder, curiosity and excitement. Perhaps you were a small child; perhaps this feeling occurred later in life.
One of my earliest memories of childlike wonder and thrill was playing a Harry Potter board game with my twin sister. On muggy summer days I remember sitting on the floor at our living room coffee table and instantly entering the world of magic as soon as I saw the dark caverns of the 3D board game and the tactile board game pieces. That love of exploring “what is hidden” has really sustained me through my early adult years and is reflected in many of my interests and hobbies today.
I think this full moon aims to put us in touch with the spark of the divine in ourselves and to live it out. Maybe there is a certain activity you partake in today that allows you experience pleasure: walking, masturbating, dancing, singing, creating, imagining, cooking... Fill the senses and enmesh yourself in enjoyment. Meditate upon the spark of aliveness beyond just your individual human form and how perhaps this aliveness exists in all living beings, everywhere.