August 1, 2023 at 12:31pm in Mexico City—Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aquarius echoes back to January 21st when a New Moon seeded this part of the sky in the first decan of Aquarius. Back then, I described this optimistic beginning as “believing in better.” At the time, the sextile to Jupiter encouraged us to step forward in the direction of meaning and purpose. And now, for those of us who seeded a new beginning under January’s New Moon, this Full Moon is the expression of that purposeful movement.
Like reaching the end of a chapter, all Full Moons bring a sense of culmination and, beyond that, a fresh start. January’s New Moon’s sextile to Jupiter now expands to a square in August’s Full Moon. If sextiles indicate flow, squares point to a blockage in flow. Yet, when the square involves Jupiter, as it does here, working through the challenge leads to the restorative and expanded promise of the Greater Benefic.
Speaking of blockages: the tarot card that corresponds to this part of the sky—The Five of Swords—indicates a stepping away from an altercation. There’s an “agree to disagree” vibe in this card. The man in the Five of Swords cuts his losses and moves on. Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, and in a very Saturnian way, the Five of Swords man is creating boundaries around his energy, time, and mental bandwidth by disengaging. With Saturn currently in the sign of Pisces, the boundaries some of us erect at this time have to do with honoring our feelings and emotional capacity to sustain settings that potentially drain us.
A little more on Saturn
In the Full Moon chart, the ruler of the Aquarius Moon—Saturn—stands in direct opposition to Mercury, who has recently entered Virgo. Embedded in this lunation is a signature of being methodical and calculating (Mercury in Virgo) regarding the emotional maturity (Saturn in Pisces) asked of us now. Perhaps this Full Moon is a check on the emotional labor we’ve been bearing since Saturn entered the sign of Pisces back in early March. Is there a better way to feel? Can we shift our perceptions so the burden feels lighter?
This Full Moon offers a clue for these questions, mainly in the confidence gleaned in following our unique path. If we have pushed ourselves to experiment and bravely step out of our comfort zone this year, as this 1st decan of Aquarius is ought to do, let’s acknowledge our efforts and applaud our creative confidence. So often, we’re busy living in the future. This Full Moon invites us to look back over the year and give ourselves a pat on the back for the heroic changes we’ve included in the plot line of our distinctive and precious lives.
Water Bearer images made by me in Midjourney