January 30th ~ February 6th
“At the Park Gate” by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Should we continue to look upwards? Is the light we can see in the sky one of those which will presently be extinguished? The ideal is terrifying to behold, lost as it is in the depths, small, isolated, a pin-point, brilliant but threatened on all sides by the dark forces that surround it: nevertheless, no more in danger than a star in the jaws of the clouds. ~ Victor Hugo (Les Misérables)
We tolerate discomfort, and even things that oppress us. We trip over them on the walkways, they niggle at our wounds. We bear with them, and pay them little mind, because our attention is elsewhere. Until it is not. The niggle feels like a punch that begins to tear at old wounds that fester and weep. They hurt. When we trip we fall, we sustain injuries. And suddenly those discomforts and oppressive circumstances become the problem that can no longer be ignored. That’s what sesquiquadrates feel like. Minor aspects that cannot and will not be ignored. They become large and intolerable.
This weekend we have a Full Moon at 13º Leo 04’ sesquiquadrate Saturn at the very end of Pisces. It makes another to Neptune, now in Aries. But the sesquare to Saturn is exact, and cannot, will not be ignored. We grow with the Full Moon, everything becomes evident, it discloses, and brings things to a grand crescendo. The Full Moon shines a light on an old oppressive state that we’ve been ignoring. But that same decrepit order is now holding on for dear life. It is desperate. On February 13th Saturn will leave the last degrees of Pisces and enter Aries, signaling a new beginning, with new expectations. This is our farewell cry. Saying “No More”. Shedding. Releasing. The retirement party for an old order that is losing ground.
At the Full Moon, the Moon in Leo stands in direct opposition to the Sun in Aquarius. In this case it also opposes by sign, a stellium of planets in Aquarius, allowing us to look objectively at the developments that have been brewing amongst the people at large. By the people, we mean the people on the ground, the people that enable systems to run, the people on the grass roots level, engaging, organizing, gathering, strengthening under the tutelage of Pluto and a Saturn/Uranus sextile. They are waking up, and the Full Moon, which always occurs in Aquarius season, is forcing us to pay attention. It says “Look at this… look at this!” The People are Powerful. And they are saying “No More”.
Not being heard is no reason for silence. ~ Victor Hugo (Les Misérables)
The Full Moon in Leo falls on Sunday, February 1st. This year it is followed by the direct station of Uranus on February 3rd-4th at 27º Taurus 28’. It is sextile Saturn at 29º Pisces and square Mercury at 25º Aquarius. Planets are always stronger when they station and they make their presence known. Uranus can literally shake the very earth beneath our feet. Like an earthquake, Uranus makes its final station in the earth sign Taurus. And we can feel the rumbles as the pottery trembles on the shelves. And even if we do not feel the tremors ourselves, there is that nauseous feeling one gets in the pit of the stomach when the earth shifts on its axis. Uranus brings the inevitability of change. And it can do so quickly.
This station of Uranus is setting things in motion. It will be exactly square the Solar Eclipse on February 17th, which serves as an inflection point along with the Saturn/Neptune conjunction on February 20th. In the mean time, the Full Moon in Leo is a crescendo, where all of the events of the previous 2 weeks are brought to some sort of culmination. It shows us things. And we cannot look away.
During the 5 months that Uranus has been retrograde we have been realigning ourselves with our own inner truth. During its retrograde phase its experience was being focused within. This was a time of internal changes, in which we were either making sense of the changes that were occurring in the world at large, or in our own lives. Perhaps through a series of surprises, challenges, twists and turns we become aware that the world is indeed shifting on its axis, taking us along for the ride. So we are also being asked to consider the sorts of changes that we would like to see in our own lives, as well as in the world at large.
Mercury in radical Aquarius is square the stationing Uranus. This combination gives us permission to change our minds. To use our voices. To go in a new direction. To adapt to new circumstances. As a result we should all be prepared for some possible changes in plans, as we move through the week. Flexibility is being called for.
The direct station of Uranus is when we ask ourselves:
How do I feel about these changes that are happening? Am I comfortable with them? Is there something I can do about them? And if not, is there something I can change in my perspective that will help me to adapt to any new information that changes the picture?
What would it mean for me to be the change that I wish to see in the world?
What might a new normal look like for you? Have you been getting any inklings of what this might mean?
If you find yourself way out of your comfort zone, the station of Uranus also gives you permission to pull back to something more comfortable. What might be needed to get yourself back on course again?
Full Moons are always strongest as we approach them. Once it culminates on the 3rd (or 4th depending on where you are in the world), it already begins to wane and deescalate. Full Moons can be emotional, and are capable of bringing things up to the surface that had been simmering beneath the fold. For those who are sensitive they can disrupt sleep and amp up the anxiety levels. However, the Full Moon can be very good for any sort of intuitive work, or divination. This will be especially true the night just before it culminates. For instance, here in the United States, the best time for intuitive work would be Saturday night. However, in the UK and Europe it would be Sunday night. Night time is best, as you would want the Moon above the horizon.
For this week’s horoscopes, click below: