The Full Moon occurs this Saturday, August 29th, at 11:35am PDT. The night of the fullest waxing Moon is Friday night, August 28th. This Full Moon will be in the nakshatra Shatabisha, the healing star, in sidereal Aquarius. Translated as “the hundred physicians,” this star sign relates to medicine and healing, often through many modalities, and this Full Moon brings this potential to the forefront. It’s a good time to visit your healers or dedicate some time and attention to your own self-care routine. Ruled by Rahu, the shadowy north node of the Moon, Shatabisha relates to hidden powers and mysteries. This is a good time to probe deeply into your own heart, or for researching things in general.
The Full Moon in Aquarius is opposite the Sun in Leo, and it shines a light on the dichotomy between the two signs. Leo, ruled by the Sun, is where our personal power is strong, as well as our sense of responsibility and our connection with source energy. Aquarius is ruled by Saturn and relates more to austerities and service to others, where we often renounce our individual will in favor of the greater good. This full Moon calls us to
balance the energies of the two signs, working on our understanding of how we can use our individual strengths to be of service to others without feeling our light diminished. This is a time for letting your juices flow freely from wherever you find your inspiration, in ways that will in turn benefit society and inspire others. Saturn’s rulership of Aquarius helps us to direct our personal power towards actions that create valuable long-term results, not just immediate gratification — i.e., things that will be good for the world around us in which we live.
The task at hand may feel a bit overwhelming, however, because of Jupiter’s close alignment with the Sun. This “combust” Jupiter could be causing us to feel a lack of hope, or a lack of support from our higher teachings or teachers. Our philosophies (the energy of Jupiter) may be feeling burnt up in the proximity to the solar giant, who reminds us that only the soul is eternal. Jupiter and Sun are also feeling the pressure of Saturn’s glare as he aspects them from Scorpio. Be careful not to let pessimism overrun you if you feel like things just aren’t gong your way right now. Use this instead as part of your call to healing and to connecting with your inner strength, the brightness of the everlasting divinity within. Take things one step at a time and remember that divine grace is always there, even though it could feel blocked up right now because of Jupiter’s combustion. On the other hand, you may be strongly connecting with your philosophies, but frustrated in the attempt to put them into action.
Another reason actions may still feel held up is because Mars remains in its debilitated placement in Cancer. Mars wants to take action and be courageous, but the sideways-moving crab rashi (sign) slows and waters it down. Over the next few days we’ll see a close alignment of Venus and Mars, which could harmonize masculine and feminine energies. They are joined in the star sign Ashlesha, relating to serpent energy and kundalini, so sexual appetites could be high now. These two may struggle for dominance in our energy fields in the beginning of next week, however, as they pass over each other in the sky. This means our desires and instincts can feel at odds. Venus is still retrograde, pushing us to review our relationships and pursuits of happiness. Call forth your higher power for wisdom to help guide you.
The intellect may be an ally for us this month, as Mercury is now in its sign of exaltation, Virgo. This earth sign brings some grounding to the quickly-moving planet of curiosity, and helps us to sort out the details of life and focus the mind on what is most practical. As Mercury is also joined with Rahu in Virgo now, the intellect may be able to make connections to otherwise hidden information, as Rahu is a shadow planet. His connection here could also cause us to obsess over details a bit, however, or add an element of anxiety to the mind. We will experience the energy of Rahu in Virgo more acutely as we approach the upcoming eclipses on September 12th (partial solar) and 27th (total lunar)–report on those to come! Eclipse cycles are a good time to receive a personal reading, as we can feel a lot of upheaval and uncertainty in the area of life where the nodes fall in our individual charts.
Overall this is a good time for personal healing, as well as healing in the relationships in our lives as Mars and retrograde Venus are so close during this Shatabisha Full Moon. It’s a time to integrate our sense of personal power with our will to serve society. Call on your healing practices and your inner strength to achieve equilibrium. Find peace in the heart through service, especially if your usual teachers or philosophies are feeling hard to reach or to engage. Have faith in yourself and the inner-abiding source, even if outward circumstances seem unmanageable. Eclipse cycles can be stressful, and as we are approaching that window, remember that it too shall pass, after giving us the opportunity to do some deep inner transformation, reorganization, and healing.