The Full Moon will occur Wednesday, July 1st, at 7:19pm PDT in sidereal Sagittarius. In Vedic Astrology it falls in the nakshatra (star-sign) Purva Ashada. This is the part of the sky towards the galactic center, so we can see the Milky Way flowing along near this full Moon. This is the midpoint of the Gemini cycle begun on the last New Moon.
Gemini compels us to gather information, synthesize, organize and communicate. It drives the intellect and curiosity and allows us to explore a multitude of different ideas all at once. As the Moon waxes into its full brightness, the opposite side of the zodiac is lit up as the Sun reflects upon it, and we encounter the Jupiter-ruled energy of Sagittarius. This illuminates the area where we are full of faith, hope and optimism. Here in Sagittarius we often rely on this sensation more than “the facts.” We may feel right now that some spark of inner faith is pushing us along, perhaps without regard to the reason of the intellect. This Gemini-Sagittarius contrast poses our inner analysts against our inner idealists. Under this full Moon, we may tend towards our idealist nature. This could compel us towards actions that are beneficial to society and our communities. This is great, as long as we don’t get carried away into a space of fanaticism.
Purva Ashada is ruled by the planet Venus, and its deity is Apah, a water goddess. As a Venusian star it also relates to the goddess Laxmi, who bestows material and spiritual prosperity. Being in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius, this star carries a lot of optimism and ambitiousness, and a zealous pleasure for life and its experiences. It is a great place to find inspiration and to inspire others, but again, it’s important to watch out for the tendency to be over-zealous. This can cause conflict among people, which is already a risk with Sun still joined very close to combust Mars. This creates a short fuse and a tendency for explosiveness. The two are in the nakshatra Ardra (in Gemini, opposite this Sagittarius full Moon), which is one of the most intense and stormy places in the zodiac. With the added heat from summer that a lot of us are experiencing, it’s still really important to slow down and cool off before pursuing the itch to let frustration out on others.
Honor the water goddess Apah and pacify the pitta (fire-element) with dips in your nearest cool-water body, calling in your own inner fluidity. Spend time outside and with the earth to bring a little groundedness into this air-fire (Gem-Sag) alignment. Avoid spicy foods if you’re feeling any mental agitation or aggression. Add some cucumber slices to your drinking water for more cooling energy. Enjoy the beauty of Jupiter and Venus, and call on their energies to uplift your heart and mind during this full Moon. These two can be seen setting in the west as the Moon is rising in the east.