Blue Full Moon in Pisces and a Candle in the Wind

 

The Full Moon of the 31st August is the second full moon of the calendar month, making it what is commonly known as a blue moon. Apparently it can also appear to be blue-ish in colour. The exact time of this full moon is 03:35, as the Moon was about to set in the west. So those of you who were not in the land of Nod might have been able to see it early this morning. 

This full moon occurs in the sign of the fish, Pisces, at around 7 degrees of that sign. The Sun, obviously, is in the sign of the maiden, Virgo. The Virgo/Pisces axis deals with the notion of service and sacrifice, as Virgo is all about that which enslaves us in mundane life (daily chores) and Pisces is where we transcend the ego and offer our services for the good of others. This is in a nutshell, of course, as Virgo is also about the state of our health and animals, amongst other things, but this is a subject which deserves closer study. That's for another day. 

Let's look at the story the sky is offering us. 

First of all, a full moon is the culmination of what was offered to us at the new moon 14 days ago at the Leo New Moon (https://sisistars.blogspot.com/2023/08/new-moon-in-leo-venus-and-breaking-away.html). The one thing that jumps out of the chart is the number of planets which are in retrograde motion - that is a bit like putting the brakes on everything and asking us to conduct some internal search. 

Looking at the internal planets first (the planets between Earth and the Sun), you will realise that both Venus and Mercury are currently retrograde. Mercury is the planet associated with communication. Mercury rules Virgo, and Virgo is about how we go about our daily chores, or that when enslaves us. How does it affect your health? 

Venus is the planet associated with resources and how we relate to others. In Leo, it has a rather regal connotation (note that the Lionesses were centre stage during the World Cup games). Venus in Leo loves attention. However, with Venus retrograde, are you feeling a lack of attention? Perhaps you should be paying attention to yourself. Venus is currently the Morning Star in its new cycle. 

Mars, Jupiter and Saturn also make some interesting configurations. Mars is not retrograde, but it is in Libra, the planet of harmony, which tells us that any motivation to act is in order to create harmony or stabilise an already existing state of balance. This may lead to you feeling stuck. Jupiter is currently approaching the planet Uranus (sudden change, revolution) whilst Saturn is conjunct the Full Moon. A Moon/Saturn combination is not an easy one, as Saturn restricts and challenges us to take responsibility. 

The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) move very slowly and describe generational influences, so I won't go into that here. In the chart on the left, you can see the main patterns of this Blue Moon. The Moon/Saturn conjunction will undoubtedly want to tell us that emotions will be held in check. Mercury wants us to engage in intra-communication (look inwards to see what changes need to be made in the way we deal with internal /health issues) and is assisted by Jupiter. Perhaps we need to check what our needs are in terms of resources and see if they are working for us. These two planets form a trine, a harmonious aspect, so this should not be too difficult.  Venus also aspects Jupiter in a challenging aspect (square) and therefore we need to stop trying too hard to please others. What are your own needs? 

In sum, this Full Moon is highlighting the need to look at relationship dynamics, those with others and also with ourselves. The seeds sown at the new moon on the 16th August come to fruition at this part of the lunar cycle and it offers us the potential for growth. The Moon/Saturn conjunction offers us the ability to follow our intuition (Full Moon in Pisces) whilst also keeping our feet on the ground (Moon/Saturn). 

Onto another thing. No 31st of August goes by without remembering Diana, Princess of Wales. Today is the anniversary of her death on the 31st August 1997, in Paris, France. The outpouring of grief and her death will forever remain engrained in the minds of those who lived through those times. She became 'immortal', in a sense, because she died tragically at such a young age. Her life was complicated and was an endless source of fascination. What is so fascinating is that she offered us a seemingly fairy tale story which enthralled us, albeit the ending was not happy at all.

Diana Spencer was born on the 1st July 1961 at Sandringham, UK at 19:45 BST, making her a Cancer Sun and Sagittarius rising. Both these signs encapsulate what the world knew about her. She was a nurturing person (Cancer) who wanted nothing more than to have a loving family as well as someone who needed her freedom (Sagittarius). Her birth chart tells us that her Moon was in the cold sign of Aquarius and opposed Uranus, something which was  played out throughout her life: Moon Aquarius people are likely to have had an early childhood marked by having more than one mother figure or perhaps even experiencing mother as being somewhat cold. The polarity between wanting to experience mother love against absent motherly love is the pattern which was laid down early in her life. 

The energy of this polarity found its outlet through her natal Venus in Taurus (which it rules) in the sixth house, the house of service to others. 

When we combine all these factors, we find that Diana Spencer's natal chart predisposed her to expressing her freedom and nurturing abilities through caring (Cancer) for others (Uranus - humanitarian traits) by being of service (Venus in 6th house). Her work with humanitarian causes is documented, particularly her attention to people suffering from HIV (Aids) and also the situation concerning landmines.  

Interestingly, throughout the beginning of 1997, many astrologers were concerned about a solar eclipse which they felt would announce the passing of someone famous. Throughout history, the British Royal family have had intense links with eclipses. Prince Charles was born a few days after a solar eclipse, as was William, his son, born on the 21st June 1982, the day of a solar eclipse. You may have heard the story about how during Prince William's baptism inside St.George's Chapel, Windsor, a light breeze blew out a candle in the chapel during the ceremony. (King) Charles asked Prince William's godfather and close, Laurens Van der Post, who was also well versed in Jungian psychology, what that could signify. Van der Post answered that only time would tell. Little did they know that Elton John's 'Candle in the wind' would come to mean something associated with the death of Princess Diana. King Charles' own coronation on the 6th May came a few hours after a lunar eclipse. Interesting, don't you think? 

Today is the 26th anniversary of her death and her story still continues to interest us. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this. 

Blessings,

Cindy