Full Moon January 2015

Love Binds the Universe: Full Moon in Leo 2015

Image by NASA via Wikimedia Commons.

Full Moon @ 14 Leo 48' 
February 3, 2015
6:09 PM Eastern
3:09 PM Pacific

Gravity is the binding force of the macroscopic universe. Without it, nothing would coalesce—planets wouldn’t form and stars would collapse. It is gravity that holds this whole thing together. The orbits of the planets around the Sun, the spiraling cycles of stars around the galactic center, and the movement of galaxies around their own aggregate gravitational centers—all would cease to exist in gravity’s absence.

According to Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, objects with mass occupying space leave an imprint within space itself, creating a field around it that pulls surrounding objects (with less mass) toward or around it. From our perspective, the Sun is the center of gravity in the solar system; though we know that the Sun itself is subject to the larger gravitational fields generated by other massive objects as well as the galactic center which it orbits entirely roughly every 250 million years.

That’s quite a bit to take in, and it’s a perspective that serves us very little from our subjective viewpoint here on Earth. For our purposes, we know that gravity keeps our feet firmly planted on the ground. That’s all we really deal with. It may be equally enlightening to realize that gravity is a constant force, much like the speed of light. So, while physicists have given it a name and have painstakingly described it through mathematical equations, we still don’t fully understand it.

Perhaps, gravity is like love—binding all things together in a way that nothing else can. Gravity may feel limiting, keeping us stuck in a specific time and place, but it’s the very thing that increases complexity and fuels the evolutionary process. From an occult or astrological perspective, the Sun is the very heart and engine of the mind itself—the center of gravity of consciousness. And so we come to a very powerful realization: gravity exists only in the mind as does the Sun and all the stars that we see in the sky.

Imagine that. When you look up at the sky and notice the Moon or the planets (with the exception of certain trans-Neptunian objects like Pluto) all orbiting along a specific plane—you are witnessing the Sun’s gravitational field as it extends outward through the solar system. But that very field is something the mind itself has created, which doesn’t make it any less awesome or real. At the end of the day, the mind’s perception is all we really know and fully perceive.

The entire Universe is contained in the mind. This is the heart of the “how” of astrology, and something those with an overtly scientific mentality will never fully comprehend. Astrology works because the planets, the stars, and even the fictitious tropical zodiac all exist in the mind which is inseparable from waking consciousness. The solar system is a mind map because it is the mind--as are the laws of physics which must change as our perception widens and becomes all-encompassing.

This month's lunar cycle culminates in tropical Leo—the sign we associate with the Sun. It also conjoins Jupiter—the largest planet in our solar system with a gravitational force that actually rivals that of the Sun. When I think about this Full Moon, I think gravitas and magnanimity. As the current lunar cycle culminates, it carries tremendous weight and force that is rather attractive—in a gravitational sense.

This Full Moon is about picking up the pieces, pulling things together, regaining trust, confidence, and channeling powerful creative energy and enthusiasm toward positive goals or objectives. This is rather quite fitting because we are a little bit past the midpoint of Mercury’s retrograde cycle, which often has us deconstructing something to ultimately build it back up—whether that be an actual project, palpable thing, viewpoint or perspective. So, this Full Moon kind of pulls it together in a way that will leave us feeling a little more grounded and rooted.

Gravity is also a supporting force. By keeping our feet firmly rooted to the Earth’s surface, we have this sense of something that supports us, that holds us all together. While we may not understand it, we have learned to trust this mysterious force; we allow it to guide us. And ditto with love. While equally mysterious, we must trust the flow of love in our life and allow it to guide us as well, wherever it may lead us. Gravity, love, creativity, desire and passion—they are the forces that keep us coming back to this place in time and space, but perhaps, they are equally the forces, that once exhausted, will ultimately set us free. 

If you're interested in personal readings/consultations, please e-mail me directly at kosmicmind@gmail.com. 

The Heart of the Matter: Full Moon in Cancer 2015

An artist's impression of the binary star system, Sirius A and B;
photo by NASA, ESA and G. Bacon. Sirius A and its companion, Sirius B,
a blue white-dwarf star, revolve around each other every 50 years. Only
8.6 light years away, these companion stars are fairly close to home,
the fifth closest stellar system that astronomers are currently aware of.
Doesn't Sirius B look rather tiny? It's actually smaller than our home planet, yet 

its surface temperature is actually hotter than Sirius A.
Crazy, eh?

Full Moon @ 14 Cancer 31' 
Jan 4, 2015
8:53 PM Pacific
11:53 PM Eastern

One of the greatest challenges of being a sensitive, empathic individual is the inevitability of having to face the world—a world that can be cruel, unyielding and seemingly unfair. It is a painful thing to realize, as a sensitive soul, that you must somehow harden yourself just to get by and survive on this planet. Not all of us are so sensitive; many people have developed a thick skin quite early on in life due to certain conditioning factors. But those of a strong Cancerian, lunar or fourth house nature will have to deal with that harsh and challenging adjustment throughout their entire lives. Other mitigating astrological factors will either ease that process or make it exceedingly difficult.
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The tropical sign of Cancer holds space for this Full Moon following the New Year transition and the end of the holiday season. This Full Moon brings to light our vulnerabilities and amplifies sensitivity, even if we aren’t particularly wired for that heightened awareness. To make things even more interesting, this month’s Full Moon finds itself in the crossfire of the Uranus/Pluto square forming a grand cross with the Sun conjunct Pluto and Uranus sideswiping from Aries conjunct the Nodal axis. That dynamic contact exposes our intimate and personal lives with that of the collective—political, economic or ideological influences. 

As many people across the western world set their New Years’ resolutions, they can’t help but feel slightly beleaguered by a sense of uncertainty and maybe a slight pessimism. Recent events in the world’s political and economic arenas have given us all good reason to remain alert and committed to realism. But the greatest challenge of all is to maintain our connection to our heart’s true calling while remaining fully conscious of the obstacles that lie ahead of us and which seek to prevent us from pursuing it.

As this Full Moon comes to a climax in the sky, hovering directly above one of the brightest stars, Sirius (the “dog star”; though actually a binary star system comprised of two stars, Sirus A and B), it symbolizes the awareness of a higher calling, purpose and mission which may not be concretely defined but can be intuitively sensed. The heart is calling us outward to participate in the world, though the path or destination may be unclear. This lunation comes with the realization that full participation in life requires that we break out of our comfort zone and make some compromises without completely shutting off our sensitivity and emotional awareness. 

To embrace the transformative quality of this Full Moon, we must do so cautiously and gently, that is we must not lose sight of our vulnerabilities and limitations—aware of the risks and dangers we may encounter. Pluto’s conjunction with the Sun in Capricorn urges us to embrace and honor what we’re really feeling without getting too overwhelmed or caught up in it. One way to do that is through Mercury and Venus’ conjunction in Aquarius: to openly communicate our feelings with others to receive a detached perspective of ourselves and what we’re experiencing. 

In order to rise up and take on the world, we often need to go inward to acknowledge those aspects of our unconscious nature that often get ignored. The external world is a mirror of the world within ourselves and it simply reflects those things we do not usually perceive. Take some time to acknowledge yourself with this Full Moon. Hold space for your fears, vulnerabilities and those deeply embedded feelings you have forgotten about or disregarded. When we are comfortable with ourselves, regardless of external circumstances, then we will have the strength and capacity to change the world, and that takes a certain level of sensitivity, a sensitivity that the world truly needs right now.

Note--Mercury will turn retrograde this month, believe it or not. We enter the shadow phase on Jan. 5 and Mercury turns stationary retrograde on Jan. 21. I will cover this along with the New Moon in Aquarius which occurs the day before the retrograde begins. Get ready for a wonky and glitchy New Moon, everyone!

Happy Gregorian New Year!

I am available for personal readings; please contact me directly by e-mail: kosmicmind@gmail.com