It's Full Moon & Major Lunar Standstill
Dear Friends
We are approaching this full moon in Sagittarius (exact at 8.42am, 11th June) and it is a special one, as it coincides with the major lunar standstill, the culmination of an 18.6 year cycle, when the moon will rise and set at its most southerly point on the horizon. The moon is making its lowest possible arc across the sky, and its proximity to the horizon will make the low‑angle view quite dramatic, amplifying its colour and scale. Drawing a more southerly arc than even that of the Winter Solstice sun makes it an ‘out of bounds’ moon at its most extreme - a radical, free-spirited moon indeed! Being 90˚ ahead of its own south node, this full moon is at its southern bendings, challenging the authority of the solar order, and very much wanting to do its own thing!
Many of the UK’s stone circles seem to have been designed (as one of their functions) to pick up these lunar extremes, including Stonehenge, which has four ‘station stones’ in a rectangle that lies perpendicular to the monument’s main solstitial axis. The longer sides of this rectangular form align with the Moon’s northernmost setting and southernmost rising during a major lunar standstill. There is also a wonderful phenomenon that occurs at the stone circle at Callanais on the Isle of Lewis, where, at its southernmost setting on major lunar standstill, the full moon will be seen to trace a path on the horizon along the range of hills, known as the ‘sleeping goddess’, afterwhich the moon disappears briefly, then reappears lighting up the centre of the circle. There will be many gathered at Callanais tonight to witness this rare event! I myself, am down in Cornwall at the moment, and will be at one of my favourite stone circles, Boscawen-un, just west of Penzance, for there is an alignment to the lunar standstill here also, with the low-hanging moon rising in alignment with the nearby Merry Maidens stone circle to the south-east.
The Astrology of the Full Moon
So what about the astrology of today’s full moon? Well, Sagittarius is a fiery, independent moon, full of drive and conviction, single-mindedly pursuing the quest! And as always, with a full moon, the Sun is in the opposite sign, and we are in Gemini season of course, the season of the pollinators, where everything is in flux and change, and all possibilities are up for grabs. So this moon is about holding that tension between the Sagittarian pursuit of knowledge and ultimate truth and the endless questioning of Gemini, for whom truth is always relative, according to one’s perspective, and always open to interpretation.
I’ve already mentioned that the Sun and Moon are positioned exactly square to the moon’s nodes over this full moon, at the so-called ‘bendings of the Moon’, which gives this full moon a karmic flavour, the sense that we might have to go back and look at something again, or deal with an old situation that was not properly handled in the past. This is spoken of in Evolutionary Astrology as a ‘missed step’, something that must be re-addressed before we can move on. In Hellenistic astrology, having the moon squared the nodes made a person more versatile and changeable, a ‘polytropos’, a person of many turns, a term used to describe the Greek hero, Odysseus, famous for his wit, resourcefulness and versatility. So this perhaps puts a more positive spin on it!
The Jupiter-Saturn-Neptune Alignment
The chart of this full moon is also notable as it coincides with the Jupiter-Saturn square aspect which is perfecting to its exactitude over the coming week. With Saturn and Neptune also conjunct, this makes for quite a complex astrological picture. Jupiter has just moved from its year-long sojourn through curious, wordy Gemini and has now entered the nurturing water sign, Cancer, the sign of its exaltation, where it will remain for the next 12 months. At such a time our imagination and sense of possibility can thrive, and the desire to expand our awareness from exploring emotional depths, and making connections with our roots is far more pronounced. Immediately meeting such a challenging aspect with Saturn and Neptune, as it crosses this threshold, could be very disorienting though! The presence of the Jupiter-Neptune square could inflate our vision of what is possible, and we could get carried away with a idea or scheme, while Saturn, at the same time, will call out any unreal promises, and demand a stock-check! This might cause us to hesitate or doubt our course of action. It feels a bit jerky, and there could be some stop-start energy for a while.
The overall picture is not at all clear, and the Saturn-Neptune conjunction (which remains operative over the summer and again at the start of next year) is calling for a complete re-orientation of the way things are set up. So much has to give way now, and with Jupiter making the square over this full moon, this is really being amplified and illuminated. The possibility in all this could be the deliberate shaping of a spiritual vision, giving concrete form to something mystical or intangible.
My Sagittarian mantra is full of conviction and clarity, at least!
“I know the way, I am guided by the stars, and I trust that my aim is true!”
Hopefully the skies will be clear this evening for us to enjoy this lunar spectacle.
Many blessings
John