PLAGE DIAMANT SUR MARTINIQUE
THE CHART FOR THIS PISCES FULL MOON is like the Chart of someone who’s fallen in love. Someone who’s fallen in love with a Sailor. But is our Sailor in love with Us, or are they only in love with the Sea? For ourselves even, it’s as if we don’t know who (or in this case, what) we’re actually in love with: the Actual Sailor (VIRGO/REALITY) or the Mythical Sea (PISCES/FANTASY).
This is the question we’ll be getting some kind of “answer” to now, whether from an external source or from a realization within ourselves. The metaphor of the Sailor vs. the Sea directly references or “activates” a major Long-Term Transit—Jupiter in Sagittarius Square Neptune in Pisces—which has been in effect since January 2019.
Jupiter and Neptune are both happy in their home signs of Sagittarius and Pisces, respectively, representing truth, love, idealism and abundance on the more positive side; but when in a tense angle to one another, as they are at this Full Moon, the “shadow” side of any Jupiter-Neptune combination can spell disappointment or disillusionment with an ideal at least, or the possibility of completely losing or sacrificing yourself an ideal, a dream, or a future to the point of delusion. These are the more extreme sides of the spectrum, but Jupiter-Neptune combos in tense aspect typically represent a Test of Faith in some area of life.
At the time of the Full Moon in Pisces at 12:33 AM (EDT), this test of faith is highlighted, as its Opposition to Mars in Virgo activates or triggers a final “Eureka” moment of the Jupiter-Neptune Square we’ve been experiencing since January 2019. This could feel enlightening or devastating, depending on the work you’re willing to put in and the truths you’re willing to accept now.
But either way, this is about coming to a conclusion about whatever (or whoever) we’ve been overly optimistic about, including work projects or relationships. Given Mars’ influence, it could play out in the form of an “answer” or a forced truth or secret coming to light in the context of a romantic relationship. It may manifest as conflict within our family dynamic, or it may be about the basic sense of faith we have in our ability to take care of ourselves (Virgo) and those Important Others in our lives (Pisces).
The lesson of September, but especially the September 14th Full Moon in Pisces, is at once both simple and paradoxical: whether we’re staring longingly at a Magical, Faraway Sea or splashing around in it with Mr. Sailor, the Sea is transient and ever-changing, warning us not to get sucked in by an obsession with “the dream,” vision, ideal—the fanta(SEA)—at the expense of recognizing the limitations of both ourselves and others. Because while it might’ve felt relatively “safe” to just go to work and dream and little dream, we’re now facing the hard fact that while you may have fallen in love with it, the Sea—any Sea—can never love you back.
Moon-Neptune in Pisces: Highly Sensitive
There is such intense emotion that comes up with this Full Moon falling in Pisces, the sign of unconditional love and sacrifice. The Moon (Emotion) is making a conjunction to Neptune (Sensitivity) in Pisces, both Conjunct the Midheaven, or 10th house cusp, in the Full Moon Chart for New York City.
A little like the Ascendant, any planets falling in the 10th house, especially when placed so close to the Midheaven, represent energies that are noticeable to others without our even being aware of it at times. It’s akin to our unconscious persona, or performance of self. The placement of the Moon-Neptune Conjunction in Pisces at the very top of the Chart demonstrates the highly focal, visible nature of our emotions. To be put on display like that is not an easy placement for a Moon-Pisces Conjunction, as the combination of Moon and Neptune tends to lead us toward the tendency to hide our sensitivity. The 10th house is all about Responsibility and Reputation; but Moon-Neptune in Pisces desperately wants to escape these things.
But before you go tumbling in throes of a new self-monitoring program, rest assured: we’re all wearing our proverbial hearts on our sleeves now. This is most definitely a response to the intensely compartmentalizing and myopic focus on WORK that is characteristic of Virgo in general but of the New Moon in Virgo we had 2 weeks prior to the 14th, in particular. This “sudden” (or maybe not so sudden) deficit we’re feeling in our emotional lives is a result of this compartmentalizing of our Emotions, and you'd do well to set aside some time to process recent events as the “Action” phase of the Virgo New Moon slowly but surely winds down and comes to a close over the coming 1-2 weeks. It could feel almost like an Emotional Whiplash Effect initially, even for those who deal or feel more comfortable dealing with emotional expression in general. But ignoring emotions is tantamount to almost certain defeat at this Full Moon. So put away your To Do List, stop doing dishes, and KICK BACK. At least for a minute or two…
Moon Sextile Pluto in Capricorn + Moon Opposite Mars in Virgo: Highly Emotional
Pluto and Mars are in many ways similar in that Pluto is considered the “higher octave” of Mars—when aspecting any other planets, both planets put pressure and a “need for speed” onto the person/enterprise. Mars and Pluto, representing the signs of Aries and Scorpio respectively, indicate a profound impatience, intensity, ambition and , in some cases, complete and utter selfishness or arrogance that it’s no surprise both Aries and Scorpio characters in the Greek Myths that represent the qualities inherent in the symbolism of these planets.
On top of this, this Pisces Full Moon forms tight aspects to Pluto, with the Moon in Pisces at a potent Sextile angle to Pluto in Capricorn in the 7th house. The Sextile generally means “opportunity” in Astrology, so whether and how we take this opportunity to express our deepest, scariest feelings about our most important relationships, or to air our grievances in a way that’s productive or not, is ultimately up to us.
Yet, with Mars in Virgo forming an Opposition to this Full Moon, Anger and Frustration are likely to be challenges we must overcome in order to tap into the Depth (Pluto) of Emotion (Moon) we’re feeling for another person now. Forecast? Likelihood of Projection in Relationships Reaches Record High.
Mars-Neptune Square Jupiter: Crisis Of Faith
On the other hand, despite the lack of Air and Fire in this Chart and the resulting difficulty we’ve been having in drumming up the requisite enthusiasm we need to “get it done,” so to speak, almost all the planets in this Chart occupy the Mutable signs (Virgo/Pisces/Gemini/Sagittarius).
With Mars in Virgo forming an Opposition to this Full Moon, the Anger and Frustration (Mars) we feel at ourselves (Virgo) are directly challenging the Sensitivity (Neptune) of Emotion (Moon) we’re feeling at the same time. Plus, with the Sun in Virgo until September 23rd, in addition to the anger and frustration Mars is bringing into the picture, we may feel drawn to continue in “Avoidance Mode” as we have for most of the month up until the past few days or so.
And with communication difficulties highlighted, it might be prudent to pause and honestly consider whether we may’ve played the role of Bully (Mars) or Victim (Neptune) in a relationships for far too long now. With Jupiter in Sagittarius at the apex of this Mutable T-Square that in many ways defines the feelings we’re experiencing now, the “take-home” message is that these types of power dynamics have outlived their time and, truthfully speaking, don’t lead to true and lasting connection, which is what we’re really craving now.
Though there’s no Gemini energy in this Chart—Gemini especially is affected by the Full Moon and Mutable T-Square occurring this September—the Pisces Moon-Neptune Conjunction and Mars in Virgo fall in an exact Opposition aspect, with both planets at 17°. Any exact degree aspect is of note in any Chart, but especially in this one, as Mars’ role in this Opposition is the “activating” force that pushes our limits. This is because both Neptune and Mars, in exact Opposition, form tight Square aspects to Jupiter @ 16° of Sagittarius, ultimately making up the Mutable T-Square pattern that dominates this Chart. Mars’ activation of the 3rd and final Jupiter-Neptune Square of 2019—exact on September 21st but active now and in the coming weeks—is a major Astrological event, as it marks a final revelation and eventually resolution of a test of our Faith for almost a full year now.
Exact Dates of 2019 Jupiter in Sagittarius Square Neptune in Pisces:
#1: January 13, 2019
#2: June 16, 2019
#3: September 21, 2019
While disappointment is a big theme this September, culminating at the Full Moon in Pisces in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, so is our optimistic streak, and we may be vacillating intensely now about what to do about a relationship, family or work matter that’s gone unaddressed for far too long. But in our moments of our emotional confusion over what the outcome of this Faith Test will turn out to be, the most important piece of advice I can offer in the rather intense and exhausting days leading up to this Full Moon late tonight/early tomorrow is to trust in our own emotional resilience, as it’s all too easy to project, get angry or do nothing when it comes to our relationships now.
Water + Mutable Emphasis: Do A Jiggle-Wiggle
Because of the intense emphasis on Work, many elements of our Personal Lives may have gone unattended to. The July 2019 Eclipses are strongly echoed in this September’s Lunar Cycle, with this Pisces Full Moon highlighting how far we may’ve gone in compartmentalizing our feelings, holding back, or even feeling like we’re so backtracked in the Relationship(s) Department that it might seem like there’s just no way to recover.
The prospect of any heavy conversations or honest discussion of feelings with those we care about most now feels so loaded that we’re scared it’ll only end up as an angry or passive-aggressive confrontation, or we’ve unconsciously adopted the “what good would it do anyway” mindset, feeling like even if we try to speak, we’ll only end up slogging through the emotional mud we’ve built up, affecting both ourselves and our closest others. This is a testament to how much of a beating our relationships have taken since frenzied period of the July Eclipses and concurrent Mercury Retrograde in Cancer—and just how much interpersonal work we’re realizing it might take to stoke old fires and soothe old wounds.
Venus and Mercury remain in Virgo now, but are a little “lighter” in Decan 3, Venus being the Sub-Ruler of any planet falling in the last ten degrees of Virgo. Adding to this is their exact conjunction @ 29° of Virgo at the moment the Pisces Moon reaches its climax at 12:33 AM (EDT) on 9/14. This indicates a desperate need to communicate, though the overwhelming dominance of Water and Earth signs in this Chart may make this feel impossible, only pushing us further inward and into the obsessive-compulsive tendency work ourselves to the bone, making sure every detail of our life and routines are perfect (a favorite word of Virgo’s).
Thus we have yet another bridge to mend and fence to cross. With no Air signs (Communication) and only Jupiter in a Fire Sign (Enthusiasm/Optimism), the emphasis is still, as it was at the New Moon in Virgo earlier this month, on the Elements of Earth and Water, revealing a rapid swing between the extremes of Earth (Practicality) to the highly sensitive extremes of Water (Emotions). But Mutable signs want to talk. Earth and Water signs? Eh, not so much.
So if we’re too drained to talk it out, walk it out—do a little jig. DO something to show others you care. Something small (Virgo) and concrete (Earth)—a gesture or if need be a dramatic leap of Faith. Otherwise we’ll be faced with the inevitable question of whether it’s truly wiser to throw the baby out with its bathwater when it comes to our relationships.
New Moon in Libra on 9/28: Relationship Reset
Luckily, almost immediately after the Pisces Moon waxes to its Fullest @ 12:33 AM tonight, both Mercury and Venus will move from Virgo into Libra that same morning, bringing in a much-needed breath of Fresh Air while giving us back our voices and enhancing our ability to communicate, cooperate and compromise (LIBRA). And with the Sun moving into Libra on September 23rd, we’ll be ripe and ready for the final highlight of the month: the beautiful, much-needed New Moon in Libra on September 28th. This New Moon is in Libra Decan, giving us a powerful yet gentle burst of energy to (finally) re-vamp our relationships. Or to create brand new connections.
Either way, while it’s a challenging time right now, it’d be best to follow the tried and true adage: “Make new friends, but keep the old.” Because by the last week of September we’ll finally be able to prioritize our relationships from a more realistic perspective, including our relationship with ourselves and our wildest, “pie-in-the-sky” Hopes and Dreams. Because any disappointments experienced now are really blessings in disguise, and though we may be feeling the sting at first, it’d be best not to throw too many babies out with their bathwater—if you want to be able to take full advantage of the “Relationship Reset” offered to us by the September 28th New Moon, anyway.
Cake AND Pie? Sure…Just don’t eat them alone. Or in the Sky.
So if you didn’t reach that goal, get that one job, do that one task? Please don’t take it out on your friends. Others are certainly an energy drain now but this too shall pass—and quicker than you might think. The purpose of the Pisces Moon is to remind us that life’s not always about scheming up ways to have your pie and eat it in the sky, but about balancing our ideals with our realities, giving more compassion and understanding in our relationships, and ultimately opening the door to the cultivation of a healthy work/life balance and strong support network that will set the stage for us to thrive not only in our imaginations, but in reality as well.