Tonight’s Full Moon, exact at 10:37 PM (EDT), lands at 1°26’ in the restless, forward-looking sign of Aquarius. Aquarius is by far the most paradoxical sign of the Zodiac, eternally logical and straightforward yet constantly dreaming up long-term schemes and staring into Never Never Land.

Aquarius is an Air sign, ruled by unpredictable Uranus, which explains their inherently intellectual, if scatterbrained way of being. But it’s challenging to keep your feet on the ground with so many new and exciting ideas bouncing around in your head. 

Thus the Water Bearer’s greatest struggle: How to be both human (realistic) and superhuman (idealistic) without sacrificing one for the other? How to balance their task of Truth-telling, pouring out their cup of knowledge to the rest of us, while maintaining some semblance of Self-Care in the process?

Need v. Want is a theme of every Full Moon, but particularly this one, as a slew of social invitations and get-togethers might sound fun at first, but could end up leaving you feeling drained once all those empty Solo Cups picked up and Monday inevitably rolls around.

Moon in Aquarius: Dear, Most Unscratchable Diamond

Planets in Aquarius are the emotional and psychological puzzles you can’t seem to solve no matter how hard you try; the brightest stars you can never get close to except through a telescope yet can’t stop staring at nonetheless; the biggest diamond you’d love to have but know you can’t afford. Whatever “it” is, it’s the itch you just can’t seem to scratch.

Trying to do everything with and for everyone at once (with little patience to boot) makes Aquarius a restless soul, always overshooting when it comes to their goals. This is how “too much” becomes “never enough”—yet another layer to the never-ending paradox of Aquarius.

Always flustered and almost always overwhelmed, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” is the Aquarius M.O. Never being satisfied with what they’ve already accomplished is both a blessing and curse for Aquarius, pushing them to evolve on the one hand and driving them to the brink of perfectionistic insanity on the other. 

Indeed, an Aquarian could literally fly to the Moon and back and not be satisfied, critiquing themselves the whole way up and thinking of ways they could’ve done more the whole way down. 

So, before you drive yourself nuts overstretching yourself trying to attend every party, go on every date, plan every social or romantic getaway, it’d behoove you to stop for a second and do what Aquarians do best: Think. Do you really need to be everywhere, with everyone, doing everything at once? Or is it just that you feel compelled to out of pure restlessness? 

Because as we all (should) know by now, putting carts before horses is never a wise move, and neither is biting off more than you can chew. So eat slowly, choose carefully and try to avoid exorbitancy. This is the central theme of this first Full Moon in Aquarius of 2021.

Power Plays, Passive-Aggressiveness + Overindulgence

In the week leading up to this Full Moon, exact at 10:37 PM (EDT) on July 23, there are three potent astrological aspects that set the stage for what’s to come: Mars in Leo inconjunct Pluto in Capricorn; Sun in Leo inconjunct Jupiter in Pisces; and Venus in Virgo opposite Jupiter in Pisces. 

This Full Moon chart is dominated by inconjunct aspects, which serve to amplify the overwhelming sense of itchiness we feel now.

You see, the inconjunct aspect is subtler than the other so-called “major” astrological aspects, in that they symbolize instincts that are more unconscious—less in our field of vision, so to speak--yet are just as powerful in driving us to act. 

And so our impulses to do and say certain things are not as explainable now, even to ourselves. This is especially true with Mars in Leo’s inconjunct to Pluto in Capricorn at this Full Moon, catalyzing us to be pushy, passive-aggressive, or downright manipulative when it comes to feeling in control. 

The passionate and courageous Leo Sun at a tense angle to extravagant, dramatic and generous Jupiter in Pisces means we’re inclined to go over the top in one way or another—especially when it comes to social and romantic interactions.

More is More is the keynote leading up to this Full Moon, and whatever we get, we simply can’t get enough of it. Whether it’s time with Family and Friends, time to reinvigorate a newfound Crush or a long-standing Romance, or even time to invest in yourself, away from all the hubbub and resting in voluntary solitude, it’s as if there’s too much to do and never enough time. 

Our general tendency toward extravagance is further amplified by Venus’ opposition to Jupiter, highlighting our need to overindulge, in every sense of the word. With Venus-Jupiter aspects in play, just think “Marie Antoinette”: we want More, More, More, will spare no expense, and rarely think of any potential consequence.

We want more dates, more drinks, more parties—more of Life in general. And who has time to think about the bread you need to survive when there’s so much cake you can’t/shouldn't have?

Just keep in mind: More is not always better. Sometimes it’s just more. So don’t risk overdoing it. Otherwise, you might end up shooting yourself in the foot. 

Applying Aspects: People-Pleasing + The “Come Down” Effect

Two other astrological aspects are building to exactness at the time of tonight’s Full Moon: Moon in Aquarius inconjunct Venus in Virgo + Mercury in Cancer trine Neptune in Pisces, both of which denote the “Come Down” effect of what happens after we go overboard. 

Aquarius and Virgo are perhaps the two most self-effacing, servile and under confident signs of the Zodiac (second only to Pisces, of course).

Why? Because they’re constantly putting the needs of others (Aquarius) and/or the demands of work (Virgo) before themselves, often to the detriment of their own physical and emotional health. 

Planets in Aquarius, Virgo and Pisces are sort of like Shel Silverstein’s famous “Giving Tree”—the tree that keeps on giving whatever it has to the little boy in the story, never to receive anything in return. 

But humans cannot live like that. This of course is the point of the story. And probably why it’s called the Giving Tree and not the Giving, uhhh, Person.

We cannot dominate others for our own benefit, and we cannot live if we give up everything we have. 

Plants need water to grow. People need money to pay their bills. And though this is a difficult concept for Moon in Aquarius inconjunct Venus in Virgo to accept, the lesson of this aspect is how to balance the compulsion to go overboard pleasing others with the need to please ourselves.  

Luckily for everyone, there’s a beautiful trine approaching with this Full Moon, between sensitive Mercury in Cancer and empathetic Neptune in Pisces, heightening our intuition and our desire to communicate with compassion. 

Expect reconciliations, remunerations, or even unexpected apologies with Mercury trine Neptune in fellow Water signs, highlighting the fact that it’s not all about how much we can do to please others, but that there must be reciprocity and mutual empathy if we are to survive. So remember: To err is human, but to forgive (yourself) is divine.