Full Moon 19º Aquarius Thursday August 11 2022 7:35 pm MT

Full Moon in Aquarius conjunct Saturn, opposite the Sun in Leo and square the nodes, Uranus and Mars

This full moon in Aquarius spikes some of the astrological intensity that we’ve all been feeling this month. The moon sits with Saturn, across the zodiac from the sun in Leo, and forms a T-square (signifying tension, conflict, a challenge that must be dealt with) to Uranus and the north node.

The nodes are mathematical points based on the orbit of the moon with the sun’s movement—they determine when eclipses happen and are said to be associated with fate. In Vedic astrology, the nodes are characterized as a dragon—the north node the hungry mouth, growing and consuming, a place of increase and possibly overdoing; the south the tail, a place of release, moving away from, letting go.

Uranus, the north node and Mars were exactly conjoined (sitting at the same degree in the sky) on August 1, and though Mars has drifted off a bit, we’re still very much feeling this energy.

Uranus is the planet of disruption, innovation and lightning change—it’s shocks to the system, whether that is the structures of society or our own nervous system. Mars is action and personal will, as well as violence and aggression—the warrior, for both better and worse.

Together, Mars and Uranus are shocking, sometimes violent disruption, and on the more positive side, a call to action and change. Conjunct to the north node—the hungry mouth of fate—these lightning strikes feel particularly impactful, even era-defining.

It is incredibly rare for these three to meet up together at once. And this won’t just affect this moment, but will play a role in the overall energy and repercussions of this time. (For context and scale, the last time these three came together was in 324 BC, marking the ending of Alexander the Great’s campaign to expand his empire before he died in 323.)

I know things have been intense, and unfortunately, this is likely to increase for a while, before calming a bit and then ramping up again in November (right around/on the US midterm elections). I say this not to be alarmist, but to help us identify and work with the peaks and lulls of the current waves of astrological weather.

In these weeks, do your best to reduce your heat (literally and figuratively), calming your temper and your nervous system—whether that’s through active release (Mars loves a strenuous workout) or soothing your vagus nerve with meditation or breathwork.

You can also work with and channel this disruptive energy by fostering change and release—so the energies of Uranus don’t come along and do it for you. What are you ready to change, update or evolve? What are you still clinging to, out of fear or familiarity, that you know doesn’t fit or serve the person you are working to become? What old patterns or beliefs, what relationships or work is it time to innovate, or simply let crumble? Where can you start to actively generate (Mars) change (Uranus)?

The more we step into and claim the archetypal energies of the planets, the more we retain and reclaim our agency and power to create with life, to actively ride its waves—rather than be pummeled by them.

The sun and moon in tense aspect with these planets reactivate the disruptive energies of the conjunction this week, as well as add a new element—the square to Saturn. As mentioned, the moon sits with Saturn in Aquarius where they oppose the sun and trigger more conflict with the Uranian-Martian upheaval.

This begins to re-activate the square between Saturn and Uranus—one of the structural energies that has defined these recent years—the struggle between the old and the new, the destruction of the structures and systems in place, as we vision and create what comes after.

Where Uranus is change and innovation (at any cost), Saturn is the boundary, the edge, the foundation. Uranus is pushing past the limits of what we could formerly imagine, and Saturn is the reality check, that we do indeed live on a plane of time and space and gravity, in bodies, in society—that we cannot only destroy, but must also preserve and rebuild. Saturn is tradition, the old guard—but Saturn is also the hard work and material it takes to build the new tower.

In the battle between them, ultimately, we must find creative solutions—as squares ask us to do—to honor and integrate both.

And remember, change can be positive—this can be a time of great disruption and also of new things coalescing into form. For me, a lot of things I’ve been working very hard at over a long period of time (Saturn) that didn’t seem to be going anywhere, suddenly fell into place recently in surprising ways (Uranus).

While Uranus and Saturn ask us to find compromise or collaboration between the new and the old, change and stagnation—the sun and moon, meanwhile, are asking us to find integration and balance between the individual and the collective.

The Full Moon in Aquarius Opposite the Sun in Leo

Signs across from each other on the zodiacal wheel are always opposing sides of a polarity—and full moons ask us to integrate both. This full moon occurs along the Aquarius-Leo axis.

Leo is ruled by the sun—the heat- and light-emanating luminary, which signifies our identity, ego and sense of self in astrology. Leo is the bright heart of the individual; it is the playful, creative, imaginative child of the zodiac. It encourages us to explore and own our gifts, and to shine as brightly as we are made to do.

Too much Leo, however, can have us self-centered or ego-driven. We lose the joy of creation and over-focus on the audience’s applause. With balance, however, the proud lion remembers it is part of a pride—and we are given our gifts not simply for our own gain, but to serve and enhance the group.

Aquarius, on the other hand, is the eccentric innovator (ruled by Uranus in modern astrology and Saturn in the traditional view), far more interested in the collective than the individual. The sign of the water-bearer, who created a clay pot to bring water back to the village—Aquarius centers the community over any of its constituents, even themselves.

When it wanders too far in its visions of a utopic society, however, Aquarius can lose sight of the people who make up the whole—and the unique gifts each has to offer. The balance between Leo and Aquarius then, is to revel in the joy and pleasure of our own creative spark, while offering that light in service to the growth of the communal fire.

Full moons are also times of release, of recycling the old and refueling the compost with what has passed or no longer serves—so we have rich soil in which to plant our seeds of intention come the next new moon.

Creative Ritual + Writing Prompt for the Full Moon in Aquarius

Given the volatility of this full moon—Uranus and the nodes in particular—I don’t intend to do any highly directed or ritualized manifestation or release work. Instead, I recommend journaling on the following questions:

- What emotions or behaviors can I use the full moon to help transmute or transform?

- What is it time to release or let go of?

- What do I need to prune or cut back, to make more time and space for my true passions and purpose (sun in Leo)?

- How can I reimagine and refocus on what I have to offer, share and give to the community (moon in Aquarius)?

- How are my gifts and passions contributing to the collective? How or where can I give or serve more?

- What do I owe the world in reciprocity for what I have been given? (This is one of my favorite questions, and tends to give me a surge motivation and inspiration.)

- In these times of change and upheaval, what are three actionable things I can do to support change in myself, in my creative work and in my community? Write down three action steps you can take in the next month and put them into your calendar.

Full Moon Creative Writing Prompt

This quote from the indelible Ursula K. Le Guin resonates more and more each passing day:

“Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We’ll need writers who can remember freedom—poets, visionaries—realists of a larger reality.

We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable—but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words.”

Creative Writing Exercise:

Write a manifesto for a character or group in some imaginary world or alternate future—and focus on the creation of a society in which individual needs and gifts are balanced with the needs and services of the community. You can take this as utopian or dystopian as you wish (often one, led far enough to a side, becomes the other), or make it a realistic option for our world.

And here’s a quick definition of manifesto: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives or views of its issuer.

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash