Apocalypse now? (once in a Blue Moon)

Next Wednesday, August 21st, is a Full Moon in the sign of Aquarius.

Full Moons are peak energy. This is the second Full Moon in the same sign (once in a Blue Moon)…so we have a double emphasis on Aquarius as well as on a Juno/Mercury opposition.

Aquarius is a bit of an odd duck. Eccentric, independent, yet group oriented. There is a strong need to fit in with the crowd… and an equal urge not to. This is the sign of the collective and the group … of humanity in fact… and it is also the sign of the supreme individualist.  

In this new Age of Aquarius we are called to to know who we are in the midst of the crowd; to step out of separation and discover our shared humanity. 

This meeting of self and other emerges out of a meeting of 'self with self'. 

Symbolizing of a new type of relationship, Juno in Aquarius encourages us to experience freedom within commitment. Being somewhat traditional, Juno here is both a free thinker and also  worries what others will think (the group). If Juno has an ingrained idea of what a relationship should look like, and Aquarius wants freedom and equality, there is going to be an interesting learning curve. I remember a bumper sticker common in the late sixties 

"Question Everything!" 

Am I still be me without you? Can I be me with you? Can we be ourselves, yet together? We all know there is a thin line between love and hate.  

Aquarius says we can all use a little elbow-room. Juno says commitment makes the world go round. 

In last week's blog I referred to the many prophesies about these changing times … most describe the human race as either on the brink of total transformation or total disaster. 

It seems apparent that at the very least we are in a paradigm shift of major proportions as world systems collapse to make way for new possibilities.

 In a recent article, Eric Francis (Planet Waves,side bar) pointed out that the word ‘apocalypse ‘ actually means ‘unveiling’ or ‘the revelation of what is concealed’

It apparently pertained (in ancient Greece) to a woman’s sexuality being exposed on the wedding night.  How that came to mean the end of the world  is telling in itself! Many visionaries have described  'the return of the Feminine',  and we  definitely seem to be witnessing the death throws of patriarchy, after a long and brutal reign.   It  feels to me like something new is stirring.

Which leads me to the current astrology.  Right now, the feminine planet of Venus, is moving into Libra, sign of relationships, while at the same time, Mercury, planet of communication, sits opposite Juno, symbol of union/marriage.

These last few months, a dominance of the water element has focused us on our ‘feeling nature’,  which is commonly associated with  ‘the feminine…’ The archetypal feminine is, of course, in both men and women. According to Carl Jung, we tend to project the less conscious aspect in us onto our partners, male or female, so what we are attracted to in them is actually a repressed part of ourselves.  

Relationships are a key way to uncover these projections, by allowing us to observe them in action. I am fully convinced that relationship truly is a spiritual path (when taken consciously) as it brings us such an accurate mirror to see ourselves in.

Venus (planet of love and relating) and asteroid Juno (marriage) bring the discussion to that age old mystery: how we partner with others. (was it ever anywhere else!!)

Juno  represents the institution of marriage/commitment. Where it lies in our chart tells us a lot about the long term partner we will attract.

As Venus's entry into Libra sets off the Uranus-Pluto square,  yet again our patterns of relating will be in focus as they get stirred up by the current transformative cycle. Last year Saturn in Libra was doing that job.

In his article,  Eric Francis at Planet Waves (sidebar),  talks about Juno’s current position:

“ Mercury is opposite Juno (exact Tues), which forms a grand cross pattern with the lunar nodes. This is a karmic statement -- what squares the nodes is the topic to address; the thing without which we cannot easily move forward."  (my emphasis)

The North Node shows where we are going, and the South Node shows where we have been.

At the Winter Solstice of 1212 …  (‘end of the Mayan Calendar’/ cusp of a new age…)  an emphasis on Juno indicated that  transforming our relationship patterns will be part  of the current shift in human consciousness.

 Francis says Juno symbolises our conditioning as much as it does our actual partner, so it has a lot to tell us. 

“I've suggested that the Sun conjunct Juno in the first degree of Capricorn on 12/21/1 2… is about marrying ourselves before we try to marry someone else. The problem with this is that most of us would be marrying a bitch or a bastard. The lack of appeal is obvious. We present ourselves as nice people. Yet many, many peoples' relationships with themselves are characterized by a seemingly endless litany of negative self-chatter, vicious self-critique and coloured by various shades of 'I wish I had', 'I wish I hadn't' and 'I will eventually'. "

With Venus now moving into its own sign of Libra, we need to question the underlying (and unconscious) assumption that relationships will provide us the love we don’t give ourselves. Pluto and Uranus wont let us get away with falling into old habits. 

So how well do we see others and how do we see our self?

Eric:

“…We could say that it's genetic, radioactive or toxic pollution that's killing the Earth. We could say that it's a corrupt political system, or the takeover of the planet by corporations.

I propose that it's our stressed-out, unforgiving relationships with ourselves. These in turn tie into all manner of family karma, which is typically full of all kinds of abuse.

This in turn results in the projection of our inner dynamics and the family system onto our partners and the whole society, as well as our obvious paralysis when it comes to doing something about whatever we perceive needs help.

In other words, do we not take action against GMO and nuclear power because we don't have time -- or is it because we're too terrified to do so, fearing we're going to be cast off? As for warfare, if we cannot get along with ourselves, how exactly can we get along with others? "

 If  the symbolism of Juno in our charts links to long term family conditioning and has 'always been that way', it is not just about who we attract, it is who we are conditioned to attract (or be attracted to)

Taurus-Scorpio (the Moon's nodes being squared) bring up issues of jealousy and control in relationships, which is the natural offshoot of the kind of ‘ownership’ marriage implies.

Eric says Juno then “seeks peak experiences of healing that will solve everything, i.e., if we go to couples counselling, everything will work out fine, or if I fix you, everything will be fine. “

He says the real message of Juno is: “deal with the rage and frustration”… (of not getting the love you have always wanted/needed etc).

“Stop pretending it's about someone else. Learn to communicate your feelings and your desires, and recognise that not doing so has consequences. When we can do this, then the more constructive attributes of Juno emerge, including a sane approach to relationships that is based on devotion rather than demands.

 But we all know how long it can take to get there, and we know that many of our relatives never did. So this is a full-scale transformation project if there ever was one.”

Yeah! Easier said than done.

 

Right now, Mercury in Leo is about having the courage to be yourself despite what anyone might think . 

Leo's rulership by the Sun means it wants us to shine. Next week we have a Full Moon in Aquarius which will cross Juno at the same time, amplifying these issues. 

To sum it all up:

The Full Moon activating Juno in Aquarius, with added  nodal influence in Scorpio (sex, death) and Taurus (comfort, security), brings that karmic push that will test us to let go of our iron grip on outmoded relationship stereotypes. 

This does not mean closing our hearts or shutting down our relationships. Quite the opposite.   We are being challenged to know who we are in relationship to others; by knowing who we are. That means being able to stand alone and stand together; to stand up for ourselves and speak our truth, and also respect the other’s need to do the same. 

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”(or woman)

William Shakespeare

(Thanks to Eric Francis for elucidating this all so clearly. He is a major inspiration and influence in my astrological journey)

You can access Eric at http://www.planetwaves.com