In the Pacific Time Zone, the Moon will be full at 8:34 p.m. on Saturday, December 18. With this Full Moon, the Sun in Sagittarius will be in opposition (180°) to the Moon in Gemini. To further clarify how this Full Moon will impact you on a personal level, locate 28° of Sagittarius and 28° of Gemini in your birth/natal chart. The issues associated with those two houses are going to be most impacted by this Full Moon’s presence.
All Full Moons involve finding a better balance between the two signs involved. This time, those signs are Sagittarius and Gemini:
- The best qualities of Sagittarius include being straightforward, generous, enthusiastic, adventurous, ethical, and fun. The lower expression can involve being self-indulgent, blunt, or pushy. Its focus is on the search for “truth.”
- The higher expression of Gemini includes being communicative, curious, and flexible. The lower expression could mean being indecisive, scattered, impatient, or too talkative. Its focus is on the search for information.
Both Gemini and Sagittarius are optimistic signs, which often makes this Full Moon one in which we are looking forward into the future. Additionally, both signs have in common a love of learning. But where Gemini tends to be more interested in learning the basics and focusing on the details, Sag wants to take all of that basic information, synthesize it, and come up with what is considered the “truth.” Both of these approaches are important, and the Full Moon is a good time to make sure we are focusing equally on both the forest and the trees.
With this Full Moon, both the Sun and Moon are squaring (90°) Neptune, which forms one of those t-squares (i.e., right triangles) that we often talk about. The planet in a t-square that is being squared is referred to as the “focal planet,” and it often provides us with guidance regarding how best to achieve the balance between the two planets that are in opposition (i.e., the Sun and Moon).
T-squares always indicate that changes are needed. This time, we are encouraged to consciously access the higher expression of Neptune’s energy, which includes faith, trust, compassion, creativity, spirituality, and intuition. However, Full Moons can draw out the shadow side of signs, so we do need to avoid slipping into Neptune’s lower expression. This can include not seeing things clearly, seeing the world or situation through “rose colored glasses, choosing to cope by escaping through addictions, and/or falling into patterns of playing the victim, codependent, or martyr. If we can access the Neptune’s higher expression, then we can find that balance between seeing both the forest and the trees. But Neptune’s presence also tells us that how we go about finding that balance may be difficult to explain because it’s more of an intuitive understanding of what is “right” for us.
Support for finding that forest-tree balance is provided in the form of Jupiter, which is trine (120°) the Moon and sextile (60°) the Sun. Normally, Jupiter’s involvement could cause us to see things in extreme ways, and this is still a possibility. But the supportive trine and sextile aspects make it more likely that we will bring optimism, hope, and even a bit of luck to the table. This could help us more easily let go of anything that has outlived its usefulness in our lives. However, given Neptune is the “focal planet” in the t-square (see discussion above), this can cause us to not see things clearly. Therefore, we should only take actions that are carefully thought-out. This includes making sure we are taking action and not reacting (i.e., Jupiter can cause us to overreact).
The positive presence of Jupiter also means that if appropriate, then any well thought-out changes are likely to result in positive shifts in our lives. I always jokingly refer to Jupiter as the “happy-happy planet.” It often brings luck, good news, and blessings with it. We may also find that we are more tolerant of others due to Jupiter’s involvement in this Full Moon. This could be particularly helpful given both Gemini and especially Sagittarius (i.e., the signs involved in the current Full Moon), can sometimes slip into a “know-it-all” attitude that can even veer into self-righteousness. We must remember that our “truth” is only ours and that others may have a different way of seeing things.
In the days before and after this Gemini Full Moon, we will be feeling the impact of the third and final exact square (90°) between Saturn and Uranus (see discussion later in this blog post). Additionally, it is important to mention another exact square (90°) between Mercury and Chiron. This square could make communications a bit more strained than usual, and misunderstandings are possible. We need to be careful that our vulnerabilities don’t cause us to say or write something that could be hurtful, even if we didn’t mean it that way.
However, a trine (120°) between Mercury and Uranus may help us compensate for any negative impact from the Mercury-Chiron square. This supportive aspect strengthens our intuitive abilities. Consequently, if we are about to express something and we have an inkling that it might be best to say it differently or even to not speak or write something, then don’t! Trust that inner “knowingness,” even if it would be hard to explain any hesitancy to others. Slow down and sort out if there would be a more compassionate way to express what needs to be expressed. Or after giving it further reflection, we may see that it’s not worth expressing (i.e., we need to pick our battles!). Finally, this Mercury-Uranus trine could be a time of positive group activities, and we may suddenly get creative ideas that seem to come “out of the blue.”
The day after the Full Moon (i.e., Sunday, December 19) is an important day astrologically. It’s when Venus will be turning retrograde, which will continue for about 6 weeks (i.e., until January 29). Normally, Venus will remain in a sign for about 1 month. However, going retrograde means it will be spending the next 4 months or so (through March 2022) in Capricorn. To put the significance of this into perspective, Mercury goes retrograde 3 times each year for about 3 weeks, but Venus only goes retrograde every 18 months and does so for 6 weeks at a time. Therefore, it’s usually a big deal when Venus goes retrograde.
But this time, it’s even a bigger deal than usual due to Venus engaging in a dance with powerhouse Pluto through at least the end of March 2022. After already forming an exact conjunction (0°) on Saturday, December 11, Venus and Pluto will form 2 more exact conjuncts on Saturday, December 25 and March 3. This dance between Venus and Pluto should not be taken lightly. Whatever has been brewing below the surface will likely escalate during this time.
What might escalate? Venus represents relationships, finances, and whatever we love, desire, or value. Pluto is associated with transformation, healing, letting go of what no longer serves us, and the expression of power rather than force, both on a personal and societal level. Put these two together, and we are all being asked to explore and clarify what we value in our relationships, finances, and whatever is meaningful in our lives. Pluto’s also tells us that we should explore this deeply, which is especially true while Venus is traveling retrograde (i.e., December 19-January 29).
Based on our deep explorations, Pluto presence also means that it’s likely we will be letting go of whatever is no longer serving us. However, all is not lost because whatever “makes the cut” will be revitalized. Although passions may be running high, it’s important not force anything to happen. Remember Pluto is all about learning how to use personal power rather than force. If we are respecting the Venus-Pluto dance by doing the “deep dive” into what is truly important to us, then nothing needs to be rushed into or forced because any needed changes will become clear. This process may bring to the surface things that have previously been hidden, and honesty will be important. Given this is all happening in Capricorn, our exploration will likely be taken on seriously, and we may be focusing on the structures in our lives and what we feel are (or aren’t) our responsibilities.
The same day that Venus begins its retrograde phase (Sunday, December 19), Chiron turns direct after being retrograde for the last five months. If we’ve done the inner healing work while Chiron was retrograde, we may feel more confident and less vulnerable as we begin to make any necessary changes in our lives. It may also be that the healing work we have done internally is now ready to be shared with others.
Tuesday, December 21, marks the solstice, where we move into winter season in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This occurs when the Sun leaves Sagittarius and moves into Capricorn. Over the least month while the Sun was in Sag, we were interested in exploring our personal “truth” and going on adventures that broadened our minds and widened our perspective. As the Sun moves into Cap, the energy is noticeably different. Where Sag can be lighthearted, Cap is very serious. Our focus shifts to the structures and responsibilities in our lives. We are interested in accomplishing our goals, which are often achieved through the application of standards, order, structure, and organization. Although we may feel drawn to explore the past, we only do this to make sure our long-term goals can be achieved. And finally, we are more than willing to work hard to attain those goals.
Although it won’t be exact until Thursday, December 23, Saturn and Uranus are about to make their third and final square (90°) of 2021. This series of Saturn-Uranus squares has been influencing us all year long, so the energy will likely feel familiar. We have all been asked to look carefully at the structure in our lives. When changes were indicated (and they were very likely needed!), the catalyst might have been an unexpected event. This process has probably required looking at and learning from the past in order to move more effectively into the future. For many of us, this has been a challenging process that has required changes in many (and possibly most or all) areas of our lives. (I’ve heard this from so many people and have personally experienced it myself.) However, if we have allowed needed changes to occur, which is always recommended when Uranus is involved, then the time around this final square will hopefully be a time of final clarification and even culmination. (NOTE: It may help us see how far we’ve come if we look back at what was occurring during the time of the first two squares around February 17 and June 14.)
Finally, on Tuesday, December 28, Jupiter will enter Pisces. It did spend a little time in Pisces earlier this year, but it retreated back into Aquarius during its annual retrograde phase. It will be in Pisces now, but not for very long. By May 2022, it will enter Aries, which will represent an important new beginning for many of us; but we’ll discuss that when the time comes. For now, Jupiter in Pisces is a time when luck and good fortune will most likely come to us when we are being compassionate, loving, charitable, and giving generously. It’s a peaceful energy, and we may feel an increased sense of faith in life.
Overall, it is important during this Gemini Full Moon to not get lost in the details and forget to take a step back and see the “bigger picture.” Conversely, our vision shouldn’t be so broad that we miss important details. How we achieve this balance may be highly intuitive and hard to explain. But perhaps this Full Moon may best be viewed as a gateway to a powerful time that is dominated by Venus beginning its 6-week retrograde phase while dancing with powerhouse Pluto. Many of us will find that things that have been brewing below the surface suddenly come to a head in one or more areas of our lives, especially those related to relationships, finances, or anything we value. But during the time of the Full Moon, Jupiter will be playing a supportive role that allows us to feel more optimistic about the future and even see more possibilities or opportunities. Ultimately, as Pluto continues its powerful influence on our lives through March, we may need to let go of anything that is holding us back from creating a “new you” in 2022.
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THIS BLOG POST WAS WRITTEN BY
- Anne Reith, Ph.D. (AnneReith.com)
- For information about Dr. Reith’s downloadable eBooks and meditations, feel free to visit her online Store
SOME INFORMATION TAKEN FROM
- The Mountain Astrologer (magazine)
- Various online sources (e.g., www.cafeastrology.com)
REMINDER
- New Moons and Full Moons often influence us for the 3 days before and 3 days after the actual event.
FULL MOON
Full Moon at 28° of Gemini
- Saturday, December 18, 2021, 8:34 p.m. PST
- Saturday, December 18, 2021, 11:34 p.m. EST
- Sunday, December 19, 2021, 4:34 a.m. GMT
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By Anne Reith, Ph.D.