The August Full Moon

 Full Moon over Cincinnati, Ohio

Also known as the Corn Moon, Fruit Moon, Barley Moon and Sturgeon Moon (don't ask...!), the August Full Moon occurs this year on August 24 at 5:06pm, Greenwich Mean Time.

Occurring just a day after the Sun entered Virgo, the chart for this Full Moon is obviously going to have a lot in common with the Virgo ingress.

The Virgo Ingress (shown as an Aries Wheel)

       

The August Full Moon (shown as an Aries Wheel)

Look carefully...all you'll see having moved are Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars and Vesta. And that in itself tells us something, as Mercury - one of the fastest moving planets in our solar system - hasn't shifted even a degree.

To make the point, Mercury makes an orbit of the Sun every 88 (plus) days. That means Mercury usually moves a couple of degrees a day. So that it hasn't moved is in the bigger picture of 'norms' unusual. Yet it's also entirely understandable, seeing that Mercury just went retrograde on August 20th.

On the 20th, it was at 19 Virgo. Four days later, it's only at 18 Virgo. That's Mercury moving at barely ooze pace.

Considering Mercury's metaphysical connection with thinking and the general thought process, decisions, planning, activities and schedules, that suggests a Full Moon period rife with hold ups. Or maybe just with taking a pause.

Famous for interruptions in mail service, processing of paperwork, clarity of communication, car problems, computer snafus and everything from stubbed toes to canceled or delayed travel, business and personal plans, Mercury retrograde is a pain in the very low back for the highly motivated and speed-addicted among us, but quite all right if you're taking a personal 'time out' of some kind.

On the Full Moon side, Full Moons are known as a time of great 'illumination in reflection' ...and a general intensity of feelings.

Occurring at 1 Pisces, this Full Moon is conjunct three separate astral objects: Athena (wisdom), calculated Lilith and royal fixed star Fomalhaut, a star which promotes those dreams which are not corrupt and which brings great unhappiness where corruption is in the mix.

Athena, goddess of Wisdom. Having sprung from the

brow of Zeus full grown, her helmet represents Athena's

'unassailable mentality' - an 'armor clad' intellectual function.

Considering Lilith is here, and that calculated Lilith is hardly ever a piece of cake as it represents societal considerations we either avoid, evade, reject  or have forgotten about, at best this is likely to be a time of sorting things out. And at worst? The worst here would seem to be where we have done without wisdom (Athena) and done something totally naughty (Fomalhaut) which for some reason has now come back to haunt us (Lilith). Courtesy of Mercury inching along like an unmotivated snail, there's little likelihood of doing a verbal tap dance and scooting away.

However...this is just a Full Moon. And though Full Moons can be 'one of those moments' (good or bad) they are also very transient. With the Sun in perfect conjunction with Orcus and Sphinx, there is either a tendency to attempt to use Sphinx-like patience and tolerance couple of Orcus-like 'facts' to try to charm your way out of things. But if you really have violated the Fomalhaut rule, chances are Orcus-Sphinx-Sun is going to manifest as a totally blank wall which greets all your witty charm with a 'nice try' and a demand that you toe the line, admit your error and make amends.

The good news is that over the next couple of days - while the Moon is still in Pisces, you have some room for emotional negotiation. And this is useful even if you haven't had a good time as Moon in Pisces is as wonderful time to achieve understandings and make mutually beneficial plans as it is to mend broken bridges....

...It's also a perfect time to work on you own if you have some personal project.

Looking to the Arabic Parts for this Full Moon, issues concerning one's own experience of being mothered arises now, as does your personal relationship to honor as a concept. How these two things interact is now functional across the board, as is the experience of being a daughter - which would obviously be personal for women and as something men will do well to be aware of.

These qualities or 'patterns' may be apparent in what goes on, but they won't necessarily be the subject of conversation. But if you know the people you are dealing with or listening to well, you are likely to hear some of their own experiences coloring their parameters in this moment.

Again, this isn't necessarily a giant red flag, merely a nuance which if you understand it may allow you to comprehend what's going on better and operate more clearly for your own part.

Often marking the period when something comes to fulfillment, this particular Full Moon - given Mercury having just gone into retrograde - suggests a time for reflection, discussion and self examination. 

Given the Sun in a pragmatic sign on one side backed up by fact-driven Orcus in opposition to the Moon in a emotional, perhaps even vulnerable (hopeful?) position conjunct Fomalhaut on the other, keeping the facts separate from the feelings is the best way to go. Both are valid, but it won't help matters to let them get confused.

 Going forward, we move into a 'waning' period (from the Full to New Moon) which here involves becoming more aware of ourselves, our values, our choices, our plans and how our personal aims matter, but need to work with others if we're to get ahead. All this is up for consideration, and with Mercury in retrograde, considering and thinking things over is the perfect thing to do.

Have a happy, prosperous, productively feeling-filled Full Moon!

The Full Moon - photographed from Japan