I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been marveling at the moon over the past month. In Arizona, the sky is so clear. I'm able to see the shadow and light, the craters that pock the moon's surface. I'm able to track, clearly, the daily changes in its shape and size. I wonder at what it was like to live every night by the brightness of the moon, or settle darkly into its absence.
And this weekend feels like an even more powerful, meaningful, and brighter moon than I've seen and experienced in recent memory. Not only is it a full moon in Capricorn -- the sign of structure and systems, of government and law, of pressure and ambition -- but it's also a penumbral lunar eclipse, a marker or culmination at the end of a two-year cycle. A day when the moon is literally brighter than it might normally be.
And, at the risk of sounding a bit crazy, it doesn't feel like its a coincidence that this celestial event is happening in the midst of the greatest health and economic crisis in our modern era. More than 130,000 Americans are dead and there are nearly 20 million people without jobs. And things only seem to be getting worse. Is it any wonder the symbol of cycles and our internal hungers is shining its bright light from the sign of societal structures and government?
So I ask you to reflect back on what's changed for you over the past two years. Scroll back in your calendar and see what you were up to in the month of July 2018. For me, it was looking for a new job. A job hunt that would take many twists and turns, and would ultimately be the impetus for identifying and understanding the social anxieties that have defined my professional experience (#scorpiorising) . It was recognizing the meaninglessness of titles, and taking a look at the kind of games I was willing to play at work. I began to recognize the ways that I buy into the rat race in which men pit women against each other for a pitiful few leadership roles, and to identify some personal sources of competitiveness and judgement I feel toward female colleagues.
What comes up for you?
For some guidance in your reflections, here's what the astrology says your sign has been working through during this past cycle.
Aries: Full Moons are a symbol of completion. Of release, of letting go. And with this sense of completion and culmination happening in your 10th house of Capricorn, you may find a career or other goal reaching a new level or otherwise ending for good. Or, more symbolically, you may be seeing the results of your labors on the work front or celebrating a long-held goal coming to fruition.
Taurus: This full moon marks the completion or release, and potentially the end of an era. And with it occurring in your 9th house of education and religion and in the sign of obligation and government, this feels like a key moment in time in which to take a stand. To use what you learned in a more active way. To put simply learning behind you and get ready to move into a more active era. What teachings do you need to release? What books do you need to close?
Gemini: This full moon lunar eclipse marks a major culmination in your life and in the world. For you, this eclipse will shine a light on a transformation you've been making in your most intimate relationships, whether that's with a lover or a close business partner. You may be releasing bad habits, saying goodbye to a partner or resource, or simply finishing one cycle of growth as you prepare to begin a new one. Are there shared resources you have been divesting? Shared responsibilities you have been stepping more fully into?
Cancer: This full moon lunar eclipse marks a huge culmination or completion in your longterm relationship sphere. Perhaps a marriage is ending or a new level of existing in partnership has been reached. Just as our skeletal structure renews itself over time, so too, do our behaviors and roles in relationships. This has likely been a change happening over a long period of time, either deliberately or subconsciously. Today is simply a time to notice and mark that change and see the cycle.
Leo: This Full Moon Lunar Eclipse marks a culmination of an important chapter or era for you. It shines a light on your responsibilities, obligations, and place within the wider systems of the world, and how they impact and define your daily work and life. You may have been closing the door on poor health habits, releasing daily rituals that no longer support you, or realigning your daily work with something more important or fulfilling.
Virgo: Today marks the ending of a cycle or era in your life, or the culmination and completion of a project or way of being. With this eclipse happening in your fifth house of passion and pleasure and in the structure-heavy Capricorn, this may be a more literal end of a cycle or completion of a project. Perhaps you're typing "the end" on a manuscript, releasing a project to the world, or even calling off a romance. Find a way to mix what you love into what you want for the future as you leave this cycle of your life behind.
Libra: This full moon lunar eclipse in your house of home and roots and in the sign of structure and long-term goals marks the culmination of some major goal or cycle within your foundations and family. You may have been building needed boundaries between you and a family member, stepping away from your roots and into a new family, or ending a cycle of oppression. Take note of how far you've come.
Scorpio: This Full Moon Lunar Eclipse represents the culmination of a major project or era for your mind, communication projects, and behaviors. You've likely been trying to shift the way you communicate either to yourself or others, transform your mental patterns, or have been working on a more literal communication project involving spoken or written words. With Capricorn involved, this is likely a longer-term goal or project coming to an end, and a period of protracted pressure under which you grew and changed. See how far you've come before you embark on a new cycle.
Sagittarius: This full moon lunar eclipse represents a line in the sand. Behind it is one cycle of change, and before it another. You have likely been experiencing an era of revision and transformation when it comes to the way your values are connecting with your money. Perhaps you've found new ways to support yourself financially, developed more stable investments, or recognized that money itself does not relate to your actual worth. See how much you've changed today, for soon you'll embark on a new journey.
Capricorn: This full moon lunar eclipse marks the culmination of a massive cycle of self-transformation. Your identity has likely been undergoing some major change and restructuring. Perhaps the way you define yourself has shifted, your approach to life taken a new course, or the way you behave in the larger world completely changed. This has likely been a long time coming. And today is simply a day to notice and celebrate how far you've come.
Aquarius: This full moon lunar eclipse shines a bright light on a part of your life that is coming to a close, and a cycle of growth now at completion. You've likely been undergoing some restructuring under some intense Capricornian pressure when it comes to your subconscious, hidden world, or in your relationship to solitude. Perhaps you've been working through a major blocker in therapy, learning mindful compassion techniques, or just getting to know your inner you on your own terms.
Pisces: This full moon lunar eclipse marks the end of a cycle for you, this one focused on bringing structure and focused pressure to your communities and in honor of your future. You may have been getting more serious about the ways your friends and the organizations you're a member of can influence your life for good or for bad. You may have been testing some friends or peers out to see if they still align with your ideals and values. You may have been shedding one external persona in favor one that more closely aligns with the future you. Today marks the end of that cycle. See what it has wrought.