Gemini Full Moon, Ardra Nakshatra
Tuesday, December 29
This lunar cycle began with a new Moon-Solar eclipse in Scorpio, on December 14th. Through deepening our awareness of the self, we have harnessed the power of the turbulent sea we otherwise fear, able to cast an all-pervasive gaze into our most engrained patterns of attachment and reconsider our terms of societal normalcy. As the Moon moves in cycles, so too will this motif phase out and now is the moment to bring to surface the totality of these past 2 weeks, to let it all go.
The full Moon is an axis of Sun and Moon, when they are exactly opposite each other in the sky. This allows the Moon to capture and reflect the full capacity of light from the Sun, thus becoming a second luminary in our sky. The Sun is the source of our light, and now in Sagittarius, the Moon will capture and reflect the full light in opposition, Gemini, like a mirror who’s reflection is always the inverse. Gemini is a Mercury sign and thereby loves knowledge and learning for the sake of sharing and communicating. Sagittarius is a Jupiter sign, which similarly loves knowledge, but relishes in the philosophical, research minded approach instead.
This is the time for constructive ritual; setting intentions, and reaching out to allies and those who support your growth. “(The) Sun is in charge of resources, and the Moon rules the mind and how we use resources,” (Cole). There is an alignment of value and direction, so take space before celebrating to journal about your inner journey since December 14th, if only to help in visualizing what it is exactly that is coming to completion.
The lunar mansion, or nakshatra the Moon will reside in during the full Moon offers archetypal imagery, which can deepen our psychological connection to the energy of the event. Ardra means the “moist one” and is depicted as a teardrop. After the heaviness of sorrow, the teardrop cleans our eyes and we are able to see things clearly again.
Venus Ketu Conjunction, Scorpio
Thursday, December 31
Venus is a raja planet, and therefore has lots of energy to accomplish many things in this life. To the contrary, Ketu, (along with Rahu), are known as shadow planets, as they relect astronomical points in the sky rather than physical bodies. However, what Ketu signifies is non-attachment, surrender to the divine, and spirituality. As Venus represents the asura-guru or the teacher for the demons, we can step up to the task of investigating the full extent of an actualized desire.
Through mediation on non-attachment, the typical cravings such as food, sex, parties, and consumerism will lose their hypnotic charm, or seductive enchantment. With a pure mind we can hold space for what these cravings truly aim to satisfy, or distract from. While undoubtedly uncomfortable to most, this phase can offer a taste of the clarity you can yield, which will forever exist within you like the skill of riding a bicycle. In the movie The Wizard of Oz, (spoiler alert) the climatic ending where Dorothy pulls back the curtain to reveal a groveling old man, operating a massive machine which creates an illusion of the All-Powerful Wizard, of the city Oz. After glimpsing the machinery behind the illusion, Dorothy becomes a healthy skeptic, reminding us not to give ultimate control to the desires of the senses. Venus conjunct Ketu in Scorpio can echo this sentiment.
Namaste!
References:
1) The Nakshatras, the Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology, Dennis Harness, PH.D.
2) The Science of Light Volume 1, Freedom Cole
Image Credit: www.azutura.com
