Includes your two week waning moon cosmic weather forecast. (Scroll to the end to view)
full Moon in Aquarius
22 AUGUST 2021, 13h00 bsT
Sign
CHEATSHEET
This is the second Aquarius Full Moon in a row, so needs to be seen as the conclusion of themes or cycles either begun at the Aquarius New Moon back in February 2021, or the Leo New Moon in August 2021. It may also be providing second chances to assimilate unfinished lessons or experiences from the first Aquarius New Moon at the end of July 2021.
LUNAR DEGREE: the fields of ardath
The Sabian symbol for this two week period conjures up the image of the mythical Field of Ardath. Similar to the Egyptian Field of Reeds, this paradise place was seen as a mystical meadow by the ancient Babylonians. In many respects, it reminds me of the white flower known as Simbelmyne – the flower of rememberance in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings which is found on grave mounds and becomes nature’s way of honoring the fallen – those who have come before. It’s English translation – ‘forget-me-not’ also suggests that, like memory, it is an image of eternity – what endures despite the ravages of time. I was reminded of this when I went to London recently and saw the National Covid Memorial Wall, which stands just outside Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital on the banks of the Thames in London. Although all the hearts containing the names of lost loved ones is red, on the ground beneath the plaque is a vase containing a white rose – the colour in our culture of death and purity.
In its great beauty and peacefulness it stands as an ageless and special repudiation to modern life the perennial wisdom that wells up from age to age, and from generation to generation and transcends all man-made ideas about linear historical progress. Thus, for James Burgess, it represents the waning of the Age of Pisces, and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, which blooms like a “flower” from the ruins of the desert after a rainstorm (which of couse, was the image of the Sabian symbol for its previous incarnation – the July 2021 Buck Moon, also in Aquarius).
Coming as it does, on the heels of that heart-opening Leo New Moon at the Lion’s Gate Portal, it is also about the flowering of spirit that comes about as a result of the second marriage in alchemy: the encounter with the Angel of the Face or the Sufi Beloved – what the yogis refer to as the ‘friend’ in the heart – the inner guide, which may be why Jupiter, the planet of wisdom and expansion, is conjunct the Moon at the time of its opposition to the Sun. In many ways, this is about having the courage to submit the ego to the promptings of one’s Higher Self and to live from the heart centre – embracing life with arms wide open like the ecstatic dance of the Sufi dervish. This is about the winged heart that takes life in via the breath and then uses this as fuel to fan the flames of the spirit in order to serve with a devoted heart and to be illuminated by the divine light of Sophia from within.
LUNAR Face: divine spark/originality
AQUARIUS 29: GRACE, ABUNDANCE & PERENNIAL WISDOM
There is a transcendent integrity within nature itself, unrivalled and almost universally acknowledged, which reminds us of a way of being that is free of distortion and inherently beautiful. And, although we so easily forget, we have that within ourselves too. This impeccable natural grace not only inspires us to seek out a spiritual meaning to life, it also suggests that everyone may count on the inherent friendliness of the universe. Despite appearances, and somewhat counter-intuitively, the world actually is a safe place to be for those who expect to be treated kindly.
One who accepts this gift from nature somehow in turn feels that they should live so that any reliance placed upon them is both possible and inviting. It is an aspect of our expectation of a friendly universe that we actively want to help others – because we enjoy doing so.
In consequence, our destiny is inclined towards endowing us with the fruits of our good rather than bad works. It could be seen as a reward – but usually it is felt as simple, yet predictable, good fortune. This is the image of self-illumination through exceptional service to others, and implies the continuity that certainly exists between nature and humanity. As nature is essentially kind, so are we.
JAMES BURGESS, 360 DEGREES OF WISDOM
Given the symbolism of the Sabian symbol, I find it interesting that the flower of the Archangel Gabriel is also white – a trumpet-shaped lily. In the West, this is the flower most associated with funerals, no doubt because of it’s colour. However, I suspect it may also allude to the resurrection promised in Revelations when the Angel Gabriel appears with his trumpet to herald the second coming. In this depiction of the Annunciation by Leonardo de Vinci, we see the Archangel carrying his characteristic white lilies in one hand. Notice Mary and the emphasis around her womb or sacral chakra area. For me, there is a strong connection to the idea of death and rebirth, and the continuity of life when viewed from the perspective of reincarnation or metempsychosis, which combined with the many Near Death Experiences that have been documented by researchers like Raymond Moody, tells us that life continues after physical death.
CHART ANALYSIS: KEY PLANETS & ASPECTS
FIXED STAR ASPECTS
Soon after opposing the Moon, the Leo Sun will change signs. entering Virgo at 22:35pm on the same day. In doing so, it approaches the fixed star, Regulus, currently forming the backdrop to the tropical sun sign of Virgo. Known as ‘cor leonis’, it is considered to be the courageous ‘heart of the lion’, associated with braveness and the strong leadership of benevolent kings – think of the name given to Richard the Lionheart, the English king known for being a great military leader and warrior. This serves to continue the meditation on what good leadership is and how socially these values are changing, as we begin to focus less on traditionally leonine qualities such as confidence and charisma, and more on traditionally Virgoan qualities such as humility and service. One could argue that this social metamorphosis is mirrored in the precession of the equinoxes and the growing gulf between the sidereal and tropical zodiacal positions (Leo vs Virgo).
On a personal, it is about high heart activations and the sacred or hidden heart, the home of our inner guide, the ‘friend of the heart’ represented by Mercury-Hermes-Thoth in the gnostic and hermetic traditions, who is interpreted as being the Angel Gabriel, the angel of revelation in the Sufi mystic tradition – what Henry Corbin calls the ‘angel of the face’ or the ‘secret of the secret’.
