Change of cosmic proportions is illuminated. It is happening in real life and in real time. But some sort of fog of war is keeping us muddled and confused, as well as fearful and emotionally distant. It is the Full Moon taking place on 19 August 2024, at 10:16 GMT, and at 29 degrees and 08 minutes of Aquarius. Given the magnitude and ferocity of change taking place, the cards appear rather timid. Perhaps the best way of understanding their message is by not seeing them as descriptive. They are not laying out the story of the ebbs and flows of the lunar cycle, though that may be a certain interpretation, but instead we can see them as a guide to help us navigate a rather confusing or overwhelming time in our lives.
The Two of Pentacles seems a bit too frivolous, The Moon a bit too soft and the Five of Cups too isolating. But this does not correspond with our daily experience, which sees our lives transformed in ways unexpected, shocking and often unwelcome, with long term consequences. Our environment is becoming more unstable and our position in it challenged. People around us appear unpredictable, and sometimes we find that we surprise ourselves with our own erratic behaviour. Events over the summer and the overpowering Saturnian influence, with has no let off, find yet another culminating expression in the super full moon of August. The Aquarius full moon. Another Saturnian sign. So an incredibly strong Saturn over the summer, and an exalted Saturn in Pisces, which, however, is now in retrograde, has been dominating the last few months.
The full moon, as with The Moon card, brings something to light, draws our attention somewhere we should be focusing on, but it’s not the shinning light of day. It’s the light of shadows and mystery. Something is slipping away, lurking in those shadows. Our deep rooted fears, our wishful thinking, our silent expectations, and more, elusively hiding under the rocks and shaded by trees and buildings. It is our subconscious that finds expression in the most powerful way. And we should take note of that. We can use it for good and honour it with respect. We should accept our subjective truth.
Understand, however, that it’s nothing more than a point of view. It is subjective. It is a reflecting light of endings. That’s the message of The Moon. Legitimate as this truth may be, nevertheless, it is not the whole story. The god of restriction and mature wisdom, who is the ruler of this lunation, Saturn, and the ruler of information, logic and messaging, Mercury, are both moving backwards. They are revising and working through plans that haven’t worked up to now, or haven’t given us what we were looking for. This is the time to take in information and experience, but not come out with conclusions, or embark on definitive action, though that’s what we are going to be driven towards.
The Two of Pentacles are indeed urging us to choose between two conflicting views, or ways of doing things and desired practical outcomes. They represent a transient material instability that has to end in order for us to move on. Otherwise, we are going to be stuck in perpetual procrastination, stagnation, unproductivity, and nervous breakdowns rather than useful breakthroughs. Jupiter and Mars are coming together in Gemini. They are pushing and broadcasting loud messages of huge, overly magnified, action of mental output. Our heads are fried with overstimulation. The combination of the Two of Pentacles foreshadowing The Moon card, indicates the stresses we are under. Yes. We have to chose clearly and be specific, and follow the one direct road ahead. But we are not in a position to do this under the circumstances of confusion and obfuscation that the full moon in Aquarius is revealing to us. In fact, it is more likely that we continue to persist with trying to achieve the impossible. We are still trying to harmonise two conflicting situations and wanting to reconcile two opposing beliefs.
It all ends with dissatisfaction in The Five of Cups. As counter-intuitive as this might be, the full moon in Aquarius is darkening the landscape when it is shedding its reflecting light upon it, it is hiding while showing, it is concealing as much as it is revealing. Both The Moon and the Five of Cups indicate that there are things going on in the background, things we are not aware of that influence us and our environment. Very likely it is things from the past, or things we are turning our back on that perhaps we should be reconsidering. Probably things that are not very pleasant are manifesting. And now we are riddled with negative emotions of abandonment and despair.
Let’s not be hasty. And let’s enjoy what we’ve got. We still have a lot to be grateful for, regardless of what we’ve lost or how remorseful we feel about certain situations and outcomes. Everything may not be coming our way as we had imagined it. However, we are not without options or resources. In fact we are almost overwhelmed by them. We can use the stresses and mental energy without judgement to make changes that benefit us and others. Because change is inevitable. And change is coming. This is the time to think big and to think creatively, moving away from disappointment and feelings of regret.
What are the cards trying to tell us at the end of the day? That we are going to want to do everything everywhere at all times no matter how opposing or contradictory our own views and opinions maybe. We are being urged to act. But we do not have all the information. More to the point, we do not have the right information, even though we have an abundance of it. We either do not have the complete truth or what we know is so distorted that it leads us to the wrong conclusions. Ultimately, we will have to go back on previous decisions. The spread of: the Two of Coins, the Moon and Five of Cups, is not one of fun and games. It’s one of grief towards unwelcome change, a prevalent suspicion around fear of the future, and engagement in juggling unlimited problems without a clear outcome other than its own perpetuation. And yet, we still have two cups upright and full. We can get through this. It is about us and our attitude. The way we perceive and respond to outside forces. It is our own resilience and cool minds that is our strength. There are still reserves at the back and reasons to be happy about. Everything else is far away and transient, as long as we keep to our centre and do not loose ourselves. This is the only real danger.
Flavia