2nd Aquarius Full Moon of August

   Once in a Blue Moon... that's what we call it when there's a second Full Moon in the same zodiac sign.  The Full Moon culminates at 8:02am on Sunday, August 22nd and is an even more auspicious Moon because it sits at 29° Aquarius, the anaretic degree. What does this mean astrologically? It's the final degree of the sign and implies an urgent need for understanding what it took to set the stage for current upheavals and the acknowledgement of what needs to be released at this time before entering the next lunar phase. 

   The ruler of Aquarius is the revolutionary planet Uranus, which turns retrograde tonight, the 19th, and is drawing a lot of attention through sudden changes and not-so-surprising news about events and potential outcomes springing up all over the globe. Uranus is the archetype of the rebel, the maverick who acts out and says or does the thing no-one else dares to. He also brings the sudden awareness and insights we have to have in order to turn things around when situations are out of control. 

   Three current examples are extreme weather events due to global warming, yet another devastating earthquake in Haiti and the departure of US troops from Afghanistan with the ensuing return of the Taliban. I have no answers for possible solutions to these dreadful realities. With Uranus turning retrograde today,  I wonder where we stand and will things ever calm down?! Will we be able to do the Aquarian thing and pull together collectively to make a difference or will we continue to plod along in the same direction we always have?

   A Full Moon is inherent on the opposition of the Sun which lies at the last degree of Leo on Sunday morning. Leo is Fixed Fire, symbolizing passion and will, while Aquarius is Fixed Air and the hard, cold clarity of logic and reasoning. Seeing both sides clearly calls for raising our conscious awareness to a higher perspective and moving away from personality-driven incentives. 

   There are always compelling arguments in any debate over what to do next when faced with challenges. There is always the need for reform in any government or global initiative... and there is always the need for individuals to do the next right thing and make a difference where they are. 

   Part of the astrologer's job is to point out these pivotal signposts and offer a timeline. Uranus has been in the Earth sign Taurus since 2008, he will remain there until 2026. Like the Tower card in the Tarot, it is affecting our planet, the Earth, as a bolt of lightning striking out of the blue and turning the structure of our world upside down.  As Uranus enters his yearly retrograde phase tonight into January 2022, we can find ourselves moving in unexpected directions. Whenever the dust settles, we pick up the pieces and start anew in our quest for a conscious totality of being. That's what we do.

   In the meantime, moment by moment, day by day, look to the stars and keep your feet firmly on the ground.