Agent of Change: Full Moon in Aquarius
Have you ever noticed that right after a thunderstorm the air feels clearer? It has been changed by the electrical nature of the storm and what seemed stagnant before has been swept away.
Sometimes we just need to clear the air, in our homes, our work, with each other, and of course within ourselves. Admittedly, August has the most turbulent astrological weather of the year, and…this Full Moon in Aquarius is its pinnacle. Tomorrow’s New Moon, Monday, August 19 at 11:25 am PDT/ 2:25 pm EDT, is a lightning rod, particularly if you have placements near the end of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio & Aquarius).
Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius, and the planet of sudden change which also just happens to be in charge of lightning is giving this lunation an extra oompf of the unexpected.
Now, something that is unexpected isn’t bad, it’s simply unanticipated. But no matter how we protest, human nature tends to be more comfortable with the familiar rather than something seemingly appearing from left field.
To work well with the unexpected we have to be willing to surrender our previous arrangements and lean into the moment at hand.
This Full Moon is an agent of change.
Like a much-needed thunderstorm, it is sweeping the stagnation out of the air.
For most of us though, true change is hard. It requires much of us; to truly transform ourselves and our lives we have to awaken from our assumptions about really everything. And our assumptions are so habitual we don't even notice most of the time that we are essentially asleep at the wheel. Change requires that we question our underlying expectations and discover each other and life anew. In the words of Carl Jung “Thinking is hard, that’s why most people judge.”
To transform our lives we must stop judging our world and ourselves.
Recently, I have been contemplating the etymology of the word forgiveness; which is to give completely, but also to let go of the desire to punish. There is an innate generosity to forgiveness.
My experience is, both with myself and clients, that most often we need to let go of the desire to punish ourselves.
Uranus is also known as the great awakener.
Tomorrow’s Aquarius Full Moon is a reminder that if we do the same things over and over again we can expect the same results. And the Universe, our life, is in a constant state of change, of death and rebirth. So, it’s also inevitable that if we awaken and do something out of our ordinary way of being, something that breaks us out of our status quo, no matter how uncomfortable, we make room for the Universe to surprise us with something that’s different at a minimum and often even extraordinary.
Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz was hit on her head during a storm and that moment changed everything, she left a world that was black and white and awoke in a world of glorious color. Her journey through Oz in the end brought her full circle yet nothing was the same. Dorothy needed that journey, often fraught with peril to truly come home to herself and to see with fresh eyes. The air, in essence, had been cleared.
Remember no matter what occurs a big external shift often magnifies places where we need a little more self-acceptance and support. Where we are learning to be welcoming and receptive not only to ourselves but to life itself. Unexpected events are essentially strangers and often angels in disguise.
That’s the invitation this month, during this tempestuous astrological weather. If your life is particularly turbulent let this moment clear the air and be a catalyst for change. Wake up to a glorious new world and be astonished by its beauty.
