Full Moon in Virgo: The Wisdom of Focus

'The High Priestess' by Cathy McClelland

Full Moon in Virgo: The Wisdom of Focus

Moon opposite Sun @ 9:54am on 2-19-19

The Quickening Moon began on 2-4 at the Imbolc cross-quarter degree (Aquarius 16) between Solstice and Equinox...starting to thaw out those of us in the North as we quicken to Spring. Now as we are in the fullness of the Quickening Moon, we may really be feeling things speed up around us...though you may notice a call for stillness within. All Planets are still in direct (sunwise) motion across our sky throughout the month of February, with Mercury slowing to a retrograde pause on March 5^th to take the collective mind on our next “widdershins” journey.

'Athena' by Alyana

But the asteroid Pallas (Athene, the Goddess of Wisdom) has been paused in her retrograde station at the end of Libra since Sunday...directly opposite Uranus at the end of Aries. Uranus tends to shake things up (and has been doing just that!), but this opposition with Pallas creates a balance for the mind to channel high mental energies into constructive strategies. This opposition is inconjunct to the Full Moon opposition. So while the Full Moon represents what we see and feel, Pallas and Uranus has to do with what we feel but don’t see...all of the energetic patterns at play between ourselves (Aries) and others (Libra).

So we began this Moon cycle in Aquarius, with the Mind in Focus (Fixed Air), and a call for more progressive organization in our lives. And now we come to the more adaptable Full Moon of this cycle, highlighting the 1^st degrees of Virgo and Pisces...Body and Feelings in Service (Mutable Earth and Water). How does that New Moon seed blossom now into fullness? In the way of the Priestess (Virgo).

'Hestia/Vesta' by Pamela Matthews

The Pisces Sun at this time is also conjunct Vesta (the asteroid named after the Goddess of Hearth and Home, Priestess of the Sacred Flame). So the Priestess signature is written all over this Full Moon. Priestess energy asks, ‘What is the Focus of your Sacred Work?’

The word ‘Focus’ refers to concentrating interest or activity on something, bringing it into clear definition. However, this word also relates to the Sacred Work of the Priestess. Focus is a Latin word that means ‘domestic hearth’...where Vesta’s focus is as she tends the eternal flame.

So the Full Moon in the sign of the Priestess, opposite the asteroid of the Priestess, is bringing us to our Focus…even in the midst of much growing activity as we quicken to Spring. It’s not like everything will slow down for us to concentrate on what we need to do. It’s kind of like (how I personally feel on a regular basis in my immediate family) an owl resting in a tree full of scurrying squirrels...focused stillness even in the midst of frenzied activity. That’s what we have the capacity to tap into now.

Moon in Virgo 1: Defining Character

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘a man’s head’. Virgo is an earth sign, and this element has to do with matter...such as the body. But Virgo is also ruled by Mercury, which has to do with the mind. The head as a symbol relates to this body-mind connection. Virgo has a way of separating the wheat from the chaff, sorting through and defining things more precisely. It is with the head that we use most of our senses to distinguish one thing from another...such as the clarity of vision. It is also in the features and expressions of the head and face where our true character is often seen most clearly. At this full moon, we may experience a test of character...or how we define ourselves. The changes we have been making to align ourselves more clearly with our true character have us ‘heading’ down a clearer path now.

But this is not about trusting the head over the heart...this Full Moon is conjunct Regulus, the ‘heart star’. This Moon combines the character of the head with the courage of the heart for the clarity of focus we need.

Sun in Pisces 1: Sacred Reciprocity for the Well-Being of the Whole

'Marketplace' by Rein Sievers

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘a public marketplace’. This symbol is about the interplay of all the diverse elements of a group. The emphasis is on group integrity, which relies on Sacred Reciprocity (healthy giving and healthy receiving, in mutual benefit). The marketplace represents a place where many different people can come together and engage in exchanges that address the basic needs of humanity. It merges all parts into the whole, which is the Piscean way. This symbol may well describe the hustle and bustle feeling we tend to get in the Quickening Moon cycle that comes before the Spring Equinox. Here, it’s still cold and another round of snow just resulted in school being cancelled tomorrow, but the promise of Spring renewal is stirring within and we want to follow the urges for more lively exchange.

So as we bring into focus the things that define us, we are also finding how the changes we’re making can fit into the larger whole. Now is the time to discover what is a distinct truth about your character, and how it can productively serve the Greater Good.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi