This full Moon is the first of two in Capricorn. Coming in tandem with the Summer Solstice, it could be considered as a first stage in which a challenge arises, and then intensifies in the very serious full Moon of the 21st of July. Between these two FMs there is a sublime new Moon on the 6th July, in which the Sun and Moon move into a tight alignment to the spiritual sun, Sirius, as well as the Black Sun. (link: https://www.essencediaries.com/post/the-sirius-gateway-july-3rd-7th-2023-the-star-meets-with-the-sun-and-the-black-sun). Great spiritual wisdom and growth flow to us during this passage, and we do well to respond with humility, gratitude and preparation.
This full Moon invites us to look inwardly at our personal lives. The Moon in Capricorn indicates that there's work to be done, work on the unconsious and the structures therein. We are guided by the Sun conjunct Venus in Cancer to perform this task with sweetness and grace, as if holding Galadriel's vial while we explore Shelob's lair.
We are presented with a potential 'cross' pattern made of Sun, Moon, Neptune and, depending on whether we choose to constructively bend the rules of astrology, Black Moon Lilith. The Whore's position in Virgo echoes the Moon's work ethic in Capricorn and also mirrors the ambivalence of this 'cross' which is not restrained to one modality but touches both the cardinal and the mutable. I prefer to use the BML 'true' position (Virgo, mutable), but the more stable 'mean' position is in Libra (cardinal). In this case therefore we allow ourselves to include this strange 'thing', BML, in the 'cross' aspect pattern.
Lilith in Virgo and the Cardinal / Mutable Cross
While Virgo is in search of purity, finding its crown in service to others and attention to detail, Lilith is the antagonistic opposite of that, seeking revenge, getting dirty in the trenches, and emphasising the darker, more venomous side of both nature and culture.
The mix of cardinal and mutable modality indicates the beginning of a new stage in the process of inner completion.
During a full Moon in which there is a clear overlap between the male-female polarities, particularly with regard to the parents, Lilith's position becomes significant. For she is the dark side of desire, the spider that weaves the web in the hidden tunnels of the unconscious, catching our most precious intentions, poisoning our actions, calling out our fake 'love' and 'peace'. She reminds us that we have a dark side, a baggage of traits that refuses to conform to the rules of our mind-made self, and that make the self tremble at the very thought that these demons might even exist within 'me'.
These are always difficult themes to explore, and by nature also tricky. They sting us very close to the heart, so it is advisable to perform them cautiously, anchored in our inner knowing.
The Sun enters afresh the Moon's sign of Cancer. He is accompanied by Venus, trailing along from the conjunction of the last new Moon. Capricorn is Saturn's domain, and the Moon expresses the restrictions of our instinct and intuition by structures we have internalised through educative nurturing and conditioning. I feel a strong thematic resonance on the role of the parents in our early life in this FM.
Mom and Dad
While Venus here brings to the surface the role of the mother, and how our idea of love has been formed through her nurturing or the lack thereof, the theme of the father, especially in his role as distant teacher, is highlighted on the other end with the Moon in Capricorn.
This reminds the Moon of something she doesn't like to remember, which is the fact that her movements are preditermined and predictable, and not in her power to change. The Moon in Capricorn faces her limits, and there we find, to our dismay, how deeply unfree we really are.
Another uncomfortable aspect involving father-figure issues is Saturn conjunct Nessus. Here we also find the theme of abuse of power by figures invested with religious authority (Pisces), and the theme of how an overstated male 'hardness' or feminine 'softness' received during childhood can represent serious limits on our ability to trust the spirit to re-structure our inner life.
Lilith reminds us that now, as adults, we do have the choice in some sense or other to return to the cave and explore the treasures hidden therein. Virgo's aptitude for dedication, careful detailing and purity is greatly advantageous in this quest, should one decide to undertake it. Lilith also forms a triangle with Uranus and Neptune. This is most certainly a strong indication that a recovery of our hidden power turns the wheel for an inner revolution; our entry into a more subtle dimension of being.
Pluto's move
During the whole passage from this full Moon to the next one in July, Pluto's relationship to the Sun and Moon will change significantly. The present full Moon offers us a 'messy' quincunx of the Sun to Pluto. As the god of the underworld retrogrades closer and closer to re-enter Capricorn for a short while, the Sun and Moon will move into alignment with him during the full Moon in Capricorn of the 21st July. So, from a quincunx - in which the planets have no easy common ground to communicate on, to an opposition / conjunction – in which the energies of the planets have plenty of common ground on which to interact. And all of this activity happens in and around Capricorn.
Both inner and outer structures come under the spotlight and are going through a process of death and rebirth. This full Moon calls for inner work in an attitude of joyous anticipation. We of course do well to understand that Neptune is hanging between Pisces and Aries, indicating an intensification of spiritual warfare. On one side there is the bombardment of the mind with fear, stories of coming destruction and dreadful loss, addictive and toxic emanations of all kinds. On the other there is the awakening of the spiritual warrior, the dropping of illusion, and the quiet, splendid alertness that comes of living in truth.
The light is coming. Don't fear the dark.
Comments