Musings on the Full Moon 1 Working with our closest celestial neighbor

by Rebecca Brents

It happens every month

The Full Moon is an unmistakable sight, one of the heaven's most awesome shows. There is at least one full moon every month. Every 2 - 3 years we get a second full moon in a calendar month. In all, we get 12 - 13 a year. The Full Moon is the visual climax of the Moon's monthly tango with the Sun -- the point at which the Moon and The Sun oppose one another in the sky.

As one rises in the East, the other sets in the West -- and for a couple of days before and after the exact peak, as I said, the display is spectacular. The Full Moon is the point at which reflected light from the Sun, shining from directly across the sky, fills all the available surface of the Moon -- creating the round disc of light that gives the Full Moon its name.

The Full Moon is the point of maximum light. There is an exact moment in time each month when the Full Moon occurs ... when The Sun and The Moon occupy precisely opposite points in the sky, exactly opposing degrees and minutes of arc across the circle of the horoscope. It is an unmistakable visual picture. To an Astrologer, the Full Moon looks like this:

An astrological calendar will tell you when The Full Moon occurs every month -- and give you lots of other valuable information. If Astrology, moon cycles and other heavenly doings interest you, an astrological calendar is essential -- one of the indispensable tools of the trade.

I recommend Jim Maynard's work from Quicksilver Productions. He now publishes what used to be the information contained in his astrological calendars on his website. It's available as a PDF file to download (according to him) very late in the year. This material is by far the best of its kind. Personally, I hope it continues forever. I missed it terribly the year it skipped.

So, that's the physics of it

In science -- astronomy -- the Full Moon occurs when the Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of the sky. In Astrology, this relationship is called an opposition. It's one of the major aspects Astrologers use to interpret character in a horoscope, or describe what's going on -- both out in the open and behind the scenes -- in the happenings here on Earth.

So ... you have the scientific explanation -- and the Astrological meaning. The Sun opposing the Moon means something to an Astrologer. (But you kind of guessed that, right?) The Sun in Astrology represents the ego. The Moon represents the emotional climate and background. So what does it mean when they're in this relationship to one another? Well, let's talk about that.

Musings on the Full Moon
The Series Continues

A conflict of opposites

For obvious reasons, Astrologers see the Full Moon as an opposition -- an aspect of confrontation and projection, and it is one of the highlights that graces every sign. Every month as the Full Moon forms, the Sun in one sign -- and the interests and qualities it represents, confronts the Moon in the opposite sign -- with a conflicting agenda of needs and desires.

Musings on the Full Moon 2
Part 2

Over the years, I've written lots of stuff about full moons, the visual spectacle they provide, the special energy they carry ... & why they have such a notorious reputation. "Logical types" insist the whole idea is silly, that Full Moon energy is no different than any other. They say, "It's all in your head," like that solves the problem. It's one hazard of life on the internet.

Musings on the Full Moon 3
Part 3

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The Full Moon

* Full Moon Conflicts -- Full Moon Tension through the Signs ---> Full Moon Conflicts ---> Aries Sun / Libra Moon = My ambitions, my drive for self-definition, my need to assert myself and my independence vs. my need to take other people into account, my desire for meaningful partnerships, my habitual efforts to compromise, keep the peace, and get along.

* The Sun and Moon in Your Natal Chart -- Two powerful descriptions of you ---> Your two most important Inner Selves ---> Even in the more subtle, introverted signs, like Scorpio, Virgo and Pisces, The Sun's energy in your horoscope is considered powerful, masculine and demonstrative. Its expression can be overwhelmed and disguised by other factors or afflictions in the horoscope, but not easily.

Sun Sign / Moon Sign -- Sun Energy / Moon Energy in Your Horoscope -- What's the difference? ---> You have a Sun Sign ---> Your Sun sign is the Zodiac sign the Sun was traveling through at the time you were born. There are twelve signs in the Zodiac, starting with Aries and ending with Pisces. When you arrived in the world The Sun was in one of them.

Special Moons

* Black Moon, Dark Moon, New Moon -- Ok, let's get this sorted out ---> Three names, three things ---> You've certainly heard the term New Moon applied to that part of the Moon's cycle when a small sliver of light appears in the western sky at dusk ... and gradually begins filling in over the next two weeks to reach the glorious display of the Full Moon before diminishing down to nothing again.

Defining the Dark of the Moon ---> Around the time of the New Moon ... ---> People know the difference between the New Moon and the Full Moon. We get one of each every month. They are part of everyday life. Some know those funny in-between stages have names and meanings, too. Less well known is something known as the Dark Moon -- or the Dark of the Moon -- which also happens every month in the 3 1/2 days surrounding the New Moon.

* Full Moon / New Moon? Or New Moon / Full Moon? -- Variations on the rhythms of life ---> Different rhythms ---> It's a subtle difference, I admit, but it's there nevertheless. Life's psychological rhythm has a different sequence, depending on whether the New Moon in a particular sign forms first, followed about two weeks later by the Full Moon in the opposite sign ... or whether the Full Moon forms first, followed then by the New Moon lining up with the Sun in its sign.

More about the Moon

In the Dark of the Moon -- Where it all begins ---> Yeah, I know it's not the Dark of the Moon but do you know how boring those pictures are? ---> Make a note ---> The Dark of the Moon is the segment of time that covers the three days surrounding the monthly appearance of the New Moon. At the Dark of the Moon, the Moon has moved into a position so close to the Sun it's no longer able to reflect sunlight -- and the Moon appears to be totally gone from the sky.

* A Day with No Lunar Aspects -- Not quite one thing ... not quite another ---> First things first ---> To understand this article, you may need a little bit of background. First of all ... do you know about the Void-of-Course Moon? If so, great. Skip down and read on. If not, take a minute or two (honest, that's all you'll need) to read about it. However, you'll do yourself a favor if you really learn about the v/c Moon ...

The Moon -- Physics, Metaphysics and Myth -- Part 1 ---> Physics ---> Luna, the Earth's Moon, is also the Earth's only natural satellite. Neither Mercury nor Venus have any moons at all. The rest of the planets in our Solar System have anywhere from 2 moons (Mars) to dozens of moons. Jupiter has 67. Even Pluto has five. Still that makes Earth and its Moon -- and their peculiar relationship to one another -- fairly unique.

So what IS a Black Moon? ---> A black moon. Ever hear of it? ---> Sure most people have heard of a "blue moon" ... as in "once in a blue moon." Not so many can give you even one of the several definitions for that, though. They know it means a long time -- except for those who think it means something that never comes along at all.

The Full Moon in Astrology
Light Reading & Open Articles

Basic Stuff About the Full Moon
Quick Notes on the Full Moon
Appreciating the Full Moon

The Moon in Astrology -- Articles Index
The New Moon in Astrology -- Articles Index
The Full Moon in Astrology -- Articles Index
The Dark Moon in Astrology -- Articles Index
The Void-of-Course Moon in Astrology -- Articles Index

  moon  full moon  moon phases  500 Words or Less  

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