The full moon in Virgo, or rather in the Virgo–Pisces axis, will happen this Saturday, February 24th, at 4:30 AM in California, 06:30 hours in Mexico City, or 13:30 hours in Santander, in the sixth degree of the axis, at 5⁰23′. Even though there will be a new moon in Pisces prior to the spring equinox, this full moon will be the last one of the astrological year, representing an opportunity to assess the evolutionary growth we experienced during the year.
The Virgo–Pisces axis symbolizes the maturation phase for the previous hemicycle. In Virgo, the Day Force that became prevalent in Aries is down to level 4, holding on to what could be called a diminishing 4–3 “slim majority”. It is time to take a critical look at one’s individuality before relating consciously to other people in Libra. Something similar happens in Pisces because the Night Force that impulses us to relate will cease to prevail in Aries, so we must assess what we have learned about relationships in general. However, since Pisces also ends the entire year, it is able to make a more complete evaluation of our yearly progress in the process of individualization.1
Meanwhile, the full moon displays in the night sky the fundamental tension between two signs so we become aware that they are two sides of the same coin, and that we may find the coin by reconciling the apparent polar opposites which, in reality, are complementary. Such awareness allows us to integrate them in the second hemicycle of waning phases leading to the next new moon. In this case and at the broadest level, we are dealing with the critical assessment of our own integration this past year. As I mentioned earlier, there will be one final new moon before the equinox, but that will serve as preparation for the new individuality we will assert in 2024. You may remember that confirmation symbols like Pisces prepare for the next root symbol, the next sign.
Sabian Symbols
To refine the broad Virgo–Pisces polarity, let’s look at the images of the full-moon degrees. Pisces 6° (Sun) says: “A parade of army officers in full dress”, further explained as the dedication of human beings to the service of their community, and the assurance that it will be emotionally sustained by the people at large. Its keyword is: Group-Responsibility. On the other hand, Virgo 6° (Moon) replies with: “A merry-go-round”, expanded as the first experience of the dynamic intensity of life processes and of the possibility of using them to reach a characteristic ego-satisfaction. Its key phrase is: An Objective Approach to the Life Force.
These are the first symbols of a five-degree sequence (6°–10°) at the level emotional-cultural. Sun’s symbol is perfectly summarized in its keyword, for it talks about the emotions aroused on the masses by individuals who are dedicating their life to the nation’s service, plus the support they get in return. The apparently simple symbol for Moon’s degree, however, is full of meaning at various levels: a toddler is simply placed in an open carriage and becomes aware of cyclic motion, an older child will sit on a horse that not only goes around but also up and down, symbolizing that life is not only cyclic but alternates between exhilarating highs and depressing lows, and teenagers are sometimes given a “hook” to try to retrieve some ring hanging within their reach, just outside the merry-go-round, and win prizes when succeeding in such difficult task. Yes, life experiences are cyclic and full of ups and downs but always presenting opportunities to show mastery.
The symbols must be taken in the context of the current lunation cycle which was conditioned with potentialities at the new moon. That symbol was the first of an emotional-cultural level as well, its image had a woman learning emotional resilience when facing a “seemingly empty life” after numerous disappointments. The new moon, you may recall, happened just after Moon had a “disrobing” conjunction with Pluto, and we said it would probably carry the collective emotions of all that has happened lately, to be shown during the month but especially at the full moon. Sun is saying that, as co-creators, we have a group responsibility to stay focused on our service to humanity, a very Piscean message, to which Moon replies that life is cyclic, constantly presenting opportunities to serve, as long as we maintain emotional resilience, which is a practical, Virgoan message.
Transpersonal Energies
When viewed from the planets that rule them, the signs of Virgo and Pisces may represent the polarity of order vs chaos. In Virgo, Mercury is the mind that analyzes the particularities to achieve something concrete while Neptune dissolves them to reveal their sameness. One is exacting, the other imprecise. Looking at the chart, however, it reveals a triple conjunction between Sun, Mercury (2°11′) and Saturn (9°15′) in Pisces. In particular, the latter is calling us (and allowing us) to be flexible, for the lord of structures is in the least structured sign. Add Neptune to the mix, at Pisces 26°32′, and we have four planets in the final sign of the zodiac.
Aquarius is also well represented in the full-moon chart. At 1°04′, Pluto has finally ventured into the second degree of the sign for the first time in nearly 250 years, since it remained at Aquarius 1° during last year’s ten-week foray into the sign. Perhaps more important is the conjunction of Mars (Aquarius 8°41′) and Venus (Aquarius 9°43′) aligning our desires with our needs. It will have been exact at Aquarius 7° (6⁰58′) tomorrow, February 22nd, just two days prior to the full moon.
Seven of the ten planets (Sun and Moon always included) are therefore influenced by Uranus or Neptune, representing energy for change and transformation from the “highest level”, meaning from a more direct connection to the galaxy. I have said in the past that I’m not sure what kind of connection, if any, our planets may have (other than Sun) with the galactic center. That said, Neptune at Pisces 26°32′ will form an exact square with our supermassive black hole while, at the same time, Uranus will be ruling the Aquarian planets from Taurus (19°26′), the sign most connected to our planet.
Ancillary Thoughts
I heard an astrologer talk not about the dark side of a sign (or planet) but of its “juvenile trait”. This is more than just being “politically correct”, for a juvenile trait should be shed as maturation arrives. Either way, this full moon is full of strong energies that may result in several juvenile traits being displayed. Also, we currently have all planets in direct motion so they will manifest their archetypes.
The personal planets entering Aquarius symbolically express that there is no going back, the past is truly gone. Aquarius symbolizes the future, via reform or rebellion. As I mentioned in the article about 2024, we are speeding for take-off. For instance, Mars (“I desire”) and its higher octave Pluto (“I can”) were conjunct on the 12th, which is like kicking a beehive, so we saw plenty of violence worldwide. Together they are able to cross any red lines and overcome any inertia until the proverbial walls of Jericho fall down.
And what can be said about Venus (“I need”) and Pluto? They may fuel uncommon or unusual relationships, perhaps mediated by technology (Aquarius). We are likely to see different relationship “geometries”, like threesomes or polyamory, become less of a taboo, especially when we add Saturn in Pisces with its ability to structure anything. Pluto often invokes the shadow of what it touches, and people could find themselves in relationships they would have considered monstrous just a while ago.
On Cycles
I have spoken of astrology as a discipline that studies cyclicity but this is only true when we see cycles as wholes in time organized in a holarchy.2 It is also important to distinguish between two types of cycles: of position and of relationship. A prototypical cycle of position is the orbital motion of the planets through the zodiac while a cycle of relationship is best represented by the lunation cycle.
Earlier I spoke of Virgo and Pisces as signs that complete a zodiac hemicycle where one of the two Spiritual forces is prevalent. The implicit statement is that the zodiac represents a cycle, or rather it is a cyclic coordinate system against which we can pinpoint the location of a planet, when viewed from a specific place and at a specific time on Earth. We know that the zodiac is projected on the ecliptic, or apparent path of the sun from one spring equinox to the next. So, when we talk about Sun being at Virgo 5°23′, we can find it at the end of an arc of 155°23′ in length along such path, from where the previous spring equinox occurred (Aries 0°), thus specifying a position.
On the other hand, when we measure an angle between two planets, we are considering their cyclic interrelationship. What we see is a measure of (cyclic) time that has passed from the moment the current cycle began, when they were conjunct. The simple fact that aspects are a geometric representation of time and not space leads many astrologers astray, unable to distinguish the difference between waxing and waning aspects. In the lunation cycle, the First and Last Quarter phases are both moments of crisis, but of a very different nature, as we have seen in the past. The same is true of other important relationship cycles, like the one between Jupiter and Saturn (20 years), the pulse of society, or between Venus and Mars (2–3 years), the rhythm of our personal interactions with society. Mars is the outward energy of the individual, the psychological libido that reaches out to satisfy our desires, while Venus is the result of such outreach experienced inwards, it is the effect of how the world responded, which conditions our needs.
Both planets are more than that, but their relationship is all about the reproduction of, both, children and values. The soul of their relationship is love. In The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar wrote: “Mars-love is the love that is desire, self-projection, brute force toward self-reproduction in and through others, but with no regard for the others. Venus-love is the love that is wise, the love that arises from true interchange, from altruistic companionship: love-wisdom”. During the next couple of years, for their next conjunction will be on January 7, 2026, our relatedness will be greatly influenced by tomorrow’s conjunction in Aquarius.
Wrapping Up…
Pluto has only spent a month in the first degree of Aquarius and has already begun to make its presence known, much like it gave us the 2008 financial crisis when it entered Capricorn. Just in the last ten days, we have had a scandal related to bribes and other anomalies found in the process of getting scientific papers published, along with a large increase of retractions due to a proliferation of AI-generated articles published by such dubious or illegal tactics.
Not all is bad, however, I also have seen numerous discoveries. Just last week some scientists discovered a large number of viroids in the mouth and gut bacteria of a group of people involved in the study. Viroids are similar but not related to viruses which heretofore had only been found in plants. Gut bacteria, on the other hand, have been found to affect the overall health of human beings, including our moods, so the overall balance of their viroid composition is of interest to us. Consider this from a planetary perspective: an organism, be that a human body or the planet (biosphere), depends on other organisms living within it, be those gut bacteria or human individuals, themselves depending on the balance of the next holarchical layer, be that of viroids or gut bacteria.
Of course, at the same time we witness the horrors of war in more corners of the world. Life seems to be racing, in another week March will begin, and the chaos around us is multiplying. I read somewhere that 57 countries will have elections in 2024 and while many are rigged, a good number will define the manner in which the old paradigms will die. Remember that the changes coming are as profound as those from the Second World War, but this time Neptune is in charge, not Pluto, of the transpersonal Minor Grand Trine heralding the new consciousness. There will be energy to dissolve from within the structures built under old paradigms symbolized by the waxing sextile between Uranus and Neptune that will only get stronger, especially after Uranus moves to Gemini and Neptune to Aries, which will happen for a few months in 2025 and then from May 2026 until at least 2030.
Remember the Sabian symbols: life is a merry-go-round of ups and downs that continuously brings opportunities for co-creating as a group. A fortnight ago we were given emotional resilience to withstand what may seem at times like a meaningless life. Let’s keep these three images in our heart as we focus our energies to co-create a better and more loving tomorrow.
Always Love. 🌹🙏💖
- Rudhyar defined “individualization” as the process of becoming an individual, defined as a whole containing his individuality, obtained by Jung’s individuation, and his relatedness, gotten from a process of collectivization that integrates him with his world. ↩︎
- A “holarchy” is defined as a hierarchy of wholes where higher-level wholes encompass those in lower levels. Examples in space include molecules and atoms, galaxies and star systems, etc., but holarchies may occur in time as well, as in the solar year and the soli-lunar month. ↩︎
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