Pisces Full Moon + Saturn Rx: Ripening Karma
Pisces Full Moon
7 degrees Pisces / Virgo
August 30, 2023
6:35 pm PDT / 9:35 pm EDT
The Pisces Full Moon at 7 degrees Pisces/Virgo is a Supermoon being very close to the Earth, looming large in the sky.
Typically, a water Supermoon will evoke cascading emotional tides and while we can expect inner stirrings, the conjunction to Saturn, Lord of Karma, suggests coming to terms with reality and learning the value of boundaries. In Pisces, the Moon can be highly sensitive and the heavy presence of Saturn can often feel particularly harsh, even if the lessons are necessary for our growth.
Pisces is the most transcendent of the signs, yet Saturn insists on duty even as we yearn for escapism. The combination of Saturn-Moon, is rarely a comfortable one as the Moon is symbolic of our feelings and sensitivities. It's where we seek security, comfort and satisfaction. The ripening karma can feel poignant as emotions swell and meet with Saturn's stoic authority.
The Full Moon heightens the already chaotic and confusing landscape of Uranus stationing retrograde and Mercury and Venus both retrograde. It can be a topsy-turvy time, yet Saturn requires a level of seriousness and sobriety, lest we go completely over the rails. Black Moon Lilith is aligned with the Sun and is also being opposed by Saturn, the inner wild woman is being tamed and temporarily repressed but will no doubt re-emerge in the coming days as she moves back into Leo.
We may be facing a decision or transition in which there's no turning back, or an ending that while it offers new rewards could feel bittersweet because it means saying goodbye to what once brought comfort and safety.
A positive manifestation could be the completion or realization of a project that takes persistent effort and fortitude. In the sign of Pisces, one thinks of the virtuosos who, while they may have a natural artistic talent, only rises to the level of greatness through consistent practice and discipline.
The Sun-Saturn opposition was exact August 27 and is activated again at this Full Moon, which may feel like a suppression of the ego, judgement by authority or a sense of oppression. However, the sweetness of Saturn comes from the achievements gained from discipline, patience, hard work or from having learned hard lessons that transform one into a stronger, mature version of oneself.
Saturn retrograde in Pisces is a time of inner restructuring on the emotional level so that we can become more of who and what we dream to be. It may be a solitary path, in which we truly rely on our inner resources to guide us and to measure our personal development.
The gift of Saturn is that it doesn't want us to live only in the realm of fantasy and endless possibility. Saturn contains so that we can capture the magic of inspiration and the miracle of creativity to make good use of it.
The great Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, “Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.”
Just reading that statement helps to dislodge some of the inner defences which keep us on high alert to defend the ego. What if, in our loneliness and melancholy, we open to the lesson of what is being presented to us at this time as an opportunity for transformation? When we know what we're truly committed to and have a clear vision for ourselves and our lives, we can welcome Saturn lessons as gifts from grace.
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