This month we experience the Full Moon in Pisces, the most sentimental and soulful of signs. It takes place just a few hours after Mercury turns retrograde in Libra; a coincidence of celestial events rarely goes without notice. As I was preparing to write this post, an event of note did, indeed, take place, the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. A historic moment that saw the passing of the world’s longest reigning monarch, she reigned for 70 years, a timescale that makes presidents and prime ministers appear like ships in the night.
I am British, so for those of us living in the UK, she is the only head of state that most of us have ever known. Losing a constant, secure presence (Her Late Majesty was born under the sign of Taurus) and be cast in to something that seems less certain, is rather redolent of the Full Moon in Pisces. The shock of her death occurred while the Moon was in Aquarius; Pisces, however, is a mutable sign and we associate mutable signs – and the Moon – with transition. Transition is certainly will be a theme in the coming time ahead.
However, the Full Moon sheds its light on many things, so let us take a closer look at the Full Moon in Pisces and what it’s going to place in the spotlight over the next few weeks.
Full Moon in Pisces: The Essentials
The Full Moon in Pisces occurs at 09:58(UT) and will be found at 17˚40′ of that sign. Full Moon’s mark a time of culmination; things come to a head or reach peak intensity and the Full Moon’s light shines on things that would normally remain in the shadows. Moonlight has a magical quality, and that’s especially so with the Moon in Pisces. Symbolically, Pisces is the sign we associate most with magic and things that are not all that they seem to be.
Pisces is a soft and soothing sign. It’s highly emotional, yet it’s also a sign of deception and pretence. One of the issues with Pisces influenced moonlight is that we have a tendency to see what we want to see. Our views are coloured by our emotions and it can be difficult to see clearly in so many ways. For example, your perceptions may be clouded and your judgement too. It’s also a romantic influence, so normal mundane life may be suspended for a while. Pisces takes us out of the ordinary – and that can, of course happen for many reasons, some of them joyous, some less so.
When we look at the chart for September’s Full Moon, the Pisces/Neptune influence is strong. Neptune has been in it’s own sign for some time – and it’s a transit that has not been easy, so we should, perhaps, take a hint from the patterns and events we have experienced as a result of Neptune’s current residency before we claim this Full Moon to be soft, gentle and unassuming; it may be anything but that. I’ve written about Neptune in Pisces extensively (and may do so again) so you can check out my previous posts here from 2020 and my 2021 Neptune in Pisces post is here. Both of these posts highlight the issues that can emerge with this transit.
Full Moon in Pisces: The Chart
If you read my earlier post about the imminent Mercury retrograde in Libra, you’ll notice that the chart is pretty much the same; the Moon has moves about 3˚, but all the other planets are where they were at the time Mercury stationed approx. six hours previously. So, this means the aspects in the chart are unchanged.
In my earlier post, I noted that Mercury retrograde made contact with this lunation through its trine to Mars. The Full Moon is involves in a volatile t-square aspect pattern with Mars square the Sun-Moon opposition. The Full Moon has, however, a reasonably wide conjunction with Neptune retrograde in Pisces. The Full Moon also makes a sextile aspect to Uranus retrograde in Taurus and there are a couple of interesting ‘background noises’ that will be worth mentioning later in this post.
Let’s look at the aspects in more detail:
Full Moon in Pisces: The Aspects
Full Moon in Pisces: The T-square
All t-squares are tense and need action. I have probably lost count of the number of times I’ve said that over the years, but it’s true. This lunation probably needs more action than most; it’s squared by Mars in Gemini – but the action with this is most likely to be directed in an emotional, communicative and pragmatic manner. This is a lunation in the mutable signs, Pisces and Virgo and Mars is in Gemini, approaching the point at which it too will turn retrograde.
Mutable signs are transitional. There is also a mental, thoughtful, considered and communicative quality to them. They are also adaptable. A focus on mutability is a focus on change, and with Mars in the mix that change is likely to be rapid. We have seen in the past 24 hours how world events can change in a heartbeat – literally – and in our personal lives, some of us may also experience rapid change – especially those whose charts make contact with this Full Moon.
With Mars in Gemini enjoying (if that’s the right word) a square aspect from the Full Moon, there is some friction in this lunation. When the Moon aspects Mars, emotions are raw, direct and easily triggered. Asserting needs and standing up for yourself or others is a characteristic of this aspect, but so is the desire to go after whatever it is that you want at any given moment. At best, there is a need for passionate expression – and with Mars in Gemini that’s likely to be expressed in words.
However, the Moon in Pisces brings an element of emotional sensitivity into the picture. getting the balance right may be a challenge putting your emotional energy into something that inspires you is clearly the best outcome with this aspect, but care must always be taken to ensure that you strike the right balance between assertion and being over-sensitive to those who challenge you. It’s easy for passions to become conflicts with this aspect – particularly as you may overstep the boundaries without even knowing.
At a personal level, it’s not too difficult to see how such dynamics could play out; Full Moons bring things to a head, if there’s a scenario where you emotional pressures have ben building for some time, something could trigger a release – and the event that does so may be completely unrelated to the thing that’s been causing the pressure. Often, these things are unseen. When they emerge, they can surprise us…
The Moon conjunct Neptune
The Moon conjunct Neptune in Pisces is a ‘double whammy’ where sensitivity is concerned. As. I mentioned above, your best bet is to work hard at directing your emotional energies well, rather than becoming over-sensitive and easily triggered. Neptune close to the Moon heightens sensitivity – but it also obscures. It’s possible that with this lunation, you may not realise how sensitive you have become to external stimuli…
The Moon sextile Uranus
The sextile from the Moon the Uranus shows that there may be unusual circumstances that trigger you emotionally. Things that would not usually concern you may do so now. Your responses may be unexpected, but this Full Moon may provide a good opportunity to clear out any emotional blockages. The ability to detach from feelings can be a good one; as a result you may feel enlivened and invigorated.
If this lunation works well, there will be opportunities to change a few things in your emotional make-up and there may be a receptivity to change that is more noticeable than usual. Of course, where changes are inevitable, it’s always advisable to accept that and embrace your new situation. If you go down the alternative route, the cranky and uncomfortable side of Uranus is more likely to be in evidence.
Full Moon in Pisces: The Background Noise
The dynamics of all of those aspects can be experienced in both our personal lives and in events that occur in the outside world – and some of those events may have a personal or emotional impact. The ‘background noise’ at this time is amplified by the Mercury retrograde; it’s also shown by a couple of interesting inconjunct aspects in this chart: the Sun in Libra inconjunct Saturn Retrograde in Aquarius and Venus in Virgo inconjunct Jupiter retrograde in Aries.
Inconjunct (150˚) aspects are awkward – quite literally. They indicate a degree of adjustment is required; it’d like getting used to a new situation or dealing with something that you’d prefer wasn’t happening to you. When Venus and Jupiter retrograde are aspected, the implication is usually financial or relational. With the Sun and Saturn, the implication is that something is serious or important. There’s a commitment there – but it may not have been an easy one to make – perhaps for a whole variety of reasons.
However, they are both symbolic of moving life on in some way – even if that movement is somewhat unexpected. There is a general sense with this lunation that some things have to draw to a close before other things can take their place. Transitions are not easy and may take some getting used to. This Full Moon in Pisces – together with Mercury retrograde in Libra – will give us all something to think about.
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© Sara Shipman 2022
