Pallas Astrology

Archetypal Astrology, Tarot & Counseling by Maud Gemmeke

Full Moon

Annular Solar Eclipse in Gemini – Cleaning out Mercury’s closet

Photo (Incarnation 2) from a series made in 2014 in Mali, by photographer Joe Penney (New York city, United States) and actor and artist Abdou Ouloguem (Bamako, Mali). I picked this photo because the sign Gemini is related to the hands and arms of the human body (all signs are related to certain body parts).

The New Moon arrives on June 10th 6.52 am ET / 12.52 pm CET at 19 degrees Gemini. This New Moon is an annular Solar eclipse. 

The New Moon is under the ruling of Mercury retrograde in Gemini. Who’s very close to the Sun, at 20 degrees Gemini. Mercury cazimi (the conjunction of Mercury and the Sun) takes place only some hours after the New Moon on June 10th 9.12 pm ET / June 11th 03.12 am CET. Mercury cazimi marks the midpoint of the Mercury retrograde period that started on May 29th/30th and ends on June 22nd/23rd. Mercury cazimi often comes with insights as to what the Mercury retrograde period is about. This New Moon Solar eclipse and Mercury retrograde are closely connected with each other. How do we understand these transits?

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Full Moon in Scorpio – transformation; death and rebirth

Art by Juul Kraijer http://www.juulkraijer.com

I often use the word intense, when it comes to describing transits. Maybe I use it too much, because now I’m afraid the word intense has lost its meaning. This Full Moon is intense. The Full Moon in Scorpio arrives on April 26th 11.31 pm ET / April 27th 5.31 am CET at 7 degrees Scorpio. There’s a LOT that goes on in the heavens above when the Full Moon arrives.

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Full Moon in Libra – Peace Restored

Art by Cloditta (https://cloditta.com)

The Full Moon arrives on March 28th 3.48 pm ET / 8.48 pm CET at 8 degrees Libra. Venus, the ruler of this Full Moon, will be conjunct the Sun at 8 degrees Aries. The conjunction of Venus and the Sun is exact on the 26th of March at 5 degrees Aries, two days before the Full Moon arrives, thus the conjunction is separating with the Full Moon. 

Venus conjunct the Sun means that she’s being burned by the Sun. As Venus starts a new cycle, and goes through her rebirthing process, she needs to do so in the sign of her detriment (Aries). Venus in Aries is on unfamiliar grounds. Aries is a fire sign. Venus likes cooler surroundings. Thus, in at least two ways, Aphrodite is being burned. Matters of love and relating might feel challenging at the moment. Venus’s process is, however, one of purification. Every negative comes with a positive. When Venus finishes her journey of purification, and when Venus is in Taurus later this Spring, the Goddess of Love will be and feel reborn. 

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Full Moon in Virgo conjunct Vesta – attending to the sacred fire

Priestess of Vesta by Frederic Leighton

The Moon becomes full when she’s opposite of the Sun. It’s Pisces season, which means that the Full Moon takes place in Virgo (the sign opposite of Pisces). Pisces is the mutable water sign that’s ruled by Jupiter. During Pisces season, the Sun illuminates the parts of our charts that contain Pisces. Pisces naturally swims into the depths of the ocean. This sign is intuitive. This sign feeeels. This sign has a longing; a longing to merge with the water, with the creatures of the ocean, with the corals, with the sand. 

Pisces wants to merge with the divine and wants to transcend the mundane. Pisces transcends by merging with the Other. The Other may be a deity. The Other may also be nature. The Other may be found in a person, maybe via sex. The Other may also be found with support of a substance like alcohol or LSD. Pisces often seeks intoxication, either by love or drugs, or both. Pisces has a deep need to become One. The two fishes want to become one. The two fishes are in fact one. Together they are one sign. The fishes are just not aware of it.

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Full Moon in Leo

Photo found via Pinterest

The Full Moon arrives at 9 degrees Leo on January 28th 2.16 pm ET / 8.16 pm CET. The Moon shines glorious in the sign of Leo, as she reflects the light of the Sun, the ruler of Leo, who will be conjunct the greater benefic Jupiter. 

The Full Moon in Leo shines opposite of a gathering of planets in Aquarius (the Sun, Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury). The Moon is the body that moves through the twelve zodiacal signs in just 28 days. We tap into the Moon in our chart when we cope with daily life, when we emote and regulate. The Moon, in mundane astrology, helps to regulate the different planetary ‘influences’. As she circles around the Earth, she’s our satellite, antenna and buffer. She’s the Mother that protects us, cares for us closely. As a bunch of planets have gathered in Aquarius (and Venus will enter Aquarius soon too), this Full Moon in Leo reflects what Aquarius season is and will be about. Mercury will station retrograde, two days after the Full Moon, and travel backwards through the sign Aquarius. Venus will enter Aquarius soon, and by then all personal planets (except Mars) will be gathered in Aquarius. There will be a big emphasis on the parts of our charts that contain Aquarius, from the end of January until mid February. This emphasis has been building up since mid December. The Full Moon in Leo reflects the opening scene of the play that is about to unfold. 

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Full Moon in Gemini – Penumbral Lunar eclipse

‘Lovers’ by Remedios Varo, inspired by Tarot. The Lovers card in Tarot is related to the sign Gemini.

This Full Moon is an eclipse. The Penumbral Lunar Eclipse arrives on November 30th 4.30 am ET / 10.30 am CET at 8 degrees Gemini.

Whenever a Full Moon or a New Moon takes place in close enough proximity to the nodes of the Moon, an eclipse takes place. The North Node is at 19 degrees Gemini and the South Node is at 19 degrees Sagittarius. The nodes are squared by Neptune at 18 degrees Pisces. Neptune stations direct a little more than a day before the Full Moon arrives. Neptune tends to place a surreal fog over the things he touches, and his touch is extra intense at the moment since he just stationed direct. Neptune tends to decrease our ability for clear thinking and increases our thirst for ecstasy. For example; when Neptune touches Venus one may actually get blinded by love. Neptune grows our lust and decreases our IQ points. That’s not the say that Neptune can’t bring good stuff. Sometimes we need to shut down our mind in order to enter astral planes.

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The Full Moon in Taurus & the dark and primal female archetype


Jean Cousin, painting on panel, Eva Prima Pandora (Eve the first Pandora), 1550

The Full Moon arrives at 8 degrees Taurus on October 31st at 10.49 am ET / 3.49 pm CET. This Full Moon is exactly conjunct Uranus, also at 8 degrees Taurus. This Full Moon is a major astrological event. At least for some individuals (yours truly is one of them), depending on your personal chart. Even if this Full Moon is not major for you personally, it’s still a major one for the human collective. And there’s some interesting archetypal meaning to be found in this celestial event. This article is a long one. I wanted to explore the archetypal astrology of this Full Moon and share it with you. Be ready for stories of powerful women. The stories of the very first women, our ancestors, our Mothers.

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