It’s said that obstetric nurses around the world know to prepare for a busy night whenever the Moon is full, as it often sends pregnant women into labor. If this were actually true, a lot of us would share your birth Moon. But it’s not. Empirical studies regularly confirm that there’s little correlation between Full Moons and spikes in birth rates. I mention this to restore a well-deserved mystique to your birth Moon. It’s special. The powers of Full moonlight are legendary. The folklore of many traditions notes that crystals, herbs and spells are strengthened by it. Lovers, poets and spiritual seekers have been mesmerized by it for millennia.
It’s a big Moon. And people born at this time often have big expectations of themselves. They want their lives to count for something. Buddha was born at this turning point in the lunar cycle. Full Moons bring times of fulfillment, culmination, illumination, and enlightenment. With the Sun and Moon in opposition, Luna’s bright orb signifies wholeness, harmony, resolution, and the “Aha!” that comes after struggling with conflicting ideas or people. Relationships tend to be the area of greatest challenge and growth for your Moon tribe. Through your relationships, you continually reenact the dance of opposition between the Sun and Moon.
Some say the Full Moon can make you a lunatic. People used to believe that if you slept outside on a Full Moon night, you’d be attacked by a werewolf—or become one yourself. Actually, the opposite is true, especially for you. The Full Moon is like an energetic nectar whose formula—encoded by the Sun and Moon in your birth chart—is specifically designed to refresh and revitalize you. You can absorb a little of its blessings through the atmosphere, but you can increase your nourishment if you pay attention.
Spend time with this Moon. Learn when and where it appears. Pick a quiet moment each month to sit and breathe with it. Let your breath slow, lengthen, and deepen, as your energetic field gently grows bigger and more diffuse. This is how your receptivity unfurls and your spirit begins to drink in the Full Moon. The less you think about it, the more this rejuvenating nectar soaks in.
The play of light and dark on the face of the Moon is a “secret” teaching—meaning, most people don’t bother to notice or ponder it. But the next time you sit with your birth phase, observe how, over the three to four days of its duration, darkness begins creeping across the face of the Moon. Light symbolizes awareness—conscious intelligence (or the “masculine” mind). Darkness symbolizes instinct and unconsciousness (or the intuitive “feminine” mind).
Now that you know which is who, you can see how the play of reflected sunlight on your birth Moon may also hint at the ideal relationship between your own conscious and subconscious minds. It’s a picture of the sacred contract between your left and right brains. Your birth Moon phase begins with full light and awareness. This suggests that you’re born to reach for the unknowable and actually grasp it! Yet once you’ve gotten your “Aha!” it’s an even greater wisdom to gradually release it. Your path asks that you keep surrendering into the pregnant mystery of not knowing.
The monthly dates for your birth Moon phase each are available in my Moon Workshop and Moonprints report—where you can also learn about your “progressed” Moon phase. Many astrologers believe your progressed phase is one of the most important factors for assessing your current potentials. I agree!
Copyright 2021 Dana Gerhardt
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