An Invitation to Wonderment & Awe with the Last Full Moon of Fall

The light of the near full moon winks in the cold night, wispy clouds providing the perfect setting for its captivating glow. The last Full Moon of Fall — though it has certainly felt like winter for some time already here in northern climes — carries with it the hustle and bustle associated with the holiday season, as well as an opportunity to connect with the wonderment that is an important staple at this time of year.

The Full Moon takes place in the sign of Gemini just shy of 24°, right in time for its planetary ruler, Mercury, to finish its retrograde period that began on November 25th. The swiftly-maneuvering planet moved from 22.5° Sagittarius back to 6.5° of the Archer, giving us an opportunity to pause and shift our perception when it comes to our quest for meaning in life, inviting us open to new and different ways of discovering purpose, stoking the inner fire, finding inspiration, and immersing ourselves into the things that expand our horizons and uplift our spirits. As the Full Moon occurs at 1:01am Pacific/4:01am Eastern, Mercury will be stationing to move direct once again in the buoyant sign of the zodiac’s anthropologist, and it encourages us to carry all of the insights we gained during this time with us.

Geminian energy is, well, busy. It moves at twice the speed of most other signs, maybe more when it comes to earthier ones and those of the water element, and as such, it has a voracious appetite for the activities of life; most importantly, those that involve learning, talking, thinking, writing, orating, teaching, conversing, or data/material exchange of any sort. It loves to be fascinated, moving quickly through the world and its flurry of activity with excitement and effervescence, seeking any and all experiences that bring novelty and freshness to its frame. And yet evolutionarily, Gemini is here to do all of these things if only so it can tap into the essence of adbhuta — a place of wonderment and awe whose flavor brings insight so powerful that it shifts one’s perception of reality for good. Though as the first air sign Gemini is quite mentally astute, it’s here to use its mind to seek and to find these moments of revelation and realization, ones that have the ability to change one’s perceptual lens so completely that life will forever carry a deep knowing that wasn’t there before.

What’s important here is that Gemini actually open its lens just a bit to experience what we might call ‘beginner’s mind,’ able to suspend its disbelief long enough to allow these insights to arise. Gemini has the ability to teach us that when we welcome these spaces of curiosity, we become more receptive to life and what it’s hoping to show us. The synchronicity that is a natural part of being in the flow of the universe reminds us of how magical life really is, and we’re able to move with it more readily, following its breadcrumbs to an even more astonishing reality, and in the best ways possible. All it takes is a frame shift from within our own awareness, yet if we get caught in a harried, frenetic rhythm, keeping ourselves and our minds so overwhelmed that there’s no space for curiosity or wonder, amazement or awe, we will most certainly miss the opportunity to lens into life’s inherently serendipitous cadence, instead caught in endless days of busy-ness and preoccupation. And with what? We may be so bothered that we don’t even remember!

Neptune, in the latter degrees of Pisces the mystic, squares the Full Moon from its home sign and serves as a reminder to the over-activity of the mental space that underlying all things is an inherent intelligence that connects every single part of reality, and that this greater force is never far away. How could it be when it truly lives within everything?! While Gemini might like to keep things on the surface and light, Neptune and Pisces both inevitably take things into a deeper space of awareness, welcoming the unity consciousness that is truly at the heart of life. Neptune here helps facilitate this shift in perception that Gemini can be quite good at on its own, ensuring the movement from the always-thinking mind into a place of spacious presence. This Full Moon certainly contains the possibility for expansive awareness that connects us to the “spirit that moves in all things,” the divine presence that is at the core of all facets of life, from the most minute to the most grand.

Yet the shadow of this squared situation is also a potential, and it might look something like becoming so overwhelmed by the hurried pace of the season that we feel the need to “blow off some steam,” escaping into some kind of bender that leaves us more disconnected and uninspired than we would have imagined. Neptune IS the planet of “patron saints and drunks,” encouraging our connection with the Cosmos and life’s magical reality, but if we’re not open to finding that, the drunk might be an option that falls into our laps just as easily, perhaps feeling good for a moment, but ultimately dragging us into a lousy place that is completely lacking in any sort of delight.

While this lens has nothing to do with morality and everything to do with how we choose to align with our most beautiful, expansive, and radiant Selves, it’s certainly important to know our options and to lay them clearly on the table. There is always what I like to call a liberating current — a way to move, dance, work, breathe, and be with the energies within the planets, signs and houses that brings freedom and expansion to us, and to all of those around us too. The liberative current does what you might think — it disentangles us from confusion and suffering, allowing our true natures to shine through even the murkiest of scenarios. In so doing, it invites others to do the same. On the other hand, the limiting current, one that keeps us from embodying our highest potential, creates more suffering in our lives and likely the lives of others, bringing more confusion and turmoil that must eventually be worked out, sifted through, and cleared up if we are to be the bright beings we came here to be. Call this innate place within ‘Buddha Nature,’ ‘Christ Consciousness,’ or ‘True Self,’ but regardless of how it’s named, the essence of it is the same, and it lies at the core of all reality and therefore all of us. This Full Moon is a lovely opportunity to remind us of who we truly are without the stories that the mind tells, if only we can be curious enough to touch the wonderment and awe that lives within us.

What are some of your favorite ways to experience adbhuta (wonderment and awe)? How has this Mercury retrograde shifted your perception in positive ways? What insights will you carry with you into this Full Moon and eventually the Winter Solstice? How can you move with life, opening to its synchronistic and magical nature at this special time?

May your Full Moon and your holiday time be blessed, and may you deeply know the magic that is at the heart of all things, for it is within you too, and the more you know it, the more it grows, illuminating all of life with its brilliant glow.