The Aquarius Full Moon & Lughnasadh's Transition to Late Summer
The Aquarius Full Moon takes place at 6° 30' on Wednesday, July 29th at 7:37 am Pacific and 10:37 am Eastern.
The orange, apocalyptic haze of July’s Full Moon casts an otherworldly glow upon the baked, dusty landscape below. Rivers throw back the burnt reflection, echoing the turbulent nature of the times. But within my very own being, the quiet nature of life pauses, basking in the presence of what has always been. And instead of posing this as a harbinger of endings—though in some ways it is—I can’t stop thinking about beginnings and the inception of something totally new.
Full Moons are generally not times of initiation; rather, they are associated with the fullness of expression and the fruition of a process at its zenith—the height of our emotional experience and all the feels that are available to us as we move through this embodied experience. Yet here we are, two weeks after the New Moon that welcomed such powerful shifts into the fore with all its trines and sextiles (read more here: https://lilapiercebrown.substack.com/p/cancers-flowing-new-moon-amidst-a), only for us to expand into their abundance as the Sun and Moon align with two of the celestial players, shining their brilliance and intuition onto what has already proven to be a potent portal.
Aquarius entreats us to be as radically authentic to ourselves as we possibly can be, and in so doing, to free ourselves from the outmoded, outdated, worn-out paradigm that has kept us ensnared all our lives, or perhaps even longer than that. It invites us to put down the parts of ourselves that are overly comfortable leading the way—but who haven’t made room for the rest of us to show up. Pluto in a tight conjunction with the Moon here triggers us into action, encouraging us to dig deeply and do the fierce work of showing up as the most real version of ourselves we possibly can. And with Aquarius carrying such deep ties to the collective, we are inspired by those who show up in ways that resonate with us, encouraged to create an environment of belonging within our own bodies, minds, and hearts so that we can weave these threads into the infinite tapestry that we are making together.
These words of James Hillman speak clearly to Aquarian energy:
‘The soul of each of us is given a unique daimon before we are born, and it has selected an image or pattern that we live on earth. This soul-companion, the daimon, guides us here in the process of arrival, however, we forget all that took place and believe we come empty into this world. The daimon remembers what is in your image and belongs to your pattern, therefore the daimon is the carrier of your destiny.’
Hillman’s words remind us that when we attune our awareness to and follow this distinctly personal path of truth, we are essentially living in alignment with our truest selves and the purpose we came to the planet to fulfill. Aquarius reminds us that the seeds of this knowing are planted deep within us, and that nourishing them and letting them lead the way moves us toward our most vibrant and enriching lives.
Photo by Ahmad Pishnamazi on Unsplash
This Full Moon energy is made even more potent by Jupiter’s conjunction to the Sun in Leo. The ‘king of gods’ invites us to dream big, but perhaps not in the ways the dominant culture has taught us. I know this is likely obvious, but ‘dreaming big’ does not mean having a bigger house, a more expensive car, better toys and gadgets or nails and eyelashes. Instead, and in its current position, it asks that we know the Aquarian truth: we are divine beings having a human experience. The more we trust the deepest, truest sense of our innate nature and let IT lead the way, the more we will shine as we’re meant to, as we know we can, inspiring and encouraging others by simply being who we are. Jupiter isn’t just lucky; his energy asks that we stop playing small and forgetting our truth. He wants us to show up as the bright, shining beings that we are and have always been, living into this aspect of ourselves and our lives no matter what anyone else has to say about it. He encourages us to show up as the sovereigns within our own lives, co-creating with the inherent intelligence of reality from there.
Marianne Williamson’s brilliant quote epitomizes the dance of Leo and Aquarius—as well as Jupiter’s invitation—to step into our most brilliant selves.
‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure (Jupiter!). It is our life, not our darkness, that most frightens us…We are all meant to shine, as children do (Leo!). We were born to make manifest the glory of God(dess) that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear (Aquarius!), our presence automatically liberates others.’
What does it mean to connect with your most authentic self? What does the truth living deep within your heart and soul yearn for? How can you make it so, even if it begins with a tiny step?
As this lunar energy carries us into August, Lughnasadh—the Festival that marks Late Summer in the Northern Hemisphere—takes place on Saturday, August 1st this year. A Celtic cross-quarter day that falls midway between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, this is a celebration that honors Lugh, the polymath god of kingship and craft, skill and mastery, warfare and oaths, as well as a few other things, I’ve no doubt! This festival is actually for his foster mother, Tailtiu, and you can read her story if you’d like here: https://www.pixiespocket.com/2017/08/tales-of-tailtiu-lugh-and-lughnasadh.html
Like Leo, the Solar-ruled sign this day falls within, Lughnasadh reminds us that celebration is a fundamental part of being human, and that enjoying ourselves with frolicking and other sundry practices is good for the heart and soul. Sun-drenched berries call us to them, and they burst with juicy flavor as we imbibe their delicious magic. Our skin, now used to the feel of the sun upon it, soaks up radiant beams, and these dry our tousled hair, wet from a late afternoon dip. Mosquitoes and black flies might buzz about, waiting for someone to harass and then bite—but let’s not go there. These are the joys of Late Summer!
Our ancestors marked this turn of the wheel with berry-gathering, merry-making, hill- or mountain-climbing, story-telling, dancing, and game-playing, to name a few. These same activities invite us to our own version of celebration, and we bring our contemporary spin to them to make them even more meaningful now. When we bask in the energy of the Late Summer sun, drinking in its warmth through our pores, we carry the joys from this time with us into the darker, quieter months to light us up when we need it most.
Which activities at this time of year uplift your heart and light up your soul so you can carry their gifts with you into the Fall and Winter?
May your Full Moon bring out the most authentic and sovereign version of you yet, and may you revel in the beauty that only comes with Late Summer’s Splendor.
