Hello again friends,
I’m behind on this moon letter but I’m not letting that stop me. Last night at around 9pm Pacific time, we had this year’s full moon in the sign of Taurus.
As you are aware, Venus and Mercury are both retrograde in this moment, making everything feel slow and muddled and just confusing as all hell. You may also be aware that I personally have my whole self run by Mercury, my sun and moon and rising all in the signs that it rules. I don’t feel great. This Taurus Mercury is feeling SO slow with words, and that’s starting off on a pretty slow baseline anyway. I will be blaming this as the reason for the lateness of this letter, thank you.
I suspect we are all working with old feelings right now. I definitely am. I hope that you are being kind to yourself as you take your journey through the past, wherever and whenever that is for you. Give your younger self a hug from me, please? Because I know without a doubt that they did their best.
I think, with the whole situation of double inner-planet retrograde, let’s have a full moon that really closely aspects Pluto, yeah? For fun? Are we having fun? Because last night after the moon passed the point of a perfect opposition with the sun (aka the peak of the fullness of the cycle), the very next thing that happened was she perfectly squared Pluto. As in, 30 minutes later. And then the sun did the same thing at 5am this morning. And, you know, the moon squares everything two times every month. The sun squares all the outer planets two times every year. These aren’t rare occurrences. But stacking it all together; two retrogrades, a full moon, and Pluto in the mix? We’re tired. We’re trying. We’re going deep when we don’t want to because we have to.
We also have Venus, our lady of beauty and relationship and pleasure and values, opposing Chiron as she makes her way backwards into Libra. As she goes through this second half of her journey through the underworld, she meets our Wounds. I don’t really know what to say about this other than repeating, please, be easy on yourself right now. This is not a simple retrograde. We are facing down all the things that have scared us and hurt us in the past, and make us scared of further harm.
When something scares you now, I want to encourage you to slow down (with reason. I’m not saying, like, don’t worry about that truck in the road). Feel what you need to feel, but give yourself some time before you speak and act. When these retrogrades are over, we will have to walk this same turf again. If you miss something now, it’s okay. We will be back here and you will know then what you need to do about it.
Okay I don’t like being all serious for the whole letter. I want to hear about your Mercury retrograde stories. Have you had any big mishaps or slowdowns or miscommunications since Saturday?
I already have a good one. On Saturday night, I was waiting at the airport cell phone lot in my partner Danny’s car. I turned the car off, obv. But apparently I didn’t turn the key far enough and the battery drained while I waited. When Danny texted me that they were ready to be picked up, I went to turn the car on and—nope. Luckily for me, a very nice person in a Hyundai appeared as soon as I started walking around with jumper cables held over my head.
Okay I’ll do it! I’ll write for each sign. Read for your rising sign-
Aries - your cards are Wheel of Fortune, Six of Cups, and Justice. If your personal belongings don’t feel like they’re supporting you, know that this can change in an instant. The people you partner with can help the balance. Your community can make it right.
Taurus - your cards are Two of Swords, Five of Cups, and The Empress. This full moon asked you a question. I don’t think you liked it. But if you answer honestly I think you will be rewarded.
Gemini - your cards are Nine of Wands, Ten of Cups, and Three of Cups. You have so much to carry right now but the work is worth it. If you are feeling pressure to isolate, lean in to your routines and realign yourself with your bigger life goals.
Cancer - your cards are The World, Six of Pentacles, the Seven of Swords, and the Ten of Swords. You have what you need all around you. You have everything you need to express what’s going on inside you. So what do you need to let go of, Cancer? What do you think you need to plot about? I don’t think you need to do that at all.
Leo - your cards are the Five of Cups, the Ace of Wands, Judgement, and the Devil. This moon is casting her light on something that didn’t go the way you wanted. It’s okay. You can be a beginner again. In the reflection from other’s faces you are seeing some scary things. Some judgements and some accusations. They are projections. Move slowly and follow the path of authenticity.
Virgo - your cards are the Three of Pentacles, the Page of Pentacles, the King of Pentacles, and the Knight of Cups. The flourishing of your bigger goals comes from your deep apprenticeship to your own rituals. If you want control over what’s around you, if you want to go somewhere with what you are feeling, re-commit yourself to understanding the cycles that surround you.
Libra - your cards are the Nine of Pentacles, The Hierophant, and the Knight of Pentacles. Look how far you have come, Libra. You are the protector of the traditions, you hold the keys to your temple. It’s time to own your inner feeling. As you go through this life chapter of Pluto in Aquarius, I hope you let your art get really, really weird.
Scorpio - your cards are the Six of Pentacles, The Fool, and the Two of Wands. (At first I typo’d that to the Two of Wants. Hm.) It seems you are well supported to go off on your next adventure, Scorpio. Who will you become in the next twelve months? You have some choices to make at home, and I hope you choose in the direction of satisfying your own fire.
Sagittarius - your cards are the Seven of Pentacles, The Magician, and the Emperor. There is work here that will reveal a capacity that you haven’t been aware of yet. Have you been wielding more power than you realize?
Capricorn - your cards are the Two of Pentacles, the Ten of Pentacles, and the Ace of Pentacles. This full moon is asking you to balance two different needs. You have to be careful with what you put on either side of the scale—your own expression and needs, and that of your community. This is an opportunity to make a lasting impression on your life.
Aquarius - the deck gave you too many cards. The Knight of Cups, Judgement, the Three of Swords, Justice, and the Two of Wands. Looking at the chart, I realize that I and so many of my friends are, by sign, in our Pluto-square-Natal-Pluto era. This full moon highlights this, with the sun near your natal Pluto placement and squaring the current Pluto transit. As this activates the themes of this slow moving planet, this full moon may feel especially draining to you. Bernadette Brady, in Predictive Astrology, says this of the Pluto square Pluto transit: “It’s time to reassess what is of emotional importance, which deep emotional bonds are valid, and which emotional investments are really superficial. This is the chance to start to become wise about emotional needs.” With your rising sign here, you will wear this shift on your sleeve more than others even though we will go through it together. (Perhaps I should explore this further in my next letter.)
Apologies to my Pluto-in-Sagittarius Aquarius rising readers. I doubt that this moon felt any less intense for you without that natal transit also happening. To all Aquarius risings, I am sorry for what isn’t turning out the way you’d hoped. This is a time for you to make important decisions about what you will create, and I feel confident that you will make the best of what is being offered.Pisces - the deck went a little overboard for you as well. Your cards are The High Priestess, The Ace of Wands, The Tower, The Fool, and The Nine of Cups. Even as some big dream or plan may be shifting, you have the inner wisdom and capacity to forge a path anyway. Do not be afraid to make yourself a beginner again, because it will eventually lead you somewhere very nice.
Well I’m remembering why I hadn’t done that in a while. It takes time. I hope something there was worth it to someone. Now I gotta go do “real” work.
Love y’all,
Alanna