Monday, Feb 22 at 1.22 pm EST
Click here to learn about the Moon. Click here to learn about Virgo.
This particular full moon was known by the Algonquins as the Full Worm Moon because it coincides with springtime softening and the reappearance of earthworm casts. This phase is also known as the Sap Moon because it demarcates maple tapping season. The Moon will rise at sunset, peak at midnight and set at sunrise.
The Sun and Moon in total opposition between Pisces and Virgo: the axis of service, infinity vs. finitude, dreams vs. reality, expansion vs. contraction – Pisces flows and spreads, Virgo tightens.
Let’s meditate for a moment on the ruling planets of each sign, Mercury and Neptune respectively. Mercury rules Virgo and the rational, waking mind. Mercury solves, ponders, learns, communicates and judges. Neptune, ruler of Pisces, oversees transcendence, fantasies, intoxication and metamorphosis. What we need to learn is that our spiritual goals (Neptune) cannot be mastered without first committing to a daily routine (Mercury) which keeps body, mind and spirit running in top form. The Full Moon in Virgo provides direction.
Pisces receives messages from metaphysical guides and inner voices - these she honors as truth. The Full Moon in Virgo grabs us by the shoulders as if to say: pay equal attention to the voices of the external world! Keep your eyes open, head up! It is very easy, especially for those of who us are decidedly right-brained, to ignore obvious signals. Pisces seeks reassurance in the richness behind closed eyes, but Virgo finds this outside the Self, particularly in work.
The challenge now is to sink below the surface to explore our feelings and yet remain grounded and present for the mundane. Attention to detail forms a crucial foundation upon which everything else rests, including spirituality. Letting day-to-day responsibilities slip compromises our potential as extramundane beings. However, my favorite art teacher once told me that we cannot create and analyze at the same time – these are separate, conflicting processes.
Be on guard against two equally powerful temptations: getting lost in the boundless mind (Pisces) or becoming totally consumed by trivialities (Virgo). Both Pisces and Virgo have a habit of getting stuck. For Pisces, this often manifests as an emotional rollercoaster of guilt, denial, indecision. Virgo spins in ever tightening circles of anxiety, attempting to control immediate surroundings to regain calm. Virgo’s shadow is ruthless practicality, whereas Pisces is prone to brooding, passive aggression and irrationality.
The fishes live suspended in holy water, detached from physical limitations and the passage of time – folding, flowering, fading, reemerging. Virgo remains firmly attached to all that can be experienced through the senses. The earthy virgin reminds the fishes of the danger of ignorance; Pisces reminds Virgo that we become mechanical and insensitive if we fail to bask in meditative silence once in awhile.
Celebrate the full moon with some Virgo Yoga.
To ascertain your personal Moon sign, click here.
Mantra: I see everything