Tuesday February 19, 2019

Full Moon/Super Moon in Virgo 10:54 am EST

 

The Full Moon (Super Moon) is in the sign of Virgo. A Super Moon, as you may recall from past newsletters, is a fuller and brighter and, potentially, more emotional Full Moon Period. Because the Full Moon is at 0 degrees of Virgo (each sign has 30 degrees), this could be a time when you are beginning something again, when something comes around "full circle."

 

Similarly to Ayurveda, Astrology is about polarities or opposites. (If you are not familiar with Ayurveda, it is a holistic system for health/wellness from India that is based on bringing opposite qualities together to create balance). There are 12 signs in the zodiac and each of the signs has an opposite, so that is 6 polarities. Whenever there is a full moon, the sun is in the opposite sign; because the sun and moon are, essentially, opposites (yet complimentary) energies, you can feel pulled by emotions at this time, like a tug of war, between what you want (sun) and what you need (moon).  

 

This Full Moon in Virgo is about tending to details and “doing the work” versus following your intuition and connecting to creativity and spirituality. We must find a balance between these polarities. Pisces represents the artist, the muse, and the martyr. Virgo represents the humble and hard worker, the one who provides a service.

 

One way this can play out (and there are many) is that to get out of victim (Pisces) mode, we must take responsibility (Virgo) for our actions (Mars - see below).

 

The Sun is making harmonious angles to Mars, which represents taking action, and Uranus, which symbolizes freedom and doing things in an unconventional way. There could be something you are ready to take on or a change you are ready to make.

 

The moon is also harmoniously aspecting Mars and Uranus, emphasizing the need/desire to act and possibly create a change in your life; with Uranus, change is swift.

 

The premise of Ayurveda is that opposites create balance. This is also the heart of the yoga practice; the word yoga comes from the root Sanskrit word, Yuj, meaning "to yoke;" for me, this is about bringing together the disparate parts of ourselves into a cohesive whole.

 

In the winter, it’s cold and gets dark early and, so, it feels natural to slow down, hunker down and spend more time at home. Many people require more sleep (especially, those with Vata/the Air Element dominant). This is a more “inward” time of the year, when you may feel drawn to self-reflect and spend more time alone, and the mission is to honor that while not taking it to an extreme. In line with this, Pisces invites a self-reflective energy this month - a time to create and connect to the subtleties of life.

 

In February, we are in what Ayurveda defines as the Kapha season with undertones of Vata. Kapha contains the water and earth elements and creates a grounding and heavy effect (like a warm blanket). Vata, the air element, contains qualities of cool and dry, like a refreshing or chilly breeze. The digestive fires are at their highest in the winter and the body calls for more food/fuel, but if you overdo this it creates a feeling of heaviness and lethargy (too much Kapha). 

 

If you feel increased Kapha, meaning you are sluggish, you need to move; a more stimulating and heating yoga (or exercise) practice is in order to clear that Kapha out - you can think of Kapha as congestion, which can be physical or mental. If, on the other hand, you feel depleted (Vata), you need a more gentle and soothing yoga practice that allows you to rest and replenish. Martial arts or a walk outside are also good options. With a Vata imbalance (i.e., you feel drained/wiped out), you first need to replenish before you can do anything else; it's like having an empty tank of gas. 

 

If you'd like to learn more about Ayurveda, you can sign up for a free consultation HERE.

 

Tune into your body to see how you are feeling, day to day, and what you need. The full moon can be an emotionally draining time, even if there are good emotions involved, so take care of yourself; get plenty of rest, drink lots of water (not cold and, especially, not ice water!), practice yoga and meditation, do self-massage/Abhyanga (this is one of my favorite and easiest Ayurvedic remedies that can be done in 5 minutes each morning). With the sun in Pisces you may be inspired to create (music, art, writing, etc.) and this can feel healing.

 

The Virgo moon is calling for doing some sort of work, whether that is cleaning and tidying your home and/or body to create more space, working on your craft, preparing classes (only you know what that is); if there is something you have been avoiding, that is likely the thing that will come into focus during the full moon period. We create balance, not by going too far in any one direction, but by finding our way back to center.

 

PS. Please check out my latest article in Elephant Journal about facing fears, growth and finding grace.