Full Moon in Sagitarius
June 06, 2009
10:12 am  PDT

Most calendars list the Full Moon according to Eastern Standard Time which leads to contraversy over the moon when it is Full.  Sometimes it is on a different day in the same country.  Actually, the full moon phase is approximately 3 days/nights.  Therefore, the full moon appears to remain full for a period of 36 hours - 18 hours before this lunar phase and 18 hours after - to the naked eye.
It appears to be completely illuminated on those nights and its effects are certainly noticeable. Must be a full moon!

The Sun is in Gemini and the Moon is Full in the Sign of Sagitarius. This combo says: Think Big! It seems as though everything in nature is buzzing with communication, while the days are significantly longer and warmer, making plans for the summer. This is the Full Moon of Spontaneity! We need to get out of our heads and to expand our conscious awareness. Our thoughts can be direct and focused upon the goals that we aspire to achieve. Be careful for what you aim for when shooting an arrow at the Bull's Eye (refer to my New Moon in Taurus blog). There are a few planets tenanting the sign Taurus which may bring our attention to our self-worth, security, value and meaning,

There is a wonderful Greek myth about Hercules and his mentor, Chiron. Chiron was the Wise (Sage) Centaur (half-human/half-animal) who was a Great Teacher. Teaching, education and higher learning are all associated with Sagitarius. One day, Hercules went to seek the counsel of his Wise Teacher, where upon his arrival, he was met by a group of Centaurs that were drinking wine. In the short version of this myth, Hercules became impatient and bored while his Teacher was absent and began to also drink some wine. Later, when he was intoxicated, Hercules could hear the sound of hooves stomping upon the ground and became nervous. Lacking focus, Hercules reached for the arrows in his quiver and began to shoot aimlessly, until one of the arrows found his friend and teacher, Chiron, wounding him in his leg. Chiron forgave Hercules for his short sighted error. Thus, Chiron came to be known as the Wounded Healer. Here was a test of one's faith.  Full Moons tend to draw out our energy and some of us will want to overindulge in food and drink, but we must be careful not to hurt others while in an inebriated state. Otherwise, we may not be wise in our buoyancy.

Indeed, this is the Full Moon to enjoy a social gathering in the outdoors with friends, family and colleagues. Sitting around a warm fire can imbue many philosophic conversations. Avoid too much gossip and remember; where one finger is pointing, three are ponting back. We all have our tales to tell, try to focus upon the stories that inspire. This is a fire moon that can raise the light of consciousess like a flame to illuminate the darkness of ignorance.

Sagitarius is also affiliated with the planet Jupiter which is the largest in our Solar System. Due to its size, it has been associated with joy, expansiveness, abundance and luck. It had the potential to be another Sun in our galaxy. It is also associated with faith. When the Sun is in Sagitarius, alot of people celebrate the Season of the Light Bringers of Faith in December. We are reminded of that faith when the light of the Full Moon in Sagitarius shines brightly in the early summer sky. It will be followed by the longest days of the year. Time for summer fun! This is the Full Moon to take a leap of faith. So try to be optimystic and reach for the sky before you reach for the stars.

(c) Richard Barrett 2009

New Moon in Cancer

June 22, 2009
12:35pm PDT

The Moon is hiding within the Light of the Sun...a holographic lover in the sky!  The New Moon in Cancer is the Moody Moon...all about feeling! It can be like a day at the beach with loved ones.  It can be like a crab hiding beneath a rock needing its space.  Cancer the Crab can be very sensitive and can get a little crabby if the heat is on too strong.  Remember that the crab is tough on the outside but very soft on the inside.  Being a Water Sign, we can easily be washed away by the tide of strong emotion .  Moon and Mood are synonymous and come and go like the tides.  Sometimes we can feel dark and empty like the New Moon or we can feel light and fulfilled like the Full Moon.  Everyones mood changes; just as the moon changes during her 29.5 day cycle, sometimes appearing in the sky during the day but somewhat more visible at night.   Cancer is ruled by the Moon.

It is the first New Moon of summer, so alot of people will be on vacation retreating near the water, to keep cool from the heat of the Sun.  Some of us will be hanging at the beach, swimming in a lake, fishing on a river or meditating by a waterfall. Others will be singing or crying at home in a shower.  We all want to be nurtured and loved, even when we deny that need.  Cancer is associated with the Mother, Family, Home, Hearth, Cooking, Nurturing, and Compassion.  It draws our attention to our origins.  Some of us have lost our mothers and seek her in others.  Other people need to cut the apron string from an overprotective mother, who tenaciously clings on like a crab, and move on with their own life.

I feel that we are all part of the Great Mother and belong to the World Tree, not only our Family Tree.  There have been many occasions when I did not have the arms of a mother to nurture and protect me.  Instead, I have found solace in Mother Earth who has held and comforted me, when no one else could or would.  She listens without judgment, holding me for as long as I need.  She feeds me and nourishes me.  She wipes away my tears with a gentle breeze and cleanses me with her tears of rain.  She gently cradles me in the water adorned with sunlight sparkling like a thousand diamonds dancing upon the sea.

The Archetypal Great Mother flows through everyone if they are open to the experience. Many people are Care Givers in a variety of ways.  Health Spas, Healing Retreats, Alternative Health Care and Hospices, all offering healing touch with aromatic herbs and remedies.  Nature is a vital part of the Healing Arts.  Those who truly care can have such a miraculous impact in the healing process of others.  We all need to nurture and to be nurtured.  Just watching the adoration of a baby's eyes for its mother can bring tears to my own.

During this New Moon cycle the Sun, Moon and Mercury are all in Cancer.  So alot of us will be able to sense the thoughts and feelings of others.  It is a time to be mindful of other people's space, whether it is their home or their privacy.  Home is where the heart is...Om is where the heart is...not everyone is at home in their own body or able to express their true feelings.  Our relationships can mirror the type of connection we have with our selves and the parent that nurtured us the most, which could be either a mother or father.  If we try to trap the crab it will become defensive and move to a hiding place.  We wouldn't build a castle on quicksand so why attempt to construct a relationship without a solid foundation?

Take the time to be near or in the water...it can take you back to a time when your body was floating in the womb of mother.  Prepare some nourishing food and reach the beach with friends and loved ones.  Allow yourself to feel all of the elements; as you rest upon the sand of the earth, in the cool ocean of water, breathing in the fresh air, beneath the fire of the sun.  Become one with all that is and in that awesome moment, allow the power of loving kindness and compassion to flow through you.  Again, nurture yourself and nurture others.  Take a vacation from the attachment of consenus reality and just be...or just beach.

Nude Beach

unveiled

covered with a copper tan

baring my soul

before the sea embracing

sand

while waves perform

their oceanic opera

for my aquamarine

mood

awake

upon a beach blanket

of sand

seaweed sleeps

as a breeze caresses

sunslept skin

beneath azure sky

I listen to a seashell

whispering wisdom

dreaming

I wish upon a starfish

hearing a seagull's cry

that nothing can wash away

this natural place

except for the tide

of human

ignorance

(c) Richard Barrett 2009