Join us in reverence!
Capricorn Full Moon
July 5th, 2001Sun at 13.39 Cancer;
Moon at 13.39 CapricornSabian Symbols:
14 Capricorn: "An ancient bas-relief carved in granite remains a witness to a long forgotten culture: The will to unearth, in our culture as well as in any culture, what has permanent value, and to let go of nonessentials."
14 Cancer: "A very old man facing a vast dark space to the Northeast: Fulfillment in transcending and changeless wisdom."
16:04 GMT 9:04 MDT 11:04 EDT 8:04 PDT 10:04 CDT 1:04 GST (7/6)
FULL MOON REFLECTIONS: Making Peace With the Enemyreturn to article
By Pythia PeayIf you've been feeling like a helpless bystander in an old-fashioned Western shootout at the OK Corral, just blame it on the planetary face-off in the heavens. On one side, we have Pallas Athene, Pluto, Mars, Chiron, South Node, Moon, Ceres, Neptune and Uranus arrayed against Vesta, Venus, Saturn, Juno, Mercury, Jupiter, North Node and Sun. With the planets bunched up like two fists, Mercury freshly direct, Mars in a close conjunction to Pluto, and a partial lunar eclipse to boot, the atmosphere is high pressure. Like two cowboys with their guns drawn. Or a pot ready to boil over. Or the pause before a thunderstorm.
In other words, tension fills the air. What we have here, however, is a cosmic situation Jungians describe as the "tension of the opposites." Whenever a person has been too "one-sided" in their conscious life, it activates it's corresponding opposite in the unconscious. A person who is by nature unfailingly cheerful may have unexpected bouts of despair. Or, a person who is preoccupied exclusively with work may suddenly find themselves fantasizing about bolting for Bermuda to become a surfer.
According to Jungian theory, this means that the spontaneous healing faculty of the psyche is at work. The psyche, our soul, is seeking to find a healthy balance. Yet all too often, the sudden eruption of what has been repressed can precipitate a crisis. "That's not me!" a person might exclaim. "I'm a hard-working professional, not a beach bum!" We can see this dynamic at work in our current political stalemate: With the eclipse precisely impacting the U.S. Sun at 13 Cancer, the American electorate, like the U.S. Senate, remains split along ideological lines. Individuals can see the polarities at work in their own lives by looking to their natal charts to see what houses are affected by the eclipse. In my own chart, for example, the eclipse activates the natal opposition between my tenth house Uranus and fifth house moon, revealing conflicts between career and creativity.
So, how is a person to handle the warring conflict of the opposites? Jung's essay, "The Transcendent Function,"* points to a possible solution. In it, he writes that, together, the unconscious and the conscious make up the transcendent. In other words, out of the two, emerges a third, new attitude - the unexpected solution to the conflict. Trouble is, however, this solution can't be manipulated by one's ego. Instead, the situation calls for a spiritual attitude of patience. Trusting in a wisdom higher than our own individual desires. Waiting for that which is greater than oneself to reveal itself.
Thus rather than choosing one or the other side of a conflict, a person need embrace the paradox that both positions have worth. "If I sit with them a while they will fashion a solution that is agreeable to both; or even better a situation that is superior to either one," writes analyst Robert Johnson of this stalemate. ** The two opposing forces will teach each other something and produce an insight that serves them both, he continues. To aid in this healing process, Johnson offers the image of the sacred mandorla: the oval that intersects two overlapping circles. This sacred space binds that which has been torn asunder. It heals and makes whole what has been split apart.
So on this potent full moon, practice being at peace with whatever parts of your nature are at war. Sit in the sacred space in between and be the mediator of your own psychic conflict. Acknowledge the truth of each side of yourself; befriend the enemy within. Honor the different perspectives and accord them equal rights. Then call upon your higher self to bridge a harmonious coexistence between the separate continents of your conscious and
unconscious selves. Draw up a peace treaty that satisfies the demands of each side of you. Watch your dreams for symbols and images. Pay attention to unexpected and syncronous signs. Follow the advice laid out in the sabian symbols for this lunation by focusing on what has permanent value and by finding fulfillment in changeless wisdom.Then, embrace surprise and allow the new to be born in your soul. Practice peace within; work for peace without. Play Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and celebrate the strange, paradoxical, yet joyful and adventuresome mystery that is the human condition!
* The Portable Jung, edited by Joseph Campbell
** Owning Your Own Shadow, by Robert JohnsonLook for the New Moon in Cancer, July 20th, 2001!
© 2001 Pythia Peay
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