Hello my loves,
This has been a trippy week, right? I spent the exact conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune on Tuesday (4/12) at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where I observed some very Neptunian structures as well as some very Jupiterian instructions. A dozen turtles sunbathing on a rock. Hazy fountains with water dripping slowly, almost phallically from the mouths of sculptural fishes. Greenhouse glass. A garden of medicinal herbs. Children’s plant classes. A maze-like overlook reminiscent of LA’s Getty Museum. The more I live in the language of astrology, the more I know that transits meet us wherever we’re at: sometimes that’s in the form of a life event, or a feeling. Other times, it shows up in our environment. The BBG certainly met me right at Jupiter-Neptune.
I chose to go to the BBG for the simple reason of wanting to be around plants. But I should’ve known that the vibes would be almost too on the nose. Here’s how the Botanic Garden is described on its own website:
“Founded in 1910, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is an urban botanic garden that connects people to the world of plants, fostering delight and curiosity while inspiring an appreciation and sense of stewardship of the environment.”
The Botanic Gardens is not “real” in that it was created, not organic: a vision realized. The lawns are manicured. The plants are imported. But who cares if it’s real? It’s a curated utopia, bb. Fostering delight and curiosity is also what the best teachers do. The teachers who indulge us with knowledge while still inviting questions. The teachers who lecture with confidence—a confidence that comes only from intimacy with their personal beliefs— while still encouraging us to take what inspires us and develop our own theories. Whether that’s writing a thesis or building a temple.
As much as Jupiter-Neptune has paved the way for delusions, scammers, and rampant cult mentality, it has also given us a place to put our dreams for a more compassionate future, a more sustainable future, or simply: a future that feels better. The path to realization might not be realistic, but is it worthwhile? tbd, but it could be! As we had into this weekend’s Full Moon in Libra, we’re still coming down from the Jupiter-Neptune high. We’ve been invited to create rules for a new reality. The last time we had this opportunity was back in 2009—especially during that long, hazy summer. What dreams from then are you letting go and what visions are now only coming into brighter technicolor? What are you giving space?
Before I get into the Full Moon download, just a little bit of waxing moon housekeeping:
My books are currently open through May 19. I’ll be announcing new offerings and raising my prices (because, well…inflation) on or around the New Moon in Gemini (May 30). I’d love to work with more of you, especially as we move through Eclipse Season coming up at the end of this month. I’m an eclipse baby so I feel at home in these somewhat chaotic times. If you’ve been considering a reading for awhile, take this as a sign & also take advantage of my current prices! For a refresher on my current offerings, check out this post!
The best way to support my work currently is to get a paid subscription to this newsletter ($7/month or $77/year)—
My next goal is 100 paid subscribers and once I reach that, I will guarantee weekly updates. Paid subscribers get extra content— and next week they’ll be receiving a rundown of what to expect this Eclipse Season using truly historical examples from the recent Taurus/Scorpio cycles, including what’s sure to be a very long winded analysis of the whole Bennifer situation.
OK now for the juicy stuff.
The Full Moon in Libra goes exact on Saturday, April 16, 2022, 2:55 pm EDT at 26º Libra. This Full Moon is ruled by Venus, currently in her exaltation in Pisces. Though Libra and Pisces do not make a traditional aspect, and thus cannot see each other (remember: astrology is about light! so it’s also about sight!), the two signs share a certain affinity. Libra and Pisces totally communicate in a secret code.
Despite a near exact square to Pluto, bringing up more power and grief dynamics than I’d otherwise like, there’s something undeniably irreverent about this Full Moon. Pisces and Libra together are sophisticated comedic duo, skilled at using self-aware humor to cut through the bullshit. The connection to Pluto might be harsh, but it’s also allowing us to make conclusive decisions with irreversible consequences. Something that Libra (who prefers the world of yes/and, or not/but) usually hates to do. Saturn is also making a supportive trine to the Moon in Libra, adding to the long term potential of this moment. It’s time to commit to a choice, breaking through what Esther Perel calls relational ambivalence.
Relational ambivalence, as defined by Perel, is:
“…those contradictory thoughts and feelings of love and hate, attraction and disgust, excitement and fear—makes us constantly wonder: should I stay or should I go? The resulting whiplash is exhausting, not only for the people in the relationship but the people around it.”
We find relational ambivalence in all kinds of connections, not just romantic ones. Personally, I’ve found it often in my relationship to place. For my entire 20’s, I could not decide if I actually wanted to live in New York or if I was simply stuck here because of circumstance. Perel goes on to explain that, in her experience, the only way to solve relational ambivalence is to take a stance one way or the other. Choose to go. Choose to stay. Otherwise, it’s so easy to remain comfy and cozy in a state of “stable ambiguity.” It took chaotically uprooting my entire life and moving across the country to make me realize my actual choice. I didn’t want to leave New York, I wanted to stay. It’s easy to beat myself up and say I initially made the “wrong” choice but really, I made the necessary one. I learned a lot by choosing a side.
What choice could you make today? Throwing yourself into the pool is scary but it’s only when you hit the water that you’re forced to swim, whether that’s toward the exit or the deep end.
Whatever’s coming up for you at this Full Moon may be directly related to seeds that were planted at the most recent New Moon in Aries (April 1) or, more likely, at New Moon in Libra on October 6, 2021. If we want to go way back in the history books though, this Full Moon is at the exact degree of a New Moon in Libra that occurred back on October 19, 2017. Yes, in the Before Times (tm). That New Moon was in an exact opposition to radical Uranus and may have brought something shocking to our attention, something that probably seems beyond normal now.
It’s worth reiterating that this Full Moon is ruled by Venus in Pisces. Venus in Pisces will also rule the upcoming Solar Eclipse in Taurus which goes exact on April 30th. This is a developing story. The Pisces part of our chart—where compassion guides our values and we accept that change is both a complication and a constant—is here to assist with both the pressing choices and the ongoing (though getting more and more crucial) challenges to our stability. Venus in Pisces, like all exalted planets, can be entitled. So get a hibiscus soda while you work on these deliberations. Negotiate the contract in a fluffy robe. Learn calligraphy so you can post your choice to Instagram with questionable flair. Make a whole photoshoot out of it. You get it. I’m not saying make a getting-married-to-myself registry deal out of this. But I’m not not saying that?
Full Moons are cathartic and emotional. I think it’s possible that you’re going through it, or simply overwhelmed with excitement at the current choice you’re making. But in many ways, this Full Moon is not a catharsis, but a nap. Falling at 26º Libra, this Full Moon falls in the third decan of Libra (Libra III) which the Golden Dawn associated with the 4 of Swords. In the Rider-Waite Smith tarot, the 4 of Swords depicts a knight lying asleep in a tomb. Three swords decorate the wall beside him while one lies below. It was customary of knights in medieval times to prepare their own tomb before heading out to battle. The knight in the 4 of swords is lying where he thought he would only return when he was dead. This isn’t an ordinary nap. It’s a regenerative one. Well-earned. Triumphant. We make good decisions when we’re well rested. A choice must be made, but there’s also no reason to do it in a rush.
(Though! Don’t get me wrong! do not use sleep deprivation as an excuse for remaining undecided.) (What I’m saying is: take a quick a nap and trust your gut when you wake up from those dreams.)
We’re all at a crossroads right now. Scheduled in due time to birth some kind of future for ourselves. What rules must you set for your ideal reality? Write them all down. That might be all you need to make this defining choice.
Horoscopes follow for each sign. Read for your rising sign if you want to vibe with what’s “really” “happening;” check in with your sun or moon if you want a second opinion. If you’d like to go further on this journey, I’d love to dive into your chart together so book a reading! If you’re excited to support this project and want to hear even more from me, please support this newsletter with a paid subscription.
Libra
The choice that must be made is all about you, Libra. This is a full moon in your sign after all. But who are you anyway? Well, you’re a collection of the things that fill your days. The question isn’t - are you filling your time wisely, it’s are you filling your time graciously and beautifully? If you want to be truly vulnerable, if you want to own up to your losses, you must make a definitive choice about what you do. This isn’t about a confirming your title, it’s about committing to a changing yet ritualized structure.
Scorpio
Do you want the void to control you or are you ready to control the void? I know, I know, I know that this is a question much easier asked than answered. But why wade this deep into the water without trying to swim? The conversations you crave are going to flow when you allow for more play. What you need now isn’t the same as what you needed in the past. It’s OK to want something different, or to want something at all. If you’re not specific then how will you ever know when you’re disappointed?
Sagittarius
This is a choice about belonging. You’ve exerted so much energy into settling down this year, taking your wandering soul off the path of exploration (if only for a moment). Now you must take stock of your support system, acknowledge the ones who never leave your side (even when you’re off on your adventures), & say goodbye (for now) to those who no longer buy tickets for the show. Clarifying your audience allows you to clarify your work. Your fans crave the next release.
Capricorn
The choice you must make is about visibility. Constant identity turmoil has left you unwilling to declare anything definitive about yourself for honestly, the last decade. But that era is almost over. If you don’t share what you’re up to, well, how will anyone ever bask in your glow? Your ongoing creative crisis (and I honestly use the word crisis in a positive way) won’t be untangled until you commit to practice. So just put something out there. It’s OK if the execution is a mess, as long as it’s authentic.
Aquarius
The truth is: you don’t have time to learn every single thing you want to learn in this lifetime, let alone to share that knowledge with your eager students. A choice must be made about what you believe and how you give your time to those beliefs. This commitment might uproot you, or it might convince you to stay exactly where you are. Your energy is a precious resource. Treat yourself to a meal before filling everyone else’s plate.
Pisces
Whether you’re drowning in debt, consumed with grief or caught in too many unfulfilling collaborations, you most likely won’t heal until you accept the vulnerability of this loss. Healing from burnout doesn’t take hours. It takes months, probably years. It’s OK not to be OK. Unravel a bit. Listen to your sad playlist. But also: your sense of humor and undeniable grit, your deals with god: this is what matters. Choose relationships where you receive as much as you give. Let this reciprocity rebuild your close community.
Aries
There’s a choice to be made about a relationship. Much talk of commitment, but is this the right commitment for you? Whether this is romantic or about freelance work (lol), you need to go with what gives you space to create your own way. You need to go where you’re allowed to daydream and not always be on call for mundane nonsense. Choosing what lets you float also keeps away fears of scarcity. You’re not wasting any time or money when you’re doing exactly—ok, with some compromises for the greater good—what you want.
Taurus
The choice you’re making right now isn’t sexy but it’s certainly necessary. Try to remember that though you’re navigating the dark, the fix is as simple as putting on your headlights. Use the tools you have at hand. It’s your friends, community and audience who are going to assist you in making these unsexy choices. Health insurance, bureaucracy, falling into a better fitness routine. Let accountability and support guide the way to a more enjoyable daily life.
Gemini
How much richer would your life be if you allowed yourself to choose pleasure everyday? Work, toil, keeping up: those are all givens. But what about the things that bring you joy. Choosing pleasure allows you to bring more of your heart not only to yourself but to everyone in your orbit. You can’t control every outcome and in fact, let’s be real, you can’t control most outcomes. But you can keep creating because, honestly, what’s the point of living without art?
Cancer
The choice is yours at this Full Moon: to land or not to land? Settle where you are or run back to where you were born (for most of you, I mean this figuratively). Grounding is an ongoing process that needs as much tending as your ambition. You don’t abandon your garden because a better offer is on the table elsewhere. If you do, you’ll miss the bounty and be left with charred roots. Let this choice (and further choices you’re making about audience and community) be decided by your beliefs.
Leo
Let’s get to the heart of this choice: your ideal day. If you could do anything, within reason, within your own familiar environment, for a day: what would you do? How would you curate your time and get choosy about who you see? Your magic is contagious but there’s not enough of it to go around so prioritize your spells. What fits into this praxis will encourage continued evolution in the public sphere.
Virgo
What if rest itself is what provided your security? What if you could float endlessly in a pool of resources that weren’t overindulgent but just enough? Accepting the support of lovers and co-conspirators and even the divine glance of frenemies helps you in this mission. Show up and be a reflection of what you’d like to see in the world, what makes you feel safe. The abrupt changes in your pursuits and worldview don’t seem so extreme when you know who’s along for the ride.