Super Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius
Super Strawberry Moon in sagitarrius 14.07.22 - 12.51 pm
Super Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius, 14th June 2022 at 12.51 pm
“Astrology, like the collective unconscious with which psychology is concerned, consists of symbolic configurations: The ‘planets’ are the gods, symbols of the powers of unconscious.” Carl G. Jung
A full moon occurs when the moon (in its monthly orbit: a lunation) is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun. A new moon takes place when the moon's phase is in conjunction with the sun, so that its dark side is towards the earth. Several times a year, as part of a wider natural cycle, a new or full moon will coincide with perigee - peri meaning near and geo earth – which is the moon’s closest point in its orbit to the earth. This coincidence is called a supermoon, a term coined by astrologer Richard Noelle in 1979 (astronomers call it a perigean). Supermoons appear brighter and slightly bigger (especially on the horizon). They cause higher tides on our planet and their amplified energetic impact may be experienced by us collectively too.
This supermoon in Sagittarius, combined with the influence of Saturn’s recent retrograde, is extremely Jungian in flavour, particularly in terms of the importance of working with archetypes. Archetypes, as defined by Jung, are symbols, images and themes derived from the collective unconscious. Archetypes hold universal meaning cross-culturally, and show up in dreams, literature, art, religion and astrology. Jung’s definitions of archetypes varied over time. Examples include: the shadow, the self, the hero, anima and the explorer. Jung believed that archetypes had a dual nature, existing in both the psyche and in the world at large. By working with archetypes, we get to explore new and unknown parts of ourselves. This enables us to consciously enter into a process of co-creation in our lives; shaping who we are from the inside out, with conscious intention.
Sagittarius – a mutable fire sign – rules the ninth house of the zodiac, and is often referred to as the house of philosophy and higher learning. There is a definitive quest energy here for all things heightened. Sagittarius is the ultimate explorer; the ultimate nomad, journeying towards universal truth and ruled by expansive Jupiter (rarely in both ancient and modern astrology). Truth through expansion and experience is key to Sagittarian energy. It is not so much concerned with ego as with the larger cosmic picture. There is something almost psychedelic here; a desire to release from the confines of individuated self: both collective and interconnected.
One way to work with this higher-consciousness energy is to remove the unnecessary, and the unwanted, from our lives. To pare down, strip back and edit out the things that don’t align with our highest – and most authentic – selves. This supermoon will provide incisive illumination and, if we tune into it, will allow us to see our lives from a heightened perspective. This moon asks us, on a soul level, what is really important, in terms of relationships, creativity and time (explicitly, what we do with our time). It invites us, with conviction, to tune into the importance of our own existence and the importance of ourselves. It is worth noting here that Sagittarian energy is not innately serious, it is innately exploratory. And pleasure, fun and creativity are found in the journey of exploration. Tantra, for example, focuses on the journey, as opposed to the outcome and, in this sense, Sagittarian energy is very tantric.
In an interview with the British Psychological Society, author Matt Haig talks about this idea of editing our lives.
“It’s not so much opting out as stripping back. We are overloaded. We are in a world of infinite choice. TV shows, books, friends, careers, travel (for some), where we get our news, apps, podcasts, food, cosmetics. Whatever. Choice choice choice. You go back a few decades or centuries and millennia and you see a wholly different picture. We’re simply not made for all the thousands of micro-decisions we’re expected to make in a day. It’s about editing our lives so that they make sense again.”
One powerful way of working with this full moon in Sagittarius is to take Haig’s idea of “editing our lives so they make sense again” and extending it out from our active lives to our psyche. To fully engage with the process of stripping back. Full moons are traditionally a time of release - of letting go - and editing is a form of release. What does and doesn’t belong in our lives? What needs to be trimmed away so we can grow and expand in the right way?
There are a couple of transits during this full moon that very much reinforce these themes. The moon, sextiling Saturn in Aquarius, supports us in seeing where we really want to put our precious energy and identifying the extraneous. Mars conjunct Chiron in Aries augments the notion of our own existential importance and tapping into self-respect and self-worth.
On June 4th, Saturn began its annual retrograde (it spends around a third of its time in retrograde motion), where it will remain until October 23rd of this year. These four months are a time where we can learn valuable karmic lessons – Saturn is the planet of karma and time – and achieve closure of cycles of personal limitation. In its original Sanskrit 'karma’ means ‘act’, ‘action’, ‘deed’. We most often think about it in terms of spiritual cause and effect, whereby the actions of an individual create their own future, positively and negatively. This isn’t a time of judgement. It is one of lesson learning. This is also the last time Saturn will be in Aquarius for another 29.4 year cycle. Aquarius represents collective consciousness. This is a time to examine the internal and external journey we’ve been on since 2020.
Saturn also represents the father archetype and how we inner-parent. Do we tap into the positive, protective, fair, nurturing and supportive version of that archetype, or a more punitive, controlling, rigid and critical version of it? This retrograde offers us the opportunity to connect with the former, and inner-parent with absolute love.
The full Matt Haig article about his book Notes on a Nervous Planet can be found here: https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-31/august-2018/its-about-editing-our-lives-so-they-make-sense-again
Image credit: NASA