Every month when the moon is full many people experience a heightened sense of emotionality. Some people report that pets or children are more easily excitable or that “bad things” happen at full moons. Here is an explanation from an astrological perspective on the possible reasons why so much action is evident at a full moon.

When the moon is full, it is exactly opposite the sun. This moment of being exactly opposite happens once every time the moon makes a revolution around the earth – about every 28 days or so depending on the speed of the moon. If we think about the cycle of the moon, it begins as a new moon, first quarter crescent, full moon, third quarter crescent, and then returns back to new moon again. During the times of the new moon, the night is dark and the only light we have is that from the sun. Of course, a full moon is only reflecting the light of the sun, but it does appear to shine, bringing light down to the section of the earth in darkness, experiencing night.

So if we take this moon and light cycle and look at it metaphorically, applying it to life cycles, we can begin to see why it is that more unsavory action tends to be noticed at a full moon.

According to psychology, we have the behaviors that we choose and are in control of directing, and we have behaviors that just “show up”. The part of ourselves that we are not in conscious control of is often referred to as the shadow. The shadow is the part of our self that we do not always approve of, can be ashamed of and are generally unhappy with. Shadow behaviors are often when we exhibit our addictions, our tempers, and our sneaking or controlling behaviors, etc. Keeping in mind that all of these behaviors stem from a need of some sort, they are all attempts at getting needs met – often in subversive ways. These are the behaviors that we tend to hide when in new relationships or when we are “on our best behavior”, working to impress someone. These behaviors are a part of our whole self, and end up in the shadow when we are not able to consciously face the behaviors or the needs behind the behaviors.

So, the night time would represent the shadow part of our self. In astrology, the sun represents the soul, the big purpose or lesson of the life time.  The moon, in turn, represents the emotions, the internal self, and the subconscious. During the day, in full light of the sun, it is difficult to see the internal, subconscious side of a person. At night, it is often easier for people to relax and access their emotions and deeper drives.

During the new moon phase, we are only aware of purpose (the sun). This is considered the beginning of the cycle.  (This is the time when farmers planted their crops – always for the greater yield.) Since we are mostly aware of purpose at the new moon, it is always a great time for intention setting or project beginning.

That brings us to the full moon. During this part of the cycle, light is shed at night. It’s at this time that we can “see” what is normally hidden. So we are able to see the full scope of behaviors and motivations that are at play. Full moons are then periods of culmination, where we can see the true result of our work. If the shadow is going to be seen, it will be at the full moon time.

When the degree of a full moon coincides with a particularly important point in a person’s birth chart we see unusually strong events in the person’s life.  I have often noticed a full moon is going to line up with something in my chart and used those times to take stock of what’s working and what’s not working in my life. They are a great tool for finding the timing and unfoldment of events in a person’s life!

Next time you are seeing “crazy” events at a full moon, it’s a great invitation to take stock of the events and of your reactions as clues to your deeper needs and motivations. Is something working or is it not? Where is a shift in attitude or behavior being called out?

Have fun with this new perspective on the moon cycles. Pay attention to the new patterns you start to see as you begin to track the moons in a different way. Especially interesting is when a full or new moon occurs within a couple days of a birthday – you’ll see that moment reflected throughout the upcoming year! Enjoy-

I bring up these two events to elucidate the themes of this particular full moon. The biggest theme is identifying what we have learned about service and health as they relate to relationships and growth. We are also being asked to increase our ability to act with courage in the face of fear and ambiguity. Uranus is opposite to this full moon, and so injects the progressive elements of genius, and new, unique ways of being into our experience of Virgo issues: service, health and discernment. With the equinox just a couple of days away, the authentic spontaneity Uranus represents is emphasized again as we begin to experience the natural cycle renewal that spring brings.

What does all this have to do with NASA? Well, when one of the NASA scientists remarked about the increase of knowledge about all systems related to Mercury that will happen with a ship in orbit collecting information about Mercury for the first time, I got to thinking about thinking. Mercury rules communication and the ways we process thought. And now with Uranus in Aries for the next seven years, and with Aries ruling the head and the brain, I think we are in for some major advances in neuroscience. Though from a more holistic perspective, I believe now is also the time for us to accelerate our understanding of ourselves, our motivations and thought processes. Our ability to connect events and thoughts, see patterns, develop intuition and generally become more astute thinkers and communicators is now more easily accessible! And if we look around, this wisdom is needed as we grapple with the incredible diversity of needs and experiences we increasingly experience. Now is the time to PAY ATTENTION! And more than just collecting info and detail (Virgo) we need to remember the big picture, patterns and the ways we are connected (Pisces).

And then the poem. Virgo is about service and any Virgo Full Moon will certainly have us considering the ups and downs of being in service to another. With this Moon so connected to Uranus’s entry into Aries, we need to consider how courage enters this equation.

Once we begin to master the process of service, we are able to be of service in ways that are of exponential assistance to those around us. We are able to give to another that which he cannot give himself. This is the essential quality of service. Such a clear example is being given to us now not only from those who are working tirelessly to cool the nuclear reactors in Fukushima but also from all those living in that region of Japan. Though they are under extreme stress, the population is remaining relatively calm. There have been no reports of the violence or crime that typically comes along with this type of event. This ability to remain calm that the Japanese have in spades and that they are currently giving freely to each other is no doubt part of how they are coping with this catastrophe.

How can we learn about our own ability to remain calm when faced with uncertainty – even on a daily basis when subtle events create an urge to cut someone off in traffic, eat or drink something that we don’t really need, or make an ungraceful comment to a loved one? True acts of service include this courageous element. When we give of our selves, even when we are just giving steadiness, we reinforce the bonds that are so crucial to our survival and growth. Being able to do this without falling into the shadow side of service known as martyrdom is truly a graceful thing of beauty.

So this weekend as we celebrate the Virgo Full Moon and the beginning of spring, please take some time to reflect on where you are of service to others or to yourself. How can you bring more courage to those acts? And where can you pay attention to your own thought process so that you can learn more about your own patterns and how you operate in service of your own growth. If you stay with the same actions, you’ll always get the same results. Pay attention to see where you can understand yourself better to create more resilience in your own growth process.

Just like spoken languages are able to say thoughts with different words, sentence structures and verb conjugations, astrology has a couple of different languages that can be spoken. Both languages (Tropic/Western and Vedic/Sidereal) can touch on the same issues and speak to those issues from different perspectives.

When the zodiac and the basic structure of astrology was established between 3500 and 2500 years ago, the band of stars that our planets move against was broken up into various constellations named after Greek, Persian and Egyptian deities and mythical figures. The zodiac started with 0° Aries. They chose this point because it lined up with the spring equinox (March 20 or 21). At that point in time, both Vedic and Western astrology was virtually the same thing. The hotbed of astrological development was centrally focused in Persia, having shifted to that area from its beginnings in Egypt and Greece. As astrology developed over the following 1500 years or so, two divergent streams developed. Some of those Arabic astrologers made their way to Northern India and melded their ideas with the Hindu traditions: Vedic astrology was born. Other astrologers travelled back into Europe and Western astrology continued to develop.

Now, as all of this development was taking place, the universe we live in was slowly changing. Remember that we DO live in a dynamic world! As our particular galaxy shifted in relation to the back drop of other galaxies that make up our constellations, the starts that make up the constellation Aries no longer coincided with the Spring Equinox. As the two points diverged, the question arose as to which point articulated the true beginning of the zodiac. The Vedic tradition chose to align 0° Aries with the actual constellation of Aries, and the Western tradition chose to align 0° Aries with the spring equinox.

The result was two different systems, two different languages. Vedic astrology uses what we now refer to as the Sidereal zodiac, and Western astrology uses the Tropical zodiac. Cool, eh? That is not the only difference between the two systems, but certainly one of the main ones. Both systems are reflective of the cultural and spiritual beliefs embedded within their corresponding geographical areas. Vedic astrology was developed within the Hindu tradition and Western astrology was developed within the Christian system. Now of course, tons of debate exists about which is “right” but I personally believe each system has its advantages. Would you make a person say which language is best? Well, maybe you would. But in doing so you’d lose that diversity that is so crucial to our resilience as a species.

As a practitioner, I practice Western astrology. It’s just the system that works for me, and if you are looking for a Vedic astrologer, I am happy to refer you to one. Simple deal. Just like me speaking English. I have nothing against speaking Russian – I just don’t know how.

Now that we have established that Western astrology isn’t wrong or right but simply different from Vedic, we should also to touch on the other reason that I won’t be considering a 13^th sign any time soon. Western astrology – whether you are a Modern or Traditional practitioner, is based on the number 12. There is a fairly solid theoretical foundation that builds on the idea of 4 elements (fire, earth, air and water) and three modalities (cardinal, fixed and mutable). Four times three is twelve. Not thirteen. This is why we have twelve months among other things. Now, there is more to it than that, but until I’m assuming you don’t have all day. And the rest of the information goes down that route. The idea here is that twelve wasn’t just chosen willy-nilly.

Now, there are those astrologers that love the moon (who doesn’t?), that would point out that we have 13 new moons per year, and so we should have 13 signs. To those people I would point out that I live here on Earth, and not the moon. I experience four seasons, each with a beginning, middle and end. Voila! Twelve. Astrology is a system for getting more information about what’s happening here on Earth, not somewhere else. And while the moon is my Lady, she’s not as important as the Sun, my main Lord. (I’m well aware of how very un-feminist this sounds – but sorry. That’s just the way it is here on Earth.)

And lastly. The astrology that I practice has been based on twelve signs and twelve houses for at least 2500 years. So there is that much proof of its worth if you choose to go looking. Until a system with thirteen signs is batted around through the ages by hundreds if not thousands of astrologers and thinkers alike for at least that long, I’ll stick with what I know works – thank you. I’m all for leaving room for another system to get developed, but I’m a bit gun-shy here, and will use what works for me and my clients until the tide turns. Until 1 + 1 = 3, I’ll be here practicing my astrology in the Traditional Western style.

In a nutshell (coconut shell?), these are my thoughts. The dates are off the top of my head so don’t get all logistical on me. These are also subjects about which entire books have been written – so this is really just a quick summation. Hopefully though, this is enough of an introduction that you are now curious, interested or confused enough to leave a comment or ask a question! Thanks for dropping by.