This season of the Virgo Full Moon, I am struck by two occurrences that point to the issues at play. First, NASA has put its first space ship into orbit around Mercury (ruler of Virgo) yesterday after decades of working to attain this goal. Second, a poem-a-day email subscription yesterday heralded a poem by Hafiz entitled, “Act Great”. The poem is dedicated by the man who posted it to the nuclear workers of Japan. I was touched by both these events and believe that they are clues to the unfolding of this spring season.
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.
