The Full Moon in SAGITTARIUS will grace the sky on May 23rd reaching peak illumination at 9:53am EST.
This blog post covers all you need to know about the Sagittarius Full Moon along with a simple eco-somatic ritual to explore.
In this blog post you will find:
Introduction: Moon 101
The Sun and Moon are in a cyclical relationship as they weave through the seasons of the zodiac. This celestial dance provides us with an intuitive road map to explore our own inner/outer journey as we too make our way through the ebb and flow of nature's seasons and come into new and ever-changing dimensions of our lives.
While the Sun is ruler of the day and influences our "outer" expression in the world, it is to no surprise that as ruler of the tides and queen of the night the Moon is also ruler of our emotions and "inner" felt experience. Our emotions have long been associated with representations of water and the sea: fluid, ever-changing, ebbing and flowing. As the Moon pulls at the tides, we also experience this influencing force on our emotions, desires, shadow realms, fears/worries, psyche, and dreams.
Self-knowledge arises through a process of uncovering hidden layers of self through revelation and integration. This process is mirrored in the ebb and flow of the moon which is why it's something we learn to observe and track. As the light of the moon waxes, more of what lies hidden becomes revealed - our deeper motivations, mechanisms, and feelings. As the light of the moon wanes, we are given time to integrate these new learnings and discoveries.
This Full Moon falls within the sign of Sagittarius. Keep reading to learn how you can use this moon portal to explore new dimensions of self seeking expression in the world.
Full Moon Energy
Since the moon is the closest "planet" to Earth, this satellite zips around the zodiac very quickly, completing its round in less than a month. Actually, the entire trip takes 29.53 days, to be exact, and is measured from one new Moon to the next. We call this a lunation or lunar cycle. The peak or mid-point of every lunation happens on a Full Moon.
During a Full Moon, the Earth is sitting between the Moon and Sun. The Sun's light illuminates the face of the Moon for all to see. From the vantage point of Earth, the Moon and Sun are dwelling in opposite constellations, thus forming an opposition. This can make for a challenging or intense aspect of energy but also full of potential since the polarities (yin & yang) are in natural harmonic balance. In this case, the influencing energies of Sun (Gemini) and Moon (Sagittarius) are in a dynamic conversation that we will explore.
You can think of the Full Moon phase as a culmination moment in a particular energetic cycle, where some inner change, new awareness, or intention that was revealed six months ago is reaching maturation, coming into full form, or manifesting in some way. The bright light of the full moon illuminates or brings to the surface something that is ready to be seen, integrated or incorporated more deeply into who you are becoming. Full Moon energy is a time for honoring the journey, celebrating your growth, offering gratitude and being with any grief.
Sagittarius Insights
SYMBOL | ARROW: the archers arrow (light of intuition) helps us navigate the dark and is about training our focus on the truth
PLANET | JUPITER: King of the Gods, planet of plenty, expansiveness, broader purpose, reach, and possibility.
ELEMENT | FIRE: element of energy, transformation, death/rebirth.
HOUSE | 9th HOUSE: rules beliefs, ethics, life mission, purpose, spirituality, future.
MODALITY | MUTABLE: represents the changing nature of life through shifting adaptable forces.
Two weeks ago the Taurus New Moon was emphasizing re-connection with body / land as a primary pathway to ancestral remembrance. Taurus is ruled by Venus, the goddess of Love, who encourages us to nurture our hearts as we reach out and connect with the world. For Taurus, love is a verb. As embodied earth beings, we have an instinct to be close to Land. By coming back to our bodies, back to nature (ie. land tending and growing food) we learn in a visceral way how love manifests in our giving and receiving. The nature of how we show up in our tending matters, because it shapes the relational field. Through every relational encounter, we give our intention, imagination, time, energy, breath to the process of co-creation, to seeing and being seen, touching and being changed.
Now the Sun in Gemini is opposing the Moon in Sagittarius. The Gemini-Sagittarius polarity deals with themes relating to exploration, learning, communication, cognition, knowledge and wisdom. It is a mutable, mental axis, with Gemini representing perception and Sagittarius representing intuition. These informative signs not only provide information and lore, but are also involved in the way the Light of the Self manifests. They are informative not just in terms of imparting knowledge but also in terms of how the forces within us shape and inform what we are and what we need to learn.
As human beings, we ‘enact’ the world in which we live; and our actions in the world actually constitute perception and thereby ground cognition. The domain of relationship is how and where we enact our learning. This is further elucidated in The Enaction of Embodied Wisdom: The Unifying, Dynamic Nature of Cognition, Behavior, and Affect:
Humans, as living systems, cannot separate from their biophysical structure because they are living and functioning in relationships within and to some type of environment that they are a part of, not separate from. Living systems as complex adaptive systems and self-organizing, cybernetic unities adapt by learning through experience to transform behavior, or otherwise they become isolated and die. The environment constrains actions and behaviors, yet living systems simultaneously and dynamically co-emerge with the environment, co-operating by specifying, co-creating, and imagining a life, in complementarity with the environment by means of synchronicity or co-creativity.
The Sagittarius Full Moon is emphasizing faith in principles, in kinship and in the innate moral and ethical ways of being that the soul instinctively knows are right because of our ecological / relational interconnectedness. It believes in higher forces, and benevolent ones, either as God, Karma, Laws of the Land, or simply as integrity and conscience. Sagittarius is a sign of far reaching aspirations and ideals. It has an ongoing, wide, future oriented approach that aims for the broader picture, and to understand the larger Pattern it's embedded within and informed by. The essence of Sagittarius is in a strong sense of what intuitively resonates, which often requires faith or trust. The flaming arrow lights the way through the dark of night like a torch.
It's the Air/Fire polarity of this axis that helps us synthesize our experiences and refine the ways in which we co-creatively imagine and embody our lives. The Moon in Sagittarius supports our ability to make meaning of our differentiated selves, deepest longings and erotic impulses via the intuitive knowledge we hold of the Greater Pattern of which we are a microcosm. The light of this Moon illuminates how we as an individual fit into the tapestry we are woven into, how our individual part of the Pattern fits into The Pattern.
What you need to know about Sagittarius
THE MUTABLE CROSS
GEMINI - SAGITTARIUS AXIS
PISCES - VIRGO AXIS
Anticipation, movement, change, adaptability, flexibility
This Mutable Cross (highlight in blue) is one of the three zodiacal crosses. Following the determined stable forces of the Fixed Cross comes the changing nature of life in its mutable form. The purpose of this cross defines the shifting adaptable natural forces of the elements.
"Mutable signs are represented by sattva in the Hindu system. Geometrically, they are expressed by a spiral, which combines the inwardness of a circle and the thrust of a straight line." - Vicki Noble, Motherpeace
Sagittarius is the mutable Fire sign (circled in the diagram here), opposing it is the mutable Air sign of Gemini which creates one axis of the Fixed Cross. The two feminine elements (Water and Earth) always create an axis and the two masculine elements (Air and Fire) create the other axis. Each cross contains each of the four elements. In this case the mutable signs are represented by: Sagittarius (fire), Gemini (air), Virgo (earth), and Pisces (water).
ELEMENT: FIRE
FIRE: ENERGY & PASSION
SAGITTARIUS, LEO, ARIES
Fire is the element of transformation, death and rebirth, destruction and creation, purification, passion and life force energy.
"Fire is also associated with light, as it often serves as a beacon in the darkness. Fire only exists in the destruction of other materials; therefore it is known as both a creator and destroyer. We often use phrases such as the ‘spark of an idea’ or the ‘flame of desire’, because fire is connected to the vitality of our life force. And when that flame is ignited within us, it gives us fuel to move forward." - Kayla White
Fire signs feel at home in the creative zone of action and initiation as well as the realm of community leadership. They are highly adaptive and flexible in social environments that require team work and problem solving. As strong visionaries they are natural leaders and inspire others toward action.
RULING PLANET: JUPITER
Qualities: abundance, expansion, optimism, good fortune, faith, philosophy, ritual, creativity
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. To give you perspective, Jupiter is 1,300 times larger than earth and twice the size of all the planets in our solar system combined. Rightly so, Jupiter is a natural figure of authority who demonstrates power with instead of power over. Jupiter is considered the Great Benefactor. The great fortune that Jupiter attracts is rooted in the energy of expansion and abundance that gives freely what it receives. Jupiter supports the flow of resources to move freely among all beings, for nothing is ours for the taking. For this reason, Jupiter is deeply relational and considered a wise planet. Everything related to growth and prosperity is under the domain of this loving giant.
CONSTELLATION
The constellations Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur pulling back a bow.
The centaur is a creature of Greek mythology who has the upper torso of a human and the lower body of a horse.
The constellation of Sagittarius is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere so if you live south enough, you may be able to glimpse this Archer constellation on an August or September evening. It lies between Scorpius to the west and Capricornus to the east. Unfortunately if you live in the north you won't be so lucky because it never climbs high in the sky.
Sagittarius is associated with the ancient Greek myth of Chiron the centaur; half human, half horse, who taught Achilles, Greek hero of the Trojan Wars, all there was to know about archery.
Sagittarius Ritual Elements
Sagittarius Full Moon Ritual
What You'll Need
1. Elements for your altar. Drawing on the Sagittarius Ritual Elements above, consider what you might want to bring to your altar. Start simple. There is absolutely no need to go out and "buy" altar items. This is something that we encourage you to unlearn. Everything we need is within us and can be found around us. A simple candle will do, or a yellow flower for example.
2. Candle & lighter for the eco-somatic practice
3. Journal & something to write with for the journaling portion.
Important Considerations & Prep
1. RIGHT RELATIONSHIP: being in right relationship with your spiritual practice means approaching each aspect with humility, curiosity and reverence. This includes checking yourself on the nature of how you relate to "objects" as things and the process itself.
For example, if you feel called to stones as part of your ritual, consider WHY first. Then contemplate the impact of whatever action comes next. For example, instead of mindlessly purchasing cheap precious stones from somewhere like amazon (which have more than likely been harmfully mined/extracted and then shipped across the world as part of the consumer machine that's destroying our planet), perhaps part of your spiritual practice is to resist such a prompting and instead take the time to go for a mindful walk in your backyard, or a nearby stream and see if the right stone presents itself to you.
2. CLEANSE & PURIFY YOUR SPACE: Cleansing, also known as purification, is the practice of clearing out and releasing negative energy from your space, as well as energy that’s just old, stale, stagnant, or no longer serving you. Here are a few different methods:
Physical cleaning: dusting, vacuuming, opening windows for fresh air
Salt: a common element used for purification and protection in many different cultures. To use, simply sprinkle salt along doorways and windowsills to protect them from negative energy entering or just keep a small bowl of salt on your altar or nearby surface.
Smoke cleansing: light incense or burn a bundle of dried herbs such as rosemary, cedar, or mugwort. Choose plants that you have grown yourself or that grow abundantly wild nearby, plants that you have ancestral tied to or just those that have been grown and harvested ethically.
NOTE: If you do not have meaningful/authentic relationships to Indigenous culture and customs, "smudging" with white sage cultural appropriation and is dishonoring to Indigenous nations across Turtle island. It is important to understand that smudging is not just about burning sage to purify the negative energy from your space but is a sacred ritual that is culturally specific to tribes such as the Lakota Sioux, Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Navajo. If you have been gifted sage by an Indigenous friend, use to your discretion in how to engage with this medicine. This sacred plant is being abused, exploited and mass-harvested for commercial and consumer use which perpetuates the violence of white supremacy and settler colonialism. Take some time to locate yourself within a settler-colonial context interwoven with the land you currently occupy. Check out Native Land to learn the name and more about the territories you occupy.
3. CLEANSE & PURIFY YOUR BODYMIND
Take a shower our bath; visualize any negative energy that has accumulated in your auric field to be washed away as the water goes down the drain.
Meditate, center and take some time to ground in stillness and embodied presence.
Write or speak your intentions for your ritual out loud
4. BE MINDFUL & STRIVE FOR INTEGRITY ALWAYS.
Altar Creation
Creating an altar is optional. Altar tending is a beautiful practice, especially if you have a designated area in your home that you can tend to over the course of each moon and seasonal cycle.
Tending to an altar is an intentional practice that supports your exploration of nature spirituality and carries the potential to deepen your relationship to the energetic archetypes of the unfolding seasonal & moon cycles.
To set up your altar, simply play with any number of the ritual elements offered above in the chart by using symbols, colors, precious gemstones, symbolism, etc.
There is no right or wrong way to go about creating, tending or being with your altar, however we do not condone cultural appropriation or theft of any kind.
Eco-Somatic Practice: Fire Scrying
For this eco-somatic practice we will be drawing upon the element of FIRE since this Full Moon falls within the sign of SAGITTARIUS.
ABOUT THE PRACTICE:
Scrying is a form of divination that taps into your psychic senses and powers of intuition. The word “scrying” actually comes from the Old English word descry which means “to make out dimly” or “to reveal.” Therefore, scrying is about revealing the unseen through the use of our natural ability of second sight. Second sight is our capacity to see things that can’t usually be perceived through our five senses.
Scrying was first mentioned in the 10th Century in an Ancient Persian text called the “Shahnameh.” Later, as Christianity rose to power, scrying was outlawed. And yet almost every culture has used some form of scrying: from the Native American’s observation of smoke, to the Egyptians use of oil gazing to gain wisdom. Scrying has been used for thousands of years by different cultures. Ancient Egypt used scrying in their Initiations. This included water scrying, dream scrying, oil scrying, and mirror scrying.
Fire scrying is perhaps one of the most ancient form of scrying. This type of scrying involves gazing into fiery flames for visions. If you’re struggling to stay focused, direct your energy, or find meaning or purpose in this moment, scrying could be a wonderful way to get in touch with your own needs, inner gifts and/or longings.
MATERIALS:
match or lighter
candle (preferably one that is visible like a tea light)
journal and writing utensil
STEPS:
PREP
Determine where you want to be. When you are there set up your space in a way so that you candle is placed in front of you without straining your body or neck.
ORIENT & CENTER
Find a comfortable sitting posture. Take 5 minutes to breathe and connect with the aliveness of the present moment.
Orient to the space around you. Sense the air or atmosphere. Notice any sounds and aromas. Look around and observe movement, color, light and shadow.
Stay connected to breath as you do this, sensing the rise and fall of your belly or chest.
Sense your connection earth as you make contact with the ground, settling into gravity's embrace. Allow your face muscles to soften.
Sense your current mood noting any sensations or feelings that are present for you.
FIRE SCRYING
When you are ready light your candle and softly gaze into the candle flame in silence.
Ask the flame a question related to the theme of this new moon, or ask to receive a vision.
Gazing into the flame, allow your breath to be even. As you inhale and exhale, notice the rise and fall of your breath as the candle flame gently moves in accordance with the atmosphere. Notice how you move with your breath simultaneously.
When you feel relaxed and in a trance-like state, focus your vision on the center of the dancing flame. Don’t worry about staring too hard, just rest your eyesight wherever is the most comfortable.
Draw the energy of the flame toward you, allowing yourself to feel its power. It can heal or harm, create or destroy. Fire is associated with a strong will power and transformation.
Notice what you hear, see and smell. If anything stands out to you, jot it down.
Thoughts and ideas may pop into your head, seemingly unrelated to anything you see or hear. Be sure to use your journal so you can write these things down for future exploration.
Spend as much time as you like watching the fire — once you start to get uncomfortable or fidgety, it’s time to wrap things up.
When you feel complete, blow out your candle.
INTEGRATE
Allow your gaze to shift to the darkness of night or close your eyes. You might still see the silhouette of the flame even as your eyes are closed.
Simply breathe and be here until you are ready to move into journaling.
Journaling
What came up for you during the eco-somatic practice? Take some time to reflect on anything you'd like to hold onto.
Further self-reflection:
How can slowing down bring greater clarity to my inner vision?
What visions do I carry for the world?
How can I take one small step toward enacting these visions over the next month?
What practice(s) will support me to nurture my commitment?
Finish the following sentences:
A habits of thought or behavior that I am releasing is....
A new practice that I would like to incorporate into my routine is...
Something that I am letting go of is...
Something I am welcoming in is...
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