The Full Moon in Aquarius hits today at 11:31am PDT. When the Sun is in Leo, we are focused on how we shine at the individual level. Leo invented all the joyful aspects of living in a body. Personal creative expression is front and center, and our capacity for leadership is heightened. Leo invented things like children, sex, play, hobbies, and all the ways we serve ourselves. Leo is ruled by the Sun, which is at the center of our solar system, and so in this mansion we are at the center of all of our considerations.

In the opposing sign of Aquarius, it’s all about the community. The Water Bearer (the origin story of Aquarius) has the hero know something’s missing, go on a trek, find water, and bring the life-bringing elixir to the community, starting life itself, which needs water to thrive. When these two sensibilities oppose, there is a transcendent third created: A life of service. This is where we know our individual gifts, and we clear out whatever keeps us from knowing what our individual gifts and talents are, and then bring them to the world in service to others.

The personal planets are generating a lot of traffic as part of today’s Full Moon, so we may be moving through a lot of extra stress; mental, emotional, and practical. Whatever sensations Mercury, Mars and Venus generate will be amplified simply because the Full Moon energetically increase everything. Mars is Trining Jupiter, so there is a tremendous wave of optimism available as Mars reflects how we are moving through our lives, and Jupiter allows us to connect to abundance and prosperity with ease. This can offer a level of confidence and optimism to the moment, but also keep us clear about the steps needed to accomplish (Mars in Virgo) what we desire (Jupiter in Taurus). At the same time, Mars is agitating the North Node that points us in the direction of our future, and so the way forward isn’t quite as clear and easy as our optimism might indicate.

Mercury is Sesqui-Squaring Chiron, a minor transit that will trigger our wounded spaces just enough to allow the Full Moon process to go deep. If you are moving through anything that looks like a high-stakes healing, this Full Moon may take you to another level of that healing. Mercury in Opposition to Saturn makes sure that whatever we are learning these days is front and center in our conscious awareness. This is not a comfortable transit, but it is helpful in our process because it brings the demanding nature of the Great Teacher into the mix. If we need to be slowed down in order to learn something, Saturn has full rein to bring the delays and breakdowns needed to teach us the lesson du jour.

Of course, Venus being retrograde during this lunar cycle means that our emotional bodies, powerfully imbedded in a process of unconscious exploration, will be revealing things in our emotional pattern we might not otherwise be aware of. Venus is loosely Trining the North Node in this Full Moon, which means that anything below the surface that is getting triggered during this lunar cycle has the ability to take us into a brand-new future because we are allowing change to happen underneath the surface. Suffice to say that any Full Moon with all three of the personal planets generating so much traffic means we are moving though a release at the level of heart, mind, and body.

So back to the Sun in Leo, where we are all captivated by our personal experience of Self. The Sun integrates all that happens around it, and so you can think of the Leo Sun in this moment is completely capable of understanding all that is happening in the system: Mind is slowed down in order to learn the lesson fully (Oppose Saturn), Mars holds the promise of what is possible (Trine Jupiter), and Venus allows our emotional body to grown enough to feel deserving of al that we desire in our hearts (Venus Rx Trine North Node). But now think of Aquarius, and the demand to release anything egoic or narcissistically self-focused that keeps you from all this powerful integration being focused on the ways in which you are in service to others. This Full Moon addressed the other side of the coin as well, so if you feel inadequate to the demands of your life right now, let this Full Moon help you release anything that inhibits you from knowing your true worth.

My daily astro alert subscribers read this quote in yesterday’s daily post, but I will repeat it here again as, for me, it is the perfect mantra for the Full Moon in Aquarius. The quote is from Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet and teacher. It goes “I slept and dreamed that life was joy, I woke and found that life was service, I served and found that service is joy.” This is the foundation through which I live my life. Won’t you join me in this sentiment and understand that a life of service is the best way to meet this otherwise brutal journey. Have at it!