Note: how Astrology affects us individually depends on the placement of the planets in our birth chart. This forecast assumes an uncomplicated interaction between the transiting planets and a birth chart, which means parts of it may not apply to you (or may only apply to certain degrees). To learn about your specific chart, I encourage you to book a session with me. Also, this article was written for the Northern Hemisphere.

On Sunday night at 9:16 p.m. PST, there will be a Full Wolf Moon in Leo, alongside a lunar eclipse that starts at 6:35 p.m. PST and ends at 11:50 p.m. PST. This Full Moon can offer a time to process and close out the rocky ride many of us had earlier this month when the Sun moved between Saturn and Pluto. This Leo Moon is a baby, occurring at 0 degrees Leo the same day the Sun goes into Aquarius (a Full Moon occurs when the Moon is exactly opposite the Sun). I find these early degree Full Moons fascinating because in my experience, the Full Moon is really the day before, of, and after the Full Moon, which means we get another dose of Full Moon in Cancer energy the first night. This could prove helpful for those of us still recovering from the Sun/Saturn/Pluto experience and in need of a good cry or other form of catharsis.

Aquarius is a sign of genius, science, and innovation. Though Sagittarius is the philosopher of the Zodiac, Aquarius is the sign of profoundest discovery, the one that makes quantum leaps in human consciousness. Consequently, when the Sun is in Aquarius, or when Uranus is active with the Sun or Moon (all of which is happening now), we can have these types of bold, paradigm shifting realizations about ourselves and our lives. We can also be most in touch with ourselves as individuals: our individual needs and what honoring ourselves as individuals would look like. Aquarius is the part of us that dances to its own drummer while around others, uncaring about any looks of judgment. It’s the part that says, “this is me, and screw you if you have a problem with it!”

Traditionally, Aquarius is known for being emotionally detached and somewhat aloof. It’s almost like emotions are alien to Aquarius (and to be clear, this is the pure version of the sign, not the human reality, where someone can have an Aquarius Sun with a Cancer Moon and be highly emotional and insightful about emotions). On this Full Moon, the picture is different. First of all, we get that night of a Cancerian Full Moon on the Sun’s last day of Capricorn, and Cancer is the sign that’s most in touch with emotion. Cancers are the natural psychologists and empaths of the zodiac, though all water signs are empathic. This can help us better understand and process what we’re feeling.

Then, we move into the Leo Full Moon, where we get the expressiveness of Leo to work with. Leo Moons will not hesitate to tell you how they’re feeling, and they see their feelings as important. They also don’t hesitate to take the lead and stand up for themselves. This energy can manifest externally, like in how we advocate for ourselves in relationships, and also internally, in the emotional part of ourselves refusing to go unheard. It seeks engagement and expression, and if we ignore it we’ll be acutely aware of its displeasure. Leo Full Moons can also help us learn that’s it’s OK to put ourselves first at times, that it’s alright to do something simply because it feels good to us and it’s not going to hurt anyone. 

Leo is also a sign of creative self-expression, and under this Full Moon we may feel inspired to explore and express our emotions artistically. This can include processing our emotions by way of engagement with art. Have you ever had a song or film that helped you understand yourself on a deeper level? That helped you express or explore an emotion that you struggled to even name otherwise? This is an excellent Full Moon for that kind of processing. It can be a beautiful time to break out the Joni Mitchell albums and go there within ourselves, especially with all that was unleashed earlier this month when the Sun hit Saturn and Pluto. That time likely brought up a significant amount of deep emotion, discomfort, and awareness of our current limitations, and now is a time to learn what we can from that experience and move forward into the rare Astrological blessings of this year: four planets in the signs they rule, and all planets direct until Mercury goes retrograde in early March. A powerful wave of major forward motion in our lives has come, and it can take us amazing places, but we must surf it or let it carry us for that to happen. I believe some of this Sun/Saturn/Pluto turbulence was to shake loose things we needed to release to ride this wave. Relatedly, Full Moons are about completion. They’re the big, ripe fruit ready to fall from the tree. It’s time to harvest some learnings, or at least let the fruit fall so we can move forward.

In addition to all this, this Full Moon is an eclipse. As such, it’s an opportunity to focus deeply on our emotions and inner lives. The blotting out of the Moon by the Earth can signify an emotional release, a grounding of sorts. The Moon gets a break from constantly basking in the light of the Sun, and we get a rest from our internal Sun too. Eclipses are connected with change and high emotion, so in the spirit of free will Astrology versus fate, now’s a good time to think about what you want to change and release emotionally because the question isn’t whether or not we’re riding this wave, but how. That’s where our power is, astrologically. The weather is whatever it is, but we can decide what to do with it (or at least try to).

The effects of this Eclipse can last for up to three months, and it can also be a time for focusing on our relationships, as well as the parts of ourselves that we keep hidden (a bit like on New Moons). We may come across our deep or irrational fears too, and have a greater sense of what isn’t working for us emotionally. Self-care and wisdom-seeking is the order of the day here.

Uranus square Sun and Moon 

Mixed in with this Solar and Lunar energy is a square from Uranus. The part of us that seeks to individuate and progress is in conflict with our current sense of individuation, as well as our emotionality. What complicates this though is that these squares are what’s called “out of sign.” An out of sign aspect is one in which an aspect like a square, trine, sextile, etc. doesn’t have its standard manifestation. For example, a square typically occurs between signs that are inharmonious elementally (like fire and water) yet similar in quality (e.g. both are cardinal, like Aries and Cancer). When an aspect is out of sign, it occurs on the cusps, throwing off this formula.

In this case, Uranus is at 28 degrees Aries, and the Sun and Moon are moving between 0 and 1 degree Aquarius and Leo, respectively. This means that even though they formulate a square, an aspect known for bringing about tension and energy around this tension we can use to work toward integration, they form that square from more harmony than usual. Aries and Aquarius naturally fit together as sextiles, and Leo and Aries naturally fit even better as trines. What does this mean? The tension of the squares is still there, but probably not to the same jarring degree as normal. There’s greater understanding, providing more ins for integrating this energy. In terms of this eclipse, we can try to harness this tension for our benefit, deepening our process of understanding ourselves emotionally and at the core level while striving to integrate this understanding into our greater sense of self.

On a practical level, we may experience sudden changes or jarring events that upset our status quo. For example, this week, I “randomly” ran into someone at a convenience store whom I ended a friendship with over 10 years ago. Memories surfaced, as well as an opportunity for reflecting on where I was then, how I behaved, where I am now, and how I want to be moving forward. But we also acted like we didn’t know each other and I went back to my day almost immediately, without being perturbed. This transit can be kind of like that, Uranus brings the shakeup, but it’s out of sign, so we get that jolt, but it doesn’t rock us to the core. Otherwise, this is not a favorable time to make impulsive decisions.

Sun sextile Chiron, Moon trine Chiron

At risk of turning this into a novel, I also want to highlight the Chiron action happening in the sky right now. This transit gives us a boost for working toward healing our deepest wounds, which are Chiron’s purview: surfacing them, feeling them, and tending to them. Chances are, much related to this came up earlier this month, and this is a space in which to nurture ourselves as we heal. In fact, this might be an excellent Full Moon to throw on some cathartic music and do a deep, long guided meditation or journey that focuses on healing and emotional release. We may be able to cover a considerable amount of territory on that journey, far more than under usual circumstances. 

Venus trine Mars, Venus conjunct Jupiter 

Alongside all of this, we have this fun transit, exact on January 17^th and 18^th but with us until the 1^st. Venus trine Mars can be a wonderful time to connect with a sexual partner, redecorate a room, host a party, begin an art project, or plan a romantic getaway. This can be an excellent opportunity for deepening a relationship too, particularly since Venus is also conjunct Jupiter until the 28^th, or even seeking a new one.

I pulled a Tarot card for this Full Moon/Eclipse and drew the Nine of Pentacles reversed. When the Nine of Pentacles is upright, we’re in harmony, generally with our inner and outer Nature, and feeling rich, comfortable, and happy with where things are going in our life. When it’s reversed, something’s off in that equation. This can be a call to make a change in our material life, or to seek greater inner or outer stability. Maybe it really is time to harness that Venus/Mars trine to redecorate! Or, on a deeper level, to use the powerful, penetrating and cathartic energy of the eclipse to explore where we feel unsteady, and seek ways to fortify ourselves and release what no longer serves us. This card can also indicate a profound sense of loneliness, or feelings of low self-esteem, which we can also address at this time.