On Sept. 15th at 5:13 EDT we experienced the Full Harvest Moon. This is traditionally the Full Moon that falls closest to the Autumn Equinox, which occurs as the Sun moves into Libra on the 22nd. Happy Fall! The Full Moon is always a time to reflect on our accomplishments and to see where we have achieved clarity and resolution. It’s also a time of tremendous emotional energy. This Full Moon in Pisces, opposite the Sun in Virgo, is ULTRA charged emotionally, operating with the influence of the radical awakener Uranus, and the powerful transformer Pluto. What does this mean to us? That it’s time illuminate new ways of serving the greater good, using both our ability to discern and judge as well as valuing and working toward our highest ideals; time to see the details of our lives as the bridge to understanding the unity of all life and our role within that total fabric. Uranus will demand change and unleash the maverick mentality (change, maverick…heard those words anywhere lately?), while Pluto will either powerfully destroy or heal the putrid matter that still clings to the progress that is rushing us toward the future. Virgo’s enlightened task is diligent, practical service, but when in shadow, is hypercritical and slandering. (Slander: an untruthful statement about a person that harms the person’s reputation or standing in the community. Seems to be ALOT of that going around!) Pisces’ enlightened task is to imagine the ultimate utopia and unify all disparate sources into one. Yet, when in shadow, Pisces is confused and falls into escapist tendencies. We can clearly see both the light and the shadow sides of these two forces operating strongly in the political race toward the presidency. This Full Moon will mirror full light onto the intricacies and the idealism of both parties, and push them to reconcile reason and logic with chaos and the numinous. In order for one party to win and the other to lose, one must retreat farther into the shadow, and one must step fully forward into the light. Work with this same symbolism in your own life during this Full Moon. What did you begin in March that is either coming to light or stepping into the shadow world at this time? Use the energy of this Full Moon to harvest what is working, to cut away what is not, to boldly and radically step into new emotional territory and to cut away what is dead and transform what still has heart.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford