After the drama of the past couple months due in large part to three eclipses, the mild-mannered Full Moon at 12°15′ Pisces on Friday promises to be much easier to live with.

Yes, there are a couple of sticky places – like Mercury stationing retrograde in Libra a couple of days after the Full Moon, and Mars in Cancer squaring Mercury, promoting yelling matches. But given the Pisces propensity for avoiding confrontation and encouraging good will, we may be able to slide on through without making too many waves. I don’t know about anyone else, but I can sure use a little peace and tranquility!

The Full Moon is also the apex of a Yod with charming Venus in Leo sextile Ceres in Venus-ruled Libra. It is the nature of Yods to create a certain amount of tension, pushing at us to stretch ourselves. However, this one is about as gentle a combination as I’ve seen. If there is a better time to make plans to spend time in a tropical paradise, sipping those delightful fruity drinks with umbrellas, listening to the surf washing up on the sand, I don’t know when it would be. Venus in Leo just loves a party and Ceres is willing to attend as long as it’s in a beautiful natural setting while the light of the Full Moon is so flattering to everyone. Most of us can’t begin to afford a vacation in a tropical paradise, but we can create a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere with a little ingenuity. Fresh flowers for Ceres, lovely scented candles for Venus in Leo, and fine potables for Pisces will do the trick.

We were introduced last week to the effect of Mars in Cancer squaring Mercury in Libra as part of a T-square with Pluto. For some, this T-square was very irritating, but for many others it turned out to be the key to breaking out of a period of extended stasis.

Unless you enjoy heated exchanges, steer clear of confrontation, because it won’t take much to set people off right now. People with planets or chart angles in early degrees of the cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn – have short fuses at this time. Please sharpen your listening skills and practice speaking clearly, because the pervasive impatience is creating severe interference. We have all had the experience of attempting to communicate with someone who is obviously thinking about what they are going to say and not listening. That’s a pretty good description of a cardinal Mercury being squared by Mars!

Since Pat has a great post on the Saturn-Uranus opposition, I am going take a look at another aspect Saturn is making now – an inconjunct with Neptune in Aquarius. Imagine Saturn in Mercury ruled Virgo doggedly repeating himself in an effort to get his point across, while Neptune in Aquarius is saying, “I don’t care about the darn details, just the big picture. It’s the collective that’s important, not individuals.”

Both Aquarius and Virgo offer valuable contributions to humanity, but the manner they go about it is decidedly different. Detail-oriented, earthy Virgo tends to focus on what’s in front of them, while visionary, airy Aquarius is looking out for the collective as a whole. Read the headlines, and you’ll see this dynamic everywhere right now. Speaking from a Libra perspective, my suggestion is to table important discussions for now, if possible, and take them up after Saturn moves into Libra at the end of October. Hey, it’s highly likely there will be no resolution until then, anyway.

Juno in Aries is making a waxing square to Pluto in Capricorn. All I can say is that if you are in a committed relationship, don’t be surprised if power struggles emerge. In Aries, Juno can be quite headstrong and insistent on doing things her way, and we already know about Pluto in Capricorn’s firm belief that he is the ultimate authority. To avoid sleeping on the couch, seek a compromise both of you can live with.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 13 Virgo is, “A powerful statesman overcomes a state of political hysteria,” with the keyword CHARISMA. This corresponds well to the inconjunct between Jupiter in Aquarius and Pallas in Virgo. Pallas is capable of dispassionate insight and applying what she has discerned in an extremely effective manner. In this case, she uses her gifts on behalf of charismatic Jupiter, who needs help in presenting his message to the masses as clearly as possible in order to turn the situation around. This is a hopeful note in a polarized environment.

If we are willing to explore nonviolent means to resolve our differences, we can draw inspiration from the Sabian symbol for the Moon at 13 Pisces: “An ancient sword, used in many battles, is displayed in a museum,” with the keyword WILLPOWER. Pisces generally prefers to avoid combative encounters and often has learned to yield from a position of strength, no longer needing to use the sword to cut opponents down to get their point across.

With Mercury just about to go retrograde for the rest of September, it is my recommendation to step aside from opportunities to engage our opponents and celebrate this Full Moon in gentle Pisces by setting aside time for quiet reflection in as beautiful a setting as you can find. Many of us need time to recover from the turmoil of eclipse season and are in no shape to launch into another battle, further depleting our reserves. Be kind to yourself and others, as always.

posted by Neith . . .