Harvest Moon in Pisces Brings Water and Emotions Up, Up, Up!

Our hearts go out to the flood victims in the US, plus wicked flooding in Niger, India, and Sudan… August has been tough, with Neptune and Chiron both retrograde in Pisces. We did have some rockin' relief from the eclipses, and whatever flavor seeded itself forward for you, its essence will now be well reaped on the Harvest Moon.

This September 6, our beloved Moon turns full at 13°53′ Pisces and intensifies the water rise. I don't know about you, but I'm praying all day for the best psychic hydroplane I can conjure, yikes!

Why? Emotional flooding is happening as well. I see it everywhere I go. The end of summer holiday can be taxing for families; kids and teachers revel in excitement and might be a bit freaked out about the new schoolyear. This Harvest Moon we take our first step toward autumn, and gear down the fire that's been blazing through our summer channels.

A few great exercises (rituals) I use to work with the water element, and by extension emotion, revolve around balancing the other elements, to compensate for its abundance. For untamed or immature Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces presence in the chart, the following practices might help to get you through an otherwise excessively intense rush of emotion this full Moon. Without forgetting to incorporate your sensuously grounding, earthy polarity point Virgo archetype:

1. Get ye to water, in or out! Balancing water is exceptionally important for proper metabolism. If we use "irrigation of dryer lands" as a metaphor, then where could you offer your beautiful feelings to help others? Engage the energy before it engages you.

For all signs, drink lemon water first thing in the morning and feel that alkalizing gift enter each cell in your body, in gratitude. Get your 2 L of water a day; this is a prime opportunity to hydrate.

2. Make nice with your water deity of choice. I practice Tibetan shamanism, so for me, it's Chucham Gyalmo, "the queen of the waters." Set out offerings, read them a story or go for a walk, inviting full coverage in love.

3. SALT!

Get four large abalone shells (bowls will do) and—in prayer-mode—fill them with sea salt. Set them at the four corners of your home in honor of water reception, and to take unnecessary emotions away (which is often most of them!), holding space for divine love to work its magic.

This full Moon will be in a new-phase conjunct to Neptune and balsamic-phase conjunct to Chiron, both retrograde. The powerful luminary lends its intuitive qualities to a pair of profound bookends: Neptune = divine connection or hardcore delusion; Chiron = taking past suffering lessons learned and offering our knowledge to others. Healing or resting with pain gives it less power and allows one to make natural efforts to not push it back into the shadow, lest we harm someone else inadvertently.

Aries, you might feel like you're having your ponytail pulled from behind, wondering why your get-up-and-go feels absent. This liquid Moon opposes your usual cardinal fire, to allow you to slow down and get in touch with a subtler vibe. Let your hair down in a slo-mo shake and try a water snake dance.Taurus with the sextile, sweet. Let the Harvest Moon irrigate your earthy sensuality and maybe do some of that clean-up around the garden you've been meaning to! Self-love is at the ready and when you care for plants (or someone else's plants/garden) you offer this by extension. Share the abundant love you have to give. Squish soil between your fingers and toes and feel connected to that power.Gemini needs to write, write, write! With Mercury now direct in Leo, you have an opportunity to handle this intense full Moon squaring your sign with getting your thoughts out and down on paper (or screen). There'll be flashes of intuitive brilliance coming through, and try not to let nervous energy derail the task, breathe deeply and write.

Cancer is on a major nourishment groove with a trine to its ruler Moon. Remember we all have Cancer in our charts, so depending which house it's in for you, that'll be the area to draw inspiration from. Let your feminine intuition and Sirius' great luck work for you. Mainly, stay in posture at the shoreline while you surrender your worries to wash out to sea, and feel the god & goddess within you.

Leo, you have a great opportunity here to make a constructive self-criticism list, nothing too harsh, because you have the after effects of the eclipse (we all do, in fact) to ride. Mars left your sign into Virgo, so there should be a bit of relief from possibly feeling stirred up for no reason. Venus is gaining momentum to offer you a balanced day of self-reflection. What can you fuel with your creative fire for the benefit of all?

Virgo is in opposition to this Piscean ether… so do bring your schedule but make room for change. This trifecta Neptune < > full Moon < > Chiron can soften your otherwise harsh self-judgment and let you tap into the deeper sensuality that Virgo brings to the table. Try something spontaneous that whispers magic in your ear.

Libra will have a similar need to Leo in the self-criticism department. Let "other" be for a while so you can tune into your ruler Venus, and her higher octave Neptune. This is time for connecting to the divine and act as a bridge to its love: you be the "other" this time, receiving creative bliss from your creator.

Scorpio, you have an honest-to-goodness antenna up from your psyche at this time. Let the symbol of heightened awareness take the shape of a caduceus and allow its hum throughout the day to simply draw upward the deeper beauty in you. This will allow you to release a few agonies that are getting in the way of self-expression, detach from your pain body (see Tolle) and let the deepest underground streams cleanse your soul.Sagittarius Saturn direct! Do a happy dance and don't care about anything else. Loving the learning through this release of tension will get that Moon into your system of higher truth and integrity. Stick to the game plan you built while Saturn was retrograde for fucking ever and let your creative juices flow, like the sap rising in the trees.
Capricorn's tide is high this Wednesday and let your boat float where it needs to. You'll be equally pleased that your ruler Saturn has gone direct and now it's time to let the flotsam and jetsam be netted for recycling. Clear your water pipes, that is, a fasting day wouldn't hurt with lots of purified water and purge unnecessary emotion you've been holding on to while you're at it. Gentle purge.

Aquarius, you have genius on the tip of your tongue :) It might feel slightly out of reach, but just focus on letting the feeling side to you be free. Now, I don't mean your natural compassionate state, I mean try to look at where you feel things in your body, emotions, sensations beyond the physical and mental. This connection to your lunar signature will call on your ruler Uranus next door in Aries and irrigate that genius to do some serious goodness in your and others' lives.
Pisces: You know already. Do the rituals. The vague and diffuse will become clear and potent. Pure love.

 Rituals aside, for all signs this is a time for returning to your inner work, whether that's an inner child or demon/angel or post-traumatic memory. Witnessing the wonder of your psyche is more than possible at this time. Take it slow and tread softly, loving yourself for having come this far. Loving yourself for your wild nature. Loving yourself for your ability to love others. Loving you—did I mention love? :)

You can sever the roots of your pain body now, allowing you to detach from habitual patterns. Some people can be addicted to sadness or grief. By simply allowing it to work through you, releasing and being attentive to the release (get support if you need it!), the pain then turns into compassion for self and others. It is a transformed state of empathy and naturally heals the environment around you and by association those that are in your environment, and so on. Centrifugal love.

This September full Moon, mind your partying levels and instead cook up some love and serve it warm with a side of smiles. You deserve the love that nourishment will bring right back to you.

2017 Wiccan/Pagan Dates to Dance To

• 1: Celtic Tree Month of Hazel ends
• 2: Celtic Tree Month of Vine begins
• 6: Full Moon -- Harvest Moon at 3:04 am [EST]. This is a season to celebrate hearth and home. Brew up some comfort food, begin storing your harvest for the winter, and settle in for a month of thanksgiving.
• 10: Birthday of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke
• 14: Birthday of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, author of Three Books on Occult Philopsopy, in 1486
• 14: Birthday of author Ellen Dugan
• 17: Television welcomes Bewitched in 1964
• 21: International Day of Peace
• 22: Mabon, the autumn equinox
• 22: Ostara (Southern Hemisphere), the spring equinox
• 29: Celtic Tree Month of Vine ends
• 30: Celtic Tree Month of Ivy begins
  Calendar used with permission from ThoughtCo.

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Written by Sherrill Layton of Studio iO Metaphysics a media ecologist in love with stars and decent brews—coffee, potions, words, storms—the recipe does not matter, the decency does. 
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