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artwork by Savannah KIng

SAGITTARIUS Full Moon | Sagittarius is the explorer, the wisdom seeker, the story weaver, forever in search of new lands, literally and/or metaphorically. This Full Moon, conjunct Mars retrograde and opposite the witty, curious, chatty Sun in Gemini and Venus in earthy, weighted Taurus packs a punch. Seemingly frustrated by our lack of forward movement (4 planets retrograde still), we may feel the desire to preach or "tell it like it is." But there are many sides to a story, and righteousness, while sometimes admirable, rarely leads to deeper connection (Donald Trump was born during a Sagittarius Full Moon). There is a strong divide in the sky, a you vs. me mentality reigns supreme. Where in our lives are we determined to be right, no matter the cost? What if we reframed our position, spun it from another view? What are the stories we're telling ourselves about who and what we are, the possibilities of our lives and our values? And how can we continue to adapt, recognizing that certainty is an illusion, born from fear? "Life will be a great and continuous unfolding," Cheryl Strayed wrote. What's the latest chapter?

Insight by Danielle Beinstein and The New Moon Circle

Artwork by Savannah King from The New Moon Circle Journal

I'm in New York awaiting tomorrow's Leo full moon and a blizzard that's moving up the coast. I'm grateful for the storm, for the cold, because it offers time to go inward. The beginning of 2016 has been bringing in some major soul searching, excavating the past to break into the future with love. This moon will shine light on the shadows so I open my heart to it's truth. 

"LEO full moon | Leo is the star, the shining one, radiating warmth for all to see. This Full Moon (opposite the Sun in Aquarius) is a bit layered as Mercury retro conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn and Mars in Scorpio trines Neptune in Scorpio. The mood is deep, as we contemplate the structures of our lives, reassess and let go of what no longer serves. Makes me think of this painting by Manet. The subject, Berthe Morisot (herself an Impressionist painter), seems to be in mourning, bearing some kind of secret. And yet, is she not the star of the painting, front and center for all to see? Are you willing to show up for yourself, not in spite of but perhaps because of all you have seen, witnessed? Are you you yourself willing to be seen? Exposed? Or are you pretending to cower in the corner, afraid that you don't measure up? This Full Moon offers us a profound opportunity to stand up in who we are, releasing our fears and self-doubt, the (very) old patterns that threaten to rob us of the light we crave, the light we are |" Danielle Beinstein