What the Full Moon in Aquarius Means for You
This article originally appeared on Yoga Journal
On August 11, 2022, the full Moon will take place in Aquarius, one of the more complicated, and perhaps one of the most misunderstood, signs of the zodiac.
The full Moon occurs when the Moon opposes the Sun with the Earth in the middle. The light reflected off the Moon reveals our shadows and our gifts. It lets us see our strengths and what we are capable of achieving while showing us how we may stumble.
The influence of any particular full Moon is governed by its astrological position on that night. This tells us what will be revealed and what will be nourished by the full Moon's vibrations.
What the full Moon in Aquarius means
Aquarius, at its heart, represents the collective--this includes all the people in a given society as well as their rules, guidelines, and structures. Aquarius guides our societal norms along with the definitions of our collective terminology, such as success, power, and freedom. It also influences group dynamics, including how we treat one another, who leads the collective, and, even more importantly, who changes the rules that govern all of us.
Aquarius governs the collective consciousness, which in its simplest definition is the shared thoughts of a society. You can think of it as a massive cloud of society's beliefs, opinions, and energy. The collective consciousness influences everyone's thoughts and conditioned patterns, even if they don't realize it. It creates thought paradigms and ingrained belief structures.
Some of the collective consciousness can be seen and heard. It appears in advertising, statements from the government, and our social media feeds. Some of the collective consciousness is simply an awareness of what the collective is doing, thinking, and even feeling at any even time. It's a vibration, and we all can tune into its frequency. The collective consciousness is the interconnected web of energy we all live in, and this energy is best understood through the lens of Aquarius.
While Aquarius governs everything having to do with society, it also governs rebellious behavior and individuality. Here is where Aquarius grows more complex. On one hand, Aquarius's energy helps us gather to form societal structures. On the other hand, it also helps us break the structure of society through rebellious acts that challenge the status quo.
To reconcile these seemingly opposing energies of Aquarius, we need to understand the sign as a continuous cycle of evolution. Aquarius helps us form, break down, and reform society. It processes us forward by helping us challenge what is not serving humanity in this moment. We are hardwired to evolve as human beings. Transformation is one of the primary motivating factors for all behaviors. It is how we went from hunters and gatherers to an advanced technological society. Humans want to evolve, and so do the societies they live in. Without change, and without people who demand change, society stagnates.
The energy of Aquarius helps us form a collective group, and then it helps individuals find themselves in that group. The ones who evolve past the collective first go on to challenge it. The rebels and the rule-breakers are the ones who ultimately change society. The people who take a chance to be who they are, regardless of being accepted by the collective or not, shape the way others live. These are the risk-takers and the people who can see a better future.
So, while Aquarius helps us form a society, it also helps us break it down and rebuild. This energy brings out our vision of who we are, who we are within a collective, and what change needs to happen so everyone in the collective feels society is serving them. Aquarius reminds us that we are all connected and that we all breathe the same air. We are all part of the same energetic web, and we are all influenced by the collective consciousness. We also all have a responsibility to contribute to humanity and help evolve it by finding out who we are and speaking our truth.
See also: A Yoga Practice for the Full Moon in Aquarius
What to consider during this full Moon
Through understanding the sign in which the full Moon takes place, we can direct our attention to the qualities and energies that will be amplified under its light. With the Moon highlighting these vibrations, we can see them more easily, shift them if needed, or nurture them so they become greater.
During the Aquarius full Moon, become keenly aware of how you are influenced by society. How have you been programmed by the world around you? Our societal training comes in many forms. We learn from our parents, our schools, and our peers. Many of our lessons are deliberate, having been thought out by the people teaching them, but many of them are unconscious. In our early stages of development, we are like sponges. We absorb the environment around us and pick up habits, behaviors, and conditioned responses without our awareness or the awareness of the people whose behaviors we are absorbing. We also form concepts by merely living in a world full of other people whose combined knowledge creates the collective consciousness.
Allow this full Moon in Aquarius to help you find your individual freedom among the collective. What do you need to shed to find your truth? What beliefs are not yours but were merely taught to you? What feels like you and how do you want to share that person with the world? Know that it's OK to change and evolve. Also, know that not everyone will be comfortable with your new self. What matters most is that you feel at home in your energy.
As you find your truth, speak it. Help change and transform society where it needs to grow. Do this with your words and actions, but also do this with your energy. Notice the energy you are emitting and ask if it reflects who you are. Also, ask how it is contributing to the collective consciousness and raising its vibration. How are you helping both yourself and humanity ascend to a new level of consciousness through the frequency you embody? On this full Moon, feel what are you ready to shed to reach a new level of existence. Feel what is ready to transform within your energy so you can break out of your old mold and step into a new energetic form ready to help those around you evolve to their highest potential as you reach for yours.
Full Moon in Aquarius with the Sun in Leo
While the full Moon lands in Aquarius, the Sun sits in Leo. Aquarius and Leo are both concerned with defining our individuality. They both encourage us to know who we are, accept who we are, and be who we are in every situation. They inspire us to shed expectations from others, rise above the fear of rejection, and align with our essence. Leo focuses on how we can celebrate our uniqueness and love ourselves unconditionally. Aquarius focuses on how we can celebrate our and other people’s uniqueness, understanding that the collective is made of individuals. Where Leo helps us find our self-expression and lead others through our voice, Aquarius teaches us that we have the power to move society forward when we express our truth and take a chance to show up and be seen.
At the heart of both Leo and Aquarius is unconditional love for all beings. Each of these signs reminds us that love is the highest vibration of all. Leo nurtures love for oneself, which extends outward. Aquarius nurtures acceptance of every person in the collective and love for their unique gifts. Both of these signs help us feel a true sense of belonging with others. They help us acknowledge how we might be betraying our truth to fit in with the crowd and pretending to be something we are not.
When we experience true belonging, we can be ourselves and share our truth without fearing rejection. We know we are accepted even if others do not completely agree with our ideas; they still value our uniqueness and what we bring to the table.
When we work with the energies of both Leo and Aquarius, we can honor each other as individuals and learn from different perspectives. During this full Moon, align with Leo to feel your most authentic self and align with Aquarius to show up in the world as that self, knowing you will find people who appreciate your unique character.
Work with these energies to break free of any societal programming that demands you fit into the status quo. Instead, give yourself the freedom to stand in your truth and share it. Know that not everyone will agree with you, and that it's OK. What’s important is that you remain confident in yourself and aligned with your integrity. When you show up in the world with the energy of confidence and integrity, people listen, society listens, and you end up changing the world.
It’s important, though, to always return to the vibration of love. It will help in your darkest times and return you to the center of your being: the heart. Even when you don’t know what to do, the heart will tell you.
With every Full Moon, we have the opportunity to release the lower vibrations of both astrological signs involved and integrate the higher vibrations of those signs. Leo’s lower vibration, or shadow side, seeks approval and validation from others. When we align with this side, we depend upon the collective to love us so we can love ourselves. We become needy and unaware of the pressure we put on others to validate our talents. In this frequency, our self-acceptance becomes interlinked with the outside world. We may cause drama to gain attention, no matter if that attention is negative or positive. We also allow the ego to take over as we manipulate and demand praise. We may do things to simply fit in with others instead of staying true to ourselves. When we emphasize fitting in, we forgo our truth and accept someone else’s. We also accept standards that are not our own. If you find yourself aligning with this side of Leo, break free and feel into your truth. Find ways to love yourself unconditionally and share yourself with others, even if it means not fitting in.
Aquarius, on the other hand, is concerned with unconditional love for humanity as a whole. The highest frequency of Aquarius sees everyone as equal, no better or worse than their neighbor. Furthermore, everyone is entitled to live their life as they choose. Individual freedom is at the center of this frequency. Like Leo, Aquarius’s energy asks that we show up as ourselves in every situation. Aquarius goes one step further and asks us to accept others just as they are because, in reality, we are all the same, and we are all one. The more we accept the collective, the more we can accept ourselves and vice versa. The higher vibration of Aquarius gives way for people to be themselves, without judgment and without feeling like they need to fit into some box designed by someone else. It is true freedom based on unconditional love for all of humankind.
Aquarius, like Leo, also has a lower side to its energy. This shadow, or extreme, side forgets about the individual and their unique needs. When we align with this frequency, we forget to take personal responsibility for the problems around us. We blame the larger organizations that govern and spin tales of what should be done instead of realizing we contribute to the greater whole. One clue that you are aligning with this vibration is when you start blaming others for things you could change yourself. Blaming is a disempowering energy. When we blame, we forget that we are just as powerful as and equal to the people making the rules that ultimately dictate our personal freedom. We each have a responsibility to contribute our uniqueness, voice, and greatness to the world. If we all do this, we change the frequency of the planet. Look to the houses in your natal chart to find areas of your life governed by the energy of Aquarius. Do you notice any of these lower or higher vibrations in these places? How can you shift toward a higher vibration of love and acceptance for all, including yourself?
The invitation of the full Moon
This Full Moon allows us to shed both the lower vibrations of Leo and Aquarius and shift toward the higher frequencies. Imagine a line of energy. At one end, we have the lower vibrations of Leo, demanding attention and energy from others. On the other end, we have the lower vibrations of Aquarius blaming the collective and forgetting that we are individuals with the power to change the world. In the middle of these extremes is a balance point where Leo's and Aquarius’s higher vibrations merge to form an energy composed of unconditional love for the self combined with unconditional love for the collective. The integration of both of these higher vibrations empowers us. We feel our power to be ourselves, to heal ourselves, and to heal the world as we lead it forward into the future. We no longer fear the opinion of others but instead stand in our truth, attracting people who want to stand with us. We contribute our unique gifts and talents to the collective and inspire others to do the same.
During this Full Moon, feel how you, as an individual, can shape the world we live in and know that your methods will differ. We each bring something unique to the collective, but all gifts are of equal value. This is the heart of the Aquarius and Leo axis: to understand that we are all special and extraordinary. When we know this, we create a collective consciousness filled with the highest vibration: unconditional love for all.
Learn more about the full Moon in Aquarius, including additional astrological insights and journaling prompts, in the Aquarius Full Moon Workbook, from which the above is excerpted.
About our contributor
Jill Wintersteen is the founder of Spirit Daughter, a lifestyle brand devoted to helping you live your best life through understanding the energy of the Universe. She also writes workbooks on each full Moon as well as other astrological events. Follow her on Instagram @spiritdaughter.
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