I’ve never heard so much fuss about a lunation. For months, us astrologers have had this Full Moon in Gemini earmarked on our calendars as one of the most anticipated events coming to light in awhile. Why? The Full Moon (the Sun opposing the Moon) squares the Saturn-Uranus opposition in a mutable grand cross formation. Since it helps to break things down (a) Mars joins the Sun while squaring Uranus and Saturn (b) and the Sun is squared of course by Saturn and Uranus (c). There’s infinite more, but that’s the gist of it. But what does that mean? The potential for stress is immense, culminating this fall’s Saturn-Uranus shake-up in one lunar swoop. Added, mutable energy in a grand cross is like trying to get a group of chatterboxes who are doing their own thing to converge on one topic. They may all be talking about change, flexibility and adaptation but each go about it differently. If you don’t feel like the Universe is asking you to be a stretchy bendable Gumby already, you’re one of the fortunate few. The rest of us are twisted up in awkward yogic postures.

Here’s my personal pickle: in trying to assume an economical position between the new and old order (Uranus-Saturn) I’ve re-engaged a temp job at a former employer. My concerns about this are immediate and manifold and almost more than I’ve been able to bear. I haven’t sat at a desk in a whole three years, and that’s been by design. I’m worried about transportation (Gemini), the one-hour commute into city and the logistics of having two careers – which I’m thinking may be necessary for those who choose to hang “astrologer” on their career shingle. My foremost concern however, is staying healthy and in integrity with my body, for I have fibromyalgia, a muscle pain syndrome apparently activated by mysterious forces so elusive that I hadn’t known I still had this issue. That is, until I returned to a desk job last week. Yes, this lunation falls within 4 degrees of my 9th house Saturn in Gemini and Saturn is the gatekeeper of limits and pain. But here’s the vexing Gemini bit for me: while I can be the most fluid chameleon character when it comes to visiting new countries and writing for example, in my day to day work environment (also Saturn Gemini), my bodily, earthly limits are in my face.

The thing is, I saw this coming. As did those who follow astrology. When merely talking about the planetary shrift of this fall/winter with other astrologers the anticipatory tension and anxiety wormed into the body like a slow, but faithful warning. As anticipatory excitement leading up to this event threatened to replace the acutal, a group of us decided to put the archetypes into drama. Astro-drama to the rescue! We each engaged a planet involved in this lunation, and submitted to the integrative lesson. I played Mars in Sagittarius. This was an uneasy lesson in spinning one’s wheels. While my energy was being pumped up by the Sun, it was also clearly being harnessed by restrictive Saturn and wild man for progress, Uranus. Mars is our instinct for action and progress “Do something” – and that missive was nearly impossible. In fact, at one point I observed, we all resembled a cast from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest each trapped in our own heads. When Saturn and Uranus came at me on either side, each chattering their own agendas in my ears, I was close to crash n’ burn (afterwards, Uranus said he could feel himself on the edge of burn out, too). Suddenly, amidst all the motion, stillness seemed like the only right and natural thing to do. The Moon beckoned us toward femininity and honoring the natural cycles of life. Neptune, in a sextile/trine relationship to this lunation suggested we all take a nap and dream. This was a huge relief! And heading into the week, I took heed of this suggestion. Sleep, in fact, has been my preoccupying pain-relieving narcotic of choice. And the dreams have been very telling.

There’s nothing simple or direct about this lunation. As astrologers, trying to make sense of upcoming trends – getting out of our own minds (to give it a hopeful spin), by and large, is one of the hardest things to do. If the transit doesn’t kill you, the anticipation will, right? This week, we all have our limits and we’re certain to feel them. On the one hand, there’s only so far we can stretch to accommodate these very challenging times. On the other hand (ah, Gemini language!), there are necessary structures and limits we might place around this moment in time that will allow us to move forward in a more holistic way -so that no one aspect of our self is left out of the equation. The hyped-up adrenaline of Mars presents challenges and we really do need to avoid burnout. This “act now, think later” competitive spirit has even entered the holiday shopping realm where retailers are competing for the biggest markdowns and are scrambling for dollars. But the question they, and we, might ask is: is this a long-term solution, or a reaction to the stress we’re facing? We might ask, how long can we sustain this pace? Neptune and the Moon nearby suggest allowing the body and instincts to inform your reality and those softer planets offer stress relief. My take-away from the astro-drama and the time leading up to right now has been thus: don’t get sucked into the perpetual meaningless motion. Go slowly. Listen to your body. Take plenty of breaks. Take plenty of deep breaths.

I’ve been re-learning a lot about the earth element lately and the limitations of being in the body, this body. Inevitably, many of you are working with limits in your own ways. Yet daresay I have found a compromise of sorts, in an abbreviated schedule and that just may allow me to do two things at once, each in its own time and way. This has required infinite flexibility on the part of those people around me, and I count my blessings that the Universe is responding to my own flexible career explorations, in kind. You can claim the same for your self. As Mercury joins investigative Pluto in Capricorn also tomorrow, it’s an opportunity to discover long-term, sustainable solutions to split-down-the-middle dilemmas. And, heck if we’re pulled in a million and one directions this lunation – at least we’re learning. For that’s the promise of the Mutables.