The Truth Behind the Full Moon

Every full moon…

The most common question I am asked about the moon is “when is it full” or “is it full yet?” Most often the night before the true full moon is when most people believe it is full, partly because when it is rising the curve of the earth and the light of the sunset illuminate the edges of the moon still shadowed by the earth. By the time it reaches its height in the night sky it’s much easier to see that it is not quite full. The photo above was taken the night before the true full moon (PDphoto.org, 7/22/2002). This is the quincunx moon, the moon at a 150 degree angle to the sun.

The quincunx is an astrological aspect of dynamic energy and potential, characterized by mild crisis, or an emergency of action that is often associated with the events surrounding the full moon; quite literally, accidents, arguments, breakdowns and eruptions. A case in point the most destructive quake to hit Chile to date; on February 27th 2010 at 3:34 am, when the moon and mars were in quincunx (150 degrees) to the sun. Of course not every quincunx moon shapes into a hurricane or earthquake, this particular quincunx moon, conjunct with mars, happened to be aspecting a group of planets clustered around the sun adding impact to the tension.

For those who wish to peer deeper into this phenomenon and how it might play out in your life, think of the cycle of the moon to the sun as just that, a cycle from seed to blossom. The new moon is the seed germinating silently, unnoticed. The full moon is the bloom, the fruit when all that happened between the seed and the flower comes to culmination. The "quincunx" would be those critical days right before the flower bursts into bloom, the petals crimped tight within the bud. So often the conflict and crisis that emerges in the days before the full moon are the misdirected fears of remaining tight within the bud or bursting open. This is what so often happens in the days leading up to a marriage ceremony, if it's planned for the full moon, as many are, intentionally or otherwise. The breakdowns in the days preceding are just that, the emotional letting go of the protective capsule.

The "quincunx" is the final stage in the waxing lunation cycle and can be associated by the last phase of clearing out old unwanted thoughts and attitudes; shedding the capsule that both protected and contained the petals. How you do this is entirely up to you.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. -Anais Nin