“If you want to see something new, walk the same path every day.”
I’m not sure if the interweb’s Chinese attribution for this saying is correct, but it keeps playing in my mind, mainly because I frequent the same paths on my walks. And I rarely fail to see something new — whether it’s surreal colors in the sky, the light shining through branches onto a certain leaf, or evidence of our wild animal neighbors.
This morning: bunny tracks! Like, lots and LOTS of bunny tracks.
Last week it was deer paths in the deep snow. But this morning’s extra couple of fluffy inches on top of the deeper crust of snow let the bunny tracks show perfectly while the deer tracks were indistinct.
The signs of bunnies frolicking and foraging also felt apropos of where we are in the season: halfway between the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice and spring equinox, marked by the ancient Pagan holiday of Imbolc. The Sun reaches the exact midpoint of Aquarius on Friday, Feb. 3.
We can finally notice a real increase in daylight hours (yay!). Yet make no mistake: we are still very much “in the belly” of winter. (“Imbolc” is usually translated to “in the belly,” a reference to ewes pregnant with the lambs that emerge with springtime’s promise.) This weekend’s predicted frigid temps here in Maine underscore winter’s solid grip, despite how mild it’s been relative to past years.
It’s that “solid grip” that speaks so strongly to this weekend’s Full Moon (exact on Sunday at 1:28 pm EST), coinciding with Imbolc: the Moon in mid-Leo opposite the Aquarius Sun, both square Uranus in Taurus. Those are three “fixed signs,” which come in the middle of a season, carrying its full character. Fixed signs are known for their tendency to crystallize, solidify, and resist budging.
Yet Aquarius is a curious fixed sign: as much as it may crystallize ideas or social structures, it’s also associated with rupturing those ideas and structures to make space for the next iteration of form, innovation, or liberation. These themes come to us via the two rulers of Aquarius: Saturn (traditional) solidifies, while Uranus (modern) disrupts.
Leo, where the Moon is, can describe pride and ego just as easily as courage and compassion.
You might keep this in mind as you make your way toward Sunday. Are you in any situations that feel like they’re getting intense, coming to a head, or stuck? This could be a one-on-one relationship, or it might describe your stance in relation to a group or community.
Is pride or ego a newfound strength for you, or is it a default setting? Does compassion (for yourself or for others) feel like a courageous, unique choice? Are boundaries, hierarchy, or leadership in question, in flux, or seemingly in the way?
What seems to be rigid? If you feel an urge to do something differently, where is it coming from?
Astrologically, that urge is described by Uranus in Taurus (possibly the most “fixed” sign of them all), which is very closely square this Full Moon. Uranus has been working over, waking up, and shaking up Taurus for a few years now, and it’s not done.
Yet, as stubborn as Taurus can be, it’s also a creative sign, ruled by Venus. It speaks to the importance of recognizing that we are inherently creative beings because we are in a physical body; that creating is a physical, emotional and sensual act; and that the more willing we are to own that process, the easier it can be to see the ways our environment, habits, and relationships are — or are not — supporting our creativity.
When we recognize a lack of harmony in those aspects of life, and hold them as valuable, it’s easier to make changes to them. (“Change” being a word that often strikes terror and entrenchment into the hearts of Taureans.)
Uranus in the Full Moon chart describes some inner tension in relation to any interpersonal dance or confrontation in the air. But it’s the kind of tension designed to help you notice what’s not supporting creative solutions, thereby empowering you to choose differently.
This might mean noticing how your inner child is feeling unheard so that you can articulate yourself in ways that are not reactive. It could mean devising new systems or structures so a group can function in better harmony. Maybe it’s playing with art supplies or moving your body in a new way, or rearranging your furniture, or figuring out how to make your tech work better for you rather than against you to decrease a layer of frustration. The idea is to take action in a way that channels the need to “break away” and makes you feel better, so you’re not bringing a loaded cannon to a conversation.
Incidentally, this also relates to Venus in Pisces square Mars in Gemini, in effect now through the Full Moon. These planets are both known for their focus on sex and relationships (in part), and they’re in signs known for flexibility. Feel free to add sex — having it, talking about it, making art about it — to the list of ways to blow off steam and break from routine.
Which, strangely enough, brings me back to those bunnies making tracks in the snow. 😉
As much as walking the same path each day can show us something new, it’s just as important to walk (or run, or ski) a new path if we’re seeking a new destination — aka a different result. Apropos of the Leo-Aquarius axis, another famous saying, from an African culture, comes to mind: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
How can we walk **together** on our respective journeys of self-innovation and becoming? Is that, ultimately, how communities evolve in the face of too many societal and global pressures to name — pressures that would keep us separated, polarized, and in competition rather than cooperation?
With love,
Amanda
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