The last full moon of summer

Here we are approaching the final days of summer, as the golden light of Virgo season exhales over fleeting afternoons and wilting wildflowers. The last month of the season is full of honeyed sweetness, abundant harvests, endings and beginnings. The Wheel of the Year is turning. The sun isn’t climbing as high in the sky, and these golden days will eventually give way to crisp autumn nights.

Every zodiac sign from Aries to Virgo is about self; when we enter Libra season and the equinox, we turn to the other. We see ourselves as part of a greater whole. When winter comes, we can’t do it alone. But before we sign the contracts and commit to worldly plans, we have to figure out our own stuff. That’s where Virgo comes in. Maybe you’ve identified things that simply can’t continue. Maybe you’ve created new and healthy routines. Maybe you’ve taken the time to prepare, declutter, detoxify, assess, and research new interests. Maybe you’ve made time for the sweetness of the present moment, for the cyclical beauty of the seasons, for reconnecting with your support system.

And then the Pisces full moon enters, and suddenly we’re swept into an ocean of memories, dreams, and possibilities. Pisces brings endings — it is the last sign on the Wheel of the Year — and it creates waves in the realm of emotion. It’s a momentary glimpse away from the SHOULDS and into the WANTS. I said before, when winter comes, we can’t do it alone. We will also struggle if we deny our emotions and desires in the process. As we begin our descent into the dark — gathering our belongings, solidifying our plans, making those final healing adjustments — we’ll also want to pack our dreams for the journey. Because what is life without imagination, pleasure, desire, and feeling? Where will we get the life force energy to make it through the coming months without the fuel of passion to light the flames?

It’s no coincidence that autumn brings the colors of fire: the reds, oranges, and yellows bringing us back to our lower chakras, to the body — to vitality, health, movement, strength. I call this last full moon of summer the Moon of Attunement, because we have the capacity, like a tuning fork, to bring it all back into balance and create the conditions for physical, emotional, and energetic alignment. This full moon IS an eclipse, so the endings and beginnings may be more unexpected, more acute. If you’ve been debating about something, going back and forth on a decision or movement or change, then let this moon bring some finality to the situation. Let the uncertainty be a thing of the past.