By Amanda Painter

The Sun enters Sagittarius today at 4:01 am EST (9:01:23 UTC) to begin the last month of the current season. Less than 24 hours later, we get a Full Moon in Gemini (the Moon opposite the Sun, exact at 12:39 am EST / 5:39:06 UTC). On the one hand, the Full Moon could amplify any Thanksgiving tensions (or other social polarities, if that’s not your holiday); on the other hand, given the mutable signs involved, you may find that conflicts are easier to breeze over, chat your way through, or bend around.

The 2015 Gemini Full Moon; photo by Amanda Painter

Part of what will spell the difference is your own personal emotional history and the social circumstances (especially familial) that you find yourself in today and through the weekend. If you’re gathering with people who don’t tend to push your buttons, or if you’ve done a lot of therapy and healing work around those buttons, the sociability of the planets currently in Sagittarius (the Sun, Jupiter and retrograde Mercury) may be more dominant or easier to tap into.

If you know you’ll be in a situation between now and Sunday where it’s possible old wounds might be metaphorically uncovered or picked at, it could be helpful to make a self-care strategy before you get there. Identify early the spaces (indoors or outdoors) where you can escape briefly to collect yourself. It might be useful to get in touch beforehand with either someone who’ll be at the gathering who is an ‘ally’, or someone elsewhere who’ll be able to respond to texts, and let them know you might call on them for a little grounding or venting.

Of course, if you decide instead to do your own thing — or if you get to choose who’s invited to the gathering, with no sense of obligation to invite those who cause you difficulty — this shouldn’t be as much of an issue. (Though you might want to investigate sometime the relationship between your sense of obligation to your family and your sense of commitment to your own healing process and wellbeing.)

The aspect in question in the Gemini Full Moon chart is a conjunction between Mars and Nessus in Pisces (exact Sunday). Mars and Nessus are currently square the Sun and Jupiter in Sagittarius, and will be square the Moon as it moves through Gemini today.

Even if you’re on your own today or this weekend, issues of wounding and betrayal could get triggered. It might not be as ‘in your face’, but it still bears a reminder not to let it take over. Thinking in terms of moving through it may be the more helpful way to harness Mars’ need to do something, rather than reacting to it.

Beyond that, the conjunction between the Sun and Jupiter could enhance or expand your sense of presence in the world (or at least, in your personal corner of it). Yet, with the Moon Full, you may need to keep distinguishing between ‘me’ and ‘them’ or ‘subjective’ and ‘objective’, or between ‘private’ and ‘public’ or ‘conscious’ and ‘unconscious’. In other words, notice when you’re projecting onto another, or when someone might be projecting their stuff onto you.

The other thing that caught my eye in the Full Moon chart is a square between Venus in Libra and Vesta in Capricorn. This could indicate feeling at odds with yourself over what’s truly fair or pleasing now versus devotion to a long-established tradition. Have you ever felt sacrificed on the altar of But This Is How We’ve Always Done It?

Well, squares are about action and integration, and cardinal signs (Libra and Cap are two) are about initiative. Can you take the lead in finding some wiggle room and compromise via the mutable sign energy, if you find yourself feeling the Venus-Vesta dynamic? Start with what’s central — the literal or metaphorical hearth, be it your actual stove, the warmth of loved ones, or your gratitude — and work outward from there.

Finally, bear in mind that Mercury is indeed retrograde (and that Sadge tends to shoot from the hip without thinking first). Stay in touch with the flexibility these mutable signs offer if miscommunication, missed instructions or a missed turn enter into the picture.

A detour on the way to dinner makes you late? An incorrectly thawed turkey means you’re getting takeout? Roll with it; chances are there’s still much you can find to be grateful for. And if you’re unexpectedly alone or feel lonely, remember, you have options; such as reaching out to let others know your situation (it’s nothing to be ashamed of), finding ways to help someone else, or even finding peace in the solitude. There’s more to this season than retail hype; and I guarantee you have plenty of what matters most inside you.

P.S. This excellent article crossed my path yesterday. If you have friends who are estranged from their families (or if you need to help your friends navigate your own estrangement from family), you may wish to give it a read and share it.

As we go deeper into this most unusual and challenging phase of history, intelligence is the thing we need the most. That is the theme of the 2019-2020 annual edition of Planet Waves, now available for pre-order. See more information here.