Although the Leo Full Moon was exact early this morning (Sunday), it’s still resonating. Key aspects in the Full Moon chart involving Venus continue to be in force and have yet to complete themselves. They color the beginning of a workweek that might feel increasingly scattered or disorienting as Mercury prepares to station retrograde in seven days.

Ice-encapsulated magnolia bud; photo by Amanda Painter.

First, though, you may wish to check in with yourself. What has readjusted itself, peaked, or come into awareness in the last 24 hours? What still feels like it’s building or has not found its resolution yet? What did you learn about your social and/or sexual relationships this weekend?

Venus is currently in early Aries, having arrived there on Friday. It’s conjunct the centaur planet Chiron and a very slow-moving planet called Salacia. This trio is, in turn, squaring the centaur Pholus and slow-mover Quaoar in Capricorn (exact Monday through Tuesday).

Venus-Chiron-Salacia on its own, especially in Aries, describes some deep and saucy sexual energy coming into focus. On one level, think of it as an opportunity to explore some of your more highly charged erotic energy with some assertiveness.

Yet Chiron also deals with the awareness and healing of old wounds. And sexuality tends to be a source of (and repository for) emotional pain for a great many people, whether subtly or overtly.

Culturally, we live with a lot of supposed “rules” about what is correct and what is inappropriate. Some seem obvious (for example, don’t use sex as a weapon toward anyone) yet still cause confusion; others are more nuanced — and cause even greater confusion (what does it really mean to own your desire, in a world where expressing it might offend or scare someone?).

One of the things Pholus and Quaoar bring to the conversation is the influence of family patterns on your sexuality. Another is the question of the way small things can have long-reaching effects. An example: a comment from a parent in childhood that manages to sow a seed of guilt or shame about your sexuality.

On these themes, Eric noted in the Daily Astrology for today that “Where personal evolution is involved, that is something that must come entirely from inside of you. You must explore and set your boundaries. You decide who you are — nobody else can do that.”

Photo by Amanda Painter.

He adds, “No matter who you are, no matter how old you are, no matter who you love or how you love them, your primary task is to make peace with yourself. This allows something else — the freedom to explore your relationships and your feelings, on your own terms.”

It’s worth noting that late on Tuesday, the Moon enters Libra. This means the Moon will be activating the whole Venus-Chiron-Salacia-Pholus-Quaoar configuration in a way that may emphasize another layer of emotions. Perhaps notice what still feels out of balance within you, regarding the themes mentioned.

What would it feel like to bring it into equilibrium? Not according to “society’s standards” — or those of a parent or partner, either. Rather, what might bring you into greater alignment with yourself? Remember that the sensation will be one of greater inner spaciousness, not less. It might feel daring or a little scary to claim it.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Mars will join the thinning Capricorn stellium on Sunday, Feb. 16 (the same day Mercury stations retrograde). This is the “let’s get going!” impulse of Mars in Saturn’s domain of “let’s do the work.”

We’ll have more about that when we get there. In the meantime, Mars is in a conjunction to the Galactic Center in late Sagittarius, exact on Wednesday.

While Mars in Sagittarius can be a bit breezy and scattered and more interested in “freedom” than in focusing its energy, merging with the Galactic Center (GC) puts an unusual spin on things. Astrologically, the GC represents our “cosmic homing signal.” So what might it mean to channel your physical energy, ambition, desire or even your frustration and anger into the service of something greater than yourself?

The GC is far away. It’s impossible for us to see directly. It’s too large for us to really comprehend. And yet it seems to serve as a point of orientation for some of our highest ideals, for our faith, and for the mysteries of existence that keep calling us forward.

The planets this week are describing a path of inner sexual exploration and reconciliation, as well as the motivation to act in service of spiritual ideals. You might be surprised how well those pursuits feed each other, if you keep the lines of dialogue open within you.