Now that Mars is in Taurus, we are waiting on the Moon. After the waxing Moon moves from Leo to Virgo later today, the celestial chemistry will be pretty much set for the Full Moon on Sunday. How this upcoming opposition of the Sun and Moon manifests for you will depend upon your personal astrology. However, there is one complex yet dominant motif implicit in the symphonic score.

As noted by Amanda’s feature article in the Planet Waves subscribers weekly edition yesterday, one alignment stands out in the Full Moon chart. The featured aspect is called a quincunx. It’s a separation of 150 degrees on the zodiac wheel (or, as Amanda put it: “one sign off from an opposition”).

The prominent quincunx for Sunday’s Full Moon consists of the Virgo Moon in precise aspect to the era-defining conjunction of Uranus and Eris in Aries. But wait, there’s more; wherever you find a quincunx aspect, there is the distinct possibility that another, more complex ‘combined aspect’ is lurking in the cosmic woodpile: a yod.

An ordinary yod consists of three points. First, there must be a sextile (a separation of 60 degrees between two planets). Then, on the other side of the sky, precisely in quincunx aspect to both constituents of the sextile, there must be third object. If you connect the three objects by lines through the middle of the zodiac circle, the yod looks like the letter “Y” in upper case.

Occasionally, an even more complicated yod shows up with a fourth object precisely between the planets in sextile (which is therefore in precise opposition to the planet on the other side). The result is sometimes called a “boomerang yod,” and the connecting lines look like a peace symbol. Sure enough, the upcoming Full Moon will be distinguished by a four-point yod, which will be precise to the degree.

The sextile in question consists of Uranus and Eris sharing the same degree of Aries, and an asteroid called 5143 Heracles, 60 degrees away in Aquarius. Splitting the difference will be the Pisces Sun in exact opposition to the Virgo Full Moon.

You might say the luminaries (Sun and Moon) are the alpha pair of astrology. For its own part, the most straightforward correlation for the astrological Sun is the sort of conscious awareness necessary to make your way about in the external world. The Moon’s interpretation, in turn, includes the less-than-conscious awareness you employ when making your way through your inner world (such as when asleep and dreaming).

Hence, every Full Moon features an implicitly intense relationship between your two most prominent states of consciousness (as symbolized by the luminaries facing off against each other from opposite sides of the sky, with you in between). That’s a big part of the reason Full Moons feel like they do.

Astrology’s role for asteroids is often to fill in the detail sketched out by the luminaries and sign-ruling planets. The astrological interpretation of asteroids is thus highly contextual. Part of that context tends to include a serendipitous correspondence to the asteroid’s name.

Asteroid 5143 is named after one of the most famous characters in ancient mythology: Heracles (or Hercules if your are more of the Roman, rather than Greek, persuasion). By all accounts, he had a complex, compelling and sometimes troubling personality. Nonetheless, you must give Heracles credit for his legendary labors, for which he was often stiffed when it came to receiving his promised compensation.

Implicit as a big part of the big picture for Sunday’s Full Moon is thus a complicated (but nonetheless graspable) scenario. The most salient defining elements of our era are part of the motif, as are the complementary sides of your consciousness.

Filling in the detail are your labors, your motivation for performing them, and what you actually receive in exchange. Keep all of that in mind as you make your way through the weekend, and you could very well find yourself to be a more important detail than you ever gave yourself credit for.

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