Full Moon in Leo — January 27, 2013, 04:38 UT
The Moon was full at 7+ degrees Leo in the early morning of 27 Jan 2013. The chart suggests that in order to serve our community or friends, or the group we identify with, we should adjust our own needs to those of the group. We get the help that we need, or we can aid others. If we follow our conscience, major emotional healing can occur.
The Full Moon is an opposition of the Sun and the Moon. An opposition aspect indicates contradiction, confrontation, and polarity. The Sun represents the ego; the Moon is the indicator of our needs. The sign of Leo is typically associated with pride, ambitiousness and a need for recognition, but also with warm generosity. The ruler of Leo is the Sun, which is now in the opposite sign, Aquarius. The Sun is not so self-centered as usual in Aquarius, where cooperation and group effort thrive.
In conjunction with the Moon in Leo are two asteroids, Circe and Askalaphus. The main-belt asteroid Circe is named after the Greek minor goddess of magic, who had vast knowledge of drugs and herbs. According to Martha Lang-Wescott, Circe desires to help, and perceives itself as a facilitator. Asteroid Circe has astrological affinities with planet Jupiter. A Jupiter trojan asteroid Askalaphus is named after a mythical person related to Trojan war, but astrologically this asteroid is often associated with matters of health and healing.
The Leo Moon is in quincunx to Chiron in Pisces. Both the aspect and Chiron have associations with the sign of Virgo. A quincunx refers to the need to adjust something that the planets in question represent. In this case the aspect is a departing quincunx, because the faster moving planet, the Moon, is moving towards the opposition to Chiron. A departing quincunx corresponds to Virgo, the modest sign concerned with service. The sign of Virgo is also associated with health, herbs and healing. Chiron has sometimes been proposed as the ruler of Virgo.
Two main-belt asteroids in Aquarius tightly conjunct the Sun are guiding us to the right and the good, namely Nemesis and Conscience. In Greek mythology, Nemesis was the goddess of divine retribution, but originally the word Nemesis meant the distributor of fortune, neither good nor bad, simply in due proportion to each according to what was deserved. According to astrologer Demetra George, asteroid Nemesis symbolizes our conscience.
Asteroid Conscience is named after Hendrik Conscience, a Belgian writer who lived in the 19th century, so the name of the asteroid is not referring to human conscience. Sometimes the names that are given to asteroids work astrologically very well, although they are chosen quite arbitrarily to honor for example historical figures, scientists, family members or geographical places. Out of curiosity, I researched people who have natally their Sun conjunct asteroid Conscience.
Karen Silkwood was a chemical technician, who worked at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site plant making plutonium pellets for nuclear reactor fuel rods. She became labor union activist and discovered numerous violations of health regulations, including exposure of workers to contamination. She died in a suspicious car accident in 1974 just after she had decided to go public with her evidence, and arranged a meeting with a journalist, who was interested in her story. No doubt Karen Silkwood’s decisions were guided by her conscience. In her birth chart asteroid Conscience is exactly conjunct her Sun. The position of her natal asteroid Nemesis at 7+ degrees Gemini is also the discovery degree of asteroid Nemesis.
Another Conscience incarnation is Dave Matthews, the South-African born musician and singer-songwriter, who moved to New York in 1986 to avoid service in the South African military. He is a pacifist. Matthew’s strong social conscience is evident in his lyrics and also in his personal life. He has also Mercury conjunct the strict Sun-Conscience conjunction in Capricorn.
Through the film Schindler’s List by Steven Spielberg many of us know the story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist, who saved over 1,200 Jews from death in the gas chambers during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. Oskar Schindler has a triple-conjunction of Venus, Pluto and Conscience in Gemini. His asteroid Nemesis in Pisces is sextile to his Sun and trine to his North node.
Mohammad Ali, the former heavyweight championship boxer, was born with asteroid Nemesis near his Leo ascendant, opposite his Moon, conjunct Chiron, and sextile to his Jupiter. His asteroid Conscience is at the Galactic Center. Ali converted to Islam in 1964, and refused to take part in the Vietnam War. As a result, his boxing license was suspended and his title was stripped him of. He was not able to box in any state for over three years. Ali has said: “No, I am not going 10,000 miles to help murder, kill, and burn other people to simply help continue the domination of white slave masters over dark people the world over. This is the day and age when such evil injustice must come to an end.”
Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela and Veikko Hursti have natal asteroid Nemesis in close conjunction with their Venus. Suu Kyi and Mandela are well known for their exceptional leadership in the fight to promote human rights and human conscience. Suu Kyi’s asteroid Conscience in Scorpio is opposed by her Venus-Nemesis conjunction in Taurus. Mandela’s Venus-Nemesis conjunction in Gemini is on his South lunar node, opposite the Galactic Center.
Veikko Hursti was a well-known Finnish social activist, who over 40 years helped poor, homeless and those who suffered from hunger. After a spiritual awakening he devoted his life to charitable work. Hursti’s Venus-Nemesis conjunction in Libra is opposing his Ceres in Aries and squaring his asteroid Conscience in Capricorn.