Full Moon in Pisces: Trust the Process

Tonight’s full moon in Pisces illuminates change and forces us to examine our relationship to impermanence.

Pisces is what is known as a mutable sign; it comes at a change of season. And as the last sign in the zodiac, it heralds a transitional moment as we end one cycle and begin another.

A full moon in Pisces means the moon is 180-degrees opposite the sun, which is in Virgo. Virgo is also a mutable sign. It falls between summer and autumn.

At this time of year, the changes in nature are highlighted. Trees take on a spectrum of colors before their leaves carpet lawns. We see the change taking place.

This is the time of year in the northern hemisphere where the weather can be highly variable and unpredictable. In the Northeast, we can see 20–30 degree temperature ranges within a day. We feel the changes.

The seasonal harvest brings us both late summer fruits and early autumn gourds. We taste the changes.

Highlighting Contrasts

Full moons are a study in contrast. They are both moments of culmination, when things come to fruition, as well as moment of release.

At this full moon the fullness of the harvest is contrasted with the signals of death and decay. Days are getting shorter. Leaves fall off the trees.

At the point in the year when we might be tempted to take on more in order to reach our goals, the days are getting noticeably shorter, a signal that we should be doing less.

Sukkot: Sitting in Impermanence

This full moon also initiates the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot puts us right into the mix of this impermanence.

Unlike most Jewish holidays, which center around the synagogue or the home, Sukkot puts us squarely in nature. Sitting in flimsy huts with open roofs, exposed to the elements, we can’t help but attune to the impermanence of life.

We see nature changing around us. We are keenly aware that a strong wind or rain can demolish our shelter.

The recognition of impermanence is often a source of our suffering. In the West, we have a culturally socialized fear or death and decay. Consider, as one example, how much money is spent developing, advertising, and purchasing products to help us look and feel younger.

Tonight’s full moon and the season it initiates offers us a different antidote to the suffering of impermanence:

Embrace and Trust.

Impermanence is the law of life. The invitation of this moon is to embrace this impermanence and trust the process.

Die to Grow

The adage “grow or die,” popular in personal development circles, is mistaken. This is not a binary situation where we must follow one path or the other.

We need only look to nature to see that death is essential to growth.

Rather than thinking about “grow or die,” we can consider that everything in nature must die to grow.

Trust that the clearing out will create space for what is destined to emerge.