I See The Moon, The Moon Sees Me

by Maria Theresa Maggi on August 30, 2020

"Early Morning Moon Over A Rooftop," chalk pastel memory sketch by Maria Theresa Maggi

“Early Morning Moon Over A Rooftop,” chalk pastel memory sketch by Maria Theresa Maggi

Pisces Moon Preface

A long time ago back in Moscow Idaho, a low frequency community radio station with a left leaning bent was born. Many people of my community tribe were to be involved as volunteer deejays and I was excited at the prospect. When the station finally went on air there was a reception at its headquarters downtown, just a few blocks from where I lived. I set out that evening, walking stick in hand to help me get there, to find the party and see what this new thing was all about.

In a town I’d lived in for at least ten years, I got absolutely lost. I thought I knew where the headquarters must be, but could not find it. This was in the days of landlines and answering machines, so there were no cell phones and no texting. Determined, I’m pretty sure I walked back home and called someone to admit I couldn’t find it and ask, ‘where the hell is the station and the party for KRFP?”

I did eventually find it, directly up a main street from where I live. It was easy to see some community members milling around on the sidewalk–(how had I missed that??!), and I laughed with them that I had actually been lost. When I turned to go “up” to where the reception was located in a grand old building now dedicated to shops on the first floor and offices above it, I realized I was looking at a huge staircase that went up to three flights.

Climbing stairs while living with MS and mild CP has never been easy for me. (See my post “In The Room” for how I got carried up the stairs to see my son’s sixth grade classroom during open house.) But a friend went with me slowly and helped me up, and somehow, before I ate plant-based and things changed for the better in this regard for me, I made it up those stairs to the party. (Afterwards I laughed to myself that I felt like ancient Amarante Cordova in the film version of The Milagro Beanfield War, who brings about the miracle and is himself one, “hurrying” with his walking stick into the sunset to get to the party at the bean field, all the while arguing with the Angel of Fate who visits him throughout the story.)

Once at the top, I sank into a chair someone found me, and stayed there until I left. Friends came up, excited to see I had made it there, and I found myself telling every one of them that I’d like to do an astrology spot on the radio about the new and full moon. As I heard myself saying this, I realized that was why I had tried so hard to get there; I wanted to know if such a thing was possible. Many of the people I visited with that night had come to me for chart readings and they all cheered the idea. I went home heady with a vision.

I hadn’t, however, talked to the station manager or the little lefty boy’s club running most of the equipment. When one of my close friends who was active in the station and starting her own show broached the subject with the manager, he said it was considered religious programming and worried that the station might get sued for “predictions” did not come true.

This made both my friend and I laugh. But our laughter alone didn’t change the station manager’s mind at first. He sent a representative from his boy’s operating club, someone I had a good rapport with, to explain their concerns to me over the phone. None of these particular men-boys seemed to be aware of my approach as an astrologer, which is meant to show people the spectrum of possibility their chart describes, which they activate with their own creative free will. I would later get a chance to say in an interview that I viewed the nature of reality as metaphorical, and as such the system of astrology worked for me a lot like the logic of a good poem: it’s a both/and kind of proposition, not either/or.

So my “show” started out with me sitting at my Macbook getting a lesson from my college age son about how to make a movie with only sound in imovie. (He totally loved my foray into radio and called me “The Madge” as my stage name.) I learned how to export it onto a disk and then I’d walk the disc down to the station’s mailbox at the bottom of those 3 flights of stairs, and that disk would be given to a few volunteer deejays who had agreed to play my eight minute spot during their shows. It was up to me to approach the deejays and ask. I’m still friends with someone who was in college at the time and said yes and later gave me background music. My son found me a headset I no longer have so I could record my voice without our golden retriever’s toenails clicking across the hardwood floor in the background as I read my script. If you’d like to go back in time and read some of those scripts you can still find them here.

Eventually, the board (which now had a couple of women on it) finally voted to give me my own spot, which came on before the noon news a few times every couple of weeks for the new and full moon. I also sent it out in email to a list of clients and friends who didn’t have access to the radio station. Later I would learn how to upload it to Radio for All where other small radio stations could pick it up and I sometimes got emails of appreciation from as far away as New York City and even India.

It’s been years since I wrote a StarGardenMoonWatch. But a couple of weeks ago as the new moon in Virgo approached, instead of watching another astrologer’s video on youtube about the dynamics at play, an intuitive nudge held me back from that, and made me curious to try my hand at a version of what I used to do. I promised myself I’d look at hers only after I finished mine. I actually enjoyed doing it, and the friends and clients I shared it with on social media gave it a welcoming reception. Since the new moon sets off what comes to fruition at the full moon, I felt compelled to complete the cycle.

I’d not thought ever to write much about astrology on the blog, let alone to write another version of StarGarden MoonWatch and share it here, but these are extraordinary times. I’ve always loved the moon from the time I was a little girl and my Mom would recite this little poem to me at bedtime:

“I see the moon, and the moon sees me.
God bless the moon, and god bless me.”

I loved the reciprocity of that sentiment. I still do. In that spirit, I share my thoughts on the Pisces full moon coming up on Tuesday September 1, with horoscopes for each of the sun signs. If you’re not into horoscopes, this might be as far as you want to read. Then again, as a friend from Moscow commented just last night, “I admit I am an astrological atheist, still I found this very inspiring. Thank you.” So you never know.

HOROSCOPES FOR PISCES FULL MOON, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Welcome to My Moon Musings

formerly known as StarGarden MoonWatch

by Maria Theresa Maggi

(This Pisces post is dedicated to the memory of Chadwick Boseman, who made so many dreams come true.)

When we got down on the beach this morning around 7:30, I noticed right away the exposed tops of rock formations I like to call “the dragons” were, for all practical purposes, completely covered up. As we walked north over this expanse of newly delivered sand from Mother Pacifica, I had the distinct feeling of being in a liminal place, one that in several hours might again be mostly under water, or one that could easily emerge with the sand pulled back yet again to expose those sleeping rock dragons. But at that moment, the ocean had pounded the sand I walked on hard, and it made a smooth, if temporary expanse of beautiful space for my dog Cotton to run in, and for me to look out on the vast ocean beyond it.

The ocean and the coast are definitely the domain of Pisces, most liminal of signs.

Pisces is the last of the water signs and the last sign of the zodiac itself. Astrologers have referred to it alternately as the “dust bin” and/or “the treasure chest” of the zodiac, highlighting the paradox of its inclusive, non-selective yet invaluable nature. Pisces and its partner planet Neptune work in tandem to dissolve boundaries, to mask or hide what’s either valuable or painful, and to bring us to that place where all is connected without words. Pisces brings us not romantic love, but a kind of universal compassion that can bring us to our knees with its beauty and its sorrow. It is the domain of all places and experiences on earth where we seek to or are compelled by necessity to be removed from the work-a-day world: retreat centers, cloisters, monasteries, prisons, hospitals, remote places where water dominates, the rapture of being engulfed in music, the entrancing mystery of seeing a photograph emerge from a chemical solution, the lure of film and media images, and the dangers of escaping and perhaps getting lost in the throes of alchohol or drug addiction. It favors images that are illusory or that can delude—it works against logic and order that can be controlled. Its energy is more like that of the cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland—it appears and disappears with a momentum beyond our ego and its desires.

The symbol of Pisces is the two fish, one following the current downstream, the other fighting against it to get where it’s being compelled to go for a greater good.

As I walked in that liminal space this morning, I was reminded of the beauty of Pisces revelatory messages. They emerge from great mystery and power, and they are all around us, inciting compassion and empathy if we learn to feel them and take notice. A revelation is temporary, even fleeting; but it leaves us changed as we struggle to integrate it or apply its lessons practically.

Each of us has Pisces somewhere in our charts. This full moon, we will feel the pull to trust the emergence of connection without words, clarity beyond fear, and the embrace of the infinite opening up in a moment. When I look out at the ocean’s horizon where I live, the horizon is so expansive on all sides and the sky so huge I can literally see the curve of the earth. It brings me back to what my beloved childhood art teacher used to call “full circle.” Pisces may be the last sign, but it is most importantly the place in the circle where the end melts into another beginning; it teaches us to trust the circular cycle continues, and it helps us believe in cycles beyond what we can understand. It is a space of faith, belief and adoration of mystery where, as Jesus taught us, “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”

Here are some suggestions for the sun signs about how to trust the gift of a Pisces revelation this full moon.

ARIES: You may have been working hard to “figure things out” so you will know what to say to coworkers or itching to find a way to take action against things that are wrong. Let the Pisces full moon show you that sometimes the way forward in action does not come in words or a plan, but from a belief inside to trust and draw strength from.

TAURUS: Your focus on helping children or fostering creativity may get a boost or an inspiration from a vision of the future fostered by a group or friends or allies you work with. It’s even bigger than you could have imagined. Music may be part of the goal of recovery and restoration of lost dreams.

GEMINI: You may be focusing on health or everyday habit issues at home or in caring for female members of your family. Perhaps an institution or power structure you were not aware of reveals itself to be useful, or one that has blocked your needs starts to dissolve away.

CANCER: You may have been dealing with a lot of power moves in contractual partnerships that tend to wear you down. You are given an opportunity to see the bigger picture—either by getting away for a while to a watery place, or immersing yourself in tiny tasks at hand that lead to a generous perspective. You may feel protected by the spirits of your ancestors or grandparents.

LEO: You may worry your work has not been valued or that you have not done enough. It’s possible someone or something providing unexpected encouragement or help comes down to you through others. You didn’t see this coming, and it can change how you see yourself. You may feel part of a powerful or loving legacy.

VIRGO: You want to start fresh but are critical of yourself about what the best way forward might be. This full moon gives you an opportunity to receive and accept compassion from a partner. He or she is on your side in ways you may not have known and needed to hear. This “partner” can also be an aspect of your past self.

LIBRA: This full moon may see you taking some much needed rest or respite from a grueling routine that may be starting to affect your health. Or it could be a time when certain routines get washed away and others that serve you better start to take shape allowing you to move closer to achieving a dream come true.

SCORPIO: You want to give your all for a child or a lover you care about. Or maybe you are finally seeing a creative dream come true. It’s important to make a plan that serves everyone involved to make sure the future of your vision is sustainable. Think beyond the moment and put others before yourself.

SAGITTARIUS: Perhaps your mother or another female relative or maybe even wisdom from your birthplace provides you with a belief in yourself rooted in the past that is useful in your career or in working to serve others in large institutional settings. This full moon will also be a time when your home is your safe haven.

CAPRICORN: Showing kindness to a sick or distressed neighbor or sibling may feel automatic at this time, though you may have to do so within larger constraints. The key is the compassion—it can heal from afar or through the most humble or temporary gestures. Taking a break to listen to music or meditate works wonders.

AQUARIUS: You may want to be generous with your own resources to help a group seeking refuge or shelter. Doing something practical in the face of a huge problem helps bring it into focus and connects you with others who care. If you have to make a sacrifice, you’ll be supported knowing you are living true to your values.

PISCES: You may want to take action based on a dream; it may be hard to know where to start, but each little step opens up more trust and more patience with the process. A partner could help articulate practical details. Believe in your vision enough to act on it. Let your compassionate vision be seen and magic can happen.

The Piscean ability to crisscross the boundaries of space and time gives it a strong affinity with the past. Though signs and revelations and powerful loving connections from the past may come to fruition at this time, beware of any pull to restore or relive the past. While the past may speak to us in ways that enhance our healing and give us strength to go on, it’s important not to fall into the illusion it can be recreated, as many fanatical and extremist groups wrongfully claim. As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote of Gatsy’s tragic bid to restore an unavailable past in the last sentence of The Great Gatsy, “He did not know it was already behind him.” Our time to swim upstream against such dangerous and deadly illusions is now. Let the Pisces moon strengthen your compassionate resolve to do so in the name of those of us who have been persecuted. It’s time to shine our light, shed some light, and keep it light!

Maria (moonwatcher)

 

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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

1 DONNA BETTS August 31, 2020 at 10:09 am

Speaking for myself – I welcome your incites inspired by the position of the planets. There is no doubt we are in a critical transition – I hope reason and inspiration will prevail. I believe it will. I hope you will continue to feel free in your expression. I feel blessed that somehow I found your website and I always look forward to your offerings. Thank you for sharing —

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2 Maria Theresa Maggi August 31, 2020 at 7:46 pm

Thank you for these kind words of gratitude and hope, Donna. Much much appreciated!

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3 Marge Evans August 31, 2020 at 11:13 am

I enjoyed this very much. thank you

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4 Maria Theresa Maggi August 31, 2020 at 7:46 pm

You are most welcome, Marge! Thanks always for your faithful readership. <3

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5 Denee August 31, 2020 at 4:36 pm

Thank you. I am not an astrologer but I know that we are in a very, very interesting time astrologically right now. We appreciated your sharing.

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6 Maria Theresa Maggi August 31, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Thanks so much, Denee! My pleasure. 🙂

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