Full Moon In Gemini Occulting Mars Retrograde

We are having a Full Moon in Gemini on December 7th/8th. It will appear the fullest on the night of the 7th for most of the world, and on the night of the 8th in the countries further east. This is the peak of the lunar cycle that began with a New Moon in Sagittarius on November 23rd/24th.

The energies of a Full Moon builds up as the Moon increases its light. It is strongest during this lunar climax as well as in the days before and after. However, it will still be a part of the backdrop over the following two weeks. Full Moons are a period in which we feel a push-pull between two opposing signs, in this case being the Moon in Gemini and Sun in Sagittarius. It generally reflects a conflict between the energies of both signs, but can also play out as an integration between them.

We can feel this opposition happening individually within us and/or we can also experience it play out around us with some people (or circumstances) expressing the Sagittarius side and others expressing the Gemini side. In some cases, Full Moons can also reflect/trigger some sort of release or change.

Full Moon In Gemini Aligned with Mars Retrograde, Opposing Sun In Sagittarius

We have been in Sagittarius season since November 22nd which will last until December 21st/22nd when the Sun enters Capricorn. This is the sign of beliefs, opinions, judgments, morals, higher perspectives, philosophies, spiritual seeking,  religion, wisdom, and the ‘big picture’. Sagittarius is associated with higher education, travel, foreign countries, international matters, exploration, adventure, and the world at large. It can be optimistic, jovial, idealistic, and enthusiastic. It also correlates with things like teaching, media, publishing, marketing, and sales.

The Full Moon highlights and brings the energies of the opposing sign of Gemini into this Sagittarian backdrop and can manifest as some sort of discord between the themes/expressions of each. The Moon sign can reflect more of our feelings, subjective nature, instincts, and what emotionally drives us. Mars has also been retrograde in Gemini since late October which has also been highlighting its energies.

Gemini is the sign of information, communication, speech, intellect, the mind, knowledge, the news, local environments, neighbors/neighborhood, commuting, siblings/cousins, childhood education, and relationships from our younger years. It is dualistic, duplicit, inquisitive, curious, dexterous, multi-faceted, talkative, and expressive. It is associated with nerves/nervousness as its energy can be high strung. Gemini is also the zodiacal domain of LGBT+ orientations and related ideologies. Gemini is a mutable sign, like Sagittarius, which can be scattered yet adaptable.

This Full Moon will be exactly conjunct Mars which is also at its halfway point of its retrograde that began October 30th/31st and will last until January 12th/13th. During this conjunction it will literally pass in front of Mars, known as an occultation, which is not always the case with conjunctions.

As I covered in a previous article on it, this retrograde (and shadow periods) is contributing to a process in which we are recalibrating how we assert and apply ourselves. In some cases we may also find ourselves revisiting and revising things that were initiated in the past. Much of this will have to do with Gemini themes (mentioned in the above paragraph) but will also affect other areas of our lives depending on how it is configured to one’s natal chart based on the birth time and location.

With this Full Moon occulting Mars at its retrograde halfway point, this is the most significant part of the entire retrograde. Certain things that occur around this Full Moon, the days surrounding it, and to a lesser degree over the following weeks, can reflect a shift that can affect our pursuits, actions, desires, and drives. It may even be connected to things pertaining to aggression, anger, certain types of physical activity, sex, competitiveness, conflicts, fighting, mindset, surgery, as well as how we communicate and speak our mind. It can manifest in a releasing or disrupting way, yet it can also be a time in which we may find things out or have insights and ideas.

Full Moon Trine Saturn and Square Neptune Nearly Stationary

The Moon moves towards a trine with Saturn in Aquarius and a square with Neptune in Pisces following its conjunction with Mars and the peak of the Full Moon. These are aspects that Mars has also made earlier in the retrograde which will conclude when the retrograde is over. It is still a big part of the astrological backdrop and especially now with the Moon involved and triggering it.

Considering the trine with Saturn, our efforts and motivations can be oriented around long term goals, responsibilities, or commitments. Whatever we are thinking about or potentially doing during this period can help shape how we need to proceed after the retrograde concludes.

However, with Neptune in the mix we may also feel confused about how to apply ourselves or around situations we are faced with. Neptune is nearly stationary as it ended its retrograde days before this Full and therefore its energies can be strong. We may have to contend with issues, conflicts, or behavior pertaining to hopelessness, uncertainty, anxiety, weak boundaries, elusiveness, avoidance, guilt, escapism, intoxication, deception, or sacrifice. However this can be good for efforts that involve creativity, imagination, visual media, compassion, spirituality, mysticism, healing, or water.

The Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars are all Out Of Bounds

Three planets and the Moon are ‘Out of Bounds’ at this time which generally isn’t a regular occurrence but does happen  from time to time. A planet is out of bounds when it goes beyond the invisible boundary in the sky in which the Sun travels in, from our vantage point on Earth. This is generally a time when its themes, expressions, and ruled areas can get expressed in unusual, unique, independent, unconventional, explorative, innovative, and even creative ways.

It can reflect going into new territory beyond limits and restrictions. This energy is unrestrained which is great for experimentation, thinking out of the box, doing things we don’t normally do. However, this can also play out in ways that can lead to trouble, sabotage, conflict, or offending others if the lack of restraint is expressed in a negative or hurtful way.

With Mars, this can affect how we assert our energy as well as how we express anger, aggression, sexuality, desires, competitiveness, physical activity, and in how we deal with conflicts. This began in the second half of October and will last until early May.

With Venus, this can affect our relationships, values, love, social life, money, pleasures, aesthetics, beauty, or things pertaining to clothing. For Venus, it began on December 1st and will last on December 23rd/24th.

With Mercury, this can affect how we think, communicate, commute, the knowledge we come across, the conversations we have, and the type of information we are seeking. Mercury went out of bounds on November 23rd/24th and will be like that until December 21st/22nd.

With the Moon, this affects our feelings, domestic life, family matters, our home, personal needs, sense of security, habits, instincts, subjectivity, our diets, and how we express our emotions. This began on November 24 and will remain like that until December 12th. However, this is more common to occur for the Moon yet for shorter durations. It will return to being out of bounds for a brief period between the Solstice and Christmas.

Things To Consider

Is there anything coming up for you in regards to how you need to apply yourself? Do you need to move on from pursuits, activities, conflicts, actions, or approaches that are no longer serving you? Have you been getting more easily angered lately, and if so, is the Universe perhaps trying to show you something that you need to shift? Are you attracting conflicts as a result of how you communicate and/or perhaps do you need to change your approach around how you say things? Do you feel like you need to experiment with new approaches towards your efforts, making money, or around relationship matters? Have you had any new ideas lately that you’d like to try or look into? Is there anything coming up for you now that requires you to have compassion and/or be selfless in service of others?

These are just some examples of themes that could come up during this period; however, there may be other variations of this energy playing out as well.  If you wish to do any sort of intentional release connected to what has come up at this Full Moon, it is best to do so anytime after the peak of the Full Moon and over the two weeks following when it is waning. The exact moment of the peak Full Moon is at 4:08am Universal Time on December 8th which is the night of the 7th for most of the world. You can click here to see what that is in your time zone.

Written by astrologer Carmen Di Luccio

Join my mailing list here to be notified of newly published content. 

Do you shop at Amazon and want to support my work? Use this link when making an Amazon purchase.

Gain more astrological insight into what is going on in your life and have a better understanding of your individual potentials. Get a personalized astrology reading with Carmen (author of this article) specific to you based on your exact birth date, time, and location. Click here for more information or to order.