I can taste the gift of my neighbor’s grapes in my mouth as I write this. The taste is neither sour nor sweet, but rather, musky, tangy, and full of memories. They are the taste of Septembers in the past, when I gathered wild Concord grapes from vines that hung over stone walls on the narrow roads of small New England towns.
Muin, the Moon of the Vine, celebrates Dionysus, the ecstatic god of wine and music. It is the Moon of joy, exhilaration and wrath just as wine brings us to each of these states. The vine must be pruned to bear abundant grapes and this symbol has much to do with the astrology of this season. It is time to sort and choose what will continue with us through the fall and winter months, and what will be released as chaff. Saturn continues his journey through Scorpio, which makes this process easier then usual.
In a few days we celebrate the moment of the autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern half of the planet. The days and nights are of equal length, balance is emphasized as the Sun enters Libra. This pleasure in balance is something we celebrate in the fall, but seldom mention in the passion of the spring equinox, when once again light and dark of equal length.. We walk a narrow plank between the harvest festival and the approach of darkness and chill.
Pluto has been traveling in apparent reverse motion since April. September 20th, Pluto who rules the Underworld, will roll forward, slowly approaching another exact square with the planet of revolution and evolution, Uranus. Persephone returns to her underworld kingdom as his queen, and Demeter mourns her child.
Full Moon in Muin takes place in Pisces, the sign opposite the Sun in Virgo. The Sabian Symbol for the degree of this Moon (26° Pisces) reads: ‘The Harvest Moon illuminates a clear Autumnal sky. The light of fulfillment that blesses work well done. Keyword: Consummation.’ May you attune yourself to something which you have created in the material, spiritual, or mental realm.
Virgo loves craftsmanship and is often found in abundance in the charts of those who work with their hands. The Eight of Pentacles in the Tarot deck represents the Sun in Virgo. The patient workman inside us continues the long process of learning to manifest our gifts.
The Chart for this lovely Harvest Moon is neatly balanced between Virgo and Pisces. Sun and Moon are the main oppositional players, but there is an oppositional chorus in this chart. Neptune in Pisces is opposite the asteroid Vesta in Virgo, and Chiron in Pisces is opposite the asteroid Ceres in Virgo. Like all full Moons we reverberate, with energies from opposite seasons and signs, with opposing passions, goals and methods. Virgo likes to have tidy and particular boundaries around herself and her activities, while Pisces is aware of the boundless nature of the universe. Sun in Virgo is focused on the harvest, gathering seeds for the spring, focused on the particular, while the Moon revels in Pisces’ release of all that has been held tightly, in preparation for the arrival of a new zodiacal cycle. It is an art is to do this simultaneously!
Sun and Moon have no further relationships with other planets and so the Moon goes void of course as soon as the moment of fullness has been accomplished. If you rise early and focus on the moment of fullness at 7:13, you may also be able to feel the Moon slip into her unaspected journey, which lasts until 12:59. During this void of course period, you have the opportunity to let go of expectations, and to see what shows up. Each time you bath yourself in the Moon’s light you acknowledge that there is more than one way to look at the world.
photo by Bob Fuhro
Late Summer Chant
Summer evening chant
begins with the heart beat
of the blood rhythm drum.
A shrill chorus and refrain
join the song, strike the notes
of harmony with the pulse,
as the high voices reach out
and become united in praise.
Suddenly the vastness
of all things grips me.
If I thought wildness
could now, or ever
be destroyed,
by the harsh familiar,
here, or anywhere,
in this ravaged, wounded world,
I understand, all in a moment
why that can never be.
Because the song of praise
for she, who rises above the trees,
returns the trampled earth
to dust and bone and water
where all begins anew,
called forth, called out
in insect throat and rattle.
Sarah Fuhro, 2012
Sarah Fuhro
Keeping our Ancient Wisdom Alive
The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry. In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted in the past, presented in the language of the present. To learn more, please visit www.sarahfuhro.com.
Ah, that brings up memories. I grew up in a wine region in Austria, and my home town was surrounded by vineyards. As kids we would sneak into the vineyards at this time of year and eat the grapes right from the vines. We also were scared of the thugs the wine farmers (over 100 in my town) supposedly hired to beat us kids up when stealing grapes – never saw one, though 🙂
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Thank you for this gift, that arrives unbidden and so reliably moonly. I most especially love this poem, the hope expressed and embodied
Love to all Leah
Sent from my iPad
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Thank you so much for this remarkable journey into the depths of alchemy! You continue to amaze.
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