What is our role in the collective?
Aquarius Full Moon
Happy Full Moon in Aquarius! With the Sun in Leo emphasizing the self and the Moon in Aquarius emphasizing community, it feels like the right time to reintroduce myself. The voice behind Flower Moon is me, Emily Hall (she/her), an astrologer, creative, and writer living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my fiancé and our two bunnies. The labels of astrologer, creative & writer are still new to me, and if we’ve known each other longer than six months you may know me as friend, family member, neighbor, or comrade.
Astrology is my part-time profession as I’m still balancing a full time job in the nonprofit world. In my free time, I love to bike, write, make art, garden, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, practice astro magic, and share quality time with my friends, family, and bunnies. I have a backyard for the first time in my adult life, and my fiancé and I are tending a flourishing garden full of perennials and potted vegetables and herbs. Will is a Virgo Sun and I’m a Taurus Sun so we share a love of plants, gardening, and most recently regenerative and organic farming. The Jupiter in Taurus transit has been expansive for both of us. Will is completing a workshare at a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm, and in exchange for his labor we receive a box of fresh, organic produce each week. I’ve fallen in love with astro-herbalism and am taking a seasonal herbcraft course with Rowan + Sage. We share the dream of one day having a small farm to grow organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
We just celebrated one year of living in Milwaukee after calling Chicago home for the past six years. We moved to Milwaukee because I desperately needed a change. As much as I loved Chicago, it started feeling less like home, and as my spiritual journey awakened, I became more attuned to messages from my ancestors. After a rejuvenating family vacation to Sedona, Arizona in early 2022, I left realizing how important family bonds were to me. Back in Chicago I missed my family, and on an unseasonably warm day in March I biked to Lake Michigan to meditate. It was there I opened myself to guidance from my ancestors, and all signs pointed to Milwaukee. After that meditation everything fell into place. Within less than 24 hours, Will agreed to the move, and my 9-5 job allowed me to transition to a role based in Wisconsin. When things fall into place so effortlessly, I take them as a sign that it’s meant to be.
Meant to be is exactly how I feel in Milwaukee. I’m now 25 miles instead of 90+ miles away from my mom, stepdad, siblings, and grandparents, and I have extended family nearby. I’m living in the same neighborhood my Polish ancestors immigrated to in the early 1900s. I feel so rooted. Moving to Milwaukee was the fresh start I needed after experiencing extreme burnout from community organizing in Chicago. I’m still healing and getting better at setting boundaries and bringing awareness to the energy I have to give. At times I struggle with guilt for not being the organizer I once was. I’m also learning to have grace for myself as I redefine what organizing means to me.
Moving to Milwaukee has introduced me to some of the most incredible people I’ve ever known. Artists, astrologers, healers, witches, and solopreneurs. They’ve inspired me to build my astrology practice from the ground up and create art to share at markets. This summer has been my first time dabbling in the market scene, and it’s connected me to many of you reading this newsletter. I love markets because they allow me to utilize skills I gained as an organizer such as canvassing and tabling. Now I translate those skills into connecting with people over art and astrology which fills my cup up so much.
Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your email and signed up for this newsletter. Whether you’re a friend or comrade from Chicago, a family member, a fellow astrologer or astrology enthusiast, or a new connection or friend from Milwaukee, I’m grateful to share this online space with you. Flower Moon is my favorite place to express myself and share my experiences with the magic of astrology. This is the little slice of the internet where I can be my most authentic self.
With the Full Moon in Aquarius, community is on my mind, and it’s illuminated a shift I’m ready to make with this newsletter. Up until now Flower Moon has mostly been a one sided conversation. Me sharing my thoughts and personal stories about the lunar cycle and astrological weather. However, I would love for this to become a reciprocal conversation. One where you share your thoughts and questions about astrology with me. Astrology is a cosmic language, and talking about it with others is the best way to become fluent in the archetypes, cycles, and patterns of the planets and zodiac.
Do you have questions about your natal chart, the lunar cycle, or have stories to share about your spiritual practice? I’d love to hear all your thoughts and questions! To create a space for us to chat all things celestial and mystical, I’m excited to introduce Cosmic Coffee Chats! A no cost 45 minute coffee or tea chat with me via Zoom for all Flower Moon subscribers. I want to get to know who is on the other side of this Substack and learn what interests you in astrology, art, or spirituality. Cosmic Coffee Chats are available on Friday afternoons beginning August 11th. Schedule your chat here, and I can’t wait to connect! Â
Thank you for moving through my reintroduction, and I hope to become better acquainted with you soon. With that, let’s get into the astrology of the Aquarius Full Moon! The Moon reached her peak fullness at 1:31 p.m. CT on August 1st. As with all lunar phases we have two to three days to be present with this energy. The Aquarius Full Moon opposite the Sun in Leo squaring Jupiter in Taurus is known as a fixed sign T square full of grounding, stabilizing energy. How do we ground ourselves through growing in community?
Last night I was enveloped by the love of my growing community as I co-hosted a Full Moon gathering with my dear friend and fellow astrology enthusiast, Alyssa. We dreamt up this gathering months ago, and last night it came to life in one of my favorite places, the shores of Lake Michigan. People who I’ve connected with through astrology readings, markets, community art projects, and friends of friends shared space to enjoy the beauty of the lake, journal, build a collective altar for the Moon, pull tarot cards, and share our reflections.
This gathering was a dream come true. Six months ago, on the January 21st Aquarius New Moon I attended a manifestation painting workshop hosted by my friend CC of Bee Batty Studio. CC guided us in creating paintings and collages of what we wanted to call into our lives. The painting I created hangs on my office wall today. The words I collaged include gather, grow & inspire, flourish, grateful & blessed, and do what makes your soul happy. These intentions have now materialized, and the cherry on top was witnessing the word gather come to literal fruition on the Full Moon. That is some serious lunar magic if you ask me! If you would like to attend a Full Moon gathering in the future, I hope to host these seasonally. Be on the lookout for future sign ups on my Instagram or in this newsletter.
The Aquarius Full Moon invites us to reflect on our role in the collective. By showing up for community we show up for ourselves. The Moon in Aquarius needs space to reflect and process emotions. Aquarius, ruled by Saturn, is great at setting boundaries. However, too strict of boundaries can lead to a feeling of isolation when we all need to belong to a community. When Aquarius feels isolated, they can look to their opposite Leo ruled by the Sun. Leo is comfortable at the center, and their sunny nature pulls others into orbit around them.
This airy Full Moon is a great time to journal. Here are some prompts for your reflection:
What has grown and blossomed in my life since the Aquarius New Moon on January 21st?
For flowers to bear fruit they need support from pollinators. Who are my pollinators and how will I open myself to receiving their support?
How do I balance my need to be seen (Leo) with the need to share the spotlight with my community (Aquarius)?
How do I create space and set boundaries (Aquarius) to care for myself (Leo)?
If you’re looking to deepen your personal connection to the archetypes and cycles of astrology, I’m available throughout August for in person and virtual astrology readings. Because of a collaboration I did with the MKE Queer Memes Instagram page, I’m having a 20% sale on all readings through August 31st with code MKEQUEERMEMES.
If you’d like to take a deeper dive into the zodiac sign Leo, my friend Eliot Marzano and I are hosting our A Year with the Zodiac: Leo Season workshop this Sunday, August 6th at 3:00 p.m. CT. This workshop is virtual, and a recording will be made available. Register here.
Happy Aquarius Full Moon, everyone!
Flower Moon is a semi-regular newsletter written by Emily Hall of Mystic Magnolia Astrology. Emily is a Taurus Sun, Gemini Moon & Leo Rising. Her ever-changing titles include astrologer, creative & writer, for now. Book an astrology reading here.