Everything You Need to Know About the Aquarius Lunar Eclipse

Tonight, August 18, the moon will grow to its fullest point of the month in the electric air sign of Aquarius, bringing a romantic and fulfilling culmination to what was begun during the absent moon, or new moon, on August 2. You might’ve heard rumblings that this moon is also a lunar eclipse. While this lunation falls just shy of being classified as a full lunar eclipse astronomically, for astrological purposes, we’ll paint this moon as a weak lunar eclipse and a super-charged full moon. 

As a full moon, the 18th’s Aquarius lunation will be extremely powerful, kicking off a series of eclipses falling into the charismatic “opposites attract” axis of Leo and Aquarius. During this week, our need for friendship and communion with those we can truly trust is paramount. Likewise, we find ourselves unable to look away from the responsibility of giving back to the global community or societal family that’s supported us, especially from a humanitarian perspective. 

These friendship-focused qualities of Aquarius are amplified with an electrified moon, coloring this phase as an especially fertile time for our interpersonal relationships. Still, this is an intensely emotional time, highlighted by the conflict between the proud, individualistic Leo sun and the equally independent but community-minded Aquarius moon. This paradox can inspire us to bust out of our mind’s shell with intense emotional outpours and proclamations that seem like new concepts, but really, these thoughts and ideas have always existed within us—the energy just wasn’t prime for rationalizing those feelings. The power of this full moon will illuminate such attitudes that have always existed deep within our consciousness.

Absolutely everyone will feel the bizarre energy of this big full moon, but those with heavy fixed-sign influences in their sun or rising sign (I’m looking at you, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) will feel the madcap vibe of this wacky lunation most significantly. We’re compelled to fulfill our soul’s purpose in society by going against the grain and refusing to be just another face in the crowd. Paradoxical energy positively pours from the opposites of the exuberant Leo sun’s thirst for celebrity and widespread acceptance and the underground Aquarius full moon’s spiritual mission of renegade humanitarianism. Personal glory and success look very different for the fixed signs during this full moon lunar eclipse; it’s crystal clear to you how fucked up the system is now, leaving you little desire to be accepted by the status quo, which is at its best basic and vanilla and at its worst sinister and cult-like. Besides, the masses won’t accept your rogue ways, anyhow, and those shaken and stirred by this lunation won’t have a hard time letting you know. Again, this no longer bothers you. 

Our humanitarian side will be highlighted during this time, especially for those with strong maternal instincts. The mother archetype is a major theme of this cosmic phase, which could inspire us to take others under our wing or lash out like a fierce mama bear protecting her cubs. Strained mother-child relationships will feel prickly, too, and many may feel chafed by residual wounds of abandonment. Those with these tendencies will have no patience for bullies or manipulators and will be quick to speak up about injustices and interpersonal imbalances. These aspects may drive us to be overly protective, either of ourselves or our children and ideas, to the point of indoctrinating others with the false hope of “saving” them. We can think of these aspects as disrupting the cool, noble motherly vibe with blurting out shocking accusations.

Uranus, Aquarius’ ruling planet and shock-and-awe king of surprise, will be active during this time, and don't expect its push to be gentle.This planet’s energy will feel like the sharp end of a spear in your back, menacingly pushing you toward walking the planks of your personal goals over shark-infested waters. Whether you like it or not, Uranus and the Aquarius lunar eclipse are forcing you to evolve for the better. These aspects are often called “the finger of god” in astrology because events that take place now seem predestined or divinely fated. This unpredictable energy is the key to crushing and resolving opposition. 

There’s an air of mourning that hazes about in the atmosphere with the full moon’s culmination and ending of patterns begun before. We may be mourning a relationship or phase of our life, but there is a chance that some could be mourning human lives, as well. The Cassandra-like shadow side of these astrological aspects was present during the November 2015 mass shootings in Paris. Contemplating religious ideas or “groupthink” is unavoidable during this time, and many will feel the urge to become involved in reform, especially from a spiritual perspective. Despite that social warrior instinct pushing us to fight for what we believe in, a great many will feel utterly daunted by this overwhelming aura, opting to distract themselves with social media, alcohol, and drugs.

The Aquarius full moon’s dance with Uranus brings out the self-assured rebel in us all, but especially for Gemini, Sag, Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo, and Taurus. Those who successfully let go of the desire to fit in and say “fuck it” to the status quo will experience a completely unbridled sense of liberation and personal freedom, possibly for the first time ever. This is a time of personal revolution and the realization of our own zippy genius and refined intelligence. That’s not to say the road will be smooth, however: Such confidence and cerebral courage will undoubtedly attract haters in spades, energy vampires who seek to suck out our shine. Conformists are irritated and provoked to criticism due to their fear and envy of our core personal power.

The end of Leo’s stay in its ruling planet, the sun, is also waltzing with the Mad Hatter Uranus during this phase, making many people extremely touchy and reactive. Live wires abound, but be sure that these shocking electrocutions are masterfully hidden under cool, glacial exteriors of glass. Don’t stick a fork in the toaster: If you poke these super-sensitive and, frankly, unpredictably unpleasant situations at just the wrong angle, the whole thing will combust in an irreversible meltdown. Your life won’t ever be the same, your reality completely shattered to make way for new growth. Bananas, right? That’s a lunar eclipse and Uranus, for you.