There's a full moon this weekend. That full moon happens to be a supermoon. And it'll be in Gemini, a sign known for its high-key energy. But wait, there's more: Gemini's ruling planet and our favorite astrological scapegoat, Mercury, will enter its final retrograde period of 2017 this Sunday, December 3, the very same day as the full moon.
As most astrological enthusiasts already know, Mercury retrograde is a three-week period where the planet of communication appears to be moving backward. This perceived backspin is believed to throw our schedules and social lives into utter peril, leading travel plans to go awry and driving us to commit grim social faux pas. This month's Mercury retrograde will see us walking on eggshells, as per usual, and coping with the stress of getting our holiday shopping done while under its shadow.
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Meanwhile, the full moon as nearly the opposite effect on us. As the brightest phase of the lunar cycle, it has the potential to reinvigorate and refocus our energies — clearer heads tend to prevail in the light of the full moon. Where we dread the next Mercury retrograde, we celebrate the full moon. So, where does that leave us this weekend?
With a celestial schedule that sounds more like an if/then world problem than anything we'd read in a horoscope, this Sunday is justifiably befuddling. But, if you're in a thoughtful mood, you can make all this activity work for you.
For all the practical influences that the moon and Mercury have on us, they can have powerful effects on our interior lives, too. Mercury retrogrades are associated with the past, and the full moon wills us to clean house. If you've been preoccupied with old feelings recently, or if the nostalgia of the holiday season is getting to you, this Sunday is your opportunity to sit with those thoughts — then get them settled once and for all.
Ask yourself why you're dwelling on things that have already happened and decide if there's anything you can actually do to change the situation. Mercury's connections to communication can play a healing role in these reflections, too: How have you been talking to yourself lately? Do you look back on your actions with understanding or shame? Wires are bound to get crossed during a Mercury retrograde — the least you can do is straighten out the lines of communication within yourself.
Luckily, if you find that amount of meditation daunting, you can honor the December full moon, known as the Long Nights Moon, by hunkering down with your heated blanket for the long, dark night. Whatever your plans are for the first weekend in December, don't forget to breathe — and to check out the moon.
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