118: SUMMER QUICKIE
THU 24 JUN 19.39 - Mooning Monthly squeezing one in up against the summer solstice....
Happy Capricorn Full Moon dear ones
We offer this moon missive hot on the heels of our MOON LIT Summer Solstice Special (still available here) so we'll try to keep it brief.
This Capricorn Full Moon represents discipline and responsibility so we hope you've got any wild pre-solstice lasciviousness out of your system before reining it in over the next fortnight. That's going to feel like a good thing though and astrological aspects for this moon are almost entirely positive. Successful outcomes to even the least significant of circumstances will be rife.
With a little consideration, our long term ambitions will be beautifully poised to prosper under this Capricorn Full Moon. Career, finance and sociability are on the up. Realism and practicality rule the day and we seem unusually able to manage our wider responsibilities with ease, freeing up a bit of time and energetic space to attend to our personal needs. This might be a great fortnight to instigate new relationships (both friendships and romance) if you're contemplating taking the plunge. Dive in deep and you should find sweet reward...
Following on from the solstice theme of gratitude, our own generosity of spirit in the coming days will be mirrored by instantaneous return. It's a good couple of weeks in which to send unexpected gifts and perform acts of random kindness. As we give so we shall receive with no thought for attendant agendas. We will find joy in the joy of others and may even find ourselves as the popular, effortless focus for that pleasure. Delight in the appreciation vibe as feels appropriate folks.
A natural inclination toward honesty and spirituality abounds - a couple that don't always walk easily hand in hand. Under this Capricorn Full Moon we can gain honest insight into the truth of our motives for action and look inquisitively into those big existential questions without fear of awkwardness. Consequentially, should you feel the call, this might be the fortnight to search out a church, temple, synagogue or quiet spot in which to sit for a while and contemplate/meditate/pray.
Whatever we call it, however we go about it, contemplative practice is simply an inner dialogue that sidelines the manic thoughts of the ego mind and provides connection to the bigger, more objective picture to which we all contribute and belong. So many great wisdom traditions center their philosophy on the benefits of mindful contemplation that it seems a tad rude not to give it a go every once in a while, even just to see how it feels.
This Capricorn Full Moon should place us well along the path toward realising our most positive aspirations. Success is a key word here, but who if not you, will define the parameters of your own successful achievement? Will an understanding of what we truly want in life determine what success will look and feel like?
We humans get regularly distracted by the abundant array of options on offer. We're like children in a candy store slowly waking up to the sobering news that a high sugar intake isn't actually good for us. All the lurid colours and shiny wrappers in life have us wantonly seduced but under this Capricorn Full Moon even the shortest period of over-indulgence will probably make us feel sick.....and worse... guilty.
When asked, many people cite the usual material trappings as the symbols of success but just as easily recognise that what they really want is to be valued or loved. In the absence of love or a sense of self worth, material wealth: cars, watches, fashion, new kitchens, Nike Jordan's et al provide a societal value we can literally buy off the shelf.
"These shallow achievements provide some momentary pleasures but miss the mark by failing to satisfy the underlying evolutionary drive to be a valued member of society and to be securely loved. Successful fulfillment of the drive is achieved through intrinsic goals of developing competence in important activities, developing deeper relationships, finding meaning, and passing on discovered wisdom to others."
T. Franklin Murphy (read his excellent article 'Faulty Symbols of Success' here)
Under this Capricorn Full Moon, honest generous behaviour will be its own reward and, if you're looking for one, a clear indicator of success. Caring responsibility taken over our thoughts, words and actions provides the solid foundation on which valued relationships, on a personal and societal level, can be built and refined.
Perhaps Lockdown has clarified for many of us that the insatiable politically driven desire for economic growth is not a recipe for success for the planet and most of its biodiverse inhabitants, including a significant proportion of humanity still living in poverty. (Guardian article - a more sustainable post pandemic world is possible)
Perhaps, as we engage in an honest inner dialogue regarding our personal terms of success over the coming fortnight, we will come to a clearer understanding that the true success of an individual naturally results in the success of All. Yes folks, true success is a constant win win.
Not so much a quickie as a brief encounter but I hope you found this message enjoyable nonetheless. If you've come this far do please share the lunar love with those you think might be of a similar Moonish persuasion. With love 'til next time.... Mark
Do please roll out your inbox red carpet for next month's edition of MOON LIT which features the comedian, storyteller, children's author and broadcaster James Campbell.
James has been making people laugh onstage, onscreen and on the page for over twenty years. He has performed in theatres and festivals around the world with runs on Broadway, in Toronto, in London’s West End (three runs) and at the Royal Albert Hall.
His hugely successful Boyface series of books are published by Hodder. His latest book The Funny Life Of Football will be published by Bloomsbury later in 2021, other titles in the series are The Funny Life Of Pets, The Funny Life Of Teachers and The Funny Life Of Sharks.Write Your Own Funny Stories was also published by Bloomsbury in 2021
What most people don't realise is that James is also a very accomplished poet on the quiet and I am delighted that he has agreed to write something with a lunar bent for the next issue of MOON LIT. I can't wait to read what he comes up with.
Two separate selections of Phillip Leamon's beautifully crafted midsummer poetry, shared so generously this month with the expanding readership of MOON LIT is still available to read here (MOON LIT 6 and MOON LIT SUMMER SOLSTICE SPECIAL). Both are well worth another lingering glance before summer gracefully surrenders its emerald gloss.
FULL MOON MARKS
EACH MONTH DURING 2021 WE WILL CHART THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SINGLE, YEAR LONG LUNAR INSPIRED DRAWING BY ARTIST AND FELLOW MOONER MARK WEIGHTON
MOON 6
32 x 24cm charcoal on paper