A Volcanic Eruption

The image that came through very clearly, over and over again, in relation to the collective culmination occurring through the Sagittarius Full Moon was that of a volcano erupting suddenly and violently toward a point of creation. I was shown this occurring through various steps associated with active development through the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th Houses.

Scorpio/8th House

• The underbelly, the hidden potential locked up by fear and insecurity, self-doubt, and a lack of trust. Pressure builds here in the deep subconscious space, right under the surface. Some people may recognize this and know exactly what they are pushing down or denying in terms of what they want to do or be, however, for others, it could be hidden so well that it resonates more as this aggravating rumble in the back of the mind. It’s the urge to do something, anything at all, but still not being sure about what it is you want to do, what would be satisfying. Boredom.

Sagittarius/9th House

• Point of eruption. Surprise or shock. Death combined with the higher influence of The Star, divine intervention. Inspiration to change or act voluntarily toward a new, more authentic way of being. Can show up in many different ways in many different areas of your life, but ultimately could come down to a singular decision or shift in focus or direction. In the best-case scenario, this choice and direction are what causes the lava to flow smoothly down one side of the mountain, steadily towards the sea at the edge of the island.

Capricorn/10th House

• Manifestation or a process of building. The lava hits the water and new land solidifies, expanding the island, expanding personal foundations, expanding horizons. Opportunity for accumulation — money, education, relationships, skills. There is a process here of refining and cultivating the new land as it forms, creating fertile soil out of the “destruction” or out of volcanic rock. Points of innovation and creative compromise could come up here.

Aquarius/11th House

• Legacy. The culmination of the new land formed, the fertile soil, new structures, new communities being created. Opposing the more isolated and self-focused space of Scorpio or the 8th House, there is more external support received and given, rooted in authentic expressions and pursuit of personal fulfillment. What is built or accumulated in the 10th House is shared with others on top of these solid and newly formed foundations, creating “permanent” connections and routes for further personal innovation and collective evolution.

A Connection between Sagittarius and Cancer (The Moon)

Sagittarius — Mutable Fire — Watery Fire — Flowing Fire (Lava)

Cancer — Cardinal Water — Fiery Water — Boiling Water

The explosive expression, will, and spontaneity of Sagittarius matches up well with Cancer, however, when you visualize one as a pot of boiling water and the other as an erupting volcano, there are some pretty clear differences.

When a pot of water starts to boil over, you have the chance to take it off the heat and calm it down before it starts to overflow. Even if it does boil over, the mess it creates is easy to clean up. In contrast, there isn’t much that can be done to calm a volcano down, and cleaning up the mess it makes when it erupts is, in some cases, beyond capability.

The connection here between Sagittarius and Cancer (The Moon) seems to create a pressure cooker type situation where The Moon itself becomes a point of release or an access point that allows that pressure that is deep down inside the volcano, the aspects of Scorpio and the 8th House, to be released to the surface. This can be a literal emotional release or it could be a bit more complicated in terms of coming to understand consciously the more subconscious fears or insecurities that are holding you back from being able to shoot your arrow at your desired target with as much confidence and self-assurance as possible.

Targets and Intentions

When Sagittarius, the archer with perfect aim and the clearest of targets, has something to aim for, all of their energy, focus, and faith goes into pulling back on the bowstring and lining up their shot for guaranteed success. Incredible pressure and strength build up in the body, flowing into the arms and fingers until the most precise release occurs when the arrow is launched straight for the bullseye. The process, from the outside looking in, looks clean, easy, and fast, but really so much on so many different levels goes into actually ensuring a perfect hit, and it always starts with that target, that end result, that clear intention.

When Sagittarius doesn’t have a clear target or lose their faith in themselves and their ability to line up their shot, hesitation can take over and freeze them in place. Stuck in a single position, the tension continues to build and build, muscles tensing up and straining as the bowstring continues to be pulled and the arrow points steadily ahead. Sometimes, our inner archer can be shoved down into our guts, intentionally or unintentionally hiding the perceived impossibility of what it is we want to do. The tension and pressure continue to build and for some people, they just get used to it, and for others, it becomes an irritating, nagging feeling that constantly reminds them that they simply aren’t satisfied.

Eventually, regardless of whether or not there is a target or faith, the energy, tension, and strain build-up to the point where the bowstring gives. The arrow either flies off in an unspecified direction or it simply falls to the floor. This type of “eruption” can manifest in many ways, some negative and some positive, but visually this plays through like a volcano that spits lava and ash in all different directions, raining down on everything on all sides. New land is still created, but it’s scattered in chunks around the edges of the island and the ash has made it difficult to cultivate fertile soil. There’s more to clean up, more to move around, more to reorganize.

Again, Cancer, or The Moon, offers space and time here to become aware of, evaluate, and direct the energy and pressure that has already built up. It’s not a chance to stop the volcano completely and shove it all down, as that would just create more pressure that the whole world might have to split open in order to release. That would be more of a Tower moment than the initiation of Death with The Star.

Keep in mind that Sagittarius itself is very broad and expansive energy, ruled by Jupiter, and can touch on many different areas of your life, internally and externally. The target itself may not be a singular specific goal or externalized expectation, it can also relate to your way of living, your belief system, your personal philosophy, and so on. The main point that seems to be running through this collectively is the aspect of authenticity and the urge to live by your true nature, but your soul. This is why, for some, it may be so necessary to explore the depths of your own subconscious, your shadow, in order to breakthrough into the 9th House/Sagittarius so that you can redefine your being as whole rather than partial, with bits and pieces hidden away and shoved down for the sake of conformity, assimilation, or meeting expectations that are not really your own. It’s something to explore over time with patience and compassion for yourself.

Speaking of compassion of having compassion for yourself, the set in the center there holds Compassion over The Underworld, quite directly referencing the process of exploring the “underbelly” of the volcano or the 8th House, the hidden or subconscious spaces of your own mind. Having compassion for yourself, a sympathy for the suffering that is hidden rather than being afraid or ashamed of it, for the sake of processing and healing it is what seems to be necessary here. On some level it feels like the archer simply asking themselves why they allow the pressure to build, why they allow so much strain to occur in the body. At some point it just became part of the process, but there may be a discovery here that reminds you that you don’t actually have to suffer in order to succeed and to make others or yourself happy.

The set on the left side is pretty interesting as it seems to connect Scorpio/8th House to Sagittarius/9th House through personal discovery and rebirth. This set holds Conception, which follows Compassion in the deck, over The Cave. As I was seeing it, The Cave is another version of The Underworld, as in The Underworld, that scary, nightmarish image is what people think of when they imagine the 8th House, their deeper subconscious, or their own Shadow. Really, upon exploration, after a bit of time clearing things out, they instead realize that that space is more in line with The Cave rather than “The Underworld.”

The Cave’s description really seems to tie things together:

When The Underworld has been cleared, or deeper shadows have been healed through compassion and self-understanding, The Cave becomes a place for Conception, for rebirth, for initiation, for a new beginning. It, in a sense, becomes the root of Sagittarius and the 9th House. Visually, I see this space lining up at the point in which the archer puts the arrow to the bow, conceiving the intention to shoot, to act on personal will or desire, and to bring to fruition a truer state of being.

The final set, which holds the Crown Chakra over The Maiden, seems to prompt curiosity and exploration, both internally and externally. It brought me back to the idea of Death and The Star being linked together in this matter, as if The Maiden represents us as individuals being led by Death into the 8th House or The Underworld, while The Star, represented as The Crown Chakra watches over the process. The Crown Chakra here also represents the Higher Self, the higher unconscious to the more conscious Maiden, which seeks to explore the depths of the subconscious space.

This set seems to really encourage a kind of fearless and open-minded deepdive into your own core in order to understand blocks, pressure, and desire, and how to bring that into a more open and expressive space without judgment or hatred for the feelings that come with them. This part of the description in particular caught my attention:

Between The Underworld/The Cave and the visuals of erupting volcanoes, there just seems to be such a heavy and violent feeling to everything while at the same time carrying this soft and gentle beckoning to simply engage with yourself. Perception is a key factor there, whether or not you see The Underworld or The Cave when you look at yourself, whether or not you see scary monsters or just different versions of yourself, whether you see a war to fight or wounds to heal. It’s all very subjective, but regardless, The Star, your Higher Self, the higher awareness of The Crown Chakra is there offering support, guidance, and most importantly, reassurance that you’re not going to die trying.

A piece of the Crown Chakra’s description seems like it could be helpful for some of you who work with color in ritual or meditative practices:

For a bit of fun, I thought we’d give a Pick-A-Card reading a go for more specific messages with the Full Moon in Sagittarius. Simply pick one of the numbers above and find your card below. You can take a moment to meditate on it, ask your Guides to show you which number holds the right message for you, or you can choose randomly based on what you feel guided toward in the moment.