26 Jan Stayin’ Alive ~ Full Moon in Leo ~ January 28th, 2021

This we know: 

We were not meant 

to suffer so much 

& to learn nothing.

-Alice Walker

Hard Times Require Furious Dancing

On Thursday, January 28th the Full Moon in Leo arrives, a flash of gold amidst the cold atmosphere of Aquarius. Full Moons occur when the Sun and Moon are opposed, gazing at one another from opposite worlds. Leo is a fire sign ruled by the Sun, the center of self and the heart of all creation. While Aquarius is an air sign ruled by Saturn, the frayed edge of reality where timeless wisdom speaks.

This Full Moon is an opportunity for these opposite signs to flow into one another, nurturing each other’s experience. In Leo, a red rose is an explosion of fragrance, a bright kiss of beauty that honors the Sun. And in Aquarius, that same rose is a geometric wonder, a fractal wave written in the language of God. 

The Full Moon in Leo shudders at the Sun in Aquarius’ pale light. The quest to know infinity, to go beyond the limits of time and space, feels so noble. But it is burdened by isolation. The Moon in Leo seeks to warm things up, re-energizing the rhythm of your heart with a burst of radiant love. 

The Sun in Aquarius is conjunct to Jupiter and to a lesser degree Saturn. Thus, the vision of the world grows wide, magnifying the condition of the collective psyche and its struggle for rights, freedom and justice. 

Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’

Genuine progress that serves humanity seems difficult to accomplish in the current climate of alienation and isolation. And it should be noted that this Full Moon has a mean streak. The T-square to Mars/Uranus in Taurus will make egos very fragile and vulnerable to outbursts of rage. More importantly, the temptation to abandon and betray anyone that exists outside your ideological comfort zone is magnified.

Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me

But the spirit of Aquarius will caution against cruel and haughty behavior, reminding you that divided people become conquered people. Unity begins with the choice to bless those that curse you. This may not be easy to do, but it is the only escape from any cycle of violence.

Well now, I get low and I get high

And if I can’t get either, I really try

The Full Moon in Leo carries a seed of the Sun’s ceaseless blessings. To bless is to send love. This is easy with family and friends. But blessing those you despise is a task for the truly strong-hearted. 

The world needs many blessings right now. In the last 10 months, the chaos of the pandemic has transformed the last vestiges of democracy into a dystopian police state. The new normal is more like a theatre of cruelty, glorified whether the audience likes it or not. 

The wisdom of Aquarius calls you to look away from the horror show and seek refuge in a quiet space where a deeper reason for being can be remembered. As the author, Alice Walker, wrote: “This we know: We were not meant to suffer so much & to learn nothing.”

No matter what you may have endured, her words call you to acknowledge that wisdom is the healed expression of suffering. In fact, it is your capacity to feel pain for yourself and others that reveals how deeply you can love. This realization embraces the fiery Moon in Leo, whose heart glows with the courage needed to radiate exuberant joy in times of oppression. 

The Moon in Leo doesn’t just survive hard times. It triumphs over adversity with a  flourish of regality and grace. The Moon in Leo brings the body and soul back together to shimmer and glow in the face of darkness.

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk

I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk

Music loud, women warm

Nothing evokes the spirit of this Full Moon in Leo quite like the song Stayin’ Alive by the Beegees from the iconic soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever.

Both the song and the film are about surviving amidst the entropy of poverty and nihilism. And the genius is how it juxtaposes ecstatic sound with melancholy lyrics. Rather than stirring contradiction, Stayin’ Alive becomes a great medicine for the soul where suffering is transcended and bliss is found.

Everyone knows how this song struts into the room, glittering with gold as the singer proudly announces himself as a ‘woman’s man’. (Leo) But underneath all this swagger is a disenfranchised boy whose life is going nowhere. (Aquarius) 

Got the wings of Heaven on my shoes

I’m a dancin’ man and I just can’t lose

He sings of a loveless childhood, cursed by abuse, drug withdrawal and a city that is falling apart. Though his life hasn’t yielded much pleasure, on the dance floor he is transformed into another being, one blessed by divine purpose.

You know it’s alright, it’s okay

I’ll live to see another day

We can try to understand

The New York Times’ effect on man…

On the dance-floor, our man may be the center of attention. But on the streets of New York, he’s an outsider looking in. People glance away as he walks by, which he attributes to The New York Times’ effect on man. This refers to the conditioning of the masses through the media, where the narratives serve only the interests of the elite. According to the New York Times, he’s an ignored and forgotten person.

With so much stacked against him, the spirit of the protagonist in Stayin’ Alive is almost stoic in the resolve he shows to keep fighting another day. But the song ends with a deeply haunting refrain. He feels the city breaking, and everybody’s shaking. And yet, his life’s going nowhere. He needs somebody to help him.

Life goin’ nowhere. 

Somebody help me. 

Somebody help me, yeah.

One of the members of the Beegees, Barry Gibb, described the inspiration for this song, saying:

“People crying out for help. Desperate songs. Those are the ones that become giants. The minute you capture that on record, it’s gold. ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is the epitome of that. Everybody struggles against the world, fighting all the bullshit and things that can drag you down. And it really is a victory just to survive. But when you climb back on top and win bigger than ever before, well that’s something everybody reacts to”.

Stayin’ Alive exemplifies the redemptive power of music, acknowledging that hard times require furious dancing. For those who may laugh at this, consider how serious the economic, racial, and religious divisions have become in the last few years. And then remember that back in the 1970’s, a vast spectrum of people were flocking to discos.

Unified in ecstatic experience, disparate worlds were organically woven together by the universal language of music and dance. The glittering sound of disco brought together rich and poor; black and white; gay and straight; Jews and Christians effortlessly and without political interference. 

Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother

You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive

Art has always had the power to invite intimacy, understanding and harmony between people. And Stayin’ Alive is a reminder that dancing is one of the most primal and divine ways of releasing pent up emotions and conflicts.

Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’

And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive

Let this Full Moon in Leo be a blessing: a moment where you redefine your feelings towards some of your deepest wounds and resentments. Just send love and submit to the cosmic dance of opposites: solar and lunar; alienation and inclusion; suffering and healing. 

Whatever tests befall you in the months ahead, remember that you have what it takes to move through them gracefully: discovering the wisdom that is gained in all hardship. And never forget that everyone struggles against the world. But when you climb back up on top, the glow of triumph will make all the hardship you’ve endured seem like a great blessing. 

Much Love,

Rachel