Brace yourself for the last full moon of 2024 — why you should be cautious and not make rash decisions

Buckle up, my babies; the last full moon of 2024 will rise and shine on Dec. 15 at 4:02 a.m. ET at 23° degrees of Gemini.

The Spiritual Significance of the Full Moon

Full moons represent the end of a lunar cycle. As they rise, they bring to the surface issues, emotions, intestinal parasites, menses, and other stickiness that demand to be dealt with.

Full moons are not about subtlety. They intensify emotions and illuminate what can no longer be ignored or endured.

The sign that the full moon falls in lends its specific energy to the lunar cycle. In this case, we have words as medicine, knowledge as power, and conversation as currency beating in the trickster heart and spinning upon the quicksilver tongue of Gemini.

When is the full moon in Gemini

Gemini is ruled by Mercury, our planet of mind and mouth, and this full moon coincides with the last gasp of Mercury’s retrograde through Sagittarius.

Astrologer Letao Wang told The Post, “Mercury urges us to delve into the depths of our subconscious and embrace the wisdom gained from past experiences. This retrograde period calls for further introspection, allowing us to align our thoughts and intentions for a brighter future. Don’t make rash decisions. The universe is giving you time on purpose to learn, understand, and reflect.”

The full moon in Gemini will align with Jupiter, our planet of good luck, dice rolls, and overflowing cups.

Wang shared, “Jupiter often brings forth an energy of growth, optimism and spiritual expansion. However, this expansion energy needs to be taken slowly and with caution. If you are thinking about new possibilities and aspirations, try to trust in the flow of the universe without forcing it.”

The full moon in Gemini will square Neptune, our planet of dreams and delusions, currently blowing bubbles in the waters of Pisces.

According to Wang, “On one hand, this invites us to delve into the realm of dreams, intuition, and spiritual connections. On the other hand, it reminds us to navigate through our self-imposed illusions and delusions and become more discerning about what our reality is. This energy also urges us to learn to set clear boundaries in our communication when dealing with people.” 

As my beautiful, brilliant Gemini niece recently imparted, “We listen, we don’t judge.” In this spirit and under these skies, listening is our responsibility, and the aperture of an open mind is the measure of our humanity.

Full moon in Gemini

Full moons point to zodiac polarities, as the sign the full moon falls in is always in opposition to the sign the sun is shining through.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, we have the sun in arrows-to-the-wind Sagittarius facing off against the moon in collect-and-disseminate Gemini. This is the axis of words and wisdom, talking s—t and making moves. It’s text threads and tap shoes and an ever-present desire to have the mind blown.

Speaking of the mind, we can think of the Gemini/Sagittarius axis as the two hemispheres of the brain.

The left hemisphere (Gemini) is analytical, focused on exchange, and the collection of information. In essence, Gemini wants to know. The right hemisphere (Sagittarius) creates meaning from the messaging and seeks to integrate knowledge into shared wisdom and meaningful action. In essence, Sagittarius wants to do.

At worst, Gemini is caught up in the current of the innocuous, obsessed with knowing everything at the expense of understanding nothing. And the shadow side of Sagittarius is blunt, rhetorically rigid, and obtusely optimistic.

Yet, when the twin and the arrow are walking the right path and the high road of high fives it shows us how and when to question and discern, suggest and embody. Information becomes an experience, raw data becomes a theory, and both become the scaffolding for universally applicable wisdom.

This is the axis of curiosity as a cure.

Poet, activist and Gemini luminary Nikki Giovanni, who passed away this week, perfectly distilled, in the way that poets do, the energy of this axis in her poem “A Journey.”

She wrote: “I promise you nothing . . . I accept your promise . . . of the same we are simply riding . . . a wave . . . that may carry . . . or crash . . . It’s a journey . . . and I want . . . to go . . .”

Who will be most affected by the full moon in Gemini?

Because this full moon is rising and shining in mutable Gemini, the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces will feel the effects of this culmination most acutely.

Cold moon meaning

Per the Farmers’ Almanac, December’s full moon is known colloquially as the Cold Moon. Attributed to the Mohawk, the name speaks to the frigid conditions that fall over the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year.

The chill is more intensely reflected in the Chinese name for this lunation, which could be a Bright Eyes album title, “Bitter Moon.”

Astrology 101: Your guide to the star

December’s full moon is also known as the Long Night Moon, as it rises near the “longest night of the year,” aka the Winter Solstice — when the dark is at its darkest and most enduring, allowing the moon to burn brighter and longer.

The limited presence of the sun around the solstice led the Zuni tribe to poetically refer to December’s full moon as the “sun has traveled home to rest” moon.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon and the very first of 2025 will be the full Wolf Moon in Cancer — rising, shining, and side-stepping on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 5:27 P.M. EST.

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.