StarCrossed: What's a Cazimi and Why Is It Important?

The Universe witnessed a rare triple cazimi—Mercury, Saturn, and the Sun—after the end of the full Snow moon in Virgo before the month ended.

Mar 03, 2024

StarCrossed follows a hobby that keeps my passion for reading and research alive—astrology and astronomy. My love for the Universe goes beyond the spiritual and includes the scientific wonders of space.

Let’s consult one of the greats, Chani Nicholas. Their website says that a cazimi happens when a planet forms an exact conjunction with the Sun. The word is derived from an Arabic phrase meaning “in the heart of the Sun.” Why is this information important to know right now?

Well… it was important last Wednesday, February 28. The Universe witnessed a rare triple cazimi—Mercury, Saturn, and the Sun—after the end of the full Snow moon in Virgo before the month ended. It was an exciting time for moon witches, astrologers, astronomers, and woo-woo aficionados like me.

The Full Snow Moon in Virgo

Let’s set the stage for this rare triple cazimi. The Virgo full moon last February 24 was the last full moon of the astrological year—the last one before eclipse season begins. It’s called the Snow moon because it occurs in the middle of winter in many parts of North America.

This full moon also marks the start of the lunar new year for the Chinese and is a micromoon. You may be more familiar with supermoons when the moon’s orbit around the earth is at perigee. Supermoons are bigger and brighter than usual. Micromoons occur when the moon’s orbit is at apogee, and the opposite happens. It even affects the tides—the waves get smaller.

This collection of coincidences made the full Snow micromoon in Virgo during Pisces season special. Even though it’s a full moon, there’s a strong urge to purge, similar to but stronger than typical new moon energy. This feels the same as the energy from the end of 2023—and it’s weird for me, as I usually purge and burn during the new moon. I’m not a typical moon witch, though—new moons are usually the time to set intentions and manifestations for everyone else. Still, I do that during the full moon when Mayari’s remaining eye is open and looking straight at me—and no, I don’t mean the drag queen!

A full moon in Virgo will have most witches thinking of a virgin moon goddess like Artemis, but as a decolonized practitioner, my virgin goddess and moon goddess are different. They are Maria Makiling—technically an anito and not traditionally depicted as a virgin—and the Kapampangan/Tagalog goddess of the moon, Mayari. However, the essence is the same. The virgin goddess represents independence, inner strength, and intuition. To me, Maria Makiling also represents guardianship, communing with nature, and innocence.

I’ve been battling a destructive depressive episode since before the lunar new year, and I’ve been dreaming about a timeline where I don’t end up with my husband. I’ve been so hurt, and I’ve been putting myself first and trusting my shadow, my wisdom, and my power. I think the Universe is having me learn the lesson of trust and vulnerability, and I’ve been cleansing—purging—and clearing the way for whatever the Universe decides to give me. Doing this during Pisces season meant I was also deep in my emotions.

If you don’t acknowledge and accept who you really are, you can’t take on whatever the Universe brings your way—however the planets and other cosmic beings are placed in the sky.

The Mercury, Saturn, and Sun Cazimi

Is “cazimi” just a fancier way of saying “conjunction”? Probably. But it feels more like magic and not just an astronomical event. It’s not even a “triple” cazimi, as most people call it—just two cazimis happening simultaneously. It is, however, a triple conjunction, as three cosmic beings are part of it.

Coming from the Snow moon and still in Pisces season, this cazimi oozes positive energy and invites everyone to heighten their intuition, trust their inner wisdom, and change their lives for the better. Why? Let’s split this cazimi into two.

Mercury is the fastest-moving planet, so it has the most retrogrades—or “Magnolia Gatorades” for all you non-believers. This also means that we actually experience multiple Mercury cazimis annually. Think of these periods as the opposite of mercury retrogrades—instead of problems with communications, expect sudden insights or things to suddenly make sense because of something said offhand. You can even expect big news or announcements.

In contrast, Saturn cazimis happen only once a year. According to Susan Miller, Saturn is the planet of ambition, concentration, permanence, productivity, and tenacity—a taskmaster, basically. So, if you start on something during this period, it’s sure to last. If you need to set boundaries, intentions, or manifestations—or reinforce a commitment—this is a good time to do it. Did you know that Saturn has been in Pisces since March 2023? In this placement, Saturn has been guiding you to build structures to support your dreams. It’s your time to imbue probability into your visions and set boundaries to let your intuition run free.

Together, they make an antonymic pair, but it sort of makes sense following the full moon. Pisces season is all about imagination and hope, putting probability to purpose, and tracking the divine lineage in your soul. This cazimi is a time for sudden flashes of intuition that will impact your life significantly. However, you need to do some work to get there. Healing, cleansing, emptying yourself of worries and anxieties, maybe even enjoying your self-care instead of feeling guilty—all of this will feed your divine nature and let those life-changing insights come to you freely.

Trust That You Are Part of the Universe and the Universe Will Trust You Back

Here’s the big secret: The Universe wants you to be in your best timeline. It wants only the best for you, period. But humans can’t always understand how to navigate toward what’s best for us. That’s the work you need to do this week and probably weeks after this one. The rare “triple” cazimi started you off with a bang. Good luck!

Miao? Wow!

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