This is the first of two Eclipses, the second of which will be a total Solar Eclipse on 8 April, so this is no ordinary Full Moon! Eclipses have the potential to bring about transformation and change and their effects tend to play out over the following few months. They have the power to shake things up in our lives, both personally and collectively, pushing us to confront anything we may have been avoiding. This is a Lunar Eclipse, which brings an opportunity for something culminating in our lives, bringing about a sense of completion and the potential for emotional release. This Full Moon/Eclipse is occurring in the Aries/Libra axis, so relationships are the area of life where we will feel its impact the most. This is the start of a new chapter, but first comes the release.
Eclipses occur when the Sun and Moon come close to the Nodes of the Moon, which are currently in Aries and Libra. As with all Full Moons, we are called to find the balance between the energy of the two signs, integrating them instead of veering too far in one direction or the other. The Libra South Node is being activated by this Moon, calling for us to let go of any tendencies towards co-dependency, people pleasing, compromising ourselves, losing ourselves in relationship, turning a blind eye to any important issues in order to keep the peace or blaming others for things that we need to work on within ourselves.
The Aries North Node is calling us forward, helping us to bring any uncomfortable material out into the open, even if it might lead to conflict or even the end of a relationship. This is a time of release and endings that can ultimately lead to new beginnings. We are now in Aries season, which is the first sign of the zodiac and calls for us to be brave and pioneering, and to have the courage to start fresh and take the road less travelled. Aries is not afraid to rock the boat and calls for us to stand up for ourselves and our needs, to have the courage to be who we really are, to put ourselves first and to walk away from anything that is not ultimately right for us or is not serving our highest good.
The Aries North Node reminds us that it is better to be alone than to stay in a relationship that doesn’t bring out the very best in us and serve our highest good. Aries invites us to have a love affair with ourselves! In an ideal world we would have a good balance between Libra’s capacity to listen, reason and to take others needs into account and see their point of view, and Aries’ capacity for self-love and self-care. It is not selfish to prioritise ourselves, for if we don’t take care of ourselves then what good are we to anyone else? Libra is the part of us that wants things to be fair, just and equal, while Aries is the part of us that will fight to make it so! On a more collective level, Aries and Libra are the signs of war and peace, a subject that is very prevalent right now. This Libra Moon could certainly illuminate all that is unjust or out of balance in this world and in our personal lives.
The planetary ruler of this Libra Moon is Venus, the planet of love, attraction, values, money and relationships. Interestingly, Venus is in Pisces, which is the very last sign of the zodiac and can bring endings, clearing away, surrender and release around our relationships. It has also been forming a conjunction with Saturn this week that was exact on Thursday, which also has the potential for ending karmic contracts, completing relationships, setting firmer boundaries and withdrawal of love or affection. Saturn can help us to realise the limits of our relationships and see them for what they really are rather than how we would like them to be. This certainly brings the potential for the rose-coloured spectacles being pulled off when it comes to our relationships!
Saturn is the planet of reality, longevity, commitment and structure, and can certainly test our relationships, so some of us may be laying the foundations for a stronger, more committed relationship, while others may be recognising that it is the end of the road. This certainly all ties in with the sense of culmination and completion that this Eclipse brings. Some aspects of our lives might need to pass away so that the new energy can come in. Those of us with personal planets or angles around 12° of a sign, especially the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, will be feeling the effects of this conjunction most strongly. It is on the wane now but has been a big part of the build up to this Moon.
In the meantime, Mercury has been forming a conjunction with Chiron the Wounded Healer in Aries this week, exact on Wednesday, the day of the Equinox. It will still be in effect during this Moon, although not as strong. This has brought the potential for honest, direct and somewhat painful conversations that could bring up anger and expose our vulnerabilities and insecurities, but which could ultimately force things out into the open and bring profound healing. It takes courage to be truly honest, especially when it could potentially rock the boat, but this combination can help us to say and hear what needs to be said, even if it hurts. Anyone with personal planets or angles around 18° of a sign will have felt the impact of this conjunction most acutely, especially the cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.
Also part of the soup, we have powerful, transforming Pluto supporting the Sun and Moon, helping us to remember that with every ending there is a new beginning. A friend used the analogy of a forest fire to describe the power of Pluto the other day – the fire burns the forest to the ground and then afterwards little green shoots pop up out of the ashes, representing the regrowth, rebirth and new possibilities that can occur when everything has been stripped away. We are currently going through a collective shift, when the old and the outworn needs to be stripped away in order for something new to take its place.
We are being taken to a place we have never been before, and it is important to trust the process and keep an eye out for any “little green shoots” that are popping up in our lives, as they are full of creative potential. Pluto is on our side during this Moon, helping us to ride the waves of transformation and encouraging us to be true to ourselves. Some intense emotions could come to the surface, but they can bring great insight and understanding and help us to truly feel, very deeply, whatever we are going through. This is a good opportunity to eliminate emotional habits that are simply no longer useful, as we continue along the process of transformation that we are all experiencing on one level or another. Something is passing away to make space for the new, and it is important that we make space, allow and trust the process.
The Sabian symbol for this Full Moon/Eclipse is very interesting indeed, at 6°Libra: “A man watches his ideals taking a concrete form before his inner vision”, which Dan Rudyar describes as ”the need to visualise clearly one’s dreams or ideals in order to make them truly effectual. According to a French proverb, “What is well conceived can easily be formulated.” The process of interior visualisation can be quite essential, except in the case of a creative individual who has become a totally pure channel for the descent of spiritual Power, and a clear lens through which the Archetype in the Mind of Man (or God) can be projected without distortion wherever needed. In other cases the creative act is less direct: a man projects into the world what he has “seen” reflected on the screen of his individualised consciousness. This symbol is a phase of INTERIOR FORMULATION in preparation for a creative projection of one’s ideals or concepts.”
This symbol feels like a preparation and seems to be calling for us to be very clear about what we are seeking to manifest in our lives. This is the Worm moon, which reminds us that deep transformation is occurring under the surface, even if we can’t quite see it or recognise exactly what it is. This Moon brings a quietly powerful change and shift, as life is starting to stir underneath the ground and the shoots are starting to poke up out of the earth. All will reveal itself in the fullness of time, and in the meantime we must simply trust this process even if we don’t quite understand it yet.
Much Love
Amy
xoxo
Get in touch if you need any help riding the waves of transformation.
Painting: “Life Awakening” by Christina Smith