The emphasis is now on our relationships for the next month or so, as we are about to enter Eclipse season, activating the Nodes in the relationship axis. The Eclipses begin with the Libra New Moon on 14 October, but before that happens, we have a powerful Full Moon in Aries which very much brings our relationships into focus and has the potential to ignite our passion and even our ire! The Moon is full in Aries, the part of us that is very adept at the art of self-love, sitting directly opposite the Sun in Libra, the part of us that seeks balance and equality in relationship to other. We are being called to somehow find a healthy balance between our need to be ourselves and follow our own path, and our need to be in relationship. Both are valid needs which don’t have to be at odds with each other, although so often we end up favouring one to the detriment of the other.
Aries is the sign of “I am”, and the North Node of the Moon is also in this brave, independent and assertive sign at the moment, calling for us to honour ourselves and recognise our own needs rather than people pleasing or somehow losing ourselves in relationship. The Libran part of us seeks harmony, peace and balance, and so we might hold back from asserting our needs or standing up for ourselves in order to not rock the boat and to feel loved and accepted. We may swallow our anger, bite our tongue or make ourselves small in order to “keep the peace” and maintain a sense of harmony and equilibrium. However, this comes at a cost. The Aries North Node calls for us to contemplate what we really want and need and actually do something about it. While the Libra South Node can see what is out of balance and unfair, Aries can help us to take action in order to redress the balance.
Aries calls for us to be honest and direct about our needs. It reminds us that it is better to be alone than in a relationship that is unhealthy, unhelpful or toxic just for the sake of having someone there. An Aries Moon can bring anything out into the open that we might have been suppressing and hiding out of fear. It prompts us to contemplate what we really, truly desire for ourselves and what we want our relationships to look like. We are called to recognise where and how we might be compromising too much of ourselves, and how we might find ways to gather back the parts of us that we have lost along the way.
The Libran Sun and South Node certainly have some profound gifts to give us, including the capacity to truly listen to one another and to tend to the relationship itself, thinking about what the other person might need, and to find ways of expressing ourselves in a kind, diplomatic, reasonable, and considerate manner. However, sometimes the Libra scales can tip too far one way or another, so that one person has more power, or one person is giving more than the other. It can also bring codependency, which is where Aries comes in as a reminder to remember who we are, what we want and to find ways of being interdependent rather than codependent.
Uranus has been a big player in recent Moons, and this one is no exception. Aside from forming minor aspects to the Sun and Moon, it is forming a supportive trine to Mercury and challenging aspects to Venus and Mars, the divine lovers and the rulers of the Libra Sun and Aries Moon. We had a wonderful opportunity during the Virgo New Moon on 15 September to do some much needed clearing and letting go of unhelpful tendencies, patterns and habits. Uranus can help us to detach, release and see things from a different perspective, bringing greater clarity. Now Uranus is forming the last of three squares to Venus, completing a process that started when Uranus first squared Venus around 2 July, and continued while Venus was Retrograde, around 9 August. It also had a big part to play in the Leo New Moon on 16 August. During the past couple of months some relationships have passed away, some have changed form, and much has been cleared away that was unhealthy, unhelpful or stagnant.
And now we have the third and final pass of Uranus squaring Venus, with Venus now moving forward again. What are we moving towards? Having cleared, let go and created more space around our relationships, what do we want to fill the space with? Uranus calls for us to be utterly true to ourselves and to show up in our relationships in a truly authentic manner. Is there anything else that we need to clear or release? What do we truly want, if we are completely and utterly honest with ourselves? Uranus can help us to have some realisations, insights and epiphanies that could take us by surprise, but can also bring amazing clarity. Indeed, we could also receive the odd curveball or two from others, jolting us into a greater awareness and making sure that we are on the path that is right for us. To thine own self be true, even if it is unusual, unconventional or non-conformist.
Those of us with personal planets and angles around 22° of a sign, especially the fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius will feel the releasing, clearing, liberating energy of Uranus most acutely. This square is exact a few hours after the Full Moon peaks, with Uranus also challenging Mars, so we could find ourselves and others acting and reacting in unexpected and unusual ways that are seemingly “out of character” but that are actually more aligned with who we really, truly are. Uranus liberates us from our old programming, helping us to release fears, habits, patterns, toxicities, tendencies and bring in a greater sense of freedom. Who are we, in all honesty, what do we really, truly want, and what does our ideal relationship actually look like? We may surprise ourselves.
It is interesting that Venus and Mars, the rulers of this Moon, are supporting each other with a harmonious sextile aspect and are also forming helpful, supportive aspects to the Nodes of the Moon, which they are also the planetary rulers of. This does bode well for us being able to truly embody all that we are and to be true to ourselves in a way that is kind, loving and honours our journey and the journeys of those we love. In an ideal world we would not need to “compromise” ourselves in order to be in relationship to other, but rather would be able to cocreate a reality and situation that works for both parties and brings out the best in each person.
It certainly feels like there is a lot of growth possible right now, and this Moon could help bring a lot out into the open. Aries is such direct, candid and courageous energy, as long as we also take a leaf out of Libra’s book and remember to also be kind and considerate of one another’s feelings. However, it is important to remember that Libra is a sign of extremes and brings the potential for people being on two different sides of the fence, which, with the North Node in Aries and a Full Moon rising, could be highly inflammatory. There is much divisive subject matter around these days that has the potential to cause serious rifts, so we must be careful not to fall into that trap and maintain the Libran capacity to see things from the other person’s point of view.
The Sabian Symbol for this Moon, at 7° Aries, is: “A man succeeds in expressing himself simultaneously in two realms”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The first realisation of the dual nature of man and of the possibilities it implies. The primordial one-sidedness of emotional and cultural manifestation actually calls for the compensatory ability to operate at two levels. Thus the primary dualism of Sky and Earth, of the divine and the human, of spirit and matter. The vision and the emotions are focussed within sharply defined boundaries, but within these boundaries they express themselves at two levels. This is the foundation of religion as well as of magic. A situation which has become characterised by this symbol can be successfully faced if its spiritual and material implications are understood and actualised. With this symbol we see at work man’s capacity for LIVING TWO SEPARATE LIVES – and finding fulfilment and happiness in both. On this capacity are founded many of the complexities of human nature”.
This is an interesting symbol that is worth giving some contemplation to, especially considering that Mars, the ruler of this Moon is in Libra, the sign that represents the scales and seeks balance, but can also be a sign of extremes and opposing sides. However, is this symbol basically suggesting that it is possible to have our cake and eat it, reminding us that it is possible to honour the different needs of our soul, even if they appear to be at odds. An Aries Full Moon certainly has the potential for igniting a fire within us, but can ultimately help us to be honest, open, candid and direct about who we are and what we truly need. And in order to be honest with others, we first need to be honest with ourselves.
Much Love
Amy
xoxo
Painting: Passion, by Elena Frank Khimenes