Full Moon in Aries
Full Moon in Aries | October 10 2022 | 9.54 AM NZT
This is a hot, fiery Moon, co-present with Jupiter, and picking up support from the grand trine in Air as it opposes the Sun-Venus conjunction in Libra. The Moon cuts through the middle of the triangle, with an angry mathematical statement. It looks like a dramatic creative outburst, the need break free and be independent, to be bold and daring, to vent frustrations and generally disrupt the smooth surface of our reality.
The Aries lunar energy wants fun and adventure, but the Libra Sun seeks a more harmonious, nuanced interaction. There is plenty of contrast in this duality. One of the things I love about astrology is the way we are presented with opportunities to find a balance or compromise, to ease the tension between opposites, particularly on a full Moon.
Have you noticed how the circular zodiac is actually a sequence of polarities? They are the archetypal extremes that frame the paradigms that we embody in our lived experience. This is one of the quantum concepts beneath the astrological system. Opposites are two sides of the same coin, we cannot have one without the other. Libra is the season when we can become more skilled at creating balance between them, of softening and blending the contrast.
So what is happening on the other side of the chart, in Libra? The Sun and Venus are about 3 degrees apart when the full Moon perfects. They form a lovely grand trine in air, with Mars and Saturn. Note that Venus and Saturn are in domicile and Saturn exalts the Sun and Venus. This has a feeling of peace, calm and stability, a return to order, a mini golden age. It will last roughly until the end of October.
Venus
As the Sun and Venus are moving at about the same speed, they will enter Scorpio together just before the new Moon partial solar eclipse in 2 weeks time. Venus is under the beams of the Sun, and although she is protected by being in her own domicile, this lengthy engagement is harsh for Her. She is not so safe once she moves into Scorpio, her detriment, on 24 October.
In ancient astrology a planet under the beams of the Sun was considered weak or unwell. It is unable to do what it is supposed to do, like a sick or injured person lying in bed, immobilised. Venus is symbolically drying up, shrivelling and dying. Because Venus is slowly overtaking the Sun, it is a long, arduous process. When she perfects the conjunction on 22 to 25 October, this is her power moment, the turning point. This moment is highly charged, it even has its own astrological name. The Cazimi. Symbolically she is on the Kings throne.
But we cannot see her, she is one with the all-powerful light of the Sun. Soon she will be reborn in a new form as the evening star, and not long after that we will see this beautiful star setting in the evening just after sunset.
The story of the descent of Inana is one of the oldest written stories. Inana was the original deity personifying the planet Venus. In the story, the mighty goddess Inana desires dominion over the realms of the dead, meaning she must go down there, and then return to the land of the living. First she gathers up her seven divine powers.
These are special objects of adornment or symbols of office, which will help and protect her; the lapis bead necklace, a special outdoor hat like a turban, a gold ring, a royal ladyship dress, two egg-shaped stones that she apparently wears on her breast, an alluring garment like a bra or bodice called a pectoral, and a lapis measuring rod, then make-up (called let-a-man-come mascara).
To get to the underworld she must pass through seven gates. One by one she hands over her divine powers to the keepers of the gates.
The process of descending involves a stripping away of her power. She is gradually divested of her divine objects of adornment, so that when she finally arrives she is weak, naked and shrunken. She is hung on a hook, like a bag of skin and bone.
It is an appalling image, as tragic as the ancient Greek version; the abduction of Persephone. Yet these myths tell us the archetypal story of the eternal cycle of death and rebirth, life and renewal. These are the ancient mysteries of which we are all participants. This is how it is, life and death. It is as natural as the turning of the seasons, and as eternal as our souls, that immutable part of us that is never born and never dies, but is recycled over and over.
I mention this story because we are collectively entering a portal to the underworld. It could potentially be a passing of something loved and dear to us or something more symbolic such as the end of a relationship, the end of an ideal, or a belief. What are your seven divine powers?
When Queen Persephone returns to her underworld palace to eat pomegranates with Lord Hades, the land of the living becomes barren and wintry. Our inner and outer landscapes may be doing something similar. But the season will change and she will return, and when she does she will be brighter, stronger and more potent than before.
Mercury
Elsewhere in the chart Mercury in Virgo is retracing his steps. Thinking back to August 21, Mercury opposed Neptune, then trined Pluto, moved into Libra and then opposed Jupiter on 3 September. What was going on in your life then? Look at the Virgo-Libra area of your chart. You are about to have another look at it, another chance to speak out, another opportunity to travel, or purchase something you missed out on earlier.
We could unearth some hidden, healing truth at last, something that we didn’t know before. A new offer or agreement has been updated and is back on the table. An apology is given, potentially forgiveness. A new voice joins the choir, the dynamics shift, the harmony changes, the frequencies align.
This recent Mercury retrograde cycle is over but the story is still unfolding. Financial markets and currencies are implicated, so is travel and communications, mobility and supplies lines and the flow of information, especially media relating to data, truth, statistics, and the information we derive from them. We can expect things to be moving along quickly now.
Immediately following the full Moon around the 11 or 12 October, Mercury enters Libra and opposes Jupiter. We can expect a further development, an announcement or the commencement of talks concerning Libra significations, such as an agreement, a settlement, a judgement, or some other sort of arrangement that is more fair, or more equal. It could also be a new tranche of legal proceedings. Conditions are now more favourable for a resolution or favourable outcome.
Mars
Mars is stationing retrograde in Gemini. Between October 20 and November 10 it barely moves. It is drilling down into the square to Neptune in Pisces, but is also part of the sign-based air trine I mentioned earlier. We will have to slow down, mentally and physically, as our mobility will somehow be affected.
It also has a feeling of exhaustion, the bone aching fatigue that comes from over-working, or feeling like your best efforts are not moving you forward. This will be a chance to pause, slow down and rest. I hope you do.
I also see an image of a kamikaze pilot, the warrior or soldier who gives his or her life for the cause, for their country, for some holy crusade. The romance of surrender, of defeat and sacrifice on the field of battle. These air sign ideologies can sweep us away, if we let them.
As we head into eclipse season it is more important than ever to remain grounded, and to take care of ourselves and each other. I will write more about the eclipses in my next blog.
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