The Full Moon in Aries reached its peak this morning, marauding through the sign of the Ram opposite the Sun in its fall of Libra.  This is a full moon about boldness and balance, courage and consideration — the Moon in Aries’ ruler, Mars, is in detriment in the sign of Libra, co-present the Sun.  Dust rises from the ground with initiative thrust, Aries’ trailblazing spirit seeking to shake off September’s slough, yet it might be a ‘look before you leap’ kind of moment when the Moon in Aries is dispatched by Mars in Libra.

Mars in the cardinal air sign, as with the red planet in all the air signs, lends a penchant for strategy, for thinking moves ahead in gambit or gameplay, argument or arbitration.  Perhaps at its core, Mars in Libra maintains a mode of contemplation and consideration around the different possible approaches to a matter.  Yet Aries is known for that momentous moving forward, without the self-consciousness that can inhibit as much as it might enlighten.  The indomitable spirit doesn’t always make its biggest breakthroughs worrying about coffee table corners, authoritative constraints or other people’s opinions.

Given such realities, this lunation asks that the fire of the intuitive Will be checked by the air of our Thoughts… contemplating how fire and air signs naturally oppose each other helps to illuminate the mysteries surrounding singularity of action and multiplicity of paths.

What’s more, because this lunation takes place across the Aries-Libra axis — all full moons imply the Moon is in the opposite sign of the Sun — it’s like a sort of preamble to the upcoming Solar Eclipse in Libra on October 17th.  Said eclipse will be the first along this axis since the eclipse-marking Nodes of the Moon made their naturally retrograde way into Aries and Libra this past July for their ~1.8 year stay.

The decans of Aries and Libra this eclipse will take place across suggest that making rushed decisions, perhaps out of an urge for ‘completing one’s vision’ or changing course, might provoke a later need for compromise or truce.  It’s important today’s full moon not see impulsive seeds sown, or self-dissolving decisions made that will need mopped up later.  With the Moon’s ruler Mars conjunct the South Node in Libra, the symbols are asking us to dial back Marsy-ness as much as the Moon itself might be spelling some type of fortune if we dial it up.

The upcoming month marks a rather dynamic next year and a half for those with significant placements in the cardinal signs, or with the cardinal signs on the angles of the chart (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn Rising).  Today’s full moon, with its valence lingering through Saturday, has particular implications for those with placements in the first several degrees of the cardinal signs.

In Pittsburgh, Mercury conjunct the Ascendant at the time of the Moon’s peak fullness imparts its own clarity, as the Messenger god’s nominal planet will.  This full moon as a preface for eclipse season announces one animate October, with more motion and less of September’s seeming stagnancy and waiting game.

Just some themes to look out for:

*boldness and balance
*courage and consideration
*a clarity in our relationships
*slow pace of recent weeks revving up
*’look then leap’ type insight even still
*adventure, progress, forging ahead in relationship
*conflict/impasse or disagreement in the same
*conscious dialogue and thoughtful exchange
*with Mars’ sextile to Venus, the theme of visibility feeding our passions
*with Mars’ upcoming square to Pluto, dialogue on the unseen coming into focus
*where your values and direction intersect with / depart from those of others
*rushed decisions out of urge for ‘completing one’s vision’ might provoke a later compromise

It is a good time to hold the paradox of Self and Other in tandem, without particular need to reconcile seeming opposites — because ultimately, we don’t.  We bear witness to, and strengthen our relationship with them.

Swim well, stargazers ~

—A.B.

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