Autumn Equinox & Aries Full Moon September 23, 2010
Once again, we meet at the balance point of light and dark. The Autumn Equinox occurs this year on September 22-23. The Equinox is a moment of balance, of quiet, of stillness, as the Sun passes over the Equator from North to South. We have reached the time of Harvest, and a few hours later, the Aries Harvest Full Moon will reach its peak. A moment of perfect balance, made sacred by the self-awareness we need to cultivate on a full Moon as well as at this time of year. With the arrival of the harvest season, this year 2010 comes to its maturity. We have choices to make, about our personal harvests and about our world, and the cycle of the year demands that we make those choices with our eyes wide open and our hearts filled with a passion for life. That passion for life will get us through the Winter to come.
Take the time to acknowledge your harvest for this year and offer gratitude for the many gifts, as well as tests, that this year has brought you. From what I'm hearing from everyone, this Summer of 2010 T-square has tempered us on a fiery anvil. To those of you who are tired, it's time to celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year once more. The energies are about to shift.
The Autumnal Equinox is upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere, while those of you in the Southern hemisphere are celebrating Spring Equinox. As we in the North welcome in the darkness once again, those of you in the South will be rejoicing in the return of the light and warmth. Your Sun is back in the neighborhood!
What makes this full Moon special is the fact that after this full Moon, the Soli-Lunar cycle switches again: the new Moon in a sign will once again fall before the Full Moon associated with that sign. After this full Moon, when we plant a seed in a sign, it will blossom in its complementary sign, not in incompatible elements (for example, we've seen a new Moon in Virgo Earth with this next full Moon occurring in Aries Fire rather than Virgo Earth to its complement Pisces water).
This first Aries full Moon is right at the Equinox point, while the second Aries full Moon will occur at the 30th degree. The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end. In the sign of Aries, that means this full Moon is about beginning to incarnate that new identity you've been developing this summer, while the second full Moon can lock it in place. The second full Moon in Aries might just be the real "blue moon' because two full moons in an astrological month (rather than a calendar month) make more sense if a blue moon is special in some way. While this full Moon once again is part of the Cardinal T-square I've been talking about all summer, the other planets are fairly free-floating.
Neptune and Chiron are conjunct at 27* Aquarius, healing our collective mindset with a new vision of ourselves and our world. We all need a vision of "who we are and what we can become' to work towards. The Aquarius vision of the earlier part of 2010 is still being crafted. Just remember to heal yourself first. Let go of all the negative ideas you have about yourself and start with the positive, while you stay aware of those parts of yourself you still need to work on.
The Sabian symbol for 27* Aquarius is: An ancient pottery bowl filled with fresh Violets. Ancient containers or values can be saved just as long as we fill them with living beauty. Violets are considered symbols of modesty and humility, two values that we still need to cultivate in creating a new vision for a unified world. Wild violets send out runners that produce new plants reminding us that new growth is built on old growth and life. We can be modest in our expectations of a good life while being humble enough to be of service to each other. True equality depends on these virtues.
Jupiter and Uranus are together at 29* Pisces, expanding the crack between the dimensions of reality, expanding our awareness of the mysterious Unseen aspects of Life here on Earth. Let these energies flow through you with compassion for yourself and for everyone else just trying to get through the task at hand. We are all in this together. The Sabian symbol for 29* Pisces is: Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism. While there is one stream of light for all of us, there are many dimensions that it flows through. It's time for us to let all the colors live within us, not just the socially accepted ones!
Mercury is traveling alone, once again in forward motion in Virgo, analyzing and considering what needs to be done. The closest aspect to Mercury is with Venus and Mars in Scorpio. Once you figure out what you really want, send it on to Mercury to begin to get the details in order. The Sabian symbol for 14*Virgo is: A splendid family tree engraved on a sheet of parchment. Our family lineage, as well as our soul lineage, is the root of our personal power. As we deeply accept who we are, we can begin to understand what talents and gifts we bring to the world.
Venus and Mars are both Argentine tango-ing through Scorpio, sending out dark and dangerous signals to potential mates, friends and foes, while preparing for Venus' retrograde starting October 8th. Time to figure out the difference between what we need to grow our lives and what we desire in our lives. They're two different things, as a very wise goddess sister said this weekend. With Venus retrograding back into late Libra, we still haven't sorted out our hearts' desire. Don't hurry it. Everything comes in its own time.
The full Moon at 1* Aries, conjunct both Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces is being nurtured by the collective vision of compassion as well as the individual experience of living in a multi-dimensional world. The Sabian symbol for 1*Aries is: A woman just risen from the sea. A seal is embracing her. Here is the new potential to be conscious, arising out of the ocean of the Collective Unconscious (Pisces). It's a potential of selfhood and individuality. It is a woman and so the image speaks of a new feeling life that is true to our original nature. That is the seal that comes up out of the waters with her. Our original nature is both comfortable on land and in water, since we develop in our mother's watery womb. The seal reminds us to stay open to the unconscious, to our feelings and to the creative imagination and to the magic of life. If we do, we will stay true to ourselves.
The Sun at 1* Libra is conjunct Saturn, inspiring us to take responsibility for making the balance between Self and other, and justice and self-worth conscious. The Sun and Saturn wants us to get serious about our purpose in life, while the Moon might enchant us to journey to other dimensions and indulge in some fantasy. Try to find the balance between doing both. You need both attitudes right now to become aware of your next step.
The Sabian symbol for 1* Libra is: In a collection of perfect specimens of many biological forms, a butterfly displays the beauty of its wings, its body impaled by a fine dart. Here we see the exact opposite of the image for the Moon. Life is no longer alive, but looked at as an archetypal reality. And yet it also reminds us of an emergence. The butterfly symbolizes the process of transformation and shape-shifting. It calls us to remember that change is constant and yet not chaotic. There is a process involved. The dart that impales the body of the butterfly keeps it in its perfect form so we can see and understand its final form before death. It also implies a sacrifice of some kind and in Libra we do learn to sacrifice our own desires to meet the needs of others, which are ultimately our own needs. As autumn takes center stage, we begin to understand that we have to work together to bring in the harvest and make plans for everyone's needs during the harsh winter months.
This symbol invites us to become the archetypal truth of the new beginning the woman makes. It calls us to perfect who we are.
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