With the Libra Full Moon falling on the weekend of both Passover and Easter, the spiritual importance of this full Moon is emphasized. All full Moons highlight our relationships, and the Aries/Libra full Moon is the archetypal relationship full Moon since the two signs energize self (Aries) and other (Libra). This first full Moon of the year shows us the emotional issues we face as we relate to each other. Since it is also a super moon -- closest to the Earth -- it will exert a stronger influence on both the ocean's tides and our inner tides. This is the full Moon to be conscious of "all our relations' in our dealings. And a good place to start is to examine how you act towards others.
Both the signs of Aries and Libra stand at the gateway of the Equinoxes, when night and day are of equal length. Aries at the gateway of Spring exemplifies the new strength of the returning Sun (in the northern hemisphere), bringing us the potential of our individual new life. Libra stands at the gateway of the Autumn, when we unite as a community to bring in the harvest as we prepare for longer nights and colder weather. Aries and Libra stand across the Zodiac from each other, and so it is their job to unite both sides of this opposition. Libra is better at compromise than Aries, so it is up to the Libra Moon this month to get the Aries Sun to listen.
Libra is good at striking a balance if she has a bit of Aries backbone. Libra is good at diplomacy if she uses her Venus-bestowed innate charm and social skills. Libra is about fairness because she can see both sides of the issue. Uranus in Aries is charging us with the cosmic energy to do our part in creating a better future; Saturn in Libra is pressuring us to stand up for justice for and between all people. We must stretch ourselves and become more than we've been before if we want to make the most of this potent full Moon time. What we learn about ourselves now will affect how we handle the rest of this year's powerful energies.
Both Passover and Easter tell us two different stories about gaining new life. And they are examples of two ways we can resolve this Full Moon opposition. I am not making a value judgment about these religious holidays, but am looking at their two stories. They are vivid examples of each side of the Aries/Libra Full Moon opposition. And yet when we unite both energies of this Full Moon, we can find a third way -- what C. G. Jung called the transcendent function. Jung believed that if we can bare the tension of opposites in our lives (feeling the opposing pull of the old and the new and not quite knowing how to navigate through), soon a third way opens, a way that combines both energies in a new and balanced way.
Some Aries characteristics are in evidence on the holy day of Passover, which celebrates liberation from slavery. Aries wants to be free to go his own way. Passover is about a new life of freedom, but this new life came at the cost of the death of all the Egyptian first born children and animals. To give freedom to his people, the God of Abraham sacrificed everyone else's lives. Since Aries is both the hero and conqueror, some Aries do feel "better him than me'. Since Aries is about discovering our individual identity, Aries can sometimes come across as selfish and self-centered. In the Passover story that's come down to us, both sides can't see beyond their own interests. The result is that many people had to die so others could be free.
The holy day of Easter carries a different vibe. A Libra vibe if you will. Jesus of Nazareth chooses to sacrifice's himself for everyone's spiritual freedom. He dies to give life to the world. The idea of the sacrificed king giving life to his people was very much an aspect of ancient pagan belief. It is better for one person to die than for many people to die. The best part of the Easter story is that Jesus gets Reborn as the Christ - his spiritual identity takes the place of his ego identity. The Risen Christ shows us that if we develop a spiritual perspective on life, we cannot die. In many ways, this is the Libran ideal of giving over your own desires for the good of your partner. What pleases my Beloved, pleases me. But this can lead to too much self-sacrifice. Many Libras don't know how to say "no' and end up being hurt when their partners keep taking, and taking, and taking what they have to give.
A one-sided sacrifice of individual needs never strikes the balance. Both partners need to incorporate Aries' sense of self with Libra's sense of the other. The best way to achieve this new balance is to step into that larger spiritual perspective and ask yourself some questions: What personal needs are we demanding that our partner fulfill for us? It's up to us to take care of our own needs as much as possible. What are some of our partner's needs that we are ignoring? It's up to us to care enough for our partners to help them out. As partners, how responsible are we for each other's happiness and contentment? We are responsible to act without malice, to help without hurting ourselves and to say "no' when it's the best thing to do for those we love.
Too much self or too much other creates imbalance. Oppositions are not meant to break apart. They are meant to complement each other. Libra's symbol is a scale which must be filled on both sides to create balance. Each partner must state his/her needs and desires and then be willing to negotiate a middle way that can satisfy both. Each person has an Aries side and a Libran side. The balance makes the difference.
As I mentioned in my blogs on The Hunger Games, the new feminine heroine Katniss is both warrior and mother. She offers to sacrifice herself for her sister, yet stands ready to defend herself if necessary. The new masculine hero of the story, Peeta, not only plans to sacrifice himself for Katniss, he also does everything in his power to protect her and make sure she wins. These new archetypal figures combine the best of both Aries and Libra, defending those they love while keeping the killing to a minimum. Their sense of self-preservation doesn't take joy in killing but doesn't shrink from doing what is necessary and right. In the end, they begin to find a delicate balance between self and other that defines the meaning of this Aries/Libra full Moon.
Mars and Mercury going direct: Action and Communication
The energies of
late March and early April have been frustrating, to say the least. Our plans seem to be stuck in limbo, and
nothing is moving ahead. Blame it on
Mars being retrograde since the end of January.
So take a deep breath and get ready to move forward again because Mars
will be turning around on Friday the 13th, the week after the Libra
full Moon. Since the warrior planet
rules Aries, use the remaining time it's retrograde to question your motives
before you act. Forward motion will
begin to speed up by the beginning of May.
You can see Mars shining red in the evening sky. It's close to the Earth now that it's retrograde. Go take a look!
The Sabian symbol for Mars turning to direction motion at 4* Virgo is: Black and white children play happily together. This symbol indicates how children can overcome prejudices, especially sociocultural ones. When we finally acknowledge that all people are equal under the law, we will have taken a big step into true democracy. But the symbol goes beyond race to gender. Women have been second class citizens in all cultures, regardless of race. So this symbol could also be of girls and boys playing happily together. And to take the image even deeper, it indicates the need to unite masculine and feminine consciousness -- our ability to think rationally must be balanced by our emotional intelligence, our intuition trusted as readily as facts. Mars turning direct on this degree urges us to unite all opposites and find that transcendent function.
Mercury, the planet of communication, travel and business, has also been retrograde during March, adding to the slowdown. Hopefully, you've taken the time to turn within and check in with yourself about how you feel about your life. Mercury turns direct on Wednesday, April 4th early in the morning. Watch your dreams that morning to see if the heavenly messenger gives you the answer to the question you've been asking yourself. Mercury started his retrograde in early Aries, joined with Uranus at the Aries new Moon and traveled back into Pisces to pick up any last minute instructions from the collective unconscious. With the approaching Pluto/Uranus square in late June, we are all questioning ourselves about life, work, love and purpose. Why are you here? You have to be able to name it to own it.
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