The Cosmic Story: Libra Full Moon 2017

The Cosmic Story: Aries/Libra Full Moon 2017

Come On Up For The Rising

Primal, fiery Aries symbolizes cosmic energy bursting out in the Spring, bringing back beauty and color and new life to our Mother Earth. And to us. With the Sun shining so brightly now after a cold, dark Winter, how can we not feel awake and renewed? Especially this year, when our collective life is so awake and passionate. We are engaging Life and taking stands for what we believe in. Even in our diversity, we are coalescing (Latin coalescere "unite, grow together, become one in growth," from com- "together" (see co-) + alescere "be nourished," hence, "increase, grow up," "to grow, nourish") into one global family, with spider web connections around the world. Yes, we’ve all joined the Resistance, but more importantly, we are rising up to our roll as stewards of the Earth and of each other. Childhood’s End indeed!

I can remember feeling this way in the 60s – protesting the War united people and it felt as if we all had a purpose, that we could effect our world and change it. The energy of the time felt so alive! because we were sharing it with others. In the aftermath of the long 2012-2015 Uranus in Aries square to Pluto in Capricorn, we are now engaged in the hard work of bringing our ideals about the future into our collective life. And so these same group energies are active again, and can be used in positive, conscious ways or in mob-mentality, destructive ways.

Instead of thinking of this as a fight, think of it as Rising Up to our royal natures and taking responsibility for each other. As my allie Caroline Casey says, olly olly in come free – we need everyone to create the future, to come in free. In May, the lunar nodes will shift out of Virgo/Pisces into Leo/Aquarius. This year’s Leo North Node destiny will resonate with a large group of people – the Pluto in Leo generation (1939-57) and the Uranus in Leo generation (1956-62) – and the cosmos is going to ask us what we have to offer our world. With Leo, it’s all about creative expression. So let your inner ARTIST out and see what develops.

Libra Full Moon 2017

This Libra Full Moon occurs on Monday April 10^th at 11:08pm PDT and early on Tuesday morning, April 11^th at 2:08am EDT/ 7:08am GMT.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 22* Aries is: The Gate to the Garden of all fulfilled desires. We are asked – what will make you happy? What are your true desires?

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 22* Libra is: A child giving birds a drink at a fountain. This feels like an instinctual feeding of our spirit (bird) with the Waters of Life.

Together, the story goes: If we feed our spirit, we will achieve our true desires.

This Aries/Libra Full Moon is packed with power. The opposition between the Sun in Aries and the Moon in Libra usually involves learning to combine conscious and unconscious energies regarding our relationships. With the Sun in Aries, we seek a strong sense of self-identity – who am I and what am I here to do in this lifetime? With the Moon in Libra, our unconscious seeks a balance through relating to others – can we allow others to be themselves without judgments and expectations? Can we be ourselves when we’re with others, or do we need to hide ourselves behind ‘appropriate’ masks? Can we be ourselves in partnership? Can we find the right partners for us?

These questions get supercharged at this Full Moon. The Aries Sun joins both Uranus and the dwarf planet, Eris, so don’t expect to be in control of what happens. Let your unique genius rock the day. Uranus brings us the surprise that wakes us up to a new life and Eris will bring up any discord (against the heart) that disrupts our harmony with our true Self. What is the archetypal energy calling your name? Uranus wakes us up to our cosmic Self. Eris forces us to confront what keeps us out of harmony with this Self. With the Aries Sun lighting up this energy, embrace whatever changes come your way.

The Libra Moon is joined by Jupiter – so go out and look at them both shining in the night sky. Jupiter is a joyful, jovial planetary energy – the help from heaven we all ask for in times of need. This Full Moon will feel good, so go out and be with people. Who knows who you’ll meet? Keep your perspective wide open (Jupiter) so you don’t miss the surprise (Uranus). Here’s where you get to change (Uranus) your story (Jupiter).

Jupiter is the grandson of Uranus, and inherits his heavenly standpoint. Jupiter will want to expand and accelerate any unconscious (Moon) changes that Uranus hurls our way. Libra is a social air sign that loves good companionship and conversation, beauty and art, diplomacy and fairness. So be open to the things that make collective life interesting and worthwhile. Allow yourself to feel wonderful about who you are and go out and shine!

Elsa Elsa says this is the energy when luck and fate collide – unexpectedly. Jupiter brings the luck, Uranus adds the unexpected and Pluto brings on fate. Pluto in Capricorn, along with the asteroid Juno, square this Full Moon. Pluto is the planet of fate and evolution and its energy of death and rebirth has been undermining our collective institutions since 2008. It is our fate to live in these beautiful, dangerous times where we are called to step into our destiny to help our collective future. As our patriarchal culture dies out so a more balanced partnership culture can develop, we personally have to learn how to have these balanced relationships. As we learn, we model this new behavior for others. Mars, the ruler of Aries, is in Taurus, so it’s a very strong, determined energy that’s related to Venus – it’s a fertile, green energy. It trines Pluto in Capricorn, so we have the energy to sustain us as we rise up and emerge.

So on this magical Full Moon, let the unexpected into your lives and see if it helps you clarify and fulfill your purpose.

Filling in the 4^th leg of this pattern is the asteroid Vesta in Cancer opposite Pluto. Vesta’s energies relate to the hearth and home fires, the Sacred Fire of Life, the godforce within us. In Cancer, the homefires will be alight all over the land to guide our new story home. This grand cardinal cross (planets in the 4 cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) will move our evolution and revolution forward. If you have any planets from 18-26* of cardinal signs, you’ll be personally affected. Look to the houses where your cardinal axis lies for information about how those changes will affect you. Hopefully, you’ll meet new allies – be they human, animal, plant, mineral or airy spirits. It’s time to move things forward, even though we have lots of planetary shifts this month.

Saturn just turned retrograde at 28* Sagittarius on April 6^th until August 25^th at 22* Sagittarius. The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 28* Sagittarius is: An old bridge over a beautiful stream is still in constant use. This old bridge is a combination of natural beauty and human skill and imagination. It bridges the past, present and future – the eternal, archetypal, cosmic laws that shape us but leave us the free will to express them or not.

When Saturn turns retrograde, all that structure and disciple gets turned within. We learn to structure our inner energies in alignment with the sign’s energies. With Sagittarius, we are aligning ourselves to the cosmic laws of life. We have to learn to harmonize with these cosmic energies, so spend the next four months looking within at your beliefs and how they influence your actions. Are they aligned? Or is there a disconnect? Bridge them.

Saturn trines the Aries planets and sextiles the Libra planets, so our inner discipline and awareness will help us find ways to work together with others to bring about both personal and collective changes. We have to live our ideals now. The most important aspect of Rising Up means just that – allowing our higher Self to work through us to change the world. It doesn’t mean we have to be goodie goodies and saintly – it means we have to be authentic.

Psyche's Last Task in the Underworld

 

Saturn also squares Venus retrograde conjunct Chiron in Pisces, exact on April 8^th. Venus challenges Saturn to incorporate the compassionate healing (Venus/Chiron) that our society needs now. It’s not a time to abandon those in need, especially as we see our ‘oh so Christian’ leaders pull the rug out of under the poor, the elderly, the sick and the hopeless while they give away our world to the wealthy. Venus will finish her retrograde on April 15^th, turning direct at 27* Pisces. Our brave warrior princess dove back into the collective waters to retrieve a vital piece of wisdom that she’ll need in her new cycle, which began in Aries on March 25^th. Sabian symbol for Venus at 27* Pisces is: The Harvest Moon illuminates a clear autumnal sky. This is a symbol of consummation and completion. It’s time to harvest the karma we have sown.

Pluto also turns retrograde this month on April 20^th until September 28^th. The Sabian symbol for Pluto at 20* Capricorn is: A hidden choir is singing during a religious service. This hidden choir is the unification of our collective talents, offered for a spiritual purpose. We have to bring back the knowledge that we are indeed spiritual beings having a human experience. We have to give voice to what we know.

And finally, Mercury turns retrograde on April 9^th, the day before this Full Moon. Mercury turns retrograde on April 9^th at 5* Taurus until it ends its retrograde at 25* Aries on May 3^rd. The Sabian symbol for Mercury going retrograde at 5* Taurus is: A widow at an open grave. It sounds like the cosmos wants us to contemplate what is dead so that we can leave it behind. The past is over with. What have we learned from it? It’s time to move on.

May the twin lights of our home planet guide and enrich your life.

Cathy

All Sabian Symbols are from Dane Rudhyar’s An Astrological Mandala

Beannacht
("Blessing")

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

~ John O'Donohue ~
(Echoes of Memory)