The Cosmic Story: The
Aries/Libra Full Moon, October, 2019
Only Strength Can Cooperate!
"None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all
do small things, with great love, and together we can do something
wonderful." – Mother Teresa
As
we head into the big conjunction of Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn
next January 12, 2020, we might be feeling that we have to get our
own house in order. This big conjunction is already showing up in
the intense political infighting we’re seeing in the U.S., Britain,
the Middle East and Hong Kong. The conjunction deals with the death
pangs and restructuring of our consumer, capitalist global society,
and the old order is not going down easy.
The
truth is, it has to happen within each of us to make it happen in the
outer world. Or at least a tipping point percentage of us have to do
this. It’s time for us to look within ourselves to see where we
continue the old patriarchal patterns of competition, greed and
domination that are the hallmarks of our society.
This
Aries/Libra Full Moon asks us to look at where these old patterns
exist in our relationships. It’s time to divest ourselves of the
inequalities, injustices, jealousy and competition that are such a
big part of patriarchal relationships.
Relationships
come in many colors and flavors. These include same sex love,
different sex love, polyamory love as well as family and friendship
love. And on a global scale, it’s time to develop our Agape
Love, which is the
spiritual love we can feel for others, the Earth and all of Nature.
If the Celtic tribes could do it 5,000 years ago, we can certainly
give it chance. (As a
matter of fact, the last time we had next year’s astrological
patterns in the sky was in 3838BC – Jupiter, Saturn & Pluto in
Capricorn with Uranus in Taurus.)
With
the nodal axis in the sign of Cancer/Capricorn, we’re being asked
to let go of the Capricorn ‘rules’ of love we’ve been subject
to and open to the warmth and openness of the mothering Cancer kinds
of love. A good mother is happy to see love blossom wherever it
will. Because love makes us want to be our most excellent selves.
Love
is beyond our ability to contain or control and we have to accept
that as a fact of life. Poor Aphrodite, the great goddess of Love!
She’s been the most subjugated of all the ancient goddesses,
because patriarchy couldn’t get rid of her and so they bound her in
chastity belts and bondage to suit men’s need to control. Happily
it didn’t work. But it did twist us into shapes that we need to
get out of.
Now
it’s time to restructure how we relate to lovers, to friends, to
family and to the world.
Aries/Libra
Full Moon 2019
The
Aries Full Moon occurs on Sunday, October 13th
at 2:08pm PDT/ 5:08pm EDT and 10:08pm GMT.
Looking
first at the ruling planets of both Aries and Libra, we see that they
are ‘visiting’ each other’s homes
– Venus is in Mars-ruled Scorpio and Mars is in Venus-ruled Libra.
That means that they’re ‘talking’ with each other – or at
least listening to what the other is up to. Don’t forget, Venus
and Mars met in the underworld (or were invisible behind the Sun when
they came together) on August 24th.
So they’ve already started their new dance.
Now,
Venus
in Scorpio wants to get down to business. Like the Sumerian goddess
Inanna, Venus in Scorpio isn’t afraid to go down into the
underworld to be renewed. First she’ll have to face that part of
her which has been rejected and is raging, like Inanna’s sister
Ereshkigal. What part of you is raging, wanting, longing? And what
are you willing to do about it? Venus is opposite Uranus retrograde
in Taurus, so she’ll likely do something wild and unexpected to
break free of old patterns. Have fun with her this weekend – we
are meant to have joy in life.
Mar is in Libra so he’s
already changing his ways, since Libra asks him to pay attention to
the ‘other’. It’s no longer ‘all about him’. While some
people might find this frustrating, a true warrior like Mars can
accept the challenge. Life is better when we learn to cooperate,
especially if we get hugs and kisses as our reward.
Mars
is also connected to Uranus in Taurus, except in a harder struggle
than Venus. While Venus wants
to put on her independence and wild side, Mars is challenged by an
inconjunct with a disruption in the ways he usually wants us to
operate. Too much assertion or too little initiative can be the
problem our Mars faces. It’s time to face the root causes of our
relationship dysfunctions, rather than just treating the symptions –
usually by leaving! This is where we’re being asked to face our
aggressive impulses, try
not to inhibit our sexuality, and
stop always having ‘to be on top’! Watch out for rashness and
impulsiveness because it will only trip you up.
But these two energies can
also give rise to new and original ways of dealing with
relationships. You know, I think it’s been my generation’s
Neptune in Libra that has us all looking for our soul mates and then
destroying those mates who don’t measure up. Something has to be
done with how we handle our breakups and divorces. We don’t need
to be angry that we’re no longer compatible. Sometimes one person
grows more than the other, and we need to find kind ways to let each
other go.
This is the potential of this
Full Moon. Finding kind, just ways to deal with each other.
The question is: How do you
ask for what you need with kindness and truth? And how do you listen
to things that might ‘break your heart’ without wanting revenge?
Now for the Full Moon itself.
With the Aries Moon, we get to
look at where our shadow keeps us self-involved, angry, controlling
and too independent to make a strong commitment to another person.
The Libra Sun asks us for justice, fairness and a balanced,
diplomatic understanding of each other. Venus helps us see our true
desires while Mars helps us meet the challenges that each
relationship faces, since we all have our own soul purpose as well as
our own wounds around trust and commitment.
This
Full Moon is intense because added to the push-pull of the needs of
our
Aries self
and
Libra other,
it is challenged by a square from the
Saturn, South Node and Pluto conjunction in Capricorn. There’s an
exact square to Pluto by degree and minute! That’s intense. Pluto
wants to be
a part in
our conception of how we want to be in relationship to others. If
we’re holding on to the old story, we want to use Pluto power to
dominate and
intimidate others.
If we step into a new story of our own empowerment, Pluto will help
us transform any relationship we’re in.
Here’s
the deal: how deep can we go to heal ourselves, because that’s how
deep we have to go to heal our society. If we can’t heal ourselves
of our prejudices, our entitlements, our unconscious feelings of
unworthiness, we won’t heal our families, our communities and our
world.
If we use these energies in
the right way, we will be empowered to be our truest Self in all
areas of our lives.
The
Sabian symbol for the Sun at 20*40’ Libra is: Hot
Sunday crowds delight in the cool sea breeze.
We all share in the trials and joys of life. This Libra Sun wants us
to delight in what is good and true and
let others do it too.
The
Sabian symbol for the Moon at 20*40’ Aries is: A
boxer, flushed with strength, enters the ring.
This is a symbol of intense assertiveness, wouldn’t you say? This
is the attitude we need to look at, the cultural shadow we need to
face. Do we have to smash our opponents? Or dominate the ‘other’?
Personally,
I’d rather go to a dance, which in a way what boxers do (Muhammad
Ali) but without punching anyone.
The
Sabian symbol for Pluto at 20*40’ Capricorn is: A
relay race, each runner springs eagerly into place.
Here’s the answer to this Full Moon question of the right balance
between Self and Other. Are
we the boxer or are we totally chilling at the beach? This symbols
says that
the
answer is total
cooperation and give and take between us. We are all in this
together – Republicans (even if they don’t realize it) Democrats
(even if they feel they have the answers), independents and
libertarians. Native peoples and the Earth. Easterners and
Westerners. Men and women. Elders and children. Our
world is One. When will we really believe it?
Pluto provides the way out of
our dilemma. It is up to each of us to take up the baton.
The
other energy at work during this Full Moon is the square between
Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces, each planet in the sign
of its rulership. We need to know what our
truth
is
and
not get caught up in the chaotic collective delusions that have been
created by the idea of ‘fake news’. Only
you can know what your heart knows as truth.
Doesn’t
that excite you? To know and live your truth. It does me!
And because these energies
deal with our beliefs and spiritual aspirations, we need to turn
within for the answers. It’s not a time to look outside yourself
for someone else to give you the answer. There is no one
answer until we find that answer which fills us with light and hope
and joy. Then we’ll know. Until then, we are given longings to
follow, dreams to guide us, symbols to work with. Watch for the
signposts, which show that you’ve arrived.
Learn how to listen within.
Mercury is in Scorpio as well as Venus. He is the psychopomp, the
traveler who leads the way between dimensions and worlds. Let him
guide Venus to the truth of her heart and take her where she belongs.
It’s time to do some journeying.
Learn
to base your relationships on respect and cooperation. And most of
all, Kindness.
And take the time and this
opportunity to find balance within yourself – a balance of play and
work, self and other, masculine
and feminine, inner and
outer, doing and being.
Blessed Be!
Cathy
A
Gift
Just
when you seem to yourself
nothing but a flimsy web
of questions, you are given
the questions of others to hold
in the emptiness of your hands,
songbird eggs that can still hatch
if you keep them warm,
butterflies opening and closing themselves
in your cupped palms, trusting you not to injure
their scintillant fur, their dust.
You are given the questions of others
as if they were answers
to all you ask. Yes, perhaps
this gift is your answer.
nothing but a flimsy web
of questions, you are given
the questions of others to hold
in the emptiness of your hands,
songbird eggs that can still hatch
if you keep them warm,
butterflies opening and closing themselves
in your cupped palms, trusting you not to injure
their scintillant fur, their dust.
You are given the questions of others
as if they were answers
to all you ask. Yes, perhaps
this gift is your answer.
~
Denise Levertov ~
(Sands
of the Well)