LIBRA FULL MOON - 31 March 2018

Exact at 1.36pm BST , 8.36am EDT.

We are well and truly in Aries season, with the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Uranus all currently in this assertive, honest, brave and independent sign! This week Venus and Uranus join forces in Aries, which could make relations with others somewhat erratic, unpredictable and potentially even shocking. This energy has been building since Monday and will be exact on Thursday, and could bring a strong need to assert our individuality within our relationships, or to bust out of routine or stagnation, or even to make a bid for freedom. This may cause considerable disruption to the status quo of our relationships, but equally it could bring a much needed breath of fresh air as we are able to see another way of approaching our relationships. Aries energy is very forthright and honest, and so we could find ourselves being able to express things to one another that may be a bit shocking at first, but will ultimately bring everything out into the open so that it is all “on the table”, so to speak.  Uranus has the capacity to revolutionise our relationships and look at them from completely different perspective. As such, this could be quite an exciting, enlivening and insightful time for the way we relate.

And with a Libra Full Moon, the emphasis is definitely on relationships at the moment. We have the Sun in Aries, a sign that needs the freedom and independence to develop our own sense of identity, sitting directly opposite the Moon in Libra, a sign that helps us to understand ourselves through the mirror of relationship. As ever, with a Full Moon we are asked to find a sense of balance between the energy of the two signs involved, rather than veering too far in one direction. Libra, represented by the scales, is a sign of psychological extremes and imbalances, and so this Moon could help us to see where we might be extreme or out of balance in our psychological make-up. Of course, our close relationships tend to make these imbalances rather obvious, as it is hard to hide when we are up close and personal with another human being!

Libra tends to highlight how we might project any needs that weren’t met in childhood onto our partner, so that co-dependency can easily occur, which can cause us to lose ourselves. With Libra there is a need to be needed, and to really listen to what the other person needs. Listening is such an important part of relating, as is the art of compromise.  Aries, on the other hand, demands freedom and independence to find out who we are and develop a solid sense of our own identity. It is very instinctual sign that gives us the courage and motivation to strike out on our own and actualise our own destiny. Obviously both signs have their limitations. It is important to learn to meet our own needs and not expect one person to meet them all for us. That is simply impossible! Similarly, it is important not to become so self-involved that we don’t acknowledge the needs of the other person. Aries energy can be quite selfish, which is important sometimes, but can easily go too far. It is such a delicate balance, achieving healthy relationships, and this Full Moon could definitely bring to the surface any imbalance between the need to be ourselves and the need to be in relationship.

The ruler of Libra is Venus, who will have just popped over into Taurus when the Moon is Full. Venus is very much at home in her own sign, and will encourage us to develop a healthy sense of self-worth and to make sure that we are self-reliant rather than depending on others to meet our needs. All of this Aries energy can help us to be really honest with one another and to say it how it is, rather than sugar-coating or hiding our true feelings from one another. It is a very good Moon for expressing our needs and being completely honest about where we are coming from, because Aries helps us to be brave and assertive, while Libra helps us to really listen to one another. It can also help us to initiate relationships or courses of action that we might usually be more cautious about. Of course, Aries can also bring up anger, arrogance and the urge to dominate, and is a rather impulsive sign, so we could find ourselves saying or doing things that we wish we could take back! This is especially true as Mercury, the planet of communication, is retrograde in forthright Aries right now. However, it is better out in the open, even if the truth hurts.

Mars, the ruler of Aries, is joining forces with Saturn in Capricorn for this Full Moon. Not only that, but both planets are challenging the Sun and Moon. This is an interesting combination, because Saturn represents control, limitation, authority, duty, discipline and can easily suppress our natural impulses. Mars represents assertion, anger, impulsiveness, action, desire and so we might experience suppressed anger in ourselves or others which could come out as seething resentment or rage. We could experience some kind of energetic force coming from an authority figure, or have to act out of a sense of duty. This combination is great for focused, disciplined, patient action and can bring amazing stamina, and also means that we could have the capacity to work very hard towards our goals during this time. Saturn and Mars also ask us to act from a place of integrity. However, it could also mean that we are forced to hold feelings or impulses in, or become involved in some kind of struggle for control or domination. It is important to be aware that often when we seek to control it is because we feel powerless in some way and are seeking to redress the balance or feel less insecure.

This energy is very prominent indeed during this Moon, and so we could feel quite frustrated, as if we are trying to push against something or someone that simply will not back down or soften. Indeed, we could simply be held back by our own limitations, or feelings of fear, inadequacy or futility. Saturn does have the capacity to bring out the darker, more fearful side of our natures, and with Mars involved we could be more prone to act on these impulses. People could act in quite harsh or ruthless ways, out of ambition or a need for hard control. Anything that is suppressed will surely have to explode at some point. The energy of the conjunction will peak on Monday 2 April, but will be very strong during the Full Moon. It will feel particularly acute for anyone who has personal planets between 5 degrees and 11 degrees of a sign. It will feel particularly acute for any one with planets between 5 degrees and 11 degrees of Capricorn, Cancer, Aries or Libra.

Jupiter and Pluto are gearing up to form another harmonious aspect to one another, which has been building for a month or so and will be exact on 14 April. This combination will really help us to look at ourselves honestly and to do the necessary work on ourselves to help us grow on a deep, soul level.  Jupiter is in Scorpio, helping us to face the deeper, darker aspects of ourselves and reality, and combined with Pluto is helping us to bring things out from under the proverbial carpet that have hitherto been buried. This will help us all to become more transparent on a personal level and also collectively. Pluto is in Capricorn and has slowly but surely been exposing the rot within society and our power structures since 2008, and this aspect between Jupiter and Pluto will definitely help that process along, bringing what has been hidden out into the light of our awareness, no matter how shameful, sordid or corrupt it seems. Jupiter seeks the truth, and in Scorpio he isn’t afraid to go digging deep into the dark, murky undergrowth to discover the truth that lies hidden there. Long kept secrets could be revealed, and we may have to face considerable guilt or shame, but we will feel so much better for having got everything out into the open. This is a very opportune time to face our shadows.

Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is now in the very last degree of Pisces, which is the very last degree of the entire zodiac! This means that we are at the end of a cycle, and I do wonder whether we now have the opportunity to find some resolution around our core wounding, letting go of some of the pain we have carried around with us our whole lives and moving on.  Not only that, but Chiron helps us to connect with our higher selves and find hidden skills and talents we didn’t know we had. There is the potential for us being somehow released from the prison of our oldest wounds, but before we do we may need to dive more deeply into the origin of the pain, inviting it in so that we can fully experience it on every level. It’s time to open those sores up and pour salt on them! Chiron will pop over into Aries on the Aries New Moon of April 16, which is very exciting indeed! This should bring a considerable shift of energy, and in the couple of weeks leading up to it we may well feel more sensitive, open and raw than usual, and more easily triggered. We should use this time to really embrace and feel whatever emotions come up, no matter how vulnerable we may feel, and to do our best to be compassionate and forgiving towards ourselves and others, because ultimately we are all in this together!

There certainly is an interesting combination of energy surrounding this Moon! With the Aries/Libra axis in the hot seat, our relationships are certainly emphasised.  This is all the more so because it is a Full Moon, which tends to highlight relationships and bring buried tensions to the surface. Uranus and Venus seem to bring the potential for some kind of release and change within our relationships in the build up to the moon, while Saturn and Mars seems to be a very controlled, fearful and suppressing energy, and possibly causing us to feel as if we are under the control of darker forces.  Or else not act, out of fear. Jupiter and Pluto are helping to do some honest, heartfelt amazing soul searching and to bring the truth out into the open, no matter how dark or shameful it might seem. And all the while we have Chiron in the very last degree of the zodiac, making us feel much more sensitive and open, but also helping us to tap into our higher self and our super powers. It seems like we are being called to be very honest with ourselves and others right now and to do some great purging! This Moon could bring us some rather extreme emotions to the surface, which could make us feel somewhat out of balance, but I suppose that Saturn is there to keep it all under control and ensure that we come from a place of integrity. The best we can do with a Libra Full Moon is really, truly listen to one another.

Much Love

Amy

xoxo

Artwork: Libra by Susan Seddon-Boulet

My website: www.amybirdartandastrology.com