the full moon in aries | october 20th, 2021 - the stuff that won't stay stuffed, endings without closure, fighting for justice and balance and other people, choosing freedom over comfort, rising from the ashes a brand new person

 


The Full Moon is always a time of cosmic tension - the Moon opposes the Sun. 

 

On October 20th, 2021 at 10:57AM EDT, the Moon, at 27 degrees Aries, opposes the Sun in Libra. This is the culmination of the Aries New Moon that launched the lunar year back in April, so maybe something from that time is finishing up. Feels like years ago, doesn't it? Time has kind of swallowed us up, so it probably was! On the other hand 2021 is FLYING isn't it?!

 
At the time of the Full Moon - situations peak, culminate, come to light, conclude. 

 

Results are delivered.


With Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto all stationing direct within the last couple weeks - WHOOSH - the tables turn.

 

Let's get right down to it. Let's unpack the chart! 

 

The Moon opposes the Sun - Aries/Libra at 27 degrees. Me vs we. How we partner. How we balance and share. Is justice just? An Aries Moon is raw/impulsive/self-centered. The energy can make us antsy and accident-prone.

 

The Sun is conjunct Mars - ruler of Aries and so ruler of this lunation. He is opposing the Moon and in the sign of his detriment, Libra, so answering to Venus (in Sagittarius so wanting her FREEDOM). Mars squares (tension/frustration) powerful Pluto in Capricorn. Destructive/passive-aggressive action. Or maybe a fast ending? An ending without closure? Which isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes a problem situation ends and we never quite know what the hell happened, but it's OK because it's over.

 

Keep in mind, this is a Full Moon in independent ARIES - if we are going to be truly ourselves - better whole than good (as Jung would say), other people may not always be so happy about it. This isn't about being a selfish asshole, but we are going to have to stand up for ourselves and we are going to have to get angry sometimes. And we are going to have to find ways to work with these feelings that are NOT destructive. And, that don't allow this personal and collective tension/stress to dump directly into our nervous system and impact our health or force impulsive choices. With Mars in Libra other people will have to be taken into consideration, something Mars doesn't like to do, hence his detriment here. 

 

With Mars applying to his square to Pluto - exact in two days - it will be very hard to suppress the kinds of feelings we might normally suppress. Mars square Pluto is DANGEROUS/deadly. Powerful. Painful. With Mars separating from his trine to Jupiter (luck/expansion) - here is what comes AFTER the optimism/opportunity. Pluto says to get this you have to let go of that. And with Pluto we often won't know what this is, just that THAT is gone. 


What is actually happening during a Mars/Pluto square is a kind of passage/portal is activated between these two energies - this activates not only our collective Libra and Capricorn houses (this time with Mars in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn), but ALSO our natal Mars and Pluto. They get to have a conversation. Squares are tension/frustration, so the conversation is kind of FORCED. Pluto can bring out Mars in Libra's repressed feelings about relationship/balance/justice. The subtle, and not so subtle, power struggles that are playing on guilt and dependency show up in the bright light of the Full Moon. 

 

Our goal with whatever we have going on - avoid the negative sides of Mars and Pluto - that would be impulsiveness, needing to burn something down, destructive anger, manipulation, jealousy, control, possessiveness. But we can't just hide ourselves in a closet and wait this week out. Hidden issues will come up to be dealt with. Squares put our back against the wall. With Pluto, it might feel like someone else is holding all the cards. Something isn't FAIR. We need to channel the positive Mars to deal with this. That means courage. That means independence. In Libra, it also means diplomacy and civility. That's why this is so tricky. It's easy to be brave and independent when it is all about us, when we have nothing to lose, but what about those times when it isn't and we do? 

 

And remember Mars is answering to Venus in Sagittarius who wants to be FREE and she is answering to a newly direct Jupiter in Aquarius who is certainly wanting that, too! Jupiter is back at 22 degrees Aquarius, where he was last March, and he will be here for the rest of the month. There isn't really the rush the Moon thinks there is!

 

The Full Moon chart shows Mercury, also in Libra and trining Black Moon Lilith in Gemini. Lilith is all for burning the whole thing down, too, so, again, care is needed here. 

 

Pink paint won't be poured over problems, but we don't have to pour gasoline.


That trine, the Mercury/BML, opens ANOTHER portal, pulls in Gemini. More than one choice. More than one way through. More than one conversation/idea.


This looks to me like what is beginning from the scorched soil of whatever Pluto is killing off, offers more than one option/choice, but it comes through Black Moon Lilith! More courage needed. More truth. The taboo/stuff we haven't wanted to look at/talk about in polite company is pulled into the mix. We have to go through HER. Where is BML is your natal chart? What does she need to express?


If we look further ahead at what the Moon is doing we can see what comes next. 

 

This is a very late Moon (27 degrees) so shortly after opposing the Sun she goes void. Everyone goes to their corner to lick their wounds maybe or we are kind of not knowing what to do next. Then she moves into Taurus, the sign of her EXALTATION. Here is comfort. Here is what we have now. 

 

Then BAM, she squares Saturn, newly direct in Aquarius and covering this ground for the THIRD time. This can bring clarity/reality, but might bring up a great bit of fear. A road block/stop sign. We might feel pushed to give up something that is ours or we are just really feeling what we don't have. Now, here's the thing to remember, because her next move is a meeting with chaotic/change-maker Uranus, this isn't just about the ending/culmination/what the Full Moon brings to light, this is also about WHAT COMES NEXT if we can embrace the innovation/change/future and let go of what we NO LONGER NEED. We get to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. We get to be a brand new person.

 

So by Thursday evening EDT - because remember the Moon does in two and a half days what it takes the Sun a month to do - she is hanging out with Uranus. They are both in Taurus and answering to Venus - in Sag and what does SHE want again? Freedom! And in Sag we know things always work out better when we take a little RISK. 

 

As the Moon moves through Taurus she is going to inconjunct Venus. Give and take. A rock and a hard place. Keeping what we have - our resources, our money, our values, our self esteem (Taurus) vs freedom/those greener grasses over there that we might or might not reach (Sagittarius) - sorry there's no guarantees with any of this. 

 

Then she inconjuncts Mars - more Venus interacting uncomfortably with planets answering to HER. Mars needing to be balanced/direct and not all passive-aggressive nonsense and finally the Moon in Taurus trines Pluto - here's where the square to Pluto from just a couple days earlier gets some emotional smooth flow (with authority/power) if we have managed this Full Moon story by not hiding and not burning the whole place down. 

 

By Saturday, she is in Gemini meeting the North Node of FATE - the path ahead for us - and meeting up with Black Moon Lilith, now we are emotionally merged with our cosmic bad-girl. This is Gemini - what have we learned?? In Gemini there is always another door/window/CHOICE. Stay flexible. Keep an open mind. Ask more questions. Lilith wasn't afraid to run away from the garden, well, maybe she was afraid but she chose freedom over comfort anyway and in some way we have to do this now, too.


Bottom line - this is a volatile Full Moon - Mars/Pluto pulls in some DANGER WILL ROBINSON flashing lights, but also makes some power moves/plays on OUR part possible, too. Just get real about your motivations - the negative Mars/Pluto we talked about earlier are the no-no's. Although even the no-no's are probably not totally avoidable right now because the stuff we have stuffed is coming up. If we can stay motivated by justice, balance, freedom we have a better chance of lining ourselves up with the best possible outcomes. 

 

Pluto (and Eris) will pull in the things we don't want to look at and Mars will say look (and deal) we must. Release what is dead. You won't have a choice anyway. And in Plutonian language if it isn't growing it's dead. 

 

We can rise from the ashes a BRAND NEW PERSON with this one.

 

I 'll hedge my bets with a trip to Goodwill with some old faux leather handbags - kind of the modern version of tossing virgins into volcanoes, I think - and try for some sorely needed justice/change in my own life over the next two weeks as this Full Moon's story unwinds.


xo all

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