This full moon is packed with energy, and the full moon in Libra comes in asking us to find balance amidst the storm. The storm shakes us up and moves things out so we can find find greater strength in balance, harmony in relationship.
The fiery energy of Aries welcomes us into springtime and a new (zodiac) year. Suddenly the spring greens start pushing up towards the light, the trees blossom and flowers open up, all as if saying "you did it, you made it through the winter, through another year!". This time feels like a rebirth, the awakening from an inward slumber - we blossom, we turn back towards the light - it is a resurrection within each of us. We look around us and see the weight that accumulated during winter and we begin cleaning, peeling and scrubbing away the layers.
This year this energy is mingling with a Mercury retrograde (each Mercury retrograde this year will be while the sun is in a fire sign), so the fiery action-oriented energy will be coupled with the inward processing of Mercury retrograde. You can choose how you handle this. Mercury retrograde asks that we reflect before we act, we notice our communications in the past and our relationship with communication. What does communication look like with your loved ones, what is your relationship with technology - Mercury retrograde brings you challenges in order to urge you back towards the only voice you can ever really know - your own. If you bypass this call towards inward action you may become impulsive, impatient, and wanting to jump into projects without thinking first - this is the energy of Aries when left unchecked.
As the days and nights find balance, the full moon in Libra is the voice of reason, using awareness to find clarity and harmony, bringing balance back into your relationships, including the one with yourself. The Aries - Libra axis is one of relationships - Aries brings the action and initiation and Libra brings the careful reasoning, thought before action. In the tension of the opposition of Sun & Mercury in Aries with the moon in Libra - these two energies confront each other, butting heads as we want to be in reaction, pushing forward, or carefully assessing and weighing our options. Between boldly pushing forward we are met with the realities within our relationships - with our friends, work, self care, pets etc. - this is where we find balance. We air it out, talk it out to find compromise - advocating for ourself whilst having compassion and awareness for the other party. Somewhere in this process we find ourself, we find clarity on what we need to do, and we make the necessary changes.
Aries is ruled by Mars - the planet of energy and drive as well as sometimes aggression, impatience and anger. Right now Mars is in conjunction with Saturn, meaning these two planets are right next to each other, and ultimately in relationship as their energies mingle and amplify each other. The aggressive energy of Mars is being stunted by the cautious, restrictive energy of Saturn. This can mean that it can feel difficult to get anything done right now. One of the best metaphors I've heard for this energy is like a full bottle that is slowly funneling out it’s energy through a small opening. Our energy and projects can feel slow moving, cautious, or being restricted by an outside force. You can use this time to really focus and concentrate where you'd like to exert your energy. Projects that are birthed in this time, in this way, will have a more lasting impact as a result.
This full moon squares Saturn in Capricorn - creating another tension around the expression of our emotions and our limits. We may have felt tensions simmering and building in the background and here it may feel difficult to express those to others. You may be feeling a lot and somewhat shut down emotionally at the same time. As the strongest emotions around this moon are in cardinal signs there is a sense of action and intitiation, just as the cardinal signs initiate each season. With Saturn involved there is of restriction adding tension to that instinct, our actions seem to keep meeting walls. Each cardinal sign expresses action in different ways - Aries is the fire that gets projects started, Libra is the active mediator - seeking justice in an objective and reasoned approach, and Capricorn initiates the building of lasting structures through slow and careful building. This aspect is really asking that we crystallize our feelings around an issue through thoughtful assessment and hard work. Instead of a quick and easy assessment we are asked to look deeply and find the root and then we will see the clear path towards healing.
Through communication and a bit of hard work this full moon asks us to do what we need to do to find greater harmony and balance in our lives. What do you need to do to be in embodied relationship with your friends, your partner, your work, your self care? How can you communicate your needs to make the necessary changes? Where do you need to restructure, and how can you let go of the thought patterns that aren't contributing to balance and harmony in your life? If you can make those changes now you will be a sharper tool for your community and your friends. Do a bit of spring cleaning in every realm, and as you shift, the energies around you will follow suit. Let go of the self doubt so you can be present for the universal signs and mirroring that are occurring for you all the time. Harness this full moon's tense energies for greater healing and harmony for everyone.
Happy full blue moon everyone!