The full moon in Aries occurs on October 9th at 4:54 pm eastern time.
Full moons occur as the moon directly opposes the Sun in the sky, culminating the new moon and bringing it into fruition. While new moons begin trends, patterns, and cycles, full moons terminalize them. During this time, the seeds and new intentions sewn during the new moon will culminate and come to fruition.
On earth, we experience a corresponding culmination in response - both at an individual and collective level. The new seeds, patterns, and intentions sown during the new moon two weeks ago will likewise come to fruition.
This full moon is occurring in Aries, which is fiery, cardinal, and ruled by Mars, the planetary God of war. With this full moon, we see the antithesis between the diplomatic, rational, and deliberative qualities of Libra season with the self-interested, passionate, and impulsive qualities of Aries. Though we have spent the past few weeks cultivating the balanced, social nature of Libra in our behaviors and decision-making process, the Aries full moon will create pushback and resistance to these attitudes in favor of more self-oriented, individualistic pursuits.
During this Aries full moon, people’s personal intentions and desires become crystallized and clear. Our willpower and drive get fueled up, and self-interest and personal agenda rebel against collective agendas and responsibility. Approaching the full moon in Aries, people easily become frustrated, agitated, and stubborn about getting their own way and making the world look the way they want.
Classically, full moons were considered inauspicious and challenging because the Sun and Moon stand for diametrically opposed things. A conflict arises within each of us, and it spills over into current events in the world from the overflow of our own inner combustibility. This is especially true for the Aries full Moon - unconscious, lunar impulses become ignited by single-minded, Aries-esque self-interest will challenge the Libran qualities of patience and sound decision-making that we have been working to cultivate.
Oftentimes, we find habits and patterns related to the oppositional sign arising that stand in the way of the intentions that we have been working to achieve. While the full moon gives us an opportunity to celebrate the work achieved thus far, we can also begin to identify and release attitudes, behavioral patterns, and even entire situations and circumstances in our lives that stand in the way of the new growth that we have been cultivating the past few weeks.
Atr an individual level, this Aries Full Moon will afford us excellent opportunities to analyze and release self-interest and selfish impulses that stand in the way of collective growth and the flourishing of everyone around us - not just our own flourishing. Celestial light illuminates the aspects of ourselves that are completely self-preoccupied, dangerously myopic, and sometimes downright bratty. The destructive aspects of Aries that prioritize one’s personal wants to the detriment of everyone else have the opportunity to be released.
To be sure, Aries has tremendously positive traits and its single-minded focus brings something genuinely worthwhile to the table. I say this as an Aries rising myself. But this is not the astrological season for cultivating those traits - this season shines a light on the shadow sides of those traits so that you can cultivate a less destructive, cleaner, and more defined will and set of self-focussed intentions in the future. Now is your opportunity to temper your own will and drive against the needs of those around you.
You may find yourself getting angry and frustrated at times about things not going your way. That’s fine - these circumstances are arising to trigger you and help you identify processes and emotional patterns related to selfishness and self-interest that are genuinely hindering you and making your life more difficult. In this process, you will discover processes and emotional patterns that need to be released. Remember the collective, civic, interpersonally-minded intentions you set during the Libra new moon - examine those patterns and traits that adversely affect or even actively harm your cooperative, socially-oriented intentions for your life.
The Moon forms an opposition with Venus within about 3 degrees. Friends, peers, lovers, and people close to you in your life will challenge you and push back against your own self-interested agenda if it gets too out of hand. Fortunately, the benefic Venus is very essentially dignified in her own sign of Libra. Your friends will be well-meaning and well-intentioned with their pushback, and ultimately you will take it to heart.
Take deep breaths and relax. Don’t be too attached to your own personal agendas during this period. In time, you will find yourself reevaluating personal interests that you are pursuing. You will return to the Libran focus on interpersonal and collective flourishing and fairness, and eventually you will gladly adjust and modify the intentions that you hold so dearly now. Allow this process to unfold on its own without too much attachment, and you will be doing everything you need to to make the most of this full moon.
-Merlin