ARIES FULL MOON: SEPTEMBER
29 SEPTEMBER 2023 4:57AM
Where time will bend.
(Dates worth noting.)
Full Moon Aries - 9/29
Solar Eclipse - 10/14
Lunar Eclipse - 10/28
This is the last full moon before the upcoming eclipse season. You may have already noticed that time is beginning to feel warped or wobbly.
This full moon is taking place in one of the signs where this new set of eclipses will be taking place over the next year and a half. This story initially began on the Aries new moon back in Spring of this year with the Aries new moon.
IN TRUE ARIES FASHION, let's cut to the chase
I’d like to start with Aries full moon keywords to help you get a bird’s eye view of what's going on this week. Full Moon in Aries keywords: pioneering, judicial, compromising, score-settling, quick burning, primal vs. socially acceptable.
This week I’m expecting a lot of stories with themes of creative friction or tension within relationships. It’s very much giving “getting caught up in the heat of the moment.” For better or worse, this moment, though fleeting, bears weight and holds significance.
FRICTION, TENSION and a good night's sleep
I recently read an article that says we are less likely to get good sleep under the full moon because there is more light visible in the night sky. This somehow disturbs something within us that makes restful sleep harder to come by for a few nights around each full moon.
Full moons have a way of highlighting conflict, tension and friction within our psyche. On an individual level full moons illuminate inner feelings or hidden conflicts within us; which also has a way of creating a sense of restlessness and urgency. Every full moon is an invitation into an investigation of our shadow parts. For anyone interested in investigating their shadow, I have included a list of prompts inspired by this lunation at the end of this forecast. A little something for you to think about when you should be sleeping.
ARIES + LIBRA and the relationship in between
This full moon is taking place in Aries. This means the moon is in Aries and the sun is in opposition in Libra. This particular lunation is ruled by the warrior planet Mars, which is also currently in Libra (with the South Node). Both the sun and Mars struggle with expressing their authentic selves in the sign of checks and balances and relationships.
What the chart for this lunation says to me is that something buried deep within the arrangements of our relationships comes up for reconciliation. This likely isn’t anything new, but has been hidden, suppressed or is otherwise difficult to express.
If you think about it, babies are really limited in how they are able to express themselves and are really only able to respond to what’s right in front of them or how they are feeling on the inside. They are highly dependent on a social system and relationship dynamic that they have absolutely no way of conceptualizing let alone understanding. Infants depend on their relationship to others around them to be cared for. They don’t have the ability to care for themselves; left all alone, they would die.
“This type of relationship dynamic is the root of the tension and friction we are feeling this week. We are peering into the part of our psyche that feels the tension between individual needs and desires for harmonious relationships. ”
I also say this because Libra happens to be the sign of relationships. As in the actual relationship itself. Libra, with scales as its symbol, has the only non-living emblem in the zodiac. It's the thing between us; our arrangement. Libra is symbolic of the exchanges that take place between us and others. The Libra archetype is always looking for common ground and seeking harmony. Libra represents justice, balance and compromise.
Sometimes we are asked to compromise ourselves in ways that feel threatening. Our relationship with our employer gets in the way and we are not able to care for ourselves; sometimes we get so far off course by pleasing others we forget about what we desire in life or lose touch with ourselves. Other times societal or familial norms make us feel as though we should suppress what makes us stand out as different from the next person.
The sun is considered in its fall in Libra. Mars is also in detriment here. This may make it harder to make things work or create confusion around how to respond to certain events. This lunation has the ability to temper our gut instinct with compassion for both sides. We may also feel an internal conflict between pleasing self vs another; or we may feel more impulsive than we generally are under a libra sun.
ACTING NATURAL and other oxymorons
Mars archetypally represents our personal desires and primal instincts; it’s how we go about meeting all of our most basic needs and getting what we want. The sun is representative of all that sparks joy and generates life. Considering these things are not the same for all of us, there can be friction or tension when our needs or desires bump up against our relationships. What we want may not always be what’s best for those around us, and/or what those around us want may not be best for us as individuals. What or who gives in these situations?
This begs further questions: What happens when we suppress ourselves to fit within someone else’s (or society’s) ideals? What happens when social obligations prevent our basic needs from being met? What happens when the scales tip too far in one direction over the other?
This paradigm also makes me think of things like: “war on peace,” “loyal opposition,” “painfully beautiful” and “love-hate relationships.”
With the sun and Mars transiting Libra, our relationships and dependency on others may play a more prominent role in any decision-making. We are likely to find ourselves in a situation where we are more inclined towards compromising or otherwise reaching some sort of agreement.
For some of us, this may be a moment of culmination leading to some sort of treaty. Lashing out and knee-jerk reactions are other potential outcomes of this moment, “killing them with kindness”, placating and overselling are also up for grabs. We may find ourselves feeling emboldened to speak up for ourselves or advocate for social harmony.
“If you are looking for alternative ways to channel this upcoming tension or friction, I invite you to use it to create something. Use friction and tension as a motivating force to create something new, something unique. ”
This lunation paired with Mercury emerging from the shadow phase of their recent retrograde leaves me to think this weekend will be quite eventful! Mercury will be forming a harmonious aspect with Uranus. Eureka! This just may be the eureka moment of breakthrough we have been waiting for.
(Moon) Food for thought
Questions, statements and other musings to help guide your ride through the cosmos, by way of earthly body (and mind).
Each month these prompts will reflect the overall theme and tone of the full moon. My goal is to provide you with a rhythmically timed entry point for self-reflection and personal development. Use these prompts to inspire deeper thought, inform creative projects or to help time certain events.
Adopt a beginner's mindset. Try something for the first time. Go off and explore something on your own. Consider a new perspective or an opposing view.
What have you been putting off in favor of some sort of social responsibility or obligation? What are you having to compromise in your relationships and how is it working out?
Remember: “Don't lose your head” and “Cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face.”
Don’t get too attached to the moment. Embrace fleeting feelings. If you’re in the middle of tension, what happens if you take a step away? What does a nudge or adjustment to either side do to the overall dynamic at play? What happens if you do a complete 180?
Mandee Sheeler is The St. Louisan’s Resident Astrologer. Read more of Mandee’s writings, including past moon reports and her take on parenting through astrology here. If you are interested in an astrology consultation or astro-collaboration, the best way to reach Mandee is on her website at mandeesheeler.com, or by sending an email to mandee.sheeler@gmail.com.