Full Moon in Aries

The themes of this full moon in Aries follow on closely from those of the last new moon in Libra (October 6th): the nature and dynamics of our relationships. Full moons are a time of culmination and release, so, whereas the new moon was asking us to set intentions of how we want to edit and shift those relationships to self and other, this full moon invites us to release stories around our relationship to the world and, moreover, how we are in it. Are we performing or being? And why? If this full moon were a book, it would be Martha Beck’s, The Way of Integrity. But more on that later.

The Aries - Libra axis of this full moon straddles the spectrum of I am (Aries) to we are (Libra). How do we talk to and motivate ourselves (bully or nurture)? How does society talk to us? And what motivates (or pressures) us into action?

If you have been feeling a little tense – or have noticed that other people have been – in the lead up to this full moon, there is a reason. This full moon is defined by a powerful opposition: the moon in Aries is opposing Mars, Mercury and the sun in Libra. There is an obvious tension in that Mars, as the ruler of Aries, is opposed to this full moon. If we look a little deeper the moon (inner nature/true self) and Aries (I am/child) opposed to Mars (action/motivation), Mercury (communication), the sun (outer self) and Libra (relationship/balance) beautifully illustrates the idea of true self opposed to outer/constructed self. Basically, if what we show to the world is inauthentic (because of pressure to conform), then we may feel tension here.

Martha Beck, life coach, author and advocate of embracing our authentic self for unlimited freedom, describes this culture vs true self questioning as “detecting your hustle”. And exploring these prompts from her book, The Way of Integrity, make the perfect ritual for feeling these themes out on this full moon. Ask yourself these questions then, as Beck calls it, “allow for internal recognition”: pause, give space and notice how you feel.

“Do you ever hang out with people you don’t truly enjoy? Who are they?

Do you consistently make yourself do anything (or many things) you don’t really want to do? Make a list.

Are there things you do solely out of fear that not doing them will upset someone, or lower your value in someone else’s eyes. What are they?

Are there times in your daily life when you’re consistently pretending to be happier or more interested than you really are? In what areas (relationships, jobs, activities, places) do you tend to do this?

Do you ever say things you know aren’t true, or things you don’t really, truly mean? What are they?”

These questions, and how they make us feel, flow beautifully in the other defining aspect of this full moon: a square with Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto, which went direct two weeks ago, is all about transformation. The full moon, with its climatic energy of release, can help us in letting go of who we were and getting in touch with this authentic who we are.

This is all set to the backdrop of four planets going direct this month: Pluto, Saturn (October 10th), Jupiter (October 18th) and Mercury (October 18th). An intense period of reflection, and possibly stagnation, is over. We can put what we have learnt into practice: into transformation.

Extracts from: Martha Beck, The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to your True Self, p. 36 - 39, Paitkus

Lynsey Allett20 October 2021