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| Ostara by Helena Nelson Reed |
Full
Moon in Libra: The Balance of Rise and Set
Moon
opposite Sun @ 8:43pm CDT on 3-20-19
Happy
Equinox, Stargazers! And Happy International Astrology Day! The
Equinox is when we have equal day and equal night...when Sun rises
due East and sets due West. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the
Vernal Equinox (while the Southern Hemisphere is having their
Autumnal Equinox). Many pagans in the North (myself included)
celebrate this day as Ostara...which is the name of a fertility
goddess whose symbols are the egg and the rabbit (ever wonder why
these fertility symbols are associated with modern Easter?). Another
name for this goddess is Eostre (which is where the word ‘estrogen’
comes from). As night and day are in perfect balance, with Sun on
the increase, the young Sun God and the Maiden Goddess celebrate
their hierogamy (Sacred Marriage), and conceive a child. In nine
months time (the Winter Solstice), that child is born...and the cycle
continues. On this day, we celebrate this energy of fertility and
new growth.
And
really, with all the tumult that has happened worldwide already
during this Storm Moon cycle (which is likely to shift into new forms
toward the dark part of this cycle)...celebrating the change of
seasons and the promise of new growth (inward and outward) is the
kind of earth-centered healing that will carry us through the
dramatic shifts of this Storm Moon. We began this Storm Moon cycle
in Pisces, conjunct Neptune-Vesta...a very watery initiation. And
now at the fullness of this Storm Moon, we have Sun and Moon at the
Equinox degrees of Aries and Libra (with Sun conjunct Chiron in
Aries).
Libra
and Aries are cardinal signs that are traditionally ruled by Venus
and Mars (the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine planets). Several
hours after Full Moon, Venus (in Aquarius) and Mars (in Taurus) meet
in a dynamic square aspect of 90 degrees...highlighting the need for
change in our relationships. This can be creative (such as birthing
new ideas), or it can be stressful (such as arguments that finally
address something needing to be said in order to move forward)...or
somewhere in between, because the point is to make a move (especially
when feeling the ‘something’s gotta give’ vibe that will only
be increasing through the next couple weeks).
So
what is this that’s increasing...what are these dramatic shifts
into new forms that are coming? And haven’t we already dealt with
enough drama lately? Well, not according to the Eris-Pluto square in
Aries and Capricorn. The Cancer-Capricorn Lunar Nodes have been
shifting closer and closer toward a T-square pattern with Eris at the
apex (where the stress of the opposition pools and demands action,
exact April 2nd)...and the South Node will be exact with
Pluto in Capricorn at the end of this Storm Moon cycle (April 4th).
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| 'La Discordia' |
What
does it mean? Well, firstly, Pluto at the South Node is like a
karmic cleansing of a lot of build up that has been blocking the
soul. It is a transformative release...quite like composting that
which is dying to give new life to something else. And Eris at the
apex of this T-square...she’s that fierce Warrioress within each of
us that emboldens us to fight for our cause and live our true purpose
(or suffer the chaotic consequences if we deny her call for integrity
and right action). There is no living being on this planet who is
not hearing her call ‘round the world during this lunation...and I
can assure you that the only ones not answering the call are humans
(not all of us, but...well, you know...we’re largely a stubborn
species and we tend to deny the kind of instinctual drive that Eris
can represent). With Pluto and Eris growing to dynamic aspects with
the Nodes...Shadow Work is not only advised, it’s probably
inevitable. That part of yourself coming up that you don’t want to
see...that you want to blame on someone else or somehow dissociate
from it...bring it closer and get a good look at it instead. Try to
understand that part of you better and why it is necessary...dance
with it, embrace it...let it play in the light instead of having it
only act out unconsciously while being repressed. The Shadow holds
great wisdom for each of us...and the Collective Shadow as well!
Notice all of the people calling it out right now...one of my
favorite Eris-like activists making waves lately is Greta Thunberg.
Check her out if you’re not familiar with her yet!
Sun
in Aries 1/ Moon in Libra 1- Full Moon in Equinox Degrees
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| 'Selkie Blues' by sgorbissa on Deviant Art |
A
few hours after the Sun’s ingress into the sign of Aries, Moon
exacts her opposition with Sun...so this Full Moon happens to be
exact while in these Aries-Libra Equinox degrees. The Sabian Symbol
for the Sun in Aries 1 is ‘a woman emerges from the ocean; a seal
embraces her’. This refers to new beginnings, to potentialities,
and to emergence of the individual from the collective unconscious.
This is the RISE. The Sabian Symbol for the Moon in Libra 1 is ‘a
butterfly made perfect by a dart through it’. This refers to
endings, to that which is inevitable, and to returning to the
collective unconscious with something perfected...having lived a
purposeful life and relating that purpose to others even after death.
This is the SET. The Rise and the Set of these degrees...one which
evokes imagery related to the mythic storyline of the Selkie
(Mermaids who could shapeshift from seals to humans) and one which
evokes imagery related to the mythic storyline of the sacrificial
God-Man (such as Jesus, Dionysus, Osiris, Odin, Mithras, Attis,
etc.)...tell a tale of life and death that is cyclical, never-ending,
and purposeful. What this Full Moon evokes in us is the necessity
during this time to reclaim our purpose in life by also releasing
that which is dying in us. By letting go of that which is no longer
necessary to hold on to, we are better able to emerge into something
truer to ourselves. This has to do with that Pluto and Eris
influence as it relates to the Lunar Nodes. Pluto at the South Node
is the letting go of crutches, addictions, or false beliefs that hold
us back. Eris is the necessity to step into our purpose. And though
this energy is most acute at the end of this lunar cycle...bringing
us into new beginnings for the New Moon in Aries (April 5th)...it
is now when we are becoming very aware of how necessary the changes
really are. Sun is conjunct Chiron in Aries during this Full Moon,
showing us that this is the way to heal.
Love
and Gratitude,
Felina
Lune Kavi
