The full Moon in Aries will reach peak fullness for this cycle on Friday, November 3rd at 10:22 pm PDT. This full Moon falls in sidereal Aries, opposite the Sun, Jupiter and Venus (all in sidereal Libra). It will be in the Vedic nakshatra called Bharani, a portal of birth, death, and rebirth. Quite a fitting coincidence for the week of Halloween and the Day of the Dead. The veil between realms is thin while the Moon traverses this sign, especially during peak fullness.
Full Moon in Aries
The Aries full Moon illuminates our innate animal instinct and power, as well as our individual strength. Aries is naturally the first sign of the zodiac, and is the masculine (active) expression of its ruler, Mars. Aries energy directs us to find and express our individual strength. It brings out our warrior side, which needs to move through the world in a certain way to survive. With the Moon full in Aries, we are reminded of our most basic drives, and may feel compelled to express our individual strength and courage.
This is especially important this lunar cycle, which began with the Sun and Moon in Libra. The Sun is still in Libra, where he is considered debilitated. That is because during this transit we tend to spend a lot of our energy caring for others and balancing external situations. Self-care is often neglected under this placement, and it is easy to become depleted, physically and spiritually, as we try to balance too much and manage others more than ourselves.
When the Moon waxes to fullness in Aries, we will find more remembrance of what it feels like to be a strong and healthy individual. There is some danger of exerting too much strength here, by getting into arguments, but there is a benefic influence shining on this Moon from the presence of both Jupiter and Venus, opposite, in Libra.
Bharani Nakshatra
The full Moon within Aries is also in the Vedic star-sign called Bharani, “the bearer. This adds more auspiciousness to the Western associations of All Hallow’s Eve and Day of the Dead. Bharani’s symbol is the yoni (the female reproductive organ), and its deity is Lord Yama, the god of death. This imagery elicits the idea of a portal between the realms of life and death, which will be fully illuminated on Friday under this full Moon.
Whether you are celebrating the Christian or Mexican holidays mentioned, now is an excellent time to contemplate these things, and offer prayers for those who are on a journey between these realms. It is also a potent day to consider what in your life is ready for its death, or composting, and what seeds you are ready to nurture with your energetic womb medicine. Creative energy will be high during this full Moon, especially with the expansive influence of Jupiter and artistic influence of Venus in Libra, giving direct aspects to this Full Moon.
Saturn in Sagittarius
On October 26th, Saturn finally completed his 2.5-year transit of Scorpio and entered sidereal Sagittarius, where he will now remain until January 23, 2020. Throughout this time, Shani (Saturn) will compel us to reexamine our fears and responsibilities, especially where they relate to social service and taking action for our higher principles and beliefs. It’s likely that we’ll see a lot of people getting much more serious about these things, and taking a stand through committed actions that support a social cause or principle.
We will re-evaluate our approach to hard work and commitment to our beliefs, as well as in the specific area of life indicated by Sagittarius in our personal Vedic natal chart. By grace, this will be a period where we are really able to sort through our philosophies and commit only to the highest, and the corresponding actions that support them. It will be a three-year process of re-evaluating our long term goals and values, and reconsidering how we approach hard work and responsibility (in regards to our beliefs, and to the area of life indicated by Sagittarius in our natal chart). For some folks, this is the beginning (or end) of some intense saturnine influences, like Saturn’s “return”, and Sade Sati. (See full article to find out if you are affected.)
Mercury-Mars Exchange
During this full Moon we will have an exchange between Mercury and Mars. Mercury moves into sidereal Scorpio (ruled by Mars) on November 1st, and Mars is still transiting sidereal Virgo (ruled by Mercury). The exchange of rulership here adds a harmony between the two planets, mitigating that potential for arguing mentioned earlier. With the planet of courage and strength (Mars) working amiably with the planet of intellect and communication (Mercury), there’s a likelihood that we will be able to express our power with more grace and impartiality.
Jupiter and Venus
Venus will move into his own sign of Libra on November 2nd. This will definitely boost our creative drive. It also adds to the desire to bring more harmony into our relationships, but again, remember that the Sun also in Libra can cause us to make ourselves a little too dependent on them. Be sure you aren’t identifying with your personal power only through interpersonal reflections and interactions.
Look out for a planetary war between Venus and Jupiter on November 12-13. When these two come within one degree of each other in the sky, their purposes tend to fight for dominance within us. Jupiter compels us to stand up for beliefs and higher principles, while Venus drives us towards pleasure and compromise. It’s a time to watch out for compromising on your beliefs, or, on the opposite pole, throwing out a relationship altogether because of a certain principle (at least not on these days of extremity).
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