Aries New Moon: September 29
The Full Moon at 06°01 Aries at 5:57AM ET on September 29, encourages us to find peace within the confines of restraint. This lunation is presided over by a tempered Mars conjunct the South Node in Libra. It’s not an eclipse as the lunar nodes are more than 18° away from the Moon. We should not feel the gnawing of desire or pull of loss that might be present at the Libra New Moon solar eclipse on October 14. Yet this Full Moon is not giving in the way we usually expect. The spotlight illuminates more of a lack than an abundance in the sign of the Sun’s exaltation.
Aries enjoys reveling in victory, and indeed, we have accomplished much since the Vernal Equinox on March 20. There was a powerful fresh start to Aries season this year with Jupiter present. We also had two new moons, and the second activated the new eclipse cycle along the Aries-Libra axis. The Sun was still at the sacred Equinox point of perfect balance at the first New Moon at 00°49 Aries on March 21. This was a powerful initiation with Mercury at 05°04 Aries and Mars ruling from the end of its long journey in Gemini. Whatever you were excited to initiate then is illuminated at this Aries Full Moon, which falls within 01° of where Mercury was located.
The New Moon solar eclipse at 29°50 Aries at 12:12AM on April 20, triggered the North Node that was still in Taurus. The nodes entered Aries and Libra on July 17, but we haven’t felt their full power yet. The first eclipse with the South Node will happen at the Libra New Moon on October 14.
Hopefully you have taken a moment since the Autumn Equinox on September 23, to reflect on all that has changed over the last 6 months. We’ve just concluded a very topsy-turvy Summer of overlapping retrogrades. It is therefore not surprising that this Aries Full Moon is pointing where we’ve fallen out of alignment.
Libra season is about the beauty of balance. The harmony that flows when we’re living in integrity with our most cherished values. The internal peace and spaciousness that we experience as freedom. It is from this place of concentrated center, anchored in the heart and relaxed in our solar plexus, that we can move confidently into the world to do our best work.
The point of Mars glyph represents the inner lance that directs us towards our next goal. Mars is our motivation, but we haven’t felt the usual drive to succeed with Mars transiting Libra from August 27-October 12. Instead, we’re focused on what does not feel quite right. The Sun co-present with Mars in Libra has us examining where the systems feel unfair on a personal and political level, and who benefits from this inequality.
Aries correlates to the Emperor in the tarot Major Arcana, but instead of feeling proud and secure, this Full Moon is more of a Hanged One moment. A place where we’re held while bigger forces deliberate, and we may not like it. It's unsettling when things feel out of whack. We want to get out of the waiting room but our number hasn’t been called yet. We worry we’re going to languish for years in the hallway of no escape, just like we did in 2020-2021, but this isn’t that. Mars is exposing what needs correcting so we do less damage to ourselves and others when things start speeding up in eclipse season.
This is the first lunation of Fall. The Sun entered Libra at 2:50AM ET on September 23, and the wheel of the year turned again. Autumn is a time for quiet contemplation, and the Hanged One asks us to be chill with discomfort. The Emperor is rooted in personal power. It represents our capacity to withstand difficulty in order to achieve a monumental task, and the confidence that comes from proving one’s mettle. Although the warrior has a passionate relationship to struggle, and appreciates a good fight like perhaps none other, Aries is where Saturn, the planet of limitations, is considered “in fall”. The converse is also true.
Libra loves freedom, but that is where Mars is “in detriment.” The planet of volition does not appreciate having its personal movement constrained . Aries’ impulse is to rush to change it, but Libra takes time for careful examination. Notice where you feel stuck or unsure. Cardinal signs know where they want to go, but this is a moment of hesitation or wait. The requirement to consider others before acting can create an amount of frustration at this Full Moon.
Mars in the sign of Saturn’s exaltation is teaching us something about where we are lacking self-control. Not in the Puritan sense of body and sexual guilt, shame, and sin. But, rather, the areas where discipline–in the form of rules, routine, and structure–would actually create more grace. The places that practice at what we’re not good at could grow our skills in a beneficial direction. For some people this Full Moon will reveal where you need to reign it in, and for others it will encourage you to be brave enough to rock the boat. The Hanged One’s strength comes from relaxing into acceptance. In the moments when we’re locked in tight, the softness of breath can actually facilitate new openings for passage the way blasting through can not.