Aries Full Moon

The blazing fire of the Aries Full Moon on 17 October will further accelerate the rapid pace of change set off by the recent Solar Eclipse in Libra. Like a torch carried by Hekate illuminating the depths of what has been concealed in darkness, the lunation will ignite building tensions, force buried issues to the surface, and catalyze necessary action. The central dynamic behind the pressure released by the lunation is the simmering, building opposition between Mars in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto possesses an intensified presence due to not only stationing direct on 11 October at the final degree of Capricorn, but stationing in Capricorn for the final time in over two centuries. Pluto’s stationing always brings buried issues to the surface, but the additional influence of Mars charging into opposition has ignited amplified extremes ranging from discordant destruction to the primordial Eros that is born from chaos. Crucially, drawing from the indomitable spirit fire of Eros to courageously persevere through trials is the key to unlock the creative potential offered by the Aries Full Moon.

Confrontations between Mars and Pluto bring strife and inflame conflicts, rupturing the fault lines of power dynamics and unleashing destructive events or becoming overwhelmed by fear of potential loss or harm. It will be more important than ever to find ways to release fear and connect with the fiery courage that pleases Mars, for the tension between Mars and Pluto has unusually long-term implications. For one, it coincides with our final experiences of Pluto’s transit through Capricorn that has brought deep seated change since its first ingress in January 2008. With Pluto also in range of harmonious aspects with both Uranus and Neptune, as we experience the finale of Pluto in Capricorn we may simultaneously gain intimations of much larger changes that will be coming with the incredibly volatile and groundbreaking astrology of the next year. Not only will Pluto be entering Aquarius on 19 November, but Uranus will be entering Gemini and Neptune will be entering Aries in 2025, initiating massive personal and collective changes that will have the felt quality of entering a new era.

Whatever realizations you gain regarding long-term plans under the light of the Aries Full Moon, keep in mind that this is only the beginning of an epic story being initiated by Mars and Pluto. The opposition between Mars in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn will become exact on 3 November 2024, but after Mars stations retrograde in December they will form a second opposition with Mars retrograde in Leo and Pluto in Aquarius on 2 January 2025. After Mars stations direct in Cancer in February 2025, there will be a final opposition between Mars in Leo and Pluto in Aquarius on 26 April 2025. The back and forth motion of Mars in the next six months means that Mars will eventually return to the place it is occupying at the Aries Full Moon. In fact, Mars will be at a similar degree of Cancer at the end of March 2025 when there will be a Solar Eclipse in Aries. This means that current struggles are not a passing issue you can hide from and ignore. Instead, bringing awareness to difficulties brewing and taking action in response will be imperative.

Another key factor of the Aries Full Moon is the mutual reception between the Moon and Mars. Though the mutual reception of the Moon occupying the domicile of Mars and Mars occupying the domicile of the Moon can bring a degree of mitigation to their difficult square aspect, the amplified heat of the Aries Full Moon could potentially enflame Mars to take aggressive action we will later regret. The importance of calming nerves and centering attention so that you can act effectively is further symbolized by the Aries Full Moon also forming a conjunction with Chiron. Chiron is the archetype of the mentor and trainer of mind-body connection, a celestial body who bridges the orbits and archetypal meaning of Saturn and Uranus and can guide us toward the grounded action that can liberate us from past constraints. Fascinatingly, in the previous eclipse season six months ago on 8 April 2024 there was a total Solar Eclipse in Aries conjoining Chiron. Since the Aries Full Moon is united with Chiron and marks the peak of the lunar cycle that began with the Solar Eclipse in Libra, the meaning of Chiron and the clashing square forming between Mars and Chiron are of vital importance to the larger arcs of storylines that have been shifting in correspondence with the solar eclipses of 2024.

In myth Chiron carries the wound of being abandoned by his parents due to his otherworldly form of being half human and half horse. Despite his abandonment, he not only gained great skill as a healer and warrior, he also became a nurturing mentor and trainer of great heroes who were likewise abandoned and delivered to him for care. While some of these heroes abandoned in their youth are well known in their stories for abandoning others, such as Achilles and Jason, others such as Asclepius were able to somehow transmute past wounding into responsible, devoted care for others. It’s not difficult to see how the symbolism of Chiron’s story connects with current events, and how so many people who have experienced abandonment continue to replicate their abandonment by putting their faith in false leaders, systems, and structures that not only will also abandon them but are also in states of rotting decay.

Another myth that connects with the alienating abandonment symbolism of Chiron’s story as well as the astrological symbolism of the Aries Full Moon is the story of Psyche and Eros. Psyche was also abandoned by her parents and offered as a sacrifice before she was rescued by Eros. There are many ways to interpret Psyche’s story, but one involves both the love and fear we can feel toward our higher self or guardian daimon in the form of Psyche’s beloved Eros. Clenching a knife, full of fear that her Eros possessed a monstrous form that would consume her, Psyche burned her beloved with her flame. After becoming separated and disconnected from her Eros, Psyche falls and falls again. Into rivers, off elevated peaks, guarded and guided each time by spirits of the land and more celestial daimonic forces such as the eagle of Zeus. 

In Psyche’s story it is Pan, another half human and animal guardian of the wild and wilderness, who brings counsel rather than Chiron. After Psyche attempted to throw herself to her own drowning death after her initial abandonment by Eros, Pan tells her to devote herself to Eros. Similarly, the presence of Chiron with the Aries Full Moon is a symbol of the need to devote ourselves toward our inner Eros, the guardian daimon of our essential spirit, in spite of whatever wounds and fears we bear. Once fully devoted to her Eros, fully committed to persevering through her trials and moving past her fears, Psyche willingly and courageously descended into the underworld realm of Persephone. Feeding honey cakes to appease and satisfy Cerberus, following the correct protocol to receive passage from the Ferryman of chthonic river ways, the fierce devotion brought by Persephone to each detail of her tasks reanimated her connection with Eros. Our experiences surrounding the Aries Full Moon and the ongoing transit of Mars in his fall of Cancer, the zodiac sign that lays the star of Ares low and beckons descent into chthonic depths, will require courage tantamount to the conscious intentionality and devotion of Psyche’s descent. 

The importance of embracing and devoting ourselves to our Eros rather than abandoning our essential self is further shown by the Aries Full Moon also forming a conjunction with the dwarf planet Eris who is named for the goddess of Strife. While the different versions of Eris in mythology identify her as a wrathful sister of Ares and a mother of evil spirits plaguing humanity, Eris was also described as having a productive impact by ancient authors such as Hesiod, who wrote that her strife can catalyze competitive hard work that leads to important creation. In modern times, Peter Kingsley in Reality wrote that Strife can lead us toward ultimate freedom when we cooperate through the conscious destruction of our own beliefs, illusions, attachments, and clinging to the way things have been. Kingsley wrote that “what can be so difficult to realize is that the very act of becoming conscious is, itself, a process of destruction; of separation; of learning to die before we die.” With Mars not only opposing Pluto but also forming harmonious aspects with both Uranus and Neptune at the end of October, by participating with the piercing sharpness of Mars we can cut away the illusory conditioning of beliefs that have led us to become disconnected from our true desires, using Eris to reunite with Eros.

Not unlike the capacity of Psyche to descend into the underworld, retrieve the gift of Persephone, and re-ascend to the upper world where she was able to ultimately reunite with Eros, there is a harmonious sextile aspect forming between Venus at the final degree of Scorpio and Pluto at the final degree of Capricorn at the same time as the Aries Full Moon. Venus recently formed a jolting opposition with Uranus in Taurus followed by a flowing trine with Neptune in Pisces, allowing the increasing light of Venus in her Evening Star phase to aid in repair and reconciliation of whatever inner and outer conflicts we have been experiencing. The deep inner well of Venus in Scorpio can hold the grief and suffering we’ve been carrying and offer it as a libation to honor what has been lost and what may experience metamorphosis on the other side of our present tribulations.

A major shift will occur later in the day on 17 October after the peak illumination of the Full Moon, when Venus will leave the emotional dark waters of Scorpio to enter the fiery terrain of Sagittarius that can spark bold movement and kindle inspiration. Venus in Sagittarius also possesses much greater speed than in Scorpio, enabling Venus to more effectively assist in adapting to fast moving changes taking shape. Venus in Sagittarius can forge new alliances through shared meaning and goals, the kind of fellowship forged by the focus of the quest. As Venus proceeds through Sagittarius during the waning half of the lunar cycle toward a square aspect with Saturn she will complete on 28 October, you may gain clarity regarding the relationships and alliances who are truly aligned with your values and who can be stalwart allies during the turbulent times ahead.

While Venus is galloping through Sagittarius en route to a square aspect with Saturn, Mercury in Scorpio will move through a flowing trine with Saturn in Pisces on 21 October into an opposition with Uranus in Taurus on 30 October and a flowing trine with Neptune in Pisces on 31 October. Concurrently, Mars in Cancer will move through a sextile with Uranus on 24 October and a trine with Neptune on 28 October while also approaching a trine with Mercury in Scorpio and an opposition with Pluto that will both become exact in the days following the upcoming New Moon Scorpio. Altogether this will make for an extremely regenerative and propulsive astrological atmosphere at the end of October that will correspond with disruptive collective events on one hand, but also opportunities for profound changes to take root in our personal life. Thus whatever loss, conflicts, or other difficulties we are contending with under the fiery heat of the Aries Full Moon will ultimately be part of a much vaster cycle of change we are being initiated into.

Aries 3 Decan

The Full Moon will illuminate the third decan of Aries, associated with the Four of Wands tarot arcanum illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith. It’s not clear who the figures in the center of the image are, if they are performers being celebrated or celebrants participating in communal festivities. What is clear is the lovingly decorated garland filled with vivacious blossoms and the combined symbolism of a bridge and large castle in the background: the figures are in a centering and protective place from which to express their creativity and charisma. T Susan Chang in 36 Secrets described the Four of Wands as a “temporary refuge” and “safe haven” similar to Rivendell in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a moment to take comfort and refuge from whatever ordeals you have been enduring. Although Aries is the domicile of contentious and combative Mars, the third decan of Aries is ruled by Venus and Jupiter, the two traditional planets most associated with fertile growth, sources of abundant pleasure, and creative vision.

While Venus is not naturally comfortable in Aries, she is capable of manifesting success and achievement in the third face of Aries despite it being an environment suited for the fiery assertiveness of Mars and the radiant grandeur of the Sun. Austin Coppock in his book 36 Faces ascribed the image of “The Burning Rose” to the third decan of Aries, attributing to it “the power of art to overcome hostility,” and “the power of the spirit to unify and seduce, to motivate and to bond those of confluent passions.” Coppock further noted this decan requires “the martial heat of the battlefield,” as it is the battle-ready ferocity of Aries turned toward artistic performance and charismatic presentation that gives this decan its power “to create a commonality of spirit even in the most hostile conditions.” Yet Coppock also pointed out that the bonds formed within this face require its burning intensity to endure, whereas less intense passions are needed within longterm relationships. Thus it’s a face of “peak experiences” and “inspiring unions amidst life’s greatest struggles,” a place where “bonds are forged and spirits raised,” a decan which “grants the charisma to motivate and attract.”

The image above by Francesco del Cossa of a figure who resides within the third face of Aries encapsulates aspects of numerous images found in ancient text. The trinity of Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Picatrix, and Liber Hermetis all reveal figures dressed in red and holding a staff or sword. This passionate figure is wearing either a golden or wooden bracelet depending on whether you consult Three Books of Occult Philosophy or the Picatrix, but both texts indicate the figure embodies the unrest of not being able to do desired good. The reason for not being able to manifest these good wishes is not stated, but Agrippa proclaimed that there is “talent, tameness, joy, and beauty” to be found here. The figure in the Picatrix is an iron worker and so has a medium through which to transfigure frustrated anger into works of vivifying creation.

In contrast, the image for the third decan of Aries found in the Hellenistic text Liber Hermetis wears a gold crown with glistening emeralds decorating her belly. She is full of magic and her staff has the heads of four serpents facing a polarity of directions. Her garments of dark rose are lined with golden strings and she seems to possess grace rather than the fury over constraints described by Agrippa. Her image suggests a figure of inner knowing who is in contact with the Eros of desires gestating within her, while remaining centered and grounded within the present state of her circumstances. The mythic Eros is resonant with the third decan of Aries, as the Hellenistic text 36 Airs ascribed Eros to this decan. Indeed, the capacity of Eros to arouse passions into creations that inspire collective forces lies at the heart of the decan’s meaning.

While some spiritual lineages place Eros as a primordial, hermaphroditic deity at the dawn of Creation, later traditions made Eros into the mischievous son of Aphrodite who constantly stirred up the troubles brought forth by lust with his bow and arrows. Whether you must contend with the troublesome trickster side of Eros or the more creatively generative version, the Full Moon in Aries will illuminate whatever relationship and creative process you are presently engaging with Eros. Like the courageous and cunning Psyche, may your devotion to Eros guide you through the hardships and ordeals to come.

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References

Agrippa, Heinrich Cornelius. (2021). Three Occult Books of Philosophy. Translated by Eric Purdue. Inner Traditions.

Chang, T. Susan. (2021). 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. Anima Mundi Press.

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

Kingsley, Peter. (2003). Reality. The Golden Sufi Center.