October 5th – Full Moon in Aries ”We Are Not the Same, We Are Equal” – Venus & Mars

A full moon is made by an opposition between the Sun and the Moon. In this case, the Moon is in Aries, the most personal sign; while the Sun is in Libra, the sign of relationships. Therefore, the equilibrium between these too becomes quite fragile, and the need for harmony and equality is crucial.

These days are sensitive for relationships and partnerships. When the Moon is in Aries, our reactions are fuelled by emotions and these can manifest quite fast. Aries wants freedom to be, to express and to do things on his/her own. When the Moon is there, it can get pretty sensitive and quite defensive to any “threat” blocking the Arian freedom.

This phenomenon can be amplified by a simultaneous Uranus in Aries opposition to Jupiter in Libra.

The Sun is also conjunct with Mercury in Libra, and our defensive verbal responses can be quite strong or even hurtful. We can verbally project our personal fear into the other person and in some cases aggressively. Nevertheless, this is a potential reaction that would be totally instinctive and without intention to hurt the other. It is important to keep this in mind, either if we are the offender or the offended.

The Sabian Symbol for the degree of this Full Moon is 12° Aries 42’ (rounded to 13°):

“An unexploded bomb reveals an unsuccessful social protest”. In the negative side, because these are sensitive days for our emotions and self-confidence, we might want to “protest”, complain and fight the other, creating more trouble, and being left with a sensation of emptiness. Don’t get this wrong, these are totally normal processes that go through all of us. But an open perspective to understanding is crucial.

The antidote here is to use the Libran ability of listening (Sun-Mercury in Libra). To listen to the other and to detach from our emotions. To comprehend the other’s point of view and his or her situation from their perspective. The key to attain balance here is understanding.

We need to release ourselves from our individual bubble and embrace the other with their faults. To talk instead of fighting, to listen instead of shouting, to understand instead of complaining, and to forgive instead of attacking.

Existence is made by polarities. We are not the same, but we can see our differences as learning experiences helping us to become better.

Getting a little deeper into the chart, and into the principle of duality, Venus and Mars have joined together at 19° of Virgo. The feminine and the masculine, the negative and the positive, the passive and the active, the yin and yang. This is the merge between the opposites. They are also forming a square to Saturn in Sagittarius.

We are swimming in a fiery whirlwind of emotions moving up and down, left and right. We are swimming through our motivations, desires, goals, and longings for achievement and success in the primal areas of life: career, love, and friends. Life becomes a competition. We compete between each other, we compete between genders, and we compete with our partners and our friends. This is separation. We see the feminine trying to compete with the masculine, and the masculine trying to destroy the feminine.

Many people say that the Libra lesson is that of equality. To me, the Libra lesson is about respecting and embracing opposites. I believe that the Libra lesson is harmony between polarities, harmony between differences, acceptance and appreciation of pink and blue. To respect (Libra) what each of us are and what each of us contribute through our own unique ways (Aries).

We must understand that by the feminine we do not mean “women” and by the masculine we do not mean “men”. The feminine is the principle related to the yin quality, passive, soothing, soft, refreshing, nurturing, intuitive and loving. It is associated with women. The masculine is the principle related to the yang quality, active, energetic, determined, strong, rational, and passionate. It is associated with men. We all have both qualities in ourselves. There are men with more of the feminine and women with more of the masculine, regardless of their sexual identity. This is not a thing about genders or sexual identity, but instead, these are qualities of personality.

And what we are seeing today is an overwhelming competition between polarities. What we fight at personal level becomes a fight at collective level. We see abuse, injustice, prejudice and hatred.

This is not a race about who is better than who. This is not a competition in which one has to surpass the other, or in which one has to prove better than what the other can do. When we respect and appreciate each other, we become equal. But we don’t become equal by trying to be like the other and to compete the other. The yin is not here to compete the yang or vice versa. The yin and yang work together, just as the feminine and the masculine, the passive and the active, the Sun and the Moon, Venus and Mars.

In relationships (love, family, work and friends) we must understand the efforts and contributions of the other person. The working husband and the housewife, each of them contribute to the harmony and health of the relationship. Once both appreciate, understand and respect each of their different ways of contributing, they will become equal. The CEO and the assistant, if both understand and appreciate both efforts, they become equal. That is the lesson of Libra: acceptance, respect and embrace.

Embrace your partner, embrace your friends, embrace your colleague, and embrace the other. If we want equality in the world, we don’t need to become the same, we don’t need to fight. What we need is appreciation and respect between each other. If we practise this at personal level, we contribute to a balanced world at collective level.

If you want to go deep into a more detailed reading of this Moon along with all the Astrological Facts going on in our sky, please visit Mara's blog here.