The Full Moon and Sign Polarity
What is it about a Full Moon? Why does it seem so magical? Why might it make some people “crazy”? The astrological answer is in the illumination of the two “lights”, the Sun and the Moon, through opposite signs of the Zodiac.
The Zodiac can be viewed as 6 pairs of opposite signs, or polarities. The signs of each pair are poles of an axis whose function they both share and serve in contradictory, yet complementary, ways. For example, Taurus (birth) is at one end of the axis it shares with Scorpio (death), the sign at the other end. There’s a time for everything, including “a time to be born and a time to die”. It’s the natural economy, the way all values in Time are kept in balance with one another. A different value is toggled in each of the 6 polarities.
Sunlight is the light of conscious life, shining steadily on our thoughts and activities through a single sign for a whole month at a time. Moonlight is the light of unconscious life, reflecting our feelings, moods and dreams through signs that change every 2 - 2.5 days. While we are always functioning in the present in the objective clock time of the Sun, we may feel and dream of a remembered or imaginary past or future in the subjective dreamtime of the Moon.
During the days and nights when the Moon is Full, the Sun and Moon are in opposite signs, ‘speaking’ to us simultaneously from opposite poles of an axis. The Sun affirms conditions of the current moment. The Moon reminds us that there was or will be another moment in time with conditions exactly the opposite of whatever they are now.
The effect of the contrast between the opposing lights is a feeling of bittersweet poignancy as we experience simultaneous contradictory emotions. They are equally compelling. We seem to be stuck with one of them, while the other haunts us from somewhere out of reach. For relief from any discomfort from the effect, we can seek connection with the paradoxical center point between the two extremes, where they meet in timeless union and perfect peace.
In this series, we explore the Full Moon’s effects each month as the two lights confront each other across successive sign polarities.
Full Moon in Aries: Truth in Relationship
When the Moon is Full in Aries, the Sun is opposing it from Libra. The two lights are illuminating the Aries-Libra axis, bringing us in touch with its complementary energies. The purpose of Aries-Libra is the experience of individuality in harmony (or dissonance) with the individuality of another person in any type of relationship. It simultaneously stimulates self-awareness and awareness of the degree of balance, fairness, and spiritual harmony between individuals. The dynamic is that of two people on a seesaw.
Aries is the solitary sign at the truth end of this axis. Being solitary means not having a companion and getting to be alone. We live our truth freely. We don’t have to compromise or share anything, and there’s no one to weaken our efforts with irrelevant distractions. All solitude requires is self-sufficiency, a clear focus, and a commitment to follow through on our intentions regardless of conflicting opinions.
Libra is the sociable sign at the relationship end of this axis, where we cooperate with other people. Being in a close relationship means having a companion and not having to be alone. We have someone to talk with and share activities, to reinforce us in our efforts by sympathizing and cooperating with us. All relationship requires is a wish to share, mutual respect, flexibility, and willingness to compromise or adapt should disagreements arise.
Whether we are naturally more or less gregarious than the average person, we all need to be able to get along with others. Yet we also need always to maintain our integrity as individuals. We need both, but we don’t necessarily always realize or remember that fact. Ideally we know ourselves well, and we form relationships in which we can cooperate harmoniously without pressure to compromise our identity or principles. Each partner is an equal participant in the relationship, faithful to mutual agreements, yet retaining individuality.
It’s an elegant and beautiful balancing act, easy enough in superficial relationships, but not so easy in deep relationships expected to endure. Achieving it with the right partner for the long haul involves experimentation, sorting of thoughts and feelings, and a combination of spiritual qualities that enhances (rather than draining) the lives of both partners.
The influence of the Libra Sun puts us mentally in relationship mode. It raises enthusiasm for sharing activities with other people and making new acquaintances. We welcome a good friend or a partner to work with, and many of us would like to be in a romantic relationship if we aren’t in one already. The thought of being alone may not even occur to us when the Sun is in Libra, especially when the Moon is New.
But Aries is the dawn sign of the Zodiac, and the Full Moon in Aries can wake us up to our true feelings! Aries is co-ruled by Mars, the Warrior for Survival, and Pluto, the Revealer of Truth. Under that Fiery Moon, our feelings take us back to the very dawn and original motivation of our life, when all we knew was our own existence and a drive to get out of the womb and survive beyond it. It’s less easy to see ourselves in the stereotypical role of “The Partner”. We feel more authentic in both ourselves and our relationship, focused on who we really are and how well our life meshes (or doesn’t) with that of another real person, and more able to realize the truth. We tend to be in an impatient mood to get past doubts or hesitations and arrive at a decisive conclusion about a relationship.
During the Full Moon in Aries, we may be interacting with another (or others) as usual, yet a part of us feels detached and free to question our involvement. Though we’re with someone else, it may seem that we are excluded or crowded, and we may either feel that we’re alone or wish we were. Are we adapting too much and feeling powerless? Does it seem like we’re ‘dragging’ another person who isn’t really interested in us? Just how compatible are we with our companion(s)? How much does whatever we’re sharing have to do with who we truly are as individuals? Maybe plenty, or maybe not much at all.
The truth is simply whatever it really is at the time, be it thrilling and wonderful or harsh and painful. We may realize that someone we’re attracted to is not available, that our current partner is wrong for us, or maybe simply that we’re not yet ready for any relationship. Or, if the ‘chemistry’ and the timing happen to be just right, we might realize the wonder of feeling completely authentic, comfortable, and personally fulfilled in a beautiful relationship that’s likely destined to last. Whatever the truth may be, the Full Moon in Aries can make it known to us, and may well prompt us to make it known to the other.
How a Full Moon in Aries Might Feel
The songs below express some feelings individuals might experience in or regarding a romantic relationship under a Full Moon in Aries.
If I Needed Someone
Different Drum
It Ain’t Me Babe
Sister Golden Hair
I’ve Gotta Be Me
Send In the Clowns
Gigi
Eternal Flame
With You I’m Born Again
At Last
Real Love
Blue Moon
