Howling at the full moon Libra. 4/11/17 Call and response.

A fortnight ago the new moon in Aries made a call. How does this Libra full moon respond?

The lunar cycle is a call and response dialogue. The new moon puts something out there, the full moon replies. Sometimes a lack of reply is your reply. Sometimes your action is a choice to refrain from action. All forms of conversation are valid; some are more productive than others at different times. But, the tides turn on the regular. Our environment has a natural rhythm, and is in constant conversation with itself and everything in it, including you. There’s information in these interactions if you choose to participate.

Full moons are culminations. They illuminate, reveal, and sometimes give answers.

There are no “good” or “bad” answers in astrology. Just, “try again,”  “this needs more work, more time,” “change course,” or “congrats, here’s what you earned,”  “lesson learned, proceed to next experience.”

This Libra lunation is all about the transformative journey Venus (ruler of Libra) has been on since March 4^th (its station retrograde). Libra is Venus’ intellectual side (Taurus is Venus’ body). Libra rules the concepts of partnership, relationship, transactions, agreements, aesthetics, and decorum. Libra teaches us about give and take, balance, and harmony-- especially about the balance between call and response. The Aries-Libra axis is highlighted for the next 2 weeks, and will show where you’ve been “all call” or “all response.”

As mentioned in the last post, (it's a very retro time, so let's backtrack) I’m Aries through and through. Throughout my childhood up until college I’ve always had a Libra best friend, then it became all about Pisces, but that’s another story. Those close relationships had an Aries- Libra tension. Those of you who do a lot of work with me (my work is all about relationship and conversation…counseling, teaching, consulting) never believe how much Aries I have in my chart. I’ve built a couple of businesses based on my reputation for being rational and measured. Who do you think taught me how to balance?

All those Libra girls in my formative years taught me something about integration. All the times I got my wrists slapped for being crude, provocative, and contrary woke me up to the fact that if I want all the good that comes from collaboration, I’m going to have to check myself.  Oh, I’m still a disruptive motherfucker, and when I go unconscious, the instinct to dominate kicks in. But, I feel better equipped to choose when Aries is appropriate, and when I do choose it, to work it consciously. Again, finding the BALANCE between the two is key. Let’s take food for example: if its too processed, it goes down easy and tastes good, but all the nutrients and anything real gets refined to death. Conversely, if you don’t process some food, at least a little, no one will eat it.

Thank you Libra, for teaching me to cultivate.

Not that Libra is all roses. Here is a typical tiff (written from much experience) between Libra and Aries:

Libra: You’re just causing discord, for the sake of excitement. You’re always trying to prove how different you are.

Aries: Well it’s better than being a superficial phony.

Libra: Just because I actually care about someone other than myself, and want to make things pleasant?  That doesn’t make me shallow. At least people like me!

Aries: They only like you because you tell them what they want to hear. You’re too wishy-washy to take a stance on anything. People need to be challenged!

Libra: I’m not talking to you until you can behave like a civilized adult and show some respect. You’re being ugly.

Aries: PLEASE argue with me. This was just getting interesting.

--And scene--

Venus retro through Pisces (Venus exaltation), Aries (Mars) new moon, Libra/Aries (Venus/Mars) full moon, Venus conjunct Chiron in Pisces square Saturn, Mercury retro through Taurus/Aries (Venus/Mars rulership)…this spring is all about Venus on the therapist’s couch. Yes. We are still dealing with Venus-Mars issues as per last post.

This is an intense (not necessarily unpleasant) evaluation of who we need to be in relationship to others. The lessons, epiphanies, and urges to implement change are coming fast and furious. But, you don’t need to DO anything fast and furious right now. Best way to use this time is to take notes. Lots of planets are shifting into retro this spring. April is a good time for organizing the intel with your journal or your therapist. Keep the back-and-forth going.

And yeah yeah yeah, there is a Mercury retrograde in the mix. I did not forget. It’s just a contributor to this deep meditation on Venus and Aries. Some astrologers do attribute money to Venus’ influence. To put a finer point on it, I like to think of Venus as ruling commerce; the exchange, the trade, the deal. Not an awesome time for those things. Judgment is off and very subjective. Research now; conduct your transactions in May.

Kind of frustrating right now. We’re getting lots of cues to GO, but Venus needs you stop for moment. We’re not QUITE done sorting ourselves out yet. Keep asking the questions. They’ll be answered.

Quick look at Cory’s notes 4/11-4/25:

Full moon Libra conjunct Jupiter retro (This a big feeling aspect. Enjoy! Brimming with love for all mankind! Woohoo! Some of you are gonna get a big sloppy kiss from this full moon, others might be weepy.)

Cardinal T square that involves Juno (This is stressful, but not monstrously so. Totally workable. Curb the urge for aggro action. Go workout, have more vigorous (responsible) sex, go dancing, do live-band-punk-rock karaoke.)

Venus conjunct Chiron in Pisces, square Saturn in Sadge retro (ouch. Old hurts coming up for release. Self soothe, self-care, get thee to thy therapist. Painful reality checks.)

Mars-Ceres conjunction Taurus (Aggressive caretaking. Keep your eye on this co-dependent bug-a-boo. Co-dependency is a Libra watchword too. Feel free to aggressively self-care…especially your bod.)

Merc retrograde Taurus (re-think luxury purchases and new investments, still checking that Aries energy--aggression, impatience, self-interest. We are going to be so over hitting the brakes by summer).

New moon Aries. 3/27/17 Valuing the self without devaluing others.

(Spoiler alert)

No. I do not think Tyler Durden should actually be president. This was a bday present I received because I’m a huge Fight Club fan (movie and book). In fact, an ex and I used to joke that we should watch it once a month, sort of like going to church, to remember and pick apart the myriad spiritual and philosophical teachings the story offers. I think it’s a good illustration of the current Venus retrograde Aries situation amidst a maelstrom of Aries and cardinal energy in March/April.

For those of you who have not read or seen Fight Club, it’s not so much about machismo and brutality, as it as about the patriarchal gone awry, capitalism, and the consequences of sacrificing our animal-body nature to fit inside of man-made structures.

The protagonist, who does not have an official name, is your run-of-the-mill consumer. An unconscious go-along-to-get-along kind of guy who fits very nicely and quietly into society. He wants all the things he’s taught/programmed to want..all the things we assume everyone wants. His alter ego, Tyler Durden is an id-like character (Aries), who’s “free in all the ways you aren’t.” The mild-mannered protagonist and Tyler duke it our literally and metaphorically for control over their life. While Tyler will terrorize everyone that stands in the way of his desire for pure anarchy, the protagonist struggles to integrate the repressed wildness of his nature in a more socially acceptable form (Venus).

And they start a fight club, but that’s a whole other thread. But, I would definitely add this book to the dystopian reading lists that are being curated right now.

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Be brief. Be brilliant. Be gone.

This could very well be the Aries mantra. Unfortunately, this post is long, complex, and messy…because that’s how this Aries season is barging its way in.

I have a stellium in Aries and a strong Scorpio signature. Basically, I’m a Martian. Mars-ruled Aries season is usually home for me. I get to wake up from the boozy haze of Pisces, and have a cup of fucking coffee and get on with it! For the most part, that’s what we’re looking at this Aries season…with a catch. In honor of Aries, here are some bullets:

• 3/4/17-4/15/15 Venus retrograde Aries/Pisces
• 3/13/17 Mercury ingress Aries
• 3/17/17  Final exact Uranus-Eris conjunction Aries (the last we’ll see in our lifetime)
• 3/20/17 Sun ingress Aries (Vernal equinox/astro new year)
• 3/25/17 Sun/Venus inferior conjunction Aries (midpoint of Venus retrograde)
• 3/27/17 New moon Aries
• 4/9/17-5/4/17 Mercury station retrograde Taurus/Aries

That’s a lot of Aries. That’s a lot of  “my way or the highway,” “I want it done yesterday,” “coffee is for closers” Aries. Aries gets in, gets out, moves on, and doesn’t look back. It rules surgeons, warriors, and the steel they use to cut. Let’s not be literal. There are many ways to perform surgery, do battle, and cutting utensils come in many forms. You want decisions made quickly and projects initiated? You call Aries. Aries is the immediate response to the primal. Fire signs operate at the speed of light because they’re motivated by intuition and impulse. Thinking (air), feeling (water), and sensing (earth) take time, and in the case of earth, matter (can I touch it?).

Instinct requires no conduit.

So, how do you think Venus feels, placed in the sign of its detriment AND retrograde?  Oh, this is awkward. Venus makes nice, wants everyone to get along, and it’s not enough for Venus to meet its goals…it must do so in a civilized manner, with much beauty. Venus is in no hurry. Consultation, consensus, and deliberation take time. Venus rules ambassadors, diplomats, farmers, artists, and culture. So, imagine that we put Venus in a suit of armor, machete in hand, and then push it backwards. THIS is the “fly in the ointment” of what should really be some straightforward, fire-under-the-ass, springtime, blast-off energy.

Venus-ruled folks in particular  (lots of Taurus and/or Libra) could feel especially irritable now, but this applies to everyone because we all have Aries represented somewhere in our chart, and Venus is moving through it. Venus is going through a process of questioning the importance of participating in consensus reality.

Venus is asking if all the little concessions and compromises we make to “grease the wheels,” participate in relationships of all kinds, and cultivate various forms of beauty are WORTH IT. A keyword for Venus is value.

Venus is not as concerned as it usually is to make things pleasant for you right now. It has increased awareness of animalistic stirrings, and less patience for dealing with protocol, ceremony, contracts and other social constructs. Venus is trying to weigh how much to “play the game” against going rogue.

This (very rare) transit often reveals where you may have compromised too much of your raw self in the quest for relationship, status, or comfort. It could also reveal an issue with

your ability to consider other people and the world around you. Aries AT ITS WORST does not consider other people when taking action. Most often, it doesn’t even mean to harm…it just doesn’t see you there. This energy has no time to be strategic, or conniving…or ask permission, or make things pretty. Which ALSO means that Aries AT ITS BEST does not consider other people when taking action. It has a direct line to individual needs and acts on them.  Therefore Aries is usually authentic and tells the naked truth. Peer pressure doesn’t work with these folks.

I could go on about this whole Venus/Mars thing, but this is the gist. It’s a time of weighing how much “you do you” vs. your efforts to fit in nicely. It’s about re-thinking the transactions you make with other people. Are you getting good value for your money, time, love, your soul?

Initiations at this new Aries moon can be made with heightened awareness around the actions you take based on your deepest values. Learning how to be unpopular in your own self-interest without de-valuing anyone else.