Aries Full Moon: Breakthroughs & Beginnings 

The full moon in (24 °34′) Aries on October 17th at 6:25 a.m. CDT prompts us to grow from challenges and discover fresh reserves of courage and strength from within. 

This lunation is initiating a new chapter in our lives.

We follow our intuition to strike out in a different direction and trust our instincts to lead us forward.

This is not a time to overthink or try to see the whole picture, but instead, to believe in our ability to advance from an inner validation. We are being guided, moment by moment, to forge a new path ahead. We may not understand where it is all going from our current vantage point, but we are not meant to. In time, we will see why it all had to happen in this way. And in retrospect, we will also be able to understand how much time was required to dismantle the older structures that hindered our authentic expression and which enabled us to begin again. There is a sacredness and important learning that happens when we embrace the journey. It is not necessary to get every detail right but rather, connect to who we are becoming, who we are evolving into, and what we need to cultivate within us to ascend. 

“Sticking with uncertainty is how we learn to relax in the midst of chaos, how we learn to be cool when the ground beneath us suddenly disappears. We can bring ourselves back to the spiritual path countless times every day simply by exercising our willingness to rest in the uncertainty of the present moment—over and over again.”

Pema Chödrön

During a full moon, our “emotional body” is stimulated, and we become more aware of previously suppressed or disregarded feelings. It is time to feel, learn, and let go of what we haven’t been able to see.

This full moon closes the eclipse portal and guides us to further integrate all that was activated during the last eclipse season. 

This is also the third of four consecutive supermoons, and our emotions are even more amplified. We can sense what is thriving and move with inspiration toward new adventures and new beginnings. We are invited to evaluate where we currently are and how we feel about the direction we are headed.

This lunation relates back to the Aries solar eclipse on April 8^th, 2024.  The past six months have been a cycle of awakening to greater levels of our self-expression. We can fully see the places where we compromised our self and can now claim higher levels of freedom.

Reflecting back to that time, what has ended? Whatever is arising now is guiding us toward what needs completion and what is necessary to work through to support our growth. This fresh energy ushers us onto our new path.

This lunation also activates friction and turns up the dial to show us more clearly the truth of how we feel. We reconnect to the promise of beginnings and prepare to move forward, embracing the new and becoming open to possibility.

Aries as an Archetype

Aries symbolizes intuitive knowing, leadership, and instinctive action. This energy teaches us to honor our intuitive impulses, gain insight as we reflect on the consequence of our actions, and develop self-trust. This archetype ignites our passion and our ability to take courageous risks and step boldly into new directions. One of the lessons of this archetype is to learn how to choose our battles wisely: knowing when to draw the sword and knowing when not to engage in battle. When the need to claim their freedom is at stake, Aries is able to boldly take a stand and advocate for their truth. There is wisdom in learning to assess risk and align with a fight that is drawn from inspired action in our soul. 

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.”

Maya Angelou

Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac and a cardinal fire sign, symbolizing initiation and new beginnings. Aries is also associated with the Pioneer, Hero/Heroine, and Sacred Warrior archetypes. These archetypes desire freedom and independence in order to initiate new ideas, follow their insights, and learn from their interactions with the environment. However, they can be so focused on the need for freedom and room to make things that they don’t always see how their choices affect other people. There is a time to initiate and act and there is also a time to assess and learn from our choices, our behavior, and what we set in motion. We may feel the excitement of new ideas and new directions but may also feel the vulnerability that can accompany tending to a new idea and taking action with it. 

This cycle provides us with a deeper understanding of what is changing, what old identities have been shed, and what we can no longer bring with us into our lives. We can better comprehend what we have been repressing so that we can more easily connect to our authentic expression in the world. 

“Care is a state in which something does matter; it is the source of human tenderness.”

Rollo May

We Review Commitments

This full moon is opposed with the asteroid Juno in Libra. Juno calls us to look at our contractual agreements, where we feel disappointment, or where we feel our energy is stuck in our current arrangements.

Juno shines a light on our shadow loyalty and where we have given our power away in our relationships in order to succeed, be liked, or approved of, but which has compromised our true selves.

In Juno, we learn to reclaim our power, to put ourselves first (in a healthy way, without guilt), and be anchored in our own sovereignty. 

We are now cognizant of where we are projecting onto others, creating unnecessary drama, or have been perceiving someone as the enemy. Any tension or angst that we may feel can clarify what we really want or need. This energy can create drama and cause us to have impulsive reactions, but the way it can best serve us is if we allow it to inform and inspire what we need to truly honor and care for ourselves. We can recommit to a life that feels authentic and offers deeper fulfillment.

Holding a vision for what we long to create and what will bring us nourishment can help us to stay true to ourselves and be congruent and considerate in both our words and actions.

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” 

 Mahatma Gandhi

This full moon is conjunct Chiron in Aries and is activating themes of abandonment, feeling alone, or being misunderstood. The wounded parts of our identity may be summoned to the surface to bring greater awareness about ourselves. This is an important to take responsibility for the part that we have created while holding compassion for ourselves and others.

We are called into reflection about our past choices and the agreements we have made to guide us back into our own agency and reclaim more of our power. 

“One of the biggest reasons people can struggle to take responsibility for their hurtful behaviors is because they can’t tolerate feeling their shame.” 

Silvy Khoucasian

This full moon is also conjunct Eris in Aries. Eris is a Sacred Rebel who guides us into the parts of ourselves whose essential nature can be at odds with cultural values or societal expectations. But when we face discord and uncomfortable truths, it will help us to recognize our inner voice and speak from our spiritual sovereignty.

As this full moon is ruled by Mars, we are learning not only through our actions but also through our responses to our actions. When we feel threatened at the most primal level of our security, we may lash out in defensiveness, anger, or violence. We may be challenged by conflict, but our ability to advocate for our needs and be conscious in our actions depends on how skillfully we can learn to respond.  

Injustices can be infuriating to witness or experience, and our anger can often signal to us where a boundary has been violated or when we are called to advocate for our rights. This can often be the case when we are accused of something false or when we want to take a bold stand for a higher truth.

This lunation invites us to work with tension as a force of alchemy. What we feel informs us and motivates inspired action towards the following stages of our transformation. 

It is important that we feel our emotions, but rather than letting our emotions fuel a reaction, we need to allow them to inform us in how we desire to respond. 

This is an important time to follow our feelings and intuitive fire into deeper knowing of what we truly need. Our primal security fears may be triggered at this time and we may feel hyper-defensive and perceive things as a threat that may not actually be intended as such. It is vital discern whether someone is simply expressing themselves or if they actually intend harm.

When we take time to assess our relationship dynamics and understand our own patterns, we can better feel what our inner fire is intuitively guiding us toward. Is there something that feels vulnerable within us that needs our presence and compassion or is it necessary to set a boundary and express our righteous anger from a place of self-connection and truth?

“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

The Invitation

This full moon initiates a cycle of trusting our instincts. It encourages us to take the appropriate inspired action as we prepare to ascend into higher levels of our power and prepare for beginnings. We can sometimes be overwhelmed with navigating the unknown and all the unraveling details that we forget how thrilling new chapters and our newfound freedom can be.

Trust that things are working out for our highest good. Wherever there is disappointment also lies spaciousness for possibility. We recommit to ourselves in a fresh way that nourishes our well-being and aligns with our passion. 

We are encouraged to tend to our courage, follow our intuitive knowing, and bring awareness to what it is that we are willing to fight for. We summon our Sacred Warrior that can read the room and consciously respond from our power center. Through contrast, we clarify what is most important to us and remember what it feels like to feel alive and reconnect to our passion.

“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.”

Dalai Lama