Each
year at the Aries New Moon, I imagine the great mass of humanity
bursting out of the starting gate like the bulls running in
Pamplona – highly charged with vim and vitality, impatient
to get on with the business of … what, exactly? At the
New Moon, we’re not exactly sure. We’re long on energy, but
short on perspective. And Aries, of all the signs, exemplifies
this New Moon spirit. At the Libra Full Moon, our task is
to cast the cool eye of appraisal over the ideas and ventures
that were - or will be - initiated at the Aries New Moon.
Do they seem revolutionary and creative, or merely impetuous
- even reckless?
Without
the restraint and perspective for which Libra is famous, the
unleashing of Aries energy can occasionally lead to real danger.
My sister, born at the New Moon and with Aries rising, was
a bristly, calamitous child. Once, impatient to be let in
the house, she slammed her palm on the glass pane of the front
door and cut her hand badly. On a particularly memorable spring
morning, as we crept through a neighbor’s yard to get a look
at their baby bunnies, she suddenly cried out in pain; when
I turned to find out why, I saw that she had stepped on a
large, iron rake, and a prong had impaled her big toe.
Her
lack of caution occasionally got her into trouble, but still,
you had to admire her spirit. Aries-like, she simply didn’t
know the meaning of fear. She could be a bit of a terror,
bullying her baby sister with real vigor, but she was just
as fierce on my behalf when mean kids messed with me on the
playground. And she loved an adventure. When our mother announced
that we were moving 3,000 miles away to California, my brother
and I crumpled in despair, devastated to leave our friends
in Indiana - but my sister’s eyes lit up, and her toes tapped
with excitement.
On the
other hand… well, the blood. The cut glass, the punctured
toe (and in later years, the thumb caught by the sewing machine
needle; the hand neatly sliced by a broken water glass while
she was washing the dishes). So while I applaud the Je
ne sais quoi of the intrepid Aries, I’m relieved to take
a moment during this Sun in Aries cycle to rest, sip a cool
drink, and meditate for a moment on the balancing attributes
of Aries’ opposite sign – the measured restraint of Libra.
Where
Aries is spirited, Libra is smooth. Aries rushes, but Libra
glides. On the playground, Aries shoves a kid off the swing
so she can have her turn; Libra sweet talks the kid until
he not only vacates the swing, but agrees to push her while
she takes her ride. Aries and Libra are each determined
to get their way – they are, after all, cardinal signs,
and like to be in charge – but they differ stylistically.
Aries favors the direct approach; when Aries wants something
from you, it is plain what it is and how he intends to get
it. Libra, on the other hand, is a master strategist, flattering
and charming his way to victory.
This
is not to say that Libra’s approach is perfect. Libra’s job
is to consider all possibilities before acting; but while
Libra may have more perspective than Aries, this does not
necessarily translate into great clarity about which course
should be pursued. In fact, Libra can find herself overwhelmed
at these possibilities, weighing first one, then the other,
then the first one again… until Aries is jumping up and down
in frustration: "Just! Choose! One!"
But while
Libra’s careful weighing of options can be maddening, it is
the perfect astrological antidote to Aries’ most unfortunate
tendency: the failure to take other perspectives into account
while dashing madly through life. It’s usually passion rather
than a lack of caring that makes Aries behave this way. If
you are a tad insensitive from time to time, or if your pursuit
of some object, person, or goal occasionally blinds you to
the wants and needs of others, then you are acting from
the untempered Aries side of your nature. What’s needed
at these moments is a bracing draft of Libra, the quiet voice
of prudence that reminds you of the needs, rights, and opinions
of others.
When
we embrace our inner Aries, we can get so charged up that
we don’t care who or what stands in our path - we just keep
ramming into the obstacle until it gives way. This single-minded
determination to overcome obstacles can be employed to invaluable
effect. Formidable activists Cesar Chavez and Gloria Steinem,
pioneering statesman Thomas Jefferson, and visionary artist
Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent Van Gogh were born when the
Sun was in this sign. But as these famous examples suggest,
the unbridled enthusiasm of our Aries instincts are often
most effective when tempered by the Libran traits of strategy,
diplomacy, and artistry.
Our Aries
instincts desperately need some help from Libra this Full
Moon, with Mars, the ruling planet of Aries, just past
an opposition to Pluto - aferocious face-off between
the irresistible force (Mars) and the immovable object (Pluto)
- and both entwined in a t-square with the Sun and Moon. It
will take every ounce of Libran forbearance and tact to restrain
sharp tongues and check hasty words.
Each
of us possesses both Aries and Libra tendencies, although
not necessary in equal measure. Often, with maturity, the
youthful impulsiveness of Aries naturally gives way to the
measured approach of Libra. My sister’s rash Aries instincts
still get the best of her on occasion, but as an adult she
also possesses a fine Libran sensitivity to the feelings of
others. And hers is one of the finest marriages I know – a
union that is strong precisely because she was already a feisty,
full-realized individual before she became someone’s partner.
It’s this positive Aries self-confidence that allows her to
give herself fully in partnership without fear of losing her
individual identity.
Where
are you an impatient Aries, charging out into the world with
enthusiasm but occasionally in need of direction and feedback?
At this Libra Full Moon, introduce that wildish part of
yourself to your Libran alter ego. Somewhere in you lies
the balancing instincts that know how to restrain your impulsiveness,
where to maximize your creative zest with keen artistic sensibilities
- and when to put on heavy shoes, to avoid getting a rake
stuck through your toe.
