This Full Moon in Aries beacons us to turn our attention to our relationship with ourselves. A key aspect of the Aries archetype is a clear sense of individuation and a willingness to rise to meet your highest Self.
For so many of us, the idea of embodying the kind of independence that is actually KEY to healthy relationships with others is fraught with uncertainty.
Our deepest longing for true connection and belonging gives rise to a fear that if we truly individuate, articulate our own needs and desires, and express our truth authentically, that we will be rejected.
All of our families of origin, social circles, and communities model particular norms and values. Whether we realize it or not, we internalize preferences that can inhibit us in ways that undermine us; realizing an individuality grounded in unconditional love.
Sometimes this happens subtly and implicitly over time. It may also be the result of direct critical responses, teasing, pushback, threats of sanction, withholding attention, or resources.
One clear example that affects us all is the cultural dichotomy of masculine and feminine. This duality places vast, implicit restrictions (for some strongly drawn explicit ones) on us that causes us to turn our backs on aspects of ourselves.
Many men feel bound by expectations of what it is to be masculine that prevent them from expressing their sensitivity, dissuade them from exploring interests that are labeled as “feminine”, and engaging in areas of life are considered the “realm of women”.
Meanwhile, in many areas, women pay a price for showing their ambition and toughness. They are critiqued for asserting themselves in fields that are the prevue of men and dissuaded from interest in fields that are historically male.
Of course, this plays out in millions of different iterations; many of which involve the rejection of the feminine nature in women and the masculine in men. This Libra Sun reminds us that balance is where we should place the focus of our inquiry.
Even if we have consciously gone against the grain of family or societal norms in some areas of life by following our own path and expressing in our own unique way, there are often ways that we continue to sanction ourselves to our detriment.
It behoves all of us to consider how social dynamics, assumptions, and norms are passed down and how they live in us today. Only in doing so can we lay claim to the full spectrum of our feelings, interests, aspirations, and gifts.
With Mars (the planet that represents the male/masculine) and Venus (representing the female/feminine) Archetypes in the Astrological system standing side-by-side in the cosmos, this Full Moon is a particularly prime time to look into where this dichotomy lives within us.
Stand in the light of this moon and claim one aspect of yourself that you have rejected, diminished, or undervalued.
The most powerful and empowering experiences for self-inquiry and transformation I have experienced are those that work on the level of mind, body and psyche. Join me in exploring this theme this Friday at The Church of the Holy City.