The Full Moon on Friday, October 22, is at 29 degrees Aries and is the second in a row in the sign of the Ram. Other than that, they have little in common.

A month ago, on September 23, the the Full Moon at 0 degrees Aries activated the early degrees of the cardinal signs and represented an “early harvest” of changes that began to sweep through our lives during the cardinal T-square. The changes we envisioned were held back, like water behind a dam, as long as Saturn was in tight formation with Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto.

When Saturn began to move on, the obstacles started to clear, and the changes we could only glimpse back then began materializing. This Full Moon brings it all full circle and lights the way for us to move confidently down a new path, perhaps with new goals and a totally new perspective.

This past week, we witnessed the dramatic rescue of 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped half a mile underground since August 5, the peak date of the cardinal T-square. Several astrologers have commented on the undeniable connection between the collapse of the mine and the cardinal T-square, and the symbolism of death and rebirth – literally coming up out of the earth – when Ceres returned to a conjunction with Pluto.

All of the interpretations I read were excellent, but among them one in particular stood out, by Christina Rodenbeck in Oxford, England, who wove astrology into the mythology of the indigenous people. It was short, simple, and to the point.

But why mention all of this after the fact, in a post on the Full Moon?

The lunar cycle has been an important timing indicator as we’ve moved through the T-square and beyond. The miners were rescued on Wednesday, with the Moon in early Capricorn conjunct Ceres and Pluto. I mentioned in my forecast last week that Wednesday would be a T-square flashback day, and so it was. And not just for los 33.

The ordeal of the Chilean miners was a very literal interpretation of the T-square – going down into the underworld and returning to a new life. Many of us are experiencing a similar pattern on a more subtle, energetic level, but it is every bit as powerful. I’m seeing more and more deep changes, with individuals emerging in a “new, improved” state that will allow them to live more richly and fully and to be who they were meant to be.

The chart for this Full Moon says it all – every planet except Saturn is contained within the axis of the Sun at 29°33′ Libra and the Moon at 29°33′ Aries. The restraining influence, the Lord of Time, is out of the picture. Between the rest, there is a connection and a flow.

The Sun and Moon are in a lovely sextile and trine with Pluto and Ceres, forming an easy path for all of that Plutonian stress that built up over the summer. The easy manner in which the miners ascended to the surface is a fitting metaphor. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had an elevator to bring us up out of our worldly trap? Then … maybe we do. As I’ve written many times, sometimes the way out is up.

The Sun and Moon also make a sextile and trine to Neptune and Chiron, although it’s separating. That suggests to me that the deep healing we needed in order to move past the obstacles has taken place, and now we’re assimilating it into our lives. The more whole we are inside (whole and heal come from the same Latin root), the better we’re able to manifest what we want and need, without the glitches and gremlins that often appear as part of the process.

Mars and Jupiter also are in a separating trine, which will be exact on Wednesday, two days before the Full Moon. Jupiter is retrograde and could use an energy boost from Mars, who’s very powerful in Scorpio, the sign he co-rules with Pluto. Mars will trine Uranus two days after the Full Moon, which could be a big release point for new opportunities that are exciting and perhaps unexpected.

Mars also is in a square with Neptune and Chiron, which seems negative on the face of it. However, Neptune and Uranus are in mutual reception, and so I believe that the healing that’s taking place will feed into the new opportunities and vice versa. Difficult Mars-Neptune combinations can sometimes sap your energy – it depends on where Mars is transiting your chart – and you may be challenged to let go of some preconceived notions of what you need. The ego has a way of defending itself that isn’t always in our best interest, and when it has to be forced into another way of being – even a better one – the result can feel a lot like pain and suffering!

Just remember, there is no growth without change, and change by definition can be very painful, especially when you’ve invested so much in maintaining the status quo.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Moon at 29°33′ Aries is, A duck pond and its brood, with the keyword RELIABILITY. As with the previous Full Moon in Aries, this symbol is about self-discovery and finding your place in the cosmic order. Everyone has a special gift, and it’s up to you to discover it and to be true to your highest, best self. Once you do that, you can relax into your groove and just go with the flow.

For the Sun at 29°33′ Libra, the Sabian Symbol is Three mounds of knowledge on a philosopher’s head, with the keyword PRESCIENCE. This symbol is about recognizing how cosmic energies manifest in your own personal life. Once you start seeing the patterns, you start to develop the capability to see how things will turn out.

Amen to that! It pretty much sums up my approach to astrology, and it couldn’t be a more timely message.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmond Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in 1925 with the help of Elsie Wheeler, a gifted psychic. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.