Rejoice before the chaos and the darkness, finish up business started up in spring, with a last big burst of energy. It is the full moon in Aries taking place on October 9, 2022, at 16 degrees and 32 minutes, and at 20:56 GMT. Morgan-Greer’s tarot deck aligned perfectly in its simplicity and boldness with the Aries energy, its dislike for mystery and subterfuge, and for its direct action character. We have clear shapes and colours to give us a picture of this lunation as we are trying to make sense of it. But the dispositor, or ruler, of this lunation is Mars who is in Gemini – a double bodied masculine sign. This might complicate things in itself, and further made worse, by the fact that Mars is about to turn retrograde. Mars likes nothing better than taking action, getting things done, driving forward without worrying about the economy or cost, real or metaphoric, physical or spiritual. Mars is excessive, and in a nervous and mental Gemini, who is his own negation, we are going to be flooded with contradictory data, news, information, gossip coming from all directions. True of false, who cares? It will be out there, sending our anxiety levels to overdrive.

The 8 of Wands, 2 of Wands and 4 of Cups tell a the story of this lunation. A story of fire and water. The sun in Libra sets the scene for need for harmony and negotiation, reflected by the moon in Aries, illuminating the self and sending the signal that in all of this we mater more than anything. There will be no successful negotiation outcome that doesn’t take care of the self; our interests, our desires, our creative potential. Others matter too, but our well being is paramount, and by hook or by crook we will fight for it. The end is the beginning. We are fighting for that moment of conception of a plan or an idea and we are seeing it manifest in real life. The lunation which further sextiles Saturn in Aquarius stabilises a lot of the cardinal initiating energy of the Aries-Libra axis. It gives it societal context through the sign of Aquarius and a maverick intellectual content. Saturn’s influence cools off the wild fire element and gives it longevity. But the heat is on. The 8 of Wands is a testimony to this. It signifies speed and movement. Things will happen fast, decision-making will be quick and, lets not forget with Mars in Gemini, often impulsive with a tinge or more of aggression. Make no mistake, we are going to be swept by it. A retrograde is about to happen, so most likely we are dealing with issues that come from the past or we might be redoing what we have started already, but never fully concluded. We could be changing our minds or finding new ways of doing things. In the 8 of Wands all wands are heading in a single direction but that doesn’t mean it is also the right one. Be mindful of it. The 2 of Wands is also looking backwards. Wealth creation and abundance could come from past actions or conditions. We have blue skies and glory. The wands are sprouting, the flowers are blooming. We are reminded of spring and our dreams that we put to action then. Now we can rejoice in their outcome with the 4 of Cups.

Whichever way we look at it, the ruler of this lunation is the god of war, and it is in a mutable sign. Even though full moons signify completion or fulfilment, this one actually, is only the fulfilment of an escalation or advancement that could go either way. Is is not looking to the future. It is rather dealing with the past. It is finishing off business with history behind it. It is the initiating phase of what follows with an eclipse in the Mars ruled sign of Scorpio. A feminine Mars with a totally different profile – but still a warrior – will spearhead winter ahead of us. So we are preparing for that more than anything else. There is momentum to the way things are moving and we are being advised not to try and stop it but go with it. We have to let the force drive us. It seems counter-intuitive to see so much drive going backwards. But most large planets are retrograde at this particular moment and they are pulling us with them. For better or for worse, there is a grand narrative that is larger than us. This backward movement in many spheres of life will change soon, but it’s not time yet. Time planet Saturn will move forward later in October, and in a new sign in the next six months. Pluto will move on to a new sign as well. That will be a monumental shift which will affect us all. So lets enjoy what we have now, and also what we haven’t got. Because it’s still all good. The 2 of Wands has us looking towards the past and taking stock. A promise of success and open horizons. With the 4 of Cups we should live that moment of joy and honour our good fortune. It is not the time to cut ourselves off from others, or to dwell on past difficulties, loss or failure. We will be tempted to do that by an overthinking mind and by distracted action. We have come a long way and have achieved a master status worthy of celebration. Lets not allow anything to cloud over it.

Flavia