Hope, Strength and a Full Moon
Full Moons are barometers of ‘harvest’ points. How good is our harvest? What kind of harvest are we reaping? What seeds did we sow in the first place? They are also moments of revelation – when full light shines to show the way; in older times it was the time when the hunter could see his prey.
April begins with a Full Moon on the 2nd. The Moon in Libra demonstrates that the people – the Moon - simply want balance, peace and harmony in their lives for once. At a Full Moon the Sun and Moon are always opposite each other. The Sun sits in Aries, alongside Saturn and Neptune, signifying the new cycle civilisation has entered. This Full Moon squares Jupiter, exalted in Cancer, in the 6th house of the chart set for the UK. The people (the Moon) and the Kings and leaders (the Sun) all have reason to feel expanded with hope for the future but, sadly for the people, it is the Sun that holds most of the cards. The Moon sits at the top of the chart, on her own, acting as a ‘handle’ or ‘key’ to the Full Moon chart, but she struggles to exert much influence.
On the surface, the Moon appears much stronger – the mistake I first made as a modern astrologer when I examined it. The Moon’s ruler – Venus - seems so much stronger than the Sun’s ruler, Mars. Venus is in Taurus, a sign she rules, whereas Mars is in Pisces, where he has little dignity; he is weak, deceptive and watery. Yet this too tells us something; the Kings and Leaders are highly likely in someone else’s pocket, rather than masters of their own decisions, as they would like to make us believe.
Traditional astrology delineates a chart from a far more complex perspective than modern astrology. A conversation with traditional astrologer, Sharon Knight, was very revealing from that point of view, which is why I am happy to have dipped my toe into studying traditional astrology.
The rulers of the Moon and the Sun, Venus and Mars, sit in signs that are either side of the Sun. This means that they have no affinity with the signs they rule and have no ability to exert any control over them. But, the Sun is ‘exalted’ in Aries, and furthermore the ‘exalted’ ruler of Libra (where the Moon sits), is Saturn who is ‘in bed’ with the Sun – in a nutshell this gives the Sun power.
Nevertheless, the chart offers us clear insight: the Sun (our Kings and Leaders), though able to throw his weight around with little challenge due to this exaltation, is fundamentally duplicitous and deceptive in his actions (Mars in Pisces). By contrast, the Moon in Libra reflects a populace unwilling to rock the boat or engage in confrontation (Libra), waiting endlessly for any result that might benefit them (Venus in Taurus). How pleasing that must be for the Sun and those behind him!!
The chart really hinges around Jupiter, who squares both Sun and Moon. Yet, even though he is in the Moon’s sign of Cancer, he is not really on the people’s side. Jupiter tends to serve his own interests at the best of times and in this chart, he operates from a hidden perspective, more like a spy. Still Jupiter represents optimism and the expansion of wisdom.
Venus, the Moon’s ruler, operates as an evening star in this Full Moon chart; she functions through love. And love is what fuels optimism, compassion and our shared humanity – qualities that can feel scarce these days. Instead we see the Aries ‘me first’ impulse. Yet in this increasingly AI driven world it is more important than ever to emphasise what it means to be human. Humanity is capable of ‘feeling’ – of bringing compassion and care – and we must always ‘feel’. Humanity is also capable of intuition – listening to those ‘spider senses’ in our gut and our heart that often tell us when trouble is looming. We were not designed to exist alone, but to thrive within family, friendship and community – contributing our strengths to the cohesion of the whole.
Yet, particularly if we live in a large town, do we really feel part of a community? Many don’t even know their neighbours. We have been disrupted and divided to the point we no longer share our belief systems – whether religious or general – that once bound us together.
Jupiter is a planet of benefit, sometimes promising more than he can deliver. He brings a feeling of hope – but we are cautioned against ‘false hope’. In Greek myth it was Pandora who opened the box that released all the evils into the world. Hope, however, remained inside the box. Some see this as mercy, preserving hope to counter suffering. Others, however, interpret it as something less grounded in reality - an illusion that prevents action.
Hope can motivate but unchecked it can distort judgment and delay action as people cling to unrealistic outcomes.
Ultimately, this Full Moon shows a clear path forward. It suggests that Kings, Politicians and leaders are at present unworthy of our trust – acting with duplicity because they believe they can get away with it. The Moon – the people – must balance their views against evidence illuminated in full light –facts that are readily available if only they are willing to seek them.
The deeper issue seems more that the Moon in Libra reflects a people that have become complacent and disengaged, reluctant to invest effort or attention into anything at all, bar their own pleasure. Now Libra might seem indecisive, always the mediator, but essentially Libra is a cardinal sign – it is action based. It is designed to weigh up evidence so that it is able to act properly. So, in essence, the message of this Full Moon is to take action grounded in our humanity, while critically examining real evidence rather than narratives shaped by deceptive leaders.
We are at a critical point in history, though few seem to be discussing it. And it is about to become even more so. After the Full Moon, the astrological climate intensifies as Mars, God of War and ruler of Aries, enters his own sign – followed by Mercury, planet of the mind, communication, trade, speech and thought. On April 13th Mars meets Neptune, God of the Oceans and on April 19th Mars meets Saturn. Could this mark the point at which the Middle East conflict escalates dramatically, potentially becoming a ground war (Saturn structure, ground)?
Just before Uranus enters Gemini on April 26th, we see a powerful concentration: 8 planets plus Chiron, clustered in the first two signs of the zodiac - 5 planets plus Chiron in Aries and 3 planets in Taurus. This is significant – very war like (Aries) and deeply connected to our Earth (Taurus).
Remember though that the planets do not cause – events merely reflect the patterns in the sky.
As above, so below
This intense period leads into an even more powerful New Moon on April 17th at 27 Aries with 7 planets including Chiron in Aries, fuelling a strong desire for action. But, if the Full Moon has encouraged prolonged patience in the face of untenable situations, this could trigger such an urgent need for action - possibly blindly - particularly as Mercury finds himself trapped between Mars and Neptune. Decisions may be driven by a mixture of anger, impatience and clouded judgements.
So follow the Full Moon message. Make it a priority to expand intelligent common sense with curiosity, intuition and feeling – all essentially qualities of being human. Acting upon this has never been more important, even if the balance of power feels against us right now.