The Full Moon in Aries: October 17, 2024

In September, I wrote about the Partial Lunar Eclipse that coincided with the September Full Moon, which was bathed in the endless waters of Neptune. I predicted that the effects of this eclipse would manifest in watery events, including devastating floods, hurricanes, and typhoons. Sadly, that turned out to be prophetic, as Europe was besieged by floods, with the Danube rising to levels unseen in decades. Poland, Budapest, and Austria experienced record flooding, while the United States faced horrific loss of life and property with back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Because eclipse events linger for several months, we are likely to continue seeing extreme weather for some time. With Uranus in Taurus—Uranus symbolizes sudden upheaval, and Taurus represents immovable earth—earthquakes may also be on the horizon. Just yesterday, Costa Rica recorded a 6.2 earthquake offshore near Tamarindo, though thankfully, no injuries were reported.

Now, we look to the Full Moon of October 17, 2024, which occurs in the cardinal signs at 24° Libra and Aries. This Full Moon is likely to appear as a large Supermoon, possibly glowing in hues of orange and red. Being at its closest point to the Earth, it earns the title “Supermoon,” a term originally coined by astrologer Richard Nolle, which is now commonly used.

Cardinal signs demand action, and the cardinality of this Full Moon, with Mars squaring it, suggests a potential escalation of wars on a large scale. However, a potential saving grace may come from the fixed star Arcturus, which is aligned with the Sun during this Full Moon. The ancients believed that fixed stars, brighter than planets, held tremendous concentrated energy. Arcturus, considered a “guardian star,” may provide a steadying, spiritual influence amidst turbulence.

This Full Moon comes just before the pivotal, contentious U.S. election. Astrologically, it is tricky, tense, and likely a problematic lunation. The Full Moon will be at 24°35′ Aries, meaning those with planets in late Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn may be especially sensitive to its effects. Mars, at 22°55′ Cancer, squares the Moon, and Venus, which rules the Moon, is at 29° Scorpio.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Students of astrology know that Mars in Cancer is problematic—it operates in an emotionally tense and irrational manner. In a cardinal square to the Full Moon, Mars intensifies emotional volatility, anger, frustration, and a desire to act out. Mars is also in wide opposition to Pluto at 29° Capricorn, suggesting a power struggle of incredible intensity triggered by this Full Moon.

Mars is the ruler of Aries, the sign in which the Moon resides, while Venus rules the Libran Sun. At the time of the Full Moon, Venus is at 29° Scorpio. Just as Mars is not well-resourced in Cancer, Venus is in detriment and poorly resourced in Scorpio. Venus being in the 29th degree adds to this tension, as the 29th degree of any sign is known as an Anaretic degree, associated with crisis and destruction. With Pluto at 29° Capricorn and Venus at 29° Scorpio, there’s an aura of crisis, secrets, and power struggles reaching a critical stage. Venus in these late degrees of Scorpio can signify themes of secrets, betrayal, or poisonous relationships. Her recent opposition to Uranus in Taurus further speaks to the destruction of land and wrenching power struggles.

How “timely” this astrological configuration is for the U.S., just before an election already expected to be bitter and contentious. Emotions are running high, and deeply ingrained tensions may culminate under this Full Moon, potentially leading to more mayhem—something we certainly don’t need.

As I contemplate this planetary alignment, I drift to the poem “The Second Coming” by Irish poet William Butler Yeats. Yeats, a mystic and student of astrology, references the “widening gyre,” which describes a system of rotating ocean currents driven by winds and tides. This seems like an apt metaphor for the destruction that has ravaged the Southeastern U.S. and perhaps even for the broader political and social landscape we’re experiencing.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

A gaze blank and pitiless as the Sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

“The Second Coming” by Irish poet William Butler Yeats – Favorites | Academy of American Poets. https://poets.org/anthology/favorites-379

The energy of this Full Moon may feel intense and chaotic, and you may feel compelled to act with the Moon in fiery Martian Aries. However, be sure you’re not acting out of irrational emotion, which may be especially difficult to resist. The collective psyche is edgy right now, and impulsive actions may have detrimental long-term consequences.