Surprise! It’s a Wild-Card Full Moon

By Amanda Painter

We’re building up to one heck of an Aries Full Moon that will peak in the wee hours Sunday morning. Astrologically speaking, not only is there a lot going on in the chart along with the Full Moon, but the Moon itself will be in a conjunction with two high-energy planets that have been reflected in the unprecedented political and media insanity surrounding us for at least the last year.

Projecting our personal issues onto others is not nearly as pretty as a Full Moon; but when we realize we’re doing it, we sure can learn a lot… Photo by Amanda Painter.

Those two high-energy planets are Uranus and Eris, which are in late Aries. The Libra Sun is already essentially opposite that pair, and will move into exact opposition this weekend.

Then the Moon, which enters Aries at 1:08 am EDT on Friday (15:08 UTC), will swing into position to oppose the Sun at 12:23 am EDT Oct. 16 (04:23 UTC). That’s the Aries Full Moon, with Uranus and Eris right there.

A Full Moon often translates into a peak of energy or interpersonal conflict; perhaps a stalemate finally giving way to resolution; maybe something ‘coming to light’ just as the Sun literally lights the surface of the Moon and the Moon reflects that light back to us on Earth. So you already know to watch situations in your life that meet those descriptions.

Culturally speaking, having a Full Moon conjunct an aspect like Uranus-Eris means it’s a good time to pay attention to world events that fit the themes at play. This is called a ‘proving moment’, because something palpable (a Full Moon) is activating less-obvious or slowly developing astrology in a way that brings it to the forefront of consciousness.

Given the planets involved, this Full Moon is a bit of a wild card; be ready for just about anything. The obvious place for it to play out in grand (and possibly awful) style is the US presidential race. But consider these three other events that caught my attention while writing this:

— The “Women’s Boat to Gaza” — a flotilla of food and humanitarian aid trying to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian area — was intercepted last week by the Israeli military, which deported the women activists on board.

— In support of Native American tribes trying to protect sacred land from oil pipeline development in North Dakota, ten climate activists were arrested Tuesday for attempting to shut down all tar sands oil coming into the United States from Canada by manually turning off pipelines in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Washington state.

— Opening Friday in select cities is Author: The JT Leroy Story — a documentary about how the literary and celebrity worlds became enamored between 1999 and 2005 of a young, reclusive, presumably male author of several novels about painful, abusive upbringings. The true author turned out to be a woman, Laura Albert, who created an ‘avatar’ to be able to write about some of her own experiences, and who took things beyond a simple pseudonym. (Read the Wiki page here.)

These three events embody several of the themes at play as we head into the weekend, both regarding the Full Moon itself, and simultaneous astrology involving other points.

For example, there’s the use of subterfuge by a ‘cast-off’ woman to get seen and heard by the literary world, including use of an ‘avatar’ — which is no big deal by today’s virtual reality standards (Uranus-Eris). The story is coming to light thanks to a film: a medium using projected and reflected light (like a Full Moon).

There’s the group of women, including a female ‘warrior’, willing to sacrifice themselves in some way to try and get food and supplies to others. (This evokes not only Eris-Uranus and the Full Moon, but also Ceres in Aries square Vesta in Cancer, also happening now: food issues, devotion, sacrifice, women standing up to power.)

And then we have the arrested climate activists: more devotion and self-sacrifice; also, taking tangible action for what you believe in and insisting on convincing others. (Mercury in Libra is square Mars and Pluto in Capricorn, exact now through the weekend: near-obsession on convincing others of one’s belief; action; challenging others.)

The chart for this Full Moon is clearly ramping up the urge to shout for one’s cause on social media, and to react to slights and injustices (real and perceived) encountered there. Yet a battle of the wills online won’t likely get you far. And just because you’re not Donald Trump does not mean you’re immune from getting drawn into the dynamic.

How can you work for a just cause in ways that are creative, perhaps even introspective, in a confrontational climate? What counts as productive and necessary action these days, and who gets to define that? As this Full Moon approaches, notice events with its signature; anything getting your attention in a big, sudden way merits consideration.

Finally, glancing at a couple other minor planets in the Full Moon chart, I see interesting creation/making and fertility themes, along with the ‘surprise’ theme. Taking a cue from a colleague who saw similar cues in her tarot column for this week: if you’re sexually active, be very conscious with your actions.