Full Moon in Libra: Harmony In Action

The full moon of April 19th, 2019 will occur at 3:12 am PST in the sign of Libra.

A full moon occurs when the sun and the moon are opposite each other, with the earth sitting in between. At this time, the bright face of the moon is fully illuminated with the light of the sun.  As the sun and moon are opposite each other during the time of the full moon (like two friends sitting on either side of a see-saw), their rise and fall will also oppose each other. This means the full moon will rise as the sun sets on the horizon, and on a clear morning you might see the moon set as the sun rises. Astrologically, this sun-moon polarity is reflected in the fact that most of the time the full moon will be in a sign that is opposite to the one in which the sun is residing at that moment.

As an example, this month we have a full moon in the cardinal air sign of Libra, while the sun sits in the cardinal fire sign of Aries. Aries is the sign that heralds the beginning of the spring season and Libra announces the arrival of autumn. Aries is bold and brash. Symbolized by the ram, Aries offers us passion and the desire to move forward into heartfelt action without excess deliberation. Libra, on the other hand, is represented by the scales and likes to consider things carefully before acting. Libra favors harmony and balance over extremes of any kind. While this pairing of Libra & Aries might sound crazy-making, it can actually offer us much in the way of reflection and insight. Personally, I feel that the celestial polarity at play during the time of a full moon can make it a potent time in which to strengthen our ability to hold paradox or refine our understanding.

With this particular full moon, we are being given an opportunity to temper the fire of Aries with the cool-headed light of Libra, which can support us in clarifying our intentions for this spring season of renewal.

Intention Setting & The Libra Full Moon

As a very practical example if you are working with a specific quality of intention which you set at the time of the new moon in Aries, then this full moon offers you an opportunity to pause and consider those intentions so that you may adjust them as needed. The new moon in Aries which occurred on April 5th gave us a double dose of fire energy (sun in Aries, moon in Aries) and that energy was perfect for setting powerful intentions in the areas of creativity and spirituality, intentions that could support us in moving out of the stagnancy of winter and into the vitality of spring. Now, at the mid-point of this particular lunation cycle (cycle from one new moon to the next), the discriminating wisdom of the Libra full moon gifts us the opportunity to see with clarity.  If you made new moon vows or intentions that were inspiring (but perhaps overly ambitious),  this full moon time of reflection can allow you the space to see your plans from a loving distance.

When our personal intentions are overly heroic we may set goals that are unrealistic or unsustainable. This is never a good thing. An intention we cannot maintain can weaken our center of will and commitment (our energetic fire center). The invitation, provided by the full moon time, is to look at the visions and goals you may have set for yourself this month and ask yourself —  are these goals realistic?

For example, one of my personal intentions for this lunation was to move my body more. My action step was to sign up for a local run club which meets a few times a week. My run coach asked me to tell her how many times a week I could commit to running on my own and I said I would commit to one day of running outside of run club. That was a realistic commitment. One that I could follow through on. An overly heroic commitment would have been to say I would commit to 2-3 extra days of running per week. This would have been unsustainable for me. I would have failed to live up to my commitment and weakened my resolve. See how that works?

So as this full moon in Libra lights up the night sky over the weekend, take time to consider ways that you can bring more harmony into your life.

What can you add? What can you take out? How can you create a better balance between what you desire, and what you can achieve?

Rituals for a Libra Full Moon

Libra, ruled by the planet of Venus, offers us a heightened appreciation for love and beauty along with greater access to the quality of self-compassion. This means that a full moon in Libra can be a lovely time to add simple rituals that celebrate harmony and loving care. One of the ways I like to practice this is to tidy my living spaces, restore order to my desk and office, and freshen up the many altars in my home. This is a quiet practice that assists me in feeling a sense of clarity and ease. I have learned through experience that my best and wisest decisions have always been made from this place of ease, so any practices I can do to cultivate that state of being are valuable to me.

If you have a desire to practice sacred timekeeping by honouring the cycles of the moon and noting their impact on your life, know that any way you choose to do that is perfect. If this type of practice is new to you, a moon calendar is a good place to start. You can watch the moon as it goes through its phases each month. Take note of the times it rises and sets. Notice the difference between a waxing and a waning crescent. Start a moon journal (any lined or unlined journal is good) where you write down which sign the new and full moons fall in and a few short notes about what is arising in your own life at that time. In other words, pay attention. From this place of greater awareness, you plant seedlings for more knowledge and wisdom to grow.

Bright full moon blessings to you!