October Full Moons
La luna. Scintillating, elusive, otherworldly… our connection to the cosmos beyond us. As Earth’s personal sky satellite, the moon helps us harnesses opportunity for expansion and release.
Few months are blessed with two full moons. Sandwiching this month like bookends, we’re blessed with two – a full moon on the 1st and another on the 31st of this October.
What is a full moon in astrology?
Drawing symbolism from the physical reality of the moon when it’s full, the full moon brings illumination to our lives. A culmination point – the moon is completely out of the shadows, bare and bright eyed, casting an otherworldly glow on nightscapes and drowning out the other stars in the sky.
The full moon also marks a turning point in its cycle: the beginning of the waning period. In the days after a full moon, the moon inches back into the shadows. This darkening period reflects a turning inwards, a release.
Applying these physical attributes spiritually, during the full moon, our lives are also brought to a full illumination point. Issues arise, emotions peak, clarity ensues. A gift – a monthly moment to feel the full force of ourselves, our looney lunar nature with the volume turned all the way up. And in the days following the full moon, our focus, too, is on the release.
Because our human bodies are 73% water, we feel these affects beyond a simple gravitational pull. The moon rules our emotions, our inner nature, our intuitive selves – and how we regulate this aspect of ourself.
Whether we identify as ~spiritual~ or not, the moon has been a source of inspiration and speculation for centuries long. As much as I can astro-explain our connection with la luna or share my own embodied experience of working with the moon, I deeply feel that the only way to understand such a connection is to experience it. To build a relationship with the moon cycles. To take a moment to stare up at the darkened sky and see a crescent moon, like the Chesire cat smiling back at you. To recognize the sleeplessness that comes when a full moon is shining through your bedroom window, casting a soft glaze on your carpeted floors. And to wonder, at certain points during a brisk 9am winter’s morning, why the hell you can see the moon against blue sky.
The moon has no light of its own – it solely reflects that which the sun shines. This itself could be seen as a metaphor. As much as the moon has inspired thought, emotion, and intuition, it is only a soundboard reflecting yourself back to your own self. And that’s the beauty in having a reciprocal relationship with the moon – recognizing the moon’s presence in you.
Cultivating your full moon ritual
The October 1st full moon is at 2:06 pm PDT. I recommend you hold your ritual that evening.
The October 31st full moon is at 7:49 am PDT. I recommend you hold your ritual the prior evening or that evening.
In the days leading up to the full moon, allow yourself time to contemplate. Begin to notice what emotions have surfaced for you; what the building tides of your inner life have washed ashore.
OPTION to create an altar. Create it the night of your full moon ritual, and begin to collect items in the days leading up. Use whatever speaks to you – a crystal, flowers, fallen leaves, momentos, that one apple that fell from the tree directly in your line of walking…
OPTION to practice divination: tarot readings, rune casting, bibliomancy, etc.
For the ritual, you will need:
a candle
a piece of paper & pen
your full attention in a quiet space
Set the space. Distractions off, door closed, inhale/exhale. Bonus points if you can see the moon from your sacred space.
Light your candle.
Invite your angels, spirit guides, & ancestors to be present with you.
Reflect – what has come to a culmination point? What has been illuminated, moved beyond the shadows? And, what would you like to release in the coming weeks?
If you’re having trouble reflecting on this, look to the sign + house the current full moon is in (see below). The more you work with the moon, the more it works with you.
Write it down.
Fold the paper vertically, & make sure you are burning in a fire safe zone. I recommend bringing a heat safe dish and letting the paper burn atop the dish.
Hold the paper over the flame and allow it to release to the heavens. To the ether.
*please practice all necessary safety precautions when working with fire. As a fire sign, I know the beautifully creative and magnetizing power of fire, as well as the terrible destructive nature of it. Duality is within us all.
OCT1 – Aries full moon
Heat, creation, a first flame – Aries is a fire sign. The zodiac’s eternal child, the spry warrior, the spark of life. Aries is the blind courage, the action before thought, the overtaking of instinct. Bravery. Facing fear and doing it anyways.
This full moon lies on the Aries / Libra axis. The axis of Self/Other.
*Quick note: the moon is full when directly opposite the sun, to fully reflect the sun’s light. The moon will be in the sign of Aries, which is the opposite/complement of Libra.
Aries is me, Libra is we. Aries is action over thought, Libra is thought preceding action. Aries is instinct, Libra is ration. Aries seeks adventure adrenaline; Libra seeks bliss through harmony. Aries focuses on my subjective reality; Libra considers the multitude of other.
Find the dance balance between these two. Feel the tension between these two. Chiron (the wounded healer) and Mars (aggression + drive) are present energies throughout this full moon and hold the potential for explosive energy directed inwards, touching on the most tender parts of ourself.
This full moon can go one of two ways:
You honor your heightened emotions – rage, anger, impulse. You honor your inner woundings – the fears, the unhealed edges, the places of you that feel frayed. You become a safe container for those to move through you without placing judgement, for these experiences to teach you and show you exactly how strong you are. And that is how to hone your inner fire.
You allow yourself to react to your heightened emotions. To feel your inner woundings not as teachers, but as enemies.
Aries + moon is volatile energy. Harness it wisely.
REFLECTION POINTS:
What kind of new life do I breathe into myself?
How can I further develop my courage?
How can I nurture my eternal child? My inner child?
Where do I have wounds that need to be healed?
For further insight on exactly where in your life this full moon plays out, please see your house placement. On your natal chart, check to see which house Aries rules. The terrain of that house is where the full moon is illuminating.
The house wheel. Which part of your chart does this Aries full moon land?
OCT31 – Taurus full moon
Sensuality, stability, and serenity – these are the key themes we find within the sign of Taurus. The second sign of the zodiac, Taurus takes the frenzy of Aries and grounds it downwards and inwards. Taurus is a yin sign, ruled by the earth element. It concerns itself with safety, with a strong sense of self and values, with serenity found in sensuality (the 5 senses – Scorpio deals with the 6th sense).
With the previous full moon in Aries (focusing on ourselves as a warrior, ourselves as an eternal child, our subjective realities in comparison to others), this Taurus full moon brings a light on grounding that adventure. Honing in those realizations and coming to form an inner resilience that prides itself on stability.
This full moon lies on the Taurus/Scorpio axis. The axis of Form/Transform.
A way to begin to differentiate and work with the full moons throughout the year is to track the cycle through the signs – to take note of which sign the moon is in, which house it specifically is in for your natal chart, and how to move through these clues.
The full moon at the end of the month will bring with it its own energetic signature – its own star chart of the moment. Conjunct Uranus, it’s aiming to be equally groundbreaking as the October 1st full moon – minus the inner implosions.
En fin…
Two full moons. An opportune time to see culmination and illuminations within a single calendar month.
Really focus on what is revealed. On releasing so as not to repeat. And ask yourself – how can you be a more active conduit in your cycles?
The moon goes through its waxing and waning and we can co-create alongside it. But magic alone won’t heal your life – you are the key player.