Full Moon in Libra

April 9, 2009

7:30 am PDT

Did you know that going to the Ball had its origin in the custom of going to a party or social gathering during a Full Moon?  Prior to electricity, people would rely upon the Full Moon to light up the night of festivities, therefore, being referred to as the Ball. These days certain people still gather beneath the Full Moon.  The Mirror Ball (Disco Ball) in most dance clubs replicates the light of the moon by reflecting the rays of the spotlight.

Welcome to the first Full Moon of Spring! If you look closely you can see the rabbit in the moon. Spring always occurs just before Easter (which always falls on the first Sunday, after the first Full Moon, after the first day of Spring. This year the Full Moon occurs heralding the festival of Easter and Spring. The Sun rises in the east and thus is our Eastern Star which also marks the beginning of the Astrological New Year. Life seems to be bursting with energy as the days grow longer and warmer. The Sun is currently in the Sign Aries (Greek God of War,Action, Agression) symbolic of the power and fire igniting the season. The Moon is diametrically opposed to the Sun, reflecting the restlessness of  Spring Fever (with Sun, Mercury and Venus in Aries people are apt to feel more restless with passionate feeling which can be implosive or explosive).  Libra is associated with the ancient Roman Goddess Venus of Beauty and Love (Aphrodite: Greek Goddess of Love, Beauty, Arts) is the sign of Balance, Justice, Fairness, Truth, Beauty, and Peace. Imagine the two Greek deities facing off:  the male God of Martial Arts and War opposite the female Goddess of Marital Arts and Peace.  Is it possible to integrate this archetypal conflict in our personal lives, so that we may be the love and peace that we seek through positive action?  We pray for peace in the Middle East, yet we neglect the war within our own country and within ourselves. I ponder this dilemma as I gaze at the Full Moon encompassed by a rainbow aura of peace and contentment.  Do War and Peace even belong in the same sentence? (no disrespect to Tolstoy). If I were to allow myself to be bombarded by images of war and violence in the media, I would never have the opportunity to seek and experience peace. When I walk along streets canopied with Cherry Blossoms, I am certainly intoxicated with a sense of  peace, as nature continues to paint a breathtaking portrait of beauty each and every moment.

Since this is the Full Moon of Love and Peace, some of us may be yearning intimate connections with others. How beautiful life is when we take the time to see it in all its glory. A volcano can look beautiful but who can take its heat? Nature contains opposites which seek to balance. There is a universal justice and the eyes of truth are watching...

There is a balance in the scheme of things that allows us to integrate opposing energies through the Law of Harmony. Libra is associated with the Scales of Balance and Justice, and Harmony, therefore, we tend to weigh the pros and cons while remaining in a state of indecision.  Instead of listening to the voice of the inner critic, perhaps we could recreate a dialogue of compromise and compassion, embracing the The Peaceful Warrior within.  We can create a healthy relationship between our head and our heart.  I totally support Equal Marriage...the Sacred Marriage within our own being. 

It can be a perfect time to channel our restless energy by engaging with others in a social gathering. Turn on your charm, creativity and romance.  Make love like the birds and the bees. Hug the trees!  Beauty is everywhere...check it out.  If you can...love your enemy...love your self...love others! Just make love, not war...

(c) Richard Barrett 2009

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

The Egg is a fertility symbol of birth and new life. The Cosmic Egg gave birth to the universe...like Mother Goose laid her Golden Egg (the Sun). I like the many symbols of Easter. The Easter Bunny is yet another fertility figure in the procreation of life. Hip Hip Hoppity Easter's on its way!  Baby Chicks breaking out of their egg shells is another of the many manifestations that herald the rebirth of Spring. I like the custom of decorating eggs as it seems to be so symbolic of the unique beauty and potential of every life.


The Festival of Spring is in full bloom as many people celebrate Easter. I was always curious as to why Easter never fell on the same day every year. It is due to the fact that it is a moveable feast based upon the old lunar calendar (occuring on the first Sunday, after the first full moon, following the first day of Spring). Easter is derived from Esther which means Star. She was the Hebrew name of the Persian Goddess Ishtar, also associated with the Anglo Saxon Eostre, Ostara and Kali Ma in India. Our Sun is a star that rises in the East giving birth to a new day. There are many religious celebrations associated with the Rising Sun. In Christianity, it is the Son of God who rises from the tomb at Easter.

Hoppy Easter!

East Star

the sun has risen

the eastern star

of Spring

heralds the promise

of life

giving birth

to yet

another day

(c) Richard Barrett 2009

New Moon in Taurus

April 24, 2009

 8:23 pm PDT

The Sun, Moon and Mercury are in the Venus (Love, Beauty) ruled Earth Sign of Taurus, which is named after the Minotaur.  There is a Greek myth about
the Labyrinth and the Bull named after King Minos of Crete.  In modern times, the Labyrinth is still used as a meditative and symbolic pathway.  On our personal journey toward the within, we sometimes find ourselves wandering further away from our center, only to discover that we are actually navigating closer to it.  This is the time to dig deep within ourselves to discover what truly makes us feel secure.

Security is experienced on many levels, particularly the realm of matter or the material realm.  How many of us live our lives with a false sense of security?  Here is the perfect Moon Cycle to question the meaning of being secure on every level.  Money does not create emotional security.  Love does not create financial security (although partnership can).  Like the many gardeners that get their hands dirty cultivating the soil of their gardens, we can also unearth some of the misconceptions that have been planted in our own Secret Garden and fertilised with alot of bull that stifles our personal growth.

Why is it that some people are able to make us feel secure, while others make us feel insecure?  I believe it is all about investment.  Who and what do we invest in?  Are we giving and receiving our fair share?  Do we own our possessions or do our possessions own us?  Do we merely borrow our existence or do we own it?  When we feel we are not being respected or honoured for our efforts, we may become insecure.

Superficially, we are defined by what we do rather than who we are.  We enter this world or realm of the senses with nothing and we depart from it with nothing.  Yet we are conditioned by constant marketing schemes to convince us to purchase things that we do not neccessarily need; or eventually that we do not want.  Again, it is the attachment to the sentiment, rather than the object itself that the Taurus type wants to cling to.  After all, eventually you will be thrown off by the bull, both literally and figuratively.

Taurus loves the textiles of the earth and has been known to collect antiques.  It is also a very creative and practical sign.  Taurus is slow and placid.  Stubborn and persistant.  Alot of Taureans will admit they are clumsy like a bull in a china shop.  Patience is a virtue.  Remember, Ferdinand the Bull taking the time to smell the roses.  However, if a person with alot of Taurus in their chart does lose their patience, they will charge headstrong with anger like a raging bull.

The Sun and Moon have both transited out of Aries...just in time for the other Personal Planets Venus and Mars to move into this fiery sign.  It may feel like a war between our head and our hearts. Deep breathing allows us to slow down and ground to the sound of our own drum.  The sister of passion is compassion. Be assertive rather than aggressive.

Think about our earth's resources and how insufficiently they are being distributed.  There are enough natural resources to feed, shelter and clothe those who live in poverty.  We all need to grab the bull by the horns and harness its power and connection to Mother Earth.  If we give her back her diamond, she will offer up her pearl. ~Dead Can Dance

(c) Richard Barrett 2009