October 11-12, 2011

7:06 PM PDT / 10:06 PM EDT October 11 /

2:06  AM GMT October 12

18 Aries 24 / 18 Libra 24

A Full Moon always escalates competing situations and challenges us to find a point of balance between them. This month, that challenge occurs on the axis that itself involves balance, Aries/Libra, which pits the needs of the individual against those of the partner or union.

Relationship issues have been weighty lately. Not necessarily in a bad way -- a lot of people are connecting with partners that could and might have been sent by Cosmic Central Casting -- but monumental all the same. In the past month,  after a couple of years of encouraging highly individual explorations of self, values, priorities, home, security and career, the skies have been nudging us to start taking other people into account. That nudging has had a decided edge to it, though, which permeates this week’s event.

Taking other people into account does not mean giving in to them, or submerging ourselves in them or the relationship, or being anything less than who we are.  No more cloaking, or posturing, or hiding parts of ourselves that we think the other person isn’t going to like or accept. The challenge has become remaining true to the self in the context of a relationship.  Events and emotions hit critical mass now to show us how well we are or are not pulling off that balancing act.

Saturn is all over this event. He’s the old man with the lantern, the imposer of rules, order and structure, the guardian of commitment, responsibility and the status quo.  All of those play a role in the dramas that heat up now...but with a twist.

Recent weeks have brought a sequence of planetary link-ups to Saturn, which have sent off an atmosphere of gravity and importance. They’ve birthed grounding, self-awareness and -respect, recognition of walls that are immovable and major conversations, connections and relationships with a shelf-life farther than we can see. The parade of conjunctions to Venus, Mercury and, soon, the Sun have inspired taking ourselves more seriously than ever before.

That’s not going away. Everything we’ve honed and embraced lately is coming right along with us into the relationship ring.  Saturn is standing with the Sun (the masculine, and our personality) and opposite the Moon (the feminine, and our emotional core, needs and security).  The Moon is in the corner of the individual, in fiery, impulsive Aries, with wild card Uranus  at the doorway holding a lit match, or explosives, or a Molotov cocktail. Over in relationship-oriented Libra, we have Saturn and the Sun -- weighting the relationship side with the issue of commitment to and respect of the self.

Behaving responsibly in a relationship does not mean merely treating the Other in a mature and respectful manner. It also requires being responsible to the Self.

This will be tricky in long-standing connections that do not have this level of self-respect or awareness as part of the ground rules. Those you can expect to give trouble -- and, conversely, you can take trouble as an indicator of alliances with ground rules that are no longer supportable.

On the other hand .... something quite different is happening in relationships that proceed from the basis of each party being exactly and absolutely who they are. Those are solid, grounded and grounding, and settling in for the long term.

Stable doesn’t have to be boring. It can be a relief, restful and comforting. It is a paradox, though. When each side carries his own weight, he takes a burden off the relationship -- and frees up the ability of each to be more present and supportive of the other.

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