Happy Libra Full Moon! Happy lunar eclipse! This is the time of the year when we make decisions in support of peace, harmony, balance, beauty, art, and cooperation. Libra is the sign of relationships and this eclipse will spotlight our alliances as well as the people we interact with. The full moon will be exact on March 23, 2016 at 8:01 am EDT, 3 degrees Libra/Aries. For those further afield, that’s 5:01 am Los Angeles, 12:01 pm London, and 11:01 pm Sydney.

Ruled by Venus, Libra has a reputation as being a bit passive. Maybe it’s because we live in a world that values action and individuation over cooperation, but I think this is an unfair assessment. (An astrologer colleague once said Libra was just a polite Aries.) For all its charm, Libra creates harmony where there is none, it smoothes over sharp edges, adds color, symmetry, and brings the world back into balance. And we could certainly use more balance right now.

When we have a full moon, we see things for what they really are. There can be a crisis, a shock, or a sense of urgency. We have to make a left or a right; we can’t keep going the same direction. Add the energies of an eclipse and the volume is turned up to 11. (If we have planets at or near 3 degrees Cardinal, the decision or revelation may coincide with a major turning point or milestone.) That said, what can the chart of this full moon tell us about what is unfolding?

Not unlike the Pisces solar eclipse two weeks before, this lunar eclipse is caustic — look no further than recent international events. The full moon maybe in genteel Libra, but the ruler of the eclipse, Venus, is tangled up with Neptune, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter, running along the lunar nodes. More specifically, Venus makes a square to Mars and Saturn, two heavy duty players in astrologer. So, what does this mean?

In the days surrounding the eclipse, not only will we have a decision to make, but the Saturn/Mars influence will mean that our decision may come with a jolt, a call for action, a defense of what we believe in, a demand for freedom (Mars in Sagittarius) as well as a black and white, can’t get any clearer, next big step in our lives. There’s karma to work out, too. Additionally, Saturn is the planet of milestones — for better or worse — and its influence in this chart hints at major events unfolding in the days surrounding the eclipse.

It’s also worth reminding ourselves that in astrology Saturn is exalted in Libra, which is fancy talk for “Saturn does its best work in the sign of Libra.” With that in mind, what needs more harmony in your life? What is out of balance? Where do you need to strengthen a relationship or alliance? Where do you need more structure? Where do you need a shift in consciousness and thinking? Venus is conjunct Neptune in Pisces. Where do you need to let go? Be more compassionate?

If astrology is another way to tell time, then eclipses strike the hour. Time for a change.

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