Happy Full Moon in Libra! Happy lunar eclipse! The full moon is one of four highly charged astrological events this April that will push and pull at our very core. Full moons are generally a time of resolution and decision points as well as seeing things for what they really are. Toss in a lunar eclipse and we’re primed for a major shift, especially in Libra ruled areas — relationship, collaboration, diplomacy, contracts, art, beauty, and design. The full moon is exact April 15, 2014 at 3:42 am EDT, 25 degrees Libra/Aries.

Eclipses have a bit of a reputation in astrology and rightly so. They are the agents of fate, swiftly closing one door and opening another. When an eclipse tightly aspects a natal planet, you can expect big changes in the area governed by that planet. But I like to think that an eclipse simply moves things that have needed a push. Maybe you’ve been resisting change? If so, the eclipse will make the decision for you. All you can do it sit back and surrender.

Speaking of surrender, it’s a big theme in this full moon chart. As a collective, we are moving away from the hot headed drive of the Aries South Node and towards the diplomacy and partnership of the Libra North Node. We can no longer go it alone and with Mars in Libra we’re catapulted into an area that we’re not quite comfortable in. You mean I can’t do it the way I’ve always done it? No, now it’s time to work together.

As intimidating as eclipses can be, there’s something beautiful that has been overlooked in all the negative press about this month. If you look over to Pisces in the full moon chart you’ll see Venus at 10 degrees conjunct Neptune at 6 degrees. Venus loves being in Pisces. In astrology, we say Venus is exalted in Pisces, which is to say that it’s like a VIP in that sign. Furthermore, Venus is ruled — or disposited — by Jupiter exalted in Cancer. They are making a harmonious trine (120 degrees) — a trine that will still be in effect as we get closer to the cardinal grand cross. Venus trine Jupiter in the water signs? Hello! This is loving, nurturing, caring, yummy, compassionate, and all forgiving energy. As you surrender into the eclipse, there is something beautiful waiting for you — you just have to let go. (As a Scorpio, I can’t believe I just wrote the word yummy, but there you go. Enjoy.)

That said, this is intense energy. As I rode the subway this morning, I couldn’t help but get the image of a skydiver as I wrapped my head around the eclipse. There’s something about this energy that’s like leaping into the unknown — equally terrifying and exhilarating! Personally, I’m not one to skydive, but how amazing it is to be alive at this moment and feel all of this? The grief and pain as well as the wide open expanse of possibility? The lunar eclipse is the starting pistol before we race through the vortex that is the cardinal grand cross. (By the way, that big red square in the chart above? That’s the cardinal grand cross.)

I’ve also included a few other celestial points in this full moon chart that I wouldn’t otherwise. For those with an intermediate or advanced eye, you’ll noticed that Ceres, Vesta, Juno, and Eris are all gathered around the Sun and Moon. I can’t speak to the influence of Ceres, Vesta, and Juno — their connection to the eclipse seemed too intriguing not to mention — but Eris is something I can sink my teeth into. She’s the outsider archetype, raw feminine power, voice for the oppressed, the woman who pushes the boundaries of the old order. She is a systems buster. And so there is something about this eclipse that is rearranging old hierarchies. If you have a lot invested in the old order, watch out.

So, while there is a lot of intense energy afoot, there is something amazing just on the other side. Libra is about rebalancing as well as harmony. We’re coming to the end of a road and preparing for the next chapter. The solar eclipse and New Moon in Taurus on April 29 will start us on another path.

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