Welcome in and welcome to Fall, yall!
or Spring for my Southern Hemmi friends.

This is a threshold week, as we move through the annual September Equinox that transitions seasons of the weather and seasons of the zodiac from Virgo to Libra. I’ve always loved that Libra, the sign of balance and equilibrium always coincides with the Fall equinox, a brief time when day and night are balanced in equal measure.

And then our week ends with a feisty full moon in Aries! Let’s savor this flavor, shall we?

I’m a featured author at the inaugural Jersey City Book Fair on October 3rd. The event is from 12-5pm, and I will be speaking on the main stage at 1:00pm. It’s free and open to the public. RSVP here.

A woman enters a hiking trail that leads into an unknown forest. She journeys through the woods, among the trees and wildlife, butterflies, squirrels, birds, lizards. She rests and refreshes herself as needed. She greets passersby and chats with other hikers. Even as she gets winded from the increasing elevation, she continues.

Then, she suddenly reaches a small plateau and a clearing, high above the trees, where she can see clearly for miles. She soaks in the breathtaking views, so different than the often narrow and covered trail she’s just traversed.

Knowing she has to continue and descend back down from this summit, she gathers clarity about where she’s been and where she’s headed. She notes her ideal path and where it leads. She sees what landmarks are around that can help her navigate when she’s back down among the trees.

This hiking journey is like our moon cycles. We start at the bottom with our new moons. We pick our best direction, not seeing much but the path directly in front of us. We continue and climb and make our way forward as the lunar light waxes.

Then a full moon comes like reaching a summit and a clearing. This new vantage point reveals more, reveals a new perspective. We see the “payoff” of the climb in the beautiful views we now have at the peak. And hopefully this fills us and nourishes our spirits.

Then the energy wanes as we make our way back down to the base of the hill before starting another hike on the next new moon.

Our next full moon in the sign of Aries brings with it clear vistas of a particular area of your life, depending on where it lands in your birth chart. Themes of what you might notice include: pioneering, trailblazing, exploring, adventuring, drive and ambition, daring, risk-taking, and individuality. Perfect themes for hiking!

But these don’t just apply to physical activities. This can be pioneering in fashion, trailblazing in education, taking risks in your artwork or music, being bold and daring in politics, or leveraging your individuality in business.

The tarot card for Aries is The Emperor, so an additional theme is leadership and authority. Leadership might be an obvious one, since trailblazers and pioneers pave the way for others who come after them. Authority, though, might seem at odds with the previous themes I’ve listed. Aries is often a rebellious energy, so how could it also represent authority?

The Emperor represents the seasoned version of Aries energy. Literally, he has a long white beard in many traditional tarot decks, a sign of not only age, but experience and wisdom. It’s because of The Emperor’s many adventures and all they’ve taught him that he can now sit in a position of authority.

Immature Aries energy is daring, risk-taking, and adventurous without consideration of others, and sometimes without consideration for self. It can be a “rebel without a cause.”

It takes time to cultivate Aries fire and passion to have purpose. Mature Aries energy has purpose, intention, and wisdom, so when it does leap into action, it does so with clarity and with great effect. And this is the kind of energy that leadership is made of.

It takes mature Aries energy to not only cut a new path for themselves, but to also be conscientious to leave breadcrumbs and signposts for others to follow and learn from. And it requires even more mature Aries energy to bring others with them and guide them through unpredictable terrain toward a shared vision. I think of Harriet Tubman as an Aries kind of leader.

More than just showing the way, some build the courage and strength to lead the way.

As last week’s Bookshop pick clearly shows, all zodiac signs have their unique style of leadership. It’s just that Aries is one of the signs that’s explicitly associated with leadership. When I see Aries in a birth chart, I think of you as exhibiting Aries qualities in that particular area of your life, such as health, relationships, career, home and family, money, etc.

So this week, leading up to the Aries full moon, remember that on this particular hike, you’re so close to the summit. Keep going! And when you get there this weekend, under the bright full moon light, look around at the landscape of your life. Look around and take in all that you have, all that you’ve come through, and all you see before you now. And just be there in that moment of clarity before the waning descent on the next leg of your journey.

I’ll be posting journal prompts and affirmations every Tuesday in the Fill Your Cup Café space.

“Dreams Once Buried Beneath the Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout into Undying Gardens” by André 3000

I will talk about why this song for this week in the next Open Mic Café post on Friday, but I’m curious to know what Aries full moon themes you observe when you hear this performance?

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