Aries 1st Quarter Moon
—January 9
Today is one of those days within the month that energies reach—and possibly exceed—a peak or climax in crisis…
It is already known that quarter moons tend to accelerate both accidents and assaults, crimes both petty and violent—any of these leading to either the ER or ‘a trip downtown’, to jail… and as shamanic astrologer Raven Kaldera states, of a quarter moon, that these energies “create tensions, turn the screws, and set you up for a crisis—usually of identity.”
Truly, identity crises aren’t typically linked to such violent reactions that would lead one to the hospital or to jail—still, this type of internal confliction could absolutely cause one to need to confront oneself by exactly how one handles one’s feelings of rage.
Or, continue to ignore, avoid, repress or suppress… for it to erupt that much more angrily at a later time.
Always—the choice is yours to make.
Today’s first quarter moon in Aries is all about processing anger and rage, and struggling with concepts of potential… character, and virtue.
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Is it beginning to set in that you’ve compromised your ideals in some way?—in a fundamental or foundational way?
Are any of your habits limiting you in any way?
Do you feel you are better or above another in any way?
Do you feel less than?
In what ways, or how, are you receiving nourishment?—the necessary nourishments—not only for yourself and your own base needs and personal preferences, but also for those that feed your ideals—that fuel your inner character…
It might be necessary to consider the ways that your ideals are intertwined with your identity.
It might benefit you, then, today, through this week, to consider your identity—which umbrellas your memories, all of your experiences, your conditioning, your trauma, your relationships, your values, your physical features, your abilities, your preferences, all of you you you—your everything—your entire reality, as you experience it, through the lens of your own perspective.
However… always, this reflects itself upon others—directly or inadvertently.
Should your identity be needing a tune-up or some more serious maintenance—because your ideals feel further away than they should, or things don’t ever seem to come together—you’re likely feeling it about now.
And this can be angering.
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Issues of identity are inherently Aries territory, and Aries energies simply don’t have the patience for such a thing as an identity crisis—always, it’s on to the next thing…
Note: obviously, actual crises of identity are much more extreme—whereas the purposes of today’s post are more motivated toward honest character evaluation and confronting one’s own ego/identity as it is.
However… today’s quarter moon in Aries squares back not only to the sun, but to the sun separating from yesterday’s inferior conjunction to a retrograded Venus—which has been instilling more of a darker, heavier, and weighted underworld lesson toward value, worth, and quality… so this would imply that whatever you’re critically processing within yourself, about yourself and the way you present yourself to others, that it’s not so much about you (though it really, truly is)—but rather, somewhat severely: your actual character.
Is your character presenting to others what you want presented?
Is your character an honest evaluation of who you really are?
Is your character living and breathing examples of this daily, in action?
Is your character lacking actual character?
Is your character actually yours?
Really, this business of character is rightfully exhausting!
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Toward the note of struggling with potential… issues of value, worth, and quality are very much enthralled within the scope of anger and potential, naturally, because many people struggle with their own unique-to-them potentials—potentials with upward mobility and opportunity for success as much as potentials for drudgery and poverty. One’s personal character, as much as one’s ability to back it and oneself up, is directly linked to one’s ability to make one’s way in this world, for better or worse.
Further, when it occurs to someone that they lack real character—this can be deeply unsettling.
And rather provoking.
And inevitably angering.
The anger either of these consequences evokes has a way of projecting itself onto others—in one way that we see nearly everyday these days—by way of virtue signaling… as, honestly, most of us are not taught to constructively process or work through our anger, or issues with potentials, and thereby we project it, passive-aggressively at others, at all others, without reason or warning or rationale, quietly, seemingly innocently—though quite nocuously, as if this is healthy and properly polite. The meme has also effectively propelled this trend into a bandage/badge of honor.
Especially when it seems so innocent, like, for a good cause—for example, donating to cancer research, or any of the righteous causes there are for victims of this, that, and the other… true character would recognize the benefit of being a part of these, if there really is a true benefit for the actual victim, and would do so quietly, privately, even anonymously, and without any need of egoic fanfare or virtue signaling to broadcast, regardless of whatever color the ribbon may signify or meme might mention.
Basically, and grossly essentially, these signals of all kinds and colors proclaim, quite righteously indeed: I’m better than you, and here’s why…
This is ego.
This is fear.
This is not virtue. It’s a desperate attempt to be relevant.
This is not authentic character… I hope >gulp<
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For those of you who simply ‘don’t have the time’, in truly Aries fashion, to break down over your identity, because you’re much too busy really living your life, and avoiding the mindless virtue signaling and passive-aggressive blame-shaming, and actually making magic occur around every corner—as it really should be that easy!, it really truly is that easy!—today may simply feel really restless or frustrated…
Further, maybe you’ll notice that others are coming unhinged around you, really ‘teaching others a lesson’ with all their picket signs and virtuous yard plaques boasting to others of how Christian they are, or whatever, the vacuous Facebook ‘thoughts and prayers’ posts lest they be overlooked for a moment amid whatever tragedy takes their spotlight, and the infamous campaign/political banners of either side only proving to all others of one’s meekest, weakest points… this is just one, rather tame, example of character vacancy.
Bleh.
Sorry, not sorry.
See?—now I’m doing it, too… it’s infectious.
Bleh!
But for those of you who have been considering that some of your personality traits or character values, or character-in-action motivations are less than virtuous, and are actually limiting your ability to achieve, or accomplish, or even accommodate your ideals and potentials—you might need to be a bit more patient with yourself and take some time to consider the ways you might be able to personally expand your own horizons… because you’re worth the time.
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Today’s energies by degree are associated with “developing an intimate relationship with your Muse; giving one’s desires and impulses wide reign; causing a stir; exposing the truth; having the courage to act upon one’s beliefs; and going after one’s true desires.”
However, alternatively, today’s shadowy associations are “brazenly overstepping; using notoriety to one’s advantages; making people face up to hidden truths or underlying realities; and telling it ‘like it is’.”
Truly, Aries’ motivations are typically too forward-seeking and impatient to dwell too long in anger—outbursts and tantrums are momentary, and then too quickly forgotten… it’s keeping them somewhat contained that’s key, and not outwardly directed. Still, Mars, Aries’ ruler, is in Sagittarius, and when in Sagittarius—Mars tends not to recognize any bounds, and can portray, rather dogmatically, a particular brand of righteousness… this is its shadowy vibration, of course. However, if the Aries within yourself has a motivation to conquer, or discover the absolute treasure of selfhood within yourself—you might be able to use this for good, to simply discover a deeper, more vulnerable part of yourself, and rise above the inclination to proclaim, be aggressive, or confront yourself too harshly while these influences are oh, so heavy…
Finally, today’s quarter event falls within the second decan by degree, and astrologer Austin Coppock attributes this to the 3 of Wands in tarot, which associates itself with virtue… you know—by definition: moral excellence; righteousness.
He shares that “all virtues and vices are habits… [which, eventually] come to define not only [one’s] character, but the interaction of the character with the world around it.”
Indeed.
If the majority of the population was honest with itself about its collective character—98.9% of us wouldn’t have the moxie to put a sign of any kind in our yard, or a bumper sticker of any kind on our car, or a meme of any kind on our threads unless it stated, ever so simply and desperately: I’m doing the best I can today to be a good human, and I appreciate your kindness, and by the way—as you are more or less captively seeing—your opinion of me really does matter, or I wouldn’t broadcast this message to you.
Allow me to leave you, after quite the ramble… with one last thought; there are those sayings, like in fortune cookies or koans or whatnot, such as: the way you do anything is how you do everything… it might be time to deep dive into that, at the very least—and if you don’t love what you find… change.
❝Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.❞
——Oscar Wilde
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Image credit— @itspeteski on Instagram
Coppock, A. “36 Faces.” Three Hands Press; ©2014.
Goldsmith, M. “The Zodiac by Degrees.” Weiser Books; ©2004.
Hill, L. “360 Degrees of Wisdom.” A Plume Book; ©2004.
Kaldera, R. “Moon Phase Astrology.” Destiny Books; ©2011.
Rudhyar, D. “An Astrological Mandala.” Vintage Books; ©1973.