Full moon 16º Aries conjunct Chiron and opposite sun and Venus in Libra

Today’s full moon is an intensely emotional one that may bring our deepest, perhaps oldest, core wounds to the surface. Which may not sound super fun—but the healing potential is immense.

The full moon in Aries is focused on the self, the individual, the ego—and not necessarily in a negative or narcissistic way (though it’s shadow side can be just that), but in a way that acknowledges, and in its best form, accepts and even appreciates ourselves, just as we are.

This moon sits alongside the asteroid Chiron, however—the wounded healer of mythology—which highlights both the wound, and the power of healing. In the greek myths, Chiron, an immortal centaur and renowned healer, receives an un-healable wound from a charmed arrow. He suffers its pain eternally, until finally he gives up his immortality and finds release.

Chiron is a reminder that there are some wounds that never completely heal, that will always be a part of us—but that we nonetheless have the ability, the agency, and even the responsibility to work to recover from, to own, to accept and even love as part of ourselves. Not so we continue to hurt or to hurt others from our place of wounding—but so we can truly begin to face, and then care for, the parts of ourselves that still carry this burden.

Chiron conjunct the moon (our childhood, our inner child, our body, our subconscious) reveals to us, often intensely, the small child parts of ourselves that carry this wound and try to protect us from it, or try to relive it in order to heal. When we bring this awareness to the surface, to our conscious, adult selves (the sun), we are better equipped to understand and respond to our triggers and our knee-jerk reactions, recognizing them without letting them take the wheel.

And when we can have compassion and empathy for these little parts of ourselves, we gain the capacity to care for them, to meet the needs that were not met, to provide the safety or responsiveness or love they didn’t get.

And this love, this safety, this compassion, can be a balm over the wound—bringing us relief, release and even healing.

Directly across from Chiron sits Venus, planet of love, beauty, relationships and values, holding hands with the sun in the sign of Libra (one of the places she is strongest). Where Aries is the self, Libra is the sign of relationship, of how we meet and interact with others. It is likely these wounding narratives will be playing out in our relationships right now—making them a fertile place for healing if we approach them consciously and compassionately.

This emphasis of Libra can implicate co-dependency or martyrdom, giving too much of ourselves to others in an attempt to get someone else to “fix” or comfort the wound—but this is not real healing, this is by-passing. You can avoid this trap by focusing on understanding and meeting the needs of your inner child first and foremost.

This configuration also reminds us that relationships are mirrors, always, and teach us about ourselves and where we are in need of more care, compassion, forgiveness, evolution, growth and release.

Full Moon Ritual + Writing Prompt

Full Moon in Aries Ritual

Full moons are always times of culmination, celebration and release. With such an emotionally charged lunation, and given that we’re entering eclipse season (the next new and full moons will be eclipses), this ritual is focused on honoring and releasing patterns related to this core Chiron wound.

Note: If you have a lot of trauma, or this exercise just feels intense for you, you can skip the beginning (steps 2 + 3 may potentially be triggering) and/or perform this with the support of a therapist or counselor.

1. Clear and protect your space however you prefer (smudging with herbs, calling in the directions, marking an energetic or literal circle of protection around you, etc.).

2. If any difficult or just intense emotions or sensations have been present for you recently, call them to mind, call them to your body (if this feels safe and possible, if not, skip to step 4).

3. As you feel these emotions or sensations, see if you can recall the first time you felt them, or an early time in your history where you experienced them or something similar.

4. Imagine yourself at that age. See if you can picture or sense that young version of you being in the room with you now.

5. Try to begin a conversation with your little self. Ask them what they need. If they are not ready or don’t want to talk, ask if you can just be with them (they may want you to move further or closer, turn away or toward them, try to meet their needs).

6. If they are ready to share their needs, listen with compassion and empathy. Reassure them you are an adult now, and can and will meet their needs. Recognize that this may be a process, that it may take time to (re)build trust with them, and that you can come back here as often as you like/need.

7. Write down some of the ways this part of you tries to protect yourself and/or recreate the wound in order to try to get these old needs met.

8. Imagine telling this inner child that their needs are valid and important, and that you will do what they need now to meet those needs. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts, and that you no longer need them to try to protect you or take care of you by creating these old patterns. Reassure them you are there to protect and take care of them now.

9. Take the list of old patterns this child self uses to cope with the wound, and on a separate page write a list of healthier alternatives your adult self can choose instead.

10. If you’re ready for a big release, burn the list of old patterns. You can imagine doing this with your inner child, reminding them that you appreciate their work, and that you no longer need these patterns because you are capable of caring for and meeting their needs now. That they can relax and play.

Full Moon Fiction Writing Prompt

Exercise: Core Wounds

1. Make a list of some of your character’s (choose one, repeat as desired) core wounds and/or early experiences of loss, abandonment, fear, trauma and/or pain.

2. Make a list of patterns, beliefs or reactive responses they currently have as a response to these wounds.

3. Write a scene in which one of these coping patterns is activated and/or challenged in some way. Explore your character’s capacity (or lack thereof) to consciously choose their responses and sublimate or overcome instinctual coping mechanisms.