The Full Moon occurs at 04:23 (UT) on the 16th October 2016 at 23°Ar14′.
This Supermoon in the fiery sign of Aries packs a power punch and is the last Full Moon before the US presidential election. Its now a no holds barred, all out fighting event and there may be shocks and surprises all round, even before the election itself.
Don’t you love farce?
My fault, I fear.
I thought that you’d want what I want…
Sorry, my dear!
And where are the clowns
Send in the clowns
Don’t bother, they’re here.
Lyrics from ‘Send in the Clowns’.
The Moon is tightly conjunct Uranus who likes to throw the odd cosmic curve ball. He is the joker, the mad Fool who speaks curious truths. As the higher vibration of Mercury and a transpersonal planet, Uranus relates to the ‘group mind’. The gauge of our collective mental health is on red alert. The action of Uranus often destabilises as it shakes us free from constraints. He’s the alarm clock that blasts you awake from your slumbers, the surprise ‘boo!’ as you walk around a corner. The sinister scary clown phenomena has become more prevalent as Uranus (surprise) and Pluto (terror) begin to draw closer together again. According to Ben Radford who wrote the book ‘Bad Clowns’, ‘clown sightings are more common during periods of social anxiety’. Whilst the Moon is just out of range from a square to Pluto, the conjunction to Uranus informs us that behind these masks is something far more scary.
And then we have Eris in the mix, conjunct Uranus and the Full Moon. Eris is the Goddess of Discord and she loves to play mind games. She presses our buttons because there are buttons to be pressed. In my article on Eris I wrote :-
On a wider level, Eris exposes polite society and shows it for what it is with all its faults, inconsistencies and phony faces. She says it’s not hard to find the dirt when you look. She makes everyone see that the Emperor has no clothes. Eris shows those nasty little pieces of ourselves that we like to pretend aren’t there and certainly don’t like anyone else to see.

Exposure is a theme in this chart with Mercury perfecting a square to Pluto just a couple of hours before the Full Moon. Pluto’s secrets are likely to be outed by the square to verbal Mercury but they could be twisted out of shape until we don’t know what is truth or what is lie. Trigger happy Mars, the ruler of this lunation, is heading towards an ominous conjunction to warring Pluto so battle lines are drawn and guns cocked. Debate may fall into argument with Mercury squaring both. The controversial stories bubbling up at this time may be somewhat disorientating with the Moon’s semi-square to Neptune. The hot Mars square to magnifying Jupiter is inflammatory and tempers raise over judgemental attitudes and self-righteous opinion. Some are in danger of becoming a caricature of themselves.
“Clowns hold up a mirror on society, so we can see the absurd in ourselves”
David Kiser
Mercury’s square to Mars and Pluto suggests we’re talking about grubby little secrets – or damn great big secrets blown wide open for all to see. We’re also debating (or quarrelling) over the darkest depths that lurk in the collective unconscious. Scary clown Trump is the manifestation of the worst of our shadows yet whilst he may be a terrifying prospect for president, he serves a purpose in outing material that society has needed to address for a long time. Our collective mental health may be teetering on the brink of madness but the action of Uranus has also the potential to be a breakthrough rather than a breakdown. It’s about being brave enough to rip off the mask of ‘acceptability (the Sun in Libra) and show the dark heart at its centre (the Sun is conjunct night Goddess Nyx and fertility Goddess Haumea). Libra is far too nice to talk about endemic racism, gender inequality and abuse of women that breeds voraciously in society. Libra says the status quo is fine, thank you very much. Eris has no such qualms about mentioning the unmentionable!
Both Uranus and Eris are there to show us what needs to be changed. Eris may seem spiteful but there’s method in her madness. Uranus too says there are alternatives that we haven’t looked at. Now more than ever, we are due for an upgrade to our collective software that has been on the blink for years.
Mars’s trine to the North Node shows clearly that our actions can change the unfolding future and in Capricorn, it specifically shows that we need to decide now who and what we are going to choose as our authority. The Mars sextile to Neptune is the one forgiving aspect in this chart that suggests now is the time to listen to our intuition, to practice compassion and take up the mantle of spiritual (Neptune) warrior (Mars).
The Moon is on the Sabian symbol :-
Blown Inward By The Wind, The Curtains Of An Open Window Take The Shape Of A Cornucopia
Our minds must be open in order to receive the abundance of the universe. There are blessings even amidst the madness. Uranus is associated with flashes of knowing, immediate insight. Cosmic downloads are possible when we clear our minds of the detritus. Each of us has a responsibility to face our personal shadows in order to cast out the collective shadow. The wealth and health of the world is at stake.
This Full Moon in Aries asks us to assert the rights of those who others would silence (Mercury square Pluto). Knowing who to trust is key but first of all we have to trust ourselves. We have the power (Pluto) to act (Mars) and therefore we must be confident; stand up and be counted. Sometimes, with Mars conjunct Pluto, we have to be brave enough to take our place on the front line and fight for truth.
Quote Sources
What is the Creepy Clown Craze?
Clown Sightings: The Day the Craze Began
very well written Leah! Merci Beaucoup!!
Brilliant!!
Thank you Patrice 🙂
Great read. Gonna borrow the quote it’s so on point! Ty.
I Enjoy your work????
Sorry for fullmoonAries oooops! I enjoy your posts and work. Ty?
it is conjunct my Venus on my descendant this crazy moon..I have moon in Aries conjunct Eris anyway…I always feel its like the bad fairy who wasn’t invited to the party, but even though she didn’t want to go, cast a spell of how dare you anyway! Hope I’m not going to fall for some crazy clown! I was working with the Magician tarot card the other day ( I have been working on a short book) and was thinking about tricksters n lightbulb moments. Doing the night I woke with a start to find the bedside lamp (which is actually above my head) had exploded and the lightbulb feel on my head! it wasn’t switched on by the way! Synchronicity or cosmic joke but too good a story not to tell
Well said, Leah. Interesting about scary clowns sightings and what they say about the collective ~ with one candidate giving a voice to the collective shadow in a more *obvious* way this election season.
What’s sad is how, once again, this election highlights the fact that most of us have been conditioned to think dualistically, without deeply questioning or investigating the bigger truths. We genuinely believe that in order to fully reject the more obvious and demeaning message of the (Republican) candidate,, we *must* vote for the opposing Democratic candidate, who also happens to be a woman.
We cling to the surface and to old familiar ways, failing to recognize the opposing candidate and the role she’s played and will continue to play, that of the more practiced and polite inside player who knows and understands, actively supports our capitalistic system of endless war, aggression, oppression, greed and destruction while superficially appealing to our need to feel morally superior to the other.
My world view doesn’t align with either of the candidates (or parties). I understand the temptation to demonize both, and to make it solely about each of them as individuals ~ which it’s not. It’s about a way of thinking, a way of acting. It’s about our complicity.
This Full Moon, along with Eris and Uranus, are conjunct my 8H SN and BM Lilith-Sedna and all are transiting opposite my 2H NN, Venus and Sun. I recognize these same tendencies within myself, relate to the shock of seeing behind the illusion, understand what it means to always surrender bits and pieces of myself, literally and metaphorically as I consider a third way ~ the way of loving *inclusion*, sometimes in direct response to need and other times through small acts of *nonviolent resistance* and *nonviolent nonparticipation*.
You summed it up when you said, *”Sometimes, with Mars conjunct Pluto, we have to be brave enough to take our place on the front line and fight for truth.”*
I think Eris-Uranus is challenging us to think independently (Aries) and to understand and care for the ‘other’, the outsider who lives beyond our tribal, religious, socio-economic, political or nationalistic borders. We have more than two choices.
I LOVE THIS BLOG. THANK YOU!
HI LB
Thanks for your comment. Yes, the system as a whole wants to keep the status quo and Uranus is pointing out there are alternatives. It’s one thing I’ve always hated about the voting system, feeling forced the vote for someone I don’t like and don’t align with just to stop someone even worse getting in! Many people don’t realise they have the power to create change.
Moon in Aries thanks you. Maybe now I can help animals by waking humans up – a new political party is forming: The Humane Party.
Disappointed in your article. You fail to also address “scary clown Clinton”. Can you not see the terrifying power hungry woman that lies and mocks our intelligence by continuing to do so? Can you not just look at her face and tell she is evil and will stop at nothing to get her way and only fill the pockets of her family and her supporters and donors? By the way, I’m a Libertarian so I am for neither. I love your articles, but this really put me off.
I don’t know much about Hilary Lili, only that a lot of people don’t like her. I do however feel Trump is a far more dangerous prospect but would agree neither is optimal considering the controversies surrounding both. Trump however is the one who is very clearly demonstrating the collective shadow with his recent abusive language towards women and clear racism which is why he figures in this post. Thankfully, I don’t have to vote in it as a UK citizen as it would be hard to choose between voting for Clinton to get rid of Trump or voting for someone else entirely and risk him winning. It’s a hard call.
you have been inspired All you report is totally accurate What you can not do of course is say how this particular astrological mix will work out We all need to look at ourselves much more honestly
a brilliant summary as always, leah….and what LB said!
Thank you Kathleen. Yes, I agree, it’s about seeing how we can each work with these cosmic forces and use them to their best potential.
Libra Moon in the first with Eris conjunct my descendant here, lol I have absolutely NO qualms about disrupting the status quo. Especially if it happens to be shallow, hypocritical, egocentric and unbalanced. This lunation was just shy of my ASC/DC axis at 14’44 but I feel it, there has been a shift in power within my relationship and the scales must be leveled, if you will. Librans are known as ‘people-pleasers’ perhaps but they have the power to balance opposing energies and bring them into harmony. The elections are rubbish and the Libra Sun is spotlighting those Aries ‘bad guys’ who really don’t give a damn about this country or it’s people. The US citizens need to realize that there two sides seemingly opposite from one another, yet they are merely different sides of the same coin. I’m hoping that Eris conjunct Uranus should help to pull off the veil, offer the US people a chance to see beneath the surface at what monsters are lurking beneath socially acceptable masks and balance the scales of power that have hit rock bottom. All happening in the US’ natal 5th/11th too, the very manifestation of the 1 vs 99%! I also have natal Sun in Aquarius and the fifth house to boot 😉 If there is one thing I know personally about Eris in a natal chart, it’s that she is the goddess of discord because of her paradoxical nature. Something along the lines of ‘one cannot appreciate what they have until they have lost’ type of stuff, but then again life and the universe tend to be very ironic I would say. Anyway, just wanted to share the thoughts your article inspired in me! Love your site btw, I’m a Libertarian as well but am fully aware that the 2 party system will keep on keeping on until, perhaps, we all decide NOT to vote and see just how things go on without us… maybe that’s the harsh reality this lunation will help us to see. Cheers! ~Dahlia