TAURUS FULL MOON - Sunday 17 November 2013

Exact at 3.18pm GMT, 10.18am EST!

Finally, a Moon that offers the possibility of some stability and tranquility! The Taurus Full Moon isn't all a bed of roses, but compared to the past couple of Moons and their eclipses, the Pluto Uranus square and Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, it's a walk in the park! The Mercury retrograde period, combined with the powerful Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, has forced us to face our shadows and confront some rather uncomfortable truths about ourselves that may have knocked us off kilter somewhat. It has not been an easy ride for many as we have had to face up to the Scorpionic issues of abandonment, loss, trust, betrayal, vulnerability, emotional honesty, obsession, power/powerlessness, not to mention a good dose of the death and rebirth principle! It hasn't been a very comfortable process! We have had the opportunity to truly understand the root cause of some of our more destructive emotional patterns as old, buried gunk and trauma have come bubbling up to the surface. We have learned so much about ourselves in the process and a lot of it hasn't been pretty! Our experiences have certainly been gifts, allowing us to see where we are still held back from all we want, but it has all been a bit heavy and painful! It's hard to recognise a gift when the packaging is so unpleasant! Sometimes the only way to truly understand and grow is to fully experience our demons so that we can understand and integrate them rather than denying their existence. Otherwise they just lurk around in the shadows doing all sorts of damage because they are unconscious. It is now time to let the old stories go and create new ones in their place.

Now Mercury retrograde is all over bar the shouting and we are moving towards the Taurus Full Moon, which does offer a bit of safety and peace in comparison to the intensity we have experienced in recent times! As with any Full Moon, however, whatever we have been contending with over the couple of weeks since the New Moon does tend to come to a head. As the Moon peaks so do our emotions. This Moon is not challenged significantly by any planets and is supported by Jupiter and Mars, added to which it is in stable and earthy Taurus which should give us some solid ground to stand on! This will feel good after all of the transformational energy of Scorpio which tends to pull the rug out from under us in order to help us grow! When I think of Taurus I see a cow chewing the cud, quietly and contentedly enjoying food, water and sunshine. During Scorpio season things tend to fall away as the leaves wither and die, stripping the branches bare. In Taurus new buds form and the soil is fresh and fertile so new life can form. So much has been revealed and let go of in recent times as layer upon layer has been stripped back, so now it is time to rise from the ashes and create something new and healthy to replace whatever has passed away.

Taurus is ruled by Venus, the planet of love and beauty, and reminds us of the pleasures that life has to offer. She is practical and earthy and rules the senses so this is a great moon to embrace the simple things in life such as food, nature and physical touch. Taurus shows us that however we feel about ourselves will determine what we attract into our lives, whether that be love or money. Taurus is the sign of self-worth, self-esteem and our core values. Taurus asks us to ensure that whatever we are doing in our lives and whatever relationship we are in aligns with our core values. If not, it won't work in the long run and will always be a struggle. Taurus represents talents and skills that come naturally to us as well as things that we love and value. Ideally whatever we do in life should come naturally to us and be something we really love and care about. I heard a story recently of a man who had always wanted to have an old fashioned sweet shop, ever since he was a kid. Recently he saw an opportunity and packed everything in and bought a little shop in a remote village, finally fulfilling his childhood dream. People are now travelling far and wide to visit his shop. He is a success because he is being true to himself and doing what he loves. When we honour our values and natural talents our self-esteem and self-worth increases and the energy starts to flow properly so that we can experience the abundance that life has to offer. Thus is the lesson of Taurus.

Despite the calm stability of Taurus there is still a bit of intense, Scorpionic energy attached to this Full Moon. For a start the Sun in Scorpio is sitting directly opposite the Taurus Moon. Venus, the ruler of Taurus, is also joining forces with Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio. This could make relationships a bit intense! They are also being challenged by unpredictable Uranus in Aries which could upset the status quo within our relationships and also our financial lives. Venus shows how we relate and how we attract both love and money into our lives. Pluto represents power/powerlessness and digs deep to get to the root of any issue, destroying anything which is not working. They are combining forces in Capricorn who is known for being rather cautious and controlled but when he commits, he's in for the long haul. This combination of Venus, Pluto and Uranus could cause anything that has been simmering below the surface within our relationships to erupt, stripping them down to the bone and forcing us to relate to each other from a place of authenticity, truth and integrity. We are being asked to look at our relationships and finances in a truthful and realistic way. This is an opportunity to gain some real insights and to really get to the nitty gritty of anything which may be bothering us. This combination of planets forces us to make sure that our relationships and the way in which we make a living really resonate with who we are and what we value. The next few days could be quite emotionally intense and relationships and/or jobs could fall away if they do not resonate with our truth. Or they could be transformed so they are deeper, better or closer than they were before. Thankfully Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is forming a supportive aspect to Venus and Mercury which ensures that any exhanges will also contain the spirit of compassion and forgiveness and will be very healing in nature.

Mercury, the planet of thought and communication, is going to be forming his third and final conjunction to the Scorpio North Node during this Full Moon. The Scorpio North Node is encouraging us to evolve collectively by leaving behind Taurus's stubborn self-sufficiency and attachment to the material world as well as any tendency to stay in situations which are safe but which don't help us grow. It is encouraging us to take risks and to merge physically, emotionally and/or materially with others. We are being asked to join forces and combine our energy and skills with others because together we can achieve so much more than we ever could alone. Scorpio reminds us that money is just energy and if you hold onto anything too tightly the energy gets stuck and stagnates so that it stops flowing properly. We are currently being prompted to let go of the safety of the status quo and let the energy flow again. Investment is, and could be, a subject that could come up during this Moon, as could the idea of people combining their resources instead of struggling alone. Mercury joining forces with the North Node will bring these issues to the forefront of our minds, while also asking us to connect with others on a deeper emotional level. Scorpio wants us to let go and trust others with the truth of all that we are, warts and all. Whenever we move forward towards the North Node it involves taking a step out of our comfort zones, such is the nature of growth. By taking a risk and venturing into unchartered territory, whether that be emotionally, spiritually or physically, we allow the energy to start flowing and for us to move forward on our soul's journey.

Overall the tone of this Full Moon is much less intense than the past couple of Moons and offers us a solid base so we can have a bit of a breather without the fear of the ground falling out from under our feet! Many of us have taken a trip into the underworld recently and had to contend with some monsters along the way! We have, however, also received some profoundly beautiful gifts because all of our experiences have taught us so much about ourselves and what holds us back from what we truly want. The unconscious has become conscious and that is a beautiful thing. Now we have to take what we have learned and put it into practice so that it works for us in a tangible way. To help us along our way a lovely water trine is currently building between Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Scorpio and will be exact on the 13^th of December. It holds the promise of realistic growth and expansion on a physical and emotional level, as long as we remain true to ourselves and our values and are willing to step outside of our comfort zones. This will allow us to build something very real and long lasting. There is definitely a sense that we are slowly able to crawl out of the trenches and to start putting some healthy roots down to replace whatever has fallen away in recent times, whether it be relationships, jobs, emotional patterns, attitudes, living situations. Whatever we start to build now, however, must be aligned with our highest truth and be a reflection of the best of who we are. Otherwise what is the point of all of the lessons we have learned?!

Much love

Amy

xoxo

Painting: Ophelia by Leah Piken Kolidas