SCORPIO FULL MOON - 18 May 2019

Exact at 10.11pm BST, 5.11pm EDT

This is a powerfully potent Full Moon that is asking us to really face ourselves and let go of whatever is not serving us anymore. It falls on the Taurus Scorpio axis, which represents accumulation and elimination, and as such we may need to examine where and how we are bogged down either materially, emotionally, physical or spiritually. What unnecessary baggage are we dragging around with us? Are we staying in a situation, relationship, job or living situation simply because it is safe, secure and comfortable? How might we benefit from shedding some skin? Are we too self-reliant or too enmeshed in relationship? What is our relationship to power? Are we self-empowered or giving our power away? How might we manipulate people or situations in order to maintain control? How might others be manipulating us? Are we able to recognise our shadows and own up to the parts of ourselves that aren’t so pretty? How are we with intimacy? Are we able to be vulnerable enough to admit our fears and show our tender underbelly, or do we deny and hide the darker, less desirable aspects of ourselves? These are all questions to ask as the Moon moves towards its fullest expression in Scorpio on Saturday.

The Sun is currently coming to the end of its stay in practical, stable and security conscious Taurus and is sitting directly opposite the Moon in powerful, intense and metamorphic Scorpio. Full Moons tend to play out in the realm of our relationships and represent the time of the month when whatever has been simmering beneath the surface comes to a head and finds a way into the open. And this Moon is no exception! While the Taurus part of us likes things to stay the same and resists change because it threatens our sense of safety and security, Scorpio encourages us to strip away any unnecessary baggage and, if necessary, walk across a burning bridge and not look back. The Taurus part of ourselves can get a bit bogged down in the material world, becoming quite possessive about our things and the people we love. Scorpio reminds us that nothing is permanent in this life and that change, transformation and loss is inevitable. Nothing can stay the same forever. The more we cling on to people, possessions or situations, the more painful it is when they are taken away.

This Scorpio Full Moon may demand that we be truly honest with ourselves about some uncomfortable material that we would usually rather not admit to. This is an ideal time to get out of our stagnant ruts and purge any emotional patterns or habits are preventing growth. Indeed, we may have no choice in the matter!  It is very interesting that at the very same time as the Moon reaches its peak, retrograde Saturn and the South Node of the Moon are also joining forces for the second time, forcing us to look our past squarely in the face. Saturn, the Great Teacher, impels us to take the rose tinted spectacles off and see things as they really are, rather than as we would like them to be. We are given an opportunity to review our past and recognise our repeating patterns without the filter on, so that we can see the stark reality and truly take responsibility for what we find. It might not be comfortable and we might have to be really honest with ourselves, but the rewards will be great if we are able to do so.

Saturn is helping us to see our South Node patterns in a realistic light, which is a serious gift, as hard as it may be. Wherever the South Node is found in our chart, by sign and house, shows the tendencies, habits and behavioural patterns that are comfortable and familiar to us but which may hold us back from growth. This past month, and this Moon in particular, seem to be giving us an opportunity to reminisce on our past as it actually was and to recognise how the past might be repeating itself. The Scorpio Full Moon forces us to be truly emotionally honest and get any uncomfortable material out from under the carpet so that we can understand ourselves better. We could either succumb to feelings of guilt, shame , futility or self-judgement or we can simply look at whatever comes up and learn from it.

With the South Node currently in Capricorn we are currently being shown, both personally and collectively, how the less desirable aspects of the Capricorn experience may be holding us back. While Capricorn teaches us about integrity, discipline, authority, control and responsibility for our actions, in its more distorted form it can bring patriarchal dominance, hard control, fear, rigidity, feelings of guilt, authoritarianism,  feelings of futility, repression, conservatism, intolerance, suppression of emotions, rigidly conforming to the rules, judgement and old, suppressed grief. Capricorn is that part of us that tends to put up a capable front and stuff down our emotions, often out of the fear of being judged or deemed incapable. It’s that part of us that doesn’t express our true feelings because we don’t want to seem needy or irrational. It is the conditioned part of us that is still acting out unhealthy behavioural patterns formed in childhood.

The Cancerian North Node, however, is showing us that there is great strength in being vulnerable and allowing others to help us, and in being honest and open about our needs and feelings. It’s ok to let go and admit that we don’t have the answers and might need a helping hand. In fact, beautiful things can happen as a result! Saturn is currently showing us how trying to maintain control over everything is not working for us anymore, either personally or collectively. We are seeing very clearly how we are reaping what we have sown in the past. Indeed, we are seeing the past repeating itself within collective in rather uncomfortable ways. The old order being revealed exactly for what it is, in its stark reality. The flaws in the system are painfully apparent at this point and it is important not to succumb to feelings of futility and pessimism about the future.  So many grassroots movements are springing up to show us another way of doing things that values and supports the wellbeing of the community and future generations

While the Capricorn South Node emphasises success in the outer world and “keeping up with the Joneses”, and the societal pressure to make something of ourselves, the Cancer North Node is pulling us forward, reminding us of what really matters in life, such as our inner world, our tribe and our emotional wellbeing. Cancer invites us to step towards the more matriarchal values of care-taking, nurturing and peace-making, while maintaining the more positive Capricorn qualities such as integrity, discipline and a sense of responsibility for ourselves and our actions. Neptune is currently forming a helpful sextile aspect to Saturn and the South Node, helping us to remember that we are all in this together and to treat ourselves and one another with kindness, compassion, sensitivity and acceptance. Neptune helps to dissolve boundaries and to drop the walls that we have erected to protect ourselves so that our true essence can shine through.

Venus and Uranus are joining forces in Taurus during his Full Moon, bringing the potential for some wake-up calls, epiphanies and sudden surprises to occur within the realm of our relationships, values, self-worth and finances. Taurus, as mentioned above, is the part of us that likes to stay safe and secure and finds change quite unsettling. With Venus, the ruler of Taurus, sitting right next to the Great Awakener and harbinger of sudden change, we may experience some turbulence and change, especially if we have personal planets around the first few degrees of the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. While our inner Taurus may prefer the safe, comfortable route, Uranus is not a planet known for helping us to feel comfortable or secure, as it has a rather erratic, unpredictable energy. This Full Moon could make us very aware of just how quickly things can change, and that the world that we are currently living in is inherently unstable. Uranus can ultimately bring new vision and an innovative approach to our financial system and to the ecological crisis that we are facing. It is important that we ride the waves of change rather than resisting them. Sometimes things have to break down before we experience breakthrough. 

The Sabian symbol for this Moon, at Scorpio, is: “The king of the fairies approaching his domain”, about which Dane Rudyar comments: “beyond both outer nature and the realm of the proud ego, a spiritual world exists to which the intuitive consciousness of man can pay allegiance…... In an individual sense, this principle is the Self. …….The presence of a spiritual unifying factor begins to be sensed by the individual perhaps weary of the outer shows of his culture” This symbol brings a sense of coming back to where we belong, to our Higher Self and our spiritual centre. It also shows a need for a different type of power and leadership that stems from a humble place of spiritual connection rather than from ego or greed. We are asked to step up and embrace our own power that comes from within rather than trying to take others power in order to feel powerful ourselves. True leadership commands respect naturally and does not exploit others.

This Moon packs a punch, that’s for sure! Issues around power, authority, judgement and control could come to the fore for us to look at realistically and with a sense of personal responsibility. This Moon could bring some kind of reality check that forces us to get some uncomfortable material out into the open. We have an opportunity for some purging of old patterns, as we become more aware of where we may be stuck or holding on for the sake of security.  The past has much to teach us at the moment, although what we see when we look back may not be very easy to face! However, it seems that there is the potential for seeing ourselves more clearly, which fosters a greater self-awareness and the capacity to recognise the patterns that might be repeating in our lives. Both personally and collectively we are seeing the past repeating itself. It is up to us how we respond to it this time. Are we going to make the same mistakes, going back over old ground, or is there another way? Scorpio is the sign of death and rebirth. What needs to die in order to be born anew?

Much Love

Amy

xoxo

My Website: www.amybirdartandastrology.com

Picture: Phoenix by Natasa Tomic