TAURUS FULL MOON – 12 November 2019

Exact at 1.34pm GMT, 8.34am EST

This Full Moon has the potential to help us to transform and grow, gaining more insight and understanding of our old patterns and hopefully being able to communicate what comes up and hear one another with empathy and compassion. Retrograde Mercury is very close indeed to the Scorpio Sun, which puts a lot of emphasis on communicating, learning and understanding, and with Mercury being retrograde we have the opportunity to reflect, review and revise, looking back and hopefully gaining more insight into some age old problems. Mercury retrograde in Scorpio has the capacity to help us to bring to light any hidden material that we might usually find it hard to recognise, acknowledge or admit to. With Mercury being such a prominent part of this Full Moon, it is possible that things that have been simmering or festering away beneath the surface of our consciousness could be said that really hit the nail on the head. All of this Scorpio energy certainly brings the potential for some penetrating discussions that allow us to dig deeper and get to the heart of the matter.

There is nothing superficial about Scorpio, rather we are urged to dig around in the deepest, darkest shadows and bring to light anything that might be lurking there. We are being helped out by a harmonious aspect from Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio, to the Sun and Moon. We have the potential for some profound soul growth at the moment if we are able to be truly honest with ourselves and allow ourselves to be vulnerable and exposed instead of projecting our unhealed, unrecognised shadow stuff onto others or blaming them for whatever we are facing. Pluto is giving us the power to truly face ourselves head on and purge old patterns so that we can move onto the next level of our evolution. We may have to face up to some unpleasant, uncomfortable material in order to do so, but it will surely be worth it. Combined with Retro Mercury, old secrets may be revealed, hidden motivations or agendas exposed, our worst fears or darkest suspicions admitted to and some very raw, intense and powerful emotions brought to light. Sometimes we have to take a journey into the darkness to find the buried treasure. That is where the truth resides, rather than our sugar-coated version of ourselves and reality.

The Scorpio Sun and Mercury are directly opposite the Moon in earthy, sensual and self-sufficient Taurus. The Moon is rather happy in this stable, grounded and sensible sign, and so this Moon could encourage us to recognise how we can meet our own needs rather than expecting others to somehow take care of us, or blaming them for our problems. Scorpio can sometimes be very sensitive to loss, abandonment and betrayal and can bring experiences, real or otherwise, of being let down by others. Taurus, on the other hand, reminds us that when it comes down to it we are responsible for ourselves and our reactions to other’s actions and reactions. Taurus is that part of us that helps us to not get so knocked off course by other’s actions or behaviour towards us.

We may fear abandonment, for instance, but when it comes down to it we have to find our own way of coping with the feelings that come up, recognising where they come from  instead of projecting our fear of loss outwards onto people or situations or inwards upon ourselves. Similarly, we may have been severely let down and have trouble trusting others, but just because it has happened before it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will again, and if we find a solid inner base of self-worth, grounding and inner peace this can help enormously even if it does happen. If we are truly able to take care of ourselves then we are less reliant on others or over-sensitive to whatever they do or don’t do. Taurus helps us to strengthen our inner core so that we are better able to withstand anything that life throws at us. It is the eye of the storm; a feeling of peace and tranquility that we get from coming back to ourselves and developing a sense of our own worth and value. It is the part of us that is tired of the drama and intensity and just wants a simple life.

On the other hand, the Taurus part of ourselves can easily get a bit stuck, as we humans can tend to fear change and the turbulence of transformation. Taurus can sometimes find it a little hard to look into the shadows and face the darkness, while Scorpio is that part of us that seeks to face the more nitty gritty aspects of life, walking across a proverbial burning bridge and not looking back. Our inner Taurus may feel that we are fine just as we are, so why go looking under rocks unnecessarily?  That just dredges up a whole load of uncomfortable material! We may stubbornly resist change, being afraid to upset the status quo by rocking the boat or confronting ourselves or others. However, change is inevitable, and with change often comes loss and some incredibly intense emotions as we grieve whatever is passing away, whether that be loved ones, a life, a situation or a job. If we don’t allow change we don’t grow, and this is the gift of Scorpio. This Moon asks us to find the middle ground between the solid, earthy, self-reliant energy of Taurus and the transforming, emotionally honest and cathartic nature of Scorpio.

There is a lot going on astrologically at the moment that is reflected in both our inner and outer reality, in our personal lives and in the collective. This is reflected by the outer planets - the Saturn/Pluto square in Capricorn that is building at the moment and also Uranus in Taurus, Chiron in Aries and Neptune in Pisces. It is interesting that the recent New Moons happen to be triggering the Uranus and Chiron energy, while the Full Moons are triggering the Saturn/Pluto energy. It is as if we are supposed to be really feeling and experiencing the collective energy in a very personal and intense way at the moment. This Moon is triggering the Saturn/Pluto conjunction which is going to be exact in January. Saturn represents authority, reality, government, structure, control, fear and our conditioning, while Pluto represents power, soul, transformation and tends to expose the rot, burning with a purifying fire whatever is no longer serving us so that we can evolve and growth and align with our higher truth.

Put the two together in Capricorn, the sign of commitment, authority, societal rules, discipline and patriarchal system, and we could really be called to step up to the plate.  Saturn is shining the harsh light of reality onto the systems and structures of our lives, while Pluto is exposing the flaws and rot of our powers structures. We are undergoing a profound transformation of the darker side Capricorn, as the old system or order dies and we wait for something more appropriate to take its place. We will be feeling this energy both personally and collectively, as our old conditioned patterns fall away and all of the behaviour and emotional responses we have inherited from our parents, upbringing and society are revealed for what they are and gradually fall away. As above, so below, within and without. We have the macrocosm of the world arena reflected in the microcosm of our own lives and reality.

Neptune in Pisces in a unifying energy that reminds us that we are everything and everything is us. All is ultimately one. It is important to recognise that we are capable of everything we most abhor in the reality and people we see in the world around us.  That can help us to find more compassion for those who we might find it easier to judge or blame. They are merely making our own shadows more blatant and obvious. Neptune in Pisces can also cause us to feel the need to numb out or switch off through various means because reality is too painful or uncomfortable to face. On the other hand it can open our hearts and help us to join together in the spirit of unity and unconditional love.

There is definitely the potential for the darkness to become more and more apparent in the next couple of months as the Saturn/Pluto conjunction gets stronger and stronger, reaching its peak on 12 January. Historically speaking, this combination of Pluto and Saturn has tended to signify the prevalence of the abuse of power and hard control by those in authority. However, this conjunction could also be a profound turning point, both personally and collectively, whereby we get to such a place of chaos and disintegration that the structures literally crumble and we rise from the ashes and are forced to find a new way of being. This conjunction could represent a peak, whereby it becomes to utterly obvious what needs to change that we have no choice but to follow through.

Scorpio season, with Mercury also retrograde in this penetrating and revealing sign certainly has the potential to bring the darkness out into the light, helping us to see ourselves and whatever we are facing more honestly. Scorpio doesn’t hide from the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be! It is the part of us that asks “Why?” and doesn’t stop until we have the answer. It is the part of us that isn’t afraid of the darkness because we know that when we face the shadows we let in more light. The Sabian symbol for the Scorpio Sun, at 20° Scorpio, is: “A woman draws away two dark curtains closing the entrance to a sacred pathway.” Dane Rudyar says of this symbol “The path to the mystic’s “unitive life” is opened up once the darkness of fear, egocentricity and dualistic morality is removed. This symbol reveals what a positive reliance upon faith and intuition can bring about. Courage is needed to go through the veiling darkness – the courage to venture beyond the familiar and the traditionally known, to plunge ahead into the unknown.” There is a sense of us somehow opening up to, or revealing a pathway that we may not have been aware of before, a way forward. However, in order to do so be must be prepared to face our fears and peer into the shadows. As we draw back the curtains we allow the light to flood in.

The Sabian Symbol for the Taurus Moon is beautiful: “Wisps of wing like clouds streaming across the sky”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The awareness of spiritual forces at work.” He goes on to say ”The individual who has taken a new step in his evolution should look for the “Signature” of divine Powers, confirming his progress. It may reveal the meaning of what is to come next. The “wing-like clouds” may also symbolise the presence of celestial beings (devas, angels) blessing and subtly revealing the direction to take, the direction of “the wind” of destiny.” We have the potential, if we are open and aware, to be somehow shown the away forward. We just need to look for the signs and omens so that we can allow the winds of change to blow us in the right direction. With Neptune forming a harmonious aspect to the Sun and Mercury during this Moon, this sense of using our imagination and being open to spiritual forces and the magic in life is reinforced. This Taurus Full Moon could bring some strong emotions out of us and some uncomfortable material out into the open, as Full Moons always do, but she also seems to offer some lovely blessings. We just need to keep our hearts open so that we can recognise them for what they are.

Much Love

Amy

xoxo

Picture: Eye of the Storm – Unknown

My website: www.amybirdartandastrology.com