As if October hasn't been loaded enough, what with Mercury and Venus going retrograde and Pluto turning direct, we finish the month with a Full Moon in Taurus just after midnight on Monday. The Sun at not quite 3 degrees (2 degrees 46 minutes) of Scorpio is opposite the Moon at not quite 3 degrees of Taurus. This is a very active Full Moon, with a lot of interactions among the planets. It also has connections to May's New Moon in Taurus and the August 12 eclipse point, which is being activated by Mars and Mercury, so think back to those times because those themes are coming up for a second review.
The Taurus - Scorpio axis is, in its essence, about security. Taurus is the fixed earth sign. It deals with tangible assets. In the zodiac, Taurus follows Aries. Aries is the first spark of individuation - the self. Taurus represents how that self interacts with the immediate environment. It is physically focused (as all earth signs are). Taurus energy is tied to the body. When the Moon is in Taurus, emotions are strongly felt in the body. Notice where you are feeling discomfort, unease, or constriction. What is that sensation bringing to your awareness? What is the emotion under it? Anxiety, fear, mistrust? What is its message? Can you sit with it? Remember Full Moons bring things to light, meaning things you were unaware of come floating to the surface to be seen. That is what the Sun's light is doing, illuminating the aspects of your life that have been in the unconscious, just below the surface.
Taurus deals with our resources - our finances, our possessions, our physical wellbeing. It is how we create security in our lives and the values we embody. Because of its fixed nature, it can resist making changes, even when it is aware that those changes are called for.
The Scorpio side of the axis also deals with security and feeling safe, but because Scorpio is the fixed water sign, we are in the realm of emotions. How do I create emotional security within myself? What do I need in order to feel safe in relationship with my important others? How do I share my resources? Often this becomes a control drama. That is Scorpio's defensive expression. In attempting to keep itself safe, it creates walls rather than boundaries and tries to control external conditions. "If only they would do this...If only that was different....". These are statements of resistance and disempowerment. The focus is on protection and deflection. As this expression keeps others from coming too close and from being seen fully, it results in all manner of actions to prevent the discomfort of vulnerability. But in so doing, this expression also prevents the closeness in partnerships that Scorpio wants.
The Sun and Moon are in a T-square with Pluto at 3 degrees of Aquarius. Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio, so the Sun in particular (because it is currently moving through Scorpio) is feeling the Plutonian influence strongly. Pluto deals with power - how we respond to it in the external and how we wield it. As Pluto is challenging both the Sun and the Moon here, it will bring up old disempowering patterns of that we all have practiced for a variety of reasons. And I will tell you, when you are faced with those patterns, it's more important to see them for what they are than to immediately begin going down rabbit holes to figure out where they came from and how to heal them. This is more about acknowledging and then choosing differently. The healing comes from forging new paths and creating new patterns, new ways of holding your sovereignty, and recognition that your security, both emotional (Scorpio) and physical (Taurus) is a reflection of your embodied empowerment. Nothing outside you can fill a hole that is inside you. No external condition can be controlled for any length of time anyway. We all know that, and yet we still fall into the mythology of "if only" and reacting to the discomfort.
Powerless is not the same as uncomfortable. Conditions can be uncomfortable. But they are not necessarily disempowering unless that is how you define them for yourself. What is the story you are telling yourself? What pattern is it narrating? Do you want to continue to invest in it? Is resistance woven into this story? The known discomfort of current conditions versus the discomfort of anticipating the unknown can be a place to explore. The question that can open the door is "What if...?" What if I don't need to react right now? What if there is a different option available to me? What if I paused first and gathered my energy back? What other choices are available? How does my body feel when I consider them compared to when I have the impulse to repeat the longstanding and familiar pattern that is not serving the version of me I am becoming?
In this T-square, bringing in the energy of Leo will help soothe some of the conflict. Leo energy is all about personal power. The higher expression of Leo accepts its own authority and leadership capacity. We all have Leo somewhere, so we all have these traits. Both Mars and Jupiter are in Leo now, Mars at 15 degrees and Jupiter at 23 degrees. So both are out of orb to be part of this T-square, but they are still amplifying the Leo energy available to us. Mars is willing to take action. Jupiter expands Leo's courage and generosity. What is one action that is available to you that will demonstrate your value to yourself? That will empower you? Perhaps it is saying no to something that you don't want to do without over explaining. It needn't be a high stakes thing, in fact it's probably better if it's not. But a tiny investment in your own authority can be a potent start.
In early November, Mars will move to 20 degrees of Leo and activate the August 12 Solar Eclipse point. I have found when Mars moves over an eclipse point, themes tied to that eclipse come up to be revisited. So, what was coming up for you at that time? What aspect of your personal power was being seeded? If you know your birth chart, check and see where 20 degrees of Leo falls. That is the area of life that will be highlighted.
Mercury retrograding through Scorpio is bringing opportunities to realign our thoughts about emotional security and empowerment in relationships. And it started its retrograde at 20 Scorpio, squaring that Solar Eclipse point. The previous post goes into more detail about Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, so you can check that out for more information.
Finally, Venus, ruler of this Full Moon (because she rules Taurus as well as Libra) is retrograding through Libra now, bringing the insights she gained during the first half of her retrograde through Scorpio into this mix. In Libra, she can extend these insights to her close relationships. She is still retrograde, however, so this is still a period of review and revision.
Venus will oppose Chiron in Aries later in the week. Remember Chiron was in Aries since 2018 revealing our wounds around our individual acceptability. He moved into Taurus for a few months this spring and summer, and has returned to Aries to finish up any lingering issues around this theme until he moves into Taurus in April. Venus retrograde is reviewing values and how we connect with important others. Chiron is also retrograde, asking us to balance (oppositions are about balance) how we relate and bring our values into our relationships (Venus in Libra) while also accepting and embodying our own worthiness. Chiron in Aries is challenging where we continue to constrict ourselves in an effort to be more acceptable. Look for those small transgressions towards self - denying yourself to keep the peace, talking yourself out of your feelings, generally disempowering yourself. These themes are all woven together under this Full Moon, encouraging us to honestly acknowledge what is true.
None of this requires we act out. Personal power does not need to scream, deny another's power, or control anything except one's own reaction and behaviors. The choice about how to proceed is always yours. These energies are simply asking for your awareness and for you to make a new choice that invests in the qualities you say you value and want to experience more of in your life. You can totally do this; why wouldn't you?
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity." ~ Amelia Earhart
