The last two weeks, we have seen the ripple-effect of the new Moon in Scorpio in our environment and in our lives. Darkness and the chill of autumn continue to tighten their grips over our lives, forcing us to confront impermanence and the passing of time wherever we look. The only blossoms and new life around my own home are the pale yellows of wild witch hazel, its beauty unsupported by the light of the Sun, which has been hidden for almost a week now by a stubborn, overcast gloom.
These seasonal changes compel an inner response. Within our hearts, the obvious passage of time and decay of summer’s beauty imposes the confrontation of mortality and impermanence. For many of us, this period can be very emotionally triggering. And that’s what the Scorpio season is all about.
Now this Scorpio season literally culminates with the full moon in Taurus this Friday on the 19th of November. Full moons are an apex, an orchestral swell, a culmination of a season. They are the blossoming flowers to the seed that is the new moon.
For this reason, Full moons astrologically indicate completion and culmination. The hard work of the past two weeks since the new moon begins to pay off. You begin to see the fruit of your labor. Whatever you had been working towards begins to reveal itself, and you may even find that your actions and focus during the last few weeks actually makes more sense to you - you begin to see what it was all about.
Derivative of completion is an energy of letting go and releasing that takes over the remainder of the lunar cycle. These next two weeks allow people to put down their swords and plowshares and begin the process of reassessing, evaluating, and reflecting on the previous waxing moon cycle. That evaluation process can unearth a great many gems for abandoning old ways of being.
Because this full moon is also a partial lunar eclipse, that theme of release and letting go becomes more pronounced than usual. All eclipses tend to, well, eclipse things. Some kind of noticeable loss occurs related to the topics of the full moon. I’ll get more into what this looks like below.
Full moons occur due to a Sun-Moon opposition, and they carry that quality with them. Tensions develops between what we feel called to do and focus on (Sun) and where we feel ourselves emotionally, unconsciously and energetically pulled (Moon). We feel pulled in two different directions, unable to fully fulfill our calling, and unable to fully meet the deeper, non-linear needs that arise.
This tension heralds heightened emotions, interpersonal challenges, and social volatility. Things get out of control; people tend to blow up and become more volatile. There’s a classic adage not to do surgery on a full moon, and people who work in hospital settings often find that explosive situations arise much more often on a full moon than otherwise. For this reason, full moons were generally considered to be more malefic and challenging.
Contained within this is wisdom of allowing the linear, discursive mind to be overridden by spontaneous, ecstatic impulses that cannot be analyzed and sorted out. There’s a place for that, and that place is the full Moon. The opposition creates a very dynamic quality that can be very explosive, especially interpersonally. This is why in the classical world people would just through a massive rager party and get it all out of their system!
Moving forward, I’m going to use the same format that my readership is familiar with. I’ll start by unpacking the character of this full moon in Taurus and the aspects involved, and then from there move on to the practical sides of things where I tell you what to do with all of this – by far the most important part of astrology
Facing the Shadow of Good Fortune
This full moon occurs in Taurus, the fixed earth sign ruled by Venus, Goddess of love, friendship, and all the good things of the material world.
Taurus often becomes reduced to money and resources, which is a tremendous disservice to the lady of this sign, Venus. Venus is not a bean counter or a CPA. Venus is the goddess of good fortune, who provides us with all the fine things of life and helps us to enjoy them with those we love. Taurus – her yin, earth home – functions like her pleasure palace or even like an epicurean garden, where people settle down to enjoy life and enjoy each other without waiting for another shoe to drop or worrying about work.
Whenever the moon occupies the sign of Taurus, you find that physicality and materiality and all the good things associated with them take center stage. Friendships, good food, fine wine, gardens, fine arts, all the pleasurable activities that make use of the wonders of the material world – generally alongside other people. People with the Moon in Taurus in their natal chart are very physically minded, stable, and attuned to the physical needs of those around them. They are generally agreeable, interested in people getting along, and promoting harmony and agreement.
When the full moon occurs in the sign of Taurus, then the oppositional character of Scorpio’s focus on inner work, examining the shadows and poking those painful things until they don’t hurt anymore and Taurus’ focus on nice things, fine things, and in general just having fun reaches its apex. We feel the spiritual call to do our inner shadow work, but we also feel the emotional pull to just enjoy ourselves, indulge ourselves, and forget about tomorrow.
Addictions in particular can rear their ugly head during this time. You may have taken great strides in the ascetic practices of letting go and releasing since the new moon in Scorpio, getting rid of things that do not serve you and moving forward with the steely, martial resolve to face the shadows. But now you’re tired. You need to take care of yourself. You deserve a rest. You deserve a cheat day.
Greed also rears its ugly head. People want what they want, and more often than not people want more money. They want more resources that stave off the inevitable encroaching of darkness, capital that postpones the descent of the world into the darkness of winter, bribes to the lord of winter to delay his coming.
In a traditional society, this would be the point at which people would have been unable to continue stockpiling resources and food, because the plants are dead, the mushrooms are gone, and game is scarce. You desperately want more stuff, but its not there for you to take.
Remember: Venus rules all the things we like, not necessarily things that are good for us all the time. As wonderful as the fine things of life can be, they also have a tendency to pull us off course and lose connection to our purpose when they are misused.
All of this does culminate into something – this tensional opposition allows you to see the work that you have done already, and begin the process of reaping the rewards of what you have worked to release and let go of since the new moon. Remember, this is a culmination of the Scorpio season and the seeds that were sown during the Scorpio new moon – this full moon is not about gaining sudden streams of abundance, massive income, or positive-thinking your way into some 6-figure coaching client because you melted your chakras into your will center. It’s about learning how to do without. Realizing that you don’t actually need the things you think you need.
This full moon, again, is also a partial eclipse. For that reason I am really doubling down on the whole letting-go and releasing trope. Take this as an opportunity to let go of those things that you think you need, whether those things are substances, comforts, luxuries, or even some friendships. Learn to do without. Learn to let go. Chances are that the things arising that you feel like you need are crutches that stand in the way of your total flourishing.
This full moon activates the Mars-Saturn square, forming a T-square with both of these malefics. The wounds, triggers, and trauma that come up related to whatever it is that you don’t want to release will activate much more intensely. It will not be an easy process. You may find that your own impulses really get in the way of you doing the things that you feel you should do.
I have already written about the Mars-Saturn square twice. For more information, you can read the first post here, and the second here.
However, we are very fortunate because Venus, who also happens to steward and oversee the moon in taurus, forms a superior earth trine to the moon here. Superior trines are some of the most positive, beneficial aspects in all of astrology, and the fact that this aspect comes from the Moon’s steward makes this quite special.
Venus ensures some of your greatest support during this period will come through friends and allies, potentially family members as well. While you may need to release your own addiction and attachments, you won’t have to do that work alone. You will also find that whatever you can release and abandon during this full moon period will be amply returned and restored to you in the next cycle.
There are things that are very physical and material that you are holding onto that have demonstrated themselves already several times over this Scorpio season. Now is your chance to release them. If you do, the ultimate rewards will be extremely great.
MAGICAL SPELLS AND APPLICATIONS
This is by far the most important part!! What do we do with this?
You need to nourish yourself with people and behaviors that are actually supportive and nurturing and not destructive. It’s not nurturing to just “let yourself eat two pizzas because you deserve it.” Surround yourself with people who have your best interests at heart, will help you cook good food, and help you to enjoy the coziness of the early sunset, huddled in the warmth of an inviting home.
The stone emerald calcite is a specific for addictions. Blue calcite is a specific for deep-seated fear and anxiety, and also helped with drug detox symptoms. Both can be worn on the skin, or – if you’re brave enough –the blue calcite can be taken internally. Place a very small stone in water and it will naturally dissolve over time. The emerald calcite needs to be placed on a small quartz crystal, and then the quartz crystal can dissolve into the water instead – a process known as potentiation.
Additionally, Go outside if it’s not too cold. “But Merlin, you always tell us to go outside.” Yes, my child, yes I do. The earth and connection to the natural world always provides you with medicine. Now it’s letting you see what real abundance, real groundedness, and real nurturance all look and feel like. It’s not a bunch of 000’s in a bank account, and it’s not indulging in whatever you want. It’s connecting to the divine mother that is always giving us exactly what we need, even when we don’t realize it.
Full moons are excellent times for letting go rituals. We all feel like we need to release something, don’t we? Well now’s your chance. You will be best served focusing your energy of releasing and letting on something related to the physical world, due to the nature of Taurus. I would incorporate into your ritual a great deal of Venus-related stones and other magical objects related to her energy. In GNOSIS, we learn all about the specifics of new and full moon rituals!
This full Moon is very powerful. It may not be an easy alignment to integrate, but it will be extremely transformative if you allow it to be. Like all astrology, our fate or the external situations related to these celestial happenings is already decreed by our own spirit. But we can choose to flourish or adapt to the fate that has been allotted us, and take this as an opportunity to become more sovereign, blissful, and fulfilled. We just have to do the work.
If you do the work, you will reap exceptional rewards.
Own your power.
-Merlin