Dream, Love, Believe...
That’s all the more true for the Scorpio Full Moon on April 28, thanks to a smooth, flowing connection between the Sun, Moon, and Pluto, Scorpio’s ruler. Moreover, the Sun is in tight conjunction with retrograde Mercury, and Pluto is retrograde, too. Retrograde periods are good for activities starting with “re.” So why not regeneration and rebirth?
As we go through the great cosmic shift of 2010-2012, much in our lives is dying in order to be reborn. We are healing and regenerating, according to ancient cycles of the stars, gods, and humans.
In the Buddhist tradition, the Full Moon in Scorpio is Wesak, celebrated as the day of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Now, technically, Wesak isn’t until May 27, because Buddhists use sidereal astrology, which is a sign “off” from our Western tropical system. Still, we can use the symbolism of Wesak to help us understand the significance of the Full Moon with Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio.
Ruled by lovely Venus, Taurus is the “earthiest” of the earth signs, while Scorpio is the sign of death, regeneration and rebirth. Seeing how the unmanifest comes into existence in the physical world and then disappears back into the unmanifest is key to enlightened consciousness. It liberates us from errors in our thinking that lead to needless stress and suffering.
The Sun at 8°07′ Taurus tightly conjoins Mercury at 8°24′ Taurus, opposite the Moon at 8°07′ Scorpio. Mercury is just under halfway through his retrograde phase, which is often right about the time we really start feeling the effects.
Some of us may feel a bit lazy. If you’re going to succumb to being a couch potato, this is the time to do it! While it may seem like “unenlightened behavior,” I don’t see it that way. To the contrary, it’s often helpful to get your mind completely off a problem so that the deep psyche can work unimpeded. The trine from Mercury to retrograde Pluto will help gain deeper insight, if you just step out of the way and let the process happen. When you return your attention to the issue at hand, you may experience sudden new insight and inspiration. I especially recommend this for intellectual types who live a lot of the time in their heads.
On the downside, it may be hard for some people to open up to new ideas under this influence. If someone is giving you a hard time for being too entrenched in ideas or habits, listen! They may or may not be right, but the fact that they’re bringing it up is your cue for self-examination. Consider the message as a gift.
Also, Venus is at 4° Gemini, inconjunct Pluto and in mutual reception with Mercury. Venus in Gemini loves to talk, talk, talk, but that may get you in trouble when Mercury is retrograde. Words can be misconstrued. It might be better to let our actions speak for themselves, but that could lead to problems, too, with action planet Mars squaring the Sun and Moon. It will be hard for everyone to shrug off perceived slights.
Saturn and Uranus are approaching opposition, which may end up being the real news at this Full Moon. I wrote about this in my weekly forecast and will have more in tomorrow’s post.
Lastly, Ceres is stationed near Pluto, set to turn retrograde later in the day. According to classical mythology, Ceres dared to confront Jupiter and Pluto over the disappearance of her daughter and held them accountable for their actions. I think we’ll see this mostly in societal terms, as the powers that be are forced to take responsibility for bad public policy, especially concerning the economy and environment.
However, we may see some effects in our private lives, too. At the very least, we may need to reflect on how past decisions or behavior are affecting us in the present. It’s never too late to change!
For the Moon at 8°07′ Scorpio, the Sabian Symbol** is dental work, with the keyword PRACTICALITY. Most of us don’t pay nearly the attention to our spiritual health as we do to our physical bodies, and yet this is what’s needed in order to maintain a “healthy soul” that can connect with others in our soul community.
The Sabian Symbol for the Sun at 8°07′ Taurus is a Christmas tree decorated, with the keyword SYMBOLIZATION. An image of the winter holidays might seem out of place at this time of year, but its message is of spiritual renewal through sharing with friends and family. One of the most important things we can share with others is our unique gift to the world, and often we must go through a spiritual “death” and regeneration to find it.
It’s the classic tale of the hero’s journey, which takes us to hell and back.
Pat