May 7, 2020, 3:47am PST, 17 degrees Scorpio
Moon Opposition Mercury in Taurus
Moon Trine Neptune in Pisces
Happy Scorpio Full Moon! The Scorpio Full Moon is known as one of the most potent full moons of the year. It is celebrated in the Buddhist tradition in the Festival of Wesak, or the Festival of the Buddha, in which it is said, that during the special full moon, the Buddha comes to make his annual appearance. It is a time when the wisdom of Buddha is shared and his teachings and compassion revered. It is a time of regeneration and transformation when we get to take a look at the what’s behind that closet door.
Full Moon’s are about illuminating that unconscious and that which is unseen which is a realm familiar to dear Scorpio. They also highlight polarities, and in this case it’s the polarity between grounded Taurus and magnetic Scorpio. With the focus on these two natural oppositions, the themes we are working through are love vs obsession, inner resources vs outer resources, debt vs abundance, sensual femininity vs intimate sexuality, groundedness vs the unknown, wickedness vs beauty, trauma vs nurturance. Of course, it doesn’t stop there, but these are a few of the issues that might arise now, and navigating through the deep Scorpionic waters will take some effort.
Scorpio has a long list of negative stereotypes, most of which are likely valid. Scorpio shows us the ugliness of ourselves and of others. It brings into crisp clear focus that which we have difficulty looking at. It magnifies unseemly perverse behaviors often connected to sexual exploitation, abuses of power, and the root of motivation behind inequalities and injustices. With Scorpio often comes greed, and with that manipulation of anyone and anything that stands in the path to achieving the goal. So lost can one get in this pursuit for greed and power, that morality becomes a dangerous hindrance.
But Scorpio isn’t all doom and gloom and offers many gifts through which it bestows wisdom and insight. In its highest form, Scorpio actually demands the highest level of integrity, and sniffs out all that is not serving the higher good of all, and only serving the needs of the self. The purpose of its sharp focus and keen perception is to serve others by leading them through transformation, from darkness into light, from pain into joy, from oppressiveness to liberation. His ultimate goal is empowerment for the collective good.
His techniques aren’t always sensitive or welcoming. He doesn’t coddle or find soft ways to deliver his lessons. He’s focused, to the point, and shows us our weakness so that we can learn to stand on our own two feet even when it feels like the rug is being pulled out from under us. So we can realize that nothing is permanent and learn to become comfortable in the uncertainty of life.
All of us have been learning to do this over the past several months. Much of this pandemic experience has been Scorpionic. We entered into a completely new terrain which no one has navigated before. And we did our best to take care of ourselves and our families and communities. We experienced a transformation on a global and personal level that has forced us to look at weak areas in our own lives and in government institutions. Scorpio is also indicative of having access to the resources of others. In this case, we see that many citizens have needed government support and we got to see just how much our government was able to show up for us.
Now with the Scorpio Full Moon here in full force, we get to rediscover a new layer of transformation that will hopefully lead us to a stronger experience of personal empowerment. This Full Moon is opposing the Sun/Mercury Conjunction in Taurus and will be focused on grounded communication and thoughts about how best to use our resources, and where the collective resources can best be used. Many of us may have gone into more debt over these last few months and we’ll be working on creating some order out of the chaos.
Two other strong themes during this Full Moon are Venus and Saturn both Stationing Retrograde within days of each other and of the Scorpio Full Moon. Saturn will officially retrograde on May 10 and Venus will officially retrograde on May 12. Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio, has retrograded recently as well on April 25 (with Sun and Uranus conjunct!). Planets stationing in the sky amplify their signatures and create potent energy for us here on Earth. Within the stillness, the muck starts to rise to the top and we may feel overwhelmed, stuck, confused, and yet somehow ready to do a deep dive into unseen waters to find some treasures and clarity.
With venus rarely going retrograde, we can see this time as an opportunity to really dive deep into our relationship and financial situation. Interestingly enough, the Venus retrograde cycle is deeply connected to the Pluto/Scorpio theme. Her retrograde journey is essentially a journey to the underworld, where Pluto rules. It’s fitting that the Scorpio Full Moon should kick off a Venus and Saturn retrograde cycle that will help us flush out all the unnecessary burdens and outdated value systems that have been stuck in place for so long.
You might also consider how your thoughts about yourself, weave into the reality you are living. Do you value and love yourself enough to make changes that reflect your values and worthiness to receive? Keep asking yourself this question through all the difficult moments over the next few weeks. Keep showing up for yourself and examining how you can align more closely to your own inner authority and guidance.
This is a time of clarification and reorganization. The process may not be comfortable, but Scorpio has never been about comfort. This process is about redefining your vision and path to self-empowerment. So much creativity and ingenuity have been born of this time, and we will hopefully see its gifts in the near future. And may the gifts and support find their way to those less fortunate. May the new structures that are set in motion now address the deep inequality and lack of support so long needs to be addressed. May you find clarity and create a new life for yourself, like the archetype of Scorpio, a Phoenix rising from the ashes!