The moon is on her way to being full this Friday May 5 in the deep and watery sign of Scorpio at 12:34 pm CST. Full moons occur every month when the sun and moon are in opposite signs at the exact same degree; for this full moon the sun will be at 14 degrees Taurus while the moon will be in the opposing sign of Scorpio at 14 degrees. Full moons have a tense energy about them where we can feel like we are being pulled in two different directions. Our goal during a full moon is to find a sense of balance while we get gut level honest about how we are feeling.
This full moon is also a lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses can only occur during a full moon when the sun, earth and moon are lined up and the earth is between the sun and moon. The light of a full moon lunar eclipse allows us to step out of the shadows and show the world who we really are. Lunar eclipses are hyped up, dramatic version of a full moon. If we’re in denial about something or we don’t want to deal with something in our lives a lunar eclipse can come along and force us to deal with this secret side of ourselves. Eclipses typically occur four to six times a year and can bring great change and transformation to our lives.
Letting Go and a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio: One of the ways to divide the signs in astrology is by modality. A sign’s modality gives you further clues about that sign’s attitude and nature. Scorpio and Taurus both belong to the fixed modality meaning these two signs persevere come hell or high water; they don’t give up. The flipside to this is Taurus and Scorpio can be control freaks and this full moon lunar eclipse is stacked with fixed energy. Not only are the sun and moon in fixed signs but so are Uranus, Mercury, Pluto and the North Node of the Moon. If you’ve been holding on to something this may be the time to finally let go and trust that the Universe has a better plan for you than the plan you’ve cooked up. This reminds me of the infamous Serenity Prayer written by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in 1943. In this simple but powerful prayer we ask the God, Goddess or the Universe to grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.
Tarot and the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio: We can turn to the Tarot to help amplify and flesh out the meaning of this full moon. The sign of Scorpio is linked to the Death card in Tarot. Understandably many people are frightened of this card when it turns up in a reading but the card doesn’t mean physical death, it speaks of endings and release. After death there is rebirth. What do we need to let go of? What or who might we need to release? This could also indicate the death of an old identity we’ve been holding on to. This full moon in Scorpio could be telling you it’s time to grow and evolve. The other tarot card linked to this lunation is the Six of Cups. The Six of Cups is associated with the past and nostalgia. With change and release being a major theme of this full moon, the Six of Cups can indicate a feeling of grief as we release the past and how things once were. In the tarot the cups suit is associated with relationships so some of us may be saying goodbye to certain people who once played an important role in our lives.
Crystals and the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio: Two powerful stones to work with during this eclipse would be malachite and smoky quartz.
Malachite: This beautiful green stone is associated with transformation and catharsis. Malachite is the perfect stone to carry with you if you are in the process of releasing old, worn-out patterns and blockages that keep you stuck in the fear of moving forward in your life. Judy Hall, the author of the Crystal Bible calls malachite the soul-cleanser stone.
Smoky Quartz: This powerful crystal aids you in warding off negative energy and negative thinking. Smoky Quartz can also help with letting go of repetitive behaviors that are no longer serving you.
Pluto Retrograde and the Full Moon in Scorpio: Each astrological sign has a planetary ruler and for Scorpio that planet is Pluto known as the Lord of the Underworld in Roman mythology. Pluto went retrograde on May 1 and won’t go direct until October 10. This is a deep, mysterious and powerful planet and when the Lord of the Underworld goes retrograde we turn inward, we go deep within and become very introspective. Pluto like Scorpio isn’t one for letting go so this 5 month retrograde period brings to our attention all the ways we try to control people, places and things to our own detriment. The 5 month retrograde period is the time to get brutally honest about our fears around trust, intimacy and letting go.
Photo courtesy NoName_13 from Pixabay