Deep Listening: Full Moon in Scorpio

A Scorpio Full Moon is plenty intense on its own, but this year it is supercharged by aspects that indicate unexpected shakeups and changes in areas ranging from geological to political to social to our personal lives and relationships.

Keep in mind, though, that what the current sky brings for an individual always depends on two things — how it is interacting with their birth chart, and the choices and decisions they make. So while our circumstances may insulate us to some degree from the changes happening out in the world, the ambient energy will still be shaking, and we may well be called on to make sudden decisions and take action with little or no warning.

I’ll look at what we might expect and how we can manage the energy, but first, a few paragraphs for the astrologers. If you aren’t interested in the technical stuff, skip over the italics.

(Astrologers: Cast the chart for May 12th, 12:56 p.m. EDT. I cast for Washington, D.C., because it is the capital of the country where I live. You can adjust for your location, making sure to adjust the time zone as well.

The Full Moon (FM) is at 22°12’ of Scorpio. The most noticeable aspect is the opposition/conjunction to Uranus. It is also in a sesqui-quadrate/semi-square with Venus, and Moon is inconjunct Jupiter.

Note that two rulers of the FM, Mars and Venus, are trine each other, and Venus is in Mars’ sign. Mars is sesqui-quadrate Saturn. This suggests aggressive actions driven by deep emotional needs.

Another key aspect is the extremely close square of Mercury to Pluto. Aside from the FM opposition, this is the closest aspect in the chart, within one arc-minute of partile. Look for incidents that bring profound changes — destructive and/or regenerative — in the areas of trade, transportation, communication networks, cutting-edge technology, digital currencies, and the human nervous system. Also gossip, obsessive behavior, and truth bombs.

Saturn, while it has not yet changed signs, is still within 3° of its approaching conjunction with Neptune. This is arguably the most important aspect of the year, and I’ll be writing more on it soon. For now, keep in mind that bringing your dreams into reality takes real work. It also requires the courage to let go of your delusions and face reality unflinchingly.

The final pass of the opening Jupiter-Saturn square is well within orb here, partile on June 15^th on the World Axis (0° of cardinal signs with a 2° orb). Look for themes of tension between expansion and contraction, freedom and restriction, philosophies of idealism and materialism. )

It’s not only humans — the entire planet and its web of life are going through profound changes on many levels, from the most subtle tendrils of Consciousness moving into manifest reality to the alterations in the very core of our planet. The underlying energetic patterns of our reality are shifting, and our bodies and minds are affected by these shifts, whether we are consciously aware of them or not. But if we pay attention to what’s going on around us and respond wisely, we can help direct outcomes.

This Full Moon chart encourages deep listening. Listening not just to words, but beyond words. Uncovering hidden meanings, assessing intentions, opening our hearts to emotional realities.

Listen to the voice of your soul, your higher self, the being that enfolds the entirety of who you are, have been, and will be. The one who has a broader perspective on our time- and space-bound world. The one who took the chance to incarnate into this lifetime. During this time of rapid and extreme changes in the world, listening to our inner guidance is key to influencing how those changes play out collectively and in our personal lives.

Listen to the natural world. We are in the midst of a crisis in our relationship with the planet and its web of life. We are a part of that web, but we are destroying it at a dizzying pace, apparently unconcerned that its destruction guarantees our own. The path to healing the web lies in committing to our relationship with it and listening well when it speaks to us of how to live sustainably on this planet.

Listen to your body. This Full Moon is an excellent time to work on healing not only our bodies, but also some deep emotional and psychological issues. These issues usually show up in our health. They can be accessed and guided to healing through methods that help us strengthen and refine our relationship with our bodies. Yoga, Tai Chi, certain forms of dance, Reichian Character Therapy and Somatic Therapy are a few examples.

But you don’t need to take classes in any of those disciplines to do this healing work. What’s important is learning to decipher what your body is trying to tell you. That is mostly a matter of paying attention and learning to discern between actual physical issues (i.e. a slipped disc), emotional/psychological issues affecting the body (i.e. muscle tension and breathing patterns), and the environment, particularly the people in it (i.e. gut feelings. Psychic and intuitive insights are not limited to the mind!) Listen to and honor your body.

(Students: Note not only the Mars-ruled Scorpio Moon but also the Mercury-Pluto square, Mercury in Venus-ruled Taurus. Additionally, the Venus-Mars trine in Fire signs (illumination) with Venus in Mars-ruled Aries (embodiment) and Mars in Leo ruled by a Taurus Sun ruled by Venus, pulls Sun, Venus, and Mars into a close working relationship in three body-centric signs. Aspects are important, but definitely not the only thing to consider when looking at planetary relationships. Don’t forget to check the dispositors, particularly if the chart has a final dispositor.)

"Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” ~Pema Chodron

You may have already guessed that this Full Moon could be useful for connecting with others, since listening is so important in relationships. And it is, but with a couple of important caveats.

1) We all have things we want to hide from others. Our perceived weaknesses, mistakes we’ve made, personal quirks. This Full Moon makes it harder to hide who we really are. This can mean long-buried secrets may be exposed, or people may blurt out an embarrassing truth in an emotional moment. Subconscious material will be closer to the surface. When it does bubble up, be kind. Treat personal revelations as a sacred honor. Be worthy of trust. Rein in the tendency to judge and search your heart for the compassionate response. Apply this approach to yourself, as well.

2) You are not required to listen. Don’t hesitate to walk away from relationships or situations that rely on manipulation, power plays, trash-talking. Train your mind to see the mind games for what they are, and avoid those traps. If you can’t walk away, if the connection is part of the job or shared living space, there are websites and books that can help you learn how to deal with toxic relationships.

Over the next couple of weeks, pay close attention to the areas of your life where change might happen. Make a plan or two. The plan might not fit the reality when it comes around, but you will have considered your options, so you can tweak the old one or make a new plan. If change is something you want, then put the plan into action now.

If you’re nervous about change, make a list of what things you would *like* to happen that are new and different. Then, if some unexpected and disruptive events come your way, you’ll have a better idea of which direction you want to go, even if you just have to roll with the events for a while.

Humans tend to resist change. There’s a feeling of safety in the known and habitual. The world can be a dangerous place, and once we’ve carved out a reasonably safe space for ourselves, we’re reluctant to let go. Even if we’re not happy.

All too often, instead of following the promptings from our soul calling us to a different path, to a different way of being, we dig in our heels, then can’t figure out why we feel restless and empty.

This is a year of change. Work with it, and let your soul guide you into the future.

If you’d like to know more about how the current astro-weather will be affecting you personally, contact me and we’ll set up a consultation.