As we wend our way through this season of Scorpio, fires are burning bright in hearts and minds, alight with desire and the frustration of desire. The Taurus Full Moon on November 19th draws out an oppositional quality of grounding, stability, the Earth beneath our feet—which should support our great, Scorpionic longings. But the Earth is a bit shaky and foundations uncertain, as the Full Moon brings us an eclipse, unearthing what is precariously submerged in the unconscious.
Mars Square Saturn
Indeed we find ourselves in the midst of a tense period of 2021, when the red planet of action and haste, Mars, makes a stressful square aspect with the planet of restrictions and time, Saturn (exact November 10th). Tensions within ourselves and in our relations with others may be heightened, as our will or desires come into conflict with the will or desires of others. Mars says GO! And Saturn says NO! This tension and a wild desire for release from the pressure is feeding directly into the Full Moon and lunar eclipse of November 19th. In particular, our sense of ego identity may feel under attack, or we may seek to tear down others and demand that they act with greater integrity. Internally, we may also experience a great desire to move forward in one direction, only to be yanked backward by a conflicting desire or an external obstacle. To alleviate Mars-Saturn pressures, it can be helpful to do exercises like pushups or anything involving fighting gravity or resistance with the muscles (though be mindful not to injure yourself!) If you have challenges with mobility, seek out that which is most soothing to your nervous system, to counter any additional strain you may be experiencing. By the time the moon is eclipsed on the 19th, we may all be in need of Epsom salt and chamomile bath!
Mercury Conjunct Mars + Square Saturn
And take heed—with the messenger planet Mercury sweeping through to activate the Mars-Saturn tug of war (exact November 10th), we will want to talk about our frustrations! Angry speech will be on display all around us, as some blurt out their thoughts without any reflection whatsoever, while others create an unspoken hostile atmosphere by stewing in their anger until it finally explodes out a few days later. It is a good idea this week to not always immediately act on what we’re thinking—taking a pause before sharing angry words, perhaps writing out what we want to say and reviewing it the next day to see if it still feels true. Firing off hostile emails will likely come back to haunt us. It will be difficult to control ourselves though, because this influence is rash and impulsive, especially when messenger Mercury opposes the planet of surprises, Uranus (exact November 13th).
For some, this will be a time of reckoning with others who occupy a meaningful place in our lives. The conflict may have been building over the last couple of years, under the destabilizing influence of Saturn (the past) square Uranus (the future). It may also be that the “other” we are fighting is an internal image of ourselves, or perhaps it is a social role, as signified by Saturn. In any case, this week heralds a significant shift in our relationship with the past and therefore, the future. The Full Moon and eclipse on the 19th puts a spotlight on the volatility. But since our patterns and habits and obligations can take time to shift, the consequences of this shockwave or tumult may not fully manifest until the third and final exact stressful square aspect between Saturn and Uranus on December 23th.
Sun Square Jupiter
We do get a little buoyancy to help manage any volatility in our lives, as our sense of self, the Sun, makes a hard square aspect with the planet of optimism and good luck, Jupiter (exact Nov. 15). Our desire for growth and expansion has been hampered by Saturn sharing the sign of Aquarius with Jupiter, and this week’s interchange between the Sun and Jupiter can help us glimpse the more hopeful future that awaits us. We must bring shrewdness and discernment to this influence—it can be a bit overconfident—and we must also be wary of over-confidence or playing a little fast and loose with finances. Respecting a slower pace of growth will ultimately pay off, even as it adds to our impatience with instability or uncertainty.
Mars Opposite Uranus
And “impatience” is a hallmark of Mars opposite Uranus (exact Nov. 17), which spills right into the Full Moon in Taurus on the 19th. As soon as Mars moves away from the limitations of Saturn, he runs into the wild impulse of electric Uranus. This can feel like a sudden shock to the system, and we may be unable to control ourselves and recklessly act on our thoughts and feelings. Especially as the Moon grows larger and larger, and sweeps through this configuration on Nov. 17, acting as a dredge on our unconscious, instinctual self. If anything has been held back under pressure this past week, it is likely to come ripping out now.
Full Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse
On November 19th 2021 at 12:57am PT/ 2:57am CT / 3:57am ET, a Full Moon of Lunar Eclipse at 27° Taurus will light up the sky.
Particularly given the emotional high tide of the Full Moon in Taurus on Nov. 19 at 12:58am Pacific, which is also a lunar eclipse. Eclipses can signify major revelations, as the Earth slips between the Sun and the Moon and allows what was obscured by the Sun’s bright light to emerge into awareness. This particular lunar eclipse promises grandiose or outsized emotions and expressions of emotion, as the expansive planet Jupiter makes a provocative square to the Full Moon configuration. But Jupiter’s involvement also points towards the struggle to make greater wholes out of what may be in fragments now--the struggle with the integration of a new reality or perspective.
Such integration is severely challenged by aggressive Mars’ tangle with the fracturing nature of Saturn square Uranus. It may prove difficult to keep a grip on our emotional or psychological states, and our story about our life and the way we want to live it. It may feel like things are shifting out from under us—maybe we are doing some of the pushing, but our own will is not necessarily the strongest force at play here. And while there is a powerful motivation to uncover and to champion what is true, our discernment may be clouded by emotional overwhelm, as signified by the Full Moon.
While we may be experiencing shifts in any area of our lives, this lunar eclipse ushers in the new Taurus/Scorpio eclipse series that will last through mid-2023. The general flavor of Taurus/Scorpio shifts us away from the previous Gemini/Sagittarius eclipse series’ focus on ideas, philosophies and worldviews, towards matters of trust and betrayal, security and safety, transformation and stability, on the material and the psychological planes. Eclipses correlate to significant events in one’s life, depending on where they fall in individual charts. Check which houses Taurus/Scorpio occupies in your chart, and what topics those houses govern, to consider how your own life may be impacted. And since this eclipse series occurs in the fixed signs (Taurus/Leo/Scorpio/Aquarius) along with the sudden reversals and disruptive qualities of Saturn in Aquarius in a stressful square with Uranus in Taurus, we can expect these eclipses to push us to align our authentic selves with new realities emerging in our lives and on the planet.
Taurus Full Moon by Moon Sign
The Moon represents who we are before we even think about who we are. It describes our deepest vulnerabilities and our most profound capacity to connect with others. Full Moons bring high energy and rivers of emotion, and this Moon features expansive emotions spun up with impulsivity and frustrations. Let’s see how the Taurus Full Moon impacts your own Moon placement for these coming days!
Aries Moon
Your desire to act may get ahead of you under these skies, particularly when issues of self-esteem or self-worth are poked by someone who is a little harsh in expressing truth. Beneath the surface, you might find unconscious anxieties about financial security or contributions are the true source of your turbulence and restlessness.
Taurus Moon
This is your Full Moon of 2021, Taurus Moon! And its extra high energy may find you extra irritated with those who are pushing you to take on more risk than you’re comfortable with. You may push back harder than you intend, with unexpressed anger bursting out. possibly leading to some regrets and the need to make amends or retract your words.
Gemini Moon
You may make promises you cannot keep, offering to take on work or responsibilities with far too much haste and too little consideration. When you realize you’ve overcommitted yourself, it may be hard to wriggle out of those promises and you may have to deal with hard feelings of betrayal and let down—most of all, a resentment you secretly harbor against yourself.
Cancer Moon
Your hopes and dreams for the future are churning under the pressure to act. On one hand, the Cancerian need for emotional safety and containment asserts itself as always, but on the other hand, opportunities for gain and expansion are popping up, seeming to offer the security you yearn for. Inertia is strong, however, and it may be difficult to recognize the risks worth taking.
Leo Moon
You may be inexplicably irritable under this Full Moon, and it is on full display for everyone. Friction in the workplace as well as with family members may bring old hurts or anger to the surface, which are expressed with a force that surprises even you.
Virgo Moon
The desire to bring order to (apparent) chaos is likely to backfire, as others resist your efforts. What is wrong with these people, you may wonder—and you still want to charge ahead with plans, damn the torpedoes. But your mental gymnastics may be working overtime under this bright Moon, as you encounter challenges to your ordinary way of thinking and the rationale that underpins it.
Libra Moon
Agitation and conflict may be arising from unconscious anxiety about the debts you owe—whether those are material, spiritual or emotional. The itch to break free of obligations to others can stir up old resentments around compromises you may have made in the past just to keep the peace. Wherever you have given too much may become unbearable as you try to renegotiate your end of the bargain.
Scorpio Moon
This Full Moon may bring the need to take responsibility for how you have asserted yourself in the past through subtle (or not so subtle) manipulation and power plays. Bringing a healing awareness to unconscious fears around loss of control and vulnerability, particularly fears around how others perceive you, can help you to make amends wherever needed. Your emotional well-being IS actually important, and learning to lose when it is time to lose will bring you the power you seek.
Sagittarius Moon
The spotlight is on the mundane, boring tasks of life that you must fulfill—and how you sabotage your own success by trying to skip steps or endlessly procrastinating on dealing with the mundane things that just have to be done. Trying to get a handle on your wandering mind and scattered energies may seem the most impossible task and its urgency not realized until it’s a bit too late. And then consequences come calling in the form of illness—or simply not having clean clothes to wear to work!
Capricorn Moon
You may desperately need to have some fun and play, and even be quite aware of an imbalance in your life—but a subconscious need to be seen as hardworking, and to place too much value into your work life and external accomplishments, is pushing you towards exhaustion. This Full Moon may see this pattern wearing thin, as other areas of your life or the people in it demand more of your time and attention. What would it be like to be a human being, instead of a human doing?
Aquarius Moon
You may feel like shouting your rebellion from the rooftops, though it may be a bit incoherent. What exactly is driving the need to rail against boundaries or limitations may be a bit mysterious and have more to do with your distant past than with the actual present circumstances. Trying to think about your feelings (instead of feeling them) will only carry you further from the pathway to the freedom you seek—find ways to feel your raw emotions and what they want you to notice about your ambitions.
Pisces Moon
Your own philosophy of life may be taking a toll on your mind—whether too rosy or too dark a vision of this world, one of the two fishes in the glyph of Pisces is swimming too far from its companion! You may impulsively dive for the bottoms or rocket to the heights, and miss the mark completely. Let this eclipse unveil the middle path between excesses, by noticing what is actually running through your mind and your heart, no matter how much it contradicts your idealism.
