Note: how Astrology individually affects us depends on the placement of planets in our birth chart. This forecast assumes an uncomplicated interaction between the transiting planets and a birth chart, which means parts of it may not apply to you (or may only apply to certain degrees). To learn about your specific chart, I encourage you to book a session with me. Also, this forecast was written for the Northern Hemisphere. It covers 4/18/19-6/2/19.

On Saturday, May 18^th at 1:11 p.m. PST, the Full Moon in Scorpio of 2019 occurs, opposing the Sun in Taurus, just three days before the Sun enters Gemini. My last blog fairly exhaustively treated the subject of Taurus, but to revisit it for a moment: Taurus is sensual, reliable, slow, steady, and determined. It finds beauty and bliss in the physical acts of living and the texture of the present moment like no other sign. Once it makes its mind up about something, it can be unrelentingly stubborn too, even in the face of factual, contradictory information. Taurus season provides us an opportunity to connect with our bodies through our senses and to explore them and our relationship to pleasure as part of our spiritual development. Taurus can sense the divine in acts of living like eating, working, sleeping, having sex, etc. more than any other sign. During Taurus season, we can work to develop that awareness within ourselves.

As Gemini season begins, our consciousness organically moves from the body to the mind. Gemini is known for being curious about basically everything, eager to know a little bit about a lot. Gemini is also known for being able to hold contrasting attitudes at once, sometimes in a way that appears emotionally contradictory (i.e. I love you/I hate you), which is part of where the reputation Geminis have for being two-faced in relationships comes from. Gemini season provides us an opportunity to try on different ideas and search for insights in places we might not normally look. It can also lend itself to casual exploration of a variety of topics. While Sagittarius wants to cliff dive in Malaysia, Gemini wants to watch every documentary about cliff diving in existence, until another concept or subject catches its fancy. Relatedly, Gemini season offers us a powerful occasion for information gathering, and it can be a potent time to let our mind run free, brain-storming wildly within us.

This is particularly true in light of Mercury, Gemini’s ruling planet, entering Gemini the same day the Sun does, forming a conjunction (a fusion of energy) with the Sun. Consequently, the first week or so of the Sun in Gemini can be extremely useful in pursuing a myriad of interesting or innovative ideas, including regarding next steps in our life course or how we feel about ourselves and our life. This may not be the best time to set clear action steps, but it’s wonderful for untethering our mind from restrictions and letting our thoughts soar and grow like the burgeoning spring.

Before Gemini season arrives, however, we finish out Taurus season. Currently, four planets are in Taurus, providing us with a last hearty dose this year of Taurean sensuality, groundedness, and determined focus. These last few days of steady, sturdy Taurus energy can prove pivotal if we use them to crystalize plans for the next six months or so, laying out a course in our mind for our energy to follow (and also perhaps in tangible forms, like writing to-do and goals lists). Six planets are in Earth signs until the 21^st, so this is definitely a practical, “get it done” tide to ride if we have areas in our life calling out for that type of work.

Otherwise, the Scorpio Full Moon is an exciting opportunity on its own, marking the first taste of true emotional depth during the Astrological year. When the moon is full, it’s in the opposite sign of the Sun. This means, roughly, that our core sense of self (the Sun) and our emotions, unconscious, instincts, etc. (the Moon) are on opposite ends of a spectrum. They’re pulling at each other like a taut string, guiding and inspiring separate yet also connected types of thoughts and urges. In this case, we get the earthy, solid, physicality of solar Taurus alongside the emotional, skin-shedding, and truth-seeking tenacity of Scorpio.

Taurus luxuriates in the richness of embodiment, while Scorpio dives into the soul, riding the wave of Plutonian energy that created it into every closet we keep our skeletons in (Pluto rules Scorpio). Scorpio instinctively looks beneath surfaces, innately understanding not to trust appearances and facades, or at least to recognize that more could be going on. Since each opposition represents a spectrum, a la Yin and Yang, there’s a wholeness created by the integration of both poles. The Taurus and Scorpio spectrum is often related historically to resources, with Taurus governing personal resources and Scorpio relating to shared ones. Personally, I see the greater common ground between Taurus and Scorpio as being sex, albeit from different angles (Taurus is more physical/sensual while Scorpio is more psychic/emotional). Sex is a primary vehicle for each sign to realize its potential. Sex not just as pleasure, but pleasure that leads to creation. It’s important to note that our greatest pleasure in life, or one of the sources of it, leads to creativity, connection, euphoria, and higher consciousness if we take it there. Whether we engage in the primal sexuality of Taurus or the mystical unions Scorpio craves, we can find epiphany, comfort, and sustenance through sacred sexuality.

Consequently, the two peak sexual nights of the year are the Scorpio Full Moon and the Taurus Full Moon (which occurs when the Sun is in Scorpio). The latter is more about lust in the context of passion, while the former is more about passion in the context of lust. This sexual energy is currently heightened by a supportive sextile between Venus in Taurus and Mars in Cancer. Lust gets a bad rap in many spiritual circles, and there’s certainly something to be said for repudiating the undisciplined lust that leads us to poor life decisions and reinforces ego. But fundamentally, sexual lust is the voice of Nature singing in our bodies for us to perpetuate the species and enjoy pleasure. It’s a sacred part of the human experience that Taurus and Scorpio innately understand as spiritual. Many of us have been told for years that these urges are unholy though, and if we see them accordingly, that’s how we’ll experience them. Conversely, by framing these aspects of ourselves as sacred, we can find the divine within them, which is the thrust (pun intended!) of what Tantra is about. Tantric practice involves pursuing the sacred like this in each domain of life. It’s about polishing the brass of our lived experience until we find the divine in every facet of it. We turn our act of living into a process of worship itself, of celebration, until the ego melts away in the ecstasy and bliss of conscious embodiment. That is the Taurus endpoint, and a potent note upon which to end this year’s treatment of Taurus.

Otherwise, Full Moons are often about revelation and illumination, and little can illuminate like the Scorpio Full Moon. This façade-eradicating placement naturally surfaces our secrets and things we’ve been avoiding and places them square before us. This could be something within ourselves, our relationships, etc. The Scorpio Full Moon can facilitate initiating transformation, healing, and regeneration, assuming we don’t shy away from its energy. Much like the Hindu deities Shiva and Kali, Pluto can destroy or create, or create through destruction, and when we allow the Plutonian Scorpio energy to have its way with us, we are reborn as a deeper, more aligned spiritual being in our consciousness than we were before. We are freer. When we resist its energy, we can become suspicious or even paranoid, and this untapped energy can lead to addictive, unhealthy neurotic behaviors, especially if it’s prominently featured in our birth chart. With Pluto, it’s always best to offer ourselves to it rather than resist it, even when its energy is difficult because, as the Borg from Star Trek said, “resistance is futile.” This is a “let go or be dragged” situation. For those of us who don’t have much Plutonian energy in our birth chart, this transit will be short-lived, but if we want to set ourselves up for a smoother ride next year during the prolonged Saturn/Pluto in Scorpio conjunction, best to flush as much from our internal sewer as possible ahead of time.

Scorpio is also about a willingness to be uncomfortable in the name and pursuit of truth, and that can be a powerful challenge for us to undertake this Full Moon. We can engage in journal activities, Tarot readings, or guided meditations regarding our shadow – what’s in it, what we can learn to continue healing and integrating it, etc. We could even perform a ritual or spell to bring greater clarity in our life. This process of bringing the depths and the shadow to the surface of the mind is further supported by a trine between Mercury in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn, which naturally raises those types of matters in a productive manner.

Additionally, Mars has entered watery Cancer following its spritely, gregarious turn in Gemini. In Cancer, Mars is a bit watered down, so to speak, as its fiery, passionate assertiveness is tempered by the tides of insecure Cancer. This can be a time of heightened sensitivity to slights and a hesitancy to assert ourselves. That said, Mars in Cancer can provide a helpful opportunity to work on developing our ability to think through our actions before taking them and empathize with the other in a conflict. That may help us better respect and navigate difficulties with others while simultaneously getting more of what we want. After all, what’s likelier to lead to the outcome we desire from a situation, a person who feels pissed off and defensive toward us, or one who feels heard and respected? Cancers are sometimes accused of being manipulative, and to the degree that that’s true, it’s often more about innately understanding this dynamic and being strategic accordingly. There isn’t a desire to take advantage of others in this behavior when it’s instinctual to Cancers. Rather, there’s an understanding of what’s most likely going to lead to the desired outcome in the least tumultuous or conflict-oriented way, which are two things vulnerable-feeling Cancer strives to avoid.

I pulled a card for this Full Moon and drew the Eight of Wands. I interpret this as indicating that there’s supportive energy behind our intentions that is flowing toward its target. Our work is to get out of the way. Part of the value of Scorpionic work is that it enables us to do that. By facing what’s in our shadow and integrating it into our conscious sense of self, we release resistance to manifesting our intentions, as the skeletons in our closet are often what hold us back. These can be unsupportive beliefs about ourselves, the world, other people etc. that stand in the way of our well-being and prosperity. As we transform or release these, which is facilitated by the illuminating light of Scorpio, we come into a greater sense of fulfillment and flow. The truth sets us our energy free to move in ways we may’ve not even imagined before.