Once in a Blue Moon...Deep, Powerful Transformation
Contrary to its name, a Blue Moon is not blue in color; rather, it is the second of two Full Moons that occur within one month, like the Full Blue Moon on October 31, 2020 that illumines the way for the Scorpio energies of November to emerge. (Just an aside, there is another definition of a Blue Moon, but it is not what I am referring to here so I will not address it to avoid confusion...just wanted you to know!)
You’ll remember, we started this month with a Full Moon in Aries and now we are ending this month with a Full Moon in Taurus that will be conjunct Taurus Uranus, opposite a Scorpio Sun. And, while this Moon cycle is occurring in fixed signs, there is still plenty of activity happening in the cardinal signs of Aries, Libra and Capricorn. It’s just that now, we add a bit more to the mix! I do hope you have been practicing some type of spiritual practice to keep yourself grounded and at peace as we move through these tumultuous times. And if not, it’s never too late to start.
The cardinal signs are about initiating and getting things started. The fixed signs are about stability and keeping things status quo. The challenge at this moment is to decide if one wants to move forward anew or keep things just as they are, exposed flaws and all. Do we want to get back to “normal” or are we ready to shift forward in a new way?
The fixed sign axis of Taurus/Scorpio suggests the tension lies between what we value and what others value. We are being asked to clarify what we personally value versus what others suggest we ought value. What emotional values have been handed down to us (or have we inherited) that we can release if they no longer serve? The tension of this axis is about giving and receiving, grasping and releasing. Remember, a Full Moon cycle is about releasing emotional energies that no longer serve. What are you having a hard time letting go?
The Scorpio Sun is ruled by Mars (as was the New Moon Aries earlier in the month) and the Taurus Moon is ruled by Venus (as was the Libra Sun at the start of this month) so we look again to the masculine/feminine balance, or lack thereof, whichever may be the case. Last Full Moon we addressed letting go of willful, aggressive actions. This Full Moon we look at fixed ideas about the feminine that need to be released.
A cosmic power struggle is being highlighted at this time, felt especially here in the United States. The Capricorn Pluto return happening in our country’s chart is requiring us to look at the relationship with power on which our country was founded and determine if it, and the institutions founded on it, truly do reflect the ideals and values of our great country. This return offers us the opportunity to reshape those institutions which have been exposed to not serve us all justly, into ones that better serve ALL Americans equitably. How do we personally relate to power? While our intentions may be honorable, what is our impact? And, what is our personal part in all of this collective storyline?
Well to start, we do our personal part by looking to the collective Universal energies that flow. This month what are we releasing? As the Moon represents the Feminine Mother and Taurus represents the Earth Mother, one opportunity with this Blue Moon is to release the emotionally stuck feelings we have about women, especially our mothers. The “crazy” fears we hold about our own Mothers, the psychic emotional inheritance she passed down via the maternal line, our personal internal feminine battles and our concept (if we have one) of the Divine Feminine are all options to explore. And, if we do NOT have a concept of the Divine Feminine, why not? Perhaps the relationship with our physical mother is impeding a beckoning relationship with the Divine Mother of us all? What were we told about women, femininity and Divinity that was toxic and buried deep, not allowed out of the shadows? If indeed we are asked to “Honor thy Mother and Father”, where is She? Let’s use the light of this Full Moon to peer into the depths of Scorpio to uncover our deepest, darkest secrets, the family taboos and inherited maternal traumas. Let’s go look for Mom.
But be warned, I have been in several women’s groups which have worked to “bring in” the Goddess energies, especially the Dark Goddess energies, and EVERY time the Goddess energy was invoked, the women rejected what showed up. I was even in a group where a man rejected the discourse that followed, and women sided with him against the woman who spoke her truth. Delving into Scorpionic territory is akin to the saying, “Be careful what you pray for, you just might get it.” But here we go, bravely down into this deep dive to talk about collective misogyny with hope to shine a light and begin the work of uprooting our own. Yes, women peddle misogyny too.
Some healers feel the need to acknowledge the Feminine is how we heal an out of balance, toxic patriarchy. I tend to agree. But this is such a rich and diverse topic that I will not pretend to address it completely here. Rather it is good, and being asked at this time, to clear the field and ready the soil for something new to be planted. And so we begin. As the Moon is about emotions/needs and nurturing and Taurus is concerned with material resources/possessions and mystically the physical body as spiritual temple, put these together and we can ask: How do we nurture our emotional body?
While there are many ways to perform emotional body clearing and healing, one tried and true way (through a therapy lens) is to explore our own misogynistic beliefs and listen to what “bothers” us about other women. When a negative emotion/feeling arises concerning another woman, what she said, how she dresses, how she acts or who she “thinks she is” etc., it needs to be acknowledged and sat with until its meaning is clear to us. With Uranus conjunct the Moon this Full Moon cycle we may have instant, immediate and crystal-clear understanding if we pay attention. However, if meaning does not come like a lightning bolt from out of the blue (Moon), ask yourself these questions to guide yourself along:
1. How EXACTLY are you feeling? Bring to conscious awareness and name what is occurring within you.
2. When did I last feel this exact feeling? Allow the answer to come and note it.
3. When did I FIRST feel this feeling in my life? Again, allow the answer to surface and note it when it makes itself known.
Allow your feelings/emotions at this time to be the messenger you need to receive in order to heal. Pay attention to if you were told it is not okay for a woman to be emotional or sensitive. As women we are biologically wired differently from men and attempts to undo that wiring and ignore it IS misogynistic. Stop being unkind with yourself. The Taurus Moon beckons us to nurture ourselves, not judge our “lunacy” as “crazy”. Embrace your feelings, all of them, and listen to what they are trying to share.
A strong emotional reaction alerts us to past traumas being triggered. Whatever has triggered that emotion is just that, a trigger. It is generally not the cause of the trauma. In an attempt to heal the trauma, we must first uncover it, follow it down to its roots and uproot it; hopefully completely, but as best we can in the moment is good too. Perhaps we need to reach out to a therapist or a spiritual counselor or a girlfriend or our mothers; there is no shame in needing support to heal. The gift is in loving ourselves enough to break free of the emotional ties that fix us in the past and keep us from being fully present. Release those ideas that are fixed and won’t let go. Make room for the new. In true Venus fashion, love ALL of yourself.
By turning our attention to how and what we are feeling, looking past the messenger, and deciphering what deep unresolved wound is revealing itself for healing, we integrate ourselves. When we collect all our hidden, shadow pieces, we emotionally heal and lay the groundwork for deep personal transformation. This transformational healing rebalances not only us, personally, but also our world, collectively.
Personal healing on all levels — physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual comes when we get in touch with our disowned energies…Through integrating all aspects of ourselves, we become whole. ~Shakti Gawain
As within, so without. And so, it is. Blessed Be.
