This week is the festival of Wesak, honoring the birth, death, and enlightenment of the Buddha. A portal is opening.

Wesak takes place at the Scorpio Full Moon, with the Sun in Taurus. There is some confusion about this, as Eastern religions use sidereal astrology, which means that Wesak sometimes is in June, by which time the Sun in our Western tropical zodiac has advanced to Gemini. This year, they happen to coincide; in our tropical system, the Full Moon occurs at 26°13 Scorpio, while in sidereal astrology, it falls at 2°12 Scorpio.

To help understand the connection between Taurus, Buddha, and Wesak, I suggest Ruth’s excellent article, from the perspective of soul astrology. “The highest vibration of Taurus is about revelation, illumination and enlightenment,” she writes. “It is a very mysterious sign, associated with the opening of the third eye.”

The third eye, located between the eyebrows, is our center of higher consciousness, the ability to “see” into the energetic realms. When it gets activated, we’re said to be enlightened.

Ruth also notes the connection between Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus, and the third eye. One of the four Royal Stars of Persia, Aldebaran is known as the “eye of the bull.” In ancient mystery schools, it was known as the “Eye of Illumination.”

Death, rebirth and transformation are Scorpio keywords. Substitute “enlightenment” for transformation, and you understand the theme of this Full Moon. Humanity is evolving toward higher consciousness and enlightenment. More and more of us are aware of our soul’s purpose, and we’re trying to find a way to align ourselves with it.

At Wesak, a portal opens for light to enter the world. The more of us who are aware of it and who actively call upon the forces of enlightenment, the more the world will get – and not a moment too soon.

The Full Moon at 26 degrees Scorpio ironically falls with the Sun conjunct Algol, considered the most malefic star in the sky. Algol is associated with Medusa, the snake-headed woman in Greek mythology who turned men to stone if they looked at her. The symbolism and psychology of this myth is complex and speaks a lot to the cosmic split between divine masculine and feminine energies. In ancient times, snakes were a sign of wisdom, a direct connection with the unseen energies of the universe, and they were associated with women until patriarchal religions took over. Since then, the energy on the planet has been completely unbalanced.

The snake symbolizes our connection to source energy – what some might call the Mind of God. Have you ever noticed that some Scorpios seem to have unlimited energy? It’s as though they’re plugged directly into a cosmic battery. And most of them don’t even realize it, because the connection is deeply integrated. They operate on “instinct” and often don’t even have to think about what they’re going to do next. This power can be scary, and it’s one of the reasons Scorpio is feared and reviled.

Could the Full Moon conjunct Algol signal a rebirth of the ancient, wise goddess? Will her vibration be part of the light stream that enters the world?

The Moon reaches peak fullness on Tuesday at 7:09 a.m. EDT on the East Coast of the United States. If you’re on the West Coast and don’t want to get up at 4:09 a.m. to participate in the Wesak invocation, you can set a bowl of water outside and drink it in the morning. Just be sure to cover it. As far as I know, ingesting bugs and bird poop is not a path to enlightenment.

In the Full Moon chart, the Sun and Moon are in a wide, out-of-sign square with Neptune at 0 degrees Pisces. The Sun and Jupiter are in a tight semi-sextile, which means the Moon and Jupiter are inconjunct. We’ll need to make sure we’re not too busy or too preoccupied with acquiring material possessions to stop for an hour or so, quiet our minds, and tune into the stream of light. So many people don’t know what they really want anymore, especially in a world with a glut of consumer goods and a dearth of information about how to be truly happy.

After the Full Moon, we begin the countdown to the eclipses. There will be three eclipses in June and July – two solar and one lunar. It’s also interesting to note that next year’s Wesak festival will fall on June 4, which coincides with an eclipse and the 2012 Venus transit.

Speaking of Venus, she rules this Full Moon. All of the planets except Neptune now deposit to her, whereas for the past several weeks, they’ve deposited to Mars. With Jupiter and Uranus in Mars-ruled Aries, there still will be some tension and conflict, but for the next few weeks at least, peaceful solutions may be found.

Here’s how the rest of the week shakes out:

Last week started out with a conjunction of Mercury and Venus in Aries. The two have been tracking very close to one another, and on Monday this week they conjoin again, but in Taurus. Then they both sextile Neptune in gentle Pisces. It’s a whole different atmosphere now. Word are kinder and softer, and we should be able to find some time to dream. Do watch your cash, though. If you make a large purchase, a few days from now you may wonder what you were thinking.

From Wednesday to Friday, Mars, Mercury and Venus form a sextile to Chiron in Pisces. Healing can happen on many levels. How many of us beat ourselves over the head for what essentially are wounds? Would you blame a child for falling and breaking his nose? Even if he did something stupid, you’d at least use the occasion to provide some gentle instruction about the consequences of bad judgment. Be just as kind with yourself and others as you’d be with that child.

Also on Friday, Mercury conjoins Mars, and the two trine Pluto. Rather than getting angry and giving someone a piece of your mind, you can use this influence to understand the source of the conflict. Venus trines Pluto on the following day. If you and a loved one had a “discussion,” now you can make up in a way that should leave you feeling much closer than ever. The loving feelings will continue to build as Venus and Mars move closer to conjunction on May 23.

The Sun leaves Taurus on Saturday and enters fast-paced Gemini. However, Gemini’s ruler, Mercury, is in Taurus, and so placid Venus continues to be the dominant influence. I am a bit concerned that peace may be confused with repression of emotions. In mundane terms, this could mean squelching valid complaints in order to reach an agreement. Repressing feelings and failing to address underlying causes of problems never works, as all of that negative energy eventually surfaces. And when it does, it’s usually with a vengeance.

The last major aspect of the week is a Sun-Neptune square. For some, this could manifest as the combined urge to accomplish many small tasks and the lack of energy and motivation. My advice is to rest while you can, because June and July may bring fast and furious change.

Wishing you all love and enlightenment,
Pat