Tag Archives: full moon in taurus

Weekly Forecast November 3: Full Moon in Taurus, Mercury Enters Scorpio

In 1997, I sold everything I owned, found good homes for my two cats, and went to France to write a novel.

The novel never got done (a story in itself, for another time), but the experience changed my life. One of the most important lessons I learned was that it’s actually possible to feel richer than the queen of England and not spend a cent. My record, as I recall, was an entire week. Not one centime.

When I made the leap, I was living in California. I intended to stay in France for three months – long enough to get a good feel for the location of my story – but I ended up going back and forth for several years. Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast November 7: Full Moon in Taurus, Mars Enters Virgo

Cloud Shadows on Water. © Pat Paquette, 2011.

This week we may feel like Dorothy in the poppy field scene from The Wizard of Oz. We’ve been running, running, running, and now something forces us to slow down. Yawn … I’m falling asleep just thinking about it and struggling to write a coherent sentence.

Monday wakeup is going to be a challenge – especially if, like me, your alarms goes off while it’s still dark. Have you ever slept through a blaring alarm, so soundly out of it that a nuclear blast wouldn’t rouse you? Literally or figuratively, watch for events that fit that pattern on Monday, when Mars in late Leo opposes Neptune in Aquarius. Being off daylight saving time will help, but the bigger problem is giant Neptune, ruler of sleep, at a dead stop. Of course, planets don’t stop or move in reverse; that’s just what it looks like from our perspective here on Earth. You’ll feel this more if you have Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in Pisces or if Neptune currently is moving through your twelfth house.

Neptune has been retrograde since early June and returns direct on Wednesday, the day before Chiron returns direct in Pisces. These two have been tracking fairly closely for the past few years and are associated with awakening consciousness on a planetary scale. While they’ve been retrograde, we’ve had a chance to assimilate information we received while they were moving forward from early November 2010. Now it’s time to wake up and start putting that new information into practice. You may or may not be totally aware of how this is happening or that it’s happening at all. However, I think many of you will notice, because this shift in planetary motion is happening during a broader, macrocosmic shift in consciousness. I’ve been receiving detailed reports from clients about sweeping changes that have taken place in their lives and how they suddenly see themselves and the events in their lives with more clarity.

Once Neptune returns direct, we begin the countdown toward his re-entry into Pisces in February. He spent a little over three months in his own sign earlier this year before turning retrograde and returning to Aquarius. This is just what happened in 1848, two years after Neptune was discovered. In the years that followed, the Transcendental Movement was born in the United States, led by Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and others. Spiritualism became a trend, with séances to contact spirits of the dead. You can find more information about Neptune in Pisces in my April 4 weekly forecast.

Thursday is the most happening day this week, with the Full Moon at 18°04′ Taurus, Chiron’s return direct in Pisces, and the entry of Mars in Virgo. That sounds like a big shift, doesn’t it? You’d think our heads would be spinning with all that activity. Fortunately, Taurus is a laid-back, slow-moving sign, and Chiron in Pisces isn’t exactly a speed demon. Moreover, Mars in Virgo, while given toward nervous energy, is more methodical and measured than Mars in fiery Leo. When you add Neptune’s sleepy station into the mix, I think we’re going to feel more slow and sleepy that fast and furious. Mars opposes Chiron on Saturday, which could fuel insensitive remarks and hurt feelings. Please try to keep your criticism constructive and helpful. Likewise, if someone hurts your feelings, give them the benefit of the doubt just this once. They probably didn’t mean it. Even if they did, this isn’t the best time to address the issue.

Also keep in mind that we’re officially in Mercury’s pre-retrograde shadow period. I’m already seeing the effects, none of which have been comforting. The consolation is that I was reminded of my own admonition to back up computer files early and often. Doing so saved me from a near disaster over the weekend. Otherwise, I’m hearing reports of alarms going off and springs popping. Stay alert out there this week, folks! And if you start seeing blatant early retrograde effects, take that as your cue to wrap up current business without delay. That includes major purchases, especially electronics.

Despite the rumblings of Mercury retrograde, this week’s Full Moon should be quite lovely. The Full Moon typically brings endings, culmination, or resolution to circumstances that began at the previous New Moon. The previous New Moon, on October 26, also was nicely aspected, so I think that most of us will feel this Full Moon as an event literally coming into its fullness or reaching a logical conclusion. Taurus is an earth sign and is associated with finances, and there are no challenging aspects to this Full Moon to indicate complications. You might have them in your personal chart, of course, but overall, this is a “friendly” Full Moon, so whatever transpires should be to your benefit.

This week also brings us to the numerologically significant date of 11/11/11. I’m not the best person to discuss the meaning in this extremely rare event, so I’ll leave that to others. It does seem to me to be a remarkable occurrence in a period of remarkable events, yet another sign that we’re experiencing a major shift in consciousness that will have implications far into the future.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast November 22: Sun in Sagittarius

This week has a very different feel to it, with the Sun entering merry Sagittarius on Monday and Jupiter now direct.

It’s good timing, too, as we head into a holiday week in the United States and our biggest food party of the year. Our traditional main dish originally was a wild bird, and hunting is a very Sagittarian activity. I recall from childhood that we always had to eat early, because Thanksgiving was the first day of deer season and the menfolk were having primal urges to go out in the woods and shoot dinner.

Unfortunately, we aren’t entirely out of the heaviness of Scorpio and won’t be for awhile. Although Venus is back in Libra, she’ll re-enter Scorpio next week, and we’ll be processing her lessons until she returns to 13°13′ Scorpio, the degree at which she went retrograde on October 8. As it so happens, the day she leaves her post-retrograde shadow will be December 21, the winter solstice and start of a new series of eclipses in Gemini and Sagittarius.

We’re also still in the wake of Sunday’s powerful Full Moon in Taurus, which may continue to work its “magic” through the entire week and possibly until the New Moon on December 5. A shift has taken place, and now we need to let the dust settle to see what has manifested.

For the first two days of this week, the Moon is in Gemini. On Tuesday, she opposes Mercury and Mars, recently conjunct in Sagittarius. Some of you probably had “words” over the weekend, and I know at least one person who had an accident. If that’s your situation, this week doesn’t look good for ironing out the wrinkles until Saturday or Sunday. Next week should be better.

The Moon enters her own sign of Cancer on Wednesday and remains there through Friday. Cancer is the sign of home, mother, comfort food, and tradition, which bodes well for a warm and happy Thanksgiving (more mashed potatoes and gravy, please).

Also on Thursday, Mercury in Sagittarius squares Jupiter in Pisces. All I can say about this one is avoid discussing politics and religion at the dinner table, unless you want to go home with a terrible case of indigestion.

The day after Thanksgiving is affectionately known in the United States as “Black Friday,” the biggest shopping day of the year. Susan Miller, one of my favorite Sun sign astrologers, has dire advice and is telling everyone to forget shopping on this day due to the close square from Mercury to Uranus. She thinks that you’ll be unhappy with what you buy, and whoever you’re buying the gift for will hate it. I’m not sure I agree with her on this one, but I thought it was worth mentioning. I think there’s a risk of buying impulsively and exercising poor judgment due to overwhelm.

Susie also points out that it would be a good idea to get your holiday shopping out of the way well before Mercury turns retrograde on December 10. If electronics are on your list, definitely get them now. “Cyber Monday” is coming up, with lots of deals on your favorite items. If you’re knitting, sewing, baking, or you have other homemade projects in the works, don’t wait until the last minute to get started.

Saturday is the big communications day. Despite the Mercury-Uranus square, which may make it hard to stay on point, the sextile from Mercury to Neptune and Chiron may be just what the astrologer ordered to heal tensions from earlier in the week.

Love, courage, and cranberries to all,
Pat

Full Moon in Taurus, November 21, 2010

The Lost Pleiad, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1884.

Sunday’s Full Moon in Taurus is so potent that I half expect we’ll go through a black hole and come out somewhere else. Or we’ll be contacted by an alien race telling us it was all a big joke.

OK, I’m kidding. Sort of. It’s apparently what we’re supposed to do at this Full Moon, according to the Sabian symbol (see below).

Seriously, though, this is going to be a big one. I feel as though I’m being squeezed through some kind of cosmic tunnel and will pop out the other side in a few days.

Venus and Jupiter, which return direct within a few hours of each other on Thursday, both play major roles in this Full Moon – Venus by rulership and Jupiter by aspect.

Venus has had plenty of bad hair days during her retrograde in Scorpio, which began on October 8. She pulled out her claws and teeth, too. I know several people who felt the sting, mostly in relationships. She has calmed down since returning to Libra, one of the two signs she rules. Taurus is the other.

I’m reminded of the difference between the Sumerian goddess Inanna, goddess of love and light, and her sister, Ereshkigal, goddess of the underworld. As you may recall, Ereshkigal’s husband was the “Bull of Heaven.” Presumably, this is a reference to the constellation Taurus. It’s also evident that Ereshkigal represents the shadow side of Inanna and, indeed, the shadow in all of us. Scorpio – the sign opposite Taurus on the zodiac wheel – symbolizes that shadow. It’s everything that we deny, repress, and run away from. In Greek and Roman mythology, the underworld is ruled by Pluto, which of course is the modern ruler of Scorpio.

It’s as though Venus was playing the role of Ereshkigal during her retrograde phase, and many of us had to go through some sort of “underworld” experience in order to evolve to the next level. In the sign of Libra, with the Full Moon in Taurus, Venus returns to her role as radiant goddess of love, light, beauty and abundance.

It’s interesting to note that Venus went retrograde at 13 degrees Scorpio, which was the degree of the New Moon on November 6. The cycle completes itself at the Full Moon, which falls at 29 degrees Scorpio/Taurus.

The Sun and Moon form a fixed T-square with Neptune and Chiron – both just out of retrograde – at the apex. This might suggest trouble, and perhaps for some people, there will be some healing pain as old wounds flare up. However, this is one instance in which I believe love will conquer all. Not only is Neptune a higher vibration of Venus and symbol of a higher love, but at the Full Moon he’ll be in a very close trine to Venus. In other words, the T-square is not a tightly closed box, but it has a clear path out, and that path is Love.

The closest aspect made by the Sun and Moon is a trine to Uranus, planet of surprises and sudden change. Uranus isn’t direct yet but will be in a couple of weeks, and he’s in conjunction with Jupiter – close enough that their combined energies create a path for sudden breakthroughs. The potential for advances in spirituality is of galactic proportions. And remember, my definition of “spirituality” has to do with our ability to sense the invisible energies that course through the universe and to use those energies to our advantage and the advantage of our fellow humans. Part of that vision is seeing through the illusion of time.

Mercury, Mars, Ceres, Saturn, and Pluto make no aspects to the Full Moon, but they interact with each other. People seem to drive crazier at the Full Moon, and this certainly will be the case with Mercury and Mars in speed-demon Sagittarius. Hopefully, the sextile with Saturn in balance-minded Libra will help keep drivers focused on arriving at their destination in one piece. I already discussed the Ceres-Saturn square in my weekly forecast.

Although I usually don’t write about fixed stars, it’s worth mentioning that this Full Moon is conjunct the Pleiades. The 29th degree of Taurus sometimes is called the “weeping degree” because of its connection to this star cluster (which due to precession is now at 0 degrees Gemini). In traditional astrology, this is a very unfortunate star, associated with blindness, accidents, bereavement, loss, and other tragedies.

The weepy factor ostensibly is derived from the mythology of the seven sisters, who were turned into stars by Zeus to avoid pursuit and rape by Orion. However, each of the seven also was loved by the gods of Olympus, and some were credited with giving birth to royal lines of humans. The origin of the name “Pleiades” is debated, but one theory is that it stems from the same root as “full” or “plenty.”

At the Full Moon in sensual Taurus, that theory gets my vote, and I don’t buy all the handwringing. My dear friend Tseka, a gifted interpreter of myths, believes that this location in space is a portal. I would add that it’s a portal to true love.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Moon at 29°18′ Taurus is, A peacock parading on an ancient lawn, with the keyword ALOOFNESS. This is a perfect symbol for the common saying, “Fake it ’til you make it.” We’re on a journey and not there yet, but there’s something to be gained by visualizing ourselves there and at least looking the part. There’s nothing wrong with it, as long as we know we’ve still got work to do. If I had my druthers, I’d change the keyword aloofness to DETACHMENT.

For the Sun at 29°18′ Scorpio, the Sabian Symbol is The Halloween jester, with the keyword SPONTANEOUSNESS. This symbol is about not taking life too seriously. Sure, we’re on an evolutionary course, doing important work. But if we can’t laugh at ourselves, we’re taking it all way too seriously, and we’re missing the point. Take a moment to lighten up and have a good belly laugh at life’s absurdities.

If nothing else, it will keep you from weeping.

Pat

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmund Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in 1925 with the help of Elsie Wheeler, a gifted psychic. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.

Weekly Forecast November 2: Full Moon in Taurus, Neptune Direct

We’re heading into dreamtime now. With the Sun in Scorpio and Neptune at a standstill, preparing to go direct, we’re all more open to psychic phenomena and “downloads” from the universe.

I forgot to mention in last week’s forecast that Sunday was the Celtic cross-quarter day of Samhain. In earlier times, Samhain was the beginning of the new year. In the industrialized West, we tend to view night and the dark part of the year as negative and undesirable, but to the nature-centered Celts, light grows out of darkness, so their days began at sunset, not sunrise, and their year began with the descent into winter. The seeds have all been planted for what will be born again in spring.

This also is a time of year when many people feel the veil thinning between the worlds of the visible and the unmanifest. So the tradition goes, the veil lifts very briefly on Samhain, which evolved into our modern Halloween. Still, as with many of our traditional holidays, we’ve retained the rich symbolism, even if we’ve lost touch with its meaning.

Because of this week’s Full Moon and Neptune’s change of direction, the window will remain open a little longer this year for us to travel into unseen realms. Your dreams may be very vivid this week, and they may contain important messages. Keep a journal by your bed, and don’t let those images get away!

We begin the week with the Full Moon in Taurus. Most of you probably have read Neith’s post from Saturday, but if not, don’t miss it. She has a lot of interesting insights, especially for us change-averse fixed-sign types (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius).

Even if you don’t have a lot of fixed energy in your chart, it’s human nature to fight change, and the changes are going to come fast and furious as we head into next year’s cardinal cross. Now is the time for us to take inventory, keep what serves us, and get rid of everything else. We’re going to need to travel light in the times ahead, both materially and spiritually. In my experience, it’s always best to make the necessary sacrifices, rather than waiting for someone or something to take away the things you’re attached to.

Neptune turns direct on Wednesday. We may feel sleepy and slow for much of this week, and concentration will be more difficult than usual. If you don’t have a mentally demanding job, or if you have a lull and can turn off your thought processes for a few days, you can get some amazing insights. Because Neptune is in Aquarius, the sign of the collective, the messages that come to us now may be about how we fit into the unfolding story of our time. We may get glimpses of the future, too. If a booming voice tells you to build an ark and gather the animals two by two, let me know!

The Sun and Mercury conjoin on Thursday, and it’s another day for profound insights and deeper understanding of how the universe works. New ideas may come into our minds as images or even feelings rather than thoughts, and they may need time to process before you understand them. It could take days or even months.

Venus enters Scorpio on Saturday, intensifying Scorpio themes of money, sex, and power. To the undeveloped mind, this translates to greed, lust, and the need to control. But the evolved mind knows that desire is a means to an end and that there is real power in being able to desire with an intensity that could kill us, and then releasing attachment to those desires. That kind of power is a bit scary to think of, and maybe that’s why we have a simultaneous fear and fascination with Pluto and Scorpio.

On Sunday, Mercury sextiles Pluto. The downloads just keep on coming, and we stumble on information that opens our eyes and may even be scandalous. If you need to talk to someone about your deepest feelings, this is a good time for it.

With all this intensity, it’s not going to be an easy week. But with some effort on your part, it will be an amazingly productive week. Be sure to leave comments and let us know what’s going on with you!

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Image: Wet dawn in the Pacific Northwest. Off daylight saving time, with the days shortening, and rain, rain, rain. It’s weather for going inward, and so very Scorpio. Photo by Pat Paquette, all rights reserved.

Full Moon in Taurus, November 2, 2009

The Full Moon in Taurus on November 2 puts the focus back on the fixed signs, if only temporarily, reminding us what’s worth hanging onto and what we need to release as we head into a period with so much change.

At 10°30′ Scorpio-Taurus, the Sun and Moon form a tight T-square with Mars in Leo. Using a wide orb, we get fixed grand cross with Jupiter in Aquarius, underscoring the hazards of taking an ideological stance come what may.

The Sun in eagle-eyed Scorpio conjoins Mercury, and both are square Scorpio’s co-ruler, Mars. This can translate into potential explosions due to information being revealed by Scorpio’s innate ability to sniff out hidden secrets and nastiness.

The Moon is usually very comfortable in earthy Taurus, but here again, the square from Mars pushes buttons. While Taurus is generally known as easy going and good-natured, when the Bull gets mad, it takes a looong time to cool down. Keep in mind that all three of these signs are on the possessive side and given to occasional bouts of jealousy. In other words, this is a very bad moment to prod these folks, because you could find yourself amputated from their lives.

Thankfully, Venus rules this Full Moon, and she’s still in her other home sign, Libra, closely trine Neptune in Aquarius. We can use all the help we can get finding the compassionate compromise to smooth troubled waters. Venus is also trine Chiron in Aquarius, making it possible to see areas of vulnerability in others and stepping around them. Now is not a good time to use Mercury in Scorpio’s ability to pinpoint other’s weaknesses and exploit them.

Venus is also part of a Yod with Uranus in Pisces at the apex and Vesta in Leo as the other leg of the base. There is a purity of creative expression with Vesta in fiery Leo joined with Venus in Libra’s eye for balance and beauty. The challenge is channeling this through Uranus in Pisces. Pisces is very creative but in a Neptunian way – lovely, ethereal and none too focused. It may be better to write your inspirations down at this time and implement them when the fog lifts . . .

Perhaps the single most important astrological event in recent days is Saturn’s move into equitable Libra. The drawback is Saturn’s approach to an exact square with Pluto in Capricorn on November 15. We’re all going to need to play by the rules and be scrupulously honest in all our dealings. Any and all negotiations or mediations (Libra) that fail to meet these standards may result in unpleasant legal consequences (Saturn) – and we are just in the opening phase of this influence! The sooner this realization hits home, the better our chances will be of avoiding being brought to task by this dynamic pair. Make every effort to be open and fair in your dealings with partners, both personal and professional. Consider this your first warning!

The lovely trine between Venus and Neptune can be further illuminated by the Sabian symbol for the Moon at 11 Taurus, “A woman watering flowers in her garden,” with the keyword CULTIVATION. By nurturing the virtues of this trine – patience, tolerance and compassion – we stand a better chance of improving our relationships with others rather than destroying them.

The Sabian symbol for 11 Scorpio is both a warning and a solution – “A drowning man is being rescued,” with the keyword RESUSCITATION. The fixed grand cross is a deeply static pattern, and if we cling to a certain way of thinking and being, seeing it as the “only way,” we run the risk of drowning. In order to be rescued from ourselves, learning flexibility and staying open to other options may be required.

This is an excellent lunation for examining our belief structures and learning about those places where we are most emotionally invested in being right. Long experience with Pluto’s little ways of teaching us about letting go of expectations and detaching from outcomes leads me to encourage all those with planets and chart angles in the early degrees of the cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn – to use this time well. It is always better to get a jump on Pluto because if it’s left up to him, the lessons can be quite painful.

posted by Neith . . .

Full Moon in Taurus, November 12-13, 2008

Full Moon in Taurus is here
The Full Moon on November 13 (late November 12 on the West Coast of the United States and points west) is a powerhouse at 21° 15′ Taurus, opposite the Sun in Scorpio. Neptune in Aquarius exactly squares both luminaries, creating a turbulent atmosphere with many unfolding possibilities.

Neptune stationed direct on November 2 but will remain at 21° until mid-December. As usual, we have a choice between using the tenacity of the fixed-sign T-square to cling to our illusions or to start manifesting the changes we need to continue down the path to becoming our authentic selves.

With Mars in Scorpio conjunct the Sun, this may be the time to start unearthing long-buried anger issues and allowing the light of the Sun to help us find the key to unraveling these. Stress abatement can be a prelude to better overall health, and unresolved anger and resentment are definitely sources of stress. Scorpio does not receive the acclaim it deserves as a healer, especially of wounds relating to suppressed rage. The tension created by the 90° aspect can be very useful in prodding us to finally do something, and Neptune in its highest expression represents unlimited compassion and acceptance, providing balm to emotions (the Moon) and self-image (the Sun).

There is a second T-square in this chart with the waning Saturn-Uranus opposition as the base and Pallas in Gemini at the apex. Pallas in Gemini is razor-sharp with words, and it may be a good idea to count to ten before expressing the frustration of dealing with the results of the Saturn-Uranus opposition. By the Full Moon, those of us who got hit by this opposition will be well aware of the challenges it has and will create in our lives. Here, the tension of the T-square brings out the warrior goddess side of Pallas-Athena. Slaying those around us with words is not likely to accomplish much, even though it may feel good in the moment.

Ameliorating the harshness of the two T-squares is a grand trine in earth between the Moon in Taurus, Saturn in Virgo, and Jupiter in Capricorn. This pattern features the practical but comforting side of earth and is celebrated by an emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Prepare your favorite comfort food, put on some relaxing music, and see if you can find someone to give you a good foot massage to help ease the turmoil and tension swirling around. This pattern also favors those willing to eat their vegetables first and then enjoy dessert.

An innovative aspect is the trine between Uranus in Pisces and the Sun and Mercury in Scorpio. This is an excellent time to take on a research project that requires digging deep to get all the facts and to think outside the box. Scorpio delights in gathering data and compiling it behind the scenes before presenting the finished product to a properly awed audience.

Venus, having moved into Capricorn the day before, is trine Ceres in Virgo. These two combine to offer support and nurturance with little fanfare but a great deal of class. Don’t be surprised if you opt for elegance and simplicity in buying for your home or wardrobe.

The Sabian symbol for 22 Taurus is, White dove flying over troubled waters, with the keyword GUIDANCE. Here we find reassurance by maintaining perspective and seeking inner quiet during times of emotional upheaval. As the Saturn-Uranus opposition cycle is beginning to unfold, this is important to hold in your heart and mind.

For the Sun at 22 Scorpio, the Sabian symbol is, Hunters shooting wild ducks, with the keywords SOCIALIZATION OF INSTINCTS. The Sun conjunct Mars in Scorpio in this chart is far more socialized in the expression of aggressive instincts than, say, Mars in Aries. Scorpio is inclined to weight the consequences before taking action and is very controlled and contained in expression for a martial sign.

Shining light on Neptune’s illusions and Saturn’s doubts and fears can help lessen the impact of those tendencies in our lives. We always have the choice of acknowledging our darker aspects within and forgiving ourselves our shortcomings, but no one will hold our feet to the fire and force us to do so – barring a major Pluto transit, of course. For all those who just want a lighter atmosphere, Mars will be moving into Sagittarius on November 16 and the Sun will follow him on November 21. Hang in there and practice kindness!