The Taurus Full Moon occurs Sunday morning with the Sun in Scorpio opposing the Moon, requiring balance of the Scorpio intensity with the serenity and pleasure-seeking of the Taurus Moon. Where Scorpio embraces psychic pain and drama and ultimately death and rebirth, Taurus seeks only to enjoy the bounties of the earth-bound life.

The Full Moon is the apex of the lunar cycle that begins with the Sun/Moon conjunction at the New Moon. The great astrology Dane Rudhyar determined that the first half of the cycle (the waxing moon) was involuntary and unconscious with the initiation of a new phase of consciousness. The second half of the cycle begins with the Full Moon which begins to open up an understanding of the greater meaning of the cycle, a process which completes during the waning moon. If we resist the evolutionary process we become caught in the cycle again.

Today’s Full Moon is widely opposite the entire stellium of planets currently in Scorpio: Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter, forming a T-square since both the Moon in Taurus and the Scorpio planets are square to Neptune and its penchant for illusion. There is a tremendous amount of energy in this dynamic since these planets are all in fixed signs which focus on issues of power. (Some say that Saturn is also involved, although Saturn at 24 degrees is too widely square for my taste to the 12 degree Moon.) The Moon draws us away from the Scorpio drama and reminds us that life on earth is inherently pleasurable if we only will pay attention and remember our deeper instincts. The conscious mind (the Sun) may be concerned with worldly matters but the Moon brings our attention to the soul process.

This is a very sensual time, a time to celebrate life on earth despite the difficulty that we see around us. Cooking delicious meals with organic fruits and vegetables, enjoying the feeling of fine fabrics against the skin, taking a walk through the autumn woods: these are all experiences celebrated by Taurus. This is also a time when lovers can grow more deeply into the bonds of their connection. Emotions and passions are awakened now with the Moon and Mars both in harmonious aspects to Uranus, although a square to Neptune can cast a glamour on your process. Neptune here is the red herring – in stressful aspects as we see here Neptune induces a dreamy fantasy world of our own making that feels good at the time but often causes a hangover when we awaken to reality. At the same time though, Neptune opens a window to spiritual awareness and creative impulse when we are able to see beyond the material reality in which we live into a world of deeper meaning and connection to spirit.