by Robert Wilkinson
This stabilizing, practical, intense Full Moon showing us how to defend our mission while raising our lives and consciousness to a greater level falls at the 24th degree of Scorpio and Taurus. This is the power of a confirmed social role expressed in a form of spiritual “repair work” that will transform our everyday lives if we allow it. These two weeks we take the joy we’ve been learning since the New Moon and stabilize it in a form of natural self-expression so we may heal in deep ways.
At a Full Moon, that which has opened since the previous New Moon surfaces in a public form, and heads toward the culmination and fruition symbolized by the second half of any cycle. First half, birth into form and field. Second half, culmination and completion of the purpose of that cycle.
That’s why it’s important to regard the New and Full Moon charts as “God’s Footprints in Time,” since one follows the other in an unending sequence of births of newer and newer seeds. The New Moons show us the seeds that will flourish under the reflected light of the Full Moon.
Full Moons heighten feelings, due to the opposition of the Moon and the Sun. This particular Lunation has no other forming oppositions, showing the fracturing is past. That said, with Mars where it is, we’ll still feel its opposition to Uranus for a number of weeks to come, creating a sense of tension, but with a sense of relief not present before now.
Jupiter is still an important factor in this Lunation, since it’s one of the legs of the “Splay” Jones pattern, and the only planet with a forming square from Venus, making it a “release point” for that planet’s influence. It requires that we keep our eye on the greater rather than lesser rewards, demonstrate the ability to hang in there, and be gracious in the midst of exaggerated influences. In this chart, Jupiter can help us learn what we need in order to gather what we need to feel more secure in our supply.
Due to Venus just separating off the square to Pluto with Mars sitting on its stationary direct degree square Pluto, we’ll still feel the energy of the T-square for a while. Pluto as a leg in the various T-squares in play since 2010, and especially since late December 2013 through now, indicates very volatile energies that may be experienced as inharmonious, creating echoes and energy releases related to past cardinal T-squares over the past 3+ years. As I’ve told you before, this period is most affecting those born the first week of April, July, October, and January, as well as those with planets or angles between approximately 10-15 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.
The good news is that this T-square can release a lot of pent-up energy, helping break log jams and stuck situations. Due to Pluto’s influence, we continue to be challenged by forces beyond our control to find a different perspective on past experiences, and let go of nonessentials and/or look back on old dramas to see how we repaired ourselves when we let go. However, since Jupiter again trines Saturn, Jupiter’s natural caution in Cancer serves us as we learn to navigate the Saturn in Scorpio flow with patience, discipline, and a long range plan.
Dispositors - What's the Backdrop to the Energies?
The Moon in Scorpio is ruled by Mars in worldly affairs and Pluto in spiritual matters, while the Sun in Taurus is ruled by Venus in worldly affairs and TransPluto in spiritual matters. This makes the Air and Earth elements loom large in how the Moon expresses itself, while the Fire element is strong as a backdrop to the Sun.
In this chart, in worldly affairs all of the planets are ruled by the chain of dispositors involving Venus in Aries and Mars in Libra, except for Neptune in Pisces, which is its own dispositor. That makes Venus and Mars the primary forces behind the scenes in this chart, You can find more about dispositors by going to Astrology Class – What Is A Dispositor and What Is Mutual Reception Between Two Planets?
The tide of Jupiter trine Saturn during the last half of 2013 offered us all a quickened current that is taking us somewhere. Overall this has been a time of quickened flow, emotional intelligence, and a new stability that will be with us for years. We have been experiencing our Soul promptings more acutely since last Summer, and found deep feelings and necessary structuring. As Jupiter is now direct and Saturn retrograde, we are moving into the third period of Water trines that will stabilize whatever emotional intelligence we’ve developed these past 11 months.
The Sabian Symbols for the Full Moon
This Full Moon falls at 24 Taurus-Scorpio. It is said that the last third (decan) of any sign deals with the mental-spiritual levels of life, and being the last decan of those signs, invokes a sub-influence of Capricorn and Cancer.
Since the Moon always focuses the light of the Sun in specific forms, the degree symbols for both are important. The Sun degree is the illumination or enlightenment of the Lunation, whereas the Moon shows us the potential forms that enlightenment will take. Though I’ve given you a sense of what this is about up to now, here’s where we go into detail.
The Solar degree symbol for the 24th degree of Taurus is “A mounted Indian with scalp locks.” In the original Jones class notes from “The Astrology of Personality,” Rudhyar says this is a degree of “Forceful intrusion of elemental energies in over-conscious selfhood,” “Return to primal values,” and “Conquest of inhibitions.”
In the Astrological Mandala, he goes on to say that this degree symbolizes “the aggressiveness of human instincts when fighting for their earthly base of operation,” where we find aggression and force “are basic components of human nature at the level of the emotions and of a deep-seated identification with a particular culture” which sees those who are different as potential enemies. I have found this degree as representing the expertise needed to be an administrator of others’ energies, or perhaps a place where we find we need to defend our life mission, and/or see the broader context of our life mission.
He says this symbol confirms our difference from other people, where our need for “differentiation of human behavior and collective values is still strong.” Beware of those who are excessive in their use or show of force! He says this degree falls in the Span of Enjoyment, Act of Differentiation, and Scene of Confirmation on the Emotional-Social level.
Dr. Jones says this is a degree of “pride in personal prowess,” suggesting “an exceptional capacity for gaining and administering authority.” He states we can find an appreciation of potential in nature, and our “senses as they can be brought to the full service” of our aspiration and ambition. He says “the conquest of an enemy becomes no so much a momentary supremacy over him as an acquisition and subsequent use of his particular genius.”
He offers us the keyword COMMAND. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree “is an unimpeachable control over life through a discipline of the self and its powers.”
So the illumination available via this Full Moon is through the light of command and control over nature or others’ expertise and skills, but we are also cautioned to be watchful of those who are violent, or unnecessarily brutal in their aggressiveness. Here we focus on what confirms us, our skills, and/or our life mission in a way suited to our individuality, and can do what we must to stabilize those skills that make our social or emotional existence more secure.
The Lunar degree symbol for the 24h degree of Scorpio is “Crowds coming down the mountain to listen to one man.” In the original notes from the Marc Jones class on the symbols, Rudhyar says this degree is one of “the power in well-formulated ideas to become actual facts,” “practical inspiration; or else inability to face a vital challenge.”
In the Mandala he states this degree is one of “the need to incorporate inspiring experiences and teachings into everyday living.” He says this is about assimilating “peak experiences,” and allowing that to “transform our everyday consciousness and behavior.” He offers the challenge of this symbol is to allow our Soul’s illumination to transfigure our lives. He states this degree falls in the Span of Appreciation, Act of Group-Integration, Scene of Faith on the Emotional-Social level.
Dr. Jones says this degree is about “recognition for intellectual attainment, and of the supremacy of spiritual over other more tangible forms of authority.” He states that “any higher realization must be brought to earth both for its initial confirmation and its ultimate sharing,” and “aspiration is meaningless until it achieves some practical focus” in familiar realms and events.
He offers the keyword of APPEAL. He states that when this degree works positively, it is “an almost spectacular ability to enlist the higher potentialities of everyone for some practical need of the moment.” This degree involves faith, magnetism, deeper connectedness, social responsibility, universality, and sustaining ideals.
So the focus of the illumination available via this Full Moon is that we will all have opportunities to use what we’ve heard, felt, or thought about to transform our lives and become those truths we’ve heard or experienced. As this was the exact degree where Saturn went stationary retrograde in early March, it shows that for the next 2 weeks the focus will be on the 7 month lessons Saturn’s been bringing us in the way of radical transformation, where we become the inspiration for others’ transformations, and others become our teachers to help us transform our lives.
As it's the Wesak and represents the "Buddha Wisdom" for the coming year, what Saturn's been teaching us and continues to teach us will be paramount in our learning how to overcome any sense of suffering as we encounter it. And a sense of frustration is a clear signal to use the truths you’ve found to change your way of acting, feeling, or thinking.
From these symbols it seems we can use the Light of assertiveness in some technique to confirm our power, expertise, and command to take shape through self-transformation. Here the Light of a realization the confirms a skill or ability to command helps us find forms that allow us to incorporate inspiring teachings into our everyday lives via a deeper faith.
As with the last several Full Moons, important transformations helping us move into a deeper living Mystery are evoked by this Lunation. This calls us to a greater empathy and ability to know shared feelings, and continues to educate us in an emotional understanding and intelligence we’ve been cultivating since last June. As usual, just keep moving with the flow, don’t try to push the river, and go deeper in your inner and outer feeling connections.
Learn to trust the process, and trust in your ability to navigate these currents as you embrace a new life. This feeling magnetism is showing us who are part of our Soul-group.
TransPluto, Divine Mother, Neptune, and the Polarization in the Collective Atmosphere
One important thing to note. In the Full Moon charts of 2009-2012, Neptune was in a very close opposition to TransPluto, the planet symbolizing Divine Mother Energy. That a factor in why things have been so polarized the past several years, teaching humanity compassion and the need for Viveka, or Divine Discrimination. This has offered all of us opportunities to join together in the Great Mother and realize our interrelatedness on a feeling level with All-That-Is.
The energies of Divine Mother will only grow stronger throughout this century, and these will be demonstrated each time the planets make significant aspects to TransPluto. In this chart TransPluto occupies the last degree of Leo, showing us the long term future of humanity. Again, the Divine Redeemer is showing us ways to show Viveka through understand the place and function of individual differences.
A brief note on the larger Era. We approach the end of the TransPluto (Percephone, Parvati) in Leo era that we’ve known since September 20, 1935. Since October, 2011, we’ve been a transition period where this planet will dance at the last degree of Leo and first degree of Virgo through July 5, 2014.
So enjoy this last period before the transition to a different transitional Era. After then we enter the TransPluto in Virgo era that will last through July 2107, when it leaves Virgo for good and re-enters Libra for the first time in many centuries, also after a few years of dancing on the cusp of Virgo and Libra.
As the Lunation articles have grown to impossible lengths, I’m again trying to find ways to trim them and reposition some of the material to make it easier to digest. So this closes part 2 on this Full Moon. Part 3 will cover important chart factors, New Moon themes, Jones Patterns and more, so I’ll see you soon!
Previous articles in this series:
© Copyright 2014 Robert Wilkinson
Great post. Very enlightening and helpful.
Blessing be in this full moon and Wesak festival.May we recognise our Oneness and deeper, truer self.
Nic
Posted by: Nic | May 13, 2014 at 02:25 PM
Bless you for guiding us through all of this. Happy Buddha Birthday!
Posted by: Scarlett | May 13, 2014 at 06:08 PM
"we become the inspiration for others’ transformations, and others become our teachers to help us transform our lives"
...So tru. Even if I don't know yet where I end up. Transformation in process...
Am I teacher or the student is still unclear.
Posted by: Helina | May 14, 2014 at 08:07 AM