Full Moon in Taurus for 2019

Note: Astrology forecasts are inevitably generalized because they can’t account for each individual’s birth chart and how it interfaces with the current planetary positions. This post focuses primarily on the full Moon. Each week, Modern Witch creator Devin Hunter writes a magical astrology forecast for the week as a whole that I encourage you to check out! Also, this post refers to the pure, archetypal forms of the zodiac signs, not what we see in actual people, who each have complex birth charts.

On Tuesday, November 12th at 5:34 a.m. PST, the full Moon in Taurus will rise. When the Moon is full, it’s on the opposite side of the earth from the Sun. This situates it in the opposite zodiac sign too, forming a polarity or “opposition,” where each planet pulls at the other. With the Sun and Moon, this surfaces tension between our core sense of self (Sun) and our emotions, instincts, and subconscious (Moon). Insights and revelations can stem from this restless meeting, and full Moons are said to inspire illumination and revelation, alongside completion, fruition, and release. As the lunar qualities within us reach their peak, matters can come to a head.

This full Moon finds us at the polarity between Scorpio and Taurus. Scorpio is an intense, strong-willed water sign that focuses on truth, transformation, intimacy, and the shadow. During Scorpio season (the time when the Sun is in Scorpio), life takes on a Scorpionic texture. We have greater access to Scorpio’s gifts of candor, regeneration, and integrating light and shadow, and also its potential pitfalls, like neuroticism and excessive suspicion.

Scorpio is ruled by Pluto aka “Truth at Any Cost,” and Scorpio season can push what we avoid or deny to the surface, calling us to face our fear of the dark. In doing so, we realize that the monster on the chair was just a pile of clothes (or if it was a monster, that we can ultimately handle it). By owning our shadow, we can experience deeper aspects of our being and greater freedom.

“Rivers Know This: There is No Hurry.” -Winnie the Pooh

Each full Moon highlights a sign whose season is six months away. This time, that’s Taurus. While Scorpio dives into unseen depths, Taurus luxuriates in embodiment, standing firm where it is. It revels in sensuality and the everyday activities of life. Ruled by pleasure-oriented Venus, Taurus loves creature comforts, warm sun, and affectionate touch. On a deeper level, Taurus is the mystical dimension of our animal nature, able to innately work with the body as a vehicle for spiritual revelation. It experiences spirit through the senses like no other sign, whether that’s in savoring a meal or a lover’s kiss.

Taurus can teach us about the intelligence of Nature and wisdom of our bodies. Earthly life is enough for it, not because Taurus is simple and dense, but because Taurus doesn’t need to prove to itself that life is holy. It already knows. A Taurus full Moon can be a powerful time for experiencing that sanctity ourselves, for slowing down and entering the serenity of the present moment. We can also explore the ways in which we aren’t appreciating the divine in our day-to-day lives, and resolve to appreciate it more.

Let’s Talk About Sex

All oppositions share common threads. One between Taurus and Scorpio is resources, with Taurus governing personal ones and Scorpio governing shared ones. They’re also the most sexual signs, which they approach differently. Where Taurus is sensual and primal, Scorpio is psychic and emotional. Sex is a primary vehicle for each to realize its potential, sex not just as pleasure, but a threshold to awakening.

Sex is one of our greatest sources of creativity, connection, euphoria, and higher consciousness, even when practiced alone, and the Taurus full Moon is the most sexual night of the year (tied with the full Moon in Scorpio). The former is more about lust in the context of passion, while the latter is more about passion in the context of lust. Lust has a bad reputation in many spiritual circles, and that’s well-deserved when it’s undisciplined and paired with cultural influences that encourage folks to disregard procuring sexual consent. Fundamentally though, lust is the voice of Nature calling us to surrender to the freedom of ecstasy. It’s a sacred part of the human experience that Taurus and Scorpio innately understand as spiritual.

Many of us were taught that lust is unholy and unhealthy. If we see it accordingly, that’s how we’ll experience it. By framing it as sacred instead, we can find the sanctity within it, and this full Moon can be harnessed for that type of healing.

For those of us who feel disconnected from our bodies, sexuality, or sensuality, we can work with this Moon more gently. Mindful eating, self-massage, and showering with the intention of honoring our bodies can be revelatory. We all deserve pleasure and care. One gift of Taurus is an inborn acceptance of that and the elevation of it to the level of ritual, where we celebrate and worship the miracle of life through reveling in our own.

Scorpio season reminds us that there are hidden depths to our being that are worth exploring, while Taurus reminds us that these depths are manifest in the world. We need only realize that. Relatedly, given Taurus’s inherent animism and the Scorpionic thinning of the veil, this is a powerful opportunity to connect with the spirits of the land around us.

Additionally, Taurus is a practical sign that craves physical security, and one use of this full Moon can be contemplating our personal resources: does our home nourish us? How is our money management? Our physical health? This is also an excellent time for checking in on goals. Taurus does what it sets its mind to (it’s the tortoise that beats the hare), and this can be an auspicious night for making resolutions.

Expanding the View

Otherwise, Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio, which may surface emotional wounds, particularly related to misunderstanding, and there’s opportunity for healing there. Mercury and Neptune go direct on the 20th and 27th, respectively, with both dosing us with their energy, which could be inspiring or befuddling.

Sagittarius season begins on the 22nd, deepening our annual process of inner exploration. Sagittarius rockets off of the insights gained during Scorpio season to find the Golden Fleece. We’re deep enough in the Underworld to discover an assortment of treasures if we open to its optimism. Sagittarius trusts that light will come again at Yule, and with that, understanding. By connecting with Sagittarius, we can find that light and understanding within.

For those of you who work with Tarot, here’s a spread for this full Moon:

• Card One: What’s beneficial for me to see that I’m missing?
• Card Two: How can I better embody myself?
• Card Three: What could I stand to focus on related to my resources?
• Card Four: How can I feel more comfortable?
• Card Five: What am I doing well that I can draw assurance from?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider learning about my forthcoming book, The Little Work: Magic to Transform Your Everyday Life, due from Llewellyn Worldwide in March.