Taurus Full Moon 2017

©2017 ML Monroe

November's Full Moon in Taurus follows on the heels of the New Moon in Libra calling us to find balance, to take time for ourselves, to open our eyes to the challenges. Jupiter and the Sun aligned to encourage our expansive and extensive wishes and seed-planting.

So here comes the powerhouse of the Full Moon in Taurus in the 11th month. A Numerology aside: 11 is a Master Number, with double digits. Not only that, it's a special Master Number because at its core is the ability to reach spiritual enlightenment as well as the duality of the Divine Masculine number 1 AND the Divine Feminine number 2. Balance.

Enough of that. Dipping a toe into numerology is enough for this particular Moon. The sacred energy of the number 11 coupled with the Taurus Full Moon equates to multiple opportunities for positive advancement in business, relationships and home. In every way, this Full Moon is supportive. Time to work on organizing, breaking free of old patterns, and beginning new chapters in life. In a nutshell, transformation. An action that is a challenge to many of us, yet truly necessary if we are to grow more fully into our beingness. Both the Master Number 11 and the Taurus Full Moon are providing the energy ~ if only we take the first step.

Part of that first step includes accepting and relying on our intuition. The Taurus Full Moon accentuates both its strength and accuracy. It also creates a protective space for meditation, lucid dreaming and other spiritual activities. All our dreams, both sleeping and waking, will be more creative and more vivid.

Draw on the energy of this Full Moon to release any fears holding you back from stepping into the life you are called to live. Break through barriers and move forward with strength. Be grounded and allow space for the grief that comes as we let go of what was and what never could be in order to step fully into what is.

If we rely on facts and science, we know that naming our emotions, recognizing and acknowledging them, stops the amygdala from slipping into that fear ~ or fight-or-flight ~ place. That allows our pre-frontal cortex time to breathe and recognize that we've been through this before.

Let's use the power of this Taurus Full Moon as the unique focal point it is. We continue to be called into the deeper and truer parts of ourselves and to develop ways to express those facets of who we are to the world at large. It's part of the duality of the gifts we are given and the gifts we have to offer to the world.

What do you need to let go of in order to grow? What do you stand for? Where do you find solid ground on which to stand? How do your values support you when your emotions get the best of you? What dream calls itself into reality through you right now? How do you express your trust in your own kindness?

Energies for Travel

Starting out on a month of travel, I chose a couple of cards from the Mythical Goddess Tarot by Sage Holloway and Katherine Skaggs. My focus as I shuffled and drew: What Energy/Energies go with me as I head out on this journey?

The first card was the 8 of Seas with the title Depletion. My initial reaction was that I'd somehow made a mistake. I hadn't been concentrating on the 'right' thing. We all know the truth of those kinds of reactions. Sometimes what we fear, what we draw away from, is precisely what we need to understand.

I grabbed the guide and read:
Saturn in Pisces
Beached whales lie ashore on gray sands under dull skies. There is no vitality, no light, ... in this landscape. This card is a caution against burnout and emotional depletion.
Your heart must have the nourishment and attention it needs, ... It is a top priority for you to nurture yourself and pay attention to your feelings ....

My jaw nearly dropped in amazement. Then I began to chuckle. Obviously, there was more to this draw than I'd appreciated on first glance. I'm growing past an experience that left me with a degree of PTSD. Even though I've been feeling better and life is going more smoothly, there is some residual angst. My journey is to visit friends who have always been supportive and uplifting. This card reassures that I am going to the right place for my continued healing.

The second draw was Uzume on the Fool. She looks exuberant dancing on the drum head. I love the Fool.

From the guide:
Air
Uzume is the whirling Japanese Goddess who lured the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, from her dark cave. ...
The Goddess Uzume dances to the whirling cosmos, without regard to the rules and restrictions of the physical world. Like the air element she represents, she has no agenda and no baggage. Uzume draws forth the child-like innocence in everyone she meets. She is the essence of Spirit. She embodies nonconformity and the transcendence of the earthly realm. Uzume is the archetypal Wild Woman. ...
Uzume as the Fool reminds you to be free in your expression and the way you view the world. .... Be like Uzume and free your inner radiance into expression, by being true to your genuine essence, released from the restricted limitations of your genetics and the world around you.

This brought home to me the other reason for my trip: to fully embrace the wildness and wonder of life. I have the opportunity to dance in a way that I haven't for awhile. I've felt this urge growing in recent weeks: the desire to move more freely, and with more joy, in my journey through the world. What an incredible pair of cards to draw!

How are you moving through the world? What saps your vitality? How does depletion show up in your life? What do you do when you feel the urge to dance, in whatever way that shows up? How does it show up in your life? When was the last time you opted to do something that had an element of the wild? What did you do? If it hasn't been recent, what can you do to encourage your own joyful nature?

Going with the Overflow

Haindl Tarot

As I was heading into the week, I drew a Tarot card from my current favorite deck by Haindl.

My question: What is the theme for the week?
My card: Three of Cups (Overflowing; Hexagram 28)

from the guide:

28 Preponderance of the Great. Three cups are in an upward pointing triangle symbolic of fire. The cave indicates that the card deals with inner experience. Rocks at the bottom hint at danger; however, the cups overflow with joy.

The I Ching hexagram on the card is 28 Ta Kuo ~ whose declaration is Preponderance of the Great. The bottom three lines are Xun (entrance, the wind); the upper three Dui (joy, the marsh). Together as Ta Kuo, they signify a large excess. The large masculine is excessive and the feminine is needed to properly counterbalance that excess.

In order to follow the energy of life, we discover that it is always seeking the best of what we may become. Nature's creativity thrives in diversity and brings opposites together. Cooperating with creative change generates the means to take us beyond our defenses in order to strike a balance and embrace the change.

Within this structure, the chance of danger remains. Creativity brims with life and vigor. Reaching for those elements presents an overstepping of the edges of safety and comfort. That's always a danger zone. Sometimes we tumble over that edge. Our response in those moments can take us further into that overflow of joy and trust or scrambling back to fear and limitation. The choice is always ours.

What is your experience of joy? How do you work with the sense of fear or loss that can arise with it? How does creativity show up in your life? What stops you from stepping fully into the flow? or into the overflow?

Longest Night, Shortest Day

Tonight in the Northern Hemisphere marks the longest night of 2016. How fitting! The world has been through many changes this year ~ including an explosion of violence (phrasing intended).

Tonight we embrace the long darkness. Tonight we encounter the shadow within ourselves. Tonight, no matter which side of any quarrel or battle we may be on, we share as a collective in that reflective shadow.

We are entwined with that Shadow ~ the collective and the personal ~ through this long night. In many of the ancient traditions, fires were lit to stave off that darkness. Stories were told throughout the night. Tales of encounter and battle with unseen and unknown foe would be told by the many of the elders. Children would be allowed to stay up or, if they fell asleep, would be kept close to the fires themselves.

In some of the even more ancient places which were built like Newgrange in Ireland to catch the first rays of the Winter Solstice sun, the night was spent in other forms of rituals. We have no clear knowledge of them except that the very building of the passage place would have taken much planning. Some of the labyrinthine caves and rock passages may have been used for the same type of encounters with the Shadow on that darkest night.

In our day and age, we have electric lights or candles or kerosene lamps. Most places have some way to insure the longest night doesn't have to be encountered in the dark. But when we do, when we allow our spirits to face the Shadow, we find the energy and strength to face it. We get a better understanding of the palpable Darkness and the Spirits that inhabit the dark spaces. After all that's been done and come undone in 2016, we would be wise to spend the time gaining that understanding.

Tomorrow brings with it the shortest day, with the moment of Winter Solstice at 10:44 UT. Light is often described as wan on short days such as this. Yet it also brings with it the reassurance that the nights are growing incrementally shorter and the days ever longer. Warmth and sunshine will follow close behind. Bleak, overcast, dreary days will continue for awhile longer. Soon enough, we will find ourselves in the midst of greenery and bright colored blooms. But for now, the Shadow remains our sole comfort.... or discomfort, as the case may be.

What do you see when you encounter the Shadow? How do you embrace the darkness? What do you want to find when you awaken into tomorrow's light? What does the Shadow mean to you? How will you continue to prepare for the lengthening light of the days?

Preponderance of the Great

Haindl Tarot

From the guide, on the Three of Cups, Overflowing:

Three cups are in an upward triangle symbolic of fire. The cave indicated that the card deals with inner experience. Rock at the bottom hint of danger; however, the cups overflow with joy.
I Ching Hexagram in upper left:
28 Preponderance of the Great.

The divinatory meaning of this card begins with great feeling, an extreme joy that can turn to tears. Cups are indicative of emotion. The three also evokes celebration, community and creativity. It represents coming together for the greater good of the community. Its creative focus suggests pursuing creativity in a group environment for connection and full access.

On the bottom of the card, it shows the link to Mercury in Cancer and the expression of the mind, language, learning and information for survival. The Haindl image shows emotions in the natural flow of the water, filling the cups and overflowing with the outpouring of emotions with significant others.

My question as I drew this card was: What energy will carry me through the final day of this election season? 

As usual, I'm amazed that the card drawn fit so well. Although this indicates that the experience is predominantly inner, my circle of friends ~ with our connection and understanding of each other ~ will slip it into the realm a shared experience as well. 

Another way I shared an experience tonight was by observing a speech online as it was being given in Philadelphia. I commented and watched my comment roll through with everyone else's. I felt a part of history in the making. Yet I sat at home alone while doing it.

With the undertones of rocky times, the entire election also carries an energy of joy ~ of the possibility of breaking another glass ceiling. Even with the dark undertone, the sense of hope and joy bodes well. Community joining together to support and celebrate brings joy, even if there are some rocky or dangerous moments. What might the danger be? What might bring us to those difficult places? How much will it darken the mood of the election?

Mercury in Cancer brings the focus of communication on all levels ~ with the result being the survival and strength of the community. Lots of emotion, which indeed is true around this election. 

My favorite pointer on the card is the I Ching numeration of 28 spotlighting Preponderance of the Great. This refers to an advantage for standing in personal power, fully accepting the need for change and fully present to the flow necessary for success with a knowing that the current situation cannot last and change must come. It is also being prepared for that change. 

What is the change and creativity this brings for me? My personal power rests in creativity. I look forward to the energy shifting through the next couple of days ~ being able to let go of the collective breath and find my own pattern again.

What does the Preponderance of the Great mean to you? for you? What do you look forward to as this election draws to a close? How do you find the pattern for your own creativity? How does your community support you through this time? What are you willing to let go of in order to bring about change?

September Next Steps

Mythical Goddess Tarot ~ Holloway & Skaggs

From the Guide:

The Maiden of Fire is the wild woman who burns through the status quo with her heart of fire. She releases the binds to the old and transmutes the mundane outmoded form into the New Earth. She is unattached to the past, bringing innovation and cutting edge perspective.
This revolutionary Goddess of fire is here to assist you in the fiery release of all that shackles you to the past and outmoded form. You are ready for her pure flame to ignite your passion to ascend in frequency that you may change, heal and express your untamed essence. She brings the revolutionary power of change to you, inviting you to step into your true radiance and shine the light for others!

This week, we experienced a New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo. Whew! Lots of energy opening up there. Lots of opening up energy too ~ patterns that have served us for the past six months slipping out the gateway; new patterns settling in for the next six months. As the saying goes: Be careful what you wish for...... This is a time for setting those wishes in motion. A time to rework and reorganize our belief and value systems. A time to reweave, reconnect and restructure our connection to the web of life around us.

As I focused on the Tarot cards today, I simply asked for the energy that I would need to move forward from here. The Maiden of Fire ~ Revolution Herself ~ showed up. Reading the information from the Guide, I recognized that She is the Next Step for me ~~ precisely what I need to move forward after the New Moon Solar Eclipse. Someone Who will help me release the chains and dedications of the past, stand fully in the present moment, and move cleanly into the future. I want to focus my energy in each place in turn ~ until the form of what I'm calling forth reveals itself.

How is the New Moon Solar Eclipse touching your life? What are you letting go? What are you seeding? What do you want to see more of in your life? Who is showing up to help you? How will you define your next step? Where are you focusing your energy?

Aquarius Full Moon

© 2016 ~ ML Monroe

We are in the influence of another remarkable Full Moon ~ this time in Aquarius accompanied by a penumbral eclipse. 

Aquarius is the sign of joined work and humanitarian efforts. It's about caring for others as well as the creative impulse to rally for what we believe in ~ all done in a convivial, playful way.

In this moment, we stand at the crossroads of a Leo Sun and an Aquarius Moon in a combined focus of ME and WE. Aquarius lifting us beyond the personal focus of Leo to the communal good.

.Aquarius creates the energy for the freedom to experiment with a variety of behaviors, expressions and lifestyles. It encourages us to extend those freedoms to others.

Uranus, which rules Aquarius, provides the necessary energy to break up the status quo and make way for transitioning to the new.

Our current transition to the Age of Aquarius reveals its shadow side as well ~ the unpredictable side that seeks to destroy without having a more innovative and positive solution in place.

Be aware of and awake to intuitive flashes and synchronicities showing up under the influence of Uranus and Aquarius. Practice allowing the thoughts their space and thinking/reacting in the world on the fly. Accept the inspirations as they arise and trust the right timing of them. That's what this Moon is all about!

Where do you have your focus so intent that you don't see the forest for the trees? Can you detach yourself from the outcome, even a little? What is your concept of a perfect world? How can you begin to implement even a little of that into your life? What intuitions have surfaced in your thoughts? Have you acted on them? What happened if you did? How did you feel with either choosing to act on them or to let them fly by?

New Moon in Aries

This New Moon in Aries arrives on the 7th of April at 6:39 a.m. PT. It is also a Super Moon, a Perigee New Moon, at its closest orbital point to the Earth. Along with that, there are other energies making this one of the most intense New Moons of the year. It is time to draw deeply on our own individuality and use our personal freedom and creativity.

This New Moon's Sun/Moon alignment is conjunct Revolutionary Uranus and Warrior Eris while opposite Dark Moon Lilith and square to Underworld God Pluto. Very powerful and balanced with Masculine and Feminine energies as well as Light and Dark energies. These lead us to wholeness.

The Balance that comes with this New Moon carries a wisdom for quiet reflection and strength enough to recognize and acknowledge the times when simply we do not yet know. This New Moon is all about acting for LIFE rather than simply for SELF. It's time to clear out expectations and allow life to gift us with its wisdom along the path.

It also brings caution in dealing with change in our lives during this month. Even though it is a time of transition, we need to enter it with strength for making order from chaos both in our personal lives and in the more global perspective.

We also need to keep in perspective and in mind that all of this comes on the heels of a shatteringly powerful eclipse during the past Moon cycle. Be gentle with ourselves. Feel fully and follow our gut instincts. Stay awake and aware!

How are you feeling as this New Moon washes over you? What are you going to give up during this New Moon? What newness are you going to embrace as we move forward toward the next Full Moon? How will the Balance of Masculine and Feminine, Light and Dark show up in your life?

Libra Full Moon Lunar Eclipse

This week gave us another significant astrological occurrence ~ a Libra Full Moon with a Lunar Eclipse. Lots of big energy moves with this one. It completes, or continues, some cycles which have been on-going for the past year. The energy will ripple out for the next several months.

This March is providing several major charges of energy: a Solar Eclipse, the Spring/Fall Equinox, a Full Moon, a Lunar Eclipse, Holi, Purim, Good Friday and Easter. Every one of those events is about change.

Lunar Eclipses bring clarity, direction and a level of completion to what has been working its way through and in our lives. This particular Lunar Eclipse is in Libra, signifying balance, compromise, harmony, cooperation, and relationships. What it brings in is the space for us to connect with our inner and outer world in order to see our path forward and if we need to change course or not. However, because it is ending a cycle, it's important to make peace with our past, no matter what it's brought into our lives.

There is much to be considered with the energy of Libra in this Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse. First, remember to hold space for both sides: light and dark, good and evil, self and others. Learn from the combined aspects of these dualities, hopefully creating Jung's creative third path. Release the need to be right; embrace the possibilities of deep communication.

Remember that the dual energy also includes time to relax and time to play. We will be better off if we are gentle with ourselves ~ accepting and forgiving our own short-comings.

Personally, I found the energy of this Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse stunning. It expanded and exploded within and outside me in the most amazing ways. The day before, I woke from a dream of explosions and found there has been a bombing at the Brussels airport. The day after, I came face-to-face with how I will dance with changes coming in my life as well as what will continue to create those changes.

How do you feel about your own power? Do you see yourself as victim? victor? creator? How do you work with any of these images of yourself? How do you approach your inner demons? do you acknowledge them? befriend them? fight them? What happens when you face the power, overt or subtle, of others in your life? Do you take time to discern your own right path?

Summer Solstice 2015

Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year, arrives today. The majesty of the Sun shining through 14 to 20 hours is awe-inspiring. Then Lady Moon shows herself, this year in a dainty growing crescent, for so brief a span.

This Summer Solstice brings with it more renewal. There have been a number of gateways of change and shift happening in 2015 ~ even though the energies may have begun as long as two years ago.

Solstice is a time of celebration, and in particular, of fire and fecundity. Look at the flowers, at the gardens, at the fields. Every thing is in bloom, bringing with it ripeness and sweetness. This year, many of my gardener friends have told me that their gardens have ripened early. They continue to speculate ~ and noisily discuss ~ about the duration of the growing season. Will the plants continue to produce their crops (berries, tomatoes, etc.)? Or will they complete their growing cycle more quickly, leaving a fallow time to fill out the remainder of the summer?

Summer Solstice also brings with it a time of reflection. It is one of the Quarters that marks the seasonal calendar. I choose to burn incense ~ sage, to cleanse and renew; frankincense to reconnect with the Holy Mystery. Drumming calls in the directions and honors the guides who show up and grace the entry into a new season. Ritual always connects me, connects us, with the threads running through our lives and all of Life in, on and through the Earth.

What do you do to celebrate the Summer Solstice? Why? How do you honor the change of the seasons? Are they important to you? Why or why not?

Allowing the Wild Storm

Sacred Rebels Oracle by Alana Fairchild

Since it was the weekend, I decided to draw a card for the coming week. What was my focus for the coming week? What was the most important point for me to keep in my awareness? What showed up: After the Storm.

From the Guidebook:
"There is, in life and in the creative process, a need to allow for wild storms. There will be those precious moments of peace beforehand, and the release and revitalisation that follows, yet the storm in the middle is essential! ...[T]he storm wisdom offers you the gift of bringing things to a head, and clearing them away, so that the energy can be freed from a pattern that has had its day, and is ready to become something new."

I've spent a good chunk of the past year weathering the storm. There have been bright, sunny, blue-sky spots as well as dark, forbidding, sudden-squall spots. I've been blessed with friends both new and old who have ridden out the shifts and changes with me. I love that this card has shown itself at this precise moment in time. It's the blossoming force of the creative process that has provided the life-changing, mind-altering energy to keep me moving forward, ever onward.

It isn't lost on me that the creature flying in the bright creative moonlight after the storm is an Owl. Owl has guided me through dark times for many, many years. It was my high school mascot. No matter where I've traveled, Owl has insisted on being a Light Bearer and guide for me. This beautiful, moon-faced barn owl is haunting and hunting me, leading me through the darkest moments of the storm. I am grateful.

What storm is brewing in your life? or what storm has recently passed? How does your creative energy express before, during and after the storm? Do you fear the storm? or find it exciting? What's your next creative step?

Relax and Enjoy

My life of late has been busy and full. Work keeps me busy for five days of the week. Weekends are full of relaxation.

Although that phrasing ~ full of relaxation ~ sounds like an oxymoron, it is not.

The busyness of work is all about performance. Doing my best at a particular set of tasks. The tasks are defined by my superiors with little input from me. Creativity, encouraged on some level, is not always needed, useful or applicable. All that's okay on the job. I like what I do and I keep getting better and better at doing it.

The fullness of the weekend is creativity, which is singularly relaxing. It doesn't matter what I'm doing ~ gardening, walking, visiting with friends, shopping, reading, writing, photography ~ all of that, which encompasses and is encompassed by my creative energy, is relaxing.

While I was out today ~ watching a movie, wandering an art show, walking with a friend ~ I saw the nearly full Moon showing Her face in the daytime sky and snapped a picture. For me, today and often other times, the Moon symbolizes my shifting and creative energy. Any time She poses in the sky, I gladly take Her picture.

What do you enjoy? How do you define relaxation? Does it differ from your job? Where does your creative blossom?