By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis | Lunations


Full Moon in Taurus -- October 26, 2007, 04:52 UT. Chart by Solar Fire.
THE FULL MOON at two-plus degrees Taurus invites us to search for our inner child and boldly to express our creativity, even if it seems a little risky. The Full Moon happens right near the Chiron discovery degree, which was three-plus degrees Taurus. This gives us awareness in the midst of the current contradictory celestial influences.

Last time we were talking about ancient dignities and the different kind of rulerships in astrology. For example, if you're a Libra, your planet, Venus, is said to be the ruler of your sign. But if you're a Pisces, your sign is also associated with Venus because Venus is exalted in Pisces. Exalted is like being a visiting king in a friendly nation; you are treated with dignity. The Moon is exalted in Taurus.

The Moon in Taurus has the focus on security, material well-being and values. In negative aspect this can lead to greediness and being perpetually stuck or stubborn. The Sabian Symbol for two-plus degrees Taurus is "Steps up to a lawn blooming with clover." The keyword is "hopefulness". The symbol is offering spiritual abundance, as the three-leaf of clover can be seen representing the Holy Trinity, or the Triple Goddess.

The Sun is in the depth sign Scorpio, conjunct Mercury, which is busy retrograding in Libra. The exact conjunction occurred on Oct. 23 in the first degree of Scorpio and Mercury retrograded back to Libra on Oct. 24. When a planet is retrograde the energy is turned inward, but the Sun in Scorpio helps the creative ideas provided by Mercury to penetrate the surface (depicted by the sting in the glyph of Scorpio).

Mercury is tightly sextile Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio. Pluto is approaching his third and last conjunction with the Galactic Core, before ingressing to Capricorn for the first time in January 2008. Pluto is right at the Galactic Core aligning with the window to the Source on Oct. 28. At the bright core of our galaxy there is a supermassive black hole and a lot of dark matter. This is a metaphor for subconscious, from which creative impulses arise. The effect is intense. We may perceive it as something which is coming from outside us but which really is within us.

Both Scorpio and Taurus are fixed signs and they represent stability and are prone to resist change. Holding things the way they are isn't always the best procedure though. Make conscious choices keeping in mind what you want to create. Venus is the ruler of Taurus (where the Moon is now) and Libra (where Mercury is now). The stability of Taurus and Scorpio is challenged by the opposition between Venus and the rebellious Uranus. Asteroid Icarus is exactly conjunct Jupiter in Sagittarius. This conjunction is in the middle of the opposition squaring Venus and Uranus, and square is a dynamic aspect of something happens. According to Sue Tompkins, squares describe where we meet the world and make an impact upon it and where the outer world makes an impact upon us. This T-square pattern asks us to be brave and let our imagination fly.

Asteroid Hephaistos is in exact conjunction with the Moon. In Greek mythology Hephaistos was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy, and fire. His Roman equivalent was Vulcan, husband of Venus. Alice A. Bailey, in her 1951 book Esoteric Astrology, described Taurus as the foundry of the soul, the hot furnaces and anvils of which are not ruled by Venus, but rather by her consort Vulcan, the divine blacksmith. And it is in Vulcan's shop that the whole process of greed and desire that has led to the mess that humanity is in, she says, becomes reversed, and where the life of the soul takes form and consciousness.

Asteroid Child in Aquarius Squares the Sun and the Moon

The Full Moon chart is colored with septile aspects. A septile is an aspect which you get when you divide the circle by seven (= 51 degrees 26 minutes). The seven series also includes the bi-septile (the multiple of the septile by two) and the triseptile (the multiple of the septile by three). The suggested orbs are very tight, only one-to-two degrees maximum for the septile and a half degree for the multiples.

In the Full Moon chart Neptune septiles Pluto. This is one of the septiles in a long series of them forming between Neptune and Pluto between the years 2002 and 2012. The Sun forms a biseptile to Varuna, which is the most elevated planet in the chart cast for The Hague, Netherlands, and also the apex planet of a Yod formed by Jupiter, Neptune and Varuna. Venus triseptiles Neptune. There are two chains of accurate septiles which almost run around the chart. The first chain is formed by Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter/Icarus and Chiron. The second chain is formed by Quaoar, Nessus, Bienor, Sedna/Ceres and Mars.

Septiles are mostly described as creative and inspirational aspects and having to do with sacred matters. The study of Kollerstrom and O'Neill shows that septiles are relevant to the process of scientific inspiration and prominent in the moments of a breakthrough of the scientific discoveries that have changed the course of history.

But septiles also have their darker side. They can have a disruptive nature and feel threatening. The septile aspect is said to represent the concept of the shadow. The shadow arises from the depths of the unconscious. It is dark material bursting into light. According to Carl Jung, the shadow is instinctive and irrational, but is not necessarily evil even when it might appear to be so. Its effects can be positive as well as negative. The shadow may operate as our greatest source of strength, the place where important growth can take place, unless we try to push the dark issues away. The shadow may also be a great source of inspiration and creativeness. As astrologer Steven Forrest has put it, "In a nutshell, the Shadow embraces everything that gets you hot."


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