Full Moon in Scorpio: The Submerged Moon

Soon after midnight (EDT) on Friday, April 22, the Moon opposes the Sun to become Full. This is a time of illumination, of seeing clearly. Except, this Full Moon is surrounded by mystical, magical, watery, foggy, confusing energies. She will still be shining, but where? How? What are we meant to see? This will not be an obvious Moon.

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Welcome to the Full Moon in Scorpio. Scorpio is Fixed Water, the deepest, darkest sign of the Zodiac. This is the sign of the occult, of what is taboo. This is the sign of the Shadow. Which means, this is also the sign where our gold is hiding. Here we find the parts of ourselves we deny because the world found them unacceptable. Intense and transformative sexuality is here. Experiences so shattering they are like a death are here. Also, death is here. Scorpio is real, but not nice. Scorpio will not cover up to make things easier.

The Sun is in Taurus, opposite the Moon. This is the sign of Spring, new growth, stability, clarity, the “real world.” Taurus, ruled by Venus, revels in the senses. But that extrasensory stuff? Not so much. At this Full Moon, the Taurus Sun helps keep us anchored in the body, while the Moon beckons us into the depths of the psyche.

We have a Scorpio Full Moon every Spring. Not all feel as deep as this one. Mars, ruler of this Full Moon (because he rules Scorpio) has just turned retrograde. Mars retrograde moves very, very, very slowly. So, the active, hot off the mark, here-today-gone-tomorrow guy is standing still this month, bouncing on the balls of his feet. We’ll all notice this in a variety of ways (many of which could be frustrating).

Since Mars can’t move as he usually does and needs something to do with the Full Moon energy, we might feel him going straight down, or deep within, or whatever direction feels intense and soul-driven. Mars is forming a slightly loose but still potent T-square with Neptune and Jupiter, which will enhance the mystical energy around this Moon. Jupiter, like Mars (and Pluto and Saturn) is retrograde. All these planets are focused on the inner life.

For Neptune, inner and outer are the same. Neptune is the energy of “it’s all one.” Mars, ruler of the Full Moon, is getting challenged by Jupiter to think deeply and sort out what’s true. And Mars is being challenged by Neptune to feel deeply and align with our deepest soul intentions. This is not usually Mars territory, but hey, he’s not going anywhere, so soul searching could be on the table.

The Taurus Sun is ruled by Venus, who is sitting in Aries right next to revolutionary Uranus. It’s as if Venus and Mars are wearing each others’ costumes for this Full Moon. Venus has all the yang. Mars is deeply yin. Another way deep issues can be illuminated.

This Full Moon becomes part of the ongoing transformation we’re experiencing. What will be illuminated for us depends on where we are in our process.

If, for example, we’ve been focusing exclusively on the light, we may be in for a nasty shock. If we’ve come to believe we’re spiritually evolved and have worked through all our stuff already, the Full Moon could show us exactly where we’re pretending. Let’s say the Full Moon falls in our Fourth House of home and family. We could experience the reality of Ram Dass’ quote, “If you think you’re enlightened, spend a weekend with your parents.”

If, on the other hand, we’ve been playing it small, pretending we don’t really have any bliss to follow and our small life is just fine, the Full Moon could shine such a compelling light on the dream we’re denying, we might find ourselves on the path again. This Full Moon in the Fifth House of creativity and passion might fill us with such longing that we find ourselves painting, writing, singing, baking, or building again before we know what’s hit us.

We will be offered the chance to see something that is holding us back. If we accept the invitation and look deeply at whatever it is, things will change.

This need not be deadly serious. Scorpio, perhaps because of its proximity to death in all its forms, can be very sardonic. Irony, sarcasm, the ability to laugh at oneself no matter what: All these are very Scorpionic. When we add in the Neptunian influence, we could get a healthy dose of the absurd.

Consider xkcd‘s feature “what if?” in which they offer “serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions.” In answering a question about what it would be like to swim on the Moon, they describe things I absolutely want to experience that are perfect for this Full Moon.

It turns out the swimming part would be about the same, since our resistance in moving through water would be about the same. But being in much less gravity would mean we could leap through the water into the air like dolphins. Propelling ourselves out of the water into less gravity would feel like flying. With swim fins, they say, a strong swimmer could do a high dive in reverse.

There are so many legends about submerged treasure. Pirate ships filled with gold and jewels. Lyonesse, the Land Beneath the Waves. The lost civilization of Atlantis. There is a motif in Celtic myth called fire-in-water than can be traced all the way back to IndoEuropean tales. Something in our psyche knows there is treasure to be found beneath the sea.

This month’s Full Moon in Scorpio has the power to show us where the treasure lies. We may need courage to dive into the depths. We may also need a touch of the absurd to allow us to not only swim with the dolphins but also soar with them.