Full Lunar Eclipse in Taurus

Full Lunar Eclipse in Taurus, 8th November at 11.01 AM (GMT)

Eclipses always happen in solar/lunar pairs (more rarely, three eclipses can take place in a season). Solar eclipses happen on a new moon and lunar eclipses happen on a full moon. The second eclipse of this Scorpio season is a full lunar eclipse in Taurus happening on November 11th. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to view the eclipse in the UK – it will be visible in USA, Canada, South America, Australia and much of Asia – but we will experience its powerful energy.

An eclipse of the moon occurs when the earth lies directly between the sun and the moon, meaning that the earth’s shadow moves over the surface the moon. Twice every month, as the moon circles the earth in its orbit, it crosses the ecliptic – the earth’s orbital plane - at points called nodes. In astrology, the nodes are often referred to as the nodes of destiny, with the north node (Taurus) speaking to our future and the south node (Scorpio), to our past; our karma.

Eclipses are part of larger cosmic rhythm and, in this sense, are a staple part of our lives. They are nothing to be feared, even though they can feel energetically charged and possibly challenging. Eclipses are a huge celestial check in point. And lunar eclipses in particular are a time for closure, completion and culmination. They are the end of one six-month cycle, and the beginning of another. The last eclipse we had in Taurus was on 1st May and was solar, the next was lunar and took place on 15th May in Scorpio. The second eclipse season sees a switching of lunar and solar in these fixed signs. Think back to May. With hindsight, can you identify anything momentous that ended or began around this time?

Eclipses can be revelatory and often bring what is hidden to light. During any full moon, we are working with an axis of energy. Under this full moon, the sun is in Scorpio and the moon in Taurus. The Scorpionic energy here invites us to submerge in the self; to go into the darkness of the unconscious – Scorpio is all about the underworld, the hidden and the secret – in order bring truth back into the light. Mercury (the messenger) is in Scorpio during this full moon, opposing Uranus, which emphasises this theme of truth, perhaps through something surprising, or a shocking event. The Taurian aspect of this axis is much simpler. It is providing a space for us to integrate the deep-diving complexity of Scorpio season and the last new moon into our bodies. Taurus is earth; Taurus is grounded. It is about safety, security and feeling at home. This full lunar eclipse in Taurus invites us go into the darkness but then come very firmly into the body and into the light. To be present and integrate what has been revealed. To just simply be.

One way to do this is to disconnect from our phones. In her book Your Time to Thrive, Marina Khidekel talks about “tech creep”. “We’ve given technology the front seat – the guest-of-honour status, really – in every aspect of our lives. Our phones follow us into the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom; the tag along during our commutes and doctors’ appointments. They’re the third wheel on dates, the intruding party-crasher during family time and all our social interactions.” We are not fully present when we’re with our phones. During the next days of this eclipse energy, see if you can find a time to switch off your phone. Unplug. Breathe and connect to your body.

During this full moon, fixed sign energy is going to be totally lit up. We have six planets in fixed signs. This may be experienced as a buildup of energy, particularly a buildup of frustration. Saturn (containment, control) is squaring Uranus (freedom) which further augments this need for release. And release we will have, as this is what eclipses – and lunar eclipses in particular – are all about. If you can, give yourself the gift of disconnection from technology – from “hyperconnectivity” as Marina Khidekel calls it – and consciously try to stay grounded, and in your body. Doing this could be hugely supportive in navigating these big, purgative energies that are ultimately making space for new, wonderful things in our lives.

Image credit: Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

Excerpt from: Your Time to Thrive, Marina Khidekel and the editors of Thrive Global, Headline Home (2021), p. 26 - 27

Lynsey Allett5 November 2022