The Taurus Full Moon Lunar Eclipse will grace the sky on October 28th reaching peak illumination at 4:24pm EST.
This blog post covers all you need to know about the Taurus Full Moon lunar eclipse along with a simple eco-somatic ritual to explore.
In this blog post you will find:
Introduction: Moon 101
The sun and moon are in a cyclical relationship as they weave through the seasons of the zodiac. This celestial dance provides us with an intuitive road map to explore our own inner/outer journey as we too make our way through the ebb and flow of nature's seasons and come into new and ever-changing dimensions of our lives.
While the sun is ruler of the day and influences our "outer" expression in the world, it is to no surprise that, as ruler of the tides and queen of the night, the moon is also ruler of our emotions and "inner" felt experience. Our emotions have long been associated with representations of water and the sea: fluid, ever-changing, ebbing and flowing. As the moon pulls at the tides, we also experience this influencing force on our emotions, desires, shadow realms, fears/worries, psyche, and dreams.
Self-knowledge arises through a process of uncovering hidden layers of self through revelation and integration. This process is mirrored in the ebb and flow of the moon which is why it's something we learn to observe and track. As the light of the moon waxes, more of what lies hidden becomes revealed - our deeper motivations, mechanisms, and feelings. As the light of the moon wanes, we are given time to integrate these new learnings and discoveries.
This Full Moon falls within the sign of Taurus only five days after the Sun shifted into the sign of Scorpio. Keep reading to learn how you can use this moon portal to explore new dimensions of self seeking expression in the world.
Full Moon Energy
Since the moon is the closest "planet" to Earth, this satellite zips around the zodiac very quickly, completing its round in less than a month. Actually, the entire trip takes 29.53 days, to be exact, and is measured from one new Moon to the next. We call this a lunation or lunar cycle. The peak or mid-point of every lunation happens on a full Moon.
This full Moon in Taurus marks the mid-point of the current Libra lunar cycle. During a Full Moon, the Earth is sitting between the Moon and Sun. The Sun's light illuminates the face of the Moon for all to see. From the vantage point of Earth, the Moon and Sun are dwelling in opposite constellations, thus forming an opposition. This can make for a challenging or intense aspect of energy but also full of potential since the polarities (yin & yang) are in natural harmonic balance. In this case, the influencing energies of Sun (Scorpio) and Moon (Taurus) are in a dynamic conversation that we will explore.
You can think of the full Moon phase as a culmination moment in a particular energetic cycle, where some inner change, new awareness, or intention that was revealed six months ago is reaching maturation, coming into full form, or manifesting in some way. The bright light of the full moon illuminates or brings to the surface something that is ready to be seen, integrated or incorprated more deeply into who you are becoming. Full Moon energy is a time for honoring the journey, celebrating your growth, offering gratitude and being with any grief. It can be an emotionally intense time filled with creative energy that's longing for expression.
Eclipse Energy
Eclipses are an alignment of the Sun, Moon, Earth and lunar nodes that occur periodically as these celestial bodies dance around each other in orbit. Four to six eclipses take place every year and each one takes place during a new and full Moon phase.
Eclipses occur when the Moon reaches its upper and lower thresholds of its tilted elliptical orbit. These boundaries are the lunar nodes. The lunar nodes are not tangible objects but mathematical points in space where the Moon’s orbit intersects the Sun’s apparent path. When the Moon reaches these thresholds, it forms a perfect alignment with the Sun and Earth. It is here that a new Moon becomes a solar eclipse and a full Moon a lunar eclipse.
Despite the quality, this video does a good job of describing how Eclipses are related to the North and South Nodes.
Taurus Insights
SYMBOL | BULL: symbol of strength, tenacity, virility, and power. Left alone, a bull will happily graze; but if it is bothered, it will charge.
PLANETARY RULER | VENUS: planet of love, beauty, harmony and pleasure.
ELEMENT | EARTH: element of physicality and matter.
HOUSE | 2ND HOUSE: The House of Value rules the degree to which we are faithful to our values, money and personal finances, sense of self-worth, personal possessions.
MODALITY | FIXED: represents stability in sustained action, the conscious development of awareness, and the growth process.
The TAURUS FULL MOON occurs once a year when the Sun is in the sign of Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 23). It comes 6 months after the Taurus New Moon, when the Sun and Moon were conjunct in the sign of Taurus on May. 19th. The Taurus Full Moon always arrives in the season of late Autumn and early Winter, around the midpoint between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice. Taurus and Scorpio belong on the Fixed Cross of Stability. During Scorpio season, themes of descent, inner composting, shadow work and transformation are strong. These are important pieces when contemplating the energetics of the Taurus Full Moon.
Two weeks ago, the Libra New Moon Solar Eclipse was emphasizing themes of attunement and reciprocity as necessary skills toward creating relational harmony within an ecosystem or collective. Balance is not static, rather it is an emergent dance of reciprocity, an intuitive responsiveness to changing conditions. By making a practice of coming home to a rooted sense of self, you grow your capacity to pay attention to the subtle changes unfolding and influencing the relational field. You develop temperance; knowing when to express and when to withhold, when to give and when to receive. This self rootedness is what supports embodied wisdom. It allows you to determine how your needs are changing, what you have capacity for given the changes, and what needs to shift in order to meet the moment from a place of agency and power.
The Taurus Full Moon Lunar Eclipse really calls you deeper into the composting process of inner transformation, to look directly into your shadows and fears and take the risk of being seen in the wholeness of your humanity. It calls you to deepen your roots in humility (the soil of belonging), ever more boldly align with your values, and courageously embody the kind of presence this world is asking you to be.
Take a moment to think back on where we were 18 months ago when the Taurus/Scorpio eclipse series began.
What inner awareness, relational skill or capacity have I been developing?
How has life been preparing me for this moment?
What is being asked of me?
What action(s) am I ready to take?
What fear must I face?
These are some of the questions this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is inviting you to explore.
What you need to know about Taurus
THE FIXED CROSS
AQUARIUS - LEO AXIS
TAURUS - SCORPIO AXIS
Stability, directed choice, immovable intent of soul, direction
This Fixed Cross (highlight in green) is one of the three zodiacal crosses. The Fixed Cross represents the conscious development of awareness and the growth process.
"Fixed signs are still and inward, drawing energy to themselves rather than thrusting outward. They correspond elementally to water and geometrically to the in-drawing circle."
- Vicki Noble, Motherpeace
Taurus is the fixed earth sign (circled in the diagram); opposing it is the fixed water sign of Scorpio. Together they create one axis of the Fixed Cross. Earth and Water (feminine) always create an axis and Air and Fire (masculine) create the other axis. There are three crosses that make up the zodiac wheel. Each cross contains each of the four elements. In this case the fixed signs are represented by: Aquarius (Air), Leo (Fire), Taurus (Earth), Scorpio (Water).
ELEMENT: EARTH
EARTH: BODY & PHYSICALITY
CAPRICORN, TAURUS, VIRGO
Earth is the element of stability, growth, and home. It is related to fertility, prosperity, grounding, and centering, planting and harvesting and animals.
"Earth is our home, the one place in our known universe that has just the right conditions for a myriad of life forms to evolve and flourish. Earth provides everything we need—from the healing medicine of plants and herbs to the water for us to drink, all of our core needs are provided for from this abundant planet. We simply wouldn't exist without the Earth." - Kayla White
Earth signs feel at home tending to core routines, crafting rituals, working on tangible projects like building garden beds, cooking with nourishing foods, and love anything deep, sensual, practical, grounded, and stable with a particular orientation toward action.
RULING PLANET: VENUS
Qualities: love, aesthetic, attraction, beauty, sensuality
Venus is all about sensuality and embodied pleasure. This planet concerns itself with love, romance and harmony in our relationships and emotional attachments. Venus orients us toward elegant beauty found in simplicity, being here and now immersed in the sensual delights of the material world, and experiencing the abundance that comes with a heart overflowing with appreciation and gratitude.
CONSTELLATION
Taurus the Bull is a constellation of the zodiac, which means that it lies on the ecliptic, or path of the sun and planets through our sky. It is visible during the fall through spring in the Northern Hemisphere (or spring through fall in the Southern Hemisphere). It sits in the evening sky close to Orion.
According to EarthSky:
Taurus the Bull takes the shape of a two-pronged fork, with the center V-shape consisting of an actual star cluster – a family of stars in space – that we call the Hyades. The Hyades marks the face of the Bull. The bright red star Aldebaran shines in the V, and represents the Bull’s fiery eye. In addition, Taurus holds another famous star cluster, which we call the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. It has the shape of a tiny dipper. (Source)
Ritual Elements
Taurus Full Moon Ritual
What You'll Need
1. Elements for your altar. Drawing on the ritual elements above, consider what you might want to bring to your altar. Start simple. There is absolutely no need to go out and "buy" altar items. This is something that we encourage you to unlearn. Everything we need is within us and can be found around us. A simple candle will do, or a yellow flower for example.
2. Candle & lighter for the eco-somatic practice
3. Journal & something to write with for the journaling portion.
Important Considerations & Prep
1. RIGHT RELATIONSHIP: being in right relationship with your spiritual practice means approaching each aspect with humility, curiosity and reverence. This includes checking yourself on the nature of how you relate to "objects" as things and the process itself.
For example, if you feel called to stones as part of your ritual, consider WHY first. Then contemplate the impact of whatever action comes next. For example, instead of mindlessly purchasing cheap precious stones from somewhere like amazon (which have more than likely been harmfully mined/extracted and then shipped across the world as part of the consumer machine that's destroying our planet), perhaps part of your spiritual practice is to resist such a prompting and instead take the time to go for a mindful walk in your backyard, or a nearby stream and see if the right stone presents itself to you.
2. CLEANSE & PURIFY YOUR SPACE: Cleansing, also known as purification, is the practice of clearing out and releasing negative energy from your space, as well as energy that’s just old, stale, stagnant, or no longer serving you. Here are a few different methods:
Physical cleaning: dusting, vacuuming, opening windows for fresh air
Salt: a common element used for purification and protection in many different cultures. To use, simply sprinkle salt along doorways and windowsills to protect them from negative energy entering or just keep a small bowl of salt on your altar or nearby surface.
Smoke cleansing: light incense or burn a bundle of dried herbs such as rosemary, cedar, or mugwort. Choose plants that you have grown yourself or that grow abundantly wild nearby, plants that you have ancestral tied to or just those that have been grown and harvested ethically.
NOTE: If you do not have meaningful/authentic relationships to Indigenous culture and customs, "smudging" with white sage cultural appropriation and is dishonoring to Indigenous nations across Turtle island. It is important to understand that smudging is not just about burning sage to purify the negative energy from your space but is a sacred ritual that is culturally specific to tribes such as the Lakota Sioux, Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Navajo. If you have been gifted sage by an Indigenous friend, use to your discretion in how to engage with this medicine. This sacred plant is being abused, exploited and mass-harvested for commercial and consumer use which perpetuates the violence of white supremacy and settler colonialism. Take some time to locate yourself within a settler-colonial context interwoven with the land you currently occupy. Check out Native Land to learn the name and more about the territories you occupy.
3. CLEANSE & PURIFY YOUR BODY-MIND
Take a shower our bath; visualize any negative energy that has accumulated in your auric field to be washed away as the water goes down the drain.
Meditate, center and take some time to ground in stillness and embodied presence.
Write or speak your intentions for your ritual out loud
4. BE MINDFUL & STRIVE FOR INTEGRITY ALWAYS.
Altar Creation
Creating an altar is optional. Altar tending is a beautiful practice, especially if you have a designated area in your home that you can tend to over the course of each moon and seasonal cycle.
Tending to an altar is an intentional practice that supports your exploration of nature spirituality and carries the potential to deepen your relationship to the energetic archetypes of the unfolding seasonal & moon cycles.
To set up your altar, simply play with any number of the ritual elements offered above in the chart by using symbols, colors, precious gemstones, symbolism, etc.
There is no right or wrong way to go about creating, tending or being with your altar, however we do not condone cultural appropriation or theft of any kind.
Eco-Somatic Practice: Holding Life with Reverence & Care
For this eco-somatic we will be drawing on the element of EARTH since Taurus is an earth sign. To amplify grounded connection, perform this part of the ritual outside, under the open sky.
In this practice we are sensing, honoring and being with the yielding and receptive qualities of earth / body - qualities that support us to cultivate the energy of devotion, reverence and care.
STEPS:
Begin by finding a comfortable seated posture on the ground.
Take some time to settle into your seat and notice the weight of your body descend into the earth as the crown of your head lengthens toward the sky.
Let everything in you soften as you maintain structural integrity of a lengthened spine.
Begin to notice and sense your breath from the inside as it travels down into your chest and belly. Ride the waves of the breath as you inhale and exhale, like gentle waves lapping against your inner shore.
When you feel grounded and at ease, bring your hands together in front of you to form a cup. You might let your cupped hand rest on your lap.
Notice the shape of your hands, how cupping them forms a container for holding. Take time to contemplate this gesture of holding, as you feel yourself held by earth (as though YOU are in the cup of Earth's hands).
With appreciation, continue to gaze at your hands and notice any sensations, feelings or emotions arise as you are with this receptive gesture. Consider what it means to hold with care.
Next, visualize yourself, loved ones, or particular life events being held in your hands with a spirit of reverence, care and devotion.
How does this change or deepen your experience? What subtle shift do you notice in your body-mind-heart and being?
Begin to take slow, soft, full body breaths:
Inhale, breathing compassion into your hands. Exhale, soften into the feeling of being held by earth.
Inhale, breathing trust into your hands. Exhale, soften into the feeling of being held by earth.
Inhale, breathing clarity into your hands. Exhale, soften into the feeling of being held by earth.
Inhale, breathing reverence into your hands. Exhale, soften into the feeling of being held by earth.
Bow your head to your hands by turning your cupped hands into a prayer position. You might also feel called to bringing your forehead down to the earth in a gesture of humility and devotion.
How does this change or deepen your experience? What subtle shift do you notice in your body-mind-heart and being?
When you are ready, come back to your seat.
Now let your body be the cup. Sense how life, with every experience and encounter, touches, moves and shapes you in body-heart-mind.
Take some time to listen to your body-heart-mind. Sense which body part wants to be held, seen and nurtured.
Place your hands there and notice how the hands are making a connection with that part
Begin to take slow, soft, and deeply pleasurable breaths:
Inhale, breathing compassion into that part. Exhale, soften into the feeling of being held by earth.
Inhale, breathing trust into that part. Exhale, soften into the feeling of being held by earth.
Inhale, breathing clarity into that part. Exhale, soften into the feeling of being held by earth.
Inhale, breathing reverence into that part. Exhale, soften into the feeling of being held by earth.
Offer gratitude or speak to this part and let it know that you are here and listening.
How does this change or deepen your experience? What subtle shift do you notice in your body-mind-heart and being?
Journaling
What came up for you during the eco-somatic practice? Take some time to reflect on anything you'd like to hold onto.
Journal prompts for the new moon:
How do I know when I am grounded and centered in myself?
What is possible when I move or act from this place of grounded devotion?
What inner awareness, relational skill or capacity have I been developing?
How has life been preparing me for this moment?
What is being asked of me?
What action(s) am I ready to take?
What fear must I face?
You may also feel called to finishing the following sentences:
A habits of thought or behavior that I am releasing is....
A new practice that I would like to incorporate into my routine is...
Something that I am letting go of is...
Something I am welcoming in is...
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