May 12: Scorpio Full Moon
The Full Moon at 22°13 Scorpio at 12:56PM ET on May 12, illuminates what has grown, evolved, and perished since last November when we reaped the harvest and said goodbye to the green of the land for nearly 6 months.
Spring has at last returned and I hope you were able to revel in the joy of Beltane on May Day. Taurus is an earth sign related to food, money, banking, and sensual pleasure. During Taurus season (April 19-May 19, 2025), we're encouraged to explore our YES. What makes us say, ahhhh.
As I mentioned in my last email, making a joyful noise and moving the body is a must for Taurus season. What musical accompaniment is getting your toes tapping? I'm grooving to two local Boston artists who just released albums that feel perfect for the Scorpio Full Moon weekend: Naomi Westwater's Cycle and Change (Taurus); and Ezra Furman's Goodbye Small Head (Scorpio).
Mercury entered Taurus on May 10, and for the next month we're encouraged to name our desire and manifest our wishes into existence. Words have power and when we claim what we want, we align ourselves with that intention mind, body, and soul.
The generative act is one of the most powerful acts but the polarity of Scorpio reminds us that in the midst of life we are in death. Fresh beginnings and new life is only possible because all things must end. This lunation asks us to consider how we can honor what has passed away since Samhain and express gratitude for what is here now.
"Media vita in morte sumus" is a Gregorian chant associated with a New Years Eve service in the 1300s: "In the midst of life we are in death, of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O Lord." When people are sick or have passed, we pray for them, and for ourselves, for the strength to come through the hardships of loss.
The refrain was thought to be so powerful that in 1316 it was outlawed in Cologne without prior permission of the bishop. In 1455, a group of Germanic nuns used the chant to resist the takeover of their house by a Duke by laying down on their bellies stretched out in the form of the cross and repeating the anthem over and over until he was afraid.
"Media vita in morte sumus, quem quaerimus adjutorem, nisi te, Domine," was adapted into the burial service of the16th Century Anglican Book of Common Prayer. It was sung as a hymn to ask God for aid in times of public need.
This is certainly a time of great public need and the spiritual water sign of Scorpio wants us to turn towards the mystery. We can always petition divinity for help. In the body, Scorpio is connected with the sacrum. The lower back often goes out when we don't feel supported. Fixed signs can unconsciously carry a heavy load. Unburden yourself by asking for what you need to get through what feels difficult.
First wave feminist, Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), who was commemorated in the Lutheran calendar of Saints, translated an English version for her book of German hymns: "In the midst of life, behold." Taurus season invites us to behold the fleeting beauty of the natural world, that renews itself each year a bit differently, and to appreciate this moment because it will never be exactly the same again. The Scorpio Full Moon asks us to consider the vital role endings play in the evolution of life and how we can use our brief time to positive effect.
This lunation is ruled by a brave and bold Mars in Leo, who finally passed its retrograde shadow on May 2, and is starting to pick up speed again. Mars has also cleared its opposition with Pluto in Aquarius, relieving some of the tension that pushed us near to the breaking point at the end of April.
Venus returned to Aries on April 30, so there's quite a bit of fire in the sky. Venus won't clear its retrograde shadow until it passes 10°50 Aries on May 16, so, until then, we are still dealing with what got initiated at the start of March. This is not the easiest of Taurus seasons. It's one where we have to look death in the face and ask what we need to transform in order to live well. Venus in Aries is forced to battle for what she loves, but she's resilient af and so is Scorpio.
Take this Full Moon weekend to give yourself time to release. Scorpio is also connected to the bowels and our digestive system can use a little detox in the Spring. Cleanse yourself of anything that is weighing you down or holding you back from feeling light and free. The gift of life is ours for only a short time.
As labor organizer, Mother Jones, admonished, "Let us pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living." Mary G. Harris Jones “Mother Jones” was born on May Day, 1830, in Cork, Ireland, and her birth chart had a fixed t-square of Mars and Uranus in Aquarius, Saturn in Leo, and the Sun and Mercury in Taurus. She lived to 100 and never stopped advocating for social justice.
May we all know such tenacity born from the preciousness of life and immediacy of death.
