The Taurus Full Moon, A Gateway, the Goddess Vesta
There is this about a chill November: it makes me appreciate a fireside. And there is this about a hearth: it calls for small company, for companionship. –Hal Borland (Borland Country)
It’s early evening here in the far north. The air is fragrant with the scent of ripe apples, wet leaves and burning wood. Smoke rises from the chimneys, curls and disappears above the slopping rooftops and steeples of our little hamlet. There’s a chill in the air but inside the Astrology Café there are logs burning in the fireplace, candles glowing on the rough wood tables, soft jazz playing on the stereo, and the familiar aroma of vanilla, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and cardamom. Welcome back, dearest friend; you have been missed.
If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer! If you are a pretender, come sit by my fire. For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in! –Shel Silverstein (Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Come inside and make yourself comfortable. Let me get you a mug of velvety hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, rich Viennese coffee, hot apple cider, wine or tea. Perhaps you’d like a quiche; Roasted Butternut Squash, Tomato-Basil-Parmesan, or Shallot-Mushroom. We have thick, hearty soups: Creamy Broccoli & White Bean, Roasted Parsnips & Cauliflower with Buttered Croutons, or Smokey Split Pea along with homemade breads still warm from the oven and served with creamy butter and fresh goat cheese. For dessert: Apple Betty with Almond Cream, Pumpkin-Ginger Cupcakes, Coconut Macaroons, and Big Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies. Take your time and when you’re ready, follow me up the stairs, through the library (watch out for the cats), down a narrow corridor, under an arch, then up a few steps to the tower room where our friend, the crone, the wise woman waits for us.
Our friend is sitting at her round wood table wrapped in her midnight blue velvet cloak. The candles illuminate the sacred statues and Kwan Yins that are placed around the room; the air is perfumed with the scent of jasmine and rose. From the bay window we can see the lush Taurus Full Moon rising in the darkening sky. Here time seems to stand still. Can you feel it? Our friend smiles warmly and gestures for you to join her at the big round table. Let the conversation begin. On the table are her Runes, cards, crystals and sacred stones. Our friend reaches into her pouch and pulls a Rune; it is named Thurisaz,Gateway, Place of Non-Action. Listen closely; perhaps there is a message just for you.
This Rune indicates that there is work to be done both inside and outside yourself. The gateway is the frontier between Heaven and the mundane. Arriving here is a recognition of your readiness to contact the numinous, the Divine, to illuminate your experience so that its meaning shines through its form.
Thurisaz is the Rune non-action. Thus, the gateway is to be approached and passed through without contemplation. Here you are being confronted with a true reflection of what is hidden in yourself, what must be exposed and examined before successful action can be undertaken. This Rune strengthens your ability to wait. Now is not the time to make decisions. Deep transformational forces are at work.
Visualize yourself standing before a gateway on a hilltop. Your entire life lies out behind you and below. Before you step through, pause and review the past: the learning and the joys, the victories and the sorrows, everything it took to bring you here. Observe it all, bless it all, release it al. For in the letting go of the past you reclaim your power. Step through the gateway now.
– The Book of Runes by Ralph Blum
Taurus Full Moon November 12
Full Beaver Moon, also known as Frosty Moon
The Sun in mysterious and magnetic Scorpio is not afraid to explore the depths; it thrives on exposing what’s buried beneath the earth and in our own unconscious. The Moon in pleasure seeking Taurus seeks calm; it longs to create comfort and security in the physical realm. Too much Scorpio intensity can wear us down; too much Taurus complacency can make us lazy. Yet working together, this Taurus/Scorpio polarity can help us manifest our deepest desires. The goddess Persephone didn’t transform by remaining with her mother; it was in the underworld where she found her power and her voice. Like Persephone, we need to navigate both worlds, weaving gold thread through old wounds, making peace with loss, learning to become cozy in the chaos.
The eternal world and the mortal world are not parallel, they are one. –John O’Donohue
The 11/11 Portal
The Scorpio Sun is conjunct (fused with) communication maven Mercury, currently retrograde (through November 20). This conjunction of the Sun and Mercury takes place at the midpoint of Mercury’s retrograde cycle on the eve of the Full Moon, bringing to light what was currently hidden or secret. Messages are stronger now; insights and inspiration abound; listen loudly and deeply. The number 11 is a master vibration in numerology. It is said that November 11 opens a portal or gateway to a higher realm. This can indicate a major turning point.
The Moon, exalted in fertile Taurus, is conjunct the asteroid Vesta (the Greek Hestia) offering emotional strength and protection. Earthy Taurus can take the Sun and Mercury’s brilliance and transform it into something of value. What do you want to change, create or transform? Vesta is associated with dedication. What do you dedicate this Full Moon to? There is a great deal of cooperation at this time that can help us in clean up old issue, heal old wounds and thus allow us to move forward.
Compassionate Neptune is a healing presence in the chart of the Full Moon. It makes a positive sextile to demanding Saturn, Pluto, a trine to the Sun and Mercury, and a sextile to the Moon and Vesta, asking us to trust our instincts. Relationships have an opportunity to deepen and become more authentic. Mars is joined to Jupiter by a sextile, giving us the courage and confidence to take positive action. Even that intimidating duo of Saturn and Pluto in strict Capricorn offers strong support; a generous trine to the Moon / Vesta and a forgiving sextile to the Sun / Mercury. The square between Mars and Pluto can be challenging but can also put us in touch with issues we’re not looking at.
Remember, this time is a Gateway, an opening, and a preparation; we’re laying the groundwork for what lies ahead. It may not be an easy time, but we have solid backing and great goodwill. What is helpful right now is to slow down and not rush into things. Savor life; meditate, listen to your body, practice radical self-care and above all be kind to yourself and others. Scorpio is complex but Taurus is simple: massages, naps, good food, family and friends.
Outside silvery gray shafts reveal a landscape stripped of pretense. Behind closed doors, glowing amber fires shed light upon what is Real. Like a woman who has found her authenticity, November’s beauty radiates from within. –Sarah Ban Breathnach (Simple Abundance)
During November things begin to fade away; flowers die, leaves fall, and the days slowly darken as the light retreats. According to many pagan calendars, November 1 marked the beginning of the winter season since the harvest has ended and the game animals grow scarce. In mythology, this is when Persephone leaves her mother (the goddess Demeter) and descends into the underworld to take her place with Pluto, her lord and husband. And yet this season has its own special gifts; quieter and more refined than spring or summer but no less precious, filled with great mystery and deep magic.
At this time, we begin to look for inspiration and comfort, not in the outer world but inside our home and within ourselves. This season is made sacred by Vesta (the Greek Hestia); wise woman and goddess associated with the home and hearth, keeper of the eternal flame. Her name means shining. In ancient times neither home nor temple were sanctified until Vesta blessed it with her presence. Honor your home this week; decorate it with flowers, light a candle to Vesta, do a simple ritual, or say a prayer.
In Rome, priestesses were known as vestal virgins, sworn to celibacy, their duty was to tend to the sacred fires. In pre-Hellenic Greece the women who tended the perpetual fires were known as virgins, not because they were chaste but because they remained unmarried; they were whole and complete unto themselves. Her hearth became known as a sanctuary of protection. The Latin word for hearth is focus. Focusing is the sacred art of Vesta. She teaches us to pay attention to our inner life, make time for our creative projects, and above all, be true to ourselves.
Freeing yourself was one thing. Claiming ownership of that freed self is another. - Toni Morrison
Beloved Friends, It’s getting late here in the tower above the Astrology Café. The old owl has appeared on the Alder tree outside signaling that it is time for us to say goodbye. The candles have all burned down. The room is filled with your divine presence. Thank you for visiting. Enjoy these days ahead filled with magic and mystery. All is well, you are loved, Virginia
