The Buddha Full Moon, Uranus enters Taurus, the Majesty of May

Here in the far north spring has arrived and the world has suddenly come alive. Everywhere you go in our little hamlet your senses are seduced by the fragrance of new grass and the heady perfume of hyacinth, lilies of the valley, and lilacs – white, purple and lavender. In the gardens and along the boulevards there’s a pageant of cherry blossoms, dogwood, and flowering pear trees in full bloom. The days are longer now, the sun is getting warmer, and all around us nature is bursting with new life. Welcome back, dear 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)

It is evening in the courtyard outside the Astrology Café; people have gathered around the fountain or on the stone benches under the old apple tree, drinking tea or wine and talking. The air is soft and sweet and above in the darkening sky, the Buddha Full Moon rises, promising magic and deep conversation.

Come inside and make yourself comfortable. There are daffodils on the tables and a big vase of cherry blossoms on the mantle above the fireplace. There’s soft jazz playing on the stereo and the air is filled with the aroma of vanilla, butter, and maples syrup. We have soups: Roasted Vegetables and Pesto Minestrone, Creamy Asparagus-Leek with Crème Fraiche, and Old Fashion Onion Soup. There’s a Shallot and Mushroom Quiche, a selection of fresh spring salads, plus goat and sheep cheeses with crusty homemade bread, still warm from the oven. For dessert there’s Triple Coconut Cream Pie, Velvety Dark Chocolate Pudding with Candied Orange Peel, Blueberry-Streusel Bars with Lemon Cream Filling, Passion Fruit and Raspberry Tart and non-gluten Macaroons (chocolate-espresso, red velvet, vanilla-cream, or gingerbread). There’s wine, Prosecco, Viennese coffee with whipped cream, herbal tea, Green Chai, or Earl Grey with roses. 

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 Buddha Full Moon shines through the bay window bathing the room in a soft glow. Candles illuminate the sacred statues and Kwan Yins that are placed around the room and the air is perfumed with the scent of jasmine and rose. In here time seems to stand still. Can you feel it? Our friend smiles warmly and gestures for us to join her at the table. Let the conversation begin. On the table before us are Runes, cards, crystals and sacred stones. Our friend picks up the Medicine Cards, shuffles them and turns one over. It is Butterfly, the card of transformation. Listen closely; perhaps there is a message just for you.

The power that Butterfly brings to us is akin to air. It is the mind, and the ability to know the mind or to change it. It is the art of transformation. To use Butterfly medicine, you must astutely observe your position in the cycle of self-transformation. Like Butterfly, you are always at a certain station in your life activities. You may be at the egg stage, which is the beginning of all things. This is the stage, at which an idea is born, but has not yet become a reality. The lava stage is the point at which you decide to create an idea in the physical world. The cocoon stage involves “going within”: doing or developing your project, idea, or aspect of personality. The final stage of transformation is the leaving the chrysalis and birth. This last step involves sharing the colors and joy of your creation with the world. –Medicine Cards (Jamie Sams & David Carson)

What stage are you at? What inside you is trying to be born or reborn? What is ready to die, release, transform and heal in order to make way for something new? Transformation isn’t pretty or convenient; it’s messy, painful, but also marvelous. Like the caterpillar, we don’t know who or what we will become. We must trust the process. “The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” –Charles Du Bos

The Scorpio Full Moon –April 29-30, 2018 / Called the Buddha Full Moon or Wesak Moon

It is said that Buddha was born, died and received enlightenment on the Full Moon in Scorpio. Every year this great being returns to the earth plane to assist humanity towards enlightenment. The Buddha (or Wesak) Full Moon is one of the most powerful Full Moons; in fact some consider this the highest spiritual day of the year. The greatest event upon our planet, from the stillpoint of spiritual verities, is the Wesak Festival. It has been there always, but unknown to the majority. Now its influence is to be recognized and consciously utilized. –Esoteric Psychology, Alice Bailey

The Sun is in earthy and uncomplicated Taurus. The Moon is in deep, dark Scorpio. Like Persephone, Venus ruled Taurus loves the safety and sensuality of the physical world. Ruled by powerful Pluto, Scorpio loves to explore what is hidden, secret and taboo. This polarity teaches us that in order to have real security we must be willing face our fears. The Full Moon opens the doorway to the unconscious and invites us to explore the full range of our emotions, needs, and fears. Everything is on the table. Everything is possible.

The Full Moon squares the Nodes of the Moon, creating a fixed grand cross, a challenging aspect. At the same time it offers us an opportunity to examine our karmic patterns and addictions. Three planets and two asteroids all in assertive Aries (Chiron, Mercury and Uranus plus Juno and Eris) provide the necessary energy and courage to initiate change. Mars and Pluto (both co-rulers of Scorpio) are conjunct in dedicated and disciplined Capricorn. Saturn (strong in its own sign) is conjunct Vesta also in Capricorn. This impressive line-up in cardinal earth helps us to focus the Aries energy and bring it into manifestation. The ongoing trine between generous Jupiter and spiritual Neptune provides the potential for healing.

The planet Uranus enters Taurus on May 15, 2018

Since 2011 the planet Uranus has been in Aries. It is currently at the very last degree. On May 15 Uranus will enter the sign Taurus. Outer planets (like Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) move slowly and change signs rarely, so this is a major event. The combination of anything-goes Uranus in red-hot Aries has been explosive but planet and sign have a lot in common; both are impulsive and assertive. On the other hand, Uranus and Taurus have nothing in common. “Expect the unexpected” Uranus is unpredictable and thrives on change. Cozy Taurus (the bull) resists change; it prefers comfort over uncertainty. Bull is the ancient word for currency. The last time rebellious Uranus toured Taurus (the sign that rules banking, currency, and resources) was from 1934 until 1942. This was right after Wall Street Crash, which coincided with the Great Depression (1929-1939). Rationing replaced normal currency. President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the Banking Act (1933) and the Social Security Act (1935). 1935 was also the year the game, Monopoly was created. Interesting fact: Monopoly gets a new, updated version in 2018.   

What can we expect when Uranus and Taurus team up this time? There could be a significant event mid-May. What is more certain is that over the next seven to eight years we will experience a global revolution in banking, business, and the economy. We’ll see the end of old governments, business systems and banks as we know them. Digital currency, one world currency, and cryptocurrency will be the future. Free internet, google and Facebook will probably be a thing of the past. Taurus is associated with the earth, agriculture, real estate, property and possessions. Uranus will revolutionize all those areas. The women’s movement and grassroots movements will continue to accelerate. Uranus rules technology; what seems advanced now will be archaic in a few years.   

Never play for safety; it’s the most dangerous game in the world.”–Sister Corita Kent

Known as “the great awakener” Uranus sets us free from whatever is holding us back. In a sense we’re all at the end of our rope in some area of our life, ready to break down or break open – or maybe both. Look at your chart to see where you have 0 Taurus; that’s where the action will unfold. If you have a planet or angle at the very beginning of Taurus or Scorpio you’ll feel the changes first. I’m a double Taurus so “Everything I’ve let go of has claw marks on it.” This coming transit feels daunting to me but I know the planets don’t cause things to happen – they expose what’s already there. For all of us (and especially the fixed signs) it’s time to find peace and comfort in the chaos and make friends with the uncertainty. 

The only time we ever know what’s really going on is when the rug is pulled out and we can’t find anywhere to land. We use these situations to either wake ourselves up or to put ourselves to sleep. – Pema Chodron (When Things Fall Apart)

With Uranus you can’t predict because it’s unpredictable. Whatever you think will happen often turns out to be the exact opposite. Stay open, stay flexible. Choose progress and movement over the old and obsolete. This maverick doesn’t just bring sudden change. Brilliant Uranus is associated with genius. Taurus, Venus, and the second house rules inner worth and not just outer wealth. It’s about what we value and our willingness to defend it. Ultimately, this combination can help us discover and cultivate our own unique genius and create a way to manifest it in the world.

Let all the joys be as the month of May –Francis Quarles

Just as April celebrates Easter, the resurrection, and the life of Jesus, May belongs to Mary, the archetype of the Divine Mother. During May there are several celebrations and holidays devoted to the sacred feminine. The month begins with May Day and Beltane – the Celtic festival of fertility on May 1. On the second Sunday of the month we celebrate Mother’s Day. On the last day, May 31 is the Feast of St. Mary.

Beltane (May 1) is one of the four cross quarter holidays and the mid-point between spring Equinox and summer solstice. Beltane is the Celtic festival of the “Good fire or Bel-fire” and was named after the solar deity, Bel. Bel-fires were lit on hilltops to celebrate the return of spring. Traditionally it is a time of fertility, abundance and sacred union. In ancient times couples made love outside to bless the crops and bring fertility and good fortune. Transformational powers are released at this time, allowing us to break free of old patterns and renew our commitment to the earth and to the deepest part of ourselves.

This is the time of the year to honor Mother Earth, our own mother, and our beloved women friends and mentors. But don’t forget to honor the divine feminine within. Create an altar to honor her and yourself. This is a sensory season; experience pleasure, feel joy. Did you know that both the Koran (the sacred book of Islam), and the Jewish Talmud teach that we will be called to account for every permissible pleasure life offered us but which we refused to enjoy while on earth? 

“we have forgotten that we were born
of celestial cataclysm.

we have forgotten how to dance
bare-footed on the earth to the cadence
of our souls. we have forgotten the ritual
fires and the acrid tang of holy smoke
on our tongues.” 

-Beth Morey (Night Cycle: Poetry for a Dark Night of the Soul)

Dear Friend, It is getting late here in the tower above the Astrology Café. The old owl has appeared on the Alder tree outside. The candles have all burned down. The room is filled with your divine presence. Thank you for visiting. Enjoy this luxurious season. Flood your senses with beauty. Spend time outdoors, rest, eat well. Most of all make time for self-care. Let yourself be seen. All is well, you are loved, Virginia

Impossible Darkness
by Kim Rosen

Do you know how
the caterpillar
turns?

Do you remember
what happens
inside a cocoon?

You liquefy.

There in the thick black
of your self-spun womb,
void as the moon before waxing,
you melt

(as Christ did
for three days
in the tomb)

conceiving
in impossible darkness
the sheer
inevitability
of wings.