The Moon will reach its full phase with the Sun on April 23, 2024 at 4:48 p.m. on the West Coast, at 4° 17’ Scorpio/Taurus. The April Full Moon is called the Pink Moon, named for the pinkness of a wild spring ground flower.
Throughout April, there’s been a whirlwind of astrological intensity. There was the total solar eclipse in Aries conjunct Chiron on April 8, followed by a tense conjunction of Mars and Saturn on April 10. Then Mercury, in the midst of its retrograde period, entered “the heart of the Sun” in Aries on April 10, followed by one of the major transits of 2024, the conjunction of expansive Jupiter and disruptive Uranus, perfected on April 20.
Maybe, the time of the Scorpio Full Moon will offer an easing of intensity? Maybe not.
The Moon reaches its full phase when it arrives at the point in the sky exactly opposite to the Sun. The luminaries face each other in two opposing signs, of different elements but sharing the same mode (cardinal, fixed or mutable).
To explain, the Sun, in Taurus since April 19, is in the fixed earth sign. The glyph for Taurus is a circle with a crescent Moon on top, looking a bit like the face of a bull or cow. Think: slow, stable, grounded, comfortably grazing in a field. The Moon is said to be “exalted” when it passes through the sign of Taurus for a few days each month, because the Moon, too, is a presence of comfort and nurture.
Taurus’ opposite sign, Scorpio, is also of the fixed mode, but of the water element. Taurus represents physical forms and security, abundant, solid earth. Scorpio is wet, like matter that is decomposing and turning into something else. Astrologers like to call Scorpio a sign of “transformation.” Everyone seems to like the idea of transforming, but it’s never really easy to do.
In popular astrology, the sign of Scorpio often gets reduced down to personalities who are suspicious, controlling, and at the worst end of the spectrum, vengeful. The high road for Scorpio is an introspective and investigative mind, wanting to get to the bottom of things, and especially wanting to know: Why?
When the Sun’s in Taurus and the Moon is full in Scorpio, feelings can be edgy. Something’s brewing. Like the fixed water at the bottom of a dark lagoon, it’s hard to see what’s down there. The water element in the fixed mode is reliably not moving, maybe stuck.
At any lunation, we look to the planet(s) “ruling” the Moon’s sign for clues to how things may feel.
Scorpio has two rulers: traditionally, Mars, a force of determined action. Mars has been making its way through the waters of Pisces. On April 23, Mars will be approaching a conjunction with outer planet Neptune. Symbolically, Mars is direct, even fierce. Neptune can be fuzzy, like coloring outside the lines. Mars and Neptune together in a conjunction bring possibilities ranging from focused action to serve an ideal, to impulsive crusades for some kind of delusion. Careful action is called for.
Mars in Pisces has also recently been making a facilitating 60-degree sextile aspect with the conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus, in Taurus. This transit suggests there’s been some ease between Mars (action) and Jupiter/ Uranus (expansive opportunities for innovation). At this Full Moon, something you’ve been gently pursuing may now be coming to fruition.
Scorpio’s modern ruling planet is Pluto, the dwarf planet representing power in its many forms. Pluto, currently at 2° Aquarius, is the focal planet of a t-square with the Sun and the Full Moon. That spells pressure, maybe trouble. Maybe stand back, watch out for struggles and eruptions.
Or, maybe not.
Some astrologers seem to have a love-hate relationship with Pluto, especially when it’s prominent in someone’s chart. Personally, I love and respect Pluto, and that’s a good thing because in my own chart, Pluto lands exactly, within a few minutes, on my 0-degree Virgo ascendant. My experience of Plutonian power is that it’s neutral, not necessarily good or bad. Within limits, we have agency over how to use our power, even whether to use power at all.
Pluto, now in the fixed airs of Aquarius, square to the fixed Taurus Sun and the fixed Scorpio Full Moon, speaks to something potentially volatile that just won’t budge.
Good advice for working with any t-square is to pay attention to the sign opposite that of the focal planet. Opposite Pluto in Aquarius is Leo, also a fixed sign but different because Leo is a fire sign.
If you’re feeling stuck on something at this Full Moon, consider playing with the qualities of Leo. These include charisma, courage, glamor, romance, stage presence, creativity that is entertaining.
What if one antidote to the heaviness of these times is to—at least occasionally—go do something that’s just plain fun? By the light of the Plutonian Full Moon, I hope you do.
Blessings for the Scorpio Full Moon, and with prayers for peace,
~ Sara
Sara R. Diamond, an astrologer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a life-long student and practitioner in several esoteric paths. Her style of astrology combines modern-psychological astrology with insights from traditional astrology. Sara is also an estate planning attorney. In addition, she has published four books on right-wing movements in the United States and earned her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. You are invited to contact Sara via her website at www.SaraDiamondAstrology.com.
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