Liberation is Written in the Stars: Full Moon in Scorpio

by Laura Chung

“There is reason, after all, that some people wish to colonize the moon, and others dance before it as an ancient friend.” ― James Baldwin, No Name in the Street

I’ve been thinking about this quote and why some people marvel at the majestic universe and others seem to have what Indigenous wisdom keepers call “soul loss”. This is not my attempt to diagnose or remedy the atrocities of the world but rather, an invitation for us to sit with ourselves and be radically honest.

This full moon is coming off the heels of several major astrological alignments like the solar eclipse and the Jupiter and Uranus conjunction. The full moon is also two days before Mercury stations to go direct. These celestial alignments signal the beginning of new cycles.

A full moon happens when the sun is opposite the moon. Full moons signal a completion, and as the moon illuminates the sky, still other things come to light. We are not only connected to the heavens and the earth but we are a part of them. The moon has a gravitational pull on the tides of the ocean which make up 75% of the earth’s surface. Like the earth, our bodies are made up of 75% of water. In astrology, the moon represents our body and our emotions so when the moon is full, our emotions rise to the surface so that we can feel, integrate, and release.

The Taurus and Scorpio axis represent the enjoyment of the human experience while understanding that life is ephemeral. The energy of Scorpio calls us to practice non-attachment and allow the cyclical nature of life to play out; honoring the life-death-rebirth phases. Change is the only constant in life and it requires us to transform: to shed the skin of the past and grow into something new.

The sun in Taurus is a time when we may want to hold on to the material realm— to what makes us feel safe and stable while the Scorpio moon asks us to trust and to surrender to the unknown. Scorpio as an archetype is the alchemizer. Carl Jung who coined the term “The Shadow” said, “People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls.” It is only when we have the courage to feel the fear and move through the depths of our shadows, that we find the treasure that was there all along. When the shadow is integrated, Scorpio energy exudes magnetism and power. You don’t know why you’re being pulled but you are.

Think of the duality between Taurus and Scorpio like the flower versus the root: what you can touch versus what you can feel, the body versus the soul, the living versus the dead. The Scorpio moon invites us to eschew safety and security for this one moment to dive deep into the darkness and to be honest with ourselves as we ask ourselves,** “What does your soul truly desire?” **

This full moon is in a hard aspect, squaring Pluto in the sign of Aquarius. Pluto is the planet of transformation and Aquarius represents systems and networks, meaning that Pluto in Aquarius is inviting us to transform our systems and perhaps, to lean more into collaboration and building networks (think mycelium networks!)

These are some questions for the collective:

🌱 What systems need to be redesigned?

🌱 What new neural pathways need to be formed?

🌱 What connections must be made?

Since Pluto is a collective planet, systemic change will come as a result of us individually being in alignment with our soul’s purpose.

One thing is for certain: our current world leaders and politicians will not save us. We will save us. Historically, the freedom that the Global Majority have today (and there is still so much more to receive) has been because of the people who came before us.

How will we all show up to be the weavers of the continuous web of collective liberation?

My favorite embodied practice for the full moon is to write down all of your fears—literally get them out of your body and onto paper. Once you are done, say a small prayer or set the intention that you are ready to release these fears, before burning the piece of paper in a final act of surrender.

I will leave you with this poem by Khalil Gibran from The Prophet:

“Say not, ‘I have found the truth,’ but rather, ‘I have found a truth.’
Say not, ‘I have found the path of the soul.’ Say rather, ‘I have met the soul walking upon my path.’ For the soul walks upon all paths. The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.”

Photo of

Laura Chung