The Full Moon at 4’17 Scorpio is exact on Tuesday April 23rd, 2024 at 7:49pm EDT- marking the midway point of the current Lunar Cycle we are in that began with the potent and powerful Total Solar Eclipse conjunct Chiron on April 8th. With the New Moon Eclipse in Aries and this Full Moon in Scorpio- Mars as ancient ruler of both signs and Pluto as ruler of Scorpio are in strong focus right now. Mars is the lower will and Pluto is the Higher Will and the journey with these two is learning how to navigate power dynamics and not misuse and abuse power while also not denying power or giving one’s power away.
This Full Moon is in tight T-square with Pluto- and on the heels of the Sun/Pluto square two days ago (Sunday April 21st) it can REALLY EXACERBATE POWER STRUGGLES. In relationships and intimacy, in finances, debt, taxes and other legal issues, and in friendships or social circles- the shadow is coming to Light. Seeing, facing and dealing with what is arising is key. Sometimes in power struggles the Higher Path is to surrender and let go, and sometimes the Higher Path is to set boundaries, take action or say no. Honest self check-ins about where your own personal path of evolution is pushing you up against your growth edge is recommended.
As Mars makes his way to cojoin Neptune (April 29th) we want to watch out for being evasive, dishonest, addictive or in denial of our shadow and what we need to do to deal with the realities of life. Mars/Neptune in its Highest can be about surrendering the ego self (Mars) to something Higher and being of service in a selfless way. But shadow Mars/Neptune can also lie to the self, deceive self and others, spiritually bypass, gaslight and avoid taking accountability or responsibility. Because Neptune is heading to station retrograde at 29’55 Pisces (in early July) the karma around these behaviors and tendencies is being MASSIVELY amplified. So be aware and navigate your choices and actions taken or not taken right now with the utmost care.
The Sun and Full Moon T-square from April 21st through the 23rd is compounded by Pluto’s Station on May 2nd. Pluto will station Retrograde at 2’06 Aquarius- right smack conjunct the current Tropical position of the Fixed Star Altair (which is at 2’07 Aquarius according to Stellarium). In Stargate Mystery School we deeply explored the myths of the constellations- both the modern ones we are told today (largely Greek and Roman versions) but also the ancient lost ones that have hidden threads still there to follow if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Modernly Altair is a star in Aquila which is seen as the Eagle Constellation. If it is an eagle it is a Golden Eagle as there is a star in this constellation that speaks to its dark colored head (as opposed to the white head of a Bald Eagle). Tair in the word Altair just means flying bird- so it is not an indicator of what kind of bird this is- you have to look at the entire constellation to determine what kind of bird it is. Anciently this constellation along with Lyra and Cygnus were seen as Vultures. Aquila was the Flying or Ascending Vulture while Lyra was the Falling or Swooping Vulture. The association of Cygnus with a vulture is more ancient and can be seen on the Vulture headstone at Gobkeli Tepe in Turkey.
In ancient Egypt vultures were primordial symbols of the Great Mother. They believed that all Vultures were female because there was no clear distinction between the two sexes and they would evenly share the nest and baby watching duties. This to me this is symbolic of an integration of masculine and feminine polarity within- where both mother and father roles are fluid and integrated. You can see this hidden in the symbolism of the Ascending and Swooping Vultures as well- one is going up and one is going down like the Star of David symbol with an upward pointing triangle and downward pointing triangle intersecting each other. The Vulture can be an amazing totem animal medicine to work with when you are doing deep work around Integration and Sacred Marriage work (union of masculine/feminine, light/shadow, human/divine, etc…)
There is a Chinese Myth of a Weaver Princess (Vega of Lyra) and the Herdsman (Altair of Aquila) who are in love but can only be together once a year. Magpies fly to heaven to create a bridge for them to meet upon and this bridge goes across Cygnus and the Milky Way via the star Deneb Adige. This myth links the 3 Bird Constellations- the 3 ancient Vultures or as more modernly seen the 3 birds that are Cygnus the Swan, Lyra the Lyre (often seen held by a bird), and Aquila the Eagle. In this myth you can see the same archetypal energy of marriage of the masculine and feminine mentioned above hidden and embedded in the story.
Altair is one of 3 stars in this constellation that make up the Weighing Scale of Balance- which is a symbol for Justice and Equality. There are a couple stars in this constellation that have name meanings connected to Liberty, Justice and Equality. Would it surprise you to know that the Great Seal of the United States of America looks similar to the bird in the Lyra constellation? This area of the sky is deeply tied into the United States of America in both myth and archetype. (If you enjoy content like what is shared above check out Stargate Mystery School that is chock full of teachings like this- https://divineharmony.com/stargate-mystery-school/)
Pluto has just moved into Gene Key 41- the Gene Key that is seen as the Prime Origin that runs from 2’00-7’37 Aquarius. Richard Rudd calls this the Prime Emanation. There are many traditions that point to some part of Aquarius as being an area of Source or Origin. When you read the Living Sky you can see this is the Origin Point because this is the moment the Fish comes out of the ocean and onto the land and transforms into a Goat (moving backwards from Pisces to Aquarius to Capricorn the way the Ages move). This is also the area of the Celestial Sea- seen as the Womb of the Great Cosmic Mother out of which everything is born and to which everything returns upon death. This area of the sky is also connected to the Age of Aquarius – when calculating Ages the way the ancient Egyptians did you can see that this new Age officially began in the 1500’s (you can learn more in my Masterclass on the Age of Aquarius here- https://divineharmony.com/anchoring/)
Two days after the Full Moon Mercury will Station Direct- exiting out of the Underworld but still navigating his backend shadow that will see him align with Chiron and Eris for the 3rd and final time. Chiron has been a strong theme since the middle of February when he began his alignments with the North Node, then the Total Solar Eclipse and his triple conjunctions with Mercury during his Retrograde journey. Wounding and healing has been a theme, has it not? I recommend working with these energies intentionally and consciously. Healing is possible but so is deeper wounding and creation of more karma!
I leave you with the Star Sparks and Sabian Symbol degrees for the Full Moon (listed below). The Star Sparks degree is rich and evocative- speaking of deep things and hidden roots being revealed. But it also is territory that we can easily get lost in- particularly if we are not seeing, facing and working with the shadow. When we avoid these things we can get taken over and pulled down- losing our link between the surface and the depth.
The Sabian Symbol shows a symbol of a rocky shore resisting the pounding of the sea. It speaks of stability amidst the raging emotions and shadow projections- IF we are working with them wisely and consciously. But it also speaks to resistance to change and refusal to see shadow. We can find ourselves stuck in ways of thinking, feeling and acting- which can lead to inertia and devolution if we stay stuck here too long.
Both the Star Sparks and Sabian Symbol speak to the need to not get lost in things and not get swamped in a rudderless existence- but also to not get so stuck in concrete patterns of behavior that we resist evolution. In the former we are stuck in the muck of emotions and shadow- in the latter we are stuck in stasis which is a precursor to death. The medicine of the moment is to find that sweet spot of ‘becoming awake in the hidden roots and being shown how to transform self and world by holding steady within dense and demanding situations.’
This is a deep and intense lunation, on the heels of a deep and intense Total Solar Eclipse in Aries conjunct Chiron. Choose the Highest path of evolution born of radical self honesty, integrity and inner work- and you can make the most of this Full Moon in Scorpio square Pluto!
Blessings…
~Harmony
STARGATE MYSTERY SCHOOL available on demand- https://divineharmony.com/stargate-mystery-school/
AGE OF AQUARIUS Masterclass- https://divineharmony.com/anchoring/
MERCURY RETROGRADE– https://divineharmony.com/astrology-blog/mercury-retrograde-in-aries-rethinking-and-healing-our-relationship-with-the-masculine/
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN ARIES– https://divineharmony.com/lunar-insight/total-solar-eclipse-conjunct-chiron-healing-the-war-within-and-without-4-8-24/
SABIAN SYMBOL
by Dane Rudhyar
PHASE 215 (SCORPIO 5°): A MASSIVE ROCKY SHORE RESISTS THE POUNDING OF THE SEA.
KEYNOTE: The inertia of all institutionalized procedures.
Slow is the rise of the land from the vast ocean, but once it is formed it develops a formidable resistance to change in spite of storms. Likewise, once a culture has expressed its basic symbols and its particular way of thinking, feeling and acting in concrete institutions, these change very slowly indeed. The individual who came to the great city (Scorpio i° symbol) soon finds his life set by the rhythms of city living, which obliterate vaster life processes and the moving tides of evolution.
This is the last of the five symbols of the forty-third sequence. We see in it how binding and resistant a communal way of life can become. In this there is strength and stability, and these are necessary factors in the social life of man — until new horizons beckon. The Keyword is STABILITY.
STAR SPARKS
by Ellias Lonsdale
Scorpio 5
An Egyptian queen with a braided beard.
Going under and staying under. Delegated to the deep and able to stick with those layers of reality timelessly, steadily, and highly effectively. Extraordinarily gifted with the lost art of deep-water subtle navigation, but not able to surface with virtually any of this attainment intact.
Compelled to hold a focus deep within and to sense the outward personal existence as both ephemeral and insubstantial. Driven to go further and further with this until either something snaps or there is real breakthrough.
The breakthrough would involve becoming awake in the hidden roots and being shown how to transform self and world by holding steady within dense and demanding situations. Refusing to get caught up in their outward dramatization and manipulation. This particular breakthrough is vital for all of us but exceedingly difficult to sustain at the level it demands. Almost always, we first have to find it and lose it, over and again, before we take seriously the grinding demand that we stay with this all the way through.
The snapping would be losing the link between surface and depth and getting swamped by a rudderless existence. This happens when shadows multiply and we pay them no heed. Soon we are enveloped in a Sargasso Sea of murky stuff, which takes us over.
Whether one extreme or the other or somewhere between, a total intensity of inward striving pulls us through. We are resuming an old task. It is one of the least rewarded places you can ever wander through. For it takes so long to have anything to show for this and even then, it has to be an undertone to be sustainable.
Yet, balancing that austere feeling tone is a rich interior territory of being so close to the soul of the Earth and to the secret roots of all things that we feel privileged and grateful. It’s all a matter of perspective—the pits or source point unlimited.