An Inescapable Full Moon in Scorpio
Whatever April's astrology has unburied, we will no longer be able to escape it; not personally, and certainly not globally.
What is happening?!
We are still riding the Wheel of Fortune in this crazy dimension of reality, folks - we’re witnessing the inaugural swell of an enormous Jupiterian wave thanks to his rare conjunction with shit-disturbing Uranus, while, simultaneously, Mercury has essentially stopped and is preparing to go direct again. (Protests, uprisings, and social media fuckery anybody?)
On top of that, we are in the throes of a Scorpio moon that began yesterday and will reveal some tough truths throughout the week, right up until Sagittarius takes over for the weekend, which will also see Mars and Neptune conjoining in Pisces. If you’re feeling jittery and weird, get a refreshing beverage, grab a crystal with which to fidget (I recommend citrine) and let’s see what the vibes could look like.
Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus - In case you missed it, we experienced a rare celestial moment on April 20th that Earth last witnessed in 1941 - our solar system’s outer planet of revolution and resistance, Uranus, met up with our benefic himbo Jupiter in the sign of the bull. As it was on the cusp of the Second World War, we are seeing a surge of resistance to authority around the globe, and it seems likely that this momentum will only continue to grow. This is different from flash-in-the pan riots, which typically address an acute grievance; these protests have varied, broad, and often oppositional goals like environmental justice, reproductive rights, labor parity, and economic or socio-political liberation, but they all seem to be expressing the same thing - rage at state power and the prostration of individual freedom to institutional authority. Uranus bows to no one and loathes the status quo, so he’s having Jupiter boost his signal and spread upheaval across as many sectors of earthly existence as possible. Individually, we might realize that certain elements of our lives have outgrown their usefulness and feel a fiery desire to eliminate them, even those that were once foundational to our being. Bridge burning is beginning to look like a solid default policy for many of us, and perhaps it is - but try to hold space for restraint, just the same. All this Mars energy can influence us to act rashly without thinking about long term consequences, especially when tempted by short-term fulfillment.
Mercury goes direct - The stickiest moments of retrograde are the very beginning and ending, as the planet stations still in order to change course. With Mercury going direct on April 25th, do yourself a favor and hold off signing important paperwork, embarking on a logistically complex trip, or broadcasting live on a social media platform until next week. Seriously, DO NOT start an IG Live, no matter how much you feel your speechified ranting and raving needs an audience to appreciate it. I’m looking at you, Leo and Virgo.
The moon moves into Scorpio - Right before the moon hit peak, bloated fullness, she moved into Scorpio, where she stays through Thursday. This isn’t really a ‘normal’ full moon, either - it is yet another Mars-ruled lunation following our Mars-ruled solar eclipse, so it is providing an underline and an exclamation point to the issues we encountered over eclipse weekend. Uncomfortable realizations about our habits, desires, and the company we keep may be unveiled while the obsessive detective of the zodiac is beaming light down on Earth, and we might find ourselves picking at issues we thought had healed. On the bright side, we get a nice reprieve from eclipse pain for the entire summer once this weekend has passed.
Mars and Neptune conjoin in Pisces - Fiery Mars isn’t content in his lunar sphere of influence, apparently; he also wishes to hijack our nebulous dream lord, lending action and urgency to inclinations that we may normally suppress or ignore. This is a classic hedonism and disillusion combo in astrology, so be cautious of over doing drugs, drink, and sex to the detriment of your health over the weekend.
The major themes of the week, and so much of this month, really, are dominated by Mars - even poor Venus, the ruler who should be stoked to work with Jupiter and Uranus after their conjunction in her home of Taurus, is currently transiting Aries and baring her teeth at the elements of this world that are trying to suppress femmes, art, and sexual expression.
We are infused with the need to act and react in a combative fashion to any situation right now, positive or negative, which makes for something of a hair trigger existence. The issues we find ourselves grappling with this month didn’t spring up overnight - rather, they have been simmering for years, but have only begun to garner attention as they boil over into open conflict. A great societal unmasking has begun, and it is unlikely to slow down or stop any time soon.
Why would this affect me?
The element of the week most actively screwing with us is our unrelenting Scorpio moon, largely due to being interwoven with all the other Mars-ruled astrological aspects of the month.
For starters, Madam Luna doesn’t enjoy chilling in the house of Scorpio - she thinks it’s creepy, obsessive, and dark in there, despite loving the other water signs of Cancer and Pisces. The moon is the changeable, passive-aggressive ruler of the tides and she puts the capital S for sensitive in the Cancerian personae.
Scorpio, however, is the odd one out amongst her elemental trifecta due to being ruled by masculine, fiery asshole Ares/Mars; in a situation where Cancer reacts with tears and Pisces reacts with a Neptunian closing of eyes and donning of headphones, Scorpio reacts by stalking people angrily and demanding that they drop the bullshit. The arachnid is a sign that seeks truth at any cost, feelings and sensitivities be damned, which means that a large part of our week could revolve around truth bombs and long-awaited confessions.
Secondly, as Mars moves closer to a conjunction with Neptune, some people’s obsessive quest for answers might veer into conspiracy theory territory. Neptune is Poseidon, after all; a prickly, changeable god of all things hidden, nebulous, and fluid, like the watery depths of our subconscious mind, or metaphorical deep sea. The ocean god is already comfortable and feeling himself when he’s in his own chariot of Pisces, and the addition of combative, hot-headed Mars can exacerbate some of Neptune’s more egregious habits like delusion, procrastination, and addiction. We must stay conscious of bad habits that we typically use to soothe ourselves and try not to drown any eclipse-oriented sorrows in a pool of opiates or paranoid public rants, no matter how pleasing it sounds.
Finally, it will behoove all of us to remember how stubborn and volatile the planets reflecting our archetypal behavior are feeling right now; our moon and sun are in the fixed signs of Scorpio and Taurus, Pluto is playing a revolutionary long game in the fixed sign of Aquarius, and Venus, Chiron, Mercury, and the north node are all looking to set shit on fire in Aries. Needless to say, attempting to change someone’s mind about anything this week will not only fail, but they might actually become aggressive and dig further into their position.
So if we cannot change minds, embark on a journey, or affect the external world through social channels this week, what should we be doing? Facing difficult realities in our own lives, some of which may be reflected in the collective, global experience. Mars is asking us to strip away the bullshit and figure out where we stand regarding this tough new reality, because things are not going to return to how they were before. Additionally, these celestial events are working together to tell a complex story, so it really isn’t as simple as performing a banishment spell during the waning moon, or putting a Zeus figurine on your altar to pull luck from the Jupiter conjunction and never thinking about it again.
Instead, try approaching this astrology in an academic sense; one that looks for holistic, long term understanding instead of quick fix solutions.
The Scorpio moon is punctuating a chapter that we started to read on April 8th, and it is likely one of many chapters in a book of revolution that Jupiter and Uranus are writing for us over the next 14 years. Even more broadly, the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction book is but part 1 of a massive, sprawling series that Pluto is publishing while he spends the next 19 years in Aquarius, upending our lives, our paradigms, and how we conduct ourselves as a society of humans. If your gut reaction to this news is something like, “Goddammit, this is going to last 2 more decades?!”, then you are not alone. I hope everyone has packed enough snacks, along with a pair of comfortable shoes.
When do I have to deal with this?
The Scorpio moon is beaming truth bombs at us from Tuesday through Friday, 4.26, so be gentle with yourself and others when it comes to uncomfortable revelations.
Mercury goes direct on Thursday, 2.25, but it takes a hot second for the normally fleet footed planet to press the gas in the right direction, so continue double-checking emails and written missives until next week.
Mars and Neptune join forces on 4.28, but we’ll start itching for a fight or a mind-numbing substance by 4.26, so be extra vigilant about both spiritual and physical boundaries this weekend, lest your friends find you passed out in a zoo enclosure on Monday, missing your pants and clutching an empty bottle of NyQuil*.
*This sentence is based on the actual experience of someone I know, only it was the State Fairgrounds he woke up occupying instead of a zoo, and he passed out clutching a bottle of Robitussin instead of NyQuil. His name is Ted, and of course he’s a Pisces.
Cool, what does the Tarot say about this?
The very beginning of the week shows clear, impactful evidence of misuse of authority - first on Monday, 4.22, with The Emperor reversed and an amazonite, which indicates a domination of the information airwaves by an egotistical, cruel strongman.
On Tuesday, 4.23, The Hierophant reversed showcased a break or divergence from traditional thinking, one that might introduce more compassion than the old paradigms under which institutions labor. On Wednesday, 4.24, the Scorpio moon asks us to get to the primordial heart of our difficulties and face them, much as the Feral oracle card wants us to find wisdom in our basic instincts and intuition.
The 10 of Swords pops up on Thursday, 4.25 for a desolate, final look at some egregious situation before we put it to bed for good, but most of what we feel when we turn the page on someone or something painful will be relief.
Friday, 4.26 is lighter and our navigation of the day more smooth, thanks to a Sagittarius moon and the 2 of Pentacles, which directs us to continue some balancing act that allows for resource management, one that may involve another person or entity like an investor or bank.
There is resistance to change and risk aversion permeating certain situations on Saturday, 4.27, when the 8 of Cups reversed keeps things in a stunted, familiar holding pattern. We will have to approach things practically and logically if we want to make any space for new solutions, especially anything in the realms of finance or health care.
Finally, Sunday, 4.28 brings us Temperance reversed, underscoring exactly how drunk and dissolute a Mars/Neptune conjunction in Pisces can be - though, in our defense, facing April’s many different frustrations and uncomfortable issues could drive even the most staid, conservative earth sign into a hedonistic frenzy. Avoid overdoing it by getting fresh air and hanging out with your most zen, go-with-the-flow associates to release your emotional pressure, rather than pickling your brain. It’s Taurus season, after all…why not embody Ferdinand The Bull and go flower-picking in a breezy meadow? If nature isn’t your thing, cook dinner with a bestie or lay on a comfortable piece of furniture listening to your favorite album - anything to balance out the heavy aggression of Mars with Venusian pleasure. Life is short and we deserve every little bit of joy we can squeeze from it.
Visit @alectochaos on IG for the full, wordy breakdown and video of each card pull. If you are into that sort of thing.