Full Moon in Taurus
Sunday, November 5, 2006
4:58am PST
12º 58'

Taurus is a show-me sign; a grounded, earthy, full-body experience. The Moon in Taurus is a big reminder that it is our actions here on earth which matter most for bringing an end to the suffering and pain humans cause each other, our animal and plant brothers and sisters, and our collective Mother, the Earth. How we walk through life, how we treat other life forms makes the difference between ignorance and enlightenment.

What the Moon in Taurus wants most to convey is the message that all the wisdom of the universe is already present in your body; particularly in the human brain. There is nowhere to go, nothing higher than the multileveled intricacy of the brain we have each been gifted. Enlightenment is ever-present; lying dormant, waiting for each of us to awaken, through meditation, the totality of the pre-frontal lobe's synaptic connections. Sun/Venus/Mars trining Uranus, and the deeply compassionate, loving and spiritual Moon square to Neptune and sextile to Uranus, make this an especially powerful Full Moon to gather with others and commit to realizing your birthright: an enlightenment that is embodied, selfless, and deeply committed to ending the physical suffering of all other sentient beings.

Let's start by reminding ourselves that Taurus, the sign opposite Scorpio, tells us that life doesn't have to be so intense; a great reminder for this particular Full Moon which is opposing a hefty group of planets in "too-hot-to-handle" Scorpio: Sun (identity) /Mars (action) /Venus (love) /Mercury (thinking and communication)/ and Jupiter. Taurus wishes us a life that is beautiful, warm, soft, loving, and sensual; one filled with the pleasures of family and friends, good food, beautiful surroundings, great music and art, and all things that help soothe and heal anxiety and worry.

I can hear all the Scorpios out there murmuring under their breath, "So what pain do I have to endure in order to have that kind of pleasure?" And this is Scorpio problem in a nutshell: attachment to suffering and victimology. This is the Full Moon to consider the possibility of letting go of that particular cognitive distortion. Don't worry, there will lots more time to work seriously on this issue during the next New Moon. I'll write much more on this topic in the next New Moon Message.

Taurus rules basic survival and hence, security: personal security, homeland security, and global security. Taurus fears starvation, sickness, lack of shelter and comfort. This is why it craves security, possessions and comfort; and once gotten, holds them so tightly. The best way I know of to ensure survival is to think bigger than just your own needs and give generously to others. The Full Moon in Taurus is the time to face personal and national selfishness and greed. America is the richest nation in the world; our comforts run counter to the glaring poverty all around us. We have allowed our government to do terrible things around the globe to ensure our survival. What America wants and what it needs are two different things. Yes we need to celebrate our own self-worth and enliven self-confidence, but self-worth does not come from how much power, control and wealth we have; rather from how much we selflessly give away.

The Full Moon in Taurus enlivens our sense of responsibility to caretake our planet and its inhabitants. Reconsider the importance of your needs and desires in light of how they impact the environment. Maybe this year, you'll take those fallen leaves and start a compost pile instead of putting them in plastic bags and sending them to your local dump. How about setting up a bird feeder for the winter? How about taking ten dollars of your income every month and sending it to your favorite environmental organization? It is our job to protect Mother Earth and her inhabitants.

I am talking about total embodiment of love, here on earth, with your partner, your kids, your neighbors and their kids, your parents, your friends and their friends, your enemies, your community, your schools, your coworkers, your customers, your government, our government's friends and supposed enemies, every person in every nation, every tree, plant, animal, body of water, rock, mountain, bird, planet, star, solar system, galaxy, every one of the multiple universes, and everything that could possibly exist in all possible existences. Wrap your mind around that, then let go and open into partnership with all our relations!

This is not the usual Taurus Full Moon celebration of sitting in a hot bath, making a great meal and relaxing all night. Use the day and get radical! Make sure you commit to vote on Tuesday, November 7. No excuses: every vote counts to effect change in our government. Volunteer and arrange carpools to help needy voters get to the polls.

Or stop in at a homeless shelter and cook for the hungry, go door to door and campaign for your favorite candidate or ballot initiative, go to a hospital and sit with the sick, go to a hospice and comfort the dying. Visit a military family that has a loved one serving indefinitely in Iraq, or has needlessly lost a son, daughter, husband, father, wife, mother, in the war. Then tell me that your life is hard. Rise up out of victimology and help those who suffer most in this world.

Don't wait for things to get so bad that we have nothing left. Change now, get involved, do something that serves someone other than you, and I guarantee your heart will open and surrender into a love that can heal every dark place in your psyche, your body, your heart, and by extension all the dark places within the global psyche, body and heart.

We can all rise to this occasion, while remaining embodied and connected to all other life.

©2006 Lisa Dale Miller

Full Moon in Gemini
Monday, December 4, 2006
4:25pm PST
12º 43'

Gemini is usually thought of as a fast moving, light and airy sign; not too serious about anything yet always interested in everything. Though this is generally a lighthearted and open-minded Full Moon, this year with Jupiter, Sun, Pluto, and Venus in Sagittarius, Mars and Mercury in Scorpio, Saturn in Leo squaring Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter, and Uranus in Pisces squaring both Sun and Moon, opening up to the truth in a deeply transformative way will probably color any activities you may have planned for the evening. Don't be surprised if the most uttered word at your ritual is "why?"

The Full Moon in Gemini is supposed to be a time of freely speaking one's mind; but watch out, with overblown Jupiter, egoistic Sun, creative Venus, and ever-intense Pluto gracing Sagittarius with their presence, putting one's foot in one's mouth may be hard to avoid. On the other hand, these planets will create a tidal wave of humanitarian feelings right on schedule for the holiday season. Remember, when diversity (Gemini) and communality (Sagittarius), meet generosity (Jupiter) and love (Venus), great things (Sun) can happen to transform (Pluto) a bleak and disconnected world (Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius).

Saturn in Leo squaring Mars and Mercury in Scorpio and Jupiter in Sagittarius will challenge us to let's look fear straight in the eye and play with the possibility of changing our fixed ideas about pretty much everything we think we believe is true. Think�?meaning questioning the validity of our thoughts as truth; believe... Meaning allowing the free-flowing energy of the Moon in Gemini to loosen our attachment to codified, dogmatic truths.

One great way to do this is to fill the room with a variety of viewpoints. Since Full Moons are celebratory events, it's a great time for a party. Invite a wide-ranging group of people and let them experience a diverse set of opinions and ideas while having fun. (Enjoy this time when hardened distinctions between red and blue seem have blurred a bit!) Or Gemini generally likes the lighter side of things. So stick to a party centered on networking. Or in the spirit of the Moon square Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius, be a bit more daring and create an event to share and expand knowledge; like a teach-in on a subject you wish to learn more about. Show an informative video or invite a live speaker. But above all, be social. Don't sit home in isolation.

Some of you may already be sweating bullets about spending the upcoming holidays with family, which for you can be a minefield even in the best of times. So make use of Jupiter, Sun, Pluto and Venus in generous and joyful Sagittarius. Use the night to gather with people you trust and do a bit of deep sharing and healing work on old wounds. Work on healthy ways to communicate and take care of yourself in high-stress or uncomfortable situations.

The Gemini Full Moon is a great night to go through Christmas decorations or get busy making Yule logs for Solstice. Use the openness of a Gemini Full Moon to talk back to tradition by being free flowing and inventive. Get creative and let your mind run wild! What a great night to bake cookies and make presents. Bring out the craft materials, paints, exotic fabrics, papers, beads, and turn your ritual into a gift creating party! Try giving something made from the heart, or in Gemini lingo "gift that really communicates who you are."

Gemini rules writing and information. This is a great night to share in public something you have been working on in secret. A Full Moon in Gemini helps us feel like trying anything. So take a chance and get out to an open-mike performance or poetry reading. For those of you who are bit more shy, share your songs and stories with friends or loved ones. If you are far away from friends and family write that holiday, "I'll catch you up on everything that happened this year" letter or email.

But no matter how you decide to experience this Full Moon in Gemini, with so many planets in Sagittarius, we should all be singing out hearty expressions of gratefulness.

©2006 Lisa Dale Miller
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Full Moon in Cancer
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
5:57am PST
12° 48'

Happy New Year! Let's start it off right with a full-hearted celebration of love, compassion, forgiveness, and emotional connectedness. This is the Full Moon to swim in the unbounded ocean of love that connects us with the rhythm of life and all other sentient beings. With Moon in Cancer pulsating the energy of caring, compassion, and nurturance, trining Uranus in Pisces awakening into this unbounded ocean of love can be yours if you are willing to let go and dive in wholeheartedly!

This is that once a year when the Full Moon is posited in the astrological sign it rules, making the force of love and trust so abundant, that we must open our hearts; even with Mercury (mind) and Sun (ego) in the hard-reality sign of Capricorn . So those of you who have lost faith in love, though you may not believe it, you too are surrounded by love. Love is everywhere, in every particle, in every wave. It is the glue that binds us to our planet and all existent life upon it.

Cancer rules emotional healing of all kinds and this is the Full Moon to make an effort to bring love back to all your relationships; especially between family members. The Moon in Cancer is the focal planet of a Yod with Chiron (wounding) in Aquarius (emotional distancing) and Jupiter (generosity) in Sagittarius (belief in basic goodness.) Yods are constricting until one is ready to face the frustrated, held back energy inherent in the planetary relationships and transform suffering into liberation. In this case: liberating the heart through forgiveness and compassion.

With Venus (love), Mercury (communication) and Sun (ego) in Capricorn, this is a "get real and get committed" Full Moon: a Moon for setting an intention to love others even through the hard times. Jupiter, Mars (action) and Pluto (letting go of past pain) in Sagittarius make this is a great Full Moon to reach out and heal estrangements and conflicts in your life. People do hurtful things; it is part of the human condition. But the Moon in Cancer asks us to consider forgiveness and compassion as a way to heal wounds of the heart. If you feel too vulnerable to do this by yourself, have the process take place surrounded by a group of supportive family and friends. This will ease those first steps toward reconnection and forgiveness.

Though nothing is more important than our families, we often get caught up in the day-to-day hassles of family life. This is the Full Moon to stop and really appreciate our loved ones: to fully embrace them, look deeply into their eyes and let our hearts soar in the recognition of oneness. It is also a great Full Moon to do something wonderful for the primary caregiver in your family. It's mid-week: How about cooking dinner for the one who takes on that responsibility most days? Cancer represents the Nurturing Mother archetype, which for all you single Dads is definitely not gender specific. Get the family together and organize a special treat for the one who cares for you. Nurturing the nurturer is a necessity that is often ignored.

Cancer's greatest gift is the consideration of the needs of others over our own needs. To help others and relieve suffering is strengthening for everyone: to disregard others, only weakens oneself. Neptune (unconditional love) in Aquarius (the collective) coupled with Uranus (the awakener) in Pisces (interconnectedness) should contribute greatly to loosening Cancer's sense that it's all so personal, and open the way for globalizing strong emotions just enough to be able to see that the pain in the other, is your own pain as well.

This is a Full Moon of opposites: the Moon Mother (Cancer, the nurturer) goes head to head with the Sun Father (Capricorn the authoritarian and rule maker) highlighting the age-old struggle of liberty and restraint, love and hate, war and peace, separation and connectedness. It is has become abundantly clear that the men who control global politics, economics and all the major religions, have no intention of promoting life lived fully in the principles of love. Their way of separation and disconnection has outlived its usefulness. Though humanity seems firmly entrenched in the Saturnian ways of contraction, separation, and war making, the Full Moon in Cancer demands equal time for the Eternal Feminine; the way of connection, nurturance, compassion, forgiveness, surrender and peace.

The path of the heart must be acknowledged and embraced by every nation and by all living beings, or we will surely perish in the fires of our own greed and disconnection. The Full Moon in Cancer rules the power of the Archetypal Feminine. I know I say this every year for the Full Moon in Cancer, but it is a mantra that needs to be repeated every day! The time has come for women at every corner of the globe, of every race, every nationality and every religion, to rise up and break the continuing cycle of female powerlessness. It is our responsibility to wake up to reality, raise our voices as one, throw off our chains, and withdraw our political and economic support from the male-dominated institutions that have failed to create a safe, secure, and fair world.

Women have to support each other in an effort to take our places as heads of State, corporate leaders and religious authorities. Retrograde Venus in Capricorn points to how women have abdicated the power to be at the forefront of the world's governments and businesses. It shouts to Everywoman that there is no one who will give us the power: we must find our own economic self-sufficiency by supporting our own networks.

C'mon America, you ended 2006 by saying, "NO MORE!" So let's start 2007 by demanding change for peace. The time has come to insist that the way of the heart, the language and action of love, is the only policy we will support with our votes and our dollars. Gather the women and likeminded men in your family, in your neighborhood, and join the swelling ranks of Americans walking the path of peace. Say "no" to violence and "yes" to meaningful conversation that opens awareness on all sides for responsible peacemaking.

So on this Full Moon in Cancer, bring together likeminded people at your Full Moon ritual, and commit yourselves to empowering the way of the Eternal Feminine in your life, your community, and throughout the world.

©2006 Lisa Dale Miller