The Full Moon of Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio is the Wesak Festival, where the “Eternal Buddha Wisdom” pours out a new form of compassionate wisdom for the world which will be spread across all nations at the next Full Moon. We will be shown a deeper, more universal wisdom to incorporate into our lives wherever we have Scorpio and Taurus in our charts. This one renews our lives!

The Full Moon of Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio is the second of the “Three High Moons” of the Northern Hemispheric Spring. As with all Full Moons, use the light you’ve been seeing and expressing since the New Moon, and give it form and focus through anchoring those themes in expression. This is the Light of substance and the ability to respond to substance appropriately, expressed through either elimination, attraction, or both. Because the Moon is in Scorpio, the Wesak Wisdom always involves some form of renunciation or letting go, creating space for new wisdom-forms to be substantiated.

Since the Wesak represents “Buddha Wisdom” of a compassionate form helping us all to end suffering, the next two weeks can help us remember the wisdom we’ve found throughout our “mature experience.” This will be expressed through what we let go of, what we choose to regenerate, and how we choose to fill recent voids. This one will show us something about our worth and/or what we value, and what we need to reclaim of our wisdom which allows us a genuine rejuvenation.

This stabilizing, regenerative, and awakening Full Moon occurs at 3:45 am PDT, 11:45 am BST on May 7, and falls at the 18th degree of Taurus and Scorpio. This one helps us clean out sources of dissatisfaction, opens deeper relationship connections with others in our Soul groups, and will bust a lot of old stagnant material loose!

As with all Full Moons, use the light you’ve been seeing and expressing since the New Moon, and give it form and focus to see how to anchor those themes in expression. This is the Light of “eternal worth” coming to surface as the Light of a dissatisfaction with ego and unexamined parts of ourself expressed as a transfiguration resulting from a transfiguration and leading to yet another transfiguration this entire year!

Continuing the theme that proceeds at each Full Moon as they move through each polarity, this one gives us the ability to use the “flexible stability” we’ve been dealing with since the New Moon, and having begun to “find our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” can give this “thing of timeless worth” a new magnetism appropriate to our evolved state.

Today’s Full Moon post will be an overview of the Lunation and some of its primary qualities. In parts 2 and 3 we’ll cover the Sabian Symbols, aspects, distributions, and patterns.

An Overview

This Wesak Festival Full Moon in Scorpio-Taurus will open a global wisdom and greater ways of substantiating our personal spiritual activity. This one will give form to the wisdom-harvest of what we learned in 2018-2019, since the Moon is the same degree of the Mars/Jupiter conjunction in January 2018. This will clean out all within us which would obstruct our long term wisdom path, and prepares us for new collective work in the midst of the chaos of the second half of the year. Last year’s Wesak wisdom helped many find their “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” this past year, even if accompanied by some type of “burying the past” which has opened us to a radical life renewal since last Summer.

This Full Moon stabilizes a new era, and as I told you in Spiritual Astrology In 2020 - The Three High Moons of the Northern Hemisphere Spring, it also is the second of the “Three High Moons” of the Northern Hemispheric Spring, showing us all a new Wisdom Teaching for Earth. This will confirm many things about who we are and the wisdom path we’re one.

This concretizes a new Wisdom teaching for the world which will be distributed at the next Full Moon. We are now rapidly accelerating within a fateful “Cosmic moment” as Mars approaches the transfiguration zone of 29/30 Aquarius. This will launch Mercury’s promise, moving the “graduation into a new realm of Being” into actuality as we continue to experience the effects of the Great Compressions of January and March with their multiple conjunctions in Capricorn involving Sun, Mercury, Saturn and Pluto (January) and Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn (March).

This month Venus is still out front in late Gemini, quickly slowing down to begin its coming retrograde. Pluto’s already gone retrograde, and both Jupiter and Saturn will also go retrograde within hours of Venus’ station. We will experience this as a major “sea change,” so prepare to take a new look at the ground you’ve traversed since the beginning of the year.

Our elemental distribution is all over the map during these months! At the Pisces Full Moon, all the planets were in Earth or Water signs except Mercury on its stationary direct transfiguration degree. At last month’s Aries Full Moon the emphasis moved to Air in ways we haven’t seen in years, as we had FOUR planets in Air signs.

This Full Moon continues the Air influence, with Earth temporarily back as a dominant energy. Soon Air will be the dominant influence, with the Gemini trines to Saturn in Aquarius paving the way for the Grand Mutation at 1 Aquarius. As you know from other articles, this is the last year of a 200 year Earth era, with Air power building throughout the year which is priming the pump for the 200 year Air era breaking big this December!

As Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto all have Capricorn ground to re-trace in coming months, it indicates the organized structures we’ve already begun to build as we move into the Grant Mutation and a new 200 year era for humanity may need to be revisited, revised, or reworked. As Taurus is so strong in this chart, see what in your society and culture are personally meaningful to you while remaining open to spiritual impressions streaming in from ancient Eastern sources.

The early March direct station began a period where we are all moving into a radical transfiguration time, with the launch in the next few days! If major changes and/or opportunities present themselves, accept the opening and shake off that which binds you. We are all “butterflies emerging from a chrysalis,” preparing to fly by early May. It would seem humanity is breaking out of its comfortable cocoon. Which reminds me of the movie, and how we are truly young forever!

This is the sixth Full Moon with Jupiter in Capricorn, which at this time is on a threshold state, preparing us to hear the inner voice with clarity despite the white noise of the world. We’ve begun to see the group work which must be done, and who we’re going to do it with. We’ve touched the World Soul, and have seen our fellow travelers on the Path to the mountaintop, with the view promising a new world of activity by the end of this year.

As noted earlier in the section on the Compressions, we are now at the beginning of new Mars/Jupiter, Mars/Pluto, and Mars/Saturn cycles. We are also launched into a year of serious Saturn/Pluto energies, given the January conjunctions setting a new 33 year era into motion. As I said, we transfigured in 2018 and 2019, and now can find wisdom in the ongoing process of transfiguration as a verb rather than a noun.

This is the first step into the coming Aquarian era. While this is not “The Age of Aquarius,” this is the final intensification of those energies which will sprout seeds in the second quarter of the century which will take us across the threshold of the Great Age soon after 2050.

Is the Sun Following the Moon, or the Moon Following the Sun?

There are two patterns; one is when the Full Moon Sun is the same sign as the previous New Moon Sun, and the other is when the Full Moon Sun is in the next sign from the Sun in the previous New Moon. We are now in a period when the Full Moon Sun falls in the same sign as the Sun in the previous New Moon.

We last had the Sun in the same sign in both the New Moon and Full Moon, the so-called “natural” order, between June 2016 and the late July 2017 New Moon in Leo, when the Full Moon Sun fell in the same sign as the Sun of the previous New Moon. We finished the period of the “natural” order of Lunation Suns at the August 2017 Solar Eclipse in late Leo and began the last period where the Full Moon Sun was in the sign following the New Moon Sun.

We were in this “reversed pattern” of the Sun of the Full Moon occupying the sign after the New Moon Sun for 20 months, and now are back to the “natural order” of the Sun in the New Moon being the same as the Sun in the next Full Moon. Our recent New Moon Sun was at 4 Taurus, and this Full Moon has a Sun at 18 Taurus.

Since the New Moon offers us seeds in the first half of the month’s lunar cycle, and fulfillment in the second half, we now are in a sequence with the “Seed Light” of Taurus coming to a Full Moon illumination through the current Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio. You can learn more about the recent New Moon at 4 Taurus by checking out those two articles posted 2 weeks ago.

Planetary Distribution

In this Full Moon, the span occupied by the inner planets (in this chart the Sun at 18 Taurus through Venus at 22 Gemini spans 33+ degrees. When we add the nearest planet Uranus, the span is 43+ degrees, and occupied by 4 planets. This span will be the focus of specific activity in our charts. However, because we have four planets at the end of Capricorn and Aquarius, it yields two very concentrated spans of activity.

The second span is 31+ degrees wide, with Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn leading the span followed immediately by Saturn in early Aquarius and Mars in late Aquarius. This is a wider span of activity than we’ve had for months, though it will soon stabilize since Venus is slowing and all the other planets will be within the span from late Capricorn through mid-Gemini by late May.

We had two Great Compressions in Capricorn; one in February 2019, and one in March 2020. These brought us “Bundle” Jones patterns, with everything bundled in a very narrow span this year, creating a crowded house wherever we have Capricorn through Taurus. This is the prevailing Jones Pattern except for when the Moon is outside the occupied span. That means every Full Moon in the past several months, as well as this one and the coming World Teacher Full Moon of June will have a Bucket pattern created by the Moon outside the occupied span.

At this time we have the 10 traditional planets occupying 6 signs, in a widespread balanced distribution. Currently, the outer planet occupied span begins with Pluto and Jupiter in late Capricorn, then moves through Saturn in Aquarius, Neptune in Pisces, and Uranus in early Taurus, with the inner planets now occupying Aquarius, Taurus, and Gemini. In this chart the Moon in Scorpio is outside the occupied span.

The Jones patterns in the sky now change mainly due to the position of the Moon. With this Full Moon in Scorpio we continue our Full Moon Bucket patterns which have dominated every Full Moon for many month, though it ends with this one, since the World Teacher Full Moon will return us to a Bowl pattern.

So What is a “Bucket Pattern” and how does it work?

This type of spread, with all the planets in about half the signs with one outside that span wide enough to be a handle, creates a “Bucket” Jones Pattern. The energies of the occupied half are focused through the “handle,” or “nozzle,” in this case the Moon, termed the “focal determinator.”

The handle, or focal determinator, represents the way to greater effectiveness, the cause to be embraced, the lack to be filled, or the way to use the total energies of this time in a focused manner. With the Moon in Scorpio as the handle, we should be able to “get a handle on what we need to do” by demonstrating good Scorpio skills and approaches. Thus the focus requires focus, the willingness to eliminate what we need to, and going deeper into our faith as we fully embrace the transformational process.

Dr. Jones states “the bucket type indicates a particular and rather uncompromising direction in the life effort.” This pattern gives “interest in a cause,” with executive tendencies that will adapt allegiances to maximize results of the effort. He says “the bucket type at its best reveals the real instructor and inspirer of others, and at its worst the agitator and malcontent.” This is the larger planetary pattern within which we’re all trying to do what we do.

We are also told this pattern is more about finding an effective release for energy within social settings, but also about the individual imposing their patterns on society rather than adapting to what is there. It’s about focused intention. So all of us can expect some sort of focused attention on the house where we have 18 Scorpio.

At this Full Moon, the hemispheric emphasis shows us Pluto is the opening planet and Venus the closing planet in the occupied span. See the seeds of “organized transformation” which can lead to a greater “transcendent security.” With Venus closing, enjoy the love of learning while remembering there are many ways to communicate any given idea.

So this period leads with social-emotional “group performance,” and closes with social-emotional “exteriorization.” This continues to facilitate our “return to Source,” and since we are in a time when we ARE supposed to be going inward and connecting with Self, with Source, with the Earth, and each other. Generate “social warmth,” and try to make each day a celebration of Life. The handle, or nozzle for expressing our Capricorn through Gemini activity is found in Scorpio.

Is the Grand Irrationality A Factor in this Full Moon?

Because this section is so long, I decided to create an article which explains what it is, how long it’s been in effect, and which zones of the zodiac have been most impacted and when. You can find all you need to know about this configuration associated with widespread irrationality and hard-edged “forks in the road of destiny” we’ve all confronted at various times by going to The Grand Irrationality.

In this chart, we are back in the jagged edges of the Second Grand Irrationality (2017-2022) as Uranus is again biseptile Pluto. This is the “awakening to a fork in the road of destiny” for humanity, and is why things are so irrational at this time. This will awaken “knowledge and skill” to “meet the demands of a stage yet to come.”

Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend

Because Saturn is in its home sign of Aquarius, it is the final dispositor of all planets transiting Capricorn and Aquarius from now through 2023. That makes it a dominant force through April 2022. And because Jupiter is in Capricorn, Saturn has also been center stage during the transits of Sagittarius and Pisces. Saturn rules Mars until it enters Aries in late June, but for the near future, it shares power with Mercury in Taurus in mutual reception with Venus in Gemini.

Remember that while Saturn can feel heavy, it is also our ability to take command of our lives and destiny by using Saturn’s virtues in the right way and time. Our ability to steer our “ship of personality” into its rightful “current of destiny” is in front of us, based in how we have prepared for our “role of destiny” heading at us like an express train! In 2019 we rehearsed and perfected roles and skills we’ll need in 2020 and beyond as part of the Saturn-Uranus “dance of individualization” in our lives. We’ve begun to crystallize present and future rewards, as well as new group work and roles opening new chapters in our “hero’s journey” into our new quality of Being awakened by Uranus.

I explain how Saturn and Uranus awaken us to our Higher Powers to take conscious command of our destiny in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. Saturn helps us give form and structure to our quest for Self-realization, and in Aquarius, teaches us how to make a greater contribution to our civilization and come together with others in a great effort “ensouled by a great vision.” This will allow our “new quality of Being” promised by Uranus to come alive as expressions of our unfolding Higher Consciousness.

It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers. Even those with little or no understanding of astrology will benefit from understanding why you had to make certain choices at crucial times that shaped your life in profound ways.

Each time you read any section of this book you will find new insights about your power to throw off all the attitudes and memories which hold you back from finding and living the life and purpose. If you’ve haven’t already gotten your copy, you can go to the Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend page on Amazon and this should be all you need to order your copy. It’s also available on Amazon and as an ebook on Kindle, so if that’s more to your liking, go for it! If you would, whether you’ve gotten the ebook or the paperback, please write a review on the Amazon site, since the more reviews, the more of a boost they give it.

On A Final Note

See you in the near future with parts two and three on this Wesak Festival Wisdom Full Moon which will bring strong urges for “self-transcendence” yielding transfigured states of Being. While there may be conflict from examining the musty or dark “corners of the mind,” ultimately by what we eliminate to create the inner and outer space we will magnetize new power to us. Be clear about the ideal, and deal with scattered people and situations with precision, order, and a sense of the bigger picture with a sense of humor.

Everything has been phenomenally compressed, and now we begin a “swirling expansion,” with the span somewhat stable as various planets prepare to go retrograde and give us a new look at ground we covered between January and March. If you want to know more about the recent compression, there are links at the bottom of this article.

New roles, new power, new influence, and new responsibilities are coming in 2020 for those who have trained, and will lead to new social effectiveness in 2021 and 2022. We saw broader truths and futures during 2019 when Jupiter was in Sagittarius, and now can take those great principles we glimpsed and practice them in forms of personal power. We’ve now begun several very important long wave cycles in the past few weeks, so get used to playing this for the long haul.

The more skillful we become in dealing with life’s aggravations, annoyances, disruptions, and unexpected diversions, the more we are able to keep our cool in the midst of the generic atmospheric conflict and irrationality. That way we can fulfill our destiny and enjoy the journey!

We’re in a period where we’re having various types of “cosmic visitations” which is “galvanizing us into action to become free of adverse conditions.” We’ve gotten a front end look at the sources of future conflicts which will boil over next January. Since the Summer of 2019, we’ve all been “tearing ourselves away from the known and familiar, gambling all on a great dream.” However, the same revolutionary pulse is showing as others reacting in confrontational ways, promising a period of polarization and tension between the old and the new. Just beware of the old masquerading as the new, and beware of people being oppositional-defiant for no good reason.

Our lives have been transfigured since 2018 as we embraced the journey into the unknown. The Wisdom of this Wesak puts the spotlight on that transfiguration, both as actuality and potentiality. We have received the promise of rewards to come for doing our part in the Cosmic Choir. During this extreme period, we are offered chances to let go of fear, egocentricity, and feelings of fatigue or inadequacy. We are still finding healing through seeing how we’re not bound to an old identity, and learning to use our freedom to mentor ourselves in new social-emotional expression.

We’ve been offered many higher, more diplomatic and dignified ways of interacting with others these past few months, with this shift opening doors to even more evolved relationships. Even if you don’t understand now, you will by later this year when Mercury goes SRX at 12 Scorpio.

As we approach the Grand Mutation of 2020, the next few weeks continue to stabilize the new cycles while giving us a look back at the developments of the cycles with an eye to seeing who our allies are. Use the intense focus of this time to commit to something, or add to something of value. See the beauty and usefulness of things.

Use dissatisfaction to do “mental housecleaning.” Examine what you need to, open into new ideas, and remember we cannot put new wine into old wineskins. This time stabilizes the Capricorn promise of 2018 and 2019 while accelerating the changes which will take shape in the coming 20 year Aquarian sub-era which will change us and our world for decades to come!

I’ll see you soon when we’ll discuss Sabian Symbols, aspects, and other important chart factors.

This article explains past, present, and future compressions, where they fall, and who they affect. The Great Compressions of early 2020, 2021, and 2022

This one explains the recent compression and the multiple conjunctions setting themes for decades! The Great Compression of January 2020 – Mercury, Sun, Saturn and Pluto all Conjunct in Capricorn

Along with the article on the Three High Moons linked earlier, here's another Wesak article: Spiritual Astrology in May 2020 - A Happy Buddha Birthday Is Coming at the Full Moon of Taurus-Scorpio, a.k.a. The Wesak Festival!