Full Moon in Aquarius

Astrology can be a practice of re-dreaming, nurturing and preserving intrapsychic habitat diversity —  holding space for the entire zodiac, or circle of animals, that exists within every one of us.

Taurus is a sign that reminds us that we are a reflection and expression of Nature, with its ruling planet Venus offering the capacity to harmonize our many aspects, inner animals and entire inner ecosystems around our core Self-energy.

One way that the current transit of Uranus through Taurus is being individually and collectively experienced is as a kind of unbridled, instinctive uproar or despairing cry of the animals inside that have been repressed, have lost their habitat, have been deprived of conscious resourcing of clean water, air, fire, and earth, spirit, our attention.

While the languaging of popular astrology (“I am a Taurus”) can be a way to recognize a predominate energy in ourselves that feels validating, playful, and connective, acknowledging that we each carry within us ALL the zodiacal signs is essential for astrology to be Life-affirming.

And, it feels especially relevant under this second Full Moon that is occurring at the last degree of Aquarius, as Saturn and Jupiter both move through Aquarius, and before Pluto enters Aquarius in 2023.  

The Aquarian process is connected to the myth of Ganymede, where Zeus (Jupiter) swoops down from the heavens as a whirlwind and picks up the beautiful mortal Ganymede to be a cup-bearer to the gods.  Ganymede’s father, Tros, grieves the loss of his son, but is given a pair of magical horses that can travel over water.  He moves on, able to see an image of his son in the stars and, with his horses, not sink too deeply or be overwhelmed by his grief.

From the perspective of Tros (Aquarius consciousness with a predominant Saturn rulership), there’s an unconscious belief that, indeed, there is this part of us too pure and too beautiful for this world of darkness, toil, and compromise.  There is a feeling of— “I will manage things here, while this dear and good part of me remains in eternal youth and be spared any loss of innocence or beauty that could come from existence here on this mortal plane.”  To compensate for such loss, in Tros’ consciousness, we may learn or strive to be high-functioning, high-achieving, successful, productive, competent and master the rules of the world, especially in some arena of life.  We may sense that there's a part of us we’ve hidden away, and periodically touch that grief.  If very merged or identified with Tros (Saturn rulership), we might attract Ganymede-like individuals, or key players in our life that we can project Ganymede upon and judge them of holding onto impossibly idealistic notions and dreams, refusing to grow up and accept certain unavoidable realities and responsibilities, refusing to join the rest of humanity and participate here, in this world.

From the perspective of Ganymede (Uranus as a primary ruler of Aquarius),  something happened in the human domain that was a whirlwind, not really clear to us, and we're okay with leaving it as such.  There is a feeling of — “There is something special about me and it’s better that I stay here in the domain of endless possibility, ideas to consider, visions to explore, imagining what could-be, without subjecting my Ideal Form to the messy process of fully participating in the mortal world.  I will let Tros take care of things.”  If identified with Ganymede consciousness, we might attract a Tros-like individual or someone we can project our Tros upon, and feel very reactive or defensive when they question our plans, visions, dreams, or ask us to compromise, participate in the status quo, or meet certain tasks of the mundane world.  We might destroy our creations before they fully manifest, if they are not perfectly what we envisioned, and return them to the gods.

This Aquarius process is a part of all of our journeys and is neither inherently bad or good.  

But, the ongoing square between Saturn and Uranus is currently putting pressure on us to create and nurture a habitat within ourselves, where this Ganymede-like part can come more fully into existence and collaborate with the rest of our system and the “As Is”.   And, where Tros can surrender some of his management, and take a chance with allowing Ganymede’s innocence to come forward into the world.  

Our nervous system might need support in this deeply vulnerable process.

From Tros’ consciousness, we may more fully sense and need to grieve the loss of Eros, deep feeling-ness, aliveness and beauty in the way we have, thus far, been conditioned to attend mundane moments and responsibilities.  

From Ganymede’s consciousness, we may more fully sense and need to grieve what connectedness, compassion, and spontaneity has been lost in our preserved state with the gods, separate from humanity, our own and of the world.  

And, we can acknowledge why each played their role as they have.  This process is all understandable and a part of our soul journeys. 

It seems that Jupiter in Aquarius now wants to include and Saturn in Aquarius wants to give form to Uranus (the exile/the Ideal Form/Ganymede), but is doing so through a square aspect, thus asking us through challenging circumstances to evolve our relationship to Taurus energy and process in the world.

Taurus moves slowly.  The life-giving process of internalizing our innate value and what we value, that Taurus guides us through, is inherently

… s l o w …  

slow to act, slow in the experiencing, slow in the integration.  

When we allow Taurean parts and people to be slow to take action, we allow a gathering, inclusion, alignment, and organization of ourselves around our core intention, that is very powerful.  An action can become a total response.  An embodied and conscious choice.  

When we are slow, fully present, surrendered to and embodied in the experience, we receive a full showing of ourselves, to ourselves.

When we are slow in integration, slowly chewing the cud, chewing, chewing, chewing, returning to the same places, patterns, breaking it down, feeling deeply, we can render something indigestible into something nutritious, life-giving. 

But what habitats have we been conditioned to give this slow, universal process of Taurus? 

Largely neglected from our awareness and given a superficial habitat due to superficial understanding of its process, the Taurean shadow has expressed on a collective level.  Greed.  An anti-erotic hoarding of resources.  Materialism that severs right relationship with our bodies and the Earth. 

This is a heart-breaking loss of Taurean wisdom that actually brings us so deeply into our bodies to meet its brilliant wisdom, and into relationship and love of the Earth and all Earth beings. 

And because of neglecting Taurus, we face this a confounding paradox.

We need Taurus process    //   We don’t have time for Taurus process.  

And, in response to such unworkability, this may be where we tend to continue sending the Ideal Form of Taurus (of lushness, touch, sweetness, slowness, beauty) up out of full embodiment and into these un-integrated slices of pleasure (such as curated social media habitats) -- practices that are, again, not innately good or bad, allowing Taurus to still exist, but not yet fully integrated, where we don’t have to grieve how Taurus energy must mature in order to become real in this domain. 

For example, when Ganymede comes back into human expression and entanglement  —

What if Ganymede longs for touch and Tros is alone?  What if Ganymede longs for sweet delicious, provocative meals and Tros doesn’t have the money to buy the ingredients, or if Tros is on a restricted diet due to a health condition?  What if Ganymede longs to hike barefoot into the wilderness and Tros can’t open a window due to a blanket of heavy wildfire smoke?  What if Ganymede wants to nap, and Tros is a single working parent supporting a family?  What if Ganymede longs to embody beauty, but doesn't meet the image at the top of a false ladder of body heirarchy?

The healing/making Whole through including and integrating Taurus energy is not without heartbreak and getting real with ourselves. 

And with that, opening our eyes to what is more essentially beautiful.  What is truly of value. 

How do we bring Taurus’ process back online, in the midst of the consequences and life circumstances we are navigating?

How do we tend a habitat for Taurean parts in a way that is integrated and dynamically interconnected with the Whole?

How do we slow down in systems that give us no time?

I don't have an answer, but I do believe it begins with noticing how we, ourselves, feel about and relate to our own Taurean parts and people in our lives.  What we expect of them, how we treat them.  What habitat we give them in our inner and outer worlds.

Dropping into my own Taurus Sun and North Node, I can look across an opposition in my chart and see Saturn and Pluto in Scorpio staring back at me with their urgent needs, responsibilities, concerns, criticism, judgment and threats.  I look across a quincunx and see Uranus in Sagittarius gesturing wildly at the future and where I should be already.  I look to the side along a square and see Jupiter in Aquarius grandly leaping forward with accumulation of knowledge and intellectual capital, not even convinced it needs Taurus to catch up.

This week, I was feeling into this kind of intrapsychic habitat that my soft, quiet, sensitive, deeply introspective, verrrrrry slow-to-respond Taurean inner child, little Nicole, had been given and been conditioned to. 

And, simultaneously, alongside this inner process ...  the tiny humans in my life, my own children, have been asking for a particular book to be read to them on repeat —   “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth, by Eric Carle.  

The story begins with the Sloth hanging upside down, night and day, rain or shine, under all conditions, just hanging upside down.  And, upon encountering this utterly perplexing and confounding creature, all the other animals (think:  all the planets in all the rest of the zodiacal signs) one by one call out — 

“Why are you so slow?” 

“Why are you so quiet?”

“Why are you so boring?”

“Why are you so lazy?”

And … 

 “Finally, the sloth replied,

‘It is true that I am slow, quiet 

and boring.  I am lackadaisical, 

I dawdle and I dillydally.

I am also unflappable, languid,

stoic, impassive, sluggish, 

lethargic, placid, calm, mellow, 

laid-back and, well, slothful!

I am relaxed and tranquil, 

and I like to live in peace. 

But I am not lazy.”

Then the sloth yawned and said, 

“That’s just how I am. 

I like to do things

slowly

slowly 

slowly.”

Time.  

I want more time I want more time I want more time.  

My young Sun in Taurus longs to be able to appear unflappable without being judged as unaware or dense to the heart-ache of the world. 

Wants to dilly dally, winding non-linearly through her work to pick up all the undigested and seemingly indigestible parts to find the forgotten essence there (Fixed Earth). 

Wants to gaze out into the distance chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing ... to walk through life as a contemplative labyrinth without a destination other than enjoying a sensual, fully experienced, fully lived Life. 

Taurus may appear to be “simple-minded”, stubborn, fixed from a lens conditioned by capitalism.  A perception that perpetuates greed, materialism, hoarding. 

But underneath and empowered by that slowness, is a part of you that is so attuned to the Earth Mother, her holistic wisdom of interconnectedness, balance, right relationship, fecundity, generosity.  

Underneath that slowness, is a dear part of you that can nurture a vast and variegated inner world for all the rest of your inner animals, parts of the zodiac, to live and thrive.

From the perspective of Evolutionary Astrology, the soul intention of Taurus is kindness. 

I don’t know how it all actually ends up looking like, for each of us, to reclaim Slowness in a world that is not build for it. 

But, I do believe it begins with re-imagining Taurus.  By cultivating deeper and deeper kindness towards that part of us and each other.

By perceiving slowness in what seems to be stuck-ness in ourselves.  And each other.

Our Taurean parts have much to grieve as they come into relationship with the "As Is" of this world.   And also, its habitat expands and is revivified by our attention, gratitude, and love for its process.  It matures and brings something beyond the small box we have put Taurus into.  It moves and winds and coils life force, erotic energy, continually offering it back to the sea, not owning what it has received, not attaching to its pleasures, creating a magnetic field to do the impossible — 

To relax, receive, fully experience Life as it is, rendering something indigestible to something Life-giving.   And thereby, create deep and lasting change.

Love from this slow Taurean heart to all the Taurean parts of us,

Nicole