“Instead of running from werewolves, become one. Mark your calendar and plan a Full Moon dropout from your regular routine. Make it a date between just you, your spirit, and the Moon. Surrender fully to your ancient wild self. I doubt you’ll really go crazy. You just might feel more sane. And if you’ve got the urge, know that it’s quite all right to howl.” —Dana Gerhardt
Welcome to the full moon, a time ripe for reflecting on all we’ve been through this past lunar cycle, for processing and releasing the emotions no longer serving us. While the new moon is great for planting seeds and new beginnings, the full moon is a time for looking back at what we accomplished, taking a look at where we can balance things out, and where we can let things go. Often things we’ve been holding in come out around the full moon, so it’s actually a great time to howl and let your feelings out. It’s a great time for creativity, and sometimes emotional outbursts (let it out, boo). The full moon is when the night is brightest, so I always imagine it’s the time when things that are usually hidden in darkness are illuminated. In the same way, the full moon can shed light on our situations and emotional journeys, and bring some clarity.
When the full moon is in Taurus there’s generally an urge to feel cozy and safe. With the full moon facing the deep waters of the sun, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter all in Scorpio, this could be a nice little break from digging so deep—a time to remember what makes you feel good, find some peace, find balance in your routine. This calm-loving Taurus moon is getting shaken up by a conjunction with Uranus (in astrology this is one of the strongest combinations of energies between two planetary bodies). Uranus is the planet trying to break free, ignite revolutions, and change things up, so it’s an interesting energy to combine with a full moon in Taurus. While we have a craving for the creature comforts, we also have a deep urge to shake things up. The Taurus energy of finding comfort in your routine meets Uranus’s energy of rebellion and changing up the daily grind, so if you’ve been experiencing some conflicting feelings the past few days, this could be part of that. It might get a little uncomfortable, even feel a little unpleasant, but Uranus helps us make changes we need to make to feel more independent and free.
From my personal spoonie perspective…Around the full moon I tend to have an even harder time sleeping. Pain tends to interrupt my sleep anyway, but during the full moon and the few days leading up to it, I often have full-blown insomnia. Inflammation in my body, bloating, and autoimmune flare ups are heightened, so no matter what sign the moon is in, I think full moons are a good time to amp up the self-care. I try to do what I can to get more rest (often I just plan for daytime sleep, but if you can’t do that, plan to put more into your sleep hygiene and bedtime routine), and I try to up the anti-inflammatory foods (cucumber, turmeric tea, and bone broth have been my recent favorites). I think all of this works in perfectly with the Taurus moon cozying up to Uranus—revisit your self-care plan, and let go of parts of your routine that aren’t really making you feel better. I also think the Taurus moon and Uranus energy can be good for us spoonies—if we are feeling too dependent on others, where can we find ways to feel more independent? In the days leading up to this full moon, I was motivated to move back into my own house after spending most of the summer recovering from a bad reaction to a biologic at my parents’ house. Even though I’m still a mess, I knew I needed to try to do more on my own, and it feels really good to be back in my space. Yes, I’m still getting a lot of help, but I’m doing a lot more on my own now and that feels good. It doesn’t have to be as big of a change as that, but there are always ways to shake things up even a little bit to find a bit more freedom.
The Full Moon in Taurus through the houses…let’s find out what area of life this full moon is illuminating! First step, if you don’t already have your birth chart, you can get a free one here. Once you’ve got it, look at your wheel, and find the symbol for Taurus ♉️. Check to see what planets are in Taurus ♉️ close to 1°. Below I’ve circled where Taurus is in my chart—the pink circle shows that Taurus is in my 11th house, and in the green circle you can see this full moon is hitting close to Pallas for me. For some basic descriptions of the houses and planets, I like the descriptions from Cafe Astrology (though I do not recommend getting your free chart there, as sometimes they are off on the houses). Next to the headings for each house, I’ve put the sun sign that correlates with that house this full moon. If you find that 1° Taurus is in a different house, read both as you’ll probably relate to both.
Now that you’ve figured out what house this moon is lighting up, let’s get into it (if you find Taurus 1° in a different house than the one your sun sign is mentioned in, read both):
First House of Self-Image (Taurus)
The full moon lighting up this house can bring a fresh desire to get out and about, and to be productive. If spoonie life is keeping you at home, think about gentle ways you can combat any restlessness that might come from this energy (can you organize some things at home, clear out any tasks you’ve been meaning to do, like catching up on correspondences?). When the moon transits your first house, you can be prone to being extra sensitive, so it makes sense to protect yourself emotionally over the next few days, and try to remind yourself not to take things too personally. With Uranus energy in the mix, it’s a good time to shake up how you think about yourself. If you’ve been really hard on yourself lately, or beaten yourself up for not being able to do as much as you want, this is a great energy for a self-confidence reset. Let go of feeling like you’re not enough, and while I don’t subscribe to the whole positivity movement, how we think and talk to ourselves does have an impact on our physical health to a degree. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: Let out some feelings you’ve been holding in to someone you trust, shake it up a little. And if you don’t like the response you get, remember that the full moon has all of us feeling more sensitive. See if you can’t spin your interpretation, or just feel good about having the courage to let it out, regardless of the response you get.
Second House of Self-Worth & Finances (Aries)
The full moon in Taurus is super happy in this house; she wants you to have some realizations about how awesome you are. This is a good time to think about all of your talents and gifts, and let go of harsh self-criticism. The moon transiting your second house can bring up emotions you have tied to finances and security. These can be particularly difficult emotions for spoonies who can’t work, and for those of us with medical bills piling up. Now is the time to let yourself feel and process those emotions, and once you’ve faced them you can start to think about if you can release some financial burden where you can (Are there things that can be refinanced, places where money is being drained unnecessarily? Where can you ease some of the financial stress? And you know what? If you don’t have the spoons to deal with any of that, that’s always okay, just focus on allowing yourself to feel the feels of it). Deeper than money matters, this full moon dancing with Uranus wants you to shake up your sense of self-worth. The energy is great for dumping things, feelings, people, and thoughts about yourself that are draining you or toxic to you, and get grounded in what makes you feel more confident and good about yourself. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: Get back in touch with one of your talents and skills, especially one you can do even when you’re low on spoons. When you are living with a chronic illness (including mental health issues), there can be a lot of disappointment in the things we can’t do, or the things we can no longer do. What can you still do that makes you feel good about yourself? If you can’t think of anything, explore some new ideas. It’s really important for us spoonies to find things we are good at even when we’re hurting so much of the time, so really this challenge is a good one for any time.
Third House of Communication (Pisces)
The full moon moving through your third house can get your mind buzzing, and if you’re dealing with limited mobility or stuck at home, it can leave you feeling irritable and restless. Taurus energy combined with Uranus brings a good time to put some of that mental energy towards thinking about your support network—are you feeling supported by your social circle? What ways can you build it up and make it stronger? Uranus has us wanting and needing to stir things up a little, so think about what could use some change in your social and supportive circle. Are there ways you can be involved in your community from home, or in ways that don’t drain your spoons (explore online communities, too, there are lots of ways to be active in various communities without ever leaving the house). The moon in the third house can be a good time to express how you’ve been feeling, and communicate those feelings. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: Bust out that old journal, or start a new one, and write down some of the things you’ve been feeling, past hurt that you are still harboring, things that might be hard to tell others. If you’re feeling bold, try talking to someone about what you’ve written.
Fourth House of Family, Roots, Home, & Security (Aquarius)
With the sun now in Scorpio, and the moon transiting your fourth house, you’re probably going into some deep waters this week. This is a time ripe for diving into your inner self, and thinking about where your foundations could use strengthening. The Taurus energy could have you feeling happy to stay cozy in your cocoon as you move through this introspective time. The Uranus conjunction here might have you wanting to change things up at home—how can you make things feel new there? Big renovations might not be possible on your own, but it’s a good time to make small changes that you can manage, and to think about who you could ask for help for any bigger changes. The important thing to keep in mind is “what changes will make my home feel like a safe space I can flourish in?” This is especially important for spoonies who spend a lot of time at home. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: I’ll give you two options, extra cosmic points if you do both. a) Have a yummy meal at home (invite a close friend or family member), light some sage, and have a moment of just enjoying your space. b) get rid of one small thing in your home that’s been bugging you, and replace it with one small thing that makes you smile or happy when you look at it.
Fifth House of Self-Expression, Creativity, & Pleasure (Capricorn)
The Taurus full moon illuminating your fifth house could stir up the urge to get out of the house and see people, reconnect with your partner, or get your romance on. It’s also a great time to express your feelings through something crafty—art, building something, making something (even food) that uses your creativity. The Taurus full moon wants you to explore things that you truly love doing. If you find that your spoonie journey has left you unable to do things you used to love, this is the perfect time to start experimenting with new activities that bring you pleasure. When you’re living with chronic pain, it’s particularly important to find some joy in life, so really give this some thought. Uranus energy is great for trying new things, and changing things up in your daily routine. Work some pleasure in there! Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: If you have the spoons, make a date with a friend or lover to get out of the house, even something low key like tea and catching up. If you’re not able to get out, invite someone over and bring the socializing to you. Option for if you’re not up for hosting anyone: find something fun to make on YouTube, and make a date with a friend to FaceTime/Skype/Video chat and try it together.
Sixth House of Work & Health (Sagittarius)
This full moon is lighting up your daily routine, your work (this doesn’t have to be a job, for those of us who can’t work right now, but we all do things that are meaningful and matter), your overall health, and how you feel about these areas of life. It’s a good time to think about your daily activities and habits, and whether they are feeding your soul and contributing to building the life you want. What parts of your routine could be let go of, where can you replace those with actions that will feel more meaningful? During this time it’s especially useful to listen to your body, and take extra time out for self-care. Anything going on with your health can be felt more strongly when the moon transits this house, so take extra good care of yourself this week (plan for extra sleep, drink lots of water, and eat well if you can). Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: With Uranus wanting to shake things up, try writing down your daily routine so you can see it and think about your day-to-day activities. Pick one thing that is extraneous and not fulfilling, and let it go. Then spend some time thinking about something you think might feed your soul, and try working it into your daily routine for a week.
Seventh House of Partnership & Marriage (Scorpio)
The Taurus full moon is lighting up your house of relationships, so it’s a good time to think about how you are feeling in your friendships and partnerships. How have you been expressing yourself in these relationships? Do you feel good about the friendships and love you are building? With chronic health issues often at the forefront, think about how you’ve been feeling about asking for what you need from the people in your life lately. This is a good energy for finding ways to feel better about asking for help, for feeling good about going for things that you want. It’s easy to feel like things are imbalanced in our relationships when we feel like we need too much help, but remember that the emotional support, friendship, and love you offer is just as meaningful as the physical help you receive. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: Have a heart-to-heart with someone you are close with about something you’ve had a hard time expressing, or something you might not normally say out loud.
Eighth House of Transformation & Sexuality (Libra)
With the Taurus full moon transiting your eighth house (ruled by Scorpio and Pluto) combined with 4 planetary bodies in Scorpio, this could be an emotionally intense moon for you. The eighth house is where we transform, and often where we have to let things go to make room to grow. Where do we need to shed attitudes and patterns, how can we be more stable in the face of crisis? This is also the house of shared finance, so this moon could have us digging deep into how to create more stability there. When we are dealing with chronic health issues, we can spend a lot of time in deep introspection and thinking about the murkier sides of life anyway, so I think it’s important to note that it’s extra important now to reach out if you’re feeling overwhelmed or depressed. This can be a difficult house to be sitting in when things are already really hard. Remember that the moon in this house wants us to explore these things to bring about room for positive change. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: This week could be challenging enough, so your challenge is to do something lighthearted and fun, even if it’s just checking out and watching some comedy. Reach out to a friend, let them know you could use some company and some laughs.
Ninth House of Belief Systems & Higher Learning (Virgo)
With the full moon in Taurus lighting up your ninth house, this is a beautiful time to see how you can break out of the humdrum. As this is the house of learning and belief systems, you can actually do this from bed if you need to—go on a learning adventure. This moon could have you asking yourself how you can live more in alignment with your beliefs, and what changes you might make to feel more spiritually fulfilled. With Uranus in the mix, it helps to zoom out and look at the big picture, and see where you can find more freedom (and yes, where you can rebel a little in your way of thinking and learning). Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: Explore something you’ve always been interested in, but haven’t really delved into yet. Spark a philosophical adventure!
Tenth House of Career, Responsibility, & Reputation (Leo)
While the Taurus full moon has us seeking comfort and stability, Uranus is right there next to her asking us to try something new. The full moon in the tenth house lights up how we feel about the ways we participate in and contribute to society, and how we feel about our responsibilities and what we want to accomplish in life. If you are unable to work, and a large chunk of your life is managing chronic illness, this can be a sensitive area to be exploring. It can be a good opportunity to think about ways in which you can keep moving forward in some areas, even if you’re stuck in some ways. Remember that your worth and value in society is not diminished just because you can’t participate or work in conventional ways. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: Think about one goal you can accomplish even if you’re stuck in bed for a while or low on spoons indefinitely—something that will feel good while you’re doing it, and that will boost your sense of the effect you can have on the world, even from your bed.
Eleventh House of Aspirations, Goals, & Groups (Cancer)
Living with chronic illness, pain, or depression can be so isolating, and this full moon could have you thinking about how you feel in your social circle and the world of people in general. It’s a really good time to reach out to old friends and reconnect, even if you can’t get out of the house—chat them up on the phone. Often when we’re caught up in managing our symptoms and just surviving in general, we can fall into a spiral of feeling stagnant, and thinking nobody wants to be around us or talk to us. Reaching out of that and connecting with other people can be so inspirational and jolt us out of that void. Talk to someone about what your hopes and dreams are; you might find others help you come up with some good ideas of how to get some of them going. If you are at a point where you need to come up with some new ones, it’s the perfect time to delve into that. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: Reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while, and have a long chat. Journal any inspiration you get, especially if it’s something that will lead you to feeling more a part of the world, or a step towards something you really want.
Twelfth House of Soul Growth, Privacy & Secrets (Gemini)
This moon could have you feeling extra introverted, deep in your emotions, and you might not feel like sharing your thoughts with anyone as you process them. With the Taurus and Scorpio energy heavily in the air, it’s the perfect time to get cozy in your cocoon, settle into some relaxation and major self-care. It’s a time you might find yourself reviewing a lot, thinking about the ways in which you’ve changed, the healing that you’ve done over the past year. Whether this comes out quietly, or screams at you, give yourself room to sit with the more secretive parts of yourself, and to listen to them. Wear cozy clothes, and make sure to come up for air and some comic/fun relief. Your Full Moon Challenge for the week: Just because your emotions might be under the surface at the moment doesn’t mean you’re not feeling them intensely. Take a break from everything and everyone, light some candles, take a bath. Cozy up and give yourself some guilt-free time alone, just letting go of the outside world for a little bit.
We are still in the middle of Venus Retrograde! If you missed it, read about it here!
Venus moves out of Scorpio and into Libra October 31st, so I will do my best to get out some Halloween Spoonie Horrorscopes for you soon!
In spoonie solidarity,
Leah Ruthe
References:
Astrology of the Moon: An Illuminating Journey Through the Signs and Houses by Amy Herring
Dictionary of Medical Astrology by Diane Cramer
Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Predictive Astrology by Kris Brandt Riske, M.A.
Moon Watching Series (6): The Full Moon by Dana Gerhardt
The Transit Moon in Astrology – by The Dark Pixie Astrology
Thank you for the enlightening post!
Thanks so much for reading!