The Scorpio Full Moon

May 12, 2025 12:55 PM EDT

Sun at 12 Taurus; Moon at 12 Scorpio

Sun conjunct Uranus; Mars Square Sun & Moon

Mercury enters Taurus, squares Pluto

In some important internal ways, this full moon presents us with the image/experience of either a tight elastic band or maybe a pressure cooker… Both images relate to the closeness of the planet Uranus, which is lurking around this full moon, (remembering that Uranus, the planet of transformation, crisis, and change, has been in Taurus for some years and does not move out and into Gemini until later this year! This admission, and this in sight, also have impending company. It can be a prelude to the upcoming dance of opposites that we find when Saturn and Neptune meet later this Spring.

(Remember to look where 22 of Scorpio lands in your chart… and then see how it could apply by looking at the house that it is in…)

Focussing on this weekend, the subject is about increasing tension and taut feelings, and in my description and citations, you will also see the outcome/promise of relief and release by late Tuesday or Wednesday… But before we can affirm that positive outcome, we have Sunday and Monday to deal with, and for how that experience could be a symbol or a metaphor for many of us over the last few years!

Before we get deeper into the discussion of this full moon, we do have acknowledge the shift of Mercury from the expressive and self-oriented sign of Aries to the more demure and stabilizing expressions of now being in Taurus.

Astrobutterfly describes this shift in these words:

“Mercury enters Taurus May 10. Until Mercury leaves Aries for Taurus, the Sun will be the only planet (other than Uranus) in an earth sign. Earth energy helps to keep us grounded and stable. Taurus is a fixed Earth sign – the most fixed and inflexible of all the signs because Earth is more fixed than any of the other elements. Under the influence of Taurus, we learn to be guided by the wisdom of the natural world. Comfort and security become highly important, and the world of the senses becomes our beacon.

The shift of Mercury, planet of the mind, from Aries to Taurus takes us from the intense fire of Aries into the placid yearning for Taurean equanimity. Mercury in Taurus can be inflexible and unable to adapt easily to new situations, so finding a comfortable place in which we can find a sense of equilibrium will help us to gain the most from this time of powerful Taurus energies”.

Let’s begin our discussion of the May Flower Moon with these words of summary and encouragement by Lena of the Shamanic School. She writes:

“This full moon comes with slightly heated energy that can get channeled in inappropriate ways if you are not careful. If you find yourself triggered, take time out to process and acknowledge responsibility for your experience instead of projecting any blame on others. Use the power of the experience to heal something that needs to be healed and take advantage of the support around you to go deep both in clearing as well as gaining insights into yourself and your path.

If you are restless, be patient, but take action when it is clear to do so. Exercise the body and make sure to focus some time on your spiritual life, strengthening your practices and perhaps even anchoring a new one. Watch for opportunities and acknowledge them when they do show up, whether or not you take advantage. There is power in this full moon for endings, beginnings, changes and commitments.”

A larger and more comprehensive outline of what this moon time can hold for us comes from Kathy Biehl of Om Magazine. She describes the focus of this moon in these ways:

“Scorpio Full Moon May 12. Full Moons bring out the contradictions within us, and that is because in the Full Moon the Sun is opposite the Moon, in two opposite signs with opposing polarities. This Scorpio Full Moon features an opposition to the Taurus Sun: the intensity and passion of Scorpio needs to find balance against the need for serenity and peacefulness of Taurus. Both are fixed signs: stubborn and powerful, with a tendency towards rigidity and difficulty letting go. Scorpio, though, is intensely emotional and dramatic where Taurus is, or at least wants to be, placid but still powerful – very like the bull for which it is named. This Full Moon reminds us that we can become our best selves when we find balance between these two dynamics: the power of emotions and the power of stillness.

Pluto, the planet of transformation is the modern ruler of the Scorpio Moon, and Pluto harmonizes in a trine to the Taurus Sun at the Full Moon. Pluto, now at its station and most powerful, strips away all artifice to bring us into close contact with the absolute Truth of our very existence. Under this influence we can emerge fully from the chaos of confusion into the transformation of the true Self.”

Pluto is stationary at 3º Aquarius for the entire month. Pluto turns retrograde on May 3rd, and as many of you know, a planet will make a “station” before and after it appears to change direction. As it appears to stand still in the sky, its influence can feel intense, and that is especially true if you (like me) have planets between 0º and 5º of the fixed signs Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, or Scorpio.

Pluto’s inspirational force drives us to let go of anything that no longer serves us – the carcasses of hopes and relationships that don’t suit our path towards the future. Pluto acts as the hand of fate, and we may encounter situations that are out of our control and that require faith in the process of personal transformation and the guidance of our celestial teachers. “

And from Suzanne Gerber, who combines psychotherapy with astrology, we have these observations about Pluto and its power and presence in our lives. She writes:

,,, Two basic Plutonian themes are power and desire. With Pluto retrograde, it’s time to get brutally honest with ourselves about how much we’re motivated by the desire for recognition, power, control, money, and authority.

And if you can widen your spotlight, you might also want to reflect on your relationship to sex and death and what you believe about the hereafter.

A light and breezy walk in the park this is not, but if we’re seeking truth and liberation, we must discover and clear those often-invisible traps that keep us stuck and unable to evolve….

This year’s reversal is particularly potent. … Plan to be accepting of whatever you uncover without judgment or shame. We all have psychic dirty laundry, and the only real problem comes from not dealing with it.”

As a last note, I will add these reflections as Uranus in Taurus has been very alchemical or transformative for many people who have Taurus strong or prominent in their charts. (Particularly from 15 to 22 degrees)

Concerning the overall message of Uranus in Taurus over these last few years,(2020-2025) Things fall apart in sudden and dramatic ways… We can feel fractured and shattered into pieces, each demanding our attention, focus, and energies with little left over for any other options or connections, no matter how positive or nurturing they might appear to be… Then, at least for a while during these years, as long as we do not add more complications or demands, things fall into place. After some time, from the inside out, we can begin to understand what has happened to us, and how our souls and our life patterns have had to accommodates the change… and with that alchemical result, there comes a gracious with that realization: That there is no going back to the old you or to past patterns etc., we can acknowledge the shift and deep changes in life affirming ways.