Lunar Eclipse [14 Scorpio 58]
May 5, 2023 (18:34 GMT+1)
Are you already feeling this week’s powerful Lunar Eclipse energy? It’s likely that you are. This week’s Full Moon Lunar Eclipse falls in Scorpio, one of the water signs linked to deep emotion and intensity, on May 5th. This is the realm of the psyche, the inner world, representing all things hidden and mysterious.
Plus, the co-ruler of Scorpio is Pluto, God of the Underworld, and Pluto’s powerful this week as it turned retrograde in Aquarius on May 1st. Pluto is at the last degree of Capricorn – 29° or the first degree of Aquarius – 0° from February to July 2023. These are potent degrees, alpha and omega, a beginning and an ending.
By June 2023, the karmic nodes, points of destiny, will have moved back to 0° Taurus/0° Scorpio, preparing to change star sign and leave this power axis of the zodiac behind in July 2023.
This means that Pluto will be on the bendings and square to the nodes. Pluto is already leaning into these karmic points during this eclipse week. On the south bending, this is a point of release and experiences are likely to be internal.
Falling Apart
There’s a lot to say about this week’s eclipse but with the south node in Scorpio during the Lunar Eclipse and Pluto active, it might be helpful to start with what’s not working out. What do you need to release and let go of, where are things falling apart? What can be ‘flushed away’?
The title of this article is intentionally provocative – ‘falling apart’ suggests being out of control, things breaking down, losing your grip. Scorpio is the star sign that knows all about this state and the true power of it.
Scorpio season (October/November) coincides with nature dying down ready to winter and rest. And, it’s from the ‘dead’ material, the compost of life, that new growth emerges and fresh shoots start to spring forth.
We are in the midst of an uncertain, unsure period, twixt eclipses and with the planet that can make sense of things Mercury currently retrograde.
You’re not meant to know what’s going on right now. Dive deep into the mysteries, notice what’s unravelling or what’s not serving you. Be patient and listen to what the universe is telling you.
A Lunar Eclipse
During a Lunar Eclipse, the light of the Moon is ‘eclipsed’ in its relationship with the Sun and Earth. People in eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, the South Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean may see a penumbral lunar eclipse during the night of May 5-6, 2023.
A penumbral Lunar Eclipse is the most subtle of eclipses and not as impressive as a total Lunar Eclipse. It’s still amazing though, especially because of what eclipses represent.
During a Lunar Eclipse, the Sun & Moon are at opposite sides of the zodiac. A shadow is thrown which is why eclipse symbolism is said to be ‘shadowy’ and hidden. Once the shadow lifts, this brings what’s hidden to light or sheds a new perspective on a current situation.
Traditionally, you’re wise to wait a few days after an eclipse before taking action and it’s not an ideal date to undertake a major project. Yet, this time around, communication planet Mercury is retrograde. Therefore, put off the big decisions until May 15th, a significant turning point in the month.
Eclipses are often feared because they are linked to the unexpected, the unknown. They can coincide with external events in your life, when you have to let go of control.
Eclipses are often concurrent with turning points. This is why they are considered game-changers as they move the goalposts of life. Events can be dramatic, life sweeps in unexpectedly. It’s wise to take good care of yourself.
Sometimes, eclipses act as a catalyst for change but you don’t recognise this until later on. Their effect can last a few months after the exact date of the eclipse, even up until the next set of eclipses, which will occur in October 2023.
The Lunar Eclipse on November 8, 2022 fell at 16° Taurus, close to this month’s eclipse degree on May 5, 2023 at 14° Scorpio. The Lunar Eclipse on October 28, 2023 falls at 5° Taurus, close to where the north node is sitting right now at 4° Taurus.
Therefore, the three dates may be linked. Think of this as a deep inner process shaping and transforming who you are.
Taurus/Scorpio Axis
This month’s Lunar Eclipse is part of the eclipse cycle which began in November 2021 and lasts until October 2023. Eclipse cycles re-occur approximately every 19 years.
The last eclipse cycle here was November 2002 to April 2005, the previous one May 1984 to April 1986, the one before that May 1966 to November 1967.
This is likely to be an important eclipse if you’re one of the fixed star signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. Also, if the eclipse impacts key planets or angles in your birth chart – use a 2-3 degree orb.
The Taurus/Scorpio axis of the zodiac is closely linked to fertility and creation, loss and degeneration. This is the cycle of nature. Taurus rules produce, food, what the earth creates for us, how it nurtures and nourishes us. In the northern hemisphere, the Sun’s move through Taurus coincides with the months of April & May, one of the richest and most fertile times in nature.
Fast forward six months and the Sun is in Scorpio during October & November. This coincides with autumn and leaves falling, as nature’s bounty starts to die and tumbles back into the ground, fertilising the earth.
Scorpio is linked to regeneration and waste products, including pooh. It’s the compost of life, liquid gold, as the leaves mulch down to bring sustenance back into the earth, ready for next year’s bounty. The cycles of nature are a constant reminder of the inevitable cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Other key Taurus/Scorpio themes are money & power – we’re already experiencing a lively time in the economy and on the stock markets during this Taurus/Scorpio eclipse cycle. There will be more to come.
The Uranus Factor
The Sun and Moon aren’t acting alone during this week’s Lunar Eclipse. The Sun at 14° Taurus is in a wide conjunction to retrograde Mercury at 8° Taurus. The closest aspect is a conjunction to the planet of change Uranus at 18° Taurus. The Sun/Uranus conjunction will perfect on May 9th.
Uranus is the planet that splits off or cuts off. Therefore, it may be wise to ask yourself where are you feeling like an outsider in your life or you don’t belong? Where do you want to rebel or take radical action? Uranus is an unpredictable and volatile energy in Taurus, the star sign of practical initiatives and earth-related ventures.
Like the Lunar Eclipse in November 2022, this eclipse in May 2023 is impacted by Uranus in Taurus, the star sign linked to money and values. Another reason why money and economies are likely to be topsy-turvy, off-kilter.
Uranus is the spark that urges you to start something new, to be innovative and future-oriented. It’s the planet linked to spontaneity. Yet, it may be wise to take your time this week and heed the joys of Taurus season. Let things unfurl and unfold slowly like nature, as this Lunar Eclipse/Mercury retrograde phase is deeply shadowy and hidden.
You may see the truth of a situation with Uranus active but see this as a period of exploration. Wait for Mercury’s change of direction on May 15th before making your mind up or taking action.
Star Sign Eclipse Guide
Here’s a guide to the areas of your life where you may experience a theme of endings and new beginnings. Or, you’re being called forth on a path of change and transformation.
Read both your Sun sign and Ascendant sign. Reading your monthly horoscope will help you dive in deeper to what this eclipse means for you: Monthly Horoscopes.
- Taurus & Scorpio: 1st/7th houses – RELATIONSHIPS/IDENTITY – your image and appearance, personal goals, your identity; love and relationships, significant others, agreements and conflicts, contracts and joint ventures
- Gemini & Sagittarius: 12th/6th houses – WORK/LIFESTYLE – retreat, quiet, solitude, a spiritual path; your health and work, what you sacrifice for others, being of service
- Cancer & Capricorn: 11th/5th houses – SOCIAL GROUPS/SELF-EXPRESSION – your friends, groups, politics and social issues; your children, creativity, love affairs, what you ‘give birth to’.
- Leo & Aquarius: 10th/4th houses – FOUNDATIONS/FUTURE PATH – your career and vocation, your status and reputation, where you’re heading in life; your home and family, your past and roots, where you come from.
- Virgo & Pisces: 3rd/9th houses – LEARNING/BELIEFS – your education, neighbours and siblings, how you communicate; the bigger picture, travel, philosophy, religion, where you find meaning in life.
- Libra & Aries: 2nd/8th houses – MONEY/SELF-WORTH – money, possessions, where your values lie; your joint finances, sexuality, all things hidden, the unconscious, the metaphysical realm.
Weekly Horoscopes
If you would like to receive weekly horoscopes so you know what to expect and keep up-to-date with the latest astrology, you can join my subscription service here: Weekly Horoscopes. Be in the flow and get one step ahead. Also, you’ll learn about star-gazing and find out how to use the current astrology.