Taurus Lunar Eclipse: Topsy Turvy

Lunar Eclipse [16 Taurus 01]

November 8, 2022 (11:02 GMT)

Lunar Eclipse

This month’s Full Moon is a Lunar Eclipse, when the light of the Moon is ‘eclipsed’ in its relationship with the Sun & Earth. This is likely to be a powerful eclipse as it’s a total eclipse of the Moon. It will be visible across Asia, Australia, the Americas and the Pacific.

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’ & hidden. Once the shadow lifts, it 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.

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. Fundamentally, eclipses are neither positive nor negative. It’s how you perceive and respond to what happens in your life and out in the world that’s important.

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 April/May 2023.

The Lunar Eclipse on May 5, 2023 at 14 Scorpio 58 falls close to this month’s Lunar Eclipse at 16 Scorpio 01. Therefore, the two dates may be linked.

The Taurus/Scorpio Eclipse Cycle

This month’s Lunar Eclipse follows on from a powerful New Moon Solar Eclipse on October 25th which fell at 2° Scorpio. Eclipses tend to come in pairs.

It’s part of the eclipse cycle which cuts across the Taurus/Scorpio axis of the zodiac and lasts from November 2021 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 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 Taurus/Scorpio themes are money & power – we’re already experiencing a lively time in the economy & on the stock markets and it’s not going away anytime soon. Plus, this is about bodily autonomy and where power & control lie, as seen in the draconic rise of abortion laws and the hijab rows that are raging in Iran.

The Uranus Factor

The Sun & Moon aren’t acting alone during this week’s Lunar Eclipse. The Sun at 16° Scorpio sits next to communication planet Mercury at 15° Scorpio & planet of relating Venus at 20° Scorpio.

They’re quite the gang, lined up against the Moon in a tight conjunction to the planet of change Uranus, both at 16° Taurus.

Talking about this eclipse in the Scorpio season Astrology Talk podcast, Christina & I talked about the possibility of being left out. Mercury & Venus are social planets, whereas Uranus splits off or cuts off. Where are you feeling like an outsider in your life or that you don’t belong?

Uranus is an unpredictable & volatile, innovative & genius energy in Taurus, the star sign of practical initiatives and earth-related ventures.

This eclipse is potentially the more volatile of the pair of eclipses taking place as Uranus in Taurus is involved, coinciding with a rapidly-changing economy. As always in life, there are winners and losers financially. Shore up your reserves before this eclipse kicks in.

Yvon Chouinard

On a positive note, check out what Yvon Chouinard, the founder of the Patagonia outdoor company has been up to. He was born on November 9, 1938 so this eclipse mirrors his astrology – his Sun at 16° Scorpio opposite Uranus at 15° Taurus – which means this is his Uranus Return that happens age 84.

Yvon didn’t want to sell or take his company public but has set up a foundation where all the profits go towards fighting climate change and protecting undeveloped land around the globe.

He wants to influence a new form of capitalism that doesn’t end up with a few rich people and a bunch of poor people – his words. What a hero and a shining example of positive change on these eclipses.

Saturn square Uranus

I called this eclipse blog post ‘Topsy Turvy’ as things could change quickly on the stock market and in positions of power. Not only is Uranus exactly conjunct the Moon at 16° Taurus but Saturn is square the Moon at 18° Aquarius.

The Saturn-Uranus square was the major planetary aspect of 2021 – rules & regulations (Saturn) v. freedom & liberty (Uranus). They’ve been back in square aspect since the middle of 2022 and this is their turning point.

Uranus is currently retrograde and Saturn is now direct, starting to move away from and split up their conflict or clash. Saturn will leave Aquarius in March 2023 and not return for another 29-30 years.

Therefore, notice what’s falling apart or breaking down during this eclipse week. Saturn square Uranus is a classic case of the old (Saturn) v. the new (Uranus) and this planetary aspect often dominates in times of social reform.

You could say that Uranus is going to have more free rein in Taurus from next March onwards. Uranus will remain in Taurus until 2025 whereas Saturn will no longer be in one of its two signs of rulership from March 2023. Saturn’s been a dominant force in Capricorn & Aquarius since December 2017.

There’s a lot going on during this eclipse. Get your allies on your side and decide what stays & what goes. Notice what happens out in the world as well, as this is likely to impact all of us.

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 & transformation. Read both your Sun sign & Ascendant sign:

• Taurus & Scorpio: 1st/7th houses – RELATIONSHIPS/IDENTITY – your image & appearance, personal goals, your identity; love & relationships, significant others, agreements & conflicts, contracts & joint ventures 
• Gemini & Sagittarius: 12th/6th houses – WORK/LIFESTYLE – retreat, quiet, solitude, a spiritual path; your health & work, what you sacrifice for others, being of service
• Cancer & Capricorn: 11th/5th houses – SOCIAL GROUPS/SELF-EXPRESSION – your friends, groups, politics & social issues; your children, creativity, love affairs, what you ‘give birth to’. 
• Leo & Aquarius: 10th/4th houses – FOUNDATIONS/FUTURE PATH – your career & vocation, your status & reputation, where you’re heading in life; your home & family, your past & roots, where you come from. 
• Virgo & Pisces: 3rd/9th houses – LEARNING/BELIEFS – your education, neighbours & 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 & keep up-to-date with the latest astrology, you can join my subscription service here: Weekly Horoscopes. Be in the flow & get one step ahead. I also write about star-gazing and add information on how to see the eclipse in my weekly newsletter.