No sound, once made, is ever truly lost. In electric clouds, all are safely trapped, and with a touch, if we find them, we can recapture those echoes of sad, forgotten wars, long summers, and sweet autumns.
~ Ray Bradbury, Now and Forever

The Uranus Lightning Strike

Taurus usually likes things to be easy-going, tranquil, pleasurable, comfy and evenly-paced. Sorry Taurus, not this time!

Unfortunately, that probably won't be the mood of this eclipse. In fact, it's more likely to be a bit of a roller coaster ride where we instinctively hold on tight trying to keep things stable and safe. It could also be very exciting, lively, productive and meaningful.

Taurus is about our values, what we value, and the steps we take to cultivate more of what we value. This could include concrete items such as money, possessions and assets, as well as resources, skills, and forms of beauty and pleasure (art, music, pampering, luxury).

This Lunar Eclipse in Taurus is kind of like a soup that's sweet, rich and nutritious with a big splash of spice. It cooks inside a massive T-square aspect pattern in Fixed signs, populated with over half the chart! Saturn provides a hearty bone broth base, thickened with strong square aspects to the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and the Lunar Nodes.

The spice in this recipe is from Uranus which is exactly conjunct the Moon and opposite the Sun (all at 16° of Taurus and Scorpio). Uranus is also opposing Mercury and Venus. Mercury, Venus and the Sun in Scorpio also add secret ingredients that give it a deep, mysterious flavour.

Translating this recipe into English goes something like this:

The eclipsed Moon in Taurus conjunct Uranus can stir up a wide range of emotions, from feeling unstable and insecure to a passionate desire to break free from old habits that hold you back. This is a paradoxical combination since the Moon part of us seeks security and safety, while the Uranus part of us seeks change, liberation, adventure and enlightenment.

These two planetary energies tend to pull in very different directions. The Taurus Moon looks for ways to grow in a steady, orderly fashion; to plant seeds and watch them sprout and flourish. Disruptive Uranus in Taurus is more like a rototiller that breaks up the tightly packed soil – it's very hard work but it allows water to be absorbed easier and new growth to take root.

The problem is that mulching up the soil is by definition destabilizing and uprooting, and therefore likely to be resisted by the Moon part of us that doesn't want to let go of that familiar stability. While aerating the soil can be a good thing, you could risk drying it out. Using this analogy, a certain amount of change is a good thing, even necessary, but you need to find that sweet spot between obsessive sameness and destructive chaos.

Thankfully, the Moon is very strong since she is Exalted in Taurus which illuminates her best face—despite blushing a deep orange/red from being eclipsed. This ideally can make the Moon part of us (feelings, sensitivity, receptivity, and need for connection) more resilient when encountering the unexpected and the unknown.

The danger is that Fixed sign Taurus can also be stubborn and unyielding, while Uranus rebels against those qualities. At best, this combination can help us be more flexible and adaptable in the face of change, disagreement or disappointment. However, if we try too hard to control the outcome and refuse to bend and work with the process, we risk breaking the very thing we're trying to achieve.

Extra Spicy

The most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange…The spice extends life… expands consciousness… gives [Navigators] the ability to fold space…that is, travel to any part of the universe without moving.
~ Frank Herbert, Dune

Just to add extra zest to this recipe, the T-square planets are not only aligned by longitude aspect, they are also tightly parallel and contraparallel by declination. The Moon, Uranus and North Node are parallel on the North side, and Venus, Sun, Mercury and Saturn are parallel on the South side, and these groups are tightly contraparallel to each other.

This massive alignment fortifies the T-square energy which calls for balancing Taurus and Scorpio: practicality versus passion, substance versus experience, pleasure versus lust, tenacity versus obsession, factual logic versus emotional intuition, and what you value on the outside versus who/what you are on the inside.

Saturn, in square aspect to them all, plays mediator between them. Being in his own quirky sign of Aquarius, he may be fine with whatever they work out, as long as it can lead to a sustainable system that works for the greater good. Aquarius' preference tends to lean toward the underdog, but figuring out who that is will be tricky, since each side has its story to tell of heartbreak, struggle and loss.

And then there's Mars, who is still slow enough after his turn to the retrograde 9 days ago that we can probably consider him virtually stationary. Mars is also Out of Bounds by declination. All of this could easily raise the ceiling on how defiant, outrageous and crazy he can get. It may be a good idea to put your Mars energy to work on something that can occupy and use up that energy in a constructive way. Practice saying, "This too shall pass" for when things get a bit too hot to handle.

Mars and Mercury are still in Mutual Reception (passing through a sign that the other rules). Both are very strong, for different reasons. Mars is stationary and therefore extra intense. And Mercury is Cazimi (conjunct the Sun within 17 minutes of orb – a mere 8 minutes in this case) which intensifies thoughts, perceptions and communication.

Being in Scorpio, this brilliant Mercury potentially has penetrating insight and a passion for speaking truth to power. As a result, it may be wise to think first and act (or react) after you've taken time to consider your best response in a highly charged situation. On the plus side, this can be a powerful time to take a closer look at how to live with greater authenticity, especially by letting go of volatile views and reactions that just feed into problems rather than resolve them.

Adding further complication, it's worth noting that Mars squares Neptune and Jupiter. This could amplify a longing for things to fall magically into place, but then become disillusioned, cynical or resentful if they don't work out as you hoped.

While it's important to acknowledge difficult feelings, it's also important to let them go so you don't obsess over them. It may help to find something else to do to distract yourself or to help you work through it. For instance, retreat into a quiet place, or do some journalling, or go for a walk, or take up a martial art, or rearrange your bookshelves.

Jupiter and Neptune are also within orb of conjunction again. They had one exact pass on April 12 of this year, and as Jupiter retrogrades back in Pisces they come as close as 6:07 (Nov. 21), remaining within 8° from Oct. 15 to Dec. 28. In the meantime, Mars acts as a bridge between them from mid-October to mid-November. Although Mars makes 3 exact square aspects to Neptune (Oct. 12, Nov. 19, and March 14, 2023), Mars doesn't exactly square Jupiter until May 23, 2023 when they are in Leo and Taurus, respectively.

This activates strong passion that strives to defend and fight for ideals, beliefs, hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, it can also signify (dis)illusion(ment), deception, and tilting at windmills. In your drive to right the wrongs of the world, it's wise to leave room to ask questions and keep doing a reality check.

The Last Echo of the Cardinal Cross

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
~ Søren Kierkegaard

Saturn and Uranus have bounced in and out of a square aspect (90°) since 2020. They came as close as a 4½ degree orb in April 2020 (within 6° from February to May), made 3 exact passes in 2021 (Feb. 17, June 14, and Dec. 24), and then came back for a final near-pass at the beginning of October 2022 (closest orb at just over half a degree, and within 6° from July through December).

These two have been reflected in world events of stubborn, polarizing energies, such as liberal versus conservative values, maintaining traditional ways versus trying out new ideas, and planning for the long haul versus taking immediate action. It's like trying to decide if it's better to peel the bandage off slowly or to rip it off and get it over with.

The only thing that virtually everyone agrees on these days is that change is necessary. What almost no one agrees on is what direction to change in and how to get there. (Read my article: Saturn square Uranus: Negotiating Necessary Change.)

This eclipse is the last time the Saturn-Uranus square will be made prominent by aspects from other planets. And this one's a doozy! A Lunar Eclipse that includes the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and the Lunar Nodes – over half the chart. These planets have all girded their loins and are ready to rumble, with Uranus sending lightning bolts over to the Blood Moon.

There has been enormous disruption over the last 3 years, from the Covid pandemic to divisive politics to economic upsets, along with conflicts throughout the social fabric of our lives as we struggle to adapt. The breaking wave of this change arrived from 2019 to 2020 via the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto alignments, both by conjunction and by declination. Since then, Saturn has moved beyond Pluto to form a square with Uranus from 2020 to 2022.

In many ways, the Saturn-Uranus square has reconstituted the energies of the Cardinal Cross which hinged on the Uranus-Pluto square in the Twenty-teens (7 exact passes from 2012-2015, and in and out of a 6° orb from 2009-2018). At that time, Saturn also opposed Uranus and squared Pluto from 2007-2011. The Cardinal Cross saw escalating political and social unrest that is still playing out today.

Fast forward some 10+ years later. In 2019-2020 Saturn conjoined Pluto, and in 2020-2022 Saturn squared Uranus. Like a relay race, Saturn took the baton from Pluto and passed it through to Uranus. Essentially, this says we have been working through the Uranus-Pluto square energy, directly or indirectly, for about 15 years (2007-2022).

Let that sink in for a moment... What kind of journey have you taken during the last decade and a half? How has your view of the world around you, social issues, and political attitudes changed during that time? How have your personal priorities changed between then and now?

Right now, the Saturn-Uranus square is being pulled into focus one more time by this Lunar Eclipse in Taurus. Although Saturn and Uranus come back within 8½ to 10 degrees from September to November 2023, this eclipse is the last time they will be brought into significant focus. This is a kind of jumping off point that can take us forward from what we've been through over the last 15 years. It's not as if our focus now will stay carved in stone going forward, but it is a chance to point ourselves in a direction that's more likely to support our intentions and changed perspective which have evolved out of the last 15 years.

Sabian Symbol

Sabian Symbol for Taurus 17: A battle between the swords and the torches.

Dane Rudhyar (An Astrological Mandala) interpreted this Sabian Symbol as: "Refusing to depend on the past, the seeker turns warrior, fighting anew the eternal 'Great War'." Both sides are fighters, both are determined to emerge victorious. Yet they are fighting with very different weapons – one seeks to cut through resistance (swords) and the other group seeks to burn down the obstacles (flaming torches).

One way to see this Symbol is as a warning that maybe you're fighting the wrong battle, or fighting it in an ineffective way – like "bringing a knife to a gunfight," as the saying goes. Another interpretation might be that you would do better to fight "smarter" not "harder." The "weapons" may be mismatched but with a well thought-out strategy, one could win out over they other.

In the image, both sides see something they disagree with in the other, yet both are human and presumably want peace. Is it time to negotiate a solution? One message here may be: Fight the good fight, but don't let it go on just because you're afraid of losing. Keep asking yourself what you're fighting for.

What Have You Learned, Dorothy?

When life brings you full circle, pay attention. There's a lesson there.
~ Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

The Lunar Eclipse in Taurus brings the journey of the last 15 years to a transition where something new can emerge. How can you make the most of this momentous turning point? Start by pondering the question that was put to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz: what have you learned? Good and bad: what have you learned? How do you see the world differently now?

Remember that Saturn is about structure, manifesting, and building the walls that will house, support and shape whatever happens from here. What kind of "house" do you want to live in going forward? It may have felt like your "house" was caught in a tornado for 15 years. Where do you hope it will land? How can you steer it to increase the chance that it will?

Perhaps looking back, you see mostly upsets, disturbance, conflict or loss – so: what kind of constructive framework will help you take something positive and encouraging from that? Or maybe you mostly remember the wrongs that you tried to make right, or the courage it took to win the victories you attained – can you also embrace humility and share what you've gained?

You may be left with more questions than answers. And that's a good thing! We can't learn something new unless we acknowledge that there's something we don't yet know. So, what questions still linger in your mind and your heart?

Saturn seeks to focus on cultivating and sustaining the common ground we share with each other. The structure is stronger when it's made from puzzle pieces that fit together well but since we're individuals, it's not always possible for us to fit together seamlessly. What do we do then?

Saturn has been dancing with two mega-energies: Uranus and Pluto. These are transpersonal energies that challenge us to reach beyond the status quo; beyond the familiar. We need to be able to see the ways we are different, without losing sight of the ways that we are alike. Both perspectives are always there, are always true, and are always real. The key to the opposition aspect (especially with the Sun-Moon opposition across the Nodes) is to expand our awareness and understanding enough to see both sides at once, rather than trying to choose sides which only increases the polarization.

Uranus and Pluto push us to stretch our understanding beyond that common ground so we can evolve toward our greater potential, both individually and collectively. Uranus prods us to break away from Saturn's same-old-same-old habitual ways of doing things, while Pluto urges us to clear away the knee-jerk reactions, views, beliefs and expectations that clutter up our lives and hold us back.

Keep your eyes open and look from the highest viewpoint you know. Also, look deeper below the surface of things. Allow yourself to be surprised by what you see, to notice things you hadn't seen before. Remember that how you frame your view of life, yourself, and the world around you, influences the direction of where you go from here.

If you commit to seeing life through a frame of cynicism, hopelessness, or a sour attitude, it will be harder to see when things get better. On the other hand, if you leave room for the possibility that something new can happen, that life can evolve in a positive way, and that tomorrow is always another day, you'll be more open to seeing the good stuff when it comes along.

Taurus encourages you to find the beauty and pleasure in life, to find what makes life worthwhile. Scorpio at the other end of the axis urges you to not settle for only the appearance of beauty and pleasure, but to let your deepest and highest authentic self shine through. And a Lunar Eclipse involving these signs advises you to be very aware of your conscious and subconscious intentions, hopes, fears and desires – be careful what you wish for, since you'll be living with the results.

So, gather up your Scorpio passion and set your sights on where you want to be 6 months or 6 years from now.

The next update will be for the New Moon in Sagittarius on November 23, 2022. Until then, stay safe. Stay sane. Stay awesome. The world still needs you. ❤️

The past never returns, what returns is not the past, but a present that has distant roots.
~ Luigina Sgarro

© 2022-11-06 Wendy Guy, all rights reserved. Astrological diagrams by Wendy Guy. Divider of Lunar Eclipse sequence by Claudio Testa via Unsplash.com. Image of Stormy Stonehenge by Rolffimages, via CanStockPhoto.com. Sabian symbol image of Medieval battle by Meoita via CanStockPhoto.com.