I lived in a redwood forest for two years when I worked at a Buddhist Meditation Retreat Center. People came for private or group retreats such as a 10 day Vipasanna. Their experiences were profoundly internal, sifting through and working with deeply imbedded thought patterns and complexes. Oftentimes, retreatants would walk the woods in order to ground. Getting out of their minds and into their bodies was therapeutic. This Full Moon in Taurus reminds me of walking through the redwoods to allow the mind a break and for clarity to sink in.
Mercury has been taking us through our subterranean landscape where we’ve confronted our fears and gotten in touch with our survival instincts. As he’s passed from Neptune, Saturn, Pluto and then back again, we’ve checked our idealism, faced the hard light of reality and limitations, and confronted our power or lack of it. Mercury stands next to the Sun at this Full Moon and some of us will be connecting the dots with a clearer recognition of the next steps forward.
Taurus understands the power of presence. The Full Moon in Taurus encourages us to walk through the woods and ground into what is. When we allow for the moment just as it is and begin to fully embody our experience, we reclaim our spirit. The moon exalted in Taurus is ruled by a mutable Venus in optimistic Sagittarius squaring inspirational Neptune. There’s a feeling of faith right now… an understanding that grace is stronger than circumstance. Stay still long enough to let it fill you so that the way forward is illuminated with a fortified hope that reconnects you to your dreams.
Photo: I took this photo in the Redwoods of Northern California at Vajrapani Institute