It is triple jeopardy this week—Mercury has gone retrograde, eclipse season is upon us, and a full moon is on the rise! On May 15 (May 16 on the east coast), the full moon appears in the scintillating sign of Scorpio, scooping us up in a wave of wild emotion and a full lunar eclipse.

If our last new moon and solar eclipse were all about taking a leap of faith into the unknown, our upcoming full moon urges us to better know our inner selves.

Miraval Austin Astrologer Lynn Carroll-Rivera tells us that “we can take Scorpio’s trademark intensity and focus it like a laser on what we want to create inside instead of getting caught up in the external dramas stirred up by this full moon’s passionate glow.”

This isn’t just any full moon; It’s a full lunar eclipse, bringing change and unpredictability. “As humans,” notes Lynn, “we desire change, but the actual process of transformation can be uncomfortable and can arouse defensive reactions.”

A lunar eclipse brings a purifying quality to our actions, and when it’s in Scorpio, there’s a cathartic element. The eclipse propels us through an entire lunar cycle in a short period of time. We go from full light to a gradual weakening, then total darkness, and back to a full moon.

New Spells & Old Scrolls

Are you hearing whispers of despair swirling around you? Creaks of crankiness?

We can easily get caught up in external theatrics and forget that we create reality inside ourselves. Waves of discontent in the outer world will always be there. You can use this lunar energy to create a peaceful place inside yourself and project that into the world.

The emotional toll of neglecting our needs will deliver the scorpion’s sting if we aren’t careful about self-care. Stick to bedtimes, breaks, and balanced meals. Emotional agility comes with practice and patience. And maybe even a little purging

If we want to feel our way through this moody mist of moonlight and darkness to invite spontaneous, natural connections, we might have some baggage to unload first.

“This is a great time to become aware of what your inner self tells you about what you need and don’t need,” Lynn explains. “What are the things that make you dysfunctional by holding onto them? If you’re not getting good results from a practice, and it doesn’t make sense, get rid of it.”

Physicist Albert Einstein famously said that no problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. Meaning, we need to shift our level of awareness and get a grip on things by stepping back or onto another level.

We find new spells to undo old scrolls, create new cells from old souls. Our incantations become incarnations as we clear out the clutter in our consciousness and make room for fresh ideas to grow.

Nodes & Nuance

Lunar nodes (the two points at which the moon’s monthly path crosses the sun’s annual path) are tied to the eclipses and nudge us forward in nuanced ways. These two abstract points show up on astrological charts in a horseshoe shape.

The north node (symbolized by the right-side-up horseshoe) signifies the pull of our soul toward growth and the things we want to embrace. It’s a shape that is ready to scoop something up and hold it inside. The solar eclipse we just had was on the north node and urged us to dip our scoops into magical realms.

The lunar eclipse is on the south node (depicted by an upside-down horseshoe) and represents what we need to let go. The opening faces down, allowing its contents to spill into the universe. Whatever it was holding needed to be released; maybe it was something that kept us from growing when we kept relying on it.

There are three significant aspects to this full moon and lunar eclipse:

1. Saturn squares sun and moon.

It’s time to do some adulting. Saturn, a planet of lessons, responsibility, and maturity, asks us to go beyond pointing out what doesn’t work. Instead of giving a blanket nope, let’s figure out what we want to say or build instead. Let’s do better.

Part of growing up is making healthy and empowering decisions, not just repeating old patterns.

2. A trine to Mars and Neptune in Pisces

This lunation is in the sign of Scorpio, whose ancient ruler is Mars. This planet of our warrior nature and will is in the least confrontational sign of Pisces, which tones it down with optimism and creativity. Mars is also joined by Pisces’ ruler, Neptune, which, Lynn points out, “is the signature of the poet, musician, and spiritual seeker.”

Mars’s arrogance softens into Neptune’s empathy, its bravado yields to a balmy Piscean benevolence, and the wrestler becomes the soulful warrior.

3. A friendly sextile to Pluto.

This lunar eclipse gives us an opportunity for transformation by forming a sextile to Pluto, planet of change and rebirth—and Scorpio’s modern ruler. It tells us that once we take the responsibility to pivot, we will have support if we seek it.

Cleansing becomes essential: Baggage must be offloaded before we can soar. Consider clearing your space or participating in a cleansing ceremony. However you choose to do it, make your center a palace of purification.

The High Priestess

If we turn to the tarot for a visual counterpart to this lunation, The High Priestess flips to the front of the deck. This major arcana archetype reminds us that we have all the answers we need within us.

Traditional decks portray a woman on a throne with black and white scrolls or pillars on either side of her, reflecting the dual nature of all things.

The High Priestess also represents a higher process, a connection with our better self. Hers is the realm of intuition. Ruled by the moon and associated with the divine feminine, she brings us deep within to awaken our connection to wisdom and insight.

Sometimes depicted as Persephone, the ancient Greek goddess of spring and queen of the underworld, she represents the compromise between the living and the dead. She shapes the cyclical nature of seasons and the liminal space between gestation and manifestation, grief and growth.

The High Priestess lives in the swirling mists of the unconscious and a hidden world full of riches. We see her through fleeting fragments of visions and dreams, in moments of mystery and synchronicity. Her hands are full of seeds, a pomegranate of potential bursting with color across monochromatic lands.

With the High Priestess, we receive an invitation to walk in the full moon’s light and meditate, to let go and release. We accept seeds from her pomegranate and let them bloom into this full flower moon.

Cry or create whatever needs to be expelled or expressed in this moment. This is our time to unravel the threads keeping us tied in a karmic loop. Here, we can release ourselves from its slippery bonds and transcend it. Go into nature and be awed. Or just be odd. Embrace the strange and allow the extraordinary to enter your life with this rapid blink of luminous night.

Fire Signs

This lunation will be more difficult for all you action-oriented, fiery folk. Save all that passionate energy and drive to do something for later and use your best practices for sitting still.

Air Signs

It’s time to get out of your heads and stop talking so much. Sit quietly with your feelings. Silence is a tough stance for you talkative types. Plant your feet in earthy and grounding routines for calm and comfort.

Water Signs

Scorpio is a fellow water sign, so you will be more responsive to this lunation. You have the green light to feel all your feelings and finally be fine with that.

Earth Signs

Resistance is unnecessary (and futile). Keep yourself physically grounded in familiar terrain. Sometimes more can be learned from noticing our synchronicities when we stop trying to drive the narrative.

Special Event: Soul Cleanse

This week, Lynn will partner with Miraval Austin Psychic and Energy Guide Alice Biggs to lead a cleansing ceremony in honor of the full moon and lunar eclipse in Scorpio. Alice will guide participants through pranayama breathing to call their energy out of emotional cycles that keep us trapped and stuck.

“We keep the mausoleum of our past alive with our energy every day,” says Alice. “You can liberate that stagnation with the enormous power of your breath.  When we cleanse the emotional debris from our lives, we open space for balance and receptivity.

Pranayama is a Sanskrit word to describe yoga breathing exercises that can increase energy, release stress, improve mental clarity, and elevate physical health.

“The first thing we do when we are born,” says Alice, “is to take our first breath. And when we leave this life, we give our last exhale. Our breath is our most powerful gift, and we can use its energy to visualize the future we want to create.”

This practice is spiritual but also practical. “We gather our breath in this space,” says Alice, “and contemplate: what are your wishes and dreams? What are you going to shout to the universe?  It’s a beautiful moment to witness in the room, and you can feel the whole vibration change to one of receptivity.”

This is a great time to learn a technique that helps you keep those wild Scorpio emotions from pulling you down. Full moons, in general, make us feel more flooded, and this is a great way to let some of that energy flow positively. Sign up and shine that full-moon flashlight on what is real and let illusion be eclipsed by authenticity.