Previous Lunar Health Cycle: New Moon in Aries April 12

On April 26, at 8:01 pm, the Moon waxes full in Scorpio. The Full Moon in Scorpio is near the traditional holiday of Beltane (celebrated on May 1). Beltane is the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. As a holiday, Beltane is associated with ancient fertility rites. Traditionally, Beltane celebrations are often centered around blessing the crops and praying for a bountiful and fruitful harvest.

One of the most common rituals performed at Beltane is the Maypole dance. In this ritual, participants plant a tall post deep into the ground and tie colorful fabric around the pole. Dancers then wind their way around the Maypole, weaving the long ribbons around the pole until all the fabric is woven. Symbolically, the ritual represents the wedding of male energies in the form of the Maypole with female energies in the form of the Earth. Through this wedding, the participants hope to magically bring greater vibrancy, sensuality and expressiveness to themselves and greater fertility to the land.

Scorpio and Sexuality

Astrologically the sign of Scorpio and its polar opposite Taurus are both strongly associated with the Beltane themes of sensuality, fertility and sexuality. Though May 1 is the traditional time to celebrate Beltane, April 26 will actually be energetically more intense and powerful. This is a great time to deepen your bonds with a lover or connect with a new partner through your sexuality. Be careful, however, because this is a highly charged time and there is more danger of conception. (This is doubly so because Neptune is making a square to both the Sun and Moon.)

In the last article for the New Moon in Aries, I explored how this New Moon could bring a charged and sexually energized spirit that should not be suppressed. During this Full Moon in Scorpio, I want to explore the issue of sexuality a little further. Both Scorpio and Aries are traditionally ruled by Mars and are associated with sexuality. With Aries, sexuality is directly and outwardly expressed. With Scorpio, however, the sexual energy manifests at a deeper and more internal level. With the sign of Scorpio, sex is not generally a fleeting pleasurable encounter but rather a powerful transformative event that involves the entirety of the soul along with intense emotions that can include love, jealousy, fear and passion, as well as questions around intimacy, trust and commitment.

A connection on this level can be entirely transformative to the personality. This is no longer just sex, a physical act of union, but a deep emotional union born out of passion and love. At this point, one is willing to leave behind one's petty personal concerns to become completely wrapped up and consumed by another. In tantric sexual practices the aim of sexuality is to dissolve the ego in order to surrender to a higher spiritual force. Union with a partner then becomes a vehicle for liberation, for union with God.

The Sacred Act of Sex

Connecting with a partner on both a sexual and spiritual level can seem like an oxymoron. Sexuality seems to involve our baser impulses as we are seeking physical and emotional pleasure. However, each sexual encounter can actually be a place of deeper unfoldment, deeper awareness, deeper love and deeper commitment. Looking into the eyes of our partner, we can imagine that we are gazing into the eyes of the God or the Goddess, the eternal divine archetype. If we allow ourselves, sex can become an act of devotion and surrender to this divine beloved. We are truly making ourselves naked and vulnerable before our divine partner. We are entrusting ourselves and are acting as servants to this divine source.

Many times during sexual encounters, we can be so consumed by the act of passion that we forget to honor the experience at a core level. Slowing down can help us to contact the sacred part of ourselves. An ancient tantric sexual practice is to link up breathing with your partner. By deeply inhaling and exhaling in communal rhythm, the current of sexual and sensual energy can be heightened. One technique that I have also learned is called the microcosmic orbit. With your partner, visualize energy beginning at your root chakra where your sexual organs are joined. Upon inhalation, draw the energy up through your backs until it reaches the head, then exhale and allow the energy to descend through your neck, chest and torso back to the root. Continue inhaling and exhaling deeply together while you are making love. This technique can be used to draw the sexual energy up to heal and vitalize the entire being.

Complete Communication with the Five Senses

When we interact with our partners on a day to day level, we often just use verbal and visual cues to connect with each other. Sexual encounters truly involve all five of our senses and we can enjoy each of them to their fullest. Touch, taste, smell, look at and listen to your lover on every level. Through connecting on all these levels, we can communicate a deeper level of intimacy and connection with our partner. Through sexual union, a partnership can grow richer and deeper. With each connection, you are truly making a little more love. The Full Moon in Scorpio is a wonderful time to take advantage of this powerful transformative energy and channel it into healing your mind, body and spirit. Blessings!