On May 6th, in Australia, a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse occurs in obsessive Scorpio. Usually, Moon-in-Scorpio transits are difficult, as the Moon does not do well in the Mars-ruled, fixed-water energy of the Big Sting. But, during lunar eclipses (when the Sun briefly casts Earth’s shadow onto the Moon), things get more complicated. In our case, this lunar eclipse will thankfully shake-up the status quo in Scorpio. How so?

The Moon is always in its “fall” in the Big Sting. Compare this to Taurus, where the Moon is in “exaltation.” Indeed, the Bull provides stability, comfort, and steadiness–all of which ground the changeable, moody Moon, which can relax in Taurus, like a little rescue dog that finds succour in a kindly owner’s regular good grace.

In Scorpio, all that kindliness vanishes, and, in its place, suspicion, jealousy, and pent up tensions emerge. The Moon here resorts back to rescue dog survival mode. This can manifest for us in needy questioning: What is my help-mate thinking? What are they doing behind my back? If love governs the Moon-in-Taurus (Venus, after all, rules the Bull), anxiety consumes the Moon-in-Scorpio.

Because Scorpio is a fixed-water sign, we may also feel more fixated on a glance, a phrase, the intonation of a help-mate’s voice during these transits: “Were they asking for salt, or were they subtly implying that the asparagus pasta I just made was bland and that I’m basic?” We’ve all been there–but we are more likely to wig out over passing the salt during lunar transits through this paranoid, Robert-De Niro-in-“Taxi-Driver”-sign.

Luckily for us, the toxic dynamics typically associated with this particular lunation – distrusting yourself, your gut, your friends, your lovers – are going to be disrupted, rerouted, or resignified by this eclipse. Think of this as a major detox Moon instead of a venom-tipped Scopionic one. Take the day, the week, or the next couple weeks, to cleanse yourself of the emotional gunk hat has built up in the various areas of your life. With that in mind, we offer a few pieces of advice to align with this transit.

Let it Go

Even if you're a saint (which you're not), you probably have at least one person in your life (if not many) that you’re currently on the outs with over something small or big. Are you punishing them for it still? Get rid of those emotional toxins. Send a note and heal. Or maybe you’re the one who needs to be forgiven? Text someone and ask for it. The Moon will thank you.

Friend Cleanse

Is it time to finally cleanse a toxic friend after years of putting up with their constant need for attention, and their self-righteousness, not to mention the scene they made at your sister Rachel’s wedding? Release yourself from a toxic bond this lunation. There are billions of people on earth–many of them amazing. And you’re still rocking with the one who makes you feel like you’re watching Michael Haneke’s deeply unsettling “Funny Games,” every time you have coffee together?

Delegate

We say detox during this Moon–but that doesn’t mean do something drastic, like purge your entire career trajectory by quitting your job (that’s something Sun-in-Sagittarius would do, not the strategic Scorpio Moon). Instead, set up a list of tasks for the week, fortnight, or month. Hit the high priority stuff yourself, and delegate the rest to an underling. If you’re the underling, well, that’s a different story.

Bad Idea Purge

Like toxins in our food, we have all assimilated, over the course of our education and socialisation, problematic notions about the world and people in it. Try to go on a knowledge detox in order to correct, modify, or cancel a faulty preconception. To attain true knowledge we must separate the wheat from the chaff before we make bread.

Detox

And last but not least, here’s some food for thought: go juice cleanse, sugar cleanse, liver cleanse. This is the most obvious way to align with this lunation. But classics are classics for a reason. We could also get into the fact that this Lunar Eclipse is conjunct the sky’s South Node, which is associated with purging and purifying the cosmic body, but it might just be easier to stop here.

Photo by Ganapathy Kumar on Unsplash