New Continents Arising: November’s Taurus Full Moon

November 07, 2011

One does not discover new continents without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. Andre Gide

AUSTRALIA, n. A country lying in the South Sea, whose industrial and commercial development has been unspeakably retarded by an unfortunate dispute among geographers as to whether it is a continent or an island. Ambrose Bierce

Today, the treacherous, unexplored areas of the world are not in continents or seas – they are in the minds of men. Allen Claxton

There are continents and seas in the moral world, to which every man is an isthmus or inlet, yet unexplored by him. Henry David Thoreau

Nay, be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought. Henry David Thoreau

November's Taurus full Moon occurs on November 11 in Australia and November 10 in the United States. The Sabian Symbol is Taurus 19: A New Continent Rising Out Of The Ocean.

This from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom

This Symbol is a powerful image of new opportunities and a whole new sphere of operation. When a land mass emerges from the ocean – the ‘New Continent’ that is ‘Rising’ – there is usually some kind of eruption or disruption that precedes it. A whole field of activity is coming to light as a fresh, new arena of opportunity erupts. It may feel as though it is coming out of nowhere, or from somewhere you didn’t expect, however things have probably been building up for some time. Perhaps you saw it coming, or maybe you weren’t aware that the changes would go as far as they have. One thing’s for sure: it is coming from somewhere deep within your emotional and spiritual development. There is a promise of rewards and brand new beginnings. However, this is probably only the beginning. There is much work to be done developing this possibility into something fertile and productive. Observe and learn from the things that are erupting into your conscious reality. You will (or will have to) find that extra spark to create a brand new, original opportunity. What is possible, and what is not, will become more obvious as time goes on. You may feel a little alienated in this new ‘Continent’ or sphere of activity, but that’s only relative to the conditions of what it is that you’re leaving behind. There has probably been a recent period of throwing out things that haven’t worked, or cluttered up your life and been in the way of your forward growth. What you’ve done or achieved in the past has led to this, but these new beginnings need to be met with a fresh sense of purpose, confidence and possibility.

Keywords: Enormous potentiality emerging. New trends and ways of being. Sudden eruptions of talent or fields of endeavor. The greenhouse effect. Global warming. Atlantis and other ancient underwater cities. Evolution. Patience. Developing slowly but surely. Emerging generations of people. New environments. Things feeling suddenly foreign. The birth of a nation. Migration.

The Caution: Continually seeking “new worlds” rather than finding a place in the existing one. No responsibility for the birth of the new. No respect for the old or established. Not shifting or evolving.

What are you letting go of? What new fields are opening up for you? How is the birth process going? 

The Karmic Condition (the degree before) of the full Moon is Taurus 18: A Woman Airing An Old Bag Through A Sunny Window To Give It Air And Sunshine. This speaks of clearing things out of your closets, garages, minds and hearts. The theme is about purging and it can happen on any level, psychically, mentally, emotionally, etc. 

Keywords: Psychoanalysis. Past life regressions or memories. Doing domestic chores with a feeling of purpose. Work shopping ideas. Bringing light and freshness to old feelings. Renewal. Throwing out the old or outlived. Cleaning out rooms. Renovations. Letting the sunshine in.

The Caution: Expecting others to take responsibility for cleaning up and airing out. Hanging on to outworn things and memories. Airing one’s ‘dirty laundry’ in public. Rehashing old situations. Going over the same ground over and over. Bringing up issues when it’s inappropriate. Depressed attitudes.

So, this is very much an "out with the old and in with the new" full Moon. The Quest degree of the Sun is Taurus 20: Wisps Of Clouds, Like Wings, Are Streaming Across The Sky. There could be a challenge associated with flying off too quickly towards your goals – there may need to be a little gestation time, although if you've been waiting to start (or end) something, you could find the wind at your back. 

The Sun brings an interesting message. It's on Scorpio 19: A Parrot Listening And Then Talking Repeats A Conversation He Has Overheard. This degree is likely to bring up many things along the lines of communications, gossip, passing news and information along, and, it could show some explosive developments as James Murdoch goes before the House Of Commons Media Committee this week – there could be some big revelations. This Symbol also speaks about clairvoyance, intuition and listening to one's inner voice. 

Venus, the ruler of this full Moon, is on the same degree as Mercury. This can bring wonderful new realisations, communications, breakthroughs and a connection between one's heart and one's head. Venus and Mercury are both on Sagittarius 11: In The Left Section Of An Archaic Temple, A Lamp Burns In A Container Shaped Like A Human Body. 

Keywords: Connecting the left and right sides. Working out, physical fitness and exercise. Yoga. Grounding reality. Sexuality. Realizing that body is the same as spirit. Remembering to be in the body. Light workers. The acceptance of the body and its functions. Sport and its physical rewards. Metabolic rates. Oil burners. Gas lamps. Aladdin's lamp.

The Caution: Worshiping the body at the expense of the intellect, psyche or spirit. Concentrating exclusively on physical desires and needs. Needing actual physical evidence to accept anything. Being caught up in the illusion of the body, the “physical self”.

The message appears to be in our bodies as well as our hearts and minds. 

The Quest Degree (the degree following) of Mercury and Venus is Sagittarius 12: A Flag Turns Into An Eagle; The Eagle Into A Chanticleer Saluting The Dawn. Many will want to fly their new flag (for their 'New Continent') to take up some ideal that accords with their inner and outer aspirations. It could also be that there will be some flexing of muscles and chest thumping and there could be some worrying developments about the big, long held plans to bomb Iran (I truly hope not). What flag are you flying? What do you look up to and salute? 

Perhaps there's something you need to acknowledge, admit or give voice to as Mars is on Leo 30: An Unsealed Letter Has Vital And Confidential Information. (Again, James Murdoch giving testimony about the phone hacking scandals). 

Keywords: Wearing your heart on your sleeve. Shared thoughts and feelings. Declaring what needs to be said. “Dear John” letters. Laying one’s self on the line through writing things down. Diaries. Letters. Penmanship. Messages of intent. Things said out loud. Confidences.

The Caution: Playing games with information. Pretending to conceal for the purposes of deceit. Blurting things out. Not giving any indication of what’s thought. Being upset about having things out in the open. Passing on the secrets of others. Revealing things that shouldn’t be revealed.

Add 'listening in' on other people's space.

We have two interesting 'butterfly' motifs in this full Moon. Saturn is on Libra 24: A Third Wing On The Left Side Of A Butterfly. This can speak of a lack of balance, flapping around, oddities, one side of the body being more perfect than the other, feeling like one cannot get anywhere until there is a balance struck. 

Neptune is on Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From A Chrysalis – a building of confidence, coming out into a fuller participation in the bigger picture, growing up and out, emerging from the dark, leaving yesterday behind, becoming more and more beautiful, finding one's feet or wings, metamorphosis, huge changes in the works, giving up struggling, the drama of a new life unfolding. This feels much like the theme of the full Moon – the New Continent Arising. 

Speaking of which, Uranus reflects, also, the New Continent Arising. Uranus is on Aries 1: A Woman Has Risen Out Of The Ocean, A Seal Is Embracing Her – cycles starting, beginnings, emergence into concrete manifestation, embracing and honoring the shadow, tropical islands or lands, rocky shores, seals, oceans and water, shedding skins, transmutation, the Selkie myth, grounding one's energy, stepping between the sea and the shore, androgyny, love and its embrace, finding your feet and your voice, mermaids.

Are you finding yourself waking up to the same 'reality' day after day? The Moon's north node, said to be a 'karmic point' (although I think everything could be described that way!) is on Sagittarius 15 – it has been for some time – The Groundhog Looking For Its Shadow On Groundhog Day. What are you repeating? Where do you want to get off the merry go round, the self enquiry, the doubting or the continual day after day that you're not happy with? (Writing this, I realised that the degree of the Sun each year on Feb 2 – Ground Hog Day – is Aquarius 13: A Barometer. The Sabian Symbols are really too amazing).

Keywords: Looking back, reading the signs. Divination and other systems of inquiry. Seeing society as being to blame. People having a good look at how they seem to others. Wondering how others perceive you and picture you. Prophets that can tell the “weather” ahead of time. Predictions. Prognosticating. Welcoming an early spring. Scrutinizing objectives and possible outcomes. Looking to nature for clues.

The Caution: Being scared to act without some message of confirmation. People (or society) looking for someone else to blame for conditions. Relying on the same solutions without consideration of changes. Blizzards and the cold.

Jupiter is on a fabulous degree and will traverse back over some really good degrees in the next few weeks in the lead up to Christmas. It's on Taurus 4: A Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Rainbow. 

Keywords: The promise of riches, in whatever forms these may take. Creative imagination. Goals and ambitions. Alchemy. Splashes of color. Rewards contained. The search for the treasure. Seeking communion with nature and life’s bounty. Wealth derived from changing perspective. Talent and beauty. Fantasies.

The Caution: Seeking easy, tempting solutions. Thinking that rewards are always just “over the horizon”. Thinking that one is never going to get near “it”. Elusive success. Forgetting the more immediate things in life. Seeking perfection.

Talking about journeys outwardly and inwardly, Pluto is on Capricorn 6: Ten Logs Lie Under An Archway Leading To Darker Woods. There are messages coming soon, but meanwhile the journey is continuing.

Keywords: Journeys into the unknown. Getting past the past. Tenacity, stamina and energy preservation. Things to consider before moving deeper. Thresholds, ‘Archways’, entrances. Dark forests. The unknown and the “unknowable”. Delving into the subconscious. Memories that lead into deep or strange places. Gateways. Fallen trees.

The Caution: Fear of the untrodden path. Being afraid to make a move. Things blocked or obstructed. Getting lost in something and not knowing how to get out. Looking for directions that are obscure or concealed.

So many of the Symbols of this full Moon indicate new beginnings, new emergences, new understandings and leaving behind the past. Where and how is your 'New Continent' emerging?   

Source: Lynda Hill's Sabian Symbols