I thought it would be helpful to have the transcript from my radio show. If you want to listen the podcast, here is the link to that: Podcast on the Full Moon.
Today we will consider the meaning of the Full Moon in Scorpio which is also known as the Buddha Full Moon. The reason for this name comes from the story of the Buddha, who was said to have been born in the month of Taurus at the Full Moon of Scorpio, and who after much striving achieved enlightenment or Cosmic Consciousness at another Full Moon in Scorpio, and finally, when his work was done, laid aside his physical vehicle at yet another Full Moon in Scorpio. The essence of these Teachings of the Buddha is wonderfully illustrated for us in this dynamic integral relationship between the Sun in Taurus and the Moon in Scorpio.
The Lunar Cycle
The cycle of the Sun and Moon, (from New Moon, to Waxing Square, to Full Moon, to Waning Square, to the next New Moon), forms the archetypal pattern of all the planetary cycles we experience here on Earth. Through reflection and corresponding application, we can obtain a deeper understanding about our journey offered by this language of the stars. I have often called these planetary cycles “a dance of the planets”, and it is like the weaving of meaningfulness offered by the spiritual hierarchies of our brothers and sisters, the beautiful planetary hierarchy that is our home among the stars.
The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac hold the archetypal myths and meanings to guide our journey. The reflective comparison of signs that are opposite to one another, helps to inform and illuminate the meanings of them both. Life or Spirit is formed by this journey through the Signs, each resonating with its own messages, but these individual meanings can only be truly understood by considering each one in their relationship with its opposite, and then ultimately with every other sign too. Each Sign is formed and informed by the other, as we do much the same in our relationships with one another here on Earth too. Think of it this way, almost all your thoughts, sensibilities, tastes and truths that you hold as your own, they were brought to you, woven into you, through the intricate web of life that you have shared with all with whom you travel now, and by the countless hosts who came this way before us in our collective journey in Spirit.
Taurus/Scorpio
We are now in the time of Taurus, and it is the most earthy or materializing moment in the Zodiac. This is the time that you relish, celebrate and enjoy your own physical experiences, which for you is most certainly being in your human body. But the Full Moon of Scorpio posits the other side of this, nothing in this world is permanent. All things are born, live and pass on. The Question of the Taurus/Scorpio is: How do you do this, how do you cope with the joys of being alive and the ever-present threat that it all will end someday? This question, truly, is the source of all Religions, Philosophy and Science. We know that we are alive; and we know that we are going to die.
But you should know, that you are relatively Immortal, as you are at your core a unique monad of Spirit-Life-Consciousness. This innermost of you is what you would call the Self, which is the awareness that pervades all of Creation, and this is in fact at the core of one and All. For all of Creation, from atoms, through minerals, onto plants, animals, humans and beyond, all of Creation is alive and conscious.
This Self or Atman is your spiritual self who is directing, guiding and inspiring and lifting your lower vehicles upward, as you move from World to World, and through Form after Form, and into each Life after Life. In all these forms you are a composite, formed into bodies of various degrees of substance. You descend and extend down from the most sublime realms into the lower mental realms, down into the emotional realms and finally arrive in your physical form that you enjoy so much now, the human body.
As you move into these realms of the material, you are here quite simply to learn to be a better human, to be a complete human, to master yourself and your powers of creation. But you will, time and time again, become too enamored by and attached to some particular experience, you will wish to prolong and maintain some thing. And because this is so, you will experience pain.
For this is the ticket you punched in coming to Earth, you walk in mortal forms and upon a mortal world. This is the deal on Earth, if you experience joy you will also have pain, if you find love you will also experience loss, for this is the price of being an immortal in a mortal world. How can you live with this, knowing and feeling so much pain?
Remember, there is one imperative driving all of this, an unceasing force arising from within you, and that one irresistible light is Spirit whose only drive is to be and to become. Spirit is Growth; Spirit is Life and therefore Change. You (and every part of Creation) are this Spirit which equals Life ever becoming something more. That is why the great injunction in all spiritual disciplines is that you are never done, that you must always “walk on”. This means that in each of your lives you must continuously strive to “let go and grow”. This is the fundamental teaching that the Buddha offers, and this is one of the core principles of the Ancient Teachings, which are found in all cultures and exists at that living heart of all religion, philosophy and science.
There is nothing permanent ultimately, there is nothing permanent or “lasting” in these material realms or higher realms because they are all composites, held together by the Intelligence, Love and Will that form the heart of every mote and speck of this Universe. It is that Spiritual Core or Essence which moves from World to World, through Life after Life. All these vehicles or bodies must be free to evolve into new forms, but so do their Spiritual Centers who likewise grow into an ever-greater splendor. Both the Spiritual Heart and the Material Body will grow and become and be re-formed again and again into ever more meaningful forms of spiritual self-realization.
This is what you need to consider today at the Full Moon in the time of Taurus, the Scorpio Full Moon, and though I am fond of saying, “you are an Immortal in a mortal frame”, the truth is that nothing is ultimately Immortal, for that would mean that even the most sublime part of you was finished, not capable of growth and change. And that is just not so. For this cosmic cycle, your innermost, most Sublime Self is “relatively” Immortal, and from life to life is the fountain-source of Inspiration and Guidance as you seek to free yourself from your sleep, from your unconscious, as you steadily move towards becoming an “Awakened One”. Quite simply, you are on the path of becoming fully human. You are on the same path as the Buddha.
You are part of a hierarchy of Spirit-Life-Consciousness, and though you are in the Human Kingdom now, one day you will face the same choice that all the “great ones” have faced. Once you are truly free, what is known as a Jivanmukta, or freed monad, you will have the great choice of continuing beyond this human kingdom into more sublime spiritual realms, OR, you may choose to turn and extend your love and care for those who still struggle behind you. We are told that most who have crossed this threshold of liberation have made their loving choice to remain and help those who come after. They are known as the Watchers, the saviors and saints who hold open the door of liberation for you. They send you loving thoughts and inspirations to lift yourself and one another towards that sublime state of beauty, grace and unconditional love that is your destiny.
What does this great teaching of the Buddha mean for you? It is said that the Buddha’s last words were this: “Brothers, all things that are, are composite, are compounds, built of other elements. Find your way to Truth”. It is said that many in the west have misinterpreted this to mean, “You should seek out your own salvation”. Nothing could be further from the truth. What the Buddha was saying is that the way to spiritual peace and happiness is to be present, to be totally here in the Cosmic Dance of Life. You will do this for yourself, and you will do this for one another too.
For you and them, and everything in this Universe is “That”, it is neither Self or non-Self, it is deathless because it is Eternity. It is THAT. You are That, I am That. It has no name, it is neither Spirit or non-Spirit. It is both. Beyond naming, beyond knowing, it is and is not, it is the ineffable That. The great illusion is that you are separate; the Great Truth is that we are one with one another, inseparable from one another in this Ocean of Spirit and Love. Behind and through all the realms from the most physical to the most transcendent, there is That.
You should celebrate being here fully and with great appreciation for the wonder of this beautiful world we call Earth. You should watch the beauty of the dawn unfolding before your eyes but know that it will end, and you must let it go. So, later that day, choose to turn, and watch the Sunset and know that it is good too. Life, Spirit and Beauty are forged and reborn in motion, in living. Know that you may meet a wonderful person by chance one afternoon, but then they may fly back home and that was it, just a few hours of bliss; or you are with your true love for many, many years, but finally, it is time to let them go as the end for now is here.
But you should also know, that you are not saying “goodbye” but truly just “fare thee well”, for you and I will be together again someday soon, that is certainly true. What has brought you to one another will hold you to one another in life after life for as long as the stars shine in the heavens above. Yes, the loss is real, it is quite right to mourn and cry and grieve the loss for now. But this is just for now, like all things this is not permanent either, for Love binds us all to one another, and we all held, protected and cherished by the love of the One and our love for one another.
Beauty, Love, Value are only present “in Life which is Spirit, in Spirit which is life”. All of Creation is moving, through countless forms and permutations, being something, letting go and becoming something so much more. You should do your utmost to preserve, protect and extend the worth and beauty and love in this world. But when it is time for matters to move on we must accept this and “Let it go…and Grow”.
You are to move through these temporal realms with ever greater Intelligence, Love and Will. You must hold; and you must let go. You breathe in; you breathe out. You learn to love and cherish the forms in which you abide, to love and protect yourselves and your beautiful world too…but you are here to grow, so you must also release these wondrous forms and move into ever more sublime realms, forever and ever.
This is the message of the Full Moon in the time of Taurus. It is about the Dance of Life, the path of Liberation that we are all walking and our eventual destiny, which is to join those who have reached beyond the cycles of death and rebirth and are now free. The Lord Buddha, like all teachers, came not to start a religion, he came to remind you who and what you are, he came to show you the way to become fully human. No matter what, you and I are on the path, and the Lords of Compassion are waiting for us all.
