The overall theme or lesson of The Full Moon Cycle of Scorpio is the cause and effect of Love on women. This card  gives some understanding of the enigmatic  feminine point of view regarding committed relationships.

In its conception the "Merry, Merry month of May" was dedicated to Mother Mary. The Full moon in Scorpio with its ancient lunar secrets occurs during the month that contains the holy-day Beltaine. This lunation is sexually charged. All the birds in Mother's flowering garden are filling their nests with eggs. The trees are flowering like bridal bouquets and the ground in the Northern Hemisphere is ready to be seeded. The Celtic Beltaine opens the gate to summer, the earth is fertile and ready for sex, and the Mother is newly pregnant.

Examples of this symbol can be found in the story of the Goddess of Desire. Aphrodite, who rose naked from the sea and first set foot on an island called Cythera, went on to Peloponnese, and eventually ended up at Paphos in Cyprus.

As she walked, grass and flowers sprang from the ground. Aphrodite, meaning 'foam born,' rose from Chaos and danced on the sea. During the Spring her priestesses bathed in the sea and rose again symbolically renewed. She was worshipped in Syria and Palestine as Ishtar or Ashtaroth. Aphrodite is also called the daughter of Dione, Goddess of the Oak tree in which an amorous dove nested. Doves and sparrows are known for their lust and passion. According to Roman myth, Zeus claimed to be Aphrodite's father after he seized Dione's oracle at Dodana thus making her Aphrodite's mother.

The dove associated with the Christian Holy Spirit is a thinly masked Virgin Mother goddess. The written Latin texts for Holy Spirit is clearly a female-gendered word though it quickly loses its femininity in modern translations. Today, even our modern pop-culture "Hallmark Holidays" honor Mother's Day during May.

Bird goddesses date back to Neolithic times. The posture of these goddess figures carved in stone have wings with upraised arms assuming a welcoming gesture. This gesture is repeated in the images of other ancient goddesses from Crete, Greece and Egypt. Goddesses depicted with this gesture include the butterfly goddess and the bee goddess. This symbolism can be seen in the Egyptian ankh (meaning life and looks like the symbol for Venus and female). The upraised arms of the Egyptian hieroglyph Ka represents the individual's greater soul. The Ka's responsibility is to welcome and greet the soul (BA) of the dead person. The Ka takes the form of the bennu bird, or phoenix, and was sometimes called mother. Images of the knot of Inanna 3000BC Sumeria, the Sacred knot 1500BC Knossos Crete, and the buckle of Isis all resemble the ankh with the out-stretched arms of the goddess. The buckle of Isis, representing the Yoni, carries the attributes of fidelity, fertility and growth with sacrifice.

Other names: Tethys; Thetis; Mary; Mari; Isis; Ishtar; Ashtaroth; Demeter; Venus; Gaia; Maia

Symbols: Creatrix; Snake; Great Mother; Great Goddess; Flowering earth; Dove goddess

Attributes: Passion; Lust; Friendship; Attraction; Love; Growth; Fulfillment; Maturation; Nurturing; Sex

Planetary Ruler: Venus

"Venus shows how to attract what you love--especially people." "Venus relates to your senses --  sight, smell, taste, touch and sound, the body's receptors."Kim Rogers-Tallagher- Astrology Light Brain

In a Reading: This card represents a strongly sensual woman. She is a committed and passionate partner as well as a devoted and nurturing mother. She enjoys nature and gardening. She loves to be the center of the social circle and enjoys orchestrating elaborate functions.

The New Moon in Taurus-death in the midst of life.

This card shows a young woman weeping over a bunny that her beloved cat has just killed. Above her four crows sit in a blossoming cherry tree, the crows are cawing and waiting for the leftovers with jubilant anticipation. The image implies that in the midst of life we are in death. The emotional girl has a hard time dealing with the raw reality of the cycle of life. When she matures she will realize she will never be happy if she is always focused on what isn't perfect what seems unfair or even wrong.

Attention gardener's this is the new moon for planting all those seedlings you started during the new moon in Pisces. It is now time to put your precious babies in the ground. Don't worry if you have too many put them in and let them mature you can always thin them out later.

Traditional meaning: dwelling on the negative.

In a Reading: This card represents a pessimistic point of view. Emotional loss can fog perceptions of reality.

This multilayered card shows us a layer of symbolism that shows us that children learn from the relationships they are a witness to symbolically the relationship of Punch and Judy which though meant to be humorous is really quite volatile and combative meaning children learn what they live. On a political level Punch and Judy represents the voices of the politically oppressed Punch and Judy could insult the upper class or the king without consequences. On another level the sum of all these layers can speak to us of the use of the status quo to keep the delicate balance of 'usual' system of society in check.

Traditional tarot meaning: nostalgia

In a Reading: This card represents childhood memories, feelings of nostalgia. It can signify all things from the past including everything from running into an old friend to cleaning out the attic. It can also signify reliving old family dramas and playing out unhealthy family patterns of behavior. Use neighboring cards to clarify what is specifically being revisited. This card can represent the expectations of what a relationship is supposed to be like based on childhood memories

She is innocent to the reality of what motherhood entails, she is idealistic and she has no idea of the grueling job she has been given. She is full of love for her unborn child and her mate. She is prepared for a perfect future, which includes everything she ever dreamed of. Whether your  'Baby' is flesh and blood or paper and pencil, wood and masonry or solid steal, this card puts you on notice to be prepared to dedicate you life to this project. It is much more than you could possibly understand from where you stand right now.

Traditional tarot meaning: a woman with brown hair, and the zodiac sign Cancer.

In a Reading: This card represents the newly pregnant mother. She is idealistic and dreamy about her new baby and hasn't got a clue what she has gotten herself into. She can be a bit of an emotional drama queen due to hormonal changes. This is can be the warm and fuzzy period of pregnancy or any other project you attach yourself to.

This card encourages us to look beneath the surface and pull up a treasure that has been hidden in the River of Life. There is some hint of urgency in choosing here as the water could pull the treasures down stream or submerge them forever in the muck.

Traditional tarot meaning: too many choices

In a Reading: This card represents the positive and negative choices that come up in our life. Sometimes there are too many choices and sometimes we must make a quick decision or the option is lost. Our choices are a reflection of who we are and serve to teach us and form our characters; our choices can have lasting consequences. When this card comes up in a reading it is an indication that too many choices may be available some of those choices my be misleading or may not be what they appear to be it is one of those situations where you have no choice but to go with what feels right rather because the information you are getting may be nebulus.

©2018 Julie Cuccia-Watts