Our next Full Moon arrives on Saturday, 2 May. It officially turns full at 3:23am AEST, meaning it will appear to be a Full Moon Friday night; even though it technically doesn’t reach its apex until after midnight and into the early hours of Saturday.
Full Moons hold deep agricultural significance. They served as indicators for many farmers as to the changing seasons; and a way to help them time the sowing of seeds and harvesting of crops. This one is known as the Flower Moon, a name drawn from European, Colonial and Native American sources. The Flower Moon coincides with the blooming flowers of the Northern Hemisphere spring, a time of abundance and a signal that some plants were preparing to bear fruits.
Astrologically speaking, this Moon is positioned in Scorpio and will bring a sharp emotional intensity to our inner worlds. For everything you need to know about May’s Flower Moon, including the best times to see it, read on.
When to catch a glimpse of the Flower Moon
As a general rule of thumb, the best time to view a Full Moon is near sunset. At sunset, the Moon is closest to the horizon – and the closer to the horizon, the bigger the Moon will appear. It’s a phenomenon courtesy of an optical illusion that plays with perspectives.
If you’re looking to see the Full Moon, these are the sunset and moonrise times for Friday 1 May. Friday night is technically closer to the peak of the Full Moon and therefore a better time to view compared to the following day.
- Sydney – sunset 5:14 pm, moonrise 4:38 pm AEST
- Melbourne – sunset 5:33 pm, moonrise 4:55 pm AEST
- Brisbane – sunset 5:16 pm, moonrise 4:42 pm AEST
- Canberra – sunset 5:20 pm, moonrise 4:43 pm AEST
- Adelaide – sunset 5:33 pm, moonrise 4:57 pm ACST
- Perth – sunset 5:38 pm, moonrise 5:06 pm AWST
- Hobart – sunset 5:14 pm, moonrise 4:34 pm AEST
- Darwin – sunset 6:33 pm, moonrise 6:05 pm ACST
But if you missed the Friday night viewing, you can still catch a great view at roughly the same times on Saturday.
What to expect from the Full Moon in Scorpio astrologically
The Moon rules over our inner selves, so we tend to experience the astrological impacts of the Moon internally as opposed to feeling them as an outward projection. Full Moons can be very intense periods. As the energetic peak of the Moon Cycle, these high-frequency moments can feel emotionally fraught, moody or invigorating. It’s not uncommon to even have trouble sleeping as we approach a Full, as the rising energy makes us restless.
This particular Full Moon arrives in the 11th degree of Scorpio, making this period feel sharper and more sensitive. Scorpio is one of the more complex of zodiac signs; it is one of three that have two ruling planets. Theses dualities run deep. On the surface, Scorpio has a fiery temperament courtesy of warrior planet Mars. But underneath this layer of aggressiveness, Scorpio is still a Water sign. There is a deep emotional well of intuition, intelligence and sensitivity drawn from the second ruling planet Pluto.
Under these influences, this Full Moon will be a cosmic mirror, exposing your own reflection or ‘shadow self’ whether you like it or not. It may be an uncomfortable experience if you’re currently in an unhappy or unintended place. Having your own flaws or mistakes reflected back at you is never entirely pleasant. But this will give you the energy and momentum you need to change, and in an active way. Your intuition will feel more expansive and reactive, so be sure to listen to what it is trying to tell you. With our sky still lit up by a four-planet Aries stellium, you can’t afford to ignore messages from the universe, as you need to act on them now.
The Full Moon is a time of illumination – literally but also figuratively. It can expose hidden truths, pulling them to the surface. If you’ve felt confused about the motivations of a secretive partner or so-called friend in your life, this will be the moment they’re exposed. For better or worse, this Full Moon will reveal the reality of the situation. But it will be up to you to decide what to do next. With the Moon squaring off against Pluto, we are offered the opportunity to regenerate and reinvent ourselves. But it does pose the question, will you need to leave someone behind in order to move forward?
It will be an intensely emotional experience, one that could be both confronting and uncomfortable. But ultimately – when handled in the right way – this Full Moon will be purifying, helping you to fortify yourself by removing anything that could shake your foundations.
Image: Abdullah Ahmad on Unsplash
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