on the full moon in taurus & (still) trusting the process

Almost six months ago, on May 25, 2026, we had a New Moon in Taurus. We planted seeds. We made moves. We pivoted. We took the road less traveled by.

For me, this was quite literal; the New Moon in Taurus missive was the last business-as-usual newsletter I sent out on Substack before moving Astrology for Writers over to beehiiv. Back in May, I wrote:

But the seeds I was planting with this newsletter transition during the New Moon have had a rocky start, and sometimes it’s hard to not feel discouraged by slow progress.

So perhaps you, like me, need to be reminded to keep trusting the process, that Taurus is nothing if not steady, methodical pacing.

Perhaps you, like me, need a gentle bonk on the head to remember that ego death is not only survivable, but also sometimes needed.

This Full Moon provides that.

Sitting at 2 degrees, it is tightly square Pluto in Aquarius. Ego death, hello; the image I personally associate with moon-Pluto squares is a dried-out snakeskin, the shed of full-body transformation. Plus, this moon is ruled by Venus, who has retrograded back into her home sign of Libra but is still retrograde, still in the underworld leaving gifts at the gates like Inanna.

Together, the Pluto aspect and Venus Rx rulership conspire to give this Taurus lunation a particularly underworld sensibility.

The culminations that don’t look like we expect.

The “you got what you wished for!” that still has a jagged edge causing discomfort.

These are the experiences highlighted by this Full Moon, and that this moon is asking us to sit with.

I mentioned that the seeds I planted, and am seeing a culmination of, have had a rocky start. The newsletter has had a bit of a rough transition to beehiiv; the platform itself is great, but my numbers (both subscribers and income) have dropped in a way that it’s hard to not take personally, even as I am very aware of ~gestures~ the world around us.

I also know that my tenderness is exacerbated by the fact that I am in the final week of Astrology for Artists book edits, and so am having all kinds of fun anxiety-fueled nerves that are experienced by pretty much every author whose book is about to be ripped out of their hands and sent into production. Did I wake up with The Fray’s “Over My Head” going through my head? Yes, yes I did.

I know that mostly, my nerves about whether I know enough and will my peers still respect me and what if everyone hates my book are boring, common, genre-agnostic worries. But there is a part of me, an irrational part of my brain, that worries that lower newsletter numbers means people won’t buy or read this book. That terrified little voice is so, so worried that my career will be over if this book doesn’t do well.

Dramatic, yes, but did I mention that this moon has underworld energy? Like Inanna, we can’t just descend to the underworld and not leave parts of ourselves there. Rebirth and resurrection entail many deaths, and Ego Death may well be one of them.

The tough thing about Taurus energy is that it’s not into quick fixes. And much as the moon luxuriates in Taurus’ comfort and capacity, she’s not moving with urgency here. Which can also mean that those of us feeling mired in sticky feelings might have a slower time moving out of the molasses.

But the benefit of Taurus energy is that it’s tremendously stubborn. No one can go through hell and keep going like a Taurus, and that is the medicine of this lunation, which provides a squeeze-through snakeshed of a breakthrough.

The stubbornness of Taurus is motivated by its desire to manifest a new reality, to get better, to change its stars, to see something through to the end. And while I do fear that the Venus Rx rulership is slowing us down even more, I am ultimately heartened, because on the other end of this lunation is clarity about exactly what the fuck we want — and what we are willing to do to get it.

Wishing you all a safe, blessed Full Moon.

I’d also like to wish a Happy Birthday to my first book, Heretic, who is four years old today, October 25th. Thanks to everyone who has bought a copy, requested it at your local library, shared with a friend, left a kind review. Truly, it has meant the world.

If you’d like to get a signed or personalized copy, order Heretic from my local indie!