Everything feels like an emergency as we approach this total (read: intensified) Lunar Eclipse in Taurus on November 8, with lots of unpredictable endings and sudden changes of heart when it comes to love and money.

Lunar eclipses bring an end to whatever’s not working in our lives and with a Total Lunar Eclipse in Taurus, whatever happens will come with a sense of finality that prohibits us from clinging stubbornly to what’s familiar and forces us to quit unhealthy habit patterns immediately. 

Although the current Scorpio-Taurus eclipse series of 2022 makes deepening commitments and fortifying our financial and emotional foundations the priority, there’s a sense of urgency to finalize an agreement of some kind that (we believe) will provide us with the sense of security we know we ultimately need.

The Fixed signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) are notoriously obsessive-compulsive, so change doesn’t exactly come easily at this eclipse, as the combined effect of Mars retrograde (with a lack of planets in Fire and Cardinal signs to balance things out) leaves us drowning in our day to day.

So much so, in fact, that we might feel like we’re sinking fast, as financial chaos and romantic upsets come at us right and left and yet we’re left lacking the energy, decisiveness and motivation to take action, letting learned helplessness take hold (if you let it). 

With the Sun and Venus in Scorpio plus the Moon and Uranus in Taurus, sources of income are the focal point, with an emphasis on security and longevity. Saturn in Aquarius adds to the pressure to earn money, pay bills and rearrange your finances to suit your lifestyle, not just in present terms but in terms of what you envision for your future.

And yet, like Rose (Taurus) and Jack (Scorpio) on the Titanic, the swell of tension in the ongoing clash between Uranus in Taurus and Saturn in Aquarius induces a feeling of being on a sinking ship without the chance of access to a lifeboat. 

The Tumultuousness of Uranus: Security v. Indecision

Uranus in Taurus is the dominating force of this eclipse, making us feel as if we have to move or change jobs or renovate our relationships from the ground up to get where we need to be. Yet it's wise to keep in mind that anxiety and guilt tend to drive our actions now, so expect to remain conflicted when it comes to making big decisions, as unplanned twists and turns are inevitable now. 

Saturn in Aquarius begins new activities with equal parts excitement and indecisiveness, while the Taurus Moon prefers everything slow, steady and status quo. That said, this period is best-used to observe your initial reactions toward whatever Billy Zane character seems to be “getting in the way” of achieving emotional security. When the ship is sinking, Is your first instinct to throw a fit, lash out passive-aggressively or try to avoid the situation entirely? 

Uranus’ impact is felt in ways that are immediate and extreme, leading you to feel unusually tense, nervous or high-strung in the weeks leading up the lunar eclipse—and Mars at a standstill in indecisive Gemini only amplifies impatience and tendency to overthink. Do you think of financial security and emotional safety as if the two are mutually exclusive? Does your day to day give you the sense of security I ultimately need? And if not, what do you plan to do?

Other than eclipses, Uranus transits are considered “wildcards” in astrology, precipitating unforeseen circumstances, unplanned events and other less-than-pleasant stimuli that force us to shake up our usual way of doing business.

Uranus’ impact is felt in ways that are immediate and extreme, leading you to feel unusually tense, nervous or high-strung in the weeks leading up the lunar eclipse—and Mars at a standstill in indecisive Gemini only amplifies impatience and tendency to overthink.

As a result, financial messes are the likely source of unanticipated financial obstacles that jeopardize your emotional stability (Moon-Uranus), just as romantic obstacles that jeopardize your finances (Venus-Uranus) and/or question your identity entirely (Sun-Uranus). 

Scorpio, Taurus & Saturn-Uranus: How to Escape from Billy Zane

What’s interesting is that though Taurus and Scorpio are the “money” signs of the Zodiac, historically neither Sun sign has dominated the top of the annual Forbes list—that is, until the Tech Boom. Passive income is what Taurus/Scorpio is all about: make one thing, then capitalize on it and invest your wealth in acquiring new things. Not to knock Taurus or Scorpio, as both signs tend to make a good living, though both can be prone to bouts of laziness and/or overindulgence from time to time.

While other Zodiac signs like Capricorn (Jeff Bezos) and Virgo (Warren Buffet) are natural-born workaholics, for example, Scorpio (Bill Gates) and Taurus (Mark Zuckerberg) are driven to make money based on their deeper feeling of stability it brings. And the things/systems that society relies on most? Well that’s just an easy investment. So of all the people you spy who can’t seem to stop cruising their cryptocurrency apps while out to lunch? Chances are you’re looking at a Taurus or Scorpio Sun. 

Since the much talked about Saturn-Uranus alignment in Aquarius back in December of 2020, after which the tech-savvy Millennials officially outnumbered the Baby Boomer generation, the acceleration of technology went from an “addiction” to a “dependency,” as we’ve reached the point where it’s far from a stretch to say that most of us aren’t able to function on a daily basis without access to the internet. 

And it’s not just the abstraction of the internet that’s become the highest-grossing source of income: from the sale of our personal information between corporations for their benefit to the invention of new internet-based currencies, our collective reliance on technology exists in direct proportion to corporate revenue. 

Amidst the upheaval, the Saturn-Uranus tension that dominated not just our personal lives but shook up the larger financial, social and political landscape in 2021 re-emerges at this Total Lunar Eclipse in Taurus, so it may be useful to think back to what was happening on or around the dates when this astrological alignment was exact, on February 17, June 14 and December 24, 2021. 

Moon-Uranus opposite Venus: Love Boat or Titanic?

Just as this total Lunar Eclipse in Taurus shakes up our economic situations, so does it wreck potential havoc on our love lives. If you’re already married or in a live-in partnership, shared resources are likely to be the point of contention.

If you’re still in the throes of newlywed bliss, you may find yourselves stressing over the best way to merge your assets; but even if you’ve been with someone for decades, something could come up now that inspires you to find ways to be more financially independent.  

Venus in direct opposition to Uranus, as it is at this eclipse, is known in astrology as “the divorce aspect,” signaling separations or sudden changes of heart, so if you’re still dating or looking to find a new potential partnership, watch out. You could find out that someone you thought was trustworthy is actively dating other people, or that they’ve unintentionally been sending you mixed messages these past few months since Mars entered its pre-retrograde shadow phase in Gemini on September 3 and suddenly announce that they “want to explore other options.” 

Taurus tends to be passive in relationships, preferring to attract rather than attack. Moon conjunct Uranus, however, craves excitement and radical honesty. So if we find ourselves pining for a love life we don’t have, perhaps the “watch and wait” approach just isn’t working and it’s time to try something new.

Should you find yourself your quest to forge new romantic connections disheartening of late, it could be a cue to try basing your expectations less on short-term needs and superficial desires than on finding someone you can be yourself with.

Alternatively, if you’re trying to deepen intimacy, try trading the stress of grand gestures and sweeping statements in favor of adopting less dramatic, subtler ways to show someone you care throughout the day (it’s the “little things” that matter most, right?)

The point is: emotional stability is anything but guaranteed, relationships are chock full of drama now, as we all pause to ask ourselves what it is we really need to feel safe within the context of a love bond. 

Taurus Eclipse: Small Changes = Big Rewards

Though it may seem on the surface that events or circumstances are out of our control, that’s probably because they are, at least for the time being. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do. On the contrary, it’s scaling down our approach to radical change that poses the central challenge now. 

If you've had it “up to here,” for instance, living at the mercy of the constant beeping and buzzing of your devices, try setting your phone to “Do Not Disturb” for a few hours every day and see what happens.

If you’ve noticed that no matter how much budgeting you’ve done or costs you’ve cut over the past year, the effect doesn’t seem to be making much of a difference, maybe it’s time to start thinking about ways to earn more money as opposed to focusing exclusively on cutting costs.

Or, if you notice that you’ve been struggling to get fit post-pandemic, maybe it’s time to cool it with that 10-day Master Cleanse you’ve been on and eat more vegetables, take a class, or replace your morning coffee with a green juice. 

Whatever it is, the point now is that change is less scary (not to mention more sustainable/realistic) when implemented in measurable increments rather than over-the-top commitments and larger-than-life promises (whether made to ourselves or others) that leave us feeling unmotivated or beaten down.

In the end, our ability to define what it is we need to change and institute modest, realistic adjustments consistently over time is what’ll lead us to the best chances for success—no matter what aspect of our lives it’s (finally) time to change.