On May 1st at 11:23 AM Mountain Time, the Full Moon rises at 11° Scorpio — and she is not here to be gentle.
This is the first of two full moons we will experience in May, which makes this already a deeply charged month energetically. Two full moons in one calendar month means we are being given an extended window for deep inner work — a rare invitation to truly complete something we have been circling for a long time.
And this Scorpio moon? She is pulling on the thread of something most of us have been carrying long before we were born.
What Scorpio Illuminates
Scorpio is the sign of what is hidden. It governs the underworld of our inner life — the places we do not show people, the truths we have buried under layers of survival, the sacred contracts we made in moments of fear or grief or necessity, and then forgot we ever signed.
Expect this moon to show you the shadows — your own shadows, yes, but also the shadows that were handed to you. The patterns that feel more like inheritance than choice. The beliefs about yourself, about safety, about what you deserve, that you may have absorbed before you ever had language for them.
This is not meant to scare you. This is medicine. The light only goes where healing is ready and needed.
Old Contracts and Ancestral Cords
One of the most powerful themes I have been sitting with as I feel into this Full Moon is the idea of energetic contracts — and specifically, the ones we did not consciously choose.
We carry contracts. Most of us do not realize it. A contract might look like a belief: "People like us don't succeed." Or a pattern: "Love always comes with conditions." Or a story about the body: "My body is not trustworthy."
Some of these contracts we made in our own childhood, in moments when our nervous system was doing its best to make sense of an overwhelming experience. But many of them are older than us. They were passed down through family lines — through the unprocessed grief of grandparents, through the survival patterns of ancestors who faced real danger and built real walls around real wounds.
These are ancestral contracts. And like all contracts, they were made for a reason. They served someone, at some time, in some very specific circumstance. The lie is not that they existed — the lie is that they still apply. That they still belong to us. That we are still obligated to carry them.
The Scorpio Full Moon, with its penetrating light and its gift for exposing what has been hidden, is one of the most powerful moments in the astrological year to see these contracts clearly — and to choose to release them.
Black Obsidian: Your Mirror Into What Is True
One of my most trusted allies for this kind of deep Scorpio work is black obsidian.
Obsidian is a volcanic glass — born from fire, cooled in an instant, carrying the energy of rapid transformation and the preservation of truth. It has been used for thousands of years as a scrying mirror, a protection stone, and a tool for shadow work, precisely because it does not let illusions linger.
When you work with obsidian during a Scorpio Full Moon, you are inviting it to help you see the underlying energetic cords — the invisible threads that connect you to old stories, old pain, old agreements that were never truly yours to carry. Obsidian does not soften what it shows you. It reflects truth without apology.
Hold it in your hands before your release ritual. Let yourself really look.
Ask: What am I still bound to that I did not consciously choose? What contract is it time to dissolve?
You may be surprised by what surfaces. The obsidian will not show you what you want to see. It will show you what is real — and that is exactly the gift of Scorpio.
I Am Powerful: Anointing Oil for the Scorpio Full Moon
Scorpio's medicine is power — not power over others, but the deep, rooted power that comes from knowing yourself completely, from claiming what is true, from refusing to be diminished by the inherited stories of those who came before you.
This is exactly why I reach for our I Am Powerful anointing oil during Scorpio season and especially during this full moon.
This oil was crafted to support Scorpio energy — the deep, transformative, truth-seeking current of this sign. It is an invitation to your own sovereignty. When you anoint yourself with it, you are sending a somatic signal: I am calling back my power RIGHT now!
I love to apply it to the wrists, the sternum, and the base of the throat before a release ritual. You can also anoint the lower belly, which brings us beautifully into Scorpio's body correspondence.
Scorpio's Body: The Womb, the Nose, the Colon
In medical astrology, Scorpio governs specific areas of the physical body — and paying attention to these during a Scorpio Full Moon is a beautiful act of body-honoring awareness.
Scorpio rules the womb and reproductive organs, the nose (our gateway for scent and breath), and the colon — the body's great organ of elimination and release.
This is deeply poetic, if you think about it. Scorpio's entire medicine is about letting go of what no longer serves — and the colon is literally the body part that knows how to do exactly that. Under a Scorpio Full Moon, if you notice your body calling for support in these areas, pay attention. Your body is often the first to feel the energetic work before your conscious mind catches up.
Blackberry Root: Scorpio's Herbal Ally
Not all herbal support is glamorous — and Scorpio, of all signs, would appreciate the honesty in that.
Blackberry root is a traditional Scorpio herb, carrying the astringent, contracting, tightening energy that Scorpio knows well. It is a powerful ally for the colon and digestive system. Scorpio natives and those doing deep Scorpio work can sometimes experience digestive sensitivity — looseness, urgency, the body moving things out quickly, both literally and energetically.
Blackberry root is a natural astringent. It acts on the tissues of the colon, drawing out excess water, firming the stool, and supporting the body's natural capacity for regulated, intentional release. Where things have become too fluid, too uncontained — blackberry root helps restore tone and intention.
You can work with blackberry root as a simple decoction (simmer the root in water for 15–20 minutes), or look for it in traditional herbal formulas for digestive support.
Agarwood: Sacred Smoke for the Scorpio Full Moon
If you work with incense, the Scorpio Full Moon is a beautiful time to bring in agarwood — one of the most ancient, sacred, and deeply transformative aromatic medicines in the world.
Agarwood (also known as oud) is formed when the Aquilaria tree becomes infected and begins producing a dark, fragrant resin as a protective response. This is medicine born from wounding — which is deeply, beautifully Scorpionic.
Its scent is dark, complex, resinous, and grounding. It carries the energy of the deep earth, of ancient wisdom, of shadow transmuted into something sacred. When you burn agarwood during a Scorpio ritual, you are working with an aromatic medicine that has been used for thousands of years in ceremony, meditation, and energetic clearing.
Allow the smoke to move through your space before you begin your release ritual. Let it settle the energy. Let it signal to your body and your field that what is about to happen here is intentional, protected, and sacred.
A Simple Full Moon Release Ritual
Here is how I would invite you to work with this Scorpio Full Moon:
What you will need:
A candle (black, white, or deep red)
Black obsidian
Agarwood incense
A piece of paper and a pen
A fire-safe bowl or plate
(if you don't have all of these things, its ok, use what you have)
The ritual:
Prepare your space. Light your agarwood incense and allow the smoke to move through the room. Light your candle. Place your obsidian in front of you.
Ground yourself. Take three slow, deep breaths into your belly. Feel your feet on the floor. Feel the weight of your body in the room.
Anoint yourself. Apply I Am Powerful oil to your wrists, sternum, and the base of your throat. As you do, speak aloud or silently: "I am not the contracts that were handed to me. I am releasing them now.
Hold the obsidian. Close your eyes. Ask it to show you what you are ready to release — particularly the inherited stories, the family patterns, the ancestral contracts that have been running quietly in the background of your life. Stay here as long as you need.
Write it out. On your piece of paper, write down what came to you. Be specific. Name the contracts. Name the lies. Name what you are choosing, today, to release. You do not have to understand everything about where they came from. You only need to be willing to let them go.
Burn it. Safely hold the paper to the candle flame and let it burn in your fire-safe bowl. As it burns, breathe. Say: "I release what was never truly mine to carry. I return it with love to where it belongs. I am free."
Rest. Sit quietly with your obsidian for a few minutes after. Let the ritual settle into your body. Let your nervous system receive the work you just did.
A Note on the Work Ahead
This Full Moon begins a remarkable month. We have two full moons in May — this one in Scorpio on the 1st, and a rare Blue Moon in Sagittarius at the end of the month.
What you release under this Scorpio moon creates space for what the Sagittarius Blue Moon will want to expand into.
Be gentle with yourself in the days following May 1st. Deep Scorpio work asks something real of the nervous system. Rest. Baths. Use warm, grounding aromatic tools. Eat warm, nourishing food. Let your body be the place where the integration happens — because Scorpio knows that the deepest healing is not mental. It is cellular.
You are not just releasing old stories. You are rewriting what has been inherited. And that is some of the most powerful, most sacred, most Scorpio work there is.
All products mentioned are ritual tools intended for aromatic and ceremonial use. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Herbal information shared here is for educational purposes only. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for any health concerns.
1 Comment
Right on and well-expressed! Very informative and powerful! Thanks!