Full Moon in Scorpio: Dosage Matters

The difference between poison and medicine is the dose

Lessons from Nature

I recently walked a trail in a local park and came across some beautiful flowers that reminded me of starbursts and little fairy cups. I’d never seen them before and their dainty, yet showy beauty drew me in. The bees dancing among the blooms obviously loved their sweetness, so I thought they might make a nice flower essence for attraction and sweetening a sour disposition. Something told me to look them up before I picked them and I’m glad I did! Little did I know, this is Mountain Laurel, a plant with deadly toxicity just beneath the surface of every part of its beautiful leaves and petals.

Don’t be fooled by her inviting beauty. As one of my friends aptly put it, she’s got a razor blade under her wig!

I was immediately charmed once I realized who I’d just met. I adore poison plants and the lessons they give us about boundaries, sensuality, and self-protection. Poison plants often have an alluring scent or brightly colored foliage to attract pollinators (sensuality), but their poison helps them defend themselves against would-be predators (boundaries and self-protection). In Mountain Laurel’s case, bees are unaffected by its toxins, so they can freely roll around in its pollen, but honey made from this pollen produces toxic (aka “mad”) honey. Mountain Laurel is not as kind to goats, horses, humans, and other animals who are potential predators. Just a few of the symptoms caused by ingesting Mountain Laurel include difficulty breathing, cardiac distress, depression, coma, and eventually, death¹. Despite its toxicity, the Cherokee used the leaves of Mountain Laurel as a topical pain reliever, and after drying and processing, the wood was used to make spoons and bowls². Even the roots were used to produce a yellow dye. Mountain Laurel is a perfect example of how thin the line is between poison and medicine, much like the upcoming Full Moon in sidereal Scorpio at 8º44” in the 18th Arabic lunar mansion.

The Astrology of the Full Moon in Scorpio (5/23/2024)