The Cosmic Story: Pisces Lunar
Eclipse, September 16, 2016
Believe It or Not!
The other day when I was out
doing my laundry, an aging Baby-Boomer said to me, “When are you
gonna take your Bernie sticker off your car?” I looked at him and
said, 'Never'. He started in on me about how Bernie was leading a
60s style revolution (yes, indeed he was) and the kids just didn't
step up. I was stunned. So I said, “That's not true at all.” I
said perhaps it was that the establishment just wasn't ready for such
radical change all at once. But he persisted in his belief that the
revolution didn't happen or won't continue (based on his 60s
experience perhaps?). And he blamed it on the very people who were
trying to make change happen. A bit disgruntled if you ask me. I
wish I could give him some faith in us.
This encounter is a perfect
example of the background energies supporting this upcoming Pisces
Lunar Eclipse. While they've moved beyond their 7 squares after
early 2015, we're still experiencing the backlash of the Pluto in
Capricorn/Uranus in Aries waxing square. This is the energy of a
crisis of action.
The Hero's Journey. The overcoming of obstacles. The setting down
of strong roots and sending out of strong shoots.
These two powerful
energies—Pluto as
lord of Death & Rebirth and Evolution and Uranus, the Great
Awakener, the Revolutonary, the Idealist—began
a new cycle in 1965-66. Like a New Moon, they joined together, and a
seed was planted. A seed of Revolution
and Evolution. And
instinctively, many of us understood that we had to revolutionize and
evolve ourselves to
know where this new re-birth was headed. And
because of that inner search,
many hippie Boomers turned to self-examination, spiritual seeking and
health rather than to power, corporate climbing and government. (And
of course, many didn't.)
But now we see that if we are
to establish a just and healthy world culture, we have to get
involved in the governing structures of our world. Our environment
knows no boundaries. We have to make this very big
change together. We have to choose to consciously
evolve.
We have to
bring our greater self-awareness into service to the world. For
while people can take to the streets to demand justice and change,
those people we choose to govern for
us have to be of
us. If we're going
to take responsibility for our world, we need to get involved in it.
(And that goes for me too!)
The other big celestial event
that is still rippling through our collective psyches is the waning
Saturn in Sagittarius/Neptune in Pisces square, which had its third
and final exact square last Saturday, September 10th.
This waning square symbolizes a crisis
in consciousness, where
we have to choose what knowledge and meaning we want to bring forward
into the next cycle. It's up to us to determine what is important to
our own soul's journey. And it will be different for each of us.
These two planets began their new cycle in February 1989 in
Capricorn. Imagination and Spirituality. Facts and boundaries. How
do we reconcile these so very different energies? What have you been
learning about your beliefs since 1989? Have you arrived at some
idea of your own Truth? Check
the houses these planets are affecting your birth charts for clues
about
what you need to do now.
Saturn
challenging Neptune echos the theme of the waning square, because
both Sagittarius and Pisces are signs of cosmic law, belief and
faith. So this square has us shifting through our beliefs, looking
at our truths and illusions, discerning what Truths we will stand up
for. Will we
bully and bluster about our beliefs as if we owned the truth or will
we stand firm in what we hope for and believe in?
Here is the celestial picture
of what this man was experiencing when he made his demand
of me. He felt
disillusion that the Bernie revolution didn't happen just like in the
60s. (Neptune in Pisces) He has lost faith and he stood up for that
lost faith by picking on me for my Bernie bumper sticker. (Saturn in
Sagittarius) What he doesn't know is that this time the revolution
is going to take hold,
because we not only
have the heavenly energies on our side, we also have lots of old
hippies helping the younger 'hippies' just like Hans Solo helped the
young freedom fighters in the new Star Wars. Together we now have
enough people to 'radicalize the middle' in the next 4 years.
Everyone wants a better
life. Some of us have to go out in front and encourage the rest of
us to participate in making it happen.
Change is inevitable, but now
it is a matter of life
and death as
the Earth's climate spirals out of control.
I look at my 1-year-old grandson and my friends' grandchildren and
it isn't fair of us to leave them a dying world. That's where our
society is heading and our leaders don't seem to care. So it is up
to us to care, not only for our children's children's sakes, but to
honor Mother Earth and restore balance. A life
out of balance created
this mess we find ourselves in. Let's help bring it back into its
original balance and blessings.
To
help us do that (and since the Goddess always works in 3s), Jupiter
is leaving Virgo overnight and entering Libra in the early morning
hours of September 9th,
2016. Jupiter, or the Greek Zeus, is the supreme god who brings
blessings and luck, a wider perspective and understanding, peace and
justice when society moves to the rhythms of the cosmic order. Too
often, he is also used to justify the societal order of the day. But
in going back to his archetypal roots, Jupiter is the King of the
Gods, the Great
Benefic
father-god, who stands for upholding the laws and keeping the peace
in fairness and equality. On an energetic level, Jupiter represents
expansion, curiosity and higher knowledge. Or too much of a good
thing!
Jupiter
in Libra enjoys a much easier relationship with this cardinal Air
sign than it did in Earth-bound Virgo. Jupiter's lust for expansion,
his curiosity and his vision are better suited to Libra's social
interchanges—heaven knows we need more social justice and economic
equality in the world. The revolution has just begun. Jupiter in
Libra might tilt the scales of justice back to a more balanced state.
And there is hope that Jupiter will manifest his better qualities,
since Saturn (which is exalted in Libra) is in Jupiter's sign of
Sagittarius, the great Lawgiver. Symbolically, they're living in
each others homes and can use their energies more freely and
compatibly, which helps with their upcoming sextile—an aspect of
intellectual openness and inventiveness. If you've been wanting to
figure out where you are headed, these two energies—of expansion
and limitation, of higher knowledge and responsibility, of spirit and
form—will be more in synch with each other through next winter.
And
throughout next year, Jupiter will engage that Pluto/Uranus square,
highlighting the need for social renewal.
And
what better way to enter a sign than to have that sign's Mistress
there to greet him. Libra's ruler, Venus, is also in Libra now
blessing Jupiter's arrival with the gifts of beauty, diplomacy,
cooperation, connection, wisdom and love. Libra
is concerned with relationships and more equality between the sexes.
This will be a great year to work on all our relationships.
Venus is opposite Eris and Uranus in Aries, using her persuasion to
transform chaos into meaning—the arts are always a good way to make
that happen. Venus is accompanied by the 9 Muses in Libra, so connect
with your Muse and share your vision with the world.
Let's
intend, for the next 13 months while Jupiter travels through Libra,
that the Scales of Justice will be balanced, that the laws of our
lands will be fair for all of us and that our leaders weld the tool
of diplomacy rather than the weapons of war.
May
holy Aphrodite guide Jupiter to judge our actions with mercy and
compassion.
So Mote It Be!
Pisces Full Moon Lunar
Eclipse, September 16, 2016
So now that we understand the
background energies, we can look at the lunar eclipse coming up this
Friday. This Pisces Full Moon is called The Harvest Moon because
it's the closest full Moon to the Autumn Equinox (on September 22)
and helps give more light for bringing in the harvest. The other
interesting fact about the Harvest Moon is that since it rises near
the Equator (near the horizon) it rises right around sunset for a few
days, so it looks like the Full Moon lingers. Go out and look!
This Harvest Moon is also a
penumbral eclipse of the Moon, meaning that the Moon only moves
through Earth's outer shadow. It's very subtle and barely
discernable. But the energies between Sun and Moon are still
disrupted and so, as with all Full Moons, we become aware of things
that we've been unconscious of, finally letting go of what no longer
serves life. With the Earth's shadow kissing the Moon, perhaps we
really need to look at our collective shadows—the greed, violence,
entitlement, exceptionalism and waste that our first world
civilization spews out along with its pollution.
The Pisces Full Moon lunar eclipse occurs on Friday, September 16, 2016 at 12:05pm PDT/ 3:05pm EDT/ 7:05pm GMT.
The Sabian symbol1
for the Sun at 25* Virgo is: A simple testimonial given at a
wartime funeral, before the guns are picked up once more. We
honor our war dead (even while we do not take care of our
veterans) with a proclamation of a job well done amidst danger.
Perhaps this symbol encourages us to recognize and honor those parts
of ourselves which have sustained us through the 'dark nights of the
soul' we've all experienced. Sometimes even our shadows help us
endure when nothing else can. But now that part of our life is over
and we have to continue to grow more aware of what we hold as Truth.
This is an image of someone who is willing to stand up for Truth,
even in the face of death.
The Sabian symbol1
for the Moon at 25* Pisces is: After drastic reforms, a purified
clergy officiates anew. This seems to indicate a renewal of
spiritual ideals after releasing hypocritical blockages to true
insight into ourselves. If we are going to find our Truth, then we
have to see those shadows which have kept us blind to our unconscious
actions.
The Pisces/Virgo axis of the
zodiac brings together Spirit and Matter, Heaven and Earth and
Masculine and Feminine energies, engendering growth and
understanding. This Full Moon, aside from being eclipsed, also holds
together the energies of Chiron in Pisces, Mercury retrograde in
Virgo and Mars in Sagittarius.
The Sun in Virgo is joined by
Mercury retrograde on Monday September 12th, initiating a
new cycle of intelligence that can illuminate some of the answers
we've been searching for.Mercury in Virgo has more to do with Hermes Trismegistus, the alchemical Mercury--the transformed and transformative Mind. It's a great time to unite head and heart
to come up with innovative solutions to outstanding questions. And
both Mercury and the Sun square Mars in Sagittarius on September
12-13th, helping us bring some of those truths to light.
The Moon in Pisces is conjunct
Chiron, showing us the deep wounds we all bear from a patriarchal
culture that shames us into unworthiness rather than blesses us for
our uniqueness. With the help of Sun/Mercury, we can begin to name
and release some of those wounds. The pain they caused us can be
released so we can go into the future without shame or blame. Once
you've released old limiting beliefs of unworthiness, you can let
yourself be filled with Joy! For Joy is our divine inheritance.
Mars, which has been in
Sagittarius since early March (except for its retrograde back into
Scorpio from late May to early August), squares this eclipsed Full
Moon, challenging us to become spiritual warriors in life, standing
up not only for our personal truths but also for our collective
well-being. Mars' will power, courage and need for action is the
tension point between the Sun and Moon. What will we do with the
knowledge this lunar eclipse sends our way? Listen to your dreams.
Open to your intuition and your mind's musings. Things that you've
kept hidden from yourself will set you free.
Two planets station (change
direction) just after this Full Moon eclipse. On September 21-22,
Mercury turns direct at 15* Virgo: A mirror and a faceted bottle
of perfume.1 Mercury's message is to
look at things from different perspectives. A mirror shows us
another view of ourselves while the facets of that perfume bottom
reflect light at different angles. Perhaps to get the whole picture,
we all need to look at things from multiple perspectives.
Pluto stations direct on
September 26th at 15* Capricorn: In a hospital for the
poor, a children's ward full of playthings. Pluto in Capricorn
has really opened our eyes to the inequality within western society.
Regardless of what we Americans think, we do have our own
'royalty'--the royalty of the wealthy, which isn't so different from
the aristocrats of old Europe. As Pluto finishes up this retrograde
half-way through the sign of government and finance, social
institutions and our place in society, we are given an image of
compassion for the new life that often feels powerless. Perhaps
now, the Collective Unconscious of Pisces will be validated instead
of rejected and made irrelevant. Perhaps, the will of the people
will override the will of the few.
And of course, we celebrate
Autumn Equinox in the northern hemisphere on September 22, while in
the southern hemisphere you're celebrating the return of Spring. The
day of balance between day and night is struck once again. In the
Fall, now the days will shorten and the darkness will grow. These
are the days where we once again have choices to make. What will we
save from this year's harvest to sustain us over the winter months?
What projects want more work? What inner desires still need to be
met? When we release our old limiting beliefs, what is set free to
blossom? As one of my favorite pagan chants for Equinox says:
Onward
we go round the spiral
Touching darkness, touching light
Twice
each turn we rest in balance
Make choices on this night
Make
choices on this night.
Walk
in the Light,
Cathy
1.
Steve Eardley, The Revised Sabian Symbols.
1982.
