The Cosmic Story: Eclipse Season, Fall 2021 -- Taurus Lunar Eclipse

The Cosmic Story: Eclipse Season Fall 2021

We’re entering eclipse season again, so get ready for some changes in your life. Eclipses represent portals of transformation and awakening, opening us to unknown parts of ourselves. Perhaps it’s time to cleanse and heal past life patterns that tested us to grow. Lunar eclipses often finish up old business. Eclipses sometimes bring fated events into our lives that help with the evolution and growth of our soul, especially if they contact any of our natal planets.

The lunar nodes are the two points in space where the planes of the Sun, Moon and Earth meet, causing eclipses. Metaphysically, the nodes show us the collective lessons we need to learn. The north node shows us our new direction in life, and the south node shows us what we have to release to move forward. 

 

Lunar Nodes
 

This week’s Lunar eclipse begins the move of the Moon’s nodes from Gemini/Sagittarius to Taurus/Scorpio. The Moon’s nodes shift signs backwards every 18+ months. We have one more eclipse in the Gemini/Sagittarius nodes with the solar eclipse in Sagittarius on December 4, 2021.

And then for the next 18 months or so, the eclipses will occur with the North Node in Taurus and the South Node in Scorpio. The last time the nodes were in Taurus/Scorpio was from July 2003 – December 2004. Think back to what you were doing then. The most potent contacts for this next set of eclipses will be for those of us who have planets in the fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.

Since May, 2020, the north node has been in Gemini and the south node in Sagittarius. We’ve been learning to release old beliefs (Sag) that no longer serve life and open up to new ideas and ways of thinking (Gemini). We’ve been releasing our limiting beliefs that hold us back, our old religious beliefs that no longer make sense to us, and our personal beliefs about who we are and what we’re here on Earth to do.

After two years of Covid, many of our old beliefs have failed us. The political unrest around the world is partially the result of no longer trusting those institutions that govern us, thanks to Pluto in Capricorn. It’s especially true for the U.S., because we are about to experience our country’s first Pluto return next February. A country’s Pluto return is often brings an end to either empire or their role in the world. We can see how America has lost her place as the world leader in many respects. We are in the same intense energies that were present before the American Revolution. (More on that in another newsletter next year.) By 2024 we’ll be ready for a new beginning when Pluto finishes up with Capricorn and moves through Aquarius until 2043.

Taurus - Scorpio Eclipses

This week’s lunar eclipse will be visible over North America overnight on November 18-19. This is a strong partial eclipse, with almost 97% of the Moon covered, leaving a thin sliver of light and a reddish tint to the Moon. Since the Moon is almost at its furthest (apogee) from the Earth, it’s also the longest lunar eclipse since 1440 C.E., lasting a few minutes over 6 hours. 

This Taurus Lunar Eclipse occur near the Pleiades, the star cluster that sits above the constellation of the Bull.  I had a dream back in 2007 about the Pleiades, which might symbolize a new dispensation -- meaning 'all will be well', even when things look darkest.

The Pleiades Star Cluster

You can read more about the astronomy of this eclipse at Earthsky.org:

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/partial-lunar-eclipse-november-19-2021/

In many ways, this long eclipse is perfect for slow-moving, grounded, methodical Taurus. Real change takes time!

 

In ancient times, the Taurus Bull symbolized wealth and power.  It represented what was of value, what was of worth. 

Symbolically, this eclipse deals our social and personal Values – our values (Taurus) as well as how we view and allow other people’s values (Scorpio). These two fixed signs – Fixed Earth/Taurus and Fixed Water/Scorpio – also deal with growth. Taurus wants us to grow into our physical world and Scorpio wants us to grow psychologically and emotionally, by releasing old fears and traumas. Neptune in Pisces, which is in a positive relationship to this Taurus/Scorpio eclipsed Full Moon, helps us grow spiritually.

So how do we grow into our lives and into our deaths? For new life to grow, something has to die away. This is the real crisis our world is facing now. Something has to die. The old way of life isn’t sustainable. If we continue on our present path, the people of the future are ‘f***ed’. The corporate powers of the world will continue to use people for their profits, with less and less resources to share. It looks like a slow death for the future.

Or we can change the system. Patriarchy and capitalism are values that inform our present social structures, and they are wearing out and breaking down. Like the death of the Queen in fairy tales, the emotional impetus behind these systems has drained away. It will be kinder to kill it now, rather than give it a lingering death. It’s already fighting to retain control, like the old god Saturn, who ate his own children rather than give up his power. It’s time to put these energies to bed.

We know we can do better. We have to do better on a global scale, because we now know that we are all connected. Instead of fighting over resources, we need to learn to share them. All parents know this is an important lesson for our children’s future growth. In developing new social systems, it’s possible that we can find our freedom and human potential through the downfall of capitalistic, dominator culture. I vote for freedom for all, with respect for all.

We have to let the old order – patriarchy – die away so a new order of real equality and freedom can grow, both here in the US and around the world. This might mean buying less ‘things’ (which we often don’t need and which makes billionaires of people.); living more sustainably with our food and fuel needs; being responsible for our community’s welfare as well as our personal welfare. Some people won’t like the word sacrifice, because they see it as ‘something is being taken away from them’. But we’ve forgotten that it originally meant ‘to make sacred’.

What are we willing to ‘make sacred’ again by sacrificing some of our expectations of life? Americans have so much comfort compared to other countries. But the price the world pays for our comfort is climate change, the rape of Mother Earth, the destruction of aboriginal peoples and ecosystems, continual war and competition, and unrestrained capitalism. These are the results of our comfort that we don’t think about.

Perhaps now is the time to start. Taurus will be asking us, ‘What is of value to you and your life?’ Scorpio will ask, ‘How long are we going to hold onto childhood’s traumas when the world needs us to grow up?’ Isn’t it exciting to be at the fore-front of shaping a new vision of life, of a new society? If we value the Earth and all her children, if we value our lives and our community’s lives, if we value the future lives of our children’s children, what do we have to do to make it happen?

To Make It So.

One day in the future, we will be a responsible species. I like to think that one day, Earth will be inhabited by grown -up human beings, very much like Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. And his crew.

Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon Eclipse

Full Moons are emotionally intense because they show us what we need to see and drive us to take action on whatever issues are pressing for us. Eclipses add transformational energy and intensity to the mix. With this strong lunar eclipse in the fixed signs of Taurus and Scorpio, we might find ourselves struggling to make those changes, since fixed signs don’t like to change! But even things that are ‘fixed’ need an upgrade at some point. And with the length of this lunar eclipse, we have time to make those changes stick.

With Uranus in Taurus, though, we can expect the unexpected during the next 18 months as the nodes travel backwards through Taurus. Uranus is awakening us to the needs of Mother Earth, as well as to her creative genius. Hopefully, we’ll start to look to Her to understand how we are part of Her biosphere, and come up with solutions and practical applications to climate change, how we produce our food and energy, and how we can reclaim our place as stewards of this amazing, beautiful, bountiful and wounded planet.

The Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon eclipse occurs on Thursday night November 18 at exactly12:57 am PST through Friday morning November 19 at 3:57am EST. Of course the eclipse will start earlier and end later than exactitude.

 

 

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 28* Taurus is: A post-menopausal woman experiences a new love. I would call this image a Crone (the crown of womanhood) finds new love. In the past, there were never this many post-menopausal woman alive and well in society. This is the time for the wise women and grandmothers to step forward and help the world. Women set the feeling tone for a society, for the feminine part of our nature receives the new information and gestates it. This new beginning will have a more mature response to the new opportunities to experience life. (this goes along with the upcoming Venus retrograde in Capricorn – initiating a new council of Grandmothers to help guide the world. More next month.)

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 28* Scorpio is: The King of the Faeries approaching his domain. While Faerie also has a reigning Queen, the King is charged with protecting the land, while the Queen brings it fertility and new life. While the Moon’s symbol calls on wise women to step into their power in the world, this image asks for grown-up, responsible men to step into their power as well. It’s time for men to accept their own magic.

And so we’re back to the Values we hold. Is life and the Earth’s vitality worth our sacrifice? The King of Faerie protects the natural world, both its health and its beauty. We are being asked to wake up from our ‘sugar-high’ of modern culture and figure out what’s important enough to protect and defend.

Jupiter in Aquarius forms a T-Square to this Full Moon, blowing things out of proportion if we’re not careful. But it’s also a great time to expand our community as we get clear about who and what we value, and help support each other. While a lunar eclipse can be excessively emotional on its own, the Sabian symbol of an older wise woman brings an emotional balance to this energy. And when the Faerie King sees any darkness in his domain, he is responsible for cleansing it and healing any wounds that were caused by it.

With Venus, the ruler of Taurus, in Capricorn, in a very tight trine with Uranus_rx in Taurus, we might be surprised by how well things turn out if we’ve done our work. Although with Uranus closing in on its 3^rd and final square (February 17^th, June 14^th and December 24^th) with Saturn in Aquarius on Christmas Eve, if you need a wake-up call, you’ll get it. Because Mars joins in the fun between these two opposing forces (old vs new) with its dynamic energy. Something is definitely cooking. What happens will all depend on how you meet it. Don’t fight it. Change is happening. Dance with Venus and bring in the new.

When Venus goes retrograde from December 19, 2021 to January 28, 2022, she comes between Earth and the Sun, disappearing from the Evening sky only to re-appear about 14 days later as a Morning Star. Venus will stay in Capricorn from November 5, 2021 to March 6, 2022, going into Aquarius and meeting up with Mars at 1* Aquarius – the degree of 2020’s Jupiter/Saturn conjunction. Things might start moving then as we spread the wisdom of the heart throughout our ‘innernet’ of souls.

Venus’ retrograde in Capricorn might signal a shift from patriarchal top-down rules to a Council of Grandmothers, who gather to help each other and their communities. That is, if we women do it – mentor young people, help young families, volunteer for our causes, go to Town Council or School Committee meetings that are being disrupted by dissenters. We can be a good counter-balance to them, offering a different vision than the one of two opposing sides out to kill each other, which some Americans seem to revel in. Maybe it’s time to give our communities our wisdom, vision and commitment to help all of us make a better future together.

Venus reminds us that we need to stay connected to our hearts, which connect us to the cosmos. We do have a spiritual mission. Especially women. The Feminine aspects of life must be given an equal respect and value as that which we give the masculine technological aspects of society. Uranus is the sword of Truth, which wakes us up. Venus in Capricorn sees what is necessary for the life of her people and makes sure that the Truth is heard.

Two other creative aspects help make this lunar eclipse powerful. Mars in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn work together to create effective change, while the Scorpio Sun gets support for its transformation from Saturn in Aquarius, who is creating the thought-forms and principles that will eventually manifest a new society.

It’s pretty exciting, if you forget to be afraid. We are the grandparents of the future. But it’s not only the Elders who have a role to play. People on a mission to achieve their goals will be the change-makers. It’s like the kids protesting at the Glasgow climate conference. They know what is at stake. Their future. And so they aren’t afraid to confront power with truth. Can we do any less?

Change is still the fuel that will take us into the next year. Prepare yourselves!

Blessings and peace to all of us

Cathy

 

To honor the last months of the North Node in Gemini – the Power of Words!

 

 

Let's Remake The World

Let's remake the world with words.
Not frivolously, nor
To hide from what we fear,
But with a purpose.

Let's,
As Wordsworth said, remove
"The dust of custom" so things
Shine again, each object arrayed
In its robe of original light.

And then we'll see the world
As if for the first time.
As once we gazed at the beloved
Who was gazing at us.

~ Gregory Orr ~

(Concerning The Book That Is the Body Of The Beloved)

The Cosmic Story: Scorpio-Taurus Full Moon 2021

 

The Cosmic Story: Scorpio/Taurus Full Moon 2021

Listen to things more often than beings.
Hear the voice of fire, hear the voice of water.
Listen in the wind to the sighing of the bush.
This is the ancestors breathing.

(Traditional from Senegal, translator unknown)

This week we celebrated our 51^st EARTH DAY. The chart for that first Earth Day was similar to today’s chart. The Sun, Saturn, Venus and Mercury were in Taurus with a Scorpio Full Moon joined by Jupiter Rx. And like today, Mars was in Gemini. This year’s chart has Sun, Venus and Mercury in Taurus, with Uranus instead of Saturn joining them, and we’re a few days away from our Scorpio Full Moon.

Taurus is the sign of our values, while Scorpio is the sign of our shared values. Why has it taken us 51 years to recognize how dependent we are on Mother Earth and her health? Why has it been so hard to get our leaders to recognize that their profits will be worthless if we let our life support system die? Perhaps we’ve finally reached the point where we take our relationship to Mother Earth seriously.

There is hope that we’re finally re-connecting to our place in Mother Earth’s biosphere now that Uranus is in Taurus. Even our rational sciences are acknowledging that everything here on our planet is alive and is conscious. We’re living within one vast conscious being – Mother Earth. It’s time for each of us to listen to her ancient wisdom if we’re going to heal ourselves and our world.

With Uranus in Taurus, we are awakening to Earth’s organic, creative wisdom. Gary Ferguson is a wilderness lover and the chapter headings in his wise book The Eight Master Lessons of Nature state the eternal, life-giving laws that Mother Earth has given her children.

1. Mystery: Wisdom begins when we embrace all we don’t know.

2. Life on Earth thrives because of a vast garden of connections.

3. The more kinds of life in the forest, the stronger that life becomes.

4. Healing the planet and ourselves means recovering the Divine Feminine.

5. Our animal relations make us happier and smarter.

6. We live on a planet with energy beyond measure, yet life doesn’t waste a drop.

7. After disaster and disruption, Nature teaches us the fine art of rising again.

8. Old Growth: The planet’s ELDERS can help us be better at Life.

Nature’s beauty holds every lesson we need to learn to live life fully. We just have to have the Will to do it. And to hold our elected leaders accountable for creating a more sustainable society for all of us to live in that honors Mother Earth and her mysterious ways.

One of the planetary energies that is especially strong now comes to us from the planet Venus, which is our sister planet. (C.S. Lewis wrote about this in his novel Perelandra.)

 

 Venus

Venus is in her Underworld phase – she disappeared as a Morning Star on the far side of the Sun on February 14^th and is invisible until around May 5^th – which is the astrological Beltane at 15* Taurus. When Venus emerges from the Underworld, she will become the Evening Star of Wisdom. And she will emerge in the earth sign of Taurus, so she will bless us with the wisdom to connect to our own earth – our body – as well as to our Mother Earth.

Venus is conjunct Black Moon Lilith on this Scorpio Full Moon. Black Moon Lilith is a point in space that forms the second foci of the Moon’s elliptical orbit, its apogee, which is the place where it is furthest from Earth.

As a centerpoint of the Moon’s orbit, Black Moon Lilith works in relationship to the Earth-Moon system and with the Sun. As a second center of reference, she gives a sense of rhythm to the Earth, taking the dynamics of relationship beyond the personal Moon-Venus energies into more subtle dimensions that are essential to our lives. For this reason, Black Moon Lilith has a strong impact on relationship dynamics. Representing the closest reach of the Moon to the Sun, she is also a reference point in our personal lives that brings us into relationship with the heart of our Sun-fueled experience on Earth, an emotional intelligence informed by the wisdom of earthy instinct.

M. Kelley Hunter, The Dark Goddess Lilith, The Mountain Astrologer, 1999.

Lilith was a Sumerian goddess and later Adam’s first wife, who demanded to be his equal. Because of her strength, she was kicked out of the Jewish Garden and turned into a demoness. What these patriarchs rejected was the ancient feminine wisdom of the body and of Earth. 

 

 Lilith

With both Venus and Black Moon Lilith in Taurus, we are invited back to the Garden to delight in our body’s wisdom and in Earth’s wisdom. This is when we get to have our say, speak our truth, stand up for what is life-giving. With these goddesses dancing with Uranus to awaken us to Earth’s wisdom, we get to envision what that might look like –an awakened Earth. This is the image of Lady Wisdom - A woman clothed with the Sun, standing on the Moon, crowned with Stars – that we saw in July 1969 when men took this picture of our precious planet from the Moon.

 

 

How synchronistic it is that the Sabian symbol for both Venus and BM Lilith at 16* Taurus is: An old teacher fails to interest his pupils in traditional knowledge. This image shows us the inadequacy of old intellectual knowledge in the face of our present crisis. And our two goddesses want to show us a new way to know, to learn and to grow. A sensual, earthy wisdom that can connect us all.

In my personal vision, I’d love to see all the women of the world, dancing in our beautiful bodies, stopping patriarchy’s wild rush toward death and destruction, just like the women in Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata, written in the year 411 B.C.E., in which women stage a sex strike to force men to stop the Peloponnesian War.

The female body holds its own wisdom that our world has rejected but which it needs desperately. So let the Divine Feminine speak to you and listen to the mystery of life within your own body. Mother Earth is counting on us!

Happy Earth Day – every day!

Scorpio Full Moon 2021

It was under the Full Moon of Taurus that the Buddha reached enlightenment – under the Bodhi Tree. It was Mother Earth – her tree, her Moon, her child – who guided and guarded him while he was tempted by the demons of men’s desires. Despite the fact that most patriarchal religions want to leave behind this earthly life for a more ‘heavenly’ one, we are here to learn our spiritual lessons. We have to stop thinking that we can escape to a ‘better world’ – be it heaven or Mars! We have to create that better world here on Earth – we have to see that the kingdom of heaven is right here, right now. And make it the Queendom of Earth – which is Taurus’ purpose.

You’ve probably noticed a shift in energy in the past few days. All those fiery Aries planets from the Aries New Moon wanted to take action, but now they’ve settled down to look around and see the beauty of Spring: we can’t help but notice the riot of colors and smells that delight our senses. We find we just want to take all that fire and shine it out like the Sun with gratitude and joy. Taurus says, let’s enjoy ourselves.

After all, it’s Spring and May. Nature is blossoming as the Sun warms Mother Earth and the Winds caresses her. Take a breath and ground yourself. Smile!

The Scorpio Full Moon occurs on Monday, April 26, 2021 at 7:32 pm Alaska time, 8:32pm PDT/11:32pm EDT and on Tuesday, April 27 at 4:32am GMT.

 

 

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 8* Taurus is: A sleigh on land uncovered with snow. This suggests that we have to use our imagination to prepare for future situations. And we have to use our knowledge and skill to anticipate future events that are tied to Earth’s natural rhythms.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 8* Scorpio is: A calm lake bathed in Moonlight. This image suggests that when we calm our minds, we can receive divine inspiration and wisdom. It is through calming the watery realm of emotions that we can be enveloped in the illumination that the Light bestows.

 

 

Since the Taurus Sun is conjunct Uranus and they both oppose the Scorpio Moon, which isn’t the calmest Moon, we have to find our center and open to what wants to wake up in us. There is a surrender involved, because something has to die so something else can be born. Surrender to the unexpected!

The Sabian symbol for Uranus at 11* Taurus is: A woman watering flowers in her garden. Flowers have always symbolized different feelings and values. When we tend our emotional gardens, we are cultivating our ego responses to life. It will be interesting to see how we all deal with this meetup with Uranus. We’ll know how well we stay balanced as the Awakener disrupts our lives!

This Taurus-Scorpio opposition demands that we examine our values and those we share as a society. Taurus wants to build and create with the Aries fire, while Scorpio takes us down into the watery depths so we can release those values that are no longer viable and any emotional trauma that needs to be released, so we can emerge renewed and reborn.

With Uranus in the mix, we have to allow the disruption of our usual habits so we can change. Uranus can make us feel restless and dissatisfied with our old routines. Uranus transits can disrupt, change and renew whatever energies it connects with. Uranus’ ultimate goal is freedom – freedom to be your own unique Self. So with Uranus attuned to this Sun and Moon, we’ll get to shake off those patriarchal rules that no longer serve us or life.

Uranus can free us from our ‘boxes’ and open us to new possibilities because Uranus doesn’t allow us to stagnate. Whatever is hidden in those Scorpio depths will be shaken and stirred – so try to remain like the calm lake as we’re given a new freedom to do and be whatever we want to be.

Since I’m about to have Uranus conjunct my natal Sun over the next year, I’m waiting to see what shows up for this Full Moon to understand what I’m in for!

Squaring this Full Moon combination is Saturn in Aquarius, which wants to slow us down and make sure we have a structure to put into place once we shake off the old energies. The push-pull of this year’s Saturn-Uranus square involves our timing rhythms. The sudden rush of Uranus with the slow and steady beat of Saturn. It also reflects a tension between the old vs. the new, as we’re seeing in politics all over the world. This square between idealist Aquarius and grounded Taurus can also bring us erratic weather, tumbling power structures (along with Pluto in Capricorn), and civil unrest. It’s all there for us to see.

The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 13* Aquarius is: A barometer. A barometer measures air pressure, which means we can project what will happen in the future. It helps us anticipate future events. It’s also about timing. It is a good match to describe the Uranus-Saturn square.

Saturn asks this Full Moon – do we have everything we need to nurture and support this new life we’re opening to? Saturn likes to structure things. How do you give structure to sudden, dramatic changes? It looks like we’re all going to find out this year.

Saturn in Aquarius is about the group mind, so we need to ground in what new ideas want to be born now that can unite us, as we move forward into the future in a safe and secure way.

The Moon in Scorpio is hanging out by itself in this chart, so pay attention to your emotional motivations when you’re faced with any radical change. With a trine to Mars in Cancer as well as an out of sign trine to Jupiter, we can make those transformations that suit our soul. It’s time to release ancestral wounds so we can be free to develop our own unique stories.

Mars, still out-of-bounds, moved into Cancer on April 23^rd, bringing us out of our heads and into our hearts. I’ve found that Mars in Cancer is concerned for the well-being of the family and of the soul. Since Mars is our active, yang energy, you’ll find you want to spend time on self-care as well as putting in some time around the house, changing what needs to be changed.

Mars, which played a big role in the Saturn/Pluto conjunction last year, squaring the sensitive points in Capricorn as it retrograded in Aries, will oppose Pluto_rx in Capricorn on June 5^th. Will you stand up for your heart’s wisdom despite the powerful pull from Pluto? Will you stand up for Love and connection?

Pluto, our power player, is set to turn retrograde at 27* Capricorn on April 27, just after this Full Moon, so as it stations it’s extra powerful. Watch what happens around this time to see how it will affect you. Anyone with planets at 23-27* in the cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn will be most affected.

As always, there’s so much activity in the sky that you can get lost in it. The most important thing to do right now is to ground, enjoy the beauty of Spring and let your soul be your guide!

 

 

Bright Blessings as we approach Beltane. You can read all about it at The Bard’s Grove!

Cathy

 

 

In Praise of the Earth

Let us bless

The imagination of the Earth.

That knew early the patience

To harness the mind of time,

Waited for the seas to warm,

Ready to welcome the emergence

Of things dreaming of voyaging

Among the stillness of land.

And how light knew to nurse

The growth until the face of the Earth

Brightened beneath a vision of color.

When the ages of ice came

And sealed the Earth inside

An endless coma of cold,

The heart of the Earth held hope,

Storing fragments of memory,

Ready for the return of the sun.

Let us thank the Earth

That offers ground for home

And holds our feet firm

To walk in space open

To infinite galaxies.

Let us salute the silence

And certainty of mountains:

Their sublime stillness,

Their dream-filled hearts.

The wonder of a garden

Trusting the first warmth of spring

Until its black infinity of cells

Becomes charged with dream;

Then the silent, slow nurture

Of the seed's self, coaxing it

To trust the act of death.

The humility of the Earth

That transfigures all

That has fallen

Of outlived growth.

The kindness of the Earth,

Opening to receive

Our worn forms

Into the final stillness.

Let us ask forgiveness of the Earth

For all our sins against her:

For our violence and poisonings

Of her beauty.

Let us remember within us

The ancient clay,

Holding the memory of seasons,

The passion of the wind,

The fluency of water,

The warmth of fire,

The quiver-touch of the sun

And shadowed sureness of the moon.

That we may awaken,

To live to the full

The dream of the Earth

Who chose us to emerge

And incarnate its hidden night

In mind, spirit, and light.

~ John O'Donohue ~

(To Bless the Space Between Us)