The Cosmic Story: May & the Divine Feminine Taurus Lunar Eclipse & Mercury Retrograde

 The Cosmic Story For May 2022

The Romans worshiped the Goddess Flora, the flower maiden, in May. For them, May was the time to blossom, just as the Earth was blossoming. Flora was a nymph who became the bride of Zephyr, the god of breezes. As a wedding gift, he gave her the gift of Spring and the Garden. (As usual with patriarchal re-tellings, it is the god’s gift to Flora, instead of recognizing that Flora, blossoming, is the growth aspect of Mother Earth, who also sends the gentle breezes of Spring to awaken that blossoming. In reality, they work together. Equal partners in creating the awakening of new life. Sort of like pregnancy being caused by a penis.)

 

Flora

Like the cross-quarter holiday of Beltane (May 1-5), May is a time of wild delight, innocent wonder and open sensuality. Our senses come alive as the fragrant blossoms open to the Sun. In May, we are bathed in beauty – our sight is filled with vibrant rainbow colors, our smell is intoxicated by the heady fragrance of lilac, hyacinth and rose, our touch by the feel of the Sun’s warmth and soft breezes on our skins, and our hearing by the sounds of birds, insects and leaves filling our heads with the music of life. My heart is always blown open by the sheer beauty all around me in May here in Rhode Island. But then again, I’m a Taurus. A May baby. I incarnated to embody that season’s beauty.

 

 

The Romans honored Maia and the Bona Dea/ Earth Mother in the beginning of May. This time of blossoming was also allotted to girls who were just coming into their sexuality and womanhood, the new beginning which promised them growth and change. But I know all women feel this awakening to life, no matter what our ages. It is the Goddess’ call to us to continually create and grow. As the goddess of flowers, Flora invites us to make flower garlands and crowns to adorn ourselves with the scents and beauty of the Goddess herself.

May and the sign of Taurus exemplify the light-filled side of the Divine Feminine (her dark side manifests in the opposite sign of Scorpio, for She is all things, all possibilities, all mystery) – its beauty, its sensuality and its ability to manifest life. Out of the divine spark of Aries’ fire, Taurus takes that energy and manifests it into something tangible, beautiful and life-giving.

In its truest form, Taurus is The Garden – the earthly paradise that our planet once was. And still could be.

 

 

For the most part, humanity experiences the Earth as a Mother Goddess – the One who carries us as we grow, the One who nurtures us, the One who clothes us in our human body. And the One who takes us to our final rest. Most surely, She is the One who embodies Home.

Just so is the quantum field – for it is the most subtle form of Mother Earth – the place where manifestation begins. And so we see the energy we call ‘the Divine Feminine’ as the foundation of the universe. We see it in the Tarot card The World, as the Woman dancing in the snake of time.

The Divine Feminine is not just our physical world. She is the Source of mystery and life, love and wisdom, our soul and its power to manifest. She is the ground of our being. The foundation and cosmic laws of Life.

She has been called many names, for she is Maia, the Magic/Illusion of the world that keeps us from seeing the Cosmic Unity. In fact, She is Life in all its many forms. She is the Goddess with 10,000 names because She is Matter that knows she is also Spirit. She is the mirror of our self-reflection, helping us see who we are. She becomes illusion when we don’t listen to our souls but rather to collective, rigid beliefs.

In Hinduism, Maya is illusion, a veiling of the true, unitary Self—the Cosmic Spirit also known as Brahman. The illusion these religions warn us about are the societal rules and perspective we each live in. Maya is what entices us into life so we get the experience we incarnated for. It’s how we respond to the experiences that make them an illusion, which are meant to trap us. When we see past the illusion, we get past the societal traps, and see ourselves clearly. Then Maya comes alive with the beauty of deeper experiences and lessons. The Buddha had to remember all his past lives before he became an Enlightened One under the Bodhi Tree at the Scorpio Full Moon of May.

In the I Ching, the second hexagram (although some feel this used to be the First) is the sacred Yin energy of life The Receptive. The feminine is open and allowing. It is also the source of Yang energy, since masculine doing is the externalization of feminine being. This is the energy of the Quantum field, the place where creation begins.

It’s interesting, and practical, that the Romans also got cautious by mid-May and knew that ‘lemures’ and other night stalkers could hurt the newly blossoming growth. Birth is always a dangerous time and new growth must be cultivated tenderly.

These ‘lemures’ are our shadows, our old unconscious behaviors that kill off new life and growth. We’ll see this at the Scorpio Lunar Eclipse – a perfect time to look deeply at who we are – our shadows, our fears, our gifts and our desires. Watch that you don’t cut off the new feelings and visions that want to live this year by shutting down that new life.

Mercury retrograde: May 10 – June 3, 2022

Shedding superficiality for self-assurance,

and mediocrity for authenticity.

Our dear traveling companion, Mercury/The Mind, is once again turning retrograde on May 10^th. With so much going on in the world, I’m sure most of our minds are spinning. So why not take a break? Instead of looking outside for ‘the news’ why not turn your attention inside yourself and see what you really think about the past few years. To really blossom this May, look at what happened from a deeper perspective, hold on to the lessons learned and then let it go.

 

 

According to The Gene Keys by Richard Rudd (a system that unites your astrology chart with the I Ching), Mercury goes retrograde at the 20^th Gene Key – The Sacred Om. This retrograde is a call to re-align ourselves with the sacred sound of the Universe. This entails a change of frequency. While we have measured Earth frequency and reproduced it, it’s always best to just go stand/sit/lay on Mother Earth and let yourself get tuned.

The shadow quality of this hexagram is superficiality – an apt description of so much of our cultural conversations and the media. But all too often also a description of our society. One of the lessons we’re being asked to learn this Mercury retrograde is to recognize our shadow behaviors that keep us living superficially, so we can step into the light of our own decisions, our own visions, our own purpose. It’s time to own who we are. And rejoice in it.

The war playing out in Ukraine is happening all over the world. How lucky we are that most of us don’t have to physically fight in a war for our liberty. The old dominator/patriarchal/corporate culture is trying to stop a new world from being born: a world focused on freedom, on diversity, on community, on creativity, on peace. A world in balance, where both Yin & Yang, Feminine & Masculine Spirit are valued equally. Isn’t it time to stand up for what we value? It is the season of Taurus, after all. Taurus asks us to find out what is of value to us and work at it and refine it.

In America and the West, perhaps liberty comes from not engaging in what is expected of us. Freedom comes from putting time into the things and experiences we value (a Taurus trait) rather than shopping (a patriarchal twisting of value and self-worth). One need we all share is our need to value Mother Earth, not only because our lives depend on Her, which they do, but because we are part of Her and of each other. This is our home. Why are we killing ourselves?

What creative options can we come up with to live differently, to enjoy life more, to engage in community? First we have to change our minds – change our perspectives so that we can see ourselves clearly – see what’s important to us. We need to look from the inside out – from the inner feminine knowing of heart and gut that knows what we long for.

The conjunctions between Neptune, Jupiter, Venus and Mars in Pisces this past month opened us to our collective unconscious needs and desires. Those waters are still stirring. While you wait to see what life brings you this year, ask yourself important questions. What is important to me? What do women desire most? What are men willing to do to preserve life rather than kill it? What can I do to make this beautiful world a better place to live in? How can I take up my stewardship of Mother Earth?

If we can hear the Sacred Om in everything (Maya – May), we can change the Story.

So what is it that Mercury is going back to reclaim? Mercury travels from 5* Gemini back to 27* Taurus. This is Gene Kay #8: The Diamond of the Self. This is the point where we either choose mediocrity or our own unique wildness and freedom. If we embrace who we are without fear, if we choose life’s adventure instead of a fake security (see how the money keeps disappearing), we can bring this back to Mercury’s original purpose – to know the truth, to speak the truth, to vibrate to the sacred OM.

Mercury retrograde occurs on May 10, 2002 at 4:48am PDT/ 7:48am EDT/ 12:48pm GMT. 

 

 

This chart is interesting because the only planet Mercury aspects (just before it turns retrograde) is the Virgo Moon. This shows us a mind at odds with the plans of the heart. It makes sense, since this retrograde is all about deciding what is important to us.

The other interesting thing going on is that Aries Venus is inconjunct the Virgo Moon. They can’t see each other’s point of view. Venus in Aries wants to fight NOW. Moon in Virgo wants to make a plan. Venus might be too impatient to wait for Virgo’s plans to take shape. But to make wise choices, we’ll need to be patient (Mercury is retrograde!) and make sure our hearts are clear.

Pluto, which just turned retrograde April 29^th, is in an easy aspect with Neptune, Jupiter and Mars in Pisces. As it retrogrades back to the second hit of the US Pluto return, can we take the concerns of the world’s suffering seriously? Can we leave behind the old divisive wars (so many of which use religion as an excuse), and see that we’re all in this together? Time will tell.

The Pisces trio is also in an easy flow with Uranus, Sun and North Node in Taurus, feeding our soul’s hopes and dreams into the new world we’re building for ourselves and hopefully for the world. While at the same time, Saturn in Aquarius is squaring the nodes, once again questioning us about our desires. Are we fearfully clinging to the Old or will we take the risk to embrace the New?

Scorpio-Taurus total Lunar Eclipse, May 15-16, 2022

The Scorpio Full Moon total lunar eclipse occurs on Sunday and Monday, May 15-16, at 9:14pm PDT/ 12:14am EDT/ 5:14am GMT.

 

 

This is a total Lunar Eclipse because the Sun and Moon are quite close to the Nodes. The eclipse is expected to last about 85 minutes. This total eclipse is central, meaning the moon passes centrally through the axis of Earth's dark (umbral) shadow. This is also a super moon, meaning the Moon is orbiting close to the Earth. The eclipse lasts from around 9:30pm to 1:55am EDT, with totality occurring from 11:30 pm EDT to 12:30am EDT, with maximum totality at 12:14am EDT.

The Taurus/Scorpio axis of the zodiac energizes our search for values, for what is worthy of our attention, for what is needed for growth. Both feminine signs, Taurus adds the earth element while Scorpio adds the water. These two signs are concerned with growth – both our physical and emotional growth, which depends on us living up to our values and knowing our worth.

While the Taurus Sun has been dancing on a daring edge with Uranus, Scorpio’s deep waters have been stirred up by the tumultuous energies moving through Pisces. Perhaps if we truly see how it is our culture that creates the traumas we’ve all been through, maybe we can share our grief over those emotional wounds and forgive ourselves for incurring them. And let it all go! While Taurus wants to grow our lives and experiences, Scorpio wants to release emotional pain what no longer serves life so we can grow.

The Full Moon of May/Taurus is also called the Buddha Moon, because it was under the Scorpio Full Moon that Siddhartha achieved enlightenment and became The Awakened One. (I had to bitch for a moment – our superficial culture has even taken this most important aspect of spiritual growth – to awaken to our divinity – and turned it into ‘being woke’.)

 

This Full Moon deepens our need to polish the Diamond of the Self. If we can do it properly, we will be clear about our goals and desires. The eclipsed Moon will need to work with the idea of compromise – how we continually compromise our beliefs and values by not standing up for them. By working at jobs that don’t nourish our souls. By living without a sense of personal freedom. By being too afraid to really love another. By never developing our imaginations or seeing our own uniqueness.

This is our opportunity to look at those shadow qualities that keep us in our ruts, that stop our growth and leave us dissatisfied with life. We’ve allowed a killing society to shape how we live our lives. This is a good time to break free and rediscover how you want to live your life.

At its best, this lunar eclipse calls us to become a driving force for humanity, to bring something new and vital into the world. When we do, it has the power to attract others, who can help us with the birth. It is time to create something in our lives that can help us blossom.

Saturn in Aquarius squares this Full Moon as well as the Nodes, so we get another challenge to choose between the Old vs the New. What possibilities will help us create a new reality? Saturn is probably part of your shadow. Look to your natal Saturn to see what might be holding you back from freedom.

Mars is about to conjunct Neptune in Pisces, both in a helpful relationship to this Lunar Eclipse, so be prepared to start acting on what Spirit has been telling you. Jupiter leaves Pisces on May 10^th after Mercury goes retrograde, adding some passion for action to our self-reflection. And giving us many new opportunities to search for our new identity.

Venus has just danced with Chiron in Aries, so I know she’s feeling healed and self-confident to meet the demands of this eclipse, since she is the guardian planet of Taurus. She’s in charge, and it feels like Chiron was mentoring her on her self-worth, especially after hearing how the conservative judges on the US Supreme Court are about to take away women’s right to an abortion. And yet these people allow their children to be trained in the military as killers, so we know this is not about murder and death. This is about control. Our Aries Venus is not going to stand for it. But she has to remember to have a plan.

It’s always easier to make changes when you connect with the cosmic energies operating at the time. These times are enlivened by many big changing energies. It’s time to fasten your seatbelts – the ride is going to be rocky for the rest of the year.

(There’s a Taurus/Scorpio total Lunar Eclipse on the U.S. Election Day – it should be interesting!)

Blessings of the Season

Cathy 

 

Matins II (excerpt)

I arise today

Blessed by all things,
Wings of breath,
Delight of eyes,
Wonder of whisper,
Intimacy of touch,
Eternity of soul,
Urgency of thought,
Miracle of health,
Embrace of God.

May I live this day.

~ John O"Donohue ~

(Eternal Echoes)

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: Sagittarius/Gemini Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 2021

 

The Cosmic Story: Sagittarius/Gemini Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 2021

The Shift Begins

I wish that I could show you

when you are lonely or in darkness

the astonishing light of your own being.

Hafiz

How has May been for you? Pretty crazy, right? Computers acting up – my whole file of pictures disappeared! People are moody. People aren’t sleeping because of high energy solar flairs and the energy of the up-coming eclipses. People are ready to finish one whole part of their life and move on to a new part – a new story.

This whole month has been intense as all the personal planets moving through Taurus got shaken up/conjuncted Uranus, embraced possibilities/Jupiter in Aquarius, got marching orders/squared Saturn in Aquarius, circled the wagons/sextiled Mars in Cancer and were inspired/Neptune in Pisces, and transformed goals/trined Pluto in Capricorn. And that’s with many of those same planets being OOB – out-of-bounds, meaning they don’t have to follow the rules!

So perhaps you’re ready for some new rules. Both for yourself and for our world. You can start during Mercury retrograde, but hold onto the list. It’s not time yet.

First let’s look at where all the planetary players are, because there are circles within circles and spirals happening in the sky and here on Earth.

 

Pluto in Capricorn: Transforming Society

Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008 – the last financial crisis before Covid. Pluto’s energy evolves society and it does it by exposing all the parts of society that don’t work. Sound familiar? Then from 2012-2015 we went through 7/seven squares between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn, waking people up to the fact that our society wasn’t serving ‘we the people’ very well. The rich kept getting richer. And blacks and women kept getting killed and abused. It was time to stand up to those patriarchal structures that repressed and devalued most of us.

On January 12, 2020 Saturn and Pluto joined together in Capricorn to start a new cycle, one that hasn’t been seen since 1517 C.E. – the start of our modern society. Later they were joined by Jupiter and Mars – really blowing things up. Covid arrived and we’re just beginning to emerge from a year of lock down and deaths. And political shenanigans unlike we’ve ever seen in the United States – our unconscious shadow dictator came out and got people lying and acting like sulky, vicious teenagers. This can also be attributed to the upcoming Pluto return for America. You could say we’ve reached the ‘bottom of the barrel’.

Well, the other planets have moved on from Capricorn, except for Pluto, who’s hanging out in the last degrees of Capricorn. Next year the United States will have its first Pluto return on February 20, 2022. (2202022)

 

The Sabian symbol for the US Pluto at 27* Capricorn is: A large aviary.

Birds symbolize spiritual messages or messengers like angels. Some of the first goddess statues found are bird-headed. This symbol says the ability to hear and listen to that inner voice of instinct and wisdom has to be honored. If this symbolizes the United States’ Fate/Pluto, then our country was created to be a conscious society, one that is attuned to spiritual (not necessarily religious) values. Attuned to the Cosmic Laws of Life. May It Be So!

Pluto is in the Virgo decan (last 10*) of Capricorn, so this is the time to make plans about what we want our future society to look like. Just like the Founding Fathers of the United States, it is our time to re-create a more fair and just system of governance. A country where ‘we the people’ finally join together to make the rules, not the ruling class.

 

Saturn in Aquarius goes Retrograde

Saturn turns retrograde this year on May 23^rd at 13*31’ Aquarius. The Sabian symbol is: A train entering a tunnel.

Dane Rudhyar says this symbol represents, The ability to short-cut the process of natural evolution by the exercise of Will, mental skill and physical discipline.

With Saturn here in the sign of Aquarius, a fixed Air sign, it makes sense to get organized. Once we envision what we can achieve, we have to get organized and plan out what skills we need to succeed. And then we have to pick the right time to begin. NOW is not the right time. We’re still planning, especially with Mercury going retrograde within a week. If we follow the seasons, we’ll begin to see results at harvest time in September and October, when Saturn turns direct again on October 10, 2021, ready to move us forward.

 

 

Saturn is the Great Teacher and Tester, the energy that says, Do the work! Saturn tests our endurance and our patience as we overcome the obstacles that our life presents us with. Saturn helps us stay present in our lives. The limitations Saturn imposes help us commit to the work without distractions. This is the great Teacher who imposes tasks on us to build up our muscle memory.

Wax On. Wax Off.

So this is your Saturn Mantra: perseverance, commitment, patience, endurance and conviction – I know it’s mine since Saturn is squaring my Taurus Sun! It’s also an initiation, since all of Saturn’s tests initiate us into a more coherent form of ourselves.

So when Saturn goes retrograde, the energy of re-structuring turns within. It’s time to become the author(ity) of your own life. This retrograde invites us to get honest about how we’re not living in coherence with our own thoughts and ideals. Since Aquarius is the sign of the group mind, fostering both individual freedom and communal caring, Saturn can teach us how to live our lives with faith in ourselves and faith in each other.

But first, see yourself in the new story you want to inhabit. Inhabit it now while Saturn can build the new structure inside you that will hold that story for you.

Imagine. Play. Become.

Uranus in Taurus square Saturn in Aquarius

Uranus in Taurus is showing us Earth’s experimental creative genius. We are finally mimicking Mother Nature’s ways instead of imposing our wills on Her. Nature let’s everything blossom, what we call weeds (dandelions! really?) as well as what we use as food and see as beauty. She isn’t into something she creates being ‘chosen’ over other things. All are equal in her biosphere.

Uranus wants us to wake up to our connection to Mother Earth and our place in her biosphere. As equal partners with everything we interact with. Isn’t it time we once again became ‘Stewards of the Earth’ and resumed our place in her bounty?

Saturn in Aquarius also wants to set up societal structures that serve the many rather than the few. While he takes Jupiter’s visionary possibilities into account, he wants some accountability. Saturn’s energy wants us to manifest our dreams in 3D reality. Collectively, we’ll see lots of technological advancements in new energy, new social rules and new community values.

This second Saturn/Uranus square on June 14^th asks us again to decided between the New and the Old. The push for change comes up against the resistance to change.

We can see the Old playing out in the Republicans’ mindf**k strategy, to simply keep repeating The Big Lie, keep lying in the face of seeing it as well as the facts of it, that has so many representatives, senators and newspeople lying about what happened on January 6, 2021. This is called the transvaluation of values – when lies become Truth and unjust acts are seen as righteous.

They want to stay in power, more than they want the American people to know the truth. It seems like they don’t want to create a better world for everyone – that they want to hold onto their power regardless of what people need and want. (In some ways, I feel sorry for them because we always need villeins to come up against. I guess they chose to be that.) We see it in the willingness to fight and kill rather than to create peace. We see it in world religions that are still persecuting ‘non-believers’. That’s the OLD.

The New isn’t quite clear yet. We need a more sustainable world. We need to limit the power of social media. We want freedom and equality (Uranus!) as well as a stable structure. We want an equitable economy, one where everyone has their basic needs met at the same time as people can go out into the world and make more money.

Saturn will build the structure when we know what new options are viable. Whatever we end up with, we need to put people, family, community in the center – not the ECONOMY, STUPID! The economy is only a tool to help us move toward our need/goal for ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. So far, our economy hasn’t been all that great for most of us. If we put it in its place as just a tool for society’s betterment, it leaves so many ways open to viable possibilities for it to work for all people and for the Earth.

Personally, we’ll be re-configuring our own habits, our vision of life, our physical health and well being. Uranus, even when he shakes the ground we stand on, wants us to stay grounded in Taurus. After all, his potency gave rise to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and of Wisdom, locating us in our senses and so awake to the world around us.

(If we really were living in our senses, we’d never want the crazy American lifestyle we’re enmeshed in. It’s too intense for fully opened senses and often too ugly to bear.)

Saturn asks us what our ideals (very Aquarian) are really doing for us. Are we living up to them? We each will be playing out the struggle of old vs new. Instead of a battle, why not a dance? Dance with what’s still good and wholesome and dance those aspects that need to die into the dirt.

Neptune & Jupiter in Pisces

With Neptune and Jupiter, both rulers of Pisces, being for a while this summer and all of 2022, we are being given an opening, an opening into many dimensions of reality. We’re entering a more fluid time, where we can connect with our imaginations and our spiritual and artistic sides. But it can lead to religious fanaticism as well, since Jupiter expands what he touches. The collective unconscious of humanity is stirring. There be monsters there! As well as angels.

 

How and where we go through those openings is up to us. We can awaken other parts of our brain which can interact with these other dimensions. We can get lost in illusion and delude ourselves about the Truth of Life.

Humanity is undergoing a reset. I heard Steven Forest say, we’ve all been in a spiritual retreat/psychotherapy this past year and for many of us, we’re finally looking at our Shadows, both individually and collectively, and some of it isn’t pretty. But if we look in Truth, the light and darkness can dance together and create something new. There can and probably will be religious fanaticism and demonizing. But to balance that, more people will awaken to their spiritual center.

Will you be the light in the darkness? Will you lead by example to help people free their inner light so they can shine out?

It is all what we make it of.

As always, look to your own chart to see where these energies are activated for you. The house will tell you what area of life it’s effecting.

The background Cosmic Story so far is this: we are living in a time of tremendous societal change, change on a global scale. (In many ways, it is the end of the old age and the beginning of the new. We have to learn to live sustainably and peacefully. Otherwise we are in danger of falling into dictatorships and world shattering wars. It is up to us to come up with ingenious methods to mitigate climate change, income equality and individual freedom. In the coming years, when we complete America’s first Pluto cycle, we will have the blessings of the spiritual realm available to us, if we use it wisely. What kind of society are we intending to create? Each of us has a part to play in that creation. Each of us has to take responsibility for bringing that creation to fruition.

Now for the more immediate energies of this Eclipse season.

Sagittarius Full Blood/Flower Moon Lunar Eclipse

The Lunar eclipse occurs on Wednesday, May 26 at 3:14am Alaska time/ 4:14 am PDT/ 7:14am EDT/ 12:14pm GMT. This month’s Moon is called the Flower Full Moon.

 

 Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse 2021

This is the closest Super Moon this year – meaning that the Moon is at its closest distance to Earth. The Blood Moon occurs when the Moon reflects the Earth’s atmosphere and colors the Moon’s surface. That, along with the total Lunar Eclipse, should make this Full Moon spectacular.

This total lunar eclipse will be visible from southern and eastern Asia, South America, Australia, and the western half of North America. The eclipse is expected to begin at 1:46 a.m. PDT and the Moon will enter the darkest part of the Earth's shadow around 2:45 a.m. PDT. If you want to catch totality—which is the period when all of the Moon's surface is blanketed by the Earth's umbra—look up at the sky between 4:11 a.m. and 4:26 a.m. PDT.

On the East Coast, look to the West as the Full Moon will be setting a bit after sunrise to see a partial covering of the Moon. In Rhode Island and the Northeast coast, the Sun rises at 5:18 am and the Moon sets at 6:07 am. Perhaps you’ll see some of it.

A lunar eclipse brings things to light from deep within. Sagittarius is concerned with freedom, truth, law and belief systems. What do we need to release to cleanse our beliefs, live in truth and freedom, and create laws that give equality to all people? Lunar eclipses bring things to a culmination point. It’s like a reboot for the computer. It’s time to let it all go.

In the US Sibly progressed chart, this lunar eclipse hits the MC/IC – perhaps meaning that we’ll get to see some secrets reveals and some beliefs let go of.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 6* Sagittarius is: A cricket match. Dane Rudhyar says this symbolizes the development of skills in group situations, testing collective goals. I’m reading a great book called The One by Nora Roberts about a pandemic that kills more than ½ the world’s population at the same time as it releases the magic within some of us – for good or evil. With this end-of-the-world scenario, people have to band together, adding their skills to create a different society. While we’re nowhere near that kind of world, we still have to develop our skills and then see how we can work with others as we create a new society.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 6* Gemini is: Workmen drilling for oil. Dane Rudhyar says that this symbolize digging deeper into the collective unconscious to re-awaken the powers that once flourished in humanity. Our Magic! Our unconscious abilities. (read the books – a trilogy)

Total Lunar eclipses occur when the Sun and Moon are within about 15 degrees of the Lunar Nodes, which are presently in Gemini and Sagittarius. This lunar eclipse is conjunct the karmic South Node in Sagittarius – the things we need to shed so we can move forward in life. With the South Node in Sagittarius, we’re asked to take stock of the dark shadows around our beliefs and our ability to know the Truth.

Our beliefs develop as young children, and so they are the bedrock of how we see and live life. These beliefs might no longer serve who we have become, and this past year we’ve all been challenged to understand those beliefs and the truths we hold dear. You can’t carry them into the future. There is no place for them.

Since 2016, when Saturn in Sagittarius squared Neptune in Pisces, we’ve been caught up in the delusion of so-called ‘fake news’. Yes, the media doesn’t tell us the whole truth, but it really is up to us individually to understand what our truth is and how it connects to the Cosmic Truth of life. This is another major initiation. Have we developed our spiritual consciousness enough to know our own truth.

In America, many people are still caught up in a man-made illusion (that they need to be angry, that they aren’t free, that they’ve been cheated, that ‘the others’ are evil) because they would rather believe a leader’s delusions than discover truth for themselves. That’s our initiation. How do we judge people – by their words or by their actions? Hypocrisy is always a sign of guilt. Hopefully, this eclipse will break that delusion and reveal some real truths.

The Sun is in Gemini along with the Gemini North Node. This nodal axis calls us to open our minds to new ideas, to learn new things, meet new people and have conversations about our differences so we can let go of our old beliefs (Sagittarius South Node).

 

 

Gemini is so interesting. It’s explores how we use our minds. Dane Rudhyar describes Gemini beautifully: ...Gemini has basically the meaning of insatiable curiosity and avidity for knowledge; it is logically a ‘human’ sign (the Twins). One of the Twins tends to seek power and knowledge from the ancient past, the other to discover a living source of strength and wisdom which is forever being replenished by the celestial downpour of Spiritual Consciousness and Love.

These are our two brains – our left brain which explores the past logically and our right brain which tunes into the Now and picks up what IS and what needs to be. Our right brain, feminine brain is our connection to Lady Wisdom, Mother Earth’s world soul.

Gemini is all about communication – what words we use, how we say them. So watch how you speak to yourself and to others. Thoughts and words have electromagnetic energy attached to them. They can create calm or chaos, connection or disruption. Once again, the choice is ours.

So our present destiny (NN in Gemini) is to develop beginner’s mind – the mind that is open and curious, willing to learn and see things in a new way. So let this lunar eclipse drain away those old beliefs that no longer serve the life you want to live moving forward into the mysterious, new future we have waiting for us.

This lunar eclipse is also squaring Jupiter in Pisces – the ruler of Sagittarius and therefore of this eclipse. Jupiter expands whatever it touches, so if you want to release something, ask Jupiter to take all of it so you can start fresh. Jupiter in Pisces also calls on us to use our compassion and kindness to change things in our lives and in the world. 

 

Jupiter turns retrograde on June 20^th at 3* Pisces. The Sabian symbol is: Petrified tree trunks lie broken in desert sands. We will always preserve what is important to human life and culture, but it might not be complete. Humans build on what came before, but we can’t depend on just the past. We have to make our own way forward into the future and discover new knowledge and new vision.

Venus and Mercury in Gemini are squaring Neptune in Pisces, another sign for us to open up our spiritual imaginations when we communicate, learn and enjoy each other. It also indicates that we need to look at where we’re deluding ourselves, especially about how we treat loved ones.

Venus & Mercury ~ Louis Michel

 

With Venus and Mercury out of bounds and together, it’s time to unite heart and head. Listen to your heart and let your head figure out how to do what it needs to do.

Mars, out-of-bounds in Cancer, is in a disruptive aspect to this Full Moon and coming up to his opposition to Pluto in Capricorn. Mars can get sulky here if he doesn’t get his way, so find ways to smooth over the temper and moods and give Mars something to do to work off the steam.

 

Mercury Retrograde – May 29^th – June 22^nd

Mercury goes retrograde in his own sign of Gemini, just after his conjunction to Venus. So he goes into this retrograde with Venus’ energy of love, connection and wisdom. Mercury and Venus are both still out-of-bounds, meaning they aren’t following the rules anymore!

The Messenger God

Mercury OOB is a genius trickster who is willing to look deeply into things. And also delight in stirring up trouble. So watch for lots of news, lots of communications, lots of information coming to light during this time. Mercury retrograde will conjunct the June 10^th Gemini total solar eclipse – which is right on Donald Trump’s Sun/Uranus/NN. It should be interesting to see what’s up for him in the news about his criminal investigation in New York.

Mercury goes retrograde at 25* Gemini and the Sabian symbol is: A gardener trimming large palm trees. I guess this retrograde is about pruning any unnecessary expansion, such delusional thoughts and ideas. All ideas can be valid if they are logical as well as intuitive. Facts help too.

The Sabian symbol for Mercury direct on June 22^nd at 17* Gemini is: The head of a robust youth changes into that of a mature thinker. Will we really grow up?

Other Astrological Happenings in June

Gemini Annular (Ring of Fire) Solar Eclipse on June 10^th:

This solar eclipse can be seen in northern North America – and for those of you in the North East, if you get up at Sunrise you’ll be able to see some of it as the Sun rises. Don’t forget your eclipse glasses! Check it out at:

https://eclipse.aas.org/eclipse-america-2021

The Sabian symbol for the Sun and Moon at 20* Gemini is: A modern cafeteria displays an abundance of food, products of various regions. Many kinds of information are available to us now. Make sure you eat healthy!

Summer/Winter Solstice - June 20^th

The Sun is at it’s highest point North in the year. After a 3-day standstill, it begins its journey back South. The Longest Day of the Year. Go out and celebrate!

Mercury Direct – June 22^nd

Full Moon in Capricorn on June 24^th

Neptune retrograde on June 25^th

Neptune turns retrograde at 24* Pisces. The Sabian symbol is: On a small island surrounded by a vast expanse of water, people are seen living in close interaction. It seems to me that this could be an image of Mother Earth, floating in space. Isn’t it time we realize we’re all one family, we’re all in this together, and we need each other?

Blessings for the remainder of the Spring!

Cathy

A Morning Offering

I bless the night that nourished my heart
To set the ghosts of longing free
Into the flow and figure of dream
That went to harvest from the dark
Bread for the hunger no one sees.

All that is eternal in me
Welcome the wonder of this day,
The field of brightness it creates
Offering time for each thing
To arise and illuminate.

I place on the altar of dawn:
The quiet loyalty of breath,
The tent of thought where I shelter,
Wave of desire I am shore to
And all beauty drawn to the eye.

May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.

May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.

~ John O'Donohue ~

(To Bless the Space Between Us)