New Moon Hybrid Solar Eclipse 4/19/23 Maximum 10:26 pm MST: Wild Horses

Eclipses represent primordial astrology. Think about what astrology without math might be like: planets limited to the ones that can be seen, no signs, no houses. The sun and the moon were the biggest part of the celestial show. The sun provides the life giving energy every living creature needs to thrive. The light of our star is present every day. Throughout time, our people have immortalized the sun as many different gods: Shamash the all-seeing Mesopotamian sun deity, Ra — The Egyptian Sun God, Sol — The Norse Sun Goddess, Helios — The Sun God of the Greeks, Arinna — The Hittite Goddess of the Sun, Surya — The Hindu Sun God, Huitzilopochtli — The Aztec God of the Sun, Inti — The Incan Sun God, Kinich Ahau — Mayan Sun God just to start the list. Imagine what may have happened in the  minds of the first people ever to witness an eclipse. We are now aware that the sun and moon conjunct the lunar nodes every 6 months and we have names for cycles and classifications of this phenomenon, but for the longest, ancient time, eclipses were seen and interpreted as omens. The good (and bad) news about omens is that they only affect you if you actually witness them. That’s why eclipse science and astrology these days is so strange. Because now we are all sharing an omen.

 We live in a world where ancient omens and mystical signs are tourist attractions, where the sacred has become profane, where law perverts justice, medicine kills and truth divides us.  Into this imbalance and strangeness we add the solar light becoming completely dark in a ring of fire and total blackout (annular) hybrid eclipse, the first of its kind in over a decade. The moon will line up between the earth and the sun at just such a distance to completely cover the light of the solar disk. As I have mentioned before, this view from earth can only be obtained because there are 108 sun diameters between the earth and the sun and 108 moon diameters between the earth and the moon.  There are also 108 beads on a prayer mala. Often things that seem to be coincidental underscore great mysteries and sometimes, they are omens.  It’s clear that eclipses should not be interpreted in the same way that we assign meaning to other transits.  Viewing them as omens to be interpreted by the individuals who happen to be in the eclipse path, in this case, South East Asia, the Pacific and Australia, certainly has the precedent of history to back it up.  Also, since the sun  and moon are said to be celestial royalty, there is merit to the adage that leadership is often more affected by these events. But what about us as individuals? How should we find meaning in eclipse activity?

The Vedic tradition offers us the insight to observe the 18 year Saros cycle of eclipse periodicity and recurrence. Looking back at 2004-5, watch the process of realignment and dharmic rerouting that occurs over the next 6 months. The suggestion is that something pertaining to that earlier time is being refined here at this extreme threshold. In both sidereal and tropical charts the eclipse of the sun will occur in Aries, its place of exaltation, but there is a difference in this instance, of course, since it is occluded and competing with Rahu, the north node.  The sun is not only the symbol and source of life on earth, but also the soul of all beings. This is a shaking of the foundation. Rahu’s dominance over the sun in the sign of the Ram, the first sign of the zodiac, which signifies the head, asks us to reconceive our way forward. It’s an uncertain, forced change of the mental, emotional and actual facts of our existence.  Eclipses in the yoga tradition are compared to intense and prolonged pranayama: complete reset and alignment through effort.  Elevated consciousness is attained by purification of the nadis and deliberate raising of life force energy along the sushumna. Not coincidentally, the left and right sides of the body and brain are subject to the rulership of the Ida and Pingala, channels of the sun and moon.  So if you gather nothing else from eclipse study, please know that in yoga we use these cycles to study ourselves over 18 year periods with special attention to the solar and lunar (soul and mind) characteristics and the effects of spiritual practice to elevate them.

Sidereal chart of the new moon solar eclipse

To say that this is a jacked up new moon, with the wattage of about 108 new cycles is an understatement. The sun and moon are conjunct the north node and the lot of fortune and framed by Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus. The day after the eclipse Mercury goes retrograde, the day after that Jupiter enters Aries and the day after that the moon is exalted in Taurus and the sun in Aries, usually the most auspicious day of the Hindu calendar, little different this year. So to sum up: solar eclipse in Aries, Mercury retrograde in Aries, Jupiter in Aries and then the exact conjunction of the sun with Rahu.  The nakshatra where all this occurs is Ashwini, the paired horses. This planetary pile up of conflicting powers holds the Aries impulsiveness and fiery thought down, it can’t exert its authority the way it would like to.  It’s even getting an aspect from Saturn so it feels bound, confused, irritated and deceived.  Our inner light is dimmed and the emphasis on the Aries~Libra axis (how others see us and we see them) has us thinking we’re not ready for our close-up and our horses are held. Ashwini is about radiant health, vitality and power (recall the link to pranayama here) but many of us are feeling the lack of those things or the need to protect them in the uncertainty of the ‘post-covid’ world. We may be bone weary and wondering if we are on the path that will lead us back to the light or into further darkness. WIth the sun obscured and Jupiter in gandanta we may be doubting ourselves and the authorities we would like to trust.

Leadership may be making bad choices, getting bad advice and war may escalate (Aries is the sign of war). This is not limited to the world “out there”, the mirroring is microcosmic to macrocosmic this time and we may really hit a wall, be at a loss and get utterly flummoxed about how to carry on. It’s important to remember that this occultation is temporary and even though the darkness may be complete, IT IS MOMENTARY. Spiritual practice and austerities that amplify and align our faith through effort are made for times like these. Rahu is the shadow and we have to go inward to work with the shadow.  Why are we feeling disempowered? What is the nature of the negative energies that are holding me back? If I think it’s outside of me, I can look harder for the connection within. I can focus more on what I have achieved and acknowledge the changes I want to make. Eclipses are a great time to sit with our inner landscape and evaluate. Just do it with compassion, yo?

Note  of caution:: Aries is a VERY impulsive sign. Try not to act without careful consideration of the consequences.  Aim to stabilize through diplomacy (gaud, I hope our leaders start doing that) and remember that we are trying to redirect and realign our purpose, just like the energies in the nadis are trying to make their way to the head and we’re using the technique of breathwork (pranayama) to get them there, we need to plan our work and work our plan.  We won’t have all the information to do so until the eclipse window closes with the full moon lunar eclipse on 5/5, but if i listen to the omens, stretch my awareness (be aware, be very, very aware of body: intuition (above the waist) and instinct (below the waist)) to whatever higher power I perceive, I can grok a beneficial general direction. If we act too soon, we may regret it. Also communication is going to be garbled, as Mercury approaches retrograde and is in mutual reception to Mars in Gemini, conflict could come from the desire to resolve issues right now. So, it doesn’t have to be RIGHT NOW, you dig? 

Jupiter in gandanta is a VERY unstable karmic unraveling of long-bound energies. This is the end of a 12 year cycle, so take a look at 2011 in your personal life and see what may be reaching an end.  It can be hard to let go, but resistance will not help here. Jupiter is wise, but  in this position, we may not get the best advice from others. He’s headed toward Rahu and the kind of results it can give can be evidenced in the controversy surrounding the Dalai Llama right now. I have no further insight into that except to say that it’s the kind of shadow that Rahu casts on leadership and people we tend to trust. Those we think are wise are going through their own issues concerning reputation, identity and trustworthiness right now. Some cancellation is earned, but some of it is Rahu and unless you are damn sure of your inner guidance, it’s not a great time to act on your convictions unless you HAVE to. Sometimes you have to. But if you can sit with yourself and see what the heart wants, that may be better.  Expect confusion for a minute. So much energy in Aries will tempt you to give reign to impulse, but hold your horses, in the end Ashwini heals, but Saturn ALWAYS wins and his influence is here. Most importantly, this eclipse window will affect our relationship to ourselves and how we want to see ourselves going forward. Anything we do to generate internal light will help overcome the darkness.

Tropical chart of the new moon solar eclipse

In the tropical chart, we’re still in Aries, but at the other end, near Taurus, the sun and moon are traveling with the north nodes. Courage, insight to do it differently and birthing energy meets with the initiatory energy of the new moon.  Again, LOTS of horsepower to start the new cycle. Mercury (in Taurus) and Pluto (at 0 Aquarius) are both stationary retrograde, starting the annual review period, but we can make better decisions than we have in the past. Right after the eclipse the sun moves into Taurus, the sign across from Scorpio, signaling a change in self reliance will accompany this metamorphosis. Mercury and Jupiter will retrograde at the same degree (though Jupiter later this year) and again communication around resources (both inner and outer) will flow around these planetary bodies taking their time in the sign of the bull. Our values around our relationship to ourselves will be in focus for the foreseeable future and it becomes very important to our communication in the physical world as Mercury will dance with Neptune and Saturn in this retrograde.  Training our attention toward our own priorities and values may be a great use of this initiatory energy.  Communication needs to slow down, become more meaningful and it can become stubborn when the quicksilver Mercury backs up. Open-mindedness and open-heartedness will be key, but we need to start within and be self-referenced first and foremost. I HAVE TO be on my own side, aligned and as internally allied as possible going forward. Internal conflict needs to be reconciled STAT.

On May 1, Mercury will conjunct the sun and at the same time Pluto turns stationary. Pluto is square to the nodes, in late July it will be exact. We are all caught between whether to go forward (North Node) or back (South Node), but the upcoming lunar eclipse (5/5) should be decisive in pushing the scales. We can’t know for certain until the time comes whether we will progress or regress collectively, but we can choose for ourselves now and then use that as a guide while the consensus reality around us gains momentum. Pluto stands still for almost 7 days starting on the 8th of May exactly where (0 Aquarius) we had Jupiter Saturn conjunct at the winter solstice 2020. We may find motivation for explosive social justice and huge moves forward toward common sense as the recidivist tendency is expelled from high office.

Mars in Cancer squares Aries and is making difficult aspects to many planets as they move through.  It creates frustration, insecurity, nationalism and emotional outbursts. The need to act without thinking arises spontaneously from the heightened fear that accompanies the eclipse window.  Aries puts itself first, it sees itself most clearly and protects its eros, its aliveness.  It’s ruled by Mars and it defines the passion for life. It’s fiery, instinctive and inspired, active creativity and has the great capacity to change.  With Jupiter alongside the eclipse in Aries and its ruler Mars in the homey sign of Cancer we can recapture our power and tell a new story. With the square to Pluto we can illuminate and eliminate all the things we no longer need to carry in our tree of life.  The limiting beliefs, expired alliances and detrimental habits are impeding the process of rebirth. The movement that seems stalled at this new beginning is like the boiling liquid in the cauldron or the alchemical alembic. The light of the sun is blocked, but the banked fire doesn’t need to go to waste. Something we can’t see in the full light can be illuminated here. An irreversible change comes from this and it’s beneficial to our aliveness to let this rotting thing die (whatever that may be) or the dross be burned away. 

With Aries hosting the sun during the moment of eclipse the image I am getting is an identity crisis. Something our evolving consciousness does not need is being burned off. That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt. Even in the womb, the hands start out as fins and are articulated into fingers by unnecessary material falling away.  Life is literally sculpted by the hand of death. This is the process of who we are. Don’t take a photo or an x-ray or an MRI and decide that the static image is your identity. Roll with the tide, decide on the way and keep that fire burning. Mars rules this eclipse (and the next one) and it defines our boundaries. It’s in mutual reception with the moon. How we reject or connect to ourselves and our overall well being will have a lot to do with how we nurture, protect and defend ourselves. We may be deciding who gets access to our softness and who gets severed, but also which parts of our identity we choose to nurture or release. Disciplined caring, consistent self-love and humble firmness are the mark of secure, strong identities. Feeding a false self creates the need to seduce, manipulate and control others. This is a great new moon to turn that energy inward and feed your passionate, true, new identity. With Mars and Pluto working to amplify the flow of Mercury in Taurus (intelligence in the body) personal breakthroughs can come from giving yourself the attention you need most. Mercury conjunct Uranus at the moment it goes inward (retrograde), indicates there is a whole new way of seeing ourselves and grounding our genius (we each have that–believe it or not) in the mystery.

Stay tuned, the window opens today, it closes on the 5th of May.

Mind your heart,

~L

New Moon Annular Eclipse in Vedic Taurus & Tropical Gemini: 10 June 2021, 4:43 a.m. MST: THE MESSAGE

The astrology of June symbolizes unsettled energy. It is complicated and multivalent. If you would like to look back to May and June of 2020 and late 2011 that was the last time the nodes of the moon, ancient mathematical points of eclipse and so called ‘karmic indicators’, moved into their current axis’: Taurus and Scorpio in the Vedic chart and Gemini and Sagittarius in the tropical. When we unite the two axis’ to reveal the meaning of their symbols we get something like: inner happiness (Taurus) from inner strength (Scorpio) with outer intelligence (Gemini) from outer meaning (Sagittarius).

Bringing these zodiacal concepts together can guide us toward an integrated understanding of an overwhelming moment. This eclipse marks the threshold from one reality to another. It’s an appropriate time to look inward to your highest aspiration for embodiment and ask what needs to be jettisoned and what will help propel you over the obstacles to the greater yet to be? How does your inner happiness inform your perception of the world? How does your point of view impact personal, intimate happiness? The intersection of subject and object is the primary unstated assumption in the patriarchy. These questions illuminate and make obvious the effect of this hidden clause in “reality”. Time to take a look, says the cosmic clock.

Behind the influence of Taurus (ruled by Virgo) and Gemini (ruled by Mercury), we can, and must, in my view, acknowledge the axial energies of Scorpio (ruled by Mars) and Sagittarius (ruled by Jupiter). Those are the signs opposite the eclipse in both zodiacs. How do our beliefs, inform the meaning we see in the outer world? Does the world outside speak meaningfully to our inner strength and values? Mars (Scorpio) has the effect of martial action upon the expanding beliefs of Jupiter (Sagittarius). The influence of both these planets opposite the main players of the eclipse speaks to the doubling, hidden obscured nature of the charts: Mercury’s cazimi compounds it.

As well you know, this is not a “good vibes only” blog. I am not suggesting that denial of any sort will help us out of the crisis of destiny. My niceness or positive attitude is inadequate to deal with the levels of oppression most of the world deals with on a daily basis in the structures and systems we inhabit. The only way to save our humanity, as white bodied people is by consciously creating non-racist community in our neighborhoods, with the people we know and talking openly about race, our beliefs, it’s history and how we plan to deal with it. Denial is a form of trauma, but we will take that issue up when we are through this eclipse portal.

There is no doubt that we are currently, collectively involved in a colonial reckoning so it is fitting that Taurus, the sidereal sign of habit, earthly comfort and attachment to others and control should host the nodes of karma, the mathematical indicators of effect. The moon is exalted here (even though enduring some rough aspects tbh) and enjoys the stability, structure and trust of the heart in the body. It’s time to purify (Sun) the relation to belligerent communication (Mercury invisible behind the Sun in cazimi) and toxic power (Rahu conjunct the Sun) as we strengthen the relation to transcendent power, knowledge, wisdom, love and beauty (Moon and Sun conjunct in Taurus).

The Sun/Moon/Mercury square Neptune is a bit of a sticky wicket. It creates situations where caring hearts/minds/bodies fall victim to injustice. It can erode self confidence and esteem. The influence of addiction runs strong in this aspect and is compounded by the sun’s placement (thank goodness that Rahu is a few degrees away). Be watchful for shady, drunk people who want to take advantage of your good nature. Be watchful of your shady drunkenness as well. On the upside, this gives us the impetus to fight for the underdog, but it saps motivation, especially for hard work. Creative work is well aspected under this transit though, as is charity and spirituality.

Mars is debilitated in Cancer and opposes Pluto. The emotional warrior fights with the lord of the Underworld. *sigh* I think we have long ceased to be impressed with people’s capacity to do harm, but what is signature about this energy is the tendency to be lazy in order to maintain connection and control over others due to the twin influences of Taurus and Cancer. We find it hard to do the right thing and then tend to blame others for our bad compromises and lack of integrity. Here’s a good test: if you are wondering if a relationship is worth the price you pay to keep it–it isn’t. These poisonous habits and relationships will be shown to us for correction, to give us the chance to VOLUNTARILY speak our truth and return to alignment. It’s Mars and Pluto for the love of god, it may be hard, but do the right thing or face the consequence.

vedic chart of the eclipse

The Sun, Moon and Mercury are all in the nakshatra (lunar mansion) of Mrigashira, the deer, who’s deity is Soma the Hindu god of the Moon, associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and Dikpala (guardians of the directions). They are all in moksha’s influence, so there’s a sense of “it’s for your own good” heading into the next 6 months. The story of Mrigashira is sordid and incestuous as well, and since I have told it before, I will just link to it above and tell a different story, which i think adds to the depth of the tale of searching and desire.

The male musk deer has a scent gland between it’s navel and penis. When it reaches sexual maturity, the gland secretes a milky substance that mixes with urine and the “deer” (because they are not truly cervidae they are the only extant genus of the family Moschidae) mark their territory and attract females with it. They also have fangs instead of horns. Not kidding. Humans of many cultures have made up fanciful myths about these Asian herbivores journeying, trekking and dying while “seeking their own scent”, which is commonly used in local medicine and sold for European perfume. ‘Don’t seek outside yourself or you will perish unfulfilled, look within’, the fables warn.

So, back to the Sun/Moon/Mercury square Neptune influence for a moment: the real story is that we are hunting these animals into extinction for their musk. We tell ourselves stories to justify our violence. We live in a brutal, unfair, rigged society and we use the blood of innocents to cover up that fact, either to silence them or to make perfume to cover the reek of our culpability and medicine to slow our rot. Either way, the reckoning comes anon. Nothing will stop us learning from through pain unless we learn BEFORE the pain comes. The real lesson of COVID is that we cannot escape ourselves and we will have to revision every aspect of our culture in order to survive together on the only planet we have.

The good news is that this will not be a mental process. Just looking at all the air element in the Tropical chart makes me light-headed. We cannot think our way out of this one. The eclipse turns the lights OFF on too much information (GeminI Sun), too much tech (Gemini Mercury) and too much mind (Gemini Moon). My spiritual self-improvement plans may have produced only self alienation and the ability to yoga the hell out of the generations of colonial violence my body is trying to process.

The constriction I feel, the rigidity I hold to press the fear away from me, the reason I yoga so hard (and before that martial arted so hard and before that swam . . . )so I can stay in my bubble? It’s a message. The only way I can resolve it is to uncover the emotions I don’t want to see. Then sit with them and accept them while being kind to myself. They will provide me the moral maxim for the ethical actions I don’t want to take. Once I get that message I will need to take those actions. It’s scary, but we can help each other. We have a lot to do. We need to start.

Let’s not forget that white people were enslaved by the elite in the dark ages for a thousand years BEFORE the Belgians killed a 10 million Congolese, countless Indians, South Americans and then poor Virginians were offered the race deal so they would stop fighting WITH enslaved black people in America. The pogroms of the elite never included us, my friends. Our whiteness will not save us this time. We will have to find whatever message comes from within and follow it. When we keep the mind in the heart and bear witness to this grief we are processing emotion FOR THE PLANET. It’s our chance to do some real goodat last

The good news is that as much as we like to think we have some semblance of control over what happens next, it has never been more glaringly obvious that we don’t. We handed over what little control there is to be had on this planet to a handful of shady, drunk elites 6 thousand years ago and have been doing it repeatedly about every 250 years since. The myth we have been imbibing is that of a senex god: male, bearded, sexless and RUTHLESS and I am happy to repeatedly announce that this is not the only god in residence.

tropical chart of the eclipse

I am also delighted to note that despite the unprincipled and chaotic nature of our times and the fact that we do not seem to learn from our mistakes (hello, housing bubble, race war and environmental poisoning) there is a higher, vaster, broader order at work here and I trust that what looks like the end of the world to this caterpillar, is called a butterfly when the Earth names it. And let’s not be in traumatized denial about it: Mother Earth will have the final say. I for one am grateful for her current mercy and pray that it lasts long enough for my personal cranial~analectomy, because every day I learn just how much I do not know.

So there are some things we can do during this eclipse to assuage the pain of an uncertain future, a constricted present and a bloody past: we can develop capacity to hold the discomfort of the present moment WITHOUT ESCAPING. Instead of just taking value from the Earth and each other we can give value to our relationships, diets, planet, purchases (insert whatever other self-improvement scheme you’ve been working here–I have like 80). Instead of being lazy in order to keep sustain toxic relation ships (to any of the above) we can endeavor to be strong for our values.

The Truth easily lets go of what is false (remember the Saturn~Uranus square?–let me just put this here). Saturn in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus indicate progress. Let’s let them help us.

The current Saturn–Uranus cycle started in 1988 (with the conjunction in Sagittarius) and will end in 2032 (with the conjunction in Gemini). The 1st square of the cycle occurred between 1999-2000, and the opposition between 2008-2010. The last major transit of the cycle is the current Saturn–Uranus square (2021-2022)

HTTPS://ASTROBUTTERFLY.COM/2021/02/17/SATURN-SQUARE-URANUS-2021-THE-CLASH-OF-THE-TITANS/

SI

1. Sit
2. Observe
3. Turn inner conflict over to whatever higher power* you receive for resolution

Make an offering of your stillness. Ask for help in a disciplined way.

~the advice of the I-Ching on how to still strong emotion, quiet the clamoring of the ego and ally the Self to create peace. It turns out “God”* is actually a verb.

If we take sides, aren’t we part of the war?

II also

I have to be perfectly honest at this point, I could write so much more about how the pain and shutddown in our bodies is the indicator, the actual “God” speaking, but my time is limited and I am disorganized in the extreme right now because my privilege has allowed me vaccination and the chance to get away for a minute. I have to pack! Let me give one last method for dealing with overwhelm and constriction in the body that I am going to try: the Pause Practice.

When I feel it happening I am going to try to remember kindness to self and practice acceptance, not self improvement. When certainty and the need to fight for my side come up I am going to pause for 3 conscious breaths and look at my hands. There is so much swirling energy in there, in those moments of strong emotion, I want so badly to try and liberate it from fixed viewpoint and judgement. I want it to just explode into openness and insight. I want my identity to fall away into a fluid sensation, free of perception and point of view and into the present moment. The only moment I have to express my love, beauty and solidarity with the wholerarchy. (I made that word up.)

You know what I would really enjoy? If all my plans for upcoming offerings go well and you folk wanted to participate more. I have an idea for birthing that kind of non-racist community that could maybe start as a book club, a kind of rehab and self-education group. It wouldn’t cost anything and we could build the structure together (like a wholerarchy). I would love it if you’d reach out and let me know if you have an hour a month or so that you feel could be well spent in that way. Online of course. Hit me up: lyricstory@yahoo.com. I mean it, I want to meet these issues on my feet and I would love company.

So, what is your message from deep within? How are you handling all these collective, corrective experiences? Can you somehow make your message inspiring? Can you make your inner, personal renaissance a creative masterpiece? There is no shortage of beauty around us in the natural world to get connected to, maybe that can help you make a map of the underworld that leads to renewal, reciprocity and reverence.

One teacher has asked me to make a list of my fears, not to solve for x, but to lay them down outside of me for a while to invite my unconscious to work on them (since my mental faculty is being rebuilt). I will share with you my top 3 just to get us started. I pray my Self and my ancestors will guide my words so that I don’t offend anyone (more than usual) or add to the difficulty of this moment. Remember new moon energy is in effect AFTER exactness, so you can do this any time in the next 6 months or so. The saros cycle is even longer, so take your time. Be gentle with yourselves. Accept what your body gives you. Here are my fears:

1. I am afraid that the unnecessary suffering of innocent life will continue and increase. I seek ways to help stop what suffering I can and atone for suffering I have caused.

2. I am afraid that the destruction of the natural world will continue and increase and make the world unfriendly or uninhabitable for my lifetime & future generations. I seek ways to help stop that from going further.

3. I am afraid that my privilege and whiteness has blinded me to the suffering our systems and institutions cause the exploited every day. I pray for the strength and the community to build anew in my body now, so that future generations will have an inclusive, safe, just world to live in.

More coming soon and new offerings in July.

Mind your heart,

~L

Total Lunar Eclipse 26 May 2021, 5:18 am MST in Tropical Sagittarius and Vedic Scorpio: Mind into Heart

Live as if you like yourself, and it may happen. —Marge Piercy

The total lunar eclipse occurring in the small hours of the morning tomorrow is going to be extraordinary in the quietest most internal way. It has significant meaning concerning your deepest held internal myth, secret belief and inner conflict. It is the most personal of personals and I hope you have the luxury of spending some time with yourself and only yourself, but I bet for some people the internal struggle will become external because of the sheer volume of noise the outside world is producing right now. Courage is quiet.

May the physical exhaustion you feel show you just how strong your internal focus has really become. May you find yourself face to face with the devil inside and may both of you be so tired of fighting each other that you collapse in a sobbing hug. May the gross vulgarity of the planet earth 2021 make you finally say, “You know? I am not so rotten after all.” Because only to the degree that you can do this, can you allow the same grace for the so called “other”and what’s “out there”.

adolescent golden eagle, i gotta get a better camera

Many things have been said and written about the technical aspects of the eclipse, so I am just here to journal for myself, and provide an outline of what I will be exploring as I move through this meditative time. Let me just caution people who try to “use” eclipses for purposes (whatever THAT means) occultation of a luminary is not considered auspicious. Unless the sun was experiencing a micronova (if you know, you know) I cannot imagine a “usefulness” for darkness other than introspection.

Ultimately, every celestial event is just a marker on the journey of individual destiny. We are all on the long walk home, the route of return and the path to wholeness. Eclipse energies are global and in both zodiacs (tropical and sidereal), this one will show us which belief systems that no longer align with reality must change (be eclipsed). In the western system this will likely have themes about travel, rules and ethics. Not surprising. In the Vedic system this full moon lunar eclipse is a signal for releasing the muddy nutrients of the past (recent and ancient) with love as we reach for the elusive light. I think both interpretations work really well for our universal moment, since we have no clue where we are headed!

Tropical Sagittarius, where the moon will be and the eclipse occurs, is a sign of optimism, belief and higher purpose. The only problem with this “good vibes only” sign is that it doesn’t cope well when things don’t go as planned. It’s a sign of outer meaning and when times get tough and the darkness comes (because it does–that’s half of the engine of life) Sag gets a little lost. It can fall into a rutted denial of reality.

Saturn is retrograde and squares the sun (read adamant) and will have NONE of it. Delays and frustration will dog that denial, likely centering around work and relationships, until we get more balance in our life view, beliefs and purpose. Don’t expect overnight success personally or politically. As usual, the point is to meet the moment with an open heart and mind. So I am not going to force issues nor turn blind eyes, I am going to practice “I don’t know” mind for the next 3 weeks and see how open I can get in an atmosphere of restriction like this one.

Retrograde Mercury is a destabilizing influence, but remember we need all of this past baggage to shake loose. What was said and done while the messenger god went forward over the last 4 months needs to be re-examined. Both sides of the political fence can get with that statement, but what about you, Yoganaut? Can you spare some time to re-examine the fog and haze with which we pushed forward blindly, looking for any way to make a tunnel out of a potential tomb? I will just drop this and let it sit: was there haste? This is when retrograde motion can be of aid, even though the wheels fall off when you run them backward. Remain, revisit willingly. It could be important.

tropical chart full moon lunar eclipse

Jupiter squares the sun, and while idealistic optimism may be all the rage, it may also be wildly misplaced and lack commitment. It echoes the Sagittarian placement in it’s effect. Jupiter also squares the moon and causes constantly increasing needs – for emotional care and comfort in a world firmly entrenched in denial of those needs. This is an aspect of the religious introvert who flees society and culture because they cannot endure the external conditions. This is the manic need for purpose and meaning. The psyche threatens to dissolve and the will to continually weaken in the caterpillar soup of transformation (if you know, you know and you should because you’re soaking in it).

Super peculiar are the positive aspects in this chart; Mars trine Neptune. Fantastic cultural, creative and imaginative ability, zero practical utility. So we have that going for us. Art for art’s sake . . . ? And then there’s Neptune sextile Pluto, the far-reaching, long lasting neon arrow that tells us through all this darkness, war, strife, disease and suffering, we are pointed in the direction of a far off peace through this transformation. Is it worth it if we do not see it in our lifetimes? Is it worth the toil to give peace and positive transformation to a world we may never live in and people we may never know? Ask your heart at this eclipse and may the answer be your candle.

Vedic sidereal chart of the full moon lunar eclipse

In the Vedic tradition it’s bad luck to do anything but pray and meditate during the lunar eclipse. Science has shown a lot of the ancient fear about eclipses to be superstition, but those people sure did build a lot of megalithic structures so that they knew damn sure when these occultations were going to happen. It’s part of the mystery of being alive on earth that we don’t know the minds of those builders. One thing science can verify is that there are 108 sun diameters between the sun and earth and 108 moon diameters between earth and the moon or we wouldn’t even have eclipses. There are also 108 beads on my mala, so you know what I plan to do about all that.

other side, same sweet eagle, he was there a while, sunbathing

Life purpose by Vedic astrology:

Dharma: Doing what you are supposed to do. Fulfilling your soul in daily activities.

Artha: Generating income and wealth so you can provide shelter and food for your body.

Kama: Going after your desires.

Moksha: Liberating your soul.

astro-seek.com

In the Vedic system, we are expected to be human and pursue human lives. We are expected to make errors and learn from them. We are supposed to go into spiritual study only after we have obtained a thorough understanding of Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha and what they mean in our lives. We are meant to approach our lives from wholeness and the knowing that anything, whatever it is that presents itself, is in some way a form of love. It may be veiled and twisted, tortured and deformed, but it’s love regardless. And it is leading us home, where we always ever are, but more on that in a minute.

Big Arm

This eclipse sits in the lunar mansion Anuradha which is symbolized by the sun god of love, friendship, partnership and companions: Mitra. It is also represented by the lotus flower and the ability to rise up out of difficult situations with beauty and grace. The power of Anuradha is worship, but not the sectarian kind. This is the type of devotion that so loves the divine life force that it sees it everywhere, in everyone and everything. The kind of spiritual connection that cannot be denied because it is present, emergent and immanent. It is the life we all share, your sacred eyes and the words my sacred hands write coming together and now and now and now.

Moon is the indicator of the mind in the Vedic tradition and the mind in Anuradha can become melancholic and emotional at the eclipse. In the sign of Scorpio, the moon is debilitated and weak. We are all being challenged with depressing circumstances and mental instability as we move through the constriction of this 18 year soros cycle (started in 2001–see so many other blog posts I cannot go back and gather them all. Also, see your life in 2001). The promise of this nakshatra however, is that the cultivation of acceptance, instead of trying to see the god in everyone as some sort of ideal, can lead us to higher understanding and liberation of a kind. Liberation within the circumstances, not from them.

This is what I really came to write about today because this is how I want to try and spend the rest of my limited time with this lunation; in learning acceptance of myself and this moment. Logging it here (as usual) so I can track my steps, it’s just a bonus if it is helpful to you, though I hope it is. The fact is that there’s no certainty in the nature of being. We cannot get life together on our terms so that we can be comfortable. That’s the idea that has got to go (at least in my case). Being is richness, vastness, variety AND completely outside our control.

I have come to accept that the best I can do in the face of this whirling, swirling, cacophony called life is try to greet with an equal eye, mind and heart every single thing that comes my way. Will I fail at times? Yes. Will I keep trying anyway? Let’s fucking hope so, shall we? I am going to try to be with my experience with kindness and self-compassion instead of the judgement and blame that I usually lay on my self and others thick as mortar. I am going to forgive myself for the shame and guilt I have been eating for 3 square meals a day my whole life and start over. As many damn times as I have to.

I have a suspicion that the teaching of Anuradha is that the degree to which I can stay present with the EMOTIONAL discomfort of being a flawed human with KINDNESS is the degree to which I can touch the sky-like, open, awareness that I sometimes feel in my heart. I suspect that the amount of alive, finite, limited, painful life I can hold in a compassionate way is the same amount of liberation I have the capacity to achieve right now. The goal becomes to stand more, to withstand more, to hold it all with a loving heart and day by day increase my capacity.

The degree to which I can be with my experience kindly may well be the degree to which I can touch the infinite. Krishnamutri called “I am” or the human self consciousness the first and last freedom. This human self-understanding is the portal through which the eternal comes into time. Human perception is the door through which the non-dimensional comes into space. We never actually experience either time nor space. What we experience is pure being, ever present, seen, but only by an elusive witness that cannot be identified.

Matter is an interpretation of the mind’s perception: the projection of an invisible witness. Let me illustrate: how many times have you left ‘here’ and been to ‘there’? How many times have you been to ‘the past’? Leave now. Go to ‘the past’. Go immediately to ‘there’. Touch your infant body, your adolescent body, your dying body, now. What is extraordinary is the degree to which we believe in and create these structures with mind and separate ourselves from what is already here: awareness. The one awareness that we all share. It’s right here, connecting us right now and we simply overlook it 99.9% of the time. Astounding. I’m appalled.

Pema Chödrön, says the Buddhists call these bakchak or karmic seeds planted in the all-ground of consciousness. In the Vedic tradition they are called samskaras: the habits and conditioning we use to cover over what is already here. Let’s face it, we are unfriendly with ourselves and are constantly seeking to change what we are. Consider this though: what is already here is open, expansive, fresh, without concept, without expression and limitless. It is pure potential, completely unborn and undying.

What we teach ourselves is “comfort”, “security”, “limitation”, “fear” and “stable”. But nothing in the world reflects these qualities, not even Saturn, who squares the sun at the eclipse from his doubled-down retrograde in sidereal Capricorn, the sign who was wounded by his material needs not being met and so he withholds forever (Dayna Lynn Nuckolls https://thepeoplesoracle.com/ ). We do this to ourselves and we do it to each other whenever we insist on bootstrapping and rugged individualism. And we commit these betrayals all in the name of lies, for the sake of things which can never last: security, comfort and fear.

There is no certainty in eternity. There is no security in limitless, boundless space, but there are sights, smells, songs and experiences that cannot be imagined. They may be uncertain and they may be uncomfortable, but they are held in open-ended possibility. Only the unbound, the fearless can go there. Only those who are unbiased, curious and receptive can attend the banquet that beckons beyond our ideological starvation. Our survival depends upon what we nurture in ourselves. That will be what I try to work on for the next 6 months. You can join me. It’ll be fun.

“once the fear of death and the fight for survival leave a new light rushes in“

i heard it in a movie once, i forget which one

Mind your heart,

L