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| Art by Donia Lilly |
Full Moon Eclipse in Leo: Celebration to Shift the Shadows
Moon opposite Sun @ 7:27 am CST on 1-31-18
This Full Moon Eclipse during our Snow Moon phase is an
extremely potent one. This is because there are many energetic forces concentrated on the Leo-Aquarius
axis at this time. The predominance of
Earth and Water from the start of this phase has now given way to the Air and Fire
elements. This is an energetic shift
from feminine energies to masculine energies.
This has nothing to do with gender, of course…it’s a difference between receptive
qualities and projective qualities. Are
we still grounded in that initial earth energy?
Are we still emotionally supported by the water energies that guided us
to and through the pilgrimage we made to the pinnacle of this mountain? If we did the New Moon work we were guided
toward, perhaps. But this Lunar Eclipse
has the power to shake up whatever we committed to mid-month (yes, even if we
were doing ‘the right thing’). Hold
tight for another spin of the Wheel of Fortune with the lunar nodes highly activated. Try to keep your bearings. The key to holding your ground in all of this
is to let go of the need to rely on your head when activity gets heightened…and
tap into your heart-consciousness.
Still, it is difficult for many to think of the heart as a
wiser transmitter than the brain. But
isn’t that our first clue? Many of us
can’t wrap our heads around the powerful energetic field of the heart because
it’s actually that energetic field of the heart that is wrapped around our
heads…around our whole body, actually. This is a good time to really feel into the wisdom of your heart center and let it guide your head through this time of extraordinary activity.
The stellium of Aquarian forces (Sun, South Node, Astraea,
Venus, Hygeia, and Juno) currently shocking our systems is pooling our energy
one way…and the conjunction between Moon and Ceres with the North Node is
calling for balance in Leo. The Nodes
are a good indicator of our best course of action because the North Node in Leo
describes the energy we are taking in (and digesting) that is necessary for
both our survival and our nourishment (in through the ‘dragon’s head’). The South Node in Aquarius describes the
energy we are releasing that we no longer need (out through the ‘dragon’s
tail’). The South Node, then, shows how
and where we ‘release what no longer serves us’. This release CAN be like compost…transforming
natural waste into fertile beginnings. However,
in our unnatural world…this release can also take on destructive
characteristics…where we throw away our garbage, but it piles up there because
there literally is no ‘away’.
In either light, the Leo forces (Ceres, Moon, and North
Node) are providing the nourishment we need along our collective soul’s
path, if we allow ourselves that nourishment. The ‘dwarf’ planet, Ceres in the
same degree as the Moon at her fullness is a double-dose of the Mother
archetype…highlighting how we all must nurture ourselves and be balanced in our giving and receiving of nurturance with others. The North Node then takes in
this nurturance which guides us along our collective soul’s path. The Aquarian forces are our outlet for whatever we’re digesting from this lunation.
There is a definite ‘out with the old, in with the new’ recycling that
happens when the nodal axis is activated (as it is during eclipses). It is part of what brings a particularly
karmic element to these times…where our past recycles itself in some way,
whether we want it to or not.
To get a better idea of the Nodes in this Leo-Aquarius axis
(which are currently reaching the midpoint of this cycle that began last spring
and ends this autumn), I wrote a post last year about the lessons involved with
these signs. In this post, “The Dragon’s Flight into the Leo-Aquarius Axis”…you can find both constructive ways to use
this energy as well as information about the past cycle (1999-2000) being
significant to this time between last spring and this autumn.
Something that is also useful on the individual level is to
know what houses in your natal chart are being activated by these current
Leo-Aquarius Full Moon energies. The
houses give us clues to the areas of life where we are taking in nourishment
for the soul (Leo) and releasing what we have fully digested (Aquarius). For example, in my case…the Leo forces are in
my 5th House of Creativity and Children (where I am taking in the
joy and creative inspiration provided by my children as well as my own
self-expression) and the Aquarian forces are in my 11th House of
Friends and Community (where I am giving out what I have taken in…releasing
that creative expression to *hopefully* inspire others). I must keep it in balance though…as all the
Aquarian energy can have me swamped if it gets out of hand, which can cut me
off from the very thing that nourishes me.
For me, it’s a balance of my social output and the needs of myself and
my children (romance is also an area of life represented by the 5th
house…so date nights with my husband are also a part of that nourishment I need
that fuels my creative fire). If you
aren’t familiar with what each house represents, you either search it on the
internet (it’s a well-covered subject in astrology) or you can ask me
personally.
Now to the specific symbols being highlighted upon this
axis. The degrees of the current lunar
nodes are the same degrees our luminaries were in during last August’s Full Moon Eclipse in Aquarius…so, if you’re interested, you can go back to that
point in our collective cycle, see where we’re coming from between then and
now, and read more about those mid-point degrees of this axis.
LEO, PARTY OF THREE
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| Art by Susan Seddon Boulet |
Moon and Ceres in Leo 12:
“An evening lawn party”
One of the ways Leo nurtures and nourishes us is through
celebration. Ceres-Moon reminds us how to make life joyful, even in heavy times. In this degree, all that we
need in this moment is provided…food, friends, family, fun, etc. This is symbolic, of course, but it can also
manifest as a literal party (depending on what you have scheduled…or what comes
up ‘out of the blue’) This is a specifically social ‘blue moon’ that is purely
significant to the calendar month that is a more modern way of tracking time than the stars or the seasons. The ‘once in a blue moon’ advice still
applies, though it is less of a cosmic urge (blue moon within the same sign) or
a biological urge (blue moon in a particular season)…and more of a societal
opportunity that can arise. However, the
Earth’s shadow (whether you are in a place where you can see it or not) may
eclipse some of this energy and remind us of many of the things we’re still
working on that can darken the heart’s desire to celebrate. This can incline the Leo energy toward dramas of the ego. But this is not the time to get weighed down
by all that’s still wrong with the world (or our environment)…this is an opportunity to actually
celebrate what is right with the world!
In celebrating life and love and all we’ve been through and survived in
these past 6 months, we have the power to transmute those shadows into light
energy. Fluffy-bunny as it is often dismissed, we’re not serving ourselves or
the world at large anything necessary if we remain trapped in the dark…just
recycling all that is heavy into more heaviness without learning to transmute. Wednesday
may seem like an odd day of the week to have or attend a party…but this whole
lunation is a bit out of the ordinary.
This axis is that of the creative performer who shines their own unique
energy (Leo) and the revolutionary genius who marches to the beat of their own
drum (Aquarius). If anything, nurture
and celebrate your unique gifts, let your freak flag fly, and give creative
expression to your authentic self. Mama Moon says, 'your feeling body needs a recharge.'
North Lunar Node in Leo 16:
“After a storm, nature rejoices in brilliant sunshine”
The Wheel of Fortune energy brought back by the nodes from
the last lunar eclipse to this one is well represented in this image. There may be a necessity to digest the wisdom
of ‘this too shall pass’. The clouds
will part…life will go on…and we feel uplifted and joyful again as we come out
of what may feel to many as another ‘dark night’ of our collective soul. The key to this energy is trust. Trust in nature moving us along in cycles and
spirals of evolution and involution.
Trust in the Universe doing so on a larger scale. Trust in our place in this Universe, our
place on this Earth, and our path in this life.
Trust in your soul’s guidance.
Trust in yourself…that you can survive any storm. Take in that trust and learn what it has to
offer. This is another symbol of
celebration…so take in that joy for life in every moment it arises and let it
fuel your journey ahead.
AQUARIUS STELLIUM
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| Star card from my Tarot of Dreams deck by Ciro Marchetti |
Sun in Aquarius 12:
“People on a vast staircase, graduating upward”
It is important at this time to understand that we are all
on different stages of our individual development…but that we are all on this
same Earthwalk together. Each of us has our
unique experience, evolving understanding, and role to play in life. Depending on where we are in our development,
our expression of what life has taught us can be detrimental or beneficial to
everyone else. In this image, we’re all
moving onward and upward…not just the people who appear more ‘aware’ or
‘enlightened’. The Sun here is
illuminating the bigger picture with this future-minded symbol…that we’re not
moving backward or ‘going down’ as a species.
Much as it is hard to see in some who live out more ego-driven
existences, we’re all ‘graduating’ in maturity on a collective level. After all, in the grand scheme of our Earth’s
existence alone…we are really just babies.
And even though we’re rather colicky, often sickly, dangerously
accident-prone, and we demand a lot of attention…our Mother Earth adores us as
much as any of her babies and she continues to offer us what we need in order
to be happy, healthy, safe, and secure.
She is the base of that staircase that guides us upward. She, too, is a baby in the eyes of the
Universe…and the staircase in this image is that energetic umbilical cord that
always stays connected from the navel of the child to the womb of the
mother. She also continues to teach us
our potential, with the help of the Universe (her Mother), our solar system
(her immediate family), and all the many celestial bodies beyond (her extended
family). From the zodiacal energy of
Aquarius that often wants to detach when attachment is experienced…we can
experience this place of healthy attachment to the greater good of
humanity (Aquarius's higher vibration). Our own contributions to
others can help accelerate our collective soul’s journey to greater heights…or,
it can create obstacles that slow us all down and make the journey harder. Here, we have an opportunity to make good
choices along our path that give others the courage to take each step forward...especially when they feel alone.
South Lunar Node and Astraea in Aquarius 16: “A big business man at his desk”
The nourishment we’re taking in from the self-expressive,
creative, and inspiring energy of Leo translates to organizational
leadership…at its best. In some cases, though,
it may be that all of that creative fire is making the workload pile up on the
desk. And in the lower energy realm of
this South Node association…we may either be in workaholic mode or lording
power over others and trying to control everyone. If we look at the collective, we may see some
obvious indications of any of those energies.
Those operating at a more unhealthy ego level expression will likely be wielding their
power in destructive ways, accruing more and more of what feeds their ego and
cranking out more and more ‘crazy’ into our world from the detached safety of
their own bubble. Shadows often come out
in an eclipse period…and the Sun will illuminate them in our collective
consciousness while the South Node can really reveal past karma we need to transform and release. Astraea here inclines an energy to
this Aquarian stellium of not being willing to let go even the things that are
destructive. She’s the Star Maiden who
holds out hope for humanity…even when we’re at our worst. But she is also a goddess of justice. Her position in the sky connects us to the
truths that we must see about ourselves (as individuals as well as our
collective) that we must clean up or get rid of. So in this degree, along with the south node,
she is both an agent of re-organization as well as the energy of obsession with
our work. With Astraea here, it will be
difficult to let go of the busy-ness of our lives…so she calls for both balance
and better organization. This ‘big businessman’
symbol has created a mess in our environment…and we’ve got some clean up work
to do. Astraea’s journey through
Aquarius, and especially now as she transits the nodes, is an important lesson
for us at this turning of the Ages. We
must move on from the destructive things that have come up in the Age of Pisces
before we can fully bring in this new Age of Aquarius…because they have lead
into the lower energies of Aquarius we are seeing now. Both energies, in their lower vibration, lead
to separation. Astraea wants us to achieve
wholeness…though she often has to do this THROUGH the pain of separation so we
can integrate the balancing effect of being able to see both sides.
Venus in Aquarius 17:
“A watchdog stands guard, protecting his master and his possessions”
Venus in this degree is protecting what is valuable to us. For some, especially the ‘big businessman’…that
might be material possessions. However,
Aquarius isn’t exactly a ‘material’ sign.
What is most valuable to Aquarians is often their freedom, especially
their freedom to be different. But with
the ‘businessman’ energy hanging around, the shadow side of that ‘difference’
is often one of getting away with unlawful acts because they can wield their
power to be above the law. In that case,
the necessity for ‘watchdog’ security would be important so they can go about
their business without getting caught.
So, on the individual level, we too have a heightened sense of protecting
what is ours…because there is a lot of corruption in a society that glorifies
competition, ambition, and success at any cost.
However, if you’re playing the ‘businessman’ card with the best
intentions, Venus’s energy then is both a call to delegate your tasks to
trusted people so you can be more efficient as well as to make sure you are
protected in this dog eat dog world. This
may seem a strange energy coming from Venus…but she is still ‘in the underworld’
(not visible in the sky) until around February 20th when she rises as
the Evening Star. This is a
transformative period for her.
Mythically, when relating her cycle to Inanna’s Decent, the ‘Queen of
Heaven’ has given up all of her adornments, faced her shadow in a vulnerable
state, and died to what she was previously.
While we can’t see her in the sky after her superior conjunction with
the Sun earlier this month (because Venus is still close enough to be blocked from
our view by the Sun)…she is symbolically suspended as a corpse in the
Underworld, while plans are being carried out for her resurrection. At this time, her sister (Ereshkigal, Queen
of the Underworld) is the only ruling energy.
Ereshkigal, a Queen of Justice, has already lost her husband by the
carelessness of her sister…and carries a fatherless child (who later becomes a
god of healing). This is a stressful
energy as all is transforming and everyone’s fate is held in the balance. Most important right now is the protection of
all that is left of what she values most.
At this time, both sisters are undergoing dramatic transformations. Through this story of Inanna and Ereshkigal,
I mean to shed a little light in a transition of darkness. The usual characteristics we associate with
Venus don’t really apply at this time.
Her energy now is transitioning between death and rebirth…before she
rises again like a phoenix in our night sky, she must reclaim herself anew at
the ‘seven gates’. Currently, Venus is guarded
by the ‘watchdog’ of the Underworld. How
this energy plays out at this eclipse will depend on how much we surrender to
the transformation happening within us all now.
In order to rebirth the Divine Feminine within during this cycle, we
must accept that we must change from who we thought we were. This is where we find what we really value
about our lives.
Hygeia in Aquarius 19:
“A forest fire quenched”
Hygeia, asteroid Goddess of Healing, is part of this
stellium offering relief. Embodying the
archetype of the Rescuer here, she assures us that we can be healed into
wholeness…no matter how traumatic the wounds.
Damage may be done, but this aspect of the Water Bearer pours out her
healing upon us. This, too, refers to
our transformation. Collectively, her
energy is a welcome sign that we can turn things around after we allowed so
much destruction to wreak havoc.
Individually, you may feel the call to attend to any health matters you’ve
been allowing to worsen while focusing your care and attention on others before
yourself. This is a call to get back on
your healing path…and relieve the stress that may have been accumulating as a
result of overwork.
Juno in Aquarius 20:
“A large white dove bearing a message”
And, finally, a message of peace from the Bona Dea,
Juno. You may be the one receiving the
message from the spiritual plane, or you may be the message bearer. The message you receive will depend on your
circumstances, but it is one of hope after a period of struggle…much like the Star
card comes after the Tower in the sequence of Major Arcana in a tarot
deck. Juno in this ‘message bearer’
degree during the eclipse brings along with it the necessity of the feminine
messenger, Iris (Goddess of the Rainbow), who brought the messages of Juno/Hera
to Earth. Iris is much like Mercury (Messenger
of Jupiter/Zeus)…but Mercury’s communication (while not retrograde, anyway) is
often information we process in our left brain, while Iris brings messages that
synthesize in the right brain.
Interestingly, the asteroid named after Juno’s messenger is in an exact
square with the lunar nodes at this time. Iris in Taurus 16 holds an important message
at the apex of this T-square aspect. The
message reveals wisdom about the Mysteries…but in new forms that represent our evolving
world. There is much to be discovered in
the many mythic examples any astrologer can relate to what is currently
happening (such as the symbolic dragon of the nodes, or the Sumerian tale of Inanna’s
Decent as it relates to Venus’s transformation from Morning Star to Evening
Star)…and even though these celestial happenings are like clockwork, it is
humanity that is changing over time and some of these Mysteries may appear rather
foreign. Juno, through Iris, holds a
message that synthesizes it all together in new, creative forms. If we tap into our intuitive capabilities,
not only can we reveal more wisdom about humanity’s current crisis…but we can
also create new forms for these old symbols that will keep the Mysteries alive
in our culture.
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| My Apacheta Crystal Grid for this Full Moon Eclipse |
Love and Gratitude,
Felina Lune Kavi
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