Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Taurus: Eclipse of the Scapegoat

 

'Medusa' by James Bousema

Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Taurus:  Eclipse of the Scapegoat

Moon opposite Sun – 11/19/21 @ 2:57am CST

 

“The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

 

This eclipse season opens with 97% of the Moon’s surface darkened by the Earth’s shadow, with the duration of the partial lunar eclipse lasting 3 hours and 28 minutes.  The red-orange tint to this Full Moon will be visible in east Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and the Americas. 

The Earth’s shadow upon the Moon’s surface shows us our own shadows at each lunar eclipse, reflecting them back to us through the strong emotional pull of the Mother Mind.  During this lunar eclipse, Moon is close to her apogee (where she is farther from Earth).  So, while some of us with natal planets aspected may be feeling it very personally, this lunar eclipse has more association with a broader collective shadow we need to address. 

Bringing in even more farther-reaching associations, this lunar eclipse will be close to the Pleiades from our earthly view, conjunct the fixed star Algol, and conjunct the trans-Neptunian dwarf planet Sedna.  It is those last two conjunctions that will have a significant effect on how this eclipse acceleration plays out. 

There is quite a lot of symbolism in both the mythic storyline of Medusa (Algol is the ‘eye star’ of Medusa’s head in the Perseus constellation) and the mythic storyline of Sedna (the Inuit Goddess of the Ocean).  Where the stories overlap is that both Medusa and Sedna were mistreated, cast aside (from society or from family), and ultimately used as Scapegoats for the protection of others.  Another overlap is that they were both scorned women who threatened the established order of things, but became even more powerful once they were transformed (Medusa into a Gorgon, Sedna into the Ocean Mother).

As one of the Behenian stars, Algol is a potent influence.  It is a binary star where, every 69 hours, it dims in magnitude for 10 hours before returning to brightness.  So essentially, there’s a light side and a dark side to Algol’s influence…but it’s that dark side that is often dwelled upon most (because, especially to the men who proliferate patriarchal tales, there is nothing scarier than a woman scorned having power).  And so we often hear how violent, destructive, and unfortunate Algol’s influence can be.  Ultimately, Algol contributes a great deal of passion and protection (especially to oppressed minorities, outcasts, and exiles).  But this star can also incline rage and victimization.  Essentially, whether literally or symbolically, there’s an increased chance that someone (or many) might ‘lose their head’.  Sometimes, it’s even a ‘Head of State’ or person in a powerful position becoming demonized or falling out of favor.  When things go wrong, the inclination is to find a Scapegoat to carry the ‘sins of the sinners’. 

Salvador Dali, who was born with Mars conjunct Algol,
paints Medusa's head on his wife, Gala.

Afterall, Medusa really didn’t do anything wrong.  It was Neptune who raped her in Minerva’s temple. But Medusa was transformed into a monster, forced to carry the blame.  As the fearsome Gorgon, Medusa’s gaze was so petrifying that it could turn one to stone.  The enduring shadow of this eclipse may have a similar, symbolic effect…where the ‘freeze’ response to what arises may temporarily halt us from moving forward on something.  And as the eclipse lifts, Algol’s gaze may be turned toward another monster (as it was when Perseus held Medusa’s head to petrify the Sea Monster, Cetus (the ‘Kracken), sent to kill the innocent Andromeda, who is just another Scapegoat)…a more destructive monster that has been lurking beneath the Scapegoat story we’re fed.  This is where the protective nature of Algol becomes apparent. 

What Medusa’s story can teach us at this time is that victimization, and victim blaming, can have a disastrous effect.  Be wary of it where you see it (in your personal experience or in the news)…and turn Medusa’s stone-cold gaze upon it to stop it in its tracks.

This Lunar Eclipse is also conjunct Sedna, bringing back many of the issues of our human impact on the rising sea levels that were highlighted during the Blue Moon in August this year.  For a recap about Sedna’s growing influence in our experience, please read Blue Moon in Aquarius:  The Stirrings of Sedna.

The elites recently finished their COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow with little to nothing to show for it, even after such unprecedented events occurred at Greenland’s ice sheet summit this year.  And this eclipse may show the accelerated shadow of such indecision. 

This may bring us back to another part of Sedna’s mythic storyline that correlates with Medusa’s…the betrayal of Sedna.  To make a long story short, Sedna was forced to marry a ‘Bird-Man’ that mistreated her.  Her father, feeling guilty for his role in this decision, came to rescue her.  However, when Sedna swam to her father’s boat…the Bird-Man was enraged and created a storm so fierce that Sedna’s father became afraid for his life.  So he cut off Sedna’s fingers that were clinging to his boat…and she sank into the Ocean.  Her severed fingers became the ocean animals and Sedna became the Mother of the Ocean.

'Sedna' by Genevieve Cseh

Sedna was betrayed by men who were supposed to love and protect her, and she became the Scapegoat for the sins of her father.  Clearly, the Ocean Goddess is still being betrayed and cut off from the human world…and in the Blue Moon post, her response to such mistreatment is laid out (along with our path to righting those wrongs).  With this eclipse showing our collective shadow more clearly, we have to face it one way or another.

One more thing about this Lunar Eclipse in Taurus is that it is in Venus’s earth sign, where Moon is exalted (which means the Moon is well supported to do what the Moon needs to do).  Venus is currently in Capricorn, the earth sign of Saturn, where she takes on the role of Wise Woman and orchestrates actions that are both structured and sustainable.  Venus is also currently out-of-bounds from the ecliptic, so there is still quite a bit of out-of-the-box expression to her influence.  Creative ideas for structure and sustainability are more likely to come from places that are ‘off the beaten path’, or collaborations that might seem out of the ordinary.  Our planet of relationships is now in the 12^th degree of Capricorn where she will return to through her coming retrograde…so much of what she is showing us now will go through a process of revision in the months to come. 

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi