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

 

New Moon in Scorpio: Mars Strikes Back

 

'Mars' by Michael Whelan

New Moon in Scorpio:  Mars Strikes Back

Moon conjunct Sun- 11/4/21 @ 4:14pm CDT

 

As the veil between worlds becomes transparent at the Samhain Cross-Quarter (November 6^th/7^th), there is a Scorpionic unveiling of the power underneath.  This reveal can show the power of Mother Earth beneath our over-sized carbon footprints, the power of people to put their resources together and strike back against the systemic oppression they’ve been under for too long, and even the inner power we each individually have hidden underneath the weight of living in these heavy times.  This New Moon in Scorpio is a potent seed for transforming ‘what was’ into ‘what becomes of us’.

While Pluto has great affinities with the nocturnal, fixed water sign of Scorpio…this sign is traditionally the domicile of Mars.  In Mars’s water sign, the Warrior devises thoroughly planned strategies to present enough of a threat that a war becomes inconceivable to the opponent.  Of course, if the opponent is foolish enough to underestimate that potent force…they will meet the stinger of Mars in Scorpio. 

To set the scene for this potent New Moon seed, Mars entered Scorpio on October 30^th.  And at this New Moon, Mars is still close enough to the luminaries to make a strong impact.  Since they are in the house of Mars, Moon and Sun operate by Martian rules.  And Mars has been pretty fired up since coming home to Scorpio, as the planet of action begins its closing square with Saturn, the established order.

This particular cycle of Mars and Saturn began back in March 2020, when the two planets met in Saturn’s earth sign, Capricorn, to set forth a malefic directive.  Mars energy thrives with a solid Capricornian mission…but along the way to where we are heading (the Closing Square), this initial agreement became a bit (well, a lot more) volatile. 

Mars and Saturn were in agreement until their Opening Squares in August and September 2020, then with a final opening square in fixed signs by January 2021.  After a long transit through Aries, extended by a retrograde, Mars was strengthened by his diurnal fire energy and said ‘to hell’ with Saturn’s rules.  So by the time the two malefics were in fixed signs (Mars in Taurus and Saturn in Aquarius), the resistance had firmly set in. 

But the volatility of the malefics squaring off was amplified into unusual territory once Mars brought Uranus in Taurus to the fray during the 1^st month of 2021.  By the Mars-Saturn opposition in July this year, all the tension between the malefics was pooled into Uranus in Taurus (at the apex of that T-Square).  And the true grassroots of rebellion grew in that stirred-up Taurean earth.  As we make our way to this closing square (November 10^th), Mars has been reborn with the power to fully challenge the Saturnian societal systems that more and more people are fighting to rise above. 

It’s the position of being ‘underneath’ a ‘power over’ that brings the ‘power of many’ to strike back and demand change.  We can see this in the union strikes happening all over the world…from nurses to production workers and all manner of strikers in between.  It’s likely happening within you individually as well…with whatever that internal battle has been for you.  There’s a ‘last straw’ feeling to it…and it’s being incorporated into this New Moon so we, the people, can really FEEL it throughout this Lunar cycle. 

The difference now is that the luminaries are in strong opposition to Uranus in Taurus (closest to Earth in its orbit that it can be, even visible to some naked eye sky watchers).  This is an opposition that Mars is heading toward now too (November 17^th).  Buckle up, because it’s going to be a crazy ride this month. 

Individually, we can do much to ground ourselves and use this energy in innovative ways.  But collectively, things can get volatile.  Still, that volatility can also enact real change if we learn to harness it together and put it into progress for our progeny.  The voice of our youth in these larger battles will also be amplified as Mercury conjoins Mars in Scorpio (November 10^th, during the Closing Square of Mars-Saturn).  So it’s best to consider our children (and their future) as integral to our motivation to rise up from underneath the weight that’s been holding us down.

The pressure from the Scorpio-Taurus oppositions this month is challenging the Saturnian establishment to make a choice.  If we can wisely tap into this demand for change, we have the upper hand right now to make it imperative.  One can only hope that this will all go well for the collective…because there will be some unanticipated Uranian ‘curve-balls’ thrown in to respond to.  But, clearly, something’s gotta give to make way for new trajectories.

 

Moon, Sun, and Minerva in Scorpio 13

Sabian Symbol:  ‘an inventor experimenting’

When Uranian energy is involved, the need to try out experimental methods to reveal a truth is at hand.  We become very resourceful and inventive in the moment, sometimes even shocking ourselves with such spontaneous ingenuity and revelation.  So the combination of Moon, Sun, and the asteroid Minerva (Goddess of Wisdom) in this degree, opposing Uranus, highlights the need to explore all the patterns merging together as an awakening of deeper wisdom coming forth.  To harness the power within this time for something that brings progressive change to our world…we must also approach this with some humility.  There are forces at play that are far beyond our human scope and desires, and as we employ our own free will to explore what they have to reveal to us this month, understand that those cosmic forces are more timeless than our mortal lives can claim as our own invention.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi