Full Moon/ Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio: A Bustle in your Hedgerow

 

Photo of May Queen from Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh

Full Moon/ Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio:  A Bustle in your Hedgerow

Moon opposite Sun (Lunar Beltane)- 5/5/23 @ 12:34pm CDT

Sun at 15 degrees Taurus (Solar Beltane)- 5/5/23 @ 1:19pm CDT

 

In the fullness of eclipse season, this penumbral lunar eclipse has plenty of intensity packed into a very slight shadow.  If it’s stirring up anything significant in your natal chart, you may be surprised by how emotional you’re feeling lately.  And since this eclipse is at the south lunar node, there will still be more to purge from the active confrontation of shadow that began this lunation (April 19^th).

Two weeks ago, the Aries New Moon was pushing for a definitive ending to something that had run its course in our lives.  Now, as we reach the Full Moon in Scorpio, there is more clarity about what that is. But there are likely some unanticipated turns in the path of letting go.

 

Moon-Uranus Opposition

The next aspect the Moon makes, after opposition with Sun, is an opposition with Uranus.  Uranian energy awakens, stimulates, and progresses things in unpredictable ways.  Opposite Moon, it can bring up new insights about the past, accelerate our emotional waves, or flip us out of our comfort zones to make changes in routines. 

This is not a day to insist on consistency, or to resist out-of-the-blue adaptations.  Leave some wiggle room in your plans so you can move with the offbeat, get weird with it…and probably shock some squares in the process.  Embracing the fun in the unfamiliar can help to mitigate the nerves of realizing what’s beyond your control.

Moon-Mars Mutual Reception, Again

Beginning this lunar cycle, Moon was in Aries…the diurnal fire sign of Mars.  At this Full Moon midpoint of the cycle, Moon is in Scorpio…the nocturnal water sign of Mars.  And Mars has been in Cancer throughout this time…the sign of the Moon.  So Moon and Mars in mutual reception is a key theme within this whole eclipse season. 

As mentioned in the New Moon post, mutual reception is usually a good thing between planets…but it’s pretty tricky between Moon and Mars, especially in this combination with Scorpio Moon.  Sure the Moon and Mars can still help each other navigate through these waters…but they’re both susceptible to falling overboard.  And the growing trine between them can amplify both the depth and the choppiness of the waves. 

 

Pluto Prominent, Again

During New Moon, the luminaries were square to Pluto…highlighting Plutonian themes like transformation, rebirth, and uncovering things hidden below the surface.  This time, Pluto is prominent too, but for a different reason.  Earlier this week (May 1^st), Pluto stationed retrograde.  During a planetary station, as the planet appears to slow down to a halt to shift directions, the themes associated with the planet tend to saturate the Kairos (the quality of time).  For outer planets like Pluto, the station endures well past a week.  This suggests there’s more that will be unearthed and stirred into this Eclipse Cauldron. 

 

Full Moon T-Square with Hygeia

At New Moon, the goddess Astraea was highlighted…inviting us to let go of something we’d been holding to for too long.  At this midpoint in Moon’s cycle, Hygeia comes in with some preventative medicine to ease the tension.  You may feel some pressure to make healthier choices while the luminaries move to square off with Hygeia.  There is some necessity for a cleanse or detox of some sort…either physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.

'Hygeia' by Gustav Klimt

Lunar Beltane and Solar Beltane

Every year around the 5^th of May, Sun reaches 15 degrees of Taurus which marks the midpoint between March Equinox and June Solstice.  This is known as Solar Beltane, or Astrological Beltane.  Though most celebrate Beltane (from Scots Gaelic ‘Bealltainn’) or Bealtaine (Irish pronunciation, ‘bee-YEL-tuh-nuh’) from the evening of April 30^th through the day of May 1^st, I’ve come to prefer the cosmic timing to the calendrical dates.

Bealtaine/Beltane, which means ‘bright fire’, is both a Gaelic name for the month of May and a cross-quarter holiday that marks the shift from spring to summer in the Northern Hemisphere.  It leads into Summer Solstice in June, which is referred to as ‘Midsummer’.

This is a time to celebrate the fertility of the earth and the warmth of the growing daylight.  Many of the traditional customs of this holiday have to do with protection…especially for the family and livestock.  Walking the boundaries of your land while singing or humming, picking and placing yellow flowers/petals, jumping the bel-fire or walking your animals around it counter-clockwise…just some of a few traditions that work as protective spells.

Our son, Felix, at the maypole during his blessing ceremony

Lunar Beltane, also known as the Flower Moon, is the Full Moon of May.  It just so happens that both Lunar Beltane and Solar Beltane happen on the same day…with less than an hour between them.  There is quite a bit of magic in the air at this time.  If you feel you need some protection or some luck on your side, you may want to leave some milk and honey out for the fairies. 

So that ‘bustle in your hedgerow’…this is a good time to address it.  Not sure what the phrase means?  Consider that a hedgerow is a border of bushes meant to mark a boundary.  A bustle refers to movement or activity.  So it refers to a part of one’s life that they didn’t think would move (or change) that is now becoming active.  Very simply, it is an opportunity for change…one where things get shook up just enough that a new path might be chosen as a result.  Be open to moving beyond your current boundaries and trying something new.  Rather than reacting with alarm to changes…you may be able to see that ‘it’s just a Spring Clean for the May Queen’.

My husband and me, playing the May Queen and the Green Man

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

Aries New Moon/Hybrid Solar Eclipse: Confronting the Shadows

 

Art by Rob Rey

Aries New Moon/Hybrid Solar Eclipse:  Confronting the Shadows

Moon conjunct Sun - 4/19/23 @ 11:12pm CDT

(Eclipse visible in NW Australia, East Timor, and Indonesia, partial eclipse in Australia and SE Asia))

 

This eclipse season begins with a call to clear out what is destructive in our lives.  Such an imperative can bring up some turbulent emotions, and some confusion about the origin of our most destructive habits, attachments, or feelings. 

In the final degree of Aries, this New Moon begins at an ending.  And, with Astraea conjunct these luminaries, its likely an ending we’ve been prolonging because we haven’t wanted to fully let go. Something in us is too tethered to a timeline that has already run its course beyond our ability to change the outcome.  Only in releasing ourselves from it can we occupy a space of choice again. 

'Astraea' by Karolina Jedrzejak

Aries is the diurnal domicile of Mars, who guides this eclipsed lunation.  Mars is currently in the water sign of Cancer…a sign where Mars has the most trouble performing the actions he does best.  In general, the nature of Mars is that of a Challenger or a Warrior…and those confrontational, combative skills are not so easy to use in Cancer, where emotional bonding and protective nurturing is key.  In an emotionally sensitive sign like Cancer, we often seek the comfort of what is familiar, nourishing, and safe.  Mars often needs a mission…something to go after.  So Mars transiting through Cancer can create a tendency to turn against those closest to us, sever emotional bonds, or push away nurturance to deny the vulnerability of need.

This is not the only way of Mars in Cancer…it is more of a triggered reaction to feeling vulnerable in the shadows of this season.  If we don’t feel safe or cared for, defenses come up quickly.  Cancer is, after all, a very protective energy.  And in this Aries New Moon, overshadowing the Sun, feelings of inferiority or invisibility may quicken our self-defensiveness. 

Mars is also a strong protector, ever-ready to defend a cause.  In those who were born with Mars in Cancer, there is a natural impetus to protect the vulnerable from harm.  But by transit, Mars in Cancer gives us less time to figure out how to best use the energies we’ve been feeling.  This can bring up a lot of frustration for anyone, no matter what sign your natal Mars is in.  Mars energy is often too restless to sit in an inactive feeling like frustration until it passes.  It needs somewhere to go, and something to do.  So anger often becomes the activation.  It can play out like an emotionally volatile cycle, especially as Mars is in Moon’s sign (Cancer) and Moon is in Mars’s sign (Aries).  Mutual Reception like this is often a mitigating influence…but with Moon and Mars in mutual reception, it’s a tricky combination.

Pluto squaring off with Moon and Sun during this eclipse brings up another uncomfortable necessity in all of this emotional turbulence.  We’re going to have to go deeper…way deeper…into what is surfacing from this eclipse shadow to uncover the real truth of what needs to be laid to rest. 

We may not have the full story of what we’re feeling the need to lash out about just yet.  After all, Mercury is slowing down to station retrograde this week.  We’ll likely be re-thinking soon what has been said in the past couple weeks.  And in this emotional mix of energies, some of us may have already said some things we’ll regret later.  If you’ve managed to hold your tongue and just sit with your frustrations lately, good on you.  Either way, it hasn’t been easy to do so.

But whatever it is that’s bubbling up in this Eclipse Cauldron for you personally…it’s not meant to be ignored.  There is something important to extract from this concoction of energies.  Something that needs to be recognized within each of us so that we may be more empowered to create the kind of magic we need for necessary changes in our paths ahead.  Confront the shadow you’ve been avoiding.  Let the feelings wash over you, but not settle within you.  Clear out what has become destructive, and trust the process will lead you toward a healthier way of being.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Aquarius Cross-Quarter: Imbolg

 

Art by Ruth Sanderson

Aquarius Cross-Quarter:  Imbolg

(Sun at 15 degrees Aquarius- 2/3/23 @8:43pm CST)

 

Imbolg Origins and Variations

 

Imbolg is a Gaelic name for the cross-quarter fire festival celebrated at the midpoint between the December Solstice and the March Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere.  This holiday is also called Imbolc, Candlemas (the Festival of Lights), the Feast of St. Brigid, or (especially in the States) Groundhog Day.

 

Though the meanings of Imbolg and Imbolc refer to different things, the pronunciation is the same (both are pronounced ‘IM-olk’).  One of many old Gaelic language rules is that G is only pronounced like a G if at the beginning of the word…elsewhere in a word it is pronounced as a hard C.  Take the Scottish Gaelic word for Gaelic, for example, which is ‘Gaidhlig’ and pronounced ‘GAA-lik’.  Also, the B in Imbolg/Imbolc is silent (or a very subtle touch-and-release of the lips without a plosive sound), as in the word ‘limb’. 

 

Imbolg refers to ‘In the belly’.  Not only is this the 1^st of 3 Spring Holidays, when seeds are stirring within the belly of the Earth and the first signs of life begin to spring forth, but this is also traditionally the time of year when dairy animals begin to give birth…such as the start of lambing season.  Because milk is plentiful at this time, dairy is often featured prominently in Imbolg feasts.  And, as far as human births go, if one was conceived in the lusty month of May (Bealtaine/Beltane), then they would be born around Imbolg.  Interestingly, the last name ‘Robinson’ comes from such traditions.  Because it was common for the mother of a child conceived in the throes of passion at Bealtaine to not know who the father was, the baby was said to be fathered by ‘Robin Goodfellow’ (one of many names, such as Puck, for the Pan-like Trickster of the Forest)…thus ‘son of Robin’ becomes ‘Robinson’. 

 

Imbolc refers to the word ‘folc’ which means to bathe, wash, or cleanse…a term that mirrors the purification and purgation roots of the Roman month of Februarius.  As such, Spring Cleaning or House Cleansing rituals are also ways to honor this time of year, as a way of sloughing off the stagnation of Winter in preparation for Spring. 

 

Candlemas refers to this time of year having many associations with lighting up the home with candlelight.  In celebration of the light of the Sun increasing in the Northern Hemisphere, householders would light a candle in each room of the house on the Eve of Imbolg. 

 

And as Brigid/Bride/Brigantia (Pan-Celtic Triple-Goddess of healing, smithcraft, fire, fertility, midwifery, and poetry) is the Goddess of Imbolg, she was eventually syncretized to Catholicism as St. Brigid…and this time of year, then, is also called the Feast of St. Brigid.

 

Imbolg is also traditionally a time of weather divination.  It is said that when the weather is bright and sunny on this day, the Cailleach (Winter Witch/Hag Goddess) awakens to gather firewood for the rest of winter.  If she wants winter to last another 6 weeks, she will make sure it is a clear and sunny day.  If the weather is otherwise, it means she slept in and winter is almost over.  Most times, Punxsutawney Phil (of Pennsylvania’s Groundhog Day traditions) agrees with the same pattern on February 2^nd each year:  seeing his shadow means 6 more weeks of Winter.  This year, Phil ‘saw his shadow’ on this bright morning…heralding an extended winter. 

 

Astrology of Imbolg’s Quickening

 

In the Northern Hemisphere, where these customs originate, this is the time of year that daylight expands the Sun’s promise to Spring.  That growing Fire informs the chilly winter Air of Aquarius season to carry the message to Water.  As the ice crystals melt that watery message into Earth, the thaw stirs the seeds in Earth’s belly, quickening their growth. 

 

'Quickening Moon' by Erynnar

In February, which Imbolg heralds, one of the names for the Moon (and my favorite of them) is the Quickening Moon.  This year, the Quickening Moon is full on Sunday, February 5^th (12:27pm CST)…less than 2 days after the Imbolg Cross Quarter.  All that was seeded at the contemplative Aquarius New Moon of January 21^st is in full bloom with the expressive fires of Leo on Sunday.

 

Square to this Sun-Moon opposition is Uranus in Taurus, adding much need for improvisation in tangible materialization.  Balancing the head of Aquarius air with the heart of Leo fire requires an innovative approach now.  And Uranus can bring some unpredictability to any quickening, especially through the necessity of a square.  It can feel unsettling, so grounding is also necessary to keep your balance.

 

There is great potential for brilliance to burst forth from the solid intentions of two weeks ago.  The Mars-Chiron sextile in Gemini and Aries offers a subtle, but substantial, safety net for any risk Uranus may incline us toward.  The key to this benefit is in communicating actional healing to guide the best possible expression of this quickening.  With this more harmonious approach, self-care can act as a bit of a shock-absorber for Uranian electricity. 

 

Celebrating the Imbolg Cross-Quarter

 

Many celebrate Imbolg on February 1^st or 2^nd…but because I’m an Astrologer, we tend to celebrate the cross-quarters according to the Astrological midpoints when Sun is at 15 degrees of each fixed sign (Imbolg/Imbolc- Aquarius, Bealtaine/Beltane- Taurus, Lunasa/Lughnasadh- Leo, and Samhain- Scorpio). 

 

So, for the Kavi Family, we’ll be celebrating from Friday evening into Saturday.  Kavi traditions at this time vary based on weather, timing, and what our family feels is needed each year.

 

When Alyrica was little, she used to act as Brigid for our family…lighting the first flame.  She also used to get out her doll bed and dress up her doll as Brigid…keeping her bed next to the front door on Imbolg Eve.  Now that she’s older, we do less of that…but she’s still our honorary Brigid of the House. 

 

When we can, we brave the cold and light up the fire pit…usually burning many of the dried flowers and leaves we’d been gathering throughout the previous year.  Very often, we’ll do a House Cleansing ritual where we all participate in clearing out old energy from every room of the house.

 

photo by Michael A. Michail

Sometimes we make crafts for the season, such as Brigid’s Crosses.  Sometimes we plant seeds at this time.  We always have a feast and a candlelit ritual to ensure good health for our family (including, of course, our cats). 

 

And I, personally, love to immerse myself in self-care with a candlelit Brigid’s Bath…enlivening the senses with essential oils and bath salts.  I also, always, make time to play some music for the season and write some poetry.

 

Here is my Imbolg playlist on Spotify.

 

And here is a poem I wrote 13 years ago, which I change slightly each year to reflect where we are in the moon phase.

 

She Sings the Silent Song of Sun

By Felina Lune Kavi

 

The New Year outlasts January.

A dawning is vast as horizon,

In vivid watercolor light…

New dreams awakening from night.

 

She sings the silent song of Sun.

The light reflects in everyone.

 

Quickening Moon flushes February.

The Earth is moved by loving life,

She shivers seeds astir again…

Another cycle to begin.

 

She sings the silent song of Sun.

The life renews in everyone.

 

Remembering February

(recycled from last year’s Imbolg post)

 

Why is February the shortest month?

 

If you’re a word nerd like me, and you love etymology, you may have noticed that the names of September through December follow the sequence of the numbers 7 through 10. The Romans who named these months originally considered Winter to be a monthless period, so it was a 10-month calendar from March to December.

 

It wasn’t until around 713 BCE that Numa Pompilius added January and February as the last two months. February remained the last month (even more truncated back then, with an intercalary month occasionally following February to realign the year with the seasons) until about 450 BCE.

 

Under the reforms that instituted the Julian calendar, January became the 1st month, so February was thereafter the 2nd month…but it still remained the shortest month and held the additional day every ‘leap year’. The Gregorian calendar reforms made only slight changes, so February is still the shortest month to this day.

 

What does February mean?

 

Being long ago the last month of the year, February derives from Februa which refers to instruments of purification and purgation. Therefore, the (former) final month became a time of cleansing in preparation for the growing season.

 

In the early years of Februarius, the patron God of the month was Februus (‘the Purifier’) who was a personification of February’s cleansing festivals. And because of the association with the February festival of Parentalia (which honored the family ancestors), Februus was also a God of the Dead and was a chthonic deity equated with Pluto (‘Dis Pater’, meaning ‘Rich Father’), who was a combination of the Greek Gods Pluton (God of the Underworld and Afterlife, a.k.a. Hades) and Ploutos (God of Wealth, as mineral wealth was found underground). So February, holding an ancient association with finality, was also a time to celebrate the dead.

 

Later, the month was also associated with Juno (‘Bona Dea’, meaning ‘Good Goddess’), for which she carried the epithet Juno Februa (or Februtis). This epithet referred to her aspect of being a fertility goddess, the patron of midwifery and the purification processes involved in childbirth. In this respect, she represented the fertility and creativity that comes from clearing out the old to make way for the new.

 

Interestingly, many of these same associations are still alive today in the Celtic pagan traditions of February being the month of Imbolg (meaning ‘in the belly’ and referring to fertility and childbirth) or Imbolc (derived from ‘folc’ which means ‘wash’ or ‘cleanse’, referring to purification and purgation).

 

And…now you know even more pagan origins to the systems we still use today.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi