Wow! What a beautiful opportunity for deep growth this eclipse is bringing us. There are many elements to this, so let’s just start with the simplest and most obvious one: the Sun is in Virgo, opposite the Moon in Pisces, lighting up the Virgo/Pisces axis that differentiates order from chaos, the rational, thinking mind from the non-verbal, intuitive capacity to perceive reality.
Here, we are looking at very favorable circumstances for taking a deep dive into our inner realms in order to bring light to those places in our psyche that may be resisting our best efforts to see them. Why? Because of deeply held trauma, for instance, that may feel so dark, painful or overwhelming that our ego/mind has resisted every attempt to become aware of it, much less acknowledge and release it.
Ironically, our minds push away the very notion of healing: becoming aware of the trauma, acknowledging and accepting that it is a part of us, receiving the lessons, then letting it go. Instead, we tend to avoid feeling pain and want to numb it, by taking drugs, illicit or pharmaceutical, or drinking alcohol, or engaging in any number of activities that temporarily relieve unwanted feelings, but that don’t actually address the cause of the feelings. Learning to be curious about what we are feeling, to experience pain and other difficult feelings and emotions, and to resist the temptation of popping a pill or filling a glass to make it go away, is paramount to the healing process.
This full Moon lunar eclipse has all of the trappings of a stellar opportunity for cathartic change, IF we are willing to do the work! Firstly, an eclipse doesn’t happen every day, and this one could potentially represent anything from a shamanic underworld journey, to a powerful Family Constellation, to a pilgrimage to a sacred place somewhere on the planet. Each planet seems to have conspired with the others to say, “Hey, now’s the time to offer the perfect conditions for deep, personal growth.”
Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces, is closely conjunct the full Moon, opening doorways to astral travel and other forms of dreamwork. Jupiter is in a wide square (90º) to the Sun and Moon, underscoring the importance of this lunation. The Sun and Moon are also intimately involved in an outer planet congregation, where the slowest and most powerful planets are hanging out at the last degrees of feminine signs, in harmonious trines (120º) and sextiles (60º). Other aspects, involving Mercury, Saturn, Mars and Venus, contribute nicely to the overall potential for growth and wisdom that this eclipse holds for us.
Eclipses have much longer cycles than ordinary new and full Moons. This is because they happen every 6 months, when the Sun and Moon approach the nodes of the Moon, during the new and full Moon cycles. Think back to what was happening in your life 9 years ago, then 18 years ago. These periods are connected to what is going on in your life right now. Do you see a theme or a pattern? Were any lessons or opportunities for growth missed? Now is the time to review these themes and to do the work to heal the wounds that may have been put aside or forgotten, or swept under the rug to deal with the issues that took precedence, or your attention, during those times.
Neptune, also known as Poseidon, the god of oceans in Greek mythology, wants us to take that deep dive into the subconscious waters of Pisces in order to confront the source of the fears, anxiety, shame or other negative emotions that have been plaguing us for years. Luna will shine her beautiful, bright light into these waters, allowing us to become aware of the creatures lurking below, fed by our ignorance and refusal to acknowledge them as our own.
Once these creatures - born of untold trauma, long-forgotten wounding and/or judgment (by self or other) - are seen and recognized as our creations, we must accept them in order for them to heal. Surrendering our resistance, letting go of our judgments and forgiving ourselves and others for past wounding is the only way to truly heal, once and for all. In the sign of forgiveness and compassion itself, beautiful Pisces, this full Moon has the feel of the Christian tradition of walking the Stations of the Cross. In this practice, one walks along a path or in a church where the 14 stations are depicted, stopping to pray at each station along the way. The idea is to feel the suffering of Christ and to develop one’s own compassion as a result. This is just one way to represent the energies of this eclipse. Interestingly, Pisces is symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions, and the symbol for Christ is the fish, representing the Age of Pisces, which began with the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
The shadow aspects of Neptune and Pisces: illusion, delusion, addiction, etc., warn us that if we choose to avoid or ignore the signs - sometimes very subtle - that we have unrecognized parts that need healing, we risk falling back into a confused and a murky state of being, aided by the addictions (to a substance, a person, a behavior, etc.) that keep us bound to our trauma without ever healing it. Thus the term “trauma bond”. By the way, addiction has been found to be the result of a lack of connection. Once the sense of belonging and being connected to a community is present, addiction tends to fall away. Neptune also represents divine inspiration and the Arts, which are the perfect vector to funnel and transform the feelings we experience into sources of inspiration for ourselves and others.
To use the analogy of the Stations of the Cross again, each eclipse that this one is connected to, going back in time 9 years, 18, 27, 36, etc. could be considered one station along the way. This eclipse is showing us exactly what needs our attention, that we may not have noticed back then. Did we know to even look for such a thing? Did we have the wherewithal to confront our fears, our shame and our negative emotions, or did we simply have another drink, or buy another shiny toy to distract us from our pain? Only observation here, no judgment, especially reflecting back on our past self. We dealt with things however we could, with the tools we had at that time.
Think about it: if you can pinpoint a theme, I highly recommend you take the time to reflect, meditate, journal, or possibly work with someone who will help you uncover these hidden gems, which - once recognized and alchemized - can become your greatest allies. My “Stations of the Cross” go back 45 years, and each one was connected to the beginning of, the ending of, or an important event relating to a significant relationship in my life. For this eclipse, I am allowing myself to take a quantum leap into the unexplored realms of my psyche, with the intention of discovering heretofore unknown superpowers that I will dedicate to serving Mother Earth, Father Sky and All My Relations.
Other aspects supporting this lunar eclipse are, in no particular order:
Saturn in Pisces opposite Mercury in Virgo. Again, we see the emphasis on the Pisces-Virgo axis, representing the conscious, rational mind vs the intuitive, non-verbal intelligence. Ideally, these two are balanced and give us the information we need to operate with grace and efficiency in the world. Western culture has definitely put a heavy weight on intellectualism and the rational mind, berating and belittling anyone who happens to be good at using their other gifts, such as psychics, tarot readers, mediums and other intuition-based individuals.
With this opposition, Mercury is in his own sign of Virgo, and therefore feeling quite strong and capable of high-level intellectual prowess. Saturn, on the other hand, in spite of his propensity to want to set boundaries and limit or push back on his adversaries, finds himself in boundless Pisces, where his usual parameters no longer apply. He is loosening his grip on reality and offering Mercury much less resistance than he normally would, giving Mercury pause to think about the tenants of that reality. Maybe it’s not quite as solid as he thought it was. Saturn still offers some resistance, but it’s loose and flowing instead of hard and immobile. This gives Mercury just the right ratio between flow and form to be able to conduct his business of using the Moon’s spotlight to discover hidden agendas or forgotten hurts without dismissing them as insignificant or uninteresting to his haughty intellect.
Then we have Mars in Cancer squaring the nodes of the Moon. In his fall in Cancer, Mars is not at all in his element. Defensive, over-reactive, and easily provoked, he wants to lash out but finds himself overwhelmed with suppressed anger and grief. Squaring the nodes, which are the defining characteristic of any eclipse, he must either face the source of his anger and grief and thus be able to process through these emotions, or smother them with yet another layer of numbing by swallowing his pain or blaming others for it.
To his credit, Mars in Cancer is dedicated to helping the underdog and protecting those weaker than himself, even including himself. Individuals with Mars in Cancer sometimes have to overcome serious obstacles to their own success, and then often succeed with flying colors, due to their sheer will and determination. During this eclipse, Mars in Cancer is putting us in touch with some negative emotion, which then directs our attention to the source of our wounding.
Jupiter, in a wide square to the eclipse, is reminding us that we are always connected to something greater than our separate selves, and that this eclipse may bring life-changing conversations and encounters, always working for our highest and greatest good. Remember, these things do not have to occur on the exact day of the eclipse - in fact, they sometimes happen days, weeks and even months before or afterwards. Many of us are still experiencing impacts of the Great American Solar Eclipse in Aries last April - personally, I am still working with that theme, which is very different from the theme at hand, at least for myself.
Venus is approaching a square to Pluto, which will of course bring up relationship dynamics. Depending on the placement in your chart, it could be anything from intimacy and partnership to family dynamics, to relationship with money and self-worth. Right on the heels of the eclipse, this aspect is helping us to make choices and determine which relationships are important to nurture and grow, and which ones may have reached their expiration date. If relationships are your “Stations of the Cross” for this eclipse, then you can use this time to review past relationships and determine from deep within what you want from a relationship, and also what you are willing to give of yourself for that relationship to flourish.
Pluto, now back in Capricorn for 2 months before leaving that sign forever during our lifetimes, will be entering Aquarius for good on November 19th, where he will reside for the next 20 years. This is possibly the last shift that will take us into the Age of Aquarius, which has been foreshadowed by several events during Pluto’s stay in Capricorn, starting in November of 2008. Similarly to the effects of an eclipse, this gives us our final opportunity to finish up the work that was begun in 2008. I will cover this more in the coming weeks, and offer a perspective on the work you may be finishing up, according to your Sun or Rising sign.
Until then, I wish you a beautiful, deep and meaningful eclipse! In Gratitude,
Sarah Songbird
FALL SCHEDULE for FAMILY CONSTELLATIONS:
9/22/24 Family Constellations Demo, 3-5 PM at Synergy Metaphysical Shop, hosted by the Cajun Conqueror. Fiesta Village Shopping Center, 4416 Johnston St. #10-C, Lafayette, LA
10/19/24 Ancestral Healing using Family Constellations Workshop, time TBD at Aligned Awakening, Rivers Retreat Center in Covington, LA
11/3/24 Ancestral Healing using Family Constellations Workshop, 1-5 PM, at Synergy Metaphysical Shop, Fiesta Village Shopping Center, 4416 Johnston St. #10-C, Lafayette, LA
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