we are in some interesting and rare astrological times right now. we are headed into the first of four total lunar eclipses, a tetrad that spans from 2014 to 2015. all four of the next lunar eclipses will be total (they pack more of a punch when total) and they will turn a dusky blood red color- which is why this coming eclipse is being called the blood red lunar eclipse. in ancient days these kinds of eclipses were omens of change and intensity- which many of us can feel approaching in our bones!
not only are we headed into the eclipse portal with the lunar eclipse in libra on 4/15 and the solar eclipse in taurus on 4/28, but we are also in the midst of a Grand Cross forming between retrograde mars in libra, jupiter in cancer, uranus in aries and soon to be retrograde pluto in capricorn (he stations on 4/14- a day before the total lunar eclipse). Grand Crosses pit four different planetary energies against each other- which can be akin to feeling like you are being splayed out on a cross! but the key to something this dynamic in nature is to find your balance and center within- rather than be pushed and pulled, splayed and flayed in whichever way the intense energy wants to take you.
it is interesting to see the overarching astrological energies that are in charge here. both eclipses are ruled by venus in pisces (venus rules libra and taurus), whom is ruled by neptune in pisces. so neptune in pisces is a dominant signature right now. both venus and neptune in pisces are altruistic, compassionate, spiritual, kind-hearted, loving and service-oriented. venus is the lower heart, while neptune is the Higher Heart- and with these bodies ruling the planetary signature right now we have MAJOR opportunities to align the two and open up our hearts in massively healing and awakening ways!
when you look at the Grand Cross you also see that retrograde mars in libra, jupiter in cancer and uranus in aries all come back to venus and then finally to neptune in pisces. mars in libra is ruled by venus/neptune, jupiter in cancer is ruled by the moon- and for the two lunations (lunar eclipse/solar eclipse) they are both ruled by venus/neptune, and lastly uranus in aries is ruled by mars who is ruled by venus/neptune. this way of looking at the lowest common denominator in a chart is called ‘the final dispositor’. neptune disposes most all of the planets in the sky right now- the sun in aries, the moon (right now just looking at the eclipses as the moon changes sign every 2 1/2 days), mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, uranus and chiron.
with neptune as final dispositor- much of the planetary energy afoot right now condenses or ‘boils down’ to the planet of mysticism, idealism and fantasy. this can be wonderful if the Highest expression of neptune is being lived: unconditional Love, heightened intuition and psychic impressions, and an ability to see between the veils of this world and other worlds. yet we do need to be aware of the shadow side of neptune in pisces: being so sensitive that we cannot deal so we turn to addictions, codependent relationships, denial, avoidance, victimization and playing the martyr. our desire to escape can be high with neptune in pisces- and so being able to have one foot in this world (3d reality) and one foot in another (transcendent reality) is key in navigating the astrology right now.
yet there is another pair of final dispositors in charge- and they paint a very different picture. the two planets missing in the list i made above that neptune governs is saturn in scorpio and pluto in capricorn. these two bodies are currently in each other’s signs, also known as mutual reception. because they are in each other’s signs they condense or boil down to each other (i.e. scorpio’s ruler is pluto, capricorn’s ruler is saturn). the saturn/pluto vibe is VERY different than the neptune in pisces one. saturn in scorpio wants to dig up shadow and deal with reality, while pluto in capricorn wants to transform, die and be reborn. neptune in pisces wants Light, Love and beauty- while saturn and pluto want to get to the Truth of things- no matter how messy, dark or under worldly that journey is.
a quote i have heard before about gurus’ is “the brighter the Light, the darker the shadow”. i have heard this in regards to really high Souls who do amazing things in the world- but they have some really dark skeletons in their closet (typically addictions to sex, money, power, etc…). i actually have this theory that in order to ascend to total enlightenment you have to move through the scorpio/pluto eye of the needle. i feel that many high Souls come back into incarnation again and again to learn this one intense lesson- mastery over one’s relationship to power, control, fame and fortune. i feel that we are given many opportunities where we either get given a lot of political/spiritual/sexual/financial power OR we are given none, and then the Universe sees how we deal with it. can we maintain our center and integrity when people are throwing money, power and sex at our feet? can we maintain our center and integrity when we have no money, no power and no control of our outer lives or experiences? this eye of the needle is rough terrain- and it requires that we go INTO our shadow selves and integrate what we cannot see or what we do not want to admit.
i titled this article “the darker the shadow, the brighter the Light” because i feel like this astrology has some very intense, even potentially dark energy associated with it. many people are fearing the apocalypse or end of the world or some kind of world wide disaster. yet if you know the true meaning of the word apocolypsia- it means lifting of the veil. and honestly i think we could all stand to lift the veil and see beyond to the Truth of things right now! yet when you have a lot of shadow or darkness around- you also have potential for Great Light! similar to a shadow cast by the sun’s Light- it’s not going to be a very large shadow if it’s a tiny little mouse that the shadow is falling from. but if you have a huge thing of significance- the shadow will be huge to match it. so in the midst of the massive intensity of this astrology- we also have MAJOR opportunities for enlightenment, awakening, shift and change.
i think the key is to find balance between the final dispositor energies present. if we can tune into the best part of neptune in pisces and stay heart centered, kind, compassionate and Loving- even as we navigate the shadow and take fierce action in our lives- we will be golden. if we can tune into the best part of saturn in scorpio/pluto in capricorn and be ready, willing and able to excavate the deep, dark shadow in our personal and collective lives and be willing to transform it into something Greater- we will shine like diamonds.
currently pluto is stationary- set to go retrograde tomorrow- and he does so in opposition to sirius, a powerful fixed star that is about making the mundane sacred. sirius is sacred to many ancient cultures- most notably the egyptians. sirius is a star connection to Higher Consciousness and the energy emitted from that star has the capacity to help planet earth and all her inhabitants raise their frequency. in addition to this pluto is opposite a point called the “black sun” and is conjunct the opposite point the “diamond”. i am only just learning about these powerful points- but my limited understanding of them is thus: they represent the based metal (black sun) and the gold we seek to make it into (the diamond). they are powerful symbols of alchemical transformation- but the process is not without it’s intensity. this is a call to purification- and to purify we must be willing to submit ourselves to the fire!
so yes- we are in interesting times, and yes it’s pretty intense out there! but it’s also a profound time where a lot of Light can come in- and it can illuminate all we are not looking at so we can integrate it, become more conscious and become more whole.
the darker the shadow, the greater the Light. if you find yourself stuck or attached to either- work on finding your center and see through the play of Light and shadow. our mastery requires that we move beyond duality, which means we need to integrate both. if you are attached/addicted to the Light or if you try to disconnect from/deny the shadow- both are signs of imbalance. the yin and yang sign would not be complete without both sides of the spectrum. the astrology right now is an aid in this work! and the key is venus and neptune in pisces- tapping into the High Heart.
blessings…
~divine harmony
p.s. weekly horoscopes will be up by noon today!