the total solar eclipse at 12’22 sagittarius is exact on friday december 3rd, 2021 at 11:43pm PST- initiating us into a new lunar cycle that is focused on belief, truth and expansion. we are in the eclipse portal right now- the last lunar eclipse was in taurus and this solar eclipse is the last of the south node in sagittarius eclipses. so big changes, activations, endings and new beginnings are in focus!
sagittarius is the sign of the wandering gypsy and the wild horse running free. this sign does not like being limited or restricted in any way. at its best this sign is about exploring and expanding beyond our previous limitations via study, travel and spiritual growth. but the shadow side of this sign- which is massively exacerbated right now due to the karmic south node being in sagittarius- manifests as hubris, self-righteousness, attitudes of i am right/the other is wrong, and the addiction to freedom and being unbound to the point of not being able to see commitments through or reign in one’s own desires in order to honor others.
when i look at the solar eclipse chart i notice almost EVERYTHING is on one side of the sky- all the bodies are between the south node in sagittarius and north node in gemini – with almost everything falling in the signs sagittarius through gemini. the only planet that is not in this area of the sky is mars in scorpio- but he is heading to the south node (exact on december 13th). for me this is the perfect symbol of the shadow of sagittarius- only seeing things from his own perspective. one half of the sky is inhabited the other is not- it’s easy to come from our perspective because it’s all we know. but to grow and evolve and become ‘enlightened’ we have to learn to see these from other viewpoints. this is the teaching on the north node in gemini.
the north node in gemini asks that we come back to beginner’s mind. this is about being curious, open minded, teachable- not needing to be the one with the wisdom and knowledge all the time. our willingness to question what we know, think and understand is our super power right now! our rigid viewpoints, judgements and polarized perspectives are the very thing keeping us stuck and are holding us back from growth.
this eclipse is conjunct the Great Attractor- a point philip sedgwick has done a lot of research on. according to him the GA is at 14’19 or so today- at the start of the 21st century it was at 14’02 sagittarius. the GA is a point of destiny and Truth but the shadow of the GA is being so sure you are right that you cannot see through your own blinders. as philip says about this point “Those possessing GA contacts, thus serve as a point of objectivity. They seek to enlighten others to the fact that there is yet another way. Often to do this, they will polarize. The point is: to make the point. The point will be made. Sometimes the point is purely Sagittarian offering a puncturing insight. Other times the point is a bit more subtle, perhaps circuitous or round about in its nature. The essence of GA insists that multiple points be understood in all of the available far-reaching realms of energy emanation. Then, and only then, can one be secure in opinion or belief without worry of being contaminated by short-sighted, biased points of view.”
because the south node is in sagittarius and this is a south node eclipse we need to be aware of that last part of the last line “being contaminated by short-sighted, biased points of view”. this is up for us right now- personally and collectively. add into the mix that vesta and mercury are conjunct the eclipse and we can see our devotion and commitment to our own perceptions and ways of understanding- with a need to be willing to be shocked (uranus is quincunx the eclipse) out of our well-established viewpoints that may be contaminated by biased points of view.
luckily the saturn/chiron sextile aspects this eclipse- bringing in potential for deep inner work and mastery work IF WE ARE WILLING TO GO THERE. despite the saturn/chiron aspect being ‘harmonious’- both these planets are heavy hitters and point to where our karma, wounds and work are. if we step up they become the gold we find hidden in the shadow. if we avoid, bypass, deny or ignore- they tend to manifest in less positive ways.
the tightest aspect the eclipse makes is a semisquare AND parallel to pluto (meaning it’s a Super Aspect)- so the background of this eclipse is very plutonian. what shadow is coming to Light? what power dynamics are needing to be revealed? what structures, traditions and patriarchal conditions need to die? as we head into venus’ retrograde where she will be in one giant conjunction to pluto (12/7-12/25) as she stations- and she will also be in one giant square to eris (12/10-12/30)- we have some interesting territory incoming (stay tuned for a blog soon).
in the eclipse chart neptune is about to station direct- so he is at standstill linking with mercury, venus and mars. a major theme of 2021 was the background nebulous neptune energy present. it was not front and center like the saturn/uranus square, the pluto/eris square or the saturn/chiron sextile. it was vague, hard to see clearly, hidden- very apropos for neptune right? pallas athena in pisces is square this lunation and her last conjunction with neptune will be in late january 2022- finishing her triple conjunction that began in may 2021. not all is as it seems and much is being manipulated or purposely confused in our own psyches and on the world stage. can you distinguish fear or fantasy from genuine intuition? it’s easy to have our own desires or fears influence what appears to be intuition. it takes a lot of unpacking around those desires and fears to get to the Truth. this is deep work to be doing right now!
one last thing i want to point out is that both the sun and moon are opposite midas- the king who got granted a wish to have everything he touched turn to gold. at first this seemed amazing until the people he loved turned into statues and he could not feed himself as the food turned to gold and he was going to starve. not all that glitters is gold. more, better, faster, now – the shadow of materialism, consumerism and western culture- is really showing that what seemed like pure gold was actually a gold overlay. what is underneath? what happens when over expansion, over spending, over selfie culture look at me my life is great- collides with the limits and realities of earth and life on this planet? one part of this question is literal- growth without pruning is what happens when cancer takes over the body. but also spiritually- what does this do to the Spirit and Soul?
i leave you with the sabian symbol which is apt for this entire lunar insight download. ‘the karma of past actions as it affects opportunities presented by a new cycle’. many spiritual people like to say ‘the past is in the past- let it go’. but the problem is the past is present until we have dealt with it. ‘the new day may be found loaded and darkened by the unfinished business of many a yesterday’. ‘the new age will have to deal with many oppressive ghosts’. this is a symbol of RETRIBUTION. the more of us dealing with our personal, emotional and spiritual past the better- as it contributes to the collective. so dive deeper, face the shadow, do the work of integration and embodiment. in ancient egyptian teachings the most sacred body was the physical body- as it is the only one in the 3d that can anchor all the others. when the body is filled with Light the temple is awakened. just imagine all the temples lighting up – a network of Light spreading across the planet. the path towards this end is shadow work. the Light gets anchored more deeply when the shadow is seen and integrated.
“both Light and Shadow are the dance of Love”
~rumi
blessed eclipse to you!
~harmony
PHILIP SEDGWICK ARTICLE ON THE GA-
https://www.philipsedgwick.com/Galactic/GreatAttractor.htm
SABIAN SYMBOLS
by dane rudhyar
PHASE 253 (SAGITTARIUS 13°): A WIDOW’S PAST BROUGHT TO LIGHT.
KEYNOTE: The karma of past actions as it affects opportunities presented by a new cycle.
What the “widow’s past” is remains obscure but the point is that even as a past cycle is closed — a phase of married life ends — the karma of whatever deeds or misdeeds this cycle witnessed will almost inevitably intrude into the new life period. Also, once a cycle of activity is concluded, much that was unclear or unconsciously motivated in the events it witnessed can now more easily come to the clear consciousness of the mind. It is possible to joyously herald the dawn from high above the actual stresses of existence (the preceding symbol), but the new day may be found loaded and darkened by the unfinished business of many a yesterday.
This is the third stage of the fifty-first five-fold sequence. Mankind is “the widow,” because our soon-to-be-concluded Piscean Age has buried most of the ideals it once revered and proclaimed. Yet the New Age will have to deal with many oppressive ghosts. This is a symbol of RETRIBUTION.