the blood moon/total lunar eclipse at 5’25 sagittarius is exact at 4:14am PDT, marking the midway point of the current lunar cycle we are in that began with the powerful new moon in taurus conjunct lilith and sextile neptune. that new moon focused us on embodiment, intuition, psychic opening and grounding down into the earth. on a mundane level the new moon was exceptional for work, career, abundance and material growth. focusing on physical reality and how to embody our intuition, compassion and altruism (essentially walk our talk) is in focus.
this total lunar eclipse is the only total eclipse in 2021 and the first one since 2019 (the next will be in 2022). total eclipses occur when the earth comes between the sun and moon and the light of the sun is blocked from reaching the moon so the moon goes dark. this is the 2nd to the last eclipse in sagittarius (the last is the total solar eclipse in December 2021). we have been in the gemini/sagittarius eclipse series since june 2020- and it has been a powerful eclipse cycle in terms of magnifying the shadow of the south node in sagittarius: belief, self righteousness, hubris and i am right/you are wrong culture.
this full moon eclipse is also the biggest Super Moon of 2021- where the moon will be closest to earth in it’s elliptical orbit and will look bigger and brighter than normal. it can also magnify emotions and belief and subjectivity in a HUGE way. the term blood moon comes from the fact that the moon will drift into earth’s shadow and will appear red. we won’t have another blood moon until 2024. big shadow territory incoming! we would all do well to know our triggers, have a reign on our reactivity and be willing to own our own shit! before you react to anything- stop, count to 10, bring awareness to your breathe and find your capacity to respond rather than react (it takes practice!).
this lunar eclipse is conjunct the karmic south node- bringing Light to the dark shadows around belief and Truth. are we more committed to being right than we are to the Truth? are we seeing things clearly? are we are aware of our own conditioning, bias and unconscious motivations that underly our so-called beliefs and inform our perception of reality? deep shadow work is called for here!
the lunar eclipse is also square jupiter- ruler of the full moon and south node- which can bring even more magnification to this conversation around belief, truth and rightness versus wrongness. we can see this eclipse in effect in the palestine/israel conflict.
with the north node in gemini we would all do well to come back to beginners mind, be curious and open minded, teachable and willing to learn other viewpoints. truly the only way we can find a new way forward is when we come to middle ground and take time to understand what it might feel like to walk in another’s shoes. this also requires accountability for past actions- as in any conflict sometimes both people are equally in the wrong but there are also times when one person or country has done MORE wrong (like the USA with slavery for example) and the healing can only happen when true accountability, remorse and rectification happens. often it requires a mediator- someone who can hold space for 2 people for countries who cannot see eye to eye.
we are in the eclipse portal- a powerful time of endings, new beginnings and the change that happens in between. the next eclipse will be a solar eclipse in gemini- the last of the gemini eclipses- and a call to OPEN OUR MINDS. and we have an amazing alignment of mercury and venus (mind and heart) by degree AND declination in the eclipse chart. they are both conjunct and square to neptune- reminding us that we need to take off the rose colored glasses, dig our heads out of the sand and really see reality for what it is. this includes our part in reality but also what is not ours to own and be responsible for but what we do need to see and hold others accountable for.
we also have both mercury and venus sextile eris- the Warrior Activist Goddess. she is prompting us to take a stand for Truth and to bring shadows to Light. it is interesting to note that mercury stations retrograde on my 29th right after his alignment with venus the day before. the mind descends into the Underworld right after Union with the heart and infusion by the Activist Goddess. whatever is coming up right now in communication, conversation or information is part of a longer conversation. mercury will square neptune and sextile eris 3 times due to his retrograde journey.
with the tense neptune- not all is as it seems. there could be innocent confusion and rose colored glasses- or there could be manipulated media and purposeful misinformation or pulling on our heart strings. probably both! we need to do our due diligence and develop deeper discernment so we can learn to see and FEEL the Truth in our bodies and being rather than need to be told by others (who may have their own agenda).
to add to the already intense lunation we have mars in cancer semisquare the sun and sesquiquadrate the moon- while he heads to oppose pluto and square eris june 2nd through 5th. to be honest having this kind of intense astrology in the middle of an eclipse portal is super concerning particularly regarding the war in the middle east :((( mars in cancer fights for home and country but is very emotionally driven, subjective, aggressive and stuck in machismo. not a good combination.
with the full blood super moon conjunct nemesis- we have our achilles heel triggered (individually, collectively). nemesis speaks to where we seek to place blame, scapegoat and point fingers. THEY are the enemy, they are at fault, they are the source of the problem. this is the point of Undoing as if we always project the shadow without- we will “change the world into a replica of (our) own unknown face” (~carl jung). “none of us stands outside humanity’s collective shadow” (also jung)
with neptune conjunct orpheus there is much grief to tap here- and as i recently posted on an FB post- the only way healing will happen in palestine and israel is if they come together in their shared grief at the loss of life and destruction of home and connect through theirs hearts via grief. grief breaks the heart open- anger, rage and war consciousness keep the heart hardened. this is a lesson for all of us as we are all fighting our own private battles – large and small.
last but not least the saturn/uranus square is in the background of this entire eclipse portal (the 2nd exact square is june 14th)- which is truly like being between a rock and a hard place. the push for change is at odds with the resistance to change. the old and the new are battling- very much like the myth of saturn and uranus and how saturn overtook the power from his oppressive father and how the father/son karma got passed down from saturn to jupiter where he did the same to his father saturn. at this point now with the shadow of the patriarchal dominance and control paradigm that has brought us to the brink of extinction (we are close- do not bury your heads in the sand on this one)- we need cycle breakers who step up and say ‘this ends with me’. the more people who stop repeating the trauma and pain, stop passing on the poison as i call it in my astrology & your shadow class- the better. these are the leaders we need to lead us out of war consciousness and into the Light.
i leave you with the sabian symbols and star sparks for the degrees of the full moon and the the sun (read star sparks full text below). the full moon is conjunct the sabian symbol ‘a game of cricket’ which speaks to “the development of skill in group situations testing collective goals”. learning how to play on a team comes to mind- we are all part of Team Earth and yet we are so busy fighting and arguing and dominating and controlling. wtf!?! the sun degree is even more interesting ‘workmen drilling for oil’. dane rudhyar talks about how this degree is superficially about “the insatiable drive of modern man for power and wealth”. drilling for oil releases pollution- we are focused on getting something we want without being aware of how it impacts the whole (the air we breathe, the water we drink, the children and animals who rely on us to take care of this planet). both of these symbols speak to the lessons humans needs to clear right now- how to be part of Team Earth and how to see and release the power plays for money and power that make our planet a war zone.
lots to contemplate at this full moon eclipse portal…
blessings…
~dh
STAR SPARKS
by elias lonsdale
FULL MOON DEGREE:
Sagittarius 6 A pair of shoes with live wings on each
When we find ourselves in an impossibly tight dilemma, with very few options and no obvious way though, it may be to our own best interest and also optimal for the situation, if we move in and out and through, over and over again, rather than becoming bound up within the dynamics and resiliency’s being so crucial to us at every turn. We actually become hooked into the sensations of breaking loose and allergic to the enclosure of a commitment, a solid substantive earth existence.
Once we have built a way of life out of our personal need to keep all windows and doors open, the proliferation of factors keeps propelling us further and further into a place of diffuse and strategic participation. We become adept in not being caught, stopped, stuck, identified, buried under, handicapped, consumed. Instead we model the archetype of the one who hangs loose, who just lives in this moment and refuses to be held fast by any facet of existence whatsoever.
An immense gift is born in this style. We discover that we are free, that our own desire and impulse to be a free agent and to stay light on our feet will carry us through. So we claim a level of autonomy that is rare and welcome.
An almost crippling shadow stands over our achievements. We are causing others to get trapped in the very patterns we are eluding. For there is a defiance, a willfulness in us which polarizes all opposite tendencies. This usually means that we push others away and reinforce their earthbound proprieties.
In order to slay this shadow, we will be called to self-awareness. And we may come to see that the balancing factor of this degree is to take no stance at all except appreciating all factors equally.
SABIAN SYMBOLS
by dane rudhyar
PHASE 246 (SAGITTARIUS 6°): A GAME OF CRICKET.
KEYNOTE: The development of skill in group-situations testing collective goals.
Any society is built on the interplay between groups of people, each group united by an at least temporary aim. The individual person within the group is assigned a particular role in the play; and definite rules have to be obeyed. The game teaches not only personal skill, but fairness and cooperation. Where this symbol is found, the value of making individual-will or ego-will subservient to collective cultural patterns is emphasized. Several symbols belonging to Scene Seventeen (Sagittarius) relate to games or group rituals, because these are “ab-stracted” from everyday social behavior and used as educative means to develop group-consciousness and an individual sense- of responsibility to the group.
This is the first symbol of the fiftieth five-fold sequence. It refers to the importance of developing GROUP SOLIDARITY.
STAR SPARKS- SUN DEGREE
Gemini 6 A claw foot holding a ball
Getting a grip on oneself and never letting it go. Holding tightly to intentions, resolves, that which was arranged ahead of time. Fantastically given over to whatever it takes to fulfill what has been agreed to. Putting the self through every extreme imaginable along the way. Pushing relentlessly to get there, to be done with the worst, to make it through.
Seeking throughout an accurate mirror reflection of these situations and their worthiness and necessity. Drawing both shadow reflections for testing and true clear confirmations and validations when they must be found. Needing to see the self from the outside. So fused into the inside that one is swallowed up in the bargain and must find the truth of the matter or else become captivated by the false negative reflection.
Even more fervently intent upon going ahead with it anyway, even if self-compassion is sorely lacking. The soul craves to prove beyond all doubt that it can operate just as intended and not show any signs of losing this focus for any reason whatsoever. This body must be whipped into shape, this soul submits to the harshest levels of self-denial and extended cycles of taking up very heavy burdens as though they were nothing.
The outcome of such heroic and excessive striving is victory. Wielding so many dimensions and worlds into one harnessed whole is the attainment sought and gained. It takes everything we’ve got and a little bit more. But there is such a greater purpose behind this zeal.
We are here seeking to make good on a nature that is primally wild and too much to work with. The only way it can work at all is if the will is engaged at this total level and only that bright light ahead means anything.
SABIAN SYMBOL- SUN DEGREE
PHASE 66 (GEMINI 6°): WORKMEN DRILLING FOR OIL.
KEYNOTE: The avidity for that knowledge which ensures wealth and power.
This symbol superficially considered can be referred to the insatiable drive of modern man for power and wealth, his readiness to accept the risk of failure. But it has a deeper meaning, especially if related to the next symbol. Oil is the end result of the decay of living materials. Drilling for oil may represent the attempt to penetrate to the deep layers of the collective Unconscious and to reawaken the powers of the archaic psyche which once flourished — for instance in the true ceremonial magic of the tribal world, perhaps among the adepts of the fabled Atlantis, or even among the shamans and witch doctors of more recent times. The archaic powers may be “refined” for modern situations, but the almost inevitable result is the release of noxious waste products, “pollution.” And there is a pollution of consciousness as well as of the atmosphere man breathes.
The zodiacal sign Gemini has basically the meaning of insatiable curiosity and avidity for knowledge; it is logically a “human” sign (the Twins). One of the Twins tends to seek power and knowledge from the ancient past, the other to discover a living source of strength and wisdom which is forever being replenished by the celestial downpour of Spiritual Consciousness and love (cf. the next symbol). It is man’s nature, alas, to begin with potentially negative emotions and desires.
This is the first stage of the fourteenth five-fold sequence of cyclic phases. It deals with the emotional and, at the present-day level of evolution, socially prized reaction of most human beings to the attainment of new forms of knowledge, i.e. AMBITION.