the second total lunar eclipse in a series of four (called a tetrad of total lunar eclipses) is exact early wednesday morning, october 8th at 3:56am PDT (full moon is exact at 3:51am). total lunar eclipses occur when the earth moves between the sun and moon and blocks out the Light reflecting from the sun to the moon- eclipsing the full moon and turning it a dusky shade of red.
the first in this tetrad series was on april 15th, 2014- and the last two will be on april 4th 2015 and september 27th. all four of them are in the signs of aries and libra- bringing a huge focus to the endings, changes, transformations, death and rebirth experiences playing out in the collective masculine/feminine dynamic and in relationships of all kinds. there is also an interesting mirror effect playing out between this lunar eclipse and the one that will happen april 4th of next year- as they occur one degree apart from each other (this month the eclipse is at 15’05 aries, next april it will be 14’24 libra). so it’s advised to pay attention to what is going on in your life right now as it will be bookended/related to the eclipse in april of next year.
the total lunar eclipse this month is HUGELY significant- perhaps even the most powerful in the whole series for a couple of reasons. first of all this potent total eclipse is conjunct uranus and square pluto- activating the uranus/pluto square that has been ongoing since the first exact square on june 24th 2012 and still has two more exact squares to go (december 14th 2014 and march 16th 2015). this really intense uranus/pluto dynamic has a life of it’s own and when an eclipse comes along to trigger it- it’s can be like throwing more fuel on the already hot and dynamic transformational fire. the april 4th total lunar eclipse will also trigger the uranus/pluto square- making the next 6 months a massive activation of the uranus square pluto energy, perhaps the strongest it has been during the whole 3 1/2 year transit (from june 2012 to march 2015).
to add to this both the moon and uranus will be perigee two days before the eclipse (monday october 6th)- meaning both bodies will be orbiting the closest to earth than they ever do during their cycle. the moon perigee causes higher and lower tides as well as higher emotional energy- and uranus perigee can incite more rebellion, unrest, shake ups and wake up calls. to also add in the fact this eclipse is TOTAL- we see quite the picture shaping up for radical shifts, changes, endings and new beginnings in our personal and collective lives!
***please see my latest post that explains why uranus was NOT perigee this month but the moon was***
http://divineharmony.org/cosmic-insight-divine-harmony/divine-harmony-astrology-blog/perigee-apogee/
the main fixed star in the chart is alpheratz- who is conjunct both the moon and uranus. alpheratz is a fixed star that demands freedom and movement- it does not like being hemmed in. with the moon/uranus conjunction in fiery, restless and impulsive aries- we may find our action/anger/aggression energies heightened! not wanting to be fenced in, reigned in or limited in any way is a likely reaction to this eclipse- yet we want to be careful that we are responding rather than reacting, as the latter done impulsively or without thought or consciousness can get us into trouble!
in the eclipse chart there is a very powerful Grand Fire Trine between moon/uranus in aries, jupiter and black moon lilith in leo and mars in sagittarius. considering mars is the ruler of this lunation and he is out of bounds- meaning he goes beyond the bounds of the sun and has his energy more purely expressed (and also perhaps exacerbated and more reckless)- i see either a recipe for disaster, accidents and unexpected events OR a recipe for action, illumination, inspiration and innovation. of course it really is up to us and how we work with this energy that is the deciding factor about how it will manifest. and wherever mars in sagittarius is transiting in your chart is the area of life where you can really get the ball rolling and move mountains and/or go overboard and recklessly or impulsively get yourself into trouble (so be aware!).
it’s interesting to note that the midpoint of the sun/moon opposition is 15’06 cancer- which is where the fixed star Sirius lies. Sirius is sacred to many ancient cultures- most notably the egyptians who saw it as the Spiritual Sun of our sun. Sirius gives the ability to align the sacred and the profane and to bridge the spiritual with the material. i see Sirius at the midpoint of this very volatile, powerful eclipse as a reminder of the Higher Consciousness we want to tune into so that the changes and transformations we embrace are constructive rather than destructive (although ultimately even destruction will lead to new creation).
the Grand Fire Trine forms a kite aspect with the sun/venus/north node conjunction that is opposite perigee moon and uranus. this potent opposition between sun/moon, conscious/unconscious- aligned with the nodes of evolution/destiny (north) and karmic past (south) is very powerful (and occurs during all total lunar eclipses although sometimes it’s the sun on the south node and other times its the moon). the pull to old ways of dealing with emotions, aggression and anger is strong. in order to move towards the north node and grow beyond our past patterns we have to be willing to do things differently- as it is only when we do something different that we can start to create new neural pathways in the brain. with the libra evolutionary focus we are asked to find balance, work towards peace, and work in harmony with each other- in a way that promotes compromise and collaboration rather than simply sweeping things under the carpet. the sweet aspects between mars and jupiter help us to work more consciously with this opposition- and they also serve to provide an outlet for the tension generated by this total lunar eclipse. mars/jupiter is a great aspect for taking action and can be the guiding energy behind any relationship, financial or value laden areas of life that are being addressed at this time.
one of the major arenas up for transformation is intimate relationships and in the masculine/feminine dynamic here on planet earth. the former tends to be more personal- and i am sure you can think of many examples of relationships in your life or the lives of those around you that in the midst of transformation, evolution or endings. yet the latter is more collective- and it’s something our lovely little planet so desperately needs. there is a huge imbalance in the way the masculine and feminine is expressed in the world around us. there is a tendency for many to live one and project the other- which just contributes to the split between the two which then contributes to shadow dynamics (as what we split off from we will project out onto the Other in both Light and shadow forms). i see this tetrad of eclipses as a call to action to heal this split between masculine and feminine, within and without, assertion and surrender, yin and yang, doing and being. of course humans by nature tend to prefer the safety and security of the past- even if it is thwarting growth- so we often need eruptions in our lives to force us to make changes. and this total lunar eclipse can certainly bring that into our life experience this month!
i am not sure how many of you are aware of the geological activity playing out around the ring of fire of late. in the last week there has been the volcanic eruption in japan, a swarm of 600+ small earthquakes in mammoth california (southern california), as well as the eruption of the kilauea volcano on the big island of hawaii. this could be Mother Earth trying to release pressure and stress, or this could be Mother Earth stirring and giving us a warning of bigger things to come. with uranus you never know what is going to happen- as he brings the unexpected and he rules the unpredictable. the only thing you can do when uranus is involved is trust and be flexible so that you can move with change as its current takes you upstream.
my forte is not predicting geological, political or financial events- my focus is rather on the spiritual and psychological events that astrology causes and/or mirrors (what comes first? the astrology or the inner experience?). so i look at everything as a metaphor- and the rumbling happening in the ring of fire is symbolic to me of the rumbling going in the collective. fire represents Spirit- and there is an awakening of Spirit happening right now. fire also represents anger- and there may very well be things bubbling up in our personal and collective Unconscious that we need to deal with and address. the good news is that if you are proactive about making changes in your life and taking responsibility for your own evolution- then the Higher Mind gifts of uranus and the evolutionary potential of the eclipse opens up to you! this is not to say that as you become more conscious you can control everything more- but rather that as you become more conscious you become better able to be present and centered in your life, no matter what comes at you. and from this place even destruction can be seen as a creative act- birthing you into something new.
at the ISAR conference i just attended one of my favorite astrologers micheal lutin said the key to survival is to be able to adapt to changing situations and to find solutions to problems. he says that that is the whole purpose of human intelligence. so during this powerful, dramatic, exciting time in human history- we’d all do well to focus on change, transformation, evolution and consciousness so that we can adapt and become more innovative in our search for solutions to the problems we are facing on earth. focusing on fear will only cause us to freeze and become ineffectual in our lives. if you find yourself in fear about what might explode/change/unearth on planet earth (which some may be tuning into) rather than try to control that fear- go deeper into it and see where perhaps you are afraid of an explosion/change/unearthing of something in your inner life or personal life is going to happen. since the outer reflects the inner, you may as well start at the Source- yes? :)
for more information on how this very powerful eclipse will impact your chart personally check your weekly horoscopes. if you have anything around 15 degrees of aries, cancer, libra or capricorn- this eclipse has a spotlight on you. just remember- it’s the spotlight of evolution, which may require endings but i promise you right around the corner lay new beginnings. learning to consciously embrace and even proactively facilitate the endings and new beginnings required of you right now is what the path of mastery is all about! it will also make the upcoming 6 months a lot more fun ;)
blessings on all you are being and becoming…
~divine harmony