the total lunar eclipse/full blood moon at 0’52 leo is exact on sunday january 20th 2019 at 9:16pm PST. this eclipse is visible in north and south america and is total so lasts a while so please check online for the time of the eclipse window in your respective time zone. this is the midpoint of the lunar cycle we are in that began with the partial solar eclipse in capricorn on january 5th. that was the first of the capricorn eclipses- of which we have 3 this year- and this is the last of the leo eclipses for the next 7-8 years. the eclipses are always aligned with the nodes of the moon- and since the nodes changed signs last november to cancer/capricorn we are moving into new eclipse territory.
the solar eclipse on january 5th kicked off the biggest astrology of the year- the Capricorn Confluence. we are in a trilogy of years from 2018 to 2020 that build off of each other and the focus is on capricorn and that which is dying, needing to detox, transform and/or be released. death and transformation is happening where capricorn is- the sign of patriarchy, government and big business. this is also the sign of tradition and the ways in which we have always done things. we are all being asked to rethink what we have always done- as if we keep doing what we have always done we will keep getting what we have always got. when it comes to the earth and the environment if we keep doing what we have always done we won’t survive as a species. yet on the smaller level we can all look to see what area of our life we are being asked to massively shift in- the place where keeping on doing what we have always done is keeping us stuck, stagnant and holding back our evolution (listen to the weekly horoscopes and yearly horoscopes to see where this plays out for you sign).
this total lunar eclipse is a north node eclipse- meaning it’s aligned with the north node of destiny and evolution. the north node is in cancer- the sign of the Mother and the lunar/watery feminine, while the lunar eclipse is in the 1st degree of leo which is the sign of the Self and the solar masculine. the south node is in capricorn and the sun (which is always opposite the full moon) is in aquarius- both of which are traditionally ruled by saturn. saturn is the patriarch and the Great Father- and shadow saturn is where we limit ourselves, hold ourselves back and where we carry patriarchal karma. saturn in capricorn has fear of being out of control, fear of loss of power and authority, fear of the unknown and fear of change. saturn is also the archetype of the Inner Critic- that inner voice that guilts and shames us.
with saturn ruling the south node and sun- we are being asked to let go of limitations, karmic patterns, toxicity and what we hold onto out of fear of safety and security. with the north node in cancer and the lunar eclipse in leo- we are being asked to embrace and integrate the feminine and the masculine, the yin and the yang, the lunar self and the solar self. since may 2017 when the north node first moved into leo we have had lessons about coming more into our hearts, our creativity, our authenticity and originality. leo is the sign of the sun- which represents both the ego and the Self (the jungian concept of Self meaning total integration of all parts of self- persona, shadow, conscious, Unconscious and more). with the north node in leo we have all been asked to come into a healthy relationship with ego. some spiritual traditions speak of destroying the ego but that is just an introjection of the projected war consciousness we see all over the planet. when you feel there is something bad to be destroyed you are not focused on unity you are focused on duality. and when something bad to be destroyed lies within- can you see how destructive that can be? so with leo we want to come into a healthy relationships with ego- ego as container for Spirit and Soul- rather than ego as controller of everything. this level of ego expression leads us to realization of the total Self.
so this final leo eclipse is the last hurrah for stepping up in our radiance, our self esteem, our self confidence and heart centered self-expression. wherever leo is in your chart is where this lunar light is shining and giving you a last hit of expansion (listen to your weekly horoscopes for more info). this eclipse is trine chiron- showing us that deep and profound healing around our sense of self, individuality and capacity to have agency while charting the destiny of our life is possible! yet this eclipse is also square uranus- reminiscent of the uranus squares and oppositions of last year with mars and venus retrograde (both of which crossed back and forth over the 1st degree of fixed signs aquarius and scorpio). there is also an element of surprise, of the unexpected present. yes we have agency and there’s also places where we are not in control. can we be like the serenity prayer and accept the things we cannot change, embrace the courage to change the things we can, and have the wisdom to know the difference?
this eclipse also forms a tense aspect with venus, jupiter and neptune who are currently in a potent configuration from january 20th through the 22nd. the first of 3 jupiter/neptune squares was on january 13th- and this is one of the biggest transits of 2019. there’s a lot of vision, idealism, inspiration and imagination inherent in this square but there can also be a lot of confusion, illusion, escapism, idealism, denial, avoidance of reality and spiritual bypassing. venus is triggering these two at the time of this eclipse with the exact venus/neptune square just an hour before the lunation and the venus/jupiter conjunct on january 22nd. with this eclipse tensely triggering both we are challenged to see through illusions so we can see reality. having a healthy sense of self so we are not seeking to escape through others, through substances or pursuit of external things is key. a beautiful open heart needs to be balanced by healthy boundaries to be effective in the world. dreams need to be followed by conscious action to be brought into manifestation.
with all the planets in forward motion- not a single one retrograde right now- and with mars in aries we are wanting to get a move on in life! but let’s be sure that what we set into motion is done with awareness and consciousness. the pursuit of pipe dreams can lead us down the wrong path which eventually we will have to face and circle back around to the place we fell of the path. discerning intuition from fear or fantasy is key right now- as it’s easy to confuse the one for the other and more so its easy to delude ourselves into thinking we are coming from the Highest Place.
it’s also important to note that we have 4 dispositors in this chart- meaning 4 planets in the signs they rule. when a planet is in the sign it rules it is very strong and wants to be in charge so to speak. we have mars in aries, jupiter in sagittarius, saturn in capricorn and neptune in pisces. we have the yang, masculine will planet in his own sign (mars in aries) making him extra assertive, aggressive and dominant. we have the two teacher planets in their own signs- with the Great Benefic jupiter in expansive, lucky, adventurous sagittarius and the Great Task Master saturn in hard working, disciplined, realistic capricorn. and then we have the Higher Heart neptune in his own dreamy, intuitive, mystical and otherworldly sign of pisces. each are vying for authority and yet the key is to integrate them all so that we can take action/assert our boundaries (mars), believe in ourselves and take risks (jupiter), have integrity and show up to do the work (saturn)- all the while being led by the Heart Heart, compassion and altruism (neptune). yet if any of these principles are difficult for us to express OR are something we overdo in a karmic way- we can be faced with lessons about said integration.
we also have saturn opposing sirius- a signifiant transit that plays out all year long. sirius is the Spiritual Sun of our sun- and all ancient mystical cultures revered this star from egyptian to hawaiian to mayan and celtic and more. sirius shines Bright Light onto our planet and with saturn opposite it there can be a get real energy playing out this year- requiring us to see where the Great Light we have as potential needs to be anchored into reality with more embodiment and grounding. as jung said ‘enlightenment is not about imagining figures of Light but of making the darkness conscious’ and if you ask any person who has had a spiritual awakening they will let you know that the awakening did not all of a sudden make life 100% perfect and infinitely expansive but that it actually brought all that was unresolved, out of integrity or in the shadows up to the surface to be addressed. just like a kundalini awakening shakes loose all the blockages in the chakras- a spiritual awakening brings Light to all the shadows in the psyche. saturn with sirius demands we get real- embody more, face our shadows more so we can retain more Light. the Spiritual teachings of Sirius bring a high frequency of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom but the descent of and embodiment of these teachings is not a walk in the park. it takes integrity, self mastery and a commitment to showing up to do the work- day after day, moment to moment. it takes a willingness to see ALL opportunities as ones in which we can use the experience to wake up more (both the good, the bad and the ugly). and 2019 will provide us with ample opportunities to do just that (listen to my yearly astrology forecast video for the full download- click here to access it https://divineharmony.com/yearly-astrological-forecast/2019-yearly-astrology-forecast-video/
i leave you with the star sparks meditation for 1 leo- which is quite potent and when i read the title i had to laugh. ‘a divorced husband and wife enjoying each other’s company’. in this degree ellias talks about polarities and the illusion of duality and this versus that, good versus bad, right versus wrong. he talks about how our ‘real life begins when we are thrown out of the illusion- no longer the star performer in the happy story’. a divorce- literally or metaphorically- can seem like a bad thing but like the tower card in the tarot sometimes things need to be destroyed because the container they held was too small for the expansive being we need to become. ellias says that ‘what counts is where we go with the fulfillment of our fears, the destruction of our naive assumptions and wishes. will we wake up in the appropriate moment, cast loose what we only lightly took on, and enter upon the life that awaits those who are here for something more than what we all get lost in youthfully’? this is an eclipse to question our desires and where the pursuit of them are leading us. are we being led by Spirit or are we being led by the ego? remember there is nebulous neptune present- and it can be easy to think a path or a person or a possession is what we really want or need. this is a time to choose from the position of the Self and the Spirit- it is a time to be led by the Higher Heart. letting go of old ideas of who we are and what we need and where we are going is required right now. with the Capricorn Confluence so potent this year- we can purge some massive karmic and bring completion to old stories we have been stuck in for who knows how many lifetimes. and this is the year to commit to this process above all else!
have a blessed eclipse…
~divine harmony
STAR SPARKS MEDITATION
by ellias lonsdale
Leo 1 A divorced husband and wife enjoying each other’s company
Each and every polarity we weave exists in fundamental opposition to each and every counter polarity. These worlds tend to pull apart in the stresses of modern life. And when our world comes apart, we burst open and we soon find that the enormity, the pressure, the struggle yields to grace, to freedom, to joy, to love resurgent.
Yet it usually takes the breaking of the vessel, the shattering of the image before we come to our senses. We like to inhabit positions, to believe in roles, to identify with a certain way of life over another. Our outer consciousness delights endlessly in filling these containers of form with our own special touches of the ways we can do it. And when the intense sociocultural sphere contains endless images parading before our inner eye, we can select our own and play it out and imagine somehow that this is the only way to go.
So we insist upon the drama of the karmas being once again enacted in full fleshly form before our very eyes with our own rapt abandon to the occasion. And we make as much as we can out of this romantic and tragic, funny and endlessly entangling way to be just this one played off against just that one.
Our real life begins when we are thrown out of the illusion, suddenly no longer the star performer in the happy story. Then what counts is where we go with the fulfillment of our fears, the destruction of our naïve assumptions and wishes. Will we wake up in the appropriate moment, cast loose what we only lightly took on, and enter upon the life that awaits those who are here for something more than what we all get lost in youthfully.
Inside that something more, a second life unfolds, with a void self, a selfless vessel in the central position. It’s not as divesting, nor so heroic and fascinating. But showing up is what we get to do at last.