the total lunar eclipse in libra, the third total lunar eclipse in a series of four that span from 2014-2015 (known as a tetrad of lunar eclipses), is exact on saturday april 4th, 2015 at 5:05am PDT. this marks the midpoint of the eclipse portal we are in that began with the total solar eclipse at 29 pisces on march 20th, which occurred just 13 hours before the spring equinox was exact. that first solar eclipse was special because it was total, it was at the last degree of the entire zodiac and it was on the same day as the equinox. it was even more special because of the rare event (that only beings at the north pole could see) that involved the solar eclipse occurring right before the sun crossed the horizon to commence 6 months of polar day (the 1/2 of the year where the sun comes above the horizon in the north pole). this very rare event (i am not even sure of when it last occurred if it even has- i am currently immersed in research)- made this total solar eclipse quite rare and symbolically significant (it was a powerful rebirth of the sun!). with all of these special/rare events opening up this eclipse portal- i am sure you can see (and feel) how very unique and powerful this lunar cycle is right now.
well the total lunar eclipse is also special in it’s own right! if you heard around the internet that the last eclipse was connected to an eclipse 19 years ago in 1996 and it was the ending of one chapter and start of another- that statement actually applies to this eclipse (the lunar one) and not the solar one. there was no metonic return for that eclipse (which is when an eclipse repeats itself 19 years later on the exact same day and/or at the exact same degree) and there also was no connection to an eclipse in 1996 that was of the same saros cycle (family of eclipses). but this total lunar eclipse IS a metonic return of a total lunar eclipse on april 4th 1996- so the imagery of a 19 year cycle ending and beginning is linked to this eclipse and is of significance.
in a bit i will look at the lunar eclipse chart from 1996 as well as the first eclipse chart in the saros series (which goes back to 1022!)- but i am going to leave that more technical information for the end of this article so that people who are not as interested in that can read the first part and get the ‘gist’ of the eclipse and people interested in going deeper can do so at the end :)
one thing i do want to say is that when an eclipse has a metonic return- we have the same degree being activated 19 years apart by an amplified full moon (which is what lunar eclipses are). so something that was being brought to fruition, culmination, completion or crisis back in april of 1996 (give or take a few months) is back on our radar. some of us were young children then. for me it was the year i graduated high school! yet for all of us there is a relationship to the energy then and the energy now- and you can see this eclipse like a doorway we move through that takes us out a long hall we have been navigating since april of 1996 (which was a time we moved through a doorway out of another long hall/journey that was the start of all this on april 4th 1977 when the first april 4th eclipse in this series began). so if you were around in 1977 you can look back to that year as well as 1996 and then to today in 2015 and look to see a common thread that links all 3 gates or thresholds. if you happen to have something in your natal chart that is around 14-15 libra (or aries, cancer or capricorn) this is even more poignant for you- so it would be worth your while to look at your natal chart (you can do so on astro.com).
this is the 3rd total lunar eclipse in a series of four (called a tetrad)- and all of the eclipses occur in the signs of aries or libra: the signs of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine. when the first eclipse began this tetrad cycle i commented in the eclipse blog then that i saw all of these total lunar eclipses in aries and libra as a major sea change involving endings and new beginnings in how the masculine and feminine relates to each other. when a dynamic changes both parties or energies have to adapt to it or they have to end their association because they are heading in different directions in life. sure enough we did begin to see dissolution of long standing unions (in the public eye of celeb couples but also in our personal lives)- where relationships that had gotten stagnant, stuck or were no longer working came to an end. yet in my personal practice i also saw relationships that were in need of a major shift and transformation go through intense portals of change- and the couples came out the other end and were able to shift into the next stage of their relationship’s evolution.
on a personal level wherever we are at with the aries/libra balance is definitely up for review. if we default to aries and tend to be selfish, overly independent, aggressive, argumentative and angry- then the eclipses have been shining a Light on where our yang has gotten out of balance with our yin. on the other hand if we default to libra and tend to be overly compromising, overly focused on others at the expense of ourselves and overly focused on what people think/want/feel about us- then the eclipses have been shining a Light on where your yin has gotten out of balance with our yang. ultimately these eclipses are on opportunity to rebalance the scales: of yin and yang, of receptivity and assertion, of feminine and masculine, of surrendering and taking a stand. this can manifest externally in relationships dynamics that mirror for us our inner imbalances- yet it’s also very much playing out inwardly and we’d do well to focus within and take back the projections onto others so we can do the deep healing and clearing work that is available to us now.
in the eclipse chart the moon is in libra on the north node- showing us that our evolution is tied up with dealing with and processing Unconscious emotions and feelings that we may have swept under the carpet in order to not upset the apple cart in our lives. yet the moon and north node opposes all the aries planets (mercury, south node, sun and uranus) showing us that some fiery, potent energy is brewing beneath the libran veneer. the positive side of the libra energy is to work to find balance between our feelings and needs and that of others- but if we over do the libran energy of needing peace and harmony at any cost, all that aries energy opposite the eclipse can come out in unexpected, explosive and/or chaotic ways.
the uranus/pluto square may be over (the last of seven squares was on 3/16) but this eclipse activates it big time (uranus is conjunct the sun/opposite the moon and pluto is square both of them creating a T-square formation with pluto the planet of death and rebirth as the apex/outlet for it all). because eclipses have an effect of 6 months before and after- we can feel the uranus/pluto energy with us until the next eclipse season in the fall. uranus square pluto has come into our collectives consciousness and personal lives to shake things up to wake us up! they have also brought breakdowns to that which is old, toxic, stagnant and stuck. yet the point of those breakdowns is to clear out that which holds us back. we need to do this clearing work first before we can move into the breakthrough phase, which is the other side of the uranus/pluto square coin so-to-speak.
the ruler of this lunation is venus who is in taurus and she is one of the dispositors of the whole chart (a dispositor is a planet that many if not all the other planets in the chart defer back to). the other dispositor is neptune in pisces! so we have the lower heart (venus) and the Higher Heart (neptune) governing the whole eclipse chart! this is amazing and it bodes well for navigating the intense emotional or relational terrain IF we can stay connected to our hearts.
it’s interesting to note that venus makes no aspects (other than a semi square minor aspect)- so she stands alone in the chart. when a planet is unaspected it can be stronger in it’s energy but also more removed from our ability to access it’s gifts. venus in taurus is embodied, grounded, aware of earth and the physical experience. emotional healing work done right now should be done in tandem with bodywork or deep connection to nature (so go out and get your hike on!). the other dispositor neptune links up harmoniously with mercury in aries- which is great for connection to our intuition and Higher Self and then taking action/speaking up based on what we feel/see or hear. it’s also great for speaking our Truth and/or taking action compassionately. “Love without action is meaningless and action without love is irrelevant.” (deepak chopra) when you link action oriented mercury in aries with loving, compassionate neptune in pisces you have the capacity to bridge both Love and action in powerful, transformative ways!
we have a couple powerful fixed stars aligned in the eclipse chart as well. venus, the chart ruler, is parallel arcturus- which helps us deal with long-standing situations that seem to go no where with a new or different approach. and the most significant is the sun/moon midpoint which is conjunct sirius- a powerful fixed star that is about bridging the sacred and the profane and bringing heaven down to earth (this is about descension rather than ascension!). these potent fixed stars take the eclipse chart up a couple of notches- so there’s a lot of High frequency, Divine illumination energy coming through this lunation for sure!
now if this is enough for you no need to read on… but if you want to go more in-depth into the metonic return and saros series i mentioned above then keep reading…
so this eclipse harkens back to 19 years ago on april 4th 1996 (in the UK, it was later afternoon of april 3rd in the USA but still the same degree as this years eclipse) when another total lunar eclipse in libra occurred. so there are bookends between april 4th 1996 and april 4th 2015- and there is a deep relationship playing out between the two. if you know your chart, checking for placements in aspect to 14-15 libra can be insightful. doing a little journeying or active imagination can help you to discover what may have been going on for you back then that is coming full circle now.
what is fascinating in the 1996 eclipse chart is we have a T-square in that chart as well between sun/mars/south node in aries opposite moon/chiron/north node in libra, and all of them are square to jupiter in capricorn. jupiter is very close to the degree that pluto is right now- they are less than one degree out. so some deep opening in 1996 around healing the split of masculine/feminine, self/other began in a big way back then and is coming to the next phase of it’s evolution right now.
another really significant thing to take note of is that saturn is at 29 pisces- the degree of the total solar eclipse that happened last week (march 20th)! so saturn on the omega degree in this chart, just about to move into the alpha degree (0 aries)- points to a huge cycle completing and a new one commencing. and this is mirrored by the solar eclipse at 29 pisces that just happened on the equinox. i see the solar eclipse activating the 1996 eclipse chart as a push to really fully end what was coming to an end then. it could be something personal around boundaries, denial, delusion, over sensitivity without the means to manage, addiction, victimization, or playing the martyr (all shadow expressions of pisces). it can also most definitely relate to something more collective- with similar energies playing out (i.e. where are we in denial collectively? where do we as a humanity turn to addictions (iphones/internet/porn/drugs/alcohol/shopping) to numb out and not see what is really going on?).
eclipses are also part of families of eclipses that get organized in saros series. this eclipse is part of the lunar saros series 122 which started with the first lunar eclipse on august 14th 1022. you can understand the deep foundation of an eclipse when you look at the chart of the first eclipse in the series. so i ran this chart and saw some amazing things i want to share.
first of all the lunar saros 122 commencement chart has the sun in leo opposite the moon and saturn in aquarius. there are heavy energies of mastery, karma and lessons when it comes to ME versus WE, self-focus and attainment of desires and collective focus and understanding the implications of actions taken on everyone and everything (not just on me and my personal experience).
in addition the ruler of this lunation is uranus in gemini who harmoniously links up with venus AND mars- the Divine Lovers who are the rulers of libra and aries, the signs of the moon and sun in the april 4th 2015 total lunar eclipse chart. uranus with venus and mars shows the focus on the evolution of partnership and the dynamic dance between masculine and feminine, within and without.
and last, but certainly not least, in the lunar saros 122 chart we have venus in libra within 2 degrees of the total lunar eclipse of 2015 chart! so the degree that is being activated this year and was activated in 1996 and 1977 is within orb of the natal venus in the first eclipse that began this whole series. this is significant- it’s like the Universe giving us a hint and telling us that the focus of this whole lunar series will be on how to find balance in our relationships and in the world around us. yet this learning can come by way of some hard hitting lessons in personal responsibility, integrity and mastery (saturn on the moon speaks to that).
one other poignant point in the saros chart is pluto on the galactic center- harmoniously linking up with the sun opposite moon. the galactic center is also known as the Great Rift. if you go outside late at night where it’s clear and you can see the stars- the center of the milky way that looks kind of cloudy is the Great Rift (as a child i thought there were real clouds obscuring that part of the sky every night!). the galactic center is seen as the Great Cosmic Womb of the Divine Mother out of which everything was birthed and back into which everything will return (like a black hole) to be consumed and returned to the state of the original Void or Abyss.
pluto on the GC is super potent- and it is energizing both the sun and moon in the saros chart- so there are some powerfully intense cosmic energies filtering through this whole eclipse series as a result. the focus of the GC is on evolution, consciousness and awakening- and with pluto there the awakening is by way of deep transformation, death and rebirth experiences. this is potent energy and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. and when you come back to the original total solar eclipse chart for april 4th 2015- we see the whole libra/aries dynamic and we are reminded of conscious, evolutionary partnership.
conscious partnership is not the easy path. if you want to be safe, secure and coddled- conscious relationship is not for you. and when i say relationship i don’t just mean romantic- i mean brother/sister, parent/child, best friends, sworn enemies, humanity with planet earth, earth with the cosmos! conscious relationship is a means for transformation. it is an outer reflection of an inner process- and that inner process requires that we face both our shadow and our Light- so that will all get brought up in the face of conscious partnership. i see this lunar eclipse coming up next week as another activation point in a long process of evolution- in our personal lives, collectively, in regards to humanity and to the cosmos at large.
i highly recommending taking time out of your busy life on the day of the eclipse to be in ceremony, to connect to your body and/or to the land (or both!). take time to honor what is coming to fruition, completion or even crisis in your life! crisis points precede major shifts in consciousness. so it’s key that you stay the course and not get stuck in the breakdown and miss out on the breakthrough that lays just on the other side.
yours in the transformational fires!
~divine harmony