There is no way to over-emphasize the power of Tuesday’s Total Solar Eclipse & New Moon. Occurring at 18 Degrees of Pisces, the eclipse is forming significant relationships with every collective and transpersonal planet, all of whom are involved in world shaping aspect patterns, and represent the ongoing stories in our lives and human consciousness for the past several years.
USA Solar Eclipse Chart
Historically, eclipses are seen as portentous and ominous events, traditionally bringing with them all of the signatures of change – which in archaic contexts means difficult news, crisis and chaos. Solar Eclipses, occurring always on the new moon, are symbolic of endings and conclusions that of course are often followed by major new beginnings. Total eclipses of all kinds are especially powerful because they really create a pause in the energy (even if it is not visible from your location) – a break from the pattern that we expect. This energetic break is like a window of opportunity for accelerated change and transformation. In fact, I have come to see eclipses as times of revelation, decision, and crossing thresholds. No matter what arrives at the time of an eclipse – whether subtle, amazing or tragic – it is always an experience that we don’t come back from the same. There is never a return to the “normalcy” that once was – rather, we arrive at a NEW normal. This is true for the news that we see during eclipse phases (many immensely tragic events that have shaped our consciousness as a society have occurred around eclipses, thus their ominous reputation), and also for our personal experience. So whether we experience a new birth, or a shocking end, the impact of it is always profound, long lasting, and permanent.
The astrological reason for this is that eclipses ALWAYS occur on an axis that is referred to in Tropical Astrology as the “Nodes of Fate” or “Nodal Axis.” This axis represents the point at which the orbit of the earth and the moon intersect. When a new or full moon occurs in the realm of this axis (this happens every six months), we experience eclipses somewhere in the world. Eclipses or no eclipses, the nodal axis is a significant point in any chart, as it refers to the soul’s evolution and direction. Transits of the nodes, or prominence of the nodes in any given chart often bring fateful experiences – these can be meeting those major people, making those major decisions, or any other critical turning point that brings us closer to our soul’s true course. The nodes are referred to as North and South – North being the direction that we are headed, and South often referring to past life, past experience, and where we have a tendency to become addicted and stuck. Eclipses that occur on the North Node propel us forward – eclipses that occur on the South Node bring about major releases. In every eclipse period there is always a pair, and sometimes even a triplet of eclipses, so we will experience both the north and south nodes and the see-saw of emotions that relates to their ongoing polarity.
This eclipse in Pisces is a South Node eclipse. It is VERY near to the South Node, so since the last full moon, many of us have been experiencing a rapid fire clearing of old emotions. Since the eclipse is in sensitive Pisces and in very close aspect to the asteroid Chiron – an energy that pertains to our deep soul wounds – this is a MAJOR clearing of deep-seated and subconscious issues. These are things that often we have tended to hold onto because they are too sensitive to touch – so rather than face these wounds, we often develop emotional workarounds. So even though Chiron is only one small piece of this very complex astrological puzzle – this component to the energies is like the symbol of Chiron itself – it feels very much like the KEY to the whole configuration.
Chiron is often described in a simple manner as being about wounding and healing – but this energy is very interesting, because it is also a profound teacher. It is the bridge between Saturn (A planet which shows us our insecurities, weaknesses and responsibilities) and Uranus (The energy of the divine mind & fearless individuality). Like Saturn, Chiron urges us to face our fears and problems, to deeply and completely LEARN from them and heal through the refinement of our wounded tendencies – and like Uranus, Chiron aspires to transcend the state of woundedness to come into the higher actualization of our Chiron issues so that we can BECOME that healing force in the world in the realm and sign archetypes that are represented by our natal Chiron.
With Chiron’s placement in Pisces conjunct the South Node & the Solar Eclipse, I am finding one of the themes of the energy is around experiences concerning victimhood. This came to me as particularly pertaining to compassion and empathy – times in our lives past (and even very present for many) where empathy was not received and even times when we did not give empathy or compassion to someone who needed it. It is likely that these things correlate – where we have not received empathy and compassion is usually the precise area where we find it difficult to show this empathy and compassion to others. The wound inflicted by the experience of judgment in our time of need can be so sensitive that we are not even conscious of our lack of compassion until some later time. We can even feel that offering acceptance to another in the area where we feel wounded is tangibly painful for us and so avoid doing so, masking our pain with a negative reaction. The overarching themes of victimhood and sacrifice that arise from the Pisces archetype are, as I see it, deeply entwined with the emerging desire for a true sense of empowered individuality for all people, in all situations. Clinging to the role of the victim is where we are hung up in our progress. We identify so easily with what causes us pain that we subconsciously support the illusion that our painful experiences must continue to define what we are capable of being, creating, etc. But the need for change is POWERFUL. On a large scale, there is now an extremely obvious state of unrest over human rights issues of all kinds – and on a smaller scale, many are feeling a similar unrest with regard to their personal relationships, workplace politics, and other sources of authority past and present. There has been dissatisfaction with the overall structure of things for a long time now. On a personal level, many of us have been making changes to move away from stuck attitudes and paradigms, opting for a more pioneering approach. But in order to truly embark upon these ventures, what we most need to let go of is our toxic identification with this inner victim.
The overwhelming energy of this chart is actually one of opportunity and vision. What we want is RIGHT THERE in front of us, it’s ALREADY available to us. What we’re needing to release right now are the things within our consciousness that prevent us from believing that we can do the things we most deeply desire. Receiving is an essential aspect of giving. Many of us have a very difficult time truly receiving and accepting gifts. These gifts can come in so many forms and capacities – they can be gifts of insight that seem so far-fetched to us that we immediately dismiss them, they can be physical gifts of appreciation that we are not certain of accepting due to feelings of unworthiness, perhaps, or suspicion – and they can also be opportunities that we immediately assume must be “too good to be true.” Accepting gifts, trusting others, and learning to embrace major upgrades without the feeling that there’s strings attached or a secret catch, is actually a part of our work towards more individual empowerment and collective unity.
There are a lot of ideas in the collective right now that many people want to make a reality, but what’s coming to me is that it can be hard for us to come together and unite because of our cynicism and fearfulness about the reliability of other people. Can we work together? Do our visions really align? Is it really possible to have functional, respectful partnerships? Is group action in our fragmented world a real thing or is it just some silly, idealistic notion of times past?
Part of the anxiety feels like because in recent years, we’ve been doing SO MUCH emotional & spiritual work on ourselves that pertained to our more troublesome relationship dynamics that we now carry a reluctance to fully embrace others again. But we are actually done with that work for the most part and the people that we need to be around in the NOW have already entered our lives, and it is time to start doing something with those connections. Of course, there is an ongoing process between the moment of insight and the realization of the vision – but I feel that this is a time of major breakthrough with regards to getting OURSELVES out of the way and doing something for the greater good. This is a time about really trusting the process -- that our pure intentions are received, supported, and guided. There is something much bigger at work – something that is beyond us, and if we can just surrender to that, what we need WILL happen.
The other point that’s important to note is about a release of the ego – whether the ego is shouting in disagreement with our intentions or whether it is on a course of grandiosity, there is truly no room for this in a higher spiritual sense. This phase of change is not about that – it is a collaborative energy. It is not about you and what you want to do and them and what they want to do – it’s about what NEEDS to be DONE, what we can personally contribute, and who we can connect and partner with to have a greater impact & a broader reach. This is a major purging of the collective consciousness, which is in essence, also a sort of space clearing. This energy is about the collective coming together – and that is what Pisces energy really is about – the collective, and needing to make collective choices, having collective gatherings, and working for the greater good of all… rather than continuing to operate in our typical individualistic mentality. The work for us as individuals IS, however, the work of being egoless -- not about surrendering to others, per se, but about surrendering to the higher vision of the mission and spirit of service. The message that I am receiving is that this is the only way to truly collaborate with others, and it is a skill that we so desperately need to cultivate. What the challenge seems to be is the question of HOW? Not because the idea is so far-fetched, but HOW do diverse groups of people truly get on the same page, spiritually speaking, for a collaborative humanitarian mission? Can we put our human selves aside well enough to do it? It seems we won’t know until we try – and what we are experiencing now is really preparation for this next phase, which feels quite significant to our evolution. Even if this perspective seems idealistic, there is a sense that there is real possibility here due to the incredible malleability of the social structures in this moment.
I believe that many people are aware of this transition in consciousness, even if subtly. There is a lot of soul searching going on about what we truly want – and this is one of those times when we should put some real energy into that vision: If there were no obstacles to the life we wish existed for us – be it monetary, societal & social, or personality driven (in the case of personal relationships) – What would that life look like? What would it feel like? Who would we be in that world? And if you don’t know what your vision is, try to focus on the feelings you most wish you had – is it comfort? Is it success? Acclaim? Financial security? Love? Community? Freedom? And then expand the scene from there. The energy of the vision feels so incredibly strong right now, and I feel that the reason the release over our victimhood is simultaneously just as strong is because the truth is that we cannot move fully into the ideal relationship, the ideal career, or the ideal ANYTHING as long as we are carrying baggage about how this or that thing has failed for us in the past.
It might not necessarily seem like a cause-effect situation either. Sometimes we’re carrying wounds about things that are weighing us down and we don’t even realize how they are affecting our life. They can be small things or real intense and profound things – but if we take the time to look inwardly and explore the most prickly of our inner emotions, particularly those that might be arising right now in the reflection of our lives – we might be surprised to discover hang ups that are creating obstacles to our growth that we were previously unable to perceive.
What we have the opportunity to do in 2016 is rewrite our truth. What we are being presented with, in many cases, is a strange combination of the dying past reminding us of its true end – and new opportunities that are so beyond our typical scope of vision that we’re having to wade through a mountain of insecurities that we never knew existed. The first answer to the question of HOW seems to be surrendering to fear and uncertainty by really looking at the part that feels tense, wound up and sensitive. The second answer is truly, wholly, and genuinely beginning to ACCEPT the possibilities that are before us. Because stepping into the idea that we are powerful enough as people to actually CREATE something of real substance in this world using our personal brand of ingenuity, motivation and drive, can be pretty scary. But this is that decisive moment between helping another in need or choosing to lick the wounds of our own ancient problems. Do we keep feeding the monster that impairs us, or do we transmute our feeling of lack and failure to one that can see another’s hurt before our own? Can we recognize that to spite our failures past, that we still have the capacity to give and enrich others with our unique talents? Can we embrace the power of what we could give, if only we allowed ourselves to do so?
Of course I am talking a great deal about this on a large and more public scale, in terms of our work in the world as a collective – but this also applies directly to our personal lives and challenges. The mutable energy of 2016 as a whole is prime for really working through and transforming mental constructions that inhibit us from having the reality that we wish for. Under this climate if you can dream it – and REALLY see yourself where you want to be in all senses – you can create it. Now is a time for finding our happiness, speaking our real truth, and fearlessly walking our talk. This is a time for meeting people, connecting with mentors, doing our service, and perfecting routines. It is a time to let go of our guilt or lack of forgiveness. A time to be humble, and tune in to the compassionate heart.
Use this window of opportunity for the expansion of your wellbeing – and the wellbeing of those around you! Really listen for the messages of change that arrive during this eclipse cycle.
USA Lunar Eclipse Chart
A very quick note on the Lunar Eclipse which is to occur on March 23 – I expected I would write two articles this month, but after writing this one, I realized that these insights apply to the logic of both eclipse charts – Tuesdays Solar Eclipse really sets the tone and creates the need for clearing the space, emptying out, letting go, and getting ready for the new – and the Lunar Eclipse in Libra orients us toward forward movement and human connections. The Libra eclipse especially brings in the aspect of connecting with those towards whom we can be of service, whom we can serve with, and whom can serve us. The Lunar eclipse also forms a strong aspect to Mars in Sagittarius, which really triggers the energy of action. We will likely feel by the full moon a sense of culmination and also perhaps completion with reference to the past several years of deep relationship work. We’ve established the groundwork for what feels right and appropriate to us in relationship (with ourselves, with each other, with life, in love, in business, and in friendships) – now it is a matter of beginning to implement these changes fully empowered. The face of how we relate is evolving at a fundamental level – and the bottom line of it is one of more care, more deep authenticity, and more freedom.
So this was very long and involved, I know – but all of these insights have been coming to me and asking to be shared, so I really hope that this is helpful and clarifying during this challenging month!!!
Note that I do offer personal readings, and will be extending my special through March 23 for 15% off on readings using the code “CELESTIAL” through my checkout page to make readings more accessible to those who are in need of deeper personal insight at this time.
Sending love to you and yours... Enjoy the beauty & power of March's transformations.