A Full Moon Eclipse of Illusion versus Spiritual Mission

Wednesday’s early morning Full Moon eclipse will be an exciting event astronomically. A Lunar Eclipse, most simply put, is when the Earth’s orbit passes between the Sun and the Moon, and the shadow of our planet is cast onto the Moon, whereby she takes on her temporary red hue. This event has also been termed a “Blue” Moon, because the second Full Moon in the same month (there was also one on January 1st) and as well a “Super” Moon because the Moon is far closer to the earth. This is also a lunar eclipse that will be visible especially in California, and so it will be a blood-red Moon on the western horizon here, just before sunrise. The Moon, at 11 + of Leo, also makes an inconjunct or quincunx aspect to Neptune, while the Sun aspects Neptune as well, a semi-sextile. This brings Neptune strongly into the picture, along with Venus and Saturn. We have noted the presence lately of all the outer planets, including Eris, and this Full Moon is no exception, with the emphasis on Neptune, while a stationing Jupiter in Scorpio makes a close quincunx aspect with Eris in Aries. The recent New Moon from the middle of the month featured Uranus and Pluto. Transformation is in the air, and there is also confusion and illusion, as well as the spiritual dimension represented by strong Neptune. We hardly know what to think, so many and varied points of view are continually being represented, with “fake” news becoming a much-referenced meme. It is increasingly up to each individual to take their own individual decision as to what they stand for, consistent also with the strong presence of Eris, a Feminine Warrior energy for powerfully expressing deep soul intention, The message is to figure out what is true, for you, and to take action based on that bottom-line value.

With the Sun in Aquarius and the Moon in Leo, this Lunar Eclipse (and upcoming Solar Eclipse in Aquarius) mirrors the configurations of the eclipses we experienced in August of 2017, so that you may wish to take a moment and recall what was happening in your life during that time as we move forward into this early 2018 eclipse season. What the Leo-Aquarius axis holds in meaning can point our awareness to considering the interface between the individual and the collective. Leo is the only sign ruled by the Sun, and it speaks of radiant personality, fiery creativity, and individual expression, while the Aquarius archetype is more concerned with the collective state of affairs. This latter sign tends to create a perspective that’s more contemplative or detached from strictly personal circumstance. Aquarius is also said to be the sign associated with the development of the Internet. We live in a time when information moves with lightning speed, and we can see the boundaries of personal experience becoming more fluid and blurred into the realm of collective consciousness. We also have a strong Capricorn influence now, so we may come to see more clearly the responsibility required to navigate a world where humanity’s technological capabilities are developing so quickly that our morals, ethics, and cultural values are struggling to keep pace. We are seeing children growing up on screens, and we have little sense of how that will affect them in the long term. We can reach more people with one tweet than our grandparents probably knew in their lifetime. It is truly a modern miracle that we each have to potential to impact the world in ways our fore-fathers (and -mothers) could only have dreamed. Our power to emit ripples of consciousness through the world at the tap of a screen or the click of a mouse is astounding, and it can lead to many questions about what it means to be in connection, including the question indicated above as to which values are truly your own. You may wish to be in meditation around an inquiry of where your personal experience ends and the collective experience begins. How do you cross back and forth between the two? And can you maintain some semblance of privacy in the process?

Venus is also highlighted in this eclipse chart, conjoined with the Sun and the South Node, and in strong connection with the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter by extremely close declinational aspect. This speaks to the ways in which we relate to others in a very human, flesh and bone kind of way, along with the values and principles of beauty, aesthetics and pleasure. Her position could indicate an intensification of interpersonal relationship in the timing of this eclipse season, as well as conversations we might be having around self-worth.

Another very interesting factor in this Lunar Eclipse is that the asteroid Ceres occupies the same position in the sky as the Moon – almost to the minute. Ceres is the great mother goddess of the harvest, symbolizing the distribution of food and resources. Her mythology is multifaceted, and many astrologers agree that her position in a chart indicates themes around one’s relationship with the maternal faculty of giving/receiving nourishment and sustenance, or its lack. The prominence of both Venus and Ceres in this chart is quite telling – indicating the way in which we relate to and nourish each other, both food-wise and also intellectually. There is additionally to be considered the abundance of ‘connection’ we have available to us via the Internet and technology, yet also how many are starved for true, genuine, nourishing human connection. With these feminine symbols so prominently placed, we can see the turning of the wheel, as the imbalanced patriarchal society continues to self-destruct and evolve – hopefully to the benefit and support of every person’s highest good and well being. These are certainly trying times in which we live, and eclipses are potent windows, moments of intensity when much can be shifted and reorganized. The potentials are vast. The fervent hope is that every being feel and embody their true nature of belonging, worth and inherent connectedness.

The Sabian Symbols for this Full Moon eclipse are also of interest. They are, for the Sun in the twelfth degree of Aquarius, “People on stairs graduated upwards.” This symbol could be taken as representing human evolution. Marc Edmund Jones comments, “there are limitless levels on which [an individual] may bring aspiration to a momentary consummation, and no one of these alone can offer sufficient ground for [one’s] own ultimate self-fulfillment. [This symbol stands for] genuine capitalization on all prior accomplishment.” For the Moon, in the same degree of Leo, we find, “An evening lawn party,” a symbol referencing the social results of all individual effort, represented by Leo. Jones references, “the inherent normality through which [an individual] shares the fruits of his personal accomplishments [receiving] definite recognition of its worth [inclining toward] genuine social maturity and an effective capacity for working with others.” Indeed our efforts are somewhat wasted if we hide our light under a bushel basket and fail to share and act upon our hard-earned wisdom with others around us. It might be important in these fractious times to recognize that apathy is the enemy of social progress and the enabler of tyrants.