New Moon, Total Solar Eclipse at 28 LEO 53
August 21, 2:30pm EDT, 11:30am PDT,
August 22, 4:30am AEST
Image: Photo of July 28, 1851 eclipse over Russia by Julius Berkowski, first successful photograph of a total solar eclipse.
Was it was a dragon, a giant, a toad or a dog? According to various Asian peoples, the Sun will be gobbled up by one of these demons during the eclipse—unless we bang enough pots and make enough noise to cause the demons to spit out the Sun and run away.
Ripple effects of this Great American Eclipse of August 21 will remain strong through this whole Moon cycle until the next New Moon on the 20th, with continuing implications well into next year. We will be considering and integrating this powerful event, even on the biological level.
Mercury retrograde returns to Leo and sits on the eclipse point from August 31-September 6, extending the eclipse experience. Rarely does Mercury sit! It slowly slows and turns around, looking at all angles. There must be some treasures to dig out and fascinating perceptions to illuminate from the royal star Regulus that assumes its sovereignty over this eclipse on the Leo-Virgo cusp. A call to be and gather with the Lion-hearted.
At this Leo-Virgo cusp we encounter the fierce SPHINX, with the body of a lion and the torso of a woman. An odd combination of power and presence, she asks searching questions, riddles full of paradox. What is human being? What is being human? Who are you? What do you want? Where are you going on your path of destiny? Are you acting from fear or love? She holds mysteries in her enigmatic smile, guarding the gate against the unworthy. She throws out a challenge to express your essential Self, to stand forth in the truth of your heart. Do you have the courage? The answer is blowing in the electrically-charged solar winds that tingle your blood in a singularly thrilling way.
On the September 6 Full Moon, Mercury turns forward, revealing more, potentially revelatory news and opportunities for betterment. Rearrange your priorities and give each day the best you can be and do. Heart-felt service demonstrates genuine leadership.
Astrologer Jenni Stone says it beautifully:
“We’re not talking religious or even “spiritual”, it’s about it’s how you give back – be heard – become a leader and way-shower. It’s what you think about and what message you send out – because (and this may sound crazy) – we are living in a conscious universe – and you’re an important part of it. We’re living in a conscious universe – we’re all connected – and if you want to make a difference, you can do it. This is huge. This is everything.”
She poses some questions that The Sphinx might be asking you:
“Is something making you feel so nauseous that you really can’t stand to be around that person (or situation) any longer? Has something been revealed in the last few days that doesn’t sit well with you?Are you had it with a situation that’s tedious and mind-numbing?”
You have time to answer, and you can follow Jenni’s astro-keen posts on her FB page.
In the Aquarian spirit that balances the Leo eclipse, I am sharing a number of useful perspectives that have come through the email trail. Here’s another one sent from labyrinth walker Nancy in St. Croix, Virgin Islands:
“Total solar eclipses are an incredible spectacle, I think we all agree, but they’re also a spectacle of personal and communal growth. As you might notice, around eclipse time, everything — events, feelings, thoughts — take on a more fated quality. In astrology, eclipses are like a portal for exponential growth. Specifically, eclipses are a time of rapid change, either from internal or external circumstances. We are forced to face change in a way that might be uncomfortable, but that ultimately lead to maturity. Lunar eclipses and solar eclipses are both times when sudden changes occur in our lives.”
http://elitedaily.com/life/solar-eclipse-lot-spiritual-meaning-heres-harness-power/2043787/
Lee Harris offers spot-on helpful perspectives on the opportunity on offer through this eclipse, reminding us that, to begin with, this is primarily inner work, rather than outer activity.
https://www.leeharrisenergy.com/lheblog/energy-update-upgrades
I plan to watch the eclipse sitting on the rocks at nearby Mirror Lake. I can walk there. I’m curious to see the eclipse reflected in water. I’m such a mermaid. Thus I was amazed when I looked up the Sabian Symbol for 29 Leo. Sabian symbols are compelling images that describes an experiential, if not literal, aspect of each degree of the Zodiac, this one for the eclipse:
29 Leo: “A Mermaid has climbed to the rocky shore of a bleak coast, awaiting the prince who will bring her immortality.”
It does appear pretty bleak here in the chaos of the world now. As challenging as things appear and this eclipse shadow passage may be, we know there is more toward which to aspire. Remember the basic choice: fear or love. The longing of heart and spirit leads the way. Hans Christian Andersen’s original “The Sea Maid,” brings forth a level of spirituality beyond the romantic Disney version. I share it on my website AstroMythology page under Pisces. Migrate over there.
The mermaid is also a reminder of the involvement of Venus is Cancer with the current profound cultural transformation dynamic that has to do with our values, with our economics, and with our relationships to each other, across national borders. These are all invested themes of this eclipse.
Here in Vermont we will see the eclipse at about 60%. How about you? Are you one of the thousands traveling to the path of totality? Please, with any travel delays, do make it a party, enjoying unexpected encounters and being kind to everyone. Totality can be a spine-tingling moment! All of North, Central and northern South America will see some percentage. Are you on the other side of the world, open to feeling the resonance of the energy fields as they envelope the planet, sweeping us all up in an awesome solar drop out, tune in, turn on moment? Here is a resource to check your location:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/2017-total-solar-eclipse/total-partial-solar-eclipse-widget/
Here is another useful interactive page, mainly for those in U.S.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/25/16019892/solar-eclipse-2017-interactive-map
If you are hungry for more, the recording of my eclipse webinar is available at: https://www.learnitlive.com/class/11110/2017-TOTAL-SOLAR-ECLIPSE-The-LION-GODDESS-and-the-SPHINX
Hopefully the information is interesting and digestible, so you won’t want to spit it out! I’m mostly interested in the process of the eclipse, which is a longer storyline. This includes turning points as both Saturn and Uranus, in fire signs, turn direct after many months. These two planets were just waiting for the eclipse to motivate the agenda forward. No fooling around. Here is the timeline so that you can keep track of your experiences of this powerful moment we share. Let me know it you’d like me to send you a pdf. that you can print out. Implications of this eclipse continue through 2018 and into 2019.
Storyline of August 2017 Eclipses
May 2017—Moon’s Nodes enter Leo-Aquarius until November 2018, changing eclipse signs
July 18— Mercury at 29 Leo, entering its retrograde sphere of influence or “shadow”
July 20— Mars enters Leo, travels under Sun’s rays through month of Leo
July 23 — NEW MOON at 1 Leo, conjunct Mars
August 3— Uranus turns retrograde at 28 Aries 32
August 7— FULL MOON, partial Lunar Eclipse at 16 Leo-Aquarius
August 12— Mercury turns retrograde (12 Virgo) until September 6
August 21 — TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE at 28 Leo 53
Royal Star Regulus, Leo-Virgo cusp of The Sphinx
“Mermaid awaits a prince who will make her immortal.”
“Pure longing for a new order of selfhood. Critical point in ‘emergent evolution.”-Dane Rudhyar
August 22— Sun enters Virgo
August 25— Saturn turns direct at 21 Sagittarius 11 (conjunct mean Black Moon)
August 26— Venus enters Leo, Mercury in heart of Sun at 4 Virgo
August 31-September 10— Mercury reenters Leo, remains at 28-29 Leo
September 5 — Mars at 29 Leo/ Mercury direct at 28 Leo 27
September 6— FULL MOON at 14 Virgo-Pisces
September 10— Mercury forward into Virgo
September 19— Venus at 29 Leo, then enters Virgo/
and Mercury at 12 Virgo, completes its retrograde sphere of influence
September 20— NEW MOON at 27 Virgo 27 completes the eclipse Moon cycle, with Venus (0), Mars (9) and Mercury (12) in Virgo.
I love star poems. This one by James Agee is an evocative one to close with, so “shadows on the stars” incredibly appropriate and resonant for this particular eclipse. (Thank you, Dana L. for sharing.) Wherever you are during this eclipse, feel the heart beat of Earth and Sky. Does it skip a beat as it exhales into the dark timeless moment? The Earth holds its breath, then deeply inhales the spacious of the Cosmos. We are reinvigorated, connected with all life, in love. “Hearts all whole.”
Sure On This Shining Night
Sure on this shining night
Of star-made shadows round,
Kindness must watch for me
This side the ground.
The late year lies down the north.
All is healed, all is health.
High summer holds the earth.
Hearts all whole.
Sure on this shining night I weep for wonder
wand’ring far alone
Of shadows on the stars.
[from James Agee’s “Permit Me Voyage,” 1934, Yale University Press]
Put to music by various composers, here are two versions to end with a musical interlude:
by Morten Lauridsen
by Samuel Barbour
