May ECLIPSE SEASON
Graphic by Dana Hunt.
I’m not sure I was quite ready for May! But here we are.
On May 1st, I was a guest on WisdomCallsOne radio with Denise Ross. I talked about this month’s eclipses, with their special alignments, giving special attention to Black Moon Lilith on the May 24 eclipse. Denise generously forwarded the Mp3 to share. Find the link in the download section. Enjoy!
I hope to see some of you in Chicago this coming weekend, either at the Conscious Connection Conference (www.MonthlyAspectarian.com) or at Heaven Meets Earth Yoga Studio and Center for Conscious Living (www.heavenmeetsearthyoga.com). Please do say hello if you are there. I so enjoy meeting Cosmic News readers!
Following the last Full Moon eclipse on April 24-25, MAY features two more eclipses, sporting planetary patterns that yield significant changes and definitive signs that an era is ending. Are you seeing such signs in your life? As May unfolds, the productive, rooted energy of Taurus turns into multiple air-born potentials in breezy Gemini, punctuated with exclamation point eclipses on the New and Full Moons. These eclipses claim most of our attention this month, but there are other powerful planetary movements in play. There is another exact square of ongoing Uranus-Pluto dynamic, the third of seven such tipping points from 2012-2015 that move the global transformation along in a noticeable way. May wraps up with a grand finale of Gemini planets, a most interesting gathering indeed.
Let’s investigate the sequencing of planetary dynamics this month, dwelling on the hot spots.
The eclipse patterns are really quite extraordinary, with lots of number 19! In Tarot, that’s The SUN card. The Sun is largely expected to throw a strong solar flare our way this month.
MAY 1
MERCURY INTO TAURUS gives a more practical slant to our approach, following up on the inspirations that erupted like fireworks in Aries last month. Now we give thoughtful attention to what is do-able and tend to the most worthy initiatives for long-term reward. The global economic belt-tightening encourages this approach. See if you can make it work for you.
AND
MARS in TAURUS opposite SATURN in SCORPIO also slows us down, insisting on a focus of energy and strategic planning. Saturn in Scorpio suggests that some wellspring in our lives has dried up. We need to dig deeper to tap into a refreshing vein of water. Mars in Taurus does the digging.
MAY 9
VENUS INTO GEMINI
Though Venus moves out of her own sign, Taurus, she delights in the spontaneity of Gemini. Esoteric astrologers consider Venus the higher ruler of Gemini. Think of busy bees that gather pollen from various flower blossoms with which to make sweet elixir honey. That is a potential of Venus in Gemini, which lasts into the first days of June.
AND
The NEW MOON (7:28pm CDT) at 19+ degrees TAURUS is an annular, “ring of fire” solar eclipse. The Moon is too far from the Earth to totally cover the Sun, so we see a bright ring of Sunlight around the dark of the Moon. The transformative eclipse effect is most powerful in Australia, New Zealand and parts of South America, where this eclipse is visible. Still, its psychic and phenomenal “fallout” has ripple effects around the globe.
Syzygy is one of the great astronomy words, referring to a straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system. An eclipse is a syzygy, involving the alignment of Earth, Moon and Sun. Looking at the New Moon chart; you can tell it’s an eclipse because the South Node is so close to the Moon-Sun conjunction that is a New Moon.
The North and South Nodes of the Moon mark the eclipse points, showing where the path of the Moon crosses the path of the Sun on both sides of the sky. In Arabic astronomy and Vedic astrology the Nodes are treated like planets. Together these two crossover points create a path of destiny, karmic time lines that indicate the relationship of preconditioned influences to our current life path. Eclipses become gateways, crossroads or intersections where there is a shift of energy. We make choices, whether we are conscious of doing so or not, in how we proceed past these points. In the dark pause of the eclipse, alchemy takes place, as if rearranging subatomic patterns.
This is a South Node eclipse, as the New Moon is conjunct that portal. The South Node represents influences from the past. Earth sign Taurus is the plowed field and the fruits of our labors. This eclipse asks if we are satisfied with what we have harvested in the past. Results from past actions may come forth, as if an investment has paid off, or it could be a failed harvest. We inevitably experience the results of seeds sown in the past. At the same time we may also feel stuck, as if something is holding us back, like a potted plant, root-bound and unable to grow. Planets here give an indication both of what is coming due and what is stuck. There is more that can come forth. What seeds are we planting now, to reap later?
In the New Moon chart, we see the Sun and Moon at 19 degrees, Mercury at 17 degrees and Mars at 14 degrees Taurus. Such a multiple conjunction is called a stellium, another great astrology word. Packed into just 5 degrees of Taurus, such a stellium is a like a flush in poker, a full hand of one suit. Looking into it, I found that there is not a definitive correlation between the suits in cards and the astrological elements. Earth is most often associated with clubs, but I rather like spades, for digging in the earth! In any case, we’ve got a lot of them.
As an intriguing side note, we also find two asteroids joining the Sun at 19 degrees: Pallas (Athena), Goddess of Creative Wisdom, and Lilith. As an asteroid Lilith stands out from the crowd, questioning gender role models and cultural standards, challenging the status quo. Two famous people with a Sun-asteroid Lilith conjunction are singer Alanis Morrisette, who pushed the edges of the music industry in several ways, and award-winning actor Michael J. Fox, whose advocacy for Parkinson’s disease research brought this issue to public attention.
In the larger context of the Pluto-Uranus square, these influences all gang up to demonstrate that old ways of thinking and doing things are no longer productive. Seeds won’t grow in worn-out soil. We may even be stopped in our tracks to contend with self-destructive patterns that can no longer be ignored, such as spending more than we have. Taurus is a money sign. Consumerism is an addictive American hobby, a brand of “comfort food”. On another food note, farming and food production are in the realm of Taurus. The quality of our food is an essential subject to address, remembering “health is wealth.” More blatantly, the issue of rampant violence is constantly in the headlines along with the heated debate over gun control.
Saturn and North Node in Scorpio offer re-solution, calling for a recycling of energy on so many levels, a revitalization of depleted resources in face of a looming deadline we all feel. Water sign Scorpio stirs up deep feelings that need to be honored and channeled in a process of emotional healing. In the face of such profound change and turmoil, it is important to grieve the passing of the old so that we can tap into the creative vitality of life and welcome the new wholeheartedly. As we plow under the compost of our old waste, the ground becomes fertile again.
In the rush of daily life, we waste precious time, energy and resources. Taurus has a slow, deliberate pace. Can we slow down for a few moments to take stock of our situation, to make good use of what we already have? Are there small or larger ways to change our life-styles for fuller satisfaction and well-being? What are the truly important issues to attend to now? A key to answer these questions is another one: how do we want to feel?
MAY 15
MERCURY INTO GEMINI lightens things up! More seeds of potential lift off on the spring breeze, spreading far and wide, generating new news, information, options, and possibilities. Networking is on the rise, like the busy buzzing of bees that cross-pollinate as they gather their nectar.
MAY 20
URANUS SQUARE PLUTO AT 11 degrees ARIES-CAPRICORN
This is the third such pivot point in the global transformation indicated by these two outer planets. This is the dynamic waxing square phase of a 125-year cycle that began in the 1960s.
SUN INTO GEMINI.
Happy Birthday, Geminis! “Variety is the spice of life” is a motto of this air sign that gets bored easily and lives life spontaneously, more in-the-moment than most others. With Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter all in Gemini, the dance party is in full swing now!
MAY 24
This May FULL MOON (11:25pm CDT) is another eclipse, an indirect, penumbral eclipse that only imperceptibly dims the Full Moon in Sagittarius. Still, an eclipse is an eclipse. See the Full Moon wink at you, an invitation to the dance, a moveable feast led by the Gemini Trickster.
Gemini has a whimsical side that likes to play and has fun with words. Do you find that you are hearing and even inventing new words these days? Is it because you can’t remember the word you wanted to use? Or is it that a new quality of energy is evoking new words and concepts to describe our experience? The only Gemini answer is “both!”
The elusive shadow of this Full Moon eclipse is beautifully echoed by its square with Neptune, the Dreamtime Planet, in its home sign, Pisces. As mentioned in previous Cosmic News articles, Neptune entered Pisces in 2012 to begin a 14-year cycle, adding a subtle tone to the collective consciousness. At best, Neptune’s mysticism is a communion with the angels. On the other end of the spectrum, it opens a downward spiral into illusion and delusion. A highly sensitive sign, Neptune is like a sponge that soaks up all sorts of vibrations. Vigilance is needed to keep tuned up and tuned in to the finest frequencies. This Full Moon in Sagittarius can point us to our highest aspirations or blow-up into paranoid fantasies. It brings experiences that severely challenge and dissolve imbedded belief systems.
The Full Moon is, of course, reflecting the light of the Sun in Gemini. Looking at the formation in Gemini, we find a very intriguing stellium at 19 degrees, repeating the number of the Taurus eclipse. Gemini loves doubles, triples and quadruples. It revels in duality and the shadow play of dark and light. Here we see Black Moon Lilith occupying the same degree as Venus and Mercury, with Jupiter near by.
Black Moon Lilith is mathematical pivot point intimately positioned as the second center of the Moon’s elliptical orbit around the Earth. Used more in Europe than the U.S Black Moon channels a deep desire of the soul for pure, authentic experience or ultimate reality. It is clearly worthy of further study as a vehicle for awakening consciousness.
Black Moon joins Venus, higher ruler of Gemini, as discussed above, as it merges with Mercury, Gemini’s regular ruler, opening a dialogue between the higher and mundane minds. Jupiter is the planet of wisdom, holding an open-minded attitude of inquiry into any situation at hand. This is a really stunning combination of cosmic factors added to the potency of an eclipse with such a strong Neptune influence. This stellium squares shamanic Chiron in Pisces for a major, reality shift. There are so many extraordinary facets to this eclipse, beyond the scope of this column. I’ll share more in my talk at the Conscious Connections Conference. Basically the essence at the heart of it is “crazy wisdom.”
What does that mean? That’s just it. There are no definitive answers. However, the ever-useful Gemini-style Wikipedia cites a variety of resources, referring to “wisdom gone wild,” a mystical madness, the hopelessness of any answers, casting off any concerns or conventional standards—whatever it takes to blow our minds. When things don’t make sense, our minds are shocked out of normal dualistic concepts of what we define as reality or who we think we are. There are no answers, only questions that lead deeper through Alice’s looking glass to see that the outer and inner worlds are one, that the phenomenal world and transcendental Reality share the same essential ground of being.
This is a moveable feast in changeable Gemini, which can invite crazy wisdom or be just plain crazy-making. Things may feel at odds for the following few days, as such subtle eclipse effects skew our nervous systems, especially on the 26th-28th. Before it leaves the full feeling of Sagittarius, the Moon opposes the tightening conjunction of Venus, Mercury and Jupiter.
MAY 28
MERCURY into CANCER
MARS into GEMINI
The merry month of May ends with a double planetary shift, in the spirit of Gemini. The quality of Mercury’s thinking becomes more subjective, feeling our way rather than rationalizing even as Mars spreads into the widening field of dreams.
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KEEP ON DANCING!
