This is a time of tremendous change. Change can be challenging, though it is also an opportunity for growth, liberation, and transformation. Tonight is the Full Moon 🌕 . On March 20th is the Vernal Equinox. On March 29th is the New Moon 🌑 . On both of these lunations on either side of the Equinox, there is an eclipse.
Lunar Eclipses can only happen on Full Moons, which only occur when the Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of the sky, as seen from Earth. When they are facing each other in full opposition, the entire face of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun's light. New Moons occur when the Sun and the Moon are in the same side of the sky, as seen from Earth. When they are close to each other in the sky, none of the Sun's light reaches the surface of the Moon that is facing Earth, and the Moon appears dark.
Lunar Eclipses can only happen on Full Moons, when the Earth is directly in the line of illumination between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the solar light that would illuminate the full face of the Moon. But Lunar Eclipses don't happen every Full Moon. Solar Eclipses can only happen on New Moons, when the Moon is directly in line with the path of solar light that would reach the Earth. But Solar Eclipses don't happen every New Moon.
Why don't we have eclipses every month?
Eclipses only occur when these celestial bodies are DIRECTLY in line with each other. Which only occurs near the equinoxes. The Vernal (spring) and Autumnal Equinoxes are the moments in the wheel of the year when the Celestial Equator and the Ecliptic cross.
The Celestial Equator is the the Earth's Equator, imagined as projected out onto space. The Earth spins on a tilted axis; it is not spinning perfectly in line with the same horizontal plane of the Solar System. Due to gravity and angular momentum, the whole Solar System, including the Earth, revolves around the Sun on this "horizontal" ecliptic plane. (Of course, it's only "horizontal" relative to an arbitrary point of reference...) As seen from Earth, the Sun appears to rise and set along a track in the sky. ALL of the planets rise and set along this same track. What we are seeing is the spin of the Solar System. This is the Ecliptic Plane.
Position along the ecliptic plane can be measured in degrees of celestial longitude, or ecliptic longitude. This full 360° can be broken into 12 equal parts of 30° each. These 30° sections are the 12 signs of The Zodiac. The constellations of The Zodiac are essentially the background upon which the movement of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets takes place.
This means, when the Moon is full, and the Sun and Moon are opposite each other in the sky, as seen from Earth, you can be quite sure that it's zodiac sign is exactly opposite of the Sun's sign at that moment. When it's a New Moon, the Moon and the Sun are conjunct, and the Moon's sign is identical to the Sun's. If you are familiar with your own birth chart, you can tell what phase the Moon was in at the time of your birth, just by looking at the zodiac signs the Sun and the Moon are in.
Now that we've covered The Ecliptic, The Zodiac, and The Celestial Equator, let's get back to the
Vernal Equinox, and the Eclipses!
At the Equinox times of the year, the Sun's path, which means the entire Ecliptic Plane, and all of the planets, crosses The Celestial Equator. This is the point in the phase of seasonal change is the most rapid. Visualize the shifts of the seasons as a sine wave. The year reaches its zenith at the Summer Solstice at the very top crest of this sine wave, and nadir at the Winter Solstice, at the very bottom trough of the waveform. The Equinoxes are the points where the waveform crosses the x axis. The rate of change at these points in the waveform are the most dramatic. We get a little moment of pause at each of the Solstices. Not so during the equinoxes! It is go time!
In addition to the rapid change of day and night length, the equinoxes are the only time in the year where things are aligned close enough for the paths of the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth to obstruct each other. At other times of year, there is enough distance for the Sun's light to shine past the Earth to illuminate the Moon for Full Moons, and there is enough space between the Moon and the Sun, as seen from Earth, so that the Moon doesn't block the Sun's light during the day, when the Sun and the Moon are conjunct in the same part of the sky, and in the same zodiac sign, during New Moons.
Eclipses are portals of transformation, and alchemy. There is baggage that often needs to be set aside in order to step into the cauldron of change. And when we step out of it, we are not the same being we were when we stepped into this passage of the unknown.
As the Lunar Eclipse takes place at the Full Moon, when the Sun and the Moon are positioned opposite to each other, and the Solar Eclipse takes place at the New Moon, when the Sun and the Moon are conjoined with each other, these eclipses take place on either end of an eclipitical axis, with one zodiac sign for the Moon's position at the Lunar Eclipse Full Moon (Virgo) and the zodiac sign exactly opposite this sign along the zodiac at the Solar Eclipse New Moon (Pisces).
There are many ways to derive meaning from the seasonal changes, the movements of the planets, the placement of the Moon, the voice of your mother, and the wind in the trees. My philosophy on omens, astrology, oracle cards and dream interpretation is essentially,
As above, so below.
To me, this means that neither do the planets and stars DICTATE what is occurring in our lives, nor are we PROJECTING meaning onto neutral unrelated occurrences, but rather than EVERYTHING is related, and EVERYTHING is telling the same story. What is happening, is happening. We can read it in the trees, in our dreams, in our palms, and in the skies. Everything reflects and refracts and reaches us exactly where we are.
The energies of this portal indicate:
Releasing self-scrutiny that keeps us scared, small, & hidden.
Stepping into the empowered vastness of our truth.
The movement through the zodiac signs, beginning with Aries and completing with Pisces reveal evolutionary development of consciousness, including at the level of a human being, as well as at the level of the human species. Aries marks initial inception of individuation, and Pisces marks final transcendence and a return into unity. Half way through this 12-step journey, the 6th sign of Virgo indicates the final personal zodiac sign. It is the last step in individuated evolutionary growth before beginning the growth that can only occur in a relational context. As such, Virgo represents self-awareness, a focusing into details and the separations and distinctions between things, leading to analysis, scrutiny, and a critical eye. Virgo represents the physical body of the individuated self, and a micro attention to the moment-by-moment aspects of live.
There is nothing inherently good or inherently bad in all of existence. When we exhale, we are not releasing the breath because it is bad. It is simply time to let it go. The breath moves on to nourish trees, and we move on to our next inhale. Nothing is rejected, though everything is in flux.
The first eclipse is a Lunar Eclipse. The Moon indicates the inner world. The first eclipse is where we set down our baggage, to step into alchemical change. In the Moon sign of Virgo, we are seeing what it is that is ripe for release.
We have played small long enough.
We have doubted our selves, considered if we were considerate enough, second-guessed, and provided unneeded disclaimers, defenses, and justifications for our actions, our beliefs, or words, and our very existence for long enough. By hyper-focusing, scanning for, ANTICIPATING, and protecting against these crimes we imagine we are guilty of, we have kept ourselves distracted. We have kept ourselves obsessed with the false idol of our guilt, praying to it via our ruminating and self-censoring thoughts and actions, thereby further entrenching ourselves into a false worldview where it's existence is even possible. Regardless of whatever we imagine or have been told our "crimes" might be, due to the inhibition of our radiant true light in worthiness,
Our guilt is worse than our crime.
By subjugating our inherent worthiness to the idol of guilt, we not only deprive ourselves of joy, peace, ease, and the bliss of flow and expansion, as well as the bliss of authentic connection with others, we also deprive others of the gifts of spirit that inevitably flow through us as a result of simply what we are. We deprive the world of our participation in creating a world via creating a worldview where we know, accept, and value our own worthiness to EXIST. The time has come to drop this baggage, and rise.
The Solar Eclipse shows us what we are stepping into. The Sun is in Pisces, along with a stellium of other planets: Neptune, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn. Also, the North Node of the Moon, which is one of the two points where the Moon actually crosses the Ecliptic every month, like a monthly equinox, is also in Pisces. The Lunar Nodes don't have to be in the same sign as the Sun in order for it to line up ENOUGH for an eclipse, but when they DO line up, it is kind of like a super eclipse. Particularly because wherever the North Node is placed indicates the direction to move into. Any which way you slice it, there is a LOT of energy moving into the Piscean themes of unity, unboundedness, transcendence, and dreams.
It's time to move into the truth that we ARE all one. We're all in this together. Our obsession with our own guilt keeps us small, our obsession with another's guilt keeps us confused. Lets blow all that smoke away, and in full humility, step into the glorious truth that we simply are, and could never not be.
Thank you for being on this amazing, miraculous, and wild journey. I see you in your radiance, and I welcome your light. Sat Nam.
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