Here we are in eclipse season again, so it’s time to get ready for a reset. Let’s take a look at the chart of the New Moon (a solar eclipse is always at a new Moon) to see how we can make the most of the opportunities and challenges it presents.
There’s a tendency in the astrological community these days to paint eclipses as inevitably problematic. I dissent from this view rather strongly, but eclipses do bring change, and humans tend to resist change. You might want to consider whether it is the resistance or the change that is the problem in any given situation.
These days, most of us are very aware of how much we need changes in our warming and war-torn world, and this eclipse chart indicates both sudden, surprising, (even shocking) change and deep-rooted, principled resistance. (Or just plain stubbornness, depending on your point of view.) It also suggests spiritual breakthroughs and emotional healing.
There will be a lot of wild magic in the air over the next few months. The skills of magical practitioners and spiritual/energetic healers will be tested. If we choose to step up to the plate and work with these energies of chaos and change we can steer them in more favorable directions.
But more about how we might do that after I dig into the technical stuff for the astrologers and students. Feel free to skip ahead if you don’t speak the language.
(Astrologers: Cast the chart for April 30th, 4:28 pm EDT, Washington, DC. Casting for the capital of a country means the chart is valid for the entire country. But keep in mind that the angles and houses for this chart are only applicable to the USA. The planetary alignments are global. Here’s what I’m looking at in the chart…
The New Moon is in Taurus, conjunct Uranus. It’s a north node eclipse. The ruler of Taurus, Venus, exalted in Pisces, is exactly conjunct Jupiter, Pisces’ traditional ruler. Both planets are in a tight sextile with Pluto.
Neptune, Pisces’ co-ruler, is also in Pisces, semi-square the New Moon, and still within orb of its recent conjunctions with Jupiter and Venus. Mars, too, is in Pisces, sextile the New Moon and Uranus. Saturn, powerful in its own sign, is in a separating but still close square to the nodal axis. Pluto, under Saturn’s rulership, just turned retrograde the day before, and is still stationary.
Mercury has just entered its domicile of Gemini, adding some much-needed Air, with its options for clear communication to this chart. It’s also just separating from a trine with Pluto, which it will repeat twice more during its retrograde
For all the disruptive implications of an eclipse conjunct Uranus in the sign of fixed Earth, Pisces may be the star of this show. While both Pisces and Taurus are peaceful signs, and many of the aspects are easy, when you are doing mundane astrology, the question is — easy for whom? What’s helpful for one person/area/government may bring out the more difficult sides of these signs and alignments for others.)
As we get older, we have a tendency to solidify and harden into patterns of thought and emotion that may no longer reflect who we really are or who we want to be. Those patterns — which are often formed in response to painful life events — become habits that steer the direction of our lives. If we aren’t happy with that direction, then it makes sense to change the habits.
And we do change them. We decide we are going to eat better, exercise more, stop being the grumpy guy, quit smoking, spend more time with our kids, stop making impulsive purchases, whatever. For a while, at least, we may do exactly what we said we would. Sometimes, the new habit sticks.
But sometimes a new habit isn’t enough. We all come to points in our lives when we need to break up longstanding, interwoven patterns that, while structuring our lives, also restrict our creative expression, inhibit our ability to relate to others, and smother any joy we might take in life. Like a caterpillar who is urged on by life’s irresistible magic to become something very different, the time comes then we know we need to do more than change our habits. We need to go through a complete metamorphosis.
If you’re up for the challenge, now is a good time to do that.
This eclipse gives us everything we need to free ourselves from past conditioning and dream a new life into existence. Instead of hiding under a rock or placating the gods until eclipse season is over, consider a strategic retreat with the goal of restructuring your life in a way that brings greater freedom, encourages creativity, and allows the deepest desires of your soul to come to fruition.
The caterpillar’s journey offers some insights into how we might do that. After it weaves a chrysalis for itself, it releases enzymes that dissolve its body, turning it to a soupy goo. Then it reforms into a butterfly using the template stored in organized groups of cells called imaginal discs that are impervious to the dissolution enzymes.
When we go through personal/spiritual transformations, we often feel like some parts of our lives, or even our selves, are dissolving. But it’s nothing to fear. Like the caterpillar, we are simply changing form.
Once the caterpillar has become goo, the imaginal discs take over and use the goo as fuel for the incredibly rapid and precise cell division that forms the body and wings of the butterfly.
Our imaginal discs, those templates around which we reform, are our core values, our innate creativity, our appreciation for all that is beautiful in life, those beings that we truly love, and our connection with our soul and deep Self.
(Astrologers: Note how Mercury and Saturn, strong in their own signs of Air, are the “imaginal discs” that help us structure and create new forms from the soupy mud of Pisces and Taurus.)
So if you’re feeling like you might want to wrap up and take time to let yourself dissolve and then restructure around a whole new template of self, consider going with the flow on this. You can do some very deep and rewarding inner work over the next 6 months.
As always, if you’d like to know how the current planetary alignments are going to be reflected in your life, contact me, and we’ll set up a consultation.
Meanwhile, out in the world…
Not everyone is going to take on the challenges of this chart to create positive change, so what we’ll see on the national and global stages over the next few months will be a mixture of brilliant, inspiring, and creative steps towards a new world, and a whole lot of folks slogging around in (and slinging) the mud.
I pray that this chart, so rich in emotion and possibilities for peace, will manifest as an end to the war in Ukraine. I file that under “possible but unlikely” though I hope I’m wrong, and the collective governments find a way to end this war now.
As the war progresses, we are finding out, in real time, just how closely intertwined our national economies are. We are also discovering (though still mostly in denial about) the real life consequences of climate change and pollution.
As Uranus and the North Node move together through Taurus we will see major and mostly unexpected changes in the Taurean realms of food and farming, money (particularly cryptocurrency) and banking, and the land itself. The eclipse supercharges this alignment, suggesting major changes in all these areas.
The financial situation on a global level is precariously balanced on shifting sands. Feed the piggybank, pay down debt, and keep a weather eye on the value of any investments you may have.
I also expect major actions and even blowups of one sort or another in labor organizing and civil service here in the USA (Sibly chart, equal houses, Uranus traveling through the 6th house with Mercury there to help spread the message.) Public health and medical issues, including the outrageous costs of healthcare, will be in the forefront as well. If it’s not the pandemic, then it may be health fallout resulting from it. But I’m far from certain that we are out of the COVID woods.
The Pisces team brings a whole lot of water, emotion, and hopefully spiritual awakening. Widespread flooding is likely, and we’ll also find pollution, fishing, and oceanography in the news.
Yes, it does sound kind of dire — but honestly, it’s been kind of dire for a while now. And here’s the thing: It’s not just individuals who are going through metamorphosis — the entire human race is in the throes of a profound, unprecedented transformation. The planet is our chrysalis, our container. Our imaginal discs are our capacity for compassion, our determination and courage, and our core values. It’s a difficult but inspiring time to be alive, and we can all make a difference in this process of change.
Blessings of the season to you.
