“Science has not only enlightened us, it has learned to use eclipses for its advancement – a revolution indeed.” – Richard Cohen
Human development is about our evolution in understanding and the broadening and deepening of our ability to see beyond the confines of our current consciousness. We’re constantly holding the tension of opposites between getting stuck in a worldview and using that as a stepping stone for broadening our perspective. Science has given us wonderful things and enlightened our lives. Still, it has also crystallized itself in the church of the rational, closing itself to its fearless days of engaging with the imaginal. So now it’s on us to remember and reengage with what our ancestors perceived, weaving it with what we now know, thanks to science.
Case in point – Eclipse Season
While we no longer fear it as the ancients did, we still carry an unconscious bias around eclipse time. We may know the mechanics of how eclipses work, but the symbolism embedded in the forgotten corners of our culture isn’t easily brushed aside. In some corner of our imagination, eclipses seem to carry the ominous portent for change, standing as fate’s wild card and a pattern disruptor.
So here we are with two eclipses a Partial Solar Eclipse on April 30th for our Taurus New Moon and a Lunar Eclipse on May 15/16 for our Scorpio Full Moon. As the Lunar Nodes are now traveling through Taurus and Scorpio, some core themes will permeate the upcoming eclipse seasons.
So let’s break it down
I see eclipses as threshold experiences that break down expectations, invite creative chaos, and can lead us to leap to another stage on our journey. I’m constantly reminded of that 90s movie SLIDING DOORS with Gwyneth Paltrow, where she misses the train for a split second, leading her story to take on a very different development. However, we also witness her catching the train and seeing how her life unfolds in that reality. The movie shows the two lives running in parallel until the convergence in the end, but we’re left with this question: is the life we’re living now a result of catching the train, or not?
Eclipses can be experienced as a split second of transformation that can help us shift perspectives, positions, and attachments. Or we can sit back and let the train run. Granted, not all eclipses are the same in general or individual themes. For reflection, let’s look at the possible general themes of the upcoming eclipses.
Taurus & Scorpio
In looking at the signs as DIMENSIONS OF EXPERIENCE, think of Taurus as the realm of our physical experience, how we deal with this material world, how we manage our resources (i.e., body, finances, etc.), and how we make things take shape in the world. This is a realm of embodiment and sensual (as in our senses) experience. A focus on Taurus invites us to examine how to keep to our practical living demands and tend to the physicality of our lives. Taurus plants us firmly in TERRA FIRMA, aware of the comforts and discomforts of being a spirit in physical form.
Now Scorpio, the counter and complementary dimension of Taurus illuminate where we hold on for survival, at times confusing our determination to stick to it instead of seeing the vulnerability of letting go as our ticket into a new life.
The image I have the experience of Scorpio is how we, metaphorically, can hold on to something (or someone) as if our survival depended on it, leading us to the very Gates of Hell. That is until we realize that releasing what seemed like our lifesaver is how we transform and gain what we desire. Scorpio teaches us the powerful lessons of attachment and transformation through the death/purge of an aspect of ourselves.
Eclipse Season Themes
The very word eclipse evokes a sense of something being covered up while another is revealed. I find eclipse season a potent time to explore SHADOW aspects of ourselves and our relationships with our resources, physicality, and intimacy with others.
Since the Solar Eclipse of April 30th is only a partial one, we won’t experience full darkness. This makes me think of the experience of TWILIGHT when darkness and light cohabitate, and shadows play with our perception of what is what.
The general rule of thumb is that Solar Eclipses are about our outer lives – your own or in the world. In comparison, Lunar Eclipses are more impactful in our emotional inner lives. Another element that can help you track what themes eclipses are bringing into your life and reflect on what was unfolding in your life 90 days BEFORE the Solar Eclipse (say around late January, early February) to see what was coming undone and poised for transformation.
Then notice what starts unfolding 90 days AFTER the eclipse (say around the end of July, early August) to see what is starting to sprout above ground. Then around 180 days later (say around the end of October, early November), what was initiated now is illuminated. It doesn’t necessarily mean that ‘something will happen,’ but I invite you to at least observe what rises for you because astrology is about experiential observation.
We now have a theme of Saturn squaring the Lunar Nodes in both eclipses, which is about paring down, getting organized, and working within our capacity. Saturn is very much about teaching us to creatively do what we can within the canvas size we have at hand. It’s about honing in, focusing, and making the most of what we got before we can graduate to another level.
Transpose this thought to Taurus/Scorpio, and we get a sense that we can better use and work (Saturn) with our resources (Taurus) and recycle (Scorpio) what we already got.
Collectively, this asks how we can reimagine and transform (Scorpio) our relationship with our natural resources, money, and how we earn a living.
Taurus New Moon Partial Solar Eclipse
Planetary menage a trois are always intriguing because when a third is in the mix, I feel we’re in the magical blend of the unexpected. While the Moon partially covers the Sun on April 30th, Uranus is in bed with them. I like to think of Uranus as bringing the sex toys to this sturdy and comfortable Taurean bed.
Uranus emphasizes the unexpected from the left field, the harbinger of breakthrough (or breakdown), and the maverick that thinks outside the confining box or our status quo.
Add the Piscean federation of Mars, Neptune, Venus, and Jupiter, and we have the invitation to bring in help from the Unseen Realms via our dreams, imagination, journeying, artistry, and the miracle. Mars’ sextile to the Sun, Moon, and Uranus invites us to take INSPIRED ACTION, preferably after we generate movement through a creative endeavor.
Venus, the ruler of Taurus, will be embracing Jupiter in Pisces, which can be that experience of confidence and trust we get when we feel good. So notice the small magical flows that are helping you move through your day. Like when you have a good hair day, traffic is smooth, and you get a free coffee at your favorite cafe. Small gifts of good fortune are fractal symbols of bigger unfoldments.
Meditative Koan for this Eclipse: What creative, unexpected element you haven’t yet tapped into in your life could be helpful now?
Scorpio Full Moon Lunar Eclipse
During this Scorpio Full Moon, I’d recommend a sauna, a hot bath, or even a flotation tank appointment. Let the steam wash away the ‘energy gunk’ and detoxify your body and soul.
Saturn is heavily involved in this Lunar Eclipse configuration, hitting up both Moon and Sun. Think of Saturn as the alchemical ‘shit’ placed in the alembic, the vessel the alchemists used for their experiments, to be transformed into gold.
Because also Mars and Neptune are tightly involved in this emotional mix, I’d venture to say a few things:
Let water therapy wash away what is gunky, stuck, and in need of a cleanse. If nothing else, do your laundry.
Be aware of old habits and patterns that keep you stuck in an old story of martyrdom or in the service loop of having to be the savior.
Watch for how the past affects your present and keeps you a prisoner of your old stories. Denial is the veil that covers the truth that awaits you.
Use creative visualization through art, movement, dance, and music to shift your mind out of its eternal loop of sameness. Don’t waste a good eclipse portal by staying in sameness mode.
Parting words for this Eclipse Season
“Some of the sweetest berries grow among the sharpest thorns.” – Gaelic Proverb
While these last few years have been chaotic and jarring collectively, they’re also affording us the opening to make effective changes in our lives. The emphasis in the Taurus-Scorpio dynamic due to the Lunar Nodes’ journey through these signs can serve as the push for us to put our money where our mouths are and make lasting changes in how we manage our resources: natural, financial, and also on how we understand and relate to our physicality. Uranus won’t leave Taurus until mid-2025, so we can still rest assured that more unexpected ideas around our relationship to nature, our culture’s monetary value system, and our bodies’ wisdom are still coming down the pipe.
Both Taurus and Scorpio invite us to examine also our relationship with the dance of death and life, and this eclipse season is yet another opportunity for us to take stock of what needs to be eclipsed, cut down in our lives, to make room for new creatively affirming ways for us to thrive and flourish.
And to refer to the quote at the start of this post. Science helps us understand the mechanics, and we add the imaginal and creative to the mix. So let’s use this eclipse season to advance our revolution in self-understanding, self-healing, our expansion of consciousness, and how we can show up in the world better integrated and embodied. Let the sliding doors of this eclipse season gift you an alternate way of being in the world that affords you flourishing joy, reconnection with your pleasure, and the opportunity to take practical embodied steps towards your vision.
Photo Credits:
Main image: Abed Ismail
Subsequent images: Mark Tegethoff, Zoltan Tasi, and Sasha Freemind
Via Unsplash
