Between the Eclipses
We are now in a two-week space between an eclipse of the Moon and an eclipse of the Sun. The space between eclipses is a landscape in motion, and a hidden dimension of time. Eclipses seem to work like cosmic magnifiers. They can either exaggerate the usual effects of life, raising them to something of a crisis that we can finally see clearly enough to work with; or they can amplify the activities and choices we are experiencing at the time, establishing them into a new pattern of living that can last for years.
Eclipse phases are one of the best times to do psychic maintenance and make major adjustments, and often, these are the things that become inevitable — so obviously it’s best not to resist, but rather, to go with the flow and do what you need to do to clear blockages and establish constructive designs for your life.
The next eclipse is a somewhat peculiar one, occurring on the last day of the Sun’s transit through Virgo, and moments before the Libra ingress of the Sun (autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, Vernal Equinox in the southern).
Eclipses always occur near one of the Moon’s two nodes. This is a South Node eclipse, suggesting it’s a release point, that is, more oriented on letting go of the past than on embarking on the future. Appropriately, there have been quite a few planets gathered around the South Node lately: Mars has just crossed the point and made an ingress to Libra; Mercury is about to cross the South Node; and the Sun and Venus will get there soon. So we have a fairly rare situation where all of the personal planets will be working through both Virgo and over the South Node.
This is valuable since Virgo is the archetype of our mental habits, some of which are productive, some of which are hang-ups, and many of which rarely see the light of day. So with all this inner planet activity coming through Virgo, including two New Moons (one of which is an eclipse), we’re getting a guided tour of both what we think and how we think. And while what we think tends to magnify itself and take on dimensions beyond the original, it is indeed thought, and thoughts can be rethunk, re-evaluated and decided upon. It helps, of course, to know what one is thinking, but I trust the current astrology is revealing that if nothing else.
Meantime, remember the patterning function of eclipses. It is wise to do what you want to do the most on the day of eclipses, or at least not do what you don’t want to do more of. As the partial solar eclipse occurs just hours before the equinox, it promises to be particularly influential.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, September 8, 2006, #627 – By ERIC FRANCIS
Happy Birthday Virgo!
You can trust that a significant shift of the energy has come into a key relationship. It may not be exactly what you were hoping for, or what you were expecting, but the energy has moved — and now the next move is yours.
However, what you can probably see from the circumstances is that you have not, at this point, made several key decisions about your own life, and you may not feel that you have the information you need to do so. And it’s true, on one level you’re at the beginning of a process of self-exploration, wherein you will make a series of decisions about what’s important to you. And that will not be as difficult as you may imagine.
What promises to be more difficult is the pressure you may feel about making an “ultimate” decision about who or what you are. But the astrology holds a clue, which is that your most important decision, at the moment, is about what you are not. And it involves the past, on the one hand, and the way you wish to extend yourself into your relationships, on the other. It is pretty much hell trying to live a past image or mental pattern of yourself in your current relationships. Indeed, it just does not work.
So as part of the process of updating your files, you need to purge your files of a particular idea that has been slowing you down and tying up too many brain cells, and it would seem that the time is right to do so. In truth this will be the beginning of a process that goes on for well over another year, of gradually erasing past tendencies and modes of thought that have over time made your personality feel like you’re wearing a pair of too-tight shoes.
In the past few weeks, you’ve come through an interesting series of personality developments, which have you cast in the role of protagonist in your own life. That’s a fancy word from college literature that means you’re the leading character; the one making the decisions and setting the agenda, and acting proactively. That worked for a while, until you decided that you needed a different agenda — perhaps something more collaborative.
Whatever we may feel about the way life works, it’s always a relational process. We are influenced by the ideas and feelings of others, and we influence them in turn. Energy cycles, or it does nothing at all, and that includes a particular form of energy known as values. Values are the ideas for living that we hold the closest to us, and though we may feel what is important to us is ours alone, in fact, this is a shared phenomenon. And it would seem that through the coming seasons of your life, you will be doing a lot of exchanging ideas about life and contextualizing what is most important to you with what is important to others.
This is easier when we work with the flexibility factor that is inherent in every person; the ability to adapt to new circumstances. And it’s easier when we recognize that, particularly now, what was true in the past matters very little today. What matters today is the active process we experience of relating in the moment about subjects that are actually meaningful.
It is true that you’ll need to watch the line between what you feel and what someone else feels — but at this point in your life, the line is not made of concrete and stone, and hey, even the Berlin Wall proved to be something of an illusion.
Aries (March 20-April 19)
Close partners seem to be of two minds — or perhaps two bodies, in that people who usually vehemently disagree seem to be singing from the same book of hymns. It may be that the passing of yesterday’s lunar eclipse has released the tension in the air like a good thunderstorm, or that people went so far into polarized directions on their opinions that they have finally started to meet on the other side of the house. Everything that seemed so incredibly important yesterday can now fade happily into memory. So don’t focus so much on the details that you miss the surreal nature of the moment, when the cat lays down with the mouse. Resist fits of jealousy as well — these people all love you. Family Focus: Adults set a particularly strong example for children this week, so keep it positive.
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
An encounter this week will rather pleasantly stun you to your senses and give you a glimpse and a taste of what you’ve been missing. At the moment there is no shortage of anything, particularly ideas for how to act on your desires, dreams and fantasies. But more than ideas, what you seem to have these days is the willingness to take a risk. If you can call it willingness — it seems more like inevitability. For many weeks now you know you’ve grown tired of living in your head and have felt the need to live in your body, and to have actual experiences there. Shout it from the rooftops: you are human, and beautiful. Family Focus: An uncle or older male friend will provide the advice and wisdom that you need.
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You have finally arrived at the tipping point of a long process of inner re-evaluation. It would be an understatement to say the day has been long and the way unfamiliar, and that a certain decision was hard in coming. But then when the moment is right for a new life to be born, nothing at all can stop it. Notice how everything that was hanging you up involved what you need in order to feel safe. You may have thought it was a vision for your life that you lacked, but in truth, it came down to how much you need to feel secure; and how much control you need to have over your physical space. Know these things about yourself and you’ll be a lot happier. Family Focus: There are times when your personal identity is far more important that your identity as a mother, wife, husband or father.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Your best work is yet to come, and you need to prepare yourself with some kind of centering activity: meditation, rest, journaling or painting all come to mind. At the moment you may be overwhelmed with ideas, but you may also feel the distinct need to create space for what you want to do, and who you want to be, the very most. All this intense activity in Virgo suggests that you’ve had a lot to process lately, and soon, you will need to bring all your talent, love and focus to bear on an idea that will change you and could change the world. Family Focus: High intensity in your home has nothing to do with conflict. Let people raise their voices.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
Continue to handle financial or contractual developments with extreme care. You are one of the masters of the game of money and resource management, and thankfully at this point you actually do have something to work with. Yet there are developments taking place behind the scenes. While certain individuals you’ve been dealing with have played most of their cards by now, several important facts have yet to show themselves. To be on the safe side, give the process at least another two weeks before finalizing revised arrangements or new commitments. Family Focus: The decisions you make affect many people, so please seek their input.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
This is an extraordinary birthday season for you, and I am sure you’ve noticed the strange sense of something improbable in the air. The feeling of this season and this moment will carry into the next year of your life, and indeed many years beyond. Two factors are at work. One is a vivid message coming from both the cosmos and your circumstances that you must learn to stand alone in the world, trusting your strength and point of view. The second is that you choose the way in which you present yourself to people. You remain the same person behind the scenes, roles and appearances, but you are the one who makes the decision of how to offer yourself to others. Family Focus: You seem to be resisting old rules and customs in running your household, but you are the one who knows best.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
Only you will be able to deal with the strange pressure you’re under, but the entry of Mars into your birth sign today suggests strongly that you have the energy and initiative to do so. More to the point, you have the ability to focus your mind and get the results you need, and probably a few things motivating you to do so. The odd sense of urgency relates to something you think is unresolved from your past, something you’ve likely not whispered a word about to anyone. It may be time to share your secret, if you feel that will help put it behind you. But at least now you know what that secret is. Family Focus: Remember that rarely is a decision involving a child 100% right, so take off that pressure.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Life’s most important changes are sometimes subtle. From time to time, we learn something that takes years to process, and which we may even forgot at the time — but the learning initiated by the original revelation continues on a deep level. What you learn this week is worth remembering, and remembering the details of. And, it’s possible to do so. Write yourself a letter about these weeks to the future you. State clearly where you are in life, including a description of your state of mind, current events and your social circle. Then articulate a vision for yourself. Check back in four years. Family Focus: All you can do is guide the process of life; you cannot control it. And that is enough.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
You seem to have liberated yourself from the idea of success and have suddenly stumbled into the real thing. The things you say and the thoughts you think are particularly influential now, so chose every word and keep your mind tuned only to the intelligence and wisdom that comes only from kindness. Speaking of choosing, you would appear to have more opportunities than you can really handle, or than you want to. So you will need to be selective, but you do have friends who would benefit from opportunities you can pass along to them. Family Focus: There is a lot you don’t know about certain loved ones, but in truth, you don’t need to.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
The distinct sense of unease in the air the past few weeks has finally given way to a sense of hope and possibility. It was the kind of atmosphere that you didn’t realize you were in until it shifted, which means a certain doubt about yourself having been addressed. Doubts often translate into obstacles in the outer world. So if you see an obstacle in your way, touch it with your hand and test whether it’s real. Ask yourself what it might represent, and remember that thought is flexible. If you have an idea, set it into motion to discover whether it has a life of its own. This is the kind of courage you will thrive on. Family Focus: The youngest in your family will help you focus your sense of direction.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Whatever you are negotiating with a partner, make sure you give it a couple of weeks. You don’t need to rush the situation, and you can at the same time have every faith that developments are proceeding in a direction that will benefit everyone. I say this recognizing that there have been what seem like substantial disagreements and even doubts about the inherent compatibility of the situation. But you live in a moving landscape, and people’s lives are very much in motion right now. So, when in doubt, keep moving and watch how your relationships change. Family Focus: One thing you can always trust is that the little ones around you are just as smart as you — and often smarter.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
You’ve finally arrived at the point where you’ve had enough of a particular situation, and where you know making a change is inevitable. Certain facts that will soon come to light will help you make your decisions, minimizing the negative impact and emphasizing the positive. In fact, you have already changed and now it’s a matter of the circumstances of your world catching up with you. Humans almost always make the mistake of thinking that the material world is less flexible and more persistent than the mental world, yet in truth, mind is the strongest substance there is. Yours, these days, is becoming flexible and free. Family Focus: You need to spend more time at home, and focus on making your home more reflective of your state of mind.