Between the eclipses: a station and a sextile
November 26th ~ December 3rd
Faeries, come take me out of this dull world, For I would ride with you upon the wind, Run on the top of the disheveled tide, And dance upon the mountains like a flame. ~ William Butler Yeats (The Land of Heart’s Desire)
On Wednesday, December 1st, Neptune will station for its direct phase. We are now in the void between the Lunar and Solar Eclipses. Things fade. Other things are trying to unfold. What that exactly will be, is yet to be determined. Eclipses are just so unpredictable. All the more so when Neptune also stations. Therefore all we can do is proceed with the faith that everything will turn out as it should. And this is without knowing full well where we will find ourselves once all the dust has settled, and the air has finally cleared.
Eclipses can be felt weeks in advance, especially if they are in a personal degree for us. And we can feel them for months after. The ramifications can even be felt for years after, as these can often stand as turning points in our lives. Some may feel like they are overwhelmed with activity and too much information, adding to an otherwise worrisome feeling of uncertainty. Others will feel like they are being drained of their life essence. We are now in the veil between the eclipses where change, evolution and time warps converge, and all we can do is walk through this veil to the other side.
For the past 5 months that Neptune has been in its annual retrograde phase, we have been getting in touch with our own inner Neptune: our spiritual lives; those things that make our lives more meaningful; our own sense of compassion and connection to others; our intuition; our own inner guides, our ideals, our dreams, our conscience and our imagination. Now that Neptune will appear to be moving forward again, this is the part of the year in which we attempt to put all those ideals, visions and dreams into practice and application.
Both Venus and Mars will transit Neptune this week. Therefore let us dare to connect more fully to our inner Neptune. Whenever planets station they can become quite strong and activated in our lives. We can feel weepy, vulnerable and forlorn under the aegis of Neptune. But we also see more, hear more and sense more than usual. Watch for vivid dreams, intuitive flashes of insight, and a general sensitivity to others and our environment.
What this week is good for:
Getting lost in your imagination: Draw, paint, play music, sing, dance, write poetry, watch a good movie, read a good book, and dream.
Practices that help to align you with your spiritual center: Meditate, Pray, Chant, read spiritual texts. Take long walks in nature, go to be near the water, or seek solace in sacred spaces. Practice forgiveness.
Connect with yourself: Reflect, journal, lay out the cards, read the I Ching, dig out the pendulum & oracles
Activities of Neptune: Performing acts of compassion and random acts of kindness, a kind word, stop to listen, be present for others. Volunteer your time or your resources for a good cause.
Slowing down: Pay attention, See, Hear, Feel, Be present in order to honor and fully appreciate each moment.
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
On Friday, November 26th, Saturn and Chiron will make the last of 3 sextiles this year. The first being February 9th, the 2nd on June 23rd, and the last this week. Unlike the other prevailing transit of the year, the Saturn/Uranus square, sextiles are usually more subtle, presenting themselves as opportunities. And yet tied in with the Saturn/Uranus squares, the subtle realities that the sextile brought added another layer to the sometimes dramatic changes that 2021 brought to the table.
With Chiron in Aries, and Saturn in Aquarius, there were often not so subtle reminders of the importance of self-care and self-awareness. And not only how these impact on us individually but will also have an effect on others. Chiron in Aries reminded us also that we will be better caregivers to others, when we take care of ourselves. And Saturn in Aquarius was working hard to bring us the tools and the remedies that would not only benefit us individually, but also for the greater good of the community at large.
As many people lost jobs, or started working from home, people thought long and hard about their life’s work, and the quality of their lives. One of the characteristics of the Saturn/Chiron sextile is about coming to appreciate certain gifts, talents or abilities that we had previously only taken for granted. There is an element of acceptance for self with Saturn/Chiron that lets us know that there could be a place for us, combined with a yearning to follow our true calling.
Coupled with the Saturn/Uranus squares there was an urgency to find our place in the world. Some took this literally, moving out of town, across the country, or to realms previously unexplored! Even if it meant packing up and starting all over again somewhere else. But perhaps the most salient feature was this idea of having a calling, or coming to appreciate something about yourself that you had taken for granted. There is just the right blend of wisdom combined with your potential opening up and unfolding before you, that would then allow you to put that wisdom into practice.
The Solar Eclipse on December 4th is tying this all together. The Eclipse will be sextile Saturn and trine Chiron, allowing us to more deeply embrace and appreciate what we have discovered and embodied throughout the previous year, and what we might want to further seed as we move into 2022. This will be followed by a Saturn/Uranus square in December. If you had not made the changes already, or responded to your calling, this last call from these transits may be difficult to resist.
In this liminal time between the eclipses it might make sense to sort out for ourselves some of the key principles we can take away from the Saturn/Chiron sextiles of 2021:
What new thing have you learned about yourself this year, that you had not previously realized or appreciated?
How have you benefited from some new scientific breakthrough or advance? Something that either benefited your health and well-being, or your work?
What new self-care initiatives have you discovered or come to appreciate, that you would like to further develop, learn more about or explore over the year ahead?
For next week’s horoscopes, click below: