March 7th ~ 14th
Lunar Eclipse over the Rainforest in Panama, taken by Fede Benavides
God, to me, is the universe unfolding, the power and potential within all life, the oak within our acorn selves. Not one bit separate, but fused with us like salt and the sea, ever-present in the faces, the scenes, the feelings that pass through our lives day by day. ~ Jan Phillips (God is at Eye Level)
On March 14th (or 13th, depending on where you are in the world) we have a Total Lunar Eclipse. The Eclipse at 23º Virgo 59’ will reach its totality as a blood red moon, where it will be visible across all of North America and the Western half of South America. Eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon and the Earth are in such perfect alignment, that the Earth is capable of engulfing the Moon in its shadow. The deep red color comes as a result of the sunlight being filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere. In ancient times, these Blood Red Moons were seen as portents of evil befalling the world. Which feels strangely appropriate given the current prevailing circumstances.
Eclipses always come in pairs, so the Lunar Eclipse will be followed by a partial Solar Eclipse on March 29th. And so we officially enter eclipse season, a time so rife with unpredictability and life-changing events, that we may not even know if we are coming or going. Eclipses in and of themselves are unpredictable, all the more so when conjunct the South Node point as this one is. Eclipses can serve as turning points in our lives. Like karmic windows into our destiny, we should always treat eclipses with reverence and awe. And wisely so.
This is a Total Eclipse, meaning that this is one of those magical times in which the Sun, Moon and Earth are in this perfect alignment. It is because of this perfect alignment that this eclipse is so significant. Especially when it is so close to the South Node where so much karmic releasing is occurring. Lunar Eclipses are times of culmination. Of endings. They show us the ramifications of choices and decisions made in the past. And with the Lunar Eclipse also closely opposing the planet Saturn, one thing that can become evident, is that our choices have consequences.
Celeste Teal tells us in her book entitled “Eclipses” that the South Node, or the Dragon’s Tail is indicative of our comfort zone. It is what we are accustomed to. As a result, we are not always objectively aware of why we are experiencing certain events. The Lunar Eclipse is trying to show us what it is that we need to change or release or let go of, in order to grow and further evolve: whether that be a habit, an emotional pattern that is holding us back, a person, an alliance, and things we have been taking for granted. It is not uncommon, as a result, for these South Node Eclipses to be associated with endings or feelings of loss.
Because this is a Total Eclipse where we see this perfect alignment between the Sun (spirit), the Moon (soul) and the Earth (the body), it seems to allow the Norns, the Fates of Norse mythology, to step in and weave their tapestries. This allows them to move the pieces about on the playing board of life. And this is why it can sometimes feel like we are having a meeting with destiny. It may seem as if we are being inexorably drawn along on the tide. And there is nothing to be done at these times, but to move through to the other side, and accept the had that is being given.
Because there is this added element of ‘fate’, or the fruition of karma, thrown into the equation, these periods can also be unpredictable. But also know that these eclipses are ultimately in service towards the evolutionary progress of human kind, as well as for each of us individually. And what we receive within the bounds of these eclipse seasons is necessary for our soul’s journey. And so through the gates of the Lunar Eclipse, closely opposite Saturn and trine evolutionary Uranus, we are all feeling the profundity and weight of the consequences wrought from recent events. And as a result we will never quite see things the same way again.
Who or what are being eclipsed and/or sacrificed when the South Node is in Virgo: Civil Servants, Health Care, Workers in general, but particularly those who perform a service or who have a specific expertise, Servants, Food Service, Food safety, Environmental workers, scientists, researchers, editors and clerical workers. The disenfranchised, those who don’t have a voice of their own, or yet a seat at the table.
What is unresolved or needing to be released and purified with the South Node in Virgo:
The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you. ~ Neil DeGrasse Tyson
In the face of other’s suffering, rather than having compassion, criticizing or looking to find fault, or for someone to blame
Focusing on our differences rather than our commonality.
The need to have everything be logical and have to make sense.
Being so rigid in our scheduling, our must do’s and ‘have to’s’ that we lose our connection to our own inner knowing.
The need to be perfect.
Focusing so much on the small things and details that we lose sight of the bigger picture. We can’t see the forest for the trees.
What we are being asked to cultivate with the North Node in Pisces:
What if rather than being disheartened by the ambiguity, the uncertainty of life, we accepted it and relaxed into it? ~ Pema Chodron
The ability to accept and be present with impermanence and uncertainty.
To have faith that we are being led precisely where we need to be, even in the face of uncertainty.
Recognizing that we are all swimming together in this Great Ocean we call Life, and that if one person suffers or falters, we are here to hold each other up.
Compassion and the over-riding desire to relieve the suffering of others
Our capacity to Dream, to Wonder, and Imagine.
Our ability to think in terms of vast possibility, perhaps even beyond our previous expectations.
To realize beauty in imperfection.
That sometimes in order to find ourselves we have to get a little lost.
Cultivating and Trusting our own inner gps: our conscience, our intuition, and the connection with the Divine in Spirit.
Neptune is currently still conjunct the North Node. These are times in which we are being asked to have faith, even in times of uncertainty, and to have hope, even in the face of extraordinary change. In order to find the correct path we are being reminded to turn within, towards our own spiritual center, to that divine spark, that part of us that is truly connected with all of humanity. It is there where the answers and the remedies lie.
Saturn is also approaching the North Node, in which we are going to be asked, rather than denying, controlling or belittling the ideals of the North Node in Pisces, we are being asked to make a deeper commitment to that which is right and true. Right now, Venus is in her retrograde phase, and Mercury is in its own shadow of its retrograde. When Mercury and Venus make their direct stations in April , they will both be conjunct Saturn as well as the North Node and this Lunar Eclipse point. These will serve as reminders and catalysts, of the importance of connecting with and making a commitment with our own principles, our own conscience, and that God Principle within our heart of hearts.
Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the Mystery, unique and not to be judged. Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there. ~ Rumi
For the Lunar Eclipse for your sign or natal house, click on the Horoscopes link below: