Full Moon Eclipse in Aquarius

Themes in pictures: 

Calmly observing the primordial swamp from a progress-oriented vantage point

Cutting oneself free of old patterns and conditioning

To thine own self be true

 

This is tonight, the 27th August at 8:22 pm UTC.

So here we are at the big blood moon. Longest eclipse of the century so far, a super-moon (meaning closer to Earth than usual), and conjunct a Mars that is halfway through his retrograde period and closer in his orbit than he's been since 2003. It's a big deal.

I don't really know where to start with regard to this thing. The strings of the whole chart are pulled so tight – like a bow string, or a loaded gun. The moon is nearly exactly conjunct Mars on the south node, the sun is nearly exactly conjunct the north node in Leo, and Uranus in Taurus squares both poles at a tight angle. This is a fixed t-square - pretty uncomfortable, a bunch of immovable objects facing off against irresistible forces. Something's gotta give.

With Uranus so heavily involved, expect the unexpected. Whatever comes, shock will be involved. It may really be a liberation, but it won't necessarily feel like one -- it looks abrupt and uncomfortable.

Mars in Aquarius is squaring Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius. This is a blitzkreig aspect – sudden accidents and explosions of violence are more likely. Please be careful operating machinery and driving, and be careful around electrical equipment.

Also, stay away from angry, aggressive people if you can, and try to avoid being one. With Mars and the moon on the south node in Aquarius, the path of least resistance is cold rage and abrupt, emotionally detached violence – kinda psychopathic really.

The sun on the north node in Leo points the correct way forward: creativity, self-expression, generosity, good humour, playfulness, heart. These qualities may be harder to access than usual at this time, but it's important that you at least try to access them in order to avoid acting like a total psycho.

There is also a theme of maintaining personal authenticity in the face of group dynamics – acting from your core individuality instead of going along with the crowd. Being true to yourself is pretty much impossible if you're preoccupied with how you appear to others. The task here (and always) is to become your authentic self, not a curated persona. The ways in which you are not true to yourself are likely to be cast in sharp relief about now.

Authentic self-expression may be blocked or difficult, as we're dealing with a Mercury retrograde in Leo as of yesterday (26th July), and running till the 19th August. As always, I'd advise using blockage to look inward. Introspection is a prerequisite for true authenticity and self-expression, and you can use this Mercury retrograde to connect with what you truly think and feel, even if expressing it properly is tough at the moment. (Also, hold of signing documents and formalising commitments with Mercury retrograde, and expect the usual issues with travel and communications.)

Full moons are about culminations and endings, and a lunar eclipse is a full moon, only more so. So be prepared to say goodbye to something at this eclipse. Given the Uranian influence, something may be abruptly removed. Please remember that what feels like loss may actually be liberation: one less thing to carry around and worry about.

 Radical minimalism is one of the themes of Uranus in Taurus: the less baggage you're carrying, the more room you'll have to manoeuvre, and the more space you'll have for the new to enter your life. It's all about making space for the new this year: we are in the process of building new operating systems based on greater personal authenticity, because following the same old patterns no longer works. This is for everyone, across the board -- and this eclipse serves that imperative.

I think we're looking at a great opportunity here to cut ourselves free of old conditioning and pathologies. Remember we are still in Cancer lunar cycle, and the new moon solar eclipse in Cancer two weeks ago was about the death or transformation of unhealthy old emotional patterns and family dynamics. Aquarius, unlike Cancer, is emotionally detached and focused on the future.

So at this eclipse, we are facing an inward turning-point, where we can finally look dispassionately at the baggage we're still carrying around and drop what needs to be dropped, in the interests of moving forward. There is unlikely to be much point in dwelling on your hangups any further, unless you really enjoy doing that. But it'll keep you stuck! If you're interested in progress, you can use this eclipse to cut and clear.

At best, it looks like a kind of emotional shock-therapy – liberating, but not exactly comfortable:

Intense as this blood moon is, it really does look like an inward realization kinda vibe to me: coming to terms with reality and understanding how to move forward. We are dealing with a lot of retrogrades at the moment, so you can't expect much progress in the outer world, though you may have great clarity about where you're supposed to be aiming.

On a collective level, some intense reckonings with bedrock reality are underway. On a personal level I think this is all about being true to yourself. Your authentic core self, your essence – not your socially constructed self.

We'll round out eclipse season with a new moon partial solar eclipse in Leo on the 11th August, which underscores the theme of personal authenticity.

Per Shakespeare:
“This above all: to thine own self be true, 
And it must follow, as the night the day, 
Thou canst not then be false to any man”

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer

Yumiko Kayukawa

This is on the 13th July, around 3 am UTC.

So eclipse season is now upon us, starting off with this new moon which is also a partial solar eclipse. Eclipse season is an intense time of accelerated change with long-lasting effect. We have two eclipses this month so what's happening in your life this July is super-important. Long-term shifts are kicking off NOW, at this emotional pressure cooker of a new moon.

Cancer is a cardinal water sign. Cardinal signs are initiatory and forceful, and water signs are concerned with emotion. Cancer is about your roots – the deepest part of you, where you draw your emotional sustenance. It's about where you come from and what you call “home” in this world, so it's associated with childhood, mother, family, nostalgia and memories.

So a new moon in Cancer is about a new emotional start, bound up with issues relating to home and family and your roots. The fact that this is an eclipse gives it an added intensity.

But what amps the intensity up to 11 is that the sun and moon will exactly oppose Pluto. And Pluto is all about intensity and deep, gut-wrenching transformation. Pluto heaves everything we're ashamed or afraid of, the Shadow stuff we'd prefer not to look at, into the light of day. The process is analogous to pus coming out of a boil, and unpleasant as it may be, the purpose is purgation and healing. What's rotten has to come to the surface to be released.

So you can expect long-buried emotions to erupt this month, especially stuff connected with home and family and mom. Formative patterns that have been deeply unconscious may become conscious. Situations may come up that radically alter your notion of “home”, or painfully expose your vulnerability. Your feelings may seem overwhelming.

I'd say, don't attempt to shut them down – it won't work, they'll just manifest in destructive ways. Welcome them and let them wash through you like water, flushing out the pent-up toxicity.

Cancer is good at hiding and defensiveness and clinging to the past, but the point here is emotional catharsis and release. Pluto is retrograde at the moment, so it's all about going inward and facing your demons. With Pluto, there's also a theme of ruthless amputation of what's no longer viable, be it an attitude, a habit, or a relationship. So this is a great time to extricate yourself from toxic family dynamics or to deal with an addiction. This is potentially a powerfully healing new moon, despite the intensity and discomfort. You can't expect to get through it without some kind of drama,  but overall it looks very beneficial.

There's a lot of nice stuff happening in the sky around it. Jupiter, the “great benefic”, stations direct in Pluto's home sign of Scorpio on the 10th July. This is some very helpful backup for the process of dealing with our Shadow stuff. Jupiter will also be in beneficial aspect to Neptune in Pisces, and forming a grand water trine with the sun, moon and Neptune at the time of the new moon – more backup for letting emotions flow and trusting your intuition and your gut.

We also have a grounding and stabilising grand earth trine in effect at this time, involving Venus in Virgo, Saturn in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus. This is great for radical yet practical new approaches to money, work and relationships.

Mars is retrograde in Aquarius until the end of August. Traditionally, it's not advised to begin new ventures until he resumes direct motion. You may run into blockages and frustration despite your best efforts. It doesn't matter – things are developing all the same and you don't have to bang your head against walls in the effort to push forward. Refine your plans and wait it out.

Mars will be tangoing with the south node for the next three months, passing over it in his retrograde on the 20th July, and then passing over it again on the 26th September in direct motion. What this means is it's a fateful time. There's an imperative to act from creativity, generosity and heart, but also a greater potential for getting stuck in violent, reactive rage. This potential is really intensified at the time of the full moon on the 27th July, a total lunar eclipse which is just a doozy.

It's a blood moon, so-called because the eclipsed moon will glow a dark red. And it looks raw, emotionally super-heated and shocking – a blood moon indeed. It's a game-changer.

This will be the longest lunar eclipse of this century and also a supermoon, meaning it'll be closer to Earth than usual. And it'll be tightly conjunct Mars, who will be at his closest point to Earth in 15 years - so the bloody moon and the red planet will both appear uncannily bright. Uranus in Taurus will be involved, forming a t-square with the sun, moon and Mars. Uranus in Taurus, recall, is a force shaking up the stable structures of our lives, altering the ground beneath our feet.

Beyond the potential for political upheaval, I'm thinking of climate change in relation to this hotted-up eclipse. There is an unprecedented global heatwave going on right now. No question, the planet frying has long-term, serious effects for all of us.

I will write more about the full moon closer to the time, but I think as this is happening during Cancer lunar cycle, we are being given an opportunity at this new moon to release our toxic emotions and unconscious patterns. There is an angry flashpoint coming, but pain is at the root of anger. If you can allow yourself to feel your pain and flush it through, you can hopefully avoid acting it out unconsciously and destructively.

We are also getting a Mercury retrograde this month, starting on the day before the full moon, the 26th July. He'll be retrograding through Leo till the 18th August. Expect the usual issues with communications and travel, and hold off on signing major documents until the retrograde ends.