Lunar Eclipse: Childhood’s End

The Heavens have a lot to say right now. Tomorrow, July 16, we will have a lunar eclipse and several planets have gathered to support our growth.

I’m sure you all were energized by the Solar Eclipse on July 2^nd. The Sun and Moon were visiting the North Node in Cancer. We were getting glimpses of possibilities for our future. I encouraged you to look for your inner light in the shadows of your depth. I reminded you of the courage of our ancestors. We will need this light and courage to face the task that lies ahead.

Chaos is coming to a head and next year is pivotal. This year is only a warm-up. I don’t mean to cause alarm. We can handle whatever comes our way. We have grit. But we can make this passage so much gentler if we take the time to prepare ourselves, to seek our depths wherein lie unresolved issues, buried wounds and lost power.

The Solar Eclipse energy has been working in our unconscious for the last two weeks, excavating, unearthing gems buried in the soil of our Souls. As the Moon waxes, it brings these treasures to light. The Full Moon is an opportunity for Enlightenment. But there’s a catch – this Moon is eclipsed by the Earth. Our Earthly Drama has overshadowed our light. We must address this Shadow.

I mentioned last time that we need to take a serious look at our Shadow. It is playing out before us in technicolor. Notice all the Dark that is rising. All the Hate. All the Fear. All the Rage. All the scandal, corruption, injustice, appalling secrets coming to light. It’s easy to lose faith, but we must remember that what we call reality is a projection of psyche. The film we are watching is revealing our Collective Darkness. It is thrust in our faces. We can no longer deny it and that’s empowering. Now we can finally do something about it.

We fear the Shadow because we believe its power will overwhelm us. But the Shadow only has power in obscurity. Bring it into the light and it deflates. When we face it, own it and take responsibility for it, we take back all of its strength. Its only power comes from our fear and denial.

This lunar eclipse is only partial, but there are some powerful influences involved that make it significant. The Sun is still in Cancer but has moved up to 24 degrees. She is still surrounded by all the personal planets. She is shining light on our personal lives.

Cancer is about family, our relationships with our parents, our siblings, our childhood pals – all the conflicts, wounds, humiliations and failures along with the conclusions we drew about ourselves. It’s time to put the past to rest. We have carried our childhood pain far enough, but we can’t release it until we harvest its lessons.

While the Sun is in Cancer with her childhood brood, the Moon has moved half-way around the Zodiac into Capricorn, the sign of our public life. It has to do with our work, how we interact with the world. All our social, religious and political institutions are Capricorn arenas. The Moon is linked up to Pluto. Saturn and the South Node are only a few degrees away, reminding us of unfinished business (Karma). The Moon is reflecting back to us valuable information about ourselves, showing us what isn’t working and needs to be transformed. Our institutions are the products of our collective consciousness. What dramas unfold there reflect back to us the state of our collective Soul.

This lunar eclipse gifts us with the opportunity to dispel some shadows. It’s a time to clean out the psychic basement. We’ll talk about that shortly. First I want to tell you a story. One of the very special features of this Full Moon is that two oppositions are occurring at exact right angles to one another. Astrologers call this a Grand Cross. There is much symbolism to unpack here. We can think of the Cross of Matter, or the Cross upon which Christ was hung. Both are appropriate. It is the sacred geometry of material existence. The cross has become a symbol of extreme suffering and sacrifice. Keep that in the back of your mind.

One arm of our Grand Cross consists of the Sun/Moon axis. The other is made up of heavenly bodies that lie beyond Pluto. These are transpersonal planets that speak to us of spiritual challenges. On one side is Eris in Aries.

Eris was a minor Greek goddess. Her story began when the gods and goddesses were holding a wedding ceremony and agreed to exclude Eris because she was a disagreeable trouble-maker. Eris got wind of this party and decided to take revenge. She created a golden apple and attached a note that read, “For the fairest.” She sneaked into the party and threw this golden apple into the crowd.

Juno, the Queen of Heaven, seized the apple and declared it was for her because, after all, she was the queen. Pallas Athena snatched it away and claimed that she had sprung from the head of Zeus and was all-wise. She, therefore, was the fairest. Venus stepped forward and laid claim. “It is obvious that I am the most beautiful, therefore the apple is mine.”

The three goddesses appealed to Zeus to choose, but Zeus was not about to step into that trap. He called upon a shepherd boy, whose name was Paris, to make the decision. Immediately the goddesses surrounded him, bribing him with gifts. Juno told him he would rule in heaven if he chose her. Pallas offered him the wisdom of sages. Venus, however, understood human nature and offered him the most beautiful woman on Earth. When he chose Venus, she helped him abduct the wife of Menelaus, the beautiful Helen of Troy. Thus the Trojan War, the death of heroes, the destruction of a city.

All Eris did was instigate. She appealed to the vanity, entitlement and pride in their nature. In this way, Eris is a teacher. She will tempt your dark side. So be aware of her presence. Watch your triggers. They are keys to your wounds. They are a great place to start an exploration.

Opposite Eris lies Haumea in Libra. She is a Hawaiian creation goddess who was abundantly prolific giving birth to perhaps thousands of children. After every birth she would recreate herself, be born anew. Thus Haumea is known for her resilience. She can help you find your own. She teaches rebirth.

This lunar eclipse can be transformative. Saturn on the South Node is reminding us of our past and trying to grow us up. The Moon has linked arms with Pluto, beaming to Earth his messages – what needs to transform? What wants to be born? In us. What in your life has been around too long? What attitude? What worn-out story from your childhood? What new story is longing to be born?

I encourage you to take the time this summer to process your life – not your whole life, but one issue or relationship at a time. Get a journal. Set aside a specific time – perhaps half an hour in the morning, or just before bed. Seek some silence and solitude. Open up to the secrets that long to be heard. Then write about it. This is important. You can spin the past in accelerating circles in your mind, but you will not transform your understanding. You need to gain perspective. So first you manifest it – right there on the page.

Do this with an open mind and heart. We can no longer afford to worship our beliefs. Now is the time to question them. To seek a much higher truth. It would help to meditate, do the Heart/Brain Coherence practice, for instance. Allow your consciousness to shift from its linear preoccupations. Look for something new. Not just the same old story. Ask yourself, what other way could I see this incident, or person? What other story could this tell? If you have seen yourself as a victim, look deeper for the lesson life was trying to teach. What can you learn?

Be patient and pay attention. The answers will come. Your Soul has been longing for these questions. The whole Universe will sit up and take notice. It will cooperate to support your quest. Life can become magical as metaphor and synchronicity dance before your eyes. Look for symbolism. Look for Omens. Open to the thrumming life all around you.

By way of synchronicity, this lunar eclipse takes place on the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch. It speaks to us of exploration, stepping into the unknown. It is a shining reminder of what we can do when we put our minds to it. One small step . . . one giant leap!