Eclipse season continues as the Moon at 15 degrees of Scorpio opposes the Sun at 15 Taurus on May 5th. Aries is still having an impact with Chiron, Eris and Jupiter activating our collective Chiron, but the focus shifts to the Earth sign of Taurus where we slow down and place our attention on well-being.
The first week of May has been marked by some significant planetary relationships. On May 1st, retrograde Mercury was conjunct the Sun initiating a new cycle that carries us through the summer. Venus is winding up her journey through Gemini. On May 4th she is square Jupiter and sextile Neptune, and on May 7th she moves into Cancer.
Balancing Head and Heart
Venus is the Queen of Taurus. She awakens our sensual side, encouraging us to care for our bodies, to get out in nature, to enjoy the many pleasures of life – good food, fragrant flowers, bird song, the brilliant array of color that nature offers after a harsh colorless winter, and of course, sensual touch, the caresses of love-making. Venus in Taurus is all about love, romance naturally, but also self-care. And with Mercury’s cycle beginning in Taurus, it’s time to shift our inner dialog from constant critique to compassion and empathy. It’s time to bring our busy minds into balance with our bodies, especially our hearts.
The spotlight is on love – love of self, love of others, love of life. It’s the perfect time to shift some old habits of separation. In our current paradigm we learn critical thinking, which is a good thing until we turn it against ourselves and others. Critical thinking, in and of itself, creates a distance between self and other. On the one hand, we mentally step back and assess, gaining objectivity, but on the other, we have developed habits of seeing what’s wrong, what needs improvement, what doesn’t measure up. We look for differences and our egos jump in with comparisons.
The ego mind is continually doing a balancing act, comparing, contrasting, looking for ways in which we are superior. On the one hand it knows we need to feel good about ourselves so it buoys our self-esteem with ideas like “That person is . . . (fill in the blank), and I’m not,” followed by a series of judgments and assumptions, culminating in a sense of “better-than.” On the other hand, the ego can turn the spotlight on the many ways in which we fall short, beating our spirit down into a “less-than” version of ourselves. We are caught in the damaging polarity of critical thinking that ultimately distances ourselves from others, while creating self-alienation.
The vast majority of us are ensnared in this mental loop. It makes us vulnerable to criticism, puts us on the defensive, creates enemies with our very souls. We try to control ourselves, to suppress the parts we have judged unworthy or downright reprehensible. All of which bolsters the ego.
Imagine what it must be like to free ourselves from this mental tyranny. This ego dilemma is the very issue we need to address in order to know who we really are and to bring the best of ourselves to the world. What we see unfolding in our physical “reality,” is the product of our critical thinking run amok. We are polarized as a society by faulty beliefs, by political and social propaganda, by our ego minds constantly promoting duality. But we are moving into the Aquarian Age. This is not an idea. It is a mandate. It’s a do-or-die mandate. Either we find a way to preserve and value our individuality and give others the same and equal value, or we plunge deeper into the abyss of separation.
How do we pull ourselves back together? We start by shifting our thinking. We stop comparing and start recognizing our connection. We greet one another not with an assessment, but with the recognition that we are soul mates. We all come from the same sacred source. We are like cells in a vast body of consciousness. And when we encounter one another, we can marvel at the difference, at the talent and gifts we all carry, at the wondrous power of diversity. When we look at each other we see ourselves. We are one and the same.
This is the opportunity Mercury and Venus are offering us for the next four months – to shift the bad habits of critical thinking and cultivate the healing, loving spiritual awareness of our Oneness.
Venus is the lower frequency of Neptune and the two are 90 degrees from one another. Square aspects are turning points in a relationship. It’s not that they conflict, but they become aware of one another. They reach a moment of recognition. Maybe there’s the realization that the relationship is rocky and they need to evolve it. Ultimately they can work harmoniously, each lending their gifts in cooperation.
Neptune is the perfect companion for Venus right now. We can elevate our love from the mundane to the universal. We can expand our consciousness into the vast quantum field from which we all emerge. We can celebrate our Oneness. We can learn to love ourselves as the spiritual family we are. We can develop the psychic power of empathy.
Neptune is not the only expansive energy involved. Venus is also sextile Jupiter, the guiding spirit of our national identity. We know that Jupiter is ebullient energy – the energy of joy, of expectation, of growth and expansion. Jupiter tells us that everything is going to turn out all right – just have faith that we are divinely guided on our evolutionary path. There is a plan. Trust and bring your best self forward. Jupiter helps us open our hearts as we release our fear.
We can make the most of this new Mercury cycle by practicing empathic mindfulness. This is evolved intelligence in which we automatically respond with the recognition of Oneness. We learn to see sameness and honor diversity at the same time. We are miracles of creation, just like nature with its array of plants and animals. We are all expressions of the very same, profound Divine Consciousness.
On the one hand it’s simple, but it’s not easy. The complicated part is extracting ourselves from dysfunctional critical thinking. We stop judging and start appreciating. To do this we have to be super aware in every moment, steering our minds back on course. We can notice our judgments. We don’t have to beat ourselves up over them – that empowers the ego. When we notice judgment, we can remind ourselves to breathe through our hearts, to find within our hearts the divine love we ignore. Jupiter says trust him on this – everything in our lives will get better. We will be more at peace, happier, more joyful, more appreciative and grateful, and these energies draw more of the same to us. Our lives become magical. This one shift of consciousness can transform the world.
Full Moon in Scorpio
All that said, the Moon is in Scorpio, realm of Pluto’s inexorable power. For the rest of this year, Pluto will be squaring the Nodes of the Moon. Think about the Nodes as energy points at which our personal lives touch the Divine. They occur where the orbit of the Moon, which is our collective psyche, crosses the ecliptic, which is the path of Earth around the Sun, but appears to us as the path of the Sun – our Spirit – around the Earth. At the nodal points, our personal, planetary and spiritual energies come together. The choices we make during these alignments, determine the direction in which our consciousness flows out into manifestation.
In other words, the state of our future is decided in the minds of the collective. We can become more conscious at these times, see a bigger picture, ask ourselves, “What are my thoughts contributing to our future reality?” If we are fearful, angry, holding negative expectations, this energy folds into the collective matrix out of which our future emerges. If enough of us tap into the wisdom of our hearts, however, we can tip the scales of future creation.
Scorpio takes us into our depth, the heart of which is our Divine Essence, our superconscious self, or Higher Self. But the path to the heart is strewn with debris from the past. With the Lunar Eclipse falling in this sign, it is beckoning us to take a deep dive within, to encounter what lies in the darkness. We’re asked to face our fears, bless and forgive our past, have intense compassion for the self who has taken this perilous journey. Pluto’s transformational journey requires the courage to face the truth about ourselves. It is the shock of recognition that strips away our arrogance and opens us up to transcendence.
The South Node which is the repository of our forgotten past, is heading for a union with Haumea. There is rebirth in our future. In fact it’s only months away. A portal opens on July 28th when we can joyously release the pain of the past and begin to reclaim the memory of who we really are.
To add to the intensity of this Full Moon, the Sun in Taurus is conjunct Uranus. We may be in for some surprises in the coming months. Uranus is the king of unexpected events that upset the status quo. I have been hearing some alarming predictions about our near future. In spiritual circles, guides are speaking of the need for community, to give and receive support from like-minded souls in the times ahead. I have heard no details, but they portend dramatic change, emphasizing the challenge this will present. Of course everyone is leaping to conclusions. I’m not doing that because it doesn’t help, and worse, it may encourage its manifestation.
We cannot surrender to fear. The “battle” between Light and Dark can only be won with Love, which brings us together. When we move into fear, we make fear choices. They never turn out well. I speak from experience. Choices made from Love always carry blessings.
I certainly don’t intend to spark fear but I feel I must alert you to the seriousness of our present condition. Pluto doesn’t play around. His action is irrevocable. As the fulcrum balancing our past and future, he is holding our fate in his hands. The decision is ultimately ours, but there is no room for indifference. Everyone must vote with their minds and hearts. We have the power to move the world with the quality of our consciousness.
And we have the loving support of the centaur Chariklo. At the conjunction of Saturn and Pluto that kicked off these hard times in January of 2020, Chariklo was right in the middle of it. While we are unaware of her influence, she is holding a context of healing, nurturing and sustaining us through our challenging evolutionary passage. Chariklo is squaring the lunar axis from Aquarius. Like Pluto with the Nodes, she is the fulcrum of support for our eclipse shadow work. We can turn to her for comfort and be grateful that we are not alone. We are wrapped in the arms of cosmic love.
Saturn and Gonggong
Slow-moving Saturn is conferring with even slower moving dwarf planet Gonggong, both at 6 degrees of Pisces. Alan Clay teaches that Gonggong ultimately is about cultivating epathy. I have a Pisces Moon, so I have a working relationship with empathy, but Gonggong has been wrenching my heart recently. My natal Gonggong is at 0 degrees of Aquarius where Pluto is parked, stationary retrograde as of May 1st.
Gonggong is a big energy, the kind that moves mountains and creates floods. Perhaps Saturn will have a stabilizing influence. In Chinese mythology, Gonggong was a self-absorbed giant who demanded his way and acted out his frustration when he didn’t get it. In fact he banged his head into a mountain in his rage and altered the flow of rivers, drowning whole villages in the valley below. It’s a cautionary tale about the impact of our reactive patterns. Apparently he suffered great remorse for his rash behavior. There most definitely is a message for all of us here.
Maybe Saturn is manifesting frustrating situations in our lives so we can become aware of our reactivity. And I guess he is also suggesting that empathy for the self and others is the correct response, rather than a tantrum that overwhelms us with its emotional power.
We will not see the lunar eclipse in the USA. It takes place on the other side of the world, happening at 10:34 a.m. PDT Friday morning. Nevertheless, we can expect this eclipse to touch us emotionally. Saturn is always asking us to take responsibility, in this case for emotional overwhelm.
Between now and the next New Moon in Taurus, Venus will move into Cancer on May 7th and shine her light on nurturing ourselves and others. Jupiter leaves Aries behind on May 16th to spend a year in Taurus. Hopefully we will get serious about our beloved home planet and take some positive steps to address our contribution to the climate crisis.
The New Moon in Taurus is on May 19th. The next day Mars enters Leo, eventually squaring Uranus at the end of June. Big potential for surprising change!
Take a hint from Venus and develop empathy for the tender soul you are. Love your body and let it know that you do. Our cells listen to every thought and relish being appreciated. Cultivate empathic intelligence. Its wisdom resides in the heart.
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