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Pisces Full Moon Eclipse August 28 2007
This week's lunar eclipse is one for the books with so much going on - it's hard to know where to start the commentary. Certainly, there are many wonderful, rich, challenging, things going on astrologically...
A few technical details first: From start to finish, August's lunar eclipse lasts about three hours and thirty-three minutes (not including the penumbral phases which are very difficult to see). The partial eclipse begins as the Moon's eastern edge slowly moves into the Earth's umbral shadow. During the partial phases, it takes just over an hour for the Moon's orbital motion to carry it entirely within the Earth's dark umbra. The color and brightness of the totally eclipsed Moon can vary considerably from one eclipse to another. Dark eclipses are caused by volcanic gas and dust which filters and blocks much of the Sun's light from reaching the Moon. But since no major volcanic eruptions have taken place recently, the Moon will probably take on a vivid red or orange color during the total phase. After the total phase ends, it is once again followed by a partial eclipse as the Moon gradually leaves the umbral shadow.
The total phase of a lunar eclipse is called totality. At this time, the Moon is completely immersed within the Earth's dark umbral shadow. During the August 28 eclipse totality will last 90 minutes.
From:http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmono/TLE2007Aug28/TLE2007Aug28.html
The Sabian Symbol for this lunar eclipse in Pisces is Pisces 5: A Church Bazaar. This Symbol speaks of people pulling together, with a sense of faith, and working towards the common good of one's community, family, neighbourhood, along with one's spiritual needs being fulfilled.
The image to the left here is how life could look at the moment - sliding down that rabbit hole, not sure what's next, what to take in, where we're going. Of course, this can be an exciting ride, but certainty is one thing we'd like to have at the moment... however, Saturn (which usually gives us that certainty) is slipping into Virgo any minute now, getting ready to shake up our usual notions of what's solid, real, tangible, desirable... bringing us to the table to be accountable, on time, useful, productive, fit, healthy, together, able to manifest the things we want, etc.
With Venus being retrograde at the moment, our values, desires, relationships, interactions with others, our sense of self, our attachment to 'things', etc, is slipping. Venus in Leo wants everything and wants it now, often regardless of the cost (heck, it will be fun, goddamit). Venus had us in Virgo territory for a few weeks before it's recent spin backwards into Leo. Venus in Virgo had many feeling like they'd sorted things out (sorta), then back it went into Leo. Now, we're wanting, again, a sense of self satisfaction, to have fun, to play, to be allowed to throw our ego around a bit. When Venus goes back into Virgo in a few weeks time we'll have none of that, thank you!
So where are we? Are we down the rabbit hole or are we experiencing our lives the way we want them to be (and having fun) whilst momentarily sorting out the bits that need sorting out. Yes, bits need sorting out. The trick at the moment is to feel moored, anchored and steady, something that's probably rather elusive with Venus hovering on Leo 19: A Houseboat Party. This is a surefire Symbol for one having to know where the party's being held. My place or yours? Is there a party or is this just another movable feast with nowhere to lay down one's roots? Where are we? Well, Venus is on the cusp of heading back onto Leo 19: A Houseboat Party - here are some Keywords and Cautions for A Houseboat Party taken from my book 360 Degrees of Wisdom; Charting Your Destiny With the Sabian Oracle:
Keywords: Emotive social pleasure. Joining with others in an adventurous spirit. Cleopatra-style parties. The issue of knowing where one’s going. Claustrophobia. Being cast adrift. Delicate social balances. Moored in water or on ground. Leisure times that are fun and free-floating. People getting 'out of it'.
The Caution: Trapping people into ideals of pleasure. Self-indulgence. Not knowing “where” the party is going to be or finish up. Not being anchored in reality. Feeling “unmoored” and unable to disembark. Nowhere to permanently dock. Unknown destinations. Feeling trapped. Choppy seas. No one at the wheel. Springing a leak. Wanting to bail out. Tipping the boat.
In all truth, Virgo wants roots, and this lunar eclipse in Pisces can have you wondering where you roots actually lie. With Saturn on the very last degree of Leo and about to slip into Virgo, what seems to be imperative is that we speak our minds and don't hang on to things. The Sabian Symbol for Saturn on it's last grasp of Leo is Leo 30: An Unsealed Letter Has Vital and Confidential Information. Some Keywords and the Cautions for Leo 30:
Keywords: Wearing your heart on your sleeve. Shared thoughts and feelings. Declaring what needs to be said. “Dear John” letters. Laying one’s self on the line through writing things down. Diaries. Letters. Penmanship. Messages of intent. Things said out loud. Confidences.
The Caution: Playing games with information. Pretending to conceal for the purposes of deceit. Blurting things out. Not giving any indication of what’s thought. Being upset about having things out in the open. Passing on the secrets of others. Revealing things that shouldn’t be revealed.
With Saturn on this last degree of Leo, it seems that keeping things to ourselves can work against us, but then again there are some things that don't need to be said. Finding the balance between letting it be known how one's feeling and blurting things out that may be regretted later is the challenge. Saturn seems to be teaching us that using our discrimination to discern (discrimination and discern being fine Saturnian words) what is useful information and what is not is going to provide a good groundwork for Saturn's entry into Virgo (not to mention Venus' foray into Virgo as well).
Right now there's a lot going on in Virgo and although Venus has slipped backwards into Leo for another shot of hedonism and me-first-ism, we're definitely learning more and more about the rules of the game as played by this most discriminating and discerning of signs.
So what is this eclipse really about? Well, Saturn, for it's part is saying it's not a good idea for you to expect others to be mind readers - you have to draft up that 'unsealed letter' and get it published, at least the vital and useful bits. Mars, however, has something to add to the equation. It's currently squaring all this Virgoan and Piscean energy from Gemini 14: Two People Living Far Apart in Telepathic Communication With Each Other. OK, so Mars IS expecting people to be mind-readers, or upset when others aren't.
With all this energy around communication, it is useful to look to see where Mercury, the planet of communications, is in all of this. Mercury is in Virgo at Virgo 17: A Volcanic Eruption Bringing Dust Clouds, Flowing Lava, Earth Rumblings. Interestingly, the description above from the NASA site talks about about the color of the moon in an eclipse being changed by volcanic activity – and here we have Mercury on the Volcanic Eruption degree. Seems the ‘volcanic eruptions’ may take place within our minds, hearts and bodies more than on the geophysical level. With Saturn on the Unsealed Letter and Mercury on the Volcanic Eruption degree, it seems certain that keeping a lid on things is going to prove to be interesting. Just how far down the rabbit hole are we?
The Sabian Symbol for the Moon in this eclipse provides some interesting clues to how best to direct our energies. It's on Pisces 5: A Church Bazaar. Marc Edmund Jones 1931 Mimeograph version of this Symbol reads: Through the Spacious Grounds of the Church are Strung Japanese Lanterns; it is a Bazaar of Merry Hearts and Faces. Jones' interpretation for this Symbol reads:
“This is a Symbol of the interchange of spirit and understanding upon which the community invisible is built, the trafficking by which men come in truth to know each other.”
With the lunar eclipse on this degree, it seems that we have work to do in order to really get to know each other; to accept each other; to respect each other's beliefs, ways of life, our impulses and reasons for doing things the way we do. There also seems to be a need to bring our offerings to the table to be shared with others. Whether these 'offerings' are the standard church bazaar jars of jam, our helping hands, our voices of encouragement, our spiritual beliefs of the goodness of all people or our willingness to help others in our community.
With the eclipse on this degree perhaps we also have to look at or acknowledge that our way of looking at things is not the only way, not gospel, not the way others may be seeing things.
Seeing things clearly can be a challenge at the moment as the solar system is definitely charging up the particles in the atmosphere with Mars and Mercury and Uranus forming a grand cross with Jupiter.
Jupiter’s message seems to be one of remembering to be in our bodies. The Sabian Symbol for Jupiter at the moment is Sagittarius 11: In the Left Section of an Archaic Temple, a Lamp Burns in a Container Shaped Like a Human Body. Some Keywords and Cautions from my book:
Keywords: Connecting the left and right sides. Working out, physical fitness and exercise. Yoga. Grounding reality. Sexuality. Realizing that body is the same as spirit. Remembering to be in the body. Light workers. The acceptance of the body and its functions. Sport and its physical rewards. Metabolic rates. Oil burners. Gas lamps. Aladdin's lamp.
The Caution: Worshiping the body at the expense of the intellect, psyche or spirit. Concentrating exclusively on physical desires and needs. Needing actual physical evidence to accept anything. Being caught up in the illusion of the body, the “physical self”.
Thinking about Alice’s trip down the rabbit hole brings up some interesting correspondences with the issue of being in our bodies… the ‘lamp of physical enlightenment’…
It feels like the major challenge is to put aside any unnecessarily self-centered views of our world in order to embrace the views, feelings, objectives and direction of the greater community. This can be difficult, though, if we're not clearly seeing what's going on in the real world; out there where things are solid, concrete, tangible and, sometimes, rather predictable, especially with the Sun in this eclipse on Virgo 5: A Man Becoming Aware of Nature Spirits and Normally Unseen Spiritual Energies.
Keywords: Creative fantasies. Attuned minds perceiving subtle phenomena. Fairy tales. Seeing things or imagining them. Fantasizing. Seeing entities. Mental institutions. Halloween. Fairies, nature spirits. Seeing the normally unseen.
The Caution: Confusion. Lack of true perspective. Time wasted in escapes from reality. Imagining things. Losing the plot. Dreaming to the point of insanity. Making up things in order to be noticed or feel somehow special. Delusions. Dreaming of possibilities that disappear upon waking. Schizophrenia.
So, as in the story of Alice in Wonderland, are we falling down the rabbit hole where things are blown out of proportion, are unreal, intangible, hard to navigate and make sense of, or, are we using our more highly attuned energies to perceive the subtle energies going on in the environment and acknowledging what's driving people to do the things they do?
Perhaps we need to allow ourselves a little time down that rabbit hole - to adjust our eyes to the light that's down there, to perceive things rather differently or laterally than we might normally do. The trick is to maintain a sense of equilibrium, to see the goodness in all people, to know that the universe is on target, that life is unfolding exactly as it should - even if we're sometimes caught off guard by the energies surrounding us.
Read Lynda's explanation of the Sabian Symbols here
Lynda's website www.sabiansymbols.com
Lynda's blog sabiansymbols.typepad.com
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