Lunar Eclipse at 29 Gemini

 A lunar eclipse as photographed by NASA from Merrill Island, Florida

The holidays are always an emotional time. And since this year we get a Lunar Eclipse tossed in on top of the whole deal just as the Sun is about to mark a major yearly transition by arriving at the Capricorn solstice…?

Solar eclipses are associated with the rise and falls of nations. And major personal life transformations. But it’s a safe bet that if we took a poll, almost everyone would remember events marked by Lunar Eclipses.

It’s that kind of mundane astrological event. (And don’t get me started on why something global is called ‘mundane’! Technically it may be correct, but why anything truly GLOBAL is referred to as mundane…? That just seems wrong!)

Getting back to the subject…unlike the Solar Eclipse process which evolves and unfolds over three long years, Lunar Eclipses are prompt.

Seriously prompt!

So when I tell you that this season’s Lunar Eclipse is going to happen on December 21st at 8:15 in the morning UT/+0 time, if you know your chart would be aspected by an event at 29 Gemini, set your clock and buckle up!

(About that aspecting thing? We’ll get to that in a few minutes, too.)

So what do we know about this eclipse?

Well, we know it’s going to take place at 29 Gemini.

Twenty-nine degrees of any sign is referred to as ‘critical’…meaning ‘high intensity.’ So this is where all the Gemini precepts of making choices and learning how things work/don’t work, or how they go together (or don’t) come to a high water mark. Particularly if this eclipse aspects your chart.

If it doesn’t? Well, it’ll probably just be a bit of a red letter day anyway. Too much of this, too many 'that's.. …people calling, strange driving, odd news…you know, one odd duck of a day even though nothing specific goes on you would point a finger at!

Lunar Eclipses being one particular version of a Full Moon, the basic image is Moon opposition Sun: the Moon faces the Sun in full aspect and thus the ‘full face’ of the Moon reflects the Sun’s light.

Always a ‘high water mark’ (think: high tide) and always a marker of increased emotionalism, the Lunar Eclipse brings in a quality of grounding issues by involving Earth (symbolizing a big dose of reality) and the Lunar Nodes (society and/or ‘how life goes along’).

In this particular eclipse, it’s the Moon which is at 29 Gemini – the Sun is at 29 Sagittarius, straight across the zodiac. But 29 Gemini has a reputation. And what is that reputation? That rep is all about ‘difficult transitions.’ It’s said that the more difficult the problem you confront, the greater rewards can be.

But first you have to deal with the challenge, slay the dragon, climb the mountain – and all that stuff.

The ‘challenge’ is personal and emotional – the lunar part. And its intense – the 29 part. And it involves making choices, organizing yourself, dealing with what your priorities in life should be (never mind what you’d like them to be) and learning how to do something either from the ground up, or better than you know how to do it going into this moment.

As for what ‘that thing’ is, that’s represented by the other side of the Lunar Eclipse coin: the Sun and Lachesis sitting cozied up together at 29 Sagittarius.

 'A Golden Thread' (the Greek Fates) by Strudwick

Again, this is an intense degree. So whatever the issue is, its in your face, in your gut, in your way.

Second, Sagittarius (never mind the 29 part) is part of the zodiac’s interactive quadrant. So this isn’t about how you feel about yourself (exactly)…it’s how you interact with life. Sagittarius being a fire sign, the issue is either about what you have imagined will work and whether it does…or your feeling like there’s nothing out there for you – the proverbial ‘life is empty, I can’t imagine anything good can come of anything.’

There are certainly shades between these extremes, but especially with the Earthy/reality and societal eclipse note thrown in, the question of the moment is basically about feasibility, workability and functionality.

This last comes particularly into focus as we consider Lachesis, one of the Greek fates. Her job was to ‘measure out’ how long a life (or something) would last.

And that goes rather well with Lachesis the asteroid, an object which has a rather notably stable orbit and apparently stable speed. So the combination brings us to ‘duration’ and ‘consistency’…or how long a particular situation or status quo will last. Or maybe can last.

The lore for 29 Sagittarius speaks to physical fitness and in a more general sense, our ‘fitness’ for anything and how extreme stress at/on/through this degree can produce a physical or mental-emotional breakdown. As an interesting sidebar, there are also commentaries in the text about lacks of self-confidence, self worth and/or maturity.

So that’s what we’re getting ‘past.’ Providing this eclipse tests your chart, this could be a grand moment of petulance, or a complete break down. With the Moon of this chart just one degree past fixed star Betelgeuse, either that we thought would be easy isn't - or we sure wish it was. And with this pair (Moon/Betelgeuse) being ruled by a Mercury which, still in retrograde, is at this moment atop the Galactic Center gives us the clue that whatever it at hand, it's the result of choices past.

And since Mercury in Sagittarius is so often an indicator of imperfect/incorrect positions or choices made in haste, there could be some 'oops' in the mix.

No matter what happens, there is a choice of how to deal with it and ultimately, the need to sort out what we do choose in our life versus what we simply have to deal with.

And how we react to either? In most cases, that’s a choice too. Not all obviously – but most.

For those with planets, axis points or nodal positions between 25 Gemini and 4 Cancer, this eclipse has your name written all over it. Just remember – lunar eclipses are events, not life changing epics….unless of course, your chart is also aspected by 13 Capricorn (the January Solar Eclipse)? If so, then this is likely to be a situation which is part of an extended life upheaval. Your job is to sort out what your choices are and to deal with them realistically.

For those with planets, axis points or nodal positions between 25 Sagittarius and 4 Capricorn, you’re facing a need to assess a situation clearly and rationally. Wishing and hoping isn’t going to fix things – decisions are in order.

For those with planets, axis points or nodal positions between 25 Pisces and 4 Aries (OR) 25 Virgo and 4 Libra, you are being challenged. On the Pisces/Aries side the question is can you deal with the choices which need making. On the Virgo/Libra side, the challenge is to make the choice with some degree of clarity as to what the aim is and what you need to take into account along the way.

For those with planets, axis points or nodal positions between 26 Libra and 4 Scorpio (OR) 26 Aquarius and 4 Pisces: this is an opportunity to express yourself more fully. On the Libra/Scorpio side, this is about gaining access to answers and possible new options. On the Aquarius/Pisces side the options are social and societal. Will you choose to go out there now and build on past efforts?

For those with planets, axis points or nodal positions between 27 Capricorn and 1 Aquarius (OR) 27 Scorpio and 1 Sagittarius, this is a strenuous moment – specifically one which calls upon you to make changes. The Capricorn/Aquarius vibe is all about recognizing that ‘your way or the highway’ doesn’t work and the Scorpio/Sag side needs to pick up the personal slack. There is a marked tendency to try to evade responsibility here which won’t work – you can make the changes or face the emotional bruises which will result from clamming up, resisting and in general, refusing to get your ego out of the way.

For all involved…whoever you may be…the good news is that Lunar Eclipses go off like an exploding firework, then they’re over. By the time three months has passed, we generally are already moving on.

The sole exception here is as stated: IF you are someone whose chart is also aspected by the incoming January Solar Eclipse at 13 Capricorn, then this is just the beginning of a three year evolutionary shift described by the point about to be (solar) eclipsed.

And you probably already know what that’s about.

Meanwhile, here’s to a good Lunar Eclipse! May all your choices bring you happiness, health and the joy of personal prosperity!