Solar Eclipse (Part 2): Scorpio's Eclipsing Provocations

Ohverdamine (Sacrifice) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1909)

In yesterday’s blog, we discussed the idea of the November 2012 eclipse - specifically it's position at 21 Scorpio. 

Today’s thoughts are on what this eclipse may mean, depending on your chart.

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Kurklys (Scorpio) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 SCORPIO: Without question, solar eclipse conjunction effects out-rank all other aspects. If you have a major placement in Scorpio (a planet, node or Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven or natal Nadir/IC) being conjuncted by this eclipse it feels like something in your life is being taken away or changed or denied to you by forces you don't seem to control.

The first question to ask is why that is so important to you - and we aren’t talking the obvious here. This is about the emotional Scorpio quotient. Whatever the real-time or physical aspects of the issue may be, the eclipse is functioning at an emotional level, asking you to consider why you feel the way you feel.

So whether you feel invalidated, rejected, foolish, abandoned, perplexed or otherwise, the questions which need asking are about priorities and values.

Put simply, life is asking that you re-prioritize either how you feel...or what (or who) your feelings are aimed at, vested in or maybe even being hurt by.

This can be a trying, even seriously unpleasant...but still necessary passage. The object is an outlook which, in being sufficiently realistic, allows you to weather life's ups and downs.

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 Taurus by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 TAURUS: This is the opposition to the eclipse, so at some level you feel that life is opposing you or limiting you or telling you that you’re wrong.

Are you? Put most simply, the quandary here is likely to be the difference between ‘want’ and ‘should.’ And why you want what you want, where those two factors differ.

Since Scorpio represents the general societal and worldly way things are done, getting your Taurean preferences tinkered with (as described by whatever object is being aspected by the eclipse) feels awful. And the tighter the aspect (the closer to 21 that Taurus point is), the more personal this eclipse is going to feel.

Do you have to change who you are? Maybe yes, maybe no. What may need changing however, is how you go about getting where you want to go, and who you choose to invest in as part of your ‘plan.’

Adding in the Scorpio quotient, this period becomes very karmic - which is why it's the nature of your approach (more than the goal) which is key to personal reformulation and the redeveloping of personal momentum.

So as yourself why you do things the way you do them (or the way you've done them!). Is it because you were taught to do/be a certain way? Is it because you think that you'll like yourself better if you are seen a given way by others? Or if you accomplish some particular thing? Any part of life which is difficult now is asking you to understand why you feel hurt or vulnerable. What haven't you done? Or what have you done that you aren't proud of or happy with?

Oddly enough, this eclipse is really all about your becoming secure with yourself and within yourself. It may take some very odd turns in getting you there, but by the time you reach 2015 you'll have learned how in your life the genuine you is someone who combines the idea that quality isn't just about capability and the idea that because you 'can' doesn’t mean that in the long run you should want to!

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 Liutas (Leo) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 LEO: The square ‘behind’ the eclipse point (in zodiac order terms) represents a challenge to self development and goals. So things you have wanted to 'go for' may now become inaccessible. Or not as important as you had thought they were.

This is all about life asking you to create a lasting future for yourself based on what you can do, not what you can achieve. And the hardest part of that may be not seeing how that works right now. Right now you're just dealing with some sort of ‘bad fit.’ Something which you haven’t (or didn’t) take into account at some point in the past is being riled up or revealed by current events.

Whatever planet, node or axis point is being aspected by this eclipse (and its placement by house in your natal chart) represents the area of life which is being...maybe underutilized? Or maybe you're just connected to the wrong outlet or wrong 'group.'

The 'why' of all this probably goes back to your early years. Some hope, some yearning, some wanting things to be 'right' was instilled then as is playing out now. You're likely to feel vulnerable. But are you?

Probably not, providing you choose your forward path based on realities instead of hopes or temporary measures. A shift of priorities and re-balancing of effort is probably called for. Depending on the symbol in your chart being aspected, you will probably have to let go of that which isn't working and make a new plan.

That plan will probably take a full three years to come to fruition. And considering we have several Taurus and  Scorpio eclipses still coming down the pike, don't be surprised if your plans change along the way.

And yet...that very learning to flex, that learning to live in the reality of Now will stand you in great stead. If you can get to where you think of this moment as the door to a different future, you'll be on the right track. But yes, it may be hard.

But you can do it. Have faith in yourself. Solar eclipses often take away something we like, but they never eliminate things we really need. In that difference lies the answer to all your questions, so go ahead and ask them - and be sure to listen to your answers!

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 Vandenis (Aquarius) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 AQUARIUS: As the square ahead of the eclipse’s position, challenges are coming into your life from the Aquarian social/societal milieu. As such, you can’t ignore what people are doing. What they think. What you can do.

But then again, you can’t operate your life based on what people think of you (or your lifestyle) either.

Aquarius being a sign of two rulers (Saturn and Uranus) there's a challenge which is sort of about the difference between ‘fitting in’ and ‘standing out.’ In other words, you want to find your place, but you also want to excel through who you are and your many abilities.

Whatever help or lack of help you're getting from the group or society (that Sabian hunting party), it's important not to take their approval or lack of approval, their support or lack of support as the final word. You may have taken too many 'bad shots.' Or maybe they did.

In terms of the chart point being aspected, understanding how to develop and utilize those attributes in such a manner as to gain confidence in yourself and through that earn respect (in time) is the object of this eclipse. Just don't be surprised if you change 'groups' along the way. To have an Aquarian point aspected by this kind of an eclipse suggests big changes which may include a 'change of surroundings' or "scenery."

Or maybe you're just done hunting ducks? The Scorpio/karmic nature of this eclipse will move many of us from a 'trying to qualify’ into a ‘working quality’ mode. In other words, existing skills count. So identify it. Use it. Keep it honed and at the ready.

Lastly, ask yourself why you care about what you care about. Aquarius is a societal, all-encompassing, systemically universal sign. So while you may have, want or approve of boundaries, Aquarius doesn’t.  Lest you think money is the means here…it isn’t. Money is a form of metaphysical Aquarian ‘placeholder’ for the respect and regard others feel for what we do.

The combination of these factors is why you may be up against challenges. Life is asking you to let go of the definitions you have come into this time with so that you can grow into a bigger, more open and encompassing life. The emotions you feel when you grapple with this idea may not be gentle...but if you nurture yourself through the thought process and accept whatever degree of conflicts come along the way...in time you'll emerge with a different outlook on possibility and a willingness to be ever-more-mortal.

And that's the greater purpose.

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 Svarstykles (Libra) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Libra: anything which in your chart falls within this range of degrees is categorized as being in an ‘approaching’ (heading towards) semi-sextile (30 degree) aspect to the eclipse.

The idea of ‘approaching’ has various interpretations, but no matter which way you go with it, the idea is you’re trying to get to a goal. You’re trying to hit some mark or achieve some aim.

To this we add the semi-sextile. Since each sign has 30 degrees, the 30-degree semi-sextile is an aspect which, in connecting adjoining signs connects signs of different values and modes of operation.

Libra is an air sign. So your symbol (whatever it may be, planet, axis, node, etc.) is coming into this time operating on the basis of an (airy) idea or theory of how things should work. Or what your (Libra) relationship should be to others. Or what the reaction should be to your doing (or saying) such-and-such.

Libra and Scorpio have an interesting relationship. Though we think of Libra as the sign of relationships and the ‘ability to relate’ which as a ‘doctrine’ or ‘agreement’ is sealed when we form a partnership or enter into a marriage (both of which, being structural and binding are not Libra but Capricorn entities)…it’s the Scorpio portion of the relationship (platonic or intimate) which always, always, ALWAYS proves the most challenging – and the ultimate make-or-break, rise-or-fall arena.

And what’s getting tested here? The reality of emotional values (Scorpio) versus the idea of how others (the partner or others in general) react (LIbra) to what we do/don’t do, say or like in terms of reactions.

Did you read the above on Aquarius? Remembering that Aquarius is the earning and acceptance and reward air sign, Libra is the ‘will they even deal with me’ air sign. Think of them as cause (Libra) and ultimate (Aquarian) effect.

Meanwhile, humans being humans, we all tend to try to get the most while risking the least. Yes, it’s back to that Taurus/Scorpio polarity. The Scorpio part of this eclipse thus tests and unsettles what is a difficult Libra-Scorpio path to negotiate under any circumstance.

Any semi-sextile can feel like an ego-bruise. This one? With the input being from a 3rd decan (public) eclipse…the closer to exact (read: the closer to 21 Libra) the point in your natal chart is, the more this period is going to feel like life punching you in what is already a sore point.

But that’s how life is. Plainly you’re sore because something isn’t going your way. Question: why do you need it to go that way in particular?

Libra is always about our hopes and who we hope to achieve being in life. The catch with Libra (which every Gen Xer Pluto-in-Libra person should be aware of!) is that trying to be what others will react to doesn’t always quite square with being who we are.

And Life? Life may let you try out being popular, but if it’s not for who you really are, you’re bound to take a fall.

So who are you – really? What do you stand for – really? Why do you like what you want, and what does that really say about you…and how you may or may not be happy with your Self?

The Self is Aries. The polarity to Aries is Libra. Through this polarity, wherever it lies in your chart (along with the 1st and 7th houses) we work on becoming someone…whoever that may be.

Into which comes this solar eclipse, as the first of the Taurus/Scorpio eclipses which will embrace the next couple of years. If who you are being is not true to who you really are in your Taurean soul, things are going to be difficult until you find the mismatches and go with who you are on the inside. This may require throwing off masks and your having taken on the expectations (or demands) of others. But if so, so be it! We don’t grow from the outside in, we grow from the inside out!

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Sautys (Sagittarius) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Sagittarius: Sagittarius is the other semi-sextile to Scorpio. And basically, the same ego-bruising semi-sextile dynamics hold…except that the modes, means and time elements are different.

For one, while Scorpio is still Scorpio (read: testingly emotional), Sagittarius is not an airy sign of ideas and theories like Libra is. Sagittarius is a fire sign. Fire signs dream it up, get into the ‘how this could work’ then try to put their plans into action.

This fits with Sagittarius as the worldly side of the Gemini learn it, think about it, organize it, prioritize it, choose or discard it concept. What we develop through Gemini mentality we try out through the Sagittarian precept of trying to expand our world.

Into which comes this eclipse.

Scorpio being the sign behind Sagittarius (in zodiacal order terms) that means we are having trouble leaving something behind…or we are not well enough supported.

Is this a reality-based state? Or is this a purely emotional trial?

In part, the answer to that will depend on where Sagittarius falls in your chart and what particular object (planet, node, axis, etc.) is falling in this 19-to-23 Sagittarius district.

(It also depends on the condition of your natal Jupiter, as Jupiter rules Sagittarius AND is currently in the oppositional sign of Gemini. But hey…this is a blog – I can’t work full-on wonders here! If you need more information, hire an astrologer and get a consultation!)

But plainly, quandaries about where you are versus where you want to go are complicating matters. Sitting down and asking yourself what’s wrong, why you feel like it’s wrong and why that matters so much to you (i.e., exactly why it prompts the kind of emotional response in you it’s prompting) is the path to clarification.

And after clarification comes the dealing with the issue.

Oddly enough, this is the sort of eclipse relationship which may end up changing where you’re heading. You may not believe that now, but by the time you get through the next three years, things you could swear are all-important now may seem well nigh unto inconsequential.

Vesta sitting in an inconjunct to the eclipse’s position is part of this. Events which happen now may change your choices by altering your sense of what’s important and what’s worth spending your time and energy on.

At first that may seem terribly disappointing, inconvenient – even like an imposition. Yet underneath all that is a truism that if you alter your path because of some promise or commitment you have in life, that’s saying something positive about you – that you’re a person who lives up to the integrity of their beliefs.

Are you that person?

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 Avinas (Aries) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Aries: This eclipse effect is obviously related to the Libra version as Aries and Libra are eternally in mutual polarity. But where Libra emphasizes the ‘what you’re doing, saying, being’ to and with others (or the response you’re getting from others or the effect you’re having on others)…to have a planet, node or axis point (etc.) in this Aries inconjunct-to-the-eclipse zone is either to feel like your whole life is going in the wrong direction…or to encounter some sort of physical drawback or limitation to what you’re trying to do.

Warning: this can be the indication of a health problem. Certainly if you have any major natal chart placement in this district (planet, axis, nodal point) and especially if that part of your life (or your body) is ‘acting up’ now, you need to attend to what that means about the whole of how you’re living your life. It could be as simple as eliminating something from your diet. Then again, it could be something deep seated and medical…or psycho-emotional (which may be manifesting physically, perhaps?).

Whatever is going on, you need to have it checked out. And don’t be surprised if, as you do that, you get some polarized/polarizing reaction. It may be ‘that’s nothing’ when your every instinct says something’s wrong. Then again, it could be ‘this is serious!’ about something you think is perfectly trivial. Even absolutely satisfactory.

The question is how and where and why you’re out of sync, be that with yourself, with others, with your life, with your body, with your lifestyle, aims or emotional psyche (and everything emotions get us into, keep us out of, or connect us to, or disconnect us from).

This is a very trying sort of aspect as there’s a lot of ‘is it me?’ versus ‘is it them?’ sort of stuff bound to be in the mix.

You may well need to cut back on something at this point. If you’ve felt over-extended or seriously hassled during this past six-to-eight weeks, pay attention to that and sort through what’s really important to you…and why that’s important to you. If it’s about who you really are in the depths of your soul and carrying through on that in your life, you’re probably good to go after you carve off a bit of life fat, that is.

Life fat? What is life fat? It’s that extra stuff we all get involved in which don’t really have anything to do with us at all. Mind you, there are things we do for loved ones which aren’t ‘about us’ – and that’s fine. You’re doing that because as a person you are connected to someone and that relationship requires a give and take.

All fine.

But that which you do because you want to just impress folks? Or because ‘everyone’s doing it’? That gets back to that individuality thing, and when any point in Aries (the ‘I Am’ sign) is set off, hampered, inhibited or otherwise blocked from genuine expression, that doesn’t tend to go very well.

So take a life inventory in the department described by the symbol being ‘eclipsed by inconjunct.’ Ask yourself if you need to change and why.

Or why not.

Those value statements and how you feel about them is the Aries key to getting through this eclipse.

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 Gemini by Mikalojus Konstantina Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Gemini: From Gemini to Scorpio is a 6th harmonic inconjunct which speaks eloquently to how well your choices are working.

Or how well your choices aren’t working! That too!

In joining airy Gemini with Scorpio’s intense emotionalism, the native (some say naïve) Gemini tendency to think in first person doesn’t always go so well with the Scorpio requirement to consider everyone’s perspective. And now…in a moment when from Scorpio’s most uninhibited public sector comes the energy of a solar eclipse, that ‘my mind is an island’ concept proves unworkable.

Even unhealthy.

It’s a lesson all about learning how necessary it is to choose to think inclusively. How understanding the needs and values of others is not just a good idea, but a necessity since none of us live in a vacuum.

Not that this experience is likely to be a comfortable one. The closer to 21 Gemini your planet, node or axis (etc.) is, the closer you are to feeling the eclipse’s effects…specifically through the lens of fixed stars Bellatrix and Phact.

Together, these stars are about what we tend to call either personal conviction or personal choice – and the right to choose your own path through life, even if that involves choosing to make some mistake. There are those who suffer from ‘ahead of their time’ syndrome…and for such folks, a personal chart point in the Bellatrix/Phact district describes a difficulty with getting your point across which now – thanks to the eclipse – may well begin to change. IF you’ve been working at your goals, that is.

Bottom line, whether you’re someone who has been holding into some falsehood or someone living in a world not yet ready for your genius, this eclipse begins forcing your hand. Even those who have been working to make changes will feel an intensity of need…which because this is translating into Gemini air-sign terms will be discomfort and mental irritation. Maybe distraction.

The questions to ask here are what am I doing and why am I doing it? If your answer starts out with a personal(ized) aim, this Scorpio eclipse is all about teaching you how your aims need to take the values of others into account….and your difficulties are an example of how easy it is to shoot ourselves in the foot.
There is a Scorpio theory which says difficulties arising now reflect an unconscious acknowledgment of truth…so take that into account. What do you know is true about who you really are?

No one’s listening…be honest.

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Before this becomes the longest blog in blog history, there are two more items to consider.

The first concerns Saturn. Currently transiting Scorpio, Saturn’s presence in the sign of the eclipse emphasizes joint commitments, joint finances and emotional bonds of the intimate, platonic, business, pleasure, friendship or spiritual type. Saturn’s play here is of ‘raising the stakes’ so that we all know important steps are to be taken now.

Or not taken. Your choice.

There are risks to be taken no matter which way you go…so why not be true to who you really, truly are?
How many (Saturn) time do we have, after all? Were we to die tomorrow, what would we be most upset not to have done, not to have been, not to have fulfilled?

Last but certainly not least is the fact that with this eclipse comes a Yod: the astrological figure of fate.

 
Of the eleven objects noted in this diagram, two are the Sun and Moon. We’ve pretty much discussed those.

One (Tantalus) is an asteroid. Considering that asteroids represent attributes we learn about (and learn to manage) on our way to masterful understandings of how to live our life (Jupiter) and all the personal achievements which then flow from that (Saturn) what are temptations worth?

These temptations (Tantalus) are posed with exactitude as part of the eclipse. Considering that solar eclipses tend to expose that which we’ve done wrong (or counter to our claims) in life, this suggests that this eclipse is going to bring out a lot of bad acts on the part of a lot of people we haven’t known about.

With dwarf planet (and Plutino) Huya involved, there’s an emphasis on those who have undertaken to help others (in whatever capacity). Also, separately or as part of that help, those who have stooped (Tantalus) to self (Sun) negating (eclipse) acts in spite of knowing what damage they can wreak on (Scorpio) others or by negating (Scorpio) others…they’re in for a revelation.

All is not lost, but it will be forever changed.

Moving on, there are two dwarf planets in this diagram. One – Huya – we just outlined. The other being Eris (in retrograde) says that this is ‘emotional shake-up’ time.

Vesta may yet be reclassified as a dwarf planet. We won’t know until NASA’s spacecraft Dawn gets there in a couple of years.

 Vesta as photographed on September 11, 2012 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft

(photo credit: NASA-JPL, 2012)

What we know in the interim on a metaphysical basis is that Vesta is about the promises we make in life – to ourselves and to others – and all it takes to uphold those promises…or all we go through when we break those promises.

Considering how important such things are in human life, it won’t surprise this astrologer if Vesta is declared a dwarf planet.

The other five objects in this diagram are all fixed stars – part of life’s operational backdrop. Two – Phact and Bellatrix – are part of the Yod, indicating the degree of struggle we’re all having with ourselves, at whatever level.

The other three are not directly involved in the Yod, but they do aspect the eclipse with great acuity. Castor and Pollux – the Gemini Twins – are the forces which drive us to be assertive and (at least on a mental level) bullies. But if you know the story of these two, the human strength of Castor is brought down by simple mortal frailty. Castor falls ill, and there’s nothing which can save him.

But when that happens, Castor’s twin – Pollux –proves the eternal strength of thinking things through and the power of choosing to bond with that which is more knowing, more eternal than any of us: the limitless truth of knowledge – the metaphysical Jupiter.

Through knowledge, through intellectual recognition of what the choice is, Pollux makes a mortal sacrifice, but ends up saving his brother by allowing his everyday life to be cut short in favor of turning them both into stars in our sky.

Currently in Cancer, Castor and Pollux are jointly trine the solar eclipse, telling us that life is forcing us to make some choices. Many will no doubt opt for that which seems demanded of them, that which is wholly mortal and expected.

Others will make a harder choice, choosing instead to make sacrifices and, in following a longer, leaner road, provide themselves – ultimately – with eternal solutions and blessings.

This isn’t going to be easy, but it is possible – that much is shown by Ras Alhague at 22 Sagittarius, in a semi-sextile to the eclipse which suggests that through pain, through uproar, through admitting mistakes, defeats…though all that comes the possibility for healing. Some will do all their pining and paining by themselves. Some will actively argue with others…loved ones, strangers, friends, relatives – whoever that may be.

This isn’t an easy time. These indicators are yet another crack in the ideals and images so many people got during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s while Pluto was in Sagittarius. The inspiration of that dream was real.

It’s just that life is not a fantasy. How often we humans try to convert motivation into reality, never recognizing that what we have is fine in all its mortal imperfection…and how the fantasy is, and will forever be denied.

It’s not that we can’t have it. It’s that it’s not real.

So…will you deal with the reality of how you feel now, or not? Will you deal with how others feel about you and how appropriate they are or aren’t to your life?

That’s for you to decide. The eclipse will come and go. Life will go on.

Our only choice is whether we want to buck the trends and truths or learn from them.

 Pasaulio Sutverimas II (Creation of the World II) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1906-1907)

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Mercury in Taurus

 Mercury - a statue by Francois Rude

When Mercury enters Taurus on May 9^th at 5:14 in the morning (UT/+0) we will all move into a somewhat more serious mode. Not depressed - serious. Instead of thinking in terms of what life can be or could be (or what we wish it was), we’ll be thinking more in terms of what it is and what it needs to be in order for us to feel like we’re at least headed in the right direction.

Life is interconnected. It’s all a continuum - that’s the meaning of E=mc² (or as the ancient Maya used to say, inlakech). Over thousands of years, astrologers have watched the skies and watched human beings (we assume they mumbled dastardly things from time to time, but little of that got into the written record)…and they noticed not an overlap, but a connectivity of influences. It’s not quite ‘the ankle bone is connected to the shin bone’ sort of thing, but it is an understanding that there are patterns and harmonics to life - from which arise the idea of sign rulership.

I know people (astrologers, even) who think that astrology is willy-nilly and that anything can be made to sound like anything you want it to. That’s not true. The reason why metaphysical research goes on is because sometimes you try to fit the square peg into the round hole and it just doesn’t work. The smart person (or astrologer) goes to find the round peg.

I make no claims about the others.

In this case, the connective Taurean harmonic is Venus - ruler of Taurus and Libra, signs which are all about the quality of our life. In Taurus, we recognize our qualities, and decide if we like ourselves. (If we don’t, hopefully we work on it.) In Libra, Venus represents the quality of that we put out into the world (said ‘quality’ being a reflection of the Taurean Venus) …and according to that quality of Self or the qualities of our work, we create the ‘cause’ which generates the ‘effect’ from others…and in time, the like attracts like principle of who we end up spending our time with. If we don’t attend to some lack of quality we see in ourselves, we can bet we’re going to attract others with a similar lack of quality in themselves …as those are the people who - to put it as blatantly if gracelessly as one Taurus male I know put it with regards to himself, those are the people who will ‘who will put up with’ us.

Mercury enters Taurus

(Aries Wheel - Location not Specific) 

We can change that at any time. And as a matter of fact, this is about as good a time as any for changing things about yourself - the ‘quality’ of your life or how you live.

Actually, it’s a better time than many…particularly if life has been ‘telling’ you of late that you have some issues with personal ‘quality.’

Question: What makes this a better time?

Answer: Venus is about to go retrograde as of May 15. 

Retrograde is the classic time when you can’t get things done ‘out there’ …which metaphysically says it would be the time to deal with stuff on the inside. The planet (Venus, in this case) is on the other side of the Sun (from Earth) when it’s in retrograde. So the Sun (life) is getting in the way of ‘your making a connection’ to whatever the precept represented by that planet is.

With Venus, we would guess appreciation in any form. It may be money, it may be love, it may be just the warmth of laughter or cuddles. And even if you’re getting the money (which is possible) or getting the love or sharing the laughs…they really don’t satisfy like they usually do.

That’s the retrograde quality. More money, more love, more laughter isn’t going to ‘hit the spot’ because, believe it or not, you’re not available to be loved or appreciated or to feel worthy and valued. Venus retrograde is simply like that.

So as Mercury enters Venus, it’s beginning to stir up all that intuition. With Venus at 23 Gemini at the time when Mercury enters Taurus, this is a back-and-forth self-feeding cycle (Venus rules Taurus, Mercury rules Gemini) astrology calls a mutual reception.

 Venus and Mercury by Bartholomaus Spranger (1585)

And that’s not all. Venus is conjunct Byblis (trying to defend the indefensible), Lust (focus-fixation), Bellatrix (the difficult idea to get across or comprehend) and Amphitrite - the idea we find hard to accept which in time catches up to us.

We’re all dealing with some of this. And that Mercury itself is entering Taurus in a perfect opposition to asteroid Medusa? While the story is of Medusa is not exactly about being ‘turned to stone,’ there is a quality of being stopped in your tracks with asteroid Medusa. 

But the thing which stops us in our tracks is realizing what the truth about something really is. Either we’re scared to know the real truth or we are scared of what knowing that truth is going to mean to the rest of our world.

The truth is the truth. And that we’re scared of it is about US.

With Medusa in opposition to Mercury’s entrance into Taurus speaks of a confrontation: either you’re concerned about having it or you’re having some sort of Mercury/Medusa gag-fest over having been confronted with something which - (gulp!) - says something about you.

With Mercury trine the Moon at 1 Capricorn in this figure it’s really likely that someone has taken a hard line and that said hard line was like-as-not taken a little fast. That may be ‘too fast for your liking’ and then again, you may have overstepped your bounds or done or said something before you had sufficient (Medusa) facts to act with a degree of wisdom.

That’s another thing about Medusa: the whole Medusa issue is about Athena - dispassionate (often intellectual) wisdom. The story of Medusa is really all about human vanity and our yearning for ‘immortality’ which we get a chance to earn through investment in intelligence and a loyalty to a high standard of clarity….but which we flub up on by giving in to emotional cravings. Medusa embodies the ‘cost’ of indulging ourselves by flagrant disregard of standards ethical and commitments personal.

In this case, the cumulative effect of Medusa, Moon, Venus, Byblis, Lust, Bellatrix and Amphitrite involved with Venus already slowing down to go retrograde represents a growing awareness that we have undermined ourselves at some level.

Then we add in the fact that Mercury is also inconjunct Juno…self discipline or the need to run one’s ‘personal household’ (your life) with discipline. The inconjunct represents an ‘adjustment’ you need to make, and with this happening from Taurus to Sagittarius, we have an eight-sign “departing inconjunct” which says you need to make a decision. The decision is to leave XYZ behind OR to be left behind by ABC.

After all that, next we get to the muddying of the mental waters.

 

What? You thought things were messy enough? Heavens no…! We have a mere eleven days until we hit the moment of a Gemini Solar Eclipse. And before that happens, Venus is going to go retrograde.

Did you really think thinking things through would be easy about now?

Uh…sorry, no.

So back to that murky muddy thing. Mercury is in sextile to Neptune/Bali in early Pisces. So we have some pretty, dreamy, happy ‘little lie’ we would like to tell…or like to tell ourselves…about things being all happy and good and such. The reason why we would like to tell this little lie (no matter who it’s to - them or ourselves) is because we would like to have to avoid feeling bad. 

Okay…so what do you think the chances of that are, considering Venus is about to go retrograde?

Interestingly though, there is help - though you may be too close to the issue to really see the answer to your own problem here. As Mercury enters Taurus it is not just opposing Medusa and not just trine a ‘maybe too fast’ Capricorn Moon. It’s not just sextile Neptune/Bali and it’s not just overloaded by a Byblis-Lust-Bellatrix-Amphitrite-Venus conversation spinning in the back of our brains.

The good news - for those willing to get down to it - is that Mercury is also conjunct Vesta/Phaeton. Vesta representing ‘sacred service’ (personal promises) and Phaethon representing the impulsively brazen ‘devil-may-care’ teen nature which frequently overreaches good sense tells us where our gliches (or lack of quality may be). So providing we’re willing to deal with that and not compound our errors with insisting on doing ‘more of the lack-of-quality same,’ we may be able to redeem ourselves - first and foremost in our own eyes.

 The Fall of Phaethon by Peter Paul Rubens

Considering that Mercury will be in Taurus for only about two weeks, this next little while is a time to get straight with ourselves. Because Mercury in Taurus lends itself to conversations which pertain to quality or lacks thereof, this can be an excellent time to get some input from someone or even for rebuilding bridges with someone, should you have had a problem.

Negotiations of the business type are also favored by this transit, although with Venus about to go retrograde and the Gemini Solar eclipse this is not a ‘business as usual’ sort of cut-and-dry moment. If you get a job now, don’t plan on the position you accept being the one which you end up working in. This isn’t any cause for terror - after all, you may end up in a position you like much better or which you are better suited for.

On other business levels, Mercury in Taurus leading into the Venus retrograde would also be a marker for complex business negotiations or dealings which end up being solidified as or after Venus goes direct in late June. If you have any interest in developing a business with someone, this is a good time to open discussions but don’t plan on any agreements reached in short order holding for the duration. This is a fine time for development of any ideas and for improving the structure, operations or design of anything you need to move forward with - especially long term. Again, just don’t think anything’s going to get sorted out in five minutes. Or if it does, that it won’t need to be revamped.

Mercury in Taurus is an opportunity. This Mercury in Taurus in particular offers us the chance to get some real insight on ourselves - insights which can lead us to a happier and more profitable future.

The one challenge here: facing our weaknesses, our errors, our vulnerabilities, our misguided efforts.

Depending on their nature or the ‘size’ of the glitch, you may have to spend some real time investing in fixing some problem.

But in the end, aren’t you worth it? Besides, what other choice to you really have?

The Gemini Solar Eclipse

Albert Einstein's photo of a 1919 Solar Eclipse

In the moments that June 1st’s solar eclipse forms up at 9:04pm (UT/+0) at 11 Gemini, the world does not change.

The world is already changing.

So what does the moment of the eclipse mark?

Simple…it marks the moment when all which we have been ‘realizing’ becomes a cause for ‘doing.’ And for those more reluctant or recalcitrant on the subject, a time when situations begin forcing our hand, making us do something about such things.

With this eclipse occurring at 11 Gemini, we know the issues are mental. Informational. This is about the ability to learn and learn better and/or the willingness to learn or learn better. Gemini asks us to choose who we will be through what we take on learning about and doing. In its middle (2nd) decanate, it’s all about the fervent longing to know…and the fervency of speech. From poetry to anger, communications express feelings, beliefs and urgings…many, if not most of which we should probably apply to ourselves first.

And yet...this isn't a total eclipse - it's a partial eclipse. That suggests that the effects are a bit more subtle, even if the eclipse hits your chart 'dead on,' as it were. What's the difference in broader terms? Well...maybe it's more like having someone bump into you fairly abruptly as opposed to having the rug yanked out from under you. Or all the lights coming on just as you've gotten really into the movie as opposed to being woken out of a sound sleep by all the lights AND a very loud siren going off in your ear.

In other words, it's not that the status quo isn't changing. It's the degree of....clarity with which the change is announced. Or maybe demanded of you. 

 2011 Solar Eclipse of June 1st - 9:17pm (UT/+0)

Aries Wheel/Location Not Specific

Occurring at 11 Gemini has this eclipse distanced from the lunar nodes (which are positioned at 23 degrees of Gemini and Sagittarius south-to-north respectively) which images what we are thinking as being somewhat ‘distanced’ from society itself, marking this eclipse as somewhat more personal or private than some.

Even thought January’s 13 Capricorn eclipse had the nodes at 2 Capricorn (North) and Cancer (South) the presence of Pluto at 5 Capricorn formed something of a bridge – and in that, gave us a very big clue that the key to that eclipse would be the ‘emotional experience of transformative situations’ (Pluto) involving societal (nodal) Capricorn structures (government, leaders/leadership) particularly where charismatic statements had not been carried out with commensurately satisfying deeds – this last part being all about the eclipse having been conjunct fixed star Vega.

There is no ‘bridging’ planet between the Sun and Moon’s position at 11 Gemini and the South Node at 23 Gemini. What we do have however, are some rather clear statements regarding what life is (or at least feels like) to us at this time.

The South Node (the easy way out) is conjunct Bellatrix, a fixed star known for contentious communication. The North Node (what we should do) is conjunct fixed star Ras Alhague, a difficult star which urges us to take what we have seen and learned and to respond with acts which though challenging, can be or become healing in nature.

It’s easy to see these forces at work in our worldly world. Even our private and personal world. What may or may not be as easy is seeing how these ideas apply to us as individuals.

But yes, that would be the optimal thing to do!

11 Gemini as a degree suggests that we are helped and hindered in doing this very personal work of ‘breaking through mental walls.’ Most of us will see the opportunities we have missed rather clearly – (unfortunately, we’re all pretty good at that!). Fewer of us will realize that those ‘flaws’ we see in ourselves are not finite. Why? Because it’s easier to give up on ourselves than fight whatever shape our defeatist nature may take.

And we all have one, trust me. Some people have a defeatist nature which is turned outward. We think of them as ‘go getters’ who refuse to be ‘beaten down.’ But talk to such people in a most human moment and most of the time you’ll find they’re more scared of not getting the job done than the work it takes to do the job itself. Right or wrong, they’re going to try, because the status quo – the having to live with themselves – is so difficult otherwise.

In the end, that’s who we are and what we’re all about: living with ourselves. Even those of us who are in sublimely secure relationships have to close our eyes at night. And when we do, in those moments or minutes before we fall asleep we are alone…with and within ourselves.

That’s the person we live and die with. And as.

Given that the figure of this eclipse highlights two very important fixed stars - Aldebaran and Antares – we know the balance, the discussion, the ‘debate’ going on within our lives is all about integrity (Aldebaran) and obsessions (Antares). With the Aldebaran end of this natural opposition the part being ‘blacked out’ by the eclipse, we are either now not able to rely on integrity (ours or that of others)…or we need to put exactly that out into the world.

Remember, the image of a solar eclipse has the disc of the Moon (instinct) ‘blacking out’ our source of light (the Sun). Whether this takes the form of your feeling very lacking in ‘enlightenment’ or ideas (Edisona being conjunct this eclipse), there is a certain reality now which directs us to the knowing that when it comes to our life, we’re in the driver’s seat.

If you are someone with a birthday within 5 days of this eclipse, your life is in a radical period of transformation. Your operational parameters are in flux and you should not expect to know what your future really holds for some time to come. Lunar eclipses have a life span…a ‘spinning out’ period which only lasts 3 months. But solar eclipse? They’re another thing again. Solar eclipses evolve over a period of 36 month with the real ‘knowing’ what they’re ‘about’ often not surfacing until rather near this transit’s end.

And this doesn’t mean you just sit around playing tiddlywinks until that moment comes!

If we treat them as such, eclipses are superb vehicles of personal evolution. By stripping away that which we have hidden behind or temporized with, thinking it’s ‘good enough’ or making excuses as to why we can’t change….by eradicating or imploding such 'walls’ we are hiding behind, solar eclipses allow us to in time become the person we know we should be – not that the process of making that change is always all that convenient.

Uh, probably not. Solar eclipses are not known for their genteel nature, so don’t expect a sedan chair to carry you from hither to yon and don’t expect that shedding your old mental life skin is going to come without some period of feeling exposed, tender and insecure.

The idea here would be to use or better yet, recapture the sense of integrity (Aldebaran) in healing your own life (Ras Alhague), preferably so that in going forward along your learning (Gemini) – doing, implementing, growing your life (Sagittarius) road…the idea is to be able to live with a greater integrity not just as to who you are in the minutia, but who you are in this world.

It has to work at both ends. There’s a lot of people who are polarized right now, just as Aldebaran and Antares sit in opposition. Either our external worldly life is working fine but our personal life really sucks…or we’ve figured out who we are but not how to make it work in our personal world or the worldly world.

 June 1st's global eclipse path

We do need to be who we are, no question. But this isn’t just about us. Asteroid Kallisto standing conjunct Aldebaran to the degree tells us there is a difficult passage which is to be endured between the moment when we vow to ourselves to be the person we need to be and that moment when our star rises in our mental heaven. We will get blamed, we will be misunderstood. We must simply continue on being the best us we know how to be: that’s part of what integrity (Aldebaran) is defined as at this time.

Ahead of this eclipse stands Dionysus at 12 Gemini, TNO Chaos at 13 Gemini, Sabine at 14 Gemini and fixed star Rigel at 16 Gemini. This pretty much describes the road ahead.

First, we have to undertake the task of being who we are as if it was a sacred event – and something to be celebrated in our own minds, this fact that we have finally decided to be who we need to be in order to satisfy not merely our mind or not merely our body or society or family, but all that we hold as true (Dionysus).

We accept that there are things about life – and our lives – which we do not know yet. We are willing to be inspired and become more tomorrow than we think we are today (TNO Chaos).

We understand that the world and others in this world will not always understand us, like what we are doing or approve of the fact that we have undertaken the challenge of being a slave only to our sense of inner integrity. They don’t have to agree with us, nor do we have to agree with them. All we have to do is get along and let each one find their way to be their own person in their own life (Sabine).

We know that in the end we are all charged to stand as teachers in this world, if only teachers who have to teach from the tales of personal experience (Rigel).

In last January’s eclipse, Pluto was the intervening factor between the eclipse and the societal nodes – the world we live in. Pluto is a dwarf planet of our own solar system. When I say that there is no ‘object’ which ties the eclipse to the nodes, I’m speaking of no major solar systemic object.

But yes, there is Rigel. A fixed star represents the 'backdrop' in our life...and in our mind.

Rigel…known as Beta Orion for its place in that constellation…is considered a blessing. It’s an emblem of protection and mentorship. It recalls the firm but kind guiding hand which restrains us in order to keep us from harming ourselves and which encourages us so that we do not falter in our resolve.

These energies are all around us in our world now. But more importantly, they’re within us. We have the need to grow towards our own ability to ‘be’ Rigel in our own life, our private or maybe our worldly world… and that’s going to take some effort.

For weeks now we have been feeling and thinking and seeing what needs our better comprehension. What we need to consider and reconsider.

Now we stand in a doorway opened upon a whole new world.

It’s time to step out and be on our way.