The Total Lunar Eclipse – June 2011

We have just experienced a total lunar eclipse that was unusual in both its length and strength. It occurred on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 1:14pm PDT.  The Sun was at 24° of Gemini and the Moon opposed the Sun at 24° Sagittarius.  We weren’t able to see the eclipse in the U.S., but the people in the Indian Ocean had a first rate seat to an eclipse that lasted for 100 minutes which is only 6 minutes shy of the longest possible lunar eclipse.  Because of these factors, this eclipse is much stronger than most, which means that those of you who have planets or angles in aspect to the eclipse are likely to be quite affected by this particular one.

It is very important to avoid doom and gloom imaginings to eclipses.  In astrological circles, they do have a generally negative reputation.  But this is just not true. In my astrology class last night, we looked at each student’s chart to see if they were affected by the coming eclipse and if so, in what way.  Every student who did have aspects to the chart of the lunar eclipse was already noticeably being affected.  And those who did not have aspects were not experiencing much of anything, at least not yet.  But, as I just mentioned, not all of the effects were negative.  One person is going to Hawaii.  The eclipse is favorably affecting her 5th house of fun, amusement and joy and she is taking time to do just that.

Solar eclipses, like the one we had on June 1 and the one we will have on July 1, change the inertia of any affected situation, sometimes very significantly.  The lunar eclipse is different in its nature.  The Moon affects our emotions, so at any Full Moon those emotions are often more sensitive and conscious to us.  One can think of it this way.  Normally, we are unaware of all the feelings and emotions we have in each moment of every day.  At a Full Moon, however, those emotions which are mostly unconscious suddenly become conscious and we think they have just suddenly appeared as if they weren’t there before.  In fact, they were already there, just not seen or recognized.  What the Full Moon does is bring them to the surface.  Now this occurs every month, so what makes the lunar eclipse different is the fact that it is like a regular Full Moon, but much stronger.  This means that everyday emotions and feelings can suddenly surface in an explosive and disturbing way.  In the long run, this is a good thing, since sooner or later, they will come up for us anyway, but usually in a negative way.  Buried emotions cause all kinds of physical ailments and psychological ones as well.  So it is best to use the lunar eclipse for what it is good for.  We need to take notice and move forward on what is coming up for us or is being revealed.  It isn’t really new at all, but often very old stuff that is sitting there, stagnant and unmoving, waiting for the inevitable day when it will surface.

Not surprisingly, a lunar eclipse can create a catharsis, where much highly charged material explodes out of us, but which leaves in its wake a great sense of relief and even, what this Virgo calls, a sense of purity and clarity.  It is sort of like the beautiful, clear air after a huge thunderstorm occurs the night before.  As a kid, I couldn’t wait for the morning after a storm.  Well, this is quite similar.  This eclipse also is conjunct Mercury which rules communication, rational thought, reason, and the process of mind.  So, bringing rational thought to bear right now is going to be helpful.  But I would describe what is really needed a little differently.  What seems to be best is to use this time to witness as impartially as possible what is coming up and to see it, and then process it. When we do this, we gain a sort of distance on it and this lets us see it so well, that we begin to be able to see the fullness of what it really is.  We do not have to ‘get rid of’ anything.  To try to do that not only doesn’t work, but often sends that issue in us back into the subconscious where it already was.  This activity is disastrous for our psyche. We want to see things and move past them.  So, instead of trying to deny or get rid of something, all we have to do is see it as completely as possible and on its own, the charge of that area will begin to release.  This is the kind of process that leads to freedom and happiness.

This is what a lunar eclipse is good for, if we only allow ourselves to see, feel, and experience whatever is emerging for us right now.

About Saturn Turning Direct

We have just finished the retrograde movement of Saturn.  On Sunday, June 11, 2011, Saturn went back to its direct motion.  Let me take a moment to describe the value and purpose of the period when Saturn is retrograde.  Saturn rules our ability to progress and develop in life.  This includes projects we are working on, training we need in order to progress to a new level of authority or responsibility, etc.  Although we might like it if we could just progress and move forward, life isn’t actually like that.  There are times, and Saturn retrograde is one of them, when we must go back and pick up something we need that is missing before we can safely or confidently move ahead.  When it comes to Saturn, we are not allowed to miss steps.  If we do, sooner or later it will catch up with us and we’ll have to deal with it in one way or another.  So, hopefully we have used the previous four months to discover what we needed to pick up and have done so.  If we have, then we are now on track to move ahead successfully as Saturn moves forward all the way to the end of the sign of Libra, before its retrograde dance starts again.  This won’t occur until early February in 2012.  So, let’s begin to focus our attention and energy towards developing whatever we know that we need to do.