Wow! There's a lot happening this month, between the two August eclipses and multiple planetary contacts. Do you feel the change in the air? On August 6th, Mars opposed Uranus, always a signature of unexpected changes which can liberate us from old restrictions. Or did that sudden release of tension got you into trouble! :)
Did you work with the energies on 8-8-8? Of course by now you know that the Chinese picked the start of the Olympics on 8-8-8 because they consider it a very lucky number. 8 is also associated with manifestation, with the manifestation of Heaven on Earth, with regeneration and transformation. 8 is about possibilities. Triple 8's signify the process of consciously working with that regenerative power – or if ignored, manifesting the karma you bring on yourself. (Perhaps John Edwards is feeling this?)
If you want to clarify your personal vision, I'm offering an Eclipse special. $25.00 for a mini reading to see where this year's eclipses fall in your chart and how they are evolving your soul. Offer is good until Fall Equinox.
Here's some interesting information from astrologer Kathryn Cassidy : From August 9 to August 18th, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can all be seen in the nighttime sky., (The 3 furthest planets are also in the nighttime sky.)
Look for Mercury, Venus, and Saturn in the West at sunset, Mars will be a bit higher in the Western sky, and Jupiter will be near the Moon before the eclipse. While there's no clear information about what this rare occurrence means (it happens once in a decade or more) I would say that, symbolically, the planets are free to synergistically operate on a more intuitive level. Since none of the planets will be hidden by the Sun's light, these cosmic energies will bypass our conscious mind and work directly with our unconscious. So, spend time outside stargazing (there are meteor showers too!), then turn your attention inside on your dreams, on meditation and on imagining what kind of life you want to create for yourself and the world.
With Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Mars in Virgo, there will also be a series of conjunctions to look for in the sky. Conjunctions unite two different energies as well as being close together in the night sky. All that Virgo energy is asking us to simplify, to organize and to integrate any new information that will help us achieve our goals. So look for virginal Venus (yes, she does have a virginal aspect) to connect to responsible Saturn on August 13th, asking you to listen to that inner voice that's saying, “Take care of yourself!” Then practical Mercury will get focused with Saturn on August 15th to figure out how to make that happen. Finally Mercury will communicate with Venus about the deeper meaning of what's been happening this month on August 21st.
These Virgo planets will trine Jupiter in Capricorn and Vesta in Taurus, forming a grand trine in earth, helping us ground in the information we receive during the eclipse. So work the energies consciously and continue to create a life that fits your values and your vision.
These planets in Virgo will be angular over Los Angeles, so watch out for another earthquake this week, just in case. The fire risk will also be heightened at this time. These planets will also be angular over the Middle East, so we might be hearing similar news from there.
The lunar eclipse takes place on Saturday, August 16th at 2:16 pdt/5:16edt. While most of Asia, Europe, Africa and South America will see the eclipse, most of North America won't. But the energies are still in play.
Eclipses create change, resulting in endings and new beginnings. Sometimes we don't like the changes that occur, but since change is inevitable, it's always best to work consciously with the energies. Step into the change, dance with it, and you'll find you have some control over it.
Eclipses of the moon were traditionally viewed as a bad omen, causing irrational behavior (so it should be interesting to see how the Chinese deal with this on the closing day of the Olympics). But lunar eclipses aren't necessarily bad – it's all in how you meet it.
Solar eclipses usually govern leadership issues, more the outer, political landscape. Lunar eclipses are governed by the moon, so are more personal and emotional, governing the inner landscape. But since this eclipse is on the Leo/Aquarius axis, there will be interesting outer manifestations, since Aquarius rules the collective consciousness and Leo rules our individuality. The Leo/Aquarius axis relates to our contribution and participation in the collective consciousnss. What do you create that the collective needs?
Since the Moon is cut off from the Sun's light during a lunar eclipse, its lunar qualities stand out. Stronger emotions, irrational thoughts, repressed energies and deeper imagination might leap to the forefront of your day. You can also use the energy to go deeper into the collective unconscious as the seers of old did and ask for a vision of the future.
The Aquarius Moon usually is associated with distant, cool feelings, idealism, judgments, a liking for the strange and eccentric, a curiosity for the unusual or original ideas. Who knows what will get invented this week?! There's an urge for independence, which can cause a strain in relationships. If you aren't paying attention, those Virgo planets can start you worrying and then the pressure from the eclipse can make you more neurotic than usual. So remember, Breathe!
And then there's Neptune, which conjoins the Moon right before the eclipse. It can make everything more dreamlike, confused or even glamorous to your eyes. We've been talking about Neptune in Aquarius for over a year now, during it's opposition to Saturn in Leo. Neptune in Aquarius wants to enlarge our vision of the possible for the whole. It represents utopian ideals. But isn't it time to get rid of the limiting beliefs that tell us the world can never operate in a peaceful, cooperative, creative, fair way? (We know it can – there were peaceful civilizations before the patriarchal/ warrior takeover.) That worldly wisdom comes to us from . . . you guessed it! The patriarchal powers that continue to rule the world.
So with Neptune conjoined the Moon conjoined Chiron and the North Node of our collective destiny, this eclipse promises endings, healings and new breakthroughs in our personal and collective destiny. While we watch the Olympics, perhaps more of us will recognize the truth that we are all one and in this experiment called life together. It's time to balance the masculine mode of perception that insists on the “Survival of the fittest” with the feminine mode of perception that knows we can survive better if we help one another.
