6:12 AM Eastern
4:12 AM Pacific
"The Archer's strategy, in a word, is to live life as an adventure. He must surrender all notions of safety. He must willingly set aside any idea or opinion as soon as he sees himself hiding behind it. He must go unhesitatingly forward, expecting miracles, forever ready to perform that classic Sagittarian masterstroke: the leap of faith."
-Steven Forrest, The Inner Sky
The Annular/Partial Eclipse of May 20th culminates into a Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius on June 4th--just one day prior to the Transit of Venus on June 5th/6th. With this strong emphasis in Gemini, we are greatly influenced by the mind--and likely feel a strong impulse toward the acquisition of greater knowledge and information. The Solar Eclipse, square Neptune, also had the potential to plunge consciousness into a fit of existential crisis, confusion, and intense paranoia--and equally, to allow for the expression of deeply rooted emotions, letting it all hang out. Primarily, it seems these symbols offer the opportunity to transcend our limitations, related mostly to ideas and preconceived notions. Venus retrograde conjoins the Sun, in opposition the Lunar Eclipse--pulling us toward the past in all its multitude of forms--"past lives", past relationships, old connections, memories, situations--and also, the uncovering and resurrection of talents and abilities left dormant or long forgotten. We are likely to find ourselves involved in all sorts of karmic time loops, for reasons that are probably beyond all rational understanding.
Mars in Virgo forms a rather prominent T-Square to the Lunar Eclipse, adding a bit of potential conflict and stress. Trying to attain absolute perfection is in itself, a futile attempt--whatever it is. We are imperfect beings in an impermanent and (if you haven't noticed yet) imperfect world. Don't get stuck beating a dead horse--leave it alone, and let it rot. What awaits us here, at the brink of this Eclipse, is the opportunity to see our attempts not as entirely pointless and futile, but rather, apart of a larger co-creative process we may never fully comprehend or understand--and in reality, we don't need to. As humans, we offer our experience, our creations, and ultimately, we offer our awareness to the universe at large. This Eclipse is, needless to say, expansive--it offers the message of needing to be totally open, vulnerable, and naked to the unknown and the unfathomable dimensions of existence. If this Eclipse is prominent for you (mainly by a conjunction to a significant natal placement or angle of the birthchart)--it invites us to take some risks, step out of the comfy and predictable, and to take on an uncharted horizon--and to also find some practical applicability for various thoughts, ideas, theories, or opinions.
In Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, Don Juan reveals to Carlos the four "natural enemies" one must defeat to become a "man of knowledge". These can be summed up as: Fear, Clarity, Power, and Old Age. It is the first two which concern us here. In Don Juan's own words:
"When a man starts to learn, he is never clear about his objectives. His purpose is faulty; his intent is vague. He hopes for rewards that will never materialize for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning."
"He slowly begins to learn--bit by bit at first, then in big chunks. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Learning is never what one expects. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount mercilessly, inyeildingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield."
"And thus he has stumbled upon the first of his natural enemies: Fear! A terrible enemy--treacherous, and difficult to overcome. It remains concealed at every turn of the way, prowling, waiting. And if the man, terrified in its presence, runs away, his enemy will have put an end to his quest."
Carlos asks.....
"And what can he do to overcome fear?"
"The answer is very simple. He must not run away. He must defy his fear, and in spite of it he must take the next step in learning, and the next, and the next. He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop. That is the rule! And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats. The man begins to feel sure of himself. His intent becomes stronger. Learning is no longer a terrifying task."
-- "But won't the man be afraid again if something new happens to him?"
"Once a man has vanquished fear, he is free from it for the rest of his life, because, instead of fear, he has acquired clarity of mind which erases fear. By then a man knows his desire; he knows how to satisfy those desires. He can anticipate the new steps of learning, and a sharp clarity surrounds everything. The man feels that nothing is concealed.
"And thus he has encountered his second enemy: Clarity! That clarity of mind, which is so hard to obtain, dispels fear, but also blinds."
Hmm, I wonder how this could apply to humanity at this time, at our current juncture of "evolution"?. As I stated above, this Eclipse occurs the day before the Transit of Venus--which has an indefinite effect on the evolution of our current scientific paradigm. It seems that, intellectually, and scientifically, we have achieved this illusionary sense of "clarity", as the current consensus paradigm seems to uphold this idea that we have somehow conquered our fears of the irrational realms of the psyche and of nature itself. In regards to clarity, Don Juan continues:
"It [clarity] forces the man never to doubt himself. It gives him the assurance he can do anything he pleases, for he sees clearly into everything. And he is courageous because he is clear, and he stops at nothing because he is complete. If the man yields to this make-believe power, he has succumbed to his second enemy, and will be patient when he should rush. And he will fumble with learning until he winds up incapable of learning anything more."Upon reflecting on this Eclipse, I was reminded of this passage from the first of Castaneda's books. I feel it speaks for itself. This Eclipse invites us to keep in mind that we never truly stop learning. Just when we think we've made it to that final point, that end-all higher perspective, we realize that the rabbit hole just keeps on going--and going, and going. Neptune turns direct shortly after this Eclipse, allowing us to peer a little more deeply behind the veil of illusion--to see further into the mechanization of the numinous. Mercury forms a trine to Saturn retrograde in Libra--if we've done the required reading and necessary critical thinking, a lot of things can seemingly come together now. This also lends well to staying practical in the midst of such expansive visionary tendencies.
"What becomes of a man who is defeated in that way, don Juan? Does he die as a result?"
"No, he doesn't die. His second enemy has just stopped him cold from trying to become a man of knowledge; instead, the man may turn into a buoyant warrior, or a clown. Yet the clarity for which he has paid so dearly will never change to darkness and fear again. He will be clear as long as he lives, but he will no longer learn, or yearn for, anything."[Castaneda, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way Of Knowledge, 83-85]
The sabian symbol for the Lunar Eclipse reads:
"The groundhog looking for its shadow"
I'm sure we're all familiar with this symbol. Traditionally, on Groundhog day, if the groundhog "sees" its shadow and is frightened by it, it foretells six more weeks of cold winter weather. Conversely, if it's cloudy out, and there is no sunlight to cast a shadow--then spring will arrive early that year. Groundhog day occurs on February 2, while the Sun is in tropical Aquarius, a sign associated with foreknowledge and visions of the future. The 1993 film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray, was the story of a man who awoke each morning on the same day (Groundhog day), over and over again--trapped in a ceaseless time-loop. Each day he would retain his memories from the previous day, but everyone else in his reality would go about, the same as usual. Bill Murray's character, Phil Connors, is a self-centered meteorologist, who eventually opens his heart, and is transformed into a compassionate and humble individual. Throughout the film, Phil's darker tendencies escalate, and he even attempts to kill himself several times, which actually works, that is until he wakes up the next day alive. After a while though, the constant repetition gives way to a sort of spiritual awakening and transcendence of his personal perspective and to a greater awareness of the needs of others.
On a spiritual level, the film suggests going through something over and over until one is able to completely transcend it. If encountered with such a phenomena, one is likely to feel like a victim at first, but that will only lead to more and more of the same thing. It seems the movie has a powerful message about life itself as a spiritual journey, and reveals that through repetition we learn to eventually let go of who we think we are--leading to complete transformation. The symbol of Groundhog Day itself, suggests anticipation of the future, of changing events or circumstances, and of planning and preparing objectives and goals. Now, in opposition to the Lunar Eclipse, the Sun's symbol reads:
"Two Dutch children talking"
Interestingly, the Groundhog day festivities, in Pennsylvania, are spoken entirely in the Pennsylvania German dialect--and supposedly anyone in attendance whom speaks only English has to pay a penalty of a nickel, dime, or quarter for every word spoken--throwing it into a bowel at the center of a table. Perhaps these symbols together suggest learning another language, whether symbolically or literally--or learning to speak a common language. We get a sense of facing one's shadow, over and over until a new dawn emerges. Combined with the other symbols inherent to this Eclipse, we get the sense of needing to expand beyond self-interest and familiarity--and to be receptive to foreign and unknown levels of reality and life experience. Never stop learning, never cease growing, we're all here for a reason--and while it may not make much sense at times, even feeling rather futile--there is a greater process at work here, which is completely beyond our individual imaginary perceptions.
Technical Details
This will be a partial eclipse of the Moon, occurring at 14 Sagittarius and 14 minutes. The Eclipse will be primarily visible from the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii, New Zealand, and central and eastern Australia. Other areas of visibility will include Japan, eastern Asia, and Antarctica--those on the Western coast of the US will be able to view some of the eclipse, however, the Moon will set before it is complete.
Penumbra Eclipse begins @ 8:48:09 UT
Partial Eclipse begins @ 9:59:53 UT
Middle of Eclipse @ 11:03:13 UT
Partial Eclipse ends @ 12:06:30 UT
Penumbral Eclipse ends @ 13:18:17 UT
