"Moondance" by Van Morisson

Tonight is the Full (Strawberry) Moon in Sagittarius and earlier today, we experienced a penumbral lunar eclipse at 15° Sagittarius. At approximately 12:12pm Pacific Time, give or take a few minutes. To understand what that means, before we get into the astrology of it all, we have to go back to some basic astronomy. The umbra is another name for the Earth's shadow and when the umbra falls directly over the moon (causing it to glow red), that's an umbral (or total) eclipse. A penumbral eclipse happens when the umbra only partially covers the moon - it's still an eclipse but it's a partial one. The United States wouldn't have really seen it because it occurred during our daylight hours, but people in India and other parts of the Middle East probably got a lovely surprise in their night sky. Now, there's also some basic rules that Full Moons and eclipses follow in astrology. In order for a Full Moon to be considered "full," the sun and the moon have to be in opposing signs (like Gemini and Sagittarius) at the exact same degree. Furthermore, in order for an eclipse to happen, the Full Moon has to be taking place in close proximity to the lunar nodes (I'll explain that later). The closer the moon falls to the nodal axis, the closer to a total eclipse it gets. The North Node recently moved into Gemini, with the South Node in Sagittarius, and they are both sitting at 29° of their respective signs.

And I'm trying to please to the calling

Of your heart-strings that play soft and low

And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush

And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

For fun and profit (jk...not really profit), I've been studying my own natal chart to understand better astrological events and tracking their effect on my life and the things happening in current events. If we're just taking into account the shit in my natal chart, this Full Moon eclipse in Sagittarius is an important one for me. It is almost directly conjunct my Ascendant-Descendant axis (where my 1st and 7th Houses begin) and exactly conjunct my natal Saturn. Add the fact that Venus Retrograde is also conjunct my natal Ascendant, it's just a whole party. This eclipse season (because we have two more coming up) actually looks like it's designed specifically to my specifications. The solar eclipse, on 21 June, is at 0° Cancer, which will be exactly conjunct my natal Venus (also in the 1st House). Then, the final eclipse on 5 July (yep, the day before my birthday) at 13° Capricorn will be opposite my natal Sun and Mercury and conjunct my natal Neptune. And, yet again, like the one in January, it will be falling in my 8th House. What all that could mean personally, I'm only starting to unpack. Eclipse energy is hard to predict. But I know eclipses always bring change - especially when we're starting a transition to a new nodal axis.

I was reading my old journal again and I've found a few gems. For instance, this sparkling thought from New Year's Day 2012: "Oh, who the fuck am I kidding? I'll never be 'normal' or even 'average.' I'm not meant to fit in and I don't really want to." Whoo, child. I always felt I was too big for my body. But 25-year-old me was right - I don't know how to play it small. Stars are meant to shine, right? I'm sure I've written that trite-but-true-ism somewhere in that journal, too. A lot of my hopes in dreams from 8 years ago still stand, too. I want to be a writer - that hasn't changed since I was a little girl. And for some reason, I wanted to live on a farm. Sure, that dream has evolved quite a bit - it's a lavender farm now, with a Bed & Breakfast where I host Writer's Retreats and spirituality workshops - and, someday, I might actually own and run this mythical farm. But, for now, it's still a pleasant day dream to have from time to time. When I look back on exactly this time in 2012, I actually wrote it down - I was having an existentialist crisis....and nobody seemed to notice (she lamented bitterly in her online blog). Between May and July of 2012, I only wrote two posts on this blog and I didn't write much more than that in the journal. I can always tell how depressed I must be when my writing decreases - I just don't feel like it any more. Because what's the point? Even when I have good ideas, I don't have the courage or confidence to execute them. However, in the last two years, I averaged one post every three days. That's pretty amazing and I'm kind of proud of myself, because I can see the change in my writing. And my mindset.

There and then all my dreams will come true, dear

There and then I will make you my own

And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside

And I know how much you want me that you can't hide

Anyway, enough about me, let's talk about what this penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius means for the rest of you poor schlubs. As I mentioned, we're moving out of the Cancer-Capricorn axis (Family-Career dichotomy, or Emotional vs Financial Security) and moving into the Gemini-Sagittarius axis (Knowledge-Wisdom dichotomy, or Details vs Big Picture). The important thing to remember about the North Node (Ketu) and South Node (Rahu) is you're aiming for balance. Evolutionary astrologists say that one's natal North Node is indicative of their Destiny and the South Node is indicative of Past Lives. However, going to far in either direction causes problems - you have to balance the lessons and natural skills/talents of your South Node with who your North Node indicates will bring about the most growth. For example, I am naturally artistic, intellectual, friendly and (dare I say it) charming - all traits of a Libra South Node - and those things help to balance the bossy, assertive, and brave (stupid) aspects of my Aries North Node. Too far in either direction and I'm either a doormat (Libra) or an asshole (Aries). And I'm not ashamed to say I've been both at various times in my life. Sometimes in the same day. 

Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love

Can I just make some more romance with you, my love

This Full Moon is shining light on the Sagittarius end of the axis, which calls us to examine our long held beliefs and philosophies. Not just our societal beliefs, but the ones we hold about ourselves. Beliefs about our unworthiness, our flaws, and the things we believe hold us back in life. This eclipse is giving us an opportunity to review those things and make the hard change, if it's needed. That's where Gemini comes into the picture. Gemini is all about embracing the polarities and combining them into a unified whole. You can make a mistake AND still be competent at your job. You can be rejected by someone you love AND still be lovable. Being ruled by Mercury, Gemini is there to help us find new and innovative to solve our problems. Where Sagittarius sees only one Truth, Gemini sees a myriad of Possibilities. Is that thing you want really impossible for you to have? Or are you just afraid to take a chance? That's what Gemini asks us - to take chances, to make mistakes, to make the hard choice. Gemini is also about Communication and with the North Node moving through this sign, it's giving us the ability and courage to put our desires and goals and ideas into words. Never underestimate the power of putting what you want into words, of writing down your goals. There's power in records, as you've seen from my trip down memory lane. The development of language is the only reason we have a history and writing will always be the greatest invention in human civilization. It's what enabled us to get this far. That's the lesson the Gemini-Sagittarius nodal axis teaches us - it's the details that ultimately build the big picture. In order to truly understand something, you need to take in as much information as you can.

This is a song I remember fondly from my childhood. It reminds me of long road trips with my dad, listening to Van Morrison (among other artists) through the night while my sisters and my mom slept. It was the only moon-related song I could think of off the top of my head, without going searching. I'm pretty sure this song about Van Morrison trying to get laid, though. "Moondance" very well could be a euphemism for sex. Sorry if that ruins it for you.

"Moondance" Video