In days of yore the sun and moon were seen as perfect heavenly spheres. Like descending angels they streamed down pure celestial to us mere mortals on the earthly plane. If an eclipse darkened one of the luminaries (sun and moon), the loss of divine light could foretell only dark things.
If you’ve ever seen an eclipse, you’ll understand why eclipses were scary as hell to the ancients, and they hid in their homes until the evil passed!
We may not hide under our beds anymore, but this is still a potent time. Cosmic light is being interrupted. Something is ending, leaving space for something else to start, and it’s all being served with a side dish of wildly unpredictable drama!
Luckily for us we don’t need to hide under our beds anymore, having expanded our scientific understanding of heavenly light and eclipses. It’s still not a great time to be out and about if you’re a world leader (eclipses often toppled kings). It’s also not a great time to action anything as it may go totally batty and fly out of your control.
But - it is a potent time to look, listen and get insights on how to smooth your path forward to your best you in your best life. There’s bound to be scratchy sand in the bed moments as you work on grinding down the rough edges that lead to your friendly curves. This manual labour will improve your life in the long run, it’s how it works!
In Astrology, eclipses are seen as a potent time of big energy shifts. Cosmic light is being interrupted. Something is ending, leaving space for something else to start, and it’s all being served with a side dish of wildly unpredictable drama!
Solar Eclipse
Your local news has been full of the heavens falling and rings of fire, so you saunter down to your local park in your funny paper glasses to check out this biblical spectacle.
When you’re gazing at this weird sight of an alienised sun, what you’re seeing is the moon blotting out the sun in a solar eclipse
(Us on earth > moon blotter > sun ring of fire).
It punches a dark hole through the life-giving rays, leaving an unearthly halo of burning light. It is so utterly stark, it feels like life and magic is banished for all eternity (think Game of thrones, winter). Birds go silent, animals keen, and the entire human race seems to hold its breath. For the few minutes it lasts, you know it is happening.
Solar eclipses function like new moon energies on steroids - new opportunities, new surprises, all occurring at light speed.
Lunar eclipse
These are the ones that newscaster speak of in hushed whispers. We are told to watch out for the eerie ghosts and deathly hallows that will arise under the blood moon.
In real life, we all just sit around (slightly bored, and or tiddly) swathed in blankets. We gab with our buddies waiting for the perfect witching moment.
This is a lunar eclipse. Our lawn chairs are situated perfectly between the sun on one side, and the moon on the other.
The earth (and our gal pals big hairdo in front of us) blocks the light of the sun from reaching the moon.
(Shiny Sun > lawn chair on earth > red moon).
The earth is shrouding La Luna’s ethereal glow, creating an ochre-coloured moon shadow. It’s a streeetched out event, that happens over a few hours.
Lunar eclipses are full moons manifesting at fly-between-galaxies warp speed. They bring culminations and endings, all leading to finding alternate paths forward.
Alignments indicate eclipses
Imagine projecting the earths equator out into space. You’d get a hula hoop around the earth’s globe known as the ecliptic, which is also the suns path around the earth.
The goddess moon dances its way around this circle. It undulates up and down just like a fire-burning hula hoop on your waist (just kidding, we’ll use a pink and white stripey one for this illustration).
It hits the furthest point north from the middle, marking the north lunar node (aka your ribs), and the furthest point south, called the south lunar node (or your hips).
When the sun, moon and nodes align - an eclipse occurs.
These nodes are karmic indicators in our birth charts, and are always opposite each other on the karmic axis. If one of them is activated, the other is too.
The south node highlights where we are evolving from - what we already know. And the North node shows us our path forward, our lessons to learn.
This particular lunar eclipse occurs when the moon gets close to its North node. It is showing us where we have opportunities to grow, and expand in our lives, and ultimate purpose.
On Friday the 19 November 2021, the earth’s shadow won’t totally engulf the moon, but it will be damn close at 97%!
Here in New Zealand we’ll be able to see it if the weather gods play with (details here). The eclipse starts at 8:02pm, peaks at 10:02pm (best time for the full witchy red glow affect), and ends at 1:03 am the next morning. In the rest of the world it starts at 6am UTC (eclipse map here).
Lunar and solar eclipses always arrive in pairs. This week we’ll have a partial lunar eclipse. A total solar eclipse follows on 4 December 2021 (the big news scary kind). It will be visible in South Africa
(details here).
The (Sun > Earth > Moon) configuration actually happens every month, we know it as a full moon, where the sun is perfectly opposite the moon.
What usually happens is that the earth’s shadow misses the moon, shrouding some alien planet somewhere in a different galaxy instead. This week the shadow hits the moon almost perfectly, creating a moon shadow, or lunar eclipse.
So, on 19 November we’ll have a full moon, that is also a lunar eclipse - that triples the intensity! This occurs up to 3 times a year. Not a big deal astronomically, but very insightful in Astrology!
Full moon is at 9:57pm in NZST (find your city here).
This particular lunar eclipse is notable because it kicks off a new 2-year eclipse cycle in the sign of Taurus, and its opposite sign Scorpio. It is a ‘preview’ of themes that will be prominent until October 2023.
Everybody has Taurus and Scorpio in their chart somewhere. We’ll all feel these eclipse vibes in some way, though in varying intensities. On a personal level you may notice nothing at all, or it may be the spark that ignites a string of life-changing events for you. Worldly (political or geographic) upheavals are likely to be noticeable though.
This 2 year eclipse cycle is particularly significant for you if your birth chart contains:
If you're not sure you can look up your chart with this free Astro guide.
If your lunar nodes are in Taurus or Scorpio, you are about to have a wild ride! From December 2021 until June 2023, you will be experiencing a nodal return or opposition. A powerful destiny redirection that occurs every nine years or so (the last Taurus-Scorpio nodal highlight was August 2012- March 2014). This is where you are given clues for aligning your life to your karmic life path. It is meant to help align you with your purpose, and enable your soul’s growth and evolution.
If something is highlighted for you, it may not be immediately noticeable. This cycle crosses over with the last Sagittarius solar eclipse in December, ending the Gemini-Sagittarius themes that have been around since June 2020.
Events can start in the month leading up to the eclipse, peak the week of the eclipse, and can be present for another 6 months after.
Stability and dependability (Taurus),
are at cross purposes
with our passions (Scorpio).
We are being asked to transform, not one day - now.
Eclipses mature things that are already in the pipeline. They help you to evolve in the direction you are meant to. It works by time traveling your awareness to the inevitable outcome of the situation at hand. Sometimes it’s literal fast forwarding (the universe wacks you or makes something happen to kickstart your growth). Sometimes its metaphorical (your brain gets a Eureka! Lightbulb moment).
Full moon energies
This lunar eclipse works the same as an extremely powerful full moon. It is bright and bold right now - all your energy is pointed in one direction, culminating in the pinnacle of that process. Over the next few phases it starts decreases its light until it reaches a brand new start - a dark new moon.
There are endings, the cutting away of things that don’t align with your next phase and your ultimate soul growth. There are also new ideas that start raising their head over the horizon. New paths to travel. We have to remove some of the defunct clutter to make way for a fresh new breath of air.
Emotions & Transformation
Lunar eclipses super charge our emotions, asking us to consider our next step from our heart’s perspective. It offers us a way to transform.
You may be in a situation that suddenly gives you an aha moment. Perhaps you keep seeing the same signals, signs or hints over and over again.
It may not yet be clear how this new heart journey will unfold, but the clues will be there! Keep an eye over the next two weeks for hints and clues that point you in the right direction.
Patty Lennon spoke of “following the inspiration” in her podcast. She told the story of her own journey, and never knowing where that gut pointer will lead you to (the truly hard part for me).
The universe gives you good feelings to lead you to the good place.
To reach it, you must let go, let universe.
Sometimes those gut feelings are to forge ahead (we all know how to do that), and even more importantly, sometimes the heart leads you to stop. To just stop, rest, feel, and listen.
That message resonated so much with me. It is a perfect expression of how to use this eclipse energy:
It is well worth writing down what comes up for you over the next two weeks and saving it somewhere safe. If your chart is significantly impacted, it may be worth continuing that practice over the next 2 years. You can even get yourself a special Taurus-Scorpio eclipse notebook!
Check back in two years to see what has transformed. Looking back over how this cycle plays out for you will give you enormous insight into anything to do with the Taurus- Scorpio parts of your life. It will be a bright luminous beacon of celestial truth for you that will be useful for the rest of your life!
It may not yet be clear how this new heart journey will unfold, but the clues will be there! Keep an eye over the next two weeks for hints and clues that point you in the right direction.
Previous Taurus-Scorpio eclipse cycles occurred on these dates:
Peak cycle
dates are here.
Recognising how these cycles played out for you helps to identify patterns in your soul story. It gives you clues you can use with conscious intention to help further your soul path.
Look back at those time periods in your life.
If you discover any insights by looking back, you are likely to be continuing that theme with this new cycle (November 2021-October 2023).
I looked back over my Taurus eclipse cycles today to see if I could find any soul clues in my own life. I’m pretty bad with dates (I do however know my anniversary, that’s gotta count!).
So in awful non-spiritual fashion I turned to my Linked-in CV for proper records. I’m toast if I ever need to remember non-work related stuff! I’m hoping my future evolved self will remember to link any rainbow spiritual revelations to a date somehow for my Astrology records!
The result … Feckin (I’m told that’s a real Irish word) doozie in a dust bucket with a daisy crown!
In my personal birth chart, the theme of higher education is represented by the sign of Taurus (9th house). I have just realised that ALL (like-every-single-one) of my tertiary qualifications fall during Taurus eclipse cycles!
November 2002 to October 2004 | Taurus-Scorpio eclipse cycle
During this period I completed my first major diploma (2002), completed another two major IT career certifications (2003, 2004), and started my formal IS honours degree (2004).
November 2012 to October 2014 | Taurus-Scorpio eclipse cycle
In the 2012-2014 cycle I completed studies for what was then just an interest (Astrology), and for a ‘nice to have’ (Design). Years later both those interests became the foundation for two entirely new career paths!
The 2012-2014 period happened to include my (karmic) nodal return. Who knew those studies ‘for fun’ would eclipse my life so completely! Here I am, writing Astrology for future generations of alien anthropologists to find;-).
I’m really excited to see what is next on my knowledge radar in this new cycle!
The general overtones relate to enhancing and getting more of something, perhaps too much of a good thing. In a global scenario it could manifest as wasteful excess or over-reaching that forces transformation, maybe to do with saving our planet? (Moon square Jupiter; trine Pluto)
The things being increased are electrified with an unexpected surprise. For example, lets say the whole world went bonkers and suddenly all craved peanuts. You may find hospitals are overrun and dentists are rich! (Moon’s 1st aspect conjunction to N Node; Venus trine Uranus).
The surprise may tend towards the good kind, but there is no way to know – the main feature is that it is wholly unpredictable! Expect the unexpected, especially with relationships. On the global playing field this can point to upsets in diplomatic circles, world politics, and business structures around wealth and longevity (Venus in Capricorn trine Uranus in Taurus). Maybe more of those changes that preserve our planet.
At the furthest end of the spectrum these changes can cause volatility a few days after the eclipse. In their best expression, they can lead to sparked passions and shared inspiration in relationships! (Venus sextile Mars).
Unusually this eclipse occurs on the fixed star Algol. It relates to the mythology of the Gorgon Medusa’s head. Medusa was once a pretty priestess in Athena’s temple. She was seduced by Perseus, breaking her celibacy vows. Athena’s lashed out in fury, turning Medusa’s face terrifying, her hair into snakes, and causing her penetrating eyes to petrify any who gazed at her. Medusa was slain by Perseus, who used her head to save Andromeda, and his mother.
Medusa represents all the passionate rage and intensity in the feminine. It can be used to ferociously save beings, or destroy them. This power is intense, and how it is wielded can be for good, or evil. It can lead to you ‘losing you head’, or in my case quite often tangling my tongue! The key is to use the energy with pure intentions. Use your ignited intensity wisely, or it could backfire on you.
In worldly terms Algol can represent the toppling of important heads of state. It will be interesting to see what global leadership changes occur over the next few weeks! Countries said to be related to Taurus include Cyprus, Tasmania, Ireland, Greece, Cuba, East Timor, Serbia, Tanzania, South Africa and Yemen. Let’s see if that country link theory holds true! In particular, keep an eye out for Russia and China (Beijing) in the headlines.
This is not a good full moon for charging crystals or setting intentions.
It is a good time to watch, listen, feel, and see what materialises with meaning for you. Take very close note of your personal insights over the next 2 weeks! Literally writing down your notes may prove to be soul inspiring and reveal your ultimate shining truth (Mercury aspects culminating in Cazimi Sun).
The sun and Mercury will be moving into Sagittarius on 21/22 November raising the cheerful and optimistic vibrations and leading us into an easier final week of November.
Wishing you a deeply insightful start to this new 2-year cycle, may it lead to fulfilment of your heart, mind and soul.
Liezl @ Astral Hippie Astrology
