[Full Super Blood Moon] Total Lunar Eclipse at 5 degrees 25 minutes of Sagittarius on May 26 at 4:13am in Tucson, Arizona.
Well what do you expect? The moon is in exaggerative Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius, so isn’t it fitting that this particular Full Moon has all the extra sloppy special sauce, too, being a Super Moon (emphatic vibes as the Moon is closer to the earth) and a Blood Moon (appearing with a dramatic, reddish cast), and, of course, it’s a Total Lunar Eclipse. This doesn’t *necessarily* mean that animals, drivers, and people generally will be going a bit nuts, but don’t be surprised if the vibes are a little ominous around this time.
I consider eclipses, especially lunar eclipses, to be pretty potent visioning portals, so when possible, I think it’s helpful to fast—at the very least a few hours on either side of the Full Moon climax—and if I’m feeling extra woo, I stay inside and don’t open any doors or windows. I just like to sit and listen and feel without necessarily attaching prophecy to what comes through. This is a moon intended to release, and sometimes dramatically so. I don’t exactly want it inside, dominating my space, if I can help it. I do not charge my crystals or do manifestation work unless it involves conscious release of old patterns, because the energy is typically highly volatile. If you’re sensitive, you may notice that you don’t actually have to do much except for listen to what is already being ripped from your fingers. Eclipse energy tends to do the work on its own, so best to stay out of its way. Mind you, what leaves can be old ways of being, ego constructs, and habits rather than literal 3D people or contracts, but in some instances, it can be very concrete if those real world things involve aspects corded to your divinely timed mini ego death and evolution. Your natal chart will give you an indication of what to expect for yourself individually; eclipses falling on a person’s axes or major planets are likely to indicate a portal to a more literal milestone moment. Do note that there is new energy working its way in (and this is more often marked by a North Node or New Moon eclipse, like the one in two weeks), but the emphasis on THIS moon, being South Node focused, may make it easier to trigger fears or highlight departures or what isn’t working, initially.
In my years of empirical/anecdotal eclipse case studies, especially considering the aspects of this one, I would say don’t jump to conclusions where emotions are concerned right now. If something is intended to happen and there is legitimate force and will behind it, let it. If something really needs to be said and is coming from the heart, say it. Just relax when it comes to anticipated results. Eclipse energy tends to ripple out for at least 6 months and there has always been, at least for me, a crazy kind of time compression whereby it feels like everything needs to happen immediately, but sometimes, that energy is just a flash forward or anticipatory pre-shadow of something that is more gradually unfolding. Stillness practices like meditation and fasting help with discernment in times like these. Some people feel nothing, so if that’s you, carry on with your business as usual. But for empathic types or those directly impacted by the eclipse degrees in the personal natal chart, this time can be a highly charged moment that creates a doorway of major life change that is already beginning now on the highest, most subtle levels. There are usually 4 eclipses per year, falling during two evenly spaced eclipse “seasons”. This eclipse marks the start of the first eclipse window between now and June 10. The second eclipse season occurs during November/December.
This eclipse is on the Sagittarius-Gemini axis, with the moon in Sag and the Sun in Gem. These are both mutable (end-of-season) signs, so they are champions of flexibility and change, anticipation and preparation for something new about to drop. Both signs involve learning, teaching, travel, and communication. Sagittarius, where the Moon and South Node are located now, is of the fire element and is linked to expansive, buoyant, Jupiter. It is the sign of the mythic centaur-archer, aiming his arrow with single-minded focus on a quest for the personal grail. It is the sign of the teacher, the guru, dogma, religion, adventuring, athleticism and relish of the natural world, higher learning and institutions, foreign travel or “exotic” cultures, philosophy, what we learn when we depart from the comfort of our familiar surroundings and discover the essence of self that remains when all comfort and custom is stripped away. Sagittarian energy does fine on its own but knows how to pull out the extroversion and charm in social settings; after all, the Sun transits this sign during the holiday festive season. It can be a bit bossy, authoritarian, elitist, excessive, prone to embellishment and “do as I say, not as I do” at its worst, but so long as you know how to feel into your heart and not get swept up in its persuasion, you’ll find a lot of wisdom here. With the South Node in this sign, customs, habits, ideologies, institutionalized thinking, cultural assumptions or identities, false authority figures, faith based strictly on what other people told you or made you believe and deeply rooted vows and commitments to these heart-suffocating mental prisons are likely to fall away to make room for newer, unimagined opportunities and possibilities. Historical wisdom and traditions have their place, but they must co-exist with the voice of one’s heart intelligence, lest there will always be internal (and often external) conflict, misunderstanding, and mistranslations. Time for aspects:
There aren’t too many direct lunar aspects, but there’s a bit of congested astrological activity happening in the background. The Moon IS in a separating square to Jupiter in Pisces. With Jupiter being the ruler of the Moon’s current sign, we might best prioritize this aspect. Sag deals with faith and Pisces rules belief. We have a square, so there’s a conflict of interest between what we’ve always thought we were supposed to be, think, say or do and newer possibilities and dreams seemingly tempting us to break out of the box. Jupiter is dipping its toe in Pisces for a couple months, then will backtrack into Aquarius and then re-enter Pisces in December. So what does this mean? Be inspired by your dreams at this time, knowing that they might not pan out literally as you vision them now, but rejecting them all together, holding back on risk-taking (so long as it’s not blind and reckless), might exert an overwhelming pressure that launches one headlong into excessive temptation and escapism. There is a middle path that involves releasing what truly doesn’t vibe with you even if everyone around you seems to believe it or even if every past experience seemed to prove it as your fate. Spend time nurturing and giving voice to your deepest hopes, even if you don’t know how to make them fully concrete yet. A square aspect is never an either/or, though it may feel that way. It’s a magical recipe whereby two seemingly disparate points of view find a way to meld into something fruitful that might’ve never been possible without the awkward initial pressure, disbelief or frustration of trying to figure out how to fit a square peg in a round hole.
The South Node’s wide conjunction to Juno retrograde in Sagittarius really emphasizes the need to release old committed ideas and contracts involving any of the above; for those involved in the domain of past life work, this is a classic signature for releasing patterning based on “past life” marriages or behavior dictated by outdated religious or cultural vows and traditions or social mores that are obsolete or no longer in alignment with your spiritual or life path or the modern world. It’s not about throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but more about opening oneself up to new horizons of evolution and negotiation. Conversely, for those polarized too extremely in the direction of the progressive and new, it may be a time for rediscovering the value and wisdom of older traditions and long-forgotten simpler ways of being. The South Node’s trine to Chiron in Aries hints that old wounds around personal disempowerment, impotence, lack of motivation or drive and low self-confidence may need to be faced head on and cleared at this time. Just because something didn’t work in the past doesn’t mean perpetual failure. It’s time to release pain and try again with a more clarified sense of identity and will, a more focused force of desire or even an opportunity to self-initiate into a leadership that comes from within rather than waiting for an external validation or approval that perhaps was never meant to come. Take the opportunity to trust yourself and go for it because you yourself feel it to be right. This Moon is in a fire sign, so pay attention to what truly excites you, stirs your passion and motivates you to better things.
Running in the background, there are a few aspects we need to mention. First, Venus conjunct Mercury in Gemini with Mercury just a few days from its retrograde station and Neptune in Pisces squaring these two. Neptune, particularly in Pisces, is very dreamy, boundary-dissolving, excellent for the spiritual or non-material but often confusing on the superficial and mundane level. It is the higher octave of Venus, love and beauty, and brings a divine, intangible, indescribable quality to whatever it touches. With it squaring both Venus and Mercury, there’s an uncertainty and perhaps even a doubt around issues of what is possible or real in love, finance, communicative understanding and ideas. Be careful with assumptions about yourself and others, selling yourself short, abandoning hope based on missing or unclear information. With Mercury about to go retrograde, and being so close to Venus at its time of station, and in chatty, sociable and people-oriented Gemini to boot, we can generally expect past relationships or financial or creative commitments to reveal new insights in the coming weeks that may change the game or bring long-awaited resolution and clarity to seeming impossibilities. Since we’re dealing with Gemini, I think it’s safe to say do not take what happens on social media, mainstream media, or in past conversations at face value, and we might expect some hardcore technological clusterfunks to fold themselves into our realities if we aren’t mindful. Get present. If there are blanks that need filling in, revisit relevant people, places, commitments or situations with loose ends and see if there’s something you missed the first time or if what you’ve thought still holds true. Clarity will come, particularly post-retrograde in a few weeks, so take your time and do your best to maintain an air of levity, curiosity and innocence. Neptune’s square is a wonderful opportunity to grant forgiveness to self and others or open the door to novel and creative revelations, and this may be the key that unlocks a pathway you never let yourself see before. This is a time for aligning heart and mind, if you’re willing to do a little work.
Mars continues his journey through Cancer and is working his way toward a more exact opposition with transformative Pluto, retrograde in Capricorn. In a couple weeks, it may feel like a more opportune time to exercise a heart or emotion-led big change or decision, but the cues and signs toward it are starting to come in stronger as the days go by. Mars is currently in an applying trine to our friend Neptune, so just use the opportunity if you can to feel more deeply past any superficial confusion or echoes of unresolved emotion, particularly relating to the past. Check yourself on whether current emotions belong to an older timeline or are truly present with who you are today and what you’re capable of if you only let yourself believe. Pluto retrograde in Capricorn is able to break down and rebuild foundations, blocks, personal or ancestral histories that seemed permanent or immovable. I won’t go as far to say that *anything* is possible, but what you were convinced to be impossible may actually prove possible. The North Node in Gemini trine to Saturn retrograde works with this energy supportively, in my opinion, as we start to see tangible examples and hints of how to alter structures and patterns of thoughts to accommodate these newer possibilities, some of which may be brand new blueprints you are seeding for the first time in your lineage or community. Note that we get a New Moon Total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius on December 4, so there may be a direct correlation to visions and ideas percolating at this time and manifest events hitting the Earth plane closer to the end of the year. Happy Eclipse!
