New Moon Solar Eclipse & Venus

Annular Eclipse from 2010

The New Moon will be at 7:47 pm EDT at 0 degrees of Gemini. It will also be an annular Solar Eclipse. This eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, but instead of covering it entirely, like it does during a Total Solar Eclipse, it covers the center of the Sun, leaving a ring of fire around the Sun’s edges. Annular comes from Latin and means “little ring.” The Sun will be 88% covered, but that 12% of solar light can still damage your eyes, so if you are fortunate enough to be in the path of the Eclipse, please use protective covering.  The Eclipse will be seen in the western United States, but not in the Eastern part, nor in Western Europe. Here is a great site, Earth/Sky that shows the path of the Eclipse and the times when it will be occurring near you. SOLAR ECLIPSE PATH . Plus check out SHADOWANDSUBSTANCE for more details of viewing.  There is much being said about this particular eclipse. It is the first Solar Eclipse in the mainland of the US in the 21st century. It is the first annular eclipse in the US since 1994, and the next one won’t be until 2023.

Even if you can’t see the eclipse, you can still tune into the energy through meditation and ritual. Ac Tau, a Mayan elder, is holding a 2 day gathering of shamans in Mexico to bring in the energy of the 2012 transformation using the connection to frequencies and sound. He believes that this date is more important than 12/21/2012. And while annular eclipses occur with some regularity, people have noted that this particular alignment of the Sun and Moon hasn’t occurred for nearly 26,000 years. This is because the Sun and Moon are also aligned to the star Alcyone in the Pleaides constellation. Check out this link by Jo Dunning as she discusses how this moves our earth through a photon belt. And check out this link by Carol Ann Ciocco has quite bit to say about the importance of this eclipse to Alcyone and the Pleaides.  You can read these materials and see what resonates to you. With this eclipse in Gemini it points towards how we communicate and understand one another. Any eclipse is a connection between the yin (Moon) and yang (Sun). In this eclipse the Moon is creating a mandala on the Sun, covering most of it, but still allowing the bright illumination of the Sun’s fire to shine forth. Maybe that is what we need on this planet. 88% yin and 12 % yang!!  Focus on the connection between your yin and yang, and notice how you communicate and share your essence. What is your balance, and what do you think it needs to be, at least at time time in our collective lives.

Another important sky event occurs during this New Moon. On May 22 and 23rd it will be the last time this year that the Moon and Venus will be seen together in the sky. These two goddess lights have really been a powerful combination this Spring, and I will really miss seeing the lovely light of Venus so brilliant in the western sky. In June she will shift from the evening star to the morning star, and have a powerful eclipse of the Sun herself on June 5t-6th. I will write more about that in the June Moonletter. Suffice it to say, the Goddess energy of feminine divinity (which abides in men and women) has been very strong, and the feeling of love and compassion, as well as fierce protection, have been radiant in the sky.

Full Moon in Gemini

Gemini by Eric Williams

During this Full Moon on Saturday, December 10th at 9:36 a.m EST,  put your attention to connecting your spiritual and physical realities. Since the Moon represents your intuition and Gemini is in charge of your thinking, this is a good time to combine them into intuitive thinking. Intuitive thinking comes from slowing down your fast moving monkey mind and letting it rest on the gentle flow of the reflective ocean that is illuminated by Moonlight. (Pause for a second and imagine the ocean at night, illuminated by the Moon. Now imagine your mind as a yacht gently floating on the water. Ahhh.)

Most of us stay in memory thinking, recycling the same thoughts over and over again. We get stuck in patterns of the past. Albert Einstein said that “we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” It’s time to  come up with fresh thoughts and new ideas.

To Do: Meditate on this lovely image. See the two young women as the part of you that is still hopeful, still curious, still wondering about how the world works and how you can best become engaged in its beauty. Then shift your focus to the dove. The dove has long been a symbol of spiritual connection. It is the dove that announces to Noah that the destructive flood has ended, and it is the dove that represents the seed of the Christ Child given to Mary at the Annunciation. See your own inner light, your own spiritual link, and imagine how your life will be different if you send that light out into the world, fearlessly, freshly. See the dove’s brilliance, hear the flapping of its wings, watch it sparkle in the light as it takes flight. Then watch it return to you, create a nest for it, nurture it so that you can send it out again and again.  Fully establish your link to spirit, your connection between heaven and earth.

New Moon/Solar Eclipse

Cancer by Eric Williams

July 1, 2011 at 4:54 am EDT. At every New Moon, the Sun and Moon are in the same sign. This month it is Cancer. New Moons are great times to begin something new, and since it is in Cancer, the sign of the home, it is a great time to do something new with your home. Notice how the symbol for Cancer is the crab, who carries its home with it wherever it goes. This New Moon is a fantastic day to move into a new home, since you start your new nest surrounded with Cancer’s love, comfort, and nurturing energy. But if you’re not moving into a new home today, you can buy something new for the home, or clean your house, or bring in flowers. It’s a wonderful day to remember how lucky you are to have a home, especially during these challenging times when tornadoes, flood, and fire are leaving many people without the comfort of a place to live. The symbol for Cancer looks like two arms circling and protecting. Do something today that makes you feel warm inside, and gives you a feeling of protection and safety. You can lay in the arms of your beloved, or hold your child to your breast. All of these things are part of the energy of Cancer. Or maybe, like the crab, you are carrying your home on your back, carrying a suitcase and cellphone as you explore the world. Just remember that home is where the heart is, and you can find love wherever you are. And since this New Moon is a partial solar eclipse, the energies are even strengthened and deepened.

Don’t worry if you don’t see this partial solar eclipse. No one else will either! It will only be visible if you are in an extremely remote part of the world, an uninhabited region on the coast of Antarctica, where the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Still, the symbolism is significant, and the energy will still be available if you take the time to meditate or tune in.  A solar eclipse happens only at the New Moon and occurs because the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking the light of the Sun. This is an image of a partial eclipse taken in January 2011.

This solar syzygy, is a perfect union between the Moon, your Soul, the Sun, your Spirit, and the Earth, your body. It is a good reminder to live this  life (Earth) in alignment with your greater purpose (Sun) and in connection with your intuition and deeper knowledge (Moon).

Total Lunar Eclipse Wednesday

If you look at this diagram to the right you will see that during a lunar eclipse the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the light from the Sun that usually illuminates the Moon. During the eclipse the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in perfect alignment, a syzygy, one of my favorite words that means “union.” The entire eclipse, from the time the Moon starts to go behind the Earth’s shadow until it shows up again on the other side, will last 5 1/2 hours. The totality of the eclipse is when the Moon is directly behind the earth and fully shadowed. It will last an amazingly long 100 minutes during this eclipse, and during that time the Moon will appear a dark red or orange. The reason totality will last so long is because the Moon is moving past the center of the earth, through the deepest shadow. This is called a “central” eclipse. The last one we had was in 2000 and the next one won’t be until 2018. This is a very special alignment, one of the closet and most centered possible. During the eclipse the Sun, Earth, and Moon will be in perfect union, you will be in perfect union.  Imagine that you are perfectly centered and aligned between the Sun, your spirit, the Moon, your soul, and the Earth, your body. Imagine yourself as the pivotal point between spirit and matter, between what is Above and what is Below.  Carl Jung’s word for this alignment between opposites is Individuation, which means in-divisible, at one. When you are in union with Heaven and Earth, all things are possible.

The eclipse will not be visible in the USA or Canada, since it occurs at 4:14 pm EDT and the Moon will not have risen yet. You can look at this diagram above for the areas the eclipse will be seen. The rising Moon occurs around sunset, since a Full Moon is opposite the Sun. The eclipse will be visible at the Moon’s rising in Europe, South America, and western Africa. It will be visible completely over Africa and Central Asia.  In western Asia, Australia and the Philippines the lunar eclipse will be visible just before sunrise. The times of the eclipse are listed in Universal Time. 

Penumbral Eclipse Begins:  17:24:34 UT

Partial Eclipse Begins:    18:22:56 UT

Total Eclipse Begins:      19:22:30 UT

Greatest Eclipse:          20:12:37 UT

Total Eclipse Ends:        21:02:42 UT

Partial Eclipse Ends:      22:02:15 UT

Penumbral Eclipse Ends:    23:00:45 UT

Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse

The Sun is in Sagittarius, so the Moon is in the opposite sign of Gemini. During this Full Moon let your consciousness expand and consider things you might think are beyond your reach. This is not the time to put blinders on your vision for yourself. It is the time to reach for the stars. Sagittarius is the archer, and you can take aim and let your hopes and dreams take flight. Don’t hold back. Right now is the time to imagine yourself at your greatest possibility.

The Moon is in Gemini, and this points to a connection between your intuition and your intellect. What you think and what you feel right now are one in the same. It is time to embrace the expanded ideas that Sagittarius brings forth into your everyday life into your local Gemini community. Focus on the balance between your intellect and intuition, your expanded visions and your daily actions. Let yourself integrate the dreams and visions you have for yourself (Sagittarius) and start taking small actions immediately (Gemini). Be the change you want to see in the world. Mercury is also in Gemini right now, conjoined the Sun, so that just adds an explanation point!

A full moon is when the Sun and Moon stand in exact opposition from each other. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth moves between the Sun and Moon. It is the shadow of the Earth that you see moving across the Moon. At the height of the eclipse, for a total of 72 minutes,  the Sun, Earth, and Moon are lined up directly behind one another, and the Moon is completed dimmed. During the eclipse, the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in a powerful syzygy, or alignment. This eclipse will be visible, weather permitting, all over North America. In the eastern part of the US, it begins at 1:33 am on Tuesday, December 21st, is at its peak at 3:13 am, and ends at 5:01 am, as the graph illustrates.  On the west coast it begins  at 10:33 pm on Monday, December 20th, and ends in the early hours of Tuesday, December 21st. The last total lunar eclipse was two years ago, and the next one we’ll be able to see in North America will be April 15, 2014. You can watch a lunar eclipse with the naked eye, and the Moon will change colors through the event, until it is a deep red at its peak. For more information go to NASA, which is having forums and shared pictures the entire night of the eclipse. For an animated look at the time and movement of the eclipse go to http://shadowandsubstance.com/

The Sun represents your conscious Spirit, the Moon represents your intuitive Soul, and the Earth represents your physical body. During this eclipse those three parts of yourself are in perfect alignment, perfect syzygy. You now have the opportunity to integrate your intellect (Sun) and intuition (Moon) into your physical body (Earth). You can plant the seeds of consciousness into your bones, sinews, and senses. It is a reminder that you are a spirit in a physical body, and that the actions you take in your daily life, in your community, and in the world, really and truly matter.

This Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse takes place at 29 degrees of Sagittarius, which means it also aligns with the center of our galaxy, which is located near 27 degrees of Sagittarius. The Galactic Center is the rotational center of our spiral shaped Milky Way Galaxy, the churning whirlpool around which our own solar system slowly circles. At the center of our galaxy there is a huge black hole, and just last month I wrote about how scientists recently discovered huge bubbles of powerful energy radiating from the center. See my Blog for more.

For you: With this quadruple syzygy – Sun, Earth, Moon, Galactic Center- occurring on December 21st, you can tap into powerful universal energies to fuel the visions of expansive Sagittarius. Forget Red Bull. For the ultimate energy drink follow these instructions: Breathe deeply and center yourself. Imagine yourself as the Earth. In front of you is the Sun, behind you the Moon. The three of you are aligned in perfect balance and you feel the cord of energy that connects you, one to the other. Now, take that cord and extend it out, far out, into the universe, to the very core of our Milky Way. Drop your cord into the energy that is pulsating at the Galactic Center. Now start drinking in that energy by imagining with each in-breath that you are pulling the galactic energy through a straw, and bringing it down the straw through the Sun, and through you, the Earth, and into the Moon. Feel yourself radiate with strength and power. Repeat when needed.

Opening my web home

I’ve been working hard the last few months on the new website, and really hard the last few days. It feels great to have it launched. I’ve gotten some wonderful emails from people that were supportive, and I loved getting that feedback. I really felt the energy of the New Moon/Eclipse (or maybe it was the coffee and sugar!) But regardless, It made me think about how the website really is my link with the outside world. I used metaphors in my newsletter about how I wanted people to come and visit me, have a cup of tea or a glass of wine; how I wanted my blog to be like a living room conversation; and that the website was my home on the web.

Bam! It hit me that of course this site is like your home. The New Moon is in Cancer, which rules the home. So with this Cancer energy I am opening my web home, inviting people in, hoping to meet the neigbors, so to speak. That symbolism was not obvious to me. I got that it was Cancer, and it would be supportive of the Moon Goddess and my work with the Moon. But I missed the warm and fuzzy part of it being about home and community, until I actually read what I had written.

This is really important to me. As a Pisces I tend to be more private, and not share my thoughts or writings to a great extent. To have my thoughts about things in such a public venue as the internet would normally give me a feeling of being a bit exposed. But with this Cancer energy it feels quite different. It feels like my website is my public home, where I can meet and greet, and share and chat with anyone who comes by. What a different way for me to consider the internet. I even referred to people’s Twitter and Face Book communities (another Cancer term). I never thought of Twitter in that way before. I always avoided Facebook. With my web launch on the New Moon/Solar Eclipse in Cancer I really think that something shifted in me. I’ve opened my doors, and joined in a community so much larger, and really so much friendlier than I had imagined.

Thanks for coming.

Solar Eclipse

This week the Moon wanes in its light as it gets ready for a New Moon on Sunday July 11th.

A New Moon is when the Sun and the Moon are right next to each other, with the light of the Sun so bright that the lessor light of the Moon becomes invisible. This is because the New Moon will be in the astrological sign of Cancer at 19 degrees on Sunday July 11th at 3:40 pm EDT.

There is a Total Solar Eclipse also on Sunday July  11th at 3:40 pm at 19 degrees Cancer. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon aligns exactly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light (see diagram below). This solar eclipse won’t be visible in the US, or not many places at all since the path of the eclipse is right in the middle of the ocean.  For what this eclipse means symbolically to you, go to the Changing Sky.