The window that is now closing between the lunar and solar eclipses of the past two weeks has been rife with intensity, from the recent Mars-Pluto opposition, to the ongoing Saturn-Uranus square, and finally the New Moon conjunct Mercury retrograde, square Neptune. I will give you my perspective on these aspects in the following paragraphs. Thank you for reading my blog, and welcome to the twilight zone!
Mercury is retrograde for 3-4 times a year, for a period of 3 weeks, with a week of "shadow" on either side of the retrograde. Most people who are interested in astrology know that this is a time to pay careful attention on the road, as driving can be tricky when our attention is focused within rather than on the outside world. This is also a time to re-think, re-visit, re-examine and review just about everything. It's usually not ideal to sign contracts during a Mercury retrograde, however if you are careful to read all the fine print, cross your T's and dot your I's, all will be well.
In this chart, Mercury is less than one degree from the New Moon solar eclipse in Gemini, making this alignment all the more powerful. As the Messenger, Mercury is the master of communication and purveyor of words (spells), and these words, depending on how they are used, can make us or break us. We have the power to build and inspire ourselves and others, but also to demean and destroy that which gives us a sense of meaning and purpose, just with our words. In Gemini, this alignment is ruled by Mercury, and therefore gives us the potential for rewriting our own contract with our higher self, if we so desire. During a solar eclipse, the Sun's essence is hidden, bringing to light the subconscious desires and programs that operate without our conscious awareness. Mercury is urging us to rethink our self-talk and release negative conditioning that we may not have realized was operating up until now. These are the do's and don't's, should's and shouldn't's that we have internalized from our childhood, not to mention the tell-a-vision programs some of us ingest daily. We are being given a choice: either we go on living our lives according to the program, doing what is expected of us even when it hurts our soul to do so, or we become aware that we are not the program, and that it was created not for our best interest, but rather for conformity to some ideal that is supposed to make us happy one day in the future, when we are long gone from this place. What's the point in that? If the programs I internalized as a child are telling me that I am a bad person, using guilt and shame to judge myself, or that I am better than everyone else, then they are not serving my highest and greatest good, because they are separating me from my essence, which I believe is pure and good. In order to be my best, for myself and others, I must free myself from this mental prison, the purpose of which is to keep me in the past or the future: "life was good back in the day", or "some day it will be better"; preventing me from living my life in the present moment, which is the only one there is! Our true power resides in our ability to live in the here and now. This doesn't mean we can't plan for the future or think about the past, but mentally staying in either place on a more-or-less permanent basis - which we have been trained to do - not only doesn't serve us, it hinders our ability to create, which I believe is what we came here to do.
Neptune, in a square aspect to this new Moon eclipse and Mercury retrograde, encourages us to go within and explore what may be motivating our attitudes and behaviors: do we react emotionally to situations that are challenging, or are we able to see through our emotions to find out what is causing them, and act with discernment and reason? Gemini, an air sign, is all about reason and mental acuity, while Neptune in Pisces connects us to the wellspring of intuitive knowing and our relationship with the Universe. The interaction of Sun, Moon and Mercury with Neptune encourages us to pierce through the veil that keeps us separate from our divinity, namely the mind/ego and its programs. However, it is important to stay vigilant, as Neptune can also lead us into non-realistic idealism or illusion, and we can potentially become subject to deception and disillusion. This is often the case when we blindly follow an outer authority, such as a guru or an "expert", rather than trusting our own inner authority. Unfortunately we see this all too often, as the programs I mentioned earlier often go unquestioned, especially when other opinions and information that goes against the accepted dogma (scientism) is censored and/or disregarded as lunacy and conspiracy theory.
Mars and Pluto were opposite each other on June 5th, in the signs of Cancer and Capricorn, the axis of physical and emotional security. They were also in a T-square formation with the Moon in Aries, creating the conditions for an emotionally volatile situation. You may have experienced some conflictual interactions around that time (not necessarily on the exact date), relating to work and/or family. It may also have manifested as internal chaos, in alignment with Mercury retrograde, which is now ready to find resolution. Mars, in the final degree of Cancer, is poised to ingress into Leo on the day following the eclipse, June 11th. This new Moon eclipse is asking us, "What conflictual or passive-agressive attitudes am I holding onto, and are they truly serving me?" With Mars in Leo, we will soon notice an uptick in our energy levels with the desire to be more creative and playful.
Saturn retrograde in its own sign of Aquarius, another air sign, speaks of self-discipline, particularly as it relates to the mind and self-talk. Am I even aware of the things I say to myself? Do I ever express love to, or congratulate myself for a job well done? Or do I tend to criticize and blame myself for whatever may have "gone wrong"? Becoming aware of these tendencies is critical to being able to consciously change any patterns that are detrimental to oneself, or self-sabotaging.
The second Saturn-Uranus square of the year, the critical and potential turning point of this ongoing aspect, happens on June 14th, just days after the eclipse. Again, we see the same themes popping up in this chart: our ability to reason and question subconscious programming, and potentially challenging the source of that conditioning (family, societal and cultural norms and expectations). Uranus in Taurus urges us to look for new ways of working with the material world, including the global financial system, economics and the way we survive and thrive on this planet. Something obviously needs to change at that level, since a tiny minority is choosing to call the shots for the rest of us. That being said, change can only happen from within. If we are not willing to question our negative programming and simply accept that "that's just the way it is", then we cannot expect anything to change. Transformation doesn't happen by electing people to do the work for us. We must do the inner work in order to create change that reflects in our outer environment. This new Moon solar eclipse is the perfect opportunity to go within, question the validity of the programs we were given, and choose which ones we want to keep and which ones have to go.
There has never been a more critical time for us to wake up from the slumber induced by centuries and even millennia of negative programming inflicted upon humanity by a few "priests"* who, recycling themselves through the ages, have created an intolerable situation of virtual slavery for the majority of humans on this planet. Now is the time to become aware of these programs and free ourselves from the yoke of conforming to societal "needs", and instead learn to listen to our inner compass and heed the callings of our heart and soul. I firmly believe this is why we are here at this critical time: to throw off the yoke of the ages and reclaim our true identity as Gods and Goddesses in the Here and Now of this existence, on this beautiful planet we call Earth.
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu ~ May all Beings be Happy, may all Beings be Free.
In Gratitude,
Sarah Songbird
* By "priests", I am referring to the individuals who have given counsel to and directed the ruling class, since Babylonian times until now, and not to the Catholic priests of today.
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