Ancient peoples feared eclipses. The experience of having one of the lights of the world–Sun or Moon–blotted out for a time evoked stories of dragons, jaguars, and monsters who swallowed the light and had to be fought, or charmed, to release it again. These tales were reinforced by the blood red Moon that often appeared during eclipses. Tomorrow’s Full Moon and eclipse will not be quite that dramatic, being a penumbral eclipse, but the impact will not be any less. This is the Harvest Moon, which this year brings mystery and magic all its own.
September 16, just after 3:00 pm in the Eastern US time zone, the Full Moon in Pisces arrives. The aspect patterns create a web of opportunity and challenge that few will be able to resist. First, the Moon in Pisces puts us in a place of illusions, visions, and shadowy presences, even as the Moon slips into herpenumbra. What we experience with this Pisces Full Moon can range from the sublime to the terrifying, given the added intensity of the eclipse.
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Second, this Moon is tightly conjunct Chiron. The Wounded Healer has been moving through Pisces for some time now, triggering deep wounds in some cases, but always in the hope of engaging us in healing so we can move into our lives in good ways. Coupling this wounding/ healing potential with the Full Moon and eclipse means we might feel as if we’re being turned inside out, our most hidden selves conjured from the mists.
Nearby, just outside the range of even a wide conjunction, we find Neptune still conjunct the South Node of the Moon. The proximity of the South Node to the Moon is precisely what makes this an eclipse, so the closeness remains significant. Neptune + South Node close to the Full Moon + Chiron extends the healing opportunities to include karmic debts from the past–our personal past and deeper layers of the past that might include ancestors as well as other lives.
Opposite Neptune + South Node, we find the North Node + Mercury, retrograde in Virgo. Mercury might help us hang on to some clarity, but the opposition to Neptune, though wide, is likely to be enough to enhance visions and dreams as much as (perhaps more than) mental acuity. Whatever comes up, the presence of Mercury Rx means we are meant to pay close attention. This is a time to remember whatever dreams come to us. Take notes.
Opposite the Full Moon + Chiron, we find the Sun in Virgo, a welcome light that can serve as the breadcrumbs through the dark forest, or the white stones we carry in our pocket, dropping along the path to mark our way. Staying grounded, keeping a solid connection to our bodies, are good strategies while navigating this Full Moon.
Remember the Mars–Saturn conjunction that was so problematic? Even though the two malefics are a good 13 degrees apart, they are both connected to this Full Moon. Mars, at 23 Sagittarius, forms a tight square to the Full Moon itself. Saturn, at 10 Sag, makes a similarly tight square to the Nodes. Given this is misty, imprecise Pisces we’re talking about, it’s not too big a stretch to see this as one large, slightly amorphous T-square, like the one we had at the New Moon.
Then there is the not-insignificant fact that Mars is tightly trine Uranus and Eris, who are semisextile the Moon and inconjunct the Sun. Edgy. All this is very edgy. Venus in Libra, a combination designed to be soothing, tries to help. But she is opposite Uranus and Eris, semisextile the Sun, and inconjunct the Moon, so it’s not clear how much help will be there.
I’ll admit, I’ve been struggling with this one, to the point where my post is close to being late. Although the Full Moon has not yet arrived, I have been feeling the energies build all week. This Full Moon lies right over my Sun, with Jupiter in Libra right there too. There are tight semisextiles and inconjuncts to my Ascendent and Mercury–Neptune conjunction and … well, too many details to list. The result is, I’ve been awash in a lot of stuff all week. Maybe you’ve been feeling this as well.
The combinations here are likely to leave us all feeling lost at sea. Surprisingly, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be excellent, if approached in a good way. How, you ask, can being lost at sea be a good thing?
The sea we are lost in is our own. What will come up most strongly at this Full Moon and eclipse are our own deepest issues. At this time, we’re not asked to fight them, but surrender to them. Let’s be clear. This is not the going-down-for-the-last-time kind of surrender (although it might feel like it), but instead the ok-this-is-really-my-stuff kind of surrender. We yield. We open to. We accept. Once we can look our past, our wounds, and our stuff in the face, smile, and open our arms, we have taken huge steps toward healing.
This is not a Full Moon for the faint of heart. The opening we are offered is vitally important. If we can yield, recognize our limits, and accept healing, magic can happen. We will find our path, no matter how dark the wood.