Overnight tonight we’ll experience the Full Moon eclipse in Taurus. This is the first in a new 18-month series of eclipses in Taurus and Scorpio. Eclipses are intense. This one comes with extra intensity. So let’s begin with some key points to keep in mind. Then dive in to some of the details.
First, eclipses are global. They affect world events and heads of state, not individuals automatically. This eclipse will be more personal for you if there are important connections between the eclipse and your birth chart.
The eclipse happens with the Moon at 27° 14’ Taurus and the Sun at 27° 14’ Scorpio. Look for chart angles and planets close to those degrees to gauge how this eclipse might affect you. Also, if you have important placements in Taurus and Scorpio generally, you might feel this eclipse more, since it opens the door to future eclipses in these signs.
The North Node at 01° 41’ Gemini and the South Node at 01° 41’ Sagittarius are also important points to note. Eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align with these nodes. We are ending a series of eclipses in Gemini and Sag. The New Moon on December 4 will close this particular cycle. If you have important placements in Gemini and Sag, you might feel this eclipse more as a kind of wrap up, or closing, of changes experienced over the last eighteen months.
Second, this eclipse is conjunct the fixed star Algol which has a bad reputation. Algol is currently at 26° 28’ Taurus, which is in all of our charts somewhere. The fixed stars only influence our charts if they are within a degree or two of a planet or angle. And even then, their influence is tempered by the chart overall. This is not a time to pile on more anxiety, but perhaps to learn more about Algol and other fixed stars in our charts.
Third, eclipses are fascinating. Wonderful. Mysterious. Awe-inspiring.
We humans have feared eclipses because the lights of our world, the daytime Sun and nighttime Moon, disappear. Tales of creatures like dragons devouring the Sun or Moon reflect the eerie sense of dislocation and awe that overtakes us.
Even when we understand the scientific reasons for an eclipse, and have the power to predict when they will appear, and where, and how long they last, we’re still entranced by the mystery.
This eclipse across the Taurus–Scorpio axis can help us tap into that response.
Taurus cherishes the manifest physical world, seeking comfort and offering steadfast care. Taurus prefers stability, predictability, and continuity.
Scorpio dives into the depths of the unseen. Here we face what is unknown, shadowy, and secretive. Scorpio sees what others deliberately hide. It represents what we hide from ourselves, or what is hidden within us.
Modern culture is very solar, oriented to brightness, clarity, straight lines, the achievement of articulated goals. When the light is very bright, though, shadows become deeper.
As the light of the Taurus Full Moon is eclipsed, perhaps another kind of clarity can emerge. Perhaps we see and feel things we ordinarily miss or prefer not to notice.
There is a physical counterpart here even Taurus can appreciate: During an eclipse, other parts of the sky become more visible. Right now, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are bright in the evening sky (depending on where you are). All three will become more visible during the eclipse.
We’re also in the time of the Leonid meteor showers, which of course would not be seen during the nights of a Full Moon. But tonight they can be. How amazing to see meteors flash across an eclipse sky.
We can ask, what am I noticing and feeling now that I usually miss? What flashes of illumination can I catch? Look for subtlety, nuance, and detail that go unseen in the bright clamor of modern life. Eclipses can point us to the unknown unknowns in our lives.
If this Full Moon eclipse makes important aspects to your chart, look to those planets and houses for insights. All of us have the opportunity to notice and learn. If your chart connects to the eclipse, that opportunity becomes more focused.
Another reason this particular eclipse is notable and worthy of respect and awe is the presence of the fixed star Algol tightly conjunct the Moon.
Algol is one of the best known and most closely followed among the bright stars and has long been associated with violence, in particular, losing one’s head. The name Algol comes from the Arabic al-ghul, the demon. This is the source of our word “ghoul.”
Having Algol less than a degree from the Full Moon is worth paying attention to.
There are things to know about the fixed stars. As the word “fixed” implies, the stars do not move in relation to each other in the sky. They rotate around the sky from our view here on Earth, but stay in the same relationship with each other.
In western astrology, though, fixed stars slowly shift their zodiacal positions. This is because western astrology is seasonal, not linked to the stars as, for example, Vedic astrology is.
In western astrology, 0° Aries happens at the spring equinox. Yet the skies shift due to the precession of the equinoxes. This rather grand name points to the fact that our Earth is not completely stable on its axis, but wobbles every so slightly over tens of thousands of years.
This means the ancient zodiacal positions of the stars have changed, which needs to be taken into account when reading ancient texts. Even in our lifetimes, the position of a star at our birth will be slightly different than its position today.
Also, because the stars are so far from us, we use really tight orbs when interpreting their influence. Everyone has Algol somewhere. But unless Algol in your chart is within a degree (some astrologers will say 2 degrees for the important stars) of something important–a planet or chart angle–it’s not likely you’ll feel it.
Algol is less than a degree from the Full Moon, so, clearly an influence for this eclipse.
Do we expect violence? Maybe, but also maybe not.
It might make sense to connect Algol first to intensity, which may erupt into violence in some settings and times in history.
The story of Algol is the story of Medusa, who began life as a powerful, beautiful woman. She was raped in the temple of Athena by the god Neptune, after which Athena, enraged at the desecration, blamed Medusa. Athena gave Medusa her snaky hair and cursed her so that all who looked on her turned to stone.
Perhaps this story lands differently today, as least for some of us, than it did in a historical period in which ancient goddess traditions were being supplanted by strong solar male gods.
This is not to deny Algol’s history. And yet, as we change, our understanding of history changes. The power of certain interpretations and definitions can be revealed. We can make other choices. This is not an easy positivism. It is a deep, difficult grappling with possible gaps between what we’ve been socialized to believe and what may actually be closer to the truth.
Keep in mind that Athena placed Medusa’s severed head on a shield that offered unmatched protection. The star Algol, when invoked carefully and appropriately, has the ability to ward off baneful influences.
Clearly, Medusa’s presence heightens the intensity of tonight’s Full Moon eclipse but is her influence bad? Or do we need to look at her story and its meaning for us today with new eyes?
Eclipses are complex. They dance within long patterns of time. With tonight’s eclipse, we’re invited into one piece of a much larger story of our life and the life of our world. Let’s see what we can learn. How we can grow. And appreciate the mystery and awe of life itself.
Image adapted from Vika Strawberrika
https://unsplash.com/photos/9EWOktTMKFM
Marco Bianchetti
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Wil Stewart
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Olena Lev
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