INSIGHT

July 2009

 

 

Uranus Retrograde

1 July 2009

 

Uranus spends around five months every year retrograde. This retrograde cycle is the last retrograde passage in Pisces before the planet of awakening shifts into Aries in May 2010, though it will return to Pisces again later.

 

The transit of Uranus through Pisces began six years ago; and during this time it has formed a mutual reception with Neptune in Aquarius. On the one hand, this 7 year cycle has given us some confusing and misleading signals, yet on the other, we have begun to gain collective clarity about aspects of life that were previously unconscious.

 

The human community has undergone a subtle, yet tangible shift in awareness. We are more able to recognise the things which unite us far outweigh those which divide us. This mutual reception along with Neptune’s return to its discovery degree, are facilitating a deeper understanding and revealing the mysterious interconnections between all living things.

 

As Uranus embarks on this last retrograde passage before its dramatic and decisive shift into Aries, it’s also in the midst of a series of oppositions to Saturn, planet of reality and responsibility.

 

Uranus represents the freedom to create, and with Uranus retrograde in Pisces it is time to consider the role imagination plays in inspiring creative changes in our lives, but work within Saturn’s system to create a new reality.

 

Watch the fantastic ten minute film on Neptune’s return.

 

7 July 2009

Lunar Eclipse

 

 

Between now and the middle of August there are two lunar eclipses and one solar eclipse. Both solar and lunar eclipses help us perceive things in a new light.

Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. These often bring fresh insights into emotional reactions and patterns of behaviour, both our own and those of family and loved ones. Sometimes lunar eclipses confront us with unfinished business from the past, and/or people we once knew may come back into our lives.  Decisive turning points also often accompany eclipses.

 

Coming just a few weeks after the solstice and the first of two Cancerian New Moons, the emphasis of this eclipse is on family and home. The Cancer-Capricorn polarity is about our roots and our goals and personal security is a key aspect of both signs. These signs are very much aware of the need to build from the ground up.

 

The Nodal axis is poised to shift from Leo-Aquarius into Cancer-Capricorn, another signal that commitments around loved ones, family and long-term goals are on the agenda.

 

Lunar eclipses can expose our shadow side but equally they can reveal the true depth of feeling in our hearts. Intense emotional reactions can erupt as insecurities are exposed but if we tune in to our feelings, intuition, vulnerability and sensitivity we can find love. This lunar eclipse helps us to emotionally connect with others in new ways which are mutually supportive.

 

These eclipses are ushering in the nodal shift to Cancer-Capricorn by asking us to make new commitments. Where do you belong? Where is home? With whom do you feel comfortable and secure? The answers to these questions will help to determine your path forward.

 

22 July 2009

Solar Eclipse

 

 

Though called a “luminary”, the Moon has no light of her own; she only reflects the light of the Sun. The Moon is locked in her orbit around the Earth so that she always shows the same face to us. The other side of the Moon is hidden from us, but every New Moon the Sun fully illuminates this dark face of the Moon, potentially exposing what is hidden. Instinct and intuition are wide awake.

 

This solar eclipse is the second Cancerian New Moon in a row. Last month Vesta, wise goddess of the hearth aligned with the Moon and Sun while they opposed Pluto one day after the Cancer solstice. This decisive alignment helped us let go of the past and start fresh.

 

The Chiron-Jupiter-Neptune conjunction continues to bring opportunities for growth and healing. This is a profound time where issues of long standing can be resolved.

 

The Sabian symbol for this last degree of Cancer is: A daughter of the American Revolution. Dane Rudhyar describes this as a degree of consolidation, and one which honours past tradition and family heritage. The last degree of Cancer carries the notion of one’s genetic or family inheritance.

 

The emphasis of this eclipse is on the dismantling and rebuilding of family structures and patterns. Expect changes to unfold within domestic circumstances and living arrangements, for a powerful generational shift is underway.

 

As the Sun moves from Cancer into Leo, and the Nodal axis shifts from Leo to Cancer, Mother Moon and Father Sun help us balance our inner yin and yang. This new marriage of the Sun and Moon is likely to bring people together to make fresh commitments which will stand the test of time.  

 

This eclipse season is opening up new avenues to the future while in another sense we are at the end of a long road which started a generation or more ago.