The Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius wants us to shed skin. To release that what is toxic, no longer truthful and no longer of service to us. I want to ask you to reflect on the following questions in the upcoming week (and well, actually during the rest of your life until toxic systems have been broken down). The cosmos is urging humanity to reflect on the topics below. If you think you have more important things to do than to take and make the time to work through these questions, then you are a fool.
Where am I right now and how did I get here? In what body was I born? How has my body enabled or prevented me to do or ‘accomplish’ things in life? What influence did health, sex, color, (dis)ability, marks, or the like have? Have I ever felt unsafe somewhere because of my body? If not, can I imagine feeling unsafe because of a different gender, sex, color, etc.? What gender do I identify with? Who am I attracted to? And how has this influenced my sense of safety and belonging throughout life? What do these answers say about the systems we are living in? We need to reflect on patriarchy. We need to reflect on white supremacy. We also need to understand how we keep these systems in place, before we can understand how to change them. How do these systems suppress you? How do these systems enable you? Be f****** honest. Being white has enabled me. I have been put down for being a woman. We all have our own stories. Systems exist because we humans have built them and keep them in place. I am too responsible, even if I am disgusted by them.
What else has enabled you in life? Where were you born? Somewhere in Europe maybe? The Netherlands, like me? Did you have access to school too? Healthcare? Was there peace or war? Where do the clothes you wear come from? Secondhand or new? Do you know who made them? Were they made by your mom, with love? Were they made by a starving single mom in Taiwan? Where does your food come from? The food that enables you to keep being alive. The food that enables you to enjoy life, to workout, to have sex. Do you sustain yourself by eating vegetables grown in soil nurtured by organic compost? Do you sustain yourself with tortured animals who got to live for six weeks in small dark farms? What kind of practices do you support with the food and clothing that you buy? What kind of consumer are you? What systems do you sustain? Fair labor and human rights? Or exploitation? Do you just take from Mother Earth without regard for suffering or do you find creative ways to minimize the impact you have on the climate? And do you see how capitalism is related to patriarchy and white supremacy? Because: what do the people who make the clothing sold by Primark look like?
This Full Moon urges you to reflect on your life philosophies, the systems you are part of and your contribution to these systems. This Full Moon urges you to dare to let go of the parts of those systems that make you feel safe. To acknowledge where you are benefitting. To take responsibility.
The Full Moon eclipse in Sagittarius June 5th
So, eclipse season has started. Coming Friday June 5th is the first eclipse of this season. The Full Moon will partially disappear while she is in Sagittarius. The previous article I posted is all about eclipses in general and also gives some specifics on the upcoming eclipse season (click here to read it). Before we go on, here is a quick summary on the current astrology: the Sun is in Gemini. Mercury is in Cancer. Venus is retrograde in Gemini. Mars is in Pisces. Jupiter is retrograde in Capricorn. Saturn is retrograde in Aquarius. The north node is in Gemini. The south node is in Sagittarius.
The Full Moon will be in Sagittarius opposite of the Sun in Gemini. Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter. Sagittarius is the philosopher that wants to spread his wisdom far and wide, very far and very wide. Sagittarius is optimistic and adventurous. This particular Full Moon will disappear slightly; it’s not a total eclipse. So there will still be light, but some of it will be taken away. Usually Full Moons are about harvesting the fruits of whatever you have been laboring. Full Moons are about completion. When the Moon is Full she generally feels powerful and human life on Earth is just a little more vibrant than usual. With eclipses energy is taken away, because light is taken away. But because this eclipse is fairly small, it won’t be noticeable immediately. This Full Moon probably will feel like a normal Full Moon to most of us individually (except for those who have certain placements between 13-17 degrees in mutable signs). Just a bit of cosmic energy that is missing. And most of us won’t notice it, because the Full Moon is in Sagittarius. This means the Moon is in this vibe of going out on adventure far and wide. The Moon will be in this positive optimistic Sag mood. Too optimistic probably. Because Sagittarius is looking so far and wide, the archer can miss the things that are happening in the here and now under our very noses; meaning the eclipse.
Furthermore. This eclipse happens under the ruling of Jupiter. Jupiter is now retrograde in Capricorn and not particularly strong. Meaning that Jupiter has trouble bringing good vibes into whatever happens in Sagittarius. Meaning that this Full Moon in Sagittarius lacks ‘cosmic prana juice’ (for lack of better terminology) from Jupiter while at the same time energy is taken away because of the eclipse. Plus, the south node is residing in Sagittarius. This eclipse will definitely take something away from the world. But I suspect that will unfold overtime and not immediately, because of Neptune’s influence and because the eclipse is partial. The Moon receives a veil from Neptune while she is in Sagittarius. Which feels nice at first, like wearing a silk cloak. Where Neptune is there tends to be illusion and or a tendency indulge. Things are often not exactly what they seem when Neptune is involved. And because this aspect between Neptune and the Moon is a square, it is not a supportive aspect. There will be some kind of illusion going on during this Full Moon. Illusion that none of us can escape. Illusion that we maybe will uncover later this eclipse season, maybe not. There is so much we don’t know. There is so much we can’t foresee. And it is so incredibly easy to be fooled. I know for a fact that I will be fooled. No escaping. But that is okay. It is life. We all get fooled. It’s part of it.
Lastly, this Full Moon is connected to Mercury. The Moon rules the sign Cancer. Currently Mercury is in Cancer. When the eclipse takes place Mercury will be in the pre-shadow period of his upcoming retrograde period in Cancer. Mercury will spend quite a lot of weeks in Cancer during this summer. During this time he is under the influence of the Moon. The Moon travels through all twelve signs of the zodiac in less than a month. She constantly makes different aspects with different planets. This is one of the reasons why Cancer is known to be moody. Because the Moon is constantly in different places downloading all these different cosmic vibes. Naturally she gets moody. So, Mercury will be under the ruling of the Moon for a while. He is also under her ruling while the eclipse happens. The eclipse impacts Mercury. This will however not be noticeable for Mercury at first, just as it all won’t be noticeable to us at first (because of Neptune’s veil, the optimistic Sag vibes and the fact that the eclipse is partial). However, it makes the themes of this Full Moon eclipse connected to Mercury in Cancer and thus also Mercury retrograde. It won’t surprise me if during Mercury retrograde some stuff related to the eclipse starts to resurface or is up for evaluation. But whatever that is for you personally depends on your chart and individual life of course. Also, the New Moon Solar eclipse later in June will happen in the sign Cancer. So that eclipse happens with Mercury co-present. The Lunar eclipse on July 5th happens in Capricorn, opposite of Mercury. Mercury retrograde and eclipse season are definitely connected.
This eclipse wants us to shed the old and outdated worldviews in order to gain new more truthful perspectives that align with love and divine reality. This is a process of weeks, months and years to come. The influence of the eclipse will ring out through the cosmos overtime. It is not limited to June 5th.
The analysis above is mostly on the upcoming weeks. This eclipse however marks the start of a new year and a half chapter of eclipses. So how does the chapter begin? This eclipse eventually wants us to gain new insight and perspectives. With this being a Lunar eclipse near the south node in Sagittarius: we are asked to let go of systems of thinking that we are fundamentally holding to be true, but that not necessarily are true (anymore). Sagittarius is the philosopher of the zodiac. Ruled by Jupiter he wants to bring wisdom, hope and positivity in the world. But when Sagittarius overdoes it, he can be a know it all. The archer is not known to be a critical thinker, unlike his counterpart Gemini. This eclipse wants to show humankind where we have become fundamentalists. Is there really one way to live a good and happy life? (Like Sagittarius sometimes likes to sell.) Or are there more roads that lead to Rome? For part it is up to each of us individually to decide what way to Rome we want to take. But even though we are individuals, we live in societies. We are interconnected. We don’t write our life stories alone. We are part of society and subject to it. We are also part of society and have a role in sustaining, reforming and revolutionizing it. What role do you want to play in society and how and what do you add to the structures we are living in?
How do we as humankind want to spend our days on Earth? What philosophies do we hold to be true and meaningful? What systems are actually not supportive in our efforts of finding and creating meaning in life? What schools of thought do we rather employ? What reality do we want to live in? These are questions to reflect on during the upcoming eclipse and the weeks, months, etc. after. This eclipse is the first eclipse of a new chapter of eclipses that will be unfolding over the coming years. This eclipse marks the start. There will be more eclipses that follow and those will bring up these questions again. (If we miss out on doing our homework now, I’m sure the universe will remind us about it later.) These questions have always been with humankind, they are always present somewhere in our minds. But the coming years they will be forced upon us. We will be forced to reflect on our philosophies. We will be forced to let go of the outdated. We will be forced to be open minded and critical. We will be forced to adopt new perspectives. There are so many different ways to live a good and meaningful life. That is something that we will hopefully learn in the next couple of years.
On a more individual level: the upcoming eclipse may ask you to review things from the past and release old patterns or traumas. This eclipse is most noteworthy for those with personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) or the ascendant or midheaven in between 13 – 17 degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces.
The upcoming astrology
Between the Full Moon in Sagittarius and the New Moon in Cancer:
June 18th, Mercury stations retrograde
June 20th, Sun moves into Cancer
June 18th Mercury Retrograde 14 degrees Cancer
On June 18th Mercury stations retrograde. This Mercury retrograde is under the ruling of the Moon, since the Moon rules the sign Cancer. Mercury stays in Cancer during his entire retrograde period. The Moon in our charts reflects the body, the Mother, emotional life. The Moon throughout life acts as a mediator between all planets and us. No planetary body moves as fast as the Moon does. She continuously has different interactions with all other planetary bodies, asteroids, etc. in the cosmos. She is closest to Earth. That makes her an intermediary. Much of the cosmic energies that come to Earth, do so via the Moon. I like to think of her as an emotional shield. This also makes the Moon moody. People with significant Cancer placements can also be known to be moody, because the Moon rules those placements.
Mercury is also pretty fast moving. He goes here and there. Three times retrograde during the year. Mercury is hard to catch. That is why he is the messenger of the Gods. While Mercury is in Cancer, he is under the influence of the Moon. The experiences of the Moon dictate Mercury his access to recourses and influence his sense of empowerment. With the Moon going through ups and downs, Mercury will also experience ups and downs. Mercury will have to deal with all the emotional data that is handed to him by the Moon. This goes for the entire time that Mercury is in Cancer (May 28th – August 4th). Mercury is retrograde from June 18th till July 12th. Mercury retrograde in general are times when communication, interaction, information exchange and travel are slowed down. Either slowed down by obstruction (technical issues, travel delays, etc.) or because of the need for review, reassessment or reflection. With Mercury under the ruling of the Moon, these challenges will differ as much from day to day as the Moon changes from day to day.
Mercury in Cancer is about giving words to emotions and the body. Giving language to intuition. Mercury in Cancer makes that we digest information through emotional filters, through our feelings. On the one hand this makes that it is harder for us to be objective and rational. We might be more inclined to act out of emotion; which isn’t always beneficial and isn’t always wise. Sometimes emotions blind us. On the other hand it might expand our minds; to see and experience that the rational is just one interpretation of reality. Mercury in Cancer might help us to express how we feel. Give words to our emotions. Mercury in Cancer might also support establishing connection within ourselves: connection between mind and body, thinking and feeling. Mercury in Cancer will be supportive of understanding our own feelings and processing them.
While Mercury is retrograde in Cancer, the reviewing, reassessing and reflecting will have much to do with feelings, the sensed and the body. We have had to digest a damn lot so far in 2020. I bet all of us have stored emotions. Or maybe some parts of your body feel heavy or stuck. Mercury retrograde in Cancer will be much about going through that all. Giving feelings names. Giving emotions a place. Working through trauma if needed. Getting connected with the body. This will all go with ups and downs. This will come with grief and with sadness, it will also come with hope and empowerment. As the Moon will go through the whole spectrum of emotional life, so will Mercury. And when Mercury is retrograde it is much about making sense of the past and understanding how past happenings have influenced our emotional and bodily life.
There is quite a lot of astrology coming at us in the Cancer – Capricorn axis during the rest of 2020. Later in June there will be a Solar eclipse in Cancer, in July a Lunar eclipse in Capricorn and in July Saturn will re-enter Capricorn. (Oh and Jupiter is retrograde in Capricorn.) All these events will have an impact on Mercury. Mercury will have to digest it all, while he is retrograde and while he is direct. I won’t go into these events at this point, this will come in later articles approaching those eclipses. But it is good to know that they will impact Mercury. In other words, this Mercury retrograde will be an emotional ride with ups and downs, delays and miscommunications. This might be intense for some. It however offers beautiful cosmic vibes to all of us: this Mercury retrograde is a beautiful time to do emotional processing and inner healing work. It is an excellent time to reconnect with the body. Practice yoga, dance in your living room, massage your body, take showers and baths. The Moon rules the body. Mercury is the messenger. With these two planetary bodies so intimately related this summer, it is a perfect period for mind – body communication.
With Mercury being the ruler of Virgo and Gemini, this transit will put Virgo rising and Gemini rising more than others under the influence of the Moon. Those of you who are Virgo / Gemini rising with personal planets placed in Cancer, probably know the vibes and know how the tides of the ocean can influence you. Otherwise, all the emotional data that will be coming in via the Moon might be a little more challenging to digest. Allow yourself to be a little more emotional. Remind yourself that emotions sometimes make blind and/but sometimes make you see more clearly. Both are possible. So be patient. Take time to digest things. Be patient when communications don’t flow the way you would like them to flow.
That actually goes for all of us, no matter what your personal placements are: be patient when communications don’t flow the way you would like them to flow. Be patient in the processing of emotions. Remind yourself that feelings are passing. Things are forever changing. That is knowledge to find peace in.
June 20th 11.44 pm CEST Sun enters Cancer
Two days after Mercury stations retrograde in Cancer, the Sun will enter Cancer. Happy Solar return to all of you who have the Sun in Cancer. The Sun in Cancer shines by initiating and holding emotional bonds. People with the Sun in Cancer shine by bringing their nurturing qualities into the world.
The Sun will shed light in the places in our charts that contain Cancer. It is also in these areas of life where we will feel Mercury retrograde the most. It is also here where the Solar eclipse will take place. An eclipse builds up in the week before. The Solar eclipse happens hours after the Sun enters Cancer. The changing of signs is like crossing a border. As soon as the Sun crosses the border, the buildup of the eclipse will be so much more felt. When the Sun is still in Gemini, the eclipse will feel much further away. Even though it might be very close. It is like when we cross borders of countries. That stepping over the line that separates two lands, somehow makes a whole lot of difference even though the soil seems the same. When you are looking across a border, you are looking at another country and maybe you can watch everything that is going on, but you are not being part of it. That changes as soon as you cross the border. The eclipse is coming when the Sun is still in Gemini, but as soon as the Sun enters Cancer it will be felt like there is no way back. In days before the Solar Eclipse I will get back to you on what this eclipse will be about.
With the Sun in Cancer we are asked to shed light on our nurturing qualities and emotional bonds. In and around ourselves. In our bodies, in our families, in our friendships, in our communities, in the entire universe. And now especially, with everything else that is happening in Cancer, we can’t ignore asking ourselves the following questions. Where and when do I feel safe? How do I create safety for myself and others? What can I initiate and where can I contribute in this world in order for all of humankind to feel safe? Where do I need to nurture myself? How can I nurture others that are in need? Am I attending to my body the way my body deserves? Am I attending to my feelings? Do I listen? Do I hold space for my emotions? Do I hold space for other people’s emotions? Do I respect the boundaries that other people set? Am I willing to acknowledge that all of us process emotions in different ways and can I respect it when other people have different needs than I do? Do I dare to nurture? Can bring more of my nurturing qualities into the world? Or maybe I need to redirect my nurturing energy to myself?
As humans in worldwide crisis we are challenged to not get disconnected from ourselves and each other. The Moon is the Mother in the cosmos. The Moon is the one that cares for us all. The Moon teaches us on motherhood. We are in desperate need of motherhood. The Moon will be challenged. We humans definitely are challenged. Because we are challenged, we need to look at the Moon for guidance even more. As she travels to the zodiac, we will need to look for her and observe her. The Moon can’t heal all trauma. She will be met with challenge and she can’t overcome everything without getting hurt. But wherever she goes she brings her nurturing feminine qualities. We should look to her as our example. During Cancer season we can bring light into the world by nurture and care. Especially now, this is incredibly needed.
June 21th 8.41 am New Moon Annular Solar Eclipse 0 degrees Cancer
On the 21th of June there will be a Solar eclipse in Cancer. I will get back to you in time on that!
A ritual for the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius
The Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius wants us to shed skin. To release that which is toxic. To release what is no longer truthful and no longer of service to us. I started this article by posing questions to reflect on. Urging you to think about the life philosophies and systems that are uphold by humanity in general. Apart from these systems that we have as humankind, we all have our personal belief and moral systems. Ways of thinking that are supportive of our endeavors or are instead holding us back. Beliefs based on love or fear. Morals based on feelings of abundance or feelings of lack. Ways of behaving based on trauma or healing. We all have philosophies, beliefs, feelings etc. that are not or no longer serving us. We all have our own little systems that just aren’t true. That are holding us back. That are keeping us small.
This ritual is aimed to release you of those. This Full Moon is an eclipse: it takes away old perspectives in favor of new ones to emerge. The eclipse takes place near the south node: it wants you to release the old that is no longer of service to you, it wants you to overcome trauma and pain. It takes place in Sagittarius; it calls out to the philosopher inside us. This Full Moon eclipse is all about releasing old life philosophies that are just not good anymore. And only after you have let go of something, something new can emerge. A new perspective can unfold.
This ritual is preferably done on the moment the eclipse takes place: June 5th 9.12 PM CEST. Or otherwise on another moment on June 5th. Or otherwise on a day surrounding the date of the eclipse.
For this ritual you will need:
- Quiet time and space to be alone
- A pen and paper (preferably paper that burns easily, so not too thick and definitely not with plastic in it)
- A candle (black would be nice for this particular ritual, but white is always good) and a lighter or matches
- Something that can hold burning paper safely and you need to be able to place it on a surface that can hold the heat, because you are going to burn paper
- Water nearby, just to be safe
The ritual, step by step:
- Make sure you have some quiet time alone. Create a safe and comfortable space for yourself. Light candles (except for the one you will need for the ritual) and burn incense if you like. You may put on some music, but preferably only instrumental so you don’t get distracted by lyrics. Make sure you have everything you need in reach. Read the steps below one more time, so you will feel prepared.
- Make yourself comfortable. Take a moment to relax and arrive in the present. Put your to do lists in the fridge for a while. You can do a silent or guided meditation. You could do some chanting if you like. Or breathing exercises or a body scan. Or whatever practice that helps you to arrive in the here and now.
- It is time to light your candle. Remember the intention of this ritual: you want and are ready to let go of the beliefs that are no longer of service to you. Now, light your candle with this intention in mind.
- What beliefs are holding you back in life? What beliefs are weighing you down? These could be beliefs about capabilities, talents, about your body, looks, about what you deserve, about what is possible for you or not… Write them down. Take your time. You have all the time you need. Just write them down. You don’t have the think about them yet or value them. Just list them. No matter if it’s one thing or a hundred, all is okay.
- Look at what you have written down. I want you to challenge your own beliefs. The things you have written down are probably not true. Probably completely false. If not than I suspect they are at least for a part untrue. I dare you to challenge the beliefs that are holding you back in life. Can you do that? Try. Try to give an argument against every false belief. If that is too difficult, that is also okay. I praise you for listing the beliefs and I want you to praise yourself for it.
- No matter if you are able to challenge your beliefs (partially) or not, I know you would live a more empowered life without them. You probably know it too. So, we are going to practice letting go of these beliefs. It will be an ongoing challenge for days, weeks and maybe even years to come. But today you will make a very conscious effort. This ritual is a marker. This ritual will give you a head start. Take your list of limiting beliefs in your hands. Say out loud that you are done with them. Say out loud that you don’t want them anymore. Read the list out loud. With every item, mention that you are done with it.
- Say the following prayer: “Let this eclipse take away from me that what is no longer serving me. I ask the cosmos to take away from me my limiting beliefs. By burning this list, I will send these beliefs, that I no longer want to have, up in smoke into the cosmos. Please take them from me, so I no longer have to carry them. Please take them from me, so there can be space for new beliefs to come. Please take them from me, so they can be transformed in beliefs that will support and empower me.” (You can also address a deity instead of the cosmos, if you like, or address whoever or whatever that calls you or that you feel in relationship with.)
- Now burn the list, by putting the paper in the flame of the candle. Place the burning paper in the container you have in place for it. Watch it burn. Watch your limiting beliefs turn into ashes and smoke. (In the Vedas (ancient Hindu texts) it is mentioned that fire provides a communication line between humans and the divine. By burning that what you no longer want to carry and saying your prayer, you are asking the divine to support you in your effort to release.)
- When the paper is burned, take some more time to sit quietly. A few seconds or minutes, it is all okay. Express your gratitude to yourself for making time for this ritual. Express your gratitude to the cosmos / divine / the deity or deities you have faith in / Mother Nature for supporting you. Then close the ritual in whatever way feels fit to you. You can do some meditation before closing. You could clean up your altar / space slowly and mindfully.
I send you my blessings and love.
I wish for you to be released of whatever is holding you back in life.