top of page
Writer's pictureLiv Woodford

May 26 Lunar Eclipse & Mercury Retrograde

Updated: Aug 9

Your entire human experience is predicated on your viewpoint. Your viewpoint is predicated on your inner belief system and that is predicated on how much you believe in fear and how much you believe in love. -Emmanuel



The Nature of Eclipses


Eclipses come in pairs thus marking that time as an ‘eclipse season’. There are two eclipse pairings each year. The first pair in 2021 is a Total Lunar Eclipse on May 26 and an Annular Solar Eclipse on June 10 (An annular eclipse occurs when the edge of the sun remains visible as a bright ring around the moon.)


During an eclipse: the Earth, Sun and Moon line up with one of these bodies blocks the view of the other two, thus disrupting the electromagnetic energy that continually flows towards the Earth. The flow momentarily ceases, our automatic way of operating and the momentum of life is interrupted. In effect, we are being rebooted. In this window of time, we are open to something new being introduced into our awareness that can impact the circumstances of our life. Eclipses are opportunities for a seismic shift, a leap forward towards our soul purpose.


In the wake of the eclipse, there is likely to be a significant adjustment to some aspect of our life. It will occur as an unwelcome disruption if we have wandered off course and are in need of a jolt to bring us into alignment. We may easily dismiss the adjustment as minor, and yet a small shift in one area of our life or thinking can have a ripple effect. The influence of the eclipse will unfold for roughly six months until the next eclipse season.

Lunar eclipses occur on a Full Moon when the Earth comes between the Moon and the Sun.

Solar eclipses occur on a New Moon when the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth.

The miracle of a total eclipse is that - even though the Sun is 400x the size of the Moon and is 480x the distance from the earth - from our vantage point here on earth the Sun and Moon appear to be exactly the same size - so exact that at an eclipse the Moon perfectly covers the Sun or vice versa.


A Lunar Eclipse is a time of culmination, where some issue is brought to the head. Crisis, breakthrough and a movement towards completion and integration are indicated. With the current eclipse season, issues and events of 2020 seek resolution. The May 26 Total Eclipse affords us the opportunity to distill the wisdom this past year has yielded where we can release ourselves from a way of living that limits growth and success. This will prepare us for the New Beginning that arrives with the June 10 Solar Eclipse.



I prayed for change, so I changed my mind. I prayed for guidance and learned to trust myself. I prayed for happiness and realized I am not my ego. I prayed for peace and learned to accept others unconditionally. I prayed for abundance and realized my doubt kept it out. I prayed for wealth and realized it is my health. I prayed for a miracle and realized I am the miracle. I prayed for a soul mate and realized I am the One. I prayed for love and realized it’s always knocking, but I have to allow it in. - Jackson Kiddard


Sagittarius Full Moon: a Super Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse

A Time to Let Go and Welcome A Shift in our Thinking


May 26, 2021 the total eclipse will be visible from 4:11 - 4:25 am PDT in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Australia, the East Coast of Asia and the West Coast of the Americas. 15 States in the U.S. are in the path of the total eclipse with the coastal states having the best view, but will be visible as far east at Kansas. These locations will be more strongly impacted by the potential effects of the eclipse.


This is a powerful Full Moon. The Moon is as close to the Earth as it can come in its orbit, making it a Super Moon. The gravitational pull on the tectonic plates of the earth are stronger, tides are higher and so our emotions. In effect, we feel the Moon more strongly than ever.


The Moon is aligned with the South Node, illuminating the Past. Behaviors and attitudes that no longer serve us moving forward can be seen for what they are and released. Secrets may come to light. We can recognize that holding on to what is no longer true or relevant to our life will only serve to limit us now, even if it worked for us in the past.


Sagittarius, as one of the fire signs, is akin to the fire at the end of an evening campfire when the flames are low and the heat emitted is most intense. Sagittarius is wisdom and the quest to learn and discover that that produces wisdom. It is the wisdom we hold that shapes our perception of law, philosophy and knowledge. During the eclipse, the guiding principles of our life are shifting. It does not mean that we are wrong about something, more that a way of approaching life is complete and we are now wiser and ready to embrace a more expanded view of truth.


Multiple planets are in mutable signs emphasizing that we are to be flexible and experience life as fluid (as opposed to solid and stable). The Sun, Mercury, Venus and North Node are in Gemini encouraging us to be curious, adaptable and open to adopting something different to what we had thought. Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces remind us that the material world is illusory and shaped by collective thought and agreement. All the atoms on the planet can fit into a thimble. The rest is space. Our world is made up of mostly space, the space between atoms. This means, amongst other things, that life is more subject to changing shape than we might imagine. It is not a time to stabilize but lean into how something is ready to shift in its manifestation.


We may be drawn to change our thinking or perceive apparent facts in a different light. There can be an epiphany or breakthrough in our perception and orientation to life. if we resist shifting our stance, we may feel increasing frustration and confusion as we try to stabilize and maintain the status quo of our life.


Our collective beliefs may undergo a big shift at this eclipse. For instance, there was a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius this time last year on June 5 as the Black Lives Matter movement took hold and more information about Black History was widely shared that had the culture propose police reform, removing monuments that had once been accepted, and a more in-depth look at issues of inequity. A second Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius now one year later can mean further shifts in societal perception and agreements that were initiated with the lunar eclipse in early June 2020.




The real trick of life is not to be in the know,

but in in the mystery.

Fred Alan Wolf


Jupiter is Prominent, Amplifying the Effects of the Eclipse


Jupiter rules Sagittarius and forms a T Square to the eclipsing Sun/Moon.

Jupiter’s presence serves to amplify the opportunity and challenge of the eclipse. It announces a readiness for change and a sizeable shift of perspective hat compels us to release a guiding principle that has provided direction for our lives. We are to be curious about what is possible if we adjust our viewpoint and be willing to question beliefs about who we are and where we are going.


Jupiter recently moved into Pisces on May 13, where it will remain for the next year. Jupiter transits indicate where we are ready to grow. In Pisces, Jupiter encourages us to develop intuition, loving kindness and to operate from the recognition that we are all connected. It warns us to be wary of identifying ourselves as a victim or abusing substances as a way to alter our state of mind.


Where Does 5 Degrees Sagittarius Fall in Your Birth Chart?

Locating where the eclipse falls in your chart gives insight into the area of life that is ready for a change. If you would like help in understanding what is possible for you with the eclipse, the May Special offers readings that zero in on the next six weeks - the upcoming eclipses, Mercury Retrograde, and how the Saturn/Uranus square of 2021 are supporting you to release the old, open to the new, and embrace change. See the bottom of the Newsletter for detail on how to schedule your reading.


Jupiter square the Sun poses a challenge to the Gemini planets and their inclination to use logic as the sole and best way to organize and set direction. Jupiter is reminding us that there is something beyond the rational mind that can serve us in making good decisions. Answers and solutions may be determined or at least influenced by a something outside the realm of the mind. This may involve imagination, feeling or an opening to divine intervention. We are to deepen and trust our intuition and embrace the mystical to help us navigate the way forward.



Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart

and try to love the questions themselves.

It is possible to live and not know. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke


The Larger Context for the Eclipse


Pluto’s 16-year journey through Capricorn (2008-2024) looks to deconstruct societal structures that are out of alignment with natural law and humanity’s purpose. Last month, Pluto turned Retrograde for 6 months. The transformational urge is turned inward. We are urged to reflect on where we have sold out or compromised our core values to get by or make a profit. From this we can identify what we can do to realign ourselves with our soul’s intent.


Saturn turned Retrograde on May 20 and will not go direct until the end of October. The momentum of what we are trying to move forward is slowed down. We may feel restrained or thwarted. Issues with authorities may emerge. We are to take things slowly, allowing time for reflection and evaluation between each step we take. There are adjustments to be made, but if we are wanting to go full steam ahead, then we are not likely to give tasks and decisions the consideration they need. This may lead to increased frustration. The key is to practice patience and approach circumstances by exhibiting tenacity and perseverance. When we feel slowed down, or find ourselves taking a detour away from the straight path to success, we can be curious about the opportunity that lies within this.


The square between Uranus and Saturn will be in play throughout 2021 and is exact on February 17, June 15 and December 24, 2021. We feel a tension between the new ways we are reaching for and the old way, which feels more ingrained than we imagined and thus difficult to shift. On the Saturn side of things, we are to exercise patience and self care when we feel heavy or depressed. On the Uranus side of things, we may feel rebellious and need to be mindful of the tendency to impulsively act out as a means to ease the tension. Rash or impulsive actions to instigate change may have consequences that only increase, not decrease the pressure. Mid-June when Uranus turns Retrograde, we may experience a kind of apathy around taking bold actions to initiate change. Again, we can be curious as to why things have been slowed down. There is some unknown element or option that has yet to be revealed or shown us.


The eclipse cues us as to how we are to respond to the dynamics outlined here as part of the greater context. Rather than taking action, we can look at what we are ready to let go of. Like cleaning out a closet, we are to clean out our way of thinking and clean the lens through which we perceive our life. There is a shit of perspective that is needed before moving forward.


Having a smart brain

is not enough. We also need

a warm heart.

The Dalai Llama


May 29 – June 22: Mercury Retrograde in Gemini (24-16 degrees)

It is notable that a Mercury Retrograde is happening in the midst of the eclipse season and will conjoin the Sun/Moon at the June 10 Solar Eclipse.


The retrograde cues us to go inward, to reflect, evaluate and explore variables and potentialities. Conversations with others where information and ideas are exchange can reap great benefit with Mercury in Gemini. It is best if we do not make a big decision, sign on the dotted line or commit to a plan of action until after June 22 when the Retrograde is complete. There is fantastic potential for our mind being illuminated and inspired at the June 10 eclipse. This eclipse can radically alter our way of thinking that will then initiate a new way of living that was not previously available. More will be said on this in the next newsletter.


Mercury Stationary Conjunct Venus and Square Neptune Takes us Out of our Mind


Our minds are stimulated and ramped up when Mercury is stationing. In Gemini, the mind seeks rational explanations and values and emphasis on facts when considering options. However, the Full Moon encourages us to get out of our mind. This is further emphasized by the square Neptune is making to both Mercury and Venus. Neptune is the dreamer, the mystic, the creative, and the harbinger of altered states and dimensions. Again, we are cued to the feeling that there is something more, something else beyond the mind that may be as effective or more effective than scientific logic.


Our intuitive function is highly active and we are to be open to how the world is speaking and moving through us. We can write down our dreams, be curious about what we are fantasizing, and pay attention to what we are doodling. Being proactive, we can take time to do a visualization, engage in meditation, or exercise our artistic self. There is something beyond what is languagable, something beyond the rationale that is knocking at our door. It is up to us to hear the knock and open the door to what wants to be revealed.


On the flip side, if we do not quiet the left brain and insist on using its gift of empirical thinking and reliance on factual data as the foundation for navigating life, we may be feeling increasingly confused and uncertain and lost in our head. Gemini functioning is debilitated by the square to Neptune which is further amplified by Jupiter in Pisces square the Full Moon. The planets in Gemini want to articulate and define, but we may find ourselves incapable. We may think it’s time to have a solid plan, but the astrological dynamics are saying: not yet. Something new is rising from within. We are to trust ourselves, deepen the trust in our intuition, and trust the unfolding of the coming days to reveal something new and unprecedented.

 

Last Chance!


Eclipse Readings

45-minutes


$88


What big shifts are you contemplating and readying for and how will the summer open up in the wake of the dynamics of late May to the end of June?


Two eclipses (May 26 and Jun 10) offer a reboot and new opening in our lives.


In the midst of the eclipse season Mercury will be Retrograde May 29 - Jun 22.


The eclipses and Mercury Retrograde occur within the context of the square between Saturn and Uranus happening throughout 2021. Discover what this square is activating in your life and how the events of the next weeks support what is unfolding for you.


Offer good through May 31

 



Recent Posts

See All

Kommentare


bottom of page