Tomorrow, November 8, on the feast of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Greece, a particularly dynamic lunar eclipse takes place. This eclipse takes place on the Taurus-Scorpio axis and the degree that takes place has the Sabian symbol of a battle between swords and torches.
How fitting then, with the Feast of the Archangels, an eclipse that holds a sword and torch. In this eclipse, the issues we are called upon to work on are about our personal truth as the planet Uranus is involved, a planet characterized by its awakening but often disruptive energy.
Many things are ending at this time and will continue to end until the influence of the eclipse ends for the next few months. Uranus along with the Moon from Taurus, in the degree mentioned above, speaks to the denial of dependence on the past. This degree and the planets speak of the spiritual light that we must find within ourselves and boldly cut away whatever does not correspond to our personal truth.
Seeing the shape of the eclipse chart reminded me quite a bit of the image of St. Michael holding the scales of souls.
The astrological scale is where the seesaw comes in, that is, the oppositions that exist when we have a Full Moon or Lunar Eclipse. On one side of the seesaw, we have Uranus and the Moon which speak of courage, truth, and boldness. On the other side, we have the Sun, Mercury, and Venus, which from the sign of Scorpio speak to us about the passions that each of us carries in our souls just because we are people of a weaker nature. Scorpio is a sign that is associated with both the lower and the higher nature of man, it is a sign that asks man to dive into the deep and dark places of his being and accordingly to subjugate or submit.
Uranus on the opposite side makes this all the more imperative as it is the one who does not hesitate to tear down anything that does not correspond to the future and the real. As mentioned above, the degree of the eclipse mentions the denial of dependence on the past. Will we let the mistakes and passions of the past haunt (scorpion) our lives? Will we let the darkness continue to guide us or will we create a sword - as this opposition is - and cut away anything that doesn't work? This degree is also referred to as the polarizing stage of values and the Taurus- Scorpio axis is clearly the two points of the zodiac that speak to values.
However, the chart does not only have the oppositions. These create two squares i.e. a T-square all together with Saturn at the apex. This shape reminded me of the scales which end up on the hand of the Archangel as seen in the picture. So, his hand, the handle of this scale, is Saturn which is in a very strong degree as well. Saturn's degree symbol speaks of the fire of a forest being brought under control through the use of water and muscular strength. The degree speaks to us of courage, the skill -virtues that are necessary "to bring the destructive potentiality of careless and karmic visits under control", says Mrs. Eugenia Sourdis in her book The Symbolisms of the 360 Quarters of the Zodiac. So, we have karmic visits, which is particularly emphasized as Saturn is the Lord of Karma. He, therefore, holds the reins of this scale/seesaw/opposition / full moon / lunar eclipse and tells us that there is a need for boldness and also the faith that is within man when he is faced with a critical and destructive situation. Saturn is the one who judges people's lives and creates new karma every day. So, he is at the top of the scales, acting like the hand of the Archangel in the picture, where he does the final weighing.
We need not think that our souls are necessarily good or bad, the polarization of values mentioned is a situation that we all have in us: virtue and vice. Yet the torch sets us in the process of shining more light on the parts that we ourselves want to crush, the snakes within ourselves. The endings that will take place - and they are already taking place lately - we must think of as advancing situations for the better, are the endings that do not meet the future, that cannot stand in the future. But not all people are equally bold in cutting ties with their past or even with their karma, so that is where we need enlightenment so that we can make the right choice not based on fear but on what each person can bear. Fight either with a sword or a torch, as we said before.
Jupiter is on the fixed star Sheat, which speaks of shipwrecks. It is retrograde which means we need to re-examine the things and places that have wrecked our lives. An anaretic degree, as the last degree of Pisces is called, speaks of closing cycles and beginnings driven by boldness as well as truth in Aries, just before the end of the year.
Mars in this eclipse is in Gemini, retrograde and out of bounds, speaking of re-examining the words we give, our thoughts, the logic we follow, and clearly how we use our words. The fact that Mars is out of bounds north of the ecliptic shows us that we need to venture resolutely again to open up our new karmic and evolutionary path, to go beyond the boundaries of the travelled path. After all, as Uranus says, it is important to be real, not "normal".
It is important to note that Uranus parallels the regal star Aldebaran, in Greek Labadias, a bright star that reinforces the meaning of enlightenment and fire. Not coincidentally, Aldebaran is associated with Archangel Michael!
In addition, the Sun makes a parallel with the regal fixed star Sirius, which is protective as well. Sirius is the brightest star, and its name means ''glowing''. It is also known as the dog star due to the fact that it is the brightest star in the constellation of Major Canis. It is generally a very important star that provides protection and is also considered regal, as mentioned above, because of its size and because of the dignities it bestows on births under its light. It bestows many good things, but it is of particular interest that for the ancient Egyptians, Sirius was associated with the god Anubis and was the most important star as it was the one that regulated the sowing and harvesting season. Hence, its connection with Anubis emphasized its status as the star for Resurrection and Rebirth.
The parallel between the Sun and this fixed star therefore further emphasises protection and is also a reminder that darkness and light, life and death, coexist (as the Sun in Scorpio enters dark passages -as it descends from the ecliptic, while Sirius is the brightest star that rises in the middle of summer).
Another element I can add to the parallel is that Archangel Michael is the one who judges souls in death and also the one who descended to Hell to fight the devil, while Archangel Gabriel is the one who in the New Testament is connected with all the events of Christ's birth.
So we see that darkness and light are one, and so are death and life. Doors will close in this eclipse, but new doors will open. People will leave - and we see this especially happening at this time as with the moon's lunar nodes being on the Scorpio-Taurus axis we have mass exits of souls. New ones will come through and we hope that all the changes and clearings that take place under this diminished Full Moon light coming up will be really bright. Pray to our Archangels tonight and tomorrow on their feast day that they will give you their torch and sword so that you can make better choices.
The eclipse affects the signs of the fixed cross, namely Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, and Aquarius. Those in the second decan of these signs are especially affected. It also affects those who have an Ascendant/Midheaven or other planets (mostly personal) in the above signs.
Anastasia Diakidi
7.11.2022
Comments