When I was in college, and discovered the wild world of going out and partying with my friends, I fell in love with a song called “Closing Time” by a group called Semisonic. (See this week’s video here: https://youtu.be/Q03lgd0_gPE )
This is one of those songs that literally signifies that the night/morning is over. Bars play it to say, “Alright, pack it up, time to go,” and people played it at house parties as a way to kick people out of the house. LOL. I remember singing it—rather mumbling it–while stumbling back to the dorm on cold Wisconsin winter nights and mornings. There was a line though that really stood out for me; it has stayed with me, and remains in my conscious mind to this day. “Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end…” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lived this line now…
I have discovered that life is an epic series of endings, beginnings, endings and new beginnings. Sometimes we have time to prepare for an ending and sometimes they catch us completely unaware. Sometimes we are yearning for a new beginning, but not quite sure when it will come. Sometimes we don’t even realize when something has begun. We fall into a beginning. But sometimes we are aware, relieved, and delighted that something has ended or that something has started. If the seasons are any indication, everything is in constant motion—spring, summer, fall, winter…then back again to spring. Endings and beginnings are a natural part of life and nature.
Lao Tzu said, “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
In the Tarot, this is reminiscent of the Tower card, which in its traditional depiction shows a tower burning.
The tower had been struck by lightning—signifying upheaval, and unexpected change. There are two people falling from the tower, one person is seemingly reluctant—falling in a way that indicates that they were not ready for this change and will be forced out of the tower, the way that the other person is falling seems to indicate that they jumped willingly because they know that change is inevitable.
One more modern day description of the tower card from Biddy Tarot says, “The lightning represents a sudden surge of energy and insight that leads to a break-through or revelation. It enters via the top of the building and knocks off the crown, symbolizing energy flowing down from the Universe, through the crown chakra. The people are desperate to escape from the burning building, not knowing what awaits them as they fall. Around them are 22 flames, representing the 12 signs of the zodiac and 10 points of the Tree of Life, suggesting that even in times of disaster, there is always divine intervention.” This description provides a reminder that is so important to remember, especially when change proves to be stressful. There is always divine help! I believe that the cosmos are always moving and shifting in ways that ultimately serve to support us, but some of the transits can really add a jolt to our lives.
One of the cosmic happenings that instigates major endings and beginnings in our lives are eclipses. I am sure that if you have been alive on this planet for longer than a year, you have probably heard mention of an eclipse. In ancient times, people saw eclipses as bad omens, foretelling everything from poor harvests to the apocalypse. With advancements in science, astronomy, and astrology, we have a better understanding of the energy that comes with eclipses, and we know that often they speed up changes in our lives. As a side note, we are having this conversation now because in the weeks ahead, the cosmos are setting the stage for 2021 with some huge transits.
One thing that is setting the way for what many astrologers are calling a new day in our generational and collective consciousness is the Grand Conjunction between the two biggest planets in our solar system—the cosmic gurus, Jupiter and Saturn. This conjunction will take place on the Winter Solstice, December 21st in the sign of Aquarius. One of the events that is setting the stage for that transit it a total solar eclipse this week in the sign of Sagittarius. This eclipse hits pretty close to home for me, because my birthday is the day after the eclipse, and I was born at the same degree in Sagittarius where the eclipse falls. This won’t just impact me, but also my birthday twins—happy birthday!!! You guys know who you are. I saw that the eclipse was coming and intuitively felt it was a big one. I can consciously recall the eclipses of 2017—those were in the sign of Leo—my rising sign and it really changed my world.
Now, a lot of this will sound like a foreign language, so if you have any questions at all, please reach out, and I am happy to answer them. My email for this channel and blog iscelestialgoodness1111@gmail.com. I will also make a supplementary astrology video in coming weeks to just provide you with some basics. I’ve been interested in astrology since I was at least 12 years old. It is one of my hobbies, not one week goes by where I haven’t either listened to or read something astrological. Up until recently, I was afraid to call myself anything more than an amateur but I’m truly being modest if I say that. However, true to my Sagittarius sun nature, there is always more to learn. I love learning about the world, about people, and I especially love the cosmos and the mysteries of this great universe. Ok, back to eclipses.
So what is an eclipse?
There is the scientific definition of an eclipse, and then there is what I call the astrological definition. According to NASA, an eclipse takes place when one heavenly body such as a moon or planet moves into the shadow of another heavenly body. There are two types of eclipses on Earth: an eclipse of the moon and an eclipse of the sun. All Lunar Eclipses happen at a full moon. All Solar Eclipses at a new moon.
During a lunar eclipse: Earth moves between the sun and the moon. When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally is reflected by the moon. This sunlight is what causes the moon to shine. Instead of light hitting the moon’s surface, Earth’s shadow falls on it. This is an eclipse of the moon — a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse can occur only when the moon is full. Sometimes when the moon orbits Earth, it moves between the sun and Earth. When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth. This causes an eclipse of the sun, or solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow onto Earth. You can have a total, annular, or partial eclipse!
An astrological definition of an eclipse that I like is by astrologers Aliza Kelly Faragher and Sophie Saint Thomas. It says, “Eclipses are dynamic cosmic occurrences that activate the lunar nodes. Simply put, the moon glides across an elliptical that is constantly rotating around the zodiac. The highest and lowest points of this orbit correspond with the lunar nodes, which appear in our birth charts as south and north nodes. The south and north nodes, often referred to as the Nodes of Fate, symbolize our past and future — our karmic pathway. Accordingly, eclipses activate these nodes within our birth charts, illuminating our destiny.”
So they are like little destiny activation checkpoints. Eclipses are actually pretty frequent. They occur approximately every six months, and they happen in in groups of two or three. We refer to the transits of eclipses as “an eclipse cycle.” An eclipse cycle takes place when eclipses in a series are separated by a certain interval of time. This happens when the orbital motions of the bodies form repeating harmonic patterns. A particular instance is the saros, which results in a repetition of a solar or lunar eclipse every 6,585.3 days, or a little over 18 years. Eclipses also occur in opposite signs. Within the zodiac there are 12 signs. We can break the zodiac down into polarities. This is a sign and its opposite sign.
The last series of eclipses were in Cancer/Capricorn. In this year they shifted into the signs of Gemini and Sagittarius. On November 30th we had a lunar eclipse in the sign of Gemini—this occurred by a full moon, and on the 14th of December we will have a solar eclipse in Sagittarius. This is by a new moon. If in your own chart you have a presence of the sign of the eclipse, you may be more impacted.
Solar eclipses correspond with new beginnings and unexpected opportunities. Lunar eclipses help us realize the external implications of these shifts—our internal shifts. Eclipses impact everyone differently based on your natal chart, and ultimately your sign. Some eclipses may impact you and others will not. The eclipse on the 14th is in the sign of Sagittarius, and it is likely that other mutual signs—Pisces, Virgo, and Gemini will also feel some affect in some area of your life. Another important point is that eclipse energy is energy that you may feel immediately, or it will unfold over a 6-month period or longer. If you would like to look up your natal chart, I recommend the following: www.astro.com
I also found this helpful website for helping to determine how to find which house in your natal chart will be impacted by the eclipse. https://www.lunarliving.org/moon/finding-lunareclipse-solareclipse.html#start
I think it is very useful to know this information, and it can help you to prepare for certain things that may unfold in your life. After the August 2017 eclipse, a lot shifted in my own life, and a lot of energy moved quickly. Within 6 months of that eclipse, I had been in a car accident that forced me to get a new car and release some old energy, traveled for 5 weeks to do some deep soul healing, met my current partner, and received a promotion.
I can look back at past eclipses as well, and actually mark major moments in my life. It can be that intense. Eclipses can definitely speed things up in your world. And it is not only your world, but the entire world is changed. So all of that to say change happens, but I think if you are cognizant of that, and prepared, you are better equipped to handle endings, and to embrace beginnings. You won’t always be prepared for change, and that is ok too, just take things one day and one moment at a time.
I think this quote from the Curious Case of Benjamin Button is perfect for dealing with change. ““For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
This transit also prepares us for the Grand Conjunction on the 21st of December which is the Winter Solstice—a change in season and sign. I will talk about this conjunction in another video/blog and explain—is this the Age of Aquarius? Really all of this is saying what we already know to be true. Our world has changed and is changing. The question is what role do we play in this? How can we help to not only live our best life with the tools that we have, but also help visualize the world that we want to see? Stay tuned!
May the stars shine brightly over your week, and it may it be a good one indeed.
Celestial Goodness 