By: Janette Dalgliesh – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
Eclipse season is truly upon us, with all of its wildcard energy and potential for rapid change. It’s like a Full Moon on steroids!
That can send some poor muggle folks into a tailspin of confusion; but we know better.
With any Full Moon, we are talking about a moment in time when the sun and moon sit exactly opposite each other in the sky.
And that means that the full moon activates a pair of signs – in this case, it’s Capricorn and Cancer.
Moon in Saturn-ruled Capricorn is not at her most comfortable. She represents that part of us which is the most vulnerable and intimate, the place where we want to feel safe. Internally, it’s our emotional home ground; externally, it’s our physical home.
But Capricorn is all about ambition, achievement in the external world, climbing the summit no matter what. It’s a self-sufficient energy, out in the world and eyes on the prize.
Meanwhile, radiant Sun – symbol of our identity – sits in the Moon-ruled sign of Cancer. Here, his effulgence can sometimes feel too much, too bright, too large, for that intimate space.
And all of this is being amplified by the eclipse, which triples the usual Full Moon energy, as well as the Saturn-Pluto convergence at play only a couple of degrees away in Capricorn.
What does this all mean?
It gives us a fantastic opportunity to examine our deepest needs and desires regarding our private life – home base, intimate family, our own hearts – and our needs and desires in relation to our public lives – career, reputation, accountability.
We often think these things are separate and different, and we can see them as competing. But that may be a false premise.
We humans are extremely good at seeing the world and our own lives in terms of duality.
We can fall into the trap of thinking that we have to choose between two seemingly conflicting desires, thinking the world is full of “either/or” when really, it is full of “and/and”.
This tendency to see the world as a set of choices between our desires is so common, coaches even have a term for it. We call it a counter-intention.
Most of the time, simple awareness can be sufficient to overcome these seemingly conflicted desires. Sometimes we need to do a little more work. We have to release our own belief that a conflict exists, set the intention to have both our desires come true, and hand it over to the Universe to figure out the HOW.
This eclipse also sets the scene for greater than usual insights into what isn’t working, in both private and public or career arenas.
Revelation is often the name of the game, at eclipse time.
We may find out that someone close to us is not who we thought they were. We might find out that the work we’ve loved for years is no longer our passion. We might discover a system we’ve used for a while is no longer coherent with who we truly are, or not robust enough for our burgeoning ambitions.
The key here is to keep a cool head.
Remember self-sufficient Capricorn?
We can lean into that, so that when something unexpected emerges, we can avoid making decisions from a state of heightened emotion.
Encountering the unexpected can certainly be shocking or upsetting. And any emotions you feel are absolutely sacred, so nobody is saying you need to suppress them!
But don’t let those raw emotions shape your decisions.
Step back, observe, take a longer view.
Wait until after the eclipse is over.
By all means review and plan. Sit with any new information as much as you need to, in order to gain the most sovereign perspective you can.
Making decisions while in the midst of turbulent emotions disconnects you from your agency and authority. And when both Saturn and Capricorn are involved, there is a strong call to use all of your agency and sovereignty in the decisions that you make.
Let that knowledge be your secret superpower.
While people around you are zooming off in all directions, you keep your cool and stay zen about it all, because YOU know the power of a cool head.
Meanwhile, our old friend Mercury Retrograde enters the sign of Cancer, bringing another layer of potential emotional shake up.
But remember, Mercury is the messenger of the gods, ruling all aspects of communication, and you can use that to your advantage.
Think of this as another way you can practice due diligence.
If emotional turmoil hits, lean into Mercury to help you put into words what it is that you’re feeling – for your own benefit, initially.
Take that step back, regain your agency and authority, reclaim your perspective of sovereignty.
And then use your words to communicate exactly what it is that you want from the situation – whether that’s communicating to someone else, to the universe, to your own self, or in some other way.
Here are some activities you can use to make the most of this time, and support you with any unexpected revelations.
- Set your intentions that any unexpected revelations will be delightful and easy. This pre-paves the way for those typical eclipse rapid changes to go far more smoothly. You might as well set yourself up for success from the get-go
- Make lists! There’s a lot of Saturn energy intertwined with this eclipse, and if there’s one thing Saturn loves it’s a list. Lists are empowering because they take those whirling thoughts and must-dos and ideas out of our heads and onto the page. It’s a form of manifestation, something intangible (a concept or a desire) taking form as language, on paper or in a file
- Don’t just have a “to do“ list – have an “all done“ list to, and go nuts with all the things that you put on it. Every single tiny thing you do during the day, from making a decent coffee to sending that email to smiling at a stranger, to asking for something you need – it all counts
- Get cosy and comfortable with the concept that “when I let go of who I am, I become what I might be” (Lao Tzu). Get okay with the thought that only by letting go of who you have been in the past can your next evolution occur. That way, if you do find something coming to an abrupt end, you will know that it is opening the door to something wonderful.
- Work a little magic in your home to support the releasing of the old and the embracing of the new. This could be as simple as decluttering the junk drawer or your nightstand. Or it could be more elaborate – smudging, blessing, ritual reconnection with your home via an energetic and physical Spring clean of your home, regardless of the season. Check in with Jacqueline Gates for ideas.
If there are eclipse shenanigans, they will provide a fabulous opportunity for expansion into new horizons. Embrace the possibilities!
Exact times (US Eastern)
- 16 July 2019 at 5:38 pm – Full Moon at 24 degrees Capricorn
- 19 July 2019 at 3:06 am – Mercury Rx enters Cancer
Janette Dalgliesh has a simple mission in life – to help every person unlock their capacity for resonant joy. A keen student of astrology, brain science, chaos magic and Law of Attraction, she serves her people through astrology consults, coaching, teaching and writing. You can find Janette via Facebook, or at her website, Resonant Joy
