It’s Eclipse Season!
These are the best of times and the worst of times. The good news is you get to choose which it will be for you this eclipse season which started with the most recent New Moon in Cancer solar eclipse.
On Thursday 26 July, one day before the eclipse, Mercury goes into retrograde, joining several other planets and the asteroid Chiron – As if an eclipse isn’t enough to cope with in its own right! Mercury Rx joins Mars, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn to help boost our perception of what is going on deep inside our psyche. Chiron Rx continues to prompt us to confront our deepest wounds.
The lunar eclipse is referred to as a ‘Blood Moon’ due to the red hue that the Moon takes on while in Earth’s shadow (aka umbra). The total eclipse can only be viewed in certain parts of the world. Here in the UK, we have a partial eclipse which will be visible from 8:30 PM BST until almost 10 PM BST. Because the Moon is at the furthest point away from Earth at the point of the eclipse (perigee), the eclipse will last longer than usual. In fact, this is said to be the longest eclipse in one hundred years.
As always, doomsday prophets love this kind of stuff – Rumours are circulating, complete with ‘end of world’ warnings. I see some metaphysicians take a very grim view of this lunation too. Awareness Act, for instance, make the following statement on their site about the eclipse on Friday:
“This will be much stronger than any normal full moon, and it will be affecting all of us for at least a couple weeks. You might become overly aggressive or you might end up going through some kind of insane crisis. Regardless, you will be pushed over the edge. You see, this full moon is going to really increase the tension within our lives.”
I don’t know if an astrologer wrote this but I do know that the effects of an eclipse last more than a couple of weeks – It’s more in the ballpark of six months. To threaten that a celestial event ‘will push you over the edge’ seems harsh and rather pointless to me. While it may push some people over the edge, it would be fair to assume this won’t include those who have been given the heads up, right?
The trick to making the most of this eclipse is to work with the retrograde planets – Especially Mars. This means not resisting the inner work (aka soul alchemy) that needs to be done now. In today’s reading over on my other site, you can find some tips about how to work with this energy over the next few days leading up to the eclipse.
You need to understand that you are not a puppet on strings as far as the Planets are concerned. Yes, they influence us but how you respond to this influence depends on how self-aware you are, as well as how well you have trained yourself to not be reactive. Once you become aware, you can draw on influences around you to, for instance, counteract the irritating influence of Mars Rx. Most importantly, you can draw on Source directly to become less reactive in general.
The main thing we will have to confront about our shadow self for this Aquarius Full Moon eclipse is most likely anger issues or a lack of drive/libido since the Full Moon is conjunct Mars retrograde in Aquarius. If anything impinges on our sense of freedom, individuality or autonomy, it will trigger a response. Observe the response… Accept it without feeling a need to act on it instantly – There is a deeper lesson to learn here, so be gentle and patient with yourself.
Let’s see what the Tarot has to say about making the most of the Aquarius Full Moon Eclipse, shall we?
Aquarius Full Moon Eclipse Tarot Spread
- My greatest source of frustration that needs to be released now
- How this frustration blocks my sense of freedom and/or creative self-expression
- What action I need to take to clear this block
- How this frustration affects my ability to participate in society/group work
- What role in society this eclipse is preparing me for (once I clear the block)
- What new/innovative creation I am meant to bring to the group energy
Hope you enjoy trying this eclipse Tarot spread out. As always, you’re welcome to ask for help if you get stuck on any of the cards. Please don’t forget to include your own spread interpretation with your question in the comments below.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Lisa Frideborg
Comments 5
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for this wonderful spread. I am new to tarot and this was the first full spread I did. I have been doing a daily pull of a card up until now. I used the Spolia deck for this reading.
It seems my greatest frustration at the moment is loss and dealing with loss (Five of Cups). I interpreted it as the loss I’m experiencing in my work – loss of stability, the potential loss of a job, the loss of funding. It blocks me by making me extremely anxious and fearful (Nine of Swords) but what is needed to unblock it is an open mind and enthusiastic approach to change, listening to a diversity of opinions and making sure everyone is heard (Five of Wands).
My last three cards were Five of Swords, Capricorn and Four of Coins. I took this to be about the positive and negative sides of ambition in my work – left unchecked it can mean isolating myself, or a bit of a hollow victory – winning but at what cost. But the positive side of it (in Capricorn) could mean achieving the goals set and being a good leader. The final card seemed to be about financial stability and the end of the financially precarious position that is causing me so much anxiety. But it was these last 3 cards which I struggled with. I would love your thoughts.
With respect and gratitude,
Alex
Author
Hi Alex, your interpretation of the final three cards seems spot on – especially considering the context, so I don’t really have much to add. Well done on your first full reading!!
Thanks for the spread. Looks like my greatest frustration deals with moving ahead with work/creative projects (8 of pents). I wasn’t sure about the last couple of cards though:
– What role in society this eclipse is preparing me for (once I clear the block): 8 of swords
– What new/innovative creation I am meant to bring to the group energy: The Devil
They’re both restrictive, maybe I’m being prepared for learning about how to liberate others or give them perspective through whatever creative channel I end up using. This new creation being the Devil…. enjoyment? Or it’s reinforcing that I’m bringing ways to move past what can get us in a bind.
Author
Hi Erin 🙂 The positive side of the 8 of Swords (Jupiter in Gemini) is ease in making friends and great communication that can bring transformation. This is provided the energy is tempered. What we see depicted in a traditional RWS Tarot deck is the energy getting out of hand and obsessive thoughts that blind us to the truth keep multiplying unchecked by facts and actual reality. The Devil in the positive sense brings a great level of ambition to succeed. I’m not saying you’re wrong in your take but this is another aspect to contemplate. Hope this helps. Eclipse blessings, Lisa
Thanks Lisa 🙂 I’m happy to get another perspective and that would make more sense regarding honing a craft and being able to share it with others.