Solar Eclipse in Taurus
This partial solar eclipse in Taurus (April 30) invites you to pivot into simplicity. Eclipses can throw curve balls into our lives. Sometimes this can happen in a major way, other times more subtly. Emotions can run high as the irrational Moon gobbles up the Sun’s light. Eclipse always involves the lunar nodes, and as such they can be powerful activators for our unfolding stories. The lunar nodes always fall in directly opposite signs, which are balanced pairs, with the South Node relating to the past, with all its gifts and poisons, while the North Node draws in the energy necessary to balance and integrate the past as we move into the future.
Right now the South Node lies in Scorpio, the sign of emotional intensity, power, and transformation. Scorpio is attuned to whatever lies beneath the surface of things, and tends to see psychological complexity everywhere. It is the sign that makes shadow work possible. But it is also the energy that refuses to complete that work, preferring instead to wallow in the mire, because suffering is “just so real”. It either gives us the honesty to deal with our issues, and the courage to die and be reborn, or it pulls us ever deeper into the black holes of our stories. Deep psychological work is some of the most important work we can do– but we also need to recognize when enough is enough (at least till the next go-round).
With the North Node in Taurus, it is time for your Inner Hobbits to return from Mordor once more to cavort in the Shire’s green pastures. If the past was full of trauma, drama, and power struggles, the North Node asks us to aim in the direction of simplicity, peace, and embodiment and we move into the future. You didn’t incarnate for nothing– so make the most of having a body and enjoy life! It does not have to be such a big deal.
On the psycho-spiritual journey, we walk a razor-thin line between the labyrinth of the psyche and the freedom of spirit. Are we infinite, unconditioned awareness, identical with the consciousness that animates everything, or are we helpless, isolated creatures caught in a life-or-death struggle for existence? Though both perspectives are available, the latter seems more popular. Scorpio (and Pluto) gives you the power to transform your dark material so that you can honestly step into the light. But if you go too far with these energies, you can wander the Underworld forever. This is where Taurus comes in, bringing you back to Earth, and helping you to remember that matter is the final expression of Spirit. Using the body and the senses well allows you to release stuck energies before they develop into life-defining stories, and it also allows you to drink in the healing energies of nature. The body is the medium through which Pure Awareness can sample all that it has created.
Here are some tips for navigating the Taurus/ Scorpio axis as Awareness. Try seeing everything in you as happening. Rather than, “I am scared”, think “fear is happening.” Rather than “this is my stuff”, think “look at that stuff”. Try meditating on the flavor of your favorite food; or let yourself become completely absorbed by the greenness of a leaf. Simply enjoy and let things be. And should you find yourself in Scorpio’s underworld, try seeing your suffering like a dark work of art: “oh, that’s interesting… What is that color? What is that texture?” Notice how quickly it loses power. Who says the dark stuff needs to be so real?
This New Moon solar eclipse is conjunct liberating Uranus, so it really can catalyze a breakthrough, bringing a breath of fresh air following the release of whatever has been stuck. You may feel restless, nervous, and scattered with Uranus in the picture, so do some grounding practices if you need. With Venus conjunct Jupiter and Neptune, sextile Pluto, you are especially well-supported by natural beauty. Get outdoors, enjoy a sweeping vista, climb to a mountain top, hug a tree and absorb its chi. This is a nice balance of evolutionary, transformational forces, with healing and uplifting ones. Enjoy it and make the most of the moment.
Alex Stein sees the world as a tapestry of vibration, and he loves discovering magic formulas to transmute discord into harmony, open the heart, and stay awake. This vision guides his professional work as an astrologer, composer, and alchemical life coach. Alex is pursuing a PhD in East-West Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, cooking up a vision of 21st Century Alchemy from his studies and experiences with Tantra, Western esotericism, archetypal psychology, astrology, and psychedelic practice. He lives with his partner Hilary in Benicia, California, one of the Bay Area’s best-kept secrets.
