Lunar Eclipse: Release and Resolve
- Liv Woodford
- Nov 7, 2022
- 17 min read
Updated: Sep 26, 2024
Not all storms come to disrupt your life.
Some come to clear your path.
Paul Coehlo
The Total Lunar Eclipse at 16 Taurus on November 8, 2022 brings a focused, potent and unrelenting pressure that catalyzes a release from the tensions that have been mounting.
The eclipse marks the breaking point where some unexpected event or awareness fuels the resolution of a pressing situation. Confusion or anxiety may surface in response to the need for change. We are called upon to reorient and make decisions that will shape our future, recognizing that ways of living that once afforded us a measure of security are no longer viable, or in our best interests, moving forward.
A mounting pressure has been brewing over the last months since Uranus arrived in the section of the sky where the Eclipse is taking place, fueling an imperative for change. We see this reflected in the mounting tensions in countries around the world, and recognize it in some area of our personal lives. Like a wave moving towards the shoreline, the eclipse is a culminating moment where the wave crests and breaks and moves towards the shoreline.
The Full Moon Eclipse in Taurus compels us to examine and reframe cherished truths so they will be a trustworthy rudder to help us navigate the confusion and guide us to the shoreline of a stable and desired future. For some time, we have been mulling over the best course of action, feeling conflicted or ambivalent about the best approach. We have felt pressure to discern what is most important and to identify the next concrete step to take. This eclipse says that this pressure, this stewing, has been needed to generate the necessary release that will happen at, or in the wake, of this eclipse.
After months of stewing on something, we are now compelled to stand in what we value most and the truths we have identified related to this. We are urged to speak to them, embody them, and act from them.
Even though free-flowing forward movement and full resolution are delayed while Mars remains Retrograde, the eclipse brings our stewing to a climax that leads us to commit ourselves to a course of action.
The house where 16 Taurus resides in our natal charts indicates where the change, the release and a newfound resolve will take place - it could be in our diet, a relationship, a job or in some other defined area of life. It may not be on the day of the eclipse, but the eclipse announces our readiness. With Uranus in the mix, we may encounter an unexpected event or communication that gives us what we need and the impetus to take a critical and decisive step forward.
Length of the total eclipse: 85 minutes. This is a longer period of time of totality than is typical.
Eclipse Path: The path of the total eclipse will move across parts of Asia, Australia, North America, parts of northern and eastern Europe, and most of South America. The total lunar eclipse will be visible throughout North America in the predawn hours - the farther west, the better - and across Asia, Australia and the rest of the Pacific after sunset. Locations that experience the total eclipse are more likely to be directly impacted by the eclipse energy.
November 8 is a North Node Eclipse: An eclipse occurs when, at the New or Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are conjunct the moon’s nodes. The North Node is conjunct the Full Moon at this eclipse, illuminating a movement towards our future destiny, as individuals and as a collective.
The Recent Eclipse on October 25 was a South Node Eclipse, had us grabbling with what we were ready to see about ourselves and release. We were urged to let go of intensity and complexity tied to emotions and patterns linked to our past so that we can move towards more simplicity in our lives and relationships. Discerning what is most important to us, letting the rest fall away, creates a simplicity that allows for greater stability and security. To the degree that we embraced the invitation of the South Node Eclipse, we are ready to shape a future that is not burdened or colored by the unresolved emotions and events in our past.
A Potent T Square Gives this Eclipse Great Focus and Potency
The Major Players
Moon conjunct Uranus and North Node in Taurus
Sun conjunct Mercury and Venus in Scorpio
Saturn square the Eclipse, Uranus, North Node, Mercury and Venus
Supporting Players
Venus trine Neptune and Pluto
Mars Retrograde square Neptune and Jupiter
Breakthrough moments are often the result
of many previous actions, which build up
to potential required to unleash a major change.
James Clear
The chart for the Eclipse is included here because it provides a distinct visual of the dynamics at play. The chart shows where all the planets are located in the sky at the time of the eclipse. Even if some of us are not familiar with astrology charts, we can readily see the dramatic lineup of planets and the red lines between these planets. The red lines denote a 'square' or an 'opposition' showing an inherent tension between the participating planets who are in a standoff with each other. This generates a focused, dynamic friction that begs to be resolved.
6 planets and the Nodal Axis are all players in the T-Square. These planets are all in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). With so much fixed energy, we look to stabilize and to secure our position, life and direction. Because these planets are in conflict with each other, we challenged to make adjustments to accommodate some new variable. The tremendous tension brewing is related to our resistance to change what is habitual and familiar.
We are to counter the urge to get swept up in the drama and complexity of intense feelings or in what is unfolding in front of us and look instead to calm and ground ourselves. There may not be solid ground beneath our feet, but are to identify and hold fast to core values we wish to live by.
What is released with this eclipse is ready to be released. If we can acknowledge this, then it is easier to slow down and not get sucked into chaos and confusion. We can work with our fear rather than act from it. We can either break down or make a breakthrough.
We will now look at the three distinct “teams”
of the T-Square (connected by the red lines)
and what the interaction between them
is compelling us to focus on and resolve.
Team Scorpio
Captain of the Team: The Sun
Other Players in Scorpio:
The Communicator: Mercury
The Cheerleader: Venus
Past Strategies: The South Node
Scorpio is our deepest desires and what is hidden beneath the surface. It is the secrets we carry. An amplification of our deepest desires and feelings are usually accompanied by intense feeling and fears associated with having these desires fulfilled. We can become obsessed about some desire which can compel us to feel justified in controlling or manipulating circumstance.
Scorpio stirs feelings of powerlessness and the desire to be empowered, to have the full measure of ourselves expressed in our lives and not locked away inside us.
Mercury in Scorpio is awakening us to a pivotal truth. Mercury is fully illuminated by the Sun’s light (Mercury conjunct The Sun). We are urged to articulate this truth, to speak it to someone or to write it down. The truth may come in the wake of shocking or surprising news that is delivered (Mercury oppose Uranus).
Venus in Scorpio amplifies our desire for love, to generously share and fully receive love in our relationships. We are faced with the realization of what stands in the way of this - how fear and self-protective patterns have had us settle for something less than what we long to experience. We are to face issues of control, revenge, jealousy or manipulation that may be at play in relationships. This helps us to discover ways of moving towards greater trust and vulnerability so we can freely share, and not hold back, the love we have to give.
The October 25 Solar Eclipse in Scorpio invited us to examine our deepest desires and to air secrets that have been kept under wraps. The potential of this eclipse was for us to let go of desires and fears that we have outgrown so that our relationships and lives are less complicated. Letting go of the past and not projecting it on our present needs and situations frees us up to make sound decisions about our future and have the conversations we need to have.
Team Taurus
The Captain: The Eclipsed Full Moon
Star Player: Uranus
Desired Outcome: The North Node
Taurus is all about long-term stability that comes from a healthy sense of self-value and demonstrated material security. Taurus also appreciates the sensual pleasures and all things earthy.
The Taurus Moon has us wanting the benefits a simple life where we steadily tend the garden of our life. We wish to keep risk, change and drama to a minimum. A stable and simple life then allows us to enjoy the sensual pleasures of human life: good food, lovemaking, the smell of a rose, listening to music, spending time in nature... To achieve this, the Moon in Taurus finds it emotionally unsettling to have mess, chaos, or uncertainty, all of which are being felt at the eclipse.
Uranus Instigates Change and Drives the Eclipse. While the Moon seeks stability, Uranus in Taurus destabilizes the security that we imagined was established. Our feelings (the Moon) are stirred up as we face the need to break out of a habit, commitment or belief that does not serve our self-worth and prevents us from moving towards what we truly value. The earthquake at our emotional core brings an awareness that it is time to make a radical shift away from some way we operate that prevents personal growth.
Uranus is simultaneously shaking up and freeing up something related to our identity (Sun oppose Uranus), the way we think (Mercury oppose Uranus), and our desires around love (Venus oppose Uranus). Uranus is freeing up something that has been repressed, that has been held back by a rigid belief or mode of self-protection. We are invited to see and act on an awareness of how we operate that is not in alignment with what we truly value or desire.
No Mud. No Lotus: Taurus looks to create and establish a beautiful life. At this moment, Uranus has come along to bring on the mud and things may look anything but beautiful. Mud is the fertile soil that nurtures the seed of life that will flower.
In chaos, there is fertility. Anais Nin
The North Node in Taurus reminds us that the desire for a simple life, a life that is built on solid values and self value, is what we are moving toward. We are to welcome the curve ball that Uranus has pitched into our lives to unearth and recognize what we are doing that undermines the fulfillment of this desire.
We think that the point is to pass the test
or overcome the problem, but the truth is
that things don't really get solved.
They come together and they fall apart.
Then they come together again and fall apart again.
It's just like that. The healing comes
from letting there be room for all of this to happen:
room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.
Pema Chödrön
The Referee: Saturn
Saturn is quite capable of holding its own as the mediating force in the stand off between Team Taurus and Team Scorpio. Saturn, however is not impartial an impartial referee in the fixed T Square. In fact, Saturn is the focal point, the king pin in creating the desired resolution.
Saturn sets the ground rules for the engagement and is strict about enforcing them.
Saturn is Responsibility. Saturn compels us to to take the reins of our life and not project our authority on someone else. We are urged to act with a self-restraint and to utilize discipline as Saturn pushes us to roll up our sleeves and commit ourselves to serving what is most important to us - which we identify through what we desire most (Scorpio) combined with what we value most (Taurus).
Saturn in Aquarius embraces the long view, with an eye to ensuring a sound and responsible approach that can be sustained over years and years of time.
Looking at Team Scorpio, Saturn declares: it's time to grow up, to rise to our potential, to own our secrets, to dispel the fears that keep us small, and to get clear on the truth of who you are that is different than who we have been. We are asked to transmute powerlessness and fear into a way of living that is empowered.
Saturn speaking to Team Taurus: I support goals that lead to greater stability but I need you to create a broader vision for what is needed.
Pushback to Saturn's Demands. The other planets involved in the T-Square might prefer a different referee, one that is perhaps kinder, more compassionate, and does not assert such authority. Instead, Saturn asserts strict rules for how the two teams are to engage and what they will focus on in the process of seeking resolution. We, likewise, may bristle at Saturn’s insistence that we take full responsibility, have a disciplined approach, and be willing to rein in what Saturn sees as childish and immature behaviors. Issues we have with authority and rules can be activated in us to work through at this time.
Uranus gives the greatest pushback to Saturn. These two planets have been in a heated argument for nearly two years. The Eclipse is the culmination of the square off between them. Uranus thumbs its nose at Saturn's rules and need to stabilize and concretize a course of action. Uranus prefers to keep opening up possibilities, freeing up what is repressed, and destabilizing the status quo in favor of a more radical solution to fix what is not working. We are compelled to look at what needs to change and what needs to be upset in our lives so that we can build a stronger foundation to rest our future on.
The Tension between Saturn and the Taurus/Scorpio Eclipse T Square is Resolved when we identify and commit ourselves to the care and growth of what we value most. This requires a hard look at what motivates our desires and how to dispel the fears that hold us back. Simultaneously, we need to exercise restraint in other parts of our lives so that we can give dedicated focus to feeding what is most important - this may include restraints in the arena of finances and expenditures as well as relinquishing activities that distract us or dissipate our energy. Short term gratification needs and activities are to be curbed so that we assume the responsibility needed to stay the course with who we say we are and what we declare we are about.
Leo – The Silent Team Player. Leo is the only fixed sign not inhabited by a planet at the eclipse. It therefore points to a necessary part of the equation and want wants to be fulfilled as part of the resolution. Leo is the desire to realize our creative potential: to feel joyful and courageous. Therefore, what inspires us, what lights us up and what has us feel alive needs to be a guiding factor in mitigating and resolving the T Square.
Be broken, but also, be brave.
Your enemies are counting on you to break.
The world around is counting on you to breakthrough. Jamie McIntosh
In Play: Team's Taurus, Scorpio and Saturn as Referee
It is time to embody our love, our truth and our deepest desire for how we want these expressed in our lives. We can no longer afford to have some measure of our love repressed, relegated to the shadows, buried within us. We need it expressed in how we live our lives.
We are to let go of doing things that we keep hoping will yield a different result. There is now a greater willingness in us to commit to a relentless effort to break free of old habits and fears so that we can give ourselves to the changes that need to be made. We can welcome unexpected news or circumstances as events that support us in making the necessary adjustments to line ourselves up with the future that is built on love, truth, and our deepest held values.
What we were taught to do to have a good life, that our parent's generation were dedicated to preserving, is not a match for the future that is coming. It is if we we are contemplating how to get from Point A to Point B but are looking at the map that has been handed us. This map is outdated. The terrain and roads have changed over the last years. Trying to operate from the map can have us confused and anxious.
We are all facing how certain ways of living have little prospect for supporting us long term. For instance, we can recognize that our dependence on gasoline doesn’t have a bright future, yet for most of us we fill up our tanks and cannot imagine how we could live life without a car. While we may not be able to do something about changing our dependence on a car, we can recognize an aspect of our life that doesn’t serve us that we are ready to do something about.
It boils down to: taking a good hard look at ourselves to identify what matters most, be willing to let go or curb any activity or behavior that distracts us from dedicating ourselves to what we desire most and the truth that we understand. We can embrace disruption to the daily pattern of our lives with the understanding that we are being guided to a new course of action that will align us with a future that we can sustain and give us a measure of stability.
The Wrench: Confusion and Delay
Enter the Supporting Players: Mars, and Venus
Venus and Mars. Venus rules the Eclipse and Mars rules Scorpio. In some ways we are looking for a resolution between a way of fighting and a way of loving as the means of expressing ourselves and making things happen. The future is with the North Node in Taurus ruled by Venus. The planet Venus, however, is conjoined the south node, revealing that the hurts, compulsions and desires that need to be integrated so we don't continue to create unnecessary complexity and drama. We must find a way to stand in love. Mars, planet of action, is stirring up dust and confusion with conflicting facts, false information and delays in getting things done expediently. We need to slow ourselves down, take a hard look at what we want to fight, how we engage others we disagree with, and uplevel our communication skills to dispel the confusion and frustration we feel.
Process to Resolution is Prolonged. We are to slow down and practice mindfulness and patience yet remain steadfast and persevering. We are to manage the frustration we are feeling with delays and sluggishness with our ability to move forward our agenda, recognizing that is beneficial to take added time to reformulate, reconsider and re-evaluate our plans (Mars Retrograde).
Bottled Up Frustration. The Frustration we feel is producing a necessary heat that helps us to reframe and even rewire the ways we engage information, conversation and self-talk. Words have great power and we are to curb the impulse to release the pressure through rash actions or lashing out in anger. Social media activity will be inflamed over the next weeks as people look to vent their frustrated desires. Racing after information to try and get clear on what is really going on can leave us fragmented. We can actively calm our nervous systems, take the time to process information and take some time to shape the words we wish to speak. (Mars Retrograde in Gemini)
Confusion about What is True and Where we are Heading. We are on the receiving end of lots of information and disinformation. Truth becomes distorted and we can feel like Alice navigating the looking glass. There seems to be a fog that is not allowing us to see where we are heading. We are to focus on what is right in front of us, discern what is truth from fiction, and take the steps that point us in the right direction. (Mars Retrograde square Neptune)
Imagination, Creativity and Romance is Amplified. We can find great riches in creating art, being in nature, or taking the time to meditate. Our connection to the spiritual realm is heightened and we benefit from prayer, recognizing that there is a power and a plan greater than ours. In quieting ourselves, we can receive insight that will benefit us. We can find ourselves daydreaming about the ideal life, but we are not in the right frame of mind to discern which dreams are realizable and which ones are just pie-in-the-sky fantasies. We are inclined to see others through rose colored glasses; this is wonderful for a romantic getaway, but the overall eclipse energy requires that we be more grounded in our approach to love so that we don't just simply repeat old behaviors. (Venus trine Neptune)
May we think of freedom not as the right to do what we want
but the opportunity to do what is right.
Peter Marshall
United States Midterm Election
It is no accident that the eclipse coincides with the day of the Midterm Election and that the path of the total Eclipse will go right over the United States. Planets do not make something happen one way or another. They are mirrors - As Above, So Below - reflecting to us what is happening. Contemplating the position of the planets can help us discern the challenges and opportunities currently available. The Eclipse is thus reflecting the intensity, potential shocks, and opportunities for release that the Midterm Election will bring.
We can recognize the eclipse dynamics in the tensions that have been mounting within the United States with the increasing polarization of its citizens.
For a country, the planets represent certain factors:
The Moon: The People. In Taurus, the people want stability and they are concerned about rising inflation and threats to their way of life. The challenge is that there are radically different viewpoints on what will create stability and an ever-widening gap about what truths need to be defended and upheld.
Moon Conjoined Uranus: The people will be shocked by something unexpected. Distrust of authority and justifications for rebellion are fueled.
Saturn: Authority. Authorities will want exert control to try and preserve the status quo. This may include enacting restraints on the freedoms of citizens.
The Eclipse portends that the election will not go smoothly. Great pressure is upsetting the balance and functioning of the country. It years for some correcting or mitigating action to relieve the tension. The eclipse reflects that the midterm election becomes the vehicle for that release.
We can expect that the results of the midterms will deeply upset a significant portion of the country's population. In the wake of the results, misinformation will be promulgated, there will be a flare up of volatile social media posts. There may easily be rash and aggressive action by angry citizens who feel powerless and also by those who hold power. It is up to each of us to slow ourselves down, look to discern fact from propaganda, and to not contribute to the confusion or chaos that ensues.
Taurus and Scorpio both rule Finance. Taurus rules banking and real estate. Scorpio rules investments, debts, and mortgages. Scorpio is also big money, hidden money, power games and what goes on behind closed doors. Financial systems and how money plays a role in politics and governmental decisions are highlighted with the eclipse We can expect more secrets to be divulged and to hear more about what is going on behind the scenes that is fueling misinformation and politics.
The United States is in its Pluto Return for the first time in its nation’s history. With the U.S. Pluto residing in its 2nd House, the Pluto Return ushers in transformation in the areas of finance and monetary systems. More importantly, it propels the country into a transformative process to examine, renew and realign with the core values that define the country. The country is in a deep and volatile conversation about the principles of democracy, whether democracy is desirable, and what is the correct interpretation of its constitution? The foundation of the country is cracking under the pressure. The Pluto Return reflects the depth of the crisis that the United States is undergoing, but it also indicates that the breakdown has the potential to lead to a rebirth of the country and of its value for democracy.
The World Stage
The Unites States is one of many countries facing crisis, mounting tensions, and a desire for release and resolution.
The “Woman. Life. Freedom” movement in Iran sparked by the death of a young woman who was not wearing her hijab appropriately, is challenging the leadership and cultural norms of Iran.
Britain is quaking from sweeping changes in leadership over recent months between the death of the queen and a series of Prime Ministers that have come and gone in rapid order while it looks to re-establish itself in the wake of Brexit.
There are internal tensions in Russia between the people and its leader.
The war in Ukraine is shaking up the balance and status quo of the world order, with gasoline prices soaring, grain shortages most notably in Africa, and with the resurgence of the Cold War. Is it a fight for democracy, for a united Russia, or for world dominance and what are leaders willing to risk?
This is a short list of what is brewing in countries from China to Brazil and how the stability that kept the world in balance - economic agreements and product distribution flowing, the world being fed and heated for the coming winter - are all up in the air. There is a desire to move towards a resolution, and this resolution will be based on the values deemed most important. For each of us we can incorporate the notion of Think Globally, Act Locally in how we make decisions and live our daily lives. We can recognize how the world’s imbalance may be somehow reflected in how we live and conduct our lives, and then make the changes we can embody values of truth, love and well-being.
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