Lion’s Gate Leo New Moon Solar Eclipse -and- The Solar Plexus

On August 18th, three days before the Leo New Moon solar eclipse, the Moon transits conjunct Venus in Cancer, representing the fifth gate of Inanna’s descent into the Underworld, corresponding to the meditation of clearing and removing blockages from the navel chakra, also known as the solar plexus. The solar plexus is our organ for multidimensional perceptions and expressions of self-mastery. We use it to probe our environments for vibrational information about our personal authority, and we use it to create connections that inform our inner strength and willpower.  When our solar plexus is compromised, we assign confidence to wholeness and insecurity to loss-  As the Moon joins the stellium of goddesses in Cancer (which includes Ceres and Hekate opposite Pluto) we stand firm in our mastery of the cycle of wholeness and loss, and envision a home base of confidence that is unchanging throughout the healing journey.

At 21° Cancer, the Moon/Venus conjunction’s closest aspect is a quincunx to Saturn at 21° Sagittarius. The quincunx aspect is a mirror showing a blind spot of cognitive dissonance: we can allow the mismatch between Saturn and Moon/Venus to remain compartmentalized, or we can take a long look and face the conflict. Saturn rules over the issues that revolve around self-discipline, independence, persistence and determination, addressing limitations and insecurities, and coming to terms with our role in life as defined by our society and our historical era- all issues that effect the ability of our solar plexus to serve its purpose as the office of confidence, the connector between all the lower chakras and the heart.

Black Moon Lilith, the point representing the apogee of the Moon’s orbit, has been slowly building conjunction with Saturn over the past five weeks, and amazingly, their conjunction becomes exact on August 21st, the day of the Leo New Moon solar eclipse.   Saturn stations direct on August 25th, so he is motionless as Lilith passes by.  After Saturn resumes direct motion he trails Lilith, staying within 5 degrees of conjunction until his next station retrograde in Capricorn, spring of 2018.

I find myself searching for the silver lining about the conjunction of Saturn and Lilith, because, well, it’s a little black rain cloud.  Contacts between Saturn and the Moon are well known for their tendency towards melancholy, depression, neglect, indicating a lack of resources- this also seems to be true with the Moon’s orbital points (Lilith and the lunar nodes).  This conjunction between Lilith and Saturn seems to be associated with feelings of frustration about how we spend our time. So many of us are in the process of transcending the conflict between the amount of time it takes to fulfill our responsibilities and the amount of time it takes to relax and take care of ourselves… we are realizing that our real conflict is with the orientation towards work that is invisibly forced upon us by our society, brilliantly explained in Paul Graham’s essay How To Do What You Love.

The silver lining is, of course, the potential for evolution: The current Mercury Retrograde in Virgo is poised to help us create solutions for time-related conflicts by developing rituals.  The solar eclipse and Mercury station direct both form a trine to Uranus from Leo, followed by Saturn’s trine to Uranus from Sagittarius in December. Breakthroughs are imminent, and have every indication of establishing a permanent change. Saturn and Lilith play an important role in the astrology of the eclipse itself, as part of the grand fire trine.

The grand trine between Saturn/Lilith, Eris/Uranus, and the north node in Leo is a long-lasting structure (during the first Leo New Moon last month, Mercury held the third corner conjunct the north node, now during Leo New Moon #2 it’s Mars’s turn), that takes form in my mind through the symbolism of the movie Moana– to fulfill her destiny, she must learn the skills of Wayfinding: knowing where you are going(north node) by knowing where you’ve been (Saturn, Lilith) and ultimately the goal is to confront Te Ka, the demonic form assumed by the divine feminine after being violated(Eris, Uranus). When Moana begs Maui to teach her to sail, he reminds her that sailing is not just about learning technical nautical skills, but about gaining the ability to have a clear mental vision of your path and destination.

Jupiter’s current position in Libra places him sextile Saturn/Lilith and sextile Mars, like a powerful wind in the sail, reminding us that our ability to maintain communication and intimacy in relationships strengthens the foundation that empowers us to trust ourselves, clear blockages away from our solar plexus chakra, attain that clear mental vision of what lies ahead, and have confidence in literally any situation that comes our way… and we are going to need it…

By August 18th the Sun is already in position to form the three aspects that will directly impact the solar eclipse: trine to Uranus in Aries; quincunx to Chiron in Pisces; and square to the conjunction of Isis and Sedna in Taurus.

On August 21st 2017, shortly before the new Moon at 28° Leo forms a perfect trine to Uranus at 28° Aries, Ceres completes her opposition to Pluto from 17° Cancer to 17° Capricorn, and asteroid Persephone crosses over the north node at 23° Leo. For more insight into the mythology of Persephone, Ceres and Pluto, and the crackling action that happens in the psychic synapse between the two most important dwarf planets, click here: Ceres opposite Pluto

The second Leo New Moon of 2017, trine Uranus in Aries, echoes and develops the themes of the previous new moon at Zero Leo, square Uranus– last month we were at a crossroads, asking ourselves to decide what it means to be a part of a society, and if our actions are in line with our beliefs.  Now we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to completely reinvent the entire idea of identity politics when our entire country is darkened by the Moon.  Ascension, to me, means the ever-increasing ability for life to understand its oneness.  This has happened in observable ways in the 20th century with new modes of transportation for traveling and new technology for communication. In the 21st century, the internet and social media has exponentially increased our awareness and understanding of each other around the world, and our society is increasingly multicultural. America’s great unresolved traumas are embodied by the dark shadow of white supremacists- people whose identities are based on a worldview that demands isolation and separation from the human family, actively resisting ascension.  This new moon, taking place exact opposite the Aquarius Moon on the chart of the United States, is our official chance as a nation to reckon with these shadows, and set powerful intentions for what kind of society we want to live in, and what kind of actions we need to take as individuals to make that happen.

Chiron quincunx the new moon acknowledges the compartmentalization and cognitive dissonance that has prevented our collective from healing these wounds before now.  The new moon’s exact trine to Uranus screams revolution. And for those of us who are committed to gaining a holistic understanding of trauma and doing the work of healing, the conjunction of Isis and Sedna is our talisman for integration during the eclipse: We hold space for, and deeply honor, the holy sacred rage of the divine feminine in Sedna, conjunct Algol (the star of beheaded Medusa), mutilated and left to drown, made immortal through her ownership of the darkness; and within that held space, we welcome the lovelight of goddess Isis, the force that radiates from the center of our galaxy as well as from the center of our Sun.

After Venus breaks away from her quincunx to Saturn, asteroid Sekhmet connects the Cancer stellium(and Pluto) to the solar eclipse configuration.   It is easy to miss what a quincunx is trying to show- it exposes the things we keep compartmentalized, prompting us to attempt to rearrange our orientation to those things.  After Saturn’s role in our meditation of clearing blockages away from the solar plexus chakra, he joins forces with Sekhmet.  We can tap into their connection with a holistic awareness of the present moment.  We must reckon with history that has long been ignored, because it is not in the past, it lives in our cells.  But it is within, and through, our awareness of where we have been, that we can find a way to blaze a new trail forward.

Photo by Oliver Oisín

Previous articles:

Ceres Opposite Pluto

Mercury Retrograde Conjunct Vesta in Virgo: Time

Aquarius Full Moon Lunar Eclipse -and- Jupiter Square Pluto

Planetary Clarity’s Venus and Psyche

Into the Lion’s Gate: Leo New Moon Conjunct Mars -and- The Heart Chakra

-=-=-=-=-

If you’d like to express your appreciation by making a donation, my PayPal email is dh.outerspace@gmail.com … Thank you very much ❤

Back to the Main Page –Planetary Clarity on Facebook –Follow me on Twitter

Quoting from essays published on this site is permitted with proper credit to Dia Holly Hemlock with links to www.PlanetaryClarity.com AND www.facebook.com/PlanetaryClarity.  Do not re-post my charts on other sites without contacting me for permission.