As I sit down to write this post, the Sun has just reached 15 degrees of Leo, the point associated with the ancient celebration of Lammas, or “loaf-mass”. Although in today’s world we look to the Gregorian calendar on the wall to find these holidays, they are actually determined by the position of the Sun. Lammas is a cross-quarter day, meaning we are half-way between the (northern hemisphere) summer solstice and fall equinox.
This is a time of harvesting the ‘first fruits’ of what we sowed at the spring equinox, traditionally summer fruits and the first wave of grains. It is a time of abundance, a time to receive the gifts of the Earth and our own hard work. We might also pause from our summer play and work to appreciate and be grateful for this first flush of abundance.
Just a few days after Lammas comes the New Moon and Solar Eclipse in Leo, which is also the penultimate eclipse in the Leo-Aquarius cycle (the last is the Leo Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in January, 2019). Not as intense as last year’s “Great American” Eclipse, nor even the recent Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius, this Saturday’s Moon heralds a rise from the ashes of this eclipse season. If we’ve noticed some huge endings over the past months, now is the time to be vigilant for what begins.
This Eclipse comes within the formation of a (literally) pointed configuration called a “yod”, meaning that two planets in a 60 degree angle with each other are pointing indirectly at another across the sky in an elongated, converging triangle. In this case, Neptune in Pisces (unconditional love, spiritual connection) and Pluto in Capricorn (transformation of structures, mastery of true power) are pointing directly at the Leo Eclipse (Sun conjoined with the Moon in Leo) itself.
With the Sun and Moon conceiving a new cycle in Leo, the theme is that of creativity, leadership, and the self or Self. Leo, the lion, is also the sign of royalty. The shadow side of royal leadership is self-serving. But the greatest expression of the same is selfless service: the royal serves the good of all.
This Eclipse offers an opportunity to master the true power of unconditional love in service to – humanity, the planet, the cosmos.
If you read my last newsletter, you know I came to this very choice point, false as it is, near the time of the Cancer New Moon and Eclipse. I felt a deep need to practically get on my knees and commit to service no matter the consequences, in particular financial consequences. Even though I know there is no real separation between service and prosperity, making the declaration is a way of throwing off the programmed fear that tells me I have to focus on making money over offering service.
Then, just a couple of weeks later at the Aquarius Lunar Eclipse, I saw through the fear program that has told me for as long as I can remember I don’t have enough; I am not enough. It felt a little like watching Neo finally see the codes of the Matrix creating the world around him. Although the old mental habits are still dissipating, this clear view of fear of lack as an artificial construct has shifted, well, everything.
Maybe not everyone will have such a dramatic awakening during this eclipse season. After all, I have a Leo Moon and Leo is also the sign of drama. But we each have the opportunity to springboard off all this eclipse energy: we can release some element of cultural programming that no longer serves us and choose to use the power of our love in service.
If it sounds useful to explore your own path of service in community, with some structure and guidance, you may be interested in the Embodied Service program, my own new creative offering. It will be an extended group mentorship, at least a couple of months long, to learn how to detox from the old fear programming and learn to do business in a way that feels joyful, easeful, and in alignment with who you really are, with your Soul. I’m still working out details, which I will share within the next week or two.
Would you like a more personal take on what this Eclipse season means in your life? Consider an astrology consultation with me.