AUGUST 21st: NEW MOON in LEO 11:30am PST

SOLAR ECLIPSE 11:26am PST MOONRISE 6:09 am PST

Full Solar Eclipse

29*Leo

Dearly beloved:

We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life

by Jessica Lanyadoo

A full solar eclipse is when the Moon fully occults the Sun. Historically, this was seen as a bad omen as the Sun’s light was totally overshadowed by the Moon. It’s terrifying to have reality, as you expect to see it, change up on you. During a solar eclipse, darkness blocks out the light; this is a time when the needs of the heart can overshadow one’s sense of self.

This makes it a prime moment for transformation and heartfelt openings and a bad time for hiding from your demons. Solar eclipses are like New Moons on crack, and their energies are felt and integrated over a period of approximately six months. We are being called to work with what we’re feeling as deeply as we can. It can be tempting to focus on the surface of events, but there’s a bigger meaning underneath the surface that the eclipse is trying to call our attention to.

This eclipse is a part of a big astrological doomsday prediction that I won’t detail here. This is the first full solar eclipse to be visible across the USA for almost a century, and astrologers have been writing about it for a while. The whole US will share in this transition, which has profound implications in these intense times. The eclipse will be exact at 29 degrees of Leo, which is the last degree. When planets hit this degree their energies are especially potent. The issues that get triggered now can easily feel like crises, so it’s good to set up a support system if possible. The eclipse hits the astrological chart of the good ol’ USA right where it hurts: in the heart. The future is up to us, so we must get activated, get involved, and be loyal to the causes that matter most to us. Leo is all about the power of participation, and when emotions are repressed and unfelt, and power drives are submerged and not pursued, there can be an emo flood when the damn breaks. Leo is also the sign that governs royalty, so we may see a collapse or rise in power within our political system. Whatever happens on this date, its reverberations will be long felt in this country and in our personal lives.

Sabian Symbol Exploration

Astrology gives us so many insights and ways to geek out on healing self-analysis. Sabian
Symbols are visual representations for each degree of each sign of the zodiac. A clairvoyant woman named Elsie Wheeler originally channeled them in 1925, but the astrologer Dane Rudhyar popularized them with his 1936 book The Astrology Of Personality. These symbols are meant to signify the spiritual embodiment of each degree of each sign, and can be used as a powerful catalyst for transformation. The full solar eclipse is at 29*Leo and the Sabian Symbol for this, according to Wheeler, is:

“A Mermaid Emerges from the Ocean Waves Ready for Rebirth in Human Form”

Rudhyar wrote:

“Mermaid awaits Prince who will make her immortal” 

With their ability to live deep in the water (the realm of emotion) and to transform shape, mermaids have long been symbols of feminine energy. The mermaid is also a meaningful symbol for many trans females. This symbol is that of femme power and its ability to transition from land to water and back again. It’s the power of femininity beyond genitals, and it’s power without brute force.

Rudhyar was a visionary and so I choose to believe that when he referred to Mermaid awaiting Prince he meant Prince: the high-heeled, gender-bending, artist-formerly-known-as, and not some BS dude on a horse. Prince was a rule-breaking, sexy MF who fought for his rights and the rights of others. He was the embodiment of an introverted extrovert, who had a dynamic public life but also a private life of activism and charity that he sought no accolades for. In fact, Prince had the 29th degree prominently placed in his birth chart.

This is an opportunity to meditate on the creative force of divine feminine energy in one’s life, or in the world at large. This energy is not delicate; it’s fierce. It’s not responsive; rather, it’s the very force of creation. This Sabian symbol calls for revolution in the name of love, art, and transformation. To be in the ocean is to be with the depths of our emotion—both the conscious and the repressed. To emerge from it, as the mermaid does in this symbol, is to take that emotional self-knowledge from the depths and integrate it into the mundane life.

The energy that flows from the heart is immortal. It is light and sound and vibration. We must birth the selves we wish to be and the world in which we wish it to live. This planet does not belong to us, but we are meant to be its stewards.

Stars & Stones Ritual: Securing Safety In The Dark 

This ritual is intended for honoring those who are lost, whether they are trapped in material situations or mind-frames that limit or harm them. Use it for lighting the way for stealth, and securing safe passage for those who need it.

You’ll need:

-A bowl (anything except plastic will do)

-Water

-A pinch of Epsom salt

-A small candle in white, yellow, or orange

-A pen that doesn’t work or a nail

-Prince music (optional)

 Get a large bowl with a small amount of water and go into a private room for this ritual. Before you begin, take time to meditate or connect with your Guidance. This is a time to share your light with others caught up in dark places, and if you are to illuminate them, first you must be lit up, yourself.

Visualization

Find the light that resonates with you. I recommend that you connect to the minerals and gemstones deep in the Earth, or if you prefer, you can connect to the stars above. Resonate with their limitless light and channel it throughout your energy body. Fill yourself up, breathing calmly and deeply. Listen to any messages you receive and honor the gift of your interconnectedness by passing this energy along.

Ritual 

Charge the water with both hands by running light and love energy from the center of the palm of your paws into the water.

Now put a pinch of Epsom salt in the bowl. This will help to ground your intention.

Get your candle and inkless pen or nail for the candle. Carve your intention into the wick in multiples of three. Write as much as you like—the purpose here is to engrave your intentions into the wax. It doesn’t need to be legible, and messiness is encouraged.

Place the candle into the bowl.

Sit. Be calm and still. Reconnect with the light of the stars and stones and feel the light bright within you as you light the candle.

Say a prayer for the safety and happiness of those you intend to reach.

Leo loves to party like it’s 1999! Listen to your favorite Prince music if that lifts you up. This ritual is not for fame or glory; the service offered is from a place of abundance and the bright light of love. Do not take pictures of, or live-stream this ritual. It is meant to be beautiful and fierce but also private. Act from that place when you light the candle.

When channeled with intention, joy and play are as powerful as solemnity. Once your ritual is done, dance with only the light of your candle if you feel called to it.

Eclipse Affirmations through the Signs 

Aries

My power to adapt allows me to grow at my own pace.

Taurus

There is enough room for everyone’s success.

Gemini 

My voice is a powerful tool, and I can use it to heal.

Cancer

Dance and movement help me channel my connection to the Divine.

Leo

I am a creator; I determine what I am willing to experience.

Virgo

I honor my future with a willingness to change; I release the things that are no longer serving me.

Libra

I am open to the flow of my life; I can learn from any life experience.

Scorpio

Collaboration helps me to build my dreams without my ego getting in the way.

Sagittarius

I give to others from a place of abundance within myself and am fed by the act of giving.

Capricorn

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” -W.G.T Shedd

Aquarius

I am willing to carry the responsibility of my wisdom and privilege.

Pisces

I am willing to see the truth of the dark and the light.

— Excerpted from the Many Moons Workbook. 

To read more about Jessica, the above contributor, go here.