Quote of the week

“Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts…

perhaps the fear of a loss of power.”

― John Steinbeck

I’ve decided to include the Lunar Eclipse report in this week’s forecast to help you prepare for this event, because it falls just outside of this week’s boundary.

But before the Full Moon South Node Lunar Eclipse of 16 May, there are some other significant transits happening first.

The key player this week is Mercury. Since it made its Evening Maximum Elongation two weeks ago, Mercury has been activating its psychopomp persona, making its metaphorical descent into the Underworld. This could look like the world of ideas, conversations, communication, travel and movement slowing down in the external world, but opening up in the internal, mystical realities. The shift in Mercury’s phase places the emphasis on our inner work, vulnerabilities, shadows, secrets, core values, private fantasies, traumas and basically all that lies below our conscious layer of existence.

In this phase of Mercury, you may prefer a deeper and more minimalistic approach over an vibrant but shallow external manifestation of this planet. At these times, what’s left unsaid or undiscovered could be more powerful than the obvious and tangible expressions. You may find yourself favouring an imaginative and abstract mindset while finding it more challenging to be more detailed, rational and mentally sharp. For the next couple of weeks, try to read between the lines and listen carefully to unspoken words as they may hold the important messages from the underworld sphere of mysteries, taboos, fantasies, dreams, shadows and psychological urges. These messages could be helpful to you over the next Mercury cycle that’s about to commence next week as they could contain important seeds of ideas and inspiration for you.

This week, Mercury Stations Retrograde in its own sign of Gemini, cementing the descending journey of the past two weeks. Being strong in its own sign of Gemini, we could expect a less intense version of the usual shenanigans of the now-popularised Mercury Retrograde ideas. Communication failures, delays, technology issues and obstruction in plans are some examples of stereotypical Mercury Retrograde phenomena that could be frustrating especially when it’s occurring within the intensity of the eclipse window, . But given Mercury’s strong sign placement, I expect you may see any delays or obstructions in your daily life, possibly being quite beneficial in the overall outcome. This could cause some initial frustrations, but perhaps there’s a silver lining behind that phone call you forgot to make or the train that you missed, for example. If you feel disappointed about your plans not working out, try to consider what opportunities that could have defaulted to you instead. Chance encounters and plot twists are often strong during a Mercury Retrograde, as long as you allow a more fluid way of operating.

In addition to its Retrograde Station, Mercury will also be making its Evening Set in the same week. This indicates a slowing down and weakening of our objective, rational and communicative abilities, and you may find our efforts with these tasks a little futile or ineffective. You could find yourself not being heard or understood, and likewise, have difficulty understanding another’s point of view. Your brain could feel slightly foggy and lacking some brain power to process highly technical or objective material. The overpowering pressure on our mental faculties this week also leaves us open to anxiety, burn out, depression and nervous system issues. Find ways to slow down or reduce what’s on your agenda and perhaps opt for one focused area to concentrate your efforts on. Any attempts to keep operating at peak capacity could see your efforts being ineffective, insignificant or unfruitful. Being too busy at Mercury Retrogrades will leave you exposed to the trickster’s rebellious or disruptive antics. So, embrace a slow, focused and intuitive approach where your concentration can be channeled into one important area that’s worthy of your limited attention.

Following Venus’ sign change last week, we also see Jupiter enter Aries this week, dispersing the Piscean pileup of planets. We got a little taste of this energy at the start of the year when Jupiter and Mars joined together. At that time, I suggested using the short, sharp, hot and fast qualities of these planets in projects that could deliver quick wins with a focused burst of effort. I also suggested thinking of ways in which you could replicate this kind of thing now, when Jupiter enters Mars’ domain of Aries. Perhaps all the dreaming and creative time spent in Pisces could have inspired Jupiter with abundant ideas and projects. Now that Jupiter is entering Aries for the next 6 months, it’s a good time to bring some action, momentum and your entrepreneurial spirit behind your ideas. But be aware that this Aries energy is quick and full of momentum, but could fizzle out shortly. For the next few weeks, only take on short projects that fit this short window of motivation. Using the metaphor of running, you want to aim for the short sprints rather than the long distance marathons right now.

Due to its entrepreneurial and initiating qualities, Jupiter and Mars offer a dynamic, enthusiastic and self-motivating energy. But, the pair can also be harmful to each other, especially by causing burnout, insincerity, hastiness, frankness and carelessness. While Jupiter and Mars can bring the generating qualities of heat, too much hot flames cannot sustain the nourishing warmth needed through the night. By all means, enjoy the zest and enthusiasm of this energy but try not to burn your wick at both ends. With Mercury’s slowing condition happening in the same week as well, you could find that your mental state may need some work to keep up with your big picture plans. Be sure to use your energy wisely, or risk burnout, avoidable accidents and conflicts.

Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio

By the end of the week, you’ll start seeing the Full Moon align in the first South Node Scorpio Eclipse of the season. So far, the past two eclipses have been at the opposite end in Taurus, bringing in themes of security, sustainability, earthiness, nourishment and material values unfolding into your life through the disruptive Uranus energy.

The Scorpio Lunar Eclipse on 16 May is likely to be more emotionally intense and confronting, as deep fears, paranoias, secrets and subconscious impulses are illuminated with the light of the Moon. There’s good reason why we keep these thoughts and emotions hidden – possibly because they’re too painful or complex to deal with. In the lead up this week, it’s likely that complicated, emotional dynamics will come up within your interpersonal relationships. Allow these complexes to boil up to the surface and get acquainted with them – they’ve probably been repressed for too long – 8.5 years perhaps – since the last time we had a Scorpio eclipse. No need to take action, just be, listen, hold that tension and learn from that embodied wisdom.

Both Taurus and Scorpio eclipses highlight matters of security in a personal story for each of us. Taurus operates on that level of material security, while Scorpio, emotional security. But they both converge into a wholistic picture of relationship health, showing us imbalances when material security overrides emotional nurturance and vice versa. Both eclipse signs are ruled by Venus and Mars, the planets assigned over the feminine and masculine archetypal dynamic. Therefore, pertinent issues for this year’s eclipses would definitely fall into the equality, security and sustainability of interpersonal relationships. 

During this eclipse window, be prepared for uncomfortable spaces to erupt in your personal relationships, where events could potentially pry open some very raw emotions and past wounds. Being a fixed water sign, Scorpio emotions are like frozen ice. They lie inert within us for long periods but when the ice is allowed to melt, the floodgates burst open in a forceful rage.

The Scorpio eclipse could make you question the power dynamics that are currently operating in your relationship binds, potentially bringing up sadness and sorrows. Saturn squaring the eclipses adds to the solemn nature of this time. If you find yourself a little depressed this week, it’s likely because of this Saturn-Eclipse configuration. The Sun sextile Neptune at the time of the eclipse further adds another layer of confusion, illusion, disorientation, disappointment and overwhelm to the mix..  Allow yourself to be within this deep, sorrowful space from which wisdom, compassion and understanding could spring.

Saturn brings an austere tension into this Scorpio eclipse by reminding you of the consequences of your past choices that have led to your current obligations and responsibilities. Again, the fixed angles of this Saturn-Eclipse configuration could highlight the crystalised, rigid and immovable sentiments of this eclipse. Do you feel somewhat trapped in your current situation? Are imbalances in power dynamics making you feel oppressed? Are you at a stalemate with things? While Saturn tries to hold on to order and structure, the eclipses are forcing change. The result of this could see you activating big shifts in areas you’ve been stuck within for a long time. It may force you to question how much of your reality is actually under control, despite the illusion of an organized, ordered and structured life. This week, review your obligations, duties and deadlines as it could reveal what’s truly important and what could be let go of. You may also need to consider whether your duties and obligations could be alternative labels to describe your need to control. This South Node Eclipse will help you to get real with where things are at.  Transformation and the possibility to unify the tension of opposites is the potential outcome of this eclipse if you allow yourself to release the floodgates, dissolve your ego and surrender your pride. 

The South Node at this eclipse indicates that something along your dependency-codependency continuum needs to shift. Matters that gave you material security, could possibly not be as solid as you once thought. People you thought you could depend on, could be less reliable than you previously realised. Plans you thought were in motion could actually be at a stalemate. Nothing changes the tides of our perception more than the Lunar Nodes at the eclipse portals. Especially at the South Node eclipse, you could be reminded of how impermanent and transient your life really is. Where is 25 degrees of Scorpio located in your natal chart? This is the area of life that you could be feeling the need to downscale in order to make some changes to liberate yourself.

You may like to work with the South Node energy to invite in a more liberating intention with this eclipse. Use the South Node’s qualities of decline, loss, withdrawal and reduction for doing detoxes, fasts, diets, purging, spring cleaning, banishing rituals, cleanses, salt baths and culling your excesses. It’s a great time to release anything that you no longer need, including energetic attachments.

Here are some links to banishing / cleansing rituals from some occult practitioners whom I highly respect, that you may find useful or interesting:

• Gordon White – Simple Voodoo Hex
• Sam Block – Angelic Ritual of Banishing
• Sam Block – The Headless Rite
• Benebell Wen – Expelling Malefic Attachments
• Caitlin Coppock – Ritual Bathing

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See you next Sunday for the next installment of planetary news.

Shu xx