Quote of the week

“If you don’t like something, change it.

If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

― Maya Angelou

I’m jumping straight to the eclipse chart for next Sunday 1 May because it’s the main event and gives an overview of the entire week. We will be experiencing a Solar Eclipse in Taurus this week, followed by a Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio on 16 May. Of the two, this week’s Taurus eclipse will be much kinder than the Scorpio one in two weeks’ time.

Themes of security, stability, sensuality and survival may be accentuated this week, through possible changes in events, situations or people that you encounter this week. There could be a focus on maintaining solidity in whatever is important for you, despite many internal or external impulses pressuring you towards change. These impulses could cause you to question your purpose behind what you’re doing, which could feel a bit confusing or disorientating. If this is you, know that important decisions do not need to be made right now. Often times, it’s just shift in your personal philosophy or perspective that can ignite a renewed optimism behind your goals.

Uranus right next to the eclipse has the potential to bring unexpected surprises. It will challenge the stability of routines and the security of knowing what lies in your field. You may need to be open to sudden events that may seem impractical or disruptive at face value, however, have the potential to truly inspire or exhilarate if you’re willing to take that chance.

Eclipses have a nature of invisibility and often bring about situations that come out of nowhere. It’s common for eclipses to bring intense situations that seem to manifest from random causes that disappear quicker than they appear. With Uranus connected to the eclipse, we can expect a greater level of unpredictability and disruption behind the energy of this eclipse. I’ve also observed a deeper connection to unseen worlds during the period of eclipses. Ancestors, spirit beings, alien encounters, for example, can sometimes be felt in our 3D reality at these eclipse portals. Be on the lookout for strange phenomena during this week.

You may have extra reserves of patience and persistence available to you with the North Node in Taurus, but it may be helpful to question what the motivation behind it is. Are you being patient because you’re avoiding changes or stubbornly gripping onto your secure world? Patience and persistence are great attributes, but sometimes can mask deep-seated fears around security matters. Just as the impulses to change or question are strong, so is the resistance to let go of one’s security and solidity in life. Balancing this duality will require you to sit within the stillness of the eclipse and meditate on your higher purpose. Reacting to either end of this spectrum may cause dramas.

This eclipse presents an opportunity to fast track the Taurus area of your life that you may struggle to gain speed on. This is because Taurus, being a fixed earth sign, occupying a house in your natal chart can indicate an area of your life that is slow in nature and slow to change. But with the electric materialising portal of the eclipse opening up in the sign of Taurus, the potential for this house and life area to grow could be significant. It could also consume you from a physical, mental and spiritual level, so be sure to keep a level head about what your goals are, don’t be greedy or have your ambitions get the better of you.

Another opportunity that this eclipse presents is that it will support you to take a leap of faith to step out of your comfort zone. So if you’re someone that has preferred to play it safe and not take risks to help accelerate yourself, then the ruler of this eclipse, Venus, being exalted in Pisces conjunct Jupiter will certainly inspire you to throw caution to the wind. This rare configuration in Pisces will strongly support your ability to trust, embrace hope and dissolve any inertias that are holding you back. So if you’ve considered your goals well, make use of the positive Venus Jupiter conjunction to affirm your plans and stay positive.

But, be mindful of the excessive nature of a strong Venus Jupiter combination, especially when they’re in a very moist water sign along with Neptune closeby. While the moisture involved with Venus, Jupiter, Neptune and Pisces shows an ability to connect the dots and merge all things, in practical reality, this combination can see no end to their material desire to unify and collaborate. This adds to the already over-consuming nature of the North Node that indicates where your most uncontrollable, insatiable desires for material existence are. This can be a dangerous combination for taking on too much, never pleased with what you have, restless dissatisfaction, greediness and a longing for more. A practice of gratitude could be a helpful way of coming into awareness of what you already have, along with creating some kind of container to hold the ever-spreading fluids of your mind.

Pluto’s station retrograde will see strong Plutonic themes emerge in the lead up to the eclipse. Pluto (or Hades) is the powerful God of the Underworld, a place where souls go when they die. Hades means ‘The Unseen One’ and thus rules over the invisible worlds, our repressed shadows and things hidden out of sight, echoing the invisible forces of eclipses. Pluto could also symbolise taboos, secrets and our hidden vulnerabilities. 

Pluto’s station three days before the eclipse could see hidden things emerge, unfold or perhaps erupt into our consciousness. The Plutonic material that is unearthed could look quite raw, unprocessed and confronting, however, it is also unsurpassed in its level of substance and richness. Being from below the earth, Pluto can symbolise the unearthed jewels found in the ground. This could look like material wealth, inheritances or gains from unseen sources, for example. At the same time, any gains could also indicate losses in other areas too, so this Pluto station could intensely highlight the shifting of resources that naturally occurs or the fine line between vulnerability and power. Be conscious of where your power comes from and honour the sacrifices that have been made before it.

In myth, Mercury (or Hermes) was the psychopomp that guided the souls to the Underworld and we also see the planet Mercury mimic this journey to the underworld theme with its movements in the cosmos this week. 

Mercury starts with sextiles to Neptune and Jupiter (delivering the bounty) followed by a trine with Pluto (delivery to the Underworld). Moreover, Mercury’s Maximum Evening Elongation by the end of the week symbolises the switch from an external to an internal manifestation of this planet, preparing us for the upcoming underworld journey of the Mercury Retrograde period in ten days time. 

Gary Caton in his book Hermetica Triptycha likens this to one chopping wood and preserving foods for the imminent dearth of winter. This looks like a potentially wild ride that we’re being guided into this week and presents an opportunity for us to prepare to switch modes within ourselves as we descend in search for our inner gold. All courage to you for the journey ahead.

Support the Interpsycle Observator

I hope you find this information useful for your week ahead. Feel free to share your experiences and observations of the week in the comments below as this will help us bridge our understanding of the macrocosm and the microcosm of our lives.

You can also help support this project by…

• Sharing this article around
• Referring your friends to sign up to this newsletter (Facebook link / Twitter link / Email link), or,
• Booking in your personal session (www.interpsycle.as.me).

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

Shu xx