November's lunar eclipse--finding our place in the world

Lunar eclipse

The moon has been giving us a lot of activity here in the waning of 2012.  I wrote about the transformative full moon in October last month; now I'm going to talk about the lunar eclipse happening right now.  Why am I writing so much about the moon?  Because one thing spellcrafters and scientists can both agree on is that the moon exerts a profound influence over us earthlings.  Plus, it's one of the Major Arcana, so it's good to know our moon better.

November's full moon, happening today, 28 November, is called the Beaver Moon or Frost Moon.  In the old days, this is the time of year when beavers were hunted for their pelts, which are at their thickest and most luxurious in preparation for the winter.  The beavers are also especially busy fixing up their lodges and dams before the snows set in.  Most of us know what this feels like as we are busy with our fall/winter feasts and holidays.

Today is also a penumbral lunar eclipse.  A lunar eclipse can only happen when the moon is full, and is caused by the sun casting the earth's shadow across the moon.  So, magically speaking, it represents a union of earth and moon, or sun, earth, and moon.  It also represents a microcosm of the entire monthly cycle from full moon to new moon and back to full again.  Understandably, its effects on us can be especially intense.

Today's full moon is in the sign of Gemini, the sign that governs learning, language, and communication (matters represented in Tarot by the suit of swords).  It's actually the opposite sign to Sagittarius, where the sun is currently located.  Where Gemini represents the kind of learning we experience during childhood--where the world is full of wonders and everything is new--Sagittarius represents the "higher" learning we do as adults.  In this adult learning we ponder philosophical and spiritual questions, our place in the world, and we start to want to teach what we have learned (matters associated with wands).  We look more deeply and reflexively into ourselves to see what unites us with people around the globe.  So Gemini and Sagittarius form a kind of axis focused around transforming knowledge into wisdom, and sharing it with others.  It's a bit like a polarity between The Fool and The Hierophant.  The opposition of the sun and moon and the power of the eclipse will not allow superficiality (something Gemini can be prone to) in either your emotions or your beliefs--it demands truth.  Admittedly, that can be a bit stressful, but it does accelerate our personal development.

The Fool, Llewellyn Tarot

The Teacher (a.k.a.
Hierophant), Gaian Tarot

I couldn't describe it better than this lovely post by astrologer Len Wallick:

"The Gemini lunar eclipse will close a two-week cycle that opened with the Scorpio New Moon and solar eclipse of November 13....The end of an eclipse cycle often finds you figuratively, and sometimes literally, farther traveled through events or space than would normally happen in two weeks. That’s because eclipses take place when two-week cycles intersect with cycles of six months and 19 years.... 

Working with tomorrow’s lunar eclipse begins with looking at your life and asking yourself what has gone through more than two weeks of change since the November 13 solar eclipse....If looking back two weeks does not do the trick, try recalling late May and early June of this year when an eclipse cycle segued into a Venus transit across the face of the Sun the very next day, neatly meshing with a Venus cycle that will not resolve until the next century. If, somehow, nothing has changed for you since June 5, think about where you were and what you were doing at this time of year in 1993 [i.e., 19 years ago]. Whatever connects those dates in the past to events of the last two weeks is where you connect with the Cosmos..." [emphasis is my own]

So, to tie this all together:  Late November is a liminal time, between the fall harvest and the hunkering-down time of winter.  Just like busy beavers, at this time we start to make our winter preparations, but before the quiet time often comes a burst of activity.  We have one foot in the outer world of social gatherings and one foot in the private, inner world of home.  The eclipsed/full moon in Gemini and the sun in Sagittarius suggests that an especially appropriate focus for some of this activity is to examine our life path, and how it unites us to larger forces, be they social, natural, spiritual, or cosmic.  Over the winter we will have time to meditate on what we discover now.

The 2s

The 2s are about pairing, partnership, harmony.  "Two heads are better than one" goes the old saying, and accordingly, the 2s allow us to take the spark from the Aces and nurture it through collaboration.  This collaboration may be with a person, but even more often it is a union of thought-systems, ways of life, or action.

2 of Swords, Rider-Waite Tarot

The figure on the 2 of Swords protects her heart with crossed swords, and yet this card isn't really about being on the defensive.  If it were, she wouldn't be blindfolded.  She would want to see any potential threats. And she certainly wouldn't be sitting calmly, barefoot and seemingly in her nightgown, outside at night.  With her formal upright posture and blindfold, she resembles traditional representations of Nemesis or Justice (but with an extra sword and no scales).  The sea, night, and the moon are all symbols which have traditionally been associated with the depths of the subconscious and with intuition--forces which are rather antithetical to the clear, cool logic of the suit of Swords.  Can these opposing forces be reconciled?  The 2 of Swords represents a truce, a moment of calm when both sides cease firing and cool down a bit.  At these times, we close our physical eyes and turn inward, deeply examining our own motives and methods.  This moment is a breathing space, fitting the stillness and peace of the scene on the card.  It cannot last forever, of course, but ideally it will spawn constructive solutions to conflict, be it internal or external.

2 of Cups, The Llewellyn Tarot

The 2 of Cups is very similar to the Lovers of the Major Arcana.  Both represent a harmonious and emotionally fulfilling partnership.  This may or may not be a romantic pairing, but the card does urge you to follow your heart where it leads you.  There is a mutual natural affinity between you and the object of your desire, and together you can achieve more than either could separately.  The 2 of Cups represents a union that is sincere, nuturing, meaningful, and mutually beneficial.  

2 of Pentacles, Shadowscapes Tarot

The scene on the 2 of Pentacles is a dynamic one, with the coins being apparently juggled by a person balancing on one foot.  In the background of the Rider-Waite image, ships roll on huge waves.  At first glance, it's easy to draw a parallel between it and our too-often-hectic lives.  We struggle to balance the demands of family, relationships, kids, work, finances, health, etc. etc.  But as I discussed in a previous post, there is a deeper meaning to this card:  harmony.  Note that I did not say "balance."  There is a reason we have to struggle to find balance--it's not natural.  There are moments of balance in nature, but they don't last.  Everything and everyone in the universe is interconnected like an incomprehensibly complex Rube Goldberg machine, and the tiniest movement in one place triggers movements everywhere else.  I believe a more realistic goal is harmony with the constant ebb and flow of conditions in our lives.  Another way to look at this is to consider what we mean by balance--this is not the balance of a set of scales, one thing weighed against another; it is the kind of balance that allows you to keep your footing no matter how you are buffeted or how the ground tips.  The man on the 2 of Pentacles is experiencing this latter kind of balance, constantly moving with the eternal flow like the ships on the waves behind him--we are just seeing a snapshot of that motion.  All the struggle, the sturm-und-drang of our crazy lives is a sign of being out of harmony with them; and so, I argue, this card doesn't tell you to fight vainly for impossible balance, it tells you to center yourself and try to find a way back into harmony with your life.

2 of Wands, Golden Tarot

In the 2 of Wands, the initiatory spark of the Ace of Wands has found a purpose.  With the Ace, you feel an urge; with the 2, you are directing that urge.  Consequently, you have the world in your hands.  All things are possible for you now, as you stand at the brink of manifesting your desires.  You will find new opportunities are abundant at this time.  Take action now.  Claim your personal authority.  Start where you are.  You will discover new worlds as you go.