The Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse in Uttara Bhadrapada will coincide in sidereal Pisces on the night of Sunday, September 27th, with the peak of the eclipse around 7:47 pm PDT (and the peak of the full Moon at 7:50). This is the final eclipse in a series of eclipses since Rahu and Ketu, the north and south nodes of the Moon, have been in sidereal Virgo and Pisces for the last year. During these eclipses we have been unearthing the shadows of our subconscious drives towards the moods represented by these two signs. The mood of Virgo compels us to organize the details of life and our material surroundings, to perform hard work responsibly in order to avoid conflict, and to iron out imperfections in ourselves and others. Pisces, on the opposite side of the zodiac, draws us to let go of the material world and surrender into the unknown, embracing imagination and life’s mysteries, or sometimes escaping into fantasy or other outlets to avoid the drudgery of life.
The eclipses around this astronomical axis have drawn our attention to these opposite compulsions. As the “shadow planets” align with the Sun (our inherent divine power) and the Moon (our emotional bodies), we may see what is normally subconscious but drives us to one or both of these extremes. There could arise distress around our desire to keep everything materially organized, or our tendency to be overly responsible and meticulous. This is put in glaring contrast for us when we see Pisces’ need for us to surrender to the flow and be more fluid in life’s waters. On the other hand, one’s shadow tendency to escape and avoid may arise, often in chaotic and confusing ways, to show us that we better need to integrate our dreamy idealism with practical management of life’s details. The period surrounding the eclipses can often feel turbulent, stressful, and confusing, but there are always deeper lessons being offered so that we can learn truer ways to bring forth the empowerment of our spirit and the comforting of our hearts.
This full Moon is a Supermoon–one that occurs with the Moon at it’s closest orbital point to earth (perigree). The Moon will look up to 14% larger than usual! During a lunar eclipse, the Moon takes on a dim red coloring, and is often referred to as a “blood moon” because of this. Why doesn’t the moon totally disappear behind the earth’s shadow? During solar eclipses, the Moon’s orb (directly between Earth and the Sun) appears as a black disc that almost completely covers the Sun’s light for a few minutes, save for a thin bright ring around the outside of the disc (in a total solar eclipse). The light we see as moonlight, however, is actually the light of the Sun being reflected off of the Moon. The Sun’s rays pass through the atmosphere of Earth before reaching the Moon, and are refracted in many directions. This is why the Moon does not completely disappear during the lunar eclipse — sunlight is still reaching it, but through indirect, scattered rays bouncing through the atmosphere and around the earth.
This phenomenon corresponds to the astrological idea that eclipses often cause confusion and may make us feel scattered. Furthermore, it can be hard to get in touch with the emotions of the heart (Moon energy) during a lunar eclipse, as the divine light of the Sun is reaching the emotional body only through shadowy twists and turns, not directly or with its full potency. As such, a lunar eclipse can feel especially heavy on the heart, and we may feel all twisted up inside. At the same time, we can see and feel the twisty things that are normally dormant, hidden or overlooked, but nevertheless are molecular paths making up part of our inherent experience. This is a good time to face the things that are unpleasant, or that cause us confusion or heartache, so we can let go and realign. We can look at where we have been sidestepping our way to emotional nourishment (especially through avoidance) instead of taking action by the most direct routes of self-care. Applying conscious effort and prayer, we can let go of unsupportive patterns and make way for the most authentic ways of nourishing our hearts and minds.
The fullest part of the Total Lunar Eclipse will be from 7:11pm – 8:23 pm PDT. The beginnings and ends of the eclipse will be visible from 5:11pm to 10:22pm. Within the region of Pisces, Vedic Astrology further divides the sky, and we see that this eclipse is in the nakshatra of Uttara Bhadrapada. This star-sign lies in the area of Pegasus and Andromeda, directly above the constellation of Pisces. The deity of this nakshatra is Ahirbudhnya, the serpent from the depths, and thus this constellation relates to kundalini as well as deep emotional waters. Much wisdom is available here. As we feel into the depths of the emotions, Saturn’s rulership of this sign makes us face our fears, and strengthen our connection to divine consciousness as we loosen our attachment to the material.
Uttara Bhadrapada also relates to the funeral cot and the process of death and dying. With the Moon eclipsed here, we may feel like we are dying, or may desire to retreat and escape from the world temporarily. We may need to allow the death of something whose time has come, our attachment to which has been holding us back from living in our highest alignment with spirit. Also a Harvest Moon (the full Moon closest to the fall equinox, accompanied by many nights of bright moonlight in the evening), it is time to cut down and allow the death of what we have been cultivating, and permit it to transform into its next purpose. This may involve letting go of some of our desire to organize the material world (the mood of Virgo, where the Sun lies). The approach of this eclipse has likely brought up a lot of conflict and confusion around this issue, and the Solar eclipse on September 12th likely disturbed the other end of the spectrum (material stability). We may also be called to find more balance in our Virgoan pursuits, and be more meticulous with our own spiritual practices rather than with everything and everyone in the world around us.
The shakti of Uttara Bhadrapada is the power to bring rain. Call upon the cleansing energy of rain to help wash away the old and stale and nourish the soil of decay to make it fertile for new life. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and brings us closer to death, helping us to see that the material clinging we experience through life is not what is eternal. As we release our holding and consciously embrace the unknown–rather than simply falling into the escapist potential of Pisces energy–we come in contact with the abundance of divinity that lies within the great mystery. We can awaken the serpent power of Ahirbudhnya and invite new wisdom to circulate through our free-flowing channels. The Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse in Uttara Bhadrapada on September 27th offer us the chance to see into our own depths and expand our capacity for conscious surrender as we continue into the next chapter.