Calming Home

Body Made of Stars for the Solar Eclipse in Taurus

Somehow, already, this year 2022 is 1/3rd complete. And as prophesied by the stars at the start of the year (message me for a link to the Astrology of 2022 class I gave back in January), it has been abundant and fecund in meaningful ways, and cruel and hard in others. Four great planets in places of power defined the first months: Pluto in Capricorn in his final leg of a 15 year journey that has seen a rare c of traditional systems of power as they attempt to retain legitimacy and potency in a quickly changing world; Saturn in the middle of his own reign in Aquarius, struggling mightily to order and control the limitless frontiers of technology and restrain collective liberation through artificial means; and Jupiter and Neptune traveling together in their shared kingdom of Pisces, bringing both the actualization and expansion of dreams and success, and the crash of the waves of delusion. 

The astrological new year began with these as the forerunner, when the Sun entered Aries just over a month ago. Now, as he travels in Taurus, soon to be joined by the Moon, it is time for these brighter, closer, warmer lights to shine, and define this axial moment of the the annual cycle, as we step into the six-week window of Eclipse.

Saturday, the sun and moon will conjunct just a few degrees from Rahu, the head of the dragon, also known as the moon’s north node. Rahu is not a celestial body, but rather a point in the sky that represents the exact overlap of the Sun and Moon’s arcs. Along with its opposite Ketu, the south node dragon’s tail, it marks the points of semi-annual eclipse. Eclipses, revered and feared by traditional cultures worldwide, are one of the most mysterious and potent moments of each year, and evidence, given that the statistical likelihood of a planet’s sun and sole satellite appearing the exact same (~99.998%) relative size from the surface is one in trillions according to astrophysics, of the sacred nature of time and life on this earth.

This year the powerful north node is traveling through the grounded, generative, stubbornly independent Taurus, which has also been the home of the revolutionary Uranus for the past few years. The two have made a counterpoint to the overwhelming energies of the other outer planets mentioned above, especially to technocratic Saturn, which is in a loose third quarter fixed square to this alignment. Often described as the destiny point, the north node helps to show us the way out of the traps and the games that Saturn wants us to play: it is by connecting to our bodies, to our gardens, to our bellies and our farmers and our IRL friends. The revolution and emancipatory direction in this era is truly local, which can spread from there to our neighborhoods, watersheds, and eventually bioregions and nations and world. 

We can easily get lost in the sauce staring at our magic boxes and the nightmares they provide. Better, let’s use them for what they are worth by day, and shut them off at night. As the eclipse arrives and we welcome deep space energy and release stagnant ghosts that need help moving on, pick up your wooden spoons and brew a potion, pick up your guitars and strum, and go to your favorite tree or flower and be with them. Taurus knows where it belongs. Here on earth. As soon as we remember, we are free. We are already home.

— Samu