Light workers, ready, set, go: July 2019 is coming in strong – with solar & lunar eclipses, several tense oppositions in Cancer-Capricorn, & Mercury Retrograde conjunct Mars!
Steiner speaks about the fact that an eclipse has a ‘malignant effect’’ – one that is necessary, as a safety valve, to ‘avert danger, to provide an outlet for something’.
A solar eclipse provides an opportunity for ‘the evil which is willed on earth’ to flow out into universal space. All the unbridled impulses of humanity surge out into the cosmos. When there is no eclipse, these evil impulses of will which are sent out into the cosmos by human beings are burned up & consumed by the rays of the sun, so that they can injure only humanity itself, & can do no universal harm.
The lunar eclipse exists for the purpose of allowing the ‘evil thoughts’ which are present in the cosmos to approach those human beings who are ‘desirous of being possessed by them’.
It seems that sometimes humanity needs to blow off stream, sending out our built up impulses into the cosmos at the solar eclipse. And with a lunar eclipse it’s the cosmos’ turn to stream toward the human being – in an ‘exchange of evil. This is important for humanity to know, so that we can be conscious of what is happening, & step up.
2 July 2019 – Total Solar Eclipse in Cancer, a the North Node eclipse which is about embracing the new.
This total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Chile & Argentina just before sunset. Some regions in the Pacific & in South America, including locations in Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, & Paraguay will see a partial solar eclipse.
Since we are dealing with an eclipse of the Sun, it would be important to remember how Michael remained on the Sun as the ruling power of the great cosmic kingdom of the Christ & guardian of the Christ-mysteries in the cosmos.
The Michael Meditation is a powerful imagination that can help us bring into focus the cosmic & earthly Michael-Mystery for our time, pointing up our responsibility as Anthroposophers to take on the task of our Time-spirit.
MICHAEL MEDITATION from Rudolf Steiner’s last lecture
Springing from Powers of the Sun,
Radiant Spirit-powers, blessing all Worlds!
For Michael’s garment of rays
You are predestined by Thought Divine.
He, the Christ-messenger, reveals in you —
Bearing mankind aloft — the sacred Will of Worlds.
You, the radiant Beings of Æther-Worlds,
Bear the Christ-Word to Man.
Thus shall the Herald of Christ appear
To the thirstily waiting souls,
To whom your Word of Light shines forth
In cosmic age of Spirit-Man.
You, the disciples of Spirit-Knowledge,
Take Michael’s Wisdom-beckoning,
Take the Word of Love of the Will of Worlds
Into your souls’ aspiring, a c t i v e l y !
Another thought I had was to also work with this ‘Heart-Meditation’ given to Ita Wegman’s mother, Henriette Wegman for her 73rd birthday by Rudolf Steiner (from Peter Seleg’ book: The Ensouled Sun of Man: A Heart Meditation)
“Center your attention in your heart. Imagine there is a small, transparent globe at the center of your heart. Then slowly expand this globe, allowing it to widen through your body, the room, and onward out and out. Keep its shape as it expands, through and around the Earth. Let it expand slowly beyond the Earth, through each planetary orbit: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, and farther to the outer planets until it reaches the fixed stars of the Zodiac. Let it rest there, feeling held by the periphery and the powers that stream from it toward the Earth. Then, slowly, contract this globe again, so it passes back through all the spheres, until it is within your own heart again”. ~Rudolf Steiner
This speaks to the spiritual nature of the human heart in connection with the cosmic heart in our Day-Star – this is the work of Michael since the mystery of Golgotha- it gives us an imagination of the modern path to Christ.
Since the Moon briefly blocks out the rays of the Sun during a solar eclipse, the will impulses streaming out from humanity find their way into the spiritual world without being “mediated” by the spiritual influences of the Sun during the shadow time.
What should we do during a total solar eclipse? Practice ‘Good Will’. Feel the beauty. Think the truth. Be creative, kind, generous in your reverence – Call in your Higher Self. And stand with Michael, holding the sword & shield of the Sun, as a true human being.
3 July 2019 – Venus Enters Cancer
8 July, 2019 – Mars is conjunct Mercury, & then a few hours later, Mercury goes retrograde
9 July 2019 – Chiron in Aries Goes Retrograde
Also on 9 July 2019 – Sun Conjunct North Node, Opposite Saturn & South Node in Cancer opposite Capricorn.
11 July 2019 – Mars in Leo Square Uranus in Taurus
12 July – hag’s natal return!
14 July 2019 – Sun in Cancer Opposite Pluto in Capricorn
16 July 2019 – Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn, a South Node Lunar Eclipse, which is about releasing the old.
From Rudolf Steiner: And again, when there is an eclipse of the moon, the man of today merely says: “Now the earth comes between the sun and the moon; hence we see the shadow cast upon the moon by the earth.” That is the physical explanation. But in this case also the old initiate knew that a spiritual reality was behind the physical fact. He knew that when there is an eclipse of the moon, thoughts stream through darkness down upon the earth; and that such thoughts have a closer relationship with the subconscious life than with the conscious life of the human being. The old initiates often made use of a certain simile when speaking to their pupils. It is; of course, necessary to translate their words into modern language, but this is the gist of what they said: “Visionaries and dreamers love to go for rambles by moonlight, when the moon is full. There are, however, certain people who have no wish to receive the good thoughts coming to them from the cosmos, but who, on the contrary, are desirous of getting hold of evil, diabolical thoughts. Such people will choose the moment of a lunar eclipse for their nocturnal wanderings”
Eclipses of the sun and moon, recurring as they do in the course of every year, may really be looked upon as “safety-valves.” A safety-valve is there to avert danger, to provide an outlet for something or other — steam, for instance — at the right moment. One of the safety-valves which makes its appearance in the cosmos and to which we give the name of a solar eclipse, serves the purpose of carrying out into space in a Luciferic way, the evil that spreads over the earth, in order that evil may work havoc in a wider, less concentrated sphere. The other safety-valve, the lunar eclipse, exists for the purpose of allowing the evil thoughts which are present in the cosmos to approach those human beings who are desirous of being possessed by them. people do not, as a rule, act in full consciousness, but the facts are nevertheless real — just as real as the attraction of a magnet for small particles of iron. Such are the forces at work, in the cosmos.” ~Human Q’s & Cosmic A.
19 July 2019 – Mercury Retrograde Re-enters Cancer. Mercury Retrograde is about RE. Re-doing, re-searching, re-viewing, re-examining, re-inventing, re-thinking, re-scheduling…
21 July 2019 – Venus in Cancer Opposite Pluto in Capricorn. Some call this is a “femme fatale” aspect.
Also 21 July 2019 – Mercury in Retrograde Conjunct Sun in Cancer
22 July– Sun Enters Leo
28 July 2019 – Venus Enters Leo
29 July 2019 – Sun in Leo Square Uranus in Taurus
The Astrology of July features the return of Eclipse Season, with both a Solar Eclipse in Cancer TODAY on the New Moon July 2nd, & a Lunar Eclipse on the Full Thunder-Buck Moon, in the Sun’s opposite sign of Capricorn, which takes place on July 16th with the Moon also conjunct transformative Pluto.
These lunations are big astrological news, but as we saw above, there’s more. July also contains a full 3 weeks of Mercury in retrograde, through the signs of Leo, & then Cancer, & with the start of this retrograde period slated to be quite an intense moment because, as Mercury begins to move backward through early Leo, it will be in close conjunction with feisty Mars & in square with the startling trickster energy of Uranus!
There are the usual suspects as well: Saturn with Pluto, a close parallel, Jupiter with Neptune, in square, & prominent Chiron in semi-sextile aspect to Uranus. With all this outer planet activity, the transformational beat continues, as we can clearly see in our own lives & as well in the trending of the surrounding zeitgeist.
Most astrologers feel that the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, & Pluto that comes up in mid-November 2020 will be the peak of massive societal change, & that we are in stage 3 or 4 of this major transition. And every one of us might in fact be going through a similar transformative cycle during these pivotal years leading up to 2020, depending on how vigilant we may have been. We will all want to recognize that this is the time to tune in ‘as above so below, as within so without’.
And remember: The effects of an eclipse are said to last 6 months!
These kinds of challenging alignments call us to be awake, in our “Speaking with the stars”. An eclipse, an opposition, a retrograde, or a square admonishes us to take action.
When we consciously join the cosmic conversation & work with these intense energies, we are able to co-create the flow with awareness & intention, instead of spending our energies combating or swimming against the tide.
~hag
Click to read a revision of my pageant for a solar eclipse “From Light thru Darkness into New Light”
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Hi Hazel,
Steiner’s “Calendar of the Soul” differentiates from the Tropical Zodiac dates you indicate because the Sun moves through these constellations based on their relative sizes, and not on the estimations. So, according to the CoS we have these dates of the Sun’s actual movements through the Zodiac:
Aries: April 14 – April 30
Taurus: May 1 – June 15
Gemini: June 16 – July 20 **
Cancer: July 21 – August 3
Leo: Aug 4 – Sept 7
Virgo: Sept 8 – October 12
Libra: Oct 13 – Nov 9
Scorpio: Nov 10 – Nov 30
Sagittarius: Dec 1 – Jan 4
Capricorn: January 5 – Feb 8
Aquarius: February 9 – March 8
Pisces: March 9 -April 13
** So, when we come to these two eclipses coming this month of July, we have to mark their occurrence as coming in the sign of Gemini [The Twins], and not Cancer [The Crab]. As well, Sagittarius [The Archer], and not Capricorn [The Goat].
I am interested to know when the last time was that we had two eclipses, solar and lunar, in the same month? Thanks Hazel for the update, because it must be really important as you always suggest in your most encouraging fashion!
Steve
yes, thank you, i am still not used to working with making the adjustment to the presession of the equinoxes…
2 eclipses in the same month is actually quite common, happens every 2 years or so. We saw it during the great American Eclipse & during the Tetrad series in 2014 most strongly, 4 in a row!
Indeed, there were four consecutive total lunar eclipses in 2014, but they were not commingled with the Sun eclipses, and this is the important consideration this month of July 2019.
Thank you Hazel for this post and for your evolving and continuing efforts to write with a contemporary voice out of the stream of Anthroposophy bridging the cosmos with earthly life, bringing remembrance of past historical events into the present.
Greetings Sharon – Thank you so much for your kind affirmation.
Anthroposophy is such a gift & such a responsibility.
May we all rise to our highest destiny through conscious community!
xox