Sometimes Zeus, the King of the Olympian gods, would leave his splendid palace to journey down to earth. Disguising himself as a mortal Zeus would go off seeking adventure. Often on these trips he would be accompanied by Hermes, the clever and entertaining Messenger god.
Zeus wanted to see how hospitable the people of Phrygia were, so he and Hermes disguised themselves as poor travelers and flew to earth, knocking on the door of any dwelling they encountered, be it rich or poor, large or small . And at all the doors, they were turned away, without so much as a drink of water or a piece of bread. All doors, that is, except one, which was the poorest and smallest one they had yet encountered. And yet, as soon as they knocked, they were greeted with courtesy and brought inside with all the respect and hospitality that generous hearts can offer. The old, loving couple, Baucis and Philemon, gave their guests the last of their food and treated them as if they were gods. And because these mysterious travelers were gods, the old couple was rewarded with a new life and a new purpose.
The people who had rejected the disguised gods were punished for their greed, their arrogance, their ignorance and their inhospitality. They didn't recognize the opportunity that knocked at their doors, because it came in a shape they didn't expect, and so they rejected a great gift that would have brought change to their lives. But what did the gods learn about themselves? Perhaps that they had kept too much to themselves in far-off Olympus, enjoying their power and play without regard to what was happening on earth. Perhaps they discovered that unless Heaven's laws are written in the hearts of mortals, there can be no justice, truth and compassion in the world. Perhaps they learned that Heaven and Earth need to come close -- just as Love had brought the old couple close -- so mortals could re-create heaven on earth.
This lunar eclipse in Sagittarius can offer us an opportunity to discover who we are through what we believe. Is it time to walk that 100 miles so you can discover something new about yourself? Or if you stay home, do you know how you would greet these two gods if they showed up at your door?
The Sagittarius Full Moon Lunar Eclipse
The Sagittarius full Moon lunar eclipse occurs on June 15, 2011 at 1:14pm PDT/ 4:14pm EDT/ 8:14pm GMT. It will be the longest and darkest lunar eclipse since the July 2000 eclipse, lasting 100 minutes. During the totality of the eclipse, the moon will pass in front of the center of the earth's shadow. The best location to view the eclipse will be in the northernmost region of central Asia, as well as Eastern Europe and northeastern Africa. Many people in South America, Western Africa and Europe will view the eclipse at moonrise, while Eastern Asia and Australia will view the eclipse at moonset.
The Saros series of this eclipse is 130, and it started back in June 1416 and will continue until August 2696, occurring every 18 years and 11 days. Yes, eclipses come in series but each is different. The first eclipse in this series had Pluto conjunct the Sun in Gemini trine Uranus and Jupiter in Aquarius, with the Sagittarius full Moon sextiling the Aquarian planets. Its message seems to be that the information we gather (Gemini Sun) must be transformative (Pluto) if we want to have a liberating collective mindset (Uranus/Jupiter in Aquarius) and a strong belief system (Sagittarius Moon). The last lunar eclipse in this series was in June, 1992. What changes were you going through back then? Have you accomplished what you set out to do? If not, now's the time to do it.
So how are you using the information that comes your way? Is it transformative or just an overwhelm? Maybe it's time to filter the information and start to actually think about what is important to know.
This full Moon eclipse occurs near the Galactic Center, which transmits strong electromagnetic waves, so be prepared to open yourself to Cosmic consciousness. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth moves between the Sun and Moon, bringing up old emotional patterns that need to be released. With the eclipse in Sagittarius, this is a great lunar eclipse to dump old religious beliefs that keep us from joy, from fulfillment, and from blessings. It's time to let go of the guilt, pain and insecurities that our religions have fostered on us for millennia. If you succeeded in opening to a new Mind, then this eclipse intensifies the need to let go of old, limiting beliefs about ourselves and the world and instead, fill our minds, hearts and souls with the cosmic laws that our western culture has tried to make us forget. We are part of the Earth's ecosystem, and it's time to remember our place in it. Memory is such an important tool to develop not only for our minds, but for our hearts and spirit as well.
It's time to make conscious choices about our future. Without getting negative, we do have to realize that the environmental damage is overwhelming. What are we going to do about it? Sagittarius is concerned with seeking Truth and with expanding our mental, emotional, imaginal and spiritual horizons. We are called to look at the lies that our governments, our corporations and our religions keep telling us and then go out and tell the truth. We no longer have the luxury to stand back and let the "powers that be' continue to manipulate the cultural story. We have to tell a new story that is the Truth.
Sagittarius asks us to expand our philosophy of life to see the big picture. Mercury is conjunct the Gemini Sun and so opposite the Moon and the North Node. We have to find meaning in what we learn. We have to dig deeper to find not only understanding, but if we're lucky, Wisdom. Then we can confront the untruths of our world.
The lunar nodes determine where the eclipses occur. With the north node in Sagittarius and the south node in Gemini, our collective destiny calls us to leave behind useless information and seek the deeper meaning and ramifications of what is going on. The asteroid Ceres, the ancient grain goddess of the earth, is in Pisces, squaring the nodes from 27*Pisces: The harvest Moon illumines a clear autumnal sky. This is a karmic degree of blessings on work well done. It indicates the need to incorporate Feminine values into our vision -- the heart-centered, right-brain values of emotional intelligence, intuition and creative imagination, as well as compassion, inclusivity and patience.
The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 25*Gemini is: A gardener trimming large palm trees. This symbolizes the need to prune back some of the old categories of perception and understanding that are dead or dying. These old categories tried to contain the imagination, which needs room to grow. So we have to get rid of the old to make way for the new.
The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 25* Sagittarius is: A chubby boy on a hobby-horse. Here is a picture of the new -- a childlike imagination that uses play to bring about growth. This symbol foreshadows the new abilities that are waiting for us once we clear our old Mind of its misconceptions about reality and open ourselves to the Truth of Cosmic Law. The horse is an ancient symbol of power and movement. The image is almost that of a shaman riding his "spirit' horse into other realms of consciousness and reality. The symbol is a call for us to learn to fly!
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