we are in the eclipse portal as i write. can you feel it? the eclipse portal began on new year's eve day when the lunar eclipse in cancer occurred and from that point until this thursday at 11:11pm PST when the solar eclipse in capricorn occurs we are in something akin to a wormhole. a wormhole is a shortcut through time and space. it takes us from where we have been and moves us quite quickly to where we need to be, and the ride from point A to point B can be quite intense! lunar eclipses are about endings- endings of old ways of being, old patterns, old paradigms, old relationships, old ways of understanding the world. to have a lunar eclipse fall on new year's eve was a pretty potent way to end 2009 with a bang! what occurred that day was an indicator of both what you were ready to leave behind as well as what you were preparing yourself to embrace with arms wide open. the two weeks from the lunar eclipse to the solar eclipse is the clearing out period. it's the time to really truly align yourself with what you know is your destiny. a lot of people i know, including myself, have been going through intense purging experiences during this eclipse portal/wormhole. i know at least a dozen people who have had intestinal issues- mostly parasites- which is a symbolic expression of what needs to be detoxed and released within. and i know another dozen or so who have had massive colds, nausea and dizzy spells- all indicators of clearing, purging, flushing out and realigning with the new energy permeating our consciousness. much like the eclipses of june/july last summer (2009)- this eclipse portal is turning people's lives upside down and getting them back on track, or alternatively getting them onto a whole new track that is more appropriate for their soul's growth.

so where are you at in the midst of all this intensity and change? are you seeing the light at the end of the tunnel? are you able to appreciate the darkness you had to move through in order to get to the light? 'both light and shadow are the dance of Love' (rumi). right now we are in the dark of the moon leading up to the solar eclipse, so things may get a little darker before the light comes, but it's all a part of the Universal plan. much like neo in the matrix after he gets his eyes burned off, we need to learn to see in the dark with different senses. we all have this capacity but it is usually not until something intense happens and we are forced to access them that they come to life. we have a lot of astrology that is supporting this kind of growth and capacity- so see your struggles for what they are- opportunities to expand your consciousness and empower yourself!

as for this solar eclipse occurring on thursday january 14th at 11:11pm PST (how's that for synchronistic symbolism!?), looking at the eclipse chart can illuminate what this powerful lunation is about. and let me tell you- it's really, really powerful AND positive!

a solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and earth, so that the sun is fully or partially covered. this particular solar eclipse is an annular eclipse of the sun- meaning that a narrow ring of the sun will be visible beyond the dark mask of the moon. the eclipse's annular phase will last for 11 minutes- making it a pretty long and potent eclipse! visibility will be across africa, the indian ocean, india, sri lanka, and southeast asia. in america we won't be able to see it but we certainly will be able to feel it!

solar eclipses occur when the sun and moon are at the same degree in a sign. it's essentially a potent new moon. new moons are about beginnings, initiations and the start of something new in that particular moon cycle. with an eclipse we have the effects stretching out to last 6 months. what is begun now is foundational (thanks to the sign capricorn) and is something that can be built upon for years to come. so make sure your structures are sound and integritous! all capricorn themes are highlighted right now- commitment, ambition, hard work, security, practicality, reality, perseverance, tradition, structure, discipline and focus. with saturn, the ruler of capricorn, stationing retrograde the day before the eclipse (occurring on wednesday the 13th) a lot of this earthy, grounded energy is going to be channeled into the inner realms. anything you want to create and solidify externally MUST be anchored to something solid internally. if your internal experience is a mess, then the outer will follow suit. taking time to meditate on what we want to put into motion that will go the distance while the moon is dark is ideal the next few days.

the sabian symbol for this eclipse is magical indeed! the symbol for 26 capricorn is 'a nature spirit dancing in the iridescent mist of a waterfall'. this image conveys lightness, playfulness, and a mystical kind of magic. this symbol is very neptunian- and considering jupiter is moving into neptune's sign of pisces on sunday it seems quite appropriate to have the eclipse portal open us up into the magic and etheral beauty that is pisces/neptune! there is a shadow side to this symbol though- as there is with anything as we all possess light and shadow- and that is living in a neptune fog, seeing what you want to see rather than what is really there, needing everything to be magical and carefree in order to enjoy life, and living in the ethers without having any grounding on earth. considering this symbol is for a degree found in capricorn, one of the most grounded of signs, we have the capacity to infuse magic into our everyday experience if we find balance between the mystical and the material, the spiritual and the physical. and that is the greatest potential of this eclipse! where it falls in your chart is where you have the possibility of experiencing this blending of heaven and earth- so check your horoscopes for more info :)

the sun and moon conjunction aspect several planets- each of which add color to this eclipse and impact how we will experience it. first of all venus, the goddess of Love and beauty, is conjunct the sun and moon by less than a degree! on monday of this week (the 11th) the sun, venus and north node each took turns connecting with each other, initiating massive new beginnings in regards to love, relationship, money, self-worth, commitment, goals and ambitions. the things begun this week will have a feeling of being destined and fated. to the ego it may seem like it is not in control, but if you remember that your higher Self is the one who is steering the boat and you align with It then your ego will be in sync with your higher Self and what is normally felt as something happening to you will then be experienced as something you are making happen :) with venus added to this powerful lunation we have the grace and ease of the Goddess/Divine Feminine governing our new beginnings. when initiating new things at this time it would be most helpful if you sink into the heart to find your answers, rather than rely on your mind. of course it's all about balance, but most people are too much in the mind so focusing on the heart when venus is involved is a good idea ;)

in addition to venus, the north node is also conjunct the sun and moon (by 4 degrees) bringing our path of destiny and forward growth into the picture in a HUGE way. there are so many indicators that this week is a pivotal one in our personal and collective lives- and when the north node factors in as it did earlier in the week and then during this eclipse- it just adds more of that destined feeling to the whole picture. what is begun at this time has the potential to tremendously alter your life for the better! there is no transformation without intensity! think of the caterpillar who turns into a butterfly. he goes into a cocoon and totally breaks down his entire body- turning it into goo first. then from that goo his butterfly body is created. imagine being the caterpillar- you all of a sudden go into a dark shell and you begin to liquify! that is what this portal can feel like. yet that is the precursor to being transformed into a butterfly! the north node is that place where we are destined to become butterflies if we follow our Soul's path. this eclipse is nothing short of a massive push to get us to somewhere new. it can seem like a stretch- it may even feel like you have to cross the entire Universe to get there- but at eclipse time it is possible to do just that in a very short amount of time. so hold onto your hats!

in addition to the venus/north node conjunction to the eclipse we have uranus sextiling the lunation and the neptune/chiron conjunction semisextiling it. uranus it the great awakener. he initiates massive change and he does it overnight! he is electric, illuminating and sudden. having uranus harmoniously aspect the sun and moon infuses this portal into the future with even more electricity- helping us to bridge massive distances in a matter of moments. on top of that the neptune/chiron conjunction's aspect to the sun and moon amplify the spiritual, mystical, consciousness-expanding energy available to us right now. neptune's aspect echoes the sabian symbol of the nature spirit playing in the iridescent water. water is a symbol for the unconscious- which is what neptune governs. chiron is the wounded healer and his greatest gift is that of awareness. this eclipse portal has the capacity to expand our awareness tremendously as well as help us heal our collective wounds, raise our consciousness, and experience spiritual illumination. not bad, huh?

and last but not least, in the solar eclipse chart we have jupiter in the last degree of aquarius, reading to forge ahead into pisces on sunday the 17th. jupiter is the planet of abundance, luck, optimism and expansion. the last degree of any sign is a place that is pregnant with possibility. it is the omega point of the sign- that transitional space from one sign to another. as jupiter brings gifts and blessings wherever he goes we can expect some last minute moments/insights/experiences that are sweet, expansive and positively illuminating.

as you can see this solar eclipse is one for the books! and i just LOVE that it is exact at 11:11pm PST :) how symbolic and synchronistic can it get? :p

so as this eclipse approaches take time to turn within and center yourself for the influx of energy that will commence come thursday night. a lot has been in in the works, but much of that has been subtle and underneath the surface (particularly with mercury retrograde since the day after christmas!). at this eclipse it will be time to take that inner work and realignment and bring it out into the external world. prepare for the new that is right around the corner! it's gonna be life changing :)

xo

~divine harmony