Eclipse: A Heavenly Game of Hide and Seek

Lizanne Hanks Author

The Ancients, with no artificial light and no Netflix, binge-watched the stars. They mapped the heavens, observed the cycles and movements of the plan

The Ancients, with no artificial light and no Netflix, binge-watched the stars. They mapped the heavens, observed the cycles and movements of the planets and noted their correspondence with earthly events. Over time, they came to understand this cosmic procession as a symbolic script with text and subtext, meaning and method.

Naturally, the two “lights,” Sun and Moon, are the principal actors in this celestial drama, with the planets, stars and constellations as supporting cast. The interplay between the luminaries provides the scaffolding for the grand stage we call Astrology. The Sun and Moon are timekeepers, teachers, sovereigns and gods - the Sun-King presiding over Day, while the Moon-Queen holds court at Night. All our dualities derive from them: day/night, light/darkness, male/female, spirit/soul, mind/body. This prime dichotomy, so stark and simple, could provide a lifetime of fruitful contemplation. It provides a conceptual frame for the naming and sorting ofperceived reality. But this is only half the story: the deeper lessons of Astrology are expressed when opposing forces merge. Consider dusk and dawn: when Day and Night bleed into one another - the death of the Sun as darkness takes hold, the Sun’s rebirth as morning breaks free from Night. These are moments of revelatory transition, when the illusion of separation and duality is exposed, when the union of opposites gives birth to its progeny of sublime light and miraculous colour.

Eclipses add yet another dimension to this cosmic production, as the “lights” play hide and seek within each other’s shadow. Currently, we are experiencing eclipses on the Scorpio/Taurus axis. This is an axis of power, involving sex and sensuality, death and regeneration, instinct and riches. The Taurus eclipse at the end of April marked a new beginning with respect to our values, our sense of security, direction and self-worth. This next eclipse presents a challenge to our new commitments. It highlights the responsibilities and sacrifices required to achieve our goals and realize our dreams. With the south Node in Scorpio, we are burning away false identities, weak associations, and empty cravings. We are expelling the fears, defences, habits and beliefs that hold us captive. Something beautiful is being born out of the ashes of self-immolation. Look to the house ruled by Scorpio in your chart to see where this purification is occurring. Its opposite house, ruled by Taurus, will describe where growth and new opportunities are unfolding.

I’m not going to pretend that these changes will be smooth and easy. Scorpio is a sign that can pull us down into the depths of pain and trauma. It is the place where the Moon is in her Fall, where Mother’s comfort eludes us. But it is also the place of regeneration and power. So there is a choice here: either, we find the strength and courage to confront the Dark side within; or we hide from it and remain its captive. For some, this eclipse will represent a culmination, a moment of achievement and completion. For others, it marks the end of the road, a cosmic no, or a final curtain.

Eclipses remind us of the centrality and necessity of paradox and contradiction: to grasp one thing, we must let go of another; to find freedom, we must accept constraint and responsibility; to embrace life, we acknowledge the reality and inevitability of death. If life is a cosmic game of hide and seek, then masks, costumes and make-believe are all part of the fun. We suspend disbelief for the excitement of the chase, for the joy of concealment and the exquisite thrill of discovery.

Enjoy the game, my friends.

Lizanne

Categories: : archetypes, hide and seek, oppositions, sun and moon, eclipses, the lights, luminaries, shadows, hermeneutics, dusk and dawn, male and female, mother and father, king and queen, scorpio and taurus, stability vs intensity, nodes of the moon