On 31^st of January we have a very powerful Full Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse at 11° Leo. The Eclipse is visible in Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Alaska, Hawaii and north-western Canada.

On Wednesday night, the Moon will pass directly behind the Earth, disappearing into its shadow. This shadow is what the astrologers call the North Node, a karmic power point that represents the Soul’s evolutionary direction in this lifetime.

The Eclipses happen when the Sun or the Moon align with the North Node or the South Node, which are nothing else but the orbital nodes of the Moon – the North Node is where the Moon crosses from south of the ecliptic to the north of the ecliptic, and the South Node is where it crosses from north of the ecliptic to south of the ecliptic.

Because this alignment happens only at the New Moon and Full Moon phase, we can have either an Eclipse of the Sun (at the New Moon phase) or an Eclipse of the Moon (at the Full Moon phase)

So we can have 4 types of eclipses: South Node Solar Eclipses, South Node Lunar Eclipses, North Node Solar Eclipses and North Node Lunar Eclipses.

The Lunar Eclipse on 31^st of January 2018 is a North Node Lunar Eclipse. This means it is concerned with the Feminine principle (the Moon) and with the future (North Node).

While the South Node eclipses are about releasing of the past, the North Node eclipses require adjustment to new circumstances.

The Lunar Eclipse Moon in the royal sign of Leo, a sign connected with the proud expression of the self. Leo energy is where we are kings and queens in our own castle. Is where we show ourselves self-love, is where we live from the heart.

Therefore, the Lunar Eclipse in Leo is about creating new opportunities for growth for the queen inside you. Whether a woman or a man, we all have feminine attributes within our psyche. No matter who you are, it is time to be proud of the woman inside you, a woman who is not afraid to unleash her spirit, and live her calling.

But a Lunar Eclipse is much more than a Full Moon, which makes it a little bit more complicated. When we have only Full Moons, we have the opportunity to choose.

Let’s take an example of a regular Full Moon in Leo. Let’s say there is Full Moon in Leo and you go to a social gathering. As people go up on stage and tell their personal stories, you feel inspired. You understand how it is to live from the heart and express yourself without fear.

But when a Full Moon is also a Lunar Eclipse – like it is now – you have no choice but to go on stage yourself. Maybe you are shy, maybe you are scared to death of public speaking. Still, you have to go on stage, because an Eclipse will force you to become the energy you observe in others. It forces you act on the lessons you are learning.

If you embrace the new, if you are ready to meet with your future ‘shadow’, with your North Node, then the experience can feel very rewarding. But if you don’t, the experience can feel rather traumatic.

Perhaps that’s why eclipses have been regarded – and still are – as bad omens.

In ancient times especially, the eclipses were seen as omens for disasters. The biggest possible disaster back then was the death of the king. In order to avoid this from happening, at solar eclipses (solar eclipses were connected to the king) a ritual was put in place: the “Substitute king ritual”.

Saving the king

In this ritual, a person would be chosen to replace the king. He would be dressed like the king and placed on the throne. The person will live like a king for as long as the eclipse effects were supposed to last – from 3 days up to 100 days.

During this time, the real king would keep a low profile and avoid being seen. After the eclipse season was over, the substitute king was put to death, to fulfill the prophetic omen, while saving the life of the real king, who would reclaim the throne.

It is much more to this ritual than simply trading fate. During the ritual, the real king delved into the shadows, just the the Sun disappeared under the shadow of the Moon. When he came back to the throne, he was no longer the same person. The king went through his own transformation process, and this was what the – symbolic – death of the king was about. He saved himself by letting a part of him die.

Right now we have a lunar eclipse, so now it’s time to create a ritual for the queen inside us.

As the sky shuts down, it is time to move inward. A queen rules with her emotions. Are you rulling with your emotions or are your emotions rulling you?

The Lunar Eclipse is opposite Venus, who is right now on the other side of the Sun, close to the South Node of the past.

The two feminine principles – represented by Moon and Venus – are now quarreling in the sky.

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the prettiest of them all?”

The Solar Eclipse on January 31^st will ask us questions such as:

• Who am I: my body or my emotions? My past or my future?

• Should I go for what I want or wait to see how other details fit into the picture?

• Should I put myself first or other people?

• Should I go for instant gratification or build for the long haul?

There are no right or wrong answers. But is the principle of duality, of opposition that helps us become more aware of who we truly are.

Just like the king had to find a substituted to find himself, use the energy of the Lunar Eclipse to get in touch with who you are – let go of who you are not and save the real Queen.

Now look into the mirror. The answer’s right in front of your eyes.

You can find other 2018 full moon blog pages on the New and Full Moons 2018 page.

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