Matter & Matrix, Mother & Medium
Pisces Full Harvest Moon + Lunar Eclipse
The Pisces Eclipse is a sneak peek of the shape of things to come…
That is an amorphous blur, perhaps ominous for now but deliciously divine in its wait. As the impending Lunar Nodes will further focus in 2025, September’s Harvest Moon is a bit of a new beginning ~even though Full Moons, especially Lunar Eclipses~ tend to represent endings. The Pisces Full Moon will be a dive into unfamiliar waters, somewhat touched by tragedy but in the end freeing, depending on what kind of emotional wave-length we land in. But before we swim into the deep end, it’s vital to review the recent lunation as it was the only main moon between Mercury Retrograde and Autumn Eclipse Season PLUS it represents an other half of an Axis.
Virgo’s New Moon felt studious and serious though opportune for picking up the pieces while Mercury stationed direct (the shadow period is officially over today on 9/11). Likely not the light-hearted “new intentions” hoped for, in the darkly brew’d urgency, we may have panicked ourselves into touching grass and getting as grounded as possible. After all, there is sheer shock in seeing the measly months left in the Gregorian calendar. Time always seems to speed up around this marker, so much to do and so little time.
Virgo Season is a beacon of serene structure, now more precise as Virgo is aligned in its ruler Mercury. Looking back at the seeds from Spring and taking stock of our now is one of the grateful, graceful gifts of the Earth Maiden. How we have grown beyond our productivity points in this half-year period is worthy of a pause. What do we want to forage in the new Autumnal Season ahead? What rituals do we need in place for our physical AND spiritual well-being? How do we handle time management as we barrel towards the Trifecta of the Holidaze? Do we feel supported by those around us?
Is our harvest as we hoped?
Earthy Virgo rules the 6th House of Wellness and Watery Pisces rules the 12th House of Spirituality, both Mutable Signs.
While earthing in Virgo’s influence is always appreciated, we will be further thankful for any effort of centering as the potent Pisces waters may find us floating away entirely. To understand this Eclipse and to look into the realm of what the Pisces North Node and Virgo South Node may bring between 2025 and 2027, or even to just feel the vibe of this particular Eclipse, you have to understand their Axis. Virgo-Pisces connect deeply to others, though in fall to their “weaknesses”, they can entirely lose themselves while tending to the needs of others (Virgo) or romanticizing an attachment (Pisces).
To say Pisces is a highly-sensitive Sign is a bit of an understatement. Pisces has a freaky notice of others’ frequencies. The smallest shifts, whether in affection or snub or even another’s confusion, will BLARE on Pisces’ radar while most wouldn’t bat an eye. The Sister Signs of Virgo and Pisces both hold a concern for others that is so dedicated and earnest, either are a blessing to have one’s midst. Where Virgo is very responsible, Pisces adores an experimental exploration exercise. Their different approach is where the Signs are most at odds even though they share the same sweet soulful heart.
Sometimes this concern is a cage as the Virgo Moon exemplified. The reflection pool that Pisces peers into reveals all they have endured, each tender tether glowing and glimmering as if their identity is linked to external experience. Moons on the Virgo-Pisces Axis struggle within their role to opposing partners or parties when in reality, there is no reality at all, just perceptions and perspectives patch-worked from our Pasts. Deconstructing our purpose as it relates to the golden strings that connect us is the counteraction of Pisces in Virgo Season who longs for joy and not just duty. One thing is for sure, Pisces wants to come out of this Eclipse relieved if not dancing, if not ecstatic and adorned with the iridescence of euphoria.
Pisces wants the permission to frolic in both the misery and the mysteries. Pisces can love even in loss.
WHAT: Pisces Full Moon + Lunar Eclipse
WHEN: Tuesday Sept. 17th 2024 10:34 PM EST
THEME: Mirroring, Shattering, Making Jewelry of its Glass, Glowering vs. Glowing
How we relate to others has been principal beyond the recent Mercury Rx. The intensity of the Aries-Libra Nodes have painted the entire year or so with Self vs. Partnership as a theme. October’s Libra Eclipse will help (if not force us) to tie up narratives that no longer serve. As Pisces splashes into the lunar abyss, deepened bonds that we’ve been wading thru all Rx Summer will be washed with a different hue. This Eclipse will illuminate a broader spectrum, if not water-logging us with its compassionate but conceptual chaos.
Pisces is a spiritual seer with a soothing aura opposite to the herbal remedy healing of Virgo. Pisces’ sensuality and creativity rushes to reconnect us to an inherent core that will sustain on a long-standing level. Though I don’t recommend Moon Magick during eclipses, any Pisces Moon is exquisite for intentional dreaming and providing space for its enigmatic whispers. I was delighted to receive a copy of a highly informative book - gorgeous guides and journal sections included - that changed my view on the rich scape of our sleep life. The archetypes and symbolism that lie in the subconscious is not only interesting but it holds many clues about our inner make-up.
Dreams are like forgotten messages floating out to sea. The lack of oxygen and attention causes these psychic treasures to eventually sink to the bottom of the ocean: our unconscious. To retrieve these powerful bottled messages, we must dive deeply into the dream world in real time, excavating our unconscious with care and curiosity. Eventually, we will discover the dream’s truth and wisdom — a gift, a healing elixir. It is a message in a bottle concocted especially for us by our psyche, offering the most transformative potential.
From Little Hidden Doors by Naomi Sangreal
Dreamy Pisces always holds healing potential.
But sometimes the Fish fall so deep into their feelings they can not find their way back to the surface. Its silver sea-foam bubbles back memories of our happiest glimmers of being, yet something is lost in translation. In Eclipse Ego Death, the cord of identity is cut and yet the awareness of how we’ve drifted away from source is acute. The bitter sensations of shame, “set-backs” and other unsavory slimy creatures creep in at a split-second to ruin bliss. One moment twirling in the pool like merprincesses, the next out of breath.
Overcome by “cringe”, uncomfortable in our own skin, right after a fleeting moment of full freedom… *sighs*
Looking back to March’s New Moon, the core compassion of The Fish is almost child-like, even though Pisces is the Elder of the Zodiac. In a way, the Sign shows this sort of reincarnation… that we return to our pure hearts in the life cycle with much malarkey in between. We become corrupted and disheartened yet have a resurgence of softness at some point once again. But like many elders, there is an accompaniment of crotchetiness that was not yet learned in the messy crawl and wonderment of youth. Persnickety particulars vs. whimsical flux is akin to the Virgo-Pisces Axis.
Each indulgence we’re embarrassed by is the Virgo nay-say. Each folly that leads us astray is the Pisces ponder.
Thus Virgo-Pisces can bring up themes of insecurity - though in different arenas - often sprung from inner child wounds either which way. And the Pisces Eclipse ~while overlapping the Aries-Libra timeline~ can unfortunately highlight how heavily we seek validation from external sources, particularly if such seeking has become an addiction (another shadow side of Pisces). With the brief Sign switch to a future Lunar Node, a frothy layer of complexity is lathered atop an already difficult duo of Autumn Moons. The slight shift for this ONE Eclipse creates enough movement for its own mini whirlpool, causing raucous waves we’ll feel spiritually and emotionally throughout 2025.
Sadly, the Pisces North Node and Virgo South Node can romanticize suffering, NEVER a true path for any living being on this planet.
No judgment as wallowing in this combative world is a normal response when met with an overwhelm of unfavorable interactions and oppressive environments. On top of horrific loops, humans are programmed into either shutting down or drowning in the negativity instead of a 3rd thing: actually processing. Which can take a while. In many sessions. Peeling back many layers. More work that is honestly never done (the shadow side of Virgo).
In a society that wants us to work, work, work then play hard and numb out, making the SPACE to grieve is not so simple. There are also the ills of wishful delusion that can hold us in a place where we are not truly wanted or appreciated. These sticky spots, like fly paper, are realms to think about ridding ourselves of if possible during the Pisces Lunar Eclipse. Sometimes our desires and dreams work against us and we end up seeing what we wish to see from situations that do not nourish us whatsoever.
We wait for others to change instead of attuning to the reality check, which is what any Eclipse does best… it takes off the rose-coloured glasses. Whether in vigilance for or in immense effort against a stagnant swamp or submerged aspiration, the Pisces Full Moon wants to move forward into collaboration that is fluid and friendly. And solutions may be found IN the problem itself with the addition of advocation, speaking up, etc. not necessarily by ghosting or giving up. In order to do so without the full burden of barriers and baggage, using this lunar opportunity to FEEL ALL OF IT will be the greatest gift we give ourselves and will change the course of our futures, but…
How do you let go if you do not truly acknowledge how an experience has made you feel in the most honest and raw sense?
These visions of change, of finding voice, will swirl around us though may be difficult to see if we are caught by tragic emotional frequencies first. You can make decisions on how to transform situations after you’ve actually allowed yourself to feel the full breadth of it all. In a way, this Lunar Eclipse may feel like Ophelia on psychedelics or opposite the circle dance around the cauldron. How we choose to turn inward or look outward, isolate or celebrate, or a mixture of both, is all valid. We are all on our own personal paths of processing. The important part is that we actually do that: process.
Attune to detriment, divinity and everything in between. Allow a moment to grieve without reaction before coming up for air. When Pisces fully takes position in the North Node next year, these expectations will be challenged and reclamation of joy will be a focal point of repair. Revisiting the sweetness of our true being creates tenderness towards not just ourselves but others. A carefully curated balance of attending to attachments AND implementing detachment will be the next Nodal Cycle trajectory.
Passages of the Pisces Full Moon:
The Lunar Eclipse in Pisces is conjunct the Fishes’ ruler, Neptune, who is also in Pisces AND Retrograde. Spiritual growth will keenly stir within us as the Moon and Neptune meet in ethereal Pisces. Even though Neptune conjunct the North Node can be very mystical and help us get into the more intimate aspects of our psyches, this conjunction is a bit dramatic on a societal level. Eclipses tend to expose the unexpected as is but with Neptune Rx in Pisces’ present, we’re in for extra enigma… perhaps even SCANDAL. Neptune’s past aspects to the Nodes have uncovered secrets in politics, finances and public relationships.
Saturn Rx in Pisces loosely conjunction the Pisces Lunar Eclipse. With another outer planet in the Sign of the Fish as well as also Rx, we’ve got a double-whammy of big notices. Saturn Rx is asking us not to ignore the signs - including those big intuitive irks that we’ve perhaps picked up but maybe have no proof of - and to use a watchful eye regarding the intentions of those around us. And of course anything that we’ve been neglecting, especially spiritually, will be pushed to the forefront. Virgo Season isn’t done just yet! Make space for those little tender practices that feed your soul, too, not just the “practical” tangible to-do’s.
The Pisces Full Moon will sextile Pluto Rx in Capricorn. The Moon, obscured and scrambled in its Eclipse signals, finds an intense hone on the shadow side with its connection to shadowy Pluto in backspin. This could be a sharp tear into the truth of a relationship that has not budged yet the divine discovery of other options thereafter. All the information may not be entirely accurate or fully collected, but this sextile will absolutely be fodder for thought and put our strategy wheels in motion.
The Pisces Full Moon will also tightly sextile Uranus Rx in Taurus. The Planet of Rebellion in backspin heightens the emotional tendencies and reactionary wildness that is the Lunar Eclipse in such a deep-feeling Sign. Haste is absolutely waste here, so instead of any un-doable decisions and/or aggressive actions, resolution to just stay in one’s own pond aligns with the stubborn Taurean stance. Being resolute to put boundaries around any energetic drains and social triggers is a solution. This is a moment in which we need to parent ourselves, provide a safe space for those difficult feelings and sit in discomfort instead of distraction.
9/18 Mercury in Virgo opposes Saturn Rx in Pisces. With the boost of a direct Mercury in her aligned Sign, this near-eclipse moment is a little love bite that wants us to know how important it is to DO THE WORK in order to get closer to what we want. Pisces can dream it all day, but structured Saturn in such a free-flowing placement needs that extra nudge. Virgo Mercury is telling us directly to draw up the blueprints so that our dreams won’t be boiled down into nothingness. Collaborate with calendars, construct actionable steps and elevate your aspirations.
9/19 Sun in Virgo trines Uranus Rx in Taurus. Virgo Season savors its pleasurable side, one that incorporates play and not just work, into the fold. Its angle with Uranus in the Sun Season follows up with cheerful cuteness to embrace the sweeter side of Life, unlike the previous Moon / Uranus ick. The small things are the best: rest, friends who are a safe space, nature, food that lifts your mood, cozy comfort movies.
9/20 Sun in Virgo opposes Neptune Rx in Pisces. Fatigue alert! Know your limits and boost your immune system. Lunar Eclipses are known to create more vivid dreams, which is eerily appropriate for this particular Eclipse, but in the afterward, we may be struggling with exhaustion, have trouble focusing or issues getting adequate sleep back on track.
9/21 Sun in Virgo trine Pluto Rx in Capricorn. This meet of Earth Signs in opposite planetary spectrum can feel like a butting of heads, but it’s actually quite an empowering moment to ask for what we want. Virgo + Capricorn in any combo seems to be an organized assertive little glimmer. This also can be a confidence boost after the heavy feels of the Pisces Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse.
9/22 Libra Season and the Autumn Equinox gets own Muse. Stay tuned!
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Under-water photography by Christy Lee Rogers