The Sun is in Gemini so the Moon is in the opposite sign of Sagittarius. With a Gemini Sun our Conscious mind seeks what is already familiar. It navigates within the perimeters of the known, bound by family, history, science, economics, religion, and politics. While this playing field seems large, it is tightly bound by what is expected.

With the Moon in Sagittarius our Unconscious mind is inspired by Spirit to quest into the unknown. These quests of Spirit go beyond what the mind already knows is possible. It is open to finding, even seeking, ideas never before considered. This Sagittarius Full Moon is a time to lift your wings, set your eyes on a far horizon, and take flight. Let your imagination embrace that there are possibilities that you never before considered. Explore, Expand, Embrace. Albert Einstein said that "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." He also said "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Let's all join together and break free from the bounds of conventional reality and create a world never before imagined.

Last week I read an amazing story about the discovery of complex creatures living a mile beneath the Earth's surface. This is a breakthrough discovery because scientists thought that life could not exist that far underground.  This changes everything we thought we knew about life. And it raises the possibility that life on other planets could also exist underground. Mars, for example, used to have a much wetter, warmer climate until radiation turned it into the barren planet it is today. But now it seems life on Mars could be happening underground. The researcher who made this discovery was met early on by skepticism and received no professional support or funds. But he did not limit himself to what everyone thought was possible. He sought out a like-minded risk taker who was intrigued by his ideas and brought him the research support he needed. Read about it Here 

I love all the art by Susan Seddon Boulet, but this image of Eagle Woman is a favorite. To Do: This Full Moon, from Monday night to Thursday morning, meditate on this image. You are perched on a high mountain, where with the eyes of an eagle you can see far into the distance. You crouch down, ready to take flight, wings held aloft, ready to stretch out. The Sun/Spirit illuminates your journey and you are full of determination and confidence. You hold in your hand a small cup from which to give and to receive. Your exploration is happening in any part of your life, from physical adventures, intellectual inquiries, professional opportunities, scientific discoveries, creative expression, and diving into the depths of your soul. You might not know yet where you are going, but you trust to spirit and vision to find your way.

This image painted by Carl Jung exemplifies much of what I think this Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse can mean for each of us. There is a person in the center sitting cross-legged on a black stool in contemplation.

To Do: Imagine that person in the center of the image is you. Below you lies the hustle and bustle of the everyday world in which you live and navigate, the world of Gemini. Above you is the radiant energy of Spirit and expanded consciousness, the world of Sagittarius. You sit centered between the Ordinary and Extraordinary, between Earth and Heaven, between Body and Spirit.  This eclipse is a rare "central" eclipse, which means that the Moon will travel through the shadow of the center of the earth. During the eclipse the Sun, Earth, and Moon will be in perfect union, you will be in perfect union.  Imagine that you are perfectly centered and aligned between the Sun, your spirit, the Moon, your soul, and the Earth, your body. Imagine yourself as the pivotal point between spirit and matter, between what is Above and what is Below.  Carl Jung's word for this alignment between opposites is Individuation, which means in-divisible, at one. When you are in union with Heaven and Earth, all things are possible.

If you look at this diagram to the right you will see that during a lunar eclipse the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the light from the Sun that usually illuminates the Moon. During the eclipse the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in perfect alignment, a syzygy, one of my favorite words that means "union." The entire eclipse, from the time the Moon starts to go behind the Earth's shadow until it shows up again on the other side, will last 5 1/2 hours. The totality of the eclipse is when the Moon is directly behind the earth and fully shadowed. It will last an amazingly long 100 minutes during this eclipse, and during that time the Moon will appear a dark red or orange. The reason totality will last so long is because the Moon is moving past the center of the earth, through the deepest shadow. This is called a "central" eclipse. The last one we had was in 2000 and the next one won't be until 2018. This is a very special alignment, one of the closet and most centered possible.