Solar Eclipse in Mrigasira: Searching for Source

The second half of our eclipse cycle is the New Moon/Solar Eclipse on June 10th in the star of Mrigasira. The max point of the eclipse is at 12:41 am HT (GMT-10) and the exact time of the Moon and Sun joining each other is at 12:51 am HT, so the hours leading up to it are in the night of the 9th for us here in Hawaii. A small sliver of Canada will be able to see this “Ring of Fire” eclipse and some Northern US locations will wake to see a small part of the sun as if it was a lit up crescent moon. Mrigasira is “deer-faced” and it indicates a search, especially the start of a spiritual one. Governed by the diety Soma, the Moon, and lord of the eternal nectar sought by both the devas and asuras, the forces of light and dark. It is liquid; delicious, nourishing and youthful and the bringer of ecstasy. He rules over the life juice itself and all its manifest forms in vegetables, fruits and herbs. In the Taurus portion of this star (where the Sun and Moon are being eclipsed) this star is especially rooted in the pleasure of sucking the marrow out of life. Upon finishing our earthly pleasures, the Moon moves into the Gemini portion where we seek the same juicy nectar for our minds.


In the story of this star and the one before, Rohini (the star in which the North Node is actually eclipsing from) is the most beautiful and fertile of all the 27 stars. Her father, Prajapati, decides he needs to make perfect beings for Earth and approaches her to be his partner for that endeavor. She is mortified and turns herself into a deer to flee him and runs down to Earth. The issue of autonomy and leaving one’s family and their set of values arises as we come to the end of the natural 2nd house of values (Taurus) into the 3rd house of learning new skills, the ego (identity separation) and our will (Gemini). This can be seen in leaving what is comfortable and secure in search of new ideas, perspectives and information. Can we find that divine nectar when moving from the stability of earth to an ever-changing landscape like the windy mind? Here we have to be careful not to end up in an endless search for something juicier. If we are always seeking something more delicious than we can forget to revel in the present. However, if we never seek greener pastures, we may never evolve out of old habits and routines that no longer serve us. The trick is to keep our mind fixed towards God (dess), Spirit, Love. Here it is the Moon in the same place in the sky as the Sun (from our position here on Earth) that is blocking our light. Since the Moon is dark, it is already eclipsed every month as it fades to the dark by the Sun. The Sun is our light, our connection to Source, and represents the father or king. So instead of just running from some perceived power, as when the Moon is in Mrigasira alone,  we are directly aware of our own power and how it is being eclipsed. Do we know all the information? Perhaps we are seeing things in the illusory grasp of Rahu. Have we magnified the power struggles before us?

A good question to ask yourself here is if you are running towards something new or away from something that doesn’t feel good. In the eclipse portal especially, this can be confusing. There is heightened illusion, especially with regards to power and it has been expanding while the Sun has been transiting sidereal Taurus, where the north node has been since September 2020. The nodes are not actual bodies, rather chaya graha, shadow “planets” that are mathematically calculated points in space where eclipses will occur when there is a full or new moon in that place. What falls in their path is shrouded in mystery, and also delusion. The North Node (Rahu) brings erratic expansion and magnification, as we begin new karma and step into “foreign” territory. Since the Sun is our source of power… In what ways do you feel empowered and in what ways do you feel others are trying to “run” you? The bull does not like to be taunted, led or even followed. He just wants to be. The deer can be skittish and gets distracted easily.

 Eclipses come in pairs, and the axis of Rahu and the South node Ketu are also a pair. In order to understand and realize the potential of the open mouth obsession of Rahu, we must untie the karmic knot that is keeping us stuck where the tail of the serpent resides. If we haven’t been actively unwinding what holds us in the deep waters of Scorpio, through our trauma, fear and emotions, we will not be able to build the gardens of our future in Taurus.

On the heels of the powerful total Lunar Eclipse two weeks ago, and with Jupiter giving dristhi to Venus, the ruler of this eclipse sitting in Gemini, we can expect that our strong-held beliefs our influencing our capacity to relate to those we are engaged with. Jupiter is not only the fixed sign of Aquarius, but he is beginning to station himself, as he prepares for retrograde motion June 20th. He is also in the star of Satabishak, which is able to illuminate the corruption of power like the thousands of stars in the night sky. This star also holds the power to heal both physically and socially. With this gaze on Venus in Ardra, the star where Prajapati is shot down as he chases his deer-like daughter across the sky we can see how we might feel like shooting first and asking questions later. Eclipses are always a time to tune out from the mundane everyday of our lives and into the spiritual, meditative and other-worldly realm that the nodes offer glimpses of. Ketu is releasing message from before, and Rahu is grasping at what the future has to eat. This is a good time to turn off the phone, the computer and the tv and focus just on Source. True power is within each of us and lights up when it meets outside reminders of that power (like the Sun). With Mercury and Venus in exchange of signs (and Mercury slowed down to his own retrograde tune), we are more likely to take that extra minute, hour or day before responding or reacting. It might also mean our delays are being magnified by others to signify our own assertion of power. With Saturn also in perceived retrograde motion, our commitments, hard work and sense of time management is slowed down and being reviewed and revised as well.

This combination of eclipses and retrograde activity is likely to cause the restless searcher in us to feel a bit frustrated, but if we can remember all the calamities we have lived through before this, perhaps we can remember that much of those came from pushing through what needed to wait, cutting corners, especially when it comes to communication and steps to establish true integrity and connection with people we are in relation to. To push our own agenda forward without being aware of how it is experienced by everyone else involved, is to “shoot down” what could’ve been beautiful before it is created. On the other side, to run from what feels like old boundaries being crossed is not necessarily going to get us where we want to go either. If we didn’t dive back into our trauma on the lunar eclipse to dig up what subconscious fears lurk in our shadow realm, then perhaps we aren’t clearly seeing what the intentions of others are. It may be projections from past scenarios. Don’t worry, we will get to visit this all again in Nov/Dec eclipses where the solar and lunar energies will be reversed. For now, just allow yourself to sit with all your questions and all your answers and taste the sweetness of not knowing as you lean in towards your highest truth.

Hare Ohm

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