by Leo Knighton Tallarico
We are now in a lull of calm before the storms of the eclipse season. Dust has been settling from recent changes and intense transformational shifts. Nature has begun to come alive, but it almost seems to be holding back before it bursts forth in all its beauty, as it is almost ready to put on its yearly show of full blossoming and abundance.
We each have also burst forth, but not in full bloom yet. Many planets have been and are still in Aries, pushing us, like buds through the trees, into situations that require us to stand up and empower ourselves in all new ways. This is, for some, a newfound or renewed sense of empowerment. It is preparation for what is to come.
Mercury is in the last week of its retrograde phase, so we are in pause so we can reflect on our lives and on our past, understanding what we need to know, and integrating more of us before we move on.
After Mercury goes direct next SaturdayApril 23, our minds begin to get more clear, direction is more apparent. We will be mentally more ready for the shifting tides of late spring and summer. The Taurus New Moon on May 2 begins the lunar cycle that is the one prior to the first eclipse on June 1. That eclipse on June 1 will be the next new moon, but a much more powerful new moon, as it is a Solar Eclipse New Moon.
Exactly when we begin to experience the winds of this eclipse season, I am not totally sure. Usually a couple weeks before that first eclipse, we can definitely feel the shifting wind patterns of our lives blowing in, but sometimes even before that.
You will know the eclipse season has begun energetically when you feel the intensity of your self and life increase, and you feel taken out of your usual balance. Events in the world are usually intensifying also then. It is possible this time that the shakeup and intensity will not truly ensue until close to the onset of that first eclipse on June 1, which is at 11+ degrees of Gemini. This is because the previous lunar cycle is in Taurus, a fixed earth sign that does not emit much energy, and instead holds on and stays put. If there is much movement already during Taurus time, we can expect a quite powerful eclipse season ahead.
In the greater world, the dust has been settling from the big events of the winter of 2010/2011. The revolutionary uprisings in the Middle East are still going on, but we now have gotten used to that in our collective consciousness. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan created the worst nuclear reactor disaster of all time on Earth. We are now trying to more deeply understand what this all means to our human family and what changes we want to make. The oil disaster in the gulf of the USA in 2010, along with the nuclear disaster, show us the monsters we have created and need to control. Wars and other disasters have occurred as a result of our relationships with both oil and nuclear energy.
In order to create the world we desire for an Aquarian Age, we need to cure our addiction to oil and need to harness the power created by nuclear energy.
In a way our relationship to oil represents our lack of control of our greedy nature; and our relationship to nuclear energy represents the lack of control of our needs for power. We rape the Earth for oil and bring potential toxic energies into her body with oil spills and nuclear waste, leaks, and potential fallout. We also harm our human family and other creatures with these oil and nuclear disasters. We invade other countries for oil, we threaten one another with nuclear weapons. These recent disasters, happening in conjunction with profound astrological aspects, shine a spotlight on these toxic patterns that we need to face up to and transform- on our way through the transition into an Aquarian Age.
As we soon move through the eclipse season of the late spring and summer of 2011, watch the news and world events for more clues of what needs to be transformed in our world to clear the way for the Aquarian Age.
This Week there is Full Moon in Aries/Libra this Sunday April 17 at 10:44 PM EDT. The main issues to be addressed are personal empowerment balanced with relationship skills. You have been empowering your self with all the planets in Aries, and now it is time to integrate that into your relationships. How does one stay empowered while being sensitive to the needs of others? Another issue to be examined now is our needs for independence and our desire to be with others.
The Sun moves into Taurus on Wednesday April 20. Taurus time is a time to get more into your body and into the physical side of life. It is time to concentrate energies on the home, money, resources and others issues of security and comfort. It is time to solidify whatever you have started during Aries time of year.
And finally- this week Mercury goes back direct next Saturday April 23. For some that will feel like a relief from mental confusion. Th eairwaves are clearing up and clarity is developing. If you have been putting off decisions, you may now or soon feel OK to make them.
See you next week,
Leo
Please feel free to find more writings and my services on my website.You can get an astrological session with me during these changing times to help you on your path and with your life. Please write soulus@aol.com for more info. I will have a new radio show broadcast later this spring, closer to the eclipses. I will let you know soon when it will be.
Leo Knighton Tallarico is a full time professional astrologer, spiritual guide, counselor, and writer for over 25 years.
He predicted the Iraq War of 2003- in early 2001 when Bush first took office; predicted the 9-11 attacks with an article “The Tower”, written in June 2001. He predicted Obama and McCain would get the presidential nominations in november 2007, when both were low in the polls; and correctly predicted the current economic downturn before it occurred.