The energies of the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Pisces, which will be exact today at 5:30 AM EDT, are an incredibly intense melding of the flood of emotions associated with letting go, the tension of our past cracking under the pressures of the future's call, and the promise of bold new beginnings that await as we embrace the impending waves of change. Those who will be most impacted by this eclipse are people with planets or sensitive points from 28-29 degrees of Pisces/Virgo/Sagittarius/Gemini, or those with planets or sensitive points between 0-1 degrees of Aries/Libra/Capricorn/Cancer.

The past week has brought the 7th out of 7 exact squares between Uranus and Pluto, potent outer planets that have been working to break up outmoded world structures and societal norms since mid-2012. We've experienced the uncompromising standstill and frustration of limitations as Saturn stationed retrograde one week ago, and are about to move beyond the threshold of the Spring Equinox into a new astrological year later today. Every period brings its astrological influences that translate into opportunities for change and transformation, but it's fair to say that the astrology of "now" is entirely monumental.

A Word On Eclipses

Eclipses are powerful events that usually occur in pairs twice a year, and always bring significant change into our lives. They are said to impact the magnetic fields of the Earth, allowing for "upgrades" in our consciousness and DNA to get us up to speed on our life's mission. Unexpected events, last-minute changes in plans, epiphanies of every kind, emotional breakdowns that lead to unprecedented breakthroughs - these experiences are all more common during eclipses, so rest assured that all is well even if you're feeling lost or unsettled!

It's not uncommon for things that no longer serve us to fall by the wayside in the weeks and months following an eclipse. Regardless of surface appearances, any changes that come forward during and after eclipses are Divine gifts, no matter how painful those losses or separations might be. The more we fight inevitable changes, the more we stand in the way of receiving Divine blessings on the way for us.

Eclipse in Pisces - Cleansing & Renewal Before The Dawn

The culmination of the Uranus-Pluto square alone is enough to create a deep impulse to enact major changes in our lives, but these energies are inseparably woven into the energies of the eclipse. This also happens to be the only Uranus-Pluto square of the series during which neither planet was retrograde. The symbolism indicates beyond a doubt that we are ready to assimilate the lessons of the last three years and move fully into the futures we've been manifesting. 

Combine that with the energies of the Spring Equinox - a time during which the veil between worlds is thinner and we begin another cycle anew - and we find ourselves preparing to step through a powerful cosmic doorway into new worlds. But before we take that step, this eclipse calls us to deeply cleanse and release the past so we are prepared to embrace the future.

This eclipse occurs in the last degree and last minutes of Pisces, the final sign of the zodiac. This is the cosmic realm in which we let our earthly cares slip away and get lost in what we love, share compassion that knows no bounds, and "zone out" into meditative states to experience Oneness with God/Universe/Source. On the shadow side, it's where we can lose ourselves in addictions to escape our earthly problems and where we drown in feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, becoming "victims" of our own illusionary thinking. In the Pisces glyph, the fishes swim in opposite directions, showing the need for union between the physical and spiritual realms. The keys to healing past wounds is release and forgiveness, and one key to healing addiction or depression is often feeling a deep merger with Eternal Love that flows through deep spiritual experiences - prayer/meditation, the arts, and energetic healing work, to name a few possibilities. 

We're all likely to be experiencing profound endings of some kind now - maybe endings of things associated with the "old us" as we were when the Uranus-Pluto square began - and though new beginnings bring hope and excitement, there is a marked sadness in releasing the past. Allowing ourselves to feel the emotions of letting go fully and deeply within ourselves, to sort through our past and release energies and physical ties that aren't serving us serves to renew us in preparation for the dawn. 

An emotional vibe dominates as Neptune, Chiron and Mercury are all in Pisces now. Thoughts may turn to wounding and the search for healing as Mercury activates our desire to face deep hurts and discover new perspectives or courses of action that bring renewed feelings of wholeness. We're also more likely to be facing our own addictions and "ruts," too - whether it's substance use or other habits that keep us from actualizing our greatest potential - so we can take practical steps toward enjoying a more balanced life. 

Honoring Your Feelings & Manifesting At The New Moon Eclipse

You may be feeling especially emotional now, and if so, you're right in line with the celestial vibe. Withdraw and spend time alone if you can; honor yourself and allow feelings to flow. This will be a deeply cleansing and cathartic eclipse for many, so allow yourself to be present in experiencing intense emotions free of judgment. Spend time in prayer or meditation; get an energy healing session; make music; write poetry, paint, journal, or do anything else that soothes your soul. Give and receive love freely, knowing that all that occurs in the coming weeks is for the Highest Good - all really is well.

Since this eclipse is an extra-potent new moon, the time is ripe for dreaming big and exploring your heart's desires. Allow yourself to connect with intuition and listen in for Divine guidance that points the way to the fulfillment of your desires - with all the incredibly psychic Pisces energy permeating this event, there are incredible epiphanies awaiting those who open to receive! Light a candle and say a prayer, write intentions in a journal, or simply focus on your desires fully, allowing the Universe to assist you in manifesting them over the coming weeks and months. Because eclipse energies continue to work the most intensely for 1-2 weeks afterwards, allow time to process events and realizations and set your intentions when the time feels right. 

**Want to know where this eclipse is bringing powerful endings and incredible new opportunities into your life? I'm available for 1-1 astrology consultations in-person and via Skype! Email jhowell1221@gmail.com to learn more.**

© Jen Howell,  Bright Star Astrology & Healing Arts, 2015. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to this site and writer with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Today's Full Moon in Gemini highlights a complex weave of energies that can provide us with opportunities to integrate facts with belief, knowledge with philosophy, and to allow reflection and discussion to open up new avenues for healing from a higher perspective. Though the full moon occurs at 7:27 AM EST today, we've been in a period of intense build-up of these energies since midweek, and are likely to be feeling these effects until Sunday, when the moon moves into the much quieter territory of Cancer.

Themes that are surfacing now are inextricably linked to the energies of Chiron - the asteroid that represents our deepest wounds and the need for holistic healing - by way of a square between the Sun, Moon, and Mercury. Chiron is closely linked with Sagittarian themes of wisdom and teaching, creating a mutual reception between the philosophical Sagittarius sun and a Gemini moon that craves knowledge. With Chiron in the empathic waters of Pisces, we have an incredible opportunity to swim through any past or current pains that are surfacing and perceive them in profound new ways. If we allow ourselves to feel deeply into our hurts and observe realizations that rise into our consciousness without judgment, we can analyze the roots our pain and attain new levels of awareness. Though Chirotic lessons are traumatic, they offer incredible evolutionary gifts. With so much high-minded and optimistic Sagittarian energy in the mix, we can view situations from a vantage point that allows us to move beyond grief or outdated beliefs while seeing the spiritual truths these lessons have blessed us with.

More on the Gemini Full Moon...

Though the Sun-Chiron square is bringing lower energy levels for many, the Gemini moon ensures that things keep moving within and without! Heightened feelings of nervousness and anxiety are par for the course when luna moves into Gemini. This sign is ruled by Mercury, The Winged Messenger in mythology, which zooms around the sun in a mere 88 days - that's 28.9 miles per second! Those with prominent Gemini/Mercury placements in the birth chart have minds that match that speed. We all get a taste of how it feels to experience typical Gemini traits when luna ingresses here; an upswing in mental activity, phone calls from friends or networking opportunities, and an increase in short trips are heightened anytime the moon travels through this sign. But a Gemini full moon increases this energy dramatically, and many people will be experiencing the "thought tapes" on continuous rerun and much mental restlessness now. Anything that quiets and soothes the mind will be beneficial this weekend!

A refreshing splash of energies is present among the mental/physical exhaustion and emotional pangs. Mercury is trining Uranus, the planet of uncompromising individuality and lightning-quick flashes of genius. This brings the possibility for fresh ways of perceiving situations and brilliant new insights and ideas. Our ability to rise above emotional attachments and approach issues in radically different ways is also supported by Mars in Aquarius (the sign ruled by Uranus). 

There is an abundance of water energy this week with the many planets currently occupying the depths of Scorpio and the slowdown of Neptune as it prepares to station direct in Pisces this weekend. Though Neptune will continue to be in Pisces through 2026, its current change of motion is significant. When planets station - or appear to stand still in the sky from our earth-based perspective - we also feel a standstill in the areas of life those planets represent within ourselves. These periods bring those planetary issues to the forefront of our mind and emotions until the planet moves forward again, and can often coincide with a feeling of being "stuck". As Neptune moves forward, we will be able to move forward on our dreams, artistic endeavors, or all things mediumistic with greater clarity and ease. Neptune stations direct this Sunday, November 16. 

With the watery giant Neptune heading towards a standstill and an abundance of personal planets in Scorpio, our emotions are likely to be on high, and there will be no shortage of potentially intense and cathartic emotional experiences (especially for sensitive types). Tears of love, compassion, or sadness will flow for many of us, poured forth as deep sensitivity to beauty and suffering becomes more pervasive in the collective atmosphere. For some, feelings of being adrift or lost in life will be prevalent, as will feelings of helplessness/hopelessness, self-pity, or identification with victim/martyr archetypes. Of course, not everyone will experience feelings quite this dramatic, since much depends on where our personal planets lie within the horoscope. Those with natal planets in Pisces from 0-11 degrees (or those with personal planets/points at 29 degrees Aquarius), or any personal planets/points in the mutable signs of Sagittarius, Virgo, or Gemini, will be especially tuned in to these energies now. And if you're like me, with Neptune playing any key role in your birth chart (yours truly has Neptune conjunct a Sagittarian sun at 0.0 degrees!), you'll be feeling the effects prior to this station direct dramatically, too. 

Some tips for navigating your way through the tumultuous Neptunian waves of emotion:

• Allow yourself to *feel* the feelings surfacing within you; acceptance clears the way for release of emotions without judgement.
• Set aside some quiet time to be present with your feelings; cry, meditate, listen to music, schedule a healing energy session, or anything else that soothes the soul.
• Grounding to reconnect with the physical body is important after any emotional release, and the more intense and deeply cleansing the release, the more grounding you may need! Massage your feet, schedule a massage, take a walk in nature, do yoga/other physical exercise.
• Dancing or drumming are wonderful ways to make use of strong Neptunian/Piscean creative energies in ways that can be emotionally cathartic and keep you in touch with your body at the same time.
• Know that any intense feelings will begin to pass as Neptune moves direct on November 16.

Are you feeling the strong water energies now? If so, how are you moving through these changing energies? I've had a good long cry and will ground and continue my personal healing with Energy Medicine, a LaHo-Chi session/meditation, and a gentle workout later today.

This month's full moon - our final supermoon of 2014 -  is peaking in the sign of Pisces, exact at 8:39 PM EDT this evening. If you're familiar with astrological archetypes, you'll know that Pisces is the deeply emotional water sign that seeks to dissolve the perceived boundaries of the physical plane to merge on the collective unconscious level. It's no surprise, then, that many of us are feeling incredibly emotional as the moon, which symbolizes emotions and the unconscious, peaks in this highly sensitive sign of artists, dreamers, and visionaries of all kinds. 

I am no exception to feeling the effects of this heightened sensitivity. On the day to day level, I have natal Sun conjunct Neptune  - the planet that rules Pisces - at zero degrees in the sign of Sagittarius. The location of Neptune in the birth chart can indicate many things, with the presence of deep intuition, compassion/self-sacrifice, and artistic gifts being among them. My Sun-Neptune conjunction has blessed me with the gifts of spiritual insights, keen intuition, compassion, natural healing capabilities, and musical and other gifts of artistry, but it does not come without its struggles. Like all empaths, I am highly susceptible to the energies of people and environments, am easily distracted, and must filter the things I see and hear in the news as not to absorb the negativity so often shared in the media. I have slowly learned how to filter for my own good, to become less "porous" and radiate my inner light more fully with age. I am also learning how to navigate the fine line between helping those in need and sacrificing myself to "save" others in an imbalanced way, but the journey has not been an easy one. Though I am a Sagittarius sun and do possess many of that sign's core traits, I have gifts and challenges like that of a Pisces sun, and this full moon is impacting me deeply.

I took a long walk beneath the white light of the moon last night. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that, as an astrologer, it's been months - maybe even years - since I last basked in Luna's light. Those in healing and esoteric circles know that the light of the full moon cleanses and recharges gemstones and crystals, and has the same effect on living things, too. The responsibilities of life can sweep us away and take our mindfulness with it. But tonight I felt a deep sense of desire, and even excitement, at the possibility of communing with the moon. I strolled beneath a sparkling sky serenaded by September crickets, allowing my tangled and complex feelings to rise to the surface without judgement in knowing that feeling deeply - especially with the astro-atmosphere as it is now - is ok. It wasn't long before I could tangibly feel the moonbeams soothe my heart full of feelings, bringing the emotions stirred up by the supermoon gently into balance again.

This moon cycle began with a New Moon in Virgo opposing Neptune on August 25. Virgoan themes of day-to-day responsibility, attention to details, and purifying mind, body, and spirit were up for reviewing then, with the opposition of Neptune suggesting the need for deeper integration of spiritual mindfulness into daily life. Now, at the peak of this moon cycle, the essence of those themes is still at play, but is reconfiguring our point of focus. The Piscean Super Full Moon now opposes the Sun in Virgo, putting the emphasis on allowing ourselves to feel deep compassion and experience a sense of oneness with all of creation. Like those with strong Pisces influence in the horoscope, the potential struggle of this full moon will be giving in to "victim consciousness," tapping too deeply to the collective energies of suffering in our world to the point of emotional overwhelm and debilitation, and escapism through substance abuse or addictions of any kind.

An additionally strong influence is that of Chiron, the asteroid of deep wounds and holistic healing, as it meets the moon in an exact conjunction. Chiron represents the area of life in which we hold the deepest hurts and greatest sorrows, and where we have the greatest potential for healing and transformation. This month's meeting of the moon and Chiron can provide us with an opportunity to face our own hurts and transgressions with self-love and compassion to experience a greater sense of wholeness. As I was reminded of while openly receiving the healing gifts of the moon tonight, it is often through the acceptance of our feelings - no matter how intense and overwhelming they may be - and allowing them to move through us free of judgement that we can experience genuine healing. 

This supermoon is presenting us with a profound opportunity to access unconditional love that can bring more light to our corner of the world when shared openly with those around us in the spirit of compassionate service. In doing so, we are facilitating the merger of Heaven and Earth through the integration of our soul's wisdom and joy into a contradictory and sometimes painful physical experience. 

If you're feeling especially emotional, set aside some time for yourself today. This is an exceptionally good time for prayer or meditation in a soothing environment, having an energetic healing session, or doing anything that puts you in the essence of healing via spiritual means. Take a bath in sea salts or baking soda to clear your auric field, or take steps to cleanse and purify your immediate environment. Enjoy the beauty of nature; share a warm embrace with a loved one. And if you have the chance, let the light of the full moon wash over you tonight - an abundance of gentle love and healing awaits.