This week, we have the second of three eclipses in a row and the only solar eclipse among them, which is about new beginnings and, in some cases, dramatic and final endings.

The eclipse occurs on Thursday, with the Sun and Moon at 19°33′ Taurus. Mercury and Mars also are in Taurus, along with asteroid Pallas, which is conjunct the Sun and Moon by exact degree. Venus, the Bull’s ruling planet, leaves Taurus for Gemini earlier in the day, which means that Venus and Mercury will be in mutual reception. OK, that’s a head full of astro-babble, so let’s break it down.

Taurus is the most materialistic of all the signs. Of the three earth signs (the other two are Virgo and Capricorn), it is the most rock-solid, the most in the here-and-now, the most present on the plane of existence we call “reality.” People with strong Taurus in their charts often are materially successful, precisely because they place so much value on material possessions. While they have a well-deserved reputation for being slow and stubborn, they’re also patient and reliable – the kind of person you want around you in a crisis.

As I explained in the Thursday Q&A, eclipses occur when a New Moon or Full Moon falls near the lunar nodes. This eclipse falls very close to the transiting South Node at about 17 degrees Taurus, with the North Node at 17 degrees Scorpio. The South Node reminds of where we’ve been. Civilization as we know it arose during the Age of Taurus in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). It’s no coincidence that winged bulls were potent symbols during that time and often associated with the king.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence, either, that we’ve managed to bomb Iraq back into the Stone Age. When the United States invaded Iraq, I immediately had the sense that civilization “as we know it” was coming to an end. Not that it was an original thought. Many of us have realized that our societal structures aren’t sustainable, and there’s no amount of fixing, adjusting, or voting out the scoundrels that will save it. No, it’s broken beyond repair, and we’re in uncharted waters, trying to figure out what to do next.

That’s where Scorpio comes in, with its modern ruler, Pluto. Among other attributes, Scorpio breaks down what is rotten and useless. But before that can happen, there needs to be some recognition of the problem. That’s also Scorpio’s territory. With laser vision, Scorpio can see beneath the layers of “reality” to the source of the problem.

I’ve written a lot about the social upheaval manifesting from the Uranus-Pluto square, which is approaching another exact alignment on May 20. I’ve also written about how the mutual reception between Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn is working in synergy with the Uranus-Pluto square to hasten the breakdown phase to clear the way for new, sustainable structures. I haven’t written much, though, about what that new way of living and being is going to look like or how we’re going to get there. Spiritual awakening is all fine and good, and “living spiritually” is a worthy goal, but what does that mean? The fact is, on this plane of existence, we have material bodies that have material needs. Indeed, it’s precisely in meeting these needs over many millennia that we’ve managed to screw up the planet and become, in the words of cultural critic Daniel Quinn “enraged, rebellious, desperate, stressed-out borderline psychotics being torn apart by crime, hatred, and violence.”

I like Quinn’s allegories and metaphors. For example, he writes that if the plane you’re on is in trouble, you won’t save yourself by shooting the pilot. You need to strap on your parachute and jump. “Parachute” isn’t the first image that comes to my mind when I think of Taurus, but there needs to be some place to jump to, and it is the job of Taurus to create new realities. Rather than continuing to complain about how bad the current reality sucks, we need to start doing some serious hands-on building. (I know that many of you already are, and I’d like to hear from you.)

Speaking for myself, I have to say that I long ago got tired of alternative news sites that day after day sound the alarm about corrupt leaders, bailouts for bankers, injustice for whistleblowers, the rise of the police state, etcetera ad nauseam. First off, I was a reporter in Washington, D.C., in the late 80s and early 90s and saw it for myself, so this isn’t news to me. Beyond that, I wonder how much of this stuff we have to read to be “convinced.” When I read these articles, I want to scream, “OK, OK! I get it!” Are we going to just keep sharing links in the social media and clucking our tongues about those horrible awful people leading us down a path of certain destruction, or are we going to start doing something differently?

Of course, it’s legitimate to talk about it first, and that’s where I see the Mercury-Venus mutual reception coming in. Just keep in mind that Mercury and Mars conjoin on Tuesday, which is a recipe for arguments. Taurus is conflict averse, but unfortunately tends to stonewall to avoid it. Sometimes remaining silent is wise, but eventually real disagreements must be addressed. Venus in Gemini can help with that. Mercury is the planet of communication, and Taurus is, among other things, the builder of new worlds. As ruler of Taurus, Venus is about artful living. Having more, more-expensive toys doesn’t make us happier. How we communicate, how we share with each other, and how we co-create new worlds together is the message this pair brings.

I want to explore this theme more in future posts and very much would like to hear what readers think. I have clients who have left untenable jobs in the past couple of years for situations that paid less but were more gratifying in other ways. Although this has been a nationwide trend for the better part of the past decade, I sense that many of you are moving beyond that into new ways of thinking about the world and your place in it. It seems like we’re all trying to find our tribe.

On that note, I’d like to express my deepest thank you to those of you who responded to my call last week for some show of support. Although in terms of numbers, only a small percentage of readers sent donations, those who did were incredibly generous, not just with donations and report orders but with notes of encouragement. It was gratifying and yet humbling at the same time to read how many of you rely on my weekly forecast to help you make sense of the turbulent times we’re in. It’s not overly dramatic to say that the human species faces life-or-death decisions. Because we are all connected, every decision we make in our individual lives ripples out into the collective and either hastens our demise or builds the equivalent of new “neural pathways.”

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

P.S. For a cool graphic showing the path of Thursday’s eclipse, check out Wikipedia.