In the midst of a total eclipse of the sun, a black moon, and Mercury in retrograde on Monday, August 21, there is such hope, such promise.  In this blog post, I’ll discuss how these three events come together to offer you new opportunities for personal growth, and for positive change on Mother Earth.
As you probably know, an eclipse of the sun (solar eclipse) occurs when the moon travels between earth and the sun and casts a shadow on Earth.  Earth generally experiences four eclipses each year.  Solar eclipses occur during the astrological sign in which the Sun resides on the date of the eclipse, thus this eclipse occurs in the sign of Leo.  People whose sun sign or rising sign is Leo will be most affected by this eclipse (my rising sign is Leo!).  This also is true for people whose sun sign or rising sign is in Aquarius, the opposing sign to Leo.  However, all of us will feel effects in some ways, which I’ll explain in a moment.
Lore says that the effects of an eclipse are felt most strongly where the eclipse is most visible (in this case, the United States) and for the number of years that correspond to the length of time the eclipse lasts.  This eclipse will last a little more than five hours from start to finish, so we can expect to feel the effects for five years, approximately, with the most intense period being the next three years.
Effects for all of us over the next five years include:
*  ending of patterns in our lives that no longer serve us
*  opening up to a sense of a greater purpose in your life
*  a change in belief systems to something greater
*  time will seem to expand and contract with greater frequency, and you must be ready to seize opportunities that come to you seemingly out of nowhere
*  truth – your personal truth and universal truth – will become more pronounced and obvious, so that you can act accordingly.
It may take a while for the effects mentioned above to come to you, so be patient and observant.
Every 19 years eclipses repeat in exactly the same sign, degree and day as they did 19 years earlier.  Therefore, this eclipse offers you an opportunity to look back on your life as it was 19 years ago and see what lessons you did – or did not – learn.  You also may see major life events and relationships repeating themselves, and understand that you still have lessons to learn from these circumstances.
Solar eclipses always occur at the New Moon.  However, the eclipse on Monday occurs on what we call a Black Moon.  Depending on which source you consult, there are several definitions of a black moon.  Some experts call the second new moon in a given calendar month a Black Moon.  Others define it as the third of four new moons to occur in one season (between an equinox and a solstice, or between a solstice and an equinox, which is the case for this Black Moon.  This Black Moon is the third of four black moons to occur between Summer Solstice this past June and the Autumnal Equinox in coming in September.
New moons are always about new beginnings, about learning to state what we truly need, and understanding that we need to let go and trust that we will receive that which is for our highest good.  Therefore, a black moon gives us an additional opportunity to gain clarity about what we really need to manifest in our lives.
Despite the bad rap poor Mercury receives when it goes retrograde, the Roman god for whom the planet is named (Hermes in Greek mythology) offers amazing gifts to humanity.  We’d do well to remember any time, but especially now at a solar eclipse, that Mercury retrograde invites us to slow down, to really talk to each other, and to focus on healing both ourselves and the world around us.  The god Mercury often is depicted holding a caduceus, which today represents healing, and is accompanied by a cockerel, which portents a new day dawning.
I would leave you with these thoughts:
The solar eclipse, the new black moon and Mercury retrograde share a common theme – that of releasing that which no longer serves us so that there is room in our lives to build anew in kindness and in love.  It is probable that such releasing, such a strong shift in energy, may feel at best unpleasant, at worst, catastrophic, at least in the near future.  However, these three events encourage us to take stock of what really matters, and to act accordingly.  We are invited to think before we speak, and to speak kindly and peacefully.  Most of all, in such troubled times, we are offered the gift of hope.  Accept it with love.

Blessed be,

Deb

Copyright 2017 Deb Bowen.  All rights reserved.
Photo: intograpics