#solar eclipses often come paired with lunar eclipses

[artheresy]

In order to convert more of you to my Chuuya Solar Eclipse Dazai Lunar Eclipse agenda, I have decided to simplify the essay in my mind about it and give you my reasonings 😎

1. First and foremost, in many beliefs, both Solar and Lunar Eclipses have been seen as negative omens or something to fear. Whether representing godly wrath like some interpreted Solar Eclipses to be, the various interpretations of the sun or a figure representing the sun being attacked or eaten during a Solar Eclipse or the various interpretations where a similar interpretation of some kind of creature or animal attacking the Moon hence the blood red color of it. So both the Solar Eclipse and the Lunar Eclipse (or the Blood Moon) have been greatly feared and markers of impending tragedy or calamity of some kind. May I remind you all the sheer amount to which Soukoku are feared as a duo? And how formidable they are? It only stands to make sense that two astronomical phenomenons so feared could represent the two of them.

Even more interesting is the distinction between how Solar and Lunar eclipses are seen as being bad omens, with the Solar Eclipse falling in line more with wrath or godly anger sometimes towards other gods sometimes interpreted towards the people themselves while the Lunar Eclipse is more associated with a more sinister yet less fiery intent behind it and what it represents. The different ways in which they are interpreted definitely serve to match Skk fairly well I think.

2. Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse fits the intensity of Chuuya and Dazai more than comparing them to Sun and Moon ever could. Now given that these eclipses are semi-rare phenomenons, often they are seen as very impactful events whether catching the eyes of people now and building excitement at their arrival, the aforementioned fear surrounding when they’d come around, or the meanings they carry in astrology. They are seen as major times of transformation and change, the ending of eras and the beginning of new ones. This intensity serves Skk as a dynamic so well, much better than Sun and Moon especially with the Sun in dynamics described with it having a more optimistic tint to it that doesn’t really fit either one of them. Even the Moon as represented commonly in the way people describe those kinds of dynamics has a soft spoken(-ish)ness to it that once again, doesn’t really fit either of them.

3. Speaking of the meaning of eclipses in astrology, as I said, Eclipses are viewed as times of transformations and they can bring news of big life events event. It’s a major turning point in some way or another. When it comes to the difference between the kinds of turning points signified by Solar Eclipses vs Lunar Eclipses, we are brought to the difference between something beginning or some ending. Generally, Solar Eclipses are viewed as tending to bring new opportunities and marking new beginnings. Though usually positive in this aspect, a person’s chart will determine if the eclipse is something completely friendly or not. Solar eclipses can also signify relinquishing certain behaviors that stand in the way of ambitions or that contribute to a fear of being powerless and vulnerable. Overall, Solar Eclipses are meant to bring a fresh start and new chapter. If the Solar Eclipse represents the beginning, then the Lunar Eclipse is a marker of the ending. They can represent the climax of cycles (especially emotionally related ones) that have run their course or generally final endings to periods in our life rather than signifying new ones. Given the function of the moon in astrology, Lunar Eclipses tend to be rather emotionally charged.

From here, it feels like there are aspects of the Solar Eclipse where Chuuya can be seen as fitting rather well given the spark of something new and the relation that it has with fear of powerlessness and vulnerability while the Lunar Eclipse works rather fitting with Dazai as it serves a much more as a closing and ending to bring forth moving forward and the sentimental, emotional nature behind it in a way that’s more subdued in nature than its counterpart.

4. There is a similarity in the Eclipses that match them far better than the differences between the Sun and Moon could. Because fundamentally, Soukoku are very similar at their cores when you actually inspect their characters. Though they project outer images into the world of themselves that seem so different they clash and they hold differences in their ideals, they are in fact similar when you peak deep enough. Two sides of the same coin you could say. Or perhaps, two different kinds of the same astronomical event ;D

Hence, that is why both of them being eclipses, just different kinds, feels more in line with them and their dynamic than the stark clear differences between Sun and Moon.

5. If I may add more onto my points, there is something in the way Solar Eclipses are described as beautiful occurrences and yet you cannot stare straight at their beauty lest you risk permanently damaging your eyes, that feels very Chuuya. Something about it feels very much like him, and it feels equally like Dazai to imagine him as a person risking the damage, not caring about all the warnings just to see Chuuya in his true splendor. That feels very much like them.

This is like a bit of a messy ranting post so my apologies for that, but its worth it if I can convince more people to join my bandwagon of Solar Eclipse Chuuya and Lunar Eclipse Dazai >:D

[bloo-the-dragon]

out ooffff curiosity

in quite a few fics with your mer au with eclipse its frequently referenced that he has "episodes"

what happens during those episodes? is there something specific that triggers them or is it something stress induced? does ruin have any ways to help or does he try to stay out of the way until its over?

*cracks knuckles* Prepare thineself for a text wall lmao

So first of all i'm gonna give some context here- Eclipse to put it shortly has the robot equivalent of brain damage. His code is pretty messed up which affects his behaviours and other side effects. This is a result of him having been decommissioned (basically killed) when he was still 'sun and moon' and then brought back again as a mish-mash of both codes.

He was not intended to have a long work life, his expiry being estimated for about 2-3 years and this is primarily due to the fact that his specific model/ai was always intended to function with two ai - so if we look at the eclipse (solar) and lunar from my runaways au, they are a paired ai and if one was to die the other would eventually follow.

Anyways so during his worklife Eclipse's already unstable code was messed up even more due to electrocution from tasers by his owners plus his natural slow deterioration from not having a counterpart (before meeting Ruin which while saved his life, did not fix all the issues). Only reason he survived as long as he did was because he is a mix of two previously paired ai which helped extent his initial lifespan (and the fact he's a stubborn ass)

Ok context concluded i'll now answer the details:

What happens during these episodes?

Moodswings, seizures and at worst crashes. Almost always these result in some form of memory loss. The moodswings tend to be the most common and they can make him act out/say things in an various ways, most often aggressive/angry ones and he doesn't always remember them when they occur due to the memory files being corrupted.

The seizures he has tend to be the absense type though sometimes he may experience a tonic/atonic one. Unlike the crashing in which he experiences a full shutdown and reboot (which he never remembers) the seizures at most can cause soft reboots and minor memory loss.

What are the Triggers?

Stress is the primary cause, but they can happen without warning even if he is feeling fine. The frequency of these episodes in this context is thankfully not too often but usually occur at least a couple times a month.

The immediate causes though? Electricity. The sight of it and the sound of it (this can include thunderstorms but they arn't as bad unless he directly sees the lighting flash in the sky) this is due to traumas of being electrocuted. Also unexpected physical contact like being roughly grabbed or otherwise touched without warning, especially if near his neck/head. This is also related to the traumas with electricity.

How does Ruin help, if he can? Or does he stay out of the way?

Ruin helps however he can when he can! If Eclipse is having an angry moodswing, he will keep out of his way and try not to make too much noise but keeps a close eye just in case it does turn into a seizure. If it's a more depressed/sad one then he'll stay by Eclipse side offering nuzzles, preens and lots of reassurances.

If Eclipse does have a seizure (absense) Ruin will try to guide Eclipse either to the sofa or bed (or floor if nothing else) - this may not always work but Ruin will stay with him regardless, talking with him until Eclipse comes out of it again.

If its a tonic/atonic one and Eclipse collapses, Ruin would attempt to catch him or cushion his fall and would remain with Eclipse until he woke up. Basically using the same methods of talking/cheeping til he does.

[elminx]

Energy Update: March 2024

March is a "2" Universal Month [3 (March) + 8 (2024) = 11 = 1+1 =2] in an "8" Universal Year. 2-months are associated with building connections and the beginning of a path forward. They are often also associated with breakthroughs - this is very in line with the astrology of March which is highlighted by an intense once-in-a-decade conjunction between Chiron and the North Node, and the beginning of Eclipse Season.

The Set Up

We begin the month with the Sun and Mercury in Pisces, Venus Mars and Pluto in Aquarius, Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus, and Neptune in Pisces. Note here the cluster of planets from the sign of Aquarius to the sign of Taurus (with Chiron and the North Node in the otherwise unoccupied sign of Aries in the middle of this cluster). This shows that we have a lot of work, individually and as a society, to do in the areas represented by the last two (Aquarius/Pisces) and first two (Aries/Taurus) signs in the zodiac. The times are changing (Pluto just shifted signs back at the end of January) and there may be some adjustments that need to be made.

By month's end, the Sun and Mercury will have moved on into Aries, and Venus and Mars will have moved into Pisces. Note here that both Venus and Mars are lagging behind the Sun which puts relationships somewhat in the rearview mirror.

The Nitty Gritty

All eyes are on the lunar nodes which will finish off their transit of Aries and Libra at the end of this year.

For those that need a primer, the North and South Nodes of the Moon are not physical objects in the sky but rather mathematical points in which the Sun, Moon, and Earth have the potential to line up with one another to create the solar and lunar eclipses. Both of these two points carry a certain weight to them and are best likened linguistically to the idea of "fate". The North Node is considered to be forward-facing fate, that which is yet to come, and the South Node is considered to control the fate of what has already happened. They always occur as a pair with one another, each occupying one-half of opposing signs in the horoscope wheel. As our North Node (forward-facing fate) is in Aries and our South Node (past fate) is in Libra, we are all being encouraged to think more independently (Aries) and to move away from group think and other forms of codependency (Libra).

This cycle is going to be highlighted all month long and beyond as all of our personal planets enter the sign of Aries and work toward their inevitable conjunction with our North Node. This month Mercury and Chiron will conjunct the North Node, in April the Sun and Venus will conjunct the North Node, and, in May, Mars will conjunct the North Node. This is it - the time to decide. We may be forced in the months ahead to make choices to better our own lives BEFORE the choices are made for us. If you want to be in control of your own fate, the time to act and set intentions is early in March BEFORE eclipse season. Once eclipse season has arrived, all bets are off.

As I have stated many times, the first of the month tends to set the stage for the energy of the month ahead as a whole and 3/1 does not disappoint with our Sun in Pisces sextile with Jupiter in Taurus (good vibes all around there) and Venus in Aquarius sextile to both the North Node and Chiron in Aries. Note here: the North Node and Chiron will be conjunct to one another within a degree for THE ENTIRE MONTH OF MARCH - this shows that although there is a way forward, it might be a painful one. This is pretty in line with some of the relationship ick we might have left from a very poorly aligned month in February and the general feeling that Pluto, newly in Aquarius, is bringing to the table.

If Change Before You Have To is the name of the game, we've passed into the Have To part of the playoffs.

There is definitely a way forward during this time, but you absolutely will not be able to bring all of your baggage with you.

Put that shit down, if you can.

The first weekend of March may prove volatile as both Mercury and Venus play with Uranus in Taurus through a supportive sextile for the former and a tougher square for the latter. Uranian energy can feel fairly similar to lunar nodal/eclipse energy as it tends to feel larger than life and unavoidable. It carries much of the same energy as the Tower card in the tarot or the Hagalaz rune. Keep your eyes wide open and try to practice radical acceptance of what is coming up for you in your life. Keep an eye on this energy as it is going to show up big in Taurus season two months from now.

On Monday, 3/5, we experience our exact conjunction between our Asteroid Chiron and the North Node at 16° Aries. Chiron, often known as the wounded healer, tends to represent the pain point of an old wound. In Sign #1 Aries, this wound is centered around how we have all been forced to abandon our uniqueness and individuality to fit in with the pack. The North Node is highlighting the need to be who YOU really are - not who society has told you to be, not who your parents have told you to be, not who your partner would like you to be. If you have trauma around conforming - either wanting to and not being able to or being forced to when it wasn't in your nature, this is the transit to watch out for this month. The combination of North Node and Chiron energy can be extremely healing but it's going to take some work and dedication to see through the muck to the other side. It is worth the reminder here that the secret to Chiron moments in life is to lean INTO the pain rather than away from it.

The next day, Mars in Aquarius sextiles both of these two major stress points in the skies. I think that this may open up some avenues of reconciliation between couples that may be on the outs after a rough February (romance-wise). This is a cosmic reminder to let your partner be who they really are, or leave. (Quite frankly.) With such a heavy influence on the individual over the couple (Aries North Node), there's going to be a lot of impetus to just go it alone. And that's not a bad decision right now if we're being honest.

Better alone than with somebody who keeps you small, that's a lesson of the North Node in Aries FOR SURE.

The second weekend in March is even more volatile and Uranian than the first with our Sun in Pisces sextile to Uranus in Taurus and Mars in Aquarius in direct square. This is RED FLAGS weather. Any Mars-Uranus transits are and the square is by far the worst of them. Lie low, stay out of the fire, and avoid explosives of all kinds if you can. Fate is heavily in play still and Uranus never holds its punches. It's the dark of the moon, as well, which tends to make the energy deep and murky.

Our new moon is on Sunday 3/10 at 20° Pisces and carries with it the energy of 6 and 7. It is also still sitting in the Uranian energy of the day beforehand. The unpredictability of Uranian energy and the darkness of the unconscious 12th house may be on full display here so expect some immature/shadow behaviors to rise to the surface. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. In its mature form, Piscean energy can be the most selfless of the entire horoscope - tap into that if you can. Watch out for selfishness and avoidant behavior of all kinds. Though it is a wide conjunction, this will bring some of the energy of Neptune in late Pisces into play. Great for a game of role-play, but not so great for honest discussions or accountability. This energy supports divination, dream work, and spirit communication, but little else. This is also the last major lunar event before our eclipses so the most sensitive among us will already be feeling it.

The energy will shift a bit as Mercury enters Aries and Venus enters Pisces but we'll still have the same general energies in play, so it may go unnoticed amongst the angst. We're drawing close to the Spring Equinox and the start of Aries season which will include two eclipses so the energy may seem to build every day leading up to the 19th. If you are feeling the anxiety of "something about to happen", know that you are right on time.

It's going to happen in a flash. On 3/18, Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 15° Aries. On 3/19, the Sun enters Aries, and Mercury conjuncts the North Node. On 3/20, Mercury conjuncts Chiron.

Though Chiron and the North Node no longer share the same degree, they are still in close conjunction with each other and Mercury is like the cherry on top of this powerhouse stellium. If you have a relationship that you want to save - this is the time to talk it out. But - AS STATED ABOVE - you gotta be willing to let the other person be who they need to be. And vice versa. That is the bare minimum right now.

For the rest of us, words may hurt during this time, but they might also be quite cathartic. This is a hard "Go" for all of your writers out there. What comes up now isn't going anywhere, we will have to experience these degrees of Aries multiple times during Mercury's retrograde cycle as Mercury moves back and forth between 15-27° Aries thrice. This can be a boon or a bane and some of that will likely be up to your perception (Mercury) of these events. This is wildcard energy and as we enter Aries season, the lunar nodes are ready to go.

Aries is our first sign of the zodiac and it is a moving/cardinal sign ruled by Mars, the planet of action. Expect the pace to pick up faster by the day the Sun sextiles Pluto and Venus conjuncts Saturn on 3/21, and Mars enters Pisces on 3/22. Our lunar eclipse on 3/25 at 05° Libra is a neon billboard already shining in the sky. We're in the event horizon.

To understand eclipses you must accept that you will never understand eclipses. They exist in a space that appears to exist a bit out of time and create a feeling of heightened liminality to the world. This is why many astrologers explain the energy of an eclipse as opening and closing the doors of fate. Some opportunities seem to materialize out of nowhere with eclipse energy whereas other things in your life might drift permanently away. The general rule of thumb is to trust eclipse energy as the Nodes of the Moon, in the natal chart, are supposed to show us our destiny/path.

I have found that not all eclipses create drastic change in my life, but eclipses that strongly aspect my natal chart are far more likely to. I will write more about this specific eclipse energy in its own post but it is THE transit of the month, for obvious reasons.

Note here that this is a full moon (lunar) eclipse so our moon in Libra is conjunct to the South Node in Libra and opposed to the Sun and North Node in Aries. This is a release/release eclipse energy that will highly augment any magic or rituals done to let go of things and move the fuck on.

It is time. Spring has sprung. The world is reborn anew for another growing year. April will be a "3" month. "3" is the number of creation. Let's get ready.

The Details

3/1 - Sun in Pisces sextile Jupiter in Taurus, Venus in Aquarius sextile North Node in Aries/trine South Node in Libra, Venus in Aquarius sextile Chiron in Aries 3/3 - Venus in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus 3/4 - Mercury in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus 3/5 - Chiron conjunct North Node in Aries/opposed South Node in Libra 16 Aries 3/6 - Mars in Aquarius sextile North Node in Aries/trine South Node in Libra, Mars in Aquarius sextile Chiron in Aries 3/8 - Mercury conjunct Neptune 27° Pisces 3/9 - Sun in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus, Mars in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus 3/10 - New moon 20° Pisces, Mercury enters Aries 3/11 - Venus enters Pisces 3/17 - Sun conjunct Neptune 27° Pisces 3/18 - Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow 15° Aries 3/19 - Sun enters Aries, Mercury conjunct South Node in Aries/opposed South Node in Libra 3/20 - Mercury conjunct Chiron 19° Aries 3/21 - Sun in Aries sextile Pluto in Aquarius, Venus conjunct Saturn 12° Pisces 3/22 - Mars enters Pisces 3/24 - Venus in Pisces sextile Jupiter in Taurus 3/25 - Eclipsed Full Moon 05° Libra 3/28 - Venus in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus

Do you like my work? You can support me on Kofi (and get access to my astrology reports early while you're at it!)

[cosmiccannibalcamille]

YOUR 2024 Eclipse Season Survival Guide

     Mark your calendars, eclipse season is upon us. In just a few short days, 2024 Eclipse season ~officially~ begins with the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Libra on March 25 and ends with the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries on April 8. You might already be thinking, “Wait. What EVEN is Eclipse Season and why should I care?” Tbh, that’s not an easy question to answer. Because eclipses and, therefore, eclipse season is a MAJOR, loaded topic.      

     To get a little technical, eclipses occur when the luminaries—the Sun and Moon—align with the Earth in specific ways, resulting in a temporary obscuration of the Sun or Moon. Eclipses typically come in pairs—solar & lunar. Solar eclipses mark powerful beginnings and are potent for starting new chapters or projects. They often coincide with significant life events and can bring sudden changes or revelations. Lunar eclipses, on the other hand, represent endings, culminations, or turning points. They illuminate areas of our lives that need adjustment or release.

     Eclipses are potent game-changers. They often coincide with pivotal moments, both personally and collectively, and can trigger major shifts in consciousness, events, and circumstances. Eclipses can bring new people into your life, put you on a new career path, and bring an ending to a toxic relationship. They catalyze change, transformation, growth, and release. And they almost always pave the way for new beginnings and evolutionary leaps. That’s why they are feared. That is why they are so chaotic and crazy and…That is why they are MAJOR.

     That’s also precisely why I created the 2024 Eclipse Season Survival Guide. Part masterclass, part horoscope reading, the 2024 Eclipse Season Survival Guide is YOUR key to understanding, working with, and (yes) surviving this year’s ultra rocky and oh-so chaotic Aries-Libra eclipses. (And these eclipses are REALLY rocky, esp. the Solar Eclipses. Yikes.) From decoding the themes and planetary influences to understanding the unique astrology occurring at the precise moment of each 2024 eclipse, this survival guide is truly a must-have.

This Eclipse SZN Survival Guide is for YOU if:

You're feeling lost, wary, fearful, and anxious AF about the upcoming eclipses and YOU NEED someone to tell you it’ll all be fine.

You're struggling with turbulent partnerships, unresolved conflicts and excessive people-pleasing, and you don’t know why.

You're ready to embrace change with open arms and harness its transformative power.

You're feeling lost or uncertain about your path forward, and you’re seeking clarity, stability, and direction.

You want to make the most of this eclipse season.

You're tired of being at the mercy of life’s ups and downs and are ready to step into your power.

Count me in

    With every challenge comes an opportunity for growth and expansion. And I won’t lie, these eclipses are stirring up emotions, challenges, and feels for everyone. But how are you supposed to deal with these emotions? How are YOU going to cope with the chaos and craziness that eclipse season brings?

    The 2024 Eclipse Season Survival Guide provides insights tailored to YOUR sign to help you navigate these challenging dynamics with grace and understanding. (It also has in-depth audio readings for each of the Rising signs to help YOU find clarity amidst the cosmic storm.) This guide will help you seize the opportunities hidden within the chaos of the eclipses and leverage them to create positive change in your life.   

    So, instead of fearing the unknown, you can embrace change with open arms and harness its transformative power. Instead of feeling lost or uncertain about your path forward, you can gain the clarity you seek, you can find your direction, find your path, and find solace via learning. This survival guide will inspire you to lean into the winds of change and trust in the process of evolution and growth! It’s packed with insights into the themes and energies at play in your life, to help YOU discover how to align with your highest potential.

    The Aries-Libra eclipses are inviting you to step into your power and embrace your authentic self. This survival guide will empower you to stand tall in your truth, assert your boundaries, and reclaim your confidence, your passion, and your power in every area of your life. This 2024 Eclipse Season survival guide will equip you with the tools, knowledge, and mindset shifts needed to navigate the storms of life with resilience, grace, and unwavering optimism. So that you can go beyond merely surviving the chaos of the eclipses: you can thrive.

I'm SO Ready to Thrive

    I hope you seize this opportunity to take control of YOUR fate, to learn, grow, and put the worries about eclipse season to rest. More importantly, I hope you’re taking care of yourself!

Sincerely,

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

Who Let Us Have A Group Chat?

Pairings: Blood Moon/DJ Music Man, Harvest Moon/Glamrock Bonnie, Eclipse/OC (well, not anymore)

Word Count: 1,160 Words

Summary: More backups, teenager discussions, and disabilities.

Warnings: Cursing, Sick (mentioned), Drinking (mentioned only), Caps, Injury (mentioned), Neglect Mention, Abuse Mention, let me know if I should add anything else.

Notes: Sirius is good Eclipse. Charon is Good Eclipse’s Moon. Altair is Good Eclipse’s Sun.

Chapter 11: Why Are There Teenagers?

4:14am Who Took My Hat?

Moon: Why in the fuck did I just find three of your backups on my patrol? @Eclipse

Eclipse: ...wat?

Moon: Well, I've named oldest one Equinox. Lunar was awake and Bolide was visiting so they named the other two.

Eclipse: ...wat?

Lunar: I named the youngest! His name is Meridian!

Eclipse: ...wat?

Bolide: The middle one I named, his name is Solstice.

Eclipse: ...wat?

Moon: Three backups. They seem pretty harmless. Kinda adorable. Equinox finished the patrol with me.

Bolide: Solstice wanted to sleep, he was really tired.

Lunar: I forced Meridian in a bath. Your three new children are dirty as hell from being in the sewers.

Eclipse: .........

Moon: Okay, you're like half-alive, KC is probably asleep. We'll keep them for now, go back to sleep.

Eclipse: mmmk

7:45am Who Took My Hat?

Eclipse: God, it wasn't a fever dream.

Moon: You're sick again?

Eclipse: Mhm, sick.

Moon: You okay?

Eclipse: I feel like hell. Can't breathe very well but they already broke the fever again.

Moon: You get sick way too often.

Eclipse: You're telling me, the one who gets sick too often. I hate this.

Moon: Good to know. We'll keep the triplets for a few days while you get better.

Eclipse: thx

Solar Flare: Father is quite sick. He's thrown up seven times now and couldn't get a full night's sleep even before your messages at 4am.

Moon: Poor fuck.

Lunar: I'm very pleased to say I've never gotten sick.

Eclipse: This is why I hate you sometimes.

Eclipse: You fucking healthy bastard.

Eclipse: And your perfect immune system.

Eclipse: Meanwhile I suffer because mine sucks.

Lunar: At least you're not eternally equivalent to a 14 year old.

Eclipse: I'm equivalent to an 18yo don't come at me with that shit, I'm barely legal.

Lunar: At least you're legal.

Moon: Wait, wait, wait, hold on. You two are kids?

Lunar: Yes.

Eclipse: Yes? In a way?

Moon: Me and Sun are both coded as twenty five!

Kill Code: I'm still the oldest, I'm 34.

Sun: Damn, you had Eclipse at 16. Rip

Moon: Just hold the fuck up, how many of you are minors!?

Sirius: 17

Brown Dwarf: Fifteen.

Supermassive: 16

Moon: We're just chilling with five minors!?

Blood Moon: Ha, we're older than you Eclipse! We're 21!

Harvest Moon: At least I'm legal to drink, I think I need to after learning that Eclipse is our little brother.

Sun: You literally would be legal for it anyway. It's not like someone's going to go up to a murderous robot and ask them for their ID or internally coded age.

Eclipse: You make a good point and I've proven this.

Kill Code: Why are you drinking underage!?

Eclipse: I was at a fancy party!

Kill Code: Why do you go to so many fancy places!?

Eclipse: Because I can.

Sun: 👀

Eclipse: Get those eyes away, I'm only 18!

Sun: You bastard, you have perfect excuses because of your code age.

Eclipse: Exactly. I want to be away from someone, 'I'm not legal'. I want to be near someone or do adult things 'I'm a legal adult'. It's not like anyone is going to challenge that because they don't know my actual age.

Sun: Smart little fucker.

Blood Moon: You haven't seen him walk into glass doors, have you?

Sun: No, but now I can imagine it and I can't stop laughing.

Moon: Can confirm, Sun sounds like a hyena.

Eclipse: I hate all of you.

Sun: To be fair, like Brownie, I wouldn't be able to see it but I can imagine the sound just  THUNK OW

Moon: What?

Sun: Oh shit.

Moon: No, you explain yourself now!

Sun: Um...Moon, I'm half blind.

Moon: You're what?

Sun: I've always been like this, how have you not noticed?

Moon: I don't know! You're blind!?

Sun: Only half blind. I'm fully blind in the dark though. I can only really see in the daycare, the lights are that bright for a reason. I have a hard time seeing anywhere else. I thought you knew this.

Moon: Obviously not, Sunny, you have to tell me these things! I'm oblivious as fuck, Sun, you have to tell me or I won't realize it!

Sun: I thought you knew!

Moon: Is this why you hit into things or stay in place when the lights go out?

Sun: I plead the fifth.

Moon: You can't plead the fifth on a disability, Sunrise!

Sun: Moon, I didn't want to scare you! I thought it was better not to mention it since I thought you knew and disregarded it!

Moon: I would never disregard something like this!

Brown Dwarf: Blind besties?

Sun: Yes, Brownie, blind besties.

Sirius: Can I also be a blind bestie? My left eye is screwed up now.

Lunar: God, what did you do now?

Sirius: So I was fixing something with Chary looking after the daycare

Sirius: And I was working with my wrench close to my face

Sirius: And a kid came and jumped on what I was working on and it fell on me

Sirius: I shattered my left eye with my wrench. Just the outer layer but it hurts to be uncovered now.

Sun: Temporarily blind bestie.

Brown Dwarf: Rip Sirius, lost his left eye being a good mechanic.

Sirius: I have replacements, but we have it covered for now so I can help Charon with the daycare.

Eclipse: Do I have to steal you and fix it since Charon is disregarding your injuries again? We aren't having a repeat of the broken arm incident again.

Kill Code: Elbow joint? What? Again?

Eclipse: Siri got his arm stuck in the compactor trying to save one of his favorite bunny plushies that his bastard Monty threw in there and it crushed his arm. Charon was so busy with Altair he ignored it for a week before Sirius jumped dimensions and I noticed his arm and fixed it.

Kill Code: Is the child's bunny okay? Is he okay?

Sirius: No, Millie got crushed but I'm okay now. Clipse fixed me. But fine, I'll visit for the eye, I'll bring the replacement with me.

Eclipse: You better!

Sirius: Yes, Dr. Eclipse.

Eclipse: The fuck? I'm not the healer, Lunar's the mage.

Kill Code: I'm so lost.

Lunar: Dungeons and dragons. Me, Clipsey, Siri, Puppet, and a couple others are in a DnD group. I'm the mage but I don't have healing spells. Eclipse, our rogue, has every single healing spell.

Moon: Makes sense.

Eclipse: I am not your local doctor! I'm the sickest fucker here!

Moon: You're right, you're sick. Sirius, I'll replace your eye, then you can go visit Eclipse if you want to see him still.

Sirius: Thanks, just gotta sneak away before Char notices. I think Al should boot his performance programming soon anyway so I can sneak out then, since he's always distracted whenever the performance programming takes over.

[h-didanart]

i need more informations about that sunrise arc theatre

(there's the word theatre so I'm approving it)

Sunrise Arc Theatre info tid bits coming right up!

There’s a lot of workers at the theatre, they like to place bets on how well received performances will be, they also just generally like to share stuff that has happened on rehearsals, like if someone keeps switching their lines up or they somehow keep pulling off a difficult step or if they made a really good joke and so

Both major plays share exactly one song that’s placed in basically the same spot, “Under Our Spell” for the first Takeover in both plays. Both pairs have their own choreographies, personally I like Clipsy and LE//Haunting’s the most, they synchronize for the choruses in a really fun way (sadly I have not drawn it so you cannot see what I see, but I swear it’s a very cool choreo, I want to animate it someday)

Moon is actually disabled, it wasn’t too much of an issue for some time but performing so much without looking after himself kinda led to him fucking up his joints a bit. This has changed his choreographies quite a bit, he needs to sit down often and sometimes his joints just get stuck. This led to the fans interpreting Moon’s near death at the separation with KillCode as having caused his issues

I think I’ve already said this but it’s worth repeating, the Stellar siblings are a chaotic bunch, they have healthy relationships and often look after the other actors during their breaks backstage

Hunter was supposed to sing a different song than the one he sang during the Second Takeover, but not only was the range too high for him, the song was deemed too long for a relatively short plot point, and thus he ended up singing “Someone Gets Hurt Reprise” a bit later than he was scheduled to sing originally

Sunset and Moonlight are fans of Sun and Moon

Lunar and Clipsy (swap Eclipse) are siblings, the Eclipses (Queso and Stars) are Haunting and Shadow’s (the swap Lunars) siblings.

Eclair and Ruin are twins

One of the songs for “The Sunset and Moonlight Musical” is there purely because of a joke I will make about a plot point during the first Takeover. The song is “Guns and Ships”

KC is small. The choreography team had to get creative when it came to KillCode’s appearances, there’s a lot of mirrors at play whenever he appears and the stage’s lights are kept dim to hide KC running around everywhere

Sun, Eclair, and Moonlight are friends, they like to go out for coffee and chat about their lives a few times a month

The workers sometimes throw together short-notice plays where they’ll be the ones acting and singing while the actors drop by to watch them. They aren’t very flashy, mostly just groups of friends making do with what’s available and having fun

Aaand I cannot think of more stuff at the moment, I hope this sufficed but feel free to poke for more at any point in time!

Now you get doodles :3

The friend group referenced above, Sun, Eclair, and Moonlight!

Notes on quick changes, these ones specific to the song “Better Way to be Bad” in “Get in Losers, Musical Edition”, characters included being Quasar (Lord Eclipse), Blue Moon (Evil Lunar), and Nightingale (Solar’s Moon)

Moonlight. I want you to guess which song he’s singing.

Hint: I’m taking inspiration from canon Nexus for his breakdown

Moon messing around with a ukelele they need for a scene later

The process of picking a name for the au and the different Celestial models!

And just for you! The scene that precedes one of Umbra’s songs in “The Sunset and Moonlight Musical”, dress rehearsal

[scarletsaphire]

Daytime Stargazing: Dannymay 2023 Day 6

Danny is very excited to watch the solar eclipse with his friends.

Danny was excited. He had been for the past couple of weeks, ever since he had seen the predictions: there was a solar eclipse happening today, one that would be visible from Amity Park. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and Danny could not wait. He had spent the past two weeks finding every member of his rogue’s gallery that he could and telling them that if they even thought about attacking Amity during the solar eclipse he would be leaving them in the thermos until the next one Danny got to see. If he ever got to see one. All of the ghosts agreed; they knew better than to get between a ghost and their Obsession.

The solar eclipse was set to happen at 1:35 PM on Tuesday. Danny had convinced (read: begged) Sam to help him petition the school to let all the students out to watch it for the 4-ish minutes it would last. In the end, they didn’t actually need to do anything; the school was already planning to let all students (who had proper eyewear!) out to watch the historical event.

Danny had barely been able to sleep that night, checking to make sure he had done everything he needed to to prepare. He had read up on eclipses, both lunar and solar, though he didn’t really need to. Most of the information was things that he already knew, but he read through all of the new articles that had been posted in light of the eclipse prediction. He had found three separate pairs of sunglasses to bring with him to school, in case he or his friends forgot their pair. He spent a solid hour circling between checking to make sure he had placed all of them in his backpack along with everything else he would need, and running through a mental list of any ghosts he may have forgotten to warn. He couldn’t think of any. Just to be safe, he snuck down to the labs and left a note on the inside of the portal door that simply read “Fuck off until tomorrow. -Phantom”

He was out of the house and at the school before his parents would have even been awake; he had preparations to make. The school's plan for the eclipse was to have all students with proper eyewear and interest gather in the cafeteria 30 minutes before the eclipse was scheduled to start. Then, they would let students out by grade, starting with the oldest and making their way down to the youngest, until everyone was gathered in the school yard. It wasn’t a bad plan, inherently, and was probably good enough for the couple hundred students that would be participating, but standing in a crowd, at ground level, forced to watch what some consider the biggest astronomical event the human eye could see through sunglasses? Danny could do much, much better.

Danny flew to the roof of Casper High, maintaining his invisibility even after he landed. It was uncommon for someone who couldn’t fly to end up on the roof, but there was a staircase. It was old and dilapidated and tucked into a back corner that Danny would never have known about if he hadn’t walked down it, but that didn’t mean that no one knew about it. Better safe than sorry.

Danny unloaded his bag into a messy pile a few feet from the ledge of the roof. It was noticeably cleaner than the rest of the roof, which was covered in dust and dirt and debris, partially from having been untouched for who knows how long and partially from the remnants of ghost fights. This small area had been cleared off by Tucker, Sam and him. They didn’t come up here super often, since Sam and Tucker couldn’t get there without him, but it was useful to have a place for all of them to get their stories straight and bandage any wounds they may have received before returning to their classes. Today it would serve a much nicer purpose.

Danny straightened out a fluffy blanket that had been sitting in the back of his closet collecting dust for the past year and a half. It was worn in some places, and there was a large purple stain that obscured part of the NASA logo. Danny secured the edges of the blanket down with other items he had dumped from his backpack; a camera, a bag of sandwiches (only ultra-recyclo vegetables on Sam’s and every meat the place had on Tucker’s, with his own being brought from home. He didn’t want to feed either of his friends the vaguely growing bologna that his parents had brought home, but it tasted fine to Danny.), and a couple bottles of water. He set two of the pairs of sunglasses he had taken from home on the blanket as well. Before laying down on the blanket and looking into the sky.

It was still early. Not quite early enough for the sky to still be dark, but early enough that the sky was still a muted blue, with traces of orange only starting to peak from the horizon. He would have preferred the stars, of course, but the sunrise was still beautiful. He watched it until he had to sneak down and get to class.

The day crawled by, every second seeming to take an eternity. He didn’t know how Mr. Lancer could go on talking about the Scarlet Letter when there was only- Danny glanced at the clock on the wall- 4 hours and 17 minutes until the solar eclipse. He slumped further into his seat. It felt like he had been waiting for this eclipse to start for hours already, and it was still over half the school day away. He suppressed a groan, leaning his head onto the desk in front of him. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep, not with how excited he was even with Mr. Lancer’s droning in the background, but he could at least pretend. He closed his eyes and let the monotonous sound of lessons from a boring book older than he was wash over him. He forced himself to not count in his head and keep track of how long had passed since he closed his eyes, but it felt like it had been at least 20 minutes. He opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. 4 hours and 10 minutes until the eclipse. This time Danny did groan. Luckily, Mr. Lancer didn’t hear him.

The classes he shared with Sam or Tucker passed faster, mostly because they let him talk quietly about stars and eclipses and their causes and what they meant, both in modern science and in certain ancient cultures. They had heard all of it multiple times in the past few weeks, but as long as he whispered and the teachers didn’t notice, they listened again, making all the right noises in the right places. Danny was grateful for that. They were such good friends.

Eventually, it was almost lunch time, and an announcement came over the intercom, explaining how the proceedings for the eclipse viewing were to go. Before lunch, everyone would grab their protective eyewear, with certain teachers giving out spares if you forgot yours. After lunch as normal, they would split into groups by grade, and teacher volunteers would escort everyone out. Danny grinned widely at Sam and Tucker, who gave him an excited, albeit less so than Danny’s, smile.

Lunch was fine. Nothing came to life to try and attack Danny, the Lunch Lady, who he had visited before the eclipse and shared a nice picnic lunch with her in exchange for her not coming today, made no appearances, and Sam and Tucker’s bickering over vegetables and meat was entirely friendly. The groups started to form as more and more people started to finish lunch, and a teacher Danny didn’t know by name announced that everyone was to start lining up for the walk outside. Danny grabbed both of his friends by the arm and dragged them to the line, practically vibrating with excitement. The student body began the slow walk outside of the cafeteria, with the teacher at the door taking names and checking eyewear. The three of them flashed their sunglasses, before continuing out the door and promptly vanishing as Danny turned them all invisible. It was, perhaps, not the most inconspicuous use of his powers, but there was a wall in the way of the people behind him, and a large crowd in front, so who would assume the three of them didn’t just disappear into the crowd instead of disappear entirely?

Danny flew through the school to the rooftop, carrying both Tucker and Sam in his arms before dumping them onto the blanket he had prepared that morning. He let the invisibility fall as he too settled onto the blanket. “Did you prepare all this for little old us?” Tucker said. “Oh, such a gentleman.” He batted his eyes in an exaggerated, teasing manner.

“You’re the only one here who can be described as little and old,” Sam retorted, putting her sunglasses back into her bag and grabbing the ones Danny had laid out.

“I am a whole inch shorter than you!” Tucker protested, grabbing his set. “But yes, I am older. Respect your elders.” He nudged her with his shoulder, just enough for her to feel it. Sam shoved him back significantly harder, and Tucker fell to his side. “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” While Tucker was laying on the ground, whining about kids these days, Sam slipped on her set of sunglasses, and gaped. “Wow, these are weird.” The sunglasses had been made by the Fentons originally to filter out ectobased visual stimuli to help explore the Ghost Zone. Then they realized that all visual stimuli in the ghost zone would be ectobased, and that it was a stupid idea, and they abandoned the project. Danny had taken it over (with some help, of course) and had managed to make it so that they would filter out harmful radiation while keeping the visuals largely the same. It had been one of the things Danny had done to keep busy while waiting for the eclipse.

Danny heard the crowd of people at the front of the school down below. It was largely just idle chatter, a lot of it focusing on how nice it was to get a couple minutes out of class. He bit his lip. This was a huge moment, one that most of the people here would never be able to witness again in their life, and all they could think about was missing a bit of class?

The sky began to darken, and Danny forced his mind to go quiet. His eyes didn’t need protection; they may be more sensitive than a human’s, but they were more resilient too. He watched in awed silence as the sky continued to darken around him. He could see stars. They were much fainter than they were at night, and he was almost certain he wouldn’t be able to see them if he wasn’t a halfa. He might not even have been able to see them if he didn’t have an astronomy based obsession. But he could see them, faint in the distance, and it was the most wonderful thing he’d ever seen. Screw ghosts and alternate dimensions, this was magical.

Slowly, the sky began to brighten again around him, and the stars faded back into the clear blue sky, the sun returning to its blinding brilliance. Danny realized he had been floating above the blanket, Tucker’s hand wrapped around his wrist to keep him tethered. He fell to the ground quickly, a ghostly green blush rushing over his cheeks. “Sorry,” he said with a nervous laugh.

“No problem,” Tucker said, returning the laugh. “It’s what I’m here for, since Sam was busy with the camera.” Danny whirled on her so quickly she jumped slightly, before all three of them started laughing again.

“Here,” she scooched so that she was sitting in between Danny and Tucker, pulling up the pictures she had taken. Most of them were focused on the eclipse itself. Danny was disappointed that he couldn’t see the miniscule pinpricks of light he had seen, but he wasn’t surprised. That was, until they got to the last picture. The only one that involved him. Sam had somehow managed to get him centered on the sun, and surrounding where Danny floated in the picture were the stars he had seen. The further away from him, the less bright they were, the less clear, but they were still there. He took the camera out of Sam’s hands and peered down at it.

“I don’t know what caused it,” Sam said. “But it…well, its cheesy and gross but it looked like you were highlighting them, somehow.”

Tucker nodded. “Sam’s right. It was cheesy and gross.”

Sam, once again, shoved Tucker. The moment of the eclipse was over. Teachers were leading students back inside. Soon, the three of them would have to return to different classes of boring lessons that Danny only half understood. It didn’t matter. This had been a very good day.

[ankrisa]

Loving the moon because it's the best moon: YES

The sun is a star, the earth is a planet, but only the moon, our moon is so moonly that it gets to be THE moon. How often do you come across a representative of a category that is so prototypical that it every other member is named after it Then there's the fact that lunar and solar symbolism are paired. The moon's vibes are so significant that we pair it with the FUCKING SUN, an object that's millions of times larger, the literal star and lifeblood of the solar system. And yet the moon feels as significant in our culture. Because it's the best moon. Total Solar eclipses? no other planets in our system gets them, and it's all thanks to our moon being the right size and perfect distance.

Tides? the moon is a stronger contributor than the sun.

SEASONS? The axial tilt of the earth is stabilized by the moon, without it we'd have significantly more chaotic and erratic weather.

Now don't get me wrong, objectively, the sun is more significant, but my point here is that our moon is punching WELL above it's weight class (literally even) and for that alone it deserves to be the best moon

Loving the moon because it's romantic: No

Loving the moon because it's actually beautiful: Yes

Loving the moon cause werewolves: You're alright in my book

[astronomyforastrologers]

Last Minute Details ~ 12 Apr 2024

Last Minute Details ~ 12 Apr 2024, Philip Sedgwick             

Last minute details for what? But of course the Jupiter to Uranus conjunction in Taurus. In order to make the transit what it optimally intends to be, trigger mechanisms require gainful engagement, both before and after the conjunction.

Before we get into the planetary set up for the highly touted conjunction, a brief note. Transits that are highly anticipated are often disappointing. It’s not like God (for those claiming monotheism), or the gods (for those of polytheistic persuasion) snap(s) their fingers and poof, a magical life is bestowed upon any given mortal. Mortals must work at this getting the most of any transit thing. Propitiation frequently serves ones purposes. As does introspection combined with frequent reassessment of ones place in the Universe and what one intends to do for betterment. Like all of what happened to us all during this past week.

Kicked off by Monday’s fabulous solar eclipse in Aries conjunct Chiron (square Ceres in Capricorn, no less), the Universe is impossible to ignore. Media coverage, groovy pictures and wow-struck onlookers filled not only media footage, but social media posts, too. The agenda: seek to heal whatever psychic wounds remain, scrub up the consciousness, then wrap around the concept of putting your desires and needs as your primary objective with every step taken in life. With Ceres in quadrature, the goal slants to advancing ones distinct causes in life no matter what, infused with positivism, inspiration and respect for Creation, as if having had recently witnessed a total solar eclipse.

Tuesday’s Mercury retrograde conjunction to Eris in Aries kicked self referential themes down the road. Any feelings of personal isolation, being ignored, rejected etc. are replaced by the affirmation that one has the right to stand where they do, pursuing objectives that fulfill the best plot for their incarnation in progress. Period.

Wednesday’s Mars-Saturn conjunction in Pisces sought to shake out feelings that either could not be identified or expressed given the demands of life. No matter what, the planetary pairing sought to inspire individuals to dig deep and access any emotion requiring expression. Compassion, sensitivity and empathy result as natural byproducts.

Thursday’s Mercury retrograde conjunction with the Sun in Aries marked the midpoint of Mercury’s current retrograde interval. The alignment between the Earth, Sun and Mercury intended to sort out real-world priorities, set the stage for articulating all personal objectives to oneself, the Divine, then those with whom one seeks an audience and participation.

Saturday’s Sun to Eris conjunction in Aries heaps on more of the need for self-affirmation and the recognition that one carries much to pour into the cornucopia of life. Individuals defining personal merit and conscious, cooperative participation tend to be included and contribute to the fold. This is a great time to do all of that.

On 17 April Venus conjoins the north lunar node in Aries. The objective is to clearly identify the value of ones skills, talents, attributes and whatever has been accumulated in ones arsenal from activities accomplished in life. Taking time to value all personal commodities contributes to a fuller sense of self and this, added to ones consciousness, radically increases ones receptivity to the good things that intend to come ones way from life. Be grateful, receive, absorb the good... do more of the good stuff you know you are destined to do.

It’s post tax time in the U.S. of A. when the 19 April Venus conjunct Mercury retrograde in Aries influence is more clearly realized. It’s time to figure out either how to spend that juicy tax return or recover from the payment of taxes. More to the core, it’s all about continuing to affirm, without bombasticness, what one can offer to any other person and offering up ones best without insistence, but merely a statement of: “I can assist. If you want that, please reach back.”

Depending upon where one stands upon planet Earth, the Jupiter to Uranus conjunction in Taurus, sets up shop 20 to 21 April. All the traditional rhetoric of unexpected opportunities, grand awakening, the whimsical fates and muses bestowing gifts on mortals with perspiration on their brow from effort fully apply. This is a big deal... and the conjunction trines Ceres in Capricorn. Ceres poses a couple questions and if one replies with a proper answer, there’s cosmic endorsement of personal objectives.

What if one does not see an immediate filling of the coffers, unprecedented success or suddenly stand in the middle of the aura of achieving overnight sensation status? And then?? How does one report to those in ones life who are not so much fans of astrology that this conjunction happened and things are more or less like they were a couple days ago; greatness was not instantly achieved? Say Ceres, “One reports nothing. One simply endures and persists.”

Figure that a huge dollop of cosmic grease was applied to the gears of an electrical switch box. Now when flowing current (enduring personal effort) provides stimulation to the circuitry, following the buzz of the building charge, movement occurs. Simply because a transit happened, life is not all easy, groovy and miraculously perfect. An ongoing application of energy and effort applied with the best consciousness possible is required to ensure that brilliant moment of opening continues to support the best efforts and best laid plans of mice and all people of all pronouns.

On 21 April, the Sun in Taurus squares Pluto in Aquarius. Concurrently, Venus conjoins Chiron in Aries. First, make sure recent healing sticks. The solar square to Pluto may drop a pothole on the path. Affirm and reaffirm that you have done all work required to clear your baggage, relieve undesirable reactions and present yourself with best intentions. Pluto clearly favors those committed to best intentions. There’s a reason the road to hell is paved with same. It is so a person and Pluto can have a chat to make sure that goals and objectives pursued actually serve the soul if accomplished. If so, then clearly continue with the distinctive knowing that doing the good you’re doing for yourself organically benefits everyone in your life and fans out to include people you may never come to meet. If not, chat with Pluto for a spell... literally and figuratively.

A few days later, on 24 April, Venus aligns with Eris in Aries. Mercury pulls into the station, apparently halting, then resuming direct motion all while, more or less conjunct the north lunar node. Bear in mind any planet’s retrogradation is the perception of ones view of the rest of the solar system from planet Earth assuming the home planet to be stationary. Retrogrades would be perceived on Venus or Mars or any other body, however, in reality no planet reverses tracks. This suggests that the reactions of others to ones value and offering may be relative. From where another stands your value may not be yet perceived. Regardless, you must realize and savor personal attributes and offer them, with an unflinching reaction to the time it may take others to recognize what you present... and why you present those attributes. This is a perfect time to resolve suspicion, doubt and questioning of your motives.

Relative to where you stand on Earth, on 29 - 30 April Mars enters Aries. This is great. For about six weeks, here’s Mars doing the Martian thing from his natural sign turf. Surprisingly, with sensitivity to cause and effect reactions to ones efforts, aggression eases back into agreeable assertion. Stating to others, “This is what I do,” without the expectation that others immediately do it the same way or immediately join in, goes a long way. As the adages go, “Daylight’s burning... make hay while the Sun shines.”

Come 30 April, Venus, now in Taurus, squares Pluto in Aquarius. Clarify all fiscal things. Why do you charge what you do for what you do? Do you believe you deserve it? How much money do you need? Do you have a greed-immune budget? What would you do if you had more money than you actually need? Watch the news here. All the newsworthy things about business, the stock market, trillionaires, and your reaction to those worldly factors offer up great insight. Given Pluto in Aquarius, it is worth noting what AI is doing for the promulgation of cyber-currency. Is that really a solid thing? Totally bankable? It’s what you conclude and do that counts.

About a week following, on 06 May, Mercury conjoins Chiron in Aries. Given the ramped up Taurus energy around, it would be easy to imagine that when one says, “You need to get well,” that the other person implies economically. Actually, this means get yourself “fit as a fiddle” so you can bow your instrument until those Taurean bulls are inclined to come home. Give yourself a few days before declaring what tasks you imagine as Herculean and yet inevitable for you to assume.

11 May marks a huge day in the getting what good Jupiter and Uranus hinted was available. Mercury matches degrees with Eris in Aries. This is a call back to 11 April when Mercury retrograded over Eris. What did you declare then? Reaffirm the same aspects of your attributive nature, however, with clearer belief based upon recent goings on. On this day the Sun crosses the degree of the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction. Impeccable conscious attention can be applied in the review of what the conjunction was supposed to bring your way. This is a goal reset. Tick off on your to-do list any completed tasks howsoever small they appear. Rewrite your objectives and get ready to do even more.

The next day, 12 May, the Sun meets up with Uranus. Be cheerful. Eliminate any grumbling or crankiness. Shift any part of your psyche inconsistent with being the bright light you claim to be.

But a few days following, on 16 May, Venus crosses the degree of Jupiter to Uranus. Mercury in Taurus squares Pluto in Aquarius. Okay, naturally you’re engaged in everything you’re engaged in because you want more money and you have the thing that should generate it. Leave that out. Lead with what the thing you offer to the world can do to make everyone else more comfortable. Assign practicality and usefulness to what you do. This asserts the undeniable value of your services and offered commodities. Others assume you’re in this to make money... and that’s why you charge what you do. Allow others time to wrap around the cost versus worth axis, thus perceiving all your merit.

It takes virtually no time for the cost versus worth thing to sort out. On 17 May, Venus aligns with Uranus and the Sun meets up with Jupiter. All this in Taurus. Here you go. While a month ago Jupiter and Uranus teased the consciousness of the world with gain and attribution, this is the interval when the deal becomes clearly perceivable... and there’s yet more to be done to extract maximum benefit.

Take the morning of 19 May to honor Mars to north node in Aries. Reset everything about you. Recite your personal affirmations while transacting the most mundane of tasks, from making a cuppa, to taking shower, to driving to where you intend to go in the afternoon and evening to engage with everything you’ve promised the world (and the deity above) you intend to engage.

Next up, on 22 May, Venus embraces Jupiter in Taurus. Regardless of your state of capitalization, savor the good things of life. Make a point to bask in the tasteful and tasty, enjoy affordable luxury, and savor everything magnificent that graces your life... like quality people, awesome locations, things of great value and importance.

On 25 May, Jupiter graces Gemini with his magnificence and conjoins Sedna while doing so, soon to trine Pluto in Aquarius. This is a whole different style of enchilada and will be saved for the next SkyScraping.

But a few days later, come 29 May, Mars conjoins Chiron in Aries while Mercury reaches the degree of the Jupiter-Uranus union. A preventive physical checkup is a great idea. Get blood work. Buy a blood pressure monitoring device. Check out that nagging whatever you’ve been noting about the physical being. If you’ve been complaining, seeing the right person to define what’s up with your bodkin is hugely important. Why? Because with Mercury to the degree of the Jupiter to Uranus conjunction, imagining doing what you’re doing for what feels like forever! It takes a huge amount of energy and total well-being.

Then on 30 May, with Mercury to Uranus in Taurus you can throw your shoulders back, adjust your neck, clear your throat and with confidence declare what is next on your slate.

June kicks off with Mars conjunct Eris in Aries. Intrinsically, this is good. Eris and Mars share similar reactive instincts. Care must be taken for the correct presentation for the palate of all others out there in the world. It’s fine to be seen as a maverick or unconventional innovator. It is also appropriate to stop short of the reputation as disrupting, revolutionary or being a pure chaos creator. Expect to reassess your punch in life. Bear in mind that checking your views on social media is not a clear indication of favor or accomplishment. Ensure that any social media posts reflect only verifiable and measurable deeds done well.

So as 3 June rolls around, Mercury says to Jupiter in Gemini, “So, big guy, are we there yet?” Jupiter, off a massive eye roll, retorts, “What have we learned since Uranus and I put on the exposition? Do you need to upgrade, enhance, improve, and dare I ask, correct anything done during last number of weeks?” If Mercury can’t think of anything, Jupiter will dispatch the trickster on a task or two in which the joke of it all comes back for realization by the loquacious one. It is time to assess irony. It is time to consider paradox. It is time to ensure that words and actions perfectly align with ones declared consciousness. Conduct an internal contradiction check. If adjustments are needed, gracefully and enthusiastically meet the need.

On 08 July, Mars advances to the degree of Jupiter and Uranus conclave in Taurus. Now, a claim can be staked. While this could look like receiving copyright or trademark paperwork from issuing authorities, it is more time to review everything that has happened since 20 April. What a wild path it has likely been. What unusual twists and turns yielded this new methodology to apply or that. Pause as Mars transacts 21 Taurus 49. Are you receiving what you need from life? Is more required? Is that more an indication that more effort is required of you in terms of output, or that your life-acceptance skills require polishing? Take a day or two around 5 July as the Earth steps back from the Sun as far as it does. The Earth’s aphelion naturally represents a needed retreat in the interest of “what in the world am I doing with this year?” This pause and associated realizations can be duly applied with Mars as he crosses the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction degree. Here one can declare, “The wheels of progress are turning. In fact, the path to fulfilling the promise of the gaseous giant merger of April is currently well-traveled and soon to reap huge rewards... for all.

Whew! That’s a bucket load of planetary stuff. More soon.

One Stop Shopping Order Form Astrological Textso

Meteoric the Movie on Vimeo ZAP! on Vimeo

[just--space]

Eclipse on the Water : Eclipses tend to come in pairs. Twice a year, during an eclipse season that lasts about 34 days, Sun, Moon, and Earth can nearly align. Then the full and new phases of the Moon separated by just over 14 days create a lunar and a solar eclipse. Often partial eclipses are part of any eclipse season. But sometimes the alignment at both new moon and full moon phases during a single eclipse season is close enough to produce a pair of both total (or a total and an annular) lunar and solar eclipses. For this eclipse season, the New Moon following the Full Moon's total lunar eclipse on May 26 did produce an annular solar eclipse along its northerly shadow track. That eclipse is seen here in a partially eclipsed sunrise on June 10, photographed from a fishing pier in Stratford, Connecticut in the northeastern US. via NASA

[apod]

2021 June 12

Eclipse on the Water Image Credit & Copyright: Elliot Severn

Explanation: Eclipses tend to come in pairs. Twice a year, during an eclipse season that lasts about 34 days, Sun, Moon, and Earth can nearly align. Then the full and new phases of the Moon separated by just over 14 days create a lunar and a solar eclipse. Often partial eclipses are part of any eclipse season. But sometimes the alignment at both new moon and full moon phases during a single eclipse season is close enough to produce a pair of both total (or a total and an annular) lunar and solar eclipses. For this eclipse season, the New Moon following the Full Moon's total lunar eclipse on May 26 did produce an annular solar eclipse along its northerly shadow track. That eclipse is seen here in a partially eclipsed sunrise on June 10, photographed from a fishing pier in Stratford, Connecticut in the northeastern US.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210612.html

[captainpotassium]

Eclipse on the Water via NASA https://ift.tt/3pJIr8O

Eclipses tend to come in pairs. Twice a year, during an eclipse season that lasts about 34 days, Sun, Moon, and Earth can nearly align. Then the full and new phases of the Moon separated by just over 14 days create a lunar and a solar eclipse. Often partial eclipses are part of any eclipse season. But sometimes the alignment at both new moon and full moon phases during a single eclipse season is close enough to produce a pair of both total (or a total and an annular) lunar and solar eclipses. For this eclipse season, the New Moon following the Full Moon's total lunar eclipse on May 26 did produce an annular solar eclipse along its northerly shadow track. That eclipse is seen here in a partially eclipsed sunrise on June 10, photographed from a fishing pier in Stratford, Connecticut in the northeastern US.

(Published June 12, 2021)

[stefany]

Eclipse on the Water Eclipses tend to come in pairs. Twice a year, during an eclipse season that lasts about 34 days, Sun, Moon, and Earth can nearly align. Then the full and new phases of the Moon separated by just over 14 days create a lunar and a solar eclipse. Often partial eclipses are part of any eclipse season. But sometimes the alignment at both new moon and full moon phases during a single eclipse season is close enough to produce a pair of both total (or a total and an annular) lunar and solar eclipses. For this eclipse season, the New Moon following the Full Moon's total lunar eclipse on May 26 did produce an annular solar eclipse along its northerly shadow track. That eclipse is seen here in a partially eclipsed sunrise on June 10, photographed from a fishing pier in Stratford, Connecticut in the northeastern US. June 12, 2021 via Space https://ift.tt/3pJIr8O

[aquilaofarkham]

title: blood moon risen rating: general summary: During a night of insomnia, a young Alucard wanders throughout the castle before learning about the lunar eclipse—or the blood moon—from his mother and father. As an adult, he experiences a similar bout of restlessness and tries to look back on his memories with fondness.

AO3

--

“You don’t have to be afraid—this is your home. It will never harm you.”

The castle doesn’t frighten the boy, not even as he lies in darkness as the distant sound of skittering and fluttering bat wings surround him. His bright eyes are wide open; tiny hands grip the hem of his bed quilt. Shadows slink from wall to wall. It’s been a year since Adrian was given his own bedroom. During those first months, he yearned for the warmth and presence of a loved one sleeping nearby. There was the probability of nightmares plaguing his sleepless nights. Or worse, rogue creatures waiting to snatch him out of his bed. But just as his mother so kindly reminded him, Adrian knows there is nothing to fear.

Still, something keeps the dhampir awake and alert. Bedtime is always hard for a boy of his particular nature. How does someone who belongs to both the day and the night find time for sleep? He wants to be there when the castle comes alive, when its magic and other inhuman inhabitants no longer have to hide from the sun. His mother loves the sun and it loves her in return; the hair she gave to her child shines in its rays like honeyed silk. She also loves a man who scorns the daylight yet adores his sun touched wife.

Adrian is young. There’s still enough time to find that balance so perfectly achieved by his parents. For now, his mother would rather have him asleep and ready for the next day. He closes his eyes only to wait five minutes before they open on their own. He finds little, inconsequential things to pick apart—the blanket is too hot, the room is too cold, the pillow too hard, the bed frame too creaky. Thoughts that anyone would be bothered by but seem far more monumental to a five-year-old who cannot sleep.

A small frustrated whine escapes, about as loud as a mouse’s squeak. The next thought that begins to perturb Adrian is his empty stomach. It’s a long trek down to the kitchen—it’s a long trek walking anywhere within the castle. Too many diverging paths, secret doorways that appear on their own, and things that always appear different when one looks away before turning back. But he’ll have no hope of getting anywhere if he stays in bed.

Throwing the heavy quilt off, Adrian instinctively reaches for one of his closest friends: a black and white wolf stuffed with a plush filling and sewn by hand from the softest fabrics. He has many toys including a wooden sword, some blocks with letters that taught him his alphabet, and another doll with a fuzzy face and green tunic. The wolf is Adrian’s favourite as it’s easier to hug against his chest. With his most trusted companion in hand, he opens the door with a drawn out creak and peeks outside. Candelabras line the stone walls, their individual flames standing tall and still, lighting a hall with no end in sight—only more darkness.

Adrian and his wolf follow the trail of steady fire, entering the darkness. His pace is slow as his two left feet keep tripping over his long nightgown. He carries onwards, corridor after corridor. There’s not a single menacing shadow or sudden noise that can make him retreat back underneath the security of his bed sheets.

Though perhaps there is one thing that can make Adrian stop. He rounds another corner only to hide behind it after catching a glimpse of what awaits him down the hall: two figures, a man and a woman wearing dark colours, illuminated by soft candlelight. One looms over the other like a storm cloud casting itself over a field of golden wheat. Adrian looks closer, keeping himself and the wolf hidden. He notices their smiles as they speak. The towering man lets out a subdued yet genuine laugh before taking the woman’s hand in his claws and kissing it. She returns the gesture by standing on her toes and chastely places her lips upon her suitor’s cheek as best she can. Now ready to continue with their leisurely midnight walk, they remain supposedly unaware of Adrian’s presence. Then the man draped in black and red speaks.

“Do not be alarmed, my love, but I believe we are being watched.”

Dracula’s tone is low, methodical, enough to turn the blood of any mortal man into ice. Yet in his statement, it becomes gentle with a light-heartedness that seems alarmingly uncharacteristic of him. It doesn’t stop Adrian from being frozen to the spot. To think he had the foolish plan of sneaking past them.

“By whom?” Asks Lisa, both of Lupu and now of a castle hold with a mind of its own.

“A certain bat who likes to fly about in the moonlight.”

“Bats are nocturnal by nature, dear. And who isn’t drawn to the moon?”

“But this one seems to prefer gallivanting off on his own well past his bedtime... against the certain wishes of his mother and father.”

There’s no point in using the corner as his hiding spot any longer. He has been caught, time to play fair. Staring down at his feet still obscured by the nightgown, Adrian emerges and bashfully scurries towards his parents. “... I can’t sleep.” Blunt, but truthful.

“Did you have a nightmare? Does being alone in your room frighten you?”

“I’m not scared, but I can’t go to sleep.” Adrian presses the wolf close to his mouth, muffling his words. Lisa kneels down and cups his flustered cheeks.

“You’re just like your father. A little night owl.”

“I’m hungry.”

Lisa looks to her husband; whose regal expression softens with understanding for his son. There are moments when the castle lord can be strict—never cruel—yet as often as possible, he allows his golden eyed dhampir to melt whatever’s left of his dead heart. “Come along. We’ll find something to fill that empty belly of yours. Then it’s straight back to bed with you. Understand, my little bat?”

“Yes. I promise.”

Dracula and Lisa exchange smiles as Adrian toddles between them. Clawed fingertips carefully stroke the top of the boy’s soft head. Like the castle, he doesn’t fear them and neither does Lisa. They never should.

Before reaching the main floor where the kitchen resides, they first make their way down an open corridor guarded by pillars, bridging one area of the castle to the next. A cool breeze passes through the glassless windows. Adrian clings to Lisa’s leg in an attempt to sap up as much warmth as she will give. There are no chandeliers here for the moon has always offered enough light. But there’s something odd about tonight; the only one to notice this is Adrian. His gaze wanders to the skies, settling on what appears to be a large bloody circle splattered upon a dark blanket of stars. He’s never seen the moon so red before. It strikes him with morbid fascination, something Lisa is very familiar with.

“Do you like the moon, Adrian? I like it too.”

“Why does it look like that?”

“It’s the blood moon, or a lunar eclipse.” Answers his father.

“What’s that?”

While Adrian continues to stare in awe, Lisa tries turning scientific explanations into simple terms easily understood by a child. “Do you remember the diagram in one of your books? Of the moon, the planets, and how everything revolves around our sun?”

“Mm-hm.”

“A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun shines on one half of the world while the moon hides itself in the earth’s shadow. This can only happen when the sun, moon, and earth are all aligned.” Lisa gestures with her fingertip, drawing an invisible horizontal line, to further illustrate her brief lesson. “The reason why it looks red is because the sun cannot reach it, thus leaving it in complete darkness. When the moon passes in front of the sun, that’s called a solar eclipse. There’s far more to be discovered in your father’s astronomical tower.”

“I want to see! I want to go to papa’s tower! Can I go see now? Please?”

“Calm yourself, little bat.” Dracula interjects with another pat to Adrian’s head. “I will take you up there myself and we can watch the skies together. But not this night.”

“Okay... I’m sorry.”

Another good-natured laugh from the lord. “No need for apologies. A healthy fascination for the sciences does nothing but good for a growing mind such as yours. You are just like your mother in that regard.”

The hint of a happy expression begins to form on Adrian’s face. Even as they continue downwards, scaling the very spine of their castle, he cannot tear his eyes away from the moon. Revealing its red light every so often through an open window or crevice. In the kitchen, Lisa pours him a cup of milk, pairing it with a small jelly tart. “Only one for tonight,” she chides before Adrian has the chance to ask for a second or third.

He finishes the pastry with haste but drinks down his milk with more thought, as though his mind has gone off somewhere else. “Does the sun miss the moon?”

Lisa and Dracula turn to him with curiosity. “What do you mean by that?” They listen, waiting to hear whatever grand philosophical theory their young scholar has concocted this time. Adrian stumbles with his words at first, thinking them through carefully. They need to sound bigger, older, and more important. 

“When there’s no luh-loon... the sun can still see the moon. And the moon can still see the sun. But when the moon goes into the shadow... they can’t see each other. That’s why the moon gets bloody, because, because it’s hurt and... and lonely. So, when the moon gets out of the shadow, the sun can heal it.”

All eyes are on him. Lisa raises her eyebrows in amazement; Dracula strokes his beard in a contemplative manner. “My boy, I do believe you have just created your own folklore about the moon.”

“F-folk? Lore?” Adrian gulps down the remainder of his milk, leaving a thin line above his upper lip before Lisa cleans it with a handkerchief.

“Folklore are stories that have been passed down for generations. They seek to explain what is supposedly unexplainable. And there are many stories about the blood moon,” she responds.

“Some humans believe they are a sign of the end times or a warning of oncoming change. But we vampires see it as a good omen from the universe itself. After all, it’s when our powers are at their utmost peak.”

“Are the stories true?”

Dracula gives his son a mischievous look. “Not all... but perhaps some. Now remember your promise to go back to bed.”

“Okay! I’ll follow the moon!” Adrian darts out through the kitchen doors with his wolf tucked safely in his arms.

“Not so fast!” Lisa shouts after him. Dracula simply glides close behind them. Seems all that talk about moons and suns coupled with a late-night desert has made the boy more active than ever. But he climbs into bed, letting his mother and father tuck him in. They kiss his head before wishing him pleasant dreams. Adrian makes himself comfortable, happy that his bed no longer feels too hot or too creaky and responds with a goodnight of his own. 

The door closes and shadows surround him once again. His eyes quickly adjust as they observe the room; every book, every toy, even the scraps of drawings littered across his desk. Then there’s the glow of the moon. It hangs just outside his window as though it were looking through, hoping to be let inside.

“Goodnight, blood moon.”

--

It’s difficult to look back on certain memories and regard them as anything else but pleasant. Every time the urge strikes, a strange feeling begins to form at the bottom of Alucard’s stomach. It could be a simple case of nausea passing by and he should rummage through the old medicine cabinets for something that could soothe it. Perhaps it’s guilt. The sense that after what he did—what they both did—any desire for nostalgia is wrong.

He can’t shake it and wandering the castle halls with nothing but a thin night shawl, a fruitless attempt to keep him warm, doesn’t seem to be helping. All it does is remind him of more. More memories of those childhood sleepless nights, more of Lisa slipping him milk and pastries to make him go back to bed. More of a father that once was. Arms cross over in front of his chest, wishing there was something for them to hold other than his own body. 

Alucard stops in the middle of an always familiar corridor and sits in one of its glassless windows. He teeters from side to side, never falling to the ground below. Heavy yet gentle eyes aimlessly drift upwards. There it is again, bright as ever, seeming closer than it actually is. No longer a deep morbid red, no longer crying out in pain for its sun.

“Hello, old friend.”

Out of the silence, Alucard hears footsteps. Followed by an unmistakable voice. “Is everything... alright?”

He turns to Sypha; scars healed, robes repaired, and short hair still tousled. She must not have heard his little greeting to the moon. Alucard forces a smile.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You don’t seem to need a lot of sleep.”

“I certainly need it, more than the inhuman half of me does. But I’ve always had difficulty sleeping even as a child.”

“I suppose that makes two of us.”

“Too many thoughts running through your head as well.”

“You could say that.” Sypha rests her elbows upon the windowsill while the smile on Alucard’s lips grows. Only one day into an unexpected visit that might not last for much longer and out of the castle’s main occupants, she’s made herself more at home than anyone else. It took some time to admit due to sheer awkwardness and fear of intimacy, but Alucard appreciates how much the companionship of two people can ground him. He needs it, especially when that desire for nostalgia tempts him.

“It’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen it so big before. To be honest, it scared me that night it turned red.”

“I don’t believe you get scared for a moment.”

“Well, I just couldn’t show it to either of you.”

He expected nothing less from her. “In any case, I’ve never thought there to be any fear in looking at the blood moon.”

“Why do you think so?”

“All it does is signify a change—good, or bad, or something in between.”

“Do you think something changed for good that night?”

Alucard could answer that question in a number of ways. He could give Sypha the optimistic response, which might be what she needs to hear. He could be honest and blunt, perhaps to a fault. But before he can open his mouth, another figure in the corridor makes himself known.

“Are you two talking about me?” Trevor joins them by the window, his tunic unbuttoned and untucked. Hair just as tangled as Sypha’s, if not more so.

“Not at this moment. I presume you’re having trouble sleeping as well.” Alucard has been all things from honest to outright rude towards Trevor, yet now his voice takes on a far gentler tone. With every interaction, minor or grand, the walls they’ve built between each other are being broken down stone by stone, word by word. They can feel it, Sypha can feel it, but no one mentions it.

“The moon isn’t making it easier.” Each syllable drawls out from Trevor’s mouth as he wipes the lack of sleep from his eyes. It’s rare to see the Belmont like this, so off guard and vulnerable. Part of Alucard prefers this side of him.

“You don’t like the moon, Trevor?” Inquires Sypha.

“It’s always made me feel uneasy. I blame all the stories and cautionary tales my family taught me.” He pauses, his eyes squinting in the moonlight. “I like stars more than I like the moon.”

A phrase that neither Sypha nor Alucard thought they would ever hear from Trevor; they liken it to his mind being softened by insomnia. A comfortable silence passes between all three.

“Can I offer either of you a drink? Or something small to eat? I find it helps with restlessness.”

Sypha blinks her wide eyes while Trevor stares at Alucard. The night is still long and there’s not much else they can do, nor is there any other place they can go. “That would be nice.”

[thezodiaczone]

July Forecast for Cancer

What a birthday season you’re having this year, Cancer! Not only is the Sun in your sign until July 22 and resetting your whole aura, this month will bring two powerful eclipses one of which will fall in Cancer. Get ready for a powerful and purposeful push onto your path! There’s a lot going on in the heavens all month, including a signal-scrambling Mercury retrograde toward the end of July (more on that in a bit). But the skies are looking mighty fine for the first three weeks, so let the fun begin!

The action kicks off on July 10, when expansive Jupiter ends a four-month retrograde and powers forward in Scorpio and your fifth house of love, creativity and joie de vivre. If you haven’t planned a birthday extravaganza yet, book it asap! A romance that’s slowed down since March could pick up speed again, or you might resume a back-burnered project. Don’t be surprised if fame comes knocking, as global Jupiter in this head-turning house shines the spotlight on your talents.

Your confidence and charisma get even more fuel on July 12, when the Cancer new moon—a partial solar eclipse—lands in your sign. This is the first of summer’s three scene-shifting eclipses (the next two are on July 27 and August 11) that are sparking radical change. And while eclipses are significant for all the signs, because the moon is your celestial ruler, they can be downright cataclysmic for Cancers. Eclipses sweep in four to six times a year and shake up the status quo, removing anything that’s past its expiration date and flinging open the doors for a fresh start.

In astrology, solar eclipses mark bold beginnings, often with an unexpected twist. If you’ve been on the fence about making a change, this new moon could catalyze a swift decision. Maybe your intuition told you to wait, and you weren’t sure why. Now following that divine-timing hunch could pay off, and an even better offer or opportunity arrives. With this eclipse in your first house of self and appearances, some Cancers will make a dramatic style shift or debut a project that has your personal stamp all over it.

This is the inaugural eclipse in a series that will fall on the Cancer/Capricorn axis between now and July 2020, initiating a wave of transformations around your individuality and your relationships. Prepare to renegotiate the balance between “me” and “we” over the next two years. This is the only eclipse from this group in 2018; the rest will fall in 2019. It will also coincide with the Sun’s annual opposition to Pluto in Capricorn and your partnership house. As you emerge from your shell to reveal Cancer 2.0, don’t be surprised if you get some pushback or resistance from your closest people—even ones you’d expect to support you. Be selective about whom you share your nascent plans with now.

In fact, it might be best to put your head down and just work, especially once the Sun enters Leo and your industrious second house for a month on July 22. As birthday season wraps up, it’s time to focus on practical matters and lock down some security. As el Sol heats up your zone of daily routines, work and money, you could start building some of those grand, eclipse-fueled ideas into something tangible.

But as quickly as you start, there could be speed bumps because Mercury—planet of communication, technology and transportation—turns retrograde in Leo on July 26 (until August 19). Watch for misunderstandings with clients and coworkers, budget snafus and computer crashes at the job. Early in the month, take precautions by backing up your data to the cloud and deleting any questionable emails, especially ones sent on the company server. A promising financial lead could ghost you, or a key meeting could be delayed. Use this window to tighten up your presentation and look for other options. During Mercury retrogrades, it’s more important than ever to not put all your eggs in one basket

Besides, speedy Mars is retrograde from June 26 to August 27, and for the majority of its backspin, it will be in Aquarius, disrupting your eighth house of joint ventures and shared finances. You may need to scale down overly ambitious plans or deal with an unanticipated expense, perhaps related to a legal bill, a real estate matter or debt.

While money and power struggles could be a source of stress, examine your own role in any conflicts. Where are you acting rashly and from a place of ego? Tunnel vision or an unhealthy rivalry could be consuming you. This retrograde is a crucial time to step back and change counterproductive behaviors. If you’ve pooled funds or gotten entangled with someone who’s not holding up their end of the bargain, you might have second thoughts about proceeding. Couples or business partners may decide to go separate ways—careful that combative Mars doesn’t provoke a contentious battle as you divide up your assets and responsibilities.

Although the retrograde can cause bottlenecks, you won’t be stuck ALL month. On July 27, a total lunar (full moon) eclipse lands in Aquarius and your merger-minded eighth house. A simmering sexual attraction could consummate quickly, perhaps turning into a full-blown soulmate relationship. This eclipse could also bring a large financial windfall or unexpected momentum around a legal or property matter.

Lunar eclipses can feel more intense than solar ones because full moons bring endings, transitions and full-circle events. Powerful emotions that have been tucked away could erupt, taking you by surprise. This eclipse will conjunct fiery Mars, which is retrograde in Aquarius for the next couple weeks. If you have buried resentments or frustrations, that could all come pouring out. Since the eighth house rules merging, some Cancers could suddenly get engaged or pregnant, move in together, buy or sell a home or make some fast-but-permanent life change.

This is the final Aquarius eclipse in a series that’s been touching down on the Leo/Aquarius axis since February 2017, transforming the way you deal with money, work and your deepest bonds—everything from investments to emotional vulnerability to shared space. Look back to the prior two Aquarius eclipses on August 7, 2017, and February 15, 2018, for clues of what might fully come together now. There will be one last Leo eclipse on January 21, 2019, so get your financial and emotional ducks in a row for one last big breakthrough then.

Love & Romance

With impassioned Mars spinning backward in Aquarius and your intense eighth house all month (from June 26 to August 27), a mishmash of emotions gets stirred up—from lust to trust to things you weren’t even aware of. This phase can spark jealousy, resentment and a fierce competitiveness. It could also signal the return of an ex, so keep your eyes wide open! Couples may need to talk about or negotiate shared finances and other assets. Having second thoughts or feel like you rushed in a little fast? We can’t help thinking of the speedy engagement of Cancer Ariana Grande to Scorpio Pete Davidson. Mars retrograde can help you recalibrate if necessary.

On the other side of your chart, Venus is sailing through your second house of money and security until July 9, helping you clarify your values. But since Venus is in luxury-loving Leo AND opposing Mars retrograde, this probably won’t help you curb your spending. At the very least, you can think about your own financial goals and challenges: Where do you need to hold back, and how could you be more confident and let your savings work harder for you?

On July 9, the social planet will cruise into Virgo and your third house, lightening the vibe. If you’re single, you could meet someone with potential while casually hanging out—perhaps it’s a friend of a friend, or one of YOURS who suddenly seems worthy of a “benefits package.” Couples who’ve been arguing will calm down now and have the clarity to talk things through like two people who genuinely care about each other. Lay down your weapons and just listen to what the other has to say.

Throughout the month, Venus will form flowing trines to innovative Uranus (July 11), structured Saturn (July 14) and transformational Pluto (July 27), all in the most interpersonal houses of your chart. The Venus-Uranus trine could spark sudden chemistry with a friend, colleague or an online match. And the love planet’s divine dalliances with future-oriented Saturn and alchemical Pluto in your eighth house of mergers could find Crabs deciding to make things official—or establishing new terms of engagement.

Who knows? Mars retrograde be damned, we might just see some slipping off to City Hall, especially near the July 27 total lunar eclipse in this same sexy and intimate zone. Eclipses bring events to a sudden culmination, and at this one, smoldering chemistry could consummate…or combust!

Key Dates

July 12: Sun-Pluto Opposition This power pairing only happens once a year, and something’s bound to happen. Have you been stuffing down some strong feelings because you’re afraid you’ll hurt someone or rock the boat? How happy are you not speaking up? If you truly want resolution, stop tiptoeing around the other person’s ego and come out with it! You’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover that they’re not as fragile as you think.

Money & Career

Make some calculated power moves, Cancer. With the Sun in your sign until July 22 and a rare Cancer solar eclipse arriving at the July 12 new moon, one of your solo projects could move to the front burner. This is the start of a two-year cycle that can put your name on the map or redefine your whole path. Since this eclipse will oppose powerful Pluto in your partnership house, you might cut ties with someone who’s been holding you back or step into a more assertive role.

We’re still in retrograde high season because this month will see Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune AND Pluto all in reversal at some point. The emphasis of retrogrades is on the past, so go back and clear up any confusion or grey areas. Renegotiate, revise and tweak anything—this fall will bring back most of the momentum, so your careful inspection will pay off in a tight final product.

And watch your spending! Anxious Mars is retrograde in Aquarius all month, lending some intensity and uncertainty to your eighth house of shared ventures and long-term finances. Ease up on the big purchases and hold off on any large investments if you’re feeling stressed about bearing the expense. This is a good time to consolidate debt or make an aggressive repayment plan—but pace yourself. Cut up a credit card or three if you’ve been overusing the plastic and find a way you can live sustainably within your means while still enjoying your must-have Cancerian creature comforts.

The month’s second eclipse on July 27 lands in Aquarius, riding shotgun with Mars. This turbo-charged lunar (full moon) eclipse could bring a lucky windfall or an exciting opportunity to join forces with an influential person or partner. La luna also shines a megawatt spotlight on your emotions around money and power. Is it time to step into a role befitting of your creativity and capabilities, Crab? If you’re unconsciously sabotaging yourself by overspending or mismanaging money—or by letting your emotions eclipse your judgment—it’s time to cut that out. The world needs you to be your best and brightest self already, so quit holding back!

Key Dates

July 9: Mercury-Jupiter Square Before you’re off and running on a new project, crunch the numbers. If it’s not financially sound, be prepared to temper your enthusiasm and scale back the plan. With overeager Jupiter adding impulsivity, things could get out of hand quickly. Think twice (and a third time) before launching into any long-winded defense of your ideas—or before completely shooting down another person’s.

Love Days: 19, 25 Money Days: 6, 14 Luck Days: 12, 30 Off Days: 10, 23, 27

[astrogeoguy]

Mars and Morning Planets, yes – But Next Sunday Night’s Full Wolf Lunar Eclipse will be Super, too!

(Above: This image of the moon was taken on October 8, 2014 by Michael Watson. Although this eclipse was a total one, the moon is shown not yet completely into the umbra. Ancient astronomers inferred that the Earth was a sphere because its shadow cast upon the moon was clearly round. Michael’s gallery of moon images on Flickr is here.)

Hello, Stargazers!

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of January 13th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory or the David Dunlap Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event, visit DiscoveryPlanitarium.com and request me. We’ll tour the Universe together!

Public Astro-Events

Taking advantage of the moon, Mars, and other bright objects in the sky this week, the RASC Toronto Centre astronomers will hold their free monthly public City Sky Star Party in Bayview Village Park (steps from the Bayview subway station), starting around 7 pm on the first clear weeknight this week (Mon, Tue, or Thu only). You don’t need to be an RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them – looks are free! Check here for details, and check the banner on their website home page or Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 16, the RASC Toronto Centre will hold their free monthly Speaker’s Night Meeting at the Ontario Science Centre, and the public are welcome. This month, the speaker will be Professor Paul Delaney from York University. He’ll describe New Horizons: The Continuing Voyages. Check here for details. Parking is free. 

On Friday, January 18, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present their free planetarium show entitled Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Details are here. 

From 1 to 5 pm on Saturday, January 19 in the Hamilton Spectator Building, 44 Frid Street, Hamilton, the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers are holding a free Open House and Telescope Clinic. Bring your new or old telescope for a tune up or to learn how to use it! Details are here. 

If skies are clear on Sunday night, January 20, starting at 10 pm, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory will host a free public viewing session for the total lunar eclipse on top of the Arboretum Parking Garage. Parking charges will apply. Details are here. 

A Full Wolf Supermoon and Total Lunar Eclipse

Okay – I fibbed a bit last week - THIS week is the one for “lunatics”! We have a beautiful, partly illuminated moon conveniently positioned for evening viewing – AND the week culminates with a deep red and lengthy total lunar eclipse visible from North and South America, the eastern Pacific Ocean, and westernmost Europe. Because this eclipse will occur only 14 hours before perigee, the moon’s closest approach to Earth, the eclipse will darken the largest full moon of 2019 – commonly referred to as a Supermoon. Let’s break it all down. 

Because the Earth is a solid sphere with sunlight shining on it, it casts a circular shadow into space opposite from the sun. Of course, the black shadow is invisible on black space background. But if an object, such as the International Space Station or the moon, passes through that shadow, no direct sunlight can reach it, so the object darkens. If you watch for passing satellites on a clear dark night, and note where in the sky they disappear (leave sunlight) or suddenly appear (enter sunlight), you can trace out the Earth’s shadow. It always there!

(Above: For the January 20-21, 2019 total lunar eclipse, the full Wolf Moon will be located near the node where the moon’s orbit in red and the ecliptic in yellow intersect, making this eclipse longer and a deeper red. The Earth’s shadow is always centred on the ecliptic, but the moon rides up and down due to a 5 degree tilt to its orbit - so most months do not include eclipses.)  

Some of the sunlight streaming close past Earth passes through our atmosphere. The air refracts (or bends) the rays of sunlight because it slows the light down a little. (It’s analogous to your car being pulled off the road when your wheels encounter a soft shoulder). Due to the same physics, when we watch a sunset, we are actually seeing an image of the sun for a short time after it has already dropped below the horizon! 

Refraction allows sunlight to bend around the Earth’s horizon, turning an eclipsed moon reddish with sunset-coloured light; hence the nick-name “blood moon” for eclipsed moons. If you could view the Earth from the surface of the moon during a total lunar eclipse, our dark globe would be encircled by a beautiful ring of reddish light.

The region of space where the sunlight is completely blocked by the Earth is called the umbra (that’s where the word “umbrella” – a sun shade - comes from). Surrounding this is a much larger, but weaker circular zone called the penumbra. For objects passing through the penumbra a portion of the sun is always visible, so they receive partial sunlight and will appear darkened, but still visible, from Earth.

Lunar eclipses occur when the steady eastward motion of the moon in its orbit around Earth carries it though the penumbra and/or umbra. If the moon completely enters the umbra, we see a total lunar eclipse. If part of the moon remains in the penumbra, we see a partial lunar eclipse. Either way, lunar eclipses are 100% safe to look at with unprotected eyes – both directly, and through binoculars. A telescope can reveal the Earth’s shadow creeping across the moon’s surface in real time. 

From Earth, the moon covers half a degree of the sky (less than your pinky finger held at arm’s length), while the umbra and penumbra are about 1.5° and 2.5° across, respectively. Depending on the geometry of any given eclipse, the moon takes about 4 hours to cross the penumbra, and spends less than two of those hours inside the central umbra. 

The moon is only full when it is opposite the sun in the sky, and the Earth’s shadow is always opposite the sun, too – so lunar eclipses can only occur during full moons. Even though the size of Earth’s shadow is large compared to the moon, for most months the moon passes above or below the shadow. That’s because the moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 degrees with respect to the ecliptic, and the umbra always straddles the ecliptic. Lunar eclipses can occur only when the moon is full while it is also near the point in space where the moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic (also known as a node).

(Above: NASA’s eclipse website includes diagrams like this one, prepared by expert Fred Espanek. To convert the eclipse stage timings shown at lower right, subtract the appropriate number of hours. Eastern time is UT minus five hours.)

The special geometry happens several times per year; but you will only see a given lunar eclipse if the moon is above the horizon at your location on Earth during all or part of the eclipse. The alignment of the Earth, moon, and sun persists for a few weeks, so a lunar eclipse is often paired with a solar eclipse two weeks before or two weeks later. 

The January full moon, known as the Wolf Moon, Old Moon, or Moon after Yule, always shines in or near the stars of Gemini (the Twins) or Cancer (the Crab). January’s full moon will occur fifteen hours before perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to Earth, making it one of the largest perigean full moons, or supermoons for 2019 – appearing larger than average and generating high tides globally. 

This lunar eclipse will occur while the moon happens to be directly on the ecliptic for observers at mid-northern latitudes. The entire event will be visible from North and South America, the eastern Pacific Ocean, and westernmost Europe. Much of the eclipse will be seen in central and eastern Europe, but observers there will miss the later stages of the eclipse because they occur after moonset. For the western Pacific region, the moon will rise after the eclipse begins.

The partial phase will begin when the moon contacts the Earth’s umbra at 03:34 UT (or 10:34 pm EST on Sunday evening in North America). Starting at that time, look for the darkness to creep over the moon, growing from along its lower left edge. 

Starting at 04:41 UT, or 11:41 pm Eastern time, the moon will be entirely within the Earth’s umbra. It will pass deeply through the shadow, extending totality to 62 minutes in duration, and darkening the moon’s southern half much more than its northern half. The total eclipse phase will end when the moon begins to leave the umbra at 05:43 UT, or 12:43 am Eastern Time on Sunday. The partial phase of the eclipse will end at 06:51 UT, or 1:51 am Eastern Time. 

(Above: At 12:23 am Eastern Time, the moon will be at maximum eclipse. The darkened moon will permit dimmer objects like the Beehive Cluster in Cancer to appear.)

At greatest eclipse, which occurs at 05:13 UT (12:13 am EST), the very dark and reddened moon will be sitting a palm’s width to the right (west) of Messier 44, also known as The Beehive Cluster, in Cancer (the Crab). You should be able to see the big cluster’s stars easily in binoculars without the bright moonlight overwhelming it. Let me know if you do! 

Hopefully the skies will be clear wherever you are! Don’t let cold weather keep you indoors for this one. The next total lunar eclipse won’t occur for the GTA until May, 2022.

The Moon and Planets

Before we get to next Sunday’s eclipse, the moon will shine conveniently in the evening sky all week. It will reach its First Quarter phase just before 2 am EST tomorrow (Monday) morning. First quarter moons are always illuminated from the moon’s eastern, sunward side, and the sunlight reaching the moon along the terminator line, which divides the lit and dark hemispheres, is slanted – throwing spectacular, deep black shadows from brightly lit crater rims and mountain peaks. Grab your binos! 

Tonight (Sunday), the moon will shine a generous fist’s width to the left of reddish Mars in the southern early evening sky. Overnight on Wednesday, the gibbous moon will pass through Taurus (the Bull). For skywatchers in Europe, on Thursday evening the moon will pass directly through Taurus’s triangular face and appear close to the bright reddish star Aldebaran, which marks the bull’s southern (lower) eye. By dusk on Thursday evening in the USA and Canada, the moon will have shifted to sit a few finger widths to Aldebaran’s lower left. 

(Above: From Wednesday to Thursday night, the moon will traverse the face of Taurus, the Bull. By 6 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, the moon will be a few degrees to the lower left of the bright, reddish star Aldebaran.)

After the moon moves away from Mars, that planet will still shine as a medium-bright reddish object in the southwestern sky until it sets at about 11:30 pm local time. Mars is gradually shrinking in size and brightness as we pull farther from it. While the stars migrate west and set 4 minutes earlier every night due to Earth’s motion around the sun, Mars is heading east in its orbit at the same time – thus maintaining its position in the evening sky. We won’t lose Mars as an evening target until the later sunsets of May overcome its fading point of light. 

Mars is sitting on the ecliptic, higher than Neptune in Aquarius (the Water-Bearer) and lower than Uranus in Pisces (the Fishes). Blue-green Uranus is about 1.5 finger widths above, and slightly to the left of the modestly bright star Torcular (or Omega Piscium). This week, Uranus will be at its highest point, over the southern horizon, at about 6:30 pm local time – the best position for seeing it clearly. Dim, blue Neptune will set shortly after 9 pm local time, so look at it before 8 pm, while it’s higher. Neptune is sitting about two finger widths to the upper left of the modestly bright star Hydor (Lambda Aquarii). Hydor, and a pair of stars to its east (upper left), form a sideways narrow triangle with Neptune inside of it. 

(Above: On Sunday night, January 13, the nearly First Quarter moon will appear near Mars. For the rest of the week, Mars will remain in place while the moon moves on. The ice giant planets Uranus and Neptune are higher and lower than Mars, respectively, as shown here at 8:30 pm local time.)

Both Saturn and Mercury are too close to the sun to be seen this week, but next week Saturn will join the other two bright morning planets, Jupiter and Venus. This week, Venus will rise shortly before 4:30 am local time and will remain visible in the southeastern morning sky until sunrise. In a telescope, Venus will show a half-illuminated disk. 

Spectacularly bright Venus is now swinging back towards the sun, while not-as-bright Jupiter is being carried the other direction – west and higher. The two planets will “kiss” next week. In the meantime, Venus will appear a palm’s width to Jupiter’s upper right tomorrow morning – and that separation will shrink to three finger widths on the coming weekend. Look for the bright, reddish star Antares, the “rival of Mars” sitting a palm’s width to the right of Jupiter.

(Above: The eastern pre-dawn sky, shown here at  6 am local time, features two bright planets sitting to the left of the bright reddish star Antares in Scorpius. Over the next two weeks, Venus will move towards and then pass Jupiter. Saturn will join them next week.)

See the “Demon” Star Brighten

The “Demon Star”, more formally known as Algol, is a star that is easy to see using unaided eyes. In Perseus (the Hero), it is among the most easy-to-experience variable stars for beginner skywatchers. Despite the connotation of its nickname (it represents the severed head of Medusa the Gorgon being held by Perseus), Algol is a hot white star located 92 light-years from Earth. 

Algol’s brightness dims noticeably for about 10 hours once every 2 days, 20 hours, and 49 minutes because a dim companion star orbiting nearly edge-on to Earth crosses in front of the much brighter main star – an arrangement that is called an eclipsing binary star system. On Thursday, January 17 at 7:49 pm EST, Algol will reach its minimum brightness of magnitude 3.4 and will sit nearly overhead. By 12:49 am EST, the star will be about halfway up the northwestern sky and will have brightened to its usual magnitude of 2.1. The dimming periods can fall at any time of the day or night. The timing of this particular event makes watching the return to brightness a convenient project for evening observers. I’ll post a sky chart here.

(Above: Thursday night brings a chance to see the variable star Algol brighten from its dimmest magnitude at 7:49 pm Eastern Time. The star’s position at that time is shown here. It will grow to its regular brightness at 12:49 am.) 

Sirius and the Winter Football!

If you missed last week’s look at the sprinkling of incredibly bright and colourful stars in the eastern evening sky, I posted it here.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!