Bear's Blog

As above, so below… We can only track the biggest movements in the sky, though centuries of observation are now aided by telescopes and computer technology. Even with that limited view, there’s a lot going on this week! Lion’s Gate, when the blue star Sirius starts to rise with the sun. A visible planetary parade of Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. The Perseid meteor shower. A new moon and total solar eclipse. Quite a show - all underlined by Leo, fire and the heart!

Lion’s Gate*, a two-week portal celebrated on August 8th, heralds the return of Sirius and Jupiter rising together in the sky. Historically it ushers in a period of manifestation and abundance. Mercury is joining them to form a rare Leo Stellium.

The yearly Perseid meteor shower lasts a month, peaking on August 12th-13th. It’s best seen between midnight and dawn in the northern hemisphere. 

The alignment of six planets will be easy to find too (although you’ll need binoculars to view Uranus, and a telescope for Neptune.) Look for them low in the east, an hour before dawn: first Saturn and Neptune, then Uranus and Mars, and finally Mercury and Jupiter appear just before daybreak. 

The darker new moon sky will help make everything more visible.

August 12th is a total eclipse of the sun in Western Europe; Spain, Portugal, Greenland and Iceland will be in the path of totality for the first time since 1999. Will that foreshadow events soon to unfold in those places?

It also signals the beginning of the 2-week eclipse window, a period between the new moon and the full moon when unpredictable, unexpected and dramatic events often occur. This time it’s on the Leo/Aquarius nodal axis (lasting 18 months.)

Notice the prevalence of Leo in all this? Leo highlights the bold, generous lion’s heart in individuals. The sun and many planets are in Leo and other fire signs. They are fueled by planets in air signs, including Aquarius, the second part of this eclipse set. It’s a constellation fostering humanity's  connective tissue. In terms of the karmic nodes, the focus on individual prominence in the past will now be in service to the collective.

These are just some of the energies of extreme change that will be with us for a while! What's the significance of all these celestial events being initiated, or peaking on August 12th? The impact is mind-blowing - literally, hard to comprehend. We are feeling it on a personal, social and global level. To harness the energy of these times we’re required to lead with the heart instead of the mind. More on the deeper meaning of that to come…

Peace, love and healing -

Bear

The total solar eclipse will be livestreamed on earthsky.org

*For more on Lion’s Gate - "Incoming - Big Energies!"

Earlier this year I wrote about the last eclipse -
"For Goodness Sake"

And on the Fire Horse Year, still operating underneath it all!
"Ready – Set – Ride!"