Eclipse season is here.
A capitalist framework often considers north node eclipses “good” in that they are, theoretically, about acquisition and growth. But anyone critical of a capitalist framework knows that unhindered, unchecked hunger will eat up everything in its path, will gentrify entire neighborhoods and boroughs and cities in the interest of making money while ignoring the needs of the people. Sating the beast’s appetite has a cost.
As writers, it’s tempting to want more. More writing, more hours at the desk, more production — it can only lead to better outcomes, right? But this emphasis on more forgets its essential counterpart: not only rest, but also that in order for more to take up residence in our life, other things must go. Do we really want “more,” or do we just want focus and satisfaction, to let go of the excess? This particular astrological season brings these questions to the forefront of our lives.
Eclipses are not moral. The north node’s increase is not inherently “good,” and the south node’s release is not inherently “bad.” They are equitable in their capacity to challenge, disrupt, and destroy, whether through appetite or shedding. To help us clear our minds, declutter our desks, and set to the task of creating what truly matters to us.
This full moon-partial lunar eclipse at 27* Taurus occurs at 3:57am Eastern on Friday, November 19th. Arriving closely conjunct the north node and fixed star Algol, this particular eclipse reminds us that the inevitable counterpart of any growth cycle is death. Less generously, Algol’s involvement reminds us that sometimes, desire is brutal in its capacity to burn, like a forest burning in order to allow for new growth. Pretty, it is not.
But it’s necessary.
A note: We are nearing the end of the Gemini/Sagittarius eclipse cycle — the last one in that series comes on December 4th (there will be a newsletter). This Taurus eclipse marks the first in the next series of eclipses to come.
The nodes will officially enter Taurus and Scorpio, the axis of manifestation and decay, of birth and rebirth, on December 23rd of this year, heralding changes that will impact new areas of your life through October of 2023. Friday’s partial lunar eclipse is a sneak peek at the themes that will begin emerging.
Writing Prompt Horoscopes
The next north node eclipses in Taurus will come on April 30 and November 8 of 2022 and October 28, 2023. The next south node eclipses in Scorpio will be on May 15 and October 25 of 2022 and May 5, 2023. These writing prompts indicate some themes that may arise around them. As ever, I recommend reading for your rising sign first.
Also! Now through December 31st, year-long subscriptions to this newsletter are on sale. Subscribe to stay updated on how the eclipse cycle will impact your writing life, and more:
Aries & Aries Rising
Taurus eclipses: When it comes to money and materia, do you feel like you have enough? This isn’t a trick question. What would enough be? Is enough a dollar amount — or is it something else entirely? These next few years are about settling into what you value and why, about learning what it takes, in this moment, to feel fully resourced. This security may bring new opportunities, but be mindful of whether they are in line with your values.
Scorpio eclipses: Is it time to let go of existing collaborations? Do you have to “get right” with any outstanding issues around taxes, alimony, child support, and other shared financial commitments? On a broader note, are there shared emotional vestments around grief and loss where you’re being called to shore up your psychic boundaries?
Taurus & Taurus Rising
Taurus eclipses: Who are you becoming, and who do you want to become? Have you noticed that there is a gravitational pull around you these days, around how you move through the world? You are changing, and the world responds accordingly. How do you want to shift your persona, your style, your relationship to your body? Be sure to surround yourself with people who will support you through your latest butterfly moment.
Scorpio eclipses: In response to how you as a person are growing, how are your most important relationships and partnerships shifting? These could be romantic or platonic life partners, or agents or editors or co-writers. What new structures, arrangements, or emotional depths might be required to support this next chapter?
Gemini & Gemini Rising
Taurus eclipses: How are you wanting to invest more in your spiritual life, in understanding and connecting to your subconscious and the things not seen? On a more pragmatic note, what behind-the-scenes projects are you investing significant time in, preparing to go dark on for years in an effort to sit with your creativity in an effort to better understand yourself? What about these processes that require so much self-trust feels uncomfortable? Why?
Scorpio eclipses: How are your daily work routines simply no longer functioning for you? Is your physical health, or your relationship to your body, part of this? If you’re in the United States, I know that insurance is a bitch, but do try to take extra good care of your body and overall health as much as possible over the next few years.
Cancer & Cancer Rising
Taurus eclipses: How are you craving community connection? (A writers’ group? A class? Other folks who are on your level?) What supports do you have in this moment, and how might you deepen those relationships? Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable when it comes to creating those fragile first bonds, but do be discerning.
Scorpio eclipses: What is working for you when it comes to play and pleasure? What isn’t? Do you have too much, or none at all? Whatever the answer, a redefinition of your relationship to those concepts is in order. Clear out your old stories about creativity. Get ready to set up a new arts and crafts table for yourself and your inner child. What does it look like?
Leo & Leo Rising
Taurus eclipses: What kind of a spotlight do you really want? It’s coming, so now’s the time to consider how best to direct it, to find where the boundaries are. How do you want to engage with your public? What opportunities for expansion are you most interested in — not the ones you “should” be most interested in, but the ones that most excite you?
Scorpio eclipses: As your professional world takes up more space, things contract in private. What about your relationship to home, family, and rootedness are in need of redefining? Of healing, even? Where do you just need to put up some fences, and where is it time to yank out the weeds?
Virgo & Virgo Rising
Taurus eclipses: What do you want to be publishing right now? Remember that slow and steady wins the race. Where are your “not enough” stories arising? Are they in response to, or related to, things around higher education or religion/spirituality? And speaking of wisdom traditions, are those areas that you work in, write about, or are interested in developing more?
Scorpio eclipses: How are your writing routines working for you — or not? How do you feel about the emotional impact of your day-to-day rituals; do you feel properly supported as a person? On a more mundane note, are there things about your relationships with siblings, close friends, and extended family that need to shift? Is a move in your local neighborhood perhaps on the horizon?
Libra & Libra Rising
Taurus eclipses: Where is your hunger for collaboration potentially breeding opportunity, perhaps for co-writing or working on an anthology? Are there any outstanding issues with debts, taxes, or alimony that need to be addressed, however uncomfortably? (Be mindful of accumulating more debt during this time.) How do you listen to your intuition, and how might you continue to develop that over the next few years?
Scorpio eclipses: In taking stock of your resources, what feelings arise? Notice how your body reacts. What do these words like “money” and “security” bring up for you; where do these associations come from? On a broader scale, how are you healing your relationship to the idea of value? Is it time to check in around how your spending, saving, and income align with said values?
Scorpio & Scorpio Rising
Taurus eclipses: When it comes to partnership, what are you growing — or outgrowing? — in ways that perhaps both frighten and excite you? What feels incumbent upon the horizon? You’re independent, more than capable, but certain goals are often better met with two or more minds. What kinds of people are you interested in bringing into your life for business or romance? If you are already partnered, agented, or otherwise in business with folks you respect, what new structures might better serve your mutual purpose? Might be time to start thinking about those conversations.
Scorpio eclipses: You may feel more tired than usual as south node eclipses hammer your first house of self, vitality, and body; such is the nature of a literal energetic clearing out of the part of the chart that has to do with how you move through the world. But this is also helpful. What parts of yourself are you shedding, ready to let go of? And, lightened of those loads, what do you feel renewed and ready to pick up? Give yourself plenty of rest and time to feel out new things you want to try as you go through this particular cocoon phase.
Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising
Taurus eclipses: How are you taking care of your body, and how are you perhaps feeling newly inspired to renew those commitments? This can be as simple as introducing another snack to your day, not bringing your phone to bed, and scheduling that booster shot when you’re eligible. Where in your routines is your body asking you to pay attention to it? Also be mindful of how overdriving work routines may cut into overall wellness. Creativity comes easier when the body is rested and taken care of.
Scorpio eclipses: What old storage unit of your psyche is in desperate need of a clear-out? Time for some therapeutic attention. How can you spend more alone time with yourself, to understand those subconscious pains, motivations, and themes of your life? There’s gold here, if you are willing to dig for it. This may also be a moment for letting go of commitments to behind-the-scenes projects that are still lingering without movement.
Capricorn & Capricorn Rising
Taurus eclipses: What kinds of play could you do with having a little more of in your life? What kind of pleasure do you tend to eschew, but actually fill up your creative tank like no other? Schedule it for yourself. Tell a friend for accountability. Commit. This next cycle is about making pleasure and play a part of your life in a new and renewed way, about appreciating that joy is essential and does not require a function. Remember Mary Oliver, herself a Virgo: joy was not made to be a crumb.
Scorpio eclipses: Where have you overcommitted to other people? Where are your obligations to others outweighing what you receive, in turn? Volunteerism is good; so is maintaining relationships with those you cherish. But over-involvement for its own sake, or for your resume, isn’t soul-nourishing. How can you cut back, or refine your groups and friendships to better reflect your internal landscape?
Aquarius & Aquarius Rising
Taurus eclipses: How are you wanting to build up the base of your life? How might this new growth involve rupture from ways of old — disruption from existing family systems, even? What kinds of desire for family, home, rootedness, and heritage are you reckoning with; what corollaries around diaspora, disruption, and absence also arise for you? How do you make your home your own?
Scorpio eclipses: What parts of your public persona are you in the process of shedding? What are you known for that you, perhaps, no longer want to be known for? What transformations are in store, however uncertain, as you work to heal your relationship to your own authority and to visibility?
Pisces & Pisces Rising
Taurus eclipses: How are you carving out new pockets of time for your writing routines? What daily rituals are you committing to, determined to create the spaciousness you feel bubbling up within you? How can you honor the time you so richly need and deserve? Mind those boundaries.
Scorpio eclipses: What are you preparing to let go of, release, or even leave? Is it a belief, related to religion or spirituality? A job or ideal connected to media, publishing, or academia? Remember that the no’s create more room for your yes. As you say no, consider what, precisely, you’re interested in saying yes to.