Hey! How’s your eclipse season going?

Yeah… that’s likely why you’re equal parts exhausted, dehydrated, and supes-emosh as you bump into stuff. (Mars in Cancer ain’t helpin’ matters, with that last part!)

I put together a playlist of eclipse info from my YouTube channel, if you’d like to get up to speed. NOTE: Last week’s eclipse livestream focused quite a bit on the current racism-in-astrology convos happening. (If you’re on more than a few email lists from the woo world, I know you’ve seen a LOT of communication about this. If it’s news to you, I’ve gotchuu.)

TL;DR: Legendary white astrologer (Steven Forrest) guesting on a podcast uses the N-word (more than once), notes his racism caused him to be unaware that Black people could be as smart as white people ’til he was in his 30s, and says when he first met his business partner (Ricky Williams, a Black man), he exclaimed “Don’t hurt me!” When made aware that none of this is okay, he issued an apology that included best-of racist hits like “Consider the context” and “I’m not racist; ask Ricky” (the aforementioned biz partner), AKA “I have Black friends!” 🙄

A LOT has happened since that “apology” landed last week. I’ve put together a Racism in Astrology playlist (yep; I really love making those, so you don’t have to hunt around or be at the mercy of what the algo thinks should be prioritized) of some of the best convos on both the racism AND the astrology of it all. NOTE: The original podcast episode with the offensive and racist discussion has been heavily edited and reuploaded.

The eclipse we just had yesterday has a lot to do with this whole thing, as the South Node visiting Leo centers the ONE (the star, the celeb, the king) and drains its power, while the North Node visiting Aquarius amplifies the needs of the collective.

A me-centered apology says, “I’m sorry you think that I did something that rubbed you the wrong way.” A we-centered apology says, “I did something that harmed the collective, of which I am a part. As a member of the community that needs to do better and be better, I am sorry for the harm I created. Here’s what I’m going to do to learn from this…” and on from there.

We’re getting eclipses on these Leo-Aquarius nodes into 2028.

What’s especially cool astrologically is that this is a revisiting of Jupiter-Pluto themes from (AKA seeds that were planted) when those planets were in conjunction (they’re in opposition, right now). This opposition says, “Have you transformed (Pluto) the big, generational issues yet? No? Let me make them bigger (Jupiter) so you can see them more clearly.”

When was that conjunction that planted these seeds? Pretty much all of 2020. But more narrowly, from April to November of that year.

Yup.

So, it’s a time to check the level of allyship, the commitment to doing better, the inherent bias and racism that’s a part of how professions or hobbies or even casual interests get taught and shared.

You in for this check-up and re-up?

One of the people (a few; not nearly enough) talking publicly about using this time to recommit to an anti-racist stance — Dr. Claire Moon — used words I had not heard to describe two dispositions for the work.

hiri
and
ottappa

(From Ajahn Pasanno🙂

The root of conscience is a respect for oneself when one either is contemplating doing something or when one has done something that is unskillful, and it elicits a sense of “Gosh, I can do a lot better than that.” One wants to protect oneself from one’s own unskillfulness. There’s a sense of respect for oneself. There’s directing attention to a sense of protection, of looking after oneself so that one is able to nurture the qualities that uplift the mind and brighten the heart. That’s HIRI.

OTTAPPA is often translated as a fear of wrongdoing. Again, it’s a sense of shame and fear, but it’s a fear of wrongdoing because of respect for others.

So hiri and ottappa are rooted in respect: respect for oneself and respect for others. One holds oneself and others dear. Then one doesn’t want to harm or create suffering for others.

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE learning, even when it’s uncomfortable. I love growing, even when it highlights my shortcomings. And I love getting clarity on my values (that’s my Venus chart ruler, in Leo, for dang sure).

And I love “Air signing it all out,” so I hope you’ll join me for my next livestream (or any of the upcoming gatherings, listed at my EVENTS page). Any requests for topics, hit me back with a reply or come chat it up at our Discord.

Meanwhile, remember to rest, hydrate, and bubblewrap (my eclipse MUSTS). We’re not out of this intense season for another couple o’ weeks! Rest because moon stuff is exhausting. Hydrate because eclipses dehydrate. And bubblewrap because accidents happen during eclipse season! Be careful!

’til next time… so much love flowing your way,

Bonnie Gillespie is simultaneously all characters in The Wizard of Oz (esp. the yellow-brick road). Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!