This week’s full moon: eclipse or not?

August 18 2016 eclipse (click to enlarge)

It depends on who you ask.  This week’s lunation does not appear on quite a few sites listing 2016 eclipses, and in others it is noted as a “penumbral” (or “almost”) eclipse.

Eclipses occur when the Sun and Moon are in relatively close aspect to the lunar nodes (the points where the Moon crosses the path of the Sun).  Wikipedia says “A lunar eclipse may occur if there is a full moon within 11° 38′ (Celestial Longitude), of a node, and a solar eclipse may occur if there is a new moon within 17° 25′ of a node.”  The closer the lunation (Sun/Moon event) is to the nodes, the more total visually the eclipse will be, and the stronger the eclipse effect.

In astrological terminology, the lunar nodes represent our evolutionary journey.  The descending (South) node, sometimes called the Dragon’s Tail, represents the past and the ascending (North) node, the Dragon’s Head, represents the future.  So when the peak lunar cycles combine with the Nodes of Destiny, these tend to coincide with relatively significant personal events.

The chart for the Aquarius Full Moon on August 18th  shows that the nodes are more than 16 degrees away and in different signs than the Sun and Moon, so this is not really an eclipse at all and will not appear as an eclipse and will have little astrological effect other than the typical full moon effects (combined with current planetary alignments).

The only planet directly triggering the lunation is Uranus which is trine the Sun, this is helpful for energy work, and the opposition from Jupiter to Chiron right now is helpful for all kinds of healing.

The Aquarius influence continues to enhance our intuition and raise our vibration so that we may more easily move through the small events of our life without becoming stuck in detours that take us off the path.  With Venus aspecting the Lunar Nodes, this Full Moon is full of creativity and the potential to open our hearts .