The Last Eclipse: Tarotscopes with Brandon Alter

By Brandon Alter:

It’s the end of an era, for all of us. Eclipse Season rocks our world, whether we want it to or not. This biannual encounter with chaos and fate that we call Eclipse Season wants to show us where the road has ended—for good.

Classically, Eclipses were said to take out kings and leaders to make way for new leadership and powers that be. In our own lives, beliefs and habits that have reigned supreme suddenly lose their grip or their luster. Consider Stephen Sondheim’s recent departure, a true emperor of his realm. His passing marks the end of an era for American Musical Theatre. I can't help but think of his song "The Last Midnight" when contemplating this final eclipse in the nodal axis of Gemini/Sagittarius. Our beliefs, our carefully crafted identities, they're all up for grabs.

With the old powers fading out, who might fade in?

But Brandon, don't Eclipses happen twice a year (you might be thinking)? What makes this one so definitive? Well, first of all, you're right. Eclipse Season happens roughly every six months. Eclipses happen when the Sun and the Moon get within shouting distance of the lunar nodes (also known as the Nodes of Fate). The lunar nodes represent a hot spot in the sky where the orbit of the Moon around the Earth and the orbit of the Earth around the Sun intersect. These lunar nodes suggest fated events, comings and goings of people, projects, ideas, and visions. Which is why they're commonly referred to as the Nodes of Fate. Generally speaking, the North Node shows us where we're headed—like a figurative North Star. The South Node shows us what we're letting go of.

The Nodes of Fate have been in Gemini/Sagittarius since April 2020. The North Node in Gemini has encouraged us to reconsider our means of mental engagement with the world. A North Node in Gemini bestows ravenous curiosity, and we've all been feeling hungry for new ways of living, being, and relating. If nothing else, Gemini has questions, and these last 18 months have certainly had us in a flurry of intense and personal questioning. The South Node in Sagittarius has tried to help us release old beliefs and philosophies that are no longer resonant with the present moment. If Gemini has questions, Sagittarius prides itself on having answers. But sometimes the answers are stale, and the best we can do is live the questions.

All of this brings us to tonight's Eclipse, a Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius. It's definitive because we won't have the North Node in Gemini and the South Node in Sagittarius again until 2039. So this is what I would call a smoke-em-if-you-got-em moment. It's now or never—the proverbial last midnight. Think of this Eclipse like a big old door to help you release whatever has had its claws in you, especially in terms of nasty thought patterns, self-destructive behaviors, and damaging groupthink.

Solar Eclipses take away the light of the Sun. The Sun represents our Ego, our identity, our ways of asserting ourselves in the world. When the light disappears, it can reappear as whatever it wants. Spend the next few days meditating on how you would like to liberate yourself from what you think others expect of you.

You are not a prisoner of who you've been; not if you don't want to be.

Eclipses can be an emotional and highly tense time because they show us something that's been lurking under the surface for what feels like forever. Where we thought everything was going so fine, suddenly the demon reveals itself. It can't hide any more; or maybe more accurately, we can't turn a blind eye any longer. Essentially, we reach a breaking point. This is the true nature of change. It builds slowly until suddenly, one day, you're different. Eclipses want us to face the music before the music ends. Try to pay attention to where in your life those final chords are being played. If you know your birth chart, look to the houses that Gemini and Sagittarius occupy for greater specificity.

I'll try to illustrate this by sharing a personal story with you because, why the hell not? The North Node is still in Gemini after all. These past few days have been a perfect storm of awakening. Starting on Monday when I went to get my yearly physical and was told that my Cholesterol is through the roof. For a thirty-six-year-old vegetarian who exercises regularly, this shocked me. Then yesterday, I went to get some acupuncture after a generous period of time away (like two years). And my acupuncturist tells me that my kidneys are basically gasping for breath. I'm suffering major adrenal fatigue—basically burn out on top of burn out. Who among us isn't feeling this way, I wonder?!

So I'm grappling with the idea that maybe I don't know how to take care of myself anymore. Maybe the ways in which I've tended my self-care are no longer what I actually need. So I do what any Aquarius Sun does in a crisis: I spiral out, I question everything, I have a good (private) cry in the car. And then, since I can't seem to find a therapist to take my insurance, I reached out to my sponsor to help me make sense of this Eclipse revelation.

I told her that recently I feel like I've been white knuckling my life. Like I'm just trying to get to the next checkpoint, and then on the way to the next checkpoint, another checkpoint appears after it. It's like that meme that's been floating around that says "Being an adult is saying 'after next week it'll calm down' for the rest of your life." And somehow, what comes up in our conversation is my dependence on caffeine. Which I've never even thought about before. Yes, I have to have some black tea in the morning or I'm a zombie. Yes, I'll have anywhere from one to four lattes a week. But, really, that's a problem? I thought that was a solution!

So now I'm being invited to reconsider my relationship with caffeine, who I've always thought of as my best friend and my most powerful cheerleader. I'm sitting with the question: does this actually help me get where I want to go? And I can already tell you, the answer is no. Sure it helps me reach the checkpoints, but maybe I don't want to perpetuate a life built around an endlessly moving finish line. My beliefs around ambition and achievement are being shaken down to the ground, and I bet somewhere in your life, there are some long-held beliefs that are starting to give way.

I share all of this to help illustrate that Eclipses show us what's already there. I didn't just become dependent on caffeine; I've been dependent on caffeine for a very long time. I just haven't been able to see it—or haven't wanted to see it. Who can really tell? But the Eclipse does just that: it eclipses us, takes out the light from our lives—then, when the lights come back on, everything looks different. From there we get to decide where to embrace the change or fight the inevitable.

The good news (and yes, there's always good news in Astrology) is that this Eclipse is in a really nice, helpful relationship with Saturn. This is a planet that knows how to get shit done and take things seriously. Should you choose to make some big changes, trust that there are helpful and powerful allies who can assist you in your transformation. Our latest podcast is actually all about the Saturn Return, a robust phenomenon that each of us will experience when Saturn returns to its natal position—usually around 27–30 and then again from 58–61 and then again, if we're lucky to live that long, around 87–90. Tune in and learn who Saturn is and how you can work with him at this time.

Come January, the Nodes of Fate will enter into Taurus/Scorpio, and the themes our souls long to explore will change dramatically. It's a big tonal shift that will serve as the cosmic tenor for our year ahead. If you're interested in getting a crash course on the biggest happenings in the heavens for the year to come, you should join us for our Astrology of 2022 Workshop. There's plenty to talk about, including Jupiter splashing all the way through Pisces into Aries and (of course) the Pluto return for the United States.

Astrology isn't out to get you, it's trying to help you make the most of the present moment. That's why we teach it from a heart-centered place of empowerment and fun. Our Capricorn Season Astro Club will cover just a bite-sized portion of Astrology that takes us through the middle of January. Thankfully, Eclipse Season ends, and the Full Moon in Gemini is the period at the end of that crazy sentence. We'll be channeling those deep Gemini Full Moon feels in our Breathwork offering for December. If you've joined us for Breathwork, you know that words fail to truly express the magic that happens. But for those of you who haven't quite taken the leap, let me assure you, this is a profound game changer. If you need an attitude adjustment, an emotional release, or a visionary experience, honey child, we got you.

Lastly, our Spirit Shop just dropped, and we are so excited to offer an array of Spiritual Gayz totems to enrich your life with style. There's something for everyone, and we will continue to add more fun items as they become available. But if your holiday shopping is already full of stuff, don't forget that readings and healings make great gifts (and they always fit!). The holidays can sometimes be the hardest period of the year, so do try to make your health and sanity a priority. I know I will be doing the same! Use our Spiritual Gayz Sagittarius Season playlist to help you feel yourself enough to put yourself first!

Your Tarotscopes are below. Read for your Sun Sign first and then just keep on reading!

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SAGITTARIUS Page of Cups

This is the vulnerability card. It wants you to open your heart to yourself and then share it wherever you go. The Page of Cups, who is you, enters a room and says, "Hello, this is me, here's my heart." When someone asks the Page of Cups (who is you) how they are, they don't respond with "Fine." They tell the truth. The whole truth. They explode with excitement for their latest project or pour forth their concern about the state of the world. Maybe they even have a good cry. The one thing the Page of Cups doesn'