Pisces Full Moon Eclipse: Your Life Blood

In the 1800s, across the harsh, windswept plains of Texas, the carcasses of millions of buffalo lay scattered — victims of mass slaughter that had brought the native peoples’ sacred animal to the brink of extinction.

Most white folks saw the buffalo (aka bison) as a relic of a dying past. But Mary Ann (“Molly”) Goodnight saw them differently. In 1876, among the carnage of countless buffalo, this rancher’s wife found a few orphaned calves — small, starving, and forgotten – and brought them home to bottle-feed. Her husband, moved by her concern, agreed to bring back any more calves left behind by buffalo hunters. And thus began the Goodnight Bison Herd, one of the last pure bloodlines of Southern Plains buffalo. 

A good Methodist girl from Tennessee, when Molly married rancher Charles Goodnight in 1870, she stepped into a whole new life. Molly tended to all the animals, and became the ranch manager when Charles was away. She fed drifters passing through, nursed injured cowboys and acted as a spiritual advisor. She gave her life blood to that ranch. Singlehandedly, she raised the vibe of a harsh frontier.

Molly Goodnight (Sept. 12, 1839) was born at a Virgo solar eclipse, opposite Uranus and the North Node in Pisces. She came here to elevate the mundane (Virgo) and suffuse it with spirit (Pisces). Being born at an eclipse intensified Molly’s power and determination.  And, as a smart, capable Virgo with a tough but tender Scorpio Moon, doing good was a passion for her.

The upcoming total lunar eclipse in Pisces (Sept. 7, 11:09 a.m. PT) brings a similarly intense passion. This Full Blood Moon has a deeply emotional and spiritual vibe, though delusions are also possible. The eclipse happens as the Earth casts its shadow on the Moon, giving it a potent reddish hue. The final full moon of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer is often called the Harvest Moon, but this year that honor goes to the Oct. 6 Full Moon, which is closer to the equinox. But this September Full Moon, traditionally a time for revelry and contacting the Divine, deserves to keep its alternate moniker – the Wine Moon.

Especially if you have important points or planets from 10 to 18 degrees of Virgo or Pisces, this sensitive Full Moon may stir you up. That can be problematic if you tend to go off the deep end before thinking things through. But it’s a great time to gather with others and make magic. Any divination efforts should be richly rewarded, as your intuition will be especially acute. Because this eclipse occurs with the Sun and Mercury conjunct the South Node in Virgo, there is an urge to fix something – and we may think we know how to do it on our own. But it’s definitely best to invite the Divine to take the lead.

This North Node eclipse calls us to embrace our higher selves and surrender to fate, especially in matters related to the Pisces area of our charts. It yearns to show the way to something growth-producing, while the South Node solar eclipse at 29° Virgo in two weeks will be more about completion.  The period in between these eclipses is particularly charged, and we may feel stressed or drained. It’s best to not launch new things until after Sept. 21 when the new season begins.

The eclipse on Sunday won’t be visible to all, but you can still go outside and witness this Full Moon’s splendor as it rises in the east at dusk. Jupiter in Cancer sextiles the Sun and trines the Moon at this lunation, lending tenderness and the desire to connect with those who are like family. Jupiter rules the Pisces Full Moon, giving it extra power to move and elevate us. It’s a good time to ponder where your life blood is going. Then raise a glass to Jupiter at this Wine Moon and ask for his blessing.

If you’ve been feeling frustrated lately, don’t forget that good things often take time. Consider that the descendants of Molly’s rescued bison calves still roam the grasslands of Caprock Canyons State Park in Texas. When these magnificent creatures thunder by, onlookers are witnessing the living legacy of one woman’s passion. Molly Goodnight built something enduring — she was an architect of hope. Her story reminds us that sometimes the most powerful force isn’t strength or ambition, but the kindness and determination of one person who refuses to let something irreplaceable disappear from the world.