Tala, Tagalog Goddess of Stars + Lunar Eclipse in Leo

Tala is the Goddess of the Stars in Tagalog mythology. Her origin story varies by region; in one, she is the sister of Mayari (the Goddess of the Moon) and Hanan (the Goddess of the Morning) and one of the three daughters of Bathala (the Supreme God) by a mortal woman. In some mythology, Tala is Mayari's daughter.

In one account, Tala is the sister of Mayari and Apolaki, (the God of the Sun and War). Legend has it that Bathala fell in love with a mortal woman when he was visiting the Earth. They got married and had three children: Apolaki, Mayari, and Tala. Many years passed, and the three grew up to become mighty demigods; the time had finally come for them to take their rightful place in Kaluwalhatian, or the Sky World. There was a big feast in Kaluwalhatian, with both gods and humans joining in the festivities. After the feast, the ceremony of initiation began. Bathala came out of the crowd and summoned his children to stand in front of him. He then appointed them each with a task. Apolaki was appointed “God of War” and “Guardian of the Sun." Mayari was appointed as the be “Goddess of the Moon”. Tala was appointed “Goddess of the Stars”. The three children of Bathala soon became known among the greatest of deities in the Sky World.

Buan and Tala / Artwork by Ren Ren de Sarapen

In another myth, Tala is the eldest daughter of the Sun God Arao and the Moon Goddess Buan. Both Arao and Buan had large families of baby stars, but Buan believed her stars could not survive the heat of Arao and his stars, so she convinced him that they should both destroy their stars. While Arao devoured his, Buan hid hers in the clouds, where they would occasionally emerge. Upon seeing this, Arao was filled with rage and is now eternally in pursuit of Buan, trying to destroy her. Eclipses are explained by Arao getting close enough to bite her. At dawn, Buan hides the stars and brings them forth only when her eldest daughter, Tala (the evening and morning star) says the sun is too far away to pursue them, which explains why we have night and day. Derived from this myth are the Tagalog words tala, which means bright star; araw, which means sun or day; and buwan, which means moon or month.

This story has very close parallels to stories among non-Filipino cultures such as the Bihar, an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group who live in the Indian state of Bihar and the adjoining regions of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and the Terai region of Nepal; Semang, a Negrito ethnic group of the Malay Peninsula; Savara, a tribe from Southern Odisha, north coastal Andhra Pradesh in India; and the Bhuiya tribes, one of the most widespread tribal groupings in North India, their territory extending from southern Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal and whose name comes from the Sanskrit bhumi, meaning land.

Tala / Artwork by Ren Ren de Sarapen — *Tala* / Artwork by Ren Ren de Sarapen

Tonight's Lunar Full Moon Eclipse in Leo brings themes of self-love and focusing on healing past traumas that trigger destructive reactions and ways of being (particularly in romantic relationships), and represents a starting point into the energies of 2017. The fiery Leo Full Moon radiates a bright burning light of healing energy that illuminates any unresolved issues lingering from our past, and the Eclipse will magnify this energy. We will feel called to dig deep and unearth any emotional issues that trigger pain and cause us to act out in harmful and destructive ways. The energy of this Lunar Eclipse will last until August 2017 and will open a new gateway of energy that is productive, active and positive. Lunar Eclipses are deeply transformative times that can bring abrupt and sudden change, but try to think of it more like the cosmic helping hand of the Universe reaching down and putting you where you need to be - this place may not be where you want to be or where you thought you would end up, but it is definitely where you need to be. Whatever you've been needing to let go of or whatever changes you've been needing to make, this Eclipse is going to ensure that it happens, like that one FINAL purge from all the endings that came in 2016.

This first Lunar Eclipse of the year forces our attention onto romantic relationships and demands that we look at the emotional baggage we have been carrying around that weighs us down and causes difficulty with loved ones. One of the main wounds that the Leo Moon opens is our fear that we are unworthy and inadequate. The regal Leo has a great desire to feel secure, worshipped and cherished, and if Leos don't receive love and affection in abundance, they may question their meaning in their loved one’s life, along with their own self-worth. They like to feel like royalty at the center of their loved one’s attention and can become demanding, controlling and possibly have emotional outbursts if they feel they are being ignored or not adored. During this full moon, many of us—especially if we have a lot of Leo in our charts—will be feeling the effects of Leo’s more dominant characteristics. So if you're feeling needy right now, understand that these characteristics are making an appearance so that we can recognize and heal the emotional wounds that challenge many areas of our lives, particularly romantic relationships.

This Full Moon calls us to courageously open our hearts and love ourselves so deeply that we heal our pain and suffering. The pain we are going to be healing is the pain felt when we convince ourselves that we are unlovable, unworthy, inadequate, undeserving and when we behave in destructive ways that create self-fulfilling prophecies by causing us to push and test the ones we love. Although it can be traumatic to reenter and tiptoe around in our past, it is often the only way to clearly see all of the emotional inflictions we have received throughout our journey so far. More importantly, it gives us the opportunity to offer ourselves love, compassion and understanding for what we have been through now that we are older and wiser and have a clearer insight into what we’ve experienced.

Before we take care of others it is essential to take care of ourselves. This full moon is all about finding ways to celebrate ourselves so that we boost our confidence and self-esteem. In meditation or your sacred space, close your eyes and gently focus attention on whatever has been challenging your life and your connections with others. Spend a few minutes trying to trace the root cause of it. It isn’t always possible to immediately see the reason, so don't put more pressure yourself to solve everything right away. Inhale deeply and visualize light or loving vibrations filling your entire body. Exhale and visualize any negativity or pain leaving with your outgoing breath (I like to imagine black smoke exiting the body and flying out the window or evaporating). This will help clear out painful emotions and remove the buildup of stagnant toxic energy that has become blocked over the years. Repeat regularly and often whenever you can to heal or gain clarity about emotional trauma stored in the body.

This is a powerful eclipse, but it is also extremely magical and protective. Change will happen but it is definitely going to be change for the better. Know that you are always exactly where you need to be. This Leo Full Moon signals a time when we will feel a revolutionary, inspirational energy flooding into our lives, which will encourage us to do more of what makes us feel carefree and happy.

Resources: Wikipilipinas, Wikipedia, Elephant Journal, Forever Conscious