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.
Your last sentence in this article will remain with me. It is a powerful statement of faith. Pisces is all about faith. As a society, I believe we too often dismiss the power and value of faith. Thank you for this reminder.
Yes, it’s all about faith, especially when Pisces is afoot! Blessings to you…
An enduring story missed by most…and well-handled in your essay! Unforgettable!
Thank you!
Thanks for your kind words, Debra. I hope this eclipse is treating you well!
Wow. Interesting how Molly is the heroine of this story. But wasn’t she part of the same problem she was the solution of? Wasn’t the vibe of the “frontier” already high with the Indegenous people who lived there before white people came to colonize and destroy them? Wasn’t needlessly slaughtering and bringing buffalo to the brink of extinction part of a larger plan to genocide the Indigenous people by destroying their way of life?The buffalo hunters were white men. Keeping them nameless and faceless belies the true situation. Molly may have “rescued” the buffalo but it was from the actions of her own people that made that rescuing necessary.
History is being told once again thru the lens of the colonizer. I wonder how this same story would be told thru the eyes of the indigenous. Maybe it’s not Molly, another white person on indigenous land, who would be the hero or heroine.
Yes, it was beyond tragic what happened to the indigenous people – and their buffalo. Despite Molly being a privileged white woman, I still think we should honor her contribution. Without her, the buffalo would no longer be roaming the plains.. Blessings to you.
Dear MF and Simone,
As an indigenous person, I do wish to elevate MF’s comments. Thank you, Simone, for allowing her commentary. And yes, each of us can be a beackon for carrying truth forward and so the stories of heroines of all kinds are so very helpful. Still yet, Simone, there are things in your tone which you may not recognize. And, elements of the “saving” that you do not know. So in balance, I wish to elevate your good intentions. Yet, gently open a door to realizing that perhaps a deeper listening (editing) of the transmittal by you (Simone) could bring forward that next level of integration and honoring of those that came before – before – before…. even in Simone’s line of ancestry perhaps. Where do we truly wish to find ourselves in this narrative of creating better outcomes of stewarding landscapes and honoring the deepest ancestral wisdom.
For simone: I founded a people first research institute and would be happy to share our work with you…if of interest. But I’m not prepared to share that here with this technology. May you be very well. Reach out if you would like to learn more in person through the range of digital communications (GDPR compliant) we all now have at our disposal.
Thanks for your concern, Mimi. I will do my best to avoid any triggering content in the future. Many blessings to you…
The story itself was wonderful. Thank you for continuing to open to the awareness beyond – especially in working with symbol and short hand to reveal the human experience.
I won’t be writing a story…as I am living my story and that story is to elevate local people in the public decisions that affect them. That their stories be heard and their wisdom and knowledge respected. But thanks for invite to do so. I would if it were on my trajectory.
I did only write as we enter a conjuncture where simple goodness may rise above if we listen. For many caught in the digital world, it may be too late.
Lucky was she, Molly Goodnight, to have access to resources through the love of a man that allowed her to fulfill her calling. A privileged young lady. A destiny. Thank you for sharing her story with us.
Bless you for living your story, Mimi, and all the good work you do!
Oh boy, you have a short article to write and you are keeping an eye out for a Pisces archtype in history to present itself. One comes across your desk, and you write it. It’s a short article.
And someone pipes up and says, “You’re only honoring one person’s story. You should honor all peoples’s stories and perspectives.” Again, it’s a short article about the Pisces archetype.
Feel free to write your own article, and find another Pisces archetype, or even a larger tome, and honor someone or something else from a different cultural perspective than this author’s.
Bless you, Laura, for your cogent observations. I do hope that those who took issue with my essay will write one of their own, honoring who they wish to honor! Happy eclipse…