This Solar eclipse has an incredible assertive energy going on; it also sits at the midpoint of a trine that spells trouble; and a couple of aspects are slightly outside my strict-but-constantly-stretching boundaries ( and this may be where you start to wonder if I shouldn’t ditch the 2 degree rule altogether; in keeping the rule I’m very careful about what I consider to be an eclipse aspect, and avoid ‘kitchen sink’ syndrome).  As always, the variations are slight, and needed to see the complete eclipse picture.

The eclipse begins at 12:40 PM PDT on July 11th, as Sun and Moon conjunct at 19 Cancer 23. The assertive energies are found in the Sun/ Moon still valid conjunction to Juno–think of a power figure who gets what they want by offering nurture, or by calling on the ties they’ve already created, and this may  involve a sense of obligation, duty, or ‘I owe’–it’s the bargain this Sun/ Moon combo creates, and the sextile to Vesta/ Mars in Virgo says that there will be an accounting going on, likely of energy expended, and the one doing the counting will be prone to consider this expenditure sacred–and expect payback.

Our Sabian for the eclipse degree is ‘A Venetian Gondolier Giving a Serenade’ The gondolier is, of course, singing because it’s part of the sh0wmanship of his job; at bottom, he does a thing of beauty because he wants to get paid. That’s not to discount that he may love his role, that singing may be a joyous expression for him, and that his singing may be spontaneous, performed for any Soul within earshot. What it reminds us, though, is that life is about the flow and exchange of energy in all its forms, and that the roles we play (no matter how innate to our character or genuine to our Being) are played as part of a Universal agreement of exchange for mutual benefit–it’s a reminder that we must give what’s most true to our talents, and that we have an obligation to discover what those are. By implication there is also the idea that the farther we are from our best expression, the farther from that Universal ‘flow’ we are (and remember, flow goes both directions, not just toward you!)

Does this suggest that the hovering maternal (for this is the essence of caring) to whom we’re obligated is really the Universe? A wide quincunx of the eclipse to Ceres certainly supports this, and a sextile to Sedna further implies we just can’t see this–and by ‘this’ I mean both how closely we are woven into the fabric of the Cosmos, and how what we see as obligations may really be opportunities to bring, somehow, more of ourselves forward. It’s an invitation to the Universal party, the one we signed up for when we commited to being here. It may, in the end, be a call to be more genuine, to refuse to hide parts of ourselves (and we hide our talents as much as we hide what we may be ashamed of, because our abilities don’t agree with our tattered and Self-imposed, socially driven image of how we think we should be–and that amounts to rejecting ourselves, and so rejecting the flow that’s offered–and my answer to that is, who do we think we are, to judge ourselves so?)

This is a very positive eclipse pattern–so now you may be wondering about that trine I mentioned that spells trouble–and that is, the eclipse sits at the midpoint of the Sedna trine to Mars/ Vesta. This means both will be equally and strongly stimulated, and that implies we may not see (Sedna) how we may be prone to treat both our actions and our ego as sacred (Mars/ Vesta). It’s easy (the trine) to not see our own motives and aims–and the eclipse, which prompts us to action most genuine to ourselves, calls for that action to be in line with our talents and roles. A balancing act, to be sure–but one that must go forward, as the Cardinal placement of the eclipse insists we must act–and this influence will continue for six months, through to the next eclipse set.

More on the eclipse can be found here http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com/new-eclipse-spring-2010/ Thanks!