Category Archives: Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse 12 August 2026 Discovering Who We Are

31 Friday Jul 2026

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‘Summer Night’ By Harald Sohlberg 1899{{PD}}

The Total Solar Eclipse (New Moon) occurs 12 August at 10:45 AM PDT at 20 Leo 02, with its closest major aspect a wide trine to Saturn in Aries–what gives? Why is this meeting of Solar and Lunar energies so . . . isolated? Leo is an energy enshrined in its own individuality, celebrating its ability to let the Soul ‘shine’ (and it can’t do that without the opposing Aquarian group energy), with a New Moon promising a new facet of this individuality pushing forward into the world, and an eclipse suggesting, in this case, that the emotional or intuitive reality (the Moon, as it comes between the Earth and the Sun along the ecliptic) supersedes the ego or identity (the Sun)–and perhaps inevitably strikes a blow to the core Self as we currently know it. The implication is that emotional realities centered on the identity, on how we see ourselves, will get a whole new ‘read’, and that kind of shift naturally challenges who we think we are. How disturbing this is to the individual will likely center on 1) how clearly we see ourselves to begin with (that is, how closely our Self-image aligns with the effects and meanings of our real-world actions and choices), 2) how much this change disturbs the social context in which we operate, and 3) how much hold the ego has over our goals, preferences, and choices (a lot means a lot of disturbance!) The trine relates the eclipse to who we are in our everyday lives, the ‘I Am’ (Aries) in the real world (Saturn), essentially reiterating the Leo eclipse energy.

There’s also a tight semi-square to Venus, and a septile to Mars-Ceres at 00 Cancer; those aspects certainly hold hints as to why the rest of the Solar system is disengaged at this point (or perhaps more accurately, engaged with energies other than the identity and emotional concerns). The semi-square is the toughest aspect we ever see between the Sun and Venus, theoretically because the big-idea concepts of Soul and Love can’t diverge all that much–or neither would exist. So the two are in as much conflict as is possible between them–and that may imply that we are in that state, too, struggling to reconcile what we know Love to be with what we are, with our identity–so that at least a partial goal of the eclipse upset may be to cause a necessary reassessment to our Self-image, in order to more closely align with what we see Love and its expression through us to be. The septile is a bit of spiritual magic, creativity that inherently understands the unspoken, the hidden, and with Mars-Ceres just new in Cancer involved, what we may come to understand is something around our own motives and actions as they apply to what we care about and specifically to what we believe we have dominion over–expect a surprise here, too.

Neptune is sesquiquadrate the eclipse, and the Black Moon Lilith point is in wide trine (I’m not listing this as a major aspect because this involves a calculated point rather than a physical body, and the orb is large, over 6 degrees). Our ideals and what we’ve imagined are shown in the light of the eclipse to be difficult to manifest, at least in their current form (or with our current Self-image/ identity)–or, we see that we must change either our ideals/ dreams or who we are, in order to bring these into being–and we do it by acknowledging what we may have buried, hidden (from ourselves or others), or denied, or that has enraged us to the point we have avoided it. The problem in solving all this lies in a trine BML makes to asteroid Vesta in Aries–it’s a little too wide for me to consider this a Grand Trine with the eclipse–with Vesta’s involvement suggesting that we may treat what we’ve hidden or denied as sacred, avoided for the highest and best of reasons–though the light of the eclipse shows us just how far from true our assessment of these energies truly is.

I think we need to mine what surrounds this eclipse, parsing the energies that seem largely unconnected to the Sun-Moon dance but that give it context and set the scene. Notables include an Air Grand Trine with Venus, Uranus, and Pluto-Juno=this is a gusty confluence of Air placements that promises that interaction among relationships, finances, or values brings the unanticipated and unexpected, surprises or shocks, that creates big, permanent change, transformation, or brings a definite ending in matters of empowerment or personal authority. The Power situation shifts, because something we didn’t anticipate is thrown into the relationship, money, or standards mix–and we may find ourselves in limbo, a weird stasis suspending this decision moment, perhaps jarred into making a choice with the eclipse.

Venus and Neptune oppose each other and at the time of the Lunar event are in their last day or two of a T square as Venus inevitably moves quickly on. This is probably a situation we’ll have been aware of, which I might characterize as a stand-off over what to do about the seeming irreconcilable differences between a relationship and its fantasy version, or money and creative efforts, or a Love of some kind that violates our ideals. The pressures off soon enough that this may remain in suspension until some other influence comes along to stir it up again, but heads up, face it now for optimal results–that is, if you know what you want to do about it! That’s a tough ask, right now, so don’t be hard on yourself, especially since symbolically speaking this config never perfects/ed–it may be a matter of course that we’re left not knowing how to resolve this.

Mercury opposes Pluto-Ceres, sextiles Venus, and is widely conjoined Jupiter and trine Neptune, while Neptune sextiles Pluto and forms a Finger of God with apex the South Node point. What’s communicated can’t help but be exaggerated or even fanciful/ false, and this is all rooted in past events and spurred by Love (or what someone tells themselves is Love! because at bottom it centers on Power); it’s a circumstance of what was that still reaches out and shapes the now. To be fair this may be something we’re aware of/ a message we receive just hours or days before the eclipse, as both Sun and Moon pass over Merc-Jupiter, but keep in mind: the message arises out of Self-interest, nothing more or less. Something has to change here, too–and if you’re the one expected to believe what’s communicated, you’d do best to keep your own ideals and standards in mind, and decide if this message (or this relationship) lives up to what you need and want.

If we’re looking for a character that might drive a lot of the eclipse action (at least, any action outside of ourselves, our viewpoint, our ego!) look no further than 29 degree Juno. As we’ve noted, she’s out-of-sign conjoined Pluto, likely making her feel Power is just . . . over . . . there, and she quincunxes Mars and trines Chiron–uh-oh, she’s hurt, and is unsure about what to do, yet feels compelled to act, to do something (in select cases, she make seek to heal). She’s in that last degree of Capricorn, so she wants to be practical, to make what she chooses or does count–and that can make for an uber serious, and relentless, individual bent on making her Power play happen, whether it’s actually a good goal or not. If you happen to be the Juno in this scenario, just be aware that a grim and unbending approach may paint you into an unexpected (and unwelcome) corner.

We also have Eris and Pallas conjoined in Aries and trining the eclipse (with Vesta conjoined them but not in aspect to the eclipse, lending that sacred and serious energy that may be subtle or even hidden, a guarantee we will handle something a little too reverently). Eris tells us that anger and discord that surfaces at eclipse time was there all along, under the surface, and Pallas, as well as Vesta, suggest we are going to treat the upset super-seriously, as containing wisdom; it may, but in our response we’re bound to overdo in an attempt to compensate. The complaint may be legitimate, but that doesn’t mean we should treat it (and the complainer) as if they’re a messenger from on high–and if the person filing that complaint is you, be forewarned. Time and distance will reveal just how much ego (Aries) is behind the whole scenario.

The eclipse Sabian is, ‘Intoxicated Chickens Dizzily Flap Their Wings Trying To Fly’. I suppose their feed could have fermented in storage, and somehow the little devils got into it. It’s a puzzling image, but when we break it down we see innocents who’ve been influenced (“intoxicated”) and so are trying to do what for them is impossible–chickens can flap all they want, they’re not leaving the ground for more than a few seconds, tops. What is it that you’ve become besotted with or by, that is making you aim for something you inherently aren’t equipped to do? It’s an important question, because the state in which this action is being attempted is by its very nature an ‘unnatural’ one, where one’s normal good judgment is overcome and one’s restraint is in the wind. The inspiration to try something, no matter where it’s derived, is intoxicating, but sober is the only state in which we should judge that inspiration, and the only state in which we should try to reach it–everything else is, in the end, a distraction, specifically from what’s genuinely important to us, and we should keep that in mind, when someone feeds us a line and tells us we can fly.

A word about my recent absence: I’ve lately needed to prioritize my time in such a way that I find I have far less of it free, and even then choosing how to use that time has been challenging, to say the least. I find I need a lot more of my energy for myself than I did in the past. I apologize for any disappointment this may cause, though I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to a consistent posting schedule; I’m thinking instead of an even more casual presence than I already had. That said, I will be back with commentary on the partial Lunar eclipse of the 27th. I hope you’re all enjoying your summer/ winter (for those in the Southern Hemisphere!) and spending your days and nights doing what you love to do, as well–Julie

Solar Eclipse 17 February 2026 Endings and Beginnings

11 Wednesday Feb 2026

Posted by in Aries Point, astrology, current events in the sky, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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Martin Johnson Heade ‘Blue Morpho Butterfly’ c1864 {{PD}}

Look at the way that, of the major planets and lights, this alignment of Sun and Moon, such that the Moon appears to blot out the Sun, occurs when both are latest bodies by degree, at 28 Aquarius 49. Eclipses are resets, wipe-outs, complete changes in tone, shifts in the stream, abrupt and definite disruptions to the flow of time, the manifestation of place, the utilization and direction of energy; when this happens at latest degree we see the event as the end result of the current scenario laid out by the positions and interactions of the other celestial bodies–that is, we see the Lunar event as a conclusion, rather than as the ‘new start’ a New Moon usually shows us. Of course, inherent in a conclusion is a fresh beginning, or at least the clearing of the decks that makes room for new developments, but when we see a beginning as an ending . . . then we’re bound to believe we’re finished with what occurs, rather than at the start, and that means we may miss the significance of what unfolds before us, and especially, that we may dismiss what we really should be preparing to deal with further.

An eclipse in Aquarius removes our certainty around Higher Mind beliefs and concepts, making us question guiding principles, things we’ve been certain of–are they only academic? we may ask ourselves, have I been living according to theories, rather than real-world tested values?–and we may suddenly see our relationship as an individual to the group in a much different light. Our sense of responsibility to the Collective may undergo revision, and our attitude to our own unique qualities may change: either we lose our tolerance for our unusual inclinations, wanting abruptly to fit in, or we may embrace our originality with new gusto and appreciation, positing cutting-edge ideas in areas where we have skills, expertise, talent.

With this eclipse semi-sextile the close conjunction of Saturn-Neptune at the Aries Point, we can guess that the confusion over endings and beginnings is part of the current fabric of reality itself; what the status quo is, what we imagine it to be, what we see as ideal, and the creative and spiritual acts we believe we’ve been held back from or denied the expression of, somehow, are both part of the illusion, and part of the reality–but how do we divine the real from the deceptive? It’s important we do, as what we sort and set in place now won’t just echo over the coming six months, as with a usual eclipse pattern, it will also act as a new inception point describing how we’ll interact with the world, how we’ll meet it, and specifically, how we’ll muster our creative and spiritual energies to deal with matter, restriction, rules, and form.

The eclipse occurs in square to sign ruler Uranus in Taurus, and in wide sesquiquadrate to Jupiter in Cancer–and even though 5 degrees is a big orb for a sextile, I think we should consider this relationship to Chiron in Aries, not least because a wider orb contact can reverberate like an echo, subtly permeating events though not fully inserting its energy into the overall picture; in this case it adds to our sense of vulnerability, our memory of past wounds around our own Self-assertion and choices made, making us hesitate, an instinctive Self-preservation response that may or may not be justified–and we’ll have a hell of a time telling whether it is, considering how confusing and deceptive the real world (Saturn-Neptune) seems to be, right now!

The square to Uranus emphasizes the sense of conflict: between the individual and the group, the Higher Mind and the mob mentality, between originality and conformity, with all the internal dichotomies reflected back to us through material circumstances (Taurus). Our surroundings will be our mirror: what we observe will mimic what’s happening within, and vice versa–so at least in this regard, we can rely on the world around us to be communicating–it’s only our ability to accurately interpret what we’re shown that may suffer.

The sesquiquadrate to Jupiter points to adjustment, continual and born of irritation, springing from emotional reaction–but, with Jupiter’s ruler part of the eclipse event, we may find a chicken-and-egg quandary presented: do our feelings come in response to eclipse events, or have our feelings triggered or fueled eclipse events? Again, considering the Saturn-Neptune state of the environment, we may be unable to tell what’s the engine here, what’s the response–and so suffer the sense that our emotions are out of our control, that we are feeling victims of the wider world, of larger forces (with Jupiterian exaggeration enlarging our emotional responses even as what drives our feelings masquerades as facts or knowledge, conveying an unwarranted solidity and realism to those reactions).

The eclipse Sabian is, ‘A Butterfly Emerging From A Chrysalis’. This should be our model for the ending and beginning we’ll face. It’s an entire new world for the emerging pupa, the end of all it’s known–and a genuine new beginning, as a completely different entity, within a completely new mode of being. Don’t be surprised, then, if that world met through the Aries Point treats you as if you are a totally other Being than ever before. Embrace it, and the sense of freedom (perfect for an Aquarian New Moon) one can derive from a new, re-made identity.

What can guide us? Originality, what strikes us as unique or forward-thinking, provides a beacon, and probably our most reliable one, as our own truly unusual facets will be our greatest assets, and certainly our most dependable ones, in the immediate future. Perhaps don’t worry about the specifics of what’s beginning, what’s ending, instead simply paying attention to and responding to what is reflected back from the environment, and taking that as indicators of what’s happening inside. The internal landscape can thrive when recognized as legitimate, as being as real and important as anything outside ourselves–and that may help us adjust to our new position as individuals within the larger, often confusing, current Collective.

Partial Solar Eclipse 29 March 2025 Seeing Our Way Forward

25 Tuesday Mar 2025

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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‘The Education of Achilles’ By Auguste-Clément Chrétien 1861 {{PD}} The Horse/Guy giving the archery lesson? None other than Chiron.

The upcoming Partial Solar Eclipse (New Moon) peaks at 3:47 AM PDT of the 29th late in 8+ degrees of Aries. What we see is that retro Mercury is already well past Inferior Conjunction and poised to re-enter Pisces, suggesting we are on the verge of a ‘mental retreat’–I don’t think that’s a surprise to any of us. Transiting Mercury is out-of-sign conjoined retro Venus and Neptune in Pisces, the latter at 29 stressful degrees, and in a chain-reaction conjunction with both the North Node and Saturn which are close to Venus and Neptune, with Merc also closely quincunx the Scorpio Black Moon Lilith point; I think that’s a pretty good description of the situation: we’re worried about our future as much as the current reality picture; the mind needs a rest, an escape, as a recent refresh (the Inferior Conjunction) is still germinal, not even close to revealing itself, and with our tastes, relationships, and/ or values under temporary assault, experimental, or feeling foreign to us, and our ideals and faith stretched to the limit, we are more than aware of those matters under the surface, the things we’ve tried to ignore or deny, that enrage when we think about them, that require us to adjust repeatedly–and we feel the need for a break. Looking for relief from our stressful reality has, at this point, almost become a way of life–so we must ask, what will trigger this latest urge to escape, and the actions (Aries) it suggests?

A New Moon is a new start, but when it’s a Solar eclipse in Aries, it promises something new doesn’t just take root, it wipes out what was growing before, creating fertile ground for something originating all the way, in our planetary metaphor, to the molten core of our individuality, our sense of initiative, and identity as a unique Being who works to impress the ‘I Am’/ Will on people and things around us. We feel we must act; we may desperately want a new start in that most important of venues, within ourselves–and the Aries New Moon delivers that aforementioned trigger prompting the new start via three scenarios: the Moon’s sextile to Pluto in Aquarius, and in two Fingers of God, one with the eclipse as apex with a base of Achilles at 7 Virgo sextile Atlantis at 7 Scorpio, the other with Aries Luna sextile Pallas in Aquarius, apex Achilles.

The sextile to Pluto, of course, announces serious, permanent change or evolution; this may involve involuntary loss or destruction, affecting our intellect and our understanding of current circumstances. It alerts us to the fact that we will feel this, be aware of this, as it affects the mind/ mentality, our relationship to or role within the group, and calls for a modern approach to what we are facing (Aquarius).

The Finger featuring the eclipse as apex blends as the base two interesting energies: Achilles, describing an unanticipated vulnerability, around critical thinking/ reasoning, abilities of discernment and enjoyment of mutually shared ‘harvest’, and Atlantis, embodying an advanced civilization that is no more, that in fact has receded into legend, if it ever was at all, with the memory at this point possibly acting in a hidden and potentially destructive way. Looking back now we may wonder: is our past real? Were our advances lost, or never really there all along? This config suggests we have a weak point brought forward by a set of standards or behaviors that are no longer appropriate, needed, or in force, that are in fact actually detrimental in handling the Now, with the Aries Solar eclipse the result: a wipe out to some facet of the identity, or to some course of action or choice we either have been contemplating or have already embarked on/ made.

The eclipse point sextile Pallas suggests there’s wisdom, or at least practicality, in what occurs at this time, in the reconsidering of action or choice, and that’s so even if we don’t understand it. The result of recognizing this is an understanding of where, precisely, we are vulnerable (apex Achilles) and so most crucially, how to deal with it.

The Sabian for the New Moon/ Solar eclipse is, ‘A Crystal Gazer’. I think this describes every one of us right now, intent on seeing the future, or at least discerning how we can best respond in the moment. The Solar eclipse delivers a clear suggestion, an intimation of what we should do, and what we should avoid–and the image implies we’ll be capable of seeing what’s presented, if only we’ll believe in our own ability to see.

A vanitas still life with a crystal ball reflecting an image of the artist at his easel, By Vincent Laurensz van der Vinne 17th century {{PD}}

Solar Eclipse 2 October 2024 Harmony In Confrontation

25 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by in astrology, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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‘Harmony in Blue’ By James Ensor 1919 {{PD}}

Yes, I’m aware that’s contradictory; how can we find accord in the midst of conflict? It seems impossible, but that’s exactly what we do, with this eclipse, first perfecting at 11:48 AM PDT of the 2nd at 10 Libra 03: we find our new beginnings, after the event wipes the slate clean, through the New Moon and a pair of components of the Sun-Moon conjunction, the Black Moon Lilith point and Mercury, all in Libra, with a less than 1.5 degree spread. This describes a seminal point in relationships (especially intimate or partner-oriented ones), in the Arts, and/ or in matters of diplomacy and fairness (judgment as objective as possible, and the attempt to allocate resources or energies as deserved). The conflict or confrontation may be internal or external (with another), but in either case involves something ignored, denied, or that enrages (BML), while harmony comes from effective, open communication (Mercury, in Air sign Libra) that puts caring and considerate interaction (Libra, a Cardinal, and so action-oriented, sign) ahead of Self-interest or one’s own feelings (the Sun-Moon conjunction=the Self/ Sun meets the emotions or intuition/ Moon). Important to note, if the conflict is an internal one, we will essentially be wrestling with something we’ve set to the side or tried to ignore, and now must face how this affects our relationships or interaction overall; communicating honestly with ourselves becomes the New Moon eclipse necessity.

There’s a loose T-square formed with the opposition of Ceres in Capricorn to Mars in Cancer, with the eclipse, BML, and Mercury as the handle, with the Superior (direct) conjunction of the Sun and Mercury just a day away; this last event will bring some conclusion or revelation planted during the Inferior conjunction, when the Sun met retrograde Mercury back on August 19. Now it’s a realization about us in relationship, what is and should be communicated, that delivers a truce in the tension between what’s natural, real, observable (Ceres in Capricorn) and what we need as an individual to assert, express, attack, or make happen according to our Will, because we care (Mars in Cancer). The eclipse offers a way to resolve the gap between what is and what we want–not a bad influence, at all.

The eclipse and friends also form a loose semi-sextile to ruler Venus in Scorpio; This may provide the oomph to investigate, to look below the surface of things, that might otherwise be missing with so much Libran consoling, cooperating, and smoothing over in the air. Also in the air is an Air Grand Trine with the eclipse/ Merc/ BML and Psyche at 8 Aquarius and Hera at 8 Gemini. This suggests that mental balance may be achieved when we know our roles in relation to others, particularly partners. Both these mythical figures dealt with a great deal of friction in intimate relationships (mate, children, mother-in-law) that forced them to discover who they are, and how best to exert their own power. We could say that both of these women have stories that eventually connect them with their own power in the same way Juno does–and Juno just so happens to be at 18 Libra, pointing us back toward right now finding one’s best expression within interaction, especially with those close to us.

Also of note is the way 29 degree Pluto has effectively stationed and is poised to resume forward motion on October 11, though it will still carry stationary status until about a week later. This may either impart a sense to everything (as Pluto sits in the final degree of reality-focused Capricorn) that it’s a general state of emergency, where nothing seems stable and everything is threatening, or it will make us feel the only way to gain a sense of security and freedom is via elimination or destruction. The sextile to Neptune, which obscures or makes our imaginations run wild, doesn’t help. Be aware this feeling of threat is, in some important ways, an illusion, one that may cause us to react to what’s not there, or to overreact to what is there. Note too that Chiron is sextile Jupiter=exaggerated hurt, and Mars is trine Saturn in Water=we may act on feelings in the real world, or suppress action because of hurt feelings, and either reaction actually stands outside what’s really needed now. Mars-Saturn can offer us stability in the emotional perceptions, if we can acknowledge that feeling isolated or insisting on having our way (both dangers when our Martian energies feel sorry for themselves) arise from tender and over sensitive (that is, too Self-focused) ways of interpreting the world.

The Sabian for the Solar eclipse is, ‘A Professor Peering Over His Glasses At His Students’. So much of what we’re dealing with at this time is rooted in the matter of authority: who holds it over us, how we handle it ourselves, how we exert it over others, and how we measure authority in every interaction we have. We might think of it as this: do we assess others essentially as equals, or are we always weighing to see who holds more power? Do we act differently in the presence of those we see as holding authority over us? Do we respect others because they are people, or do we respect those who hold an advantage, and disdain those who don’t? These can be deeply unconscious attitudes, but worth exploring, as you may believe no one can tell how you’re judging them–but oh, they really can.

The only way to find harmony in relationship, really, the only way to feel safe and so able to be open with and to others, is to know ourselves, what we require, and to feel our own sense of empowerment, a sense that is not dependent on the sanction or support of another, and that does not rest on judging oneself superior or inferior, in some way. This eclipse seems to offer us a chance to correct this, with the event a launching pad for better relationships, simply because we stand within our own power, unafraid of what others might say, do, or feel, which makes us truly free, able to handle whatever comes at us.

Have a safe and happy Solar eclipse!

Total Solar Eclipse 8 April 2024 A Journey to the Underworld

02 Tuesday Apr 2024

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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‘The Fate of Persephone’ By Walter Crane 1877 {{PD}}

A friend of mine is traveling from Seattle to Texas to observe the eclipse from the path of totality firsthand–and I can’t help but think it’s a pilgrimage, whether he’s conscious of it or not, meant to heal, with the meeting of Sun and Moon (at 19 Aries 23, 18:20 UT), the Moon throwing itself between us and the Sun, all bodies lined up along the plane of the ecliptic, also conjoined Chiron (only 1 minute apart), this body designating the primal wound, the deepest, farthest-from-consciousness hurt of all–and that says to me that we all may be engaged in a form of healing with this blending of Sol, Luna, and the Wounded Centaur, a chance through renewal of the ‘I Am’ and worth of Self (Aries) to restore at a personal level the vitality of the Sun, the unadulterated sensitivity of the Moon, and the sense of dedication and purpose behind both identity and the Soul’s intent. A resurrection for each of us, if you will.

It’s interesting that this eclipse wipe-out energy doesn’t involve the persistent, everyday obliterating energy of Pluto–there’s no Scorpio involved, and Pluto doesn’t hook in any way into the eclipse dynamic–and yet the event promises us a deep re-think about who we are and what we’re doing, courtesy of the wide conjunction to a retrograde Mercury in Aries (though Pluto is quincunx the Trans Neptunian Object (TNO) Chaos as well as major asteroid Vesta, suggesting anarchic upheaval in the home or in matters we are–or were, until the eclipse hit–dedicated to). The eclipse trines Persephone in Sagittarius, hinting at the journey to the Underworld we all, at least temporarily, must make, and emphasizing the way we will return to the light–even if it seems like we won’t. So, there’s plenty of dynamic (and potentially destructive, or maybe misleading) energy pinging around out there–and our job may be to know it when we see it, which can help us avoid responding unthinkingly, and so falling victim to it.

The eclipse energy represents a spiritual, rather than a cellular, anastasis–and as such may explain a sort of atmospheric fear swirling around right now–because who isn’t at least a little unsettled by the idea of death, or trepidatious confronting the unknown? And we are promised a surprise delivered by the vastness of the Universe, with the eclipse semi-sextile Jupiter in Taurus, which is itself conjoined by Uranus (though the eclipse is out of range). Jupiter is, among other things, a designator of that longest journey we take at the end of life, with Uranus introducing a version of the three-body problem, roughly explained as an inability to predict with any certainty the long-term path of any combination of objects. In Taurus this suggests material roots, and material effects, though it may manifest as changes in our sense of security, our comfort, or or our ability to provide for our own or others’ needs.

Do we even need to mention Black Moon Lilith in Virgo quincunx the eclipse? Something we’d rather ignore or deny, or that enrages us, is an uncomfortable trigger to events–and this discomfort is seated in criticism, or the need for an accounting, or perhaps is spurred by an unfair or inadequate sharing of ‘the harvest’. The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘A Young Girl Feeding Birds In Winter’. A young girl is just beginning her life, while winter is the season of sleep, torpor, but a necessary step to renewal–and birds are wild things that struggle during periods of scarcity, suggesting that it’s the young, fresh, renewed part of us stimulated by the eclipse that can ‘feed’ those more spontaneous, wilder impulses within us that might not make it through tougher times without a little help. Self-help, then, in its most positive sense, an ability to act, but it’s important to note: timing tells us that winter comes at an expected time, and only lasts so long–remembering that this, too, shall pass, is an important part of dealing with what comes.

Solar Eclipse 14 October 2023: Zombies, Or A Fresh Start?

11 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse, Sun/Mercury Superior Conjunction

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Well, that’s one way to get people to close a gate. Visitor7 CC 3.0

The Sun and Moon meet at 21 Libra 07 at 10:55 AM PDT of the 14th, lovingly cupped (it’s Libra, after all) in an 8 degree span by Mercury approaching for Superior Conjunction (the 19th) and Zeus and the South Node which both Moon and Sun are on their way toward. Then there are the oppositions: Earth, of course, along with Chiron and a close conjunction of Eris and the North Node. The Nodal points close to the Sun-Earth axis are to be expected, as that occurs with each set of eclipses, symbolically signaling the idea of Lunar extremity, the very kind of definitive change we should expect from an eclipse. For either Solar or Lunar eclipses, circumstances are reaching an apex, a pivot point, a point of no return, a point at which Things Will Change, with the Solar like a conception (the beginning of a thing), the Lunar like a birth (the arrival of the completed thing).

But in order for something to be conceived, previous conditions have to be set aside–it’s that old physical conundrum about two things unable to occupy the same space at the same time–so that a Solar eclipse can sometimes feels anti-climactic, a tiny sparkle in an empty space, a glimmer of newness to come, perhaps overwhelmed by a hollowness left by what is not there, anymore. We may feel things have ended and be looking around for the new start, or we may just then become aware that something is no longer–and only in that moment realize there are new opportunities ahead (because nature and vacuums, right?)

This time we may be heading toward fresh ambitions and goals (Zeus), our desires just taking coherent form (Superior Conjunction–expect to really understand what the eclipse means for you then), and they grow either from past experience and what we’ve learned, or from a previous want we’ve long forgotten or abandoned, perhaps thinking it was never to be (South Node). An old desire comes back to life–but will this be a genuinely new crack at achieving what we want, or will it be a zombie, re-animated but without the Soul presence needed to make a living, breathing result? Those zombies will be Plutonian, once again visible since Pluto’s recent direction: serious, potentially life-changing, resurrecting something you never thought would happen, so it may be hard to distinguish between what’s coming back that really is a birth (or re-birth), and what’s dead on its feet.

This Solar eclipse says there are others waiting to assist, cooperate, or partner, under aesthetic conditions we find pleasing (unless this eclipse hits by hard aspect a natal body involved with this particular desire/ ambition–then it could be a much different story). This may be surprising, or emerge out of chaos, with the eclipse forming a quincunx to Uranus in Taurus, but in either case, others will appreciate our originality, and want to help. Then there are the oppositions: to Chiron (which is at a degree prior to eclipse formation, suggesting a wound already suffered is part of what leads to now), bringing reactions or lessons derived from hurt into the mix, and to the Eris-North Node combination, which could suggest one of two things: either women or anima sensibilities are instrumental in shaping the future path, or that any underlying conflicts will surface, and in so doing, shape what comes. The oppositions are in Aries, implying that the individuality and Will, ours and that of those with whom we deal, will be the form these challenges arrive in. It may seem like our interactions are caught in the vagaries of personality on the one-to-one level, but we must recognize that each of these persons represents something larger, a force, a trend, the Universe itself, and that we’ll all be communicating larger matters for one another.

The Sun and Moon also form a semi-square to Venus in Virgo, and as ruler of both the current positions of Uranus and the eclipse, tells us a few things, chief among them that our critical judgment may be in crisis mode, under- or over-doing assessment, and Venus herself is widely conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point, which is opposed Saturn at 00 Pisces. This is a mini-portrait of the potential for relationships and/ or financial situations that will be sabotaged through an unwillingness to see reality, whether that’s by denying or ignoring important aspects of the matter, by allowing righteous anger to make our decisions for us, or by a simple denial of reality, and particularly denial of real-world problems or barriers we just don’t want to acknowledge–and this is all reinforced by Mars in Scorpio sextile Black Moon Lilith, quincunx Sedna, and trine Saturn, spelling Willfulness fueled by the darker side of our nature, and easily manifested in the world. This can mean that our eclipse new start is at first wrapped in just this kind of bull-headed resistance, a zombie of a circumstance that just won’t die–and that only after we deal with this distraction and the distortions we’ve allowed to our own perceptions will we be able to locate that glimmer of a new start.

The Sabian for the New Moon eclipse is, ‘A Child Giving Birds A Drink At A Fountain’. What strikes me about this is the phrasing: “giving birds a drink”. The water is there, maybe poured into the fountain by the child (though a fountain, by definition, already contains water), but still, that child can’t really give them a drink, they must come to it–her only real contribution may be that she doesn’t flap her arms and shoo them away! I think this points to the need for clear perspective, to see what we’re really doing, saying, or being, and the needed effort to refrain from obscuring what’s going on (by using euphemisms, by omitting facts, by making assumptions, by placing a veil of opinion or prejudice over matters) in a way that may skew the event in the perceptions. This may relate to Venus in Virgo as ruler of the eclipse: our judgment is a little wonky, so striving for clear sight may be the most helpful thing we can do.

Solar Eclipse in Aries April 2023: Who We Were

17 Monday Apr 2023

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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Binu.mhp Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 2019

An eclipse is a time when what was, at least in one area of our lives, is erased, and with a Solar eclipse (also known as a New Moon) we see this eliminated material replaced by or clearing the way for a spark, a seed, something new, something just beginning. The eclipse makes room in our lives for the birth of a new entity, endeavor, event, or circumstance that holds the character of the sign in which the eclipse occurs, and takes the shape of the House in the natal chart where the eclipse falls. That means for all of us there will be a similar, sign-oriented flavor to what happens, but that for each of us the eclipse material will take a unique and personal form.

This Solar event occurs at 9:12 PM PDT of the 19th. Since we already had a New Moon in Aries this year (on 21 March at 00), we may be wondering about the way the impetus for new beginnings of a similar, Arian kind is duplicated, as if we get a do-over, and in a way that’s what we’re getting. To immodestly quote myself from the post for the 21st: “A New Moon at the Aries Point is the most bare, exposed, fresh, even raw of beginnings, a seminal point of germination, discovery, inception, origination. In Aries we have initiation, both in the sense of the start of something new, and in the sense of being brought or accepted into something–both are personal, in that they are happening to the individual, but one speaks of a new venture, occurrence, or climate, while the other speaks of something that exists already, into which we enter and become a part. At the Aries Point, we are the Initiate; expect to become, to gain an aspect of identity that you did not carry before, and that you probably won’t be able to anticipate.”

So, we were given a beginning so completely fresh that it was likely without definitive form–and what will Aries do with such energy? Shape the hell out of it; it’s all about becoming, the process of individuation, the formation of identity, and employing that Cardinal energy to impress ourselves and our Will upon the world. We were probably just beginning to get a handle on these new implications for identity and role when along comes the eclipse–uprooting those tender seedlings and making one thing abundantly clear: the identity we were constructing is inadequate to completely express who we are, with the eclipse at 29 degrees suggesting 1) it’s imperative we recognize that what we’ve chosen is not enough, in some sense, and 2) that it’s important we acknowledge we know a whole lot more than we did back in March–oh, how far we’ve come!–and the roles we’re creating for ourselves must take into account all we’ve learned–otherwise, what we create will be obsolete before we even get started.

A Sun-Moon meeting at the 29th degree carries its own message: this is a crisis. The feeling may be that we’ve been wrestling with these identity factors for a long time, and should be farther along. We feel we have to do something. There’s an emotional dissonance in the identity department that we’ll need to recognize. And all that begs the question: why aren’t we more clear on who we are? The answer is: a state of crisis is Self-defining (we find out who we are in a pinch) and that some hindsight will be necessary before we can get a true and accurate reflection of who we have become in the Self-image mirror of the mind.

The eclipse makes few contacts, though it’s conjoined Vesta in Taurus; this clues us in to the fact that what we’re dealing with now in shaping the ‘I Am’ is both sacred and fundamental to our security, prosperity, and comfort. We’re not just being asked to declare ourselves, we’re being asked to put forward what we stand for, to state explicitly what and who we honor, and what we are willing to dedicate our life energy to. The seriousness of this identity declaration may be the source of the tension and the feeling of crisis. We’re at some level aware of how important it is at this time to know ourselves; to fail to define our identity and character is to fail to prepare ourselves for what’s to come. That said, the world doesn’t come to an end if we remain unsure of our feelings or identity–but it does move forward, whether we’re prepared or not.

The New Moon makes a semi-sextile to Sedna in Taurus at 29 degrees (crisis around comfort, security, stability, prosperity), suggesting that instincts can aid us in our identity quest, and that the instinctual nature will transmit messages through discomfort or an ‘off’ feeling–listen to those. There’s also a novile to Venus in Gemini, implying a spark of genius in the thinking, when it’s centered on values or the mind is focused on seeing the beauty (or the profit) in the world. And the Sun-Moon/ Earth axis forms a T-square with Pluto, itself still raw, newly entered into Aquarius, suggesting that transformation won’t be easy–but that it’s inevitable, and that we, and the landscape, won’t reach the Lunar eclipse with the same outlook, or even wearing the same identity ‘shell’ (like a label, role, or job title).

The eclipse Sabian is, ‘A Duck Pond And Its Brood’. This brings to mind the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’, which is a tale of finding one’s identity–and also one’s group. It may be that, if we’re really stumped about our own identity, looking around, examining who and what we’re surrounded by, will give valuable clues–as we must know who we are in the present to know what must change to create our new identity, which in turn creates our future. A bit of a ‘duck and egg’ thing, I think.

It may be a matter of the eclipse wiping out who we were (or our idea of who we were) in favor of something hinted at with the New Moon of March 21st, now ready to be born, to be revealed, or to be realized. A kind of denouement may arrive with the Lunar eclipse–until then, we do our best to put the pieces together, and to understand as well as we can who we are, and to move toward who we want to become.

Here’s a good explanation of a hybrid eclipse– The kind of eclipse we experience doesn’t change the astrological effects, but we can’t overlook the symbolism of, in this case, a hybrid event. It suggests something changeable–that then changes back. It hints that permanent change promised by Pluto may at least appear not to ‘stick’–it may morph back to a previous state, before again changing. Just be prepared to witness fluctuation in our perceptions, and to stay nimble enough that we can respond to what we might not fully anticipate.

And here’s a link that describes paths of upcoming eclipses that will be visible in North America-– many thanks to reader John Spirko for sharing this..

Solar Eclipse 25 October 2022 Immersed in the Senses

21 Friday Oct 2022

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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‘The Roses of Heliogabalus’ By Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1888 {{PD}}

Hi! Away from my desk this weekend, late the 27th thru the 30th. Will answer all comments and fill all orders then. Have a lovely weekend!

The meeting of Sun and Moon (a New Moon) occurs on the 25th PDT at 3:48 AM at precisely 2 degrees of Scorpio. Both bodies are just shy (by 39 minutes) of conjoining Venus exactly (though the Sun already did–see the following post)–and there’s only one other Lunar set of contacts, Jupiter just into Aries sextile Sedna at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, making a Finger of God with the New Moon as apex. At a typical New Moon, this would concentrate the energies into just a couple of ‘statements’; this being an eclipse, we see another level of concentration, in the way the bodies aren’t just in contact, but are closely aligned along the ecliptic (the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun). When this happens, we have a total or near total blockage of the light as seen from our vantage point on Earth–and this symbolically suggests a wiping out of the flow of energies, an interruption that brings a reset that may appear as shock, catastrophe, surprise, revelation, re-shuffling, withdrawal, renewal, germination, a period of darkness before a re-emerging of light, even birth. Since a New Moon is an energy of new starts, this isn’t unusual, but the nature of the new start may be quite different than we anticipate–and we look to the sign in which the eclipse occurs, and the aspects it makes, for the story.

Here the Lunar event is in Scorpio; that mandate is to strip away what isn’t working, is worn, old, or in need of rehabilitation, even as something is transformed, resurrected, or rises anew from the ashes. We’re looking for the Truth, at a Scorpio New Moon; we’re looking to rid ourselves of psychic detritus, to alter what refuses to serve us. It’s a condition where we may have to get our hands dirty, but we’re promised a reward in the sense of feeling new ourselves, in some part of life designated by the House where the Lunar event occurs, or in the natal House ruled by the Moon.

The New Moon perfecting just before perfection with Venus suggests something beautiful, rewarding, pleasing in the immediate aftermath of what occurs, but with the potential for a potent kind of jealousy, envy, or covetousness, Scorpio emphasizing the more difficult facets of Venus. But those also include a seductive quality, a richness of depth and experience, a promise of intensity to the event itself that may be very alluring–and so may, just as the Moon will obscure the Sun’s light, temporarily block our ability to assess the situation accurately, or may immerse us in sensation, substituting feeling for thinking.

The Finger of God with base of Jupiter-Sedna points us back to the apex eclipse, and describes the individual within the social sphere, or equipped with (or pioneering) some sort of knowledge or belief (Jupiter in Aries), meshing with the individual instincts, what one ‘knows but doesn’t consciously know’, and one’s ‘blind spot’ material, this latter those things we believe we see clearly or feel informed about, but that hold some areas we don’t grasp–and this is visible to others, but difficult for us to see ourselves–with some combination of these resulting in the Scorpionic revelation/ change of the Lunar event.

The Sabian is, ‘A Delicate Bottle Of Perfume Lies Broken, Releasing Its Fragrance’. It’s important to note that this eclipse occurs at two degrees and no minutes of the sign–and in that case, we read 1-2 degrees, rather than 2-3 as we would otherwise. The image says that what occurs may have a negative initial presentation–it’s a small shock when something shatters–but that the benefits of what occurs will become obvious immediately. We may be sad about the break, the destruction, but we’ll glean a side benefit; though we wouldn’t have chosen this, there is still something good that comes of it, something unexpected that fills the air/ senses, and so stirs feeling (eclipse in Water).

Tip for coping: some of us will deal simultaneous to the eclipse with the energies of a Fist of God, with base of Pallas-Black Moon Lilith square Mercury-Zeus, apex Juno in Pisces. This suggests wisdom could be compromised by our own rage and prejudices, with these predispositions clashing with our ability to communicate our wants clearly, dispassionately–and so may compromise our own empowerment, especially that form we have imagined, hoped for, and find ideal. Keep this potential in mind, and know that being honest with ourselves is the foundation on which we can build good relationships with others.

Solar Eclipse April 2022 The Shock of It All

22 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by in astrology, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse, The Word Image

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Fahd Hasis December 2019

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The Sun and Moon meet in partial Solar eclipse on April 30th at 1:28:04 PM PDT at 10 Taurus 28 and don’t form many aspects, the closest being a sextile to Mars in Pisces. The idea may be that what old is wiped away, and what new born, may be overshadowed by other meetings that grab the attention and let the Solar event seed a new energetic flow without our really being aware of it.

In Taurus a Solar eclipse speaks to the material condition, matters of nurture and comfort, to the artisanal and earthy–and don’t forget, to whatever matters are represented by the natal House in which this event occurs. Location in the natal chart is what gives any event like this its personal meaning; all we can do here is study the general nature of the energies, see what change they might carry. And, a Solar eclipse (without specific alignment otherwise known as a New Moon), gives a fresh start–a really fresh one, with an eclipse’s ability to obliterate circumstances related to the sign and involved bodies and Houses that existed before.

The Union of Sun and Moon occurs just as the two approach contact to Uranus, suggesting an almost explosive potential for surprise, the unanticipated, and possibly for a flash of Higher Mind guidance in the wake of the eclipse. The Moon will, upon separating from the Sun, contact Uranus first, implying an emotional impact that arrives before we can really see (the light of the Sun) what’s happening.

There’s a sextile to Mars, telling us that the event will spur action, or force choices, in Taurean realms, and the eclipse forms as both bodies separate from opposition to Hygeia–not a big deal, but a notable one, as changes or challenges to the material situation (Earth, Taurus) may affect the health and well-being.

This aspect picture leaves us with a surprisingly subdued event, with a ‘kick’ only coming later with the revelation of Uranian contact–as I said, our attention will probably be on other things, such as the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, only two minutes before perfection and falling at the midpoint of the Sedna-Pluto Earth trine, or the Mercury-Pallas semi-sextile, or the Neptune-Ceres square, or the Saturn-Ceres Air trine that catches Eris at the midpoint. All these will be loud, not offering us much choice: look at us, otherwise you’ll miss ‘it’! For most of us, though, what the eclipse eliminates and replaces will in the end be much more important, have a bigger impact on our survival and Self-image, than any of these other flashes-in-the-pan.

Venus-Jupiter, late in Pisces, may make for a kind of existential angst around Love, Money, or Relationship. It may feel like in the Cosmic order of things we’ll never have enough, never feel completely secure in Venusian areas. Our needs may seem greater than usual, but shift your perspective, and what you’ll have is an awareness of rewards greater than you anticipated–they just might not be in the form or quantity you expected. This falling at the Sedna-Pluto midpoint says anxiety may arise from instinctual feeling and/ or awareness of the power situation, with the reminder that upset is likely seated in those blind spot areas where we have given away our power. So, it’s not the power landscape itself that causes upset, but the way we’ve abdicated our own agency, prompting something within ourselves that’s struggling to be heard and known.

Mercury-Pallas says wisdom is available, as long as we don’t insist it be comfortable for us to know! Neptune square Ceres challenges us, as do many of these other aspects, to embrace Self-responsibility rather than delusion or pipe dreams (it also says, watch out for hidden environmental or dietary factors that could blindside you). The Saturn-Ceres-Eris formula suggests discipline and following ‘the rules’ pays off in authority points and the ability to Self-determine, but may also draw ire from others who benefit when you are confused or fail to stand up for yourself. If somebody is upset with your assertive nature, you’re probably doing something right.

One last, small aspect of note: the Solar eclipse is septile ( officially 51 degrees, 26 minutes) the Black Moon Lilith point in Cancer–which of course is ruled by the Moon. The septile is an influence that the rational mind doesn’t grasp easily; ‘inspiration’, or ‘in spirit’, might be good descriptors of the triggered energy. In this case the emotions will be deeply stirred by the eclipse event, but again, not reach awareness until later. Something denied, ignored, or that enrages, that we are sensitive to or care about, will begin to emerge, as we are inspired to deal with it. Give it time to reach complete consciousness, before reacting/ responding.

The eclipse/ New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Woman Watering Flowers In Her Garden’. A garden is the essence of Taurus, right? The admonition is to care for what’s already underway, rather than to put attention on something new–that comes shortly, with that Uranus contact I talked about.

I have a Word Image for the week, drawn straight from real life, and I’m thinking it applies to the Solar eclipse: you are in a public place, you look down, and there at your feet is a large blue pill. Via ‘The Matrix’, a blue pill has come to be a symbol for keeping things as they are, for refusing to recognize reality in all its horrifying detail–but I don’t think that’s what it means here. The assumption that we’re not focused in reality can be a pernicious power game, with someone always claiming to have red-pill insight beyond anything available to us. Though it’s important to acknowledge there’s always more to learn, that doesn’t automatically mean we aren’t seeing what’s before us. The Solar eclipse, with its low-key ‘planting’ energy, may tell us that what we’re seeing/ perceiving is accurate–so believe what you and others are gestating–a matter of believing what we see, real world efforts, rather than being distracted by stories, ‘what ifs’, and intimations that others with power (or who want power) know more than you do.

We might also imagine that the blue pill being left on the floor implies that it was the red pill that was taken–so perhaps pointing us to our own solid connection to reality, which speaks to a vivid awareness, alive and well, seeing warts and all. Or, there’s that other blue pill, Viagra (though the pill I saw was a capsule identical to the one offered by Morpheus). Does it suggest we need to up our potency, possibly to reinvigorate the life force? Since symbology is an individual matter, we can pick the idea we resonate to, and go from there.

Have a wonderful eclipse!

Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius 3/4 December 2021 Silver Linings

01 Wednesday Dec 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, forecast, New Moon, Retrogrades + Directions, Solar Eclipse

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From John Cobb field notebook: Wm. Helgeson, “Whiskey Bill”, hand-lining for codfish near Pirate Cove. July 1913 {{PD}}

The first thing about the eclipse picture that jumps out at me isn’t terribly obvious, but may be extremely important: the eclipse occurs in a very tight novile to Venus in Capricorn. The novile in a personal chart defines the spark of genius the individual carries; but what is it in an event chart? We could describe it as the Silver Lining, the energies prevalent that, when tapped into, generate remarkable beneficial results. In this case, a New Moon is new beginnings, and an eclipse wipes out what came before; falling in Sagittarius, we find a sense of opportunity introduced by the extinction of a previous way of believing or a change in an accepted set of facts, with this resonating mainly through matters of the individual natal House in which this occurs. Add in a ‘genius’ facet of the practically-oriented, steady, just-a-little-repressed Venus in Cap, and you have a recipe for a brilliant, forward-thinking blueprint that has a solid grounding in relationships, aesthetic standards, and/ or in financial payoff.

Keep in mind, though, that Venus is due to retrograde soon (19 December), and that hints that anything originating now may seem during the retro to lose credibility or to in some way disappoint; that’s when we need to remind ourselves that our Venus-oriented perceptions are definitely altered during a turnaround–and that means that what begins now, though it may appear to be undesirable at retrograde time, is actually what we will want in future. So, any changes to matters begun with the eclipse should be avoided between the 19th and Venus’ direction (29 January). The retro period can show us new things, allow us to try what we wouldn’t have tasted before (out of indifference or a differing standard), with the beauty of that being we can bring back to our regular Venusian way of operating those things we experimented with and still find appealing on direction. Venus retrograde is a time for being adventurous, but not to make irretrievable changes. I always like the example of changing hair color (that’s okay) versus getting a tattoo (permanent!)–one being reversible, the other, not so easily–simply because it’s hard to know what we will regret and what we will find enhances our lives, until Venus is once again direct.

The eclipse falls less than two degrees past (and so still within orb) of a square to Pallas in Pisces, and a quincunx to Uranus in Taurus. These suggest that difficulties arising will contain wisdom or push us in a practical direction, though it’s up to us to figure what response will be to our benefit, and we must be prepared for the unexpected, the serendipitous, the accident, or the infusion of Higher Mind to present circumstances we hadn’t anticipated. In the moment we can draw on the available wisdom, if we are open to seeing how the hard choice or tough situation allows us to respond wisely, or practically, if we can get out of our own way (some may manifest a rebellious streak when confronted by eclipse realities–I can state flatly that would not be the best way to answer circumstances, no matter what they seem to be on the surface).

Though the rest of the eclipse aspects are somewhat wider than our usual orb, in sequence they tell a story. The eclipse will occur after both Sun and Moon have passed over Vesta, with them on their way to conjoin Mercury and as well oppose the Black Moon Lilith point. This series of contacts speaks of the impact of what we find sacred, what we honor, or what we have dedicated our time and energy to on the new beginnings that come about at eclipse time; they also tell of how what we have faith in, what we know, or what we think, will change, and this occurs specifically in the context of either our rejection of the opportunity to acknowledge or deal with matters we’ve previously ignored, or in the context of our embrace of those same issues. Perhaps we face them at eclipse time because we’re better equipped with either fresh knowledge or renewed faith (New Moon in Sagittarius)–or perhaps we shun them for fear that acknowledging buried issues will endanger the New Moon new start. We need to remember that it’s the temporary blocking by the Moon of the Sun’s light on its path to Earth that creates a window of time wherein we get a different view of our own circumstances, one that’s less prone to be overwhelmed by those matters that typically draw our conscious attention. The eclipse offers a moment of clarity–we just have to be willing to see what is, in order to make the most of it.

The Sabian for the Solar eclipse New Moon is, ‘A Widow’s Past Is Brought To Light’. Appropriate, right? I think ‘widow’ in this context implies two things: that we face our eclipse revelations alone, and that we have a past ( a relationship or status) that generates our present–and there’s something about what we’ve created in that past that will now show itself, take ‘center stage’, in a sense. This might be intimately connected to those Black Moon Lilith matters, and if so suggests that our willingness to inspect, deal with, or embrace them will be much more effective than will continuing to ignore or bury them. Just keep in mind that this eclipse offers us new knowledge or faith that will give us the strength or tools to face things anew, and that skills or experiences from the past show their worth now–there’s no better time to make peace with what’s behind us, and so usher in better prospects for the future.

Thank you to all my Readers who comment, ask questions, and email me. I’m not able to answer each one personally, consult, or accept new work, as I’m trying to complete my Moon book—and unfortunately that also means I won’t be addressing your individual questions about the eclipse in your personal chart sent to me or entered in comments. I wish it was the good old days, when I had that kind of time! But, I will add a few things here to help you understand the eclipse in your own chart. Remember, it’s all about new information, or new faith. For this particular event, falling in your 1st House makes it very personal, affecting your way of interacting with the world or even your physical being; in the 2nd, your asset or talent picture, or it changes your own idea of your Self-worth or abilities; in the 3rd we see it affect your writing, thinking, communications, or your physical neighborhood; in the 4th, the beliefs or knowledge about the family of origin or your core view of yourself; the 5th sees matters around your offspring/ creations, your romantic life!, or sees you taking a gamble (or calling one off) based on what you learn or believe; in the 6th, revelations about health or duties are likely; in the 7th, it may seem not to directly affect you–you could instead observe effects in your spouse, the wider public, or you could channel your feelings into Art; in the 8th what changes could seem to happen only to others, or it could affect what others share with you, or hide from you; in the 9th it could prompt a desire to travel, roam far and wide, to further education or apply yourself to religious study, or could involve things happening to in-laws; in the 10th it’s either career-affecting or whatever happens occurs where everyone can see, and probably they can see your reaction, as well; in the 11th the eclipse may trigger a long-held dream, or even present an opportunity for you to contribute the very thing you’re here to offer; and in the 12th, its impact might be felt in changes to your spiritual approach, in interactions with large institutions (ones where you feel like a cog in the wheel), or knowledge or faith may be renewed through the dream life or in communion with the Universe.