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.