ECLIPSES

Every six months there is a solar eclipse, which influences us, according to where it occurs in the chart. The area of you life which is affected is determined by the house position of the eclipse. The planet in your chart the Sun last passed over prior to the eclipse determines the manner in which your life is affected.
Eclipses through the houses:
First House – This means everything that happens will be then more personally than usual. You will be more self-involved and will probably start at least one self-improvement project. Changes in personal appearance (such as a new hairstyle or a different way of dressing) are common. Circumstances may lead to temporary or even permanent personality changes. Physical changes may also occur, such as weight loss or gain. Overindulgence should be avoided; health matters may require your attention. Purchases made can be for items of personal adornment such as clothing and jewelry.
Second House – Brings financial matters to the fore. Material possessions will require your attention. Money, money, money—how to get more and or how to spend what you have. You may be up for a raise or decide to take a second job to increase your income. You may make big or important purchases at this time. You may also re-examine your values and priorities. Events may cause a change in how you see yourself.
Third House – Signifies a busy time with more physical activity in the form of running errands and making other short trips. The mind is usually more active. You may be required to give a speech or do some writing or record keeping. Papers might have to be signed. There will certainly be more correspondence and visitors than usual. Matters pertaining to brothers and sisters require attention or there is increased contact with them. You will be more involved with neighbors or there could be changes in your neighborhood. A move is possible.
Fourth House – Your family and home occupy your attention. You will be more involved with parents and their affairs, particularly your father. Real estate dealings may be stepped up. You could be involved in some way in a home improvement or home repair project. You can find yourself spending more time than usual at home. This is an excellent time to bring some long-standing situation to a conclusion. There may be a change of residence.
Fifth House – Children and their affairs can occupy you more than usual. If you are childless, then you may be involved with young people or a creative project. More time will be spent on recreation, entertainment and hobbies. This sometimes signifies a special and memorable vacation. Romance is a real possibility, and you could feel like gambling in some way.
Sixth House – Focuses on the work scene. There is more involvement with co-workers or subordinates. You may hire someone to work for you personally, such as someone to mow the lawn or a pool service or a caterer. Your health will require some attention, perhaps only a routine physical, or you will make changes in your diet or exercise routine. If you have pets, they could require attention or you might acquire a pet during these periods.
Seventh House – If you are single, personal relationships of all types require your attention. Suddenly how you get along with others is very important; you are more dependent on other people than usual. You may form (or discontinue) a serious relationship at this time. If you are married, you will have experienced some of this, as well as feeling that your life revolves around your spouse. Whether you are married or single, you may find that you are involved in confrontations or meet with opposition from others. Legal matters can arise which must be attended to. Counsel or expert advice could be sought concerning some area of life.
Eighth House - Brings the opportunity to bring some matter to an end that you have wanted to be done with; possibly something ends you wanted to keep going. This is the house of ending things so those new things can take their plaice. There could be dealings concerning taxes, insurance or legacies. Debts will be paid off (or incurred) or you may apply for a credit card or loan. For married people, this is a time of having to work more closely on joint finances. The opinions of others will affect you more strongly than usual.
Ninth House – Signifies an optimistic period. Things, or people, at a distance will become important or you may travel during this period. This could be either for business or pleasure. In extreme cases, relocation to a distant local (even a foreign country) is possible. You will be involved in learning something new, perhaps even going back to school. Religious matters or beliefs come to mind and you could be invited to at least one ceremony of some type (such as a wedding or christening). Some become involved with teaching or publishing during this period.
Tenth House – For working people, matters involving the career come to the fore. Sometimes there is so much happening at the office, or you are spending so much time at work, overtime, etc., that there seems to be little energy left for other interests. People may be in the process of changing jobs during the six months following this eclipse. Whether employed or not, you will attract attention in some way. Don’t plan on keeping a ‘low profile’ during this time. If involved in groups or organizations of any sort, you may run for an office or you may receive an award of some kind. Publicity, attention and recognition are the key words here.
Eleventh House – You will become more involved with groups of people. There could be some change in your income if it is dependent on salary. Goals or aims occupy your thoughts. Some goals may come to fruition, others begun, and still others revised. Friends will play a more prominent role in your life at this time, as you become more involved in their lives. In most cases, this time proves to be an optimistic period.
Twelfth House – Plan on spending a good deal of time alone. Contract with others and being ‘out and about’ is the less frequent. Restrictions are commonly experienced. They may be due to a variety of things; obligations, responsibilities, health problems or just a lack of opportunity, This is an introspective period, and things or people from one’s past can become objects of attention. Habit patterns, as well as motives and attitudes, should be examined and revised where necessary during this time.
Eclipses and the planets:
The planet in your chart the Sun last passed over prior to the eclipse determines the manner in which your life is affected.
Natal Sun – You’ll find yourself enforcing your own will and having to make decisions. You’ll be "in the driver’s seat," whether you care to be or not. This can draw attention to you and increase your sense of self-importance. You can use this time positively by learning to be more self-assertive if needed, but be careful you don’t get on a power trip! Since the Sun symbolizes men in general and important people, expect to be more involved with both. Important decisions are often made under the influence of this eclipse.
Natal Moon – Get ready for changes. They may be important changes or trivial, but things are not likely to be stable or steady during this time. Some will experience a more emotional response to events or their surroundings, and the imagination will be more active. Your mother or women in general, can play a more active role in your life. A positive use of this eclipse is to bring about changes you feel would be beneficial to you. Don’t try to get anything settled until after this is over, because it’s not likely to stay that way.
Natal Mercury – You’ll find yourself spending more time on the phone, papers will have to be read and signed, correspondence will have to be caught up with. Perhaps you’ll pay a visit to someone or receive more visitors than usual. Your mind will be very active, and all mental pursuits are favored. Be careful not to over commit yourself or overtire. It’s the mind that operates faster now, not necessarily the body. This eclipse favors taking up new course of study or going back to school.
Natal Venus – There will be an urge to be more materialistic, to beautify your surroundings and to socialize more. You will become more charming and seem more attractive. This is a good time for meeting and impressing new people, acquiring new things and self-improvement projects. Romances often begin under this eclipse. Redecorate your house or apartment, plan a new wardrobe or take up a new hobby. This is a perfect time for entertaining. This eclipse favors the receiving of gifts and increasing one’s income.
Natal Mars – You’ll find yourself involved in some sort of conflict with someone no matter how peace loving you usually is. This eclipse favors physical activity, which brings us to a positive solution; keep physically active and busy. You have a lot of energy right now. Direct it into competitive sports, exercise or just cleaning out that garage! When energy is not utilized, it leads to rash behavior and sometimes accidents. With the Sun last over Mars, automobiles usually require attention – buying them, maintaining them, repairing them or wrecking them!
Natal Jupiter – There’s going to be more of everything! This brings the utmost in confidence and optimism. If you can dream it, you can have it during this period. Material things, particularly status symbols, a better job, a promotion – all are within your reach. Whatever it is you’ve been wanting, now is the time to try for it. You will attract whatever is most important to you at the time in an amount depending upon how much effort you’re willing to put forth. You will find obstacles falling away. Be aware that this positive influence lasts for only a few months, so don’t make commitments you won’t be able to fulfill later. Since you may feel you can handle anything, overdoing it with food, credit cards, drugs or alcohol is easy now.
Natal Saturn – Get ready to accept more responsibility and to work harder. If you do, you could find yourself rewarded in some tangible way. If not, you could find yourself more limited or restricted. You may be placed in a position of authority or have more dealings with authority figures. Life takes on a more serious or somber tome. This is a good time to put things into perspective and see the reality of a given situation. No matter what your age, you can do some growing up at this time. Dealings with people older than you will probable are necessary. Try not to take yourself too seriously or get depressed by remembering that "to everything, there is a season."
Natal Uranus – Be prepared to meet with the unexpected. You will encounter sudden turns of events, and if you insist on careful planning and knowing exactly what to expect, you could be pretty unhappy during this period. But if you like excitement and change, or can at least adjust to it for a while, this could be a fun time. Little to do with the house or houses involved will go as anticipated. So hang loose and work on developing your flexibility now instead of getting upset. Things may work out better than the way you had them planned. Technology or new ways of doing things can be more important than usual now.
Natal Neptune – Things can sure get confused. People seem uncertain, refuse to commit themselves or prove to be deceitful. Sometimes you just can’t seem to put your finger on exactly what the situation is. The problem is probable you—you may not be direct and purposeful. Think things over carefully and get the advice of those you trust before making any important decisions or taking any action. If possible, delay any long-range plans or commitments (or major purchases) until after the sex-month influence of this eclipse has passed. You could find yourself daydreaming more and may experience a heightened interest in spiritual matters.
Natal Pluto – Any change that requires time and sustained effort is favored. Remember that sometimes you have to clean out the dead wood to make room for something new. The replacements are not likely to arrive, however, until after this eclipse has passed. Whatever is lost or changed during this time will tend to be permanent. What Pluto changes remains changed forever. Pluto acts as much on the psychological level as it does on the physical level.
About the author:
Eleanor Buckwalter has studied, practiced and taught astrology in Los Altos, CA for more than twenty-five years, including three years with the late Richard Idemon, a psychological astrologer. Her primary astrological focus of interest is parent-child relationships and family dynamics. To contact Eleanor, send an email to info@astrologyclub.org


By Natori Moore
Many of us like to get a glimpse of what lies ahead in our lives. The awareness of upcoming trends that astrology can provide can help us better prepare ourselves for the future and stay one step ahead of the curve.
Eclipses are a particularly potent astrological tool for gaining this future-focused awareness. The powerful alignments of the Sun, Moon and Earth that occur at the time of an eclipse increase the energy reaching the earth from the outer atmosphere. This energy enters the field of the earth at a particular zodiac degree, depending on the celestial location of the eclipse. If these sensitive degrees appear at important positions in your birth chart, you are likely to be uniquely moved by the eclipse energy.
Ancient astrologers tended to view eclipses as negative events, since they often brought changes that upset the existing order of things. Modern astrologers believe that eclipses often do portend change, but also signal opportunities for growth if we manage the increased energies of the eclipse period wisely. Even though it is not always obvious, eclipses tend to bring forth events and feelings that reinforce the direction things were already moving in our lives prior to the eclipse. The more aware we are of this direction ahead of time, the better prepared we will be to make needed changes. Sometimes we can even make these changes in advance.
Depending on the sector or HOUSE of your birth chart that contains the eclipse degree, you may be stimulated to make changes in one or more of the following twelve different life areas. It’s as if the eclipse draws back the curtain on a specific area of life, and asks us to pay attention to the action emerging in that area.
If an eclipse degree falls in your FIRST HOUSE of identity, body and appearance, you may need to pay attention to your personal presentation, physical body or health. You may want to make changes in your wardrobe, hygiene or health routines to enable you to take greater action toward your goals.
If an eclipse degree falls in your SECOND HOUSE of income, employment and values, you may want to make a job change, develop a new income-producing skill, or build a sideline pursuit into a business. Awareness of what you truly value could lead to a change in your income or employment.
If an eclipse degree falls in your THIRD HOUSE of communication, siblings, and the local environment, you may make changes in your transportation routine, acquire or relinquish tools for communication (telephones, computers, fax machines and the like), or make changes in your relationships with siblings or neighbors.
If an eclipse degree falls in your FOURTH HOUSE of home, family and domestic matters, you may move or make changes to your residence, increase time spent with family members, or evaluate how you can shore up your internal sense of security. Matters concerning parents, relatives or family members could call for your attention.
If an eclipse degree falls in your FIFTH HOUSE of children, creativity and romance, you may focus greater time on your children, develop your creative self-expression through drama or the arts, or pursue pleasurable recreational activities. It might be time to nudge your dreams open and take some type of heart-felt creative risk.
If an eclipse degree falls in your SIXTH HOUSE of work, service and health, you may make logistical changes with your co-workers, begin a program to improve your health, or experience a temporary disruption in your sense of order. Making efforts to improve the efficiency of your work and home environments without over-regulating them will yield best results.
If an eclipse degree falls in your SEVENTH HOUSE of marriage, partnership and cooperation, you may choose to begin or end a partnership at this time. The balance between self and others will likely need to be examined more closely, and you may want to evaluate your alliances to determine their suitability for your continued growth.
If an eclipse degree falls in your EIGHTH HOUSE of joint resources, sexuality and secrets, you may want to change the way you handle money and resources in a partnership, reevaluate investments, or enter counseling to make deep psychological changes. Issues of giving and receiving regarding money, sexuality and emotions may emerge.
If an eclipse degree falls in your NINTH HOUSE of travel, religion and education, you may be focused on foreign countries, plan a trip to a distance place, enroll in college, or expand your spiritual thinking or practices. You may want to try something new and adventurous.
If an eclipse degree falls in your TENTH HOUSE of career, status and public reputation, your work could undergo changes in management structure, or you could receive public recognition. You may want to improve relationships with those in positions of authority, and examine your own relationship to authority in your life.
If an eclipse degree falls in your ELEVENTH HOUSE of friends, groups and humanitarian goals, you may experience a shake-up in your circle of friends or be urged to take further action toward your long-range hopes and wishes. Joining groups of like-minded people can help further your aims.
If an eclipse degree falls in your TWELFTH HOUSE of spirituality, dreams and retreat, you may become more or less reclusive and pay increased attention to your nighttime dreams. You may want to develop you spiritual or artistic capacities, bring a secret dream out of the closet, or spend time alone to develop greater awareness of inner realities.
Eclipses that fall in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) tend to activate changes quickly, within two weeks or so. Eclipses in Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) are less immediate but can create movement in long-entrenched patterns or situations. Eclipses in Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) may be less noticeable in their effects but open new doors to changing our daily routines and long-range patterns of perception.
Keep in mind that a Solar Eclipse occurs at a New Moon, and a Lunar Eclipse occurs at a Full Moon. Thus some astrologers feel that a Solar Eclipse is more likely to produce obvious outer events or changes, whereas a Lunar Eclipse is more likely to produce internal or emotional changes. I have not found this to be strictly true. Lunar Eclipses do tend to challenge our emotional foundations in the same way that a Full Moon can, but to a greater degree. Yet either type of eclipse can precipitate events or emotional changes depending on its relationship to a given chart.
For this reason, it’s wise not to over-schedule activities on the days near an eclipse, and to allow room for people and situations to be unpredictable during these days. Avoid making important decisions until the dust settles after an eclipse (typically at least a week afterward). You may also want to take time to withdraw from usual routines at these times. Meditating on the themes brought out by the unique relationship of the eclipse degree to your birth chart as described in the appropriate house placement above can be useful. May you remain flexible and open to grow through eclipse changes!
A Solar Eclipse occurs at the time of the new moon when both sun and moon occupy the same degree of the zodiac. They are seen as new beginnings which can also bring about radical change; like a new chapter beginning in your life. The affects of a solar eclipse are less emotional than a lunar eclipse. A Lunar Eclipse occurs at the time of the full moon when the sun and moon are in opposition to each other. They are at the point of maximum stress and represent the culmination of events; a catalyst from which dramatic change comes based on what has already been experienced. A lunar eclipse tends to bring a sense of finality and fated ness to the area of your chart that it touches. Eclipses have long been viewed as a changing of the guard, whether we are prepared for those changes or not. You will see changes in the house (area of life) the eclipse touches and quite often the energy of the eclipse affects the house polarity. As an example, if your first house is in Scorpio and is touched by an eclipse, it may also affect Scorpios opposite house which would be Taurus (the 7th). The energy may bounce back and forth. This particular example may mean that you get married and your life changes in that respect or, you may decide to leave a long term committed relationship or, something happens concerning your partner therefore it affects you personally. There are a number of ways your life could change due to the effects of an eclipse in your chart. These are only a few examples. An Eclipse can present opportunities for major transformation; this is the time when the energies are more amplified and focused. An eclipse may force you to move forward faster than you might have moved without its help. An eclipse may force to take action in an area that might have stalled and is likely to bring changes that are completely beyond your control. Not everyone is affected by every eclipse but we all experience eclipses at different times in our lives. The universe gives each of us challenges and fresh starts even when we don't recognize the need for change.

Emotional Stress: Fiery Dramas?
This eclipse creates quite a bit of emotional stress. The Moon in Pisces (sensitivity; self-sacrifice) makes the mind receptive and the imagination fertile, but does produce a disposition to indolence and self-pity, especially as the Sun in critical Virgo adopts a picky approach to relationships. Don't let vacillation and faintheartedness lead to sorrow and self-undoing. Control any tendency to be irresolute, inert, downhearted or easily discouraged. Words will flow and it's a good time for a gathering, especially with live music, which will produce extraordinary inspiration and feeling. Matters of the heart, however, are apt to get you into trouble. Adopt a philosophical approach to life, should emotional hurt arise. Make the effort to avoid overindulgence, especially in alcohol and drugs. It could be a time for healing, but you will need to separate the emotional truths from the intellectual confusion that is indicated.
Due to the Fixed Stars being activated, some contradictory emotions are likely to arise, though this does depend on where it falls in your own chart. This eclipse does not in itself precisely activate the Grand Cross of 1999, but it should be noted that the current opposition of Saturn (restriction; sorrow; karma) and Neptune (delusion; deception) does, with Saturn at 18° Leo (ego; drama) being right on the eclipse degree of that fateful time, with retro Neptune in opposition in Aquarius (emotional detachment; obsession) and Jupiter (expansion; over-confidence) at 14° Scorpio (right on the 99 eclipse ascendant), speeding toward the square at 18° Scorpio (secrets; psychological motivation; sexuality), which it reaches at the end of the month, just after the Solar Eclipse on the 22nd. Incidentally, 14° Scorpio is the degree of Israel's South Node, so we can expect fateful political karma to be expressed, as Jupiter awakens Israel's natal T-square between the nodes and Saturn, thrown recently into prominence in their war with Hezbollah in Lebanon last month (as transiting Saturn awakened this aspect).
The degree of the current eclipse being in the middle of the sign ramps up the tension, as the midpoint of the sign is always a point of stress. This said, the Sun is acting in terms of Venus and the Moon in terms of Jupiter, so we can expect any problems to be mitigated by surrounding circumstances, probably making the outcome more beneficial than it appears at first. Issues will come to a head at the Solar Eclipse on the 22nd, just before the Equinox.
People with mutable signs prominent in their charts will have a hard time separating their egos from their emotions, failing to recognise that something (or someone) they want may simply represent ego involvement, instead of emotional commitment. What we are called upon (or driven) to do may often interfere with what gives us emotional satisfaction, or we chase after our desires, while we waste or fail to develop our talents and skills. A tug-of-war exists between desires and emotional needs and practical ambitions. Appreciate whatever positive circumstances you encounter, and don’t be misguided enough to believe you can easily overcome any negative ones.

The Eclipse of the Sun
The eclipse of the Sun has traditionally been viewed with dread over the ages, as the great giver of life seems inexplicably to disappear from the sky. Birds prepare for bed; the sky darkens in the middle of the day. It seems as though something dreadful is about to happen. Over the years, experience has shown us that old things come to an end (or are overthrown!) under a solar eclipse and a new beginning can be made.
Astrologically, solar eclipses signify the fall of the mighty (or at least, they're in big trouble!). Depending where in the zodiac the eclipse occurs, stress is always placed on the matters governed by that sign, or sector of the zodiac. A powerful Solar Eclipse can create massive havoc, in accordance with other aspects in the heavens at the time, as can be clearly seen by the trail of earthquakes and other disasters associated with the Solar Eclipse and Grand Cross of August 1999.
Upcoming Solar Eclipse
The final eclipse of 2006 is an annular eclipse of the Sun, on September 22, just before the Equinox. This will have considerably less impact on us than the March eclipse, because it has little visibility in populated areas. The track of the Moon's shadow begins in northern South America and crosses the South Atlantic with no further landfall. A partial eclipse will be seen from a much larger region including South America, the eastern Caribbean, western Africa, and Antarctica. The path of the annular eclipse begins in Guyana at 09:48 UT when the Moon's antumbral shadow meets Earth and forms a 323 kilometre wide corridor. Guyana's capital city Georgetown lies just a few kilometres outside the path's northern limit. Here, a magnitude 0.920 partial eclipse will be seen at sunrise. On the central line 160 kilometres south, the duration of annularity is 5 minutes 31 seconds. Rushing east, the antumbra quickly enters Surinam, where its capital city Paramaribo lies deep within the antumbral path. Maximum eclipse in Paramaribo occurs at 09:51 UT, the Sun's altitude is 5° and the duration of annularity is 5 minutes 1 seconds. Continuing into French Guiana, the capital city Cayenne stands just 10 kilometres south of the central line. Maximum eclipse occurs at 09:53 UT as the Sun stands 8° above the eastern horizon during an annular phase lasting 5 minutes 42 seconds. The southern edge of the antumbra briefly clips the north coast of Brazil before spending the next three and a half hours sweeping across the South Atlantic. Greatest eclipse occurs at 11:40:11 UT. The annular duration is 7 minutes 9 seconds, the path width is 261 kilometres and the Sun is 66° above the featureless horizon of the open ocean. The central track runs south of the African continent and nearly reaches Kerguelen Island before ending at local sunset (13:31 UT). During its 3 hour 40 minute flight across our planet, the Moon's antumbra travels about 13,800 kilometres and covers 0.83% of Earth's surface area. For more on the science of eclipses, see Fred Espenak's NASA Eclipse Home Page.
Eclipse in Virgo
This eclipse at 29°20' Virgo, the sign of the Virgin occurs a little before the Equinox, but there are no particularly important aspects being tightly stimulated, save that it is in the Anaretic Degree (degree of fate). The path of the eclipse is mainly over the Atlantic Ocean, not over a heavily populated area. For this reason, it is likely to have little more than a neglible effect, except in the parts mentioned in South America, though transiting Jupiter squares Israel's natal Saturn, so this should see the culmination of political intrigue and karma highlighted at the preceding Lunar Eclipse on the 7th. Solar eclipses don't often pass over populated areas, but when they do, they appear to have significant disruptive effects on the people and nations concerned (e.g., economic or political crises, civil unrest). Due to the conjunction of the Eclipse with the Moon's South Node, some element of karma, or destiny is likely to emerge – and as the eclipse is in the mid-heaven, political and public affairs will be thrown into prominence. Chemistry, nutrition and dietetics, and the military are likely to feature in some way. An inability to see the broader picture, combined with selfishness, narrow-mindedness, trouble in employment or with employees is likely. Intellectual preoccupations ahead of emotional display are the order of the day.My colleague, Ian Thurnwald, points out that Solar Eclipses also seem to either trigger, or amplify, natural events in the regions they affect (e.g., severe weather, earthquakes). Whether this effect is an astrological one or not, is a moot point. The eclipse is in the last degree of Virgo, so people with mutable signs (Virgo; Pisces; Gemini; Sagittarius) featured in their birthcharts are more likely to be affected. The next eclipse of the Sun will be on March 19, 2007.
The Solar Eclipse list
You can do this anytime between the Solar Eclipse and the next Full Moon. Take out a sheet of paper and a pen. Find yourself a nice quiet spot. On the paper, make a list of 100 things you want. Don’t hold back! Don’t let your inner voice tell you that you can’t have it. It will be hard to think of things after the first 50, but keep at it. Be positive: “I will get a raise,” not “I want a raise.”
Example:
I will make some new friends.
I will have a beach named after me.
I will be my own boss.
I will save the whales.
I will have a new car.
I will have a Xena Warrior Princess doll.
My houseplants will live long and be green.
...and so on.
When you are finished, place your list in an envelope, seal it, write the date on it, and put it in a sacred place in your home. Or you could just bless it and stick it in a drawer. You have just asked for what you want. This is how you plant seeds. After 1 year has passed, take out your list, and see which of these seeds have taken root in your life.
The Lunar Eclipse meditation:
You can do this anytime between the Lunar Eclipse and the next New Moon. Same as the Solar Eclipse list, except this is a little harder. This time, think of the things in your life you would like to bring to a close, finish, or end. That contract you want to get signed, that job you want to finish. That guilty feeling. That unhealthy relationship. That nasty smoking habit.
Take some time to sit in a quiet space and breathe. Visualize the inner workings of that habit, the issue, the situation, as people. Give them names and faces! My addicted smoker and my inner doctor. My gentle self and my angry self. Visualize them each holding one end of a rope, like a tug of war. They can see each other now, how can they better understand one another? How can they work together to achieve balance? Picture each one gently dropping their end of the rope.
You have just asked for assistance from the universe to clear out old energies and make room for the things you want to bring in. There is great power in this request.
Understanding Eclipses
By ERIC FRANCIS


"Just a few short years ago, we turned another century, and many of us were poised to enter that as global neighbours, looking for win/win situations that would build bridges between nations while respecting cultural differences. Where are the cooperative, optimistic voices now?"- Jude, Political Waves list moderator

IF YOU LOOK UP ECLIPSES in the Dictionary of Astrology by Alan Leo, it's a little like reading the Book of Revelations. They are associated with pestilences, earthquakes, toil on the king, hard times for animals, earthquakes, floods, running out of coffee on a Monday morning and everything else gone wrong. One gets the impression that eclipses are a good time to be away from the Solar System.
In actual fact, decent astrologers all learn respect for eclipses. Some learn it the easy way, some learn it the hard way, but upon commencing the study of astrology, eclipses soon reveal their power. We learn to respect them like small children who grow up by the ocean are taught to respect waves and water. Swallow a few good gulps of salt or get knocked into an undertow and the sea becomes a god one treats tentatively. To my thinking, astrology is as basic as a sea captain or navigator learning the respect for weather, tides and magnetic forces that guides a safe passage. Few people would argue with a hurricane. Eclipses are natural events with natural results, and, as it happens, we are moving through their neighbourhood right at the moment.
Eclipses work on three levels, broadly speaking. The first is personal. The second is collective. The third is where the personal and the collective intersect.
In personal terms, modern astrologers have begun to see the light on eclipses, if you ask me. In newspaper horoscope columns, they are generally described as moments of opportunity, times of peak intensity and critical juncture points. All this is true, though one could argue it's a matter of perception. Do you congratulate someone when they lose their job, because they get to discover who they are, collecting unemployment for a year? What do you say when a horrid relationship 'suddenly' falls apart? What do you say to a tidal wave?
The perception of an astrologer can be a significant influence on the lives of people who encounter their interpretations. Even if it goes no further than self-fulfilling prophesy, astrologers owe it to the world to rise above fears and superstitions and allow faith and reason to carry their work.
And I see it happening. The more consciously eclipses are handled, the less they are inclined to do damage and the more they are inclined to give us a push in the right direction. Eclipses visiting one's own sign would certainly have been regarded as a curse, and still is in some astrological systems. Writing about Monday's solar eclipse in Aries, Sally Brompton told Aries readers in TV Guide: "You're not the sort to doubt yourself, and Monday's solar eclipse in your sign will make you even less inclined to stop and think before you take action. That's good, because it's action that gets things done."
She could have just as easily looked at that chart, with its eclipse in the last degree of Aries, and said, "There's danger ahead; don't trust your own instincts." But really, does it do any good to tell that to an Aries? When one reaches the edge, one must leap or retreat, and Monday's event had No Turning Back written all over it. An enlightened astrologer will teach you to trust yourself and trust the events of your life. Even when Mercury is retrograde. Alternately, she will give voice to your intuition, and while Sally often gives the feeling she's shooting from the hip, you can measure her words with a micrometer.
Here's how Jonathan Cainer handled it, again, for Aries. He gets three times more words than does Sally and could flesh out the details a bit deeper:
"Trust your deepest instinct." It sounds easy, doesn't it? Fine advice that can't possibly fail from an astrologer who understands what you also know; that your intuition is excellent. And the problem? Your intuition IS impeccable; but only when you separate it from your fear and your dream. How can you tell which is your instinct and which is your inner fantasy? By looking hard at the thing you most desperately don't want to see! The eclipse is urging you to be honest. Then you can be clear, and success is assured.
While Sally and Jonathan have about the most different writing styles of any two astrologers you can pair up on one planet, note the similarity of themes: self-doubt and inner confusion meet clarity and action. In Jonathan's write-up I gather he was picking up the quintile relationship between the eclipse at 30 Aries and Neptune at 16 Aquarius -- "fear and your dream" blending in to one tone and needing to be sorted out.
With eclipses, the inner always does well to precede the outer. There is you, then there is your expression in the world. You move in your heart or soul, and you move on the physical plane. When eclipses work in reverse, when they make us catch up, when they remind us we've abandoned our evolution, it's not so pretty at all.
Yet even as what you might call a natural destructive force, eclipses tend to cleanse the beaches, scrub the riverbeds and replenish the fresh water supply. As when a hurricane passes, not everyone survives or survives the current round of the game, but those of us who do are stronger and wiser -- as are those who don't.
Nuts, Bolts, Planets
The physics of eclipses is easy enough to visualise. Most people learned it in grade school (not grad school) and promptly forgot. (Astrologers are gluttons for homework and get reacquainted with lots of that kind of primary school stuff to no end whatsoever. The chart becomes part Roman mythology diorama, part Science Fair project, and part proof that the cosmos is always talking to you, if you have half an imagination.)
Basically, eclipses are studies in shadows, and they reveal what was not so obvious yesterday. About twice a year, the Earth moves directly between the Sun and Moon and the Full Moon appears to go out for a while. Two weeks earlier or later (it varies from year to year), the Moon gets exactly between the Sun and the Earth and the Sun appears to go out for a while. Astrology being a vast study in light, and the Sun and Moon being what astrologers call "The Lights," the lights going out for a few minutes or an hour is a big deal.
It's a little like when a blackout happens in New York City. Everybody gets a chance to remember something obvious. You can see the stars and planets above the skyscrapers. Nature descends on the busiest place on Earth. People meet one another, especially the ones who only have an electric can opener. I propose turning the power off for one night every summer. But nature has figured this one out already, and twice a year, we get to go trough the ritual of eclipses.
What they didn't mention in grade school was the lunar nodes, words which will be familiar to the astrology students who have spent the last ten years trying to figure out what they are. Without getting into the technical minutiae, when the Sun gets near either of the lunar nodes, there is an eclipse on the horizon. This is true in ANY kind of chart you have. The nodes themselves have a great deal in common with eclipses whether the Sun is there or not, and planets that happen to be on the nodes can act as if they are under the effects of an eclipse: there is a concentration of power, there is acceleration of events, and there is an enhanced sense of fate.
Further, the exact degree of an eclipse can send messages for years. This works because planets can show up in that degree in earlier or later charts that in theory have nothing to do with the eclipse itself, but the themes carry from one chart to another. But this you must see to believe.