ECLIPSES OF THE SUN & MOON

Most people have seen an eclipse of the Sun or Moon.  You can only see an eclipse of the Sun during daylight hours.  You can only see an eclipse of the Moon at night.  Eclipses can only happen at new moons and full moons.  Now was that news to you?

The word “eclipse” pertains to any obscuration of light. An eclipse of the Sun by the Moon can be a full, partial, or annular eclipse.  A planet or star can also be eclipsed by another celestial body.  When a new Moon or Full Moon intersects the lunar nodes there will be an eclipse.  These two “Lights” do that twice a year about six months apart.  They just happen to look like they are in conjunction as seen from the earth. In reality they are only in a straight line with the earth.

A full eclipse is rarer then a partial or annular eclipse and it was the most feared in ancient history.  The one who was most worried in Ancient Egypt was the King or ruler. In Egypt there was a tradition that a total eclipse demanded the installment of a new king.  The ruler represented the Sun on earth and when it disappeared in daylight it was an ominous omen that the King or Pharaoh would also die.  This total darkness during the day had to occur over the city that was the seat of power of the ruler.  Such an eclipse has a maximum path of 200 miles in width on the earth. This was the ritual regicide that was practiced in ancient Egypt.  Sometime an Apis bull would be killed in the King’s place and he would live to continue his rule.  This was a special sacred black bull with a triangle of white on its forehead.  Such an eclipse caused the only woman to rule in Ancient Egypt.  Hatshepsut, the wife of Thutmose III’s father, ascended the throne as king in 1478 BC.  The father of Thutmose III died quite young and Thutmose was born of a commoner.  She and Thutmose III’s co-regency lasted possibly for 22 years.  And then he continued to reign for at least 32 more years.  There is a very beautiful temple dedicated to Hatshepsut who even wore a false beard as a symbol of authority.

The Astrologer-Priests who studied the skies constantly were concerned mainly with mundane astrology.  That would be concerns of the Pharos or ruler, weather, agriculture, and when to go to war. The timing of the flooding of the Nile was especially important.  This was told in advance by the rising of certain fixed stars before the Sun at dawn.  Astrology was not available for the working class person.  It is not known for certain that they could predict the arrival of a total solar eclipse.  Today computers can date past eclipses as well as predict far into the future where and when on earth any eclipses will appear.  Eclipses tend to go in series, some long and some short.

Solar Eclipses are far more important than Lunar eclipses.  That is because the Sun sends light, and many other forms of energy to our planet.  Without the sunlight on our planet, we would all die.  It is an interruption of very important life supporting energy.  The Moon is actually a mirror of the Sun and does not generate its own light.  It also acts as a mirror in the heavens carrying the energy of its last planetary conjunction until it conjuncts the next planet in the heavens.  The Moon being a symbol of the common man and of the masses has a very different meaning than the Sun has in astrology.  Look at your natal chart and note which planet your natal moon touched last and note which planet your natal moon will conjunct next in your chart.  These planets will reveal a lot about what you think about large crowds of people or society in general.  Naturally the aspects to your natal Moon will also be an important factor.

This year there was a Solar Eclipse on 9 May at 19 Taurus 31.  It was an annular eclipse with duration of 6 minutes and 3 seconds.   That is well above average for length of time.  It could be seen from northern Australia to eastern Pacific off Ecuador where it ended at sunset.  This covered a large chunk of the “Ring of Fire” so there should be an uptick in volcano activity on the rim of the Pacific Ocean.  Also there tend to be larger earthquakes close to the path of any total solar eclipse.

The last total solar eclipse visible in the lower 48 States of the USA was on 16 February, 1980.  I remember many of my friends went to the Pacific Northwest to see it.  Then just a few months later Mt. St. Helens blew her top.  As a Native American said, “Little Sister will blow her stack and then Grandfather will wipe the land clear to the sea.”  If you haven’t traveled in the Northwest, Little Sister is Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier is Grandfather.
My favorite is Mt. Hood who has year-round a beautiful triangular white top.  You can see it while smelling all the beautiful roses at the test rose garden in Portland, Oregon.

The next total solar total eclipse visible in the lower 48 States of the USA will be 21 August 2017.  It will pass over Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, northern Missouri and the Maximum eclipse will be over southern Illinois and then cross South Carolina before meeting the sunset in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa.  Prediction is not my main interest as an astrologer.  Helping people find their life paths and seeing the gifts they were born with in this life is my main focus.  But I would be willing to bet even money that the earth above the New Madrid fault may rock and roll a bit quite shortly after that eclipse!

On Thursday, 25 April, there was a partial Lunar Eclipse at 5 degrees Scorpio which is conjunct Saturn at 8 degrees Scorpio.  It could not be seen in North America.  The Annular Solar Eclipse on May 9th at 19 degrees of Taurus could be seen by people in Hawaii, Central Pacific, Australia, and Indonesia.  Then on 25 May 2013 there will be a Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon at 4 degrees Sagittarius 08 minutes.  It can be seen from the Americas, western Africa, and southwestern Europe.  Since only 4% of the Moon’s diameter will be shadowed, the moon will be only very slightly dimmed.  The eclipses of the Moon are not regarded as important in ancient or modern astrology.  Since I don’t care to put my readers to sleep I will save the coming two eclipses in October and November until another blog.  Also I will write how eclipses interact with your natal chart.

Archer’s parting shot: AFFAIRS are just as disillusioning as marriage, and much LESS RESTFUL!