eclipse season
The season of swift change is upon us; Eclipse season.
Throughout our global culture, the eclipse cycles permeates and heralds great changes; the rise and fall of leaders, the birth and death of notables and various calamities for the everyday people. Shudders were shut, offerings made and rituals creating safe places and hopeful interventions would be practiced. Many of our ancient societal structures were built as a means to track the eclipse cycles.
In our daily populist culture, not often are we aware of these hallmarking cycles of nature. The simple geometric beauty of our nearby orbs, aligning precisely together at precisely repeating intervals is lost on many. Think on the amazingly intricate wonder it takes for an eclipse to occur. The Sun and Moon, though vastly different in size and space from Earth, align together in perfect harmonic.
The combination of space and sizing come together in a sequence of approximately once every 18.5 years in what is called a Saros Cycle. While each year we typically experience at least two Solar and two Lunar eclipses (some years more) each eclipse has its own family of eclipses that relate to the 18.5 year interval for their recycling. This month’s Lunar eclipse occurs on 2/11/17 at 22 degrees Leo and the Solar eclipse occurs on 2/26/17 at 8 degrees Pisces.
Our ancestors watched these eclipses and tracked what they heralded. A Solar Eclipse, occurs at a New Moon as the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. As the Moon blocks out our view of the Sun, the natural cycle indicates a “new” light begins again – just as the Moon moves out and the Sun’s light shines again. As a result, as the actual nature of a Solar Eclipse indicates – we receive the message of how a Solar Eclipse brings new light, new life and just as each New Moon is a new beginning to the monthly lunar cycle – the Solar Eclipse heralds all the same. The Sun is the seed of life, to sustain our physical spacesuits, we need the Sun’s warmth. New life becomes seeded under this patriarchal energy.
However, as the ancients saw our eclipse cycles always come in pairs, one Solar and one Lunar. Much like anything there is always an equal but opposite – yin and yang, masculine and feminine. As the name implies, during a Lunar eclipse it is the Moon that is removed from our view. We are cut off from our closest circling orb as the Moon moves behind the Earth and we become the center point between the Moon and the Sun.
Unlike the Sun, the Moon does not provide its own light. Instead, the Moon generally reflects the light of the Sun to some degree as it waxes and wanes throughout it’s monthly cycle. The Moon pulls our watery tides in and out, heralds fertility cycles and under the night skies illuminates the darkness and pathways for dream travels and other nighttime walkabouts. As the natural cycle of the Moon reflects back to us, the ever-changing story of monthly transformation, reflection of light and influence on the tide – the Moon demonstrates the matriarchal energy. The Moon is our emotion, love, safety, security, Spirit and subconscious. The Moon is the mood and our baser instinct. An eclipse of the Moon occurs only at a full moon. Full Moons are seen as the culmination, the result, the climax of the monthly lunar cycle. The ending. From the point of the Full Moon and on to the next New Moon, the Moon wanes and loses her light. As a result, the lunar eclipse indicates the blocking, or cutting off to our source of Lunar energy; an ending. A breaking from our emotion, love, what we have been doing unconsciously and from our security nest.
A Solar eclipse brings new energy and a Lunar eclipse clears out old energy. Just as their daily travels through our skies overhead tell us, the story of the Sun and Moon reflect back to us the story of their interdependence. One is not without the other. Think Yin and Yang. Often, we must let go of the “old” to make way for the “new.” And except for the rare few truly free Spirits – this process can be painful and traumatic. Change. Chaos. The unexpected.
The Astrology of the eclipse placements by sign and house in your own chart as well as if an eclipse point touches any sensitive points in your own chart provides greater details for how the energy may manifest in your journey.
Eclipse energy is the wild card. New people are ushered into our lives and “old” people are ushered out. Just like the action play between the Sun and the Moon, shocking events unfold and the carpet is ripped out from underneath us. Is it good or is it bad? That’s up to each of us, preferably, by having awareness of these natural cycles all around us we can position ourselves to manifest the resulting energy as productively as possible. Give the Eclipse energy a place to play out. Seek to align it specific to future energy you seek (Solar Eclipses) or old habits and fears you seek to break from (Lunar Eclipses).
While I have been practicing this for many years, it most often works out but invariably, something under each Eclipse crops out I would never have anticipated. Often times, it’s been my experience with “people”… interpersonal relations are focal points during eclipses. Unexpected deaths, or moving away, or some other abrupt separation occurs, or likewise (think Yin and Yang) an unexpected pregnancy, a stray dog walks in to your life or a chance meeting brings a soul mate in to view.
Since journaling for over 15 years, my own experience and observation of others has demonstrated enough examples that Eclipse Season is one to respect. Give extra love to those who are important in your life, stand up for yourself and defend your rights, follow your intuition and take that chance.
The Eclipse quicksilvers in the Starry Wonder of your future you – this is the month for rabbit holes and bread crumb trails. Cheers to the Journey!
(Any eclipse energy showing up on your path?)
PS… don’t forget, the 8/21/17 eclipse occurs right over the USA and makes exact aspects to key spots in our current POTUS natal chart. Be on the lookout for eclipse energy playing out throughout our nation and it’s leadership later this year.