by Robert Wilkinson
There is a lot of fear and trepidation connected to Eclipses, an unfortunate leftover from previous centuries when Eclipses were believed to foreshadow the fall of empires, dynasties, and powerful people anywhere the Eclipse shadow fell. The one last August was a “hair on fire” issue for Americans. Should we be concerned over what seems to be a leftover superstition from “traditional astrology?”
I give this two part series to you during the two times a year we have Solar and Lunar Eclipses, since it’s always good to keep in mind that Eclipses are very beneficial for eliminating what we no longer need. The Solar Eclipses of 2018 are not very powerful, but the Lunar Eclipses are. This will shift in 2019 when Solar Eclipses will be as powerful as they’ve been in past years, right up to the August 2017 Solar Eclipse in Leo that still has the entire nation agitated as many things of our past fall away.
No Astrological event is "bad" or "evil" of itself. Whether we're using Vedic, Chinese, Western, or any other approach to defining "All-That-Is" within a precise system of space-time factors, all events, easy and difficult, serve to help us make conscious choices and fulfill Dharma by turning difficult karmic events into good karmic causes. Though a circumstance may seem to have "bad" omens for the future, we can always transcend any negativity and turn the future to beneficent possibilities if we find the right point of view. No matter where an Eclipse falls, we can turn the effects to good.
While Eclipses do tend to shut down some elements in the area of life (house) in which they fall, this is not a bad thing, since we must bring some things to an end if we are to embrace newer, better ways of doing our Being. While the future effects of an Eclipse may be powerful, in that they last over a long period, it is useful to understand they only eliminate what we no longer need.
Eclipses are “Cosmic Recyclers,” removing what is over and done in our lives, whether we want it to be or not. Some things are removed quickly, while others are removed gradually, over time. Some Eclipses are VERY beneficial in that they create a void for us that we can fill appropriately, according to our evolved awareness and intention. Favorable ways to use Eclipse energies can be seen by the aspects in eclipse charts as they impact our natal and progressed planets.
How Much Is Fate and How Much Is Free Will?
This cuts to the heart of widespread confusion about what Astrology can and cannot do. While there are many things that can be foretold with amazing accuracy, in a higher sense Astrology is NOT a "predictive" art, in the usual way this is understood. The craft is less deterministic than most believe, including we professional Astrologers who seem to be able to "hit the mark" regarding future manifestations.
While the timing on things is pretty precisely set, what will transpire is usually unique to each individual as they steer the process of living their life. We may know that if an Eclipse falls in a certain house and makes certain aspects then things specifically related to that house will fall away from the life, but this entirely depends on the life the person is living. Different people respond in different ways to loss; these are the lessons that purify our magnetism, help us learn detachment and dispassion, and remind us that all forms pass away, both “good” and “bad,” so there’s no point in getting upset about it.
As we move through life, experiencing time as an unbroken continuum, Astrology helps us identify patterns in all stages of development. By understanding how a pattern came to be, and what sustains that pattern, we understand how past and present form the fabric of the NOW. Knowing this allows us to extrapolate the future, and predict with certainty when a thing will take a turn for the better or worse.
However, the “X” factor in human existence is the fact that even when we know how to respond in the best way possible to a challenge, at the same time we can never know how another person will respond to any given life challenge, whether pleasant or painful. Each has their ability to respond as they choose in the moment. That’s why the ending of some things is beyond our ability to control, since we literally have no control over how another will respond.
All our possible choices in any pleasurable or painful circumstance are directly related to how evolved our planetary responses are. As I explain in Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, each planet has a duality of healthy and unhealthy function. When dealing with losses associated with Eclipses and "bad" aspects and configurations, as well as life-changing events beyond our control, we and only we determine whether our Moon, Sun, Mercury or any other natal planet manifests productively or non-productively.
As I’ve mentioned in other articles, often a square can be more productive than a trine, and an opposition can produce broader and more holistic awareness. Polarization is only a problem on the ego level. Seen from a higher angle, oppositions are necessary for us to acquire objectivity and the ability to encompass duality within a higher view. Welcome the opportunities that squares and oppositions bring, since it offers the power to steer your process through the very human stormy seas and catastrophic events we all encounter from time to time.
We who explore Astrology are able to see patterns, but EVERYTHING is "free will" in both the higher and lower sense of that concept. How we respond to any challenge or circumstance entirely determines our future possibilities. While we may not be entirely able to control outcomes, there is no Astrological configuration or event that can override our power to choose how we want to respond. Everything depends on our acuity, intelligence, and willingness to do whatever it takes to bring order out of chaos, and wisdom out of experience.
In part 2, we’ll explore how some past Solar Eclipses affected my life, both in big ways and small. Viewed correctly, a Solar Eclipse may be exactly what you need to “let go, let God,” and embrace a larger life as you move away from old frames of reference and attachments into newer potentials to actualize.
© Copyright 2018 Robert Wilkinson
Thank you very much! I appreciate the more well-rounded, holistic, and strengths-based perspective.
Posted by: Mena | July 21, 2018 at 04:05 PM