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 in August 2017 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. They are created by conjunctions with one or both of the Moon’s Nodes, and vary in strength and length.
The Solar Eclipses of 2018 and early 2019 were fairly weak, but in July 2019 we began a run of 5 Solar eclipses which were very long but not very long. This is the final one of the 5, as the April 2022 Partial Solar Eclipse is weak. Enjoy it while you can, since beginning April 2023 we have a run of very strong Solar eclipses through January 2029!
We have a cluster of long ones from October 2023 through October 2024, and then again from February 2027 through June 2030. So you can count on the Solar eclipses of October 2023 (22 Libra), April and October 2024 (20 Aries, 11 Libra), February and August 2027 (18 Aquarius, 10 Leo), and the January and July 2028 (7 Aquarius, 30 Cancer) to be extraordinarily active in shaking things up wherever they fall in our chart because they all are of long duration and very high magnitude, especially both of the 2027 eclipses and the early 2028 eclipse!
I attribute the negative eclipse lore to the superstitions of the ancients. As most of you know by now, no Astrological event is "bad" or "evil" of itself. It doesn’t matter if we’re using ancient or modern, eastern or western astrological systems, everything we go through is grist for the mill of Soul. Everything serves to make us more aware, and more conscious in our choices to fulfill our higher destiny, by using all we go through to turn difficult karmic events into good karmic causes. Though a circumstance may seem to present "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. 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 because of the new potential they open for us 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?
We have more choice than we think about how to respond to various astrological events and configurations. Just because an astrological event can be seen, with the expectation of something happening or leaving or arriving, while many things can be foretold with amazing accuracy, in a higher sense Astrology is NOT a "predictive" art, in the usual way this is understood.
While the timing on things is precisely set, what will transpire is unique to each of us as we live our lives. 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 a person’s life, but everything depends on the life the person is living. Here’s where a series of eclipses may have a very beneficial effect in one person’s chart and a disruptive effect in another person’s chart, even if those eclipses fall in identical houses.
Different people respond in different ways to loss. Some struggle with it, some accept it, some enthusiastically cooperate with getting rid of what they believe they no longer want or need. All losses can help us purify our magnetism, 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, one of the strongest unknown factors in our lives is not knowing how others will act in a given circumstance. Even when we know how best to deal with a challenge we cannot know how another will respond. Everyone gets to behave 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 a broad holistic understanding of the bigger picture. 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 study Astrology are able to see patterns, but 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 free will 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 2021 Robert Wilkinson
Comments