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A catalyst for change...
Carl Jung once wrote that ‘When an inner
situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate.’
Nothing could be truer of eclipses.
Astrologically, eclipses often mark a period of dramatic change. They act as
catalysts, often forcing your hand, either by a process of elimination - taking
away choices or options; or by means of acceleration - intensifying current
circumstances or suddenly producing new ones.
It has been associated with the endings and beginnings of relationships, a
change in career direction, a redundancy, a new job, moving house, or surviving
an accident or dramatic incident. Like the Tower card in the tarot, it is also
associated with sudden, unexpected events or surprises. Often these may seem
nasty at the time but, in hindsight, turn out to be blessings in disguise.
If you have been putting off changes, moves or decisions, eclipses will usually
force matters to crisis point and you will no longer be able to drag your feet.
However, if you are aware and take action, you can usually pre-empt the
situation and do a bit of ‘damage control’!
The important thing to remember is that an eclipse usually sets a theme for the
six months that follow. In order to get a preview of what that theme might be,
it is worth noting circumstances immediately preceding or following an eclipse.
Occasionally their effects are delayed by a month, so you may want to take note
of events that occur around the same date the following month (give or take 3
days). By this, I mean to the day.
How could Eclipses Affect You?
As I said
before, eclipses are a kind of exclamation mark or wild card, often marking the
ending of one cycle and the beginning
of a new period of personal growth or
direction.
Astrologically
solar and lunar eclipses have slightly different emphases.
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A solar
eclipse, being closely associated with the sign of Leo, will generally emphasise
matters ruled by the masculine
energy of the sun, such as personal identity,
vitality and power, individuality, authority and leaders, personal quests or
goals, children, creativity and father figures. Bernadette Brady, the well-known
eclipse expert, suggests that solar eclipses
are usually involved with external
events i.e. Situations that happen to you or around you. Health-wise, the sun
rules the
chest area and the heart, as well as the spine, so these areas may be
highlighted or flare up during an eclipse. It is always
a good idea to see how
the sun interacts with your own sun and rising sign since this will give you a
clearer picture of what
effects the eclipse could have for you.
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A lunar
eclipse has to do with the moon, a traditionally feminine symbol. The moon rules
motherhood, the home, family, our instinctive needs and reactions, day to day
living and habits. The moon has a more subtle but no less powerful effect, as
the tides of the sea will attest to. Just as with the sun, how strongly the moon
figures in your chart, what angles it makes to other personal planets and which
house it falls in will determine how the moon, and therefore lunar eclipses,
will affect you. According to Bernadette Brady, lunar eclipses tend to be
associated with internal events such as thoughts and feelings.
Another thing
to bear in mind is the phase of the moon. A full moon usually brings things to
culmination, boiling point or to an end,
whilst a new moon traditionally heralds
the start of new things. The issues they stress are therefore slightly different
but often work hand in hand with each other – after all when one door closes,
another has to open!
How to Deal With Eclipses
New York
astrologer Susan Miller has come up with a Nine Point plan for dealing with
eclipses. If you are interested in her ideas on
how to minimize dangers and
maximize opportunities, follow this link to her website.
www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/eclipse.html
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