As September opens, Cancerians may be dreaming about adventures in far-flung places or a return to studies. Instead they could find themselves having to make a few changes to the way they communicate within their immediate community, neighbourhood and close relatives or siblings. Thanks to a series of eclipses in the 3rd and 9th houses of their chart on the 28th of August and 11th of Sept, a reorganisation of their time management routines appears to be in order. Eclipses are important for Cancerians because they always involve the Moon, which rules your sign, in interaction with the other luminary, the Sun. The ancient saw these two 'planets' as different from the other planets, mainly because they are both sources of light for us humans here on earth. The difference is that the Sun is the source of light, while the Moon acts as a mirror, reflecting the light of the Sun.

The first eclipse, a Lunar eclipse in Pisces, occurs in the same watery element as your sun sign, making it an emotional but also positive time for you. Eclipses are always somewhat jolting experiences, but the edges of things are smoothed somewhat when planets in aspect to each other are in harmonious signs or elements. Taking place on the 28th of August during a Full Moon in your 9th house of foreign relations, travel, further education, spiritual and philosophical beliefs. A Full Moon will amplify and exaggerate the life area it occurs in, and with it also being part of an eclipse, this is doubly true. There will also be a sense of being pulled in two opposing directions. This is because a lunar eclipse happens when the Sun and Moon are on opposite ends of the earth, or in what is known in astrology as an angle of opposition. So, while you feel extremely drawn to act on matters in the above areas, you will also feel a similar tug to attend to situations closer to home, including commitments to brothers and sisters, your school (possibly the one your child attends or where you teach), an arrangement with a neighbour, a short business trip or your involvement in the local community. 

The trick is to find a way to strike a balance between the two, if you can. In order to do this, you have to be proactive. Otherwise, If you leave matters to fester or drift on as they are, at eclipse time, decisions will be made for you. The challenge therefore is to realise that this a time of cycle change  - of endings or culminations - and so something has got to give.

The clues for what the new cycle might be about lie in the theme of the solar eclipse, which occurs on the 11th of September in Virgo. At this time, the sun and moon are working together, and will be in the same sign. The Moon will be starting a new lunar phase, indicating that this is the beginning of a new cycle. Both luminaries will fall in your 3rd house, which, as I mentioned earlier, revolves around matters in your immediate environment. My advice? If you want to follow your dreams of travelling off on a big adventure into the big blue yonder, sort out your responsibilities at home and within your community first. this might mean resigning from a position on a committee, scaling back what you do for your children's school or simply reorganising your time and learning to manage you priorities better. The third house also rules self-expression, so you might also want to review how you come across to others around about now because it is possible that there is something of a gap between the way you communicate your ideas and the way they are received.

You may also find that a long-forgotten issue, related to these same areas of life, re-surfaces. This is because the solar eclipse occurs at the south node of the ecliptic which traditionally is associated with the past, as well as karma, knee-jerk or self-indulgent behaviour and similar shadowy material. See the new moon as an opportunity to deal with this stuff for once and for all so that you can get on with your life and start living out your dreams. 

There are several difficult planetary configurations taking place during each eclipse which might add static to the way things play out. Firstly, on the 28th, Mars and Jupiter form an opposition to each other in the sky across your mind-body, work-rest axis, whilst Mercury and Uranus are at loggerheads in Virgo and Pisces. This means that you may need to guard against over-committing yourself, as well as look after your health and sense of serenity and well-being. If you can, try not to get into any confrontations or battles of will with others at this time, because even though you may think you are in the right, others may not react so well to any signs of self-righteousness, meaning there could be a shock in store. The Moon will also be meeting up with Saturn before the eclipse occurs which could lower vitality somewhat and make you feel a little lonely or alienated from loved ones or come across a touch cold or unfeeling. So if you can, guard against being too abrupt or reading too much into how people behave at this time because it may simply be that you caught them at a bad moment.

I am wondering if there will be one particular person, possibly a male relative, teacher or neighbour or even a housemate, who will turn out to be the focus of this particular time. If this is the case, then you'll want to watch out for some difficult angles between the Moon, Mars and Uranus around the 11th. This could get backs up, tempers flaring or cause an unexpected hitch, possibly concerning finances or family. Things may get a little heated, so if you can, bite your tongue to avoid things exploding or getting out of control. A few days later, on the 13th, when Mercury and Jupiter connect in a friendly 60-degree angle, you'll have a different, more philosophical perspective and everyone should be feeling and sounding more benevolent. This would provide a better atmosphere in which to have important discussions or make somebody close better understand your point of view.

If you want more details on the nature of this solar eclipse, please navigate to my September Solar Eclipse page. For more information about the Lunar eclipse, please read my August 2007 Lunar Eclipse page.