The Moon devours the Sun during the mid-day hours of August 21st. If you are in the continental United States you will be able to witness the spectacle. If you are not on the 70-mile-wide path of totality, then the Moon will just take a giant bite.
It’s said that a total eclipse is a wonder to behold and there is nothing like it. Pre-modern civilizations certainly took note. They attached various explanations to the light-giving Sun apparently being devoured by the dark moon, plunging the earth into darkness and then being regurgitated. For many, a solar eclipse was a bad omen, a precursor to misfortune, even a harbinger to the end of the world.
We now understand that a solar eclipse is a new moon in which the Sun, Moon and Earth are precisely aligned. Nonetheless, astrologers understand that these occurrences are powerful times, because eclipses are powerful triggers.
All new moons are triggers; a total solar eclipse is one on a triple dose of steroids.
But even when the sky goes dark, you are illuminated by the inner light you carry with you always. That’s why many spiritual teachers recommend using this time as an opportunity for reflection, meditation and attention to your inner landscape. It’s reported that during a total eclipse, planets and stars normally obscured by the Sun’s bright light become visible. In this way, a solar eclipse can signal hidden things coming to light and inner awakening.
The Moon itself symbolizes the world of the unconscious and the intuitive. A solar eclipse demonstrates the power of this inner world: After all, the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun and yet able to hide the much larger body.
When the Moon devours the Sun, the Universe is opening a door for something new to come into your life. Likewise, they often signify endings—to make space for what is yet to enter. Look to the area in your chart where you find 29° Leo to see where this will take place. If you have a planet or sensitive point within 3-5° either direction, your life is about to change.
The Sun is the center of the Solar system—its gravitational force holds it together. Likewise, the Sun is the 800-lb. gorilla in your chart. As astrologer Michael Lutin once said, when pushed against the wall, the Sun is where you find strength. Robert Glasscock, another astrologer, says the planets in your chart work to support and express the energy of your Sun.
This eclipse takes place when the Sun is in its own sign, Leo, known for its nobility, strength, and courage. This eclipse calls upon you to find your personal strength and courage and be the light to yourself and others. Leo is also where you celebrate your creative self-expression and uniqueness. Mars has been traveling with the Sun for over a month imparting its warrior energy. Standing with integrity and fighting for your truths count. Let your heart guide you. You know you’re on the right path if you feel passion about what you are doing and who you are.
If you are not living a life of authenticity, the eclipse is a wake-up call to make mid-course corrections. Right use of power—power over yourself and over others—is the lesson. And one reason solar eclipses are associated with the fall of kings, themselves symbolized by the Sun. You are in your power when you are in the light.
The Sun and Mars form a fiery triangle with Uranus, asking you to be open to shifts and Saturn asking you to act with reason, respect for others and to pick your battles carefully.
Events triggered by the eclipses do not necessarily take place the very day of the eclipse. More frequently they take place days or even months afterwards. Given that Mercury is retrograde that is even more likely. Eclipse-related events will be triggered when a planet aspects the eclipse degree. One example is Mercury who turns direct on the eclipse degree on September 5th. In fact, it’s best to wait until Mercury returns to its direct motion before taking important actions because you are unlikely to have all the facts or see clearly now.
Nonetheless, at its core, when the Moon devours the Sun, the Universe is asking you to be open to inner awakening, and to honor and be true to yourself.
