From ancient times the people have been afraid of eclipses. This temporary disappearance of the Lights, the Sun and Moon, in the sky, took on frightening proportions in antiquity as they were believed to be a sign of the gods, expressing their displeasure and darkening the earth. In Chinese mythology, eclipses were associated with dragons. For solar eclipses, in particular, it was believed that the dragon devoured the sun. The same belief existed in ancient Egypt where the reptilian god Apep devoured the sun. It is no coincidence, then, that in our collective consciousness, eclipses have taken on the meaning of a bad omen.
In the Middle Ages, in particular, where astrology became an indispensable tool for kings and rulers, an eclipse was a clear indication that the king would either lose power or lose his life.
From the Testament, we learn that on the day of the Crucifixion of Christ, the sky darkened from 12 to 3 afternoon and made a strong earthquake, a report attributed to a solar eclipse. (This point in the scriptures has greatly troubled historians as it can give an accurate date for the birth of Christ, given that Christ died at the age of 33. However, the possibility of a solar eclipse is ruled out due to the Jewish Passover that coincided with the Crucifixion and this always fell on a Full Moon).
One of the first eclipses recorded was that of Thales on May 28, 585 BC. Thales was the first to be able to calculate the phenomenon of the eclipse. Herodotus recounts that the eclipse was a serious omen and because of this, the war between Medes and Lydians ceased, and eventually led to a truce.
Another historically recorded eclipse was that of 1133 AD, the day that Henry I of England sailed for Normandy. Astrologers had predicted that the king might never return. Indeed, Henry I died in France shortly afterward.
The outcome of battles throughout history seems to have been influenced by eclipses. The most famous legend associated with the outcome of a war and an eclipse is during the siege of Constantinople. In 1453, Muhammad bombarded the city walls. The Byzantines were exhausted by the siege but were comforted by the legend that Constantinople would never fall while the moon is waxing. But on the night of May 22, the moon rose in the sky with an eclipse, something that crushed the morale of the Byzantines. Muhammad knew the legend - as well as that it was a bad omen for the battle - and waited a few days before resuming his attack when the moon would be waning. During the battle, the Turks found a small gate that had been accidentally left open. It was all they needed to get into the Polis. The looting lasted three days as the moon waned.
Although we have a New Moon and a Full Moon every month, the Nodes of the Moon are to blame for the eclipses. The Nodes of the Moon are two conceivable mathematical points, one directly opposite the other, where the Moon's orbit intersects the plane of the ecliptic, ie the apparent orbit of the Sun. If the Full Moon or the New Moon takes place near the Nodes, then we have an eclipse.
Eclipses are divided into different categories depending on whether they are solar or lunar.
The distance of the Nodes of the Moon with the respective Full Moon or New Moon, helps us determine whether an eclipse is total, partial, etc.
We have eclipses about two to three times a year, while some years we may have more, such as in 2020 when we had six (another reason that made 2020 an extremely difficult year!)
These points, the Lunar Nodes, or North and South Node, are also known from medieval astrology as the "dragon's head" and the "dragon's tail" and have a karmic connotation. According to many astrologers, they are related to past lives experience, ie the previous incarnations. The fact that the Nodes are not celestial bodies, but only mathematical points, has led many astrologers and researchers to ignore their existence for many years. However, in Vedic astrology, which is also astrology based on the belief in reincarnation, the Lunar Nodes were used systematically and considered perhaps the most important factors in a horoscope.
From the geographical points where the eclipses are visible, they foretell cosmic changes and events in the countries where an eclipse -especially solar- is visible. In our natal charts, an eclipse is mainly judged by which natal planets or points are activated by it, with the most important being the eclipses that fall on the Sun, the Moon, and Ascendant.
In a solar eclipse, we have the Moon coming in front of the Sun, and it symbolizes the blockages of the past that are coming up to block the future. In a lunar eclipse, on the other hand, the earth enters between the Sun and the Moon and creates a shadow on the Moon. With a symbolic interpretation, we would say that it is the period when we need to say goodbye to things and people and welcome new situations.
Clearly, a solar eclipse can only occur on a New Moon, while a lunar eclipse can only occur on a Full Moon.
The reason eclipses have a negative connotation is because any suspension of light and energy is considered negative. However, this is not always the case, as in our time we have studied the eclipses a lot and we consider that the eclipses signal important events in our life, without being necessarily and always negative.
Of course, the fact that eclipses can work both positively and negatively has confused astrologers as to their predictions. They know the moment of the eclipse, they know its stressful nature, they also know that it will bring issues hidden on the surface, but they do not always know the nature of this situation. An eclipse, for example, in Venus can show a person the emotional and financial problems of a person, but it can also show a new love acquaintance, important contacts, or even financial collaborations.
One way to overcome this problem is to observe in which houses of the chart, the eclipses of the year "fall". This will automatically give the astrologer a strong clue as to the interpretation of the eclipse. Eclipses, for example, that fall in the 1st and 7th house, mean changes in the personal life of the person as well as in his collaborations or his relations with the significant others; while an eclipse in the 2nd and 8th house, signifies changes in finances or values.
Solar eclipses belong to families, which are called Saros circles (Saros means repetition). Each family has its own characteristics. The Saros circles were first discovered by the Babylonians and the ancient Greeks perfected their system. Each cycle lasts for over 1,000 years. The fact that an eclipse belongs to a family whose original eclipse began a thousand years ago, for example, gives us a different sense of time, as it puts time in a different context than we humans perceive. So an eclipse that happens today is like carrying the echo of the past, which is why eclipses are often called holes in space-time.
Thus, solar eclipses are not random events isolated in space-time. Each Saros series produces a solar eclipse every 18 years and a few days (9 to 11 days depending on the leap years). Also, each Saros series produces a sequence of eclipses with each being half to one degree further from, or closer to the axis of the Nodes. Each series begins as a small partial eclipse, either at the South or the North Pole. This eclipse orbits between 15 and 18 degrees in front of the nodal axis. During the cycle, each eclipse will take place closer and closer to the axis, gradually reducing the orb between the eclipse and the axis. This can take up to hundreds of years and, gradually over these years, eclipses move from being partial to total. (Bernadette Brady, The eagle and the lark, Weiser books, chapter, 5).
After about 650 years, the series will occur conjunct with the nodal axis and will continue afterwards its journey, again separating from the nodes. At the end of the cycle, when the series produces a small partial eclipse about 18 ° behind the axis, the cycle will end. The circle will close at the opposite pole from what it started, that is, an eclipse that started at the South Pole will close its circle at the North Pole and vice versa.
Lunar eclipses, on the other hand, are by-products of the geometry of each solar eclipse, that is, they are produced after each solar eclipse. Since the solar eclipse is a New Moon, 14 days later on the Full Moon we will have a lunar eclipse.
In 2021 we have four eclipses and the first will occur on May 26 at 11:13 am (UT) at 5 ° Sagittarius. This is a total lunar eclipse, which will give major cosmic events (possibly geological disasters) as the planet Jupiter associated with universality will participate in it. At the same time, Venus and Mercury will form a 90-degree angle with the planet Neptune. This eclipse will affect beneficially, the signs of the mutable cross (Gemini, Sagittarius, Pisces, and Virgo) and specifically those who have planets between 2 ° -8 °. However, the influence of Neptune in this eclipse needs special attention as it creates problems in relationships and collaborations, wrong judgment, ambiguity, and financial losses. In combination with the influence of Jupiter which tends to exaggerate, the mutable signs -especially those who have planets between 20-25 °, should be more careful.
The first solar eclipse of the year will take place on June 10 at 10:50 am (UT) at 19 ° 47 'of Gemini. An eclipse that will affect again the mutable signs and especially those who have planets from 17 ° -22 ° of the above signs. This eclipse belongs to the Saros 5North family and the first eclipse of this family took place on October 12, 1624 and will end in 2868.
The initial eclipse was in conjunction with the planet Neptune, while Mars was in the midpoint of Mercury and Uranus. So this family has a creative tone that can be accompanied by prophetic dreams, sudden ideas, and other psychic messages that will come to the surface urging for action. The sudden realization of events after sudden ideas is common for the traits of this cycle.
The current eclipse of June 10 will be with the participation of Mercury, while the planets Uranus and Saturn, that since the beginning of the year are forming a square, will approach each other again with an angle of almost exact 90 °. The same eclipse will again have the participation of Neptune and therefore misunderstandings, deceptions, and turmoil will have a primary role in the life of the mutable signs, especially those who have planets or horoscopes from 17-22 °. In addition, Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, and Aquarius should also be especially careful with the "War of the Titans" of Saturn and Uranus, where one protects restriction and the other freedom and breaking of restrictions. A very descriptive aspect of what we experience with the limitations due to the virus and it is not impossible, we may have further intensities.
The influence of eclipses lasts a long time and theories about how long divides many astrologers. However in any case, we are not talking about the influence of just a few days. The days before and after the eclipse are clearly the days when we can most likely have events, but the event can also take place at a different time when we will have the eclipse activated by another planet, usually Mars. Based on this, the activations of the solar eclipse during the year will take place in the last days of August and the beginning of September. On September 12, December 6-11, and January 9.
Imaginarium Magazine Issue 5
Anastasia Diakidi
Comments