You
can follow the current eclipse cycles in your birth chart
with my popular eclipse report, "Followed
by a Moonshadow." Three years of eclipse
cycles in a 40+ page report. More
info...
Chances are, your birth chart contains at least one planetary
configuration so dreadful that astrologers take one look and
gasp: "How do you live with that?"
And
you shrug. Because it's like having been born with blue eyes
or red hair: that's the way it's always been for you, so you're
pretty much used to it, much the way one gets used to a throbbing
arthritic joint. A hypothetically awful aspect is your cross
to bear, as Sister Rita used to say. But the very aspects
that inspire terror in the casual observer are, potentially,
your treasure.
Planets
woven together by difficult aspects are as strong as steel.
They represent problems you can't ignore, and conflicts that
chew at you until you find a resolution - or at least détente.
They describe your defining attributes; and each time an eclipse
scores a glancing blow off these aspects (about every four
and a half years), you're given another chance to become a
little bit more … you.
So
not even the most unpleasant natal aspect is inherently awful.
And despite the unease they inspire, neither are eclipses. Some are part of a larger and more daunting planetary
picture with global implications. Personally, however, we
tend to experience eclipses most strongly when they form close
aspects (especially conjunctions, squares, and oppositions)
to planets in our birth chart. Each time an eclipse aspects
one of the planetary crosses that you bear, a narrative of
change emerges - one that is repeated over and over throughout
your lifetime.
Unless an eclipse triggers these high-tension natal aspects,
or falls very close to the cusps of the first, fourth, seventh,
or tenth houses, you are likely to experience its influence
as relatively subtle, like the flutter of a leaf in a chilling
breeze. But let one of your more sensitive aspects get
triggered, and it's the difference between a doctor checking
your reflexes during an exam and hammering an arthritic knee.
Eclipse
aspecting the natal Sun: If life is a movie, the Sun
is the protagonist - however flawed - for whom we cheer.
Each of us is born to be the hero of our own life story;
but often, timidity or false modesty persuades us to hand
over that role to others. When eclipses aspect your natal
Sun, you are thrust into the starring role - and if you're
not used to it, that can be uncomfortable.
Eclipses
aspecting the natal Moon - From the moment we're ripped
from mom's womb, we seek to reclaim the security and safety
that we knew there. We feather our nests, stock the pantry
with foods we like, and surround ourselves with people
who make us feel comfortable. But when eclipses aspect
the natal Moon, something - a new living situation, a
change in health - may leave you feeling as exposed as
a crab with her shell cracked open.
Eclipses
aspecting Mercury: How do you define yourself? Usually,
it begins with a name. Then, with your rank in the family
pecking order, on the playground, in the workplace. Finally,
numbers (grades in school, numbers on a paycheck) define
you. When eclipses aspect natal Mercury, the god of definition,
prepare for a change in your name, rank, or serial number
- and for a change in how you define yourself.
Eclipses
aspecting Venus: If only each of us were endowed with
flawless confidence, great relationships, bountiful self-esteem,
and oodles of cash! Eclipse aspects to Venus remind us
that world will not always give us the treatment, whether
kind or cruel, that we think we deserve.
Eclipses
aspecting Mars: Mars is a trained, ruthless guard
dog that answers only to you. He guards you and your home,
defends your reputation, and helps you get all the cool
things that you want. When eclipses aspect natal Mars,
the watch dog is stirred up and straining at his leash;
get what's yours, but don't let anyone get hurt.
Eclipses
aspecting Jupiter: When was the last time you had
an adventure? When eclipses aspect Jupiter, you're itching
to take a chance, to feel the thrill of being completely
alive. These can be times when you overreach out of sheer
optimism; but they are also moments when your life jumps
tracks and starts moving in a new direction.
Eclipses
aspecting Saturn: When eclipses aspect Saturn, you
may feel worn out and discouraged. Probably, you've outgrown
your life or are playing by outdated rules. But you'll
never get anywhere by blaming others for your problems.
Regardless of how things got this way, what are you going
to do to make your life better?
Eclipses
aspecting Uranus: When eclipses aspect Uranus, you
may feel like a misfit - and that can hurt. Recognizing
who your friends are (and aren't), and looking for a tribe
that lets you be yourself, is the challenge of these eclipses.
Eclipses
aspecting Neptune: These eclipses compel you to examine
your blind spots, question your faith, and dispute what
you previously thought was indisputable. If you've been
fooling yourself - like a wife who ignores the signs that
her husband has strayed, or the man who is disillusioned
by his womanizing guru - these eclipses can deliver a
wakeup call.
Eclipses
aspecting Pluto: In each of us, there is a dark side.
There are feelings that are unworthy of us - rage, jealousy,
fear, covetousness. They weaken us, making us slaves to
our emotions and to people who are more self-possessed.
When eclipses aspect Pluto, we meet that dark self and
the others who embody it for us, grappling with power
and the need for control.
Combine
these descriptions to better understand the sensitive points
in your own chart that will be awakened by the upcoming eclipses
on December 21, 2010 (lunar eclipse at 29.21 Gemini)
and January 4, 2011 (solar eclipse at 13 Capricorn).
If a planet in your birth chart, or the Ascendant/Midheaven,
falls:
between about 25 degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius,
or Pisces and 3 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn (December 21 eclipse), or
between about 9 and 17 degrees
of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn (January 4 eclipse),
your reflexes will be working overtime... and that arthritic
knee is going to be really, really sore.
To
learn more about this year's eclipses and your birth chart,
order my exclusive eclipse report, Followed
by a Moonshadow. Includes three years of eclipses and
40+ pages - only $35 delivered by email!
