The truth is, the Libra solar eclipse (officially arriving on Saturday at 10:55 am PDT) is already jittering the atmosphere—eclipses don’t wait until the day of to bring their news. The war that no one saw coming in Israel is an example of an eclipse-situation. But not everyone will be touched with the same intensity, in the same ways. What do you sense is going on for you?
I never try to predict eclipses for myself or clients. By their very nature, they’re unpredictable. What we can do is meet them–open-eyed and calm. So first, it’s wise to slow down, feel your feet and get grounded if you’re not. Next best practice is to send love into the atmosphere; then wrap it as a blanket around your own auric field and those of your loved ones.
Then watch, is this eclipse reaching out to you?
Below are a few signs that you’re being touched by this week’s solar eclipse. But first, a little perspective on this sky event.
The terror of eclipses runs deep in astrology tradition. For the first astrologers, over three thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, solar eclipses were the top feared sky event, capable of unraveling a kingdom. Eclipses signaled floods, famine, disease, and the death of kings. Yet unlike us, the first astrologers didn’t believe the sky was causing these things to happen—they rather saw it as a message.
The Mesopotamian sky was an enchanted tablet onto which the gods were always writing messages—about living in balance for the good of the whole. An eclipse was an omen, a warning—something the astrologer priests would then scurry to address through sacred rituals performed by the king. Dire events could always be averted—otherwise, what’s the point of knowing astrology?
Unfortunately—the original perspective has long been lost. Today people tend to fear the sky will cause upsetting events. Most worry more about what might happen than what the gods have to say. What’s worse, today astrologers consider eclipses important whether we see them or not—while ancient astrologers worried only about the ones visible in their skies. They might observe a handful of eclipses in a 30-year period—unlike us, for whom the “eclipse danger” bell tolls twice a year, every year.
So what do we do with eclipses? Their cultural endurance makes them worth watching—as they can indeed crack worlds open or jiggle things loose. Yet whether or not the gods intend a big message for you—you won’t fully know this until the eclipse has passed. It’s a portal—like a tunnel you have to walk through—not knowing whether a bright gift, a bucket of water over your head, or nothing special—is waiting at the end. Not everyone is shaken and rolled into a new future—but it’s wise to pay attention. If you’re nimble, there might be an opportunity to grow.
Signs this eclipse is touching you
Following are a few signs that you’re inside this New Moon’s Eclipse Zone.
- An event far away, beyond your control, brings an unexpected change in direction.
- Something doesn’t go as you thought it would. Important plans are delayed.
- Time is accelerated. There’s too much to do. Big changes seem to happen overnight.
- A startling truth—like someone’s true character—is revealed.
- You’re forced to handle an unexpected difficulty.
- Physically, you’re agitated, ungrounded. Nerves are raw. You may have insomnia (especially with lunar eclipses).
- Ultimatums backfire. Situations that are tense or frayed could snap.
- You hear news—big or small—that alerts you to future changes. Respect these messages! They could help you make smarter decisions.
- People unexpectedly leave your life—maybe it’s an argument or a break-up. Or they move/get a new job/go through a significant life transition.
- Where there are endings, there are also beginnings. You may meet somebody who will be significant in your future.
For a more detailed view of how this eclipse impacts your chart, I highly recommend the eclipse report from my colleague, April Elliott Kent: “Followed by a Moonshadow Eclipse Report”!
Yes! 2 and a half weeks ago I stood up to someone at work who was saying transphobic nonsense. Today I have a 2nd HR meeting to conclude the situation. The fact that I yelled at the transphobic person makes me wonder is I have lost my job. And even if I haven’t it feels somewhat awkward to go back. I have been off with covid also.
Because of all this, I have finally started working w a family member in advertising, to create communication about my side-trade, Somatic Movement Therapy. So far she has created 3 amazing, beautiful videos just yesterday, and we are just getting started. Who knows where this will take me? I am willing to work to create my future!
The universe works in mysteriously beautiful ways …
Alo! Great article. I wondered about the frequency of how many eclipses we have to watch out for. It’s so often and exhausting these days. I almost stopped paying attention.
However When you wrote:” An eclipse was an omen, a warning—something the astrologer priests would then scurry to address through sacred rituals performed by the king. Dire events could always be averted—otherwise, what’s the point of knowing astrology?“ I was hoping that you were going to mention what those rituals were, if known. Because that’s similar to how I’ve felt for many years about astrology. What’s the point of know all this very interesting stuff if you can’t do anything about it but brace yourself at best? Or at least provide some tools or hints to mitigate the worst of it.
Do you know of any rituals that could avert or mitigate dire events during eclipses?
Also is there a way to know which eclipses are visible (and therefore worth paying attention to) where one lives?
Mèsi anpil for all you do!
Yes! The astrological world has to suffer under solar eclipses every six months, when it would be maybe one in a couple decades in the ancient world. So the rituals were called the “namburbi rituals,” which means “unwinding” and they were a way to unwind an unfortunate fate. Most often they were used after the eclipse to unwind what had happened–it was only for the king they tried to avert them. I’ve read quite a few of their scripts. What I love is that they use the same simple symbolic gestures of sympathetic magic that we might use today; for example, someone who had taken ill, would enter the room through one door, make the offerings and recite the incantations, and then exit through another door, symbolizing they were now on a new path. The rituals were effective for two reasons: one, they worked on the consciousness of the person needing the ritual (and consciousness is the source of magic)–and the priests had relationships with the powers they were appealing to. Today we might like to buy a book with all the recipes–as though the magic was some technology outside of ourselves. But if your heart has no relationship with the gods, there won’t be much power in it. Just empty words. Today we prefer to call the gods archetypes–same thing, powers inside, outside, and all around. If there’s a fate we wish to change, we negotiate with them, the archetypes. Astrology helps us to track the relevant powers in any particular situation. It does a far worse job of predicting events and outcomes. So, better than predicting futures is working to change them. And that’s THE focus of the book I’ve been writing on astral divination and hope to release next year! I’ll keep you posted.
I’m printing this article, and leaving it with family and friends along with eclipse glasses.
Thanks for sharing this wisdom!!!!