Astrology has evolved along with humanity. So there is no longer any reason to fear eclipses as our ancestors did. They saw the lunar eclipse as their moon swallowed by shadow; they saw the sun, who was their god, obscured by a featureless black circle, and the whole world around them darkening in broad daylight. They pounded on drums and wailed to make eclipses go away. We don’t have to. We know better.
Some astrologers still say that eclipses—normal, natural, and predictable astral events—are bad omens, indicating crisis points in our lives, or crisis points in history, or in the nations on which they cast their shadows. (Eclipses cast limited and narrow corridors of shadow onto the earth. Eclipses visible on one side of the earth can’t be seen from the other.) Today we are aware that eclipses are simply physical alignments of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, and humanity has known that since about 2500 B.C. when Chinese astrologers discovered how to predict them. About 1500 years later, astrologers in the Middle East developed the mathematics to do that. Today we’ve got them figured out all the way to 2099 and beyond.
In astrology, nothing bad can come from alignments or conjunctions. Alignments only intensify what’s already there. Eclipses are partial or full alignments of the Sun and Moon, which astrologers call “the Lights,” and their influence is always positive. Chinese astrologers believed eclipses brought luck for their emperor. The idea that eclipses portend disaster is from Babylonia, passed down to our day without any solid proof. The cosmos is perfectly designed and sacred. There are no evil omens in the sky.There might be reasons to be careful, or to work hard, but eclipses never present us with reasons for fear. The Sun and Moon dance with our Earth in endless space. Nothing is more beautiful than when the three align.
It’s true that staring at the powerful Sun during a solar eclipse (or any time) can damage your eyesight. Today, in some cultures, pregnant women are still supposed to hide during eclipses. I think it’s pretty clear that a shadow won’t harm anyone. But it does seem that people born during or close to an eclipse are handed greater responsibilities than most, leading to greater manifestations. Such people include Karl Marx, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Pope John Paul II, all born near solar eclipses. Born at lunar eclipses were Prince William’s wife Kate Middleton, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Each year Earth has two solar eclipses and at least two lunar eclipses, in opposite zodiac signs. They occur whether you can view them from your location or not. March and September 2016:
- In 2016 the first solar eclipse was March 8, in at 18 degrees of Pisces, and the second is September 1, at 9 degrees of Virgo.
- The visible lunar eclipses of 2016: March 23, at 3 degrees of Libra, and September 16, at 24 degrees of Pisces. There’s one on August 18, at 25 degrees of Aquarius, that is so off-center, or “penumbral,” it will be invisible. Astrological opinion is that it therefore doesn’t count.
- The lunar eclipse on March 23 was partial and could be seen from North America at moonset. The one on September 16 will not be visible in the Western Hemisphere except from the east coast of Brazil.
Solar eclipses occur on the New Moon, and lunar eclipses occur on the Full Moon. Perhaps you’ve witnessed a partial or total eclipse. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. Some eclipses “clip off” only part of our view of the Sun or Moon. Total eclipses hide the sun or moon altogether for a few moments. The total solar eclipse on March 8 will be visible from Southeast Asia and Hawaii. The September 1 total solar eclipse will be visible from Africa. Some astrologers predict trouble in those areas at those times. I say there’s always trouble somewhere if you look for it.
From eclipses, solar and lunar, you can expect surprises, specifically manifestations. Lunar eclipses bring more intimate manifestations. It isn’t possible to tell you how to prepare for surprises, but because there are two eclipses this year in the sign of Pisces, the spiritual sign, we can expect to manifest what we imagine and dream about.
- Start imagining good things now!
- If you started in March on a dream or spiritual journey, or perhaps therapy, by September you will know whether you can truly grow or are fooling yourself.
- There might be miracles.
- Any egoistic or irrational behavior that goes overboard on or around March 8—yours, others’, or a whole nation’s—will be corrected and exposed for what it is, and perhaps quashed, by September’s solar eclipse in rational, practical Virgo. People will be asking, “Who will pay for this?” and expect answers. Virgo’s avatar is a young woman holding a sheaf of wheat. The eclipse in Virgo presents us with seeds for further growth and real-life results. We can plant them, or it might not be your time to do that. In astrology there is no such thing as only one chance.
The lunar eclipse on Wednesday, March 23 in Libra opposed the Sun in Aries. I see this as an attempt at diplomacy or conciliation. If a former partner or rival manifests in your life bringing tempting offers, it’s most likely an empty gesture, all showmanship. Do your best to be upfront and honest, even if you think others aren’t. State your terms and don’t settle. Maybe then you can be friends. Friday, September 16 might manifest a fulfilling surprise through people you trust, or an investment you made in your own well-being can pay off. You might find out how much people love and need you. This is the time to be warm-hearted and sympathetic.
