Wheel of Light Astrology by Rio Olesky - July 2019
Eclipses are fairly rare events. We usually have 4 each year. Two are at the new Moon, which is a solar eclipse. Two are at the full Moon, which is a lunar eclipse. Because they are not common, it is often thought that when they occur, they can portend events that are also uncommon. The new Moon solar eclipse tends to affect leaders and people in powerful positions. The full Moon lunar eclipse is more likely to affect the common person. The influence of an eclipse is most powerful when it totally blocks the light of either the Sun or Moon. Partial eclipses, not so much. This month there will be a total new Moon solar eclipse in Cancer on the 2nd and partial full Moon lunar eclipse on the 16th in Aquarius.
What could make this solar eclipse most significant is the fact that it will be conjunct to the transiting North Node of the Moon. The Moon’s Nodes indicate where an eclipse takes place, so this is not a surprise aspect nor the reason why it could be so important. Rather, there are two planets, Saturn and Pluto that are transiting together at this time and both are conjunct to the South Mode. We have addressed this transiting conjunction in this column previously and will again in the future. It combines the two most powerful of energies. In Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn, the importance is even greater. When these planets are together, they are often portend major shifts in political leadership, economic reversals and public discontent. Sometimes it is the frustration of the masses that causes leadership changes. This frustration could lead to labor strikes or other form of the people’s discontent. Sometimes that frustration can be due to the leadership being too rigid, and authoritarian putting emphasis on enhancing and stabilizing their own power. Concerns of the people, whether they be oriented toward economic or human rights issues can be dismissed. Control and suppression from on high seeks to limit the people’s concerns, their rights and their well-being.
The South Node can indicate where we experience loss. This could be emotional, material or social. With Saturn and Pluto conjunct to the transiting South Node, this month could see the beginning of a decline of power for both individuals and nations. In the United States, this could indicate trouble for the President. The impeachment war drums are already starting to keep a slow but steady rhythm. The tariff wars are starting to slow down the American economic engine. China is slowly gaining more ground in both economic power and international relevance.
Similarly, however, the solar eclipse conjuncts the transiting North Node. The North Node is the place to move in order to grow. This growth, accompanied by opportunity, recognition and new connections, could lead to a re-emergence of the current political administrations to the world. It could indicate our current leadership will tap into the concerns of the people, rather than leading by fiat. So which is it going to be? Overbearing power brokers making decisions that lead to their own demise? Or opportune situations that allow those in power to solidify their grasp on dominion? Considering that the Saturn Pluto conjunction won’t even peak until 2020, the assumption is that any gains by the power elite at this time will be lost by early next year.
How can you and I take advantage of this eclipse season? We could wait until we are confronted by someone or something about our own tendencies to be cold, domineering and controlling. Or, we take personal inventory (which Pluto loves anyway) to note those times or situations where we demonstrate those patterns and seek to eliminate them from our behavior. Confronting the self can eliminate the need to be confronted by external forces. At the same time, with the Sun and Moon both in the sign Cancer, the sign of the transiting North Node, we have the opportunity to tune in to our emotional reality. This could be a time to deeply connect with one’s inner core self to become more emotionally self-aware. This in turn can lead to being either more effective in emotional self-nurturing, more effective at asking for emotional support and/or more effective at providing emotional support to others.
However we respond to and take advantage of the eclipses this month, they offer profound opportunities to increase our personal self-discipline (Saturn) to eliminate (Pluto) fear based patterns that can lead to a desire to control others. In turn, we can increase or improve our relationships to others in ways that enable us to focus on ourselves and others in ways that are warm, sensitive and personally gratifying.