- by Roy Kirkland
Eclipses, along with meteors and comets, are the most impressive astronomical phenomena that people generally experience. They have been observed for untold ages, and have been a major consideration of astrologers since the origins of the craft. This is an article about eclipse basics, and the forerunner of several, more detailed articles to come.
Stonehenge had a built-in eclipse finder. A flag or sign placed in holes inside its perimeter counted the days of an “Eclipse Year” (356.62 days) with an error of only 2 hours over 19 years. A device called the Antikythera (you can see a rebuild and video here), over 2000 years old, is a mechanical computer that predicted eclipses and planetary positions. Of course, it has been very well established that eclipses and other cosmic phenomena can be tracked and predicted from the Pyramids of Giza.
Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and is aligned with Earth’s orbit such that the Moon casts a shadow on the Earth. Because the Sun and Moon appear to be about the same size from Earth’s surface, total eclipses appear to blot out the Sun for beings beneath the Moon’s shadow. Lunar eclipses happen when the Moon is on the other side of the Earth from the Sun, just as in a full Moon, but the three bodies are aligned in such a way that the Earth casts a visible shadow on the Moon.
Not every new or full Moon produces eclipses, because an eclipse can only occur when the lunation is close to the Lunar nodes, a.k.a. the Dragon’s Head (Rahu in Sanskrit) and the Dragon’s Tail (Ketu) - the places where the orbital paths of the Earth and Moon intersect. The Lunar nodes appear to move in retrograde motion, completing a circuit of the Zodiac in 18.6 years. They are mathematical constructs, known only by their effects. The Indian designation of them, Chayagraha or "shadow planets ", is both astronomically correct and functionally descriptive.
The old rule for determining the duration of eclipse effects was to count the number of hours the shadow was visible as the years that a Solar eclipse (or months for a Lunar eclipse) would remain effective. Lunar eclipses are visible longer than Solar eclipses, and, in practice, they seem to produce effects of equal intensity and duration. L. Edward Johndro, one of the most skilled astrologers of the 20th century, developed a formula for their effective duration based on the daily motion of the Moon (usually turning out to be between 10.5 months and a little over a year). I have found no absolute rule – it appears to me that the duration of effectiveness is dependent on the number and importance of the factors tied into the eclipse.
“Apotelesmatics”, by Hephaistio of Thebes, speaks of Lunar eclipses in Capricorn as follows: “an army from without will come to Asia, and the former ruler will be captured after having been left behind by his own people”. In early October of 2001, Mars made its first pass of the previous (July 5th, 2001) Lunar eclipse in Capricorn, perfectly timing the invasion of Afghanistan. Not only did this Lunar eclipse activate the Sun in the charts of the U.S. President (July 6th) and of the July 4th, 1776 U.S. chart, but the mission of the military forces was to remove the Taliban from power, which they did. Mars’ second pass over this eclipse degree was in March of 2003 when the U.S. military moved on Iraq, successfully capturing the previous ruler.
Some classical texts say that the planet associated with the Zodiac sign of the eclipse (the Moon’s sign for a Lunar eclipse) is its "ruler ", but the famous Masha’allah believed that the Ascendant of the new or full Moon chart of the eclipse was its ruler. Despite the feudal metaphor of our predecessors, planets on or near the horizon or meridian of the local eclipse chart appear to describe the eclipse effects much more clearly. The Moon or Sun cannot be eclipse rulers because they are the participants. Experience teaches that if there is no planet conjunct or opposite the degree, or on one of the local chart’s angles, then the rule of Masha’allah works best to define the eclipse effects.
Planets close to (or opposite) the eclipse degree are also significantly more noticeable than others when it comes to predicting eclipses’ effects. Benefic planets aspecting the eclipse show the eclipse to be generally beneficial, and the reverse is true when malefics powerfully aspects it. Any planet transiting the eclipse degree will activate its effects, or bring closure to issues brought up by the eclipse, according to its nature.
There can be four to seven eclipses per year, and several of them may be simultaneously active. Eclipses that fall on or opposite one of your natal planets will definitely be noticed, and transits to (or opposite) that eclipse degree will be very powerful. The planets beyond Saturn are effective when they fall close to the horizon or meridian of a local eclipse chart.
In order to understand how eclipses effect you, it would be very helpful to find out the positions of your natal planets at birth – even the noon or midnight positions of the planets will help. Charles Jayne, a great 20th century astrologer, believed that a planet within 5 degrees of the eclipse degree or its Opposition (i.e. 175 – 185 degrees) is effective. He also allowed 3 degrees for the Square (90 degree) aspect. Neither he nor Johndro used other aspects to eclipse points on the basis of experience, not metaphysics.
After finding eclipses that affect you, find the dates that planets transit these eclipse degrees – they may be more important than the date of the eclipse itself. If you know your chart, check and see if any progressed or directed planets will contact the eclipse degree within a year (a day in the ephemeris) either way – their effects will be profound.
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