Pages

Monday, August 21, 2017

Total Solar Eclipse 29 degrees of Leo August 21, 2017

Astro Tips by Linda Sprague
Total Solar Eclipse August 21, 2017
28/29 degrees of Leo

“Darkness within darkness—the gateway to all understanding.”  Tao Te Ching

During a total solar eclipse, the Moon passes over the Sun creating darkness and shadow. Solar eclipses are very much about shadow material. What is waiting to be revealed in the shadow?  There is a special kind of landscape when the sky goes dark.  They say Venus and Mercury are visible in the dark sky (in the path of a total solar eclipse).  A total solar eclipse, according to some reports, causes a kind of shock and awe.  Goosebumps! Darkness and silence in the middle of the day.  No wonder the ancients considered eclipses serious events. 

Make friends with the darkness

During a total solar eclipse, the Sun and Moon form a perfect conjunction. The Moon lines up with the Sun, then appears to be the same size as the Sun, and then passes in front--or eclipses--the light of the Sun.  The Sun is our life force as well as our ego identity.  The Moon darkens the life force and identity.  We get quiet and look to the shadow for more information.  Perhaps we will see or understand things that eluded us before.  We can face our shadows and grab some understanding. The important thing is to face those parts of ourselves that we wish didn’t exist, e.g. resentment, jealousy, fear, nasty thoughts, unresolved anger, confusion, greed, and maybe suppressed memories. You know, those “deadly sins” we talk about.  If all we do is be conscious of our dark material, that’s a good step.  There is also gold to be found in the dark recesses of our individual cellars. Go on down and see what’s there, dig up the gold.

How long does this go on?

Meanwhile, keep in mind that eclipses have a time span of up to six months. The energy of the eclipse has already begun and will continue throughout the fall.  The eclipse has been in its active state since August 7th, when the Full Moon eclipse occurred in the sign of Aquarius.  The solar eclipse takes us into the intense time now through the middle of September. We can expect to uncover secrets of our own or hear news that reveals hidden information regarding other people and our leaders.

If you have a connection with this eclipse—the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Mercury or other planets at 28 or 29 degrees of Leo--then you may experience huge life altering events during this eclipse period.  This isn’t meant to be a dire prediction. The eclipse can also bring good news like a better job, a windfall, or a new relationship if you need one!

Leo:  the Sun, warmth, love, loyalty, leadership, ego, and kings

One positive aspect of Leo is love.  Leo rules the heart.  When the heart is open, we feel love.  During this eclipse period, we are advised to extend our energy (Mars) in a loving manner (Sun/Moon Leo) and communicate with love.  The eclipse in Leo opens us up to know and love ourselves more, and to love others as well.  This Leo eclipse also invites us to realize and know our own unique leadership qualities. We all have important, unique qualities to offer to our families and community.  The hidden trap of Leo is distortion of ego.  We need self-worth and self-respect. Both are components of a healthy ego. However, Leo ego can sometimes want to be the exclusive center of attention or has an exaggerated opinion of self.   These exaggerations will be exposed during this kind of eclipse.  Another shadow trait of Leo to look for right now is childish ego.  Even the more mature person can revert to the childish ego and throw a tantrum when he or she doesn’t get what he/she wants! Needless to say, our focus right now will be not only on our own life, but on the leaders “out there”—bosses, managers, CEO’s, the clergy, Congressmen, the President.  We associate Leo with kings and leaders.  How are they and their egos affecting us?

Planets Mercury and Mars are also connected with this eclipse. There is a bundle of Leo energy.  Mercury is communication and gathering information and Mars is assertion.  Leo, sign of the leader, the king, and the commander-in-chief, is ruled by the Sun.  There is enormous energy directed toward leadership and especially towards any hidden information about leadership.  We are saturated with news about leaders and we are waiting for any hidden news yet to be revealed. Again, during this eclipse, we are drawn into the darkness, not just our own dark corners, but the dark material of other people and the collective body of our nation.

The American Eclipse and President Trump

President Trump is intensely affected by this total solar eclipse.  His ascendant is 29 degrees of Leo, the degree of the eclipse.  The fixed star Regulus is located at 29 degrees of Leo (this eclipse point).  Regulus watches over kings and rulers.  Mr. Trump comes by kingship/leadership easily because this star that creates kings sits prominently on his ascendant! (This same star is on Bill Clinton’s Sun.) If you have wondered how Trump came to be our president, this news about Regulus gives perspective.  Whether or not Mr. Trump keeps his position as “king” remains to be seen.  Can he look into his own dark cellar and reach new levels of consciousness? What Regulus gives, it can also take away if the king lacks integrity. How President Trump handles the current issues our nation is facing will affect his position.  How he addresses the shadow material of our country will show us what kind of leader he is.  Issues like racism, plutocracy taking over democracy, the struggle to move beyond our patriarchial system, global migration, climate change issues, reproductive rights, and separation of church and state, to mention a few, are up for examination and overhaul. Basically, our nation’s struggle to upgrade our democracy and at the same time preserve that democracy is on the line.  Everything that our nation is struggling with will challenge Trump’s leadership abilities. We are fortunate to live in this great country AND we are pushed to make our country better. Both things are true: On the one hand, we have a beautiful system designed by our founders based on freedom of speech, equality, fairness and justice.  On the other hand, there are inequities in our collective shadow that must be faced and attended to.  At the very least we must be conscious of our country’s shadows and not be afraid to heal the shadows.

Be .your own leader

The total eclipse at 29 degrees of Leo urges us to be our own leader with regard to our beliefs and behaviors. Beliefs and behaviors based on a small heart and a closed mind will not generate positive, creative change. This eclipse can guide each of us to a new level of personal responsibility and integrity if we open our hearts to a bigger love and we open our eyes to as much truth as we can take in.  One of the lessons of Leo is the realization that the individual is NOT the center of the Universe.  Child development 101:  eventually the child learns he/she shares his world with family, classmates, friends, organizations, city, state, nation, world, solar system, cosmos, universe!  We don’t have to lose our uniqueness in the process. That’s the extraordinary magic!  We are all unique and we are all connected.  Hopefully this eclipse will fill us with Leo courage (the heart of the Lion) to explore our individual and collective darkness and find gifts to take us forward.