Enemies & Friends: Eclipse Season, Spring 2024

Eclipses are always interesting to look at and from an astrological perspective, they are also believed to be very powerful. They are believed to indicate major changes and fatalistic events, at least for those affected by its power. Traditionally, they were mostly used to predict worldly and political affairs, the fate of entire nations, but they can affect individuals, as well.

Eclipses always happen in cycles. This eclipse season begins with a lunar eclipse in Libra on March 25th 2024, followed by a solar eclipse in Aries, only two weeks later, on April 8th, with Easter Sunday taking place right in the middle of these two dates. These eclipses may have already passed by the time you read this, but their effects are said to last for about six months when the next eclipse season comes, and sometimes, they can last even longer. Likewise, this current eclipse season is linked to the previous eclipse season that we had back in October 2023, bringing up many of the same themes.

Lunar Eclipse in Libra: March 25th, 2024

On Monday, March 25th, 2024, we had a penumbral lunar eclipse at 5'07 degrees Libra. A lunar eclipse always takes place on a full moon and this one is opposite the Sun at 5'07 degrees Aries. From an astrologer's perspective, all full moons represent a continuation or climax of the themes that took place on the new moon before it, and a lunar eclipse is believed to behave like a really strong one. In modern astrology, they are likely to bring about big events of a more emotional nature while in traditional astrology, they are likely to affect the queen or female leader, but they are sometimes believed to affect a country's people, as well.

Who is affected by this eclipse? On an individual level, you are most likely to be affected by this eclipse if you have an angle, luminary or other important placement between 2 and 8 degrees Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn. If you're interested in how it will affect you personally, please feel free to book a reading with me. On a mundane or collective level, it will be visible from the Americas mainly, both North & South, as well as Greenland, Antarctica & eastern Siberia, potentially affecting these parts of the world the most.

Libra is a cardinal air sign ruled by the planet Venus. Its scales are a symbol of justice, harmony and a meeting between two parties, whether this be a marriage between two partners or a diplomatic agreement reached by two former enemies. The optimistic interpretation would be to view the Libran lunar eclipse as an omen of peace. It is worth noting that traditionally, eclipses in air signs were linked to bad weather especially high winds, the threat of famine and the spread of disease. However, the more positive interpretation of this eclipse is supported by the aspects it makes and the corresponding configuration of the planets.

The Aries Sun is, at the most basic level, a symbol of war and the conjunction to the North Node at 15'34 degrees does, at first glance, seem to indicate an increase in military power. Meanwhile, the Libra Moon's conjunction to the South Node could indicate the breaking of important alliances. With that being said, it is possible, even likely, that these were alliances that served to support each other in war, causing even further division between humanity as a whole. If that indeed be the case, an ending to such an alliance would have to be interpreted as a step toward peace.

First of all, although separating, the Libra Moon's trine to Pluto at 01'45 degrees Aquarius helps put power in the hands of the people. According to astrologer Deborah Houlding, eclipses in Libra "incline youth to wantonness" and "bring division and loss to nobility." Could this interpretation be seen in the thousands of young people across the world causing mayhem and disruption to the powers that be by protesting their wars? Some would say it's foolish and wild for them to be putting themselves at risk for a cause but the Moon's trine to Pluto presents a sign that they may be onto something, triggering an unexpected shift in the hierarchy.

Meanwhile, Libra's ruling planet, Venus, is exalted at 16'33 degrees Pisces, which certainly helps. Aries' ruling planet Mars is also in the sign of the fish, sitting at 1'47 degrees of this mutable water sign. In other words, for the duration of the eclipse, the planet of peace & love is placed in a much stronger position than the planet of rage & war. Venus is also conjunct Saturn at 12'24 degrees Pisces, which could indicate a formal diplomatic agreement or a commitment to a harmonious cause. On a personal level, Venus's conjunct to Saturn is a good omen for marriages and indicates a strengthening of bonds between people who love each other. The large alignment of planets in Pisces (which also includes Neptune at 27 degrees) could be seen as an omen of mystery and the dissolving of boundaries, or it could direct the eclipse's focus toward themes of religion, spirituality, and anything to do with water, rivers, lakes, oceans or seas. Meanwhile, Venus is more closely sextile Jupiter at 15'56 Taurus, an even better omen, especially with the two benefic planets in mutual reception (i.e. the sign of Pisces is ruled by Jupiter while Taurus, like Libra, is ruled by Venus). The Venus-Jupiter sextile brings pleasant feelings of joy, cooperation, and love. It is an indicator of general growth and good fortune. conducive to dating, friendship and social gatherings, and a good sign for art & culture. Jupiter's conjunction to Uranus by extension brings an element of surprise to it all; people may meet serendipitously or your circumstances could turn around for the better when you least expect it.

The eclipse is conjunct the fixed star Zaniah, a triple star system on the upper left arm of the Virgo constellation (now located in the Libra sign, due to the procession of the equinoxes). Ptolemy considered it to be of the nature of Mercury & Venus. Generally, it is interpreted as a benefic star, an indicator of negotiations toward peace, but according to Vivian E. Robson's Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, the Moon conjunct Zaniah is said to bring "worry, loss through legal and Venusian affairs, trouble through writings, led astray by sympathies." However, is this necessarily such a bad thing for the world at large? Attributing this description to the broader context of the eclipse inclines me to think that people could cause trouble through what they say and write, whether this be getting themselves into trouble (i.e. by being led astray by the wrong sympathies) or by causing trouble for the powers that be (i.e. words ending alliances between war-mongers and bringing a shift toward peace). Let's hope for the latter.

Solar Eclipse in Aries: April 8th, 2024

On Monday, April 8th, 2024, we had a total solar eclipse at 19'24 degrees Aries, sign of the ram.

During a solar eclipse, the Sun's light is blocked out by the Moon, causing it to turn black. Because these eclipses always happen on a new moon, many modern astrologers believe they are a good time for new beginnings and fresh starts, just like a normal new moon but taken to a more extreme level. Due to its frightening appearance, however, the solar eclipse was traditionally interpreted as more of a negative omen, particularly for kings and other powerful male figures. Judging from the many conspiracy theories propagated about this eclipse online, the pessimistic view seems to be making a bit of a comeback. Whichever way you look at it, however, positive or negative, the solar eclipse is certainly a sign of major change and transformation.

"How can an event that happens every six months be so transformational?" you might ask. That's actually a very good question, because despite what modern pop astrologers might have you think, an eclipse does not affect everyone to the same degree. On an individual level, you are more likely to be affected by a solar eclipse if it aspects an angle, a luminary, or another important planet in your natal chart; in this case if you have these placements between roughly 16 and 22 degrees of the cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn. For more information on how the eclipse will affect your personal natal chart, please schedule a reading with me here. As for the impact of the eclipse on a global scale, its influence is most strongly felt on the areas of the world where it is visible, and this total solar eclipse was most visible from North America, particularly the United States & Mexico but to some extent, Canada, and in some parts of Greenland & Iceland, as well.

At the moment of the eclipse's totality, the Sun and the Moon, exactly conjunct at 19'24 degrees Aries, was also be exactly conjunct Chiron. Chiron is a dwarf planet, a small astronomical body, orbiting the Sun between Saturn and Uranus, discovered in 1977. Its relatively recent discovery makes it a bit harder to be sure "what it means" but most astrologers base its interpretation on the myths of the Greek centaur it was named after and has come to be nick-named as the "wounded healer." The eclipse's conjunction to Chiron, then, carries associations of illness and disease, but also health and healing. The eclipse is also more widely conjunct the North Node at 15'37 degrees Aries, which can also be interpreted as a sign of healing, of growth and progress.

Aries is a cardinal fire sign ruled by the planet Mars and often associated with war and violence or arson and fire. Unfortunately, we are living in a time of major war, so it isn't far-fetched to see this eclipse as an omen of more violence to come, especially with so many planets there. The eclipse is also widely conjunct Mercury Retrograde at 24'47 degrees of the ram, suggesting conflicts arising from misunderstanding and it can also be a sign of poor decision-making resulting from too much impulsivity or it can be a sign of technological mishaps, delays, etc. Venus, planet of love & peace, is also in Aries, at 4 degrees, far from the eclipse, but the sign of its detriment. Putting this interpretation of the eclipse together with the description of its conjunction to Chiron & the North Node, its easy to wonder if disease may be used strategically as a weapon, if war-time injuries could result in widespread illnesses or for a more positive interpretation, a disaster like war could lead us toward some kind of healing? Perhaps, it is only by seeing how bad it could get, that we will, as a broader collective, be motivated to really make things good.

Meanwhile, Mars, the ruling planet of Aries, is conjunct "the greater malefic" Saturn in Pisces at 13'03 & 14'27 degrees of the sign, respectively. Historically, the Mars-Saturn conjunction was believed to indicate a change of dynasty, much like the eclipses themselves, or else, an indicator of oppressive forces. It can also be an indicator of a disciplined fighting strategy, militant organizations, but also of general widespread misery. If you want an example of what a conjunction between the two "malefic" planets looks like, you can just travel back in time to March 2020, when Mars and Saturn met in the sign of Aquarius, corresponding with the beginning of the worldwide COVID-19 health crisis and the depression (both emotional and economic) caused by its related lockdowns. In the sign of Pisces, this conjunction could bring accidents and natural disasters related to water, such as floods, tsunamis or droughts, drowning and sinking. Considering the mutable water sign's association with spirituality, imagination, escapism and illusion, it could also indicate religious suppression or harmful propaganda, deception to be used as a weapon.

Interestingly, a comet was visible around the same time as the solar eclipse and in the same part of the world. The rare appearance of the 12P/Pons-Brooks comet, apparently nick-named the "devil comet" due to its horn-liked appearance, is one reason why many (mostly American) conspiracy theorists feared the eclipse to be an immediate sign of the apocalypse. Most people do not seem to consider the astrological meaning of comets. However, the ancients regarded them as omens of disaster, both natural and man-made, much like the eclipses themselves, but of a more sudden and unexpected nature, so the beliefs of conspiracy theorists aren't so far off from the traditional astrological point of view. That said, it does not represent a literal end of the world, so much as the metaphorical beginnings of a new one. The ancient Chinese referred to the comet as the 'broom star' as their appearance helped sweep away what was no longer needed.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, due to my busy schedule, this article was just about over a month late, which may seem to make any predictions I have moot. However, the effects of an eclipse last about six months, sometimes even longer, generally up to the next eclipse season, which will take place in the autumn season later this year. For example, October's eclipse season was very much linked to the war between Israel and Palestine, a horrible conflict that remains ongoing and is still dominating the news now. Many of the themes discussed in this article about the more recent eclipse season could be linked to the same war and we can only hope that the positive omens indicated by the Libra lunar eclipse bring about an end to it. Of course, many of the the themes discussed in this article refer to other parts of the world, as well, such as the United States or Mexico where it was at its most visible.

We are living in scary, sad and depressing times, to be honest, and the last thing we need is another bad omen, but at the same time, it should come as no surprise that the wars of our time are reflected in the sky. That said, the cosmos are also painting pictures of peace, the constellations flashing images of better times to come down to the earth below, the planets starring in a movie with a happy ending, and this gives me hope.