In a previous blog, I wrote about both Lunar and Solar eclipses but in this blog, I am going to focus on the special nature of solar eclipses.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon stands between the Sun and the earth, which makes the sun appear to go dark – however you have to be in a particular part of the world to be able to see this with the human eye.
Solar eclipses can only occur on a New Moon so they tend to herald new beginnings and opportunities and are often positive with great news seemingly out of the blue.
Solar eclipses happen twice a year and the eclipse can be felt for up to 36 days (known as the eclipse season).
Whether a solar eclipse is a partial or total eclipse depends on how many degrees the moon and sun are within the lunar nodes.
The total eclipses of the sun are very special and have been associated with wars, famines, floods, unprecedented climate changes and the death or birth of dictators, rulers, presidents and kings, especially near the area where the total eclipse occurs.
However, the actual impact or effect of Solar eclipses is very inconsistent and it is hard to know which will shake our world and which will pass by almost unnoticed. They can be described as wild cards that may cause stress or coincide with chaotic events or they can bring exciting opportunities.
Solar eclipses tend to relate to external events and impact us as something that is happening to us rather than something we have consciously chosen.
In the book, Spiritual Astrology Spiller and McCoy describe Solar Eclipses as representing “our collective egos, our collective emotions, and our collective karma” and they explain that the house the solar eclipse falls in shows the arena that will be most active for the 6-month period until the next solar eclipse. It is the area where you will be asked to set an example for the collective, and be a good role model and you may be exposed or held accountable in this area.
Solar eclipses come in pairs that will activate a polarity in our chart, for example, the previous solar eclipse in 2022 was in Taurus on April 30th and the next one is on October 25th in Scorpio. The first activated my 8th house and the second will activate the cusp of my 1st/2nd house.
For me, this highlights that issues around money, security, and power are likely to be the focus of the solar eclipses in 2023. Looking back to the first one I was coming out of a period of months of long-covid sickness and I was experiencing financial stress and feeling pressured to take on outside work (i.e. outside of my business) to support my family. In the end, my persistence and commitment to my business paid off but I might find that money comes up again with this second solar eclipse especially since it is conjunct with my 1’58 degree Venus!
As I discussed in a previous blog on eclipses, they belong to a family of eclipses called a “saros series”. The Saros Series (or patterns) were discovered by the Babylonians in the 4th Century and each series has certain characteristics and run for over 1,000 years. Each series has a solar eclipse approximately every 18 years.
The saros series that the 2022 eclipses belong to is known as 6 South and interestingly it first occurred in 1049 and will end in 2293! This saros series according to Bernadette Brady is about ‘being forceful and taking power’ and given it is conjunct with Venus it may precipitate events relating to love and relationships. I would add to this that issues or opportunities relating to money and receptivity may also be highlighted.
April Elliot Kent in her book Astrological Transits states that solar eclipses are typically felt in the week leading up to the event and tend to have a physical impact – making us feel drained, stressed, or overexcited. In the week leading up to the solar eclipse, we received worrying news about my dad’s health – a cancer diagnosis, and I have been feeling very drained and stressed. This is interesting to me because the Sun is often thought to represent the father in astrology.
April also states that eclipses bring moments of crisis – and the thing is that a crisis has the impact of waking you up – making you look at the world in a different way – for me it has made me value my health even more as well as wanting to spend more quality time with my dad.
So what does this mean for the October Scorpio Partial Solar Eclipse?
Scorpio Solar Eclipses will ask us to confront our use of power on a personal and collective level and in particular in the arena or house that the eclipse activates.
To discover this find 2 degrees Scorpio in your chart and see which house it falls in.
This eclipse will likely be more challenging if:
- You have any planets or angles close by (within 4 degrees) – If the eclipse is tightly conjunct with a planet or angle then it will likely impact you in a stronger way and the personality of that planet or domain of that angle will be involved.
- The same goes if you have planets that are square (1-4 degrees Aquarius or Leo) or opposite (1-4 degrees Taurus) then this eclipse will likely bring more stress, anxiety, or crisis for you.
This eclipse activates my 1st/2nd house cusp and is conjunct with my natal venus so it is likely that themes around my use of personal power as well as using my strengths and talents through my business for good will come up to be dealt with. I am actually having a photoshoot for my oracle deck days after this eclipse which is interesting timing!
You can also reflect on what was occurring around 18 years ago, the time of the last eclipse in this saros series (this was 2004). This is a little scary for me as this was within a month of the time when a boyfriend of mine died, an event that had far-reaching impacts on my life, kicked off my spiritual awakening, and inextricably shaped who I am today.
Let’s just say that this eclipse feels somewhat significant to me!
Want more?
If you have enjoyed working with this eclipse energy you’ll love my Lunar Planning Toolkit which helps you to work with each new and full moon on a personal level.
