My Experience of our Recent Eclipse

It’s fun, and hopefully helpful, to sometimes write about how I am experiencing the transits about which I write. It gives the reader some idea of who I am as well as a chance to hear first-hand what a particular transit is doing. But this article goes beyond that, because the way I have experienced the most recent Solar eclipse gives me a chance to explain a principle in astrology that can illuminate you to something that links us with our past and future in a significant and profound way.

Astrology is best understood in terms of cycles, rather than regarding events as individual and isolated moments that are not connected to anything. Sometimes it is difficult to see these cycles operating, but one of the ways we can do so is when we are able to connect the transits occurring at present with previous cycles. Perhaps, I can describe this better by giving a specific example.

My natal Venus is 20° Cancer, which means that the recent Solar eclipse, was in close conjunction with that planet in my birth chart. I know that most of us think of Venus as an indicator of love and relationships, which is certainly true. But Venus is more than that. It rules our sense of the aesthetic and the way in which art, music, design, etc., connect us with the divine principles operating in the universe. Gurdjieff referred to this principle as “objective art.” This form of art is designed consciously by the artist to create a specific effect in the observer that speaks to not only the mind, but to the heart as well. It can even help us integrate the two, allowing us to experience something that takes us into new territories as we can apprehend something that speaks to our Soul, rather than to mere parts of our being.

In astrology, I often look for what I call ’sensitive points.’ Today’s article is about this. A sensitive point is created in more than one way, but the one that applies to the recent eclipse is a very significant transit that occurred in 1993. I am referring to the conjunction of Uranus and Neptune, which last occurred in 1993. Its location was in the area of 20° of Capricorn. This means that the recent eclipse was in exact opposition to the newly born cycle of Uranus and Neptune that happened 17 years ago. This conjunction only occurs every 160-170 years, so it is very rare. Many generations can pass by without anyone experiencing this new birth or ‘renaissance’. The one word that best describes the meaning and effects of this conjunction is the word ‘Renaissance.’ By the way, the previous conjunction before the one in 1993 occurred in 1821 at 3° of Capricorn, which is also being activated by the present transits in the early degrees of the cardinal signs (Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn and Pluto).

Back in 1993, I was very aware of this conjunction and since it was opposing my Venus, I suspected I might be in store for some big changes in my relationships. This did not happen and I often asked myself what had happened. Why didn’t anything more obvious or noticeable happen? Well, one thing did happen, but it didn’t seem to be significant. I began taking harp lessons which I continued for about 6 years until I could play in front of people and have some fun. I was learning to play on a beautiful Dusty Strings harp that was perfectly made for Celtic and ‘troubadour’ music. I really enjoyed this, but still I wondered why something bigger didn’t occur. I knew that conjunctions mark beginnings so it can often be that the full importance of the new cycle isn’t revealed until later, which turned out to be the case for me.

Well, a Solar eclipse is exactly one of those periods where the ’seed’ that was planted at the earlier conjunction 17 years ago can begin to come to some sort of fruition. I know that this is exactly what is happening to me now. The realizations I’m writing about in this article have only come to me in the last few weeks or so, although it feels like I’ve understood it for a long time. More specifically, what I’ve been focused on the last few months has been the reading of three books by Kathleen McGowan. Her books have covered many things, including the hidden role of women in history over the past 2,000 years, the nature of the Divine Feminine and the possibility of  ’sacred marriage’ (hierosgamos) and finally she presents a revision of the life of Jesus and his relationship with Mary Magdalene. To me, she goes way beyond the silly book by Dan Brown called “The Da Vinci Code.” She did a far better job of imagining a new scenario for what early Christianity might have looked like and connected it with aspects of early Christianity that Brown simply didn’t understand. In her third book, called “The Poet Prince,” she examines the historical period of the 1400’s in Florence, Italy, when there was a tremendous outpouring of art and philosophy that later became known as the Renaissance.

What captured my attention the most was the story she told about Marsilio Ficino. I had read many of his works before, but had not fully grasped the nature of the contributions he made to Western thought. He was an astrologer and revolutionary philosopher who was responsible for the translation of the ancient text called the “Corpus Hermeticum” which brought forth ancient Greek philosophy that was developed even before Socrates and Plato. What he was really doing was re-interpreting Christianity itself and revealing its connection to both ancient Egyptian and Greek thought. His works, in fact, were direct attacks on the Roman Catholic Church of his time and the form of Christianity that existed then. Ficino was not alone, however. Along with his patron, Lorenzo de Medici, his friend Sandro Botticelli, he and many others such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were instrumental in transforming the lives of the people of Florence, which was then extended to all of northern Italy and in time, to all of Europe. This group of true artists changed the world and still are affecting us today.

Let me describe briefly what Hermeticism is. It is a philosophy that combines science and spirituality as well as other divisions in human thought into one discipline. Its purpose is to lay a foundation that can lead a person towards a spiritual path that is non-dual in nature, a unity state of consciousness that assists a person to truly align with the Divine spark within. This can be thought of as the definition of Wisdom. The Hermeticists combined astrology, numerology (the study of sacred number) and other systems of symbology and mythology into a system that can change the way a person thinks, lives and perceives the world. The system is integrative and holistic in nature and ends the separation between body, mind and heart. Astrology, then, can be seen as an aspect of the hermetic traditions and as such, reveals itself to be a tool for transformation of one’s consciousness and the expansion of a person so that the highest potentialities of a person’s birth chart can be realized. In fact, this view regards astrology to be a map of potentials, rather than an indication of a singular Fate.

So, what does this have to do with Venus and the Solar eclipse on my natal Venus? What this eclipse did is activate the transit of Uranus/Neptune opposing my natal Venus that occurred in 1993. As I look back on it, this transit changed my whole sense of relationships, art and most of all, my aesthetics. I just didn’t realize it at the time. It broadened my life in ways I couldn’t see back then. I have now remembered that this is when I began an intense study and practice of the ancient Greek hermetic tradition. I just didn’t think of it as being related to Venus. I began a study of the connections between astrology, numerology and the Tarot. Everything I was doing was somehow related to every other thing. It felt like a whole new world opening up for me.

Uranus brought about an openness to radically new ideas, and an attraction to new ways of knowing that are integrated and holistic in nature and which lead to a new way of understanding people and the world we live in. Uranus can take us to new modes of thinking that are non-linear and even outside the usual time constraints that we hold so dear.

Neptune brought a sense of divine love, a divine way of relating and even a new way of living that is full of joy and happiness. Neptune pushes us to a greater participation in our world and unconditional acceptance and love for each person as well as for the world itself. It touches our hearts and teaches us that the loss of ego does not diminish us in any way. It can never take us away from what in us is real or authentic in us. What it does do is dissolve the thoughts and considerations that divide us, that prevent us from being and feeling all that we can be and enables us to identify ourselves as citizens of the world, solar system and even the galaxy.

The fact that I am writing about this so openly is the result of the recent eclipse and its effects. I am aware that the symbology of Venus can take us far from the limits of our small and restrictive definitions of love and expand our hearts to where we are able to live in a state that takes us beyond our limited sense of self. This is when life can really be lived, in a way where our hearts are full and where being fully alive is an everyday occurrence.

This new state is when we are able to live in a state of Love and know that it is the highest expression of the Sacred. This was the spirit of the Renaissance in the 1400’s, which our world today so badly needs. It is seen in the great paintings of Botticelli and in the profound hermetic philosophy that Ficino translated and found in the Corpus Hermeticum. And perhaps more importantly, it can shine a light for us now and create conditions where we can experience the spirit of that very renaissance. Let’s hope for the emergence of a Renaissance in us and a new expanded vision of what is possible and even necessary, for us and for the world. May our experience of Venus go beyond the focus on ‘getting what we want’ from a relationship to an understanding that real Love is a condition that has nothing to do with a person, but is actually a state of consciousness that is an aspect of Divine Love.

As always, I hope our readers will continue to write about their experiences of this eclipse and perhaps also their thoughts about this article. Perhaps I am being taken away by idealism and imagination. OR, perhaps I am beginning to sense the existence of the divine spark that is in the center of my being and in each of us. I’d love to hear more from you.

The Solar Eclipse – Endings and Beginnings

Eclipses always come in pairs, thus the period in between the two eclipses are always important. We are in that period right now. The Lunar Eclipse that occurred on June 26, 2010 will now be followed by a Solar Eclipse that occurs this Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 12:40pm PDT. The exact position for the eclipse is 19° Cancer and will affect most significantly those who have planets activated by this point. Specifically, 17°-21° of all cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) and 2°-6°of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) are points of special significance for us.

A Solar Eclipse always occurs at the New Moon, which means that it is concerned with the emergence of a new cycle of some sort for us. However, it is considered to be as much as 100 times stronger in its effect, than a regular New Moon. We can already begin to feel its effects as eclipses are said to begin before they actually occur in the heavens. There is a ’set up time’ that brings forward the actions that will be precipitated on or near the date of the eclipse. This is why it’s so helpful to know when the previous eclipse occurred, for they are connected. Both eclipses change the inertia of a situation, meaning that they demand our attention. Something must be taken care of or examined and sometimes action must be taken.

So, let’s take a look at the nature of this particular eclipse. It is part of the Saros cycle called 12 South. Its meaning according to Bernadette Brady is that it “will bring successful outcomes to long-term worries or illness. An issue which has worried or drained the individual for some time will at first seem to be worse and then clear, with generally successful outcomes.” The reason for this is that Jupiter is strong in this particular eclipse cycle and that usually brings about success. I would add, however, that Jupiter is concerned with freedom so that the nature of the success may have a lot to do with the gaining of freedom for someone, which means that a person could decide to leave another person to pursue their own path or purpose. It can often be helpful to have a consultation with an astrologer at this time to help clarify matters and see where things may be leading us, especially given what is developing in the latter part of this month and early August.

On a personal note, I have seen several breakups developing over the last several weeks as well, but what is more important, is the reason for the breakup. In each case, what is bringing the breakup about is a discovery or a set of discoveries about what the person really wants in their life. A major clarification has taken place resulting in the realization that one has little choice to remain in a present situation if the person wants to be truly themselves and pursue the goals and types of relationships that they really want.

This is in part, the nature of Uranus squaring Pluto, where the ‘essence’ of a matter is not only revealed but also the need for authentic behavior is being demanded. Illumination (Uranus) meets the deepest Soul needs (Pluto) and one MUST act to save one’s Soul. That’s how strong the need can be. It is my belief that when the need for action is ignored or refused, profound frustration develops leading to even more dissatisfaction. The present transits are very strong and will not allow us to act in a way that is inauthentic, if we are to be happy.

The Cardinal T-Square

The most critical part of the well known T-square is nearing and will be felt in the next month. Saturn will be in opposition to the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction. In fact, the chart of August 6, 2010 has 7 planets squaring or opposing each other. This chart indicates very high tension and almost always results in either a significant disclosure or event. The market is dropping again but this time, were there to be a real downturn as there was in 2008, there are no reserves to be able to prop the economy back up. Interest rates are so low that they really can’t be lowered any further. Economists are very split on what, if anything, to do, which is a classic condition of so many squares. Obama and some of his advisers would prefer a stimulus package, but the nation, for the most part, wants to cut spending with no added taxes. Feelings are running very strong, but no one knows for sure what needs to occur. There is seemingly no consensus on anything.

There is a lot going on in the U.S. chart right now and will be intensifying in the next year. I will be speaking more about this in future articles, but it is clear that the divisions in this country that we are already seeing are likely to be increasing. This country will be experiencing its Sun squaring Uranus in a year or so and this combination usually brings about some kind of rebellion or revolution. It is usually anti-government in nature. This may not be much of a surprise to many of the readers of this Blog as we have been talking about these things for over a year. The news reveals a growing sense of dissatisfaction with government and it seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. Meanwhile, the more government is attacked, the less the leaders want to do, so we are not seeing any significant actions from the President or Congress. Whether this is a good or bad thing, of course, depends on one’s political viewpoints, but whatever your view, it seems safe to say that the people have less confidence in their leadership no matter which party one is affiliated with. This is quite typical given the conditions that the T-square this country and the world is facing.

As always, I welcome the responses we are getting form our readers. I hope your responses will give some indication of how the eclipses are affecting people in a specific manner. I also hope you check back to the Blog from time to time to see what people are saying.

Thanks for reading and for writing in.

The Solar Eclipse & Jack Part 2

Jack's Transits

 

Purpose of the Jack and Jill Series

Although there are many readers with some degree of astrological knowledge, the vast majority do not have this education. So quite appropriately, I have been asked why I’m presenting articles that go into the transits of what a person is experiencing. It might be helpful therefore to state the reasons for this.     

The first reason is that I desire for my readers to understand what astrology can reveal and to a lesser but still important degree, learn what astrological counseling is and how it can be of assistance. While I don’t believe astrologers are capable of making concrete predictions reliably, I have seen that astrology can reveal the nature of the themes and cycles we are under at a given time. We can describe the “weather patterns”, so to speak and this insight can help us understand the meaning of what is occurring. This, I find, is far more helpful than knowing just what will happen.     

The second reason is that I believe even novices can discover how one can enjoy and benefit by understanding basic astrological principles and see how these can be applied to a specific person. This is the art of the astrologer. Our job is to bridge the gap (along with the participation of the client) between the archetypal universal principles and how they manifest for a particular person in any given time period.     

Today’s article regarding Jack is an example of the second reason because we are going to look at the meaning of Jupiter and how Jack is being affected by its transit to his Sun, Moon, Neptune and Mid-Heaven. Yes, this one planet is affecting these four very important points at the same time.     

The principle of Jupiter is that it expands what it touches. This expansion can be physical, but more often it expands our minds and consciousness, opening us to higher understandings and truths. It can literally bring things out into the open, occasionally in quitea  dramatic way. Often, Jupiter carries with it the need to risk, for any increase in awareness brings with it the possibility that what we discover could destroy old viewpoints and understandings that have confronted us. The fact is that when we formulate a belief system (or better said, it formulates in us), giving it up for a new set of viewpoints, however truthful and helpful to us in the long run, is often very disturbing and uncomfortable.     

Jack is living this right now. He has grown up with certain thoughts, feelings and viewpoints about his father and mother and all of these are having to be thrown out and replaced by an unknown, but much more truthful set of understandings. Transiting Jupiter is opposing his Moon and squaring his Sun. But it also is affecting what is called the parental axis – the Mid-Heaven/Lower-Heaven angles. What is happening specifically is that radically new information is coming to Jack ove turning his belief system about his parents. He is seeing his mother in a new way. Before he was her defender and protector. He described himself as in a co-dependent relationship with her therefore unable to really see her as she is. That is no longer true, as the Jupiter transit, lasting for the past six to nine months has been helping him wake up to the truth of his mother. A veil is being lifted from his eyes. He said to me that “I could not imagine seeing her the way I do now only one month ago.” He is seeing her as unable to take responsibility for herself. During the Mercury Retrograde he spoke to her about her refusal to reach out to him, she denied it.     

He described her as a person who “grabs on to whatever appears.” She has recently married an evangelical Christian who has total control over her, though she has never in the past been interested in religion. He described her past relationships as also being with narcissistic men who controlled her. In his last communication with her he has asked her to enter therapy and told her that if she chooses not to do so, he will cease having a relationship with her as she is too toxic for him.     

Of course, Jack is still in the midst of processing all that is happening and there is a likelihood that his present feelings will continue to shift, but the process has begun and there is no turning back now.     

This is Jupiter in action – expanding Jack’s vision and understanding and pushing him to a new level of honesty with himself and others. By the way, on the other side, his relationship with his father has been improving at the same time as his respect for him has grown. Sometimes Jupiter puts us into a topsy – turvy spin and all we can do is hang on for the ride.     

The Solar Eclipse

Last night at 11:11pm PST, January 14, 2010 we had a Solar Eclipse that occurred at 25 degrees of Capricorn. An eclipse often brings about a shift in the inertia of a situation, breaking a particular pattern in such a way that it allows or even forces something new to develop. There are two ways to analyze the possible effects of an eclipse. One is by looking at the chart itself and the other is by working with the nature of the specific Saros cycle the Eclipse is activating. This is a technical astronomical matter that I won’t explain here, but I will describe its nature. In the system used by Bernadette Brady, this eclipse is called 12 North. She writes about it as an eclipse that can bring  far more responsibility that arises from another person being unable to carry on fulfilling those responsibilities. Although these opportunities may be difficult, they often bring about positive outcomes in terms of self-esteem and harmony.   

This particular eclipse is also conjunct Venus, which further increases the likelihood that the newly emerging forces are favorable for relationships, money and happiness. One student has already begun to experience this eclipse in a way that exactly coincides with this description. She has been involved with an organization with many failings and that organization has fallen apart. She is now considering creating her own organization as she has discovered that she has both the abilities and motivation to succeed where others have failed. Not surprisingly, her birth chart has been lit up by both the Lunar and Solar Eclipses of the past two weeks. How affected we may be by an eclipse will depend on where it connects with our own chart.   

As always, I urge you to write about your own experiences with this eclipse. I will make an effort to answer as many of your questions as possible.   

Good luck!   

The Solar Total Eclipse of July 21, 2009

Hi everyone,

We are about to have a most unusual Solar Eclipse. It takes place on July 21st at 7:35pm PDST. You may see this eclipse referred to as happening on July 22 but don’t be confused. It will be July 22nd in China which is the only country where this total eclipse will be seen in its totality. It will be visible in such cities as Shanghai and Hangzhou, but most of the eclipse will occur over the Pacific Ocean.

What makes this eclipse so unusual is that it is the longest Total Solar eclipse occurring in the 21st century. It will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. What this means to an astrologer is that the intensity of this eclipse is far stronger than most eclipses. An eclipse is what I have termed an “inertia changer” and this one could change things more than most.  They tip any situation into a new direction, sometimes radically. Although the reputations of eclipses are often negative, I have found that they can be experienced both positively and negatively. Perhaps it is human nature for us to feel that change is negative, but years later, we may regard what happened in a much different manner than when we first experienced it. This particular eclipse is likely to be much more intense than most due to its being a Total eclipse and its duration. But there is another reason.

Each Solar Eclipse is part of a much longer series which astronomers have called Saros cycles. They are 1,300 year cycles that describe a particular type of eclipse. The Saros cycle for this eclipse is termed 11 South. Bernadette Brady has done a wonderful job describing each of these so let me quote her work. You can find this in her outstanding work “Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark.” She writes- “This family of eclipses is concerned with the need to make sudden reforms. Old ideas or methods will fail and new systems are required to deal with the events brought by the eclipse. As a consequence the person will need to think of new ways of handling the issues. Any blocks could be violently or tragically removed.”

Also, the chart of this eclipse indicates the possibility of sudden changes as Uranus opposes Saturn and squares Venus. Thus, we may find that our relationships can be affected in a powerful way. The necessity of facing any issues that arise now as directly and truthfully as possible is important for us even though we may not like what we are asked to see. We will have to handle these as when Saturn is involved, we don’t really have a choice. Sometimes all we can do when the negative side of life happens is to accept and hope for a better future. However, for many others, this eclipse could free you up to be able to take advantage of new possibilities that are emerging as old systems or structures are destroyed.

How a particular person is likely to be affected by an eclipse depends on where it occurs on one’s chart and the aspects it makes. But it certainly is capable of overturning situations in such a way that something truly new can occur.

As always, I appreciate hearing from readers about what they are going through now and will post some of your responses. I am working on making my blog interactive which will enable you to post your thoughts on my articles on your own.

Wishing you all the best on the coming New Moon.

Jim Sher