WE ENTER the last full week of December, knowing that we are completing both a calendar year and a decade, and perhaps anticipating a time of winding down. But with a Solar Eclipse occurring this week and the Lunar Eclipse and Saturn-Pluto event just two weeks away, the last scene of the 2019 hologram is not fading to black, but is instead coming into sharper focus.
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The influence of an eclipse reverberates into at least two weeks before and after the exact event. And, since eclipses always occur in pairs (and sometimes in a trio), “eclipse season” usually lasts for six weeks or longer. Throughout this time, we work with some very powerful, and often life-changing energies.
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Depending on your time zone, this week’s eclipse occurs on either Wednesday or Thursday. The height of the annular eclipse is at 9:13 p.m. PST on December 25, which is 5:13 a.m. GMT on December 26.
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A SOLAR ECLIPSE can be thought of as a magnified New Moon in its effects. Like a regular New Moon, it occurs when the Sun and Moon align, but with one important difference: for a New Moon to be an eclipse, the Moon must be within a certain distance of either its North or South Node.
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(A short definition: The Moon’s nodes are points in space that are determined by where the Moon crosses the ecliptic, the belt through which the Sun and planets seem to travel, as seen from our perspective on planet Earth.)
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The nodes are very karmic in nature. The North Node represents our path of highest evolutionary growth, while the South Node reveals patterns that could inhibit our progress. At the time of this week’s Solar Eclipse, the Sun and Moon are at 4°06′ Capricorn, and are within five degrees of the South Node.
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A South Node eclipse such as this one is said to bring forward issues and patterns that we must move beyond in order to advance, individually and collectively. We usually think of a New Moon as being a time of beginnings – and yet this one, paradoxically, is even more powerfully a point of cleansing and release.
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THE IMPACT of this eclipse is heightened due to Jupiter’s close proximity to the Sun, the Moon, and the South Node. As the largest known planet in our solar system, Jupiter tends to magnify whatever it touches. As such, this South Node eclipse could more clearly define the patterns and behaviors that are holding us back. In particular, we could observe the shadow side of Capricorn at work: over-control, fear-based behaviors, repressed emotions, rigidity, and separation.
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When we see a stark contrast between who we are and who we aspire to be, it can be easy to despair. And yet, our heightened awareness can also inspire us. It can strengthen our determination to be the very best we ourselves can be, to walk the higher road with even greater purpose than before.
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Please note that all signs have both a higher expression and a shadow side, with all possible manifestations in between. The only reason we’re focusing on the lower expressions of Capricorn at this time is due to the placement of the South Node, which always makes us aware of the shadow side of a sign.
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THE GREAT NEWS is that if we can rise above the pitfalls of this South Node eclipse, we can tap into the benefits of the heightened Jupiter influence.
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At its essence, Jupiter is the planet of optimism, faith, and wisdom. If we resist the temptation to engage the shadow side of Capricorn, and instead focus on the heart-centered qualities associated with the North Node in Cancer – empathy and caring, generosity, trust, and appreciation – we allow a deep transformation to occur, not only in our own lives, but in the collective consciousness.
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When Jupiter’s influence is strong, it can also increase our intuitive knowing and enhance our understanding of deeper meanings. These are the potential gifts of this Solar Eclipse for those who are able to rise above judgment and fear and choose instead to live life with an open heart and an open mind.
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THIS ECLIPSE THEME of overcoming fears appears in different form through Chiron’s involvement in the event. Chiron, known to astrologers as the Wounded Healer, is in hard square aspect to the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and the South Node.
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When we work with a hard aspect involving Chiron, we are aware of an underlying wound that needs to be healed. With Chiron in Aries, that wound generally appears as a lack of self-confidence, a tendency to react in anger or aggression, and a deep fear that we will never be able to fulfill our desires.
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I believe that Chiron represents a fearful aspect of our beings, a part of us that needs our unconditional love. Like a small child, this part of us acts out when it does not feel our acceptance and support. When we ignore it, get impatient with it, or stand back and let it take charge of some area of our lives, its fear only increases.
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If we are able to truly love, accept, and embrace this part of ourselves during this eclipse season, we can make great progress in healing not only our own lives, but the collective as well.
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THE PLANET URANUS plays a very significant and positive role in the Solar Eclipse. Uranus is moving very slowly now, in preparation for its change direction on January 10 (the same day as the Lunar Eclipse!). This slow motion means that Uranus’ influence is exceptionally strong throughout the next four weeks.
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The exciting news is that at the time of this week’s eclipse, Uranus is in harmonious trine aspect with the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and South Node. Uranus enables change to occur, and helps us be more flexible in response to shifting energies. The trine to the South Node, in particular, can assist us in moving beyond the pull of karmic patterns.
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In mundane reality, Uranus can bring about sudden or unexpected changes. If you are experiencing a Uranus transit to a planet or point in your chart this year, these next four weeks are likely to be pivotal in manifesting important shifts in some area of your life.
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AS WE CONSIDER how this Uranian influence might manifest in our lives, we need to remember that Uranus is a transpersonal planet. In this capacity, the planet is the representative of Higher Consciousness, the Divine Mind. When we receive the energies of a harmonious aspect from Uranus – as we will at the time of the Solar Eclipse – we are more open than usual to receive inspiration from our Higher Selves. Intuition is heightened, new information is attained, and we become more conscious of alternate realities. In other words, We Awaken.
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Alice Bailey, the great esoteric astrologer, wrote that Uranus is the planet of the hidden mystery and one of the most occult of all planets. She explains that Uranus is the conduit through which the energies of the Central Spiritual Sun are conveyed to the physical Earth plane.
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Here are several quotes from Ms. Bailey’s writings about Uranus, to help us understand the significant opportunities that lie within this entire eclipse season:
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“Uranus veils that which is essential; it hides that which must be discovered and, at the right moment, it transmits knowledge of the hidden mystery.”
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“Uranus causes the great transference in the human consciousness from intellectual perception to intuitive knowledge.”
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“Uranus initiates a new order of life and conditions, and this … in turn produces an understanding of the causes of things as they are, and the desire to change the old order and the old orientation into the new.”
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“The energy of Uranus, pouring upon and into humanity, produces the urge to better conditions to provide better forms for the occult and esoteric life and to blend more adequately the inner and the outer [hu]man.”
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“When the influence of Uranus is added to the other influences … there is then present the energy needed to precipitate the crisis of initiation and produce a great rhythmic awakening.”
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UNDERSCORING the potentials for a “great transference in human consciousness” that lie before us, the asteroid Pallas Athene aligns with Mercury at the time of the Solar Eclipse, and is also in square aspect to Neptune.
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Pallas is the goddess of Wisdom and Healing. Her alignment with Mercury, the Messenger, indicates an enhanced opportunity for us to access higher wisdom, as well as to discover new solutions that heretofore have eluded us. And, the square to Neptune means that we must set aside our beliefs about what is and is not possible, if we are to take full advantage of Pallas’ gifts of insight.
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A FINAL NOTE about this week’s Solar Eclipse: At the time of the event, the Sun and Moon are aligned with a black hole designated NGC 6624. Black holes are known to have incredible magnetic fields, so this alignment adds to the overall impact of the eclipse.
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Astrologer Mary Elizabeth Hoffman writes in her booklet An Introduction to Karmic Galactic Astrology that black hole NGC 6624 requires that we choose either “compassion or manipulation, expressing either love or fear.”
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Amazing how the meanings of this black hole so clearly illuminate the choice point delineated by this South Node eclipse…
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AFTER THE TORNADO: My next webinar, covering the first half of 2020, will air live on Thursday, January 30. In the class, we’ll review January’s incredible line-up of planetary events (originally covered in my June 2019 class), and then move on to discuss what the planets have in store for us through June 2020.
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The webinar is entitled “After the Tornado: Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” (see graphic below). More details to come soon!
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IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: This is a pivotal year for you, one that provides ample opportunities for your ongoing growth in consciousness. But, it is not enough to reside only on the mental plane, even if that plane expands into higher levels of awareness; along the way you must also do some inner healing, so that new levels of self-love might be present within you. As you do this healing, your potentials for growth expand and your positive impact in the world is likewise enhanced. (Solar Return Sun conjunct Jupiter, square Chiron, trine Uranus)
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Photo: “Annular Solar Eclipse over New Mexico” (credit/copyright Colleen Pinski)
NorthPoint Journal copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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