In terms of their visual impact they’re scarily awesome! When the Moon blacks out the familiar light of the Sun and the Earth suddenly turns dark, if you didn’t know better, you could readily be forgiven for imagining that something dire was about to occur. Small wonder that our ancestors traditionally saw Eclipses as dreaded portents of change.
Primitive explanations ranged from the belief that the Sun was under attack by a beast or monster that was trying to eat it, was being chased by its evil brother the Moon, or – on a more positive and romantic note – that the Sun and Moon were coming together to make love in order to give birth to the stars!
What Do Eclipses Mean?
Nowadays of course, we understand that Solar and Lunar Eclipses are simply special New and Full Moons when the Moon or Earth temporarily block the rays of the Sun. We also know they don’t spell the end of the world! Yet there’s no denying their occurrence often coincides with major – and sometimes very difficult – events, both on a universal level and in our personal lives.
On the world stage it’s easy to see why Eclipses have gained their notorious reputation. Throughout the ages, they have been recorded as occurring immediately prior to some of the worst global calamities – natural disasters, for example, like famines, earthquakes and floods, or political upheavals such as the deaths of world leaders, revolutions and wars.
At a personal level too, when the Zodiacal degree at which they occur resonates exactly with prominent features of our own birth chart, Eclipses – and to a lesser extent their weaker counterparts, New and Full Moons – are very important. In nearly all cases they can be expected to trigger big, and perhaps unwelcome, events – not least some of the most momentous developments in our love lives.
When One Door Shuts ...
But whereas the ancients always tended to view change in a negative light, these days we find it easier to come to terms with its more positive consequences. Now we accept that before we can embark on the new, we generally have to let go of the old. And that although it’s not pleasant when a door slams in our face, we can usually rely on another one to open up pretty soon.
When a lover suddenly walks out on us for no good reason, as can sometimes happen under the influence of a Solar or Lunar Eclipse, our initial response is likely to be devastation and bewilderment. But when, a couple of months down the line, we meet the true love of our life – as can also happen in these circumstances – everything starts to fall into place.
There doesn’t necessarily have to be any kind of loss associated with Eclipses, though. In some cases they just herald a pure and simple lucky break, a ‘gift from the heavens’ or an unexpected stroke of good fortune. As always in astrology, much depends on the exact configuration of our birth chart and whether the Eclipse is hitting off an ‘easy’ or ‘challenging’ feature.
Using Eclipses to Our Personal Advantage
If you believe in freewill – that not everything that happens to us is predestined – you can attempt to use Eclipses, as well as New and Full Moons, to your personal advantage. Instead of just seeing what destiny brings, some people choose to get in first, and schedule the start or end of an event or phase in their life to coincide with one of these powerful Sun/Moon conjunctions or oppositions.
Because they greatly intensify the energy of the ‘lights’, as the Sun and Moon are traditionally known, every New Moon, Full Moon or Solar or Lunar Eclipse will give some kind of a boost to whatever takes place under its influence. When it also happens to trigger off your own birth chart, it will allow you to access a cosmic energy of the highest order.
When the Sun and Moon Get Up Close and Personal
If you’re looking to get a new romance underway, the best time to do so is when the Sun and Moon get up close and personal, under a New Moon, or its bigger brother, a Solar Eclipse. If, on the other hand, you want to bring a relationship to a conclusion, you’ll be able to tie up the ends most easily if you do so on a Full Moon or its stronger counterpart, a Lunar Eclipse.
In terms of their impact, New Moons and Full Moons tend to last for up to two weeks, whereas an Eclipse, due to its more powerful nature, can take effect any time up to a few months after its occurrence. Not much for it then – having decided what it is you want it to bring you – but to sit tight and wait for the outcome!
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