The Eclipse of the Moon
The eclipse of the Moon has traditionally been viewed as a bad omen, for it can awaken irrational responses. Since the Moon governs domestic matters, the public and the emotional personality, rather than leadership, it tends to have a more personal effect than the solar eclipse, which plays a more outward, even political, role. As a rule, women and family are generally more affected by the lunar cycle, whereas men and politics are signified by the solar. This is not to say that women are not political animals, nor that men are distinct from the family, but that the private, nurturing side is more affected than the public, social and media driven arena, which even in the 21st Century is still primarily dominated by males, or at least by what might be described as masculine energies.
The
Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Moon and Sun are aligned in opposition, with the body of the Earth between them, such that the shadow of the Earth covers the face of the Moon.
A partial lunar eclipse on October 17, 2005 occurs in Aries, the riotous sign of the Ram. In the Vedic system, the nakshatra (lunar mansion) in which the Moon is located is Aswini, ruled by Ketu, the Dragon's Tail, so this is sure to present an expression of karmic destiny. It will particularly affect people with cardinal signs strong in their charts (the cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn).
This eclipse inclines us to have an unduly independent outlook on life, though it stimulates strong imaginative faculties and self-reliance.
Highly emotional, even passionate relationships and experiences must express themselves – or there will be trouble, as people will be aggressive and lack forethought. Avoid changes of occupation and position through hasty decisions, or you're likely to regret them. Trouble through women is characteristic and the atmosphere is generally restless, irritable and impatient.
Sexual relations under this lunation tend to be brief, intense encounters.
People with cardinal signs prominent in their charts will have a hard time separating their egos from their emotions, failing to recognise that something (or someone) they want may simply represent ego involvement, instead of emotional commitment. What we are called upon (or driven) to do may often interfere with what gives us emotional satisfaction, or we chase after our desires, while we waste or fail to develop our talents and skills.
How do Eclipses Happen?In ancient times, priests and astrologers discovered how to predict eclipses, having realised their significance. Using observation and mathematics, they prepared reliable tables utilising their knowledge of the movement of the Moon's Nodes that have hardly been surpassed for accuracy until the recent advent of the computer. For more on the
science of eclipses,
click here.
The Moon's light is reflected from the Sun, as the Moon does not shine of her own accord. Each month the Moon in her orbit travels completely around the Earth and the New and Full Moons happen as the Sun aligns with the Moon, either in conjunction or opposition. These powerful periods are called
lunations. Among other effects on the world, they generate the tides.
At a Full Moon, when the Earth, Sun and Moon are closely aligned so that the Earth is located precisely between the Sun and the Moon, the shadow of the Earth covers the face of the Moon generating a
Lunar Eclipse, where the light of the Moon is darkened temporarily. When similarly aligned at a New Moon, the body of the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, producing a Solar Eclipse by hiding the face of the Sun. Remember that eclipses of the Sun should never be viewed directly with the naked eye, because the potential for eye damage is high.
When lunations are also eclipses, their effect is even more powerful — although solar eclipses are more strongly felt than lunar eclipses.
Eclipses usually occur in pairs, with either a lunar eclipse (Full Moon) heralding a solar eclipse (New Moon) about two weeks later, or vice versa. The energy of any lunation is always most strongly felt a day or so before the Moon reaches the exact alignment with the Sun.
Although the actual size of the Moon is much smaller than the size of the Sun, one of the most remarkable facts about our universe is that, when viewed from the Earth during a total eclipse, the Moon's disc exactly covers the disc of the Sun. The odds against such a striking coincidence happening in the one known area of the Universe where intelligent beings can experience it are, in a word, astronomical! This is one more in a long list of phenomena that inclines this writer to believe that our world is much more like a
mind than a thing.
Article by Rob Tillett
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