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Monday, July 20, 2009
According to NASA’s Eclipse Web Site, “On Wednesday, 2009 July 22, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. After leaving mainland Asia, the path crosses Japan's Ryukyu Islands and curves southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality reaches 6 min 39 s. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.” www.eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2009/TSE2009.html
Solar Eclipse This site shows a beautiful animation of the eclipse: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solar_eclipse_animate_(2009-Jul-22).gif This solar eclipse will be the longest on the planet until 2032. It will last so long because it occurs while the Moon is close to perigee (closest to Earth). In the Western hemisphere, the eclipse will occur on July 21, and in the Eastern, it will be on July 22. A solar eclipse takes place when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is totally or partially covered. According to astrology, a solar eclipse is a highly charged New Moon that brings planetary and personal upheaval. As the heavens mirror life on Earth, a solar eclipse can reflect a drop in vitality while bringing to light any issues blocking or depleting our life force.You may have been going through some extreme ups and downs recently, or you might be going through some important transformations, or just having some great revelations, all of which we might attribute to the eclipse energies working their magic of change-change-change! Yes, we feel the results for many weeks before the eclipse, during the day of the eclipse itself, and for the next six months and even for many years. Any strong personal effect depends on whether it is occurring close to (within 5-6 degrees) a natal reference point, mainly, the Sun, Moon and Lagna (Ascendant). An astrological reading can pinpoint how the eclipse will affect you personally. For more on eclipses in general, please go back and read my extensive blog post on January 23, 2009: Go to link The eclipse path extends from India, China, a few of the Japanese islands and the South Pacific Ocean (see map of path below). Any one of these areas may become a geopolitical “hot spot” in the coming months, especially because the Sun is eclipsed in its mrityu bhaga (fatal/harmful degree) and also, in mid-October, malefic Mars will transit across the eclipse point in its debilitation sign, which can act like a trigger of potentially chaotic or violent events. In addition, mundane astrologers believe that we may see an amplification of storms and seismic activity in coming months, particularly in the areas along the eclipse path. This is even truer because the trans-Neptunian planet Vulcanus is close to (within 4 degrees) the eclipse point. Postulated by the German astrologers Alfred Witte and Friedrich Sieggruen in the early 20th century, Vulcanus is one of eight hypothetical planets used by Uranian astrologers. I have found that these points, especially Vulcanus, can add depth to astrological analysis, and I often consider them when they are closely influencing the traditional planets and luminaries, as in this case. Vulcanus represents strength, force, violence and extreme power, and can have an explosive force similar to that of an erupting volcano. Clearly, there are powerful “negative” forces on the planet and within each of us that need to burst open and clear away so that we may awaken and evolve into our full potential. The eclipse chart for Washington DC (see below) reveals a stressful fixed grand cross, which the late Western astrologer Isabel Hickey described as a karmic pattern related to the misuse of will. This aspect pattern may have a potentially disruptive influence on individuals and nations. The solar eclipse occurs in Cancer, the constellation that relates to the needs of the heart, nourishment, deep security, home and family. How do we resolve our collective insecurity, heal ourselves and ultimately, create peace and balance on our beautiful planet? How do we "come home" to our true Self that is free and in the flow of divine grace? These are matters that may come into stronger focus for each of us now and during the coming months. Because electromagnetic energies are intensified during an eclipse, it is believed that any spiritual practice performed during this time will have an auspicious and magnified effect. Thus, many yogis and spiritual masters recommend that we meditate or perform mantra recitation during the eclipse. The maximum intensity of the eclipse will occur at 2:35 AM UT July 22 (10:35 PM EDT on July 21) but the eclipse will also have an effect for about 2.5 hours on either side. Keep in mind that even those not along the eclipse path are affected by the total planetary “reboot” of a solar eclipse! One appropriate mantra to perform during the eclipse period is a sloka (verse) from the hymn associated with the Sun (Surya) that was recited by Sage Agastya to Rama on the battlefield before he fought with Ravana (in the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana). I was initiated into this mantra by my teacher Ram Dass during a class many years ago at Naropa. It is called the “Meditation of the Sun in the Heart”…and it goes, “Aditya-Hridayam Punyam, Sarva Shatru-vinashanam,” and as I learned it, this means, “Keep the Sun in your heart, and all evils will vanish from the world.” While repeating it, imagine a brilliant, flaming Sun burning brightly in your heart. This Sun is brighter than a thousand suns…it is the Divine Sun within each of us that burns away all the illusion and suffering of the world. 
View the charts and full size map for the Solar Eclipse at my blog HERE! | |
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AstralHarmony.com
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