Eclipses usually come in pairs. In this eclipse sequence there are three of them, two solar and one lunar. This Full Moon in Aquarius is a total lunar eclipse and the second one in this sequence. Two weeks ago there was a partial solar eclipse in Cancer. Another partial solar eclipse will occur on Aug. 11, 2018, in Leo.

This spectacular lunar eclipse will be visible in many parts of the world, at least partially. This is the longest total lunar eclipse of the century, because the Moon is passing through the center of the Earth’s shadow, and also because the Moon is near its apogee (the point of greatest distance) and thus moves slowly. Totality lasts 1 hour and 43 minutes, and the total duration of the eclipse is 6 hours, 14 minutes. Central lunar eclipses are the darkest ones and they are relatively rare. The previous one occurred seven years ago. During the total phase, the Moon will look reddish. If the sky is clear, the total phase should be visible in its entirety in southern Finland, where I live.

What makes this eclipse astrologically really interesting is that the Moon will be in conjunction with retrograding Mars. At the moment we are in the middle of the retrograde period of Mars (from June 26 to Aug. 27), and Mars reaches its opposition to the Sun on the day of the lunar eclipse. Now Mars is closer to Earth and shines brighter than usually in the sky. Also Mercury turned retrograde the day before the eclipse.

Retrograding planets work a bit differently than planets in direct motion. It is possible that the usual expression of the planet gets inhibited. Normally Mars gives us courage, initiative, desire and other beneficial features, but also anger and aggression. In Aquarius this could come out as collective rage. Turning anger inwards is as undesirable as is uncontrollable rage.

The Full Moon is always an opposition of the Sun and the Moon. All eclipses take place near the lunar nodes. In Leo, opposite the Moon and in conjunction with the Sun and the North node of the Moon is 32532 Thereus, a centaur planet with orbital period of over 34 years. This centaur can help us in dealing with Mars retrograde. In Greek mythology centaur Thereus was a hunter who captured bears and carried them home, alive and struggling. Why would anyone take a raging bear to their home? The myth doesn’t give us the answer, as there is nothing more told about Thereus.

Behind anger there is usually pain, and it takes courage and patience to face old wounds. In “Women Who Run With the Wolves” by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés there is a chapter in which she talks about rage and how to deal with it. Rage can become a teacher. She tells us a Japanese tale called “The Crescent Moon Bear”. These words of Dr. Pinkola Estés can offer us the missing piece of the Greek myth:

“So rather than trying to ‘behave’ and not feel our rage or rather than using it to burn down every living thing in a hundred-mile radius, it is better to first ask rage to take a seat with us, have some tea, talk a while so we can find out what summoned this visitor.”

Ever since I read the tale of the crescent moon bear, I have in my imagination seen centaur Thereus in his home cave, having tea and a chat with an angry bear. 32532 Thereus, like all other centaur planets, has potential for healing.

The New Moon at 20+ degrees of Cancer is a partial solar eclipse. The Moon covers only part of the Sun, but anyhow, this is an intense eclipse, because it takes place exactly opposite Pluto.

Right after the eclipse, on July 16, 2018, President Trump and President Putin will meet at the Helsinki summit. This is the first official meeting between these two world leaders. The Sabian symbol for the eclipse degree is Cancer 21 “A prima donna singing”. Perhaps we are going to see two of them.

This solar eclipse belongs to the Saros series 2 Old North. In “Predictive astrology: the eagle and the lark”, Bernadette Brady has delineated this eclipse family, based on the initial eclipse in the series, as follows: “This is a difficult eclipse family, as its members bring unfortunate news concerning friendships or relationships. You will be dealing with ideas of separation or the ending of a union. However, although the picture may look glum as the eclipse takes effect, the actual results are quite positive. You will quickly grasp what has to be done and fast action can bring good results. The theme of this eclipse is action concerning personal relationships.”

The planetary ruler of Cancer is the Moon. Sometimes, for a more accurate interpretation, each zodiac sign can be subdivided into three segments called decans. This eclipse falls in the last decan of Cancer, which is ruled by Neptune. In “Eclipse interpretation manual”, Rose Lineman describes this position like this: “Neptune’s [influence] in the third as sub-ruler lends an ethereal quality to Cancerian expression. Domestic priorities become prominent on a universal scale.”

Astrology is dualistic in its nature. Pluto’s polarity was clearly perceived soon after its discovery, long before its double companion Charon was found. Pluto is a planet of power. Along with its purging quality and tremendous ability to propel spiritual growth and renewal, also tendencies for control and manipulation belong in its dominion. The eclipse takes effect opposite Pluto. An opposition aspect can raise awareness or increase the possibility of a conflict.

Pluto is associated with places underground. Among other things, sewers belong to his symbolism. Pluto operates invisibly, and when the time is ripe, he brings the secrets into daylight. I was amused reading that sewer covers are being welded shut in Helsinki for the next week’s summit meeting as a security procedure. I don’t think that it is going to prevent Pluto!

This solar eclipse occurs in conjunction with 52975 Cyllarus, a centaur planet discovered almost 20 years ago by American amateur astronomer Nichole Danzl. The orbital period is over 133 years and the diameter is about 70 kilometers.

52975 Cyllarus was named after a young and beautiful centaur in Greek mythology. Cyllarus and Hylonome were like Romeo and Juliet. Cyllarus was severely wounded in a battle and died in the arms of his beloved. In her despair Hylonome killed herself by throwing herself onto the same javelin that had pierced her partner.

Symbolically the centaurs represent shadow material in our consciousness. A death of a centaur can stand for a crisis in one’s life, which through awareness leads to change and growth. In the case of Cyllarus, what happens afterwards may gain more significance than the initial occurrence. Cyllarus is reminding us to be conscious of the choices we are making in our lives. The decisions we make directly affect not just us but also other people around us.

“Earth’s increase, foison plenty,
Barns and garners never empty;
Vines with clustering bunches growing;
Plants with goodly burden bowing,
Spring come to you at the farthest
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you;
Ceres’ blessing so is on you.”
– William Shakespeare, The Tempest

The Full Moon in Leo was a total lunar eclipse and a SuperMoon. If the Moon had risen above the horizon in your location at the time of the eclipse, you were able to see a big red Moon. The media was advertising a Blue Moon. The term has no astrological significance and refers only to the fact that this was the second Full Moon in January.

This was a super powerful Moon. A lunar eclipse is considered more powerful than an ordinary Full Moon and so is a SuperMoon. The Moon’s orbit is elliptical, and when the Moon at the time of a Full Moon or a New Moon happens to be at perigee (the point of least distance) it is called a SuperMoon. Even the astronomers are using this term nowadays, but originally the term was launched by astrologer Richard Nolle in the 70’s.

The Full Moon in Leo was in exact conjunction with asteroid 1 Ceres, the very first asteroid to be discovered. Ceres was originally classified as a planet, and later downgraded to an asteroid. Now it is one of the dwarf planets and the only one in that category orbiting the Sun in the main asteroid belt. Ceres was discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi. Recent studies suggest that Ceres possibly has a layer of liquid water in its interior, and also water in the form of ice everywhere on its surface. There is a strong possibility that life on Earth originated from Ceres. Piazzi didn’t know about these hypotheses when, in the early years of the 19th century, he proposed the name after the Roman goddess Ceres, Mother Earth.

In Roman mythology Ceres had a daughter, Proserpina, whom she loved dearly. One day Pluto abducted young Proserpina and made her the queen of the Underworld. Ceres desperately searched her daughter everywhere, but she couldn’t find her. In her grief and anger Ceres stopped the growth of fruits and vegetables. Jupiter sent Mercury to free Proserpina. Pluto made Proserpina eat six pomegranate seeds, because those who ate food of the dead could not return to the world of the living. Therefore every year Proserpina has to spend six months with Pluto. This is wintertime on Earth. The other six months she is allowed to live with her mother Ceres. When Proserpina returns, Ceres allows plants grow and flowers bloom again. The myth describes the change of the seasons, and nature’s eternal cycle of renewal.

February 2 is Candlemas, one of the Christian holidays. The name refers to candles that are blessed on this day for use throughout the year. Originally in the ancient Rome this festival was feasted in honor of Pluto and Ceres. The Romans walked through the city with lighted candles, because Ceres sought her daughter Proserpina in the night with the light of a candle. Also the Celtic pagan festival Imbolc is feasted around this time, halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox.

In the Leo Full Moon chart we have a tight conjunction of two astrological symbols representing mother, the Moon and Ceres. Unconditional love, grief, nurturing and taking care of others, food-related issues and sharing are among the themes of Ceres.

In “Asteroid Goddesses” Demetra George ponders Ceres’ rulership in signs, and introduces Ceres as the ruler of Cancer, Virgo and the Taurus-Scorpio polarity. She mentions that Ceres, in her Virgoan expression, symbolizes workers, labor unions and strikes, among other things. On February 2 a massive political demonstration takes place in Helsinki. Finland’s largest labor organization, the SAK, is protesting the so-called “active model”, the government’s program to reduce the benefits of the unemployed. Thousands of workers will gather to show their solidarity with the unemployed. For instance, the bus and metro workers, and many branches of the public sector will be striking. The delivery of meals to daycare centers may be disturbed, and parents have been advised to pack some food along with their children on Friday. Several themes of Ceres can be recognized concerning Friday’s events.

The Atlantic hurricane season lasts roughly from June to November. Uranus was exactly opposite 42355 Typhon already in the Summer Solstice chart. The total solar eclipse on Aug. 21 was tightly aspecting the Uranus-Typhon opposition. Typhon changed signs to Scorpio on Sept. 20, the same day that the New Moon in Virgo occurred. In the Autumnal Equinox chart on Sept. 22, the Moon was in conjunction with Typhon. Now, at the Aries Full Moon on Oct. 5, Jupiter was conjoining Typhon.

In Greek mythology Typhon was huge. Since the summer all over the world there have been natural disasters on a large scale, which fit in the symbolism of Typhon: wildfires, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. The joined remains of hurricane Lee and Maria reached even us in Finland, giving us a whole month’s worth of rain in a couple of days.

The spiral shape is characteristic for hurricanes and typhoons. It can also be found in the double helix structure of the DNA molecule that carries the genetic code of all living organisms. Viruses also contain DNA, although they cannot naturally reproduce outside a host cell. In August 2017 the worst flu outbreak on record hit Australia. It is expected to turn into a pandemic. In the Full Moon chart on Sept. 6, besides the Uranus-Typhon opposition, asteroid 55555 DNA was in conjunction with the Moon (mutations) and Neptune (diseases).

42355 Typhon and the main belt asteroid 55555 DNA interestingly appear in the charts of many pandemics.

More than 4000 people died in the yellow fever during the epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. Two of the early cases were treated on Aug 7, 1793. In the chart Jupiter (expansion), Uranus (sudden events) and Pluto (viruses) were forming a t-square. Jupiter was in exact conjunction with Typhon in Scorpio. Mars (fever, infections) was in trine to the Jupiter-Typhon conjunction.

The first recognized cases of AIDS were reported by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 5, 1981. Five homosexual men in Los Angeles were reported to have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems. In the chart Typhon is in conjunction with Chiron in Taurus and in a wide opposition to Uranus at 27+ degrees of Scorpio. Also Mars (infections) and asteroid DNA, both in the first degree of Gemini, were opposing Uranus. Jupiter (expansion) in the first degree of Libra (one of the four Aries points, a point of interaction between the individual and collective) was in trine to Mars-DNA conjunction.

Asteroid DNA, Jupiter and Typhon made a triple conjunction at 11+ degrees of Leo in late September 2002. In the middle of November 2002, DNA opposed Uranus on the axis of 24+ degrees of Leo/Aquarius. The Sun-Mercury conjunction in Scorpio was at the midpoint completing the opposition aspect to a t-square pattern. The epidemic of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) appears to have started in China on Nov. 16, 2002. The first case of infection was speculated to be a farmer in Foshan County. The Jupiter-Typhon conjunction was opposing Neptune in Aquarius in February 2003. On March 12, 2003, WHO issued a global alert. The Sun was squaring Pluto at the time.

The 2009 swine flu influenza reached the media spotlight around the time of the Taurus New Moon on April 25, 2009. Asteroid DNA was at 16+ degrees of Pisces opposite Typhon. Mercury (lungs) was in tight sextile to Uranus and trining the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius. Mars (infections) was at the Aries Point. On June 11, 2009, WHO raised the alert level to phase 6 and announced the pandemic. Because Mercury had been retrograding in May, it was in sextile to Uranus and in trine to the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron in June for the second time.

There was also a swine flu outbreak on Feb. 5, 1976, in Fort Dix, in the U.S. Army installation. The epidemic mysteriously disappeared within a couple of months. Uranus in Scorpio was opposite Typhon in Taurus. Mercury was in conjunction with asteroid DNA in Capricorn. They squared Jupiter-Chiron conjunction in Aries. The Sun in Aquarius was in exact trine to Mars in Gemini (lung infections).

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the Greek term typhos, which means smoke, mist or fog, is related to the Greek word typhon, meaning the whirlwind. The disease called typhus got its name from the Greek typhos, describing the state of mind of those infected. The extreme weather phenomena today reflect the collective psychic state of the humankind. The healing can begin only by us, the individuals.

Typhon, a mythical monster in Greek mythology, is the father of the winds. His name is considered to be a possible etymology for the word typhoon, a term which means a tropical cyclone. A typhoon differs from a hurricane only on the basis of location. A typhoon is a storm that occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, a hurricane occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean.

“From the thighs downward he was nothing but coiled serpents, and his arms which, when he spread them out, reached a hundred leagues in either direction, had countless serpents’ heads instead of hands. His brutish ass-head touched the stars, his vast wings darkened the sun, fire flashed from his eyes, and flaming rocks hurtled from his mouth.” — Robert Graves, The Greek Myths.

Indeed, there is a monster rumbling first through the Caribbean island chain, and now about to make its landfall in the mainland of Florida. Hurricane Irma is an extremely powerful hurricane, which already has caused devastation and death on its path. It is one of the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricanes in recorded history. When Irma on Sept. 5 strengthened into a Category 5, it even showed up on seismometers designed to measure earthquakes.

Uranus is currently in a tight opposition to 42355 Typhon, the namesake of the Greek mythological monster. 42355 Typhon was discovered in 2002. It is considered the first known binary centaur, when using an extended definition of a centaur.

The Uranus-Typhon opposition was exact on the Great American Eclipse chart of Aug 21, 2017, and it was still very tight on the Full Moon chart of Sept 6, 2017. The Full Moon at 13+ degrees of Pisces was in conjunction with Neptune, named after Roman god of the sea. In the Full Moon chart the retrograding Mercury was occupying the Total Solar eclipse degree at 28+ Leo. The Full Moon in Pisces was transiting exactly over the Sun of Florida at 13+ Pisces, and it is where the transiting Neptune has been hovering already several months (the state of Florida joined the United States of America on March 3, 1845).

The Total Solar eclipse on Aug 21, 2017, at 28+ Leo was aspecting tightly Uranus at 28+ Aries and Typhon at 28+ Libra. Hurricane Harvey made its landfall on Aug 25, 2017, at Port Aransas Texas. Heavy rain and flood caused great damage in Houston. The Moon of the landfall chart at 26+ Libra was in conjunction with Typhon and in exact transit square to Typhon of the city of Houston (Houston was incorporated on June 5, 1837). The current Uranus-Typhon opposition was aligning with Houston’s nodal axis of the Moon at 29+ degrees of Aries and Libra.

On Sept 6, 2017, just before the Pisces Full Moon, Hurricane Irma made its first landfall on Barbuda. On both charts Mercury is stationary about to turn direct at 28+ Leo, thus activating the Total Solar eclipse degree again.

In the Greek myth Zeus captured Typhon underneath Mount Etna in Sicily, and there he causes volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. On Sept 8, 2017, a strong 8 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of southern Mexico. Tsunami alerts were issued for the entire Pacific coast of Central America.

There is a connection between global warming and extreme weather phenomena. We have to accept our shared responsibility in stopping the climate change.

Full Moon in Aries / Penumbral Lunar Eclipse — October 18, 2013, 23:38 UT
Full Moon in Aries — September 30, 2012, 03:19 UT
Full Moon in Sagittarius — June 07, 2009, 18:12 UT

The New Moon at 28+ degrees of Leo was the second New Moon in the sign this year. The New Moon was also a total solar eclipse, which was visible in the United States, from coast to coast. The eclipse was in conjunction with a trans-Neptunian object 346889 Rhiphonos. Rhiphonos is in the early degrees of Virgo, so this was an out of sign conjunction.

In astrology, even if the eclipse is not visible where you live, it has an impact nevertheless, and the effect can sometimes be felt already beforehand. In Finland it manifested in the worst possible way on Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, when the first terror attack in our country took place.

A Moroccan asylum seeker stabbed several people at a busy market place in the city of Turku. The attack was aimed at women. Two of the stabbed women died, eight people were injured. Two of the wounded are men who tried to help the victims. There would have been more casualties without the interference of some brave citizens, both native and immigrants. They risked their own lives when they heroically intervened in the assault. There was Rhiphonos working.

In Greek mythology Rhiphonos was one of the twelve Dionysian Centaurs who drew the chariot of the infant Dionysus. Zeus had set them to guard his son Dionysus against Hera’s anger. Dionysus’s mother was a mortal woman, with whom Zeus had fallen in love and had an affair. The Dionysian Centaurs were originally sprites, but when jealous Hera found out about their assistance, she transformed them into ox-horned centaurs.

The leaders of our country have stated that hate must not be answered with hate. Nonetheless, a pizza place in Turku and a barber shop in Helsinki were attacked during the weekend. A journalist, who wrote an article about one of the immigrants who helped the victims, received an avalanche of hate mail. Hate speech is gushing in the social media. The sense of safety has been disrupted among natives as well as the immigrants and asylum seekers.

On Monday morning on my way to work, I noticed that there were no immigrants at all on the bus, or on the streets downtown. Obviously they are afraid of leaving their homes. In addition to the feelings of horror and sorrow, which the Friday’s attack aroused in me, it was a great cause of distress for me to realize and admit to myself that in Finland, those who have come here seeking asylum, need to fear us Finns. There is a lot of racism in Finland, and we should not shut our eyes to it.

The Islamic Council of Finland (Sine) has condemned Friday’s attack and said in a statement: “Violence against innocent civilians – whether it happens in Turku, Barcelona or Charlottesville – violates the basic principles of Islam and all other religions, as well as general human values.”

We need to do everything we can to prevent terrorism. President Niinistö said on Tuesday, that Finland has the right to deport those who seek asylum without a valid cause, and that opposing judiciary’s decisions shake the entire social order. The state leaders should also clearly condemn racism and note that racism is a crime, so that we all could get our sense of safety back.

Every New Moon is a time of new beginnings. An eclipse is more powerful than an ordinary New Moon. An eclipse offers us a moment to pause, to notice the matter which calls our attention, and to choose a new path if necessary. The presence of Rhiphonos supports us in this.

The Full Moon in Aquarius on Aug. 7, 2017, is a partial lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse is more powerful than an ordinary Full Moon. The effects of an eclipse can be felt for about six months. The Sun in the opposite sign Leo, is in exact conjunction with 420356 Praamzius, a trans-Neptunian object in near 3:5 resonance with Neptune.

420356 Praamzius in conjunction with the Sun in this Aquarius lunar eclipse chart is emphasizing concerns over freedom, equality and friendship, which are attributes commonly associated with the sign of Aquarius.

420356 Praamzius was discovered in January 2012 by K. Černis and R. P. Boyle. Kazimieras Černis is a Lithuanian astronomer and astrophysicist, who has discovered a great amount of minor planets. Praamzius is possibly a dwarf planet. Its orbital period is over 280 years, and the orbit is very round. Praamzius has the second-lowest eccentricity of any TNO, after 2003 YN179.

420356 Praamzius was named in February 2016 after the oldest and highest Lithuanian god related to the creation of the world. Praamzius was the god of the sky, peace and friendship in Lithuanian mythology.

Among the events which have taken place, and the people who have been born, while the Sun has been conjunct Praamzius, are the following:

March 15 – March 16, 1907 — The Finnish parliamentary election in 1907 was the first in the world with woman candidates, as well as the first elections in Europe where universal suffrage was applied. Nineteen women were elected. Eris was also in conjunction with the Sun and Praamzius in Pisces.

March 22, 1916 — J. R. R. Tolkien marries Edith Bratt in Warwick, England. The story of Beren and Lúthien is regarded as one of the central tales in Tolkien’s mythology. The story and the characters reflect the love between Tolkien and his wife Edith. The Sun-Praamzius conjunction is in the early degrees of Aries.

April 15, 1930 — Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who served as the fourth President of Iceland from 1 August 1980 to 1996, was born in Reykjavik, Iceland. She was the world’s first democratically directly elected female president. Her Sun-Praamzius conjunction is in Aries.

May 2 – May 5, 1945 — World War II: The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin; Lübeck is liberated by the British Army; the German Army in Trieste surrenders to the New Zealand Army; the Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg is evacuated; The Netherlands is liberated by British and Canadian troops; Denmark is liberated; Prague rises up against occupying Nazi forces; the prisoners of Mauthausen concentration camp are liberated; and the city of Amsterdam is liberated by Canadian soldiers. The Sun passed Praamzius in Taurus. On the Victory Day on May 8, 1945, the conjunction of the Sun and Praamzius is still in effect.

May 9, 1950 — Robert Schuman, one of the founders of the European Union, presents his proposal for the creation of a pan-European organization, which he believes to be indispensable to the maintenance of permanently peaceful relations between the different nations of the continent. This proposal, known as the “Schuman Declaration“, is considered to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union. The Sun-Praamzius conjunction in Taurus is exact.

May 14, 1954 — The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted in The Hague, Netherlands. The Sun-Praamzius conjunction in Taurus is exact.

May 16, 1955 – Captain Richard Phillips was born in Winchester, Massachusetts. He is an American merchant mariner who served as captain of the MV Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by Somali pirates in April 2009. He offered himself as a hostage to save his crew from the pirates. His Sun-Praamzius conjunction in Taurus is exact and sextiles his Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Cancer.

May 18, 1957 — Michael Cretu, a Romanian–German musician, singer, songwriter, and producer was born in Bucharest, Romania. He is the founder behind the German musical project Enigma. He has a triple conjunction of the Sun, Praamzius and Ceres in Taurus.

May 28, 1963 — President Urho Kekkonen suggested in his speech at the Paasikivi Society, that the Nordic countries should establish themselves as a nuclear-weapons-free zone. The different attitudes of the Nordic governments prohibited, however, concrete negotiations on the issue at the time. The Sun-Praamzius conjunction is in Gemini. In Aries Jupiter was in conjunction with Eris.

June 1, 1968 — Mathias Rust, a German aviator who during the Cold War years in 1987 flew from Helsinki to Moscow and illegally landed near Red Square and the Kremlin, was born in Wedel, West Germany. Mathias Rust has said that his flight was intended to reduce tension and suspicion between the two Cold War sides. He has a triple conjunction of the Sun, Nessus and Praamzius in Gemini.

June 21, 1983 – Edward Snowden, who leaked NSA documents in 2013, was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He has said, that by revealing his identity he hoped to protect his colleagues from being subjected to a hunt to determine who had been responsible for the leaks. Snowden’s Sun in the last degree of Gemini is in conjunction with Praamzius in the beginning of Cancer.

There are three kinds of solar eclipses: total, annular and partial. The New Moon at 8+ degrees of Pisces is an annular solar eclipse.

A solar eclipse can only happen at the time of a New Moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction with either of the lunar nodes. The Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring the disc of the Sun. An annular eclipse occurs, when the Moon is at its furthest point from the Earth and appears smaller than the Sun, letting a bright ring burn around the dark Moon.

The New Moon always marks the beginning of a new cycle. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, and this is the last New Moon of the current astrological year. Eclipses can be described as transition points that give us a chance to pause and adjust the direction where we are going.

This solar eclipse is a member of a Saros series number 19 South. Each Saros series starts as a tiny eclipse at either the North or south Pole and will finish at the opposite Pole. A complete cycle will last for well over 1000 years and produce an eclipse every 18 years. The word “saros” means repetition.

One way to try to delineate the meaning of any particular solar eclipse is to look at the first chart of the Saros series in question. The Saros series 19 South started on April 16, 1512 at the South Pole. The Sun and the Moon were at 5+ degrees of Taurus, and there was a Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Pisces. Venus is the ruler of Taurus and it is exalted in Pisces. Uranus was on the midpoint of the New Moon and Jupiter. Astrologer Bernadette Brady has described this 19 South series like this:

“This is a family of eclipses that brings with it the element of the pleasant surprise. Sudden happiness, a joyful event, the lucky break, the lucky win. The events which will be occurring can be believed and can positively change the person’s life.”

The Sabian symbol for the initial eclipse degree Taurus 6 is “A bridge being built across a gorge.” The degree is close to the discovery degree of Chiron, which is Taurus 4, “The rainbow’s pot of gold”. The image of a bridge, opening up and leading to something new and good, is strong.

In the eclipse chart of today there is also the surprise element present, and it is more fierce than in the initial eclipse chart. In Aries the tight triple conjunction of Mars, Uranus and Eris is opposed by Jupiter. An eclipse in Pisces can be gentle though. Furthermore, Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun and the Moon, and Neptune tends to dissolve things.

Neptune is also famous for blurring things. If you feel lost in the fog, focus on the image of the burning ring of fire around the Moon, and let it help you back on the right tracks.

The Full Moon in Leo was also a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. The Moon was in conjunction with the double body 79360 Sila-Nunam, which was discovered twenty years ago, on Feb. 3, 1997.

For more information about Sila-Nunam please see http://sphinx.planetwaves.net/blog/?p=1718

A new wave band Talking Heads released their album Remain in Light in 1980. The band was formed by David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison. The album was produced by Brian Eno, who also was one of the additional musicians on the record. All tracks were written by David Byrne, Brian Eno, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and Tina Weymouth.

Both David Byrne (born May 14, 1952) and Brian Eno (born May 15, 1948) have a conjunction of the Sun and Sila-Nunam in their birth charts. Tina Weymouth (born Nov. 22, 1950) has her Sun opposite Sila-Nunam.

Can we sense a breath of Sila-Nunam in this music?

”The maiden whom the Valar chose from among the Maiar to guide the vessel of the Sun was named Arien, and he that steered the island of the Moon was Tilion. –

”…But Tilion was wayward and uncertain in speed, and held not to his appointed path; and he sought to come near to Arien, being drawn by her splendour, though the flame of Anar scorched him, and the island of the Moon was darkened.

“…Tilion went with uncertain pace, as yet he goes, and was still drawn towards Arien, as he shall ever be; so that often both may be seen above the Earth together, or at times it will chance that he comes so nigh that his shadow cuts off her brightness and there is a darkness amid the day.”

This is how J.R.R. Tolkien describes eclipses in The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is a posthumous collection of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, providing the background to The Lord of the Rings.

Each year there are two eclipse seasons, and in every eclipse season there are commonly two eclipses, one Solar and one Lunar, and sometimes more. The New Moon two weeks ago was an Annular Solar Eclipse in Virgo. The second eclipse of this eclipse season is a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Pisces.

The Full Moon in Pisces is conjunct Chiron. In the same degree with Chiron and conjunct the Moon is 385446 Manwë. In Sagittarius 174567 Varda is square to the Mercury retrograde in Virgo. Varda is also widely squaring Manwë. Manwë and Varda are two trans-Neptunian objects discovered in 2003 and named in 2014. The names come from J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional mythology.

Manwë was the King of the Valar in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legend. Manwë was a kind, compassionate ruler. He sought peace. He was lord of air, wind, and clouds. Birds were his servants, especially eagles, which flew back and forth and brought to his knowledge everything that was going on in the world. Poetry was Manwë’s delight and the song of words was his music. He lived with Varda, the Star-Queen, on Mount Taniquetil by the sea.

Varda is the Queen of the Stars, and being associated with light she is central to the dualism of light and darkness in Tolkien’s cosmology. She made the stars and constellations, and she established the courses of the Moon and the Sun. Her face radiated light.

It is almost impossible to talk about Manwë without mentioning Varda. Manwë and Varda complemented each other. If Varda is beside Manwë, he “sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea. And if Manwë is with her, Varda hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west, from the hills and the valleys…”

385446 Manwë is a binary trans-Neptunian object. The secondary is named Thorondor after the Lord of Eagles, the “mightiest of all birds that have ever been”, in Tolkien’s writing. Manwë and Thorondor are predicted to be going through a period of mutual occultations and transits between 2014 and 2018, when one object crosses in front of the other as seen from Earth.

174567 Varda is highly likely to be a dwarf planet. Its moon is named Ilmarë after Varda’s handmaiden. Tolkien was inspired by many mythologies, and the name Ilmarë possibly comes from the magical Finnish blacksmith Ilmarinen in our national epic, the Kalevala.

The Full Moon in Pisces is conjunct Chiron. This composition suggests intense emotions, confusion, and perhaps feeling like being a bit out of control. The eclipse takes place on the South node of the Moon. The South node has to do with the past. The Moon is a warehouse for memories. Pisces is one of the Water signs, and water remembers.

This can also be a moment of intuitive understanding, which with the aid of Chiron, the Maverick, offers an opportunity to something extraordinary and radiant.